Chapter 5: Endless Waltz
"………Mmmmmph!" groaned Kairi. Her lungs were about to burst due to the lack of any air to breathe. She and Yugi…they were going to die out in space due to lack of air, weren't they? Just then, there was a roar of a distant jet of some kind, then, they saw it. A giant metal, humanoid craft with the 4 wings like an angel's. Kairi shook Yugi with her last bit of remaining air, then they both made an attempt to move towards the strange craft, which seemed to be heading right for them. Amazingly, the craft stopped right in front of them. A point in its midsection opened, and a figure clad in a strange suit and a helmet came out. He grabbed the two figures, whose faces were now changing a rainbow of colors, and dragged them back into the part he came out of. He sealed the door and removed his helmet. Now safely inside the mysterious spacecraft, Yugi and Kairi gasped for air, their faces turning back to the normal skin color.
"Thanks for saving us, uh…," started Kairi.
"My name is Heero Yuy, and I'm almost 16. And you are…?" said Heero.
"I'm Yugi Mutou. I'm from Domino City, and I'm 15," introduced Yugi.
"I'm Kairi. I'm from Destiny Islands and I just turned 14 couple months ago," said Kairi.
"Hmm. So, how did you two get stuck out in space? I didn't see any wreckage around you, so what happened?" asked Heero.
"We were going to fight this evil ancient spirit thing called Nitemare, but it ran away through a portal of darkness it created, then we dove after it, but the portal collapsed on us, and, well, that's when we got stuck in space," explained Kairi.
"Hmm. 5 days ago I would've called that story the biggest load of BS I'd ever heard, but I believe you," said Heero," Let me explain. Five days ago this boy with brownish-blonde hair just pops up out of nowhere. He had these really weird clothes, by our standards. He said his world was destroyed by the heartless or something."
"Did he say his name was Tidus?" asked Kairi.
"Yeah. How'd you know?" asked Heero.
"We hail from the same place," explained Kairi," I was flung into a different world, where I met Yugi and his friends."
"Did your world get swallowed up in darkness too?" Heero asked Yugi.
"No. Kairi sealed my world from the heartless with her Keyblade," answered Yugi.
"Keyblade?" asked Heero.
"This is a Keyblade," said Kairi, materializing hers.
"Hmm…so that thing locks away a world from the darkness, correct?" said Heero.
"Yeah, and it's really good for fighting heartless," said Kairi.
"Anyway, when we found your friend, there was this weird, blue sword next to him. We thought it was his, but he said he'd never seen it before in his life. He was happy to take it, though. 6 hours later, a girl appeared less than 50 yards away from the same spot the boy appeared. She had weird clothes too. Your clothes will probably seem strange to the people too," said Heero.
"That weird suit you're wearing isn't exactly normal to us, either," said Kairi.
"This is a spacesuit. It's not what we usually wear. It's just in case something happens. It allows us to move and breathe in space," explained Heero," Anyway, this girl was found with a staff next to her. She said her name was Yuna and she was from a place called Spira, but it was engulfed in Darkness. She said the staff belonged to her, and she was a 'Summoner in training', whatever that means. We have her under the care of the government with your friend. They also seem to enjoy each other's company…"
"Your government isn't running any kind of tests on them, are they?" asked Kairi.
"No…unless you count Wufei seeing if Tidus was competent enough to handle that sword…" said a slightly amused Heero.
"Who's Wufei? And are you sure that they have good living quarters?" asked Kairi.
Heero started," Wufei is a fellow Gundam pilot. I'm sure your friend is in good company. They are traveling with the vice-foreign minister, Relena Darlian. She's a little younger than myself, but she's very capable of serving in the government. The three of them get along pretty well."
"Alright. So…this weird ship-thingy where flying in is called a 'Gundam'?" asked Kairi.
"That's right. A Gundam is a type of Mobile Suit. Gundams are special because they are made from a special mineral called Gundamium Alloy, which is very rare, and can take a lot of abuse. They also utilize a lot of top-secret weaponry," explained Heero.
"So…does that mean there are other types of mobile suits?" asked Yugi.
"Yes. There are several different models. There are normal suits, and then there are the Gundams. There are 5 existing Gundam models, and one that was destroyed, and only one of each has been made. There are 12 models of normal mobile suits, and two destroyed models. The Gundams are all about equal, but the normal suits vary greatly in power," said Heero.
"So, what Gundam are we in, and what are the others?" asked Yugi.
"You two are in the Wing Zero Model. It's also the only existing Gundam that utilizes the ZERO system, which interacts directly with the pilot's brain waves. The other Gundams are Altron, Deathscythe Hell, Heavyarms and Sandrock. There was also the Epyon, which also used the ZERO system, but it is believed to have been destroyed almost a year ago during the war between the Romefeller Foundation and the White Fang. The normal suits, in order of most powerful to weakest, are Tallgeese III, Tallgeese, Mercurius, Vayeate, Taurus, Virgo II, Virgo, Cancer, Leo, Pisces, Aries, Tragos, and Pisces. The Tallgeese III and Tallgeese models are powerful enough to compete with a Gundam in a one on one fight, while the Leos and down are exceedingly weak compared to a Gundam. There are also rumors of a 'Thirteenth Zodiac', meaning a new Mobile Suit model, circulating around our organization, the Preventers," said Heero.
"What do Preventers do?" asked Kairi.
"It's our job to keep the peace, and quash any rebellions or wars before they start. Something tells me that these rumors can't be good…anyway, we're almost to Colony X-18999. Your friend is there, and I'm done with patrol for foreign invaders, so I have a strategy meeting to attend about the rumor I told you about. I'll take you to Relena and your friend, okay?" asked Heero.
"Sure. By the way, let me say this: I have a hunch that the heartless are somehow connected to the thirteenth zodiac. This guy named Ansem leads them, and it seems like he's gathered the villainous scum of the universe as his allies. They believe that if they destroy as many worlds as possible, they will attain ultimate power, or something like that. Keep that in mind, okay?" advised Kairi.
"Roger that," replied Heero. The colony came into view. It looked like one of those fancy Frisbees that toy companies always say 'are ten times better than normal Frisbees'. There were many other colonies behind it, along with a moon and a world.
"Huh? What kind of world is this?" asked Kairi.
"The actual world is the blue ball. Then there's the moon, which is part of it held by gravity, and the colonies we built out here in space to ease population issues," explained Heero.
"So basically, the colonies are man-made extensions of a world into space?" inquired Yugi.
"Exactly," responded Heero," Alright, we're here." The door of the cockpit opened, and they jumped out onto the catwalk that stretched high across the hangar.
"Hey, Heero. The meeting starts in fifteen minutes, don't forget! Hey, who're those other kids with you?" asked an old man in a Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses. He also wore a black jacket with green shoulders.
"Howard, the boy is named Yugi and the girl is named Kairi. They were drifting in space, and they were in bad shape when I picked them up. They said they were fighting the heartless. They gave chase to a retreating general when the portal collapsed on them and they got dropped in space. Kairi's world was destroyed by the heartless. Apparently, she has a weapon capable of sealing worlds off from the darkness. Anyway, can you do me a favor?" asked Heero.
"Sure. Name it," said Howard.
"Take them to Relena and the other guys," said Heero," I'm gonna get my stuff then go to the meeting."
"All right! See ya later, Heero!" called Howard," All right, so which one of you knows Tidus?"
"I do. We were friends and neighbors back home before our world was destroyed 5 days ago," said Kairi.
"Hmm…all right. You have no clue who Yuna is, right?" asked Howard.
"Heero said something about her world was destroyed by the heartless, and she's a summoner in training," said Yugi.
"All right, this is it," said Howard. He knocked on the door and said," Miss Relena, there are some more people from other worlds out here." The door opened, and a teenage girl with light brown hair back in a ponytail wearing a woman's white business suit came out.
"Hello. I'm Relena Darlian. What are your names, and were your worlds destroyed by the heartless, too?" asked Relena.
"I'm Yugi Mutou, and my world is safe from the heartless," Yugi said.
"I'm Kairi. I came from the same place as Tidus," said Kairi.
"Huh? KAIRI?" came a familiar boy's voice," KAIRI! It really is you! Whoa! I thought I'd almost never see you again!"
"Hehee, its good to see you again too, Tidus," said Kairi.
"So, you two know each other?" came a gentle, yet strong female voice. A brown-haired girl with a blue skirt and a white top with VERY baggy sleeves and no shoulders appeared behind the doorway.
"Oh! This is Yuna. A while after I got here, she showed up too," said Tidus.
"Hello," greeted Yuna.
"Please, come inside," said Relena. Kairi and Yugi stepped in the tiny room. Kairi and Yugi told their tale of what had happened to them so far to the three. They started after Kairi was separated from Tidus, Wakka and Selphie. How she got to Domino City, the Battle City tournament, sealing the keyhole, and then giving chase to Nitemare.
"We were going to suffocate in space, and then Heero picked us up, and here we are," finished Kairi.
"Hmm…so, Heero saved you, huh? I lost count of how many times he's saved me. Heero…" said Relena.
"You like him, don't you?" said Yugi.
"Well…I have to admit it; yes," said Relena," Anyway, it seems like I'm standing in a room surrounded by people much more powerful than myself. So, Yuna; you said you were a summoner in training. What exactly do you mean by that?"
"I mean what I said. I was training in the art of summoning before my world was destroyed. I have limited summoning abilities, but I still have a ways to go. I can summon one Aeon right now," explained Yuna.
"What's an Aeon?" asked Tidus.
"An Aeon is a noble spirit that protected our world. They could be summoned by those with the gift, and the pure heart," said Yuna," But, when our world was destroyed, the Aeons were scattered all over the universe. I can still summon Valefor, my phoenix-like Aeon, but I won't be able to learn any new summons until I find more of the Aeons…" said Yuna.
"Let us help you! I'm trying to find Sora anyways, and who knows where I'll end up. Also, as a Keyblade Master, it's my duty to find and seal as many worlds as possible from here. I think Sora may be in an area that was boxed off from where we are after the destroyed worlds were restored the first time," said Kairi.
"Who's Sora?" asked Yugi.
"Sora is the original Keyblade master. He restored the destroyed worlds with the help of his friends Donald and Goofy. He's also one of my best friends…" said Kairi.
"Or was there something more?" asked Tidus.
"Okay, I'll admit it. If you checked the secret place after Destiny Island was restored, you would know," said Kairi," Sora and Riku, my other best friend, competed for my attention for I while. I never really paid it much heed, but…I guess they both really cared about me…enough to fight against endless hordes of the heartless or sell out to them to try and find me. Anyway, the whole rivalry ended at a place called End of the World. Riku is supposedly stuck in Kingdom Hearts, where all hearts, of people, animals, worlds, everything, comes from. I was teleported back to Destiny Islands, which was reforming from the End of the World, and I saw Sora. He said we would see each other again, so now, since Destiny Island was destroyed again, I plan on looking for him."
"Hmm…" sighed everyone else in the room. Suddenly, a familiar voice came over the P.A.
"Relena, something bad is going on. Come to the strategy room immediately, and bring our guests with you!" said the P.A.
"You guys heard Heero. Let's go!" said Relena. They all headed for the room. When they got there, they found ten people, six boys and four girls, all wearing the same jackets, where listening intently to an old man talking over the TV.
"We here at the Barton Foundation declare ourselves to be independent from the Earth Sphere Unified Nation. At the same time, we would also like to declare war on the nation. Your pathetic Preventer force stands no chance of saving you from our army! The world shall be MINE! HAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!" laughed the geezer on TV.
"Looks like the rumors where true," said a boy with light blonde hair.
"Dang it, looks like they've beaten us to the punch. Again," said a brown haired boy with a long braid.
"Let's not give up yet. We still have the Gundams," said a dark blue haired girl with long bangs that covered half her face.
"Umm, I hate to interrupt, but did you guys see that crest the old geezer had on his hat?" asked Kairi.
"Hunh?" said the brown-haired braided boy.
"What about it?" asked Heero.
"That was the Heartless symbol!" exclaimed Yugi.
"The heartless? Great. Just great," muttered a man with long, blonde hair.
"Hmm. The heartless, huh. Well, since you all have had past experiences with them from what we've heard, it looks like we'll need to be working together. What are your names?" asked a woman with long dark brown hair.
"I'm Kairi," said Kairi.
"My name is Yugi Mutou," said Yugi.
"It's Tidus," said Tidus.
"I am Yuna," said Yuna.
"Good to meet you. You may call me, Lady Une," introduced the woman.
"I'm Duo. Duo Maxwell, Shinigami, the God of Death," said the boy with the braid.
"The name's Wufei Chang," said a Chinese boy with a short ponytail.
"I have no name. If you must call me something, then call me Trowa Barton," said a boy with brown hair that covered half his face.
"My name is Quatre Rebarba Winner," stated the blonde boy.
"It's Zechs Merquise," introduced the longhaired blonde man.
"I'm Sally Po," said a brunette with braided hair.
"I'm Lucrezia Noin, but please, call me Noin," said the dark blue-haired woman.
"Just call me Hilde," said a younger woman with blackish blue hair.
"Well, then, I suppose we should make a plan for our defense," said Heero," Kairi, you seem to have had the most dealings with the heartless here. How do they fight?"
"The heartless try to overcome you with overwhelming numbers. Some use powerful special techniques, but they're pretty rare," answered Kairi. Suddenly, an alarm went off, and the old geezer from the broadcast came on screen again.
"Greetings, Preventers. I, for those of you who do not already know, am Dekim Barton, leader of the illustrious Barton Foundation! I have but one thing to say to you: hand over the Keyblade master, any of her little friends and surrender immediately. Otherwise…" said Dekim.
"Otherwise what?" asked Zechs tauntingly.
"Otherwise, I shall proceed with Operation Meteor, using that colony you're in, right now!" threatened Dekim," I await your answer. Send an unaccompanied shuttle carrying the requested ones to the site of the Final battle from the War one year earlier within 30 minutes, or I will send the HEARTLESS to personally take over that colony, and see Operation Meteor through!"
"D**n! Operation Meteor?!? That B*****d!" cried Duo.
"What's Operation Meteor?" asked Kairi.
"Operation Meteor. Possibly the most hideous, vile and immoral scheme ever concocted. It was a relatively simple plan: Step 1; drop a floating colony or resource satellite on the Earth. Step 2; send in a strong mobile suit force to march across the planet and cause terror and mass chaos. Step 3, Dekim steps in and seizes control of the planet," explained Trowa.
"Is that really necessary?" asked Tidus.
"Apparently Dekim thinks so. I want to fight him! If we surrender to him, he'll seize control anyway. We are all that stands between the Earth and Dekim's tyranny!" exclaimed Zechs.
"I think I have an idea," said Kairi.
"Well then, let's hear it!" said Duo.
"All right. You guys go in your Gundams or Mobile suits in the shuttle instead of us. When they come to take 'us' prisoner, ambush them and wipe 'em all out. When the heartless try to invade the colony, Yugi, Tidus, Yuna and myself will stop them," explained Kairi.
"That's insane! You'll all be seriously outnumbered!" said Relena.
"It's crazy all right. Maybe…just crazy enough to work!" said Sally.
Progress Report
Sora No change
Donald No change
Goofy (Author's note: I just noticed that Goofy's stats were left out of the prologue. Oh, well. Here they are, if anyone cares.) Lv.83 103 HP 6 MP ;Save The King *Tornado *Charge *Rocket *MP Gift *Treasure Magnet *MP Rage (x2) *MP Haste *Second Chance *Second Wind *Cheer
Kairi No change
Yami No change
Tidus Lv.30 53HP 5MP ;Longsword *Spiral Cut *Slice and Dice *Blitz Dodge
Yuna Lv.27 42HP 7MP *Cura *Life *Protect *Reflect *Dispel *Grand Summon
(Author's Note In closing: We'll that's chapter five. Kinda short, eh? Sorry, folks, no whip@$$ fight scene this time. That's because chapters six and seven will DEFINETLY be mostly fighting. With a plan, like that, how can there not be? Oh, and in Chapter 6, you can expect a break from your regularly scheduled program due to 1-W-A Breaking News. PLEASE REVIEW, and guess what that stands for! Oh, and my previous guessing challenge still stands. Beta Genius was extremely close, but that's not quite it. All right, I'll shut up now.)
***************************End Chapter 5*****************************