Author's Note:

(I didn't get the chance to post Chapter 2 yesterday, so I'm going to post it along with this one today. Enjoy the fic! ^_^)

Chapter Three

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The brick walkway was cold, and it gave goose pimples to the girl lying prone upon it. Her dark hair spread across her face, and one eye slowly opened. Sitting up weakly, she checked her surroundings. She was in a dark alley, with only three doors that she could see. Looking down, she inspected herself. Her clothes were in fair condition. Her jeans now had small holes in the knees, and a slight tear along the left leg, but otherwise fine. She had minor abrasions on her hands and elbows, but that was okay. She slowly stood, bracing herself against a wall for support. When her vertigo faded, she attempted to walk, taking each step one at a time, until she felt well enough to walk normally. She left the alley, and found herself in what looked to be the main square of a town. In the middle, were two trees, their leaves missing. There were a few people that walked the street, running various errands, but one object in particular caught her eye: a small creature, with milk-white fur, a large, red nose, and a sort of pom-pom on the top of its head. It turned, and she saw a set of wings on its back. It made the strangest of sounds, too. "Kupo!" it said.

This isn't Brandt… the girl thought to herself. She brushed a few strands of hair away from her left eye, leaving the rest to fall down over her right. She dusted herself off to the best of her ability, and walked into the square. Shops lined the street above a set of stairs leading into the center of the square, with ornate window designs and finely-crafted door handles. Something tapped her leg. Turning, she saw that it was the same strange creature she had seen before. "Are you lost, kupo?" it said. The girl stared at it, stunned. "Did you just talk to me?" she asked, her eyes wide. The creature nodded. "Yes I did. Kupo!" The girl shook her head. "What are you supposed to be?"

The creature bowed low, the pom-pom on its head bobbing. "I'm a moogle! My name is Kupek." The creature seemed to smile as it extended its hand. The girl took it, and the moogle known as Kupek fluttered up to shake it. "I'm Tasha," the girl said. "What is this place?" The moogle landed and did a slight back flip. "This is Traverse Town. Kupo! This is the hub world for those who have lost their own to the Heartless. Kupo!" Tasha raised an eyebrow. "The what?" she asked.

"The Heartless. Kupo! Those without hearts. They take yours and those of worlds."

"Have you seen a young man around here? He's wearing a white shirt and jeans. He's got hair like mine, but it's tied back." Kupek shook its head. "No, I haven't. Is he your boyfriend, or something? Kupo!" Tasha felt her cheeks go red. "Yes," she replied. Kupek made a sweeping gesture with its arm. "Traverse Town is pretty small. You might find him if you search, kupo."

Tasha looked toward the central staircase. To its left, was a door, above which hung a sign reading "Items." Tasha walked toward the plain-looking door and pushed it open, the hinges noiseless in their motion. Inside, three ducks watched her enter, and all at once, said "Hi!" Tasha paused, surprised for a moment. The ducks looked the same, save for the color of their clothing, which consisted of only a shirt and cap. One wore green, another blue, and the third wore red. "Have you seen a young man walk in here? He's about a foot taller than me, same hair, but tied back. He's wearing a white shirt, and jeans." The green one shook its head. "I haven't. Have you, Dewey?" It was the blue one's turn to shake his head. "Nope. Sure haven't, Huey." The red one snapped his fingers. "Wait. I think I remember seeing someone in a white shirt walking into the Second District." Tasha looked at him. "How do I get there?" she asked. The blue one, Dewey, pointed in the direction of the stairs outside. "Go up the stairs and take a right around the Accessory Shop. Go up those stairs and take a left, then an immediate right, you'll see a door. Go through it."

Tasha nodded at the three. "Thank you," she said, turning for the door. Louie, having always been up to something, stepped forward. "Wait up," he said quickly. Tasha stopped, and turned to face him. "What is it?" she asked. Louie smiled, and held up his pointer finger, telling her to wait, as he hurried behind the counter and rummaged through something. He came back holding a pair of leather gloves, with what looked to be three strips of metal running down the back and curving down the front, stopping between the knuckles. Huey and Dewey rolled their eyes. "Take these," Louie said. "They might come in handy for someone as agile-looking as you." Tasha knelt down and took the gloves from Louie, smiling warmly. As she stood up, she ruffled the feathers on top of his head, inciting a nervous chuckle from the duck. She walked out the door, leaving Huey, Dewey, and Louie standing alone inside. Louie smiled to himself. "You know," he said, "I think she likes me." Huey and Dewey promptly removed their hats and beat Louie over the head. "Hey!" said Louie. "What'd I do?"

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Tasha stood outside the Item Shop, going through Dewey's directions in her head. Once she was sure she had remembered them right, she turned toward the central stairs and started to climb. At the top, was a large building with a sign next to the door. It read: "Accessories." Tasha turned right and walked around the shop, going up the stairs she found there. Turning left she saw a set of large, wooden doors. She ran toward them, eager to find Griff. She placed her hands on the heavy doors and pushed, revealing another square, this one having an upper walkway that went almost completely around it. Shops lined the walls, but most, if not all, of them were closed. A set of stairs off to her right led to the lower level, where, at the far end of the square, stood a fountain. A picture of butterflies sat imbedded into the stonework. Above the fountain, a large building loomed. At the top, Tasha could make out what she believed to be a belfry. She didn't see anyone in the square itself, but there were two smaller alleys on the right side of the square on the lower level. She headed down the stairs, and made for the first alley. A sudden presence behind her caused her to turn. In the air, at eye level with her, floated a creature in tattered dark clothing. On its head, it wore a helmet that looked like a tooth-filled mouth. Two yellow eyes stared at her from within. Tasha turned to run, but three more appeared, surrounding her on all sides. Accompanying these creatures were about a half-dozen of the shadows that she had seen on Reanai. They closed in, the smaller ones preventing her from dodging around the larger ones.

Tasha found herself backed into a corner, unable to find an opening that she could slip through. A sudden shout from above caused her to look up.

"Fire in the hole!"

At the same time, another voice called out, "Shield!" A sudden flash of light appeared in front of her, forming a wall. A small red cylinder sailed through the air, landing on the ground amidst the shadows. Sparks traveled quickly down a wire sticking out one end. When the sparks disappeared, time seemed to stand still for an instant, then an explosion engulfed her vision. She could feel a sudden wave of heat from it, but she remained intact, despite the close range of the blast. The shadows, however, were not so lucky. When the flames died down, the shadows were gone.

Tasha looked up again, and saw two men leap down from the upper level, landing neatly in front of her. One had spiked blonde hair, held up by a pair of pilot's goggles. Draped across his shoulders was a long pike, over which he hung his arms. The other one had shoulder-length, brown hair , a black, short-sleeved jacket, and a sword in his hands, the handle of which appeared to be the handle of a gun, complete with trigger and cylinder. Two belts crisscrossed his pants. The two men turned to face her, and the swordsman held his free hand in front of his face, before extending it toward her, palm outward. "Dispel," he said loudly. Tasha saw the wall in front of her brighten for an instant, then seemingly break into a million tiny shards, each one floating upward and disappearing.

"You're lucky we were in the neighborhood," the blonde one said. "Name's Cid. Cid Highwind. This here's Leon." The swordsman placed his weapon in a holster low on his left hip. "Just Leon," he said quietly. "This part o' town's dangerous for someone to go walking around in without a weapon. The Heartless are everywhere." Tasha looked at Cid in surprise. "Those were Heartless?" she asked. Leon nodded his head. "Come with us," he replied. "We can take you somewhere safe."

Remembering the gloves that Louie had given her, Tasha pulled them from her back pocket and put them on. They ended just before the wrist, and on the inside, was a thin, metal bar that ran across the bottoms of the fingers. She squeezed it, and the three metal strips shot forward, revealing themselves to be claws, each one finely edged. She squeezed it again, and the claws disappeared. Cid raised an eyebrow. Seeing his expression, Tasha smiled. "Louie gave these to me."

Cid laughed, and scratched the back of his head. "That kid'll never learn." Leon had started toward the fountain, and looked back at them. "Come on," he said. "We're wasting time here." Cid sighed and motioned for Tasha to go first.

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(I'm sorry for Chapter 2's shortness, but I think I more than made up for it this time.)