Oh, I feel so bad! I haven't written in nearly 2 months! I'm such a bad
fanfic writer! *hangs head* Well, here's the 1st chappie! Oh, yes, I don't
own any of the characters so far except for Tamaru, Squaresoft stole them
first!
Kairi woke up in the middle of the night, sweating and breathing hard. She had had another nightmare about Sora and Riku, and losing them forever. She hadn't been sleeping well since Sora defeated Ansem a year ago, and tonight was no exception. She would often sit out on the beach, waiting for him, but he never came. Kairi decided to take a walk on the beach. She left a note for her mother on her bedside table, and then climbed out of her window and into the calm darkness of the night.
It was beautiful outside, though it was slightly cold, so Kairi pulled on a thin jacket as she walked along the water's edge. The moon's reflection on the water made it look like quicksilver, and it looked as bright as daylight, though sunrise was several hours away. Kairi had no idea where she was going, and then soon realized where she was headed. She opened the door to the rickety shore shack, and stepped inside, ascending the steps to reach the other door on the top level. Crossing the creaky wooden bridge, Kairi soon reached the small island. It was pretty in the moonlight, the palm trees and paopu fruits glistening in the soft light. Tears came to her eyes as she remembered the times they'd spent together on the island. She could almost see Riku in the tree that hung over the water and Sora sitting next to him. Some days, she missed them so much that it was unbearable. Sure, Selphie and Tidus were friendly, and Wakka was like an older brother to her, but it just wasn't the same. More and more she wandered off alone, waiting for a day that she knew would never come. She sighed, tears creeping down her face as she climbed into the tree that Riku and Sora always sat in. She lay down, stretching out over the water. The tree rocked her from side to side as she almost felt Riku and Sora beside her. With these comforting thoughts, she finally felt asleep, feeling at ease. Wakka, out on his early morning run When she awoke, Wakka was nearby, playing with his blitzball. He looked over at her. "Finally, you're awake!" Kairi smiled, and nodded. She left the blanket on the tree, walked to the very edge of the island, and dived into the water. It felt good to swim around in the waves, cool water brushing against her skin. She kicked her way to shore, remembering when Riku and Sora taught her how to swim when she was little. Walking toward Wakka, Kairi shook her head to get the water out of her hair, crystal droplets going everywhere. "What'd you do that for?" Wakka wanted to know, laughing. Kairi shrugged. "It was a faster way of getting down." Wakka smiled at her, and then motioned her to sit down. "Something's on your mind, I can tell. Wanna tell me what it is?" Kairi looked at her shoes, not speaking for a while. "I miss Sora and Riku." She finally blurted out, trying to keep from crying. She looked back down at the sandy ground, tears making darker circles in the soft sand. Wakka sat on the ground next to her with a sigh. "Kairi, you gotta believe in them, ya? I'm sure they miss you, too, and they're trying to come back as fast as they can. Trust me. One of these days, you'll be walking outside, and you'll see them racing to the pier, just like they used to. You've just gotta wait on 'em. They'll be back." Kairi looked at him, and smiled. "Thanks, Wakka. I don't feel so bad any more." Wakka grinned. "That was the point. If ya wanna practice fighting today, Tidus and Selphie are over in the Cove." Kairi nodded, and ran off to join them. Selphie looked up, and noticed Kairi running towards her. "Back for more, is she?" Tidus asked with a grin, grabbing his trusty wooden sword. "Last time you fought her, she nearly buried you six feet under. It's my turn!" Selphie said, tripping him with her jump rope. Tidus sighed as Kairi came up. "So, who's going to challenge me first?" She asked as she grabbed her choice weapon, a wooden sword nearly identical to Tidus'. Selphie grinned and stepped forward as Tidus moved out of the way, counting off the battle. "Ready...set...go!" Quickly, Selphie wrapped her rope around Kairi's ankles and pulled, sending her to the ground. Kairi brushed off the attack and hit Selphie on the backs of her knees, making her fall to the ground. Hitting her on the shoulder and getting whacked on the back by the rope, Kairi whirled away for another attack. Selphie was on her feet, and wrapped her rope around Kairi's sword, trying to pull it away from her opponent. Kairi whipped her sword around, and Selphie's plan backfired as her rope was pulled out of her hands. Kairi hit her with the sword until she surrendered and slumped to the ground. "No fair. You win every time!" Kairi grinned, proud of another victory. Grudgingly, Selphie handed over a Pretty Stone, a blue one that glimmered in the sun. Tidus smiled. "Now will you challenge me? Please?" Kairi shook her head. "Sorry, maybe tomorrow. I don't really feel so great right now. I'll challenge you later. She left the Cove, walking quickly. Kairi had no clue where she was planning to go, but her feet soon carried her to the secret place near the waterfall that Sora and Riku had discovered so long ago. Kairi walked down the long hallway slowly, almost hearing Sora and Riku's voices echoing through the cave. She entered the cave, sitting on the nearest rock. She put her head down and started crying, silent tears falling to the ground. Almost as if in prayer, a thought appeared in her head. 'Please let me see Sora and Riku again.' Kairi sighed. It was impossible. She would probably never see them again. Suddenly, a sound made her look up. "I thought that you'd be in here." A voice said as footsteps got louder and louder. Kairi's heart began to beat faster and faster as she saw the figure silhouetted in the doorway. "Hiya Kairi, I'm back." Time seemed to stop as Kairi stood up. "Sora." She whispered, and then ran towards him. He grabbed her and pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly. She hugged him back, so glad that he was back. They let go, and Kairi realized that he had changed. He was taller, and more muscular than she remembered, and with different clothes, but his trademark spiky hairstyle was the same. "I'm so glad you're back!" Kairi said, but then she looked confused. "Where's Riku?" Sora's face was momentarily clouded with sadness, but a mask of happiness soon replaced it. "I'll tell you later." He said lightly. "Now, I have to go say hi to everyone else. C'mon!" Kairi and Sora left the secret place, hand in hand. Wakka was first to see Sora, and he was extremely surprised. He dropped his blitzball, and ran up to him. "Sora? Dat you?" Sora nodded, and grinned. "Yep, I'm back!" Wakka rescued the forgotten ball, and hurled it at Sora, who flung it back with equal strength, hitting Wakka in the face. "Ow! That hurt! Yep, it's you, Sora. You'll have to tell us what you did while exploring!" There was a question in his eyes that he didn't ask: Where's Riku? Sora smiled. "I will...later. I have to leave again, soon. I need to go find Riku, and I know he's out there, somewhere." Wakka nodded. "True. Go find Riku. We'll be here." Sora nodded, and then ran off to find Tidus and Selphie, Kairi at his heels. When he found Selphie and Tidus, they were busy fighting, and were equally matched. Grabbing a stick from the nearby stack, he disarmed them both in seconds. "Who did that...Sora?" Selphie said as she came over to him. Sora grinned in response. "You're back!" Tidus said, surprised. "Wanna fight me? Selphie already got defeated by Kairi, so I'll fight you!" Sora nodded. "Sure, why not?" He said, standing in a ready position. "Kairi, you fight the winner!" Kairi grinned, and nodded. Sora needed no invitation as he ran towards Tidus, sword extended. Tidus managed to block the first few hits, and even hit Sora pretty hard, but the tide soon turned, and Sora soon ended up the winner. Tidus was sprawled in the sand, his sword in Sora's hand. Kairi grinned. "My turn! I think I'll try a new weapon." She murmured as she searched the small box. She grabbed a group of jump ropes, and tied them together. "Here, let's start!" She rushed at Sora, ready to fight. Sora ran towards her, about to hit her, when he was blinded. Kairi had hit the sand with her weapon, sending stinging bits of sand everywhere. As Sora rubbed his eyes, trying to get it out of his eyes, he felt hits from the ropes raining down on him. Instead of blocking it, he rolled out of the way and closer to Kairi, where he hit her hard in the stomach. She took a minute to catch her breath, and Sora attacked her. Back and forth it went, with Selphie and Tidus not being able to tell who was the winner. Finally, both of them stopped, weapons dropping to the ground. "It was a tie." Sora told them with a smile, but then his expression changed. "I'm afraid I have to leave now. Riku's still out there, and I've gotta find him!" Everyone agreed, and Sora went back to the ship, Kairi at his heels. "Kairi, I need your help." Sora told her, as she was about to leave. "Why mine?" Kairi asked. "Because I'm tired of looking for Riku alone, and I'm sure that you could help me find him. Kairi didn't take long to decide. "Let's go!" Sora nodded, and let her onto the Gummi Ship. After they sat down, he started the engine, and the ship glided through the air and disappeared from view without a sound. "Where are we?" Kairi wondered aloud. Sora grinned. "This is the Gummi Ship, the main form of transportation from world to world." "It's cute!" Kairi cooed, watching the stars go by. Sora got slightly annoyed, but said nothing. "Where are we going?" "To Traverse Town, where you can meet Aerith, Yuffie, and the others. I heard that they found someone new, who's really good at dealing with Heartless." "Hn." "What's wrong?" "Oh, nothing. I just feel so...out of it. I mean, everyone we're about to meet has fought Heartless, and they know how to kill the Heartless. I feel so useless, not knowing what I'm going to be facing." Sora sighed. "Don't worry about it! Everyone'll help you out, and you'll learn to fight in no time! I promise that you'll do fine! Everyone is very nice." "OK. Hey, there's Traverse Town!" Kairi pointed, and Sora turned to look. Sure enough, the small world had appeared in the window. Sora steered his way to the dock, where an elderly man was waiting. "Where are ye headed? I'm guessin' yer goin' straight in, then?" Sora nodded, and the man flipped a small switch. Instantly, a small door opened, with room for Kairi and Sora to go in. "Thank ye!" The man called, shutting the door behind them. Traverse Town entranced Kairi. Though it was late at night, the streets were lit up with lanterns, and people still walked around. The cobblestone ground was worn smooth by travelers, and shop windows glowed with life. Calming music played from an unseen source, making Kairi feel right at home. Sora grinned. "Well, this is Traverse Town for ya. You can get anywhere from here!" Kairi was in awe. "Now, let's go meet the others!" Sora said as he grabbed Kairi's hand. Kairi followed Sora through the twisty streets and narrow alleys. They soon reached a large wooden door that read in fancy lettering, 'Second District'. Kairi was about to open the door, but Sora stopped her. "There are Heartless in there. Be careful." Kairi nodded as Sora walked through the door with his Keyblade extended. As soon as the door was opened, Heartless began to spawn out of nowhere. Most were small, stooped dark shadows, though some were red and brown bird- lizards. Sora defeated them quickly, though he got clawed by one of the birds. Healing green orbs dropped from the Heartless, and Sora grabbed as many as he could before moving on. Racing with Kairi through the streets, they ran into a few more Heartless, but not many. Sora finally ran down an alley with Kairi at his heels. Though most windows glowed brightly, the house at the end was silent. Sora rapped on the window three times and the door opened. Expecting to see a small house, Kairi was surprised to enter an enormous house that was at least two stories high. Though it was sparsely furnished, warmth seemed to emanate from the walls themselves. "Where are we?" Kairi asked. Sora grinned. "This is the HFN's headquarters." "The HFN?" "Yeah, the Heartless Fighter's Network. It started out as just the five of us, but now it goes through most of the worlds. Each world has one, but Traverse Town has the nicest. Here is where we can communicate to other worlds, and we live here." He walked to the edge of the stairwell and dialed a code into the banister. "They should be here any minute." Kairi was about to ask who 'they' were, but she soon got her answer. Four teenagers several years older than her had appeared before her eyes, each dressed differently. "We're the founders of the HFN. I'm guessing you would be Princess Kairi?" One of the boys said. He had spiky blond hair and a mechanical leg. One black wing graced a shoulder, and he was leaning on a sword almost taller than he was. Kairi stuttered, "Princess Kairi? What are you talking about?" A girl walked up next to the blond boy and put her hand on his shoulder. She had brown hair with strange-looking pink ears (A/N: Are they ears? I dunno...), and had bright green eyes. "Oh, Sora hasn't explained that to you yet? Well, don't worry about it. We'll tell you about it soon enough. Another girl emerged from the shadows, and sighed. "Alright already! Enough with that! On to the intros! OK, that's Cloud and Aerith, and I'm the great ninja Yuffie!" Sora glared at her, and she looked a little embarrassed. "Okay, maybe not that great." She had short, black hair, and perky brown eyes. "That's Squall." She said, pointing to a guy with brown hair who wore all black. "That's Leon." "Whatever. Anyway, wanna come and sit down?" Kairi nodded, and before she knew it she was seated on a couch next to Sora, a hot drink in her hands. Cloud and Aerith were sitting on a different couch, and Leon and Yuffie were in armchairs near the fire. Yuffie smiled. "So, what do ya wanna hear about first?" Sora opened his mouth to say something, but Kairi interrupted him. "Who started all of this in the first place, and why did you call me Princess Kairi?" Aerith nodded. "Both are very good questions, and are connected." "Ansem is, or was, a court magician in a distant land. His magic was more helpful than harmful, and many people praised him. He lived on a world that knew nothing of Gummi travel or anything like that; they were cut off from the rest of the world. Ansem had no idea about the Heartless, and it probably would have stayed that way had it not been for one thing. Ansem was also a scientist, and studied the strange and unknown parts of his world. He then would report his findings back to the king. However, one night strange gummy blocks fell from the sky. Instead of sending them to the king, Ansem kept them. He soon discovered how to put them together, but still didn't show the king. He began to experiment with people's hearts, terrible experiments that often ended in the person dying. Ansem was no longer trusted. Ansem finally decided to leave, and find the Heartless to study. That's where you came in, Kairi. You see, the king had one young daughter named Kairi. In the middle of the night, Ansem kidnapped you and dropped you off at a small, unassuming world, Destiny Islands. He was angry with the king and queen, so he had his revenge. Then, he went to the source of the Heartless himself, Kingdom Hearts. He opened the door, and Heartless rushed out of it, destroying worlds as they went. Sucked into the Kingdom for a while, Ansem became one of evil." Soon after, Sora asked his question. "Why are Heartless still roaming around? I remember closing the door, and Ansem was defeated, so what happened?" Leon stood up, and leaned against a pillar. "Do you honestly think that Ansem was that easy to destroy?" He asked Sora questioningly. When Sora tried to protest that he'd defeated Ansem more than once, Leon interrupted. "Ansem is harder than you think. He merely had to gain his strength, and now he's stronger than ever. He's basically invincible now." Sora sighed, angry. "So, how is it that I defeat him?" Yuffie answered his question. "You don't. I don't mean that we let him attack anything he wants to. It's just that it's no longer your responsibility." "Why not?" Yuffie sighed. "Because now, the only person capable of defeating Ansem is his daughter. The problem is, nobody knows where she is. She disappeared as a child to who knows where, and probably died, so that's a big problem. Anyway, to your mission. To help you find Riku, we've enlisted the help of a mage, the newest addition to our team. Besides searching for Riku, you need to report to King Mickey." Sora nodded. "So, where is this mage?" Yuffie smiled. "Actually, she's right behind you." Sora looked behind him, and was shocked.
Heheheheh...minor cliffy. Oh, well...review, please!!!!!
Kairi woke up in the middle of the night, sweating and breathing hard. She had had another nightmare about Sora and Riku, and losing them forever. She hadn't been sleeping well since Sora defeated Ansem a year ago, and tonight was no exception. She would often sit out on the beach, waiting for him, but he never came. Kairi decided to take a walk on the beach. She left a note for her mother on her bedside table, and then climbed out of her window and into the calm darkness of the night.
It was beautiful outside, though it was slightly cold, so Kairi pulled on a thin jacket as she walked along the water's edge. The moon's reflection on the water made it look like quicksilver, and it looked as bright as daylight, though sunrise was several hours away. Kairi had no idea where she was going, and then soon realized where she was headed. She opened the door to the rickety shore shack, and stepped inside, ascending the steps to reach the other door on the top level. Crossing the creaky wooden bridge, Kairi soon reached the small island. It was pretty in the moonlight, the palm trees and paopu fruits glistening in the soft light. Tears came to her eyes as she remembered the times they'd spent together on the island. She could almost see Riku in the tree that hung over the water and Sora sitting next to him. Some days, she missed them so much that it was unbearable. Sure, Selphie and Tidus were friendly, and Wakka was like an older brother to her, but it just wasn't the same. More and more she wandered off alone, waiting for a day that she knew would never come. She sighed, tears creeping down her face as she climbed into the tree that Riku and Sora always sat in. She lay down, stretching out over the water. The tree rocked her from side to side as she almost felt Riku and Sora beside her. With these comforting thoughts, she finally felt asleep, feeling at ease. Wakka, out on his early morning run When she awoke, Wakka was nearby, playing with his blitzball. He looked over at her. "Finally, you're awake!" Kairi smiled, and nodded. She left the blanket on the tree, walked to the very edge of the island, and dived into the water. It felt good to swim around in the waves, cool water brushing against her skin. She kicked her way to shore, remembering when Riku and Sora taught her how to swim when she was little. Walking toward Wakka, Kairi shook her head to get the water out of her hair, crystal droplets going everywhere. "What'd you do that for?" Wakka wanted to know, laughing. Kairi shrugged. "It was a faster way of getting down." Wakka smiled at her, and then motioned her to sit down. "Something's on your mind, I can tell. Wanna tell me what it is?" Kairi looked at her shoes, not speaking for a while. "I miss Sora and Riku." She finally blurted out, trying to keep from crying. She looked back down at the sandy ground, tears making darker circles in the soft sand. Wakka sat on the ground next to her with a sigh. "Kairi, you gotta believe in them, ya? I'm sure they miss you, too, and they're trying to come back as fast as they can. Trust me. One of these days, you'll be walking outside, and you'll see them racing to the pier, just like they used to. You've just gotta wait on 'em. They'll be back." Kairi looked at him, and smiled. "Thanks, Wakka. I don't feel so bad any more." Wakka grinned. "That was the point. If ya wanna practice fighting today, Tidus and Selphie are over in the Cove." Kairi nodded, and ran off to join them. Selphie looked up, and noticed Kairi running towards her. "Back for more, is she?" Tidus asked with a grin, grabbing his trusty wooden sword. "Last time you fought her, she nearly buried you six feet under. It's my turn!" Selphie said, tripping him with her jump rope. Tidus sighed as Kairi came up. "So, who's going to challenge me first?" She asked as she grabbed her choice weapon, a wooden sword nearly identical to Tidus'. Selphie grinned and stepped forward as Tidus moved out of the way, counting off the battle. "Ready...set...go!" Quickly, Selphie wrapped her rope around Kairi's ankles and pulled, sending her to the ground. Kairi brushed off the attack and hit Selphie on the backs of her knees, making her fall to the ground. Hitting her on the shoulder and getting whacked on the back by the rope, Kairi whirled away for another attack. Selphie was on her feet, and wrapped her rope around Kairi's sword, trying to pull it away from her opponent. Kairi whipped her sword around, and Selphie's plan backfired as her rope was pulled out of her hands. Kairi hit her with the sword until she surrendered and slumped to the ground. "No fair. You win every time!" Kairi grinned, proud of another victory. Grudgingly, Selphie handed over a Pretty Stone, a blue one that glimmered in the sun. Tidus smiled. "Now will you challenge me? Please?" Kairi shook her head. "Sorry, maybe tomorrow. I don't really feel so great right now. I'll challenge you later. She left the Cove, walking quickly. Kairi had no clue where she was planning to go, but her feet soon carried her to the secret place near the waterfall that Sora and Riku had discovered so long ago. Kairi walked down the long hallway slowly, almost hearing Sora and Riku's voices echoing through the cave. She entered the cave, sitting on the nearest rock. She put her head down and started crying, silent tears falling to the ground. Almost as if in prayer, a thought appeared in her head. 'Please let me see Sora and Riku again.' Kairi sighed. It was impossible. She would probably never see them again. Suddenly, a sound made her look up. "I thought that you'd be in here." A voice said as footsteps got louder and louder. Kairi's heart began to beat faster and faster as she saw the figure silhouetted in the doorway. "Hiya Kairi, I'm back." Time seemed to stop as Kairi stood up. "Sora." She whispered, and then ran towards him. He grabbed her and pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly. She hugged him back, so glad that he was back. They let go, and Kairi realized that he had changed. He was taller, and more muscular than she remembered, and with different clothes, but his trademark spiky hairstyle was the same. "I'm so glad you're back!" Kairi said, but then she looked confused. "Where's Riku?" Sora's face was momentarily clouded with sadness, but a mask of happiness soon replaced it. "I'll tell you later." He said lightly. "Now, I have to go say hi to everyone else. C'mon!" Kairi and Sora left the secret place, hand in hand. Wakka was first to see Sora, and he was extremely surprised. He dropped his blitzball, and ran up to him. "Sora? Dat you?" Sora nodded, and grinned. "Yep, I'm back!" Wakka rescued the forgotten ball, and hurled it at Sora, who flung it back with equal strength, hitting Wakka in the face. "Ow! That hurt! Yep, it's you, Sora. You'll have to tell us what you did while exploring!" There was a question in his eyes that he didn't ask: Where's Riku? Sora smiled. "I will...later. I have to leave again, soon. I need to go find Riku, and I know he's out there, somewhere." Wakka nodded. "True. Go find Riku. We'll be here." Sora nodded, and then ran off to find Tidus and Selphie, Kairi at his heels. When he found Selphie and Tidus, they were busy fighting, and were equally matched. Grabbing a stick from the nearby stack, he disarmed them both in seconds. "Who did that...Sora?" Selphie said as she came over to him. Sora grinned in response. "You're back!" Tidus said, surprised. "Wanna fight me? Selphie already got defeated by Kairi, so I'll fight you!" Sora nodded. "Sure, why not?" He said, standing in a ready position. "Kairi, you fight the winner!" Kairi grinned, and nodded. Sora needed no invitation as he ran towards Tidus, sword extended. Tidus managed to block the first few hits, and even hit Sora pretty hard, but the tide soon turned, and Sora soon ended up the winner. Tidus was sprawled in the sand, his sword in Sora's hand. Kairi grinned. "My turn! I think I'll try a new weapon." She murmured as she searched the small box. She grabbed a group of jump ropes, and tied them together. "Here, let's start!" She rushed at Sora, ready to fight. Sora ran towards her, about to hit her, when he was blinded. Kairi had hit the sand with her weapon, sending stinging bits of sand everywhere. As Sora rubbed his eyes, trying to get it out of his eyes, he felt hits from the ropes raining down on him. Instead of blocking it, he rolled out of the way and closer to Kairi, where he hit her hard in the stomach. She took a minute to catch her breath, and Sora attacked her. Back and forth it went, with Selphie and Tidus not being able to tell who was the winner. Finally, both of them stopped, weapons dropping to the ground. "It was a tie." Sora told them with a smile, but then his expression changed. "I'm afraid I have to leave now. Riku's still out there, and I've gotta find him!" Everyone agreed, and Sora went back to the ship, Kairi at his heels. "Kairi, I need your help." Sora told her, as she was about to leave. "Why mine?" Kairi asked. "Because I'm tired of looking for Riku alone, and I'm sure that you could help me find him. Kairi didn't take long to decide. "Let's go!" Sora nodded, and let her onto the Gummi Ship. After they sat down, he started the engine, and the ship glided through the air and disappeared from view without a sound. "Where are we?" Kairi wondered aloud. Sora grinned. "This is the Gummi Ship, the main form of transportation from world to world." "It's cute!" Kairi cooed, watching the stars go by. Sora got slightly annoyed, but said nothing. "Where are we going?" "To Traverse Town, where you can meet Aerith, Yuffie, and the others. I heard that they found someone new, who's really good at dealing with Heartless." "Hn." "What's wrong?" "Oh, nothing. I just feel so...out of it. I mean, everyone we're about to meet has fought Heartless, and they know how to kill the Heartless. I feel so useless, not knowing what I'm going to be facing." Sora sighed. "Don't worry about it! Everyone'll help you out, and you'll learn to fight in no time! I promise that you'll do fine! Everyone is very nice." "OK. Hey, there's Traverse Town!" Kairi pointed, and Sora turned to look. Sure enough, the small world had appeared in the window. Sora steered his way to the dock, where an elderly man was waiting. "Where are ye headed? I'm guessin' yer goin' straight in, then?" Sora nodded, and the man flipped a small switch. Instantly, a small door opened, with room for Kairi and Sora to go in. "Thank ye!" The man called, shutting the door behind them. Traverse Town entranced Kairi. Though it was late at night, the streets were lit up with lanterns, and people still walked around. The cobblestone ground was worn smooth by travelers, and shop windows glowed with life. Calming music played from an unseen source, making Kairi feel right at home. Sora grinned. "Well, this is Traverse Town for ya. You can get anywhere from here!" Kairi was in awe. "Now, let's go meet the others!" Sora said as he grabbed Kairi's hand. Kairi followed Sora through the twisty streets and narrow alleys. They soon reached a large wooden door that read in fancy lettering, 'Second District'. Kairi was about to open the door, but Sora stopped her. "There are Heartless in there. Be careful." Kairi nodded as Sora walked through the door with his Keyblade extended. As soon as the door was opened, Heartless began to spawn out of nowhere. Most were small, stooped dark shadows, though some were red and brown bird- lizards. Sora defeated them quickly, though he got clawed by one of the birds. Healing green orbs dropped from the Heartless, and Sora grabbed as many as he could before moving on. Racing with Kairi through the streets, they ran into a few more Heartless, but not many. Sora finally ran down an alley with Kairi at his heels. Though most windows glowed brightly, the house at the end was silent. Sora rapped on the window three times and the door opened. Expecting to see a small house, Kairi was surprised to enter an enormous house that was at least two stories high. Though it was sparsely furnished, warmth seemed to emanate from the walls themselves. "Where are we?" Kairi asked. Sora grinned. "This is the HFN's headquarters." "The HFN?" "Yeah, the Heartless Fighter's Network. It started out as just the five of us, but now it goes through most of the worlds. Each world has one, but Traverse Town has the nicest. Here is where we can communicate to other worlds, and we live here." He walked to the edge of the stairwell and dialed a code into the banister. "They should be here any minute." Kairi was about to ask who 'they' were, but she soon got her answer. Four teenagers several years older than her had appeared before her eyes, each dressed differently. "We're the founders of the HFN. I'm guessing you would be Princess Kairi?" One of the boys said. He had spiky blond hair and a mechanical leg. One black wing graced a shoulder, and he was leaning on a sword almost taller than he was. Kairi stuttered, "Princess Kairi? What are you talking about?" A girl walked up next to the blond boy and put her hand on his shoulder. She had brown hair with strange-looking pink ears (A/N: Are they ears? I dunno...), and had bright green eyes. "Oh, Sora hasn't explained that to you yet? Well, don't worry about it. We'll tell you about it soon enough. Another girl emerged from the shadows, and sighed. "Alright already! Enough with that! On to the intros! OK, that's Cloud and Aerith, and I'm the great ninja Yuffie!" Sora glared at her, and she looked a little embarrassed. "Okay, maybe not that great." She had short, black hair, and perky brown eyes. "That's Squall." She said, pointing to a guy with brown hair who wore all black. "That's Leon." "Whatever. Anyway, wanna come and sit down?" Kairi nodded, and before she knew it she was seated on a couch next to Sora, a hot drink in her hands. Cloud and Aerith were sitting on a different couch, and Leon and Yuffie were in armchairs near the fire. Yuffie smiled. "So, what do ya wanna hear about first?" Sora opened his mouth to say something, but Kairi interrupted him. "Who started all of this in the first place, and why did you call me Princess Kairi?" Aerith nodded. "Both are very good questions, and are connected." "Ansem is, or was, a court magician in a distant land. His magic was more helpful than harmful, and many people praised him. He lived on a world that knew nothing of Gummi travel or anything like that; they were cut off from the rest of the world. Ansem had no idea about the Heartless, and it probably would have stayed that way had it not been for one thing. Ansem was also a scientist, and studied the strange and unknown parts of his world. He then would report his findings back to the king. However, one night strange gummy blocks fell from the sky. Instead of sending them to the king, Ansem kept them. He soon discovered how to put them together, but still didn't show the king. He began to experiment with people's hearts, terrible experiments that often ended in the person dying. Ansem was no longer trusted. Ansem finally decided to leave, and find the Heartless to study. That's where you came in, Kairi. You see, the king had one young daughter named Kairi. In the middle of the night, Ansem kidnapped you and dropped you off at a small, unassuming world, Destiny Islands. He was angry with the king and queen, so he had his revenge. Then, he went to the source of the Heartless himself, Kingdom Hearts. He opened the door, and Heartless rushed out of it, destroying worlds as they went. Sucked into the Kingdom for a while, Ansem became one of evil." Soon after, Sora asked his question. "Why are Heartless still roaming around? I remember closing the door, and Ansem was defeated, so what happened?" Leon stood up, and leaned against a pillar. "Do you honestly think that Ansem was that easy to destroy?" He asked Sora questioningly. When Sora tried to protest that he'd defeated Ansem more than once, Leon interrupted. "Ansem is harder than you think. He merely had to gain his strength, and now he's stronger than ever. He's basically invincible now." Sora sighed, angry. "So, how is it that I defeat him?" Yuffie answered his question. "You don't. I don't mean that we let him attack anything he wants to. It's just that it's no longer your responsibility." "Why not?" Yuffie sighed. "Because now, the only person capable of defeating Ansem is his daughter. The problem is, nobody knows where she is. She disappeared as a child to who knows where, and probably died, so that's a big problem. Anyway, to your mission. To help you find Riku, we've enlisted the help of a mage, the newest addition to our team. Besides searching for Riku, you need to report to King Mickey." Sora nodded. "So, where is this mage?" Yuffie smiled. "Actually, she's right behind you." Sora looked behind him, and was shocked.
Heheheheh...minor cliffy. Oh, well...review, please!!!!!