THE FOURTH KINGDOM—

MOOGLE MADNESS!!!

"Wake up." Tia Lockheart shook Hya.

"What is it?" Hya waved her away.

"Today we look for your friends." She said. Hya sat straight up.

"My friends!" she pulled the blanket away, and jumped out of bed. She rushed for the door, then stopped and turned around. "heh heh, I don't know what I am doing." Tia giggled.

"I thought we could start in the Marketplace." She said, standing up and walking over. "If your friends are here then they are probably their." They left her house, and walked out onto the street.

"Ms. Lockheart,"

"Call me Tia."

"Tia, why are you helping me?" she asked. Tia slowed down her pace.

"Because I can't stand seeing some one loose their friends…" she looked away. Memories of Hollow Bastion flooded back. She tried to hide the tears.

"Is their something wrong?" Hya asked, placing a hand on Tia's shoulder.

"No, nothing, now, let's go find your friends!" Tia and Hya ran down the steps into the marketplace. It was packed with people and animals. Hya walked around, wide eyed at the sites. She bumped into a duck.

"Look where you're going, wretch!" He yelled at her, and then stomped off. Hya decided to stay with Tia. They pushed their way through the crowd, and came up to a counter. A strange little white stuffed animal with wings and an antenna floated behind it.

"What's that?" Hya whispered to Tia.

"This is a Moogle." Tia said. She turned to the Moogle, "We would like two coffees, and two pancakes." She ordered. The Moogle flew back into the kitchen.

"Two coff's and two cakes!" he yelled. His voice was surprisingly gruff, for such a cute creature. He flew back out, with a plate in each paw. Tia took them, and handed one to Hya.

"Thank you." She placed coins on the counter and walked away. Hya and her ate their breakfast in silent.

"Thank you for this." Hya stated.

"Don't mention it." Tia smiled at her. "We will cover more ground if we split up." She took her plate and cup, and tossed them in the trash, then handed her some coins. "Let's meet back here at noon." She then disappeared into the massive crowd that swarmed through. Hya looked down at the coins.  They looked like mouse heads. Three circles connected.

Hya walked down a dark alley, only because no one else was down it. Tap, tap, tap. She glanced side to side. There was no one there. Only empty clothes lines, and closed windows. She walked to the wall that was the dead end. She turned and leaned against it. Tap, tap, tap. She looked side to side, it was like metal hitting the ground.

"Who's there?" she asked. The ground in front of her started to ripple. Like pebbles were being dropped into it. From the center of the ripples black creatures rose out of the ground. They were the black monsters that had attacked Dream Island. She screamed, but nothing came out of her mouth. She tried to climb the wall, but couldn't. They surrounded her.

Let your power be released. She had heard the voice before. She knew it, from right after the darkness consumed her.

"What power?" Hya asked.

The power of the seven princesses. Hya cocked her head to the side, but didn't have time to argue. Hya trusted in the power of the seven princesses, who ever they were. And a large key appeared in her hands. It was a skeleton key that was eight feet long. She was surprised that she could hold it. But there was something wrong with it. It was transparent, like it was only partly there.

"I must need the seven princesses to make this full." She said to herself. Then the Heartless jumped at her. She ducked as one flew over her head. She then sliced two with the GIANT keyblade. She jumped over another, and stabbed a sixth. She spun in a circle, and chopped all the others in half. The Heartless turned to dust, and disappeared.

"Thank you, voice." Hya said. The keyblade disappeared. She turned as she heard a snort.

"Ye did good, kid." She turned to a man that stood in an opened doorway. He had spiky blonde hair, it reminded her of Ryu, and was smoking a cigarette. He wore an old white shirt, with a black pants, and a green divider.

"Thank you mister, but who are you?" she asked.

"Cid, shop owner." He said. He took his cigarette out of his mouth, and blew smoke out of his nostrils. She coughed, but covered her mouth.

"Hi Cid, I'm Hya." She bowed. He looked her over, and dropped his cigarette, stepping on it.

"Come on in, Hya." He motioned into the shop. She followed him to a storage room in the back. Moogles flew around in all directions, tacking boxes, and putting boxes back. Cid ran his finger over a bunch of dusty books.

"What are ye 'ere fer, Hya?" he asked. "Ye not from around here are ye?" She shook her head.

"My home was attacked by those monsters,"

"Heartless are monsters, of the most vilest kind." He said.

"My friends, Ty and Ryu, and I were consumed by the darkness, and when I woke I was here, in…" she broke off, noticing that she didn't know the name of the town.

"This 'ere is Traverse Town. The home fer the homeless." He explained. She remembered Tia.

"So Tia doesn't have a home…" she muttered to herself.

"So, ye 're looking fer yer friends." He assumed. She nodded.

"Tia said they are probably here."  She said. He nodded, and pulled a book from the shelf, and they walked into the shop, he put the book down, but leaned on it, so Hya couldn't read it.

"Looking fer yer friends 'ere is like looking fer a needle in a haystack." He stated. "But if ye went ta the capital then ye could find help." He said.

"Great! Where is it?" she asked.

"Not on this world." He said. She frowned.

"Oh."

"But there is a way of getting there." He said.

"But Tia said that we can't pass the Gummi Walls." Hya said, skeptically.

"But all the walls around 'ere have been broken." He grinned. "All ye need is a Gummi Ship." She smiled at him.

"You can build us one?" she asked.

"Ya, but I don't have all the pieces. Ye will need ta get some of 'em." He said. She nodded her head.

"Tia will help me with that." She nodded. He opened the book he had been leaning on. It read; "The Art of Gummi". He opened it , showing her pictures of various Gummi Ships, and telling her what pieces and what blocks he would need to build her a Gummi Ship.

"What about payment?" she asked. She put her coins on the counter. He pushed them back to her.

"Ye will own mos' of it, and if ye hadn't come along the pieces I own would 'ave just sat there." He said. "So it is totally free." He seemed to choke on the last word, like he hated it. She bowed to him.

"Thank you, so much, Mr. Cid."  She grabbed the list and ran off. He waved at her.

"Take good care, kid." He said. "Fer the Heartless are afta ye and it'll be hard ta beat 'em." He muttered. "Damn hard."

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I hoped you liked it. If I have made any mistakes just tell me and I will fix them.

Thanx for reading.

Charon