A/N: I feel as if some scenes are rushed or that Akira doesn't play much of a role yet; the beginning of Kingdom Hearts has quite the lengthy exposition dump. As always, I appreciate all of your support!
"Are you sure we can trust this guy?" Akira asked, huffing as Sora led her through the district. For someone who just arrived on this world, he sure seemed to know his way around.
"Yeah, he seemed nice enough – Oh! There!"
He let go of her hand and pointed towards a back alley filled with boxes, barrels, and other various junk.
"That's where I woke up. Well, no… a dog woke me up. And then, I went in here."
He pointed to the neon sign above the largest shop in the district. It towered over the two teenagers, and Akira gazed at it with wonder. No shop on their island came close in size to this monstrosity, and every other shop in the district seemed insignificant compared to it. She tilted her head, surprised by the irony of it all; the accessory shop was larger and grander than the always useful items shop, a stark contrast from what she was used to back home.
"Wow, you really moved around, huh?" she said with a chuckle. She was hardly surprised. Sora had always been a bright and cheerful person, making friends with every person he came across. It was no wonder he could do it so easily in another world; his exuberant attitude was quite infectious...
The air suddenly grew cold, carrying an ominous hiss with it.
"They'll come at you out of nowhere."
Akira took a step back as Sora summoned his Keyblade. A sudden voice speaking cryptic words never usually ended well.
"And they'll keep coming at you, so long as you wield the Keyblade."
A young twenty-something man stepped out from beside the accessory shop, eyeing Sora sternly. He surprisingly looked similar to them considering his affinity for an excessive amount of oddly placed belts on his outfit; his hairstyle looked like Riku's, with the only difference being that it was a simple brown as opposed to Riku's striking silver hue.
"Who are you?" Sora asked defensively.
"But why?" the man continued, ignoring the teen as he shook his head, "Why would it choose a kid like you?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sora asked angrily.
"Never mind."
The man tilted his head to the side, wordlessly communicating with his comrade in the shadows. Before she knew it, a pair of gloved hands instantly covered Akira's mouth, preventing her from making any more noise than a muffled cry before being whisked away into the darkness. This man didn't come unprepared; he knew exactly what he wanted and took every measure to catch the unsuspecting teens by surprise.
Sora heard her muffled screech but before he could do anything, she had vanished into the darkness. "Akira!" he cried. He gripped his weapon tightly, nostrils flared. He had finally found someone he had lost from home; he wasn't about to let some stranger ruin this. "Where is she?" he asked furiously.
"That's not something you should be worrying about," he answered coolly, "Now, let's see that Keyblade."
"What? There's no way you're getting this! And after I defeat you with it, you're going to let her go!"
The man chuckled, readying his weapon as well. "Alright then. Have it your way."
"You'll be safe here, but you have to stay quiet."
The young woman untied the cloth she silenced Akira with before lightly shoving her into the dingy hotel room. Akira tripped over her feet, grabbing at the bed as she stumbled. "What do you think you're doing?" she snapped as she regained her balance, whirling around to face her captor.
The young woman smirked as she crossed her arms. She appeared to be the same age as the mysterious man, with short black hair covering a silver bandana on her forehead. Judging by her attire, she looked to be some sort of thief; yet, the small shuriken she kept tucked beneath her belt claimed that she was an experienced ninja of sorts. "Keeping you safe," she said with a grin.
"You know what I mean!" Akira yelled, "Where's Sora?"
"Sora? Is that his name?" the ninja asked with a perplexed look, "Well, that is good to know, I suppose... Look, I'm sorry about all this, but there's a lot we need to discuss, and it's best if the four of us were together for it."
"Four of us?"
"Yes. You, me, Sora, and Squall. Speaking of which, they should be here pretty soon."
Akira shook her head. "I don't understand."
"Those shadows that attacked you? They're drawn to the weapon Sora is carrying. If the two of you aren't careful, they'll take that weapon from you... and your hearts."
Akira sat herself on the bed, placing a hand on her head as she contemplated her options. This was way too much to take in. The shadows want Sora's weapon? They'll lose their hearts? Like that poor man did just a few moments prior? How was she supposed to process all of this?
Sensing her discomfort, the ninja spoke again. "I know it's a lot to take in, but hang tight, okay? I promise we'll bring Sora back in one piece, and then we'll tell you everything."
Akira sighed as she raised her eyes to meet her captor's. Her gaze was gentle and almost calming, like the warm smile on her face. "Losing your home... that's still fresh in your mind, isn't it?" the ninja asked softly. Akira pursed her lips and nodded in response. "Well, I certainly know how that feels..." the ninja mumbled to herself, "By the way, what's your name, kid?"
"Akira."
"My name's Yuffie. Okay, Akira. I'm going to go check on the others. Don't move from this spot, alright? You'll see Sora again soon enough."
She gave the teen another warm smile before leaving, adjusting her thick yellow scarf as she walked out the door, leaving Akira alone with her thoughts.
Quite interesting residents here. Though I doubt they pose any danger to us.
"I don't know if interesting is the right word..." Akira responded, letting herself flop onto the dusty hotel bed.
Sora lay sprawled on the cobblestone ground, unconscious and defeated. He put up quite a fight, but the man was a more seasoned fighter, and had a better mastery of his own weapon. He sighed as he watched the young teen passed out on the ground, discouraged.
"Wow, you gave him quite the beating, huh?" a female voice said from behind him.
The man snorted in response. "I went easy on him," he responded as his comrade approached him.
She brought her hand to her chin, examining the unconscious boy. "Doesn't look like it," Yuffie teased.
"Where did you bring the girl?"
She grinned. "To the hotel. Except, unlike you, I told her we'd bring the kid back there and explain everything. She took a seat and didn't move! See how much further you can get by just telling people what you want rather than… um, this?"
The man rolled his eyes, uninterested in hearing a lecture. "Things are a worse than we thought… a lot worse."
"Gawrsh, there's nobody here! Sure is spooky!" Goofy exclaimed.
Donald and Goofy were still on their search for the "key", and for the man named Leon, but their efforts turned up nothing of importance so far. They had turned a corner and entered through a door in the second district, bringing them to the alleyway behind the hotel. Yet, not a soul was to be found, echoing the desolate state of the second district.
Donald grimaced. "Aw phooey! I'm not scared!"
He was made to eat his words, for in that moment, a young woman tapped him on the shoulder from behind, sending him into a panic as he quacked at the top of his lungs. Funny enough, Goofy remained unfazed, allowing Donald to cling to him as he turned to face the woman who had just addressed them.
"Excuse me?" she asked, "Did the king send you?"
Contrary to what they expected, the kind young woman seemed harmless. She looked strikingly different, and not just because she was human; she wore a blush pink buttoned dress with a matching hair tie holding up her beautiful, braided hair. Donald and Goofy quickly relaxed; after all, she did mention their missing king.
"Yeah!" Donald quacked, "How... do you know?"
The young woman closed her eyes and nodded. "We can't speak here. Follow me, please; I know a place where we will be safe from the shadows."
The Traverse Town hotel was famous for many reasons, but their vast selection of rooms was not one of them; they only ever had two rooms open for weary travelers with coin to spare, while the other two seemed to be permanently closed for either cleaning or renovation. These two rooms hadn't seen much activity since the dark creatures made Traverse Town their permanent residence, yet at that moment, the hotel had been livelier than it had been in years with some of the most colorful folks from in or around town. A kind young woman guided a court magician duck and his canine companion to the red room, while a swordsman and a ninja carried an unconscious teenage boy to the green room where his friend awaited him.
The swordsman dropped the teen onto the bed as the other two crowded around the unconscious boy, waiting for him to wake up.
"Come on, lazy bum. Wake up," Sora heard a stern female voice say.
Sora slowly opened his eyes, his mind still in a haze after the brutal fight. He shook his head after he sat up, feeling the plush covers of the bed he sat on. He never imagined he'd ever actually see a bed again.
"What did you do to him? He's completely out of it!" he heard a familiar voice say.
"He just needs a little air," he heard another familiar voice respond.
He raised his eyes to gaze at the figure who stood before him, watching her closely as he came to. If he hadn't taken such a hit, he'd be jumping for joy. It was none other than Kairi! Maybe finding all of his friends wouldn't be such as difficult a task as he previously thought!
"Those creatures that attacked you are after the Keyblade," Kairi explained, "But it's your heart they really want, because you wield the Keyblade."
Sora smiled in a haze. Whatever she had just told him made little to no sense, but he was so happy to have found another friend that he couldn't distinguish what she was trying to tell him. "I'm so glad that you're okay, Kairi…" he said softly.
Akira's eyes widened; he obviously still wasn't fully awake. "Sora, are you okay? Because... that's not Kairi."
"That's right," Kairi responded, "I'm the great ninja Yuffie!"
Sora shook his head and snapped back to reality. Sure enough, when he examined the young woman before him, she looked nothing like Kairi, but indeed like a skilled ninja. How hard did he get hit to hallucinate that badly?
"I think you might have overdone it, Squall," Yuffie called, shaking her head in disbelief.
"That's Leon," the brown-haired man responded coolly.
"Sora!" Akira exclaimed, taking a seat beside him, "Are you okay?"
Sora nodded, smiling. "Yeah, much better. I'm so glad you're okay! How did you end up here?"
"Yuffie brought me here and explained a few things while we waited for you to get up," she answered, smiling brightly.
"So… exactly why did I need to get beaten up again?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head.
The teens averted their gaze to the man named Leon, whom was leaning his back against the door and looking none too pleased. Yuffie grinned mockingly at Leon as if to tell him the ever hated I told you so phrase. Leon rolled his eyes once more. "We have more important things to talk about," he said sternly. Sora and Akira sighed heavily in unison. They would have listened if he hadn't surprised them...
"I had to get your weapon away from you, and you weren't going to give it up so easily," he said firmly.
The two teenagers perked up, listening carefully.
"Yeah, we had to get it away from you to shake off those creatures!" Yuffie continued, "It turns out that's how they were tracking you."
Leon crossed his arms. "It was the only way to conceal your heart from them, but it won't work for long."
He picked up Sora's Keyblade that rested near the door, gazing at its craftsmanship. "Still, hard to believe that you of all people are the chosen one. I suppose beggars can't be choosers."
In a flash of light, Sora's weapon reappeared in his hand, almost like a pet returning to its master. He gazed at his weapon, still baffled by the sudden exchange, while Akira brought her palms to her forehead. Keyblade? Chosen one? Was Sora some kind of magical gift that would bring peace to the universe? That's pretty much the only reason anyone ever used the term "chosen one" in all those storybooks she used to read as a child. "This is such a mess…" she muttered.
Sora nodded to her, addressing Leon. "Why don't you start making sense? What's going on here?"
In the room next door, the kind woman who had intercepted Donald and Goofy sat on the hotel bed while they stood before her, listening intently to her explanation.
"Okay, you know there are many other worlds out there besides your castle and this town, right?" the young woman began.
"But they're supposed to be a secret!" Goofy responded, remembering full well when Donald had explained the concept of world order to him.
"They've been secret because they've never been connected until now," the young woman explained, "When the Heartless came, everything changed."
Sora had repeated exactly what was on Akira, Donald, and Goofy's minds. "The Heartless?"
"The ones who attacked you, remember?" Yuffie said, raising her finger in the air.
"Those without hearts…" Leon said softly.
"The darkness in people's hearts! That's what attracts them." Yuffie explained, complimenting her companion's speech.
"And there is darkness within every heart," Leon said stoically.
Yuffie attempted to be more cheerful to brighten the mood from Leon's gloominess. "Hey, have you heard of someone named Ansem?"
In the room next door, the young woman had just begun her explanation of the mysterious man. "He was studying the Heartless. He recorded all of his findings in a very detailed report."
"Oh, can we see it?" Goofy asked.
She shook her head. "Its pages are scattered everywhere, to many different worlds."
Goofy had a sudden idea. "Then maybe the king went to find them!"
Donald and the young woman nodded in agreement. "Yes, those were my thoughts exactly," she said.
"Then we'd better go find him quick!"
Donald quacked exasperatedly. "First we need to find that key!"
The young woman nodded once more. "That's right. The Keyblade."
And sure enough, one room over, Sora raised his Keyblade into the air, examining it closely as Akira joined in. "So, this is the key!" he exclaimed.
Yuffie nodded excitedly as the teens began to put the pieces together. "The Heartless have great fear of the Keyblade," Leon continued, "That's why they'll keep coming after you, no matter what."
"Well, I didn't ask for this!" Sora said firmly.
"The Keyblade chooses its master. And it chose you," Yuffie explained, confusing them that much more.
"So, tough luck," Leon said, crossing his arms.
"So, wait a minute," Akira intervened, "How? It's nice to know the why, but how did this happen? It's not like any of us had a choice in this. One minute we're living peacefully and the next we're in some unknown world with this chosen key and these Heartless things chasing after us! What happened to our home? What happened to our friends? How do we get back?"
Leon sighed. "You know what? I really don't know…"
She sighed in disbelief. She had one more thing to ask before giving up completely. "Then what about this?"
She summoned her staff into her hand with the same flash of light Sora's Keyblade produced, using her other hand to balance the weight and raise it enough for Yuffie to examine it. Leon wrinkled his nose at the sight of it but said nothing.
"Hmm… I don't think I've ever seen anything like it before…" she said, examining it inside and out, "It does look a lot like the Keyblade though. Interesting… Oh! I remember!"
The teens listened closely as Yuffie recounted her story. "I think I read about it in a book long ago. An ancient staff without a master; a protector of equilibrium, always by the key's side, it kept order and balance in unison with the key!"
The teens blinked once, completely confused. As if the whole Keyblade debacle wasn't enough, this was just too much to take in.
"But that was just an old story," Leon said pointedly as he approached them, "How did you get it?"
"It came to me when the darkness covered our islands," Akira recounted, "I fell into a deep darkness and it saved me from that."
"Huh, you don't say..." Leon responded.
"The stories said it was usually without a master, but it seems it has chosen you!" Yuffie said excitedly.
Akira sighed. "And what am I supposed to do with it?"
Yuffie scratched her chin in thought. "I guess the best thing would be to follow the old stories. To stand by the key and protect it! And balance and order… whatever that could mean. Darn, I wish I remembered where I had read it…"
Leon sighed, shaking his head. "So, I suppose your best bet would be to work together until we can figure out more about the Heartless and Ansem… and your staff."
"The Staffblade!" Yuffie exclaimed with a smile, as Leon shot her a warning glare.
Akira let herself fall back onto the bed in complete and utter disbelief. All of this happened so quickly, and she was just expected to accept it. On top of that, the only information she had about this strange weapon was some old story from a dusty book somewhere on some world, while Sora's Keyblade was so well known and understood…
"Now what?" she asked.
"We don't seem to have much of a choice," Sora answered.
"This seems so surreal, like it's straight out of a story book!" she exclaimed, sitting herself up again.
"Well, the only thing we can do right now is work together and fight those Heartless; and hopefully find Riku and Kairi and our home as we go."
Akira pursed her lips. Well, at least she wasn't alone. "I suppose you're right."
"You guys ready?" Yuffie asked.
"Ready for what?" Akira asked curiously.
Leon casually approached them. "Yuffie, let's go join Aerith. She should be there by now with the other visitors."
"Leon, look!"
As Yuffie exclaimed in surprise, the shadowy creatures they had come to know were called the Heartless had invaded the room, approaching them menacingly. It was as Leon had said; they were after the Keyblade, and they would relentlessly chase Sora wherever he went.
"Yuffie, go!" Leon barked as he summoned his weapon.
Yuffie slammed open the door connecting the two hotel rooms and grabbed the young woman named Aerith by the hand as she led her outside, squashing Donald Duck in the process behind the door.
"Sora, Akira, let's go!" Leon exclaimed as he swung his weapon at the enemy, causing it to knock backwards into the window. The glass shattered as the Heartless fell into the alleyway, frightening the other group of shadows that waited for their prey.
"I guess we're doing this," Akira said, mustering her courage as she and Sora summoned their weapons. They followed Leon towards the broken window, making their escape to the alleyway.
And, remaining in the red hotel room once the others had escaped and the chaos had died down, Goofy freed a crushed and very angry Donald Duck from behind the door, chuckling as the duck quacked furiously at their sudden misfortune.
"Don't bother with the small fry! Go for the leader!" Leon instructed as he ran ahead, leaving the two teens to fend for themselves.
Three small bug-like Heartless, the ones that attacked them on their islands, circled around a larger one wearing a blue suit and a steel sallet on its head. "The one in the soldier outfit! He must be the leader!" Sora said as he pointed to it.
Akira nodded with determination, gripping her staff tightly. "We're going to have to fight together from now on. Are you with me?" she thought.
She felt a small surge of power as she took a deep breath. There wasn't any more time to hesitate or to run. The Heartless will always pursue Sora and the Keyblade, and it's hers and this staff's job to help and protect them. That was all she knew for now; and it was all she needed to fight.
Sora focused on the soldier Heartless as Akira kept the smaller ones away from him. They took little effort, but the weight of her weapon was still an issue, limiting her movements. She used this as an opportunity to work her arm and shoulder muscles, lifting her staff as often as she could. Sora, on the other hand, had an easier time with his Keyblade, guarding against the soldier Heartless' swipes and kicks with his weapon's sturdy frame. Despite their amateur skills, the two of them made quick work of the Heartless that stood in their way, effortlessly defeating the smaller pack once the leader had been taken out. They laughed and gave each other a high-five as Akira successfully landed the final hit on the last one.
"We make a pretty good team!" Sora said happily.
"Yeah! And this weapon isn't as hard to use as I initially thought!" she said, attempting to twirl her staff. Yet her efforts were unsuccessful, and her staff came crashing to the ground. "Although I'm still going to need quite a bit of practice with it..."
Sora chuckled as he gazed up at the night sky. They had been in Traverse Town for so long, yet he never noticed how it always seemed to be night time here. These outside worlds really were frightening… and so enchanting.
"Maybe it... doesn't have to be as bad as it seems," she said under her breath.
Sora turned to face his friend. "What do you mean?"
"I was so overcome with despair when I first arrived here. Especially after that conversation with Leon and Yuffie," she said with a chuckle, "But... not everything is lost. I found you, didn't I?"
He nodded. "And Riku and Kairi might be somewhere close… or very far away…" he said hopefully, "But I think we can find them together. What do you say?"
Akira shook her head, snickering. "Do you have to ask?"
The two friends nodded at each other, and Sora led the way back towards the second district. Maybe this was a lot to take in; maybe she was still incredibly confused. And maybe she was having the most vivid dream she had ever dreamed and is going to wake up on the islands to the sound of Kairi scolding her for slacking off on the raft… even if it was just wishful thinking. But, for the first time in a long time, she felt very hopeful. And if that was all she had for now, then she'll take it.
In a distant, faraway land, where the darkness claimed a large hold, where the towns and houses lay in ruins, where the waterfalls rose towards the sky and where the tremendous castle lay regally above all else, Riku awoke alone at the foot of the falls. He felt no fear as the darkness took him from his island but the terror he had repressed came washing over him as he became aware of his surroundings. His friends were nowhere to be seen, let alone another soul to aid him.
Yet, little did he know he was being watched by a shadowy figure near the entrance of her castle, gripping tightly at her staff, a menacing grin forming on her violet lips…
A/N: I really wanted to leave that hotel room exchange because of the fact that it switches so seamlessly between the green room and the red room. I hope I did it justice!