Author's Notes: Hey there everyone! This is Sammy, back with level 5 of Keyblade Master Chronicles! I hope you all enjoy it! Hope I can get this level done and the kids out of Traverse Town! Eeeks!
Level 5 – Traverse Town Part II
"Man…this sure is weird," Haru whispered to his two siblings as they got up and followed Squall, Quistis, and the others down a decorated hall. A desk was at the end, and the walls had pictures hanging on them. The children could only assume that this was some sort of Hotel. "Where do you think they're taking us?"
"We're not going to experiment on you or something like that," Aldo snapped from behind them, and Haru blushed at being overheard. "Man…kids these days."
"Here we are." Quistis turned on her high heel to a room with a red door decorated with a golden symbol. She pushed it open quietly, and the other four followed after her, Ayame holding the door open for the children. They looked at one another, then nodded, and stepped into the room.
"Leon! There you are! Did you find 'em?"
"No," the man, whom the children thought was named Squall, now strangely called Leon, shook his head. "These idiots got mixed up…" he shot looks near Semih, Ayame, and Aldo.
The children looked around the room to see three more people waiting for them in the red room. The one who had spoken had been a young looking woman with short blackish hair wearing a green cut off top with thick straps and very short off-white shorts. She also wore long socks, stretching up past her knees, and arm pieces that matched her socks. She also wore a headband that kept her hair in place. She was grinning. "Hah! So they picked up those three?" she asked, pointing to Rion, Haru, and Jila.
"Yes, Yuffie, unfortunately, they did," Quistis sighed, shaking her head. "But…"
"They were unable to locate Sora?" the other woman in the room asked, looking very alarmed. The children turned to her to see she was a pretty young woman, probably in her thirties or early forties, with a high braid of light brown hair held up with a bright red bow that matched her cropped jacket. Under the jacket, she wore a pink dress and a pair of boots. The woman sighed and took off her jacket. She looked upset by the news. "But…but I was sure…"
"Aerith…" Quistis looked apologetic towards the woman.
"So, your hunch about the ship was wrong," Yuffie shrugged. "It'll be okay, Aerith. We'll find Sora."
"We have to…" Leon narrowed his eyes toward the last person in the room, and as the three children turned towards him, they gasped.
The man was obviously either asleep or dead. He had spiked blonde hair, and his forehead was covered with a bandage. His face was pale, and he was covered by a thick blanket. The children assumed the worse.
"Oh my gosh!" Jila screamed. "He's dead!"
"No!" Aerith shook her head at Jila. "He's not…he…" Aerith's eyes started to fill with tears, and she kneeled beside the man and took his pale hand out of the blankets. "He's…still alive…"
"Barely," Aldo cut in.
"Aldo!" Quistis rasped.
"What happened to him?" Rion asked, walking forward towards the bed where the man lay. "Is he just asleep?"
"No," Leon stepped forward, shaking his mane of brown hair.
"We'll explain everything in a bit," Quistis assured them, sitting Jila and Haru down on a couple of chairs. "Just be patient."
"Why do we have to explain everything to just a bunch of kids that got mixed up with us?" Yuffie asked bluntly. "It's none of their business."
"Ma'am?" Jila addressed Aerith, and Aerith looked up from the man in bed.
"Yes…?"
"You mentioned… 'Sora', didn't you?" Jila asked.
"Man! No one has any patience arrround herrre!" Semih stepped forward, and then sat down. "Let's start, shall we, with why these thrrree arrree even herrre…"
"That's what I'd like to know," Yuffie cut in, nodding. "Hey Leon, I'd like an explanation!"
Leon started to massage his temples, as if he could feel a headache coming on. He gave a heavy sigh and nodded. "All right…let's start."
"So…after this 'battle' and I use the term lightly," Leon sighed. The entire group had gathered around Leon, who, from what the children could gather, acted as the leader of this gang of misfits. "These three were brought back to us by our three resident idiots."
"After the very likely mix-up," Aldo growled. "The three revealed themselves to not be the people that we once thought they were."
"Introduce yourselves," Quistis whispered to the three encouragingly and they blushed.
"Umm…I'm Jila."
"My name's Haru."
"And I'm Rion."
"I'm still not getting the importance," Yuffie sighed. "What's so great about these three kids?"
"It turns out…" Leon looked over at Quistis, then faced the entire group. "That these three have been chosen by the power of the Keyblade."
Yuffie and Aerith's eyes widened at that statement, and they looked at each other, then at the three kids, who were starting to feel like a spectacle at a museum. "You serious, Leon?" Yuffie asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"Show 'em," Leon commanded. The three looked at each other, and, not wanting to turn down such a cold and solid request, unsheathed their Keyblades in a flash of light. Aerith gave a light gasp.
"Woah! That's cool!" Yuffie grinned. "More Keyblade wielders! Are they real?"
"True Keyblades," Quistis nodded, smiling lightly. "Squall…I mean, Leon, tested them out."
"Leon…Yuffie…Aerith," Rion chewed the names lightly. "Do those names sound familiar to you guys?"
"Slightly…" Jila nodded. "But…Dad didn't use a lot of names in his stories…maybe mentioned 'em once or twice."
"Dad?" Leon asked.
He wasn't answered. The children were obviously much more interested in what they were saying to each other to pay attention to him. "Wait…" Haru stopped, then smiled. "I remember! Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith! All three of you were mentioned in Dad's stories!"
"That's right!" Jila suddenly realized. "Leon was the warrior with the Gunblade! And Yuffie was the spunky ninja!"
"And Aerith was the gentle soul that Dad mentioned," Rion nodded. "All three of you knew our Dad…"
The three looked at each other, slightly confused. "Umm…who's your Dad? We're not sure we know him," Yuffie asked.
"You mentioned him!" Jila pointed to Aerith. "Our Dad is Sora!"
The three looked at each other, slightly perplexed. Leon shrugged it off. "W-Wait…Sora's your father?"
"Well, it fits as far as time goes," Yuffie shrugged. "But triplets? Woah!"
"We're not triplets," Haru shook his head. "I'm the middle child, Jila's a year younger then me, and Rion's a year older."
"Wait…I'm confused," Yuffie grasped her head, as if she was getting a throbbing head ache from all the information that was being stuffed into her brain. "The Keyblade is hereditary?"
"We don't know why…" Jila told them. "But we have the Keyblades right now. Our Island was destroyed, and our mom was kidnapped."
"I'm assuming your mother's name is Kairi?" Aerith asked, smiling gently. Jila nodded, blushing lightly. "She was kidnapped you say?" Her smile disappeared.
"Yes…" Jila nodded.
"And Sora went after her?" Yuffie asked, slightly alarmed.
"No," Rion told them, standing up. When he stood up and looked at them all in the eye, he looked even more like an adult then usual. "Like us, our father was thrown into another world. We're not sure which one. We assumed it was this one, so we came here from Disney Castle in a Gummi Ship…" He cut off at that and looked at his siblings.
"Uhh…yeah…" Haru nodded, blushing crimson.
"Who lent you a Gummi Ship?" Quistis asked. "The King?"
"No…" Haru shook his head. "The King…"
"What happened to the King?" Leon asked, looking slightly alarmed.
The children looked at one another, Jila and Haru especially looking towards Rion for support. He nodded to the two of them, giving them the okay to go ahead. Jila held back, but Haru answered Leon's question, standing next to Rion and speaking with firmness.
"His heart…was stolen."
The eyes in the room grew wide, and Yuffie's eyebrows narrowed. "You're lying!" she snapped. "The King is one of the strongest people in all of the universe! Are you saying his heart was just stolen under his nose? You're obviously lying!"
"No, we're not!" Jila assured her, standing up and shaking her head, frowning. "We swear!"
"What reason do we have to lie?" Rion asked.
"Look, all we know about you is you have strange Keyblades!" Yuffie snapped back. "You could be lying about everything else just to get an edge on information for the Heartless!"
"Yuffie…" Aerith looked up at the defiant ninja woman, who was now staring down the three children.
"Th-there's no way the King wo-"
"Yuffie, that's enough," Quistis said calmly, standing up. Yuffie turned to Quistis.
"But, Quisty!"
"I understand your worry…and your doubt," Quistis nodded. "But overreacting like this isn't going to solve anything."
Even Leon was looking shocked. He was massaging his temples and frowning, as if thinking. "H-how…how could someone like the King have his heart stolen?"
"Wait…is he a Heartless then?" Aldo asked and Jila shook her head.
"No, he's just stone cold. Almost like he's dead…" Jila stopped, and her eyes widened as she turned to the man in the bed. "Could it be…?"
"No," Leon shook his head and the three turned to him. "It's not what you think. Cloud here…he's…he's in a coma at the moment. He was attacked by a mass amount of Heartless and…"
"Cloud?" Haru asked, looking at his siblings. "Dad…he said he faced him in battle! The One-Winged Warrior with the bandaged sword!"
"That's right!" Jila nodded. "So now…he's in a coma?"
"Yes," Aerith nodded, finally getting to her feet and walking over to Cloud. She held his hand again, then pressed it to her face. "This man…Cloud…my husband…he defended the Hollow Bastion against the Heartless when they attacked…" she explained, tears filling her eyes. "But…the next thing we all knew…"
"Your…husband?" Haru asked, furrowing his brow. "Th-that's awful…"
"Dammit!" The room full of people turned around to see Leon putting his force into a kick and rattling the bed post on the extra bed in the room. Leon gritted his teeth. "The idiot! Every time I think of it, it makes me so angry!"
"Sq…Leon…" Quistis started.
"He shouldn't have tried to defend the Castle by himself!" Leon shook his head. "And her!"
"'Her'?" Jila asked curiously. "Who's her?"
No one spoke, but the children could get a definite feeling from the room that they all knew the answer to the question. Surprisingly, it was the person whom the children expected not to hear who spoke.
"A-Ae…ce…" Cloud muttered, as if struggling to say the word. The three children looked at him excitedly, but the sign of life from Cloud didn't seem to astound the rest of the room.
"Aece," Leon finished. "That's all he ever mutters."
"What's Aece?" Haru asked.
"Not what, who," Yuffie corrected. "She's…"
"She's my daughter…" Aerith murmured, stroking Cloud's hand. "Our daughter…"
"Wh-where is she?" Haru asked. The three children expected the worst. If the girl's father was in such a horrible condition, what fate could have befallen her?
"She's not dead, if that's what you're getting at." The next thing Haru knew, Leon had a firm grip on his green jacket and was holding his face close to his. "Aece isn't dead."
"Leon…" Aerith turned to him, and Leon put Haru down, cursing under his breath.
"Leon was just really attached to Aece," Yuffie explained. "She used to call him "Uncle" even…" Yuffie looked down…her eyes grew misty. "She used to call me "Big Sis"…"
"Aece…" Aerith broke in, turning from Cloud to the three children, "is missing."
"Missing?" Jila asked. "In this town? Why aren't we looking for her?"
"She's not in this town," Leon shook his head, returning to leaning against the bed post. "We don't know where she is."
"How long has she been gone?" Haru asked. "Maybe she's somewhere near the town? We can search for her!"
The three, Aeris, Leon, and Yuffie, looked at each other, then at Cloud. Yuffie bit her lip, then turned to the three. "Aece…went missing twelve years ago."
"Tw-twelve years?" Haru asked, and all three looked to be in shock. "Why didn't you look for her?"
"You don't think we tried?" Leon snapped, obviously angry at Haru's accusation. "Look-"
"There is no need to go on, Leon," Quistis said calmly, rising to her feet and walking to face the three children. "Yuffie, although very blatant with her previous accusation, has a point."
"Huh?" Yuffie asked, her eyes wide. "What do you mean Quisty?"
"We have no proof that you are trust worthy," Quistis said straight out to the children. "Or that you truly came from the King. Telling you anymore might be dangerous to ourselves and others…"
"But we are from the King!" Jila insisted to Quistis.
"Oh yeah?" Yuffie narrowed her eyebrows and stepped forward. "Prove it!"
"We don't have any proof," Rion told them, his voice shaking slightly. "You just have to believe us!"
"How are we supposed to know?" Yuffie asked.
"What about the Keyblades?" Semih asked, stepping forward.
"Yes…" Quistis nodded. "The Keyblades are peculiar…but what if the Heartless got a few Keyblade wielders on their side? We have no idea who's controlling them this time. I think Yuffie has a veritable reason for doubt."
"B-but…" Aerith started.
"How do we know that the King sent you?" Yuffie shouted. "How are we supposed to know that you actually came from the castle?"
"Oh…they came from the Castle all right," a voice from behind them spoke with a husky low texture to his voice. The door behind the three children closed, and when they all flipped around to see who was behind them, they saw none other then a man with blonde graying hair in a sharp short cut wearing a white shirt, a large orange belt, and navy blue pants. He held what looked like a long toothpick in his teeth, and on his forehead was a headband. The man dug into his pockets and came out with his fist enclosed around something. When he opened it, the children gave short gasps to see that it was none other a burnt red piece of their former Gummi Ship. "Found this outside the gates. Well…there's a lot more of it then this, but I got to tell you, it's in no better shape then this piece of scrap."
"So, you're sure that it came from a Disney Castle Gummi Ship?" Yuffie asked. The man had sat down with the scrap piece and explained to the group that, while he was out, he had found a half-destroyed Gummi Ship that could have only belonged to one world: The Disney Castle. (In turn, the group had explained the situation that Jila, Haru, and Rion found themselves in to the man.)
"So I was right…" Aerith murmured. "Only it wasn't Sora in that crashing ship I saw from the sky."
"Yep," the man nodded, scratching his nose lightly. "These twerps obviously came from the King."
"So…you saw the ship?" Rion asked, slightly pink.
"Yeah, what the heck attacked you guys?" the man asked.
"Umm…we were attacked by Heartless…and had to umm…speed up."
"So you crashed straight into the ground?" the man asked, and Rion's ears turned red. "You need more practice kid."
"How did you know our ship was a Gummi Ship?"
"Heh! I'm a bit of an expert on Gummi Ships myself," the man said, scratching his nose lightly. "Name's Cid by the way."
"I'm Jila," Jila told him. "And these are my older brothers, Haru and Rion."
"Pleased to meetcha," he nodded to the three, then turned to his companions. "So, as I was saying, these three no doubt came from the King."
"So they were telling us the truth," Quistis nodded to the others and they nodded back.
"And…and that means…" Yuffie looked at her feet. "That the King must be really…I mean…"
"Yes," Leon said, standing up from his position and moving to the center of the room. "The King's heart has been stolen and Donald and Goofy sent you three to find it."
"Not only that," Rion reminded him, also standing. "But also to find our dad and mom. Both Sora and Kairi are missing."
"So…now that we've proven ourselves…" Jila spoke softly. "Can you guys tell us how you got here?"
Yuffie, Leon, and Aerith looked at each other and Leon nodded to the two females, as if to assure them that he had the situation under control. "We originally came from a place called 'Hollow Bastion'," Leon explained to them. "Twelve years ago, the castle was attacked by Heartless. We were all forced to abandon the Castle and fly in an escape Gummi Ship Cid had built."
"But you're really strong!" Jila told them. "Our Dad said so!"
"The Heartless attacked in such huge numbers that there was no way we could fend them off ourselves!" Yuffie explained crossly. "They came in a huge army; we had no choice but to run."
"But Cloud chose to stay and protect the Castle…" Leon narrowed his eyes towards Cloud. "Or…more of protect Aece."
"His daughter," Rion reminded himself and Leon nodded.
"Yes…the Heartless had them both cornered. Cloud did his best to fend them off before he finally fell to their attack. It was a miracle Cid was able to snatch Aece and throw her into a small escape ship in time."
"Miracle nuttin," Cid shook his head. "Cloud distracted the Heartless enough for me to grab the little soldier. I..." Cid looked at his boots and shook his head. "I guess she's not so little anymore, is she?"
"After we escaped the castle," Leon told the three children, "our ship sailed along until we accidentally crash landed in a new world."
"We were attacked by Heartless," Yuffie sighed. "There ships were no match for our one vessel, so we were forced to land."
"And the Heartless didn't follow you?" Haru asked, knitting his eyebrows together.
"They tried," Leon explained. "But, it just so happens that our luck happened to be extremely high that day."
"We had landed in a world in which the Heartless could not enter because of a barrier put up by the World's ruler," Aerith told the three children.
"A…barrier?" Jila asked skeptically.
"Yeah!" Yuffie nodded. "That was our first reaction too. Sounded like a bunch of superstitious crud to me, but, it turns out the barrier was put up to prevent the entrance of demons. Little did the inhabitants of the place know…"
"That that same barrier kept the Heartless out of their world," Leon finished Yuffie's sentence, then continued with the explanation. "So, we stayed there for about eleven years."
"Eleven years?" Haru asked. "That seems so long."
"Actually, it wasn't," Cid sighed, shaking his head. "It turns out that the world we landed in had a difference in time passing as well."
"Time ran much slower," Aldo interjected.
"So, therrreforrre," Semih told them. "Eleven yearrrrs seemed much less to us."
"Wait…" Jila scratched her head. "I thought you would just age slower."
"That's not how it works," Yuffie shook her head. "Once you're born in a world, you age the way that world ages, no matter what. If one year passes in your home world, it doesn't matter where you are, you're aging one year."
"It seems…" Leon looked at the three children. "That time runs pretty much the same in the Hollow Bastion as it does on Destiny Islands. Judging by your ages."
"But," Yuffie said, "this world ran much, MUCH slower, and the only way we could tell that time was passing quickly was by watching ourselves get gray hairs!"
"We knew that we had to get to a place where time wasn't slipping out of our fingers," Leon told them. "Aece needed us you see."
"And, we werrre given a purrrety loud wake-up call to tell us to get out of therrre," Semih grimaced.
"The ruler who had been supporting the barrier passed away you see," Aerith explained. "And was replaced by her young daughter. Unfortunately, the daughter did not have the same mental power to keep up the barrier, and the Heartless came after us…"
"The World was attacked, just like the Bastion," Squall bit his lip and narrowed his eyes. "And once again, we escaped only narrowly with our lives. That's how we ended up here, in Traverse Town. We've been here for a couple of months. We don't seem to be aging too fast either, so I'd assume that time here matches Hollow Bastion as well."
"But wait…" Jila stopped Leon and looked around at Quistis, Aldo, Semih, and Ayame. "Dad mentioned you four…Cid, Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith…but you four are new…"
"When the Hollow Bastion was first taken over by Heartless, the four of us escaped in a different ship," Quistis explained. "We were taken to a different place and returned shortly after Sora liberated the Bastion. The others here," she nodded her head to Leon and the others, "were waiting for us when we came home."
"I see," Rion nodded, sitting back down in his chair. "So…I'm sorry to interrupt all this explanation with a simple question but, what are we going to do now?"
"Nothing," Leon shrugged. "Sit and wait here. Cid's going to fix your ship and soon, you'll be able to travel to the other worlds searching for Sora."
"If we find our Dad…" said Jila, "will he be able to wake Cloud up?"
"We're not sure…" Leon shook his head. "But…Sora has the strongest heart of anyone I know. If there's a way to save Cloud…Sora will find it."
The three children looked at each other and gave a small smile, as if proud of how their father was being talked of. These people, all of them, placed great faith in their father, and now placed great faith in them to find him.
"So, you guys rest up!" Cid pushed Haru down into his chair and gave a small laugh. "While I go salvage your ship! Don't worry, it's not too busted up. Once I synthesize a few new parts, it'll up and running in no time."
"Thanks again, Cid," Jila smiled widely and he nodded to her as he walked out the door.
"Yes, you had all better rest," Quistis nodded. "There's a bed and a few sofas in another one of the rooms of this hotel, if you'd like."
"Thanks," Haru nodded, stretching and giving a yawn. "I might take you up on that offer. I'm beat!"
"So am I!" Jila nodded. "I call the bed!"
"No way! I call the bed!"
"Too slow Haru!"
"Hey! Show some respect for your older brother!"
"Coming, Rion?" Jila asked as she walked out the door after Cid, Leon and the others. Quistis, Ayame, Semih, and Aldo all walked out the red door as well, and only the three children were left in the room. Rion, however, did not follow his siblings. He was sitting in his chair, his brow furrowed, obviously in deep thought.
"Huh?" he turned around, then nodded. "Oh…sorry, coming."
Jila and Haru ran out into the hall, Rion following them. He looked past his two siblings' heads and saw none other then Aldo walking at the back of the group of people. He nodded to himself, then turned to his siblings. "You guys get some rest. I'll be back later."
With that, he ran past his siblings and up to the group of adults, leaving Jila and Haru alone in front of the Green Room. "What do you think that was about?"
"Aldo?" Rion asked, catching up with Aldo. Aldo turned around to face Rion.
"Yeah?"
"Can I talk to you for a second?"
"Where do you think Dad and Mom are?" Jila asked Haru as she walked over to the bed in the room and flopped down on it. Haru sat down on one of the chairs and shrugged.
"I have no idea, really…anywhere, I guess."
"Maybe they're at Hollow Bastion," Jila suggested. "That's where lots of Heartless are now."
"Maybe," Haru shrugged. "We'll just have to see all the worlds until we find Mom and Dad…and the King's Heart."
"And Aece!" Jila told Haru and Haru looked up to face his younger sister.
"Aece?"
"Cloud and Aerith's daughter," Jila explained.
"I know who she is," Haru sighed. "But why do we have to find her too?"
"Cause she's missing," Jila smiled. "It would help if we found her."
"You want to add to our chore list," sighed Haru, rolling his eyes lightly. "We don't know anything about this girl…they haven't asked us to help…is it really any of our business?"
"It doesn't have to be your business to help people," Jila explained and Haru's eyes widened lightly, then he gave a small smile.
"You're right. We'll look for Aece too."
"But the King was wrong," Jila furrowed her brow and sat up on the bed. "Dad wasn't here…at least as far as we know."
"I think the others," Haru nodded his head outside the door to suggest Leon, Yuffie and the others, "would have seen him by now."
"So he really didn't end up here…" Jila furrowed her brow. "And you said we'll have to scour all the worlds to find them."
"Yep."
"What if there are like…a bajillion?" Jila asked. "What if we never find Dad and Mom? And what's with this whole 'Keyblade Prophecy' stuff?"
"You think I have any more clue then you do?" Haru asked, pointing to himself.
"Well, you are my older brother!" Jila frowned. "You should be more reliable, like Rion!"
"Hey, hey, hey, the whole "dependable older brother type" isn't really my thing," Haru defended. "Leave that to Rion."
"Hey…" Jila furrowed her brown, then turned to her older brother. "Speaking of Rion, where do you think he went?"
"Magic, huh? Kid, this ain't going to be easy."
"I understand."
Rion and Aldo were standing in the third district plaza of Traverse Town, staring at each other, their eyes not wavering from one another's gaze. Aldo stood in front of Rion, looking down at the boy, even if he was only slightly taller then Rion. "Why do you want to learn magic?"
"I need it to protect Jila and Haru…" Rion explained, narrowing his eyes and grasping his fists. "In our fight, you had the asset of magic, which made the battle completely one-sided." Rion knit his eyebrows together and nodded to Aldo. "I can't let that happen again. I know I have magic potential, but I need to learn how to control it. So…I beg you," Rion lowered his body in a low bow to Aldo, "please teach me."
Aldo looked at Rion, then gave a small chuckle. "Heh! You're all uptight! Loosen up!" Rion looked up, his eyes wide. "How old are you?"
"Umm…fifteen. Almost sixteen."
"You're still a teenager! Start acting like one!" Aldo commanded, giving a small smirk. "But I understand your situation, and I agree with you." Aldo suddenly grew rather grave. "You and your siblings will be like lambs to the slaughter against the Heartless unless you can find a way to use magic."
"Can you teach me?" Rion asked, but Aldo didn't answer. He was slowly walking to Rion. Aldo stopped right in front of Rion, paused, then grabbed Rion's hand and placed something in it. Rion's eyes widened as he felt a small sensation pulse through his body, and his glance immediately moved to his open palm. "There's…nothing there…"
"I just gave you a bit of my own energy. That'll help you focus your magic potential," Aldo told him. "You need energy from others in order to learn new skills and magic. It's simply essential. I just gave you the energy needed for the spell 'Fire'."
"Fire?" Rion asked. "But that's a weaker spell then my others."
"Kid, you may be able to spit out that high level magic when things go bad, but there's no way you could normally focus a spell that powerful without considerable practice," Aldo explained. "I say we start small, then work our way up."
"So…what do I do?" Rion asked.
"I demand a rematch."
"Huh?"
Aldo had just threw his cape over his shoulder and had pulled out his dagger. "We're going to fight again. Try to use that spell I just taught you."
"But you never actually taught me how to use it!"
"No one can just "teach" magic," Aldo chuckled. "The user has to utilize it himself. Try it!"
"All right…" Rion nodded, and drew his blue-handled Keyblade. "I'll try…"
"Don't try," Aldo said. "Do it. Oh, and if you win…"
"If I win?"
"If you win, I'll teach you another one. Cool?"
"All right!" Rion nodded, then struck a battle stance. "I'm ready!"
"Good," Aldo smiled. "But, I should warn you…"
"Warn me of what?" Rion asked, then widened his eyes as he saw a blue energy gathering Aldo's hand.
"I won't be holding back! BLIZZARA!" He thrust his hand forward, and ice spikes flew at Rion. Rion gasped and fell to the ground, dodging the spikes just in time and rolling out of the way.
"Time to fight fire with fire!" Rion rose to his feet and held out his hand. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, then opened them and screamed, "FIRE!"
Silence.
"Just screaming it won't help!" Aldo shouted, and the next thing Rion knew, Aldo had thrown him against the wall using a blizzard spell. "Magic comes from the mind and the heart! You've got to utilize it!"
"R-right…" Rion grimaced, getting up and rubbing his bruised chest. He closed his eyes and thought hard. 'Fire…fire…I need fire…I really, really need fire…' He looked up and held out his hand. "FIRE!"
A red, fiery spark swirled from Rion's palm around his fingers, then fizzled back into his palm. He stared at his hand and narrowed her eyes. "Damn…I didn't think hard enough."
"THUNDARA!"
"ARRGH!" Rion fell to the ground as he felt the electrical pulsing flow through him, making him grimace in pain and collapse onto the ground. His knees felt like jelly, and they too gave out, making him crumple to a heap on the ground. "Damn…"
"Get up Rion!" Aldo commanded, standing over Rion. Rion didn't stir and Aldo gave a dark frown. He then lifted his right leg and gave Rion a sharp kick in the stomach, knocking the wind out of Rion and making him roll on his back. "Get up! Or are you just going to stay on the ground while your siblings fight?"
Rion narrowed his eyes as he coughed for air; then, slowly, he closed his eyes.
'Fire…'
"Dad!" a nine year old Rion sat next to his father, Sora, in front of a campfire on Destiny Islands, smoking a bit a food over a campfire. "It's really hot!"
"Don't get too close, Rion," Sora warned him, pushing Rion back from the fire.
"But now my dinner won't cook fast enough!" Rion complained, frowning.
"You need to learn how to get the most heat out of the fire without burning yourself," Sora explained. "And that doesn't always mean getting as close as you can." Sora took a bit of meat from a plate next to him, took out a long wooden pole, and then took out a string from his bag. He tied the string onto the wooden pole, then tied the meat onto the string. He stepped on the log that he and his son were standing on and dangled the meat just over the fire.
Rion's eyes widened as he watched his father pull out the meat, fully cooked, a few minutes later. "Woah!"
"See? Sometimes, you've got to step back from the fire to get the most of its power," Sora showed off his trademark grin, then helped his son onto the log. "Now you try…"
'Watch me Dad…'
"You getting up or WHAT?" Aldo screamed to Rion.
"Fi…"
"What?" Aldo asked, quirking an eyebrow. "What did you say?"
"Fir…"
"You okay, Rion?" Aldo asked, stepping forward.
"FIRE!" The next thing Aldo knew, Rion had jumped to his feet, twirled his keyblade in his hand, pointed it straight at Aldo, and had bellowed the spell. Fire came streaming out of the Keyblade, knocking Aldo to the ground and singing his clothes, leaving a distinct burn mark where the spell had hit.
Rion breathed heavily, sweat trickling from his brow. "S-Sometimes…putting yourself in the middle of the fire doesn't give you the power to unleash it. Sometimes…you've got to step back and revere the power of the fire to use it."
Aldo started laughing as he rose to his feet, caressing his slightly burnt skin. "You got me good back there Rion. Congrats, you're officially a magic user. Or…a wizard."
Rion gave a smile of satisfaction. A wizard. Something like that only existed in fantasies, right? Maybe not. Now, he was officially a wizard, and he could use his newfound power to protect Jila and Haru.
"Now…about the second spell I promised you…"
"Hmm?"
"That's it!" Jila frowned, throwing her hands on the table in the Green Room, making a loud noise and alerting Haru's attention. "Rion's been gone for over two hours! I'm going to go look for him!"
"He's fine!" Haru assured her, but Jila was already moving towards the door. "Fine…go look for him if you want. I'll be staying here."
"Be back in a bit!" Jila called, opening the door and shutting it behind her. She stared down the hallway, noticed another room next to hers, then the red room. She assumed that the others hadn't returned yet. "Hmm…there's lots of artwork in here…"
She walked slowly through the hall, admiring the flowers and paintings, then finally coming to a door. She gave a wide smile. "This must be the exit. I wonder which part of the town we're in right now…I hope I don't get lost…"
She opened the doors and looked outside. She noticed a large fountain below her and a few shops across the way. When she looked up, she saw that she had actually been in a hotel. "Hmm…weird…" She noticed a large clock tower to the north of the town, and narrowed her brow at it. "What a weird clock."
It was near midnight, she realized, staring at the clock. She and the others must have arrived at night in this world.
"I wonder where Rion got to…" she frowned looking around. "I guess I'll just keep searching."
She leapt from the stairs of the hotel and started jogging across the platform she was on. "I'll go downstairs first. See if he's anywhere around there."
She jumped on the banister connected to the stairs and slid down quickly, her light brown hair flowing out behind her. She landed wobbly, almost tripping over her own feet, but managed to stay upright; but, when she looked up, she saw something she had not seen in her reconnaissance of the town just a few minutes ago.
It was a young woman, standing in front of the fountain, admiring the craftsmanship of the tile.
"Excuse me?" Jila asked, her eyebrows rising. The woman turned around, and Jila realized that she was much younger then she originally thought. She was probably a little older then Rion, maybe sixteen or seventeen. Eighteen, perhaps.
"What?" The woman asked, her voice low and cold, which was surprising, since her mouth was covered. Jila stepped back a little. This woman was just slightly intimidating. A pair of steel blue eyes peered at her from just above a dark scarf. A shock of blonde hair contrasted sharply with her baggy navy pants, gloves, and shirt, floating all the way down to the back of her knees as though she hadn't had a haircut in years. The only thing that seemed to fit her were her black combat boots and a steel gauntlet. The woman crossed her arms displaying a red bow on her wrist. It seemed strangely out of place on the dark young woman. "What do you want?
"Wh-when did you get here?" Jila asked, puzzled. "You weren't here just a second ago."
The young woman didn't answer.
"Who are you?" Jila asked, after a beat. "My name is Jila by the way."
Once again, Jila did not receive a response.
"Do you live here?"
"You said your name was Jila?" the young woman asked and Jila nodded.
"Uhh, that's me!" she gave a rigorous nod, blushing lightly.
"Well, Jila…I'm afraid I'm busy, no time for chat," the woman said, walking past Jila. Jila looked behind her and smiled widely.
"Cool!" The next thing the mysterious young woman knew, Jila had stopped her by the back. Jila had grasped the gigantic sword on the girls' back.
It looked much like a large knife with a thick blade and bandages wrapped around it. Jila was amazed that the girl could even keep it on her back. "This is so cool! A gigantic sword like this!"
"Please let go of my Buster sword."
"So that's what you call this thing? A Buster sword?"
"It's…it's actually a Miniature Buster sword. Slightly smaller then an original."
"Woah! If this thing is miniature, I'd hate to see the big one!" Jila laughed, showing her teeth. "You carry it on your back like it's no big deal!"
"It isn't…" the girl stepped forward, and Jila was forced to let go of the sword. "I'm getting the impression you've never seen a weapon before."
"Hey!" Jila frowned, obviously offended. "I'm a warrior myself!"
"Yeah right," the woman scoffed, turning around to face Jila. "What, do you and your little friends play battle games?"
"Want to see my sword?" Jila asked.
"I don't see it…"
"It's right here!"
In a flash of light, Jila had pulled out her yellow-handled Keyblade and held it out for the woman to see. When the light cleared, the woman's eyes were slightly wider than before and Jila was smirking. "See? I told you I'm a warrior!"
"What luck…"
In a moment, the woman had drawn her buster sword and swung it down at Jila. Jila gave a gasp and raised her keyblade in defense, blocking the attack just in time. "Wh-what the? What the heck?"
"Hand over the Keyblade," the woman snarled. "Or I'll kill you."
"N-no way!" Jila snapped as the woman jumped out of the sword struggle the two were having and struck a fighting pose. "I need this sword! You can't have it!"
"I told you. Give me the Keyblade or die. Those are your two options."
The woman swung her Buster down at Jila, and Jila somersaulted away from the attack and the Buster sword hit hard stone, making a small crack in the street. "Oh my gosh! That sword is huge!" Jila breathed heavily, wiping a trickle of sweat from her brow. "One hit with that, and I'm dead meat."
"You can't beat me. Just hand over the Keyblade and I'll let you live," the woman narrowed her eyebrows and moved over to Jila. "It's your choice."
"Some choice!" Jila snapped, breathing heavily. She snapped her body back into position, then ran at the woman, her Keyblade raised above her head. "HYAH!"
"Way. Too. Slow."
The next thing Jila knew, the woman was behind her, about to throw her Buster sword onto Jila. Jila felt the wind breeze down as the sword started to fall. Jila gasped, then jumped to a nearby bench just as the sword hit the ground once more.
"You're quick at escaping," the woman muttered. "But believe this…the Keyblade shall be mine. I need that Keyblade. I…" she grasped the handle of her sword tightly. "I am the true wielder of the Keyblade!"
"True wielder my butt! Eat this, lady!"
The woman fell to the ground as none other then Haru jumped from the edge of the hotel veranda onto the woman's back, knocking her to the ground.
"Haru!" Jila shouted to her older brother, who had already drawn his blade as well. "You came!"
"Duh! You were taking way too long! Who's this chick you're fighting?"
"You think I know?" Jila asked, her eyes wide. "She just started attacking me and demanding that I give her my Keyblade!"
"Another Keyblade?" The woman asked, rising to her feet and rubbing her bruised head. "T-two blades? What in the world?"
"Haru, together we can take her! Attack from both sides!" Jila rasped to her brother. Haru nodded.
"HYAH!" Haru ran forward, blade ready to strike. Jila took advantage of Haru's distraction to sprint around the woman, stop abruptly, then turn once more, her Keyblade ready for a back attack.
"FATED CIRCLE!"
Both Haru and Jila fell back as the woman rose into the air and threw her sword around her, making a shockwave of energy that circled around her and knocked the two siblings to the ground. "ARRGH!" Jila screamed as she hit the edge of the fountain. Haru skidded to a halt on the street, his lip bleeding.
"I picked that move up from a friend of mine…" The woman said coldly, then walked over to Haru and held out her hand. "Give me the Keyblade."
"Never!" Haru grunted, rising to his feet. The woman raised an eyebrow, then raised her fist and struck Haru to the ground.
"Haru!" Jila screamed, then rose to her feet to help her brother up.
"He wouldn't have gotten hurt if he had just done as I had asked," the young woman said, her voice as cool as ice. "Both of you…hand over your keyblades."
"What do you want our Keyblades for?" Haru coughed. "You didn't even know us before tonight!"
"I told you…" said the young woman, her patience obviously wearing thin. She held out her hand, as if to demand the blades. "I am the true wielder of the Keyblade. You two are just amateurs."
"What are you going to do with two?" Jila frowned. "Seems dumb to me!"
"I'll put one in each hand," she shrugged, then took a menacing step forward. "Now. Hand. Them. Over."
"I hope you can hold one in your mouth too, lady! FIRE!"
Jila and Haru looked up to see none other then Rion rushing from behind a wall near the clock tower, his blue-handled Keyblade in his hand, fire flying towards the woman. She was caught off guard and fell back as the spell hit her.
"Rion!" Jila called to her older brother as he ran up to them, panting slightly. "You're back!"
"Yeah!" he nodded. "After I got a bit of training from Aldo, he left through the third district, and I came back this way to meet up with you guys! Good thing I did!"
"What did you just do?" Haru asked his elder brother, referring to the fire that Rion had just unleashed.
"That's my magic," he told them proudly. "I can control it now. Aldo taught me how."
"Amazing!" Jila gaped in awe. "Magic?"
"So…three Keyblades…" A cold voice interrupted the children's conversation as they saw the young woman rise to her feet and stare at Rion. "And one belongs to a wizard."
"Yeah!" Rion nodded. "You can't beat all three of us! Forget about stealing our swords."
The woman looked at all three of them, from one to another, then sighed. "I have no time for this at the moment… I have no need to expend my energy to defeat you now when I could just have my Heartless do it for me."
The children froze, their eyes wide. "H-Heartless?" Jila asked. "You have those?"
The woman didn't respond. The three children looked at her, worry and fear in their eyes, and she looked at them, her icy glare not portraying any sort of emotion. It was like this young woman was an untouchable enigma that was not human; but something much more deep and untouchable. But, finally, the woman made a movement. She simply raised her right hand and snapped her fingers briskly, making a sharp crack, shattering the fresh night air.
Before the children could gather what was going on, millions of tiny, flying creatures surrounded them from small voids of darkness. They had black faces, tiny straw colored hats, and blue, red, yellow, or green colored torsos with the Heartless symbol residing menacingly in the center.
"These are my wizards…" the woman told the children. "Maleficent gave them to me."
"Maleficent?" Jila whispered to her two brothers. "Wait…Dad mentioned her…she's…"
"Maleficent is supposed to be dead!" Haru shouted, rising from his position on the ground, not afraid of the now twirling wizards. "Our fa… Sora defeated her!"
"Tch," the woman sighed, pulling up her scarf around her face. "Maleficent is alive and well, believe me. You have no idea who or what you're talking about."
"Take that back!" Haru started, only to have Rion put a firm hand on his shoulder, stopping him.
"Why are you working with the Heartless?" Rion asked, narrowing his eyes. "And why are you the true Keyblade wielder?"
"I see no reason to answer you," the woman snarled, then pulled out her buster sword and pointed it at the three in a swift motion. "Attack, wizards!"
Immediately, the wizards flew in towards the children, launching fire, blizzard, and thunder spells at them! "What the heck?" Jila screamed, dodging a fire spell just in time, then ducking to avoid a spike of ice coming towards her. "What's going on?"
"These things control the elements!" Rion explained, sidestepping a thunder bolt directed at him, then pulling Haru towards him as to save him from a fire spell. "Haru!"
"Uh-yeah?"
"You handle the yellow ones, got that?" Rion asked him, and Haru nodded, pulling his Keyblade and launching towards one yellow colored wizard. "Jila!"
"Yeah Rion?"
"You get the green ones!" He commanded and Jila nodded, swiping at a green wizard near her, making it vanish into a poof of darkness and a crystal heart.
"What about you, Rion?" Jila asked.
"I'll handle the others," Rion turned towards the blue and red wizards, who were now firing spells at Rion, somehow knowing that he would be their opponent. Rion dodged the magic, then ran up to the wizards, giving one a sharp whack, then firing his Keyblade at a blue wizard. "FIRE!"
As the fire erupted from the end of the Keyblade, the blue wizard convulsed and exploded into a puff of black smoke, just like the others that Haru and Jila were currently destroying. "FIRE!" He launched another spell almost instantly, pointing at another blue creature, making it cripple to the spell.
"Rion's really cleaning up!" Haru shouted to his younger sister as he gave another yellow creature a hard whack. A final blow from his blade finished it off just as his sister turned around from her last creature and nodded. "That magic of his is really powerful!"
"I know!" Jila laughed, then turned to look at her oldest brother. "He's absolutely amazing with that magic!"
"It's funny…" Haru stated, "that in the battle against Darkside, at the very end, he unleashed powerful magic. Maybe…maybe Rion, in a way, was always destined to be a powerful wizard."
"Maybe you're right," Jila smiled warmly.
"FIRE!" Rion attacked the last blue creature with his spell, and it fell to the ground defeated. Now, only the red remained, the woman standing behind them, looking at the three with narrowed eyes.
"Impressive…" she murmured. "But, as far as I can see, your only spell is fire."
Rion didn't respond, but his siblings could have sworn that they saw him grasp his Keyblade slightly tighter.
"The red wizards, or, Red Nocturnes," the woman continued, "cannot be defeated by a fire spell."
"Then we'll just whack 'em to death!" Jila snarled, running forward, only to be knocked back by a huge fireball blowing her over. "ARRGH!"
"Jila!" Haru called. "Where did that come from?"
"I've ordered the Red Nocturnes to combine their attacks," the young woman told them. "Now, the spell is four times as strong. Your magic may have been affective against the Blue Rhapsodies," the woman reasoned, "but it's completely useless against these."
"That's where you're wrong."
The woman looked up and her eyes grew wide as she saw a blue energy growing at the tip of Rion's Keyblade. "A wise hawk keeps his talons hidden!" Rion countered, then pointed his blade at the Red Nocturnes. "BLIZZARD!"
The spell bellowed out, destroying two of the Nocturnes, leaving the other four alone to deal with the latest elemental onslaught. "BLIZZARD!" Two more. "BLIZZARD!" Two more.
The Red Nocturnes and all of the other wizards had been vanquished, and the young woman stood now alone, without her Heartless, and with the three children ready to engage her in battle.
"That was the second spell Aldo taught me," Rion told her. "Seems you underestimated me and my siblings. A costly mistake."
The woman gave a wry smiled, then walked over to Rion. Jila noticed that she and Rion were almost the same height. When did Rion get so tall…?
"You're cute," she smirked, taking Rion's jaw in her hand. "You really think those wimpy wizards were all I had up my sleeve? I'm afraid, Keyblade Wizard, you've underestimated me as well."
"How so?" Rion asked, still looking the woman straight in the eye.
The woman didn't answer him. She just let go of his face, stepped back, and raised her buster sword into the air. "Watch and learn." She stared up at the sword, and the children gasped to see runic circles glowing beneath her feet. They started to grow larger, brighter, as if they would swallow the entire street. Then, they began to spin, faster, and faster, until the circles were just blurs. In one fleeting motion, the woman lowered her buster sword into the ground.
An earth-shattering crash filled the district as the circles seemed to explode in a column of fire surrounding the woman. The children shaded their wide eyes from the heat and intensity of the flames.
But, slowly, the fire lowered, and, standing behind the woman was a gigantic red demon with a black Heartless symbol burnt onto its chest. The demon had black horns, red ears, and searing red eyes. It stood on four legs, with long feet that had sharp claws rooted on the ends of the four fingers that the creature possessed on each foot. On its face was a long snout where steam was pouring out of.
"It's called Ifrit," the woman announced. "One of the mighty Heartless I have at my disposal."
"Another gift from Maleficent?" Haru asked, narrowing his eyebrows.
"Good call," the woman chuckled. "She made sure that the Keyblade would be returned to its rightful owner. Once I obtain your Keyblades, I won't have any need for the Heartless anymore."
Ifrit stepped forward and gave a low growl. The woman smiled and waved. "I'll leave the four of you alone, shall I? I'll be back for the Keyblades."
"Wait!" Jila called, but the woman had already snapped her fingers and disappeared in a cloud of black energy. Only Ifrit and the three children were left.
"What are we going to do?" Haru whispered. "That thing looks tough."
"What else?" Rion asked. "Fight!"
In a moment, all three children had bounded forward towards Ifrit, the blades drawn. "BLIZZARD!" Rion cast, and Ifrit turned on him as the spell damaged the beast.
"Keep using that!" Haru shouted. "It seems to affect it!"
"Right! BLIZZARD!" Rion cast the spell again, and Ifrit fell back.
"HYAH!" Jila gave Ifrit a swipe with her sword, Haru following her lead. Ifrit took one of his clawed hands and swiped all three children to the ground with a swift thrust.
It reared its head and the children had to roll out of the way in order to avoid a stream of flames pouring from its mouth.
"Crud!" Haru shouted, looking at the fire streaming from Ifrit's mouth. "We'd be fried if we got hit by that!"
"Jila, Haru," Rion called to them. "My magic power's running low. I'm running on empty."
"What?" Haru asked, his eyes growing wide. "But how are we supposed to beat this thing without your magic?"
"You guys are treating yourselves like dead weight!" Rion scolded his two younger siblings, and they blushed pink. "What do you think we should do?"
There was a pause as the three looked at each other, then Jila's eyes widened. "RION, WATCH OUT!"
But it was too late, Ifrit had already lowered its massive paw onto Rion, flattening him to the street. "RION!" Haru screamed.
"Darn…didn't see that coming…" Rion grimaced as Ifrit released its paw. Rion coughed up a bit of blood. "Man…guys…I think I'm out of the fight for now."
"Rion!" Jila ran over to her eldest brother and lifted his head. "You're going to be okay, right?"
"N-not sure…" Rion coughed. "I think that attack may have broken one of my ribs…Jila, Haru, you're going to have to beat him."
"B-but we can't…not without you!" Haru insisted.
"Heh…I may be older brother, but you guys aren't babies anymore," he reminded them. "You have your own strengths! You can do it."
Haru looked at his older brother, then looked at his blue handled Keyblade. "Own…strengths…" His eyes widened, and he turned around to see Ifrit bringing its paw once again down on the three.
"Oh no!" Jila screamed. "We can't move Rion!"
"Run!" Rion insisted. "Run, before it gets you too!"
"B-but we can't!" Jila threw herself down over her eldest brother. "Haru! Get down!"
But Haru didn't get down. He didn't even brother to duck. Instead, her raised his red Keyblade and closed his eyes.
"ENERGY SHIELD!"
Ifrit's paw harmlessly bounced off a bright green shield that flew from Haru's wand, protecting the three of them from its attack. It looked confused, as did the two other children.
"H-how'd you do that?"
"I just remembered our dream," Haru told them. "And what Rion said about how we each have our own strengths. He picked up the magic wand; I picked up the shield; and you picked up the sword, Jila. Maybe the items were preferred helped our abilities to mature. I knew this, and, deep inside of me, I knew what to say."
Jila looked at him, then down at her Keyblade. "Rion's got his magic. You just found your shield. Do you think I have a power too?"
"Of course," Haru nodded. "C'mon, we've got to beat this thing, and we'll need everyone's help to do it. Rion and I have given our share, now it's your turn lil' sis."
"Right!" Jila nodded, rising to her feet and striking a defiant pose. "Just watch me!"
"All right then!" Haru nodded, then raised his Keyblade and ran forward towards Ifrit. "Time for battle!"
The two rushed in against the mighty fire demon, Haru managing to land a furry of strikes on its right side, while Jila distracted it by continuingly striking its face. Ifrit gave a swipe at Jila, only to have Jila somersault out of the way.
"ENERGY SHIELD!" Haru screamed, blocking Ifrit's punch from reaching Jila. Jila gave him a nod of thanks.
"BLIZZARD!" The two turned around to see Rion on his knees, throwing out his last magic spell, knocking Ifrit back with the ice spikes he had unleashed.
"Magic…defense…" Jila whispered to herself, trying to concentrate. "I picked the sword. That must mean I'm attack…" She bit her lip. "So why isn't anything coming to me?"
"HYAH!" Haru jumped forward to land a blow on Ifrit's snout, only to have Ifrit rear its head back and throw fire from its mouth at Haru. "Darn! I can't get the shield up in time!"
"HARU!" Jila screamed, stretching out her hand, but it was too late. Haru fell back from the mighty flames, and his body flopped helplessly as it hit the stone cold street. "Haru, oh no!"
"You can do it Jila!" Rion called to her. "Just focus! Think about it! You have to find the power inside your heart!"
Jila turned to face her brother. "Inside…my heart?"
"Sonic BLADE!" Jila yelled and thrust her sword in front of her…
"A blade…" Jila whispered, then held her Keyblade in front of her. "Time to use my blade. I'm a swordsman, this is my sword…" she felt the power gathering around her as she felt the words coming to her lips, "and this is my power! FURY STRIKE!"
Jila rushed forward, even faster then usual, and unleashed an unstopping barrage of blows on the mighty demon Ifrit. Her blade would not stop, the blows gracefully moved in and out around each other, striking with even more force then the last. "HYAH!" She made a final spinning attack, and Ifrit fell backwards.
The giant Heartless convulsed, then, out of its chest came a crystalline heart that rose into the sky and then disappeared in the blackness of the night. Ifrit's body slowly dissolved into the blackening ground; and soon, there was no evidence left of it ever being there.
"We won!" Jila laughed, relieved.
"We really did it…" Rion smiled, getting up, using his Keyblade for support. "We drove off that monster."
"Yeah…you really showed him," Haru coughed, standing up despite his injuries.
"We all did!" Jila smiled. "It seems that we're all getting stronger in one way or another!"
"Maybe our journey isn't just to find Mom and Dad," Haru offered. "Maybe, in a way, this is our own adventure! Maybe, one day we'll just like Dad!"
"Heroes…" Jila murmured, then smiled widely. "That's us! Like father, like daughter! I'm obviously the best swordsman of all of us!"
"But I'm the best wizard!" Rion said jokingly, prodding her in the arm.
"Hey, hey, hey! You both would have been mincemeat if it weren't for my shield!"
"Guys!"
The three children looked up to see none other then Yuffie looking over them, waving energetically. "Guys, Cid fixed your ship! Finally! Hey…you look kind of beat up, what happened?"
"Oh nothing," Jila smiled. "Just ran into a bit of a problem."
"What kind of a problem?" Yuffie asked. "Heartless? We told you not to leave the hotel."
"We'll explain later," Haru assured her, walking up the stairs. "For now, let's get back in our ship and head out onto more adventures, right guys?"
"Right!" Jila nodded, grinning wildly. "Hey, you know that cheer that Dad used to do with Donald and Goofy?"
"Hmm…what's that?" Rion asked, smiling.
"I remember!" Haru nodded. "'All for one, and one for all!'"
"Well!" Jila grinned broadly and stuck out her hand. "All for one!"
"All for one!" Haru nodded, sticking out his hand as well.
"All for one," Rion nodded, joining the two others' hands in the circle.
"All for one, and one for all!" the three cheered together, raising their hands into the air, and then their Keyblades.
"Let's get going!" Jila laughed and raced her brothers up the stairs. "We've got adventures to meet!"
The End of Chapter 5! The longest chapter yet! Hooth!
I hope you all enjoyed it! I did!
Omake: Character Profile
Name: Jila
Age: 13
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Blue
Jila is the only girl in the trio, and the youngest to boot. She's daddy's little girl, that's for sure and certain. In fact, when I first designed her, I made sure to make her most like Sora, in order to prove that Sora's strong heart and warm personality can be carried over to any gender. Not that Jila's brothers don't have strong hearts either.
At first, I must admit, two years ago when this idea was born, Jila was a complete author self-insertion. I made her look like me, act like me, be exactly as tall as me, and a bunch of other crud. Jila was also supposed to turn out to be the main character, when, in reality, I've edited the story to make it much more about all three children then just her. (Including more about Sora, Kairi, and Riku)
As for her name? To tell you the truth, I went through tons of names before I finally decided to use Jila. Jila, one of my aliases, was born from this fic. Jila seems like the perfect lively name to use for someone like Jila.
Anyway, enough rambling! Save your game, turn off your PS2, and save the next level for another update!
Level Six: Wonderland
See you then!
(P.S. Word count? Over 9,000)