One Sky, One Destiny
Chapter 2
A figure roared enraged. He shook his head in disbelief as he stared at a light projection displaying the image of two boys.
"I wouldn't scream so loud. We all feel the same way." said another enshrouded by darkness.
"Yes indeed. We've all been defeated by the keyblade master, and he's only a boy!" The figure sighed.
"Oh? Have we all?" Said another amused. The figure stepped into the only source of light in the chamber.
"Hao!" The first exclaimed.
"The boy who wields the keyblade is in my realm now. Rest assured, he will be taken care of." Hao said. He turned amused at the next who spoke.
"But Hao! This boy wields the most powerful weapon! And we were all defeated by him!" The figure sputtered.
Hao's cold laugh echoed throughout the chamber. He smirked cruelly.
"And I'm impressed. The keyblade master has gone far hasn't he? But... Is he able to defeat the power of spirits?"
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"Sora! Slow Down!" Edward cried out angrily. Several blond strands came into his eyes as he yanked his arm away and stared at their location.
Up ahead was a pool of cool water. A bright blue light shone from it. It would have been nice had it not been for the fact that darkness seemed to surround it, making the light look eerie and threatening.
"Well, there's your spring." Edward commented.
Sora shivered. "M-maybe the old man had the wrong directions?" He asked meekly.
"What! Oh no you don't! You want your spring AND THERE IT IS!" With that, Edward flung the screaming boy into the pool.
Few minutes passed and Sora still haven't resurfaced.
"Um... Sora?" Edward called hesitantly. "Are you okay?" After a moment he yelled, "Jeesh! With all the times I've rescued him, I should get paid!" With that, he dived into the pool. The water was icy cold and stung as he began searching for Sora. Up ahead his eyes widened.
There was Sora, entangled with some plants and within those weeds were bones.
Edward's eyes widened. 'Jeesh! Sora just had to get himself tangled.' He pulled on the restraints, successfully freeing Sora. 'Yes! Now to get back to surface!' He swam up but bumped into something. 'Huh? What the-' Edward's eyes widened some more.
From above, a skeleton smiled at him. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The blond screamed causing air bubbles to rise up.
Edward quickly swam in another direction only to encounter another wrapped in a strange dress. He turned to find several more surrounding them. "WAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" He screamed. He torpedoed upward only to find that something was slowing him down. He slowly looked down to find the skeletons dragged by his foot smiling. With a strength that he never knew he had, he bursted through the surface in no less than a second from that moment.
Tired and weary, Edward mumbled under his breath, "Some magic spring." and plopped on the ground.
Sora coughed and sputtered. "Uhhhh..." he blinked and shook his head as his vision began to focus. "E-Edward?"
"Not now... I'm tired, Sora." Edward mumbled.
"You saved me... I actually thought I was going to drown." Sora said.
"Yeah, well I was the one who threw you in." Edward grinned.
Sora grinned back. "True." Sora rolled back to his stomach. "Hey, I don't recognize this place at all. Where are we?"
Edward laughed nervously. "Heh, well uh..." How was he going to explain his wonderful rendezvous with the dead?
Sora sat up and clutched his wound wincing. The water obviously seeped through the cloth. He looked at Edward's leg with interest. "Hey, Edward?"
"Yeah?".
"You've got a fan club."
Edward stared at his leg.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
Edward ran this way and that wildly until he crashed straight into a wall which he swore somebody placed there on purpose.
Sora laughed during this whole spectacle until his stomach hurt. He inhaled and looked away trying to stop snickering.
Edward shook his foot wildly thrashing this way and that until finally most of the skeletons were flung back into the water.
One that remained carried a strange eye patch and a huge grin that resembled a certain colonel. The way it smirked and the tilt of the head were unmistakable.
Rather than being scared, Edward smirked and began kicking the skeleton with his other foot.
"Um, Edward?" Sora asked confused.
Edward stopped and looked at Sora questionably.
"Why aren't you scared?"
Edward looked thoughtful then grinned. "What? I can't be scared of all of them!" He laughed.
Sora fell back.
After a while, Edward stopped and threw the skeleton in the water. "So, to find out where we are and get help for your wound. Sora, how are you feeling?"
"Tired." Answered Sora.
"Well, that water couldn't be good for that wound, so let's go." Edward said stretching. He helped Sora to his feet.
As they walked, the air seemed to become colder and terrifying.
'Darkness haunts these walls...'
Sora looked around wildly. 'I know that voice!' "Edward?"
Edward looked back at Sora. "Hm?"
"Did you hear a voice?"
"No."
Edward turned quickly as shadows began to form from the ground. "These creatures again! They sure like you, Sora." He yelled as he grabbed Sora and began running through them.
"They're called heartless! And they'd attack just about anybody, so you have to make sure they don't rip your heart out!"
"What, is that an instinct of theirs or something?"
One particular heartless was huge and blocked the entire tunnel with its fat body.
Edward yelled surprised. He was frozen stiff with an exception to his mouth. 'That's it... We're done for.'
Sora reached out with his hand. In a flash, a large key-like weapon appeared in his hand. Sora aimed and whispered, "Firaga."
A sphere of fire blasted from the weapon and obliterated the large heartless.
Edward stared gawking. 'That freakin' thing's a gun!'
Sora sighed and lowered his arm relieved.
'No way... If that thing's a gun, where's the trigger? And how did Sora get ahold of it in the first place? Things don't just appear out of thin air.' Edward scrunched his face in thought. 'I didn't even see it on him before.'
"Edward? Shouldn't we get going?"
'Sora, you've got lots of explaining to do.' Edward thought following.
The two pressed on for about an hour, running into countless dead ends.
"RARGH!" Edward yelled in frustration as they encountered another one. "We'll never stop running into dead ends!"
"Maybe we shouldn't have followed the old man's directions." Sora said nervously.
"AND WHO'S FAULT IS THAT?" Edward shouted back.
Several heartless began to form behind the duo.
"Oh great! Just when things can't get any worse." Edward reached into his jacket and pulled out a dagger. "Come on Sora!"
Before the two could attack, a shout of, "Rasengan!" was heard.
Immediately a huge wind came and swirled rapidly and eliminated the heartless.
The two gasped and looked up ahead.
There, with both hands raised in a curled position, a boy grinned satisfied with his work.
"What... Just happened?" Sora said awkwardly.
"We were about to fight those heartless until..." Edward's voice trailed off.
The newcomer wore a bright orange jacket and pants. He wore sandal-like shoes and a shiny headguard baring the symbol of a strange leaf. The boy was blond with ultramarine eyes and cheeks covered with strange whisker-like markings. He thrusted his arms in the air and shouted energetically, "Yeah! Yeah! That was so COOL!"
Edward was on guard. "Sora, don't do anything..."
Sora was already running toward the newcomer.
"Stupid..." Edward finished.
Sora extended his hand toward the other boy. "Hey, thanks for helping us. I'm Sora, who are you?" He said smiling.
The other boy narrowed his eyes at Sora's hand in mock suspicion. He observed it in all different angles.
Sora sweated. "Um, what are you doing?"
Edward was at a lost. Obviously Sora's judgement isn't too well.
Finally, the other kid stood up satisfied. He took Sora's hand and shook it. "Yeah! Nice to meet you! I'm Uzamaki Naruto! People call me Uzamaki Naruto! And my rivals call me Naruto." He paused for a while. "But you can call me boss!"
'Boss?' Thought Sora confused.
At that moment a black boot connected with Naruto's cheek
"Idiot. NOBODY'S CALLING YOU BOSS! WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU CAN WALTZ IN AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE NEXT TRAVELING GROUP!" Edward roared banging a fist on the blond.
"Edward?" Sora said surprised. Edward never acted like this before.
"AND YOU SORA! YOU CAN'T TRUST EVERYBODY YOU COME ACROSS! HE MAY AS WELL BE A THIEF OR BACKSTABBER!" Edward yelled pointing at Naruto.
Naruto smirked. "Yeah. He's right."
Sora said, "Huh? But..."
"But lucky for you, I'm tired, so I won't mess you guys up when you're asleep and laugh!" Naruto said holding up a brush full of black ink.
Sora and Edward fell back.
"AH! Who are you!" Groaned Edward.
"Heh. I told you, I'm Uzamaki Naruto, soon to be the greatest ninja that's ever lived!"
Edward pulled Sora close to him. "You're not seriously thinking about letting this guy come with us are you?"
"I really think he can help us. I knew a ninja, and she was great!" Sora whispered back.
"Yeah, but is she like this idiot? Listen Sora, we're better off without him. Sure he helped us out, but like I said before, we don't know anything about him."
"But Edward, maybe he knows the place better, I mean he is the first person we saw in this deserted place besides each other and the old man."
"Don't bring up that lunatic."
"Quit changing the subject."
"Alright fine. Have it your way."
"Hey, hey!" Naruto piped up suddenly. "I still don't know your name!"
Edward growled. "I don't have to tell you."
Naruto grumbled under his breath before noticing something. "Hey, you're bleeding!"
Sora looked surprised for a moment before raising his wounded arm slightly. "Yeah, I got this in a fight."
Naruto gazed at the wound. "Wow, looks bad. Lucky for you I got some great ointment!"
Edward said surprised "You have ointment!"
"Yeah! Ninjas can get hurt you know! Not that I would be..." Naruto laughed. He pulled out a small jar and handed it to Sora. "Try it! It works fast!"
Edward snatched the bottle peering at its properties before nodding and handing it back.
"Man, you don't need to check it, I said it was good didn't I?"
Sora unwrapped the dirty bandage to reveal his ghastly wound. As Naruto's face shrunken in disgust, Sora applied the salve to his own wound. As Naruto said, the effects were immediate. "Wow!" Sora exclaimed in awe as the wound closed up.
"See?" Naruto said proudly. "I got this from..." His voice trailed off.
"Who?" Edward asked.
Naruto blew raspberries. "Nyah! I'm not telling you!"
Edward would've charged at the ninja had it not been for the fact that Sora held him back. "Grrr! I'll put this idiot out of his misery!"
"No don't Edward! Give him a chance!" Sora pleaded tightening his grip.
Sora's grip became so tight that Edward could hardly breath. "I see your arm regained its strength..." He choked.
"Huh? Oh, sorry Edward." Sora quickly released his grip on him.
When he finally caught his breath, Edward pointed at Naruto. "You're lucky Sora's here. Otherwise you'd be dead."
"Huh. You don't scare me. I'd beat you to a pulp long before that!" Naruto said arrogantly.
Edward finally snapped. "THAT'S IT!" As he launched himself on the ninja, a cloud of fury began to form. "SO YOU THINK YOU'RE SO GREAT? TAKE THIS!"
"I DON'T THINK, I KNOW!" Naruto yelled as he punched the other blond.
While the two fought, Sora pondered whether or not to stop them.
Soon, it appeared that Sora's intervention was not needed as Edward's boot connected with Naruto's cheek and Naruto pulled Edward's braid painfully, making the fight a draw.
"Cut it out guys..." Sora said. "We have to get going."
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Edward's face shone clear and smug as the trio ran into another dead end with Naruto leading them. "Well, admit it."
Naruto growled. He then pointed in another direction. "That way!"
Another dead end.
" 'I know the place inside out,' You said. 'It's a piece of cake,' You said." Edward pressed enjoying the amusing reactions of the idiotic ninja.
"SHUT UP!" Naruto shouted. "It's that way!"
Sora groaned as they encountered another dead end. "Naruto, are you sure you know where you're going?"
"Sure I know!" Naruto said. "We just have to go back and..." What words Naruto was about to say died in his chest as he turned around to find their entrance blocked by a stone wall that appeared out of nowhere.
Edward and Sora looked back and forth. In front, there was the dead end and behind them was the wall... Or was it the other way around?
"See! We shouldn't have let him lead! He just made us more lost!" Edward shouted furiously.
"We are not lost!" Naurto shouted back.
"Oh yeah! Explain the wall, O great one!" Edward yelled.
"Edward, it's not Naruto's fault!" Sora said frantically.
"Oh taking his side again! It's his fault and you know it! Are you always this stupid, Sora!"
"I'm not taking Naruto's side!"
"Gee thanks alot!"
"Naruto!"
"Here I am thinking we could be pals! Well I don't need you guys! I DON'T NEED ANYBODY!"
The three turned their backs to each other simultaneously.
'Hmph! Like I even wanted to come with Sora in the first place! I just felt sorry for him, that's all. Now that he's healed, I don't need to be with him anymore!'
'Stupid Edward! Why does he have to act like this? No wonder he doesn't have any friends, he's always pushing them away. Like he did to me...'
'Stupid fox spirit! You said you knew the way!'
'You were foolish to ask me for directions.'
'AH SHUT UP!' Naruto began pounding his head.
'What the heck is that idiot doing?' Edward turned his head slightly to see Naruto pound his head.Pound! Pound! 'Ok That's it. He's related to the old man.' Edward turned his head.
(Kim: I knew it. That old man was crazy. Who's with me? The spring was full of dead people! Not that you'll be reading this, of course.)
'Poor Naruto... He's pounding himself for forgetting the way. And Edward's not making it any better!' Sora thought sighing.
You are not worthy...
The three of them looked around wildly for the source of the voice.
Prove that you are worthy...
A blinding light flashed and surrounded the trio.
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Sora stood dazed for a moment before shaking his head. 'That was really weird.' "Hey, Edward? Naruto? Where are you guys?" Sora became aware suddenly that he was in a forest of some sort.'Maybe Edward and Naruto are somewhere nearby...' he looked around the forest. 'Well, here goes nothing.' He ran into one direction. The trees blurred and rustled at his speed. When he finally stopped, he realized that this was the same place he started from! "No. I'm going in circles? But that can't be... I went straight." He closed his eyes in thought. 'What should I do?'
If you are truly the keyblade master, your heart will find them...
'Huh? That voice again...' Sora thought. 'Who could it be?' He opened his eyes again and gasped as the scenery changed.
The sky grew dark and menacing. Thorned plants covered any way to escape except forward. In the center of it all was a boy staring blank-eyed at Sora. He had platinum white hair and blue eyes. Bonds of darkness held him immobile.
"Riku." Sora gasped.
Riku smiled slightly, and as he did so, wisps of darkness grew at his feet threatening to pull the boy into its depth.
"No! I won't lose you!" Sora ran toward Riku through the sea darkness, but stopped and tripped as the ground began quaking. He gasped seeing Naruto and Edward, both unconscious.
The two of them were covered in thorns and they too were being swallowed by the darkness.
"Edward? Naruto?" Sora whispered. He gasped as darkness began licking his feet.
Leave…
"No!" Sora said defiant. He swung out his keyblade threateningly.
Save yourself...These children... It is too late to save them...
"No. I won't lose them!" Sora bashed the flickering darkness.
You are the keybearer... The keyhole awaits...
"I won't leave them!" Sora hacked away at the thorns setting them free. He grabbed the heavy bodies of Edward and Naruto. He struggled toward Riku who was quickly being consumed by the shadows. Dimly, he reached out to take Riku's hand...
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Van: Well, I know the first chapters are long, but I will shorten them.