Before the Oracle could finish his sentence, a loud crash could be heard all over the castle. "What was that?" Cornelia asked.
"I don't know, but we'd better find out," Nick responded, holding the Oathkeeper in a battle stance.
"Guardians," the Oracle said. "You can unite your Keyblades to gather even more power when you transform."
"Best news I've heard all day!" Irma exclaimed.
"Shall we, everybody?" Nick asked as the 6 kids raised their respective Keyblades into the air, touching them together as the Heart of Candracar appeared and began glowing very brightly.
"The Heart!" Will exclaimed.
"Water!" Irma shouted.
"Fire!" Taranee continued.
"Earth!" Cornelia added.
"Air!" Hay Lin exclaimed.
"Thunder!" Nick finished.
"Guardians, Unite!" they all shouted, covering the room in a cocoon of light energy. Once the light cleared, all 6 of them were in their Guardian getups.
"Girls," Nick said, twirling Oathkeeper in his hands, "let's do what we came here to do."
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(Certain weapons are bound to their wielder. Sometimes, that weapon represents a promise made to someone. Nick and his Oathkeeper are a case in point.)
S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:
W.I.T.C.H. in "K is for Keyblade"
Genre: Romance/Action/Adventure
Rating: T for some violence, 'moments' and a bit of harsh language
Note to Sokai: This chapter is when the KH crossover begins, Sokai, so when I post this chapter, you can put it in your C2.
Summary: Nerissa, the Guardian's new enemy, has found and unearthed an ancient evil force, one that consumed Nick's old friend. What wicked plans does Nerissa have for the Dark Keyblade? Can the Guardians stop her and save their home from the darkness? Features Nick, my original character.
Today: Nerissa has unleashed the Knights of Vengeance on the palace of Candracar. Can the Guardians, with their new keyblades, stop this threat before something bad happens? And who is this mysterious trio that has arrived?
W.I.T.C.H. is copyright SIP Animation and JETIX. Kingdom Hearts is copyright Disney, Square Enix, and Buena Vista Games. This story is copyright S.P.D. Gold Ranger, July 2006. This takes place during the animated series, even though the Knights of Vengeance I'm using for this story are from the comics. Also, Sora and company fell into Candracar a short while after the Hollow Bastion Heartless Army was defeated.
Quick Note: There'll be a few couplings as of now, mainly Nick/Irma, Cornelia/Caleb, and a little bit of Sora/Kairi later on.
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Chapter 2: "V is for Vengeance"
As the 6 Guardians stood in battle-ready stances, each one wielding their chosen Keyblade, Nick looked onwards, hoping to catch a glimpse of their attackers.
As the rumbling sound intensified, Nick caught sight of the intruders – 4 of them, to be exact: a bulking, Medusa-haired muscleman; a purple-skinned man carrying two enormous axes; a flaming hot (literally!) woman with bat wings and a long trident; and a bald, muscle-bound man with angel-like wings and a short, double-edged axe.
"Well, well, looks like we weren't the only ones invited to the party," Nick said sarcastically, the Oathkeeper glowing.
"Enough of your nonsense," the Medusa-haired guy retorted. "Knights of Vengeance, ATTACK!"
With that, all 4 of the Knights charged. However, before the Guardians could attack, someone shouted "THUNDER!" and a powerful lightning bolt shot from the sky and struck the spot where the Knights were charging, sending them all off balance.
The girls looked at Nick, since they knew his element was thunder. But he had a confused look on his face. "That wasn't me."
All of a sudden, the lava girl stumbled forward, as if she had been attacked by something. The Guardians looked on in wonder as one by one, the Knights fell to the ground, finally revealing the ones who had just attacked – an upright-standing duck with blue and silver clothes and a staff with a mage's hat on the tip; what appeared to be an upright-standing dog in green and yellow clothes and holding a shield; and a boy with spiky hair and silver and black form-fitting clothes. The boy was carrying what appeared to be a Keyblade! The Knights slowly composed themselves and looked angrily at the new trio.
"Why you..." the Medusa-haired guy said. "How DARE you attack the Knights of Vengeance?"
"Knights or not, you Heartless need to be taught a lesson," the boy said, holding his Keyblade in a fighting stance.
"Heartless?" Will asked. "What the heck are those?"
"Yeah!" the duck replied.
The boy spun his Keyblade around in his hands and shouted "THUNDER!" again, only this time, Nick shouted the same thing. The double bolts of electricity struck the Medusa-haired guy, sending him sprawling to the ground. The girl with the trident charged for Nick, swinging the weapon, but Nick easily countered it with Oathkeeper.
"This is impossible! No one can deflect the trident of Ember the Pain!" the lava girl shouted, trying to break through Nick's defenses.
"Well, apparently, I just did," Nick said before charging forward, pushing Ember back with him. After a while of this, Nick did a 360 spin and struck hard with the Oathkeeper, easily cleaving Ember's trident in half. Nick motioned to Irma and Hay Lin, who nodded and flew into the air, Nick following suit. The three raised their keyblades into the air.
"Whoa! Since when did these kids get keyblades?" the new boy exclaimed.
"Hey! I'd appreciate it a lot if you didn't call us kids," Will said to the boy.
Nick, Irma, and Hay Lin's keyblades began glowing as a thundercloud appeared above the trio of Guardians.
"WATER!" Irma shouted.
"AIR!" Hay Lin shouted.
"THUNDER!" Nick shouted, the thundercloud above them growing in size. The trio flew away as the cloud began producing one heck of a rainstorm. Nick, Irma, and Hay Lin directed their keyblades towards Ember, and the rainstorm began dousing Ember, making her scream in pain.
"What's wrong with her?" Will asked.
"Hey. She's made of freaking lava," Nick replied. "Pretty obvious, huh?"
That said, Nick was about to raise the Oathkeeper for a final strike, but before he could, a shower of dark energy blasts struck all around, knocking the Guardians and the mysterious trio to the ground.
Nick quickly looked around to see who had just attacked them. It turned out to be another teenage girl with long, flowing black hair and a ruby-red outfit. In her hand was...
"The Dark Keyblade!" Nick exclaimed.
"I take it you're Nerissa?" Will asked.
"Correct, my foolish Guardian," Nerissa retorted, calling forth the Knights.
"You..." Nick said angrily, slowly regaining his composure. "You! You're the reason my best friend is dead!"
In a blind rage, Nick brandished the Oathkeeper and charged for Nerissa.
"Another time, perhaps," Nerissa stated, disappearing in a column of darkness before Nick could strike, the Knights of Vengeance disappearing with her.
"No!" Nick shouted, falling just short of where Nerissa used to be. "Damn it!"
The other Guardians looked on as the mysterious trio got to their feet.
"Would someone like to explain what's going on here?" the boy with the gold and silver keyblade asked.
"Long story," Nick said, getting to his feet. "How about we introduce ourselves before I say what just happened?"
"Good idea," the boy said. "I'm Sora. This is Donald," motioning to the duck with the staff, "and Goofy," motioning to the dog with the shield.
"I'm Nick Kelly," Nick said. "This is Will Vandom," pointing to each of the Guardians in turn, "Irma Lair, Taranee Cook, Cornelia Hale, and Hay Lin."
"Cute outfits," Sora noted. This brought a genuine blush to Will's face.
"So, Sora," Irma asked, walking up to Sora. "When did you get that Keyblade?"
"I was about to ask you guys the same thing," Sora replied.
"Like I said, Sora, 'long story'. Okay, here's what's going down..."
For at least 30 minutes, the Guardians talked with Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Nick told Sora the story of how his old friend Cassidy was consumed by the Dark Keyblade. Sora told the Guardians of the adventures that he, Donald, and Goofy had been on and how he was still searching for his friends Riku and Kairi.
"Okay, I think I understand now. That girl with the Dark Keyblade used to be a Guardian until she was corrupted by this Heart of Candracar and rebelled, right?" Sora repeated.
"Exactly," Nick replied.
"And we need to stop this Nerissa before the entire world is covered in darkness?"
"You said it," Irma added. "I don't want my home permanently looking like a 20s movie."
"Well, just another day on the job for the Keyblade's chosen one, huh?" Sora replied.
"We'd better head back to Heatherfield and see if anyone knows what's going on," Nick replied. With that, the Oathkeeper began glowing, and Nick struck, creating a portal that led back to the evil-covered city of Heatherfield.
Once everyone, including Sora, Donald, and Goofy, had returned to Heatherfield, they noticed that the only people or things that weren't black and white were themselves.
"Déjà vu much?" Sora said, as this black and white world reminded him of Timeless River.
Nick began scanning the blackened surroundings, looking for any sign of life. He suddenly saw a very familiar house – Irma's house! Surprised it was still standing, everyone raced towards the house and busted through the doors.
(Author's Note: This next scene contains a reference to Power Rangers Mystic Force: Dark Wish. If you've seen it and you really should! It's awesome! you'll understand what I'm referencing.)
"Mom! Dad!" Irma exclaimed, searching the house for any sign of her parents.
All of a sudden, some kind of blunt object lashed out at Irma, who just barely dodged it. When she turned to catch her assailant red-handed, she let out a gasp of shock.
"Mom?" Irma said, her voice quivering. "Dad?"
Now Sora was curious, looking at Irma's parents, who looked quite unkempt and covered in damaged rags. The two parents looked surprised upon seeing their daughter. "Irma? Sweetie? Oh, it is you!" Anna Lair exclaimed, rushing up and hugging Irma.
"Mom! What happened to Heatherfield? What happened to all the color?" Irma asked, her mind just about at sensory overload.
"You... you mean you don't remember?" Thomas Lair, Irma's father, replied. "Four months ago... you disappeared, and then, all we saw... was the darkness..."
Nick suddenly stepped up. "Something's way wrong here, everybody. Our world's changed. Four months ago was when Will first moved to Heatherfield, and we became... you-know-who. It's like the Guardians never existed!"
As everyone checked around town, the stories were the same: the darkness had claimed this world four months ago, and the Guardians had seemingly died, even though they were still searching around.
After a while, everyone met up at Sheffield Institute.
"It's the same all around town," Sora said, twirling his Kingdom Key in his hands.
"Everyone's memories of us have been erased, like we never existed!" Will replied, on the verge of a breakdown.
"I'll bet this Nerissa has something to do with it," Donald exclaimed.
"Must be. Sora, you said the Dark Keyblade consumed the light of your friend Riku, right?" Nick asked Sora, who promptly nodded.
Suddenly, everyone present heard a loud scream coming from nearby – a scream that Will easily recognized. "That's my mother!"
Everyone who had Keyblades materialized them. "Come on, everybody!" Nick exclaimed, and the group charged down 4th Street.
Eventually, they reached the source of the disturbance – it was one of the Knights of Vengeance, holding Nerissa's Dark Keyblade over Susan Vandom's chest. Floating above her seemingly lifeless body was a glowing heart.
"No! Mom!" Will screamed.
"What the heck?" Cornelia exclaimed.
"Wait. Sora, you told us that the Dark Keyblade had the power to unlock people's hearts, right?" Nick asked Sora.
"Exactly. But the heart will only stay out for a short time. If it vanishes, Will's mother is done for.
"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Will screamed, Hero's Crest glowing brightly.
Everyone turned to Will, who looked extremely pissed off. All of a sudden, Will charged for the Knight, who turned out to be the Medusa-haired guy.
"GET AWAY FROM MY MOTHER, YOU FREAK!" Will shouted before striking the Knight with Hero's Crest, causing him to plunge to the ground. Nick quickly ran up to Mrs. Vandom, whose heart was beginning to fade away.
"We've got to do something!" Nick exclaimed.
"The Dark Keyblade is the only thing that can return her heart, but if you even touch it, you'll be consumed by the darkness, too!" Sora explained.
"I don't care, Sora! I'm not about to let one of my best friends lose the only family she has!" Nick shot back, running forward and grabbing the Dark Keyblade and holding it toward the heart.
"Wait! Why isn't the Dark Keyblade affecting Nick?" Sora asked.
Everyone seemed to be at a loss – except for Irma.
"I got it! Sora, you said the Dark Keyblade feeds on dark thoughts, right?" Irma asked the Keyblade's chosen one.
"Well, yeah. Why do you ask?"
"I know Nick like the back of my hand, and he doesn't have a dark thought in his head. That basically means there's nothing for the Dark Keyblade to feed on, and thus, it's not affecting him at all."
Everyone looked at Irma in surprise.
"And you say I don't pay attention in class, Corny," Irma said to Cornelia.
Back over to where Nick was, the Dark Keyblade was glowing an eerie shade of purple, apparently trying to find even one dark thought in Nick's head to feed on, but no such luck. "Power of the Dark Keyblade, you unlocked this woman's heart, now return it to her!"
As if it seemed to be obeying Nick's command, the heart regained its radiant glow and slowly sank back into Mrs. Vandom's chest. She slowly opened her eyes, her body regaining its color.
"Uuhh... what happened?" Susan asked as Will continued her assault on the Knight. Hearing her mother's voice, however, caused her to stop.
"Mom?" Will asked. She ran up and hugged her mother tightly.
"Oh, sweetie! I thought I'd never see you again!"
"What happened, Mom? What's happened to our world?"
"Nerissa... when we moved to Heatherfield, she took you away from me and cast the world into eternal darkness. Her Knights of Vengeance have been patrolling the streets ever since. The Knights have been using Nerissa's Dark Keyblade to steal the hearts of anyone who opposes them..."
"Why did they try to steal yours, Mom?" Will asked, now very confused.
"I wanted to get something from the old Simultech building, but the Knights caught me..."
Suddenly, the Knight that Will had just attacked emerged from a pile of rubble, only now he looked stronger.
"Fools. You have no chance. Striking out of hate or anger only makes me stronger," the Knight said in a deep voice. "So says Shagon the Hate!"
Suddenly, a beam of light slammed into Shagon, forcing him out of his ascended form. He looked up and saw Nick and Sora holding their respective Keyblades towards him.
"You know, we're getting really tired of you freaks patrolling our home thinking that you can do whatever the hell you want. Well, not on my watch!" Nick shouted, charging for Shagon, who stood up, brandishing a pair of REALLY long swords.
"You don't get it, do you?" Shagon said. "Striking me like that will only make me stronger!" Shagon held up the swords. Nick just grinned the whole while.
Nick leaped into the air, his Oathkeeper illuminating the blackened sky. With a mighty battle cry, he struck with the Keyblade.
Everything seemed silent for a short time, until Shagon dropped his now-cleaved swords and staggered forward, clutching his clearly wounded chest.
"I-I... I don't understand it..." Shagon said weakly. "I cannot be defeated by hate!" A bright light began to envelop Shagon.
"I wasn't attacking out of anger," Nick said. "I was striking with the light."
The light bursting from Shagon became brighter, until it completely covered him. Shagon screamed one last time before the cocoon of light disappeared, taking Shagon with it.
Everyone present looked on in amazement. Cornelia was the first to speak.
"That... that was... that was AWESOME!" Cornelia exclaimed.
"He kicked that Knight's butt with just one strike!" Taranee added.
"I promised Cassidy," Nick replied. With that, Nick held Oathkeeper to the sky. After being surrounded by a whirlwind of radiant energy, Nick looked skywards and noticed a gigantic keyhole in the sky.
"I don't believe it..." Susan said, breathless. "The keyhole... the heart of this world..."
"Then I think I know what needs to be done," Sora said, the Kingdom Key materializing in his hands. The Guardians walked up to Nick and Sora, their respective Keyblades glowing brightly.
"Shall we?" Nick said, once again raising Oathkeeper to the sky, the others following suit with their respective Keyblades. They all began glowing with an intense light, until beams of light shot from each Keyblade and right into the keyhole. As the mystical blades did their job, the color slowly began returning to Heatherfield, the blackened skies slowly shifting to a bright shade of blue.
"The color's returning! We did it!" Hay Lin exclaimed.
Will went over and helped her mom get to her feet. "Come on, mom, let's get you home."
A few hours later, when everything had been returned to normal, the Guardians, Sora, Donald, and Goofy met back at the empty ground of the Sheffield Institute. It was Saturday, after all.
"Well, everybody, we may have won this battle, but I've got a feeling that's not going to be the last we'll see of Nerissa and her little lackeys," Nick said.
"But I know that if we all work together, we can do this!" Will added in.
"Together, we're unstoppable!" Irma pitched in.
"I wouldn't be too sure of that," a mysterious voice said, causing everyone to look around for its source. Nick and Sora were the first ones to see it – a man completely covered in black robes and surrounded by six odd-looking lances was standing on top of the archway entrance.
"Not those freaks from Organization XIII!" Donald exclaimed.
"You know this creep, Sora?" Cornelia asked.
"They're a group of powerful Nobodies who've been annoying us this whole quest," Sora replied, the Kingdom Key appearing in his hands. "We've defeated most of them. I think there's only 6 left."
"You'd better believe it," the black-hooded guy said, pulling his hood down.
"Xaldin!" Sora shouted, recognizing the guy who tried to turn Beast against them.
"Exactly, small fry," Xaldin replied. "They call me the Whirlwind Lancer. I'm here to take you in, Roxas."
"Why do you people keep calling me that?" Sora exclaimed. "My name is Sora!"
"Different name, same fate," Xaldin replied before disappearing via a column of darkness.
Everyone just looked on.
"Nerissa, the Dark Keyblade, her Knights, this Organization XIII..." Irma counted on her fingers. "Is there anyone who isn't out to get us?"
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Next time:
Chapter 3: "X is for Xaldin"The Guardians, along with Sora and company, chase Xaldin to the top of Heatherfield Radio Tower, the tallest building in the city. Can the team stop the Whirlwind Lancer and unravel the secrets behind Organization XIII?
'Till next,
S.P.D. Gold Ranger