Chapter Three: Meetings and Meetings!
That night, I smiled and laughed to myself. The book Merlin had lent me was similar to many books I had seen back home. Although this one looked a lot more professional than the ones I've seen in the book section at Wal-Mart. "Mana 101 for Nitwits!" It was the first of many volumes.
I wondered whether Merlin was the type to buy novelty items. Or Maybe,—just maybe, he had gotten this book with the intention of lending it to newbies like me. Either way I wasn't complaining, the book was legitimately teaching the art of mana, but it was an overly simplified version of everything. The book broke all the material down without too much value being lost on spell casting, mana consumption and mana manipulation.
Apparently, Keyblade wielders were different, yet similar to three types of weaponry branches. The sword, wand and shield were in three categories; these of course were transmutation, emission and enhancement. Depending on your magic nature, your spell casting could vary.
There were also different exercises I could do for strengthening my mana reserves while using the Keyblade. Things like coating my mana on my blade with an element, or shooting fireballs. Shooting anything was more of a wand exercise and fireballs were beginner techniques. Since the Keyblade was technically all three, I could effectively practice all the techniques in the book.
Even if it was the first volume, I still had to be careful with my reserves. I'd have to give myself a day to focus on one lecture at a time. Even revisiting the basics until I could have proper control. My mana was like a balloon. I had to test the rubber of the balloon and keep filling it with more air, little by little. The more it stretched, the more space I could allow my reserves to grow. Right now, my balloon was the size of a basketball. It wasn't a whole lot, but it was definitely growing.
Recently, I had been getting sent on small lookout duties, but for whatever reason, we had been seeing more activity from the Heartless pick up. So much so, that the defense system was being overwhelmed. This made our forces spread thin and we were often overworked and understaffed.
More experienced officers were being sent to the core for more serious clean up, but the sudden influx was definitely alarming. We were having a meeting today regarding the situation at hand.
It was my first serious meeting ever with the council heads. Granted Yuffie and the gang would be present, but they would not be the only ones. The city council would also be attending as well. I had never been a part of something as important as a meeting in my young life. This wasn't exactly a PowerPoint presentation.
Or maybe there would be one, I wouldn't know.
I was a little nervous, because I know how Leon can be. He liked to put me on the spot and I wasn't a fan of being the center of attention. I was better at giving attention rather than receiving it. It was strange to have your lifestyle completely turned inside out and being expected to adapt to it.
In the morning, I headed to the training grounds, bright and early. A part of my routine was to warm up with Yuffie with some stretching and cardio. Depending on the day, we would either jog or we would do some sparring and work on my form. Or both if Yuffie was feeling giddy. Which was most of the time.
I wore something light. The standard navy joggers and a sweatshirt with a zipper the restoration committee offered as gifts to members. It also had the logo of the committee on my left with my name embroidered below it in gold.
"Good Morning sleepy head! Are you ready for an adventure?"
"Morning Yuffie." I Greeted before yawning. "Oh poo. I was hoping I would take a nap today." I joked, giving her a lighthearted eye roll. She had so much energy, I could hardly keep up. I was always sleepy, but I never really took naps, I just drank a lot of coffee for my age. With everything going on, I had started to try out new drinks like mochas and lattes. I didn't understand the hype until Yuffie ordered something sweeter for me. Now, I just like them sweet and strong. It did the job though, I was up all the time.
Except I was still very tired.…
Yuffie giggled, "No can do! We're going to be busy bees today. We got our hands full so we'll do some stretches and head off for patrol. Get ready, because we're in for a doozy!"
I nodded and shivered from the cold. I adjusted my mana and kept myself warm. It was nifty being able to use magic. Hollow Bastion was on the colder side than what I was used to. My old home was an oasis; it had dry heat and dry cold winds. The coldest it ever got was 62 degrees Fahrenheit. Hollow Bastion however, could drop to 20 degrees Fahrenheit and was a little humid from the water features throughout town.
Some other officers joined our stretching exercises and I was surprised to see how many women were in the force. All of them were a little older than me, but they were still mostly in their early twenties.
"Flexibility is important. We're built different from our male counterparts, but we have bigger mana reserves than they do." Yuffie explained while folding backwards, she touched her ankles. She resembled an upside down "u" the way she stretched. "That's why we focus more on building our speed and agility, while the men can focus on brute force. Some people have different body builds, but otherwise they make an exception."
I was a little more on the pear shape size and thicker, but I could still qualify for light-weight fighters. Which was surprising, but welcoming. We finished our exercises and broke into different teams. Yuffie and I were left to form as the smallest group, but we figured the Keyblade would make up for that.
"We have a few sectors to cover. We can scout around, but I don't think we'll be waiting long for the Heartless to pop up." I nodded and shifted my small backpack. I had a small first aid kit and one Ether I picked up from the ducklings Hue, Dewey and Louie. I was going to pick up some mushrooms on patrol and harvest them. There was a chance some civilians might get hurt, so saving a few for backup would be ideal.
"Right, you lead the way, Yuffie." I remarked. Unlike me, Yuffie was able to jump over buildings with ease. I wouldn't be able to do that yet, but Hollow Bastion had plenty of brick walls to bounce up and follow closely. It was also a good opportunity to stretch my senses and try to locate Yuffie throughout the city if I fell behind.
The sound of metal clanking snapped me out of my thoughts and my Keyblade zapped its way into my grip. "Help!" A shout pierced the air and I focused my energy at my feet and bounced on top of the building, and spotted people running towards the public dining hall. The Heartless were a little stronger than the average shadow. They wore armor and some of them wore robes like mages. It sent me running in that direction past the alleyways near the church.
"There!" Landing on a nearby building I kicked my left off and sent myself rocketing towards the dining hall. Yuffie was already a step ahead of me and pulled out her shuriken. Coating them with mana she sent the projectiles at the hoard of Heartless. Her aim was flawless.
I sent a fireball at a nearby Heartless only missing him by a foot. I grimaced, but it's attention now focused on me. Like a domino effect, the Heartless all turned towards me instinctively. I was like a beacon to them. Coaxing them to attack and lunge. A woman holding her two children cowered in fear. She was bracing her children from any harm.
"I'll distract them and when I get them far enough, we'll strike!" My voice trembled, but I tried my best to keep myself from panicking.
"I've got you covered Cami!" I nodded and began to bounce backwards. A dark fireball was sent my direction and I parried. Another Heartless leaped and I rolled out of the way into a handstand to recover. The mage Heartless was floating quickly biting and clawing its way to me. I sent a nasty vertical slash and knocked it behind me pushing it away from the civilians.
A large four star shuriken slices and armored Heartless in half and I used this opportunity to send a fireball at the mage. It burned to a crisp and a few shadows crept behind and lunged at me. "Get out of my face!" I slashed upwards knocking them up and followed up with an air assault as I bounced from in the air and hit them relentlessly.
I landed with a small thud and they disappeared in a pile of ashes. A few hearts floated in the air and I frowned. "The Heartless really killed someone to become that strong..." It was more a statement than an actual question. Yuffie only gave me a sad smile.
"Sadly, this is the reality many of our worlds face. Many of us have lost our homes, family and even friends." Yuffie murmured. It was unlike her to sound quieter than usual. A bubbly sound interrupted my thoughts and it chirped beneath some plumbing nearby. I ran and followed the sound. Sure enough, a green glow was glued to the wall and a few puffballs were located underneath. Yuffie picked up her shuriken off the ground. "…But you know, it's really important we all come together and pull through. It's when a crisis happens that we as a community rely on each other and keep each other safe. We have to, you know?" Yuffie helped me pick some of the mushrooms and smiled. "It's like we have a whole big family. All of us! You, me and the whole restoration committee!"
It was a comforting idea, having a big family. I wasn't the most outgoing type, but when I met the right people I could be. Somehow, despite all the personalities I've met in my stay here, people are far more friendly since we all rely so much on one another. Disasters really do bring people together.
"Here, take this." A few people were scratched up and shaken, but it was nothing serious. A younger beast-man that looked like a bear, had a gash on his shoulder. He was of the animal race, which was rare, but not uncommon. I placed two mushrooms in his bear paw and he accepted it gratefully.
We moved on to a few blocks and continued to fight until we heard a commotion near Merlin's block. We were running late for the meeting, but our hands were tied. We were short handed and the activity seemed to increase. Our plan was simple. I would be bait most of the time until we could pick them off at a clearing. It was too difficult to get their attention, but I stuck my tongue out at the mage Heartless and whipped out my Keyblade. More shadows pooled around it and they began to hiss and claw their way towards me.
The sector we were in was near Merlin's home, it was usually more on the quieter side of town, so my voice carried throughout the Borough we were in. "Bring it on you bug-eyed freak!" I bit my lip until the mage Heartless sent a blue fire wisp at my shoulder. It grazed my shoulder but I cartwheeled away and sent my Keyblade through the mage. Yuffie and I launched forward the shadows and cleanly sliced through. A bead of sweat rolled down my cheek. "Man, they really don't stop coming." I sighed, it was definitely going to be a long day today. Seeing my expression Yuffie grinned and giggled.
"You'll live! Trust me either way, good job team!" We high-fived and with my strange sensitivity I felt three auras come barreling in our direction. It was like this buzz in the air, like taking a fleece blanket out of a dryer—like a static charge.
"Yuffie! It's you!" A young man with messy spiky hair, a duck-mage and dog-knight were approaching us. It wasn't uncommon to see beast-people now. However, they were still rare in other worlds.
Yuffie laughed and beamed. "Looks like you guys finally showed up! About time!" I straightened myself up and waved lamely. I didn't recognize them, but it was a big city full of mages, who could blame me?
"Hello." They gasped and looked down at my Keyblade.
"The other key!" The duck-mage quaked. The dog-knight chortled and they all jumped.
"We found it!" The young man said. I giggled nervously and gave them halfhearted jazz hands. I'm sure they were talking about the obvious giant key in my hand.
"What? This?" I shook my head and wiped a bead of sweat from my brow. "Ah, can I help you with something? Reflexively I dematerialized the Keyblade and placed key Keychain in my pocket.
Yuffie laughed and covered me in a brief hug. "Look alive Cami, this is your future team! Meet Sora, Donald and Goofy. Everyone, this is Camellia."
"Nice to meet you!" The young man said, they all laughed lightheartedly and smiled. Their laughter was almost contagious, I almost found myself laughing with them. They definitely seem nice enough.
"Ooh, don't forget about me!" A small cricket popped out of Sora's pocket and jumped on his shoulder. "Hello Miss Camellia! We've heard so much about you! The name is Jiminy Cricket." He wore a tuxedo and bowed at me while removing his top hat.
I followed his curtsy and bowed. "Oh, nice to meet you Jiminy. Ah, likewise." I looked at the fabled Sora and realized how the stories about him were completely inaccurate.
He was definitely not a child. He was in his late teens for sure, maybe even older than me. They got his age wrong in the books. He was a foot taller, had a light tan and was easy on the eyes despite the crazy hair. He also had glittering blue eyes. I looked away not wanting to go there. This was going to be my teammate. Let's not make this awkward.
What a nice smile though. "Oh! Yeah—I've heard some things about you too. You guys are pretty famous around here."
"I don't know about being famous," Sora gave a cheeky grin. "But we have saved a few people here and there."
I laughed sheepishly, I really thought he was a little younger than me. At least, my ego wouldn't be too damaged. "You're not at all like I pictured all of you. The books have it all wrong."
"Huh, they have books about us?" Donald asked. I nodded.
"I made a collaboration with Cid the last time we were at Traverse Town," Jiminy admitted. "To keep it from disappearing after the borders came up, we came up with some creative changes and turned our journey logs into a story."
"Leon did warn me about not looking into the details too much, but it's amazing that the book would last through the shift of balance from the 'World Order' spell." Leon also mentioned that the grandmaster Yen Sid created a spell to regain balance to all worlds once the wars against darkness ceased.
"During times of peace, It would remain a fairy tail as soon as our memories were wiped clean." Jiminy added. "But, even now, the story is doing what it's meant to do..."
"What do you mean?" Asked Sora.
"Why, to give everyone hope!" Jiminy answered. I found myself smiling a little. There were plenty of people who believed in Sora and his friends. They held onto hope, all so someone like me could change the tide against the never-ending battle against darkness.
"We should get going," Yuffie remarked. A small squad of patrolmen bounded by and looked at Yuffie, she signaled an "all clear" to them with the flash of her shuriken through Morse code. They nodded and flashed a response to her. "Thanks! Well looks like that's our cue to head out. The committee is waiting for us! They're in the boardroom right now right behind Merlin's house."
That's right the meeting was going to take place. We were all going to be a part of it. We were also fashionably late, but Yuffie had a good excuse and had Sora with her. I just hoped Leon wouldn't be too mad since his friend was back. "So how has Leon been?" Donald the duck asked. Yuffie laughed and began to tell them what a grouch he had been when he started to train me.
I grimaced and sighed. Sora seemed to find my expression amusing and chuckled. "That bad?"
"I'm not going to lie, he's a pretty harsh trainer. Sometimes he could be in a sour mood, but I know now he only did what was best for everyone." I smiled wryly thinking about all the humiliating defeats and Then everyone including Yuffie broke into a fit of laughter. They were going to be a joy to be around.
"Typical Squall!" Yuffie giggled.
"Sounds a lot like the time I first met him too, I didn't train with him too much…" Sora chimed in and cleared his throat. "We may never meet again, but we'll never forget each other." He mimicked the last part with a deeper voice and did Leon's famous emo smolder.
"Wow, that means he really hasn't changed!" I said through a fond laughed for a little bit and it faded. We were nearing the meeting room and the guys looked excited to see everyone.
"Ladies first." Goofy opened the door and the boys followed behind. Yuffie and I thanked him and the boys followed in after.
Suddenly I felt our moods shifted. Even Yuffie had a more serious and quiet demeanor. We'll, serious for her anyway. In the room there were people already present and I was in the middle of a discussion. Leon's face flickered from a serious expression and flashed us a shit-eating grin.
We're late. Oops.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the council, I'd like to formally introduce you to the Head of artillery department, Yuffie Kisaragi. Joining us are Sora Irino, Donald Fauntleroy, Benjamin Goof and Camellia Espada. Sora and Camellia are both Keyblade bearers. With time they will both lead the counter attack to the overflow of Heartless gathering in the canyons beneath Radiant castle."
A man, presumably the mayor, spoke. "You have two Keyblade wielders now, what is stopping us from taking the castle now?" Even though I did want to stay with my family, I knew it wasn't what was right. I didn't like it, but I had to do it. It's what older siblings do. They do things, because they have to, not because they necessarily want to.
Merlin scoffed. "Camellia is still a novice, sending our new hopeful there would be suicide. She's as much a part of this city as anyone else here. With time and experience she will be able to decimate nearly half of the shadows present now."
Aerith hummed in agreement. "Her mana reserves may be growing, but she's not quite ready to heal her team properly. Our numbers are still limited. We need to preserve what we have now or risk losing all of our talented officers. With a mission that big, my clinic will be flooded. I've begun training the local missionary to help with the plan, but it will also take time to bring everyone up to speed."
Aerith was a very talented enhancer and healer, her white magic was nothing to sniff at. She was in the process of training a group of nuns, something that would undoubtedly take time. Anyone with pure intentions and were devout to prayer were most in tune with the affinity for white magic. There was a lot of ground to cover and it was definitely a lot to learn. You would need a complete understanding of the medical field and master the arcane arts of white magic.
"She should stay here and protect Hollow Bastion. Her presence is necessary to complete the restoration." Another city councilman spoke.
"I'm afraid we can't allow her to stay here." Leon said evenly. "Her duty is to all worlds, not just ours. The Disney Crown has declared the keys to be escorted on an expedition."
"In other words, she's due to leave immediately for her mission." Merlin added. "She'll have plenty of room to learn with these three by her side. If she can learn as quickly as she has, it won't be long until we proceed with sieging back Radiant Castle."
"What about the Heartless? Won't they pose a threat while she's away?" The mayor asked, wiping a bead of sweat on his brow with a handkerchief.
"The only reason the Heartless have grown so bold as of late is due to having both Keyblades present in our world. They're acting as beacons of light and attracting the enemies that want to snuff it out. We can do a quick sweep to rid the city of Heartless so we can reinforce any spell runes and barriers in place. This should buy our city some time before they come back to help with the siege." Leon answered.
"We can break into small groups to finish the process quickly. We'll have our senior operatives manage the core." Leon paused and placed a picture on a white board next to the table mapping out Hollow Bastion and Heartless activity. The picture contained people in long black coats walking in the construction zone near the castle. Their faces were obscured from their hoodies, but they were all different builds. Some were taller and big and some were lanky and small. "We have heard word of mysterious people in black coats wandering near castle grounds. So far they have yet to engage, but we are keeping close tabs on any activity near the core."
"That's Organization XIII" Sora noted. "The Nobodies are the ones we need to worry about. As far as we know they are the bigger threat besides the Heartless. The new leader of the Heartless is someone named Pete. But…he's not the sharpest tool in the shed."
"Very well," The mayor voiced with a hint of reluctance. "Proceed with the operation. Sora and Camillia are to return once she has grasped enough experience to face the horde of heartless. As for the Organization, we must keep them from infiltrating the core and lock it down immediately."
"Meeting adjourned. We will discuss further planning in the following meeting."
Everyone gathered their paperwork and once the city officials left, it only left the crew and Cid was on a supercomputer stabilizing the security system.
"Leon! Aerith! Cid! and Merlin too!" Sora laughed, bringing everyone in for a bear hug. The men looked embarrassed, but seemed to let it slide. Which amused me to see the men of the group so lighthearted.
"So, I see you met our pride and joy, Cami!" Merlin inquired.
"Cami? Oh, you mean Camellia!" Goofy asked.
Yuffie laughed and threw an arm around my shoulder. "Well, Camellia is rather long and everyone just calls her Cami." I shrugged my shoulders and crossed my arms, I did not like the spotlight.
"Oh, right. I think I like Camellia more. It's a nice name." Sora said, flashing us a smile.
"You all have nicknames too?" I asked mostly to Goofy. It was strange how they didn't nickname him after his first name, but rather his last name. Maybe because his last name suited him a lot more than Benjamin did.
"Yup!" Goofy nodded happily.
Sora looked at all of us and a hint of disappointment crossed his soft features. "So, have any of you seen Riku or the King?" Leon and the crew grew quiet. They shook their heads collectively. "Oh. Thanks anyway." He muttered dejectedly.
"Apologies Sora, Yen Sid only spoke of your arrival from a deep slumber." Merlin remarked.
"We also remembered the three of you a month ago at the same time!" Yuffie explained. This made Sora step back and gasp. Donald and Goofy weren't as affected by it as he seemed to be. A look of hurt flashed Sora's eyes.
"What do you mean you forgot about us?"
"Well, Gosh Sora." Goofy said with a lisp. "The World Order makes sure we don't remember. Once the borders open our memories come back!" Goofy responded solemnly.
"Right, I forgot about that part after being asleep for so long." Sora murmured.
"Where did y'all sleep? Cold storage?" Cid asked jokingly. The kingdom trio looked sheepishly at everyone as if they were unable to explain it themselves. How strange. I had heard about his friend and the king in the story, but as it turns out I couldn't really rely on that for information since a lot of details could have been changed. I was curious, maybe I should ask Jiminy to fill me in sometime. Or I could ask my future mentor himself, I wanted to know what his story was really like. Could I make the decisions he had to take in the heat of the moment?
Goofy patted Sora and the back trying to reassure Sora. "Don't worry Sora, I'm sure we'll run into them one way or another! Right Donald?"
"Of course! It's the King and Riku, remember?" Their reassurance seemed to work as Sora's face seemed to brighten.
Leon smirked and motioned towards the door. "Now, it's time to put our plan into action. We can split into small teams and secure the perimeter around the city. Can you handle it?"
"Of course we can." Sora said with a confident smile.
"Right, I forgot who I'm dealing with." Leon commented with a smirk. The team composition was simple, we had one skilled mage in each group to reinforce the magic rune at four gates around each sector of the city. By strengthening the barrier it would decrease the likelihood of Heartless from slipping in. It wouldn't outright eliminate them from the city, but it would be enough to give the security system a break.
Sora and I left with Leon. I'd have to use this opportunity to watch Sora's fighting style closely. Maybe even get some pointers for fighting too.
He wore a black combat cargo shorts with a matching short-sleeved hoodie and a crimson red racer back with navy blue front pockets. He had pockets everywhere where they could fit, oh, and a lot of canary yellow straps to keep anything from slipping off. It all looked new and had armor hiding in plain sight—like the detachable shoulder plates he had on his hoodie.
"Something the matter?" He asked a bit confused as we lagged behind Leon. He found a loot box behind an old shaft and opened it with a small tap of his key.
"Ah," I paused trying to regain my composure. "Oh, it's just your outfit, I haven't seen anything like it. It's a different style compared to my home and here." I threw in a white lie hoping to ease any tension. I was a little put-off to be honest, being called out for staring was truly embarrassing.
The boys in my home dressed for warmer weather, wearing shorts and light colored flannel shirts to fend off the heat. As for Hollow Bastion, most boys wore long sleeves, jackets and joggers.
"It's alright, it was a gift from the fairy godmothers." He gave me a smug smile and grinned ear to ear. "They gave me a few things for our journey."
"From the fairy godmothers? As in plural?"
"Yeah, they made me clothes that fit my last style. You see, my home is surrounded by the sea, so clothes like these are what I'm used to wearing." He explained that a trio of fairy godmothers used a special fabric that was coated in a layer of mana that made it special. He was about to mention something else before Leon interrupted.
"The Bailey will be flooding with Heartless and Nobody, are you prepared?"
We looked at each other and nodded. Since this was at the edge of the barrier, we would be seeing a large influx of enemies. "Ready!" Sora responded for both of us. I bristled a bit, feeling a wave of goosebumps. His voice was soft, but very steady like he wasn't unnerved facing the unknown. Maybe his experiences helped him with his confidence or maybe he was always like that.
Just like last time, Leon opened the gate. Quickly, we followed the path towards the corridor upstairs and towards the balcony. Sora pivoted towards the balcony and got to see the horde beneath the canyon. "I forgot who I'm dealing with..." Leon commented to himself mostly.
"No way…" Sora breathed out. I'm sure he was just as unnerved as we all were upon seeing the volume of Heartless and Nobody gathered in the canyon.
"Once we can complete preparations for reclaiming the castle, we'll all meet again. For now, we need to strengthen the spell around the city and protect what we have now." He kneeled on the concrete floor and placed his hand on the floor. "Keep the Heartless from reaching past me. It's important they don't attack the barrier during this crucial moment. I'm counting on you two."
We placed ourselves in front of Leon as ink began to pool around us. I had yet to face a Nobody, so I was unnerved when I saw a strange silver chaotic wisp pool nearby. "Woah!" I breathed. Sora gave me a quick glance before he steeled his gaze forward. He was most likely determining my experience level from my reactions.
"Follow my lead. Back me up and focus on any stragglers trying to sneak by. I can focus on the heavy hitters."
"I have first-aid ready if we need to regroup." I responded trying to calm myself. "I've got you covered." He nodded and shot forward. His movements were fluid. He knocked a slinky silver hooded nobody into the air and saw two more reappear, before doing the same. I followed in swiftly and side slashed left and right as they floated in a dizzy haze. Sora had knocked them unbalanced, unable for them to regain their balance. I shot a fireball at a bat-like Nobody. Before the bat-like nobody slashed him, Sora bounced away and dashed back in with an airy display of dancing fire surrounding him. I backed off and watched in awe as he increased the gust of fire and blew away all the remaining Heartless and Nobody nearby.
It only left a single strange Nobody. One that looked like a Samurai. It walked calmly before it charged. Feeling Sora take the lead I followed to back him up. Sora swung from the left and I dashed from behind. Somehow, the Nobody maneuvered towards me and locked swords with me. The force knocked me back before it leaped back and began slashing quickly enough to keep Sora at bay. Sora was keeping up, but barely.
I bounced back and focused my mana at the balls of my feet and recovered. I sped forward and blew three fireballs at the Nobody, forcing it to break contact and keep distance from Sora. I threw my Keyblade at it before it knocked it back quickly. It dashed forward before Sora rolled quickly and knocked him back with an uppercut.
The Nobody's parrying skills were really good, better than mine actually, but I was practicing other things too. My Keyblade rattled on the floor and willed it to move. Drawing my mana like a string I pulled it and launched forward. The ax end scraped it shoulder before the Keyblade zapped back into my hands. I suddenly felt my muscles become stiff.
"Crap." I had maybe a full fireball before I was out of juice. The workload of the day was starting to wear on me. My reserves weren't full to begin with starting this mission.
Sora gave me a quick glance before growling. "You're not so tough. I can take you on!" His fingers wrapped firmly around the hilt of his Keyblade and he deepened his stance. Suddenly like a Samurai would do he mimicked Sora with his own stance.
It turned into a stand-off. The sound of the wind billowing in the canyons followed before a loud crack followed. It thundered through the balcony and they both stood still. Just then the Nobody faded into ashes. Sora whipped around and flashed me a grin.
"Well, well, well." A voice echoed at the far end of the balcony. It was deep and eerily detached. "What a marvelous weapon. The Keyblade never ceases to amaze me. Were they only in more…capable hands." Six portals materialized away from us. Six tall figures dressed in black hooded robes stepped from the portals. All of them shaking in sinister laughs. I picked myself off the ground quickly and instinctively gripped the hilt of my Keyblade.
Leon stepped beside us and Sora looked back at me and Leon. We nodded feeling a fight come on. "Good, I guess we can settle this now." Sora growled.
The largest member who had been speaking appeared to be the ringleader. He chortled and waved us off. "What a shame, I was hoping we could all be friends. Recruits can be so hard to find after all." I felt a shiver up my spine and I could sense them shift their gaze in my direction. Despite the hood hiding their faces, I could tell they were looking right at me.
Leon and Sora moved in front to keep me angled behind them. I was still a novice, facing them could literally be suicide. "What an interesting reaction. I wonder what your mother would think?" I felt myself go cold before a hand kept me from leaping in.
"Cami, don't let him bait you." Leon warned. I felt a new feeling I rarely got. I was rarely angry, but they knew who my mother was. I was sure of it!
"You're bluffing." A hissed breath left my lips.
"Just like an Espada…we never forget." I couldn't hear anything else. A cold sweat dribbled down my face and Sora broke into a sprint towards one of the hooded men left behind. A hot stinging feeling flashed on my face and I gasped.
"Snap out of it Cami." Leon sounded a little different this time. I've never had anyone other than Dad watching over me. Leon was watching over me too now and strangely, so was Sora.
"You've got some nerve! Get out of my way or I'll run you down!" Sora threatened. He glowered at the remaining member and glowered at him resting himself for battle once more.
"Why don't I remind you how tough the crowd you're dealing with really is?"
"Remind me?" Sora flinched before gritting his teeth and whipped his Keyblade back. This seemed to amuse his opponent. He threw his head back and cackled. The sinister laugh echoed ominously. The location within the terrace seemed to amplify the animosity in the air.
"That's right! He used to give me that same look. You're practically one and the same!" This seemed to irritate Sora.
"I guess you think you can psych me up by saying random crap! I'm not falling for it!"
"You'll find out soon enough brat." He turned to me and chuckled darkly. "Maybe you're somebody now, but nobody stays that way for long." What the hell was that supposed to mean?
He pressed a finger on his lips before a dark portal swallowed him whole. Just like they appeared, they vanished without a trace. "What the hell was he on about?" Leon wondered aloud, sounding gruff as ever.
Sora looked pensive. "I wonder…Who gave him that same look?" I frowned. There was definitely something strange about the organization members. They were cryptic and did enough research on us. The question was, how much did they know?
We quickly made our way back into the city once Leon locked the gates behind him. I was surprised to see that my Dad and Josie were already there waiting for me. Even though I was tired I felt myself smile and I broke off from Sora and Leon to wrap Josie in my arms. They stopped and kept their distance, letting me have a moment with my family. She giggled and made a face. "Eww! You're sweaty!" I pouted, but giggled.
"No I'm not. You're just dry." It was a lame joke, but kids hardly cared. "Hey Dad, was everything okay
"Yeah, we just finished getting some things ready for dinner. I just…" My dad paused and I could feel a lump in my throat. No, please don't. "I know you're leaving. I know what you're supposed to do, but…"
"Dad…"His eyes were tired and his face worn from age and loss. They were red and I could see the glimmer of a tear form on his eye. Josie, not understanding why my dad was upset, simply started to whimper.
"Papa… I'm scared." My dad picked up Josie and I wrapped my arms around them both. We both knew this day was coming, I just hadn't thought it would be so soon.
"It's hard kiddo. It's really hard…" I could feel his body shake and I couldn't stop the tears that began to trail down my cheeks. My heart ached and our bodies trembled from the pain we were experiencing. The realization that our little family was being tested and torn apart again. I don't know how long we stood there, but eventually Josie made a comment on how the pretty boy with the blue eyes was staring.
"What boy?" My dad asked, wiping the tears off his eyes. She unapologetically pointed at Sora standing beside Leon and the gang watching us while a few of them wiped tears from their eyes at our tear parade. Just how long had everyone been standing there?
"Hi." Josie waved resting on my Dad's shoulders. Carefully I took the weight of my sister in my arms and we made our way to the committee gang.
"Look, it's Joisie!" Yuffie waved energetically. Sora, Goofy, Donald and Jiminy smiled and made funny faces at Josie to get her to laugh. Although it seemed Donald and Sora seemed to make it more of a competition than a game.
"Cami, I got you this" Josie gave me a toothy smile and placed a scarlet ribbon in my hands. It had a gold clover charm on it. The ribbon felt velvety and smooth, I could feel a trace of mana flowing within each silken fiber. A strange feeling surrounded me and the ribbon in my hands began to glow and radiate a feeling of warmth. A stream of light pierced the air from the ribbon to the sky. A giant keyhole revealed itself in the sky and Sora's Keyblade appeared in a flash.
He twirled the blade in a quick spinning motion before it was taught in his grip. A pulse or mana flowed from him and to the Keyblade and shot into the keyhole. The lock split into particles in the air and dispersed into a blinding light. Everyone gasped and I was left mesmerized by the light show. "...Camellia. It's time." Sora whispered, not meeting my gaze. I nodded sadly, but mustered the best smile I could make.
"I'll need to pack, I have a bag ready just in case, but I still need to pack other things."
Sora nodded. "Take your time." I appreciated the notion of spending a few moments with my family. There were a few more tears involved in the process and after I packed everything. I kept a picture frame of Josie, Dad and I at the fair. That day, it was windy and our hair was billowing in the wind. There, frozen in time as we tried in vain to share one cotton candy on a stick. An employee at one of the outlets was kind enough to take the picture allowing all three of us to take part in it. A knock at the door interrupted me from my thoughts. My dad answered the door into our tiny hobble. "Of course! Come in." Leon and Aerith poked their heads in, but I could tell everyone made their way here from Merlin's.
"We're here to help! Do you have everything?" Aerith asked. She had a gift basket in her hand full of local fruit and snacks. I looked outside and sure enough they had small bags of groceries wrapped as gifts. "We thought it would be nice if you had some fresh food stored in the gummi ship for now." I looked at the gang standing in the doorway and wiped a tear forming in my eye.
Hollow Bastion had become my new home for the past and the new friendships I formed here were sure to last. Even if one day I couldn't remember them, they would always have a place in my heart. "I'm ready."
Author's Note: Yay! So the intro is officially finished. Next chapter will contain the next world. I'm ordering appropriately by difficulty. Land of the Dragons will be next. I will be including more Disney Movie content with the next chapter.
If you're wondering about the deep dive, I'll get into that soon enough. Camellia hasn't been letting herself nap. *Cough*
Yuffie's intro was similar to the manga, but with more original content. Game content will be peppered in from time to time, but if I can't work with the awkward dialogue in the game I will change it.
As for the Kingdom Trio's names, I simply googled them and Gave Sora's japanese voice actor's last name. His last name means "Insert" Which I thought was neat and fitting. Yes, Goofy's real name is Benjamin…I don't know what to tell you. I mean his son's name is max.
On a more personal note, I tried to convey the love I have for my Dad in any interaction Camellia has with her Dad. My Dad is the most hard-working person I know and it pains me that I couldn't be as close as Camellia is with her Dad. My old man works a lot and I think we lost plenty of bonding time. My Dad is currently disabled, so I plan on spending more time with him soon.
I hope my writing style isn't too chaotic. Again, English isn't my first language so some idioms I don't quite understand. If you have any suggestions and comments please review the story. I'm not always able to respond to PM's.
