Author's notes: I recently rediscovered the 1979 cult classic The Warriors and have been turning ideas over in my head of how to use it in fanfiction. I have recently been trying to write legit fiction based upon it, but to delve deeper into it I decided to fan fic it. And I think I just might have out done myself here! This is a story set in the Keyblade War, centuries before the first Kingdom Hearts game. Not so much transporting the titular gang into the universe, or multi-verse, but creating alternate versions of them IN the world. I wasn't too big into the movie when I first saw it, but nowadays it's one of my favorites. And if you haven't seen the movie yet, shame on you! It's on Prime for rent or purchase, totally worth it. Check it out!

The sun was setting. Shadows were already creeping through the town. The shadows had been there since the Master of masters vanished. Unions were fractured and already in open warfare throughout Daybreak Town and the outlying area. But for the past month there had been a tense peace. Ira, Foreteller of the Unicornis Union, had called a general truce. Thus far the other Unions were cooperating, but they couldn't find Ava, Foreteller of the Vulpes Union, anywhere. Scattered members of the Vulpes kept to their turf, near the south exit of the town, but had no central leader. Other splinter groups had broken off of the Unions to form their own gangs. Old friendships and cross-Union connections.

"The conclave is still on, and we're going!" Cleo snapped as he stepped through curtain into the hideout. His Warriors snapped to their feet and stood at attention. Cleo eyed each one of them through the holes of his Unicorn mask. The others only wore necklaces of their Union. "Ira sent a messenger this evening to make sure. Remember to keep your blades sheathed. I gave them my word that the Warriors would uphold the truce. Don't even LOOK the wrong way at anybody!"

"Does that mean we're also enforcing the truce?" Jax asked. Cleo's piercing glare fell on his trusted, but defiant, enforcer. "If anybody else makes trouble, I wouldn't mind cracking a few skulls on the way out there," he said with a menacing smirk.

"That's for me to decide, Jax! Your job is just to soldier and keep your mouth SHUT!" Jax's smirk melted into a subdued frown. "It's at midnight out in the badlands, we leave in a few hours, so everybody chill for now and get something to eat. Word on the street is, Ira is the only one who can keep an all-out war from breaking out. You all know I'm a little biased, for my Union," he paused to tap his mask. "I say the least we can do is go out and see for ourselves." With that Cleo turned to exit the hideout. Mercy stood, her black hair streaming down to her shimmering pink tank-top, radiating her smile even brighter.

"Let's eat then!" she beamed before leading the way to the kitchenette in the far corner of the hideout. A tiny refrigerator and freezer stood behind a table full of snacks and paper plates. The best their meager earnings from odd-jobs could afford. Jax was first in line as usual, grabbing a bag of chips and candy bar from the table and asking for a sea-salt ice cream. Mercy obliged him with a warm smile. Next came Flurry, a tall dark lad with a thick afro. After him came Rodent with his usual crooked smile, then Cowboy, tipping his wide-brimmed hat with a wink. Next up was Apache (named for some ancient language's word for "enemy"), he prided himself in never having lost a fight. But his warm and joking personality had nothing but friendship to offer until a fight started. Flix came next, the only other member of the gang from the Vulpes Union. Mercy and him shared quiet nod of solidarity before he moved on without ice cream and sat down in a corner. He was always a loner. Next came Raphael, the youngest member of the gang. He was short with a pale complexion and mostly looked helpless, but had a mean swing for anyone who dared test him or threaten his friends. He was also an artist; carried cans of red spray-paint to mark buildings and shops under their protection. He took a seat with Flix in the corner and quietly ate beside him, still shy around most of the other members.

Last but not least came Swan. Tall, lean, short curly brown hair, and face stern and stoic. He approached Mercy with a firm nod. She smiled brighter than ever as she handed him an ice cream. He managed a slight smirk and was about move on when Jax stopped him. Mercy was taken aback. Jax didn't usual come back for seconds until a little later. Was he trying to make trouble again?

"You really think this is a good idea?" Jax asked in slightly hushed tone. Mercy blinked, Jax was never the type to be subtle. When he had something to say he said it, even when most would tell him he shouldn't.

"What do you mean?" Swan grumbled serenely.

"I mean we've never even been to the badlands before! Don't you think it's a little suspicious?" Jax asked. Mercy tried not to let her eyes widen. Jax never let anyone know he was nervous, especially not when she was around. "Come on, Ira goes ape-shit saying we have a rat in the house. Aced and Gula beat each other half to death, Ava drops off the grid, and now all of a sudden we're supposed to just walk out into the middle of the wilderness to have a big make-friends meeting with the guy that started this whole thing?"

"You've got a short memory," Swan snapped. "The only one who went ape-shit was your Union Foreteller. Broke off and tried to start a splinter group!" Jax glared and clutched the bear sigil around his neck.

"He freaked out because Ira just wanted to sit around waiting for things to unscrew themselves!" Jax growled. "Then your golden boy Gula double-dealt on him! How do we know that wasn't all Ira's plan to begin with? He was the one who insisted we had to have a traitor. Maybe it's him! Maybe he set us all up just to SET us up!"

"That's stupid!" Swan rolled his eyes. "The Master left him in charge, if he wanted to destroy everything and embrace darkness he could have done it easy without anyone knowing about it."

"Just because some protégé thinks he knows best for everyone that doesn't make it true!"

"We'll find that out tonight. Until then keep a cool head for a change," Swan finished before stepping past his rival and taking a seat on a cushioned chair. He gazed aimlessly off into space while licking his ice cream. Mercy gazed at him in worried longing. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jax roll his eyes with a snort before going back to his seat among the others. He immediately joined in with the loud boisterous jokes at the small picnic table in the middle of the hideout.

Mercy sighed. No sense in trying to talk to Swan now. He had shut himself up in his own little world. She had been trying for ages to break through to him since the start of the war. The whole thing had hit him hard. The Unions had always competed with each other, Jax and Swan's rivalry went way back. But then the Unions turned on each other and began fighting in the streets. Then the Union's fractured and friends from all Unions started banding together in gangs. Ava's rumored splinter group, the Dandelions, had vanished weeks ago. Mercy knew Swan had high hopes for the truce and the conclave, most of the gang did. Jax, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with it. He would never admit it, but the fracturing of the Unions hit him harder than anyone! So hard he never wanted to go back. The Warriors were his Union now, they were all he wanted anymore; even if he didn't get along with everyone. Sitting at the table with the others, all dressed in matching red vests with a winged skull emblazoned on the back, they were family!

With a glance at the filled trash can, Mercy decided to run it out to the dumpster. She lugged the black bag over her shoulder and pushed out the curtain into the vacant lot. Then down the alley to the dumpster by the street. Tossing it in and bringing the lid down with a slam was all the venting she needed. Leaning against the dumpster she took a few deep breaths. Maybe the conclave would work things out! After straightening up she turned to nearly walk right into Jax's lean chest. Her hazel eyes rolled up to meet the deep blues beneath a head of reddish brown hair. A familiar menacing grin spread his lips. Mercy sighed, not this again!

"So when are you going to give up pining for sour-face?" Jax asked.

"Maybe we could discuss this later?" Mercy grumbled.

"What's the matter with right now?" Jax huffed. "The punk looks right through you! He's dead to the world and depending on how this big meeting goes tonight we all might be too, LITERALLY!" Jax stepped closer, Mercy stepped back to find herself sandwiched between Jax and the dumpster. Did he seriously want to do this again? "I know you and him and everyone else think I'm just a dumb brute, but I know SOME things! I know the prettiest, sweetest, smartest girl in town when I see her! I know what I like, and I know I like what I see!" he closed in, his hands gently gripping her shoulders. "I want you, Mercy," he whispered. "And as I recall, we've still got a standing bet you cute little fox," he went on as his lips closed in on hers.

With a flash of light a keyblade swung up towards Jax's face. Another flash and his keyblade appeared to block it. Mercy skidded away down the alley in the blink of an eye and brought her weapon up to the ready. Jax's playful smile beamed as he brought up his heavy mace-like keyblade. "You might at least try it once, you might like it and we can settle the bet!"

"Maybe if you stop eating those onion chips!" Mercy snapped, fanning her nose.

"Hey! Those are my favorite! And you're the one who complained I should eat more vegetables!"

"Try carrots! Or maybe a salad, THEN maybe!"

"We've had this discussion before, Foxy. Salad is not FOOD! It's a promissory note that food will soon COME!" he finished with a grunt as he lurched forward. His heavy blade swung down hard, missing Mercy by an inch. In an instant Jax had sped forward and brought his blade down again, this time colliding with hers. Mercy winched, he had gotten faster! All that practicing he'd been doing with the others was paying off! She deflected his blade leapt into a high arch to land on the roof of the nearby tenement building. Jax landed beside her an instant later with a tornado spin strike that sent her flying back into a chimney, temporarily knocking her to her knees.

"You okay there, Foxy?" Jax laughed. "Wouldn't be any fun to take you out on a date in a cast. But if it's your legs that are casted up, maybe that would be even more romantic. I could just carry you the whole way. Let you feel helpless in these big strong arms," he went on, thinking he sounded seductive. A sudden burst of magic and Mercy flew towards him like a missile, he barely brought up his keyblade in time to block the impact, which sent him flying backwards over the edge of the roof and falling to the pavement below with a hard crack.

Despite herself, Mercy rushed panicked to the ledge and sighed with relief to see her opponent/suitor sitting up with a painful moan. Good, he was alright. She thoughtlessly leapt down to the sidewalk realizing too late the effect this would have on her mini-skirt, she shrieked at her own foolishness as he looked up with a painful wince, which softened instantly. She landed awkwardly with her keyblade pressed against the front of her skirt, her face crimson and staring at her feet. Knowing the smile and the comment that was coming.

"Now you're sending me mixed messages, Foxy," Jax laughed. "You totally flashed me there!" Bottling her rage, rightly directed at herself, she stabbed her keyblade towards his lecherous grin, stopping within an inch of his nose.

"Yield! Or you'll get a more clear message!" she snapped. Jax shook the fear from his face and nodded with a frown. "Whatever you say, Foxy girl," he huffed as his keyblade flashed into oblivion. Again Mercy sighed as her own weapon flashed away.

"You know I might not get so angry if you wouldn't come on so strong!" she grunted reaching down to help him up.

"That's why I do it," he snapped, softly slapping her hand away and painfully standing on his own. "It's the only way you'll fight. I'll win that date one day, you'll see!"

"Why do you need to take it so personal?"

"Why can't you just say yes? All I'm asking is a date, not an engagement! Unless the date really does go that well!"

"How can you think of dating at a time like this? We're at war! Darkness could consume this whole world any day!"

"EXACTLY!" Jax sneered, as if it should be obvious. "I want to enjoy my life while it lasts! Even if we survive the darkness, nothing will ever be the same again; including us! You and the Warriors are all I've got left and even if this stupid meeting pans out we won't have that for much longer! I've wanted you since the day we met, Mercy! And I get that's how you feel about Swan! And maybe he feels that way about you, but If he doesn't have the guts to do anything about his feelings, I'm won't be told to do nothing about mine! And I know you at least care about me, otherwise you wouldn't have made that bet. But I've lost too much and have too little left to care if I'm first or second pick!" he stormed past her back towards the alley.

"You were nicer when we were all smaller, you know!" she said defiantly, but without venom. Jax stopped at the mouth of the alley and sighed.

"It's called growing up!" he snapped. "It's called wanting stuff that grown-ups want! And if the Master's prophecy is right, which it probably is, none of us have much time left have that!" he continued his march down the alley to the hideout. He'd probably help himself to more ice cream, which was against the rules but he'd do it anyway.

Mercy stepped back and sat against the brick building. Why did the Master give the Foretellers the prophecy? Knowing the future wasn't a blessing but a curse. Why would Master warn them of the darkness consuming the whole world if there was no hope of stopping it? She couldn't blame Jax. Everyone felt it, he was just honest about it.

Cleo walked right past her without a word. She figured he was so deep in thought he didn't' notice her sitting there. He rounded the corner into the alley, then Swan's voice addressed him. "Not sure about this, Cleo. We've never been outside the city before, much less that far out in the wilderness."

"No worries, Ira's on the level. This could be our last chance before the darkness comes," Cleo replied.

"I know how you feel about Ira, I know you two go way back, but this is going to be risky. Even if we can all trust Ira, any one of the other Unions or gangs could turn on us. Plus there's the darkness to consider. This could be a trap even if none of the Unions are in on it. The Prophecy doesn't say anything specific about how or when the darkness comes. For all we know it could be here already! And this conclave out in the desert could just be putting all eggs in one basket for them! It just feels like we're putting a lot up to chance here."

"In that case all the more reason why we should be there!" Cleo snapped. "Strength in numbers! That's why we had Unions to begin with! Now I'm starved and I'm grabbing a snack, come on." With that both young men strode down the alleyway, leaving Mercy alone to her thoughts. Thoughts she didn't want to think. Thoughts that brought tears stubbornly to her eyes. She knew how Jax felt, he longed for her as much as she longed for Swan. Anyone who spent any real time around Swan knew he had a big heart, he just hid it behind stoicism and a brooding demeanor. Jax's heart was just as big, but hidden behind a cocky attitude, short temper, and mischief masked as menace. The truth was they both had more in common than either would be willing to admit. Mercy thought she could perhaps fall out of love with Swan and into love with Jax. She violently shook the thought from her head. That wouldn't be fair to herself, Swan, OR Jax. He should have to settle for being her rebound-man! The fact that she was too weak to just refuse Jax straight-up infuriated her. Maybe she wanted the both to some extent. Maybe not. All she could do was look up to the sky and hope the conclave would bring peace and hope. She knew Ava would have an encouraging word for her, she wished her mentor would come back from where ever she was.