Donald: hey! Sorrow! Can Goofy and I do the intro?
Sorrow: sighs sure Don.
Goofy: gawrsh, thanks Sorrow!
Donald: well, Kingdom Hearts is owned by Disney.
Goofy: and Pokemon is owned by Nintendo!
Donald: quacks as the floor beneath them opens, plummeting them to who knows where.
Riku: walks out, brushing his hands off I told you it was MY turn Sorrow!
Sorrow: yea, well you weren't here!
Paine: jumps behind Riku, holding a large hammer, which soon makes contact with his head get outta here!
Sorrow: quickly closes the curtains, leaving himself so, yea...um...that happened...Chapter 8 everyone! is pulled behind the curtains as a fight breaks out ah! My kidney!
Chapter 8: Yen Sid gets a few Visitors.
Mysterious Tower. For many, this place never existed in the first place. A figment of the imagination, or a simple story, were the only reasons they even thought about it. But to a select few, this Tower was more then myth, more then a story..it was real, and it housed one of the most powerful mages and Ex-Keyblade bearers in all of history. He was tall, cloaked with the midnight blue robe that he wore ever since he took up the mantle of Mage. His head wore the hat which was his source and focus of the power he wielded with such care. His face was etched with many lines, signs of the years he'd been alive, and his eyes were cold and hard, as if he saw everything like it was beneath him, which, in a way, it was. He had great big gray eyebrows, which matched the hair and beard on his face and head. He looked around the room he called his study, seeing the many books, scrolls, and flasks and skulls he used for his magic over the years.
"i must clean this place sometime...of course, not as my young apprentice did all those years ago.." he said to himself, remembering the young Mouse he took on as an apprentice for both Magic and the Art of Keyblade Wielding. He remembered the night when he had made the mistake of taking off his hat and leaving it laying around, where he had taken it without permission, and brought to life his broom, which he made clean while he slept. The broom had no thoughts except to clean, and so made the room flood with water. His apprentice had been unable to reverse the spell till he himself had come back, and did it for him. He had been furious, of course, but he was also impressed. After all, not many had a talent for magic that strong.
Suddenly he was dragged from his thoughts as the large oak door was knocked upon, and he turned to it. "come in" he said with his stern voice, watching as his young apprentice, now all grown up and a master of magic himself, walked in, followed by the mage duck he was teaching, and the captain of the guard he personally assigned as his bodyguard.
"Master Yen Sid." all three said as one, giving him a respectful bow, which he returned in kind.
"Hello your Majesty. How can I help you?" he asked, smiling at the king his apprentice had become.
"Well, you see...Sora has disappeared." he said softly. This caused the Master of Magic to raise his eyebrows in surprise. After all, it was hard to simply lose a Keyblade Wielder of such power.
"what do you mean, 'disappeared'?" he asked. As he waited for an answer, another human walked into the room, rubbing the back of his head. He was tall, about Yen Sid's height, but with yellow hair in a point. He wore a simple white shirt and blue sweatpants, divided by the belt like wrap that lay on his stomach. He was well muscled, and had the face of a man who had been through many trials and fights. His shoes were black, covered by the gray socks that went up to his knees. A pair of goggles lay on his forehead, obviously used for welding and such.
"That's just it, sir." he started "we don't know. All I know is that he was on my radar one minute, then he vanished. My ship was completely destroyed, so I have no data of where he was last seen.." he said. Yen nodded, for truly this was troubling.
"aw, Cid, its not your fault, so don't blame yourself, ok?" said Mickey, turning to look at him "we can blame whatever destroyed the ship for his loss." he added.
"I'd appreciate if you didn't blame my children for doing what comes naturally to them, King Mickey." said a voice, causing everyone to jump in surprise as from the window a man stood, who Yen was positive hadn't been there before.
The man was similar in height to Cid and Yen, but unlike them, was dressed in a pure white suit, with a trench coat jacket in similar coloring, which covered the gray vest he wore as well. A yellow scarf wrapped around his neck, hanging down to his knees. An ascot lay nicely tucked into his vest, yellow as the scarf. He was pale skinned, his eyes amber as he gazed at all of them. His hair was the oddest bit, as it was white with a stripe of gray through it, and it seemed to move in its own little breeze, though the air was still.
"Quack! Who are you?" asked Donald, hand instinctively clasped around his wand in case this human proved hostile. Mickey and Goofy had obviously thought the same, as the King had summoned his own Keyblade, and Goofy had pulled his shield off his back, where he kept it. The man simply looked at them, then waved his hand, causing their weapons to grow heavy in their hands, then fall to the floor. Mickey tried to summon it to his hand again, but it refused to budge.
"please, no need for violence here, gentlemen. I simply came to give you news, and an apology." the man said, which stopped Yen from starting to cast a spell. If he had news, then he was willing to listen.
"whadd'ya mean, you have news?" asked Goofy, looking at him with a strange look. Cid had said nothing, but he was the only one who seemed to feel the power radiating of this man, and the only one to see through the disguise. He said nothing as a look from those amber eyes shut him up quickly.
"First of all, my name is Arceus. I rule the world that your friend Sora crash landed on after my son blew up his ship." he said, then waved his hand "Ray, please come here." he said, causing the air to ripple and distort beside him, and a young man walked through it. He had blonde hair, wrapped in a bandanna that alternated red and yellow markings, and had a tail like end flapping behind him. He was dressed in an entirely green outfit, with darker green pockets, and red sleeve trim and straps. On his arms lay two yellow bands, glittering like gold. His shoes were similar in color, with alternating yellow and red laces. He had a sorry look on his face, his eyes deep red and still grim looking, like he would tear you to pieces in seconds. Arceus looked at him, giving a stern fatherly glare "what do you say?" he asked.
"I'm sorry I blew up your ship and your friend..." the boy growled in a deep voice for one so young looking. His voice alone caused them all to blink in surprise. "I was only protecting my territory..i didn't know he was friendly.." he added, then looked up "may I go back now father? Groudon and Kyogre are getting ready for another brawl thanks to those other humans, and I know I'm going to have to break them up again." he said. Arceus nodded, and the boy disappeared back through the distortion.
"Groudon? Kyogre?" asked Goofy, scratching his head quizzically. Donald nodded, looking with a similar expression at the human.
"Two of my other children. Sisters, but representing two different sides of the planet. Kyogre represents water and the ocean, while her sister Groudon represents land and fire. A few humans from my planet have bonded together into two teams, each trying to wake one of the sisters, while sabotaging the other team. Ray, or Rayquaza in his full name, is the air and sky itself, a peacekeeper between the two. he's the only one who can calm them both down and divert natural disasters... Anyways, we are getting of topic..your friend Sora is still alive." he said, causing them to sigh in relief "but he is unable to return home currently. One of my children is keeping him within the world, safe from most harm." he added, then turned to Mickey "i wish for you to come with me, and travel as he does to find him. I will give you all the information and gear you require." he said. Mickey nodded, and as he stepped forward, Donald and Goofy tried to as well, but were blocked by a magical force.
"whats the big idea?" asked Donald in annoyance, looking at him angrily. Arceus's glare soon made him back down, looking at the floor.
"i only requested Mickey. More then that, and I fear the Heartless and the...Nobodies...would overwhelm my world." he said, the mention of Nobodies causing Yen Sid to nearly have a heart attack, standing stock still. This dint go unnoticed by either Mickey or Arceus, who both looked at him.
"what is it, Master Yen Sid?" asked Mickey, looking up at his old master curiously. Yen Sid simply glanced at him, the smallest bit of fear in his eyes.
"The Nobodies...they should not exist!" he said with a soft growl "Born from the strongest hearts when lost, a being without a heart...a shell, as it were..many are nothing more then beasts, looking for the hearts of others to replace their lost ones. They are rivals of the Heartless, and while they seek similar objectives, they will fight each other to the death for supremacy, and the return of their hearts." he said. Mickey, Goofy, Cid, and Donald all listened in fascination and horror, as they realized that Sora was now dealing with these two forces on that world.
"He is not alone, however..another Keyblader made it to my world many years ago, but can leave at will. He chooses not to. I'm sure this other Wielder could help him on his quest to get back home, if given proper...payment." he said. Yen Sid's eyes widened in realization at his words.
"y-you don't mean...the Mercenary still lives?!" he asked in surprise. Arceus nodded, and Yen Sid took a seat. Looking at the desk.
"Mercenary? What do you mean?" asked Mickey, looking at the mage. He had learned of many Keyblade Wielders, and none that he knew of had the nickname Mercenary in all his studies.
"he...he isn't a true Wielder, like you and Sora...he has no heart." Yen Sid said, looking at him "he simply carries his Keyblades in a special holster, and wanders the worlds, searching for a way to gain a heart and end his curse. He is the only Keyblade Wielder I know who doesn't need to give his heart up to control the Heartless...he can even control the Nobodies if he wants...he should have died nearly a millennia ago however...i thought for sure I killed him myself.." he muttered, hands twitching in anger.
"No Heart?!" Donald quacked in surprise.
"he can control both Heartless and Nobodies?!" Goofy cried in alarm.
"is he with us, or against us?" asked Mickey, looking at the two older entities. They looked at each other, even for just meeting, they could tell what the other was thinking, and nodded.
"Neither." they said in perfect unison.
"The Mercenary is a cruel Wielder, and does nothing for others unless he himself is paid." said Sid, glaring angrily at his desk as he saw the wielders face once more.
"i can pay him all he needs to help you and Sora, but if ever you need him for another purpose, he must be paid from you yourself." Arceus said, then nodded towards a large distortion in the air "go through, young Mouse. I will follow soon, and guide you along the way. I must also have one of my more powerful children seek out Sora, and stick with him to aide in the quest...i fear things will get worse before they get better..." he muttered, and as Mickey ran and jumped through the portal, it closed, and Yen Sid looked at him.
"Bring my apprentice back in one piece, Arceus, or suffer my wrath." he said in a stern voice. Arceus nodded, and disappeared in a flash of light and fire, scorching Donald's hat, which caught on fire.
"WAAA!" he screamed, running around like a maniac as Goofy tried to catch him so he could put out the fire. Yen Sid soon solved the problem by simply dumping a bucket of water on the ducks head.
"now, you three should leave, so I may work." he said, ushering them out. He turned and then spread his arms out, summoning a Corridor of Light before himself. He stepped through, and vanished.