"To one grim fate, they unknowingly march."


Part II: Escalation

It was a few short hours after Xehanort, Nadia, and Eraqus had left, Master Ansem had finally returned to his study. Having been busy with meetings for the majority of the day, he was exhausted. Upon entering the room, he noticed a faint glow coming from behind the bookshelf on the far wall. He narrowed his eyes and rubbed his beard thoughtfully. He summoned his Keyblade and pointed it at the bookcase. Immediately a beam of light shot from his Keyblade and touched the bookshelf, opening it into two halves. Once open, a secret room, known only to Master Ansem and Mentor Jensen, was revealed. The room was small and contained mostly old looking tomes and scrolls. In the center of the room were two glass stained pedestals. On one pedestal, stood an ancient looking tome that bore the Keyblade wielder emblem. On the other pedestal stood a lone page, the same one Master Ansem had discovered on the day of Xehanort's arrival. It was this ancient looking piece of paper that was emitting the faint glow.

It had been some time since Master Ansem had looked at the mysterious page. Curious as an object it was, he hadn't examined it since the day he had found it. He picked up the glowing page, and to his surprise, the words that had originally been on the page were no longer there. Instead, the page held a completely different passage.

"Xehanort walks down the path of destiny and takes the mark of the Key Bearer.

His path to the waiting Legion will be marked by the presence of the lost pieces.

A plot to open the door will lead to loss of the first piece.

Three will journey to face the growing darkness.

Two opposites will close the door.

One's fate is sealed."

Master Ansem's eyes widened in fear and surprise, another passage foretelling Xehanort's current course actions. Indeed his young pupil had taken the mark of the Key Bearer and continued, steadfast toward whatever destiny had in store for him. He rubbed his beard in contemplation, calling to memory what the previous passage had stated. It had talked about the arrival of something called the Ark within the Land of Departure. Whether the Ark referred to Xehanort himself, or whether it was the mysterious page he currently held in his hand, he did not know. Regardless, their arrival had indeed been a herald to the rise in the forces of darkness. Master Ansem had not lied when he told Avery he did not believe Xehanort to be the cause of its current rise. However, he would have been lying if he had stated that there wasn't a correlation. There was indeed a rise in the forces of darkness, and Xehanort was indeed connected somehow. Whether he was going to stop that rise, or further it remained to be seen. Master Ansem had no choice but to let the events unfold, and intervene where he was able to. Not having that answer in the meanwhile was very frustrating.

There was also the matter of the Lost Pieces. Here was something that Master Ansem did have knowledge about, though it was of no comfort to him. The Lost Pieces could only refer to one thing, and Master Ansem shuddered to think what was in store if they were indeed on the verge of surfacing once more. According to this passage, the first piece was destined to be lost. He thought about his children, especially Nadia who would have a far better understanding of the situation than her brother. A small tear slid down his cheek as he became dazed, lost in reminiscence.

Suddenly the page, which had been previously alight with a dull glow, became luminous. Master Ansem snapped out of his stupor and examined the page. The words that had previously written on the page had gone, replaced by another new passage. Master Ansem quickly took in the new words, that had woven themselves onto the page.

"The surfacing of the Third and Fourth is nigh.

As Xehanort continues on his quest towards the waiting Legion, a battle of Rage and Vengeance awaits.

A sacrifice of love will inspire the centerpiece of the six heroes.

In the aftermath, the twins will take their place within destiny's plan, their X's awakened."

Master Ansem's eyes widened, taking in the words that lay there before him. There was not much to the passage that he could ponder without more context. However, the first sentence drove more fear into him then he had ever known in his life. He had not been prepared for this sudden revelation. It was happening at a much faster rate then he cared for. He thrust the page back onto the pedestal and strode quickly to the bookshelf. He fingered the volumes and pulled out a small brightly colored book. It was a children's book that he used to read to Nadia and Eraqus when they were young; when their family was whole. The book detailed the ancient fairy tale of the Keyblade War. It had been one of his favorite pastimes, relaying the tale, while his family listened in rapt attention. To them, it seemed like a harmless story, a folk tale to ward one from the path of darkness. Only it was so much more. Suddenly the legend of the Keyblade War was changing from a harmless fairy tale to a harsh reality. Forces were rising, forces that stretched back to the original Keyblade War. There was no more doubt anymore, events that had been foretold long before the original Keyblade War were threatening to unfold. He looked towards the second pedestal that held the ancient looking tome. His thoughts once again returned to his beloved children.

"Eraqus. You've already suffered so much," he said aloud. "Nadia... I don't-"

He clenched his fist in frustration. No, he couldn't allow any more harm to come them. Whatever the cost, he would do everything in his power stop this. He once more took the page off the pedestal and placed into his robes. He needed to plan contingencies, but this information was far too sensitive to share with the rest of the Mentors. In fact, there was only one person he trusted with this knowledge. With that thought, he sealed the secret room, swept from his study, and furiously headed towards Mentor Jensen's study.

...

It was a combination of loud street music, and Nadia shaking him, that woke Xehanort up. He slowly opened his eyes and began processing what was going on. Sitting up, he looked around. They appeared to be in a back alley, and it was night time. A short distance away there was the sound of pop music blaring from a nearby building. Cars busily drove down a crowded street, accompanied by the bustling sound of lots of people. Xehanort got up and poked his head out of the alleyway. He was met with scenery that he was far from what he was used to. Before him stood a thriving, and busy metropolis. The area was filled to the brim with lots of buildings, both big and small. There was bright lights everywhere, something that Xehanort was not accustomed to during the night hours. Cars flooded the streets, overhead was a system of train tracks, the street also had tracks for trolleys. Xehanort suddenly felt very small as he took in the entire scene. He turned to Nadia and Eraqus.

"Where do you think we are?" he asked.

"Beats me, it sure is huge, though," said Nadia, feeling slightly intimidated by the sprawling environment.

"I have no clue, I was kinda hoping you would have an idea," said Eraqus, scratching his head.

"I guess we won't find out by staying here. Let's have a look around, maybe we can find out more about this place," said Xehanort "And remember we're not to disrupt the order of this world. So be discreet."

The two siblings nodded, then tentatively the three friend's stepped out of the alley to explore.

...

It took them all of three minutes to get lost. The hustle and bustle of the city were certainly not something they were used to. Everything and everyone moved much faster compared to the Land of Departure, and compared to Destiny Islands, it made Xehanort feel like a slug. As the three of them tried to find their bearings, they found themselves in the direct line of fire of a group of protesters. The large group marched down the street, ferociously waving signs that said phrases like "Clean up our city!" and "Ban bot fights!". In their bid to get out of the way of the protesters, the trio found themselves forcefully shoved into a dark, shady alleyway. As the protesters were still blocking their path, Xehanort, Nadia, and Eraqus, decided to make their way to the other end of the alley. As they did, they came upon a troubling scene.

A large man with a sumo wrestler physique was menacingly holding a much smaller man by the neck. The smaller man was scrawny and had a fearful look on his face.

"Please Mr. Yama, I-I need more time," he said clearly scared. "Please h-have some compassion."

Mr. Yama gave the scrawny man a cold sneer. "Spare me your sobbing. I gave you an extension last week and surprise surprise, you still don't have my money."

"But Mr. Yama, I have a family to support..what are my children to eat?" asked the scrawny man.

"That's no concern of mine. You wanted to play with the big boys, now you gotta pay what you owe," said Mr. Yama fiercely.

"P-please, I just need more time," said the man.

"It's too late for that. Now I got to teach you a lesson about punctuality," said Mr. Yama.

Mr. Yama pulled back his fist and prepared to clobber the man. It was then Nadia stepped forward, fully prepared to intervene.

"Put him down!" she shouted angrily.

Mr. Yama turned to the trio, taking notice of them for the first time. He eyed Nadia greedily, slicking back his hair and suddenly adopting an oily demeanor.

"Listen, honey, I'm just teaching this guy to respect his debts. Why don't you sit down, and after I'm done here, I'll show you around town," he said, in what he thought was a smooth voice.

Nadia looked at Mr. Yama in revulsion.

"I wouldn't go anywhere with an ugly thug like you,"she said with a sneer. "Now put him down."

Mr. Yama's previously adopted slick demeanor was dropped immediately.

"And what are you gonna do if I don't," he said, matching her sneer with one of his own.

"Then I will make you put him down," said Nadia, clenching her fist.

Mr. Yama let out an obnoxious laugh. "Listen girly why don't you run along and play with your dollies. I have business to attend to." He lifted the scrawny man and once more swung back his fist. The three friends were about to intervene when another presence entered the alley.

"Let him go Yama!" said a boy, who couldn't have been older than sixteen.

For the second time, Mr. Yama lowered the man slightly. The boy had an athletic build and had a crop of short black hair. He sported a hat with the logo comprised of the letters SFN

"Hamada!" said Mr. Yama. "What do you want?"

The boy reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash, he tossed the roll to Mr. Yama. Mr. Yama caught the roll, dropping the man to the floor. He then began greedily counting the money.

"That's more than enough to pay off Mr. Kisaragi's debt, so let him go," said the boy.

"Alright..alright," said Mr. Yama. "But remember Kisaragi, Hamada ain't always going to be around to bail you out."

With those words Mr. Yama swept his way out of the alley, roughly pushing past Nadia, who tossed him a dirty look.

After Yama was gone, Mr. Kisaragi turned to his savior, a grateful smile crossing his face. "Thank you Tadashi, I don't know what I would have done with out you.-" He turned to Nadia, Xehanort, and Eraqus. "-Although I imagine these three might have stepped in your absence. Especially this fiery young lady." He gratefully shook Nadia's hand and gave Xehanort and Eraqus a smile. "Tadashi thanks again. Stop by the house, my wife will cook you a nice meal. Bring Hiro too, Yuki loves seeing that little guy."

Tadashi gave the man a smile.

"No problem Mr. Kisaragi," he said. "Hiro and I will be sure to stop by soon."

Mr. Kisiragi then left the alley, leaving Tadashi alone with Xehanort, Eraqus, and Nadia. Tadashi then turned to the three.

"Hey thanks guys for sticking up for Mr. Kisiragi, not a lot of people would stand up to a thug like Yama," he said. "My name is Tadashi...Tadashi Hamada."

Xehanort took a step forward and shook Tadashi's hand.

"Hi, my name is Xehanort."

"I'm Eraqus."

"I'm Nadia!"

As if suddenly remembering something, Tadashi turned around and called out.

"Hiro, it's okay you can come out now!" he said.

A young boy poked his head out from around the corner and walked over to Tadashi. He had a wild mane of messy black hair, and his eyes were constantly observing, taking everything in and analyzing it.

"Did you beat up the bad guys Tadashi?" asked three-year-old Hiro Hamada.

Tadashi gave Hiro a semi-stern look. "What did I say about fighting?"

Hiro gave Tadashi an exasperated sigh.

"Only as a last resort and never out of anger," he recited, kicking the ground.

Tadashi rubbed Hiro's head, then returned his attention to Xehanort and the others. "This is my little brother Hiro. Say hi Hiro."

"Hi Hiro," he said with a giggle.

Tadashi poked Hiro in the back of the head. "Sorry guys he's a bit of a wiseguy, after all, he is a certified genius,"

Eraqus looked at the boy curiously, a mischievous grin sliding onto his face. "Looks like you have some competition in the brains department Xehanort."

Xehanort gave Eraqus a playful shove as the rest of the group began laughing.

"You guys don't seem to be from around here," Tadashi observed, study the trio with great interest. "What were you guys even doing in this alleyway?"

Xehanort rubbed the back of his head, trying to come up with a cover story. Fortunately for him, Nadia was a little quicker.

"We're not from the city..and we kinda got lost. We were trying to figure out where we were when a bunch of protesters pushed us into this alley," She explained, telling most of the truth. "That's when we ran into lardo the buffoon."

Tadashi nodded kindly.

" I thought you were out of towners. You definitely didn't come off as city kids...more like lost puppies," he said with a grin.

Hiro, however, narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"You guys are from another world aren't you?" Hiro asked rather aggressively.

Eraqus nearly choked; Xehanort and Nadia exchanged surprised looks.

This time, Tadashi poked his little brother in the back of the head much harder.

"Hiro! Quit being rude," he said, giving the trio an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, sometimes he get's some crazy ideas in his smart little head."

Hiro looked at his brother resentfully.

"It's not crazy! How do you explain the door that Garen and Gavener found, and those elastic blo-" he said before Tadashi covered his mouth.

At this Nadia narrowed her eyes.

"You guys found some sort of secret door?" she asked rather slowly.

Tadashi rubbed the back of his head guiltily; Hiro looked upset, guilty he had spilled the beans.

"How about this, we'll share our secrets if you share yours. To answer your earlier question...yes, we are from another world," Nadia said.

Both Tadashi and Hiro's jaw dropped open. Hiro's face lit up in excitement.

"Wow! That's sooo awesome! You guys are like aliens," Hiro babbled excitedly.

He poked each of the three friends, as of to see if they were slimy. Tadashi immediately pulled back Hiro's hand and gave him a stern look. He then turned his attention back to the trio.

"I have to admit it's pretty cool to meet someone from another world. I guess you have your reasons for coming to our world?" He asked out of curiosity.

"We're on a mission to go to other worlds and investigate any disturbances. So if you guys know anything that can help us with our investigation, we would really appreciate the help," Nadia explained, keeping part of the truth to herself.

Tadashi nodded.

"Well I was on my way to see them anyway, we're working together on a project..." he said trailing off momentarily. "I'll take you to see the twin, their my best friends, and they'll be able to explain it better then I could."

He turned to Hiro.

"Come on let's go see Gavener and Garen.


A/N: We're back people! It's been a while since I last updated. Unfortunately, my old laptop officially went to computer heaven, and it was a while before I was able to swing for a new one. But we are back to our regularly scheduled program. Onto less bothersome issues, San Fransokyo makes it's debut as the first new world! I hope you guys are excited as I am for this surprise. Big Hero 6 is one of my favorite modern era Disney movies,and it's the first world I knew I wanted to include when I came up with the idea for this story. The themes for this movie align perfectly for the two very important characters that will debut in the next chapter. The story will be a prequel to the Big Hero 6 story, and takes place 10 years prior to events of the film. Remember every world has its own flow of time, so this timeframe doesn't have to match up with the main story arc. Once again pay attention to the prophecies given by the lost page, they are clues as to what's going on. Props to anyone who can figure it out. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the new chapter, and are excited for what's to come. Reviews are always welcome. I need reader input as I'm trying to improve my skills as writer.