Chapter 1
A man walked forward to the control panel, tilting his head in acknowledgement to the soldier manning the stark white bay. Grey eyes cautious watching the sleeping boy inside the myriads of glyphs.
Li Qiu Yang narrowed his eyes. The child was young. He glanced upwards at the numerous panels searching for a name and title.
Yoshiya Kiryuu, Composer of Shibuya; World A22BaE9sQ21wV18sVT
Enchanted pins pierced through limbs and wings alike, keeping the child aloft against the wall. Broken wings that healed in the wrong position sat under heavy glass panels which fed data to the mainframe. Glowing blue text carved tiny rivers of blood in the boy's pale skin, pulsing with every labored breath that the frail body forced out.
Shibuya was lost and her Composer was tacked onto wall like a morbid butterfly display. Qiu Yang let out a heavy sigh. It was a pity that things had to come down to the current state of things. "I presume that there has been no further interference from the Fallen Angel?"
"No sir."
"Excellent. The next session of interrogation shall be extended by the order of the Goddess. We'll need to increase security. Shibuya's days are numbered."
Qiu Yang closed his eyes and bowed slightly towards the unconscious Composer. "May this child's last moments be peaceful and painless."
Master Yen Sid closed his eyes and stroked his beard while Sora, Donald, and Goofy shifted before him. The low voice of the retired Keyblade Master rumbled, "Riku and Kairi have already gone ahead to their assigned world. Are you sure that you three will be able to protect Shibuya before they arrive to assist you? It is a dangerous task and one that is not to be taken lightly."
Donald gave an indignant squawk but quickly reigned in his reaction towards the now glaring wizard. "Master Yen Sid, we can do this! Vanguard duties are not something to be taken lightly and it's not like it is the first time that we marched head on into dangerous territory. There are people depending on us!"
Sora nodded in agreement. "Yes, Master Yen Sid. This world needs help and it needs help now. With everyone helping at the end, I'm sure we can save Shibuya."
A softer smile crossed his face as he remembered his friends from the realm of sleep. Neku, Shiki, Beat, and Rhyme needed his help. Sora's smile grew confidently as he remembered their adventures while Sora and Riku slept for their Keyblade Mastery test. "I have some friends in Shibuya. We won't be charging in blind."
Yen Sid carefully watched the resolve build in the young boy's eyes and nodded. "I will also ask King Mickey to come and help."
A puzzled look crossed Goofy's face. The bipedal dog scratched his head. "His Majesty will be coming too? Is the situation that dire?"
The wizard frowned, carefully choosing his words. "Shibuya is at risk because she is dying- not because she is dangerous. We didn't have enough resources to help her until now."
Sora's eyes widened. "Dying? You mean Shibuya is fading to the darkness?"
"No. This is not a matter of light or darkness. Shibuya is normally in a lane of balance. She is dying."
"What does that mean- how does a world die? What happens to the people living in Shibuya?" Sora was in half a panic. This situation was unprecedented for him. Even Xehanort didn't-
Yen Sid shook his head. "I would like you to look for the cause and work with the Keyblade Masters. At this stage, we request that you strictly gather information and do your best to remain safe. We need information in order to move forward. Are you three ready?"
"Yessir!" chimed the trio.
"It's right here? I can barely see anything…" Sora tucked his hands behind his head and stared out the cockpit as Donald ground the gummy ship's engines to a halt. A grin spread across his face. "This should be a piece of cake!"
Donald just shook his head and gripped the gummy ship's steering wheel. "I don't know Sora; Yen Sid said to be extra careful. He is even sending King Mickey and Riku to meet up with us later."
The teen gave an excited little hop, "Exactly! If the King and Riku are coming to team up with us, what could stand in our way? I almost feel bad for our enemies."
"Gwarsh, Sora, I sure do appreciate the optimism, but we do need to be careful, or at least until we meet up with them. We don't know what to expect in this world." Goofy sauntered over to study his young Keyblade charge.
The boy's blue eyes steeled slightly, but the reassuring smile only widened.
"I promise to be careful. We need to get home in one piece to see our friends, right?" The two soldiers relaxed slightly, appeased with the boy's answer. They were ready.
Sora pivoted, summoning his keyblade. A sharp light burst forward from the tip of the blade, illuminating the small cockpit into a harsh white. Tendrils of light curled, quickly rooting itself into the hidden walls. A bead of sweat appeared on Sora's forehead as he concentrated on Master Yen Sid's words.
"Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Riku. What you must do is break into these trapped worlds and bring them back to the Realm of Light before they are completely snuffed out by exhaustion. These worlds aren't merely trapped by the darkness, but there is a great force of pain holding onto these worlds. You must help these worlds to cope and grow from their pains."
The old wizard closed his eyes and stroked his beard. He paused for a moment, mudding about in his own thoughts. The occupants of the room sat patiently.
"You will not be welcome; the pains will conjure enemies and heartless to fight you in an attempt to protect itself. These chains of darkness tax heavily upon the world. You must destroy the pain from the inside before it dies from exhaustion."
Sora frowned. The world has yet to respond to his prodding.
Blue eyes snapped open. There! A small wisp of warmth, of hope, reached towards Sora's light. The wisp brushed against Sora's light. A cream light enveloped the three heroes, protecting them as it whisked them towards the planet.
The glow faded.
Bright blue eyes widened.
Noise.
There was so much noise.
Skyscrapers brushed the skies with steel trees. Bright reflections of the sky, gold, white, and blue, danced on the glass panels. The grays and blacks of the concrete roads and sidewalks were offset by people of all shapes, colours, and sizes. People were milling at the sidewalks, others were talking on a device and rushing to some unknown destination. Murmurs of voices and engines filled the air like a static for Sora. This was nothing like Destiny Island or Disney Castle. The city was alive. People were thriving and every square inch of the sidewalks is filled with humans.
However, something didn't seem right. For starters, there was a loud horn blaring from the left. A man started screaming; but the horn was getting louder and louder. Sora quickly turned his head towards the source of the noise.
Oh! A bus.
A bus.
Sora wondered if Donald would cast Curaga in time.
Koki Kariya is, by definition, a lazy man. When the new Conductor, an officer that he had never seen or even heard of offered him a promotion to the status of an Officer, he naturally rejected. Normally, this wouldn't be an issue. Everyone in the upper ranks knew that Kariya was not interested leaving the field and they wouldn't even consider forcing him into a position that he never wanted.
Megumi Kitaniji was a reasonable and understanding Conductor, if not a bit insane with his own attempt to reform Shibuya with a singularity mindset. The former Conductor dreamed a wonderful world, but Kariya knew it would have been boring to say the least. Who wanted to be a mindless zombie with no free will anyways? The trial period was crappy anyways.
Yes, it was a shame that Conductor had to be erased and replaced, but the man's imagination would be recycled into back into the city and allow for the city to grow further. Or, at least that is what would have happened under the guide of the Composer's Music.
The Reaper frowned as he watched the people milling in the streets, unaware of the Underground that is shaped around them. There hasn't been a Game since Phones and the renegade Reaper, Beat, won. Hell, Phones and his friends wiped out half of the Officer staff that had enough imagination that could even considered being a Game Master.
Shibuya's imagination was deteriorating. People were coming up with fewer ideas and the mass of dead eligible for the Game is becoming larger and larger. The Reaper staff had their hands full protecting the mass of imagination from the new threat of Heartless and the Taboo Noise to even host a Game.
And, what's worse, is that Koki Kariya is now an Officer against his own will.
The lollipop in his mouth cracked as the orange haired man vented his frustration on it. Bloody hell, he wanted to hang out with Uzuki and eat ramen. He most definitely not do all of this work delegating and organizing Reapers in UnderGround.
He narrowed his eyes as he scanned the paperwork in front of him. The numbers were conflicting. There has been a severe lack of imagination being reintegrated into the city. Hell, even the losses of his men on the field weren't being renewed into the city; they were snatched up by the Heartless (what the hell are they?) and the Taboo Noise that were getting more and more powerful as the time goes by. By all accounts, the living population of Shibuya's RealGround should be decreasing alongside with the economic and cultural downturn that the city has been suffering through since the last Game. The only losses in the living were easily found in the giant ass mass of imagination that the Reapers are now forced to protect instead of recycling back in.
Kariya ran a hand through his ginger hair. This was the third report confirming that people weren't leaving. RG Shibuya and that the mass of Imagination was tilting heavily towards UG. In all of his years of work, the City had thrived in balance. The new mystery Conductor, Yangui, was tight lipped as ever and barely acknowledged the questions fielded by the Officers and Reapers.
Everyone was getting increasingly antsy and exhausted. The lack of Games isn't sustainable, especially with the Taboo Noise and Heartless.
If Kitaniji was erased during Phones' last Game, it would be wise to presume that the last Composer was also erased and returned to the City. So, what the hell was the current Composer doing? Who was the Composer? Phones? The hot-headed Beat? Could Kariya even find the Composer?
He pushed his sunglasses up and tossed the depleted lollipop stick into the trash bin. How much trouble would he get into if he left the office to hunt down information regarding the two former players? Are they even in UG or RG? Would it even be worth chasing them? Kariya hummed in thought. A small smile crossed his face and the young man stretched as he stood up from his seat. If Minamimato got to run around making his junk piles, nobody would be too pissed at him playing hooky, would they?
His door opened, startling Kariya.
"Oh, hello there, Kariya. I hope that I am not interrupting anything important." Yan Gui had his ever serene smile plastered on his face. The Conductor was dressed in a simple suit, with a taxidermized sparrow splayed on his lapel. Yan Gui called it cute. Kariya found it disturbing. "I've brought some dango for you. I thought of you when I passed by the store."
"No, sir. Thank you very much sir. I was just finishing these reports. What's the occasion?"
"We are having a Game this week and I thought that you might want the extra energy. The Game Master will be Sho Minamimato. Would you kindly inform the Reapers with haste?"
"Sir, to be frank, would provide more imagination for the Heartless and Taboo Noise be wise at this point? There will be plenty of Players that will be unable to fight them off, especially in the first few set of days."
The glazed over eyes and smile barely changed. "Yes, it will be a bit of a gamble. I have left strict instructions to Minamimato that the Players are to assist the Reapers in eliminating these threats. We need the man power, especially with our losses. I will send out the instructions after you make the announcement. We won't have any surprises."
A Game? Now? Was the Composer finally moving after 8 months of inactivity? Kariya nodded and barely fought off the feeling of dread settling in his stomach.
"Alright. Game on."
At least he had dango now.
Sora's hands shook. This was most definitely not in the plan. Shibuya needed him alive and able to fight not dead and in someone else's twisted Game to live.
His price… He had to win the Game. He flicked his wrist and nothing appeared. They couldn't just take his keyblade could they? The brunette shook his head. No, no, no. Sora had to keep his head into the game. A keyblade wouldn't just let itself be used by anyone. He still had some time to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands.
Yan Gui, the weird man who had called himself a Conductor and explained that if Sora completed the missions,followed rules of the Game, and won had said that he could return to Real Ground if Sora won.
The boy took a shaky step out into the open. He scanned the area with a quick glance and took a deep breath. He was Sora, a Keyblade Master. A game made up by a pasty bastard shouldn't scare him.
At first Sora wandered through the busy streets, watching the masses of people with wonder. Shibuya was unprecedented for him. The World that Never Was and her city were large, but utterly and completely devoid of the bustling noise that seemed to drown the air space. Music and shop owners shouted from their respective stores. Tidy little restaurants filled the air with delectable smells while shop signs glittered brilliantly. Sora paused before a store, cautiously peering in the window.
A television, much thinner and sleek in comparison to the ones that he remembered from home, was showing an image with a far too familiar face on it.
"Police are asking for public assistance to identify an unidentified youth. He is has brown hair, and blue eyes, no older than 17. A sketch drawn by a coroner is to my left. A white pet duck and a brown black dog were with him. If you have any information, please contact your local police booth." The news lady stopped talking and a commercial came on and Sora stepped back from the shop pane.
So it was true. Sora was dead. A pit settled down in his stomach.
"Ribbit."
He was alone.
"Ribbit."
He was alone and everything that he knew and trained for didn't apply in this blasted world.
"Ribbit"
His keyblade. His gummy ship. His-
"Ribbit!" A frog jumped onto his head and mashed its legs into the still chubby cheeks of the caramel haired boy. The young man let out a startled little shriek, stumbling at the sudden contact. "Ribbit."
Sora steadied himself; quickly turning his head to the source of the noise. A black monochrome frog, sat in front of him. Red eyes gleamed and lunged forward, nearly missing Sora as he sidestepped away. "Wha?"
This was no heartless; this creature felt different. Poisonous. The frog lunged again, this time leaving a cruel streak of red in Sora's arm. The gloved hand flicked from muscle memory, but no blade appeared. Sora cursed. He couldn't fight.
"What the hell are you doing, Player?" A man in a black hoodie pulled the boy behind him. Sora stumbled and landed on his rear, eyes focusing on the skeletal wings of the man before him. "We are in EC; make a pact with another Player!"
Sora stared dumbly. "A pact?"
The man swore again. Purple shoes lunged forward as Sora's mysterious savior jumped forward and parried the black frog with a blast of light. "Tenho! At your ready!"
"On it, Beej! Kid, make a pact with the boy over there before the Taboo Noise start targeting you too." Sora spun his head over to the voice. Another hooded man, this time in red and carefully holding a little girl's hand, ran over to them. "Quick!"
As sudden as the frog appeared, it disappeared, this time with two mysterious men with wings.
Sora blinked, mouth open to ask where the men went, but the small child quickly distracted him from the bizarre scenario. He bent over, making eye contact with the young girl. "My name is Sora. What's yours?"
"My name is Rhyme."Rhyme. The name sat on Sora's tongue- familiar and foreign at the same time. A beanie with a small skull pin covered the top of her head as bright blonde bangs framed her face. Blue eyes looked into Sora's. "Would you please make a pact with me?"
"A pact? What for?"
"The Game! Didn't you get your instructions on your cell phone?"
A blank stare was leveled at the child. "What's a cell phone?"
Another frog suddenly appeared, lancing the child's cheek and Sora immediately put himself between her and the creature that the two men had called Taboo Noise. Red beady eyes watched the two and it crouched again. Sora frowned. They only had a few seconds to run if they were to have a chance.
Dainty little fingers wrapped around his wrist. Sora turned his head to look at the girl. Her fingers barely made it past the sleeves of her shirt as she grabbed his wrist. "Please Sora! Make a pact with me and we can fight them off like the two Reapers earlier!"
Fight? Okay. That was something that Sora was familiar with. "Alright-"
A sudden bright light enveloped them both and Sora stumbled slightly. The frogs seemed to have multiplied. Panic set in. What was going on? Rhyme was nowhere to be seen. "Rhyme? Rhyme! Where are you?"
A voice chimed in from thin air "I'm okay! Get ready, Sora! The frogs are coming! We have to work together so we can beat them!"
Sora leapt away from the sudden wave of webbed claws. "How? I have no weapons"
"Don't you have pins to fight with? I have the light puck right now, so keep safe and look for your pins! Get ready to fight when I pass the light puck over!"
Hands were shoved down the deep pockets of his shorts. Pins, pins, pins, where are these supposed pins- There! Sora grabbed a handful and pulled them out. Five pins with bright and bold graphics sat in his palm.
"I'm handing it over to you! You can only hurt these black Noise with the light puck!" A green light enveloped Sora. The warmth was fresh and poignant, much like the warm meals that Mom made on a cold stormy night-Sora shook his head, and focused on his surroundings. This was no time to be distracted. The Noise were suddenly cautious, unsure of the new glow that engulfed the young man. Rhyme was counting on him to clear his end. He grabbed one of the metal buttons decorated with a flame, determination welled in him.
But nothing happened.
"Uh, Rhyme? Nothing is happening?"
"Not everyone can use every pin! Keep trying! The black one with the skull is not for combat!"
Sora stared at the pin in his hand. It wasn't the pin that she described. He groaned and reached for another. This one had a duck on it. He wrapped his fingers around it and dodged another strike from the amphibians. A fresh bite of mint washed over Sora and he watched as his wounds closed.
"That's a healing pin! I'm glad that you can use that one! Do you have any other pins?"
The second pin worked and Sora suddenly sped forward, sending the frogs flying with the sudden momentum. One screamed as it faded into static and the other two responded by filling the air with bubbles. The keyblade wielder ducked away, wary at this sudden development. The green light faded and Rhyme's voice could be heard over the noise. "Good job! I'll hand it over soon!"
He glanced down at the two pins that worked. The first was the healing pin and the second… A stylistic wolf decorated the front. He flipped them over as he jumped away from the two frogs that remained. #129 – Healing Flamingo –Duck Edition and #303 – Wolf.
Excited, Sora tested a few more pins. The keyblade wielder was curious as to what new powers he could master in this strange world. He held a button decorated with bubbles and breathed. But nothing happened.
Before disappointment can settle in, one of the frogs fizzled away and the green light enveloped him again. The little girl had dealt with most of the frogs and the last one looked like it was ready to attack. "Thanks Rhyme!"
Sora popped the last pin in his hand and struck out. He nearly dropped the pin from shock, as his keyblade rushed forward to strike down the last frog. The bizarre world faded away along with the shrill shrieks of the frog. Sora let out a sigh that he didn't know that he was holding in. He had his keyblade.
Things will be okay.
A voice greeted them as they phased back into existence. Sora squinted, struggling to remember the name of the strange men in front of him. Beej, was it? "Great job clearing those Choirfrogs! I was worried there for a moment. A lot of Players can't handle the Taboo Noise even if we equip them with higher leveled pins at the start."
His friend nodded. "You both have a decent amount of Imagination. Get acquainted with each other; we need to check up on the other Players."
Rhyme shuffled uncomfortably and hid slightly behind Sora. "Why are you helping us like this? Your friend here is a support reaper, but you are a harrier…"
"Ah, so you know the Game well then? A second time player? That's rare. Tenho, a moment please." The man in the black hoodie nodded his approval. His friend in the red hoodie sauntered back over. "We are currently in an Emergency Call, something like a state of emergency. The city is being overrun by artificial Noise that attack players and reapers unprovoked. We call them Taboo Noise as manufacturing them is illegal. The Conductor and Game Master have ordered us to protect the players who haven't been crushed by the pin psychs and guide you to the end of the Game. I'm BJ and this is Tenho. Any other questions, kiddos?"
"BJ, we don't have time for that. Taboo Noise is close to killing another pair- Try not to get Eaten, kids." Tenho gave an offhanded wave as he dragged his friend away.
"B-But…" The pair disappeared before Sora could say anything else. His shoulders sank down. "I'm so confused. How do we get killed if we are already dead?"
Rhyme giggled and Sora turned around to face her and stuck out a hand. The girl timidly gave a handshake back. "Thank you for making a pact with me, Sora. A lot of people didn't want to because I'm young."
Sora frowned. "Why would people say no because of that? You handled yourself in that fight, didn't you?"
"I was told that I was delicate and weak looking, but I guess that you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs" Sora smiled. The little girl gave a worried little smile back. "You seemed to have some questions earlier, maybe I could answer some? A problem shared is a problem halved."
"It would be great if you could answer some of them." Sora smiled brightly, leading the girl to a concrete perch nearby. He patted the seat next to him as he studied his partner. Rhyme was wearing an oversized salmon sweater with baggy overalls worn as shorts. She looked no more than 12. "Come on, sit down. We have some time, don't we? You seem to know a lot about these pins. What are they?"
Rhyme pulled out a few pins and placed them on her palm. "These pins let us use something called psychs. It's kind of like having super powers! This black one with the skull is a Player Pin. It means that we are a part of the Game and lets us use the other pins or scan people for their thoughts."
"We can scan… people's thoughts? That's a strange power." Sora pulled out his own set, studying them "I can't use them all; is there a reason for that?"
"My friends told me that it has something to do with Imagination. The more Imagination you have, the more pins you can use. I'm not very sure about the specifics though. We can sell the ones that you can't use and the ones that the enemies drop for a little extra pocket change."
"Who were those men from earlier?"
"They're Reapers! I had a friend who was one, but he didn't last very long apparently. They are kind of like people who make sure we follow the rules and make it harder by making us do certain things so we can access the city. The rules are to follow the mission given on our cell phones before the time limit is out. Today's mission was to beat four Choirfrogs; so we did okay on that!"
"Uh, I don't mean to be rude or anything with all these questions, but what's a cell phone?"
"You don't know what a cell phone is?" Disbelief crossed her face. "A cellular phone? A smart phone? A personal handheld device? You don't know what a cell phone is and you are in Shibuya? Did you lose your memories or something?"
"I, uh, come from a small island." Sora smiled sheepishly. "And I might have lost some of my memories," he added, when the shock on the child's face didn't seem to disappear.
"Hoookaayy, I guess your price to play the Game was your phone. Talk about addicted…" A salmon coloured sleeve snuck into her pocket before pulling out a small device. "This is a cell phone. I guess I'll be the one getting the missions, but we will have to solve them before the time limit on our hands run out. See? Here is the message that said that we cleared today's mission."
Sora glanced downwards to study the fading timer on his hand. "What happens if we don't finish on time?"
"If we don't finish the mission, or if someone else doesn't finish it, we get erased." Rhyme paused.
"Erased? Is that like being Eaten like the Reapers said before?"
"How did Mr. Hanekoma explain this…" mumbled Rhyme as she fidgeted with her sleeves. "We get absorbed back into the Imagination? No, that's too complicated... If we get Erased, we lose the game. I don't know what being Eaten is…"
"That's alright. This is very different from what I remember."
"From what you remember? You've played the Game before?" A mixture of curiousity and suspicion was evident on Rhyme's face.
"I've dealt with something similar." Sora waved it off. "I'm just a little confused as to how winning this Game would bring us back to life."
"Didn't the Conductor tell you that the Composer would bring us back to life at the end of the Game?"
"Yeah, I guess he did in a roundabout way." Sora squinted at his memory. The man who called himself Conductor barely let Sora ask any questions, before shoving him into this Game. "I just have a lot of people depending on me and I have to get back. It's just so sudden."
The girl hummed as she swung her legs. "I know of a friend that can explain this more. His name is Sanae Hanekoma. Maybe we can meet up with him if we don't hit the sleep timer."
The little girl hopped off the makeshift bench and motioned Sora to follow. "I thought we were dead. How do we meet up with someone who is not dead and what is a sleep timer?"
"Oh! The Player pin lets us go into buildings with Reaper decals. It's so that we can stock up on supplies and buy pins to help us in the game. Mr. Hanekoma has a decal on his coffee shop, so we can visit him. To stop the Game from being too dangerous for the Players, we are put to sleep so that they'll be safe for the next round."
"So we might be put to sleep mid-way to your friend's place."
"Yep! So let's go! Time waits for no one!"
Sora smiled, "Alright, Rhyme. Lead the way."
A/N: Sora used Splash! But nothing happened.
I must apologize for all the jargon. Hopefully I have explained it well enough in lore, but feel free to ask questions. I will be happy to answer them.