The Start of a Legend
It would be bestif you handed it over to me.
A hand, clad in a black leather glove, outstretched itself towards the startled gaze of Sora. Cold, piercing blue eyes gazed out from beyond shaggy brown bangs at the shorter boy, a scar adorned the bridge of this mans nose. He dressed in lots of black leather, and in his other hand, he wielded a sword with the hilt of an old-fashioned revolver. There was something not right about this young man; while it wasnt inherently evil, it was dark and menacing all the same.
Sora narrowed his eyes at this man, holding his Keyblade tightly.
Why should I? He demanded in a harsh tone, not liking the way this man was looking at him. Why was he so defensive over a weapon he had no idea what the purpose was of it?
Its for the best. The man responded in a simple, yet curt tone. Now, hand it over. It was clear that he wasnt going to give up that easily.
No way! Sora shouted, gritting his teeth together. He, too, wasnt going to give up, regardless of how insistent this jerk was! And it looked like he was going to resort to brute force and pry it away from Sora, as he twisted his Gunblade in his hands and lifted it up to attack. Well, bring it on! Ashi was about to jump in at that point, going to lift her weapon to fend off the offending blade aimed at Sora, but her attack was halted when a pair of red daggers hit against the shaft of her weapon, knocking it back and causing Ashi to teeter backwards.
Striking an offensive pose to the side of the dark-clad young man stood a girl, older then Sora, with her blonde hair pulled up into a high pony-tail. Her green eyes shown with mischievous intentions, though oddly enough, they had swirls in them. She grinned brightly over at Ashi.
I cant let you do that~! She exclaimed in a sing-song voice, twirling her daggers within her hands. Lets go, sister! Ashi gritted her teeth together as the girl leapt into the air and began wildly slashing her blades down at the older woman, who twisted her glaive around to block and parry off the offending attacks.
Ashi! Sora shouted, distracted for a moment by watching his new-found friend battle the blonde girl with some difficulty. He forgot that his own hide was on the line at the moment that it allowed the young man the perfect chance to attack Sora.
He only caught the flash of steel out of the corners of his eyes just in time to barely bring his Keyblade up and defend against it. There was a loud clash of metal against metal, sparks flying off of their offending blades. Sora gritted his teeth as his arms began to quiver against the strain, as this man was much larger, much stronger, and better skilled then he was. Sora began to feel his feet give out slightly behind him, pushing him back.
Why were you chosen? The young man hissed in a cold, emotionless voice, Youre just a kid!
So what if Im a kid? Sora snapped back, managing to gather enough strength to shove the mans weapon off of his own. The man slashed at him again, Sora managing to catch and parry his blade away again, but only just barely. He gritted his teeth towards the taller man. And how should I know? I dont even know what this thing is!
More of a reason why you shouldnt have it! The man shouted, slicing his blade downwards again. He managed to cut into Soras knuckles on one of his hands, causing the boy to hiss loudly in pain and drop his hand to the side, but keeping his other hand firm against the hilt of his Keyblade. He was caught off guard for the next attack, as the man twisted his weapon around and hit Sora across the side of his head with the broad side of the Gunblade.
Sora found himself toppling off to the side in shock, the world spinning around him and moving as if he was in slow-motion. His body twisted around and landed hard on his back. Despite the initial blow to his head, Sora still gripped the Keyblade firmly within his hands. He groaned loudly and tried to right himself, and quickly discovered that this man wasnt content to just leave him there. Sora found the blade coming down towards him again, and managed to roll out of the away just in time. He heard the sword hit against the cobble stone ground below him, and pushed himself up to his feet with some effort, and faced the offending man.
Look, it was given to me! Sora shouted over at Mr. Broody-Pants, glaring in his direction. I dont know why or how, but Im not going to give it to you! Shouting loudly, he swung his Keyblade out in a wide arc towards the man, who quickly dodged out of the way. With no way to recover from his lunge, he felt the young mans elbow contact with Soras spine, knocking the wind right out of him and sending him face-down into the ground again.
This time, the Keyblade slipped away from his fingers and skidded across the ground.
No--! Sora gasped, trying to gather his bearings to grab the weapon again. But, he was unable to move as the man placed his foot firmly between Soras shoulders, and he felt the cold, hard tip of the mans Gunblade against the nape of his neck.
Give it up. Youre no match for me, kid. Realizing that he was defeated, Sora stopped moving and relaxed against the ground. He sighed angrily and closed his eyes, balling his hands into fists. He hated to admit it, but this guy was way better then he was. Maybe even better then Riku.
Riku Sora found himself thinking of his friend at this moment, Where are you? How would you have handled something like this? Im too weak to know what to do
Ashi, herself, found that this annoying girl was a bit of a handful. She was skilled with her daggers, but that wasnt what was giving her the problem; it was how damned fast the brat was. Ashi considered herself to be incredibly fast and powerful, but this girl had her matched in speed. And, given that her glaive was more of a mid-ranged weapon, the girl had the upper hand in melee combat, regardless.
But, she wasnt defeated yet. While she was dealing with this nuisance, Ashi kept glancing, out of the corners of her eyes, to make sure that Sora was alright. When she saw him knocked to the ground, her instincts kicked in, and she had to deal with this girl quickly if Sora was to walk away from this. Swinging her glaive out in a quick jab as a feint, and the girl fell for it. She went to block with her daggers, and while she did, Ashi changed her trajectory and twisted her glaive in her hand. She hit the girl square in the side with the flat side of her weapon, causing the girl to shriek with a startled gasp, and hurled into a near-by building wall. She crashed against it and left a sizable indent there, falling down to the ground as if she was just a rag doll.
Ashi wasted no time to come to Soras aid. Thrusting the butt of her weapon into the ground, she used it like a pole vault and hurled herself through the air with a battle cry. It was just enough to cause the man to turn in her direction, just as both of her feet made solid contact with his chest. He was knocked off of Sora and sent cascading through the air, where he managed to recover himself, flipping in the air and land on the ground, facing them. He skidded across the stone paths with one hand against the ground, the other holding his Gunblade behind him.
Ashi quickly helped Sora to his feet. Are you alright? She inquired as he hastily grabbed his Keyblade. He nodded his head in response, looking up at Ashi and grinned.
Yeah, Im fine! Sora chirped, beaming brightly at his new friend, That was really awesome, what you did, Ashi!
Compliments can come later. She responded coldly, causing Sora to drop his grin and his head to droop a bit. But, wellshe did have a point. They had to work together to defeat this guy! Holding his Keyblade firmly within his hands, Sora gave a nod towards Ashi and they rushed together towards the young man, who was now standing upright again.
All seriousness aside, Ashi was a damn good ally to have in combat. As if the previous times fighting those weird shadow creatures werent enough to say this, it was clear right now. Between the two of them, Sora and Ashi were giving this broody man a run for his money. She would slash, he would parry, and Sora would catch him while he was parrying; or vice-versa. They were driving him back rather easily, and Sora made a mental note to ask Ashi for some serious lessons after this.
He was amazed at how well they worked together. It was almost like they had been fighting together all their lives; like a well-oiled machine, almost. Ashi and Sora read off of each others moves very well and made accurate predictions to what the other was doing, and formulating the best strategy of attack from there. Or, maybe it was just Ashis sheer knowledge of combat that she was able to read Soras movements, and he was only assuming that he was following her lead, too. But there was little time to think, especially when Ashi successfully disarmed the man with her weapon, tossing his Gunblade aside. He soon found two pairs of blades pointing at him.
Weve got you outmatched, Ashi informed coldly, with Sora nodding in response to her claim.
Or so you think! Came the young girls voice from behind them, Sora turning his body fast enough to catch her daggers against his Keyblade, sliding them off to the side. Were not going to give up until you give us the Key!
Hmph, this is getting tiresome Ashi muttered as the man had enough time, with the distraction, to grab his weapon again.
Just give it up, and then you can rest easily. The man stated.
Im sure you know we wont. Ashi replied.
Then youll have to utterly defeat us. Ashi only narrowed her eyes in response to the young mans statement, lifting her glaive up into a readied position, and he did the same. All four players squared off with each other, neither side willing to give up.
Stop this at once!
All four heads turned in direction of the hotel to the side of the square they were fighting in, seeing a young woman about Ashis age, if not a little older with wispy shoulder-length brown hair and elegant looking Japanese clothing. Her split eyes, one green and one blue, looked down at the group with both anger and distain.
Yunie! The blonde girl exclaimed up at the older woman.
We all should be fighting the Heartless, not each other! The woman scolded.
But hes not going to give us the Key! The girl protested with a whine and a stamp of her foot.
And she insists on defending him. The man explained, shooting a cold glare over towards Ashi, who returned his gaze.
It doesnt matter. The young woman said, still in a scolding tone of voice, her brows furrowed, Our enemy is not them, but the darkness that lurks around in every corner.
For a moment, the man and the girl glanced at each other. The girl pursed her lips together and looked up at him, a mixture of worry and determination painted across her green-swirled eyes. The man grimaced slightly at that expression and, reluctantly, lowered his sword down to a relaxed position. He rose a hand up to his face, just over his scar and closed his eyes. He sighed.
Fine. He grumbled in a rather sour tone. With a nod of her head, the girl twisted her daggers around and slipped them into seethes at her sides. She turned to Ashi and Sora and smiled an awkward, yet somehow re-assuring smile.
We better listen to what Yunie says, She informed, She knows more about this then we do! With that, she began to trot up the stairwell leading to the balcony over-looking them. The man, begrudgingly, followed after.
Sora glanced up at Ashi for a moment, noticing that her face was still hard and unreadable, as he noted it to commonly look like. She didnt seem to relax all that much, but there was a subtle change within her position that he couldnt point out. Slowly, he reached a hand out and touched her arm lightly.
We dont need to fight them, do we? He asked quietly.
Ashi remained silent, opting to sling her glaive over her shoulder as she did before, holding the long weapon against it. She started towards the stairwell that lead up to where the brunette women was standing. Soras brows furrowed slightly and quickly followed after her. Was she always so cold and emotionless?
Quickly, The woman informed, opening a door for them leading to the Inn, We must get inside of the Arcane Barrier before more Heartless appear!
A few moments later, the woman lead the group into a red room, lined with glowing glyphs at two-foot intervals, surrounding the entire parameter of the room. Once everyone was inside, the woman closed the door and walked to the center of the room, clasping her hands before her. Softly, she began to chant as a glowing circle of magikal power formed below her feet, tracing its way around her and pulsating with energy. As she did so, the glyphs lining the room flashed and lit up, then released energy between them, forming an iridescent barrier around the room. The shield faded slightly as the woman lowered her hands and the magikal glyph below her feet vanished.
Now the Heartless can not hurt us.
We had everything under control, Yuna, The man hissed as he walked to one corner of the room, leaning his blade and then himself against the glowing barrier around them.
You took it to the extreme, Squall! The woman, Yuna, shouted.
The man sneered, I told you to stop calling me that, Yuna.
Hiding your true name will not allow you to run from the past. Yunas tone was still fierce as she spoke. Squall only lifted his hand up to his face again in response. Sighing softly, she turned to Ashi and Sora. Yuna bowed gently at her waist and rose back up. Please excuse my friends. I am Yuna, a High Summoner from a different world. This is Squa-- I mean, Leon, and my cousin, Rikku.
Pleased to meet you! The girl, Rikku, chirped brightly with a wide smile on her face.
For a moment, Sora looked aghast at the name, totally stunned when he heard it. R-Rikku? He inquired nervously, eyeing the bubbly teenaged girl. She smiled even more and nodded her head.
Yep! Thats me!
Um Well, she certainly wasnt the Riku that Sora knew. When he received a quizzical expression from Rikku, he smiled awkwardly at her and scratched the back of his head. Errits just that Im looking for my best friends, Kairi and Riku, so Im a littlestunned, I guess? That you have the same name and all
OohI can see how that can be confusing! Rikku chimed in, Well, if it helps, just call me Ri, so as not to confuse you! Pausing, she tilted her head to the side and tapped a finger to her chin. Sowhats your name?
Oh, me? Sora blinked, then smiled, Im Sora, and shes Ashi. Ashi remained still and silent, lingering behind Sora like some kind of a watch-dog. It kind of gave him the creeps to have her hover like that, but he wasnt going to say it, of course. Rikku looked at Ashi with a curious expression, though it quickly changed to one of discomfort. She scurried over to Yuna and practically hid behind her.
She scares me Rikku muttered to her cousin. Yuna glanced down at Rikku with a concerned look, almost if she knew why Rikku was scared of her; but said nothing, then turned back to Sora and Ashi. Clasping her hands before her, Yuna bowed to them respectively.
Very pleased to meet you, She said softly, I am sorry for the way Leon and Rikku treated you, as it wasnt their true intentions to bring you any harm.
Hey, its no problem! Sora smiled, Saywhy were you guys attacking me, anyway?
Because you have the Key. Leon commented sharply. The curt response caused the hair on the back of Soras neck to bristle, shooting a glare towards the older man. He didnt need to be so rude about it! Leon kept his facial expression the same, which only infuriated Sora more. It took a hand upon his shoulder from Ashi to bring Sora back to the real world, seeing her hard face.
Eh? Sora blinked, taking a moment to remember what was going on. Oh. Lifting his hand out, he called forth the Keyblade out, curling his fingers around the hilt and eyeing it with curiosity. You mean this thing? What is it, anyway?
The Key is the most important item within the cosmos, Yuna explained, It chooses its own master, a being with the strongest Heart in all the worlds combined, and holds untold power that even I do not know the full meaning of. It, alone, has the power to truly defeat the Heartless and drive the Darkness back into its fold.
Sora blinked his eyes and lifted the weapon up, examining it. It didnt look like anything special, just an oversized key that could be used just like a sword. He shook it in his hands and it didnt do anything but shake. Nothing special, right? This thing is really that important? He questioned, lifting his gaze up to Yuna again.
It sure is! Rikku chirped.
Butit chooses its own master? Why did it choose me? Sora inquired, his gaze towards Yuna with a confused expression. She seemed to pick up on this, giving a gentle shake of her head.
As I have said, it chooses a being whose Heart is stronger then all other Hearts within the cosmos, Yuna said softly, Even I dont know what qualifies that, but you must hold more power then you think, Sora. Whenever Darkness comes to consume all of the Worlds, the Keyblade appears and chooses who will wield it to drive the Darkness back. But, because the Key is so powerful, those who wield it find that Darkness is drawn to them to destroy them in their place.
We were trying to get it away from you, Sora. Rikku said. In that moment, her usual chipper personality melted away to reveal that this was, indeed, a serious matter; Its for your own safety!
WellI guess if it puts me in danger Sora mused, glancing up at Leon in his emo-corner. Twisting the Keyblade around, he held the hilt out for Leon to grab. Go ahead. I mean, why didnt you guys say so in the first place?
Because Leon is a big doo-doo head! Rikku hissed, receiving a cold glare from the solitary man. Leon pushed himself from the wall and approached Sora, reaching out for the Keyblade. He hesitated for a moment, realizing how great this gift was and its importance; but remained vigilant and grasped it within his own hands. He studied the weapon, also wondering what made it so special, but he did not get long to see it. Less then ten seconds of holding it, the Keyblade vanished within a burst of light and re-appeared in Soras hands. Leon sighed unhappily, resuming his usual oh-so-angsty pose.
I suppose youre going to tell me I told you so, Yuna.
It appears as if the Keyblade has already chosen, Yuna informed, No one but Sora can wield it, for he is the one and only Keyblade Master. He alone has the power to defeat the Darkness and restore Light to the cosmos once again.
Sora once again blinked in disbelief, glancing at the Keyblade, then looking up to Yuna with a shocked expression. Me? Why was it that he had the power to wield the Keyblade and do all of this really important stuff? He was just a 14 year old boy! He hardly had any combat training on his Island, he never even knew that other worlds existed beyond his Island until today! Why did he become this legendary Keyblade Master? It just didnt make sense!
Sora was jostled out of his thoughts when he felt a hand rest on his shoulder once again. Slowly, he looked up to Ashi, who looked down into his bright blue eyes with her intense violet ones. In that one glance, his resolve shook, his questioning vanished as he saw her intense gaze; and somehow, her usually hard eyes seemed to soften. For that moment, Sora couldnt tear his eyes from hers.
You cannot question Destiny, She said softly, then looked up to the trio surrounding them, For Destiny has a way of choosing you. Somehow, someway, you were given this responsibility, Sora. She returned her gaze to him, You should trust in yourself and whatever Powers That Be for giving you this responsibility. Im sure there is a good reason for why you were given this task alone.
And dont worry! Rikku said brightly, Youre going to have lots of help along the way! Youve got us and Ashi, right?
Sora looked down at the Keyblade within his hands. Once again, he examined this seemingly ordinary piece of metal that felt somehowwarm between his fingers. Closing his eyes, he remembered what the voice had told him in his dreams: He was the one to open the doorand the Darkness could not hurt him if he kept a hold of his Light. Maybe there was a reason why he was the Keyblade Master, he would just have to find what that reason was, somehow.
Slowly, he lifted his head and opened his eyes. Okay. He said, his voice strong and determined, Ill just have to deal with the Darkness coming at me, and strike through it! It cant scare me. He remembered that, moments before his Island disappeared, Riku told Sora that the Darkness didnt scare him. Sora would just have to face it as well! He could be strong, just like Riku!
Ashi released her hand from Soras shoulder and glanced over at Leon. Leon, I was sent by the Emperor Masaki Tenchi Jurai to find the Key, protect the Key, and to find you as well. I get the feeling that you, and your friends, know more about whats going on then I do. What are the Heartless that you keep on mentioning, and what about the Worlds disappearing?
Ah, the Emperor informed me that his Royal Guard would be coming, Leon muttered dryly, eyeing Ashi up and down with a scrutinizing gaze, Though I had expected someone a bit different.
Ashi scoffed. Like a man? Leon didnt say anything to affirm or reject this phrase, which clearly answered her question. She glared over at him as she spoke in a cold tone, I may be young and a woman, but I am the strongest of the Royal Guard on Jurai. I can handle myself.
Not wanting to let the animosity between Ashi and Leon go on any further, Sora butted in; So what about the Heartless, then? Yuna gave a soft chuckle, though her face became serious moments later.
The Heartless are just what their name implies; beings without Hearts. She informed, and upon witnessing the puzzled expression on Soras face, she chuckled softly and continued. Every being within the cosmos has a Heart, which is their entire essence. It is where their soul, their memories, their personality, and their powers come from. Without a Heart, you are nothing, a nobody in the end, your body changing form into that of pure Darkness. Those without a Heart are called Heartless, beings of the shadow that seek out the Darkness within others Hearts. It is the Darkness that attracts them; but they are also drawn to the Light given off by your Keyblade, Sora, because it means their doom should you live. I cannot say how many of them truly exist and how many worlds they have infested, but they are a massive threat.
The world that we come from had a wise Sage known as Ansem who performed extensive research upon the Heartless. Yuna went on to continue, We only know enough to defend ourselves, but the amount he written down is said to be phenomenal in its context. Perhaps if you could find it, you could learn far more about the Heartless then what we know.
So where is it? Sora asked, curious about the report.
Our World got destroyed, Rikku said grimly, a change from her usual cheerful disposition, Just like yours did, Im sure. The report was lost when our world got destroyed! It exists in pieces all throughout the cosmos!
We do have one page, Yuna added on, Its not much, but it does inform you about Worlds. Reaching into her long sleeve, Yuna withdrew a sheet of paper and walked over to Sora, handing it to him. Each World has a Door that connects it to other Worlds. If this door is opened, it allows for travel between Worldsbut also allows for the Heartless to come into it. Should the Heartless completely over-run a worldit leads to its ultimate destruction Her face grew grave and her voice pain-filled as she said this, Just like ours.
For a moment, Sora looked down to the floor as well. All of this talk of the Heartless and the destruction of Worlds hit hard for him, given that his own disappeared just yesterday. Just then, he could have been running on the beaches, play-fighting with his friends, watching the sunset with Kairi and Rikusailing off over the horizon for new adventure. Now it wouldnt happen again. But...he had to move on. There were many other worlds out there, in danger, just like his own!
And he had to find his friends!
Sora lifted his head up, a look of pure determination on his face. Ill do whatever it takes to keep that from happening again! He declared, I promise, Ill take on the Heartless and defeat the Darkness and save all of the Worlds out there plagued by them! And maybe, just maybe, he could find his friends again! Somewhere, he just knew that they were out there, waiting for him! This little set-back wouldnt stop him!
However, this little heroic stature of his dropped when something began to claw against the front door of the room they were in. Yuna gasped as she looked over to the door, seeing that the Heartless where beginning to claw their way through, bursting through the door and putting pressure on her barrier. Instantly, Leon and Rikku withdrew their weapons again, while Yuna pulled out an elegant stave.
This barrier will not last long against a full-on attack! She shouted, gesturing towards the untouched back door, We need to get out of here before the Heartless swamp us! With a flick of her wrist, she called the barrier down over a door in the back of the room and quickly rushed to it, flinging it open. Quickly!
The group quickly fled from the room and landed into the back-ally behind them, which was already quickly-filling with Heartless. Sora gritted his teeth together. Were they all just appearing because of him? Was this all his fault?
No!
He couldnt think like that! Sora took in his self-guilt and landed on the ground below, swinging his Keyblade around in a wide circle and taking out a group of Heartless in one blow. He would just have to do what he said; cleave through the Darkness and put an end to this! He was determined to succeed!
More over, several other forms of Heartless were appearing besides the shadow-bug like things. Sure, they were still shadowy-looking, but they were coming in all kinds of varieties now! Some of them wore armor, others were different-colored in red, blue and green, which began to cast magik spells across the field; and even huge ones that looked like they could eat Sora for dinner!
Ashi landed beside Sora and lifted her Glaive up, releasing a wave of black flame from it and destroying a group of Heartless before her. There are more of them then ever She said sternly, her face intense and focused.
Leon and Rikku began their own side of the battle as well; Leon slashed and hacked away at the Heartless with his Gunblade and occasionally cast fire-based magik from time to time, while Rikku used her insane speed to cut through them and strike them when they least suspected. Yuna appeared to be a more supportive character, casting a shield around herself while she released bolts of pure white energy around her, easily disbursing the Heartless.
Its no use! Leon shouted over the chaos, Well need to find their leader to get the numbers down! Theyll keep on increasing until its defeated!
But how do we get past? Sora exclaimed, swinging his Keyblade around and cutting into the Heartless before him. Already, he could feel the fatigue setting in once again, a painful reminder that he was not ready for such intense battles.
Allow me to clear a path. Yuna clasped her hands in front of her and began to perform several flowing arm-movements, whispering below her breath. The skies above Traverse Town began to darken and the ground began to rumble as several magikal glyphs appeared in the heavens. Diving down from the clouds and bursting through the glyphs came a mighty dragon, adorned in multi-colored feathers, who landed beside Yuna. Please Bahamut, clear a path for us!
The dragon hunched over onto its front legs and a large wheel upon its back began to spin rapidly. Ashi glanced over her shoulder and grabbed onto Soras shoulder, gesturing for them to get back behind the dragon. Sora gave a nod in agreement, not really wanting to stand in the way of whatever-the-heck the summon was charging, and hurried back with the others.
Opening its mouth, the dragon released a massive beam of prism-colored energy, tearing through all of the Heartless within its wake, and quite a bit of the ground and sides of the ally way in an incredibly impressive, powerful, and very very destructive display. Sora was only left to gape in wonder as he saw the dragon blow everything to hell and back, and quite effectively, too.
Quickly! Yuna urged as the attack died down, leaving the path clear, Sora, Ashi, you must continue onwards! We will take care of things here.
But--" Sora was about to protest, but noted the intensity of Yunas expression. He quickly shut his mouth and nodded his head. He took off past the path that the dragon had cleared for them, quickly slashing his Keyblade out to knock off a newly-spawned Heartless as he and Ashi left the ally way and into a different section of town. It was filled with bright lights and, much like the other areas of the town, it was completely deserted.
Not even any Heartless were lurking around; just the ones springing up in the ally they left behind, fended off by Leon, Rikku and Yuna to prevent them from getting to Ashi and Sora.
To this, Sora glanced around the oddly-silent area. Why arent the Heartless here?
There is a great Darkness here Ashi said coldly, her eyes narrow and her face stern. I cant pinpoint it, but its here, somewhere.
Could this be the Leader of the Heartless Leon talked about? Sora asked, looking desperately up at Ashis stoic and emotionless face. For a moment, just once, he would like to see her lose that cold expression and cheer up a little bit. But, now was hardly the time as he glanced around the deathly-silent area they stood in. This is too quiet for me
No sooner did he say that did a bunch of the shadow-like Heartless began to appear all around them, encircling the duo completely. Great. Wish I hadnt said it Sora muttered as he charged head-long into the fray.
Wait! Ashi shouted, causing Sora to stop dead in his tracks, before he could even reach them. Theyre not attacking us Blinking his blue eyes, Sora glanced around him and noticed it too. They remained still and motionless, their glowing little buggy-eyes starting at Ashi at him, but they didnt move to attack. They juststood there, as if awaiting a command.
Then, suddenly, one of them burst into wisps of black smoke, the smoke slowly circling upwards above Ashi and Soras heads. The one next to it did the same thing, and the one after that, and the one after that. They created a chain of black explosions with the shadowy energy that made up each Heartless gathering above the courtyard. Sora deemed it wise to move away from where the shadow as gathering, and Ashi quickly followed suit.
Once the final Heartless disappeared, the shadows gathered together and created a solid mass; quickly crashing down before the heroes. It formed the shape of a massive suit of purple armor, the chest adorned with that strange symbol that seemed to be associated with the Heartless. Each piece of the armor seemed to move of its own accord; its two arms, two legs, head and torso, and it did not look ready to play around.
This has to be their leader! Ashi shouted.
Sora gave a nod of his head and held his Keyblade ready. Lets go!
It seemed like this Keyblade thing just attracted trouble, as the first move the armored Heartless made was to strike Sora. Given how big and burly the arm was, he wasnt expecting it to be so damn fast-- and next thing he knew, Sora was flying through the air and crashing against one of the walls surrounding the courtyard they were in. Only then did the pain set in as he slid down the wall in a heap, groaning loudly. It felt like that arm just turned all of his bones into cottage cheese. Stars floated above his vision, and somewhere in the distance, he heard Ashi shouting something was that his name? It sounded so far away, like she was speaking through a tube, and he couldnt understand anything of what she said.
Once the stars vanished, Sora lifted his head up to see the arm reading for another attack towards him. It was clear that this shot would probably kill him, and Sora knew he had not the strength to avoid it in the current state he was in.
But the fist never hit him. It took a moment for Sora to realize that Ashi was standing before him, protecting him, and to see her purple figure shoot off in another direction. The first embedded her further into the wall then it had Sora, and seeing her form smash against the wall suddenly got his heart pumping.
She had gotten herself injured for him! To save him!
The adrenalin suddenly kicked in just as Ashi hit the floor, Sora springing to his feet and suddenly feeling no pain. Ashi! He cried out, but didnt see her move. Baring his teeth, his attention snapped towards the giant Heartless before him. With a yell that he himself didnt know he could unleashed, Sora sprung into action and charged at the armored creature before him.
The Heartless swung its fist again, just as fast as before, and managed to graze Sora in his charge. Sora tumbled to the ground and did a roll, swinging his Keyblade up as the arm returned, dragging the tip of the blade along the armor. The most sickening screeching sound came from the metal grinding against metal, the Keyblade leaving a large gash along the underside of the arm.
The arm twitched and jerked up from Sora before he could continue, moving to slam down towards the ground. Sora quickly found his footing and jumped out of the way as the fist hit the ground, creating a large shockwave. The force of the punch knocked him clean off of his feet, falling flat onto his face. The Keyblade flew from his fingers and clattered against the stone ground.
Already, Sora could see the shadow of the hand loom over him. This time, he didnt have the time to dodge. Squeezing his eyes shut, he waited for the blow to hit him.
But it never came.
Slowly, Sora opened his eyes and turned his head towards the floating arm, to see that it had been caught in placealmost as if something was holding it there. He wasnt sure what was going on, but just then the Keyblade returned to his hand and he took his chance while he had it.
Swinging the Keyblade, Sora jabbed it forward and straight into the palm of the armored hand, releasing a wave of burning fire inside of the armor to strike the Heartless below. What followed was a most astounding explosion; the armor shattered and flew every-which-way, and the entire shadowy hand disbursed into wisps of smoke, vanishing from sight. Sora quickly lowered his Keyblade and raised his arms to defend from the flying shards of metal.
Once again, they never hit him; instead, they panged off of a glowing green shield that surrounded him. Sora blinked his eyes and looked around, wondering who made it. Did Ashi?
No time to sit around daydreaming! Came a voice from above. Sora wondered who it was, but he didnt have time to think about such matters. Not when the feet were slamming hard into the ground and creating massive shockwaves!
This time, Sora saw the attack coming and braced himself, stumbling backwards when the wave hit him, but this time he managed to remain on his feet. From somewhere above, he saw something glinting in the evening lights of the city; something moving sharply and swiftly through the courtyard, wrapping around the remaining arm. The arm stopped moving completely, tugged into place by whatever it was that he saw.
Squinting, Sora saw thin lines wrapped around the armored arm, spanning up towards one balcony above him. Following the lines, he saw the figure of a girl maybe only a year older then he was holding something in her hands. He couldnt really make out her features, but whoever she was, she appeared to be on their side.
Thats when he remembered there were other pieces of the Heartless floating around, just as one of the feet kicked him to the side. He let out a gasp of pain as he went tumbling across the pavement, rolling into another wall with a loud thud. It wasnt as bad as his first shock, but it still sent a wave of pain through his body. Sora grunted and quickly righted himself, pushing himself off of the ground.
Hey, time to wake up and smell the coffee! The girl from the balcony shouted, her voice strained, I cant hold the arm forever!
Glancing up, Sora saw that the arm was twitching and tugging the thin lines that held it in place. The girl was gritting her teeth and her arms were beginning to shake against the strain, her feet slowly dragging towards the edge of the balcony. Ignoring the pain that was coursing through his body, Sora found the strength to leap off of the ground and swing his Keyblade up, driving the blunt of it down against the palm of the hand. The blade became stuck between the fingers of the twitching arm, and he struggled to pry it free.
Thats when he saw a violet shadow leap from the ground and attack the arm from the opposite side. The blade of Ashis glaive glowed with a pulsating violet light, and began to cleave through the arm like a hot knife through butter. Sora managed to find the strength to lift his body upwards, allowing Ashis attack to cut all the way through and release him. In a moment, he felt the energy slice just inches below him, and the sensation of falling quickly came after.
A singular strong arm wrapped around his waist and drew him in. Ashi held Sora firmly against her, landing safely on the ground just as the two pieces of the arm came crashing down. Soras head was conveniently resting against her soft, ample cleavage, which only caused him to completely lose focus and flush deeply as she gently set him down.
Are you alright? She inquired, her voice a little bit softer then normal. Sora looked up at her and nodded quickly. He stumbled about his words for a moment before he managed to squeeze out a coherent phrase.
W-what about you? Sora managed to shudder out, still flushed with embarrassment.
Ill be fine, Ashi assured, despite her bruised-and-battered form; and then glanced up towards the balcony, Its about damn time you showed up, Shidou.
Hey, I couldnt let you guys have all the fun now, right? The girl chuckled, leaping from the balcony and landing beside the duo. She stood a few inches above Sora and had jet black hair that reached past her shoulder blades, flipping outwards at the tips with four thick green streaks in her bangs. Her eyes were a bright aqua color Sora noted how similar they were to Rikus and she wore an array of black, white and green. The strange objects she held in her hands looked like giant green Yo-Yos, onlythey each had three spiked blades coming out of them. Sorry for taking so long, Shi, but its kinda been difficult trying to get around in this city with all of these baddies lurking around!
Excuses later, Ashi hissed, the girl pouting slightly at this firm command, We still have this Heartless to kill.
The girl, Shidou, cocked a smirk and leaped into battle. She released the Yo-Yos from her hands and began to flail them around, bringing their long strands around her as she spun in a rapid circle. Sora gawked at how skilled she was with such an odd weapon; watching her shoot towards the body. The blades of her weapon began to slice into the torso and head of the giant Heartless, gradually slashing away at the violet armor that protected it.
Shidou then stopped spinning and lifted her arms up, causing her Yo-Yos to raise above her head. She snapped her arms down and wrapped the string around the head and pulled herself towards it. Planting her feet against the face of the Heartless, she thrust her legs upward and threw the head into the air. With supreme skill, she lashed her arms around and brought the head into a spiral pattern, then abruptly threw her arms downwards and sent the head crashing into the ground. The head shattered into several pieces, releasing thin wisps of smoke as it was destroyed. Shidou snapped her hands and called the Yo-Yos back and landed on the balcony again.
As soon as Shidou began to attack the head, Ashi took off running and used her glaive as a pole-vault and hurled herself towards the damaged torso. Twisting it around, she buried the blade of her weapon into the large gash in the center of the torso that Shidou had created. Black lighting surged down her glaive and entered into the Heartless. Quickly, Ashi removed her glaive and pushed herself off, landing besides the still-gawking Sora. Black lightning began to surge around the torso. Casually, she lifted a hand and snapped her fingers, causing the energy to rapidly combust, engulfing the torso in black-and-violet energy. It created a sizable explosion and completely destroyed the torso.
Whoa Sora managed to mutter. Their team work was amazing!
Stop gaping and fight! Ashi commanded, causing the younger boy to flinch considerably. Leaning her glaive against her shoulder, she held her palms out and released a wave of violet energy, encasing the legs within a thick layer of black ice. Use your fire to rapidly heat up the frozen legs. Itll cause them to become brittle and shatter with ease.
Sora, not wanting to question Ashis judgment and greater knowledge of battle strategies, did as he was told. Giving a nod of his head, he held his palms out and focused on the warm energy that churned within him, forcing it to become hot and to give it physical form.
Focus harder.
Apparently, the flame wasnt hot enough for Ashis standards. It continued to glow within Soras palms, turning into a large fireball. He wasnt quite sure what she meant by focus harder, but he tried none-the-less. It was difficult to make the flame stronger or brighter, since he didnt know how the process worked per-say; he just knew how to call it out.
Suddenly, Sora felt Ashi behind him and her hands went to his, resting over them. Dont focus on the form as much, Sora, Ashi instructed calmly, her breath close to Soras ear, causing the boy to flush softly, The form isnt what matters. Focus on the feeling that made it; see it through the flames eyes. Dont think about what makes the flame, become the flame. Let the magik flow through you.
The fireball suddenly began to rapidly increase in size. As it did, Sora realized that he felt Ashis own energy coursing through his veins, feeling the sheer strength of her will and of her magik flowing through him. The churning orange-and-yellow flames of his own magik and the licking violet-and-black flames of hers began to mingle together as the blast grew until it was about the size of a beach ball.
Ashis fingers curled around his wrists and thrust his arms forward, releasing the massive churning fireball towards the frozen legs. The fire hit the ice dead on and created a massive explosion of ice and flame, and sending a bright shockwave through the area. Sora would have stumbled to his feet if it werent for Ashi standing behind him.
The armor shattered and the Heartless had been completely destroyed. The darkness slowly dissipated into the air, and as it did a crystal-like heart floated into the sky, ascending to the stars above.
With the Heartless gone, all of the adrenaline that had been pumping through Soras veins suddenly stopped, and he was quickly over-come with fatigue and pain. Groaning, he stumbled backwards and lost his footing, the Keyblade vanishing from his hands. Ashi caught him and gently lowered him to the ground, placing his head in her lap.
Its finally over Sora chuckled through some pain, realizing how horribly banged-up he probably was right now. His side ached from where that stupid foot had kicked him, and his entire insides felt like it had been turned into delicious Heartless pudding. More over, he was absolutely exhausted from the non-stop fighting that he had been going through since he wound up in Traverse Town, and the pain didnt help that fact at all.
How are you feeling? Ashi asked, You look like hell itself.
II kind of feel that way, actually Sora laughed again, though was reminded of the pain in his side as it stabbed sharply against him with his laughter.
Shidou landed beside them and tucked her Yo-Yos away, Someone isnt used to fighting! She giggled, holding her hands out. Cure! Green light surrounded Sora and Ashi, and in that moment he felt totally fine. Wellexcept he was still pretty exhausted after all of that. Whoever Shidou was, she was obviously as gifted within the magikal arts as Ashi was.
Thank you, Shidou, Ashi commented coolly, and with a snap of her hand recalled her glaive. It appears that destroying that giant Heartless has calmed the surrounding ones considerably. I can hardly feel their presence. As she said this, she rose to her feet.
Sora pushed himself off of his back and into a seated position with a bit of a groan, really wishing that he could take a nap right about now. He was startled when he saw Shidous hand come out and hold itself before him as a gesture to help him to his feet. Reaching out, he took her hand and she yanked him up, and then gave him a hardy pat on the back.
The gesture nearly sent Sora face-first into the pavement again. Whoa! He stumbled forward, but thankfully he had at least enough energy to keep himself from falling. Phew
Jeez, kiddo! Shidou laughed, Youre really banged up, huh?Youre really not used to fighting!
Hey, who are you calling a kiddo? Sora squawked, looking accusingly over at the taller girl, You cant be much older then I am! To this, Shidou cocked a smirk and placed her hands on her hips, looming over him.
Unless you happen to be older then 947, youre a kiddo to me, kid!
Soras jaw nearly hit the floor when he heard that. N-nine hundred andwhat? How is that even possible? You cant seriously be--
Jurains age much slower then most humans, Ashi informed calmly, drawing Soras attention over to her, They live several millennia if they are healthy. Shidou may be 947, but shes at about the same mental capacity as you are, Sora.
Hey now Shidou chuckled, I dont think Im as dumb as this kid is! She reached out and ruffled Soras hair playfully, and received a cold glare in response.
Hey! Who says that Im stupid?
Children, please. Ashi gave an exasperated sigh, reaching her hand up and rubbing her temples. Do I need to put you both into time-out?
No, maam. Shidou giggled. Sora only pouted in response.
Im not a child He grumbled below his breath.
We best be leaving, Ashi said and was about to leave, when something dawned on her. She blinked her eye a few times, then turned back to the duo behind her. Ohand Shidou, this is Sora. He is the key that his Majesty sent us to find and to protect. Sora, this is Shidou, my second-in-command.
Pleasure to meet you, kid! Shidou chirped.
Yeahcould you stop calling me kid? Its getting annoying! Sora pouted again, but only received a chipper grin in response. He sighed and hung his head, realizing that there would probably be no-way to get through to Shidou on the whole kid and child and dumb thing. However, in his doom-and-gloom state, he recalled his own, personal quest. Lifting his head up, he looked over to Shidou. HeyShidou? I was wondering if youve seen my friends anywhere.
Um. Shidou blinked and scratched the back of her head, What do they look like? I wandered through this entire town, so many Ive seen them!
My friends are named Riku and Kairi. Rikus a boy, a little older then me with silver hair and eyes kind of like yours, and Kairi is a girl, a little younger then I am with kind of redish brown hair and blue eyes. They disappeared from my Island before it was destroyed
Shidou lifted her eyes to the sky and tapped a finger against her chin thoughtfully. Hmm After debating for a moment, she returned her gaze to Soras, her eyes apologetic. Im sorry, Sora, I cant say I have.
Oh.
Sora drooped his head down again and sighed. It seemed as if no-one had seen either Riku or Kairi anywhere, not since his Island was destroyed. He was beginning to lose hope that he would ever find them again, or if the whole thing was some kind of adream, a nightmare created by his psyche when he somehow fled his world. That they really where lost there or
Sora was brought out of his thoughts when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Lifting his gaze, he found the hand belonged to Ashi, who store down into his eyes. Her face was as serious and expressionless as always, but her eyes seemed somehowsofter then they usually were. It surprised him a bit, since he hadnt seen her eyes lose their usual cold stare in the short time that he had known her.
Sora, if you believe in your heart that they are out there, somewherethen we will find them. I am sure of it.
Sora found himself smiling weakly at Ashi. ThanksI wont give up! Well find them, right? Ashi gave a gentle nod of her head, and Shidou gave an enthusiastic thumbs up. That made Sora feel a little better, knowing that he had some new friends that were determined to stick with him and find those closest to his heart.
Now then Shidou raised her arms and folded them behind her head, grinning broadly, Weve got introductions out of the way, and weve found what his Majesty wanted us to find! Weve beaten the baddie and saved the day, yadda yadda yadda. Sowhat next?
We must find the Emperor, Ashi lifted her hand from Soras shoulder and gazed over at Shidou, I know not of where to look, but somehow I feel as if the Heartless are apart of it. Andwe need to find Soras friends, too.
So off to wherever the wind takes us? Shidou commented.
I suppose
Alright! Lets get going! Sora grinned, finding new excitement. He would find Riku and Kairi he would! and more over, he had a chance to explore new worlds! Ohif only they were here right now and experiencing what he was! I want to see what else is out there!
Very well, then, Ashi commented, picking up Ryo-Ohki, who had cowered during the battle. But Sora, dont expect that the trip to new worlds will be an easy one. You need to train if you are to keep up with Shidou and I, as well as the Heartless.
Sora dropped his enthusiastic pose and nodded his head. I understand, I guess. Im not used to fighting this much
Youll do swell! Shidou chirped, Ashi here is an excellent tutor!
Sora grinned and nodded his head. Somehowthe thought of training with Ashi didnt seem too bad, even though apart of him dreaded it. Plus, it would pass the time between Worlds and keep his mind off of the whereabouts of Riku and Kairiand off of what all of this meantthe Heartless and the disappearance of Worlds
And somehow, he knew that they would all be together again, someday.
