"You see, child?" A haunting and familiar voice spoke through the darkness, "Your fate is not yours to decide..."
That was the last thing Yoru heard before his eyes slowly peeled open.
He was slumped against some crates in an alley, it was dark, he had a blaring headache, and a strange weapon in his hand...
Keyblade...
The word rattled throughout Yoru's brain.
"Yeah, I heard you the first time." Yoru grumbled to whatever voice was telling him about his new Keyblade.
"Heard what, kupo?"
Yoru looked to his left and saw some of the oddest creatures his eyes have set upon. They couldn't have been taller than a foot and a half, a pale cream color to their skin, nose big and red, their pudgy heads topped with red pom-poms.
"Waaah!?" Yoru cried, skittering away from the three creatures that were surrounding him! His fingers gripped around his Keyblade and he pointed it at them defensively.
"What's wrong with him, kupo?" One asked to another, "Act like he'd never seen a mog-squad before." The three creatures closed in on Yoru. One cocked his head curiously, "You lost, kupo?"
"Back away!" Yoru cried, waving the Kingdom Key defensively, "I think I know how to use this thing!" He was panting quickly and unevenly, backing up until he hit a wall.
One of the creatures sighed at the boy's antics, "He's probably another one of them racists, kupo. Don't know how to treat us moogles like people." The one in the center said, drooping down and walking away slowly and sadly.
"Wait, you guys aren't monsters?" Yoru questioned, lowering his guard slightly.
"We may look weird, but that don't give people the right to treat us like monsters, kupo!" The creature, revealed to be called a moogle, on the left piped up. "So put that oversized key away! Jeez, how is that even effective!?"
Yoru flinched a little at the moogle's aggressive tone, but he nodded soon after.
It was odd, because it seemed that the very second he wanted the Keyblade to go away it complied, dissolving into an array of white and black tethers that looked like stitches. Weird...
"Great kupo, now we don't have to be on edge." Said the moogle to the left, who placed his nubby little hand under his chin. "First thing's first kupo, who are you?"
Yoru scratched the back of his head, "Uh, Yoru... Nice to meet you."
The little moogle extended its plushy stub that served as a hand, "Molulu," He said, "You gonna leave me hanging kupo?" Yoru crouched down to the moogle's level and lightly shook Molulu's 'hand'.
"I'm Moguel, kupo!" Said the spritely one from earlier, jumping up and waving enthusiastically.
"Well kupo, I'm Moghan," Said the one in the center, "What's up?"
Yoru looked at the trio and he couldn't help but smile.
"Now kupo, where're you from?" Moghan asked, cocking his head curiously.
It was then that Yoru was reminded of the painful event he'd endured... The storm, the monsters, losing his home... Losing the ones- no, one that he loved... Losing Luna...
"I-I..." He found himself stuttering.
The mog-squad looked to one another as tears began to form in Yoru's eyes. "You think we peeled off a scab, kupo?" Molulo whispered to the others. The three turned to Yoru, walking closer to him. Molulu attempted to give Yoru a hug, wrapping his plushy arms around Yoru's left leg.
"Hey kupo, cheer up!" Moguel said, hopping up some crates to get to eye level with the boy, "You're okay kupo! What ever happened is in the past."
Moghan nodded simply, "Moguel's right kupo; you're okay right now, so you shouldn't worry."
Yoru felt the warmth from the three moogles' Hearts; he could tell that they meant well. He felt the rain in his own Heart become more gentle as he looked at the three friends. "Thanks guys..." Yoru mumbled, "But I got a question..."
"Anything kupo!" Moguel mused.
"Where in the world am I?"
Midnight City
The three teens from AVALANCHE had finally touched down at their destination: Midnight City. This meant that the horrifyingly fast and wild ride that Biggs and Wedge had to endure would come to an end.
"Solid ground!" Biggs cried as he jumped out of the ship, landing flat on the floor, "Oh, how I've missed you!"
Jessie and Wedge came out after him, a defined wobble in the latter's step. "Jeez, Biggs, are you kissing the ground!?" Jessie questioned, gaining laughter from Wedge.
"Don't judge me, okay!" Biggs snapped back, "You don't know what it's like to ride passenger to your insane driving!" Biggs rose to his feet, brushing himself off as he did.
Wedge made his way over to his partner, grabbing onto him for support. "Get off'a me!" Biggs commanded, trying to push the chubby boy away. "C'mon dude, I'm still kinda dizzy." Wedge argued, still holding Biggs' arm as he wobbled.
Jessie looked at her two friends struggling and couldn't help but giggle, "You two would make the strangest brothers, you know."
The two boys eventually quit after Wedge stopped wobbling.
"So, what's the plan?" Wedge asked of Biggs, "Yeah, where do we go from here?" Jessie questioned as well.
Biggs turned to his friends with a confused look, "Since when am I the leader?" He asked them. Wedge muttered something along the lines of 'Gee, we're asking a lot of questions today.'
"Well, Commander Barret decided to tell you the mission before us," Jessie began to explain, "so we assumed that you would be the one in charge." Wedge nodded soon after, agreeing with her.
Biggs sighed and nodded, understanding his responsibility, "All right, but don't get all pissy if I tell you to do something you don't like." His partners nodded in consent. "Okay then," Biggs smiled, "Jessie, you're staying on the ship. Wedge, you're with me."
In that moment Wedge pumped his fist into the air happily, while jessie's jaw hit the floor.
"You're joking, right!?" The girl cried with her eyes wide in distraught. "We finally get to a new world and I don't get to do any exploring at all with you guys!?"
"Jessie, this isn't a vacation, we're on an important mission." Biggs said with crossed arms. "Besides, we need someone to watch over Shera while we're gone so that it doesn't get stolen by anyone. got it?"
The brown haired pilot groaned and gave the boy a lazy thumbs up before climbing back inside the gummi ship. She waved at the duo of Biggs and Wedge sullenly before closing the hatch and disappearing inside the ship.
"Do we really have to leave her behind?" Wedge asked his taller, thinner counterpart.
"Yep. We gotta keep a lock on Shera, or some goon will steal it." Biggs was stretching his arms out over his chest as he spoke. "Besides, saving the world is a man's job!" He grunted as he lifted his hands above his head.
Wedge shrugged. "Kinda sexist, but I'm still rarin' to go!" He began rolling his shoulders, then he ran ahead.
"Wait, Wedge, wait!" Biggs cried out, running after his friend.
KH-AE-KH-AE
Yoru rounded a corner, walking with the mog-squad. They were good people, he found out. They owned an items shop down in Mog-Town, a section of Midnight City segregated for the moogles to live in.
"Hey, for being such a good guy, Kupo, we'll even throw in a discount for you!" Moghan said with a smile, though his mouth couldn't be seen. His ever squinted eyes told his happiness, though.
"Thanks!" Yoru replied, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "Though, I don't know if I'll ever be in need of anything."
"Kupo, trust us. You'll need it." Spoke Moguel as he walked ahead in his odd teetering fashion. "Especially when you see what lurks around-"
"Help me, Kupoooo!"
A voice cut out from around a corner. It was distinctly a moogle's and it sounded dismayed.
"Crap, Kupo! That sounded like Mocho!" Shouted Molulu, suddenly alerted and running forward.
"Wait, Kupo! It could be more of those darkupo!" Cried out Moghan as he ran after the younger moogle.
"Darkupo?" Yoru asked, confused. But then, he got a really bad feeling. He knew what probably awaited around that corner, so he readied himself. From black and white tethers came the Kingdom Key into Yoru's hand, and he gripped it tightly. Moguel looked at the keyblade and nodded. They both broke into a sprint.
Rounding the corner, it was exactly as Yoru had feared. More of those dark creatures from his world and his dreams surrounded the unconscious form of Molulu and another moogle, who he could guess was Mocho. Moghan was backing up slowly as they set their sights on the little moogle. THeir heads and antennae twitched wildly at their new prey. They were about to charge when...
"That's enough!" Yoru cried out, lifting his keyblade high above his head and catching the attention of the monsters. "I am Yoru of Mount Fate, and I will not let you hurt any of my friends anymore, new or old!" He challenged, pointing his keyblade at the creatures of darkness with a snarl.
They monsters in question began to twitch and contort furiously, before sinking into the ground and becoming shadows, darting right past Moghan and at the young man who taunted them.
Yoru dropped into a fighting stance and growled, "Come and get it, you freaks!"
The skirmish began with a shadow leaping from the ground with its claws wildly, only to be decimated by a hard slash through its small body. Another creature tried to scratched the boy's ankles, but had its head stepped on and the smashed with the keyblade. Yoru proceeded to spin in a circle with his keyblade in hand, destroying more monsters with the spinning attack. Soon, the were only two more.
Yoru smirked and held his keyblade out with one hand, pointing at the two of them in riposte. But, just as the beasts would start to sprint, they were torn through and destroyed by two flaming bolts.
"Huh!" Yoru looked over his shoulder to see a tall man towering over him with a long red scarf and cape. His hair was blacker than Yoru's and his arm was made of a deep bronze. In that metal arm was a pistol of some sort. He looked down at the boy with the most intimidating stare Yoru had ever witnessed. He put Kadaj and the brothers to shame. "Hmph." Was all he said, before clobbering Yoru over the head with the butt of his gun and knocking him out.