Here you go!

Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter seven: The Journey Begins

(Insert Bleach Opening: Tonight, Tonight, Tonight)

(Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Theme: The Worlds)

The vast space between the worlds is known as the "Sea of the Skies" (異空の海 Isora no Umi?)[1], "Star Ocean" (星の大海 Hoshi no Taikai?), or "sea between worlds".

Travel between the worlds is normally impossible, since the worlds are all protected by dimensional barriers that prevent outsiders from entering for the most part. However, these barriers can be broken, resulting in a meteor shower in that world.

We currently find Haru floating around unconsciously in the Sea of skies through a method which is called Lanes Between.

Lanes between (異空の回廊 Ikū no Kairō?, lit. "Corridors of the Skies"): The Lanes Between are a series of "roads" between the worlds.

Around the blue haired boy is a bluish-green that protects from the vast regions of space.

As Haru continues to sleep peacefully, a small red and black light begins to move towards him.

The light changes shape into the form of a figure around Haru's age. She seems to be a female who has long, black hair tied into twin tails. The left side of her head has the longest of the twin tails, which reaches down to her waist, while on the right side the twin tail reaches down to her shoulders. Her hair is tied with some sort of band which makes her hair fall away from her body so the top of her hair doesn't touch her, but the tips do. Her right eye is a dark red, while her left is a golden clock. No really, it's a clock! There are Roman numerals all around and two hands. It's ticking.

She is wearing an elegant Lolita gothic dress which is crimson and has black frills. She is very pretty, but her eyes show she's quite… psychotic. Her name is Kurumi Tokisaki.

Kurumi can't help but stare at the boy in fascination as she moves to sit beside him. She gently places his head on her lap as she strokes the boy's smooth, blue hair with her fingers.

"So this is Haru… Looks like you are the one I was told would help me…" She smiles manipulatively. "Oh my dear, lovely Haru… You look like a lot of fun. I hope you taste delicious," she says in a low, psychotic voice as she gives the boy a lustful look while continuing to rub his hair.

Haru doesn't know whether he should try and make her stop, or let her continue. Her slim fingers through his hair just feel so relaxing… He relaxes slightly, though his body seems slightly tense. Probably from the sound of her voice. She keeps up her ministrations, but she starts to move lower. He lets out a small groan as she goes a bit lower. Suddenly, she stops.

Haru lifts his head. "What was that for?!" he demanded angrily.

She scowls at him slightly. "You're not being any fun. I wanted you to struggle a bit." She looks down, not really talking to him anymore. "Not fun at all," she murmurs to herself.

Haru lets out a sigh as he sits up. He feels a bit of shame at himself for getting so upset when she stopped. He also feels ashamed that he would have let her take advantage of him, even though they had just met.

"Well, I guess an apology is in order," he admits. "Perhaps I was acting like a douche."

She smiles and wraps her arms around him. "It's fine. You're actually starting to be fun now." She pauses as she takes note of the Keyblade. "Oh, I see you have one of those weapons with you."

Haru stops blustering suddenly. "You mean, you know what a Keyblade is?!" he asks abruptly.

She smiled sadistically at him. "Of course I do." She takes on a disappointed expression as she inspects it a bit further. "This Keyblade really isn't using its full potential. Pity." She flashes him a look. "And I thought you were fun, Haru-kun."

Haru meets her gaze, utterly perplexed. "What are you talking about? My Keyblade's just fine."

She pouts slightly and looks deep into his eyes. "Look, Haru-kun. A Keyblade's an extension of your soul. I can tell just by looking at it that you swing it around like a little toy." Before Haru can blink, her breasts are pressing up against his face as she strokes his cheek. "I want you to amuse me, Haru-kun~" She stops for a moment before continuing. "And you can't do that if you're not more aware of your Keyblade."

Haru pauses for a moment. "Do you know anything about the Keyblades?"

She smiles at him, barely hiding back a sadistic grin. "Of course~" She looks away from him as she explains the purpose of the Keyblades. As Haru looks at her in shock, she pays him no attention and continues. After a few minutes, she finally finishes. "You need to learn how to properly use the Keyblade," she tells him.

Haru blinks in surprise at all the things she had told him. "I didn't think you'd know too much about the Keyblades, considering I've never seen you before."

She smiles as she tips him on his side. Suddenly, there's no gravity, and Haru's left floating on his back. "Now, come on," she says as she looks over him. "It's time we head to your next destination."

Haru looks back up into her eyes and swallows nervously. "Um, where's that?"

Her eyes narrow playfully as she grabs his shoulders. "City of Kings!"

"Wait, wha-" Before he can say anything, Kurumi pushes him toward the light streaming out in front of him. Before he can realize, everything turns white as he hears a roaring sound.

Where...am I?

The Keyblade…

Am I…in the City of Kings..?

Haru blinks as he sits up. "Where am I?" he asks to no one in particular. He gets up on his feet and begins to walk. As he exits the alleyway, he squints against the harsh sunlight flooding into his eyes. As he distances himself from the alley, he finds himself surrounded by people in uniform. He looks down at himself in dismay. I'm only wearing a T-shirt and black pants! he thinks to himself in despair.

The students are starting to notice him. He can hear them whispering to each other.

"That guy's not in uniform. Is he even a student?"

Haru looks down at the ground and keeps walking. He prays to himself that no one will confront him. He manages to make it all the way to the track when he hears a voice call out to him.

"Hey, you!"

He turns around to see a guy run toward him. He seems to be 18, and kind of a punk. He has a skateboard with him. His ginger hair seems to be covered by a kind of hat. He scowls at Haru threateningly.

"Hey, punk!" He flashes Haru a picture of a guy with a gun and a sadistic grin. "Have you seen this guy?!"

Haru, thoroughly unnerved, looks away as he answers, "No, I haven't."

The ginger-haired punk steps up and grabs Haru's shirt collar. "Enough with your bullshit! Look me in the eye and say you haven't seen him!" he screams.

A portly guy steps forward nervously from behind the punk. "Look, Yata, there's no need to be rough with the guy."

"Shut up!" he yells back at the fat guy. He yanks Haru's collar again. "Tell me where the fuck he is!" he demands.

Haru yanks himself back and starts running. The guy, apparently named Yata, starts to ride after him on the skateboard. As Haru runs faster, he accidentally runs into a high school student. "Sorry!" he shouts as he keeps on running. The punk appears around the corner, red flames fanning out from him. Haru kicks up the speed and somehow manages to run faster. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he is faintly surprised that he doesn't feel his legs burning, even though he had never run this fast in his entire life.

After 10 more minutes, Haru finally turns around to see that he had somehow lost the punk named Yata. Suddenly, the exhaustion from the adrenaline hits him and he doubles over. As he gasps for breath, he looks forward to see that there is a train out of the island. Finally, I can get out of this place, he thinks in relief. He straightens up and starts to walk over to the train, only to stop once he finds the barrier. For a moment, he wonders what he'll do to get across, before spotting a door to the side. He quickly enters and finds it to quickly open on the other side of the gate. As he runs across, he finds himself on the side of the bridge. He slows to a moderately fast walk and looks to the left. The sea is really pretty, he thinks to himself as his heart starts to slow down.

Haru makes his way back into the main city, pausing occasionally every 20 minutes or so to look around. Where am I going to find the World's heart? he wonders. He notices with a slight bit of worry that the sky is starting to turn dark. As thunder starts to growl across the sky, Haru looks around for a place to rest. After a moment, he finds a little diner across the street. Haru ducks down and runs in just as the rain starts to pour down. He sits down at a table and sighs. "Just in time," he murmurs.

"You need anything?" the chef asks.

Haru turns around. "Um, do I need to buy something to stay here?"

The chef laughs. "No. I was just wondering." He waves at Haru as he walks into the kitchen. "Just look around if you want."

After a moment, Haru approaches the walls and starts looking at all the posters and pictures. After a few random posters, he finds himself staring at a poster board with pictures pinned on it.

"Um, who are these people?" Haru inquires.

The chef steps out from the kitchen. "Oh, them? They're my regulars. They're from Ashinaka High School."

Haru notices they're all wearing the uniforms from before. Oh, so I was in that high school. He turns to face the chef. "Hey, do you mind if I stay here 'till the rain stops?"

The chef smiles at him. "Sure, kiddo. Take your time."

As Haru sits there for a few hours, the rain gradually stops. The sky is still overcast, but Haru takes that as a sign and finally leaves the luncheon. As he steps out, he can see three distinct people. Two guys and a girl. One guy has black hair, while the other has white. The girl has long, pink hair. For some reason, Haru finds himself attracted to the white-haired boy. It's almost like some power from inside him is connecting him to the boy.

He dashes up to the three. "Hey!" Haru calls out.

The three turn around. The feminine-looking guy with the black hair steps forward. "Who are you!?" he snarls.

Haru stops suddenly. "I'm…Haru," he replies awkwardly.

"That name doesn't ring a bell," the black-haired guy replies curtly.

Haru knows he needs to lie. "I'm from Ashinaka High School," he says. "Haru. Doesn't it ring a bell?"

The guy with the white hair frowns. "No, not really. Then again, memory hasn't been my forte lately…"

Heru smiles and steps forward. "Hey, can you help me out? I lost my uniform. Is there a way to get me a new one?"

The white-haired guy smiles. "I'll try. I probably have a spare in my dorm room somewhere."

Haru grins back. "Great. Can I head with?"

"'Course," the white-haired boy replys. "We're heading back anyway. We have to talk to someone."

As Haru started walking with them, he ends up right next to a girl with pretty hair. She is wearing a fuzzy dress with a red ribbon.

"And you are?" he inquires.

"Oh, I'm Neko!" she answers cheerfully.

"That's good to know, I guess," he replies.

After taking the subway back and sneaking through the door, they finally reach the high school. The four of them face the sea as the breeze sends waves rippling down.

"We're finally back!" Neko announces.

"'Finally back,' eh?" Shiro replies almost to himself. He looks out contemplatively towards the sea as he says to himself, "I wonder what this place means to me."

"Since no truth was found about you, I would say you are merely 'revisiting' this place," Kuroh replies. "Considering that the Blue Clan has you marked, I'm not sure if coming here was such a good idea."

"Wait, what?" Haru asks, thoroughly confused.

Shiro turns to face him, rubbing his head shyly. "Oh, yeah. I'm kinda being hunted for a crime I didn't commit. The Red and Blue Kings kinda want me."

"The what?" Haru says perplexedly.

"Well, here there are several clans," Kuroh explains. "Each clan has a king, and each king can bestow power onto his or her followers. Right now, we are dealing with the Red and Blue Clans."

"How did that happen?" Haru asked.

"I am accused of shooting and killing a Red Clan member. And the Blue Clan wants me too because of the Red Clan's interest. Also, because I'm considered a criminal now, and the Blue Clan is kinda like the police here."

Shiro smiles sheepishly. "Sorry for not being honest with you from the get-go. I just figured it wouldn't matter. I mean, all we need to do is give you a new uniform and go on our way."

Haru jumps up and down excitedly. "I knew you were the one!" he shouts.

Shiro frowns. "Excuse me?"

Haru smiles. "I'm not actually an Ashinaka High School student. In fact, I'm not even really from here."

Kuroh reaches for his sword, but doesn't quite grab it.

Haru goes on, nervously aware of Kuroh's distrust. "I've come here to find the World Key Hole. You might not have heard of it, but it's a big deal. Trust me.

"I'm also looking for my friends: Sora, Riku, and Kairi."

They all look at him, utterly shocked and baffled. "Are you sure you're not just playing us?" Shiro asks.

"No, I'm telling the truth!" Haru pleads. "Look, I'll prove it to you." He pulls out his Keyblade. The three gape at it for a moment. Neko goes to touch it, but Haru pulls it away defensively. "Sorry, I don't like people touching my Keyblade," he answers a tad crossly. Neko withdraws her hand and looks away. "I'm sorry if I offended you," Haru says. "I'm just paranoid, because the Keyblade is a powerful weapon. It's extremely dangerous and should be handled under the most extreme care."

Neko smiles shyly. "It's fine. I forgive you," she says with her usual cheerfulness.

Haru smiles back. "Do you mind if I head with you guys? I have a feeling that you three are somehow connected to the World Key Hole."

Shiro looks at Kuroh and Neko for a moment. He rubs his head, but smiles. "Sure, I guess."

Haru scratches his head. "So, what are we going to do now?"

"We'll get you your clothes," Shiro replies. "But after that," he smiles a tad devilishly. "I have a plan."

"This is Munakata Reisi. Who is this?"

"Isana Yashiro…or so they say, " Shiro replies. Haru can hear the voice on the other end. It sounds like the voice of a man who enjoys his formalities.

"I suspected this might be you," Munakata replies smugly. "You have executed a rather aggressive approach."

"I apologize. I couldn't think of any other way to talk to you without getting caught."

"All right, let's hear what you have to say."

"I'll make this short," Shiro says. "There's a man in an airship who is heavily involved in that murder incident, and with how I'm being treated as a suspect in a murder I know nothing about."

"Do you understand what you're saying?" Munakata replies, no edge or waver to his tone.

"Excuse me?"

"What do you know about the man in the airship?"

Shiro pauses but tries to reply calmly, "Just enough from a crash course."

"Then you do realize he is much too important to be dragged into this just because you claim to be innocent? I think you could at least demonstrate your goodwill by turning yourself in."

Haru can hear a bit of background noise, but not enough to figure out what's going on. He looks over at Neko as Shiro says into the device, "It's pointless to scream my innocence from a jail cell! I've seen enough detective dramas to know. That's why I'm only going to give myself up for the right price."

Munakata replies immediately. "Indeed. You are a shrewd one."

"Why, thank you. As for our deal- if you'll promise to bring that man in the airship to the ground, so you can ask him questions, I will turn myself in to you. How does that sound?"

Munakata remains silent for a second. "I wish I could agree since you're willing to go that far, but…I'm afraid one suspect's demand is not an adequate negotiating tool against the man in the airship. Besides, should you end up turning yourself in, I can't help but to suspect that your two friends will come and bail you out."

Shiro laughs. "You're exactly right. I guess I got carried away."

"No. I'll accept your terms."

Shiro stops in his tracks. "Huh?!"

"I'm saying that I, Munakata Reisi, the Fourth and Blue King, will detain the man in the airship… a.k.a. the First and Silver King Adolph K. Weissman." The room is completely silent. "If you're up to it, come and visit us. I'll arrange a meeting to get to the bottom of this case. One caveat, however. I want all three of you to turn yourselves in."

Shiro hangs up the phone. He waits a moment before peeking out from under the tarp. "Wow, that was close," he breathed. "Sending guys after us while I'm on the phone… Who's the shrewd one here?" He looks over to his left. "If you hadn't sensed them, Kuro, we'd all have been arrested while I was still on the phone."

"Nothing to it," Kuroh replies simply. "For a Blue clansmen, that guy is pretty spiteful. I can smell him coming."

Shiro's blushing so hard, that it's impossible to miss under the darkness of the tarp. "That's pretty impressive," he admits. "Okay, once we've put some distance between us, let's move on to the next location." He turns around. "Neko, I'm counting on you to guide us through."

"I got it," she sings. "By the way, Shiro… What was that device you set in there? Is it something awesome? Does it explode?"

Shiro smiles in embarrassment and waves a hand. "No, no, not at all. It's nothing more than a circuit board taped to a plastic cover of some computer hardware. It's enough to buy us some time and to show them that we weren't there."

Kuroh sighed. "You are a real piece of work." Shiro blushed and laughed.

Neko finally stands up from the trash can and pulls out a pair of binoculars. "Shiro! Here they come!" she exclaims softly after looking around for a few moments. "That jerk with the glasses is here!"

Shiro rolls onto his side leisurely. "Looks like negotiations with the Silver King have failed and they've decided to use force."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Haru murmurs.

"Eh?" Shiro inquires.

"Nothing," Haru replies.

"Talking about it will not do much good," Kuroh interjects. "Let's move on to the next plan."

Shiro sits up. "We have to be careful not to let them spot us."

"All right!" Neko agrees. As the lights flash on, the four sneak on to the back of a stray helicopter. The helicopters take off into the air, leaving Haru with a rushing feeling in his head. Haru's sitting next to Neko, behind Kuroh and Shiro who are driving the machine.

"Hey, Kuroh…" Shiro says shyly.

"What is it?" Kuroh asks, not looking up from the controls.

"Won't you tell me more about that Silver King?" Shiro inquires.

"I've never met him in person. I only know what little I've heard from Master Ichigen."

"That's fine," Shiro persists. "Tell me."

"Among the seven kings, he is special just like the Gold King. But more mysterious in nature. The Gold King is called the Second King only because the Silver King exists."

"I'm bored," Neko interrupts. Haru tries to do his own thing, but finds himself twiddling his thumbs as well.

"In other words, he is the First King?" Shiro asks, ignoring Neko.

"Yes," Kuroh replies calmly. "He is the first of all the kings, and lords over the others from the sky. He is the equal of the Gold King who rules on the ground." Suddenly, a harsh light shines through their windows, blinding them.

"Why are you shining your searchlight on one of our crafts?!" an angry voice shouts over the headset. "Keep your craft steady!"

Neko lets out a sigh of enjoyment as she spots something on the dashboard. "Shiny! Shiny!" she exclaims. She starts to paw at the keyboard.

"Stop playing around!" Kuroh scolds. "We'll be caught before we get a chance to board!" Neko pouts, but doesn't stop playing with the controls. "Even if we're able to successfully able to board the airship," Kuroh continues, "there's no way to keep others away from the Silver King."

"No matter," Shiro replies breezily. "We'll grab him and make our escape."

Haru scowls. "I haven't been here very long, but I believe that it won't be that easy. You're dealing with a king here. They sound like they're a lot more powerful than the typical guys you deal with." He lets out a sigh and looks away. "God, I can't stand people who lightly brush things off."

"C'mon, speed up or we won't be the first ones on board!" Neko shouts. She grabs the joystick and the copter starts spinning.

"Stupid cat!" Kuroh shouts, trying to regain control of the craft.

"Who's that idiot?!" a young voice screams from the headset. "The Captain hasn't given the warning yet!"

Haru grabs on tight as the three go hurtling toward the blimp. The warning sound screams louder and louder as they approach. Suddenly, just as Haru shuts his eyes and begins to accept his fate, a loud explosion sounds out. As he opens his eyes, he sees the blazing furnace surrounding his peripheral vision. It is beginning to feel stuffy. Haru adjusts his collar, letting a bead of sweat drop as they careen towards the blaze. We're gonna die! he screams at himself.

As they fall toward the ground, Shiro grabs Neko's hand. "Neko!"

"Gotcha!" Right as they hit the ground, Neko uses her powers to lessen the damage. As the four climb out, Haru notices that they've hit a river. The four quickly regroup and stretch.

"Now what?" Shiro asks.

"I believe that it would be a good idea to head back to Ashinaka High School for now," Kuroh replies.

With no better suggestions, the group heads back.

Haru lets out a brief sigh as he sits down. "Do you like coffee?" he asks Neko.

"I've never had it before," she replies.

Shiro stands up and grasps Kuroh's hand. "Neko, Haru, we'll see you later," he says. "Kuroh and I have to go find something out."

Neko stands up. "Aw, you can't go, Shiro!" she whines. "Take me with!"

Shiro smiles at Neko. "Sorry. I can't. But we'll be back later. Until then, why don't you two have breakfast?"

While Neko pouts, Haru waves them off. He turns toward his upset companion. "Can you at least try to give me a good attitude?"

Neko scowls. "But they're doing it again! They're leaving me behind!"

Haru waves over the waitress. "Look, I have no right to judge, but how about I say what I think while we order some breakfast?"

Neko still pouts, but remains silent. After ordering their food, Haru intertwines his fingers and looks at her. "Why are you so obsessed with Shiro?"

Neko pauses but answers him. "Because he's my Shiro." She puffs up as he looks at her. "I mean, I found him and that makes him mine! I made everyone remember him and I made him happy." She frowns and looks down. "But now, Shiro's not happy anymore. Everyone's starting to forget him. I can't make them remember him forever. Even though I don't mind no one remembering him, it makes Shiro sad. I don't want to share him with everyone else, but if it makes him happy…"

Haru smiles at her and sets his coffee mug down. "Neko, you've done a great job. Better than anyone could have asked for. And I'm sure Shiro loves what you did, too."

Neko looks down at the sugar-filled coffee sitting in front of her. "But that Kuroh is always calling me stupid. And he's right. I played with the helicopter and nearly killed everyone. I always do something stupid and make everyone angry."

Haru smiles at her while the waitress sets down their food. "On the outside, what I saw from the beginning was a thick girl who didn't know when was the right time to say or do something. But as I got to know her over the last day or two, I realized that she was smart and gifted. She cared deeply for her friends and is fiercely loyal to them. She might make a few mistakes, but she tries her hardest every day to be the most helpful person she can. That's what I see, Neko."

She stares at him and blushes for a moment, then looks away. "Well anyway," she huffs, "what did you get?"

Haru looks down at his food for a moment. "Waffles," he replies.

Neko takes a fork and pokes at her breakfast. "I got peanut butter and jelly," she replies. She blushes and picks up a piece with her fork. She leans over and shoves it in Haru's face. "You want some?" she asks shyly.

"No!" Haru shrieks and tips the chair back. As it dumps him onto the floor, Neko stares at him, completely shocked by his uncharacteristic outburst. "I'm sorry," Haru apologizes as he gets back in the chair, "I have a severe peanut allergy. I can't eat peanut butter and jelly."

"Oh." Neko looks away. "I'm sorry for making you fall on the floor."

"N-no," Haru stutters upon seeing the upset way she was biting her lip, "it's fine! I just panicked a bit. It's fine, okay?"

He extends his hand across the table. After a moment's hesitation, Neko grabs it and smiles. The two eat their breakfast in silence until Haru gets the tab. He sets a tip down and they exit.

"So, what did you-" Haru stops mid-sentence as Neko kisses him on the cheek.

Neko looks away and blushes. "That was for breakfast. Don't tell Shiro."

Haru looks and smiles as she rushes ahead. Shiro's a really lucky guy to have her. I hope he realizes that.

"We're finally back," Shiro sighs as the four walk back into the room. Shiro stops in his tracks. "What?!" The room is in tatters, looking like an explosion went off. "What happened?! Burglars?!"

"On what planet would burglars blast a hole in the wall to get in?" Kuroh sighed.

"No!" Neko shouted, clutching several shards of a white bowl. "My bowl!" she cries.

Haru puts a comforting hand on her shoulder, silently but sarcastically consoling her loss. "It was my favorite too!" she cries.

"We just barely managed to escape when the airship crashed," Shiro said while kneeling on the floor. "I never thought I'd return to find my home trashed like this," he sighs while picking up a tattered white cloth.

"We rushed back when we heard the school was under HOMRA's control," Kuroh says solemnly. "But I never imagined the Red King would show up, as well."

"Does that mean shit's going down?" Haru asks, trying to lighten up the mood.

"I guess so," Shiro replies, not lightening up at all. "And the Blues have the entire area locked down. Hunting for my true identity has to be put on the back burner for a while."

"That's how serious this has become," Kuroh says, summing up the entire conversation. "In a worst-case scenario, this island might become a battleground for a clan war. Maybe we shouldn't have come back here."

Neko puts the bowl back on the table. "I told you before! This is our home! It's only right that we return to our home!"

"Neko's right," Shiro says, finally standing up. "We need to clean up our own house. So then, what should we do next? Shall we ask Mr. Ichigen?"

Kuroh stares into Shiro's eyes, surprised. "What?"

"Didn't he have the ability to see the future? If that's the case, maybe he can see our situation…and give us some advice."

Kuroh pulls up the tape recorder to his face and hesitates. As they look at each other, he stands himself upright. "No…" He puts the tape recorder away. "We know what we need to do next. We need to rescue Kukuri and the others. It's obvious. There's no need to rely on Master Ichigen's words."

Neko nods in agreement.

"Yeah, you're absolutely right," Shiro says, looking straight at Kuro. "Then let's start by finding out where Kukuri and the others are. Neko, let's go."

"Huh?!" Neko asks, grumpy to leave her bowl still broken. "But I'm not done…"

"Don't worry. We'll come right back."

"Okay," she agrees, finally getting up from the table. "Bye-bye…" she says as they shut the door.

To be continued...

(Insert Eden of the east Ending theme: Futuristic Imagination)