Battle of the Mages

"I Smell Blood"

She could have been born just then when she opened her eyes. A star studded sky floated overhead, she recognized it, so she couldn't have been born just then. The stars moved, bobbed up and down and turned left or right. Tai squinted, knowing these couldn't be stars. They were shadowed faces, and it was their eyes that moved so constantly as whispers filled the bubble around her.

"Oh, she's awake."

"Do you think she's alright?"

"Look, she's moving. Of course she's alright."

Tai sat up, looking at all the mysteriously unfamiliar people around her. She was sure she'd never met any of these people, not once in her life...If she remembered a time where she knew people. She blinked, a blank stare in her clear blue eyes. The people around her spoke, and all of them said nothing. When she stood, they all took a step backwards from the small girl. Air and space, that's usually what people wanted, or they just wanted to speculate her long, light brown hair.

"Hey, girl - Hey!"

Tai didn't bother speaking to anyone, especially anyone she didn't know. As long as she didn't know anybody here, there was no problem ignoring them. She simply strode away, as gracefully as she would on water, but the gritty cement beneath her bare feet kept her uncomfortable. Why didn't she wear shoes?

Hello, hello?

I smell blood.

"Me, too," Tai found herself saying. She spun around, feeling some strange energy signature behind her, but there was just the dispersing crowd and the strange energy signature was gone.

"Hello, hello? I smell blood."

"Me -"

Déjà vu?

Tai blinked, and spun around again. Still nothing, but she knew she clearly heard someone speak behind her. The strange energy signature bounced around, but there was no one there to match the signature. She sucked her breath in, then let it out slowly. She could focus on other things...like the energy she recognized rather than the one she didn't recognize. She knew it was here somewhere.

Her gut led her up a flight of steps, left into a dark alleyway, where the ground seemed to be less kept. Chunky pebbles lined the cracks, and there was much more gritty dirt. Tai stopped to curl and relax her toes, then she stepped forward into the alley of dull yellow crates. The familiar energy was here.

"Sora?" she called, noting the familiar name. She didn't know exactly why it was familiar, or why she recognized the face that went with it. She carefully picked her way around the crates, touching each one gently until finally she stopped in front of what she was looking for. The energy she felt was stronger right there, but weak, possibly due to his unconscious state. She did recognize the face and matched it to the one in her memory, and the name as well. She knew she found this Sora.

"Hey!" she shouted. Still he slept. Tai raised an eyebrow. "Hey!" she shouted again. Still he wouldn't wake. Tai slowly closed and opened her eyes. If he wouldn't wake up with a sharp "hey" then maybe a sharp kick would do just fine. She lifted her foot, and buried the heel right into the soft spot of his tummy, making him awake and gasp for air.

"Tai! What'd you do that for!" he complained as he was doubled over and moaning. She only blinked at him, wondering why it was they knew each other.

"It only felt natural," she answered automatically. He looked up and only glared. Her eyes widened and she shrugged. "What?"

"Kicking is not natural."

"Yes it is."

"No it's not."

"Kicking you is."

"Whatever."

Sora stood, swaying slightly on his feet before he completely retained his balance. He let out a short sigh, and looked around. "Where are we?"

"Weren't we here the whole time?"

"Huh? No, what're you..." the boy trailed off, staring at the child figure in front of him. She was so short, maybe because she was only eleven, nearly twelve. She hadn't even made it into Middle School yet, she couldn't possibly be any taller. "Oh...you forgot?"

"Forgot what?"

"Remember an island?"

"Nope."

"You forgot."

"Forgot what?"

"It doesn't matter. Come on, I'll tell you later," Sora brushed passed her, expecting her to follow. He took the lead, but she only stared strangely at his back. A gasp and she spun around, feeling the other strange energy, but it was gone just as soon as she did again.

Hello, hello?

"I smell blood."

"What?" Sora turned around the face Tai, who had mentioned before that she could smell blood when they first met. Her eyes fluttered. He heard her.

"I smell...blood?" she repeated, though she crossed her eyes, wondering why exactly she said it.

"That's because you got a big cut on your face," he said, placing his hands on either side of her head. "Yup, that's a big one," Using his glove, he touched the flesh just below the cut on her cheek, and rubbed the blood away. He pressed his lips together when the blood smeared. "Hang on, I got this..."

"Here."

"Oh thank you," Sora took the shredded piece of cloth from whoever handed it to him, and proceeded to wipe away the blood on her cheek. Accidentally he grazed the cut, but she didn't even seem to flinch. "Tai?" he stopped, looking at her.

"What?"

"..." For a moment he didn't answer, thinking better of the question, then he asked, "Where'd you get this cloth?"

"I didn't."

"Then where -" he spun around, feeling some strange energy behind him, but there was nothing there. Nothing at all. "Must've been my - Your cut's gone!" His mouth dropped open. Tai touched her face, where there was still a bit of blood, but there was no cut on her face.

"What are those?" she wondered, pointing right behind Sora. Sora spun around, staring straight into the distance. Tai noticed there were no more people in the square where she had been. Instead, black yellow eyed things that scampered across the cement ground. Sora glared, pushing Tai behind him; but behind him, she didn't stay. Tai was the first one on the playing field, staff in one hand, and surrounded by those dark creatures that meant nothing to her, but they seemed to mean something to Sora.

A swirl of water magic tipped her staff, making a hammer like weapon as she slammed it on each creature. She spun to hit more than just one, and few went flying into the air. She stared upward, waiting for them to come down some before she decided to stab one right through the chest, and use it to beat the other flying creatures in the air, but it disappeared and all she had was the hammer head, which worked equally well. One crept up behind her, one she stabbed in the face with the butt of her staff before she flung it forward at another; she twirled her staff, creating a mass amount of water magic that swept the rest of the creatures into the air...and she stopped. The magic broke and the dark creatures hit the ground, alive, but scrambling away for safety. Tai swayed on her feet, her eyes fluttering lazily. Her hair fell up as she went down. Sora caught her before she hit the ground and quickly touched her forehead; one hundred and three degrees Fahrenheit.

"Tai, are you feeling alright?" he asked, turning around. He bent over, expecting her to climb onto his back. She merely fell forward, making just enough conscious effort to drape her arms over his shoulders.

"What do you think?" she grumbled unhappily in his ear. "It's hot..."

"Yeah, that's what you said the first time you came to the islands."

"What?"

"Nevermind. Let's just get you somewhere safe."

Tai only moaned in response, digging her face into his back. In moments she was breathing calmly, asleep, but she often stirred and rubbed her face against his back. Sora adjusted his arms under her legs, making sure she wouldn't fall off easily, and he was forced to lean forward. He didn't expect her to be so heavy.

"Troubles in paradise?" wondered a voice.

"Kairi!" Sora wondered, turning around. But, sadly, no Kairi. Instead a girl with mint colored eyes.

"No, not Kairi," she breathed. "I don't think I sound anything like Kairi, do you think so?" Sora shook his head. "Oh well, how are you my name is - Oops! I almost slipped, now what's yours?" she asked. She spoke fast, and grinned like a cat. No, she definitely didn't sound like Kairi, and this girl let her sentences run together.

"Sora..."

"Sora, Sora, I knew that, now what's wrong with the little girl, she hot?" the strange girl asked. Sora raised his eyebrows, not really understanding why this girl had any interest in the feverish kid. But, he had to admit, he did have the strange feeling that he felt from her. It grew stronger and stronger, and suddenly he knew.

"You're a Mage!"

"That I am, now it seems she has a fever, want me to fix it?"

"Please?" Sora begged. The girl clicked her tongue, shaking her golden locked hair.

"Nope, nope, nope! I need something in return first, and since you have nothing to give, I have nothing to give, but you'll surely soon have something to give, am I right?"

"Uh...yes?"

The minty eyed, golden locked girl grinned quite mischievously. She danced about Sora, bursting out of sight in a show of light and smoke and appearing somewhere else around him. She looked at him, looked at Tai, looked at the sky, looked in some random direction, and finally she snapped her fingers and she was right in front of Sora again.

"Good, good. I'll tell you later what I want, but for now I'll share some information with you, come here, lean forward," she demanded. Sora leaned forward as she leaned forward, an exchange of secrets just between the two of them. "When a Mage has a fever, it means they've run out of magic. An ether works fine, but elixers work wonders!" The girl shared a giggle between them. "And as long as you have no munny, I'll help only a little!" The girl danced about Sora, leaning in close to Tai enough to see as much of her face that wasn't hiding in Sora's back. "An Earth Mage can help, too, with just a touch..." The girl touched Tai's forehead, where a silver circle of light drew itself in the air, then popped as it disappeared. The girl grinned happily, clapping her hands and skipped backwards.

"Does that make you an Earth Mage, too?" Sora asked, mouth gawking in surprised awe.

"No, no, no! Silly boy. There's only one Earth Mage in existence! You should know this, being a Mage yourself," scolded the thin finger of the colorful girl. Sora blushed, biting his lip and ready to admit he was just testing her. "The Mages are elemental magicians, there can only be one of each element, not two!"

"I knew that!" Sora blurted. The girl raised an eyebrow over her now sharp minty eyes. Sora gulped, stepping back.

"Oh did you now? Well, well, then. Did you know there was a Hotel not too far from here? It's in the Second District."

"No..."

"Do you know where the Second District may be?"

"No..."

"How dumb can you be? Dumb, dumb, dumb, he prob'ly didn't understand a word I said to him," complained the girl as she turned about. She lifted her hands to the sky, waving one from side to side. Sora pressed his lips together; he was not dumb!

"We just got here!" he snapped at her. She turned around, raising her eyebrow yet again. "I don't know what happened exactly...Our island was suddenly destroyed...But we're still alive! And I know I don't necessarily know where we are or where I'm supposed to go, but at least give me a chance! I'll figure this out, help or no help! And if I can, I wanna find my friends...Riku, Kairi, Kylie...I'll find them all! And just because I don't know anything yet, that doesn't give you the right to call me dumb!" A smile crossed the girl's lips, then a toothy grin, and finally a giggle.

"Smart boy. Now come, come! I'll show you to the Hotel. It's nice! Y'know, but it only, only has one bed. Because you're a gentleman that makes the little girl a lady; ladies get to sleep on the bed, and...yeah, you're on the floor."

Before they knew it, they were standing in front of a blue moon door of a hotel room. Sora blinked, wondering how exactly they got here so fast, but the girl behind him only giggled.

"Go in! Go in!" she offered, pushing him towards the door. Sora stumbled, then stopped, looking at her.

"Thank you," he admitted, before walking in. She grinned, first leaning towards his ear.

"Little Taichi holds her breath when she fights..." she whispered in the creepiest manner she could.

"Hey how do you know -" he started, but she was gone before he could finish. His eyes fluttered, not expecting that. But here he was; might as well rest up before anything else strange happens.

She remembers something...right?