Timeless

Chapter 3: Snapped and Jumped

(June 3rd, 2008 – ATL)

Sora sat alone under a tree in the desolate world of the 100 Acre Woods, knees pulled up against his chest and arms wrapped around his legs. He stared with unseeing eyes out across the vast grey meadows as the wind blew the branches of the dead tree above him. Pages were missing from the beloved book, lost in Merlin's haste to flee Radiant Garden during the first few Heartless attacks. As a result, many of the characters were absent and the landscape resembled more of a graveyard than the lush environment it was supposed to be. It was a far cry from the safe haven that Sora remembered, but it was here that he escaped to whenever he was feeling overwhelmed about the war. It was here that he was currently hiding in for the past few days, at least until he could wrap his mind around everything.

"Sora?" He was startled to hear another voice and turned to see Kairi approaching from the exit point. "There you are! We were so worried! We've been looking everywhere for you for four days!" She looked distressed and tired, like she hadn't slept in those four days that they were searching for the Keyblade Master. Sora instantly felt guilty for making her worry.

"Sorry…" he whispered, looking away. Kairi shook her head.

"You don't have to be… I understand you want to be alone. I just wish you would have told someone where you were." She sat down next to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay? How have you been dealing?"

Sora took a deep shuddering breath. "I still don't believe you guys. This is a sick joke and you need to stop." Kairi began chewing on her bottom lip nervously.

"They found a body…" she said quietly after a period of silence. Sora's head snapped in her direction. "A scout was sent out early this morning to look for survivors. They recovered the bodies of the Highwind's crew. Riku's was one of them." She closed her eyes, grief threatening to overtake her. "That's it. It's over." She sniffed, rubbing her eyes. "I was hanging on to hope too, y'know. You almost convinced me that maybe Pintel made a mistake, like maybe he didn't see the whole thing go down. But that hope's gone." She paused, looking to Sora's face for a reaction, but the young man gave none, his face neutral and blank.

She continued speaking in a soft tone. "This is for you." She held out her hand to pass something to Sora. When he failed to lift his hand to receive it, she gently picked up his hand and placed an object in his palm. "They found it on Riku's body. It was in his will that it be given to you." She waited to see if he'd even look at what she gave him, but he made no move. "They're holding a funeral for everyone tomorrow. I think you should go and say your final goodbye." Tears welled up in her eyes as she said that.

"Please leave," he murmured, never turning his eyes in her direction. Kairi opened her mouth but no sound came out. "Just go." Her shock melted away into hurt and she picked herself up to leave.

"You know where to find me when you're ready to talk," she said as she backed away, making her way quickly back to the exit point before her tears had a chance to spill over.

After a time, Sora finally mustered up the courage to look at the object in his hand. Sitting in the centre of his palm was a black-heart keychain, the Way to Dawn. A tear trickled down Sora's face.

(Sept. 23rd, 2007 – CTL)

Sky groaned as he regained consciousness. His skull was throbbing in pain and the sunlight streaming through his window was making things worse. Wait, window…? Squinting, Sky looked around, recognizing the plain décor of his bedroom, and wondered vaguely how he had managed to drag himself home. He didn't remember much from the night before. It must've been one hell of a party to have caused him such a severe migraine. The last thing he did remember was the drinking contest and Leon escorting him to the exit with Yuffie trailing after them. But the rest was a blur.

Sky froze when he heard a noise outside his bedroom, like shuffling and the creaking of his stairs. Someone was in his home. Natural instincts kicked in, pushing back the pain of his hangover to the farthest reaches of his brain, and he sat up at once, silently summoning his Keyblade to hand. Quick as lightning, he dashed beside the door and waited to see who would walk in, who was foolish enough to try breaking into his apartment, and he listened carefully with bated breath. The bedroom door opened slowly and Sky raised his weapon to strike or at the very least intimidate his would-be attacker, but he paused when he saw the familiar fur-trimmed bomber jacket accompanied by long brown locks of hair over the scarred face of his friend Leon.

"Leon?" Sky hissed, quickly dismissing his Keyblade before the older man could question why he was in defensive mode. "What are you doing here? How'd you get in?" Leon stood in the doorway threshold, holding the knob, looking at Sky's dishevelled appearance.

"You didn't call like you said you would," he stated simply, as if it were obvious. "I came by to check on you." Sky gave him a sarcastic smile.

"Thanks, mom," he muttered, relaxing and heading back to bed to lie down, clutching his head as the pain returned. "God, I'm never drinking again…"

"You look like shit," Leon said as he followed Sky, sitting on the edge of the bed next to him. "You didn't drink that much, did you?"

"You tell me! You don't look so hung-over!" Sky winced as his own raised voice caused the throbbing in his head to worsen. Leon frowned slightly, latching onto Sky's chin with his hand. The sudden contact made Sky flinch as Leon turned his head from side to side, examining his face carefully before releasing him.

"What happened to your head?" Leon finally asked, like the question had been on the tip of his tongue since he walked in the door. He reached out again, gently brushing away a few spiked locks to reveal a scabbing cut that still had dried blood around the edges. Sky's voice caught in his throat, suddenly reminded of the time Riku had checked on a head wound in a similar fashion.

"Nothing," he scowled, batting Leon's hand away as his cheeks warmed. "I'm fine!"

"You're not fine. You look like you were attacked," Leon rebuked quietly. "What happened to you after I left you?"

"I…" Sky trailed off, memory failing him. For the life of him, he couldn't remember. Instead, he got up and headed to his bathroom to check on the head wound himself. When he saw his own reflection, his eyes widened. There was a large purple bruise on the left side of his forehead with a gash at the centre of it and his eyes were dark around the edges. "God, I really do look like shit."

"I should have never let you walk home alone," Leon said as he joined Sky in the bathroom, observing the damage.

"Whatever…" Sky pressed his hands over his face to both block out the sunlight and to perform a quick healing spell. When he removed his hands, the bruising around his eyes and forehead were almost invisible. "You didn't answer my other question. How'd you get in here?"

"Your front door was wide open." Leon looked very concerned. "You really don't remember anything? That's not good. Anything could have happened to you between the time I left you and when you awoke."

"Get a fucking grip, Leon. Nothing happened. I probably ran into the door or something on my way up here." Sighing, Sky grabbed a towel and turned on the faucet in his shower. After a beat, he turned a glare on Leon. "You gonna watch me shower, sweetheart, or will you please get the hell out?" Leon seemed to snap out of a stupor and promptly made a quick exit. "Thanks." Sky closed the door behind Leon.

After a ten-minute shower, an even quicker breakfast, and a short run to ease out the tension in his shoulder, Sky was feeling like his regular self once more. He accompanied Leon to Castle Luminous where they found Cid sitting in his usual spot in front of five monitors.

"Do you ever sleep?" Sky quipped as he walked into the security room.

"They got me a cot down the hall," Cid muttered, chewing on a toothpick. "How goes the search for Lucrecia?"

"That back alley turned up fuck-all." Sky sighed as he sat down in an empty chair, staring with unseeing eyes at the monitors before him. Masses of humanity bustled along the streets, oblivious to the dangers that were lurking and threatening to strike in only three days time if he and the others couldn't track it down. Those people had no idea the kind of struggles and sacrifices he and the Restoration Committee did everyday to ensure their safety. He stirred from his solemn thoughts when he felt a buzzing in his pocket. Taking a moment to fish out his cell phone, he looked at the caller ID and frowned. It was from a blocked number. Stepping outside the room, he took the call.

"Hello?" he said, uncertainty lacing his voice.

"Do not react to this call, just listen carefully," said a gruff, deep voice on the other line. "I have information that may assist you in your search for Lucrecia. Simply answer yes or no if you would like this information." Sky clenched his teeth, having the great urge to ask 'Who are you?' and 'How did you get this number?' and 'What's with your voice? Smoke a pack a day?', but he kept his tongue in check. The last thing he needed was a potential lead to get scared off by his inquisitive mind. Then again, this lead might be a joke or a red herring. Still, he couldn't take the chance that this was legit and pass it up.

"Yes." If it turned out to be a trap, he was more than capable of averting disaster, both to himself and to others.

"Meet me under the Bailey walkway in one hour's time and come alone." The line went dead. Sky flinched at the sound of a dial tone and hung up his cell phone, putting it back into his front pocket. So he had a lead, and he wasn't allowed to tell anyone. It was better than nothing. He glanced back into the security room where Cid and Leon were staring intently at the monitors, looking up anything to help them track down Lucrecia. Neither seemed to notice Sky's absence, so he made a quick exit and headed for the castle gates. No one was going to miss him for a couple hours.

(June 5th, 2008 – ATL)

Sora missed him so desperately.

One day had passed since Riku's funeral. Sora just couldn't bring himself to go. He felt as though attending would mean acknowledging Riku's death and he wasn't prepared to accept that just yet. It had taken a great deal of coaxing just to get him to leave the 100 Acre Woods, but he ended up holing himself up in his bed chambers instead, solidly convinced that Riku would be back any day now. He paced around his room, agitated and upset. All their personal belongings were stinging reminders of their relationship. Hours rolled by and dust collected on the surfaces. Sora hardly slept. He didn't dare move a thing or tidy up, for fear of somehow ruining everything. It was irrational, but to Sora, it made sense.

"He's coming back…" he whispered, still pacing. "He's coming back…" He stopped walking when he spotted a photo sitting in a frame on his side table. In the photo, he was standing next to Riku with the taller boy's arm slung over his shoulder. They were both giving the peace sign. Sora smiled sadly at the photo, picking it up from its resting spot and examining it closer. It was taken by Pence shortly after the war had begun. Back then, things didn't seem so bad. They were confident, believing that they could beat back the darkness the same way they had before. They were so wrong.

Hands shaking, the photo frame slipped from Sora's fingers and smashed on the ground. His face crumbled slightly as his heart cried out in pain. Something was changing in his brain. Something was switching over to acceptance. It hurt so much, he thought he would suffocate.

"He's… he's not…coming back…" That quiet admission caused tears to form in his eyes. His mind had finally come to terms with what his heart had known from the start. "He's not coming back… He's dead." His eyes widened. The tears trickled down his cheeks unheeded. "He's dead." His voice echoed off the walls and into his very soul. The air in the room suddenly seemed to thin out. He needed to escape. He needed fresh air to breathe.

Barging out of his room, he headed straight to the courtyard above the gummi shipyard. It was all too overwhelming to handle. The thought that he'd never see Riku's charming smile again, never hear his smooth deep voice, never touch his silky long hair, never kiss his soft lips again, it was all too much to believe, but it was the truth and Sora realised it now. He wanted to scream, to cry, to bleed out the sorrow and anger in his heart, but he didn't make a sound. The cool air of the open outdoors hit him and dissolved the sadness until all that was left was a raw hunger for revenge. It was as if something had finally snapped in his brain. Suddenly it was clear what he had to do. Maleficent and all her Heartless minions needed to die.

Without another thought, he rapidly descended the staircase into the gummi shipyards. There were only a few personnel on site. Sora ignored them and jumped into the cockpit of a smaller scout ship.

"Hey!" one engineer shouted. "You're not cleared to leave!" Sora disregarded the engineer trying to flag him down and prevent him from leaving. He fired up the ship's engines and accelerated towards the closed bay doors. Summoning the Way to Dawn into his hands for the first time, he pointed it at the quickly-approaching doors and unlocked them, forcing them open just as his ship cleared the threshold.

His radio crackled to life. "Sora, is that you?" It was Chip or Dale, Sora could never tell the difference between the two's voices. "Turn that ship around and get back here! The King will be furious!" He ignored the radio and flicked a switch to disable the audio. Nothing was going to stand between him and his vengeance.

There was a great deal of turbulence as he entered the dark corridors separating all the worlds. His radar beeped urgently at him, indicating that he was about to get swarmed by a couple dozen Heartless fighter ships. He manoeuvred his ship, evading the first wave of laser fire. Soon, he was surrounded on all sides, so he let loose a barrage of cannon fire, taking out the fighters in front of him. He concentrated and created a shield around his ship, protecting it from further damage. The Heartless continued their ruthless attacks, some going as far as flying their ships straight into Sora's shield to weaken it. Each time the barrier fell, Sora would be forced to perform evasive action while he waited for his mana to recharge. His ship was taking damage fast.

Realising quickly that the chances of reaching the World That Never Was intact were low, he veered off and headed to the closest world with a known heavy-Heartless presence, the Land of Dragons. While his brain seemed fogged up, there was one thought that rang clear and it was 'I'm going to take down as many of these assholes as possible' without any regard for his own well-being. It didn't matter, so long as someone paid for taking Riku away from him.

As he prepared to make his descent, he twisted the controls around, sending his ship into a quick spin, firing off rapid shots to eliminate the Heartless still following him. A fresh wave appeared as he neared the surface. He flew over their defences, his ship careening out of control as he took direct hits. He aimed the ship towards an impressive-looking tower constructed by the Heartless after they had conquered this world, and moments before it collided, he kicked the cockpit door off, jumping from the flaming wreckage almost 300 yards above the ground. The ship crashed into the tower, exploding and sending debris and shrapnel rocketing across the landscape. Sora used Glide to quite literally hit the ground running. The Heartless soldiers were already converging on his position.

"C'mon!" Sora shouted, crouching low and bringing two Keyblades into existence in the palm of his hands, the Oblivion and the Way to Dawn. "Bring it!"

He performed an aerial spin as the first unfortunate Heartless shadows sprang at him. Their forms dissolved into dark mist when the Way to Dawn connected with them. Letting out a primal growl, he cut down Heartless left and right. A legion of Heartless Assault Riders assembled across the field and charged at him. He jumped over the first one, using the leverage of its spear to vault himself at the second one, driving his Keyblade into its chest. With the Rider gone, the Heartless horse reared backwards, flinging Sora off. He rolled along the ground and leapt to his feet. Dodging left to avoid getting a spear in his skull, he grabbed the pole, pulling with all his might. The Rider fell off its horse, spooking the beast and causing it to trample its rider. Sora jumped up on the Heartless horse's back and brought his two Keyblades down on its head, essentially using them like scissors to decapitate the confused beast.

Catching a glint of silver in his eye, Sora spun around to deflect an arrow aimed at his backside. He spotted dozens of Heartless archers lined up along the fortress walls, all ready to launch a barrage of arrows from their drawn bows. Sora summoned a shield around himself just in time, flinching when a few of the arrows broke through his defences and pierced his arms. Unheeding the pain, he charged a massive Firaga spell, unleashing a fiery bird of hell upon his enemies and all the archers. In his moment of distraction, he was knocked off his feet by a couple foot soldiers. There was a sharp pain as one soldier clubbed him over the head. Blood crept into his vision, blinding him just a moment, but he quickly wiped it away and flipped out of danger, slicing off the legs of the nearest soldiers as he did.

There were no coherent thoughts running through his mind at that time. He was focused only on causing as much destruction and chaos as possible before he was cut down. His heart burned with rage and grief and his hands shook with adrenaline. The battle was such a blur, he was barely aware of when he was struck or knocked down. His arms were slowly becoming obscured by cuts and gashes, his knees covered by bruises and scrapes, and his clothes torn. The assault seemed to go on forever, an eternity of battle and attack, of bloodshed and darkness. Keyblades swung recklessly, slicing through enemies. He would not back down, even as his energy and stamina slowly faded. He couldn't keep this up. But he didn't need to. He was fulfilling his vengeance. He would join Riku in death.

The beginning of his downfall took the form of his body being pinned to the fortress wall by an Assault Rider's lance, the blade piecing his shoulder. Sora grunted in pain but otherwise refused to show them weakness. He would not go down crying like a scared child. He imagined for a moment that Riku had gone down fighting as well, brave and strong. The older man would have shown no weakness. The number of Heartless it would've taken to kill him must've been great and Sora grinned despite the pain, imagining that their losses must've been greater than Riku's.

In one last burst of energy, Sora cut through the wooden handle of the lance still pining him to the wall. He pulled the long blade from his shoulder, blood splattering the snow beneath his feet and staining his hands and clothes, and he tossed the spearhead aside before throwing Oblivion at the Rider who had pierced him. The Heartless platoon screeched in fury, almost as if they were demanding that Sora give up already. But he wasn't done cutting down their numbers. He would concede defeat only when he was emptied of blood and life.

He took two steps forward before collapsing on the bloodstained snow facedown. His energy was leaving him faster than he had anticipated. He didn't want to admit it, but he was in agony, pain searing across his whole body. It was strange, though, that the snow should provide him with a tiny bit of comfort, its coldness seeping into his pores and calming his raging soul for just a second. He watched in fascination as the snow soaked up the blood trickling down his forehead and the gaping wound in his shoulder. A shadow loomed above him somewhere, drawing him back to reality.

Sora panted heavily, picking himself up but weakly falling to his knees. He would not let these beasts get the better of him and he would not take their lashings lying down, but he was just so tired. One eye was blinded by blood, but through his good eye, he watched as a dozen Assault Riders surrounded him, their lances drawn and poised to strike. This was the end, he could feel it. He had carried out his retribution, his soul empty of wrath, and all that remained was a hollow ache of loss. The time was right. He would see Riku again. Turning his head slightly to the side, he spat out the blood from his mouth, trying to get rid of the copper flavour.

"Go ahead…" he muttered at his foes. "Do it." Levelling his glare upon the one directly in front of him, he bared his teeth in rebellion, daring the Heartless to make a move. "What are you waiting for? Get it over with!" The Rider raised its lance, as if unable to resist Sora's request, and it drew its arm back to deliver the finishing blow. "DO IT!" Sora roared, quickly losing patience.

Before the Heartless could move, there was a flash of metal and a blur as something flew through the Rider, cutting it in half. Sora's eyes widened, shock overwhelming him. The fast-moving object seemed to be moving with a will of its own, arching around, slicing through all the Assault Riders in the area and zooming back towards its owner. Kairi caught her Keyblade effortlessly, using it to impale the Heartless coming up behind her. Her eyes locked with Sora's.

"Move your ass!" she shouted as she spun to cut down another group of Heartless. Sora's heart sped up. She had risked her life to save him. He scrambled to his feet, calling his Keyblades back to his hands. All signs of fatigue were quickly forgotten as the adrenaline got pumping again. Kairi grabbed Sora by the hood of his jacket, pulling him close so she could create a barrier around them.

"Just what the hell were you thinking?" she demanded once she had a minute to speak. "Why would you hijack a ship and fly into enemy territory without backup?" Sora didn't reply. "God damn it, answer me! Why were you trying to get yourself killed?" He bit back his tears, focusing on the Heartless swarming outside their bubble trying to break in. Any second now, the spell would fail and they'd come flooding in, but Kairi didn't care. She wanted answers. When Sora didn't respond, she grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. "Are you listening to me? Killing yourself won't bring him back!"

"It's my fault!" Sora suddenly shouted, unconcerned by the tears spilling down his face. "It's my fault he's dead! I tried to talk him out of doing the Port Royal mission, but he wouldn't listen to me! He would have given me the mission if I beat him in a game of Rock Paper Scissors, but I didn't win a single round! If I had won just one game…" He trailed off as his throat constricted and his body sagged with the emotional outburst. Kairi's eyes were wide with shock and horror, as if she couldn't believe a single word Sora had just said. And then, without warning, she slapped him hard across the face.

"You selfish bastard! It's not your fault! How could you even think that?" Her barrier spell flickered as her concentration wavered. Sora was rooted to the ground, unable to comprehend that his best childhood friend had just struck him. "If you went on that mission, then you would have been the one killed! And then how'd you think Riku would feel? How do you think we'd all feel?" Her breaths came in laboured and heavy with ferocity. "This isn't about just you! You're not the only one who's hurting!"

"Don't start!" Sora finally shouted back, not bothering to nurse the bruise on his face. "Don't even go there! You don't know what it's like to lose someone you love, like a soul mate! Like half your heart was ripped from your chest!"

"Of course I do!" Kairi cried, tears starting to fall down her face. "I lost you!" Sora's heart skipped a beat.

"What?" She couldn't possibly mean what he thought she did.

Kairi gave him a sad look, shaking her head slowly. "Did you really think I wasn't in love with you?"

"I…" he stuttered, completely dumbfounded. "I had no idea…"

"Of course you didn't, because I was careful about my feelings. I knew, long before even you or Riku did, that you two were in love with each other, and I accepted that! I didn't try to fight for you because I knew I would never have you! I just wanted you to be happy! So yes, I know what it feels like to be denied love!" This new admission changed everything for Sora. He honestly had no idea that Kairi felt that way about him. He had always assumed that she only ever wanted to be friends.

He was spared the awkward conversation when the defensive spell vanished, leaving them vulnerable to the enemy. The two teens took up arms once more and fought their way towards Kairi's ship, parked a long way away from the Heartless base camp. With two Keyblade Masters versus an army of Heartless, it wasn't as difficult as Sora fighting alone. Someone to watch his back, to ensure he stayed healed and healthy, someone who cared about him, to make sure he was alive, it was all he needed to get through this horrible battle and into the safety of Kairi's ship.

They finished off the stragglers still following them and leapt into the cockpit, firing up the engine and taking off immediately. Their ship shook as the remaining ground Heartless fired anti-aircraft weaponry in an attempt to stop them. Pushing the engines hard and using what little magic they had left to protect themselves, they made it out of the atmosphere and into the dark corridors, but were quickly surrounded by Heartless fighters. Kairi piloted while Sora controlled the weapons, picking off only the essential ones needed to get clear of the planet. Once a path was formed, Kairi activated the hyperdrive and they blasted off towards Disney Castle.

It became painfully quiet in the cockpit. Kairi pretended to be focused on piloting while Sora sulked in the seat behind her. He was shaking, still overwhelmed with everything that had happened in the last few days. How could he have possibly known that Kairi was in love with him? Feeling shame wash over him, he supposed he knew all along and just pretended like nothing was out of the ordinary. It would explain why she risked her life to bring him back home. And just what was he thinking? Maybe he was trying to get himself killed. Maybe he just wanted to end things and leave his responsibilities behind. The guilty burden he carried with him now was unbearable. Kairi was right. He was being selfish. She wasn't the only one who needed support right now. He needed to think of everyone. The universe had just lost one of their only defenders capable of turning back the darkness. He would have been incredibly selfish if he had allowed himself to die today. The universe would have surely been doomed.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered. His voice was hoarse. Kairi turned her head slightly.

"So am I," she replied unhappily. The rest of their trip was silent.

When they returned to Disney Castle, the King was waiting for them in the gummi shipyard, wearing a look of deep disappointment. Kairi saluted once she was on solid ground, but Sora brushed by both of them, heading straight for the grated staircase.

"We need to talk," King Mickey called. Sora paused, looking over his shoulder darkly at the King.

"No, we don't," he said in a low voice before exiting the shipyard.

(Sept. 23rd, 2007 – CTL)

Sky stepped into the makeshift tunnel that formed the walkway beneath the Bailey. It was all still under reconstruction and closed off to the public, but he had no issues getting in. He wondered vaguely if his mysterious informant would have the same ease getting in. Not that anyone was actually patrolling the construction site to ensure there were no trespassers. It was generally understood by the townspeople that they were supposed to stay out of an area that had a great sign that said 'Stay Out'.

Checking his watch anxiously, Sky shifted from foot to foot. He never dealt well in a situation that required patience, being an impulsive man by nature. It was only a couple minutes past the deadline for the meeting, but he was feeling quite antsy. He only had to wait a moment longer before he heard a rustle of fabric and the footsteps of a person approaching him. He spun around and caught a glimpse of a red coat fluttering in the wind. There stood a man a good five or six inches taller than Sky, wearing a long red jacket with a torn hem, and hair as dark as midnight obscuring his facial features.

"You're the man who called me?" Sky said boldly, stepping forward. The man held his ground, watching Sky carefully, looking him up and down as if determining his worth before he opened his mouth to speak, his lips hidden behind a high buckled collar.

"I am Vincent Valentine," he said, his voice reverberating off the tunnel walls. Sky suppressed a shudder. There was something engrossing about the voice. "I understand you and Squall Leonhart have been looking for Lucrecia Crescent." Vincent opened his coat and pulled a notepad from his inner pocket. "I'm afraid I can't help you locate her exact location, but I know where she was before and who she worked with. It may help you track her down. I imagine you have more resources at your disposal than I."

"You're trying to track her down, too?" Sky cocked an eyebrow, hoping he didn't have the misfortune a meeting one of Lucrecia's insane ex-boyfriends or something like that.

Vincent's eyes narrowed. "In a manner of speaking. I was once her bodyguard and she never really relieved me of that position."

"If you're her bodyguard and you're supposed to protect her, how'd you lose her? And more importantly, why would you be helping me find her? Do you know why we're looking for her?"

"I don't know why you're looking for her, but I can only assume your intentions are good. You work for the government, don't you?" Sky detected a hint of sarcasm in the last statement, like it was meant to be ironic, as if he were suggesting that the government was not always looking out for the people's best interests. "She must be important enough to warrant the need for a search party to be questioning her location. I have reason to believe she's been taken captive and forced to work for a terrorist group for the last three years. Since you're already on the case, I thought I'd provide any information I can about her. As for how I lost her, that's my own business." Sky folded his arms, having a hard time buying this Vincent's story.

"How'd you hear about me?" he asked slowly, hoping to catch a slip-up. He was a rather good judge of character, and something about Vincent told him that this red-clad man wasn't giving the right details on purpose, being deceptively obscure. Then again, Sky was being careful not to allude to the fact that he wasn't searching for Lucrecia for her own good, he was searching for her to arrest her for treason. He was sure if Vincent knew this detail, he wouldn't be so willing to give any information at all, if his intentions were truly honourable.

"You and 'Leon' were going around asking people where she was. I wouldn't be surprised if her captors have gotten wind of that fact and left town by now." Resisting the urge to kiss his teeth in annoyance, Sky pressed on with his questions.

"And my phone. How'd you get my number?"

"You're listed in the phonebook." At that, Sky didn't hold back from kissing his teeth loudly and looking heavenward, cursing the phone companies in Radiant Garden silently in his head. "Anymore stupid questions?"

"Watch it, buddy!" Sky unfolded his arms and stepped forward, attempting to intimidate the taller man and failing quite spectacularly. "You're not exactly giving me the whole 'trusting' feeling here, so just answer my questions and none of that sarcastic bullshit. Got it?" He pointed his finger at Vincent, hoping it would get his point across. Vincent said nothing, staring stoically. "Good. Now tell me how you and Lucrecia got paired up."

"She worked for the Shinra Electric Company over fourteen years ago in their Science and Development department. A lot of the work she did was highly experimental and highly controversial. After several attacks from protestors who claimed what they were doing was unethical, I was hired to keep her safe. I wasn't privy to the actual research they did, but I know it had something to do with harnessing the darkness in a person's heart and using it as a form of energy to power cities."

Sky made a disgusted face. "No wonder people were protesting Shinra. That's despicable."

"It wasn't my job to judge them, just protect them." Vincent paused in his story to pull out a cigarette from his inner coat pocket, using a spark of Fire magic to light it. After a drag, he continued. "A few months after I was hired, I heard they were getting a flood of research data from Ansem the Wise's apprentices. They were making remarkable breakthroughs with their discovery of the Heartless. But then all hell broke lose and our world was plunged into darkness." There was a long period of silence in which Sky waited for Vincent to continue, but the older man didn't.

"That's it?" Sky could feel his temper flaring at wasting his time with this man. "Then what happened?"

"You're asking the wrong questions. What you should ask is, 'What does Shinra have to do with everything that's happening now?' All I can tell you is that Lucrecia no longer works for them. After Hollow Bastion was restored to its former name Radiant Garden, she joined up with the Restoration Committee. After that, I lost track of her. I can only assume she was recruited into something else by someone who knew her from her days with Shinra. If you can find someone from Shinra, you may find the connection to her current whereabouts." Just as he finished talking, he tossed his finished cigarette butt on the ground and stamped it out.

"How do you figure there's a connection?"

"That's your job to figure out." He handed over the notepad to Sky. "Good luck." With that, he turned and started to leave. Sky thought about calling him back and demanding more solid answers, but thought better of it. Somehow he knew it would do him no good. By the time Vincent was long out of sight, Sky finally glanced down at the notepad in his hands. It contained notes on everything Vincent had just mentioned and some finer details about the Shinra Electric Company, as well as a short list of scientists in the same department as Lucrecia.

A rustling noise brought Sky back to reality. He glanced up in time to see a dark-clad figure run by the entrance to the underpass and dart out of sight. Frowning, Sky walked to the entrance mouth and peered out, looking back and forth for more activity. He was taken by surprise when a figure dressed in black from head to toe appeared before him, lunging at him with fists drawn. Instinctively, Sky brought his arms up to block the attack and jumped back, summoning his Keyblade to defend himself.

"Who the hell are you?" he demanded. The figure lowered itself into a fighting stance, preparing to attack again.

"I warned you not to go looking for Lucrecia," it hissed. Sky squinted, trying to determine if the figure was male or female, and more importantly, trying to peg exactly where he had heard that voice before. Before either observation could be clearly made, the figure launched at him again, moving at incredibly fast speeds.

Sky dodged to the left and backed up, more concerned with unmasking this ninja-like figure and questioning it rather than really fighting. The figure attacked again, moving with agility and grace, but Sky was just a touch faster, waiting for an opening to hit the figure over the back of the head and subdue them. Getting rather tired of waiting, Sky simply released a wave of magic.

"Bind!" he chanted. The underpass was filled with a bright green light. Sky smirked, and waited for the ninja to collapse over, but when the green wave passed over it, there was a faint blue ripple on the surface of its clothes. The ninja paused to look down and then resume its attack. "A personal Protega?" A Protega shield was advanced white magic, which could only mean that whoever he was fighting was a trained soldier of Radiant Garden and had served in the recent war with Maleficent. Only specially selected soldiers of Radiant Garden were trained to use advanced white magic. Sky's calm aura dissolved away. He did not take lightly to traitors.

Taking on the offensive, Sky charged his opponent and performed a sliding dash along the ground, tripping the feet out from under the attacker. It caught itself, balancing precariously on one hand while simultaneously pulling a baton out of a concealed hip pouch. By the time the figure had righted itself, it was brandishing what looked like the handle of a sword. Pressing a button on the side of the handle, the blade seemed to pop out of the handle, ready for use.

Back and forth, Sky and the attacker parried swords and it wasn't long before Sky found himself on the defence once again. Whoever this person was, they were very good. The ninja had a habit of vanishing into thin air and then appearing behind him or above him, and he had to narrowly avoid impalement. Any strikes he had been able to land seemed to repel off the form-fitting Protega spell enveloping the attacker's whole body. This was getting ridiculous.

"All right, no more Mr. Nice Guy," Sky hissed. First he cast Aerona, a powerful tornado-like spell taking the shape of a massive bird. Using the winds to keep the attacker at bay, Sky then used Drive to transform into his Final Form. Although his clothes remained the same colour, his body gave off a brilliant glow that illuminated the underpass. The prevailing winds disoriented the ninja long enough that Sky was able to direct his arms at the ninja and used his two Keyblades to knock the figure around until he had it pinned to the ceiling of the underpass.

"Now, time to see who you really are," Sky said with a smug grin as he floated to the ceiling and reached out to pull off the figure's mask. Before his fingers could make contact, there was a sudden pulse throughout the area, negating all magic use for a split second. In that split second, several things occurred at once. First, both Sky and the ninja fell to the ground, Sky having lost his ability to Drive, and the ninja no longer pinned to the ceiling with two Keyblades and magical winds. Second, the Aerona spell dispersed and there was a rapid blue fluctuation across the attacker's body as its Protega shield failed. Lastly, as the figure fell to the ground, it pulled three black pellets from its pocket, smashing them into the ground on impact. The underpass with instantly filled with black smoke.

Sky coughed and cursed loudly as he tried to see through the smoke. He knew the figure was getting away but he couldn't see which way and he couldn't hear footsteps over his own laboured breaths. When the smoke cleared, as he expected, the ninja was gone and all was quiet once more.

"Well…" he said to himself, looking around still and rubbing his sore eyes as his mana recharged. "That was interesting…"

oOoOo

A/n: Super ninja! :D How am I doing for action scenes? Digital cookies for all my current reviewers! Thanks for letting me know what you think!