Rhiannon: Okay... today is not quite my day... but here is a new chapter anywas...
Chapter 2—First District
Consulting Merlin had in fact been a good idea. Except that Cloud hated visiting Merlin in his small eccentrically decorated hovel—house. The wizard was dressed in his usual stained blue robe moving around looking at various bottles and books and… things. They sat at the table in the center of the room Cloud with his head in his hands and Tifa carefully explaining the 'situation.'
"Ah yes… I've heard of these things… Shadow… Heartless." The wizard turned and looked at them with serious, serious eyes. "My dear friend Yen Sid told me of this. He said that King Mickey… a king from another world has been combating them but now…"
"But now?" Cloud became very interested. He knew that there were other worlds, but this… this was more then he'd thought if they were aware of the… Heartless.
"A leader has risen among both the ranks. Ansem for the Heartless along with Maleficent and for the Nobodies… Xemnas." The magician looked a bit disturbed.
"Xemnas? Nobodies?" Tifa stared at him her dark eyes wide. "What exactly is going on here Merlin?"
"I… I had been talking to Yen Sid about all this but… King Mickey believes that we are apart of the front line."
"What!" Cloud stood abruptly.
"We are the closest to the World That Never Was." Merlin sighed softly. "Our world may very well be doomed."
"I won't allow that!" Cloud growled.
"Neither will I." Tifa added.
"That's the spirit!"
Yuffie and her best friend in the world Yuna walked down the street towards the eatery that was close to school. She loved sneaking out of school for real food and was glad that Yuna shared her sense of adventure. They turned down the alley that was the shortcut and found themselves surrounded.
"What are they?" Yuna asked staring at the creepy white creatures as the seemed to… dance around them.
"I don't have a weapon… do you?" Yuffie asked ignoring the question in favor of attempting to get out of this alive.
"I fight with a staff."
"Shit." Yuffie assessed the situation. "I know a little bit of hand to hand. When I say run… Run." Yuna nodded, Yuffie barreled into the nearest creature. "RUN!"
Yuna took off running towards the school and Yuffie followed. The girls didn't stop running until they reached the steps of the school. They fell against the steps, hearts beating quickly and airways slightly constricted.
"I think… we should start carrying our weapons."
"This… I can agree to."
"You got attacked by what?" Leon's eye is twitching and Yuffie knows that that is never a good thing.
"These… white creatures." She shook her head and then said. "I didn't get hurt though."
"Get in here!" They both jumped at the urge note in their father's voice and took off for the next room.
Laguna Loire was staring at the television with wide, scared eyes. On the screen was downtown Radiant Garden, practically destroyed. He looked over at them. "Take your weapons. Keep them with you at all times."
"What are you going to do?" Leon asked a note of worry entering his voice.
"I'm going to call in a favor. We need to make a safe haven." He got up and headed towards the door.
"You're not going out there unarmed!" Yuffie started moving forward.
"I can still work a machine gun. I'm not that old!"
Riku clutched Sora's hand tight with in his own as they ran along side Kairi and Hayner towards the large gates. Deep magic had been used to secure what had been named the first district of Radiant Garden. The gated area was surrounded by strong, strong magic to protect the people that had survived the onslaught. Once safely inside the gates he noticed that the population was significantly less then what it had been when he and Sora had moved here. His heart hurt to think of that.
He noticed with a grin that the place that Sora had worked at for all of a week, Radiant Café was up and running. Though, it wasn't exactly a café any longer. It ran food and help to those that needed it as well as the building surrounding it. He squeezed Sora to him tightly, his friend still in wide-eyed shock from the call and then the attack.
"Riku." Sora's voice was smaller then he'd ever heard it. "What are we going to do now?"
"We're going to survive." He stated firmly. "We're going to survive."
Cloud and Areith stood just inside the Loire household in front of the acting leader; Laguna Loire as he growled at orders at what Cloud assumed was the defense committee.
"No one who can't fight, who isn't trained is allowed on the other side of the barrier. We don't have enough magic users and stones and devices to guard more then this district. We can't risk it."
"You have constructed walls around a third of the city!" An older man with balding hair stated almost outraged.
"The walls are magical and have doors at each man street that prevent the entrance of these creatures. Humans and animals can pass through freely. Or would you rather we had no protection at all?" Laguna asked as he glared at the men around him. "This is our option of survival. Those that got off world did. And many have already perished. This is our only option."
"Fine." None of the men looked happy about it.
Laguna dismissed them with a wave of the hand and finally turned to acknowledge Tifa and Cloud. He nodded to them with a friendly smile and rubbed at his leg absently.
"I get nervous easily." He supplied as he led them deeper into the house to the living room and beckoned them to sit. "How may I help you?"
"I'm Tifa Lockheart and this is Cloud Strife. We have some information that we think you might be interested in." Tifa stated as she sat on the couch and Cloud sprawled on the other end.
"Oh?" The older man sat on the chair his face strictly business.
"You know of Merlin and Yen Sid right?" Cloud asked from where he sat.
"Of course. Yen Sid trained my first wife at magic." He cocked his head.
"Merlin spoke to us about what the situation is from the outside. We're stuck in the middle of a war between what he called nobodies and heartless."
"So what do we have to do? Just last through it? What?" Laguna asked as the door opened and in stepped a man a about Cloud's age and a teenage girl.
"Apparently they are both after the same thing… Kingdom Hearts." Laguna drew in a breath and his hands shook so much that he clenched the chair. Cloud couldn't tell if it was in fear or anger. Maybe a little bit of both.
"And so here we are again." He shrugged an agile shoulder. "When I worked for the army… we got trapped in the plot of a Sorceress named Adel who was seeking out Kingdom Hearts. I thought I'd never hear of that cursed thing again."
"The sorceress war was over Kingdom Hearts?"
"Kingdom Hearts is… the most powerful magical artifact in the world… a collection of hearts." Laguna sighed deeply. "You don't find Kingdom Hearts… You create it."
Cloud coughed uncomfortable when what Laguna was explaining dawned on him. "So what does this mean?"
"Each heartless we kills will feed Kingdom Hearts and soon in the sky of Radiant Garden will appear a huge heart… We are the front line because we are a magical base for it. The artifact will appear here."
"They'll destroy Radiant Garden." Tifa whispered her eyes wide. "Is there anything we can do?"
"I… I don't know. I'll have to consult Merlin and Yen Sid. But there… There has to be something."
"Laguna." The chilly young man finally spoke in a cold monotone.
"Yes Leon?" He asked as he shifted in his chair to regard the man that was obviously his son.
"I found some information that will help us greatly." He spoke as he walked forward, the girl nodding excitedly.
"Oh?"
"Yen Sid connected me with King Mickey who explained to me about the legend of the keyblade." Laguna's eyes widened.
"So there is a keyblade master? This put things greatly in our favor." Laguna murmured tilting his head to his side. "Does he know who it is?"
"The King didn't say. He just said that the time is right and the power of hearts is ready."
"The key hasn't selected a wielder yet… but this is good news. Very good."
"Or maybe it has." Cloud stated. "In Destiny Islands it isn't uncommon for the townspeople to fight with keyblades. After all the Shiren-Kagi family has been teaching how to fight using a keyblade for over a century or so."
"Not the same." Laguna murmured. "There is a sacred teaching and style that the Shiren-Kagi family is forbidden to teach. You will understand… when the time comes."
"I hope so." Cloud murmured as he crossed his arms.
"What if this supposed wielder is on some other world and we can't find him?" Tifa asked.
"He'll come when he is needed most." Laguna murmured.
"I'd have to say now is a good time!" Cloud growled agitated.
"Look… I have the town's defense of the walls here. Later today, Leon is going to round up warriors to create an outward defense line that will go beyond to the doors to patrol and find any other survivors. We have nothing to build an offense with right now. We have no choice."
"I understand." Cloud acquiesced. "But this great keyblade wielder had better be as good as you say."
"He will be." Laguna spoke softly. "He has to be."
Rhiannon: Thank god for chapter export... that is what made this post today possible.