Hey people, how are you doing? Here's chapter 14 for you to read!
Since we focused on Roxas in the latest chapter, now let's see what the others are doing.
Chapter XIV
Heartless and Flames
1500hrs, July 31st, 2024
Andy's House
"There it is," said Buzz.
Aqua and Ventus looked up and saw the string that was used to open the door of the attic. Luckily, there was a small hole in the door, so they could use it to get into the attic without opening the door. Being small had its advantages after all. The two Keyblade wielders were the only ones who could reach the string since Woody and Buzz couldn't jump as high as them, so now it was up to them.
"That place is really dark, so be careful, okay?" said Woody.
"Sure, don't worry about us," replied Ven giving the toy a thumb up.
Then the group started to hear something. It was someone trying to communicate with them using a walkie-talkie. Ven and Aqua wondered how Woody could carry something that was bigger than him so easily.
"Woody, Andy's mom is going upstairs!" said Ham through the walkie-talkie.
"Ok, what should we do now?" asked Aqua, who didn't want the toys to get busted. "Ven and I can reach the string to get to the attic, but what about you?"
"Don't worry, if we stop moving, Andy's mom will take us to the room again," said Buzz. "Then you two can climb to the attic to look for that Harmless."
"Heartless, Buzz," corrected Woody.
"Right, right, of course," said the space ranger smiling, and then he and the others heard the steps of Andy's mom getting closer to them. "Hurry, hide behind the legs of that table!"
"Just as we planned, we'll be prepared if the Heartless tries to escape," said Woody. "Good luck!"
Then the two toys froze, pretending to be just unanimated toys. Aqua and Ventus were already hiding behind the table's leg, just like Buzz told them to. They waited for Andy's mother to appear, and after a few seconds, they could see a brown-haired woman with blue eyes approaching Woody and Buzz. The two Keyblade wielders saw how they woman took the two toys and the walkie-talkie with a puzzled expression on her face.
"How strange," Andy's mom said. "I wonder how they got here. Buster must have something to do with this."
Andy's mother headed to her son's room to leave the toys there, and Aqua and Ven took the chance to jump to the top of the table. Now that the woman left, it was their opportunity to reach the attic.
"I wonder who Buster is," said Ven.
"It must be their dog or something like that," said Aqua before looking at the string that she and Ven needed to use to reach the attic. "Come on, we have to reach the attic before she returns."
"Right," said Ven.
The blue-haired Keyblade Master jumped and grabbed the string when her hand was close enough to it. Ven did the same after Aqua climbed up a bit, and now the two were using the string to get close to the attic.
"This reminds me of my physical training as Master Eraqus' apprentice when I was a kid," said Aqua as she climbed. "How are you doing, Ven?"
"Fine," said the blond as he followed Aqua through the string. "It's a good thing you use shorts, you know?"
"…"
Aqua stopped climbing for a moment and used her left foot to hit Ven's face lightly. She didn't use much force since she didn't want him to fall, but it was hard enough to hurt the boy a little.
"Hey, what was that for!?" asked Ven while rubbing his forehead.
"Keep those kinds of comments to yourself if you don't want another one," said Aqua sternly as she continued climbing.
"Aye, ma'am" said Ven. "Oh, by the way, you met the friends Sora made in Earth Land, right? How are they?"
"They're fine, at least the ones Terra and I met in that city," replied Aqua, who was getting close to the hole she and Ven had to use to reach the house's attic. "They were really happy to see Sora again."
"I can imagine that," said Ven smiling.
"Hey, what can you tell me about Erza?" asked Aqua, who just arrived at the hole and was waiting for Ven to help him.
"Erza?" asked Ven as Aqua helped him. "I would say that she's like you and Kairi."
"What kind of description is that?" asked Aqua raising an eyebrow. "Well, it's true she looks a little like Kairi. Anyway, do you remember if she's strong? I didn't have the opportunity to see her fighting against the Heartless."
"Oh yeah, she's really strong," affirmed Ven, who was now in the attic with Aqua. "She's an S-Class Mage after all. That'd be like the Master rank for Keyblade wielders. Why do you ask?"
"Just curious…" said Aqua as she took a look at her surroundings. Woody wasn't joking when he said that the attic was a dark place. There were a lot of boxed around, so the two Keyblade wielders started walking. They had to find the Heartless as soon as possible.
"Just curious?" said Ven. "Really?"
"Well, I thought it'd be interesting to have a duel with her," admitted Aqua.
"Whoa, Aqua looking for a fight," said Ven jokingly. "That's something I didn't expect hearing from you."
"Hey, what's wrong in wanting to test my skills with someone who's not a Keyblade wielder?" asked Aqua, putting her hands on her hips. "You have to admit that fighting between us isn't as productive as it was before. We all know the fighting style of each other, so I thought that sparring with other people would be more useful."
"Why don't you join a guild, then?" asked Ven. "That way you'll have lots of people to practice with you, and you'll make more friends too."
"You know I want to join a guild like Sora did," answered Aqua. "It would be a good idea to be allies with more guilds. If we establish alliance with other guilds, then we'll be stronger when something bad happens. I'll ask Sora to take me to Earth Land again when we return to Radiant Garden."
"Why don't you ask Kairi instead?" suggested Ven. "She still hasn't visited the guild she joined, so you should go with her. Besides, I want to go with Sora to the next mission he gets."
"Oh, how so?" asked a curious Aqua.
"Well, you and Terra already went with him to Fiore, so now it's my turn," replied Ven. "He always gets the most interesting missions, but I have to admit that this one is rather interesting."
Aqua smiled. "That's true. By the way, you still haven't answered my question. What do you mean Erza is like me and Kairi?"
"Oh, you know…she can be nice and kind, but scary when she gets angry," replied Ven. "Luckily Sora didn't do anything to upset her. Hey Aqua, can't you use Heart Perception to see if there's a Heartless around here?"
"There are Heartless in this place, but it's going to be difficult taking care of them," said Aqua. "We should climb one of these boxes. I'll use a spell to illuminate the room."
"All right," said Ven before jumping to the nearest box.
"Now that you mentioned the Heart Perception," said Aqua while jumping to the box where Ven was. "Isn't there a friend of Sora who has that ability? Kairi mentioned her to me when we were in Radiant Garden."
"Oh right, Maka," said Ventus as he remembered the pigtailed girl. "What about her?"
"It's intriguing," said Aqua touching her chin. "How someone who's not a Keyblade wielder managed to develop that ability? Do you know something about that?"
"It seems that Sora and Maka performed some kind of special resonance between his heart and her soul to increase the power of their attacks," replied Ven, and then he realized that he should change the subject. "Uh…I don't know how to explain it better than that, sorry."
"It's okay," said Aqua. "She got Heart Perception since she could already use Soul Perception. Did Sora get a new ability?"
"Ah…n-no, I don't think so…" said a nervous Ven.
"Hey, why are you so nervous now?" asked Aqua. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, nothing at all," replied the blond.
"Ventus, I know when you're lying," said Aqua, now with a serious expression on her face. "Did something happen to Sora?"
"Uh…wait, do you hear that?" asked Ven.
"Do you really think that's going to work?" asked Aqua crossing her arms.
"No, seriously," said Ven. "Don't you hear some growling?"
"It wasn't your stomach?" asked Aqua. "It took us two days to arrive here, and you didn't eat much in the Gummi Ship."
"Could you use your magic to illuminate the attic?" asked Ventus.
"Very well," replied Aqua, and then she started to create a small ball of light with her hands. The room started to illuminate when the ball made of light grew.
Ventus and Aqua started to hear the growling sounds closer than before. They turned their heads at the same time and saw that there were a lot of Heartless behind them. It made them wonder how the people living in the house didn't realize that their attic was full of Heartless.
"Hey there," said Ven, waving his hand at the dark monsters.
-TLG-
1630hrs, August 2nd, 2024
Light Guardians Guild, Radiant Garden
"Then you want to come with me?" asked Kairi. She, Naminé and Terra were in the main room of the guild, resting after finishing the missions they got in Radiant Garden.
"It would be nice to talk with them personally," said Naminé. "Besides, don't you want to see how they are?"
"Yes, I'd like to see them," said Kairi smiling. "Sora and Riku already visited the guilds they joined, so I should do it too. But let's wait for Aqua, okay? She said she was interested in joining a Mages Guild, so it'd be a good idea to take her with us."
"Okay," said Naminé. "Terra, you also wanted to join a Mages Guild, right?"
Terra nodded. "I'd have liked to go with Riku, but I wasn't here when he decided to return to Earth Land. Maybe I should go on my own. What was the name of the guild you joined, Kairi?"
"Blue Pegasus," replied the redhead.
"And how is it?" asked Terra.
"It's known to gather a series of mages, mostly female ones, considered highly attractive and fashionable, enough to become true icons," Kairi replied.
"Uh…" Terra didn't know how to react to that description.
Kairi giggled. "Well, despite its reputation stemming mostly from the beautiful and fashionable men and women in it, Blue Pegasus is a powerful guild which is kept in high regard."
"I wonder how Sora would react if he heard you saying that the men of Blue Pegasus are attractive," said Naminé amusedly.
"Hey, what's wrong with that?" asked Kairi crossing her arms. "Besides, he slept in the female dormitory of his guild, so he shouldn't be the one complaining."
"Wait, really?" asked Terra surprised. "That boy isn't as innocent as I thought he was…"
Naminé laughed. "That was just the Guild Master of Fairy Tail messing with him. You could say that it was a practical joke, since he was the newest member."
"That makes more sense," said Terra.
"And if that wasn't enough, most of the girls in his guild are so…" said Kairi, reluctant to finish her sentence. "I can't compete with them in that aspect…"
"What do you mean?" asked a curious Terra.
"Y-y-you know what I mean!" said Kairi embarrassedly. "You met Lucy and Erza, right!?"
"Uh, yes…what's wrong with them?" said Terra, not understanding what Kairi was referring to.
Kairi sighed. "Forget it."
"If you ask me, Lucy and Erza aren't the ones you should be worrying about~" said Naminé.
"I know, but-wait, what's that supposed to mean!?" asked Kairi slightly shocked. "W-what do you know!?"
Naminé giggled. "Sorry, that's between Sora and me…although he doesn't know that I know."
"Come on, Naminé," pleaded Kairi.
"Aww, why so curious?" asked the blonde girl playfully.
Before Kairi, who started to blush because of Naminé's teasing, could answer, two people entered the guild's building. Terra and the two girls looked at the front door of their guild and saw that Riku and Roxas just returned from their mission.
"Hey," said Riku.
"Hey Riku, how did it go?" asked Terra.
"Fine," replied the silver-haired boy. "Did you three read the note I wrote?"
"Yes, we read it," answered Naminé. "Could you catch the person who was stealing the Lacrima?"
"No," replied Roxas as he sat on couch near the other Keyblade wielders. "But he was stealing Lacrima when we went there. I could stop him from taking it, but he managed to escape."
"That's good to hear," said Kairi. "Nice job."
"Um, Roxas," said Naminé. "You're sitting on Sora's couch."
"Come on, just because he takes his naps here-" said Roxas before his hand touched something that was under one of the couch's pillow. It was a note saying 'Get up from my couch'. "Oh for crying out loud…"
Naminé giggled. "So, it was Pete the one stealing the Lacrima for Maleficent?"
"Actually it was someone else, much to my surprise," Roxas replied. "It was a Demon Weapon."
"From Shibusen!?" asked Kairi surprised.
"No, it was someone who's not affiliated with the academy," said Roxas. "Actually, it looks like he hates Shinigami and his academy, so it's normal that he ended up working for Maleficent."
Terra sighed. "I wonder what her plan is this time. Sending Heartless to the worlds is something we would've expected from her. It's…too obvious."
"You're right," agreed Riku. "There must be something else she's planning to do to conquer the worlds, but either way, we can't stop protecting the worlds."
"Yes, we'll have to find out while we protect other worlds from the Heartless," said Kairi. "Oh, by the way Riku, how are the mages of Lamia Scale?"
"They're fine," said Riku smiling. "None of them have changed, but I guess that's good."
"Everything went fine, then?" asked Kairi.
"If by 'fine' you mean getting your face kicked by a Dragon Slayer, then yes, everything went fine," said Roxas, who was now eating a Sea-salt ice cream.
"Where did he get that ice cream?" thought Riku.
"That's sound like something Natsu would do," said Naminé.
"He thought I was the one stealing the Lacrima and attacked me," said Roxas slightly annoyed as he bit his ice cream. "Seriously, do I really look like a thief?"
"Well, according to Lucy you appeared in front of them with the Lacrima," said Riku. "I'd have thought the same, to be honest."
"Give me a break…" said Roxas. "It'll be a while before I go to that world again."
"Come on, it wasn't that bad," said Riku. "You even got invited to join a guild by the Guild Master himself."
"Really?" asked Terra. "What guild invited you?"
"Sabertooth," replied Roxas, looking at the brown-haired man. "I declined the offer, but I told them that you and Aqua are looking forward to join a Mages Guild. They looked like good guys, so maybe you should visit them if you're interested."
"Sabertooth, huh?" said Terra pensively. "I'll think about it."
"So, are the others still outside?" asked Riku.
Kairi nodded. "It's been four days since they left. I wonder how they're doing."
"Aqua and Ven are taking care of the Heartless in another world, but I wonder what is taking Sora and Xion so long," said Terra. "They only had to left our armors and come back."
"Knowing those two, surely they got into trouble," said Roxas.
"Surely it has to do something with the Heartless, as always," said Kairi. "Hey Roxas, Riku, you should ask Shibusen about that Demon Weapon who was stealing the Lacrima. Maybe they've dealt with him before."
"Right," said Riku. "Naminé, could you…?"
"Of course," said the blonde as she stood up.
Then someone else crossed the entrance of the guild, and the Keyblade wielders thought it was one of the two pairs who went to another world; however, they were surprised to see that there was another person at the guild's entrance. It was a man with long sky blue hair and sea green eyes.
"Isa!" said the Keyblade wielders.
-TLG-
1000hrs, August 3rd, 2024
Eastern Headquarters, East City, Amestris
"What's wrong?" asked Sora looking at the Fullmetal Alchemist, who was in front of the door of the study that belonged to a certain colonel he mentioned before. Sora, Xion, Ed, Al and Armstrong were now in the Military Headquarters of East City, and it looks like Ed wasn't very happy with this.
"You see…" said Al.
"I'd rather look for the Heartless instead of being here," said Ed.
"You can't be serious…" said Xion, wondering how Ed's superior officer was.
"Come on, we have no time to lose," Armstrong said before opening the door in front of him. "The sooner Sora and Xion take care of the Heartless, the better."
"Right, right…" said Ed.
The Elric Brother and the two Keyblade wielders followed Armstrong and went into the study of 'Colonel Sparkles', nickname that Ed used to refer to his superior when he talked about him with Sora and Xion. Inside the study there were several people using the blue uniform that used members of Amestris' military. Sora and Xion already saw a lot of people wearing that uniform while they entered the building, so they weren't surprised to see more people with it.
"Major, why are you here?" asked a man who was in a desk at the end of the room. He had short black hair and dark eyes. "I thought you were in Central, taking care of those creatures and helping the Elric Brothers with Marcoh's research."
"Yes, but I had to go to Resembool with them," the Major answered as he approached the black-haired man. "The two needed…maintenance."
"Hey Colonel…" Edward said as he and his brother moved from behind Armstrong, so the black-haired man could see them.
"Oh Fullmetal, didn't see you there," said the man, much to Ed's annoyance. "I see you had some troubles with those little monsters. Maybe you need more help than I supposed you'd need."
"Why you…" said an upset Ed.
"How about here?" asked Al, trying to change the subject. "Did you have troubles dealing with them?"
"You bet," said a man with blond hair who had a cigarette in his mouth. "There were a lot, but luckily we could defeat all of them."
"Wait, are you saying that they already attacked?" asked Armstrong concerned.
"You could say that," said a man who had brown hair in a shaggy crew cut. "Suddenly a lot of them started appearing around the base, but we could take care of them with ease. It's good that they're not bulletproof."
"Did you find some kind of small sphere after you fought against them?" asked Ed. Sora and Xion told him, Al and the Major about the spheres that could attract the Heartless while they were on the train bound for East City, and he wanted to know if the soldiers found the sphere.
"No, why do you ask?" said the black-haired man.
"It's…a device," replied Ed. "Its purpose is to lure more of those things here, so if we find the one that has it and defeat it, they'll stop appearing."
"How do you know that, Ed?" asked surprised a blonde woman who was next to the colonel.
"Those two told me," said Ed pointing at Sora and Xion.
"I was about to ask who they are," said the colonel. "Did you get yourself two bodyguards, Fullmetal? Not that there's much to protect…"
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SMALL!?" yelled an angry Edward suddenly.
"Brother, calm down," said Al as he grabbed his older brother so he couldn't hit the colonel.
"He sure is quite sensitive with his height," muttered Xion, and Sora chuckled.
"I'm Colonel Roy Mustang," said the black-haired man, looking at the two Keyblade wielders with his sharp eyes. "Mind telling us your names and the reason you're here?"
"I'm Sora, and she's Xion," said the brown-haired boy. "We heard that you were having problems with the Heartless, so we're here to take care of them."
"Heartless? Those creatures have a name?" asked the colonel. "Anyway, what can you do that the Military can't? I don't know if I should let two kids take care of this threat on their own. There are lots of them, and you don't look very…capable."
"Colonel, with all my respects, you don't know what you're saying," said Al, who knew that relying on Sora and Xion was the best thing to do. "I know Amestris' military is able to deal with the Heartless, but it's not enough."
"Alphonse, why are you so sure-" said the colonel, but before he could finish, he was interrupted by Armstrong.
"Do you remember Miss Yuffie, Colonel?" asked the major.
"You mean the girl who helped us in Central? Yes, I remember her," said Roy, and then his expression turned into an irritated one. "That little thief…"
"Yes, he remembers her all right," said Sora, trying not to laugh.
"Didn't she tell you some kind of story?" asked Armstrong.
"Not that I remember," replied Mustang. "Why are you asking this?"
"She told one story to me after I asked her about her home," said the blonde woman, much to the colonel's surprise. "It was a bit hard to believe. Come to think, she actually mentioned something about Heartless."
"Could it be that she was warning us about these things?" asked a man with grey hair.
"Lieutenant," said the colonel looking at the blonde woman. "Did that girl say something about how to stop the Heartless or whatever they're called?"
"Yes, she said something about that…" said the lieutenant while touching her chin. Then she looked at Xion and Sora, and when her gaze landed on the boy, her expression turned into one of realization. "I see…"
"What is it?" asked Roy.
"Colonel Mustang, you should let them deal with the Heartless," said the woman.
"Wait, what makes you say that?" asked Mustang surprised.
"It'd take too long to explain everything," the woman said. "If you want this problem to be fixed as soon as possible, then you should do what I say. You already have something else to worry about, so let's leave the Heartless for them."
"Right, that guy who might be pretending to be me," said Mustang crossing his arms.
"What guy?" asked Edward after his brother managed to calm him down.
"We heard some rumors that in Central there's someone who can use some kind of Flame Alchemy," replied Roy. "People have seen fire coming out from nowhere, but surprisingly the city is intact. Also, according to Hughes, it seems that the Heartless are now there."
"We think that the Fake Flame Alchemist might be the one behind this 'invasion'," said a young man with black hair and glasses. "No one has seen his face, but it is said that he wears a black coat."
"That sounds disturbing," said Armstrong. "We'll have to be careful."
"Sora, that could be-" whispered Xion.
"I know," replied Sora also in a low voice so the others couldn't hear him. "We'll look for him while we're there."
"Okay," said Xion smiling.
"Now, regarding you two," said Mustang looking at the Keybearers. "I don't know why the Lieutenant thinks you're capable of taking care of this, but I know she must have her reasons. However, I need a proof that you two know how to defend yourselves. I have to make sure you're not doing this just to show off."
"Told you, Sora," Ed said. "What are you going to do?"
"Let's see…" said Sora as he thought of something to convince Colonel Mustang.
"How about a little duel?" suggested Xion, and everyone in the room looked at her astonished.
"Hey Xion…" said Sora.
"Are you kidding?" asked Mustang, not knowing if Xion was actually serious. "You don't know what you're saying."
"Come on, didn't you want to know what we could do that the military couldn't?" asked Xion. "Then let me show you what I'm made of."
"Oh, so you'll be my opponent if I agree to this?" asked Roy.
"What is it, Colonel? Scared of losing to her?" taunted Ed. "I wouldn't be surprise considering how useless you are."
"Brother…" said Al.
"Shut your mouth, Fullmetal!" said Mustang annoyed.
"So, what do you say?" asked Xion with a cheeky grin. "Do you want to do it? Or are you afraid to hit a girl?"
"Very well, but I'm not going to hold back," said Mustang as he got up from his chair. "If you win, I'll leave the Heartless to you."
"And if you win, Colonel?" asked the blond mad with the cigarette out of curiosity.
"They will have to work for me until they pay their friend's debt," Mustang said.
"Oh, you mean Yuffie…how much is it?" asked Sora, not sure if he wanted to know.
"Five thousand Cenz," replied the colonel smirking.
"That sounds like a lot of money," muttered Sora.
"Deal!" said Xion.
Sora was about to say something, but he knew Xion was as stubborn as him, probably even more. He just hoped she wouldn't overdo it. The people of the colonel's unit looked concerned, mostly because of Xion; however, the lieutenant looked more concerned about Mustang. On the other hand, Edward looked amused, as if he wanted his superior to get beaten up by the black-haired girl.
"Let's go to the courtyard, then," said Mustang as he walked out his study.
"Alright!" said Xion as she followed Mustang.
"This is going to be interesting," Ed said before walking out the room.
"What's with that smug face?" thought Al as he followed his brother.
"Seriously, he's like a kid," said the lieutenant face-palming. Then she also exited the room along with the boy with glasses. Sora was about to do the same when one of the members of Mustang's Unit called him.
"Hey, Sora, right?" asked the man with grey hair.
"Yeah," said the Keyblade wielder after turning around to look at the man's face.
"The name's Vato Falman," said the man. "Sorry about all this, but the colonel is kind of arrogant, and letting two teens he barely know is something he wouldn't do. Oh, but don't tell him I said that, please."
"Joking aside, are you really able to make those monster leave Amestris?" asked the man with the shaggy crew cut. "The colonel would never admit it, but this is starting to be over our heads. Oh, I'm Heymans Breda, by the way."
"I never joke when it comes to the Heartless," said Sora. "I'm not saying that you guys aren't capable of solve this, but it's going to take you time, and people might get hurt."
"Well, the little alchemist wouldn't have brought you here if you weren't able to help us with this problem," said the man with the cigarette smiling. "I'm Jean Havoc, it's a pleasure. It seems that Lieutenant Hawkeye also thinks that you and the girl can take care of this, but if your friend doesn't win, then what are you going to do?"
"Don't worry about that," said Sora smiling. "Xion's not going to lose. Besides, we're going to help you even if your colonel wins. Now, let's see how this duel ends."
The three men looked at each other while Sora walked out the room. They wondered how Sora could be so sure that Xion was going to win. Mustang was a State Alchemist and a hero of a war that took place around ten years ago, so how strong could be Xion?
-TLG-
Now Mustang and Xion were in a wide courtyard. Many soldiers heard that the colonel was challenged to a duel by a girl, so now the State Alchemist and the Keyblade wielders had a lot of public. Mustang's Unit, Armstrong, the Elric Brothers and Sora were also there. The boy with glasses was between Xion and Mustang since he was going to be the one who will give the signal to start the duel.
"Xion, make sure to kick his butt!" exclaimed Ed, and Xion smiled and gave him a thumb up.
"You're having too much fun with this, don't you think?" asked Sora smiling.
"Hey Sora, if Xion summons her Keyblade with all this people here it might cause you trouble," Al whispered, so the Mustang Unit couldn't hear him. "What are you going to do if that happens?"
"Oh, you're right," said Sora in realization, and then he started making gestures to draw's Xion attention. The girl noticed Sora and saw that he was trying to tell her something.
"Try to not…use...the Keyblade," said Xion reading Sora's lips the better she could. She immediately understood why Sora was telling her that, and she nodded to show Sora that she got it.
"So, are you ready?" asked Mustang. "Or are you going to run away?"
"I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you," said Xion smirking.
"Opponents get set!" said the boy wearing glasses through a microphone, and then he started running away really fast, much to Xion's surprise. "Ready and fight!"
"Hey!" said Xion as she saw the boy running to where Sora and the others were. Then she looked again at Mustang, who was looking at her with an arrogant expression.
"Too slow, girl," said Roy just before he snapped his fingers. The colonel created a huge fire explosion that was aimed at Xion. From Mustang's and the spectators' perspective, it looked like the explosion hit Xion completely.
"Oh my…" said Armstrong.
"He overdid it…" said Havoc before looking at the Keyblade wielder next to him. "Sora…"
"Relax and look closely," said Sora smiling.
Mustang prepared his hand to make another snap, just in case Xion charged at him from the smoke of his explosion. He couldn't see the girl, so he stood there, waiting for her to make her move. Then, to his shock, he heard Xion's voice near him.
"Wow, no wonder you're the Flame Alchemist," said the black-haired girl, who was sat on her heels, looking at the place where the colonel's explosion hit.
"How did you…" said Mustang wide-eyed.
Xion grinned before jumping over the colonel. She put her feet on Mustang's back and used it to impulse herself away from him. Creating an explosions being so close to him wouldn't be a good idea. She didn't want to hurt the colonel after all; she just wanted to mess with him a little.
"Come on, show me what you can do," said Xion.
"Why you…" said Mustang and then he started snapping his fingers repeatedly, trying to hit Xion with his explosions, but the girl was moving too fast for him to land a hit.
Meanwhile, Sora and the others looked amazed at how Xion dodged all the explosions Mustang created. Xion got close to the colonel a couple of times to make him fall to the ground by kicking his legs, or to just simply make faces in front of the man to irritate him.
"She's so fast," said Al impressed.
"She's playing with Mustang and she's not even using her weapon," thought Armstrong, and then he looked at Sora, who was watching the fight a bit amused. "If he's the leader, I wonder how strong he really is."
"Come on, Colonel, you need to aim properly!" said Ed to annoy Mustang. "You're so useless~!"
"Damn it, stop moving so fast," said Roy as he tried to hit Xion with his alchemy.
"Aww, didn't you say that I was too slow?" asked Xion playfully.
"She sure is having fun with this," thought Sora smiling. Then he looked at his left and saw that the boy with glasses was looking at the fight amazed. "Hey, what's your name?"
"Oh right, we didn't introduce properly before," replied the boy with glasses. "My name is Kain Fuery, nice to meet you."
"Likewise," said Sora. "Say, do you know how Mustang is creating those flames?"
"Right, this is the first time you've seen the colonel fight," said Fuery. "You see, his right glove is made out of special material called ignition cloth. When he snaps, he makes a spark."
"Then he uses alchemy to change the oxygen density in the air," continued Havoc, who was hearing Sora and Fuery's conversation. "And boom, bombs on command."
"He's pretty good," said Breda. "He's not a State Alchemist for nothing."
"But it seems that the girl is even better, in agility at least," said Falman as he saw how Xion continued dodging Mustang's attacks and, occasionally, pushing him. "I've never seen anyone that fast."
"I told you she's pretty good," said Sora, who was now leant on the small stone walls that surrounded the courtyard. Then the blonde woman, who was referred as Lieutenant Hawkeye by Havoc, approached him and also leant on the wall.
"Sora," said Hawkeye, and the boy looked at her. "You're the boy from Yuffie's story, right? The boy who has a weapon that can defeat the Heartless with ease, am I right?"
"…yeah," replied Sora with a troubled expression.
"What's wrong?" asked Hawkeye.
"You know Winry Rockbell?" asked Sora.
"Yes, she's a close friend of the Elric Brothers," answered Hawkeye.
"Well, Yuffie also told her that story, and Ed and Al know about it too," said Sora. "I don't mind that people know about me, it's easier when I have to help with the Heartless. But she gave you guys too much details…"
"Yes, some things she told me sounded like they were private information," said Hawkeye as a small smile appeared on her face.
"Is she smiling?" thought Sora, not sure if he wanted to know what she was thinking about. He had to make sure to have a little talk with Yuffie when he returns to Radiant Garden.
Hawkeye cleared her throat. "Anyway, I wanted to know if everything she told me true. I can understand why I'm the only one who she decided to tell about it, but even I have to admit that it sounds unrealistic. However, now that I know that those creatures are Heartless, maybe it was true after all."
"Everything is true," said Sora. "I know it must be difficult to believe. Sometimes I wonder how people would believe such a story. Even I thought it was hard to believe when I heard about the Heartless and the Keyblade the first time."
"Keyblade…" said Hawkeye, and then she looked at Xion, who continued making fun of Mustang. "She has one of those weapons too?"
"Yes," replied Sora.
"Could I see yours?" asked Hawkeye. There was no reason to don't believe Sora, but she wanted at least a proof. Sora nodded and summoned his Keyblade carefully, so the other soldiers of the Mustang Unit couldn't see it. The lieutenant looked at the key-shaped sword with a surprised expression.
"So, what do you think?" asked Sora.
"It…sure looks like a key," replied Hawkeye, and Sora laughed. "Everything is true, then. I guess I should thank you for what you did."
"Nah, you don't have to," said Sora.
"Then let me thank you for helping us," said the lieutenant. "I don't think you'll get any grateful words from the colonel after what Xion is doing to him. It servers him right, though."
Sora laughed. "Alright, you're welcome, Lieutenant."
"Formalities don't suit you at all," said the blonde as she extended her hand. "Just call me Riza. Riza Hawkeye."
"Nice to meet you too, Riza," said Sora as he and the lieutenant shook hands. She wasn't as cold and distant as he thought, although her serious expression made Sora nervous.
Mustang and Xion continued fighting for a while. The girl didn't want to use the Keyblade since Sora told him to try to win without it, so she had to find a way to finish the match without hurting the colonel. Maybe she could end it with a single spell.
"I've got you now!" said Mustang when Xion stopped moving for a second. He was about to snap his fingers when he saw that Xion had also her right hand raised, as if she was going to snap her fingers too.
"Time for a shower," said Xion smiling, and then she snapped her fingers.
"What'd you say?" asked Roy. He saw that Xion was pointing at something that was above him. The colonel looked above and then he felt how a lot of water was poured all over him.
Xion laughed. "I saw that you use that glove of yours to make the flames. I guess you can't make flames if your glove is wet, right?"
"Did she make that water?" thought Mustang. Then he started to look in his left pocket for his left glove, the one he saved for emergencies. "This isn't done yet."
"Monsters!" shouted a soldier suddenly. This alerted Roy and Xion, who stopped their duel for a moment to look around them. A group of Heartless appeared behind Xion, and a second one behind the colonel.
Before Xion or Mustang could react, several stone pillars crushed the Heartless with great speed. The black-haired girl turned her head to see that it was Edward the one who created the pillars using his alchemy.
"I didn't need your help, Fullmetal," said Mustang.
"Shut up!" shouted Ed annoyed. "Be more grateful!"
Then a group of Heartless appeared above Mustang. Xion saw them and warned the colonel. Mustang turned around and saw that the Heartless were going to attack him, so he put his right special glove to destroy them with his flames. Mustang snapped his fingers and created an explosion where the Heartless were and destroyed all of them, but then another group appeared and went through the flames. Mustang didn't expect this, but before the monsters could reach him, something destroyed them. It happened so fast that he was the only soldier who saw it.
"What was that? Did it come from behind?" thought Mustang. He turned around and the only one who was there was the girl he was fighting with. Xion looked at him and gave him a toothy smile. "It was her…"
"It looks like it's settled," said Sora smiling.
-TLG-
"What made you change your mind?" asked Breda. "Your right glove was still dry, right?"
"Do you think it would have ended differently?" asked Havoc. "The girl was just playing with him. The colonel didn't stand a chance."
"Watch it, Havoc," said Mustang with a scary face.
"Y-yeah, sorry," said Havoc scared.
After the little incident with the Heartless, Mustang decided to let Sora and Xion take care of Amestris' problem with the Heartless. None of the soldiers of the Eastern Headquarters knew why he changed his mind, but he must have had his reasons. Now Armstrong, the Elric Brothers and the Keyblade wielders were heading to Central to look for the Heartless with the Lacrima Sphere. Sora and Xion also wanted to find that person who also used flames since he might be a certain redhead they know.
"It was a good decision, believe me," said Hawkeye.
"Right, maybe something good can come from this. If those two actually solve this problem…" said Mustang, and then a silly grin appeared on his face. "Then I'll say that I was the one who discovered them!"
Hawkeye sighed. "Seriously..."
"Oh, I almost forgot," said Fuery as he grabbed something from his pocket. "Sora told me to give you this, Colonel Mustang."
"What is it?" asked Mustang as he took the envelope that Fuery had in his hand. The colonel opened it and took a note that was inside.
"What does it say?" asked Havoc.
"Sorry for what Yuffie did," read Mustang, and then he noticed that there was something else in the envelope. The colonel opened it and to his surprise, there were five thousand Cenz inside it.
"Holy crap!" said Havoc, looking at the money. "Where did he get that money?"
Breda chuckled. "It looks like he couldn't leave the city without paying the girl's debt. He's a good kid."
"Now we can return the money to the museum," said Falman. "We'll have to thank him the next time we see him."
"I should have said a higher number," muttered Mustang.
-TLG-
Well, that's that. The scene with Aqua and Ventus was shorter since I wanted to include one with the Keyblade wielders that were in Radiant Garden.
Also, please don't use the review section as a chat. I want to answer the questions of the reviewers myself, and I don't want to get more reviews because you guys start having conversations there. Sorry if this sounds rude.
To EvanderAdvent: Oh, but they can do that. I mean, I think strong Keyblade wielders can use two Keyblades at the same time as long as the second one is summoned by another one since they're "borrowing" their power. For example, Roxas would be able to use two Keyblades at the same time if Sora let him use his Keyblade, but then Sora would be disarmed. Never thought of putting Lea in Quarto Cerberus, that's a good idea.
To Anthony627AA: Glad you liked the last chapter. I'm trying to not rush the Digimon Crossover since it's going to be shorter than the others I wrote.
To Ventusblade: Yeah, I was sure you were going to like that chapter. After the FMA mission, there will be a chapter (maybe two) of Sora going on an expedition outside Radiant Garden, and then the RWBY mission will take place. Sora and Ventus will be the ones who will go to Beacon. I think you wrote a review asking me to send Ventus with Sora there, so I hope you like the idea.
To The Dark Dragon Emperor: I don't think so, sorry. I started watching Naruto a long time ago, but I dropped it. I guess it didn't interest me enough to follow it. Oh, I want to answer a part of your review in my Digimon Crossover: I know that in the canon universe of Kingdom Hearts, Destiny Islands is a different world, but in the universe I created for this story, it also part of the "Earth" or "real world". Only Sora, Riku, Kairi, their parents, Selphie, Tidus and Wakka know that Destiny Islands is its own world. The rest of the Earth thinks it's just a normal island. That's why Sora, Riku and Kairi could go to Shibuya using a boat. You could say that in this story, the characters of Destiny Island, Soul Eater, Digimon and Shibuya belong to the same world. And there'll be more characters from other series that'll be part of this "special Earth". I hope it's not very confusing.
To kingdomkey0703: I'll take a look at it, thanks.
To KeybearerSky13: I don't want all of them to be in a Mages Guild, one Keyblade wielder per guild is what I'm aiming for. Also, I think you got the purpose of the tournament wrong. Its purpose is to make the Light Guardians fight against the other guilds/organizations that participate in the tournament.
To Sunny Lighter: Giriko? I think he appeared in episode 26-27 of the anime. That idea with Sid sounds fun, probably I use it.
To StarTrail: You think? Sometimes I think I don't explain enough some things XD. This first visit will end when Ed, Al and Winry leave for Rush Valley. Sora will have to return for the armors later.
To Great fan-M: I'm glad you liked Roxas' chapter. I might do another one with a different character in a future. Regarding the readers talking about Sora's relationships, it might be because I'm one of the few writers who make Sora a "ladies' man". Before I started writing, Riku was always the one who took that role in the stories I read, so I wanted to change that after seeing how smooth he was with Shiki in KH3D. Besides, this "unwanted harem", if you want to call it like that, is convenient to pull out funny situations, right?
To AnimeMasterDub: 1) Who is working for Maleficent? Perhaps people who should be dead…or not. 2) I decided not to show the Keyblade to Mustang and the other soldiers, not everyone need to know about it, at least not yet. 3) He will, but not in this chapter. 4-5-6) I think you already know the answer to this questions.
To Guest: Exactly, that's the point of Radiant Garden's Tournament. The armor changing with the Drive Forms sounds nice, but the armor needs to be repaired first.
To ImSoAwesome: Roxas vs. Sting, huh? That could be a good match in the tournament.
To Guest: Sword Art Online will be part of this story.
To Drag0n-0f-Shu: I'm glad you like it, I also enjoy making the character of the different series interact with each other. I was thinking of making them meet each other in the tournament that will take place in Radiant Garden (which is kind of far) but if I can come up with something to make them meet each other sooner, I'll use it.
To TigerOfGuy7139: Yes, Fairy Tail is an important part in this fanfic, so Sora will visit them several times (He's a member of that guild, after all). Regarding Hisui, well, who know what'll happen ;) First I kind of want Sora to interact with Levy more. You could say that, after SoraxKairi, I support SoraxLevy lol. I heard a lot of good things about Fire Emblem; I'll have to try it someday. The Dwarf won't appear in this story, but a few Homonculi will. I don't know if I'll make them Maleficent's allies, though. I don't want to go very far into the FMAB story since this isn't only a FMAB/KH story, but the philosopher stone will be mentioned. Cloud will appear more, of course. Yes, I want Kairi and Hisui interact, with Sora and the others present to see it, but surely I'll make them friendly rivals when the tournament ends. (Fierce friendly love rivals lol) I haven't watched Trigun yet, sorry. There's still more animes I want/have to watch before that one (mostly because of the story)
To Guest: I never heard of Dog Days, sorry.
To keys of fate: Well, we talked about a certain Marvel character that would be funny to see, right? He will appear in a future.
To skydragonknight57: There's already a character like that in Kingdom Hearts, and he is going to appear in this story. The change of Sora's hair is just temporary.
To KH-Hardcorefan4483: I hope you liked this chapter! Xion showed off in this one, I kind of wanted to give her a little of the spotlight while Sora watched in the sidelines.
To Red Diz: It's not 100% confirmed that they'll be in the story, but if I add them, I'll try to make them meet Natsu and the others. I haven't played Spectrobes, so I don't think I'll add it to the fanfic. Thirdly, yes they're talking about Highschool DxD since it will be part of one of Sora's missions.
To Guest: I see that the Sora vs. Erza subject is popular among some readers. I'll do something about it. Sora vs. Kagura might occur, but the Mermaid Heel Mage will fight against a certain blue-haired Keyblade Master first. Sora and Riku vs. Sting and Rogue is also interesting, so surely it'll happen.
To Guest: The normal Nobodies (the white creepy creatures) are still around, but since they don't have a heart (and can't develop one since they aren't as strong as the old Organization XIII's Nobodies), they are rejected by the Realm of Light and Darkness, so they can be found in worlds of the Realm Between like: Keyblade Graveyard, Land of Departure, Mysterious Tower, The World That Never Was, Traverse Town and Twilight Town.
To Guest: His eye will be healed by another character, but he'll have that part of his body injured for a couple of chapters.
To SpeedGuest957: I don't know, I'm not into Sonic very much.
To fallenstar2013: I'm glad you two could catch up! It was funny to see your reviews in the Soul Eater and Fairy Tail crossovers.
To Humbert: I'm glad you liked the AoT characters, Humbert, I wanted to be the first making Sora and the other Keyblade wielders interact with the characters of that anime/manga. If you like them so much, then you will like Sora's next mission after he returns to Radiant Garden with Xion.
To Klaus: 1) Well, the Heartless with the sphere appeared two days before Aqua and Ven arrived, so Andy's mom didn't hear something strange yet. Also, there's a reason that hasn't been mentioned yet of why the Heartless with the Lacrima Sphere don't reveal themselves until the Keyblade wielders arrive in the world, so you'll have to wait to know the answer to that question. 2) Naminé's Keyblade is yet to be decided since she's not someone who you'll see fighting very often. She's like the Mirajane of the Light Guardians, she doesn't fight a lot, but when she does it…well, you know. 3) I'm sure there are readers that like different pairings of the series that appear in the story, so I'll try to hint some of them. There will be crossover pairings' hints too. Surely you noticed that at the moment there are three girls, apart from Kairi, who also have a thing for him in this story. 4) Don't worry about the amount of questions, I like to answer them.