Hey guys, here is the next chapter, ready for you to read!
This is a bit more dedicated to the Attack on Titan's fans, I'm sure they can tell by reading the title of the chapter.
Answer to the reviews at the end.
Chapter XVI
20th Expedition beyond the Walls
1650hrs, August 9th, 2024
Radiant Garden
"Finally home!" said Lea as he stretched his body. He, Sora and Xion arrived in Radiant Garden after finishing what they were doing in Amestris, and now they were heading to the guild. Winry could repair Sora's Keyblade Armor before he left, so he will have to visit Merlin later so he can restore the armor's magic power.
"You haven't come here even once?" asked Sora surprised. "What have you been doing all this time?"
"Oh, you know, travelling around the worlds with Isa," replied Lea. "We visited a lot of places, and meet a lot of people…and lots of pretty ladies too."
"Hey…" said Xion when she saw Lea's sly smile.
"But if I had to choice the word that has the best chicks, then I'll have to say Earth Land," said Lea while nodding approvingly.
"Oh yeah, the princess of that world told me some people saw you and Isa one day," commented Sora, and a smug smile appeared on Xion's face when he mentioned Hisui. "Hey, why are you making that face!?"
"You made some friends there, right? Fairy Tail?" said Lea looking at Sora, who nodded. "I saw them participating in a tournament against other guilds. That redhead chick fought against one hundred monsters and won. Then a brown-haired one used an incredible technique that destroyed a device that determined the amount of magic power an attack contains."
"Did you just pay attention to the girls?" asked Xion narrowing her eyes.
"Of course not!" said Lea. "That guy with pink hair was amazing too. His flames aren't as amazing as mine, though. Anyway, we found a few Heartless while we travelled, but their number started increasing the last month. We also started finding those spheres."
"Yes, we found a lot of them too," said Sora. "And the soldiers of Radiant Garden's new military did, too."
"New military?" asked Lea. "Did Ansem fire Aeleus, Dilan and the other soldiers?"
"No, they are part of the new military now," replied Sora. "By the way, how did you and Isa travelled to other worlds? Did you learn how to pilot a Gummi Ship?"
"Nope, we used Corridors of Darkness," answered Lea bluntly.
"You're still using them!?" asked Xion shocked.
"Don't you think that's kind of reckless?" asked Sora.
"Relax," said Lea as he pointed at his black coat. "Remember that this coat protects the wearer's heart from corruption when traveling through these portals. And we had extra protection thanks to my Keyblade."
"You're still as crazy as I remembered you," said Xion smiling. "That's good, I guess."
"And you've gotten taller," said Lea before starting to ruffle the girl's hair. "It looks like you're a big girl now. You look a bit different too, Sora."
"You think?" said Sora.
Lea nodded. "Say, how are you and Kairi? Are you two dating already?"
"Yes," replied Sora.
"Whoa, really!?" asked Lea dumbfounded. He just asked to that see Sora's reaction since he knew how the boy reacted when people asked him about his relationship with Kairi, but he didn't expect that answer.
"No," said the brown-haired boy as a smile appeared on his face.
"Okay, you got me there," admitted Lea.
The three walked until they reached the street where the Light Guardians Guild was. Sora didn't see any of the soldiers of the military while he, Xion and Lea were on their way to the guild, and he wondered where they were. Lea stopped walking to look at the guild's building.
"So, what do you think?" asked Sora.
"Not bad at all," said Lea impressed, and then he walked to the guild's entrance. "I can't believe those two kids you mentioned built this. Say, how many things they added?"
"More than twenty bedrooms, a huge kitchen, a game room, training room…" replied Xion, following Lea. "We also have an amazing computer, but Naminé is the only one who uses it. After all, our Guild Master isn't very good with computers."
"Shut it," said Sora.
Then the brown-haired Keyblade wielder opened the guild's front door and walked inside. Xion and Lea followed him and were surprised to see that everyone was in the main room of the guild. Normally, some members would be around the city, doing a few easy missions to earn some money.
"About time," said Ventus when he saw Sora. "What have you been doing, man?"
"Hello to you too, Ven," asked Sora smiling.
"What's up, everyone?" said Lea with a toothy grin.
"Lea!" said Roxas as he approached the redhead and high-fived with him. "It's good to see you. How are you?"
"Fantastic, as always," replied Lea. "I'm glad to see you too, buddy. Man, it's been a while since the last time we were all together. Where's Captain Boredom?"
"Right here, Flame-Brain," said Isa, who just crossed the door that connected the Restoration Committee's base with the Light Guardians Guild.
"Did he just…" thought everyone except Isa and Lea. They were shocked to see that the blue-haired man actually showed a bit of sense of humor.
"It's good to see you, Isa," said Sora waving his hand at the man.
"I see you were in the same world Lea was," said Isa, looking at Sora. Then he looked at Xion, who smiled when she noticed him looking at her. The blue-haired man closed his eyes and smiled, but his serious expression returned fast.
"Yeah, but it was me the one who defeated the Heartless there," said Lea as he put his arm around Sora's shoulder. "It seems that the legendary Keyblade Hero is losing his touch."
"Hey, watch it," said Sora, and the other laughed.
"So, how did it go? Could Yuffie's friend repair our armors?" asked Kairi.
"I already got mine repaired, but it's going to take her some time to repair the others," said Sora. "She did a great job with my armor, so it's worth the wait. What have you guys been doing these days?"
"Aqua and I went to another world and defeated the Heartless that were over there," said Ven. "The two Heartless that had the spheres looked exactly like Ryu Dragons, you know?"
"Ryu Dragons?" asked Terra curious.
"It's a type of Dream Eater," said Riku. "Are you sure it looked like them?"
"Yes, but they were black and had the Heartless symbol on their bodies," replied Ven.
"I fought against one that looked like a Hockomonkey when I was in Earth Land, but as you said, it had the symbol of the Emblem Heartless," said Sora crossing his arms. "I wonder why they are Heartless now."
"Well, you and I closed the Keyholes of the sleeping worlds, and the Nightmares are the darkness of those worlds," Riku said. "Since we closed all of them, that darkness had to go somewhere. Nightmares belong to the Realm of Dreams, so to be able to be in this realm they have to take form of a Heartless."
"Then now Maleficent's arsenal is bigger than before," said Roxas. "Well, we just have to defeat all the Heartless she sent to the worlds. It'll be easy."
"That reminds me that I wanted to ask you guys," said Aqua, and then everyone looked at her. "Is it me, or the Heartless that have the Lacrima inside only show themselves when we arrived in the world where they are?"
"Oh, well, it's true that the Grimm Reaper Heartless that was in the Witches' Realm only appeared when I was there," said Sora pensively. "And it was the same with the Hockomonkey in Earth Land."
"And the Darkside you defeated when Aqua and I were with you also showed up when we were there," said Terra. "People said that they saw it, but for some reason, it didn't attack anyone, only us."
"Kairi, how about the Heartless you defeated when you went on a mission with Yuffie and Tifa?" asked Naminé. "Didn't Cid say that it had been a while since his computer detected a sphere in that part of the city?"
"Yes, and even another member of the Restoration Committee was looking for it, but it didn't appear until I went with them," Kairi answered.
"Do you think it's just coincidence?" asked Xion.
"Being Maleficent the one behind this, I don't think so," said Riku. "She's planning something. It's like she want us to defeat the Heartless with the spheres that contain her magic. We'll have to find out why."
"Don't worry, Isa will help us with that," said Naminé, smiling at the blue-haired man.
"I'm working with Even and Ienzo, trying to figure out what's the function of the other spheres," said Isa. "You already know that the green ones lure other Heartless, and after what you just talked about, it must be to draw your attention, so you go to the worlds where they are and defeat the Heartless with the sphere."
"How about the red ones? What are those for?" asked Sora, who found a red sphere inside the Hockomonkey that was in Earth Land.
"It seems that the red ones increase the Heartless' attack power," replied Isa. "Although it didn't work properly when we tested it, and since you're the only one who found a red sphere, we deduced that Maleficent was just testing it."
"Those can be really dangerous if she manages to make them work," said Kairi, and then she remembered the one Mickey, Donald and Goofy found in Disney Castle. "What about the yellow sphere?"
"We're still working on that one," said Isa. "If any of you find more, give it to me. It should be easier if we have more of them."
"You've been working hard," said Xion impressed.
"It's the least I can do," said Isa.
"Hmmm, would you like to join the guild?" asked Sora, and this surprised Isa. "Lea is going to join us, so I wondered if you wanted to do it too."
"You know I am not a Keyblade wielder, right?" asked Isa.
"Then join the guild as an employee," said Terra smiling. "You could help us a lot."
"I guess I could organize the requests you receive, and tell you what worlds are under the attack of the Heartless," said Isa as he thought about Sora's offer. Then he looked at the Keyblade wielders, who were smiling at him and waiting for an answer. "Very well, I accept your offer, Sora."
"Good!" said Sora grinning. "By the way, how do you know that the spheres inside the Heartless are Lacrima? Isn't that a material that can only be found in Fiore?"
"Yes, Lucy and Levy found that out," said Riku. "They communicated with the guild using a communication crystal and told me."
"As expected of those two," said Sora smiling and nodding.
"I think Levy is kind of upset because you left without returning to Fairy Tail," said Riku.
"Oh, really?" said Sora nervous. Now he was feeling a bit guilty for leaving without saying goodbye in person to her and the others. "I'll have to return and see how they're doing soon. I can already feel the Levy-Chop I'm going to get…"
"Well, I'm sure it doesn't hurt as much as a Maka-Chop," said Roxas. "I wonder how many of those Soul received. Poor guy…"
"Hey, what are you two talking about?" asked Lea puzzled.
"Forget it," said Sora smiling. "Oh, right, there's something I wanted to ask you Lea. While you were in Amestris, did you see someone wearing a yellow coat?"
"Yellow coat?" asked Lea crossing his arms as he tried to remember all the things he saw in Amestris. "I don't think so. Why do you ask?"
"You see, those two people that were in the laboratory, when you appeared, they said that someone wearing a yellow coat left a message for me," replied Sora. "'Prepare yourself for the hunting'."
"That sounds nasty," said Lea. "I knew I should have burned those two completely."
"No, they didn't know that person, but according to them, he knew me," said Sora. "I've been trying to remember all the people I've met, but I can't remember anyone with a yellow coat."
"That guy might be dangerous, so you better be careful," said Riku. "He might be working for Maleficent, so that must be the reason he knows you. Talking about Maleficent, Shibusen agreed to help us looking for Maleficent's base. There are some witches who aren't very happy with the pact Shinigami and the leader of the witches made, so probably they're on Maleficent's side."
"Oh, that's great!" said Sora.
"There was a guy stealing Lacrima in Fiore, and he was a Demon Weapon," said Roxas. "We talked about this with them, and it looks like they knew who he was. He was working for a witch called Arachne, and he's supposed to be dead, so I think it's obvious that he's with Maleficent now."
"I see…" said Sora, who remembered the story the Fullmetal Alchemist told him when Roxas implied that the guy stealing Lacrima was resurrected by Maleficent. "Wait, did you go to Fiore?"
"Riku wanted to see the mages of Lamia Scale, and I went with him," answered Roxas. "Levy and Lucy said that there was someone stealing Lacrima, so Riku asked me to go with him. I could stop him from stealing more, but he escaped."
"At least you could cut Maleficent's supply for a while," said Sora before turning to Riku. "Say, how is Lyon and the others?"
"Fine," replied Riku. "We also ran into your old team, and met the mages of a guild called Sabertooth."
"I heard about that guild," said Sora. "The Guild Master is someone called Sting, I think."
"Yes, he's one of the mages we met that day," said Roxas. "Oh, there's another thing. An S-Class Mage of a guild called Mermaid Heel wants to have a duel with you. Her name is Kagura."
"Wait, Kagura Mikazuchi from Mermaid Heel?" asked Lea.
"That's right," said Riku. "You know her?"
"I saw her fighting in the tournament that took place in Fiore," said Lea, and the he put his hand on Sora's shoulder. "Good luck, you'll need it."
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean…" said Sora uneasy.
"Lea, what do you know about Mermaid Heel?" asked Aqua curious.
"Not much, just that it's an all-female guild," replied the redhead. "Why? Are you interested in joining that guild?"
"It does sound interesting," affirmed Aqua, and then she looked at Kairi and Naminé. "Do you mind if we look for that guild after visiting Blue Pegasus?"
"Of course not," replied Kairi. "Surely Ichiya and the others know about that guild, so they can tell us where it is."
"Ichiya…" thought Sora, who still remembered him and his team, the Trimens. He didn't get a good first impression when he met them, but after spending time with them during his first time in Fiore, he had to admit that they were good guys. After all, they defended him during the trial he went through in Crocus.
"So, you three are going to Fiore?" asked Xion looking at the other three female Keyblade wielders.
"Yes, we'll leave tomorrow," said Naminé. "Do you want to come with us?"
"No, thanks, I'd like to rest for a few days," said Xion. "This last mission was tiring…"
"What about you, Sora?" asked Kairi, and then a mischievous smile appeared on her face. "I'm sure Master Bob would be really happy to see you again."
Sora didn't answer, he just looked at Kairi and then a disturbed expression appeared on his face. Then Roxas, Ventus and Xion also had the same expression on their faces. Master Bob was someone who Sora would never forget, and the same went for Roxas, Ven and Xion, who shared Sora's memories of the moment the brown-haired boy met the Guild Master of Blue Pegasus.
"Hey, what's with those faces?" asked Terra confused.
"You wouldn't want to know…" said Roxas before noticing that Lea was looking at him with suspicious eyes. "What?"
"You've been eating Sea-salt ice cream without me, haven't you?" asked Lea. "Where do you hide it?"
"What are you talking about?" asked Roxas. "Anyway, now that you mentioned it, I want to eat one now. Do you want one?"
"You don't even have to ask," said Lea smiling. "Xion, you-"
"Hmmm?" said the black-haired girl, who couldn't talk because of the ice cream in her mouth. Roxas and Lea just looked at her with blank expressions while the others laughed.
"Oh, by the way, where did you three get those clothes?" asked Lea looking at Roxas, Xion and Naminé.
"Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather made them for us," said Naminé. "If you also want a new outfit, then you should go to the Mysterious Tower."
"Nah, this black coat is quite comfortable," said Lea. "Besides, no one should think I'm a bad guy since we defeated the ones who used to wear this coat. Not that many people knew about the Organization anyway. Don't you agree, Isa?"
"He's not here," said Riku.
"What the…where did that jerk go now?" said Lea. "Well, forget about that, where do I have to sign to join the guild?"
"Come with me, I'll give you the registration papers," said Naminé as she walked to the guild's computer. Lea followed her and started signing the papers to become the tenth Keyblade wielder who joins the Light Guardians Guild.
"And that makes ten," said Riku before noticing that Sora was thinking about something, and he looked concerned about it. "Hey, you okay?"
"Hmm? Oh yes, I was just thinking about something that happened in the world where Xion and I were," said Sora. "It's nothing important, so don't worry. I'm going to see Merlin to ask him to restore my armor's magic. See you later."
"Okay," said Riku as he watched Sora walking to the couch he always used. The silver-haired boy wondered what Sora had in his mind. Aqua told him that there was something Ventus knew about Sora, and there was a high possibility that Roxas and Xion knew about it too, so they'll have to find out what was it someday.
-TLG-
0700hrs, August 10th, 2024
Light Guardians Guild, Radiant Garden
The next day, Sora woke up in his couch. He moved his head and saw that it was still early for him to get up, so he decided to stay lying on the couch some more. The guild was really quiet, so the others must be still sleeping.
Sora, then, started thinking about Hughes, hoping the man was all right. He couldn't help but worry about him, especially after he saw his family in those photos. He wouldn't have been able to stand telling them that he was dead, so he was glad he could save him with Xion's help. There was something else that worried him, and it was what happened to him after seeing Hughes covered in blood.
"It felt like that day…could it be that…? No, he said that it wasn't moving anymore…and why would it start moving again after seeing Hughes in the verge of death?" thought Sora, remembering the words of a certain doctor. "I'll have to be careful and don't let things like that get to me anymore."
The Light Guardian's Guild Master started thinking about what he should do now that he returned from Amestris. He thought of going to Shibusen again since he couldn't spend a lot of time with Maka and the others the last time, or maybe visit Fairy Tail since a certain bluenette was a bit grumpy because he left without saying goodbye to her in person.
Sora continued trying to decide where to go when someone threw something at him. It was a green cloak, the one the members of the Survey Corps of Radiant Garden used. Sora looked up and saw that the captain of said division was looking at him with his usual sharp eyes.
"Levi?" asked Sora. "What are you doing here?"
"I am not allowed here?" asked the captain.
"That's not what I meant…" said Sora.
"Put that on, we're going on an expedition today," said Levi.
"Wait, what?" asked Sora a bit stunned as he got up.
"Petra invited you to come with us on an expedition, right?" asked Levi. "If I remember correctly you accepted the offer, so that's why I am here. Or you weren't serious when you accepted?"
"I was serious," said Sora. "You just took me by surprise, that's all."
"Good, come with me," said Levi before he started walking to the door that led to the Restoration Committee's base.
Sora grabbed the green cloak Levi gave him and followed him. The Survey Corps also used that building, so the other soldiers must be there, waiting for him; however, there was only one person in the building next to Sora's guild, a man with his blond hair and icy blue eyes wearing military uniform. Just by looking at him, Sora could tell that the man was someone important.
"He's coming with us, Erwin," said Levi to the blond man.
"I'm glad to hear that," said the man before turning to Sora. "My name is Erwin Smith, commander of the Survey Corps. It's nice to meet you finally, Sora. I heard Petra Ral invited you to come with us to an expedition."
"It's nice to meet you too, Erwin," said Sora. "Yes, she invited me two months ago."
"Well, I thought you'd like to know something about our expeditions," said Erwin. "There's a forest we use to fight against the Heartless since we can't use our maneuver gear if there's nothing to attach to."
"Yeah, I've seen that equipment you use," said Sora. "Is there a problem with it?"
"No, that's not what I wanted to talk about you with," said Erwin. "It's about that forest. We have never ventured into the woods too much, but I think there's something in there. It might have something to do with that person you and your men are looking for. Maleficent was her name, right?"
"Are you sure?" asked Sora with a serious expression on his face. If Maleficent's base was in that forest, then he had to go with the Survey Corps to that expedition no matter what.
"I'm not completely sure, but I have the feeling there's something strange in there," answered Erwin. "We can take care of the Heartless, but I know we wouldn't stand a chance against one of her subordinates. However, if you come with us, then I think we'll be able to survive."
"All right," said Sora. "But do the others know about this plan?"
"Yes, I chose a group that will participate in this plan," said the commander. "They know that place is dangerous, but I told them we may have a special guest this time to calm them down. I'm counting on you, Sora."
"Sure, leave it to me," said Sora, and then he and Erwin shook hands.
"That's good," said Erwin with a smile. "You'll go with them until you get deep in the forest, then Levi and his squad will be the only ones who will be with you since they're the more experienced."
"Don't do anything reckless, do you hear?" said Levi with his usual cold voice. "I hate having unnecessary casualties, so think before doing anything that might be dangerous. I don't want to return to the city with your corpse."
"How kind of you…" said Sora, not sure how to feel. Then he put on the green cloak the captain gave him. "Alright, let's go."
-TLG-
Meanwhile, near the entrance to Radiant Garden, a lot of soldiers waited for their captain and commander to return. They were the members of the Survey Corps who were going on an expedition today. Most of them were mounted on horses while a few of them were on wagons that they used to carry the supplies they were going to need. The soldiers who some of the Keyblade wielders met were there.
"Was Commander Erwin serious when he said that we were going to enter that forest?" asked Connie kind of afraid. He was one of the two soldiers who Ventus met one day, the other one being Sasha Blouse, who was also there.
"That place is creepy, I felt it the last time…" said Sasha trembling.
"He was serious, so you better forget about being scared," said Ymir. She and Krista Lenz met Roxas, Naminé and Xion the day they joined the Light Guardians.
"Don't worry, he said that someone who isn't from the Military will come with us this time," said Krista, trying to reassure Connie and Sasha. "I'm sure that person is really strong. Perhaps is someone from the Restoration Committee."
"I hope you're right, because we'll need someone like that if we venture into that forest," said Armin. He was one of the four soldiers Sora, Riku and Kairi met when they arrived in Radiant Garden before the guild was created. Mikasa was next to Armin, but as always, she was really quiet and didn't talk.
"Hey Reiner, what do you think? Aren't you worried?" asked Connie to a young man with short blond hair and gold eyes.
"No, and you shouldn't be either," said Reiner. "We wouldn't be going there if the commander hadn't a plan. You won't kill any Heartless if you start thinking about that while we're outside, so clear your mind."
"But Sasha's right," said another youth who had short, dark hair and green eyes, "that place looks dangerous. Who knows what kinds of Heartless are there? I don't know if I'll be able to defeat all the Heartless that are in that forest."
"Then leave them to Captain Levi's squad, Bertolt," said a boy with short, light ash-brown hair and light-brown eyes. His name was Jean Kirstein. "They always take care of the Heartless that are difficult to eliminate, so don't worry about that."
The Special Operations Squad, also known as Levi's squad since it was an elite squad hand-picked by Levi, were also waiting with the rest of the soldiers for Erwin and Levi. They were in the back, most likely to protect the rest of the soldiers from the Heartless that attacked from behind. Eren Yeager and Petra Ral, soldiers who Sora already met, were members of that squad.
"What are those brats talking about now?" asked a man with dirty-blond hair and hazel eyes called Oluo Bozado.
"It's seems that they're worried since they were chosen to participate in Commander Erwin's plan," said another member of Levi's squad. He was a man with slightly darker skin and short black hair kempt to a point on the back of his head's top. His name was Gunther Schultz.
"I guess I can't blame them," said Eld Jinn, another squad member. He had brown eyes and blond hair which had a middle parting and a pony tail folded at the back. He also had a small beard. "We've never been inside that forest, so we have to be prepared for the unexpected."
"Right," said Gunther. "Heartless aren't the only thing we could find there."
"Huh? Like what?" asked Eren, uneasy when he heard what Gunther said. Heartless were one of the two strangest creatures he had fought since he became a soldier, so he couldn't imagine what else could be in that forest.
"Relax, Eren, remember that Commander Erwin is a great strategist," said Petra with a kind smile. "Everything will be fine."
"I know, but still…" said Eren crossing his arms.
"Look, there they are," said Eld, and the soldiers who heard him turned around and saw Levi and Erwin on their horses with a third person, also riding a horse, next to them.
"Hey, hey, why did they bring a kid with them?" asked Oluo, who didn't know who was the boy with brown spiky hair who was next to his captain.
"What the…? That's the person they went looking for?" asked Jean, not very impressed when he saw the boy who was going on the expedition with them. "I expected someone more intimidating. That guy looks like someone who would never hit a fly."
"Sora," said Mikasa when she saw the Keyblade wielder. The expression on her face didn't change, but she was actually surprised to see that Sora was the one Levi and Erwin were looking for.
"Eh? Do you know him, Mikasa!?" asked Jean really surprised. "Wait, did you say Sora? I think I heard that name before…"
"Isn't that the name of the boy the Restoration Committee told us about when we were helping them restoring the city?" asked Reiner.
"Yeah, he's also the leader of the guild who was built next to our base," said Connie. "Sasha, Ymir, Krista and I met some of the members."
"Oh, that girl that looked like Krista was one of them, right?" asked Ymir, and then she looked at Sora again. "To be honest, I also expected something else after what I heard about him. Now I find hard to believe everything I heard about him."
"Hey Armin, you talked with him, right?" asked Reiner. "Do you know if it's true he…?"
"Yeah, Eren, Mikasa and I met him when he arrived here two months ago, but we haven't talked with him since then," Armin replied. "I didn't know he was the same Sora of the stories we heard until Eren told me. It looks like Petra-san talked with him one day and found out it was him. But, regarding your question, I don't know, sorry."
"So, none of you know if the stories are true?" asked Bertolt, and everyone shook their heads. "Great…"
"But I heard that one time he defeated one thousand Heartless on his own," said Krista. "If he did that, then it must be true, don't you think?"
"Are you serious!?" asked Connie astonished.
"All right, I know there are stronger people than us in this city, but that's exaggerating," said Jean, not believing what the blonde girl said. "I won't believe what we heard he did until I see him fighting the Heartless."
Meanwhile the group of soldiers talked about Sora, he approached the Special Operations Squad with Levi. The Keyblade wielder could feel how most of the soldiers looked at him, and he was starting to feel a bit awkward. He also noticed that a group of young soldiers looked nervous and worried, and started feeling kind of bad for them.
"Sora, it's good to see you again!" said Petra smiling. "It's been a long time since the last time we talked. You look good in that cloak."
"Hey Petra," said Sora returning the smile. "Sorry, I've been kind of busy, and after my guild was created I had to leave Radiant Garden a couple of times."
"Oh, you don't have to apologize," said Petra. "I'm happy you decided to come with us to the expedition. I'm sure the others would agree."
"I don't know," said Sora. "By the look on their faces I can tell that they don't think I can be of help. I guess it's normal since they haven't seen me fighting against any Heartless."
"You'll have to show them, then," said Petra. "Captain was looking forward to see you in action, too, remember?"
"Yeah, and he's someone I wouldn't want to disappoint," said Sora, and Petra laughed. Then the Keyblade wielder noticed that there was someone he knew on his right. "Hey Eren, you're part of the Special Operations Squad too?"
"Oh, hey Sora," said Eren awkwardly. "Yeah, I am."
"Hey, what's wrong?" asked Sora.
"I…I wanted to apologize," said Eren, and this surprised the Keyblade wielder. "When you and your two friends asked Armin, Mikasa and I to take you to the Restoration Committee's base, I started suspecting that you were up to no good. I didn't know you were the hero that saved the worlds from the Heartless."
"You're feeling guilty because of that?" asked Sora before chuckling. "Forget about that, Eren. You don't have to treat me differently just because of the things you might have heard about me. I'm not your superior or anything."
"Eh? You sure?" asked Eren, surprised by how easy-going Sora was. It seemed that, like Petra, he also expected the Keyblade wielder to be kind of unapproachable like Levi was.
"Yeah, don't worry about it," said Sora grinning.
"Thanks!" said Eren smiling.
"You called me 'the hero that saved the worlds from the Heartless', so I guess you believe the stories you heard about me," said Sora.
"Well, I don't see why the people would lie about that," said Eren. "I think that the stories are true. I don't know if the others believe it, though."
"I guess it can't be helped," said Sora with a carefree smile. Then Erwin gave the signal to leave and the soldiers started moving. It was the first time Sora rode a horse, but he wasn't having much difficulty doing it. Perhaps riding Pegasus and the Dream Eaters had to do something with it, even if it wasn't the same.
"Hey, Sora," said Levi when the soldiers in front of him started moving.
"Yes?" asked the Keyblade wielder while the other members of the Special Operations Squad listened carefully.
"If the Heartless attack us in open field while we are heading to the forest I want you to take care of them," said the captain, and then he and his squad started moving. "The sooner we get rid of them, the better. Do you think you can do it?"
"No problem, Levi," said Sora nonchalantly while following the captain. The members of the squad were shocked when they heard Sora addressing the captain so casually, but what shocked them the most was that Levi seemed okay with that.
-TLG-
1000hrs, August 10th, 2024
Outskirts, Radiant Garden
Two hours had passed since the Survey Corps left Radiant Garden's main city. They were heading to the forest where Maleficent's base might be according to Commander Erwin's intuition. They had passed by some small villages, but the Heartless were nowhere to be seen. Normally they would have appeared already to pursue the soldiers, but everything was quiet, at least for the time being.
"I can already see the forest," thought Sora when he saw the forest in the distance. He was surprised that his horse and the others' were still running since they left the city. According to Eren, they were specially-bred horses, noted to be exceptionally valuable, and bred for great speed, stamina, and calm temperament.
"Sora!" said a woman approaching the Keyblade wielder on her horse. She was Hange Zoë, the Squad Leader who figured out what the Green Lacrima Spheres were for.
"Hange, you're here too?" said Sora a bit surprised.
"Of course, I'm from the Survey Corps after all!" replied the Squad Leader. "Besides, if a Heartless I've never seen before appears, I wouldn't want to miss the opportunity to see it!"
"I see," said Sora laughing nervously.
"And now that you're here…" said Hange, and then an obsessed expression appeared on her face. "Maybe we can capture a Heartless to study it! I never had the opportunity to experiment with one, so I really want to have one in my hands!"
"H-hey…" said a stunned Sora. He couldn't help but feel a bit scared by the woman. Maybe it was the small Heartless part of him fearing the possibility of being subjected to experiments.
"Hange-san, I don't think that's a good idea," said Eren, knowing that capturing a Heartless wasn't something they would want to do.
"Hey, four-eyes," said Levi. "Don't distract Sora, I want him to be prepared for when the Heartless appear."
"Come on, Levi, you're worrying too much," said Hange. "We're getting close to the forest, and we haven't been attacked yet. I don't think the Heartless will appear now."
"You shouldn't have said that…" said Sora.
"Huh? Why?" asked Hange.
"Heartless, above!" shouted one of the soldiers. All the soldiers looked up and saw that a big group of Heartless was flying in formation over the Survey Corps. They looked like large, draconian creatures with predominantly blue and black skin.
"Everyone, don't stop!" shouted Erwin. "Keep moving to the forest!"
"Wyverns," said Sora when he saw the Heartless. He looked ahead again and saw that they almost reached the forest, but even if they could dodge al the Wyverns' attacks, there were a lot of them, so the Survey Corps will have difficulty to eliminate all of them.
"So those are Wyverns…" said Hange as she started writing on a notebook she just took from her pocket.
"Is this the right time to be taking notes?" muttered the Keyblade wielder, and then he noticed that one Wyvern was getting ready to attack him and the others with a corkscrew charge from behind. "Hey Petra, could you take care of my horse?"
"Huh? Sure, but what are you going to do?" asked Petra concerned.
"Just follow the captain's order," said Sora with a goofy grin, and then he jumped off the horse and got on the back of the Wyvern while the monster attacked. This shocked the soldiers who were near the Keyblade wielder.
"Sora!" exclaimed Petra wide-eyed.
"Sora, what are you doing!?" said Eren dumbfounded while looking at the Heartless that was ascending into the air with Sora on its back.
"What's that damn kid thinking!?" said Oluo.
"There are a lot of Heartless up there!" said Gunther looking at the sky. "We're going to get attacked before reaching the forest!"
"Captain, any order!?" Eld asked.
"You heard Erwin, we're going to keep advancing," said Levi, always looking straight ahead. "But if any of you think that you could do something to help Sora, then do it. We're still in open field, but I'm sure all of you are aware of that."
The members of the Special Operations Squad looked at each other after hearing their leader's words. Could they just keep going and let Sora deal with all the Wyverns? They trusted their captain, so they obeyed his order and continued heading to the forest.
"They know it!" said Sasha scared. "They know we're going to enter the forest this time instead of using the trees from outside! That's why there are so many of them!"
"Shut up, Potato Girl!" said Jean. "Keep moving and shut your mouth!"
"Don't call me that!" protested Sasha.
"But they sure are a lot!" said Connie. "There's no way we can reach the forest before we get attacked. We have to do something!"
"There's nothing around to attach to, Connie!" said Reiner. "Just follow Commander's order!"
"Well, you could always try to use those Heartless!" said Ymir. "Although you'll die if you miss one of them while you're up there!"
"Armin, do you have any ideas!?" said Krista, who knew that Armin was the most intelligent of the group. Everyone looked at the blond boy expectantly, but they didn't get a reply of him.
"Hey Armin, what are you looking at!? Say something!" said Connie when he saw that the blond was staring at the sky in awe.
Then all the group looked at the same place he was looking at and were shocked to see that there was actually someone fighting the flying Heartless. It was the 'special guest' their commander told them about, the boy they saw with him and Levi. Sora was jumping from Heartless to Heartless and thrusting his Keyblade into them while doing it. Some of the Wyverns tried to attack the Keyblade wielder, but he could dodge their attacks by jumping to another Heartless. He started defeating all the Heartless he could while using others to not fall to the ground.
"Amazing," thought Eren looking above him. "He's able to do that without using any special gear like us."
"Awww, he's going to kill all of them," said Hange disappointed. "I should have told him to capture at least one."
"Hange-san, did you know he could do those kinds of things?" asked Eren intrigued.
"Huh? No, this is the first time I see him in action," Hange replied. "He's good, don't you think?"
"'Good' is an understatement," said Eren.
Meanwhile, Sora continued slashing all the Wyverns that were flying over the Survey Corps. Now that he was above with them, the Heartless were focusing on him, something that he wanted so the soldiers could reach the forest safe and sound. He was now right above the soldiers who were in the front lines.
"It's at times like this when I wish I had someone like Happy, Carla or Lily by my side," thought Sora as he started destroying the last four Wyverns. "I'm sure those three don't have problems when it comes to aerial battles."
Then Sora looked below and saw that Erwin was getting closer to the forest's entrance when a Heartless appeared there. It was a Novashadow, a Pureblood Heartless that Roxas had fought when he was in the first Organization XIII. Sora had to take care of it before it could attack Erwin, who was at the front of the formation, and the others soldiers who were near him.
"Pureblood Heartless are weaker to the Keyblade than the Emblem ones, but even so normal strikes won't be enough to eliminate that thing before they get close to it," thought Sora. "According to Roxas, this one was weak to Aero magic, so maybe…"
While Sora prepared an attack to finish of the Novashadow fast, the Survey Corps continued heading to the forest's entrance. Erwin kept advancing without worrying about the Heartless that was blocking the way. The other soldiers, however, started to worry when their commander didn't say anything to them.
"Commander, we have to retreat!" said one of the soldiers. "That Heartless is too far from the tress, we can't engage it like this!"
"It'll come after us even if we draw back!" said Erwin. "Nothing will happen to us, trust me!"
"But-" said the soldier when suddenly he and the others saw something.
A bright blur shot out by the Heartless, as if something or someone just slashed it so fast that it couldn't be seen by normal humans. Then the monster's body was surrounded by cutting whirlwinds that exploded, destroying the Novashadow instantly. When the Heartless vanished, the soldiers could see Sora behind it.
"Nice, it worked," thought Sora when he turned around. He leant on the nearest tree to rest for a few seconds while the Survey Corps arrived to where he was.
The Survey Corps started dismounting their horses and prepared themselves to start Erwin's plan. Not all of them got off their horses; some of them were going to surround the forest to defeat the Heartless that might appear, and to see if there were people around who arrived from other worlds like they did two years ago since that's what the Survey Corps normally do on their expeditions. Only a few knew what Erwin had planned for Sora, and those were staying in the forest's entrance.
"Sora, you were incredible!" said Eren really impressed as he approached the Keyblade wielder with his squad, except for Levi, who was talking with Erwin.
"Thanks," said Sora smiling.
"You did an amazing job," said Petra. "But don't ever jump off your horse again like that, do you hear me?"
"Sorry, sorry," said Sora while laughing nervously.
"I've never seen anyone doing something like that," said Eld. "Now I see why Captain Levi wasn't worried when those flying Heartless appeared."
"We would have been attacked before reaching the forest if it wasn't for you," said Gunther. "We owe you one, Sora."
"But don't let it go to your head, kid!" said Oluo. "We could have defeated those things if we had reached the forest before they appeared!"
"Hey, be more grateful," said Petra as she elbowed Oluo on his side.
"Sora," said Erwin, who was approaching the group with Levi, Hange and a blond man by his side. "You did a great job, as I expected."
"Thanks," said Sora, and then the man who was with Erwin approached him and stared sniffing him. "H-hey, what are you doing!?"
"Don't mind him," said Hange. "He's Mike Zacharius, a Squad Leader of the Survey Corps. He has the habit of sniffing people he meets for the first time."
"There's something in your scent that smells just like the Heartless," commented Mike, and this surprised Sora, although then Hange said something that reassured him.
"Well, he just went through one of them to kill it, so it's normal," said Hange before the creepy obsessed expression on her face returned as she grabbed Sora's hands. "Say, Sora, what did it feel like? It was hot? Or it was cold?"
"Someone, please help," thought Sora.
"Hange, leave that for later," said Erwin. "Sora, now we can start with the plan. Remember, a group will take care of all the Heartless that appear when you enter the forest. They will follow you and Levi's squad using their 3D Maneuver Gear while you advance on your horses. Then you'll be only one riding a horse while Levi's squad backs you up from above. As I told you, they're more experienced in combat, so they can defeat stronger Heartless. The mission will end when you give the signal."
"Here," said Hange as she handed Sora a flare gun. "Shoot a flare into the air and all of us will return here. Then we'll go back to Radiant Garden."
"Okay," said Sora. The others didn't notice, but he was starting to think that maybe they were risking their own safety too much just for helping him.
Then the group who was going to be covering Sora and Levi's squad approached them. Some of them were worried, and even scared, before the expedition started, but now their faces showed more confidence. Maybe seeing Sora in action could make them feel safer, or perhaps it was another thing.
"Men, we'll start the plan now," said Erwin looking at the group of young soldiers. "Do you all remember what to do?"
"Yes, sir!" said all of them.
"Eren, get the horses," said Levi, and the youngest member his squad left the group after nodding.
"Sora," said Armin, and the Keyblade wielder looked at him. "Thanks for covering us back there. You were amazing."
"It's nothing," said Sora with a smile. "Besides, haven't you seen the members of the Restoration Committee fighting? They're really strong too.
"Well, most of them stay in the inner part of the city, so we barely see them," said Armin. "But still, the way you fought those flying Heartless…we would never have imagined someone could do something like that."
"Yeah, you really are a legend!" said Connie really impressed. "No wonder you're the leader of that guild. My name is Connie Springer, it's an honor!"
"Yes, Ventus told me about you," said Sora before looking at the girl next to Connie. "You are Sasha, right? The one who stole Ven some of the food he bought."
"Ah, I'm sorry!" said Sasha.
"This girl is really hopeless," said Jean. "Hey Sora, don't worry about the Heartless while we are covering you. We'll do our best to back you guys up. I'm Jean Kirstein, by the way."
"It seems that your opinion of him has changed suddenly," said Ymir.
"I don't want to hear that from you!" said Jean.
"Weren't you scared while you were up there?" asked Krista looking at the Keyblade wielder.
"I guess I was too focused on the Heartless to worry about that," replied Sora. "If I had started thinking about it, I might have fallen. You look a lot like one of the members of my guild, you know?"
Krista giggled. "You mean Naminé, right?"
"Oh, so you know her," said Sora, and the he looked at all of them. "Guys, I want you to be careful while we're in the forest, okay? I wouldn't want any of you to get hurt because of this mission."
"Don't worry about us," said Reiner. "As Jean said, we'll do our best to eliminate the Heartless that attack you and Captain Levi's squad. That's our mission, and we have to accomplish it no matter what."
"You helped us, so we have to return the favor," said Armin.
"Yeah, leave it to us!" added Connie.
"What's with this sudden change of attitude?" thought Sora puzzled. "They looked worried before we left…I wonder why they look so full of energy now."
"Sora, we're leaving!" said Petra, who was with the other members of Levi's squad waiting for the Keyblade wielder.
"I'm coming!" replied Sora, and then he looked at the young soldiers again. "Good luck."
"Same to you!" said Armin, and then he and the others used their maneuver gear to climb up trees.
"Sora," said Mikasa as she grabbed the Keyblade wielder's arm. It seemed that she wanted to ask him for something before starting the mission.
"Don't worry, I won't let Eren do anything reckless," said Sora smiling at the girl, who was surprised to see that the brown-haired boy guessed what she was going to ask him.
"Thanks," said Mikasa before leaving. She used her maneuver gear to reach her comrades' position.
"She could have thanked me without that serious expression…" thought Sora before running to where Levi's squad was.
-TLG-
1125hrs, August 10th, 2024
Shaded Forest, Radiant Garden
Sora and the Special Operations Squad were now advancing through the forest with the group assigned to back them up above them. Half an hour had passed, and the Keyblade wielder was impressed at how they dealt with the Heartless that had been appearing. For being people without any special power, they were really good at fighting the Heartless. Mikasa was especially good, but it was obvious that she was more focused on the Heartless that tried to attack Eren than on the others.
After a while, the Sora and Levi's squad reached the part of the forest where the group of young soldiers was going to stop covering them. Now it was just Sora and the Special Operations Squad the ones who continued moving forward.
"It looks like I was worried over nothing," thought Sora. "Those Heartless weren't the strongest ones, but they're not weak either."
"Sora," said Petra. "What's on your mind?"
"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Sora.
"I noticed you looked worried before we entered the forest," said Petra. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want, but sometimes isn't good to save things for yourself."
"You see…" said Sora. "I was thinking that maybe you guys are risking too much just to help me. I know you can take care of the Heartless, but there's no need for you to get involved in this."
"But we want to," said Petra.
"What? Why?" asked a surprised Sora.
"It's something we all agreed to when we heard about you the first time," said Gunther, who, along with the rest of the squad, heard what Sora said to Petra.
"Yes, we had our doubts, so we wanted to make sure everything the people of the city said about you was true," said Eld. "And we could confirm it when we saw you fighting those flying Heartless. If you're that strong, then what they said you did has to be true."
"We weren't going to do it for a phony after all," said Oluo.
"I also had my doubts," admitted Petra. "However, I don't know why, I knew it was true while we talked that day. Captain said the same despite having talked with you less than me."
"How?" asked a perplexed Sora.
"Despite that goofy look of yours, it was obvious to me that you've been in more battles than all of us together," said Levi. "I wouldn't have let you come with us otherwise."
"Yes, it was that," said Petra. "You look like someone who went through a lot of things. We only have fought against Titans in our world and Heartless in this one. I don't want to imagine what kind of enemies you've faced."
"So, what's that agreement about?" asked Sora.
"Well, it was Eren the one who had the idea," said Eld. "After all, he was the only one back then who believed that everything we heard about you was true."
"We agreed that, if we met you one day, we would help you in any way we can," said Eren. "After all, if it weren't for you, we wouldn't have a home now."
"What?" asked Sora confused. "But it was Ansem and the committee the ones who-"
"True, and we are returning the favor by protecting the city from the Heartless," said Gunther.
"But it's thanks to you that Radiant Garden still exists, right?" said Petra. "Who knows what would have happened to us if this place had been destroyed."
"Think of the group who covered us before," said Eld. "Most of them were worried when we left the city, but after watching you fight, they could confirm that everything they heard about you it's true."
"Right, that's why they looked so determined before," said Sora in realization.
"What do you expect, kid?" said Oluo. "They are from the Survey Corps. You don't know, but back in our old home, the Survey Corps were the strongest people around. We may not have shiny weapons like you-ARGH!"
"Hey, are you okay!?" asked Sora when he saw Oluo biting his tongue.
"Leave him be…" said Petra.
"Then, what do you say?" asked Eld. "Would you let us help you?"
"We know that you could have come with your guild to this place, but we also want to be of help," said Gunther.
"Sora," said Levi. "It's normal you don't trust us since you barely know us. We'll understand if you want to do this alone. If you want us to return to the forest's entrance, then feel free to say it."
"No, they're right," said Sora with a smile. "I'm counting on you and the others. Besides, it wouldn't be nice of me to tell you to retreat after all this, right?
Levi's squad smiled at the Keyblade wielder, except for the captain, of course. They were glad that he decided to let them help him. Sora had to admit that it felt nice to have so many people willing to help him. When Xehanort was alive, he didn't want to involve anyone with his 'Keyblade wielder affairs", but maybe that could change now that the old Keyblade Master was gone.
"Thank you, Sora," said Petra smiling.
"Wise choice, boy," said Oluo.
"You're not going to regret it," said Eren with a smile.
"Look sharp, we've got company!" said Eld, who saw that a Heartless was emerging from the floor a few meters ahead of them.
"A Darkside…" thought Sora. "I could easily defeat it, but then what I just said to them wouldn't have meant anything. I will continue on my horse. They'll take care of it."
Sora kept advancing, getting closer to the Heartless by every step his horse made while leaving Levi's squad behind. The Darkside extended his hand to catch the Keyblade wielder, but he didn't even try to avoid it. When the Heartless' hand was really close to him, Petra and Oluo slashed it with an amazing speed. After that, Levi used his maneuver gear to reach the Heartless' face and thrust his blades on its eyes, so it couldn't go after Sora. Then a group of Neoshadows appeared from above and charged at Sora, but before they could even get close to him, Eld, Gunther and Eren took care of them.
Sora smiled. "Maybe people like us won't be needed someday."
-TLG-
The Keyblade wielder continued on his horse for a while after the Darkside appeared. He stopped hearing the battle between Levi's squad and the Heartless, but he wasn't worried. He just hoped that nothing happened to Eren so Mikasa wouldn't kill him. Sora looked around, trying to find something out of order, but everything looked normal. He was starting to think that there wasn't anything apart from the Heartless in the forest until he reached a huge clearing. He dismounted the horse and started walking to the new area.
When Sora reached the middle of the clearing, he looked at the ground and saw something strange. The ground was covered by grass except for a wide area that wasn't. It was as if someone removed something from there.
"Could it be that she moved her base to another place?" thought Sora. "Something really big was here, but she could have moved it with her magic. Well, at least this expedition wasn't for nothing. Now I know she's not in Radiant Garden. I'll use the flare gun Hange gave me. It's time to return to the city."
Sora took out the flare gun from his pocket and raised his arm; however, before he could pull the trigger, something approached him as fast as lightning and made a cut on his arm. The Keyblade wielder dropped the flare gun from the pain and started looking around.
"What was that?" thought Sora as grabbed his arm.
This time he could hear something getting close to him from behind, so he summoned his Keyblade as fast as he could and turned around as he raised the sword. A katana clashed with his Keyblade, and Sora could see his attacker's face. It was a man with long sandy blond hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a large brown overcoat draped over his shoulders as if it were a cape, and had a cage with multiple swords in it.
The man started delivering fast blows and Sora started blocking all of them. Then the Keyblade wielder moved fast and tried to hit the man from behind, but he raised his arms and put the katana between his back and Sora's Keyblade, stopping the boy's attack in the process. The man turned around really fast and tried to cut Sora with a horizontal slash, but he could only made a small cut on Sora's face while he dodged the attack. The Keyblade wielder was surprised at how good was his attacker despite looking like a normal human.
This time Sora charged at the man and started attacking him with fast strikes. The man parried every attack, and then his katana and Sora's Keyblade clashed. The two of them struggled and tried to break the other's guard. To the man's shock, Sora's weapon disappeared for a second and appeared again between his katana and him. The Keyblade wielder took this opportunity to deliver a powerful blow to the man that sent him a few meters away. The man recovered and looked carefully at Sora.
"I see," said the man. "You're not from the military of this world."
"Who are you?" asked Sora.
"My name is Mifune," said the man. "I was told to engage any person who tried to get this deep into the forest. Although it doesn't matter anymore since she left. However, I can't let you stay to investigate, so leave."
"She?" asked Sora. "You work for Maleficent? Tell me where she went!"
"If you're not going to leave voluntarily, then I'll have to make you," said Mifune, and then he grabbed the cage full of katanas. "Infinite One-Sword Style."
Mifune swung the cage, throwing all the katanas into the air. The swords landed across the clearing, surrounding the Keyblade wielder and his opponent. Sora had the feeling that the man he was looking at wasn't working for Maleficent because he wanted, so maybe he could make him come to his senses by hitting him with the Keyblade a couple of times.
"I guess we can't solve this pacifically," said Sora as he took off the cloak Levi gave him.
Sora saw how Mifune rushed at him really fast, so he did the same. The two hit the other's swords, and then Mifune grabbed a katana that was stuck behind him and swung it at the Keyblade wielder, who stepped back before attacking the swordsman again.
Mifune leaped into the air to get away from Sora's attack while grabbing two swords with his free hand. He threw the swords at the ground to make himself a path to use; however, he didn't expect Sora to move forward and hit the katanas with his weapon. The brown-haired boy returned the swords to his wielder, who couldn't defend since he didn't have any swords with him.
"He has great reflexes," thought Mifune after being cut by his own swords. He landed and grabbed a katana quickly since Sora was already running towards him.
The Keybearer started attacking Mifune from several directions. Every time the man blocked one of his attacks, he quickly moved to attack him from another position. As he blocked Sora's attacks, Mifune positioned three swords so that they stood parallel to one other in the ground. Then, Mifune struck all of their blades simultaneously with a powerful swing directed near their sunken tips, causing the entirety to slash upwards in a single violent movement that was reminiscent of a fang. Sora could lean back to avoid being hit by that attack, but then Mifune hit the swords in quick succession with the blade of the sword he is currently holding. Each sword was launched directly towards Sora along a linear trajectory, with a tremendous amount of force.
"Dammit!" Sora tried to dodge the blades, but one of them could cut him in the arm that wasn't cut when he tried to shoot the flare gun.
Mifune started throwing more swords at Sora, who started dodging all the ones he could. Then the boy threw his own Keyblade to Mifune, who this time was prepared if Sora tried to do the same trick from before. However, instead of disappearing, the Keyblade divided into five Keyblades made of light that were directed to the swordsman.
Sora's opponent revolved his body around and swung his currently held sword in a circular motion, causing all of the blades in the immediate vicinity to be propelled upwards. He utilized the collisions between the swords to keep them aloft and to block all the light-made swords Sora threw at him.
"Where is he?" thought Mifune when he realized that Sora was nowhere to be seen. He, then, sensed Sora's presence above him, so he turned around and saw that he had two of his katanas in his hands.
Sora started to attack Mifune, performing a really quick combo with the two blades. He started hitting all the katanas that surrounded the man at the same time he blocked his attacks. Then Sora's and Mifune's weapons collided and the two of them started stood there, trying to make the other budge.
The Keyblade wielder was surprised that Mifune could block all his strikes despite having used two blades at the same time, although he wasn't as good as Roxas when it came to dual wielding. Anyway, Sora really needed to finish the battle since he wanted to ask Mifune about Maleficent, so he had to use a trick that he used in a previous duel. The brown-haired boy summoned his Keyblade in his mouth, something that no one expected him to do in a battle unless that person had seen him doing it before. It was the first time he fought Mifune, so the man wasn't prepared for that.
A beam of light came out from the tip of Sora's Keyblade, striking Mifune's body and sending him flying away to a tree. The man hit the tree and let go of the katana he was holding. Sora stuck the two katanas he had on the ground and made his Keyblade vanish before walking to where Mifune was.
"Sorry for pulling up that trick on you," said Sora. "You're a good swordsman, and I'd have liked the fight to be longer, but if you're being controlled by that witch, then my priority is to free you from her control."
"No, I wasn't being controlled," said Mifune as he knelt on the ground.
"What? Then why are you with her?" asked Sora confused. "You don't look like a bad guy to me."
"I'm not supposed to be alive," said Mifune, much to Sora's shock.
"So she brought you back to life…" said Sora. "But, even so, if you want to return the favor, you might end up doing something you'll regret. She's up to now good."
"I know," said Mifune. "But she told me she would tell me where someone I appreciate is if I helped her. A long time ago, I vowed myself that I'd protect that person until she's able to protect herself."
"She's lying to you," said Sora, and Mifune looked at him with surprise. "That old hag will use you, and when she doesn't need you anymore, she'll ditch you. I'm sure she doesn't even know where your friend is."
"It seems you've dealt with her before," said Mifune, looking at the Keyblade wielder's eyes. "I can tell you're being honest, so that means I've been tricked…I had the feeling she was evil, but I really wanted to see that person again that I let myself be fooled by her. I'm sorry for attacking you."
"Well, it was obvious you were holding back, so no problem," said Sora. "Listen, why don't you forget about Maleficent? I'll help you looking for your friend."
"You're going to help me even though I was helping your enemy?" asked Mifune, and Sora smiled and nodded. "You're a strange boy."
"Yeah, I'm sure you're not the only one who thinks that," said Sora scratching the back of his head. "Anyway, if you want my help, I'll be glad to help you looking for that friend of yours."
Mifune smiled. "You remind me of someone. He was really strong, but louder and kind of arrogant. What's your name, by the way?"
"Sora," replied the Keyblade wielder.
"You're Sora?" asked Mifune, as if he had heard the boy's name before. "Maleficent mentioned you. It looks like she's planning something to destroy you and your friends."
"Do you know what it is?" asked Sora, now looking at the man with a serious expression.
"No, sorry," said Mifune. "It seems that she didn't trust me enough to tell me about her plans. She only told me to guard this forest since her base was here, but now she left. I know she's using some kind of strange material to make small spheres that she infuses with her magic, but nothing else."
"Yeah, we already suspected that," said Sora. "So, she left this forest recently?"
"Yes, but I don't know where she went either, sorry," said Mifune as he stood up.
"It's all right," said Sora. "One last thing…have you seen a guy with a yellow coat with her?"
"I think so," said Mifune. "He always had a hood on, so I couldn't see his face, but I can tell you that he has an outstanding power. You better be careful."
"Okay, thanks," said Sora. Now he knew that the mysterious person with the yellow coat was affiliated with Maleficent.
"By the way, that sword you use," began Mifune, "it's the first time I see something like that, but I can it's truly an amazing weapon, so don't lose the sight of it."
"Don't worry, I'm not planning to," said Sora. "Your swords are really something, too. Maybe one day we could fight again. What do you say, samurai?"
"I'd rather fight against someone older," said Mifune with a small smile.
Sora sighed. "Well, I tried. Say, what can you tell me about your friend? Is a 'she', right?"
"It's a little girl, but I can't remember her name," said Mifune. "Some memories from that time are still blurry. But only two years have passed since then, so she must be still a child. She's a bit naïve and likes to play a lot."
"So, a little girl who likes to play," said Sora before chuckling. "Man, it's going to be difficult to find her unless you remember her name or how she looked like."
"I hope she's all right," said Mifune.
"I'm sure she is," said Sora as he turned around and walked to pick up the green cloak and the flare gun he dropped when Mifune attacked him. "You should go to the city and rest. When you remember something look for a guild called Light Guardians. Me and my friends will help you."
"Aren't you sure you don't want to turn me in to the military?" asked Mifune. "If one of them had come here instead of you…"
"Come on, forget about that already," said Sora. "Feeling guilty won't help you finding your friend. Besides, I couldn't do that after what you told me. I kind of have a soft spot for little girls too."
"Then, I think I'll do what you said," said Mifune smiling. "I'll try to remember everything before we meet again."
"Right, I'll be waiting," said Sora returning the smile, and then he raised his arm and shot the flare gun. The mission was over, and now it was time to return to the city.
-TLG-
1305hrs, August 10th, 2024
Shaded Forest's Entrance, Radiant Garden
All the Survey Corps returned to the forest's entrance after seeing the flare Sora shot. The soldiers who weren't part of Erwin's plan couldn't find any people who arrived from other world, but they engaged some Heartless and found more spheres that they gave to Hange. On the other hand, the soldiers who were part of Erwin's plan, returned to the forest's entrance safe and sound. Now the only one who had to return was Sora.
"He's taking a while to return…" said Eren looking at the forest.
"That kid must have got into troubles or something," said Oluo. "We'll have to look for him if he doesn't return soon."
"Surely it's just some Heartless that appeared on his way here," said Eld.
"Look, there he is," said Gunther when he saw Sora on his horse. The Keyblade wielder approached Levi's squad and dismounted the animal. They were glad to see him back, but there was something they saw on him that surprised them.
"Hey guys," greeted Sora.
"Sora, how did you get those cuts!?" asked Petra stunned. "You're bleeding!"
"Huh?" Sora realized that he forgot to heal the wounds he got while fighting Mifune. "It's nothing, don't worry."
"Sit down, I'll bring bandages!" said Petra pointing at a rock that was near her and the others.
"I told you I'm-"
"Sit down…" said Petra, this time with an intimidating expression on her face.
"Y-yes!" replied Sora as he sat down.
"She looked even scarier than Captain…" muttered Eren. "She's spending too much time with him…"
"Sora, what happened?" asked Erwin as he walked to where Sora and Levi's squad was with Levi and the two Squad Leaders.
"I don't think a Heartless did that to you," said Levi. "Who did you find in there?"
"One of my enemy's subordinates," said Sora. Petra returned with the bandages and started covering Sora's wounds. "But don't worry, he was just being deceived. I could make him come back to his senses."
"Deceived?" asked Gunther.
"My enemy, Maleficent, usually tricks people into helping her," explained Sora. "She told the man I found inside that she'd help him finding someone close to him if he helped her."
"A man?" asked Eren. "That guy must be really strong if he could hurt you."
Sora chuckled. "Well, no one is invulnerable, but yes, that man was really good."
"It seems that you and your men are dealing with someone manipulative," said Erwin pensively. "Then, did you find her headquarters in the forest?"
"No, it looks like she moved elsewhere," said Sora as Petra finished covering all his wounds. "At least now I know she's not here, so I'll have to look for her in other places. Thanks for the help, all of you."
Erwin nodded and smiled. "I'm glad we could be of help. I'll tell the others that it's time to return to the city. Mike, Hange, tell the other groups to pick everything up."
"Sora," said Levi, and the Keybearer looked at him. "You did a good work. I'll be looking forward to the next time you come with us."
"Yes, thanks," said Sora as he saw the captain leaving with Hange and Mike.
"Well, I, too, have to admit that you are pretty good, kiddo," said Oluo as he and the others mounted their horses. "For being your first expedition, you did it quite well. But don't get cocky just because I complimented you."
"I'm sure you'd be a great soldier of the Survey Corps," said Petra smiling, and then she, Sora and the other members of Levi's squad started following the others soldiers who were already leaving on their horses. "Maybe you could learn how to use the 3D Maneuver Gear for the next time, although, it's not as simple as it seems. You're going to need some training if you want to use it."
"Oluo, Petra, I wouldn't talk like that if I were you," said Eld, and then he looked at Sora. "Sora, these two pissed their pants and cried the first time they saw a huge Heartless like the one that was inside the forest."
"What!?" said Sora dumbfounded.
"GYAAAAH!" shrieked Petra, horrified by what Eld said. "Don't say that to him! What if he stops respecting me!?"
"So it's true!?" asked Sora.
"It sure is!" answered Eld. "And I didn't, by the way, Sora."
"Idiot!" barked Oluo. "I've killed more of those giant Heartless than you! More of them than you, idiot!"
"Kill count isn't all that makes a soldier!" Eld responded.
"Shut up, idiot!" said Oluo.
"Eren," said Sora looking at the young soldier. "Did you, too…?"
"No, I didn't!" said Eren before Sora could finish the sentence. "I wouldn't do something as embarrassing as that!"
"Shut up!" yelled Gunther. "We're still outside the city! We can still be ambushed by Heartless! And just for you to know, I didn't piss myself either, Sora."
Sora let out a small laugh as he moved forward with Levi's squad and the rest of the Survey Corps. After having problems with Fiore's Royal Military two years ago, he had to admit that it was nice to have friendly soldiers in Radiant Garden. The Amestrian soldiers were really nice too.
There was something in Sora's mind and was what Mifune said to him. The samurai said that Maleficent was planning something to destroy the Keyblade wielders, but unfortunately, Mifune didn't know anything about it. Sora had a bad feeling about all this. What could be Maleficent's plan?
-TLG-
Phew, this was the longest chapter I've made. It's always funny to me making Sora interact with people without powers.
Well, as you could read Kairi, Naminé and Aqua will go to Earth Land. I'll, too, send Roxas, Xion and Lea on a mission together to a place that Sora, Riku and Kairi visited in this fanfic before, and Sora and Ventus will go on a mission together to a certain academy for Hunters.
To Sunny Lighter: 1) I'm glad you liked! Yes, I think Hughes' death would have been unnecessary here, and saving him was useful for another thing. 2) I'll watch some videos of Epic Mickey to find a way to add him. 3) I still haven't watched Saving Mr. Banks, and there still lots of worlds I'd like to add before that, so I'm not completely sure if I'll use it, I'm sorry.
To The Dark Dragon Emperor: 1) Yes, I think the same. 2) I'm looking forward the SAO mission too.
To Anthony627AA: I'm glad to hear that. I hope you enjoyed this chapter too, and don't worry, I haven't forgotten about the Digimon Crossover.
To AnimeMasterDub: 1) The guy in the yellow coat is…a mystery. I wonder if someone among the readers knows who he is. 2) Because of Maleficent, as you can deduce after reading this chapter. 3) To an academy for Hunters. 4) Ventus. 5) Yes. 6) No.
To kingdom hearts guy: Yes, but that's still several chapters away.
To Red Diz: Thanks, I'm glad you liked it! Neku and the others will appear more in the story; actually their second appearance will take place soon.
To Ventusblade: 1) Yes, all of you who wanted to see him gave me that idea. 2) Well, we already talked about this via PMs, so I don't need to answer this, right?
To KH-Harcorefan4483: 14) Yes, after watching a video of him owning Edward, I thought I could use Xion to take the wind out of his sails. 15) I always considered them like some kind of strange family. Regarding what you said about Hughes, he said that because the soldiers could blame anyone who was near the crime scene, but what you said about the guy in the yellow coat being a Keyblade wielder…who knows…
To dark: 1) Yes, he's a Dark Hunter, but people who haven't read the timeline of my profile aren't going to get this. 2) Sora and Jellal will have to meet each other before that.
To Great fan-M: 1) You can interpret that scene however you want, but here's a curiosity from Soul Eater: there are several types of madness: Terror, Order, Power, Wisdom, Rage… 2) Yes, I thought some readers would like that too! 3) They'll have to find out sooner or later…or not.
To Guest: Yes, I'm sure they will do that to their former Nobodies, lol.
To StarTrail: It's a good thing Xion won the poll I made about who should go with Sora to Amestris or I couldn't have come up with that.
To AquaTitaniaMiyuki: I'll watch some videos of KHD to remember, there were so many missions that it's difficult to remember all. Well, I already know where I'm going to send them, so that's already covered. There will be some stealth parts, I can assure you that.
To Drag0n-0f-Shu: 1) I put him into a coma, so the story won't change much. I try to avoid breaking the canon plot of the series I use if I can. 2) The Digimon Crossover won't be very long, so that's why I'm slowing down. I could have written 4 chapters of that story with the amounts of words this chapter has.
To fallenstar2013: Humbert) Hey, calm down or you're going to die by laughter lol. Klaus) I don't know about Erza, but Aqua will fight a mage from another guild relatively soon. Yeah, you're not the only one who wants to know who that guy is, but it will be a while before I reveal it.
To animelover276: I'm glad you're happy he's finally here! He'll start going on missions soon.
To mOOnlite-duskk: Wow, thanks a lot! I'm glad I could get you into Soul Eater with my stories! Maybe it can be interpreted that Maka has a small crush on Sora, but I see it more like great admiration and respect towards him, and that's already saying something since she doesn't like men very much because of her father. Some characters in the story also misinterpret this and tease the girl about it. Anyway, I'm glad to have a new reader, and I hope you continue enjoying my story!
To shadow hunter: They will, but Sora needs to interact with the other Keyblade wielders more.