A/N: The fun has arriiiiiiived! Thank you, thank you very much!
No, seriously guys, thanks for all the support so far!
Now, this main story is split into "episodes," each with its own mini-story within this fic. And each episode will feature different characters as they deal with different situations. The next one or two Episodes will prominently feature this group of first years.
Also, I have all the first and fourth years I need. Please send me second and third years! Also, please, no more OCs with Radiant Garden as their home world. I already have quite a few that originate from Radiant Garden, and while they are AWESOME, I really… need more worlds then just this one.
Alright, not much more to say here! ONWARD!
…
Episode Two – New Students
Part One – Team Assignments
Radiant Garden was bustling as groups of returning students ran from shop to shop, buying items to replace lost, broken, or forgotten ones. The cafés and restaurants were mobbed with groups reuniting after the two-month break, and business was just overall booming.
It was obvious the first day back for students was a favorite for the business owners, if their fat Munny Pouches at the end of the day were any indication.
For Hazel though, who had never seen this many people in one spot before (or ever, really), it was all very new. She slowly walked through town, turning this way and that, drinking in the sights and listening to the chatter. Even the smells were new for her! As she entered another district, a concoction of sweet smells assaulted her nose. Sniffing the air, she dropped into a crouch, supporting her weight on her toes and knuckles, and moved forward, following the scent.
…
Ventus loved Radiant Garden's one and only Candy Shop. It held all kinds of sweets, from all different worlds, and the Moogle running it, Kupetta, was the sweetest Moogle Ven had ever met.
Once the Opening Assembly had finished, this was the first place he bought one of the first years he'd found, knowing of her love for sweets.
Kupetta floated over to the fourteen-year-old girl. The girl had shoulder-blade length curly white hair that was currently down, with side bangs that hung in her light blue eyes. She wore a black tank top under a white short jacket, a knee-length white skirt that had blue lining along the hem, dark blue leggings underneath that, and white boots that go up to just below her knees. Around her neck was a red scarf, and completing the outfit were white fingerless gloves and a white hip satchel.
"Hey, sweetie. Can I help you find anything, kupo?" Kupetta asked.
"Oh, uh, just browsing. Thank you," the girl asked with a small smile.
"Okay. Oh, Master Ventus. I've already bagged up your usual, kupo!" she said, turning to the Keyblade Master. He laughed at that, pulling his Munny out.
"Thanks, Kupetta," he said, handing it to her and receiving a hefty bag of candy in return. The girl turned and raised an eyebrow at the man.
"I take it you come here often," she teased. Ven laughed with a shrug.
"You're not the only one who likes sweets, Amber," he said. "Besides, with how 'boring' a topic I teach, candy is a good way to motivate students."
"So you bribe them."
"It is so not bribing!" Ven gasped, mock-offended.
Before Amber could answer, the chime of the door rang. Curious, both glanced over, only to see Hazel.
Hazel had followed her nose all the way to a cute little candy shop, surprisingly uncrowded except for the Moogle shop owner, the Master, and Amber. Hazel's attention, however, was on the scents assaulting her sensitive nose. She sniffed the air, trying to discern between separate scents.
Ven and Amber glanced at each other before going back to watching this girl, who was crouched on the ground, sniffing the air.
"No…" Hazel suddenly gasped in disbelief. "Honey?" She darted over to one of the displays, pulling herself to an upright standing position with the shelf. Kupetta rushed over, worried by the girl's wild movement.
Suddenly, Ven recognized her as another first year that Sora had recruited one of the times he went to visit his friends on another world.
"You should go say hi," he said with a smile at Amber. "She's in your year."
"Er, I don't know…" Amber muttered.
Hazel sniffed the display excitedly, before noticing the numbers on each of the little baggies. Belatedly realizing what they meant, she pulled out her Munny.
The school gave each student 500 Munny at the beginning of each semester. Some students would add that to the amount they bought from home, while that would be all some students would have until they started fighting Heartless. Hazel, falling into the latter category, hesitated as she studied her Munny Pouch, before looking up at the candies, trying to decide if she really needed them.
Ven caught Amber's eye and motioned with his head towards the odd girl. Amber bit her lip, seeming unsure, but sighed and walked over.
"Um, hi," she said. Hazel jumped slightly, turning towards the girl. Once again remembering her mother's etiquette lessons, she stood up straight and held out her right hand towards the girl.
"Hi. My name's Hazel. It's a pleasure to meet you," she said with a smile.
"Amber. It's nice to meet you too," the white-haired girl said. She turned to look at the display Hazel had been looking at. "Honey Drops?" she asked.
"Yeah. I love Honey. But it's so hard to get back home," she explained. She then shrugged. "Oh what the heck," she said, picking up a bag and counting out the Munny. Kupetta, who had been hovering nearby, darted forward and took the Munny, before whisking away to the register. Hazel then turned to Amber, who was shifting her weight from foot to foot.
"So… are you a first year, too?" she asked.
"Er, yeah," Amber said.
"Master Sora's the one who bought me here. What about you?" Hazel asked curiously.
"Master Ve—" Amber cut off as she went to motion towards Ven, only to find that he wasn't in the store anymore. "Big Brother?" she asked in surprise, looking around.
"Master Ventus?" Hazel asked. Amber nodded, still looking around. "I just saw him slip out."
A small scowl crossed the girl's face. "Now why did he do something like that?"
…
Ventus watched the two girls as they exited the shop. The brunet, Hazel, offered Amber a Honey Drop, which Amber took with a small smile, even if she kept glancing around.
"Probably looking for me," Ven said with a smile, before shaking his head with a small puff of laughter. "I'm probably worried for no reason…"
…
Sixteen-year old Chronos weaved his way through the crowded town, sidestepping the people crowding the districts, his nose in a book. The other students didn't notice the short, small boy weaving among them, his chin length blond hair shining in the sun. He wore a pair of blue sweats with a hoodie of the same color. The hoodie was a size or two too large for his tiny structure, looking more like a cloak then a hoodie. Along both the pants and hoodie were silver roman numerals ranging from I (1) to XII (12).
Just as Chronos rounded a corner, someone a bit shorter, but much more solid, ran into him, making him fall back with an oof!
Hazel stumbled back slightly as the guy she ran into fell.
"I'm sorry," she said, leaning forward to help Chronos up. Amber smiled at that.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Y-yeah," Chronos said, picking his book up and brushing it off. Hazel smiled weakly at him.
"Hi, my name's Hazel. It's a pleasure to meet you," she said, shaking the boy's hand, which she still held.
"Er, likewise. I'm Chronos," he muttered, flexing his hand once the stronger girl let it go, his slender, long fingers nearly crushed in her abnormally strong grip.
"And I'm Amber," the other girl said, before looking over at Hazel. "You know there are more ways to introduce yourself, right?"
"Oh… um…" Hazel blushed, lowering her head slightly to hide behind her hair. Chronos, not understanding, just smiled weakly at them. The brunet shook her head and looked up again. "So do you attend Paopu Academy, too?" she asked. Chronos simply nodded to her question. Hazel, not seeming to know what else to say, shifted her weight. Thankfully, Amber stepped in then.
"Well, we'll let you get back to your book. It was nice to meet you, Chronos," she said, grabbing Hazel's arm and pulling her away. Chronos watched after the two girls, before letting out a soft breath and opening his book once more, making his way to the Outer Gardens and hopefully some peace and quiet.
…
The next morning found the assorted first years milling around in the Bailey. A few of them were looking out the windows, talking about the Dark Castle which sat in the distance, while some of them talked nervously about the Team Assignment Exam they would face today. Hazel was standing on the sill of one of the windows, studying the world from this vantage point, while Amber fidgeted nervously with her scarf, pulling it up and over her mouth and nose. Meanwhile, Chronos sat in a quiet corner, his nose buried in a book.
Just then, Masters Sora, Riku, and Kairi entered. Almost instantly, the students stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to them.
"Well, it looks like everyone's already here," Sora said with a grin. "I guess that means we can get started right away."
"Excuse me, but what will we be doing?" one of the students asked, raising their hand.
"We will be assessing each of your fighting styles so that we can build the teams in the most balanced way possible. Usually, we have a strength, a speed, and a magic user for each trio, but that doesn't always happen," Riku explained. "I'll be here to assess each of you, and Kairi will be here to heal any injuries. Basic spells and abilities are, of course, allowed, so that we can see what you can do."
"And what will we be fighting?" Hazel asked.
"Me," Sora said with a grin, stepping forward and summoning Kingdom Key. The students were silent for a second, before the muttering started. Riku shook his head with a chuckle.
"It's the same every year," he muttered to Kairi, who nodded, stepping forward.
"You'll be fighting Sora one on one. He's the most balanced fighter between the Nine Masters, so he can take most of what you can throw at him," she explained. Sora quirked an eyebrow at her, a small pout crossing his face.
"'Most'?" he asked, causing the first years to chuckle, most of their nervousness melting away. Kairi just smiled sweetly at him, before stepping back and nodding to Riku. Riku had the first years step back, clearing the middle of the Bailey, before calling the first student forward.
"Amber. You're up," he said, looking up from his clipboard with a smile at the white-haired girl. Amber straightened up slightly, before gulping softly and stepping forward. She brought her scarf up to her face, taking a deep breath of its scent, before tucking it back around her neck.
With her left hand, she unsheathed the sword that hung at her hip. The Holy Sword was just a few inches shorter than her leg. The grip was made of brown leather. A handguard, shaped as one angel wing, arched from the cross-piece, protecting only one side of her hand. The blade itself was a silver blue, with a line of pure light blue running down the middle.
In her right hand, she summoned her Keyblade, The Sleeping Lion. It looked a lot like the holy sword, but with a solid piece of metal acting as the other side of the handguard, opposite the wing. The point of the blade was a lion's head, while the teeth of the key was made of an arrow with wing like appendages. A silver-blue chain hung from the end, with another lion's head, the mane forming the shape of a wing.
Taking another deep breath, Amber entered her fighting stance, the Ballet first position with her left arm towards her side at a diagonal, and her right arm in the same position on her other side.
Sora grinned, getting into his iconic fighting stance. The two studied each other for a few tense moments.
"Begin!" Riku called.
The two circled each other for a few moments, before Sora suddenly dove forward, swiping at the girl with his Keyblade. She blocked it with her Holy Sword, before countering with Sleeping Lion. Sora let Kingdom Key bounce off of the sword rather than locking their blades together, and caught Sleeping Lion mid swing. Amber jumped back, disengaging from the first exchange of blows. Riku nodded, taking notes.
This time, it was Amber who initiated the attack, rushing forward and swinging both blades at Sora. It was clear she was new to dual wielding, as her left arm didn't have as much strength or dexterity as her right, but she was managing to hold her own against the Master. Sora fell back from her onslaught, blocking each strike. Finally, he parried a strike from the Holy Sword, creating an opening and striking her in the arm.
With a gasp of pain, Amber dropped her Holy Sword and jumped back. She frowned at the growing bruise, before looking up at Sora.
"Cure!" she cried, glowing a light green. The bruise faded, as did some of the pain. Forgoing the sword, Amber dove forward again, using just Sleeping Lion. Amber and Sora traded blow for blow, until finally, Amber ducked under one of Sora's strikes and into his guard. She surged upward, her shoulder slamming into his chest. Sora gasped as the air was pushed out of him and he fell back, having not expected her shoulder to be so… solid. For a moment, he thought he saw the light reflect off of her shoulder as she jumped back, but in the blink of an eye, the glare was gone.
Kairi and Riku glanced at each other as Sora caught his breath, rubbing his chest, before Riku nodded.
"Time. That was good, Amber," he said, glancing over his notes. Amber smiled shyly at the praise, de-summoning her Keyblade and picking up her sword, re-sheathing it.
"Thank you," she said, stepping back into line. Kairi cast a quick cure spell on Sora, who nodded with a smile to her, waiting for the next person.
…
Two students later, Chronos's name was called. He walked forward nervously, watching as Sora nodded encouragement to him. With a deep breath, he summoned his own Keyblade, Strikes Twelve.
Strikes Twelve was comprised of a thin, silver blade with roman numerals etched into the blade in gold, reaching up the side, only about three feet long. Near the point, the blade curved around, forming a circle with a clock face in the center. From the handguard hung a thin chain, with a golden roman numeral twelve hanging off.
Chronos held Strikes Twleve level in front of him, posed more to allow him to better parry attacks than to actually strike. Riku nodded at this, jotting down a few notes under Chronos's name.
It was clear Chronos was nervous, as his already too-pale face was even paler. However, he stood his ground as Riku called "Begin!"
After a few minutes of Sora and Chronos studying each other, the Master dove forward. Chronos ducked under his attacks, moving to the side and away from Sora, who kept coming. Finally finding his back against the wall, Chronos took a deep breath.
"STOP!" he yelled. A clock face appeared in front of Sora, made out of purple light, and the Master froze mid-swing. Chronos moved closer, striking a few times at Sora, before quickly moving away, knowing Sora wouldn't stay frozen for long.
He was right. As soon as he was out of Sora's reach, the Kingdom Key Wielder began to move again.
Before Sora could pin Chronos again, the boy cast Slow, causing a green clock face to flash before Sora, slowing his movements down long enough for him to get a few good hits in, before darting out of his reach as the spell wore off.
The sparring match went on like this for a few more minutes, with Chronos alternating between Stop and Slow, until Riku called time, laughter clear in his voice. Sora pouted at him, knowing Riku was laughing at how ridiculous he had looked moving at a snail's pace.
"That was good, Chronos. It's clear to see you're more of a magic user, but that's very useful in battle," Kairi said, elbowing Riku in the ribs to get him to stop laughing, and kicking Sora in the shin as he opened his mouth to say something to the Way to Dawn Master. The first years laughed, while Chronos smiled slightly at the woman's praise, stepping back into line.
…
"Hazel," Riku called after a few more matches. The girl stepped forward with a grin. She waited for Kairi to finish healing Sora, before summoning her own Keyblade, Jungle Fang. The handguard was round, looking like jungle vines, while the brown, round, blade of the Keyblade was taller than Hazel herself, the length of a short spear. A blade made from sharpened rock was tied to the point of the Keyblade, making up the key's teeth, and a small vine hung from the guard, with a leopard's fang attached to the end.
Hazel herself crouched forward, her feet spread wide apart, her center of gravity very close to the ground. Her left hand was held in front of her, gripping Jungle Fang, while her right hand was held up and behind her, palm facing the ground. Her bare toes spread wide apart, almost unnaturally, as she gripped at the ground with her feet. She bared her teeth in a playfully threatening way as Sora got into her own stance.
"Begin!" Riku yelled. Before the word even fully left his mouth, Hazel was on the move. She darted to the side, jumped up, and bounced off the wall, swinging her Keyblade wildly in long, sweeping attacks. Sora rolled backwards, out of her reach, and followed up with diving forward himself. Hazel crouched low to the ground, watching him race towards her. She still held the grip of the blade in her left hand, but she was also holding the blade just a foot before the teeth of the key, holding it just like a spear. She managed to block a few of Sora's strikes, before suddenly jumping straight up in the air.
Recognizing the attack, Sora rolled out of the way, just as Hazel slammed Keyblade first into the ground in a messy Jump attack. As she stood, Sora took a few quick swipes at her. Hazel jumped back, avoiding Kingdom Key, and bared her teeth at him again.
The two went back and forth like this for a few more minutes until Riku called time, jotting notes down. Hazel stood up straight, de-summoned her Keyblade, and stepped back, just as Sora turned to his next sparring partner.
…
After the last of the first years, the students were free to explore town while the Masters met. Riku spread the notes he took out on the table so that each Master could see them, and slowly, but surely, twelve first years became four teams.
…
"Amber, Chronos, and Hazel," Aqua called, standing in front of the first years. These three students stepped forward. "You are now Team Dragon Light. Look to your teammates in your darkest times, as they will act as a light of guidance and friendship."
"Yes, Master," those three said, bowing their heads to her, then stepping back into line. Amber glanced at Hazel with a smile, while Hazel grinned brightly at her. Meanwhile, Chronos looked between his two new teammates. Amber seemed okay enough to him, but he wasn't too sure about rooming and fighting alongside such a wild person as Hazel.
There was only one thing Amber was sure of when it came to her new team. Things were bound to be interesting.
…
A/N: FINALLY!
Okay guys!