*Disclaimer* - I do not own the copyright to Kingdom Hearts, Toaru Majutsu no Index, or any other series/characters in this story.
*A/N* - Kept you waiting, huh? Hello again and thanks for checking this story out. Apologies for this being a late update. Life is unfair, and I had some other issues arise causing the delay in this chapter to grow from days to weeks to months. However, in return, I got even more inspiration for this story in many forms. And one of those forms is thanks to everyone who gives the story a chance and checks it out. Feedback has been a joy to read whether it's good or bad reviews on the story. I take it all at face value to improve the story. Now then, things are building up heavily in the story and things might not be progressing the way you originally thought. The way I laid out the story changed around this chapter's development, and I think it might be a curveball. Things will be different but the most important thing is that Sora is bound to experience some sort of misfortune. Thanks again and I hope you'll enjoy it!
*P.S*. - Kingdom Hearts 4 was not shown at the Game Awards. I truly don't know what happened to the game. Maybe the true Kingdom Hearts 4 was the friends we made along the way… lol. But we did get some interesting information directly from Nomura regarding the significance of crossroads throughout the Kingdom Hearts series which is extremely interesting. So, maybe we'll get something new? Also, ITEM light novel volume 4 is coming in March so that's going to be fun to read.
Rushing as fast as he could, Sora kept his eyes in front of him all while trying his best to not run into anyone down the street. Hence, he immediately had to sidestep a group of teens walking down the sidewalk.
"Hey!"
"Sorry!"
"What the heck!?"
"Watch where you're- "
Sora couldn't hear what else was said as he continued to move at an incredible speed. His focus was on reaching the designated area within District 7 as Moogla had reported to him. Anti-Skill was currently dealing with them, and he had a feeling that they'd need his help.
"Bwah! I need to go faster!"
Glancing ahead, Sora spotted a road that led onto another stretch of highway that also had railing along the side. This was exactly what he needed now to go faster.
"Ha!"
Leaping forward, the Keyblade wielder was now sliding along the rail while blue energy had coursed around his body. This was thanks to his Flowmoiton coming in clutch.
*WHOOSH*
At a constant rate, the spiky-haired brunette was speeding along the highway while sliding along the railing. People driving along the road were bewildered and shocked by the sight of the Keyblade wielder zooming past them. The sight of a teenage boy gliding along the railing with a strange glowing blue light around him all while getting further and further away from them was a sight to behold.
From Sora's perspective, his eyes and ears were moving back and forth to watch for anything that might lead him to where the Heartless activity was taking place.
Anything at this rate would be beneficial to him.
*BANG!*
*BOOM!*
*POP!*
The sound of gunfire drove him to turn his attention to the right, and he was lucky to do so as he spotted the tail end of an Anti-Skill vehicle making a turn to the left. That was his cue to move.
Jumping off the railing, the Keyblade wielder's body shot forward which allowed him to reach the side of a building. Immediately, Sora set forth to run across the building with his Flowmotion still allowing him to do such a thing. He continued to follow in the direction that the Anti-Skill vehicle went and was now staring at a developing situation for the worse.
Down on the ground were several Anti-Skill vehicles with their sirens blaring and flashing brightly while multiple groups of Anti-Skill members were all armed and firing against groups of Neo Shadows. And from the looks of things, it was not going well for them.
Propelling himself off the building, Sora shot forward and aimed his sights at the closest group of Heartless and Anti-Skill members and shouted with all his might.
"Get back!"
Confused by the sudden voice, a few of the Anti-Skill members instantly looked around before one glanced up in the air.
"What the- "
"Move!"
*WHOOSH!*
*BOOM!*
The Keyblade wielder had summoned his weapon and slammed himself right on top of the Heartless group causing a substantial shockwave and managing to kill the Heartless. Sora then started slashing away at a few of the Heartless before casting a Thunder spell and causing bursts of yellow lightning to scatter across the area.
A few of the Anti-Skill members were perplexed by the sudden action and were now even more on edge. One member in question began to display body language that meant he was about to aim his weapon at the spiky-haired boy, but he was immediately chastised by another member.
"The hell are you doing!? The higher-ups have him marked as a friendly!"
"T-That's him!? I… He's just a kid?"
"Yeah, well, that kid is making the entire force at the moment look like a joke" came the reply of another Anti-Skill member.
"No kidding. Yomikawa has put out special privileges on him. That's not like her to take favorites."
Another Anti-Skill member spoke up after hearing this.
"Considering what that kid has done… you'd be stupid to mess with him."
Hearing the talk about him, Sora looked over at the Anti-Skill members and shouted out at them.
"Hey! What's going on here!?"
One of the Anti-Skill members stepped forward. This member had a strange-looking sleeve on their shoulder which made it seem like they were different from the other members.
"Groups of Heartless appeared out of nowhere. Several citizens reported the incident, and a few nearby members were able to get the civilians to safety. However, two didn't make it."
Frowning at this news, Sora was about to say something but felt something off. Turning his head quickly, he spotted a Heartless making its way toward them. This forced him to twirl his blade and then perform an instant Strike Raid at the incoming Shadow Heartless that was trying to get the drop on them.
*WHOOSH*
*WHACK*
The Heartless was easily defeated while Sora simply extended his hand and summoned back the Keyblade. He then looked back at the Anti-Skill member without even batting an eye.
Amazement was the expression plastered over the officer's face as he was left bewildered by what he saw. Espers were truly something else.
"Did you guys manage to close the area off? Are there more Anti-Skill members coming?" Sora asked, shifting his focus to the special officer.
"Yes, more Anti-Skill forces are arriving on the scene around the surrounding blocks. Thankfully, the response team was fast and direct."
Nodding at this new bit of information, Sora then turned his attention to the Heartless and Anti-Skill officers engaged in combat. It easily reminded him of the battle that took place at Hollow Bastion with the Heartless invasion. Seeing all his friends engage in battle and doing their best to push back the advancing Heartless force. He couldn't help but smirk a bit at that excitement-filled memory.
"Got it. Leave this area to me. Make sure all the civilians are safe and sound."
Out of nowhere, one of the Anti-Skill members let her inner thoughts get the best of her and voiced what she was thinking after hearing the boy's claim.
"And what exactly can you do?"
Twirling his hand out and summoning the Shooting Star Keyblade in his hand, a burst of energy then exploded around Sora causing the officers to cover their eyes for a moment before staring in awe.
The boy's clothes had taken on a blue theme with what appeared to be stars aligned around his jacket. Even his boots had taken on a blue color now leaving everyone in shock. Adding onto this, in the spiky-haired boy's hands were two unusual guns. The design was anything but normal. However, in the brunette's hands, a sense of confidence could be felt just by how his eyes appeared determined.
"Making sure nobody else gets hurt."
And with that, Sora dashed forward and began laying fire onto the Heartless with his Shooting Star blasters. Streams of blue light could be seen slamming into the Heartless as well as Sora using his agility to dodge any that got close to him. Bursts of various lights could also be seen thanks to his usage of different elemental magic with the guns.
*BOOM*
*PEW*
*PEW*
*PEW*
*PEW*
*PEW*
"Hyah!"
"Come and get me!"
Watching as the Keyblade wielder engaged in combat while also looking like he was simply messing with the Heartless, the Anti-Skill members were left with their mouths open. Those who didn't entirely believe the boy's exploits or feats that others promoted were now of a different mind. Sora's abilities were something never seen before.
A few of the officers even began to murmur among themselves and started discussing what Esper level the brunette was. Questions were flying and the attention on the boy had grown exponentially.
"Alright! Let's get moving!" the special officer shouted getting everyone's attention.
One by one, the Anti-Skill officers all bounded in various directions while the special officer shot the Keyblade wielder another look followed by a nod before departing away.
It was his battlefield now and there was nothing that could stop the Guardian of Light.
*Super Smash Bros Brawl – Battlefield OST*
*BAM*
*FWOOSH*
*PEW*
*PEW*
Dashing forward, Sora's assault of gunfire from the two Shooting Star guns was at an all-time high. Followed by his accuracy being on the dot when it came to targeting the attacking Heartless.
*PEW*
*PEW*
One by one, any Heartless that tried to get close to him was met with a barrage of light bullets barraging them and ending their existence. This was also followed by bursts of various lights coming from the blasters thanks to Sora's use of elemental magic infused with the guns.
"Take this!"
Streams of red light were sent out thanks to a Fire spell and were successfully hitting groups of Heartless which caused substantial burning damage to them.
"Hah!"
Blue twirls of water shot forward from a Water spell cast and were soon colliding with the squads of Heartless leaving them primed and ready for the Keyblade wielder's next move of attack.
"You're gonna like this!"
Yellow bolts of electricity from a Thunder spell could be seen spiraling through the air and immediately hitting the Heartless already covered in water.
To make things even more drastic for the dark forces, Sora sprinted to the nearest pole and leaped at it which caused his entire body to start spinning at an incredible speed. Letting go of the guns, he now donned his original Keyblade along with his clothes going back to normal. His entire body was also glowing blue due to Flowmotion coming into effect.
*WHOOSH!*
Before long, Sora had flung himself forward and heaved the Keyblade from the side managing to perform a wide spiral attack which dealt the killing blow to the previously attacked Heartless. He then lunged forward and rolled out of the way of an incoming Neo Shadow that tried to gouge his shoulder out.
However, in the nick of time, he avoided the attack and stabbed the Heartless through the head causing it to be finished instantly. He then quickly raised the Keyblade in the air and cast a Thunder spell to shoot bolts of yellow lighting across the area. Many of the Heartless were taken out or stunned by the sudden attack which let him act.
"Hyah!"
With agility on his side, Sora leaped from one Heartless to another finishing them off with ease. The situation was a dire one which meant that time was against him and as he told the Anti-Skill officers… he would make sure that no one else got hurt.
*SWOOSH!*
Directing his attention to a Shadow Heartless that was beginning to leave the area, Sora set his sights on the dark creature and Airstepped right at the foe before killing it with a slash across the body.
Just as he was about to target another Heartless, his instincts screamed at him to move.
"Gah!"
Throwing himself to the ground, Sora narrowly missed a car being thrown right where he was just standing. Swerving his head to the side, he was left utterly confused and in shock at what he saw.
"That's- "
*BAM!*
*CRASH!*
Tilting his body to the side, Sora dodged another car being hurled right at him. He then prepared himself to deal with this familiar foe before him.
The culprit who was throwing cars at him was none other than a Metal Troll Heartless. A massively large armored Heartless that wielded a giant red and yellow axe while being covered in strong gold armor and huge shoulders that gave off an intimidating aura. The face of the Metal Troll was small and hanging near the center of its entire body while having a Heartless insignia at the top of its body.
Furthermore, the thing that puzzled Sora was the fact that this Metal Troll was an Emblem Heartless which held a great deal of importance.
This Heartless was not a Pureblood due to the noticeable insignia on its body. Meaning that this Heartless was originally part of Xehanort's experiments with the heart. However, Xehanort was gone, and Sora was in an entirely new world that hadn't dealt with the Heartless before. At least, from what he knew that seemed to be the case. This left the Keyblade wielder with so many questions.
*BOOM!*
Alas, that would have to wait as the Metal Troll had just flung another vehicle right at the boy. This time, a large bus was coming his way.
Rather than avoiding the large vehicle, Sora simply stepped forward at the last possible second and performed a single, clean strike through the bus.
*SWISH!*
The bus had split into two parts while leaving him unaffected. Sora then set his sights on the Metal Troll and needed to defeat it before it could cause any more trouble for him or the buildings around.
"Hey! Quit throwing things at me!"
*CLANG!*
The Metal Troll's heavy axe came crashing to the ground as the massive Heartless started making its way right to the boy. Seeing this, Sora had a few ideas pop into his head on how to deal with this enemy. One idea gleefully resonated in his mind which caused him to meet the Heartless head-on.
*BAM!*
*CLING!*
"NGH!"
Holding his own against the large weapon, Sora had no choice but to break away from this bind by throwing himself to the ground and dodging out of the way. The Metal Troll's axe came slamming down onto the ground causing debris to go flying along with the ground to be damaged.
Sora then skipped back a few steps before casting several Ice spells at the large foe's crucial body parts which included the arms and legs. This was to give him a proper chance at striking back.
"Grr! Hyah!"
The first slash went across the Metal Troll's hand that was wielding the axe before Sora slammed the Keyblade down along the Heartless' chest. With a point-blank Fire spell, flames covered the metal foe's body leaving quite the sight.
*WHACK!*
*WHOOSH!*
*SWISH!*
Not letting up for a single moment, Sora continued to dash around the Metal Troll's frozen body parts and did as much damage as he could against the Heartless. Alas, this didn't last long. The ice covering its body began to crack and break. This forced the brunette to jump back to avoid being slapped away from the heavy Heartless.
Picking up the axe, the Metal Troll began swinging the deadly weapon wildly causing Sora to switch up his battle tactics.
*FWOOSH*
Flicking his wrist, he let go of the Kingdom Key and summoned back his Shooting Star blasters which also switched his clothing to a blue theme. With a quick twirl on his back foot, Sora was now sprinting ahead while firing his guns at the Metal Troll causing the Heartless to become irritated.
*PEW*
*PEW*
*BAM!*
Debris soon exploded from the ground as the Metal Troll slammed its axe and started angrily chasing after the Keyblade wielder.
With its large hand, the Heartless grabbed another vehicle and hurled it right at the boy which caused him to leap into the air and narrowly miss the metal mass. He then twirled himself in the air and continued to lay fire into the armored Heartless as well as firing several dozen bullets at the troll's face.
Once enough bullets hit the Metal Troll's face, Sora dashed forward and set his sights on the closet building to him. Enough energy had been stored up for his next plan of attack.
Slamming his two guns together, a blast of blue light could be seen around the spiky-haired boy before he was now seen holding what appeared to be a strange-looking rocket launcher. The second level to his Elemental Formchange with Shooting Star.
"You're too slow!"
Not sure if the Metal Troll understood what he said, Sora could still see the armored Heartless hightailing it toward him which was exactly what he wanted.
Turning tail and sprinting to the nearest building, Sora's entire body glowed once again thanks to his Flowmotion, and once he got high enough along the building…
He propelled himself backward and off the building.
*WHOOSH*
Flipping his entire body back while soaring through the air, Sora gripped onto the rocket launcher and set his sights right on the Metal Troll which had leaned its body back to look up at the boy. A sense of urgency came into play as the armored Heartless instantly reached for a vehicle.
However, Sora would not let things get out of hand and came up with a clever solution to stop the rampaging Heartless.
Smirking to himself, he aimed down his sight onto the Metal Troll and fired a sphere of light right at the foe causing an explosion of light and sparkle effects to consume the Heartless. This was soon followed by another sphere and then another. Within seconds, a barrage of exploding spheres hit the Metal Troll causing quite the light show.
"See ya!"
*PEW!*
*BOOM!*
The next sphere to be shot from the weapon took a red glow before hitting the Heartless and being coursed with fire. This was soon followed by blue, green, and yellow spheres hitting the Metal Troll and being affected by Water, Wind, and Thunder spells. Each spell weakened the armored being to the point that it was time for Sora to finish it off.
"Have a blast!"
*KA-BOOM!*
The front of the rocket launcher seemed to spin at an incredible rate before a large sphere shot forward and directly hit the Metal Troll in the largest explosion to hit it yet. Dust had smoke had covered the area leaving Sora unable to get a clear view of the Heartless. This was thanks to Shooting Star's explosive finishing move.
As the dust settled, the Guardian of Light let out a satisfied sound as the Metal Troll was no more. He had defeated the intimidating foe without letting it rampage any longer.
Checking his surroundings, Sora also saw that there weren't any Heartless. This was a good sign.
"How did that Heartless come to be?"
Alas, that positive attitude soon diminished as another thought wormed its way through the brunette's head. One that also soured his positive mood.
'That Heartless… It was of the Emblem kind. That shouldn't be possible… right? Xehanort's experiments are what created the Emblem Heartless and Purebloods… are different. So… how was that Metal Troll able to be here?'
While still deep in thought, Sora failed to realize a Corridor of Darkness appeared right behind him which was soon dismissed as a dark figure had now materialized.
*Kingdom Hearts X Back Cover - Foretellers Case OST*
"Careful now. Wouldn't want to hurt yourself thinking too hard."
Snapping out of his thoughts, Sora swerved his head around to see who had just spoken. There was nothing in front of him so the obvious answer would have to come right behind him.
"Huh!? Darkness!"
The dark being did not react and simply stepped toward the boy causing him to raise his Keyblade defensively.
"What are you doing here!?"
"Relax. I'm not here to fight… not yet at least."
"Grr. Start talking! Did you cause that Emblem Heartless to appear?" Sora demanded of the mysterious being.
Without giving an immediate response, Darkness moved what appeared to be its head around and began giving the area a look over. This was all speculated based on the darkness surrounding its entire body and leaving only a brief outline of a human-like body.
"Tell me, since our last encounter, have you learned anything new about this city? About this world?"
Taken aback by this question, Sora didn't know how to respond and held a perplexed expression on his face.
"What…?"
"I'll ask again. Have you learned anything new at all?"
Keeping a leveled frown upon his face, the spiky-haired brunette decided to not answer that question.
"I see… guess it's true what's been said about you."
"You're not making any sense! What are you talking about?"
"It's been said that you can be quite… stupid. Needing a push in the right direction to get things moving along" Darkness responded with a hint of mockery. "You wouldn't get far unless you had a hint of where to go next or what to do next."
"Is that all you're going to do? Insult me and not answer my questions!"
A scoff could be heard coming from Darkness as the mysterious being appeared to take a few steps forward. Sora responded by aiming his Keyblade at the figure.
"If that were the case, I could happily do that all day. However, no, I'm not here to do that. I'm merely asking an informational question. Have you learned anything as of late?" the dark being asked.
Biting his tongue, Sora narrowed his eyes and gave a blunt response.
"…I don't have to answer you."
"*sigh* You've learned nothing. Figures."
"How about you start talking and quit dodging the question!" the Keyblade wielder fired back.
Giving the boy another look over, Darkness stopped moving and silently observed the boy for what felt like an eternity. Alas, it was only half a minute before anything was spoken.
"As I told you before, my interest pertains to the possibilities surrounding the seven Level 5s in Academy City. That much is still true. However, something else has piqued my interest as of late."
"And that is?"
Suddenly, Darkness raised its hand and summoned a dark orb that soon glowed purple and began to float in the air. A sense of uneasiness settled into Sora's chest.
"This world's magic is unique. I have visited countless worlds with their own basis for magic. Magic used in unthinkable ways or spells that would be hard for your mind to comprehend. However, this world is different. The magic here is indistinguishably complex. Systems of disciplines, traditions, and arts that are difficult for some to understand and impossible for most. The manipulation of reality through the lens of one person compared to another being misled… Such is the magic of this world. On this topic, you should have some inkling of understanding. Right, Sora?"
Making sure to truly get what Darkness was saying, Sora began to think about Academy City and the Espers inhabiting the city. Based on what he had learned thanks to Komoe, the idea of a personal reality was something that he still didn't know one hundred percent about but knowing that it had something to do with reality is what he focused on right now.
"…Yeah, you're right about that…"
Darkness then let go of the dark orb and continued talking.
"Hmph. Based on your tone of voice it suggests that this topic is something you have not given much thought about…" Darkness replied in a condescending tone. "Some hero you are. Dealing with forces you don't have a clue about."
Glaring at the dark being, Sora was becoming fed up.
"Supernatural phenomena. Are you certain that you have not come across anything of the sort in your time within this world?"
Putting his thinking cap on, when Darkness put it that way… he certainly did encounter supernatural phenomena while within Academy City.
The situation regarding Agni's Festival Fire and how Touma along with Index were in a rush to try and find this magical cabal and stop them from taking their anger out against Academy City. With everything that's happened, he still wasn't entirely sure how this magic spell worked, however, knowing that it took both time and effort to get it working properly did make Sora rethink what Darkness said.
"…I have encountered something like that."
"Ah. The Guardian of Light finally gives a useful response."
Another frown worked its way across Sora's face as he annoyingly stared at the mysterious being.
"Now that we are on the same page, the seven Level 5s and the magical foundation found in this world have greatly caught my attention. I'll let you know that I've been quite busy with things behind the scenes. I don't spend my whole time messing with you" Darkness elaborated to the boy.
"What? I don't get it. Are you saying that you… but that… no way…"
A solemn realization hit the Keyblade wielder as he began to think about what was just said.
"I know what it is that you're thinking. And the answer will not be a pretty one."
Knowing he might not like what he was going to hear, Sora swallowed this hard pill and trudged forward to find the truth.
"The Heartless that have been wandering around in the city… was it you?"
"…"
A staggering and worrisome silence enveloped the empty street that they occupied. This caused Sora's right hand to twitch slightly in the event that he would need to dive straight into action.
"…What do you think?" Darkness spaciously muttered.
"Grr! Enough! Just give me a yes or no."
"Very well. My answer… is both."
"Huh? Both? That's not an- "
"It is. Yes. And no."
Stunned by this response, Sora started to think about the answer on a deeper level.
'Wait… does that mean that Darkness is causing these Heartless to appear? If so, why wasn't a simple yes said? Could that mean that… someone else is at play? Academy City is dealing with problems on both the Magic and Science Sides… that could be something. Or maybe… Darkness is still involved in whatever is going on…'
After a moment passed, Darkness let out a disappointing sigh.
"You really need me to spell it out for you?"
Frowning at the being's response, Sora begrudgingly nodded his head. The most important thing that mattered right now was finding the source of the Heartless.
"Yeah, I do. I want a clear answer. No more beating around the bush. I want answers."
"…Heh. Is that conviction I hear coming from you? It's about time."
Another glare was sent toward the dark figure which caused him to chuckle.
"Very well. Here is your answer. I was not the one to summon the Heartless here…"
"What? You… You weren't?!"
"But…"
"Grr."
"I did have a hand in the Heartless being here."
With this newfound information at hand, Sora's mind was filled to the brim with questions now bouncing around. The situation had now gone from bad to worse. Darkness was growing his influence which could only mean one thing.
"You… *gasp* You- "
"That's right. I told you before. I've been quite busy. Many individuals in this city show great potential. That potential is enough for them to learn just how influential darkness can truly be."
"Training people to use darkness and call upon the Heartless is the worst thing you could have done!"
Yelling this out, Sora instantly got into a fighting position.
"Do you believe that? Off the top of my head, there are over a hundred different things I could have done to these people with potential. Things you can't even comprehend. Things that would leave you in shock and recoil in fear. If anything, I'm doing them and you a favor."
"Me? What are you talking about!?"
Striding past Sora, Darkness was now facing away from the Keyblade wielder and not giving a direct response.
"Hey! What do you mean?"
"I think I've said enough. It's up to you to solve the rest. However, knowing how slow your brain works, I'm willing to bet that I'll be explaining things to you once more soon."
"Oh, no you don't! You're not getting- "
Turning his clouded body, Darkness now stood face-to-face with the spiky-haired boy and interrupted Sora. A burst of dark energy appeared around the dark being which caused Sora to step back and be prepared for an attack.
Alas, nothing happened and Darkness seemed to send off a warning.
"Moving on… Tell me, have you even looked at all this world has to offer?"
"Huh? You're not making any sense! You can't just flip flop between- "
"I can and I will. Moreover, there is a certain place in this world that I've taken quite a fascination with. A city that's not that far from Academy City."
Becoming interested in what Darkness had to say, Sora remained quiet and listened.
"What city?"
"Tokyo."
"Tokyo?" Sora repeated while not being familiar with that city. "Is that… near Academy City?"
"Hmph. Seems I was right about you not looking beyond Academy City. Well, for your sake, yes, it is close to Academy City. It's another large metropolis with a massive population. However, within Tokyo are several districts. One of which is where my interest lies…"
Based on how Darkness was speaking, it was easy for Sora to tell that something significant was in this Tokyo district.
And this thought worried the Keyblade wielder to his core.
"A district by the name of… Shibuya."
"*gasp*"
In that split moment, Sora's body had become rigid and stiff to the point that he wasn't sure he could move a finger if anything were to happen. His thoughts came to a halting stop while he could feel his heartbeat pick up exponentially. He could also feel his vision becoming blurry with the various emotions hitting him all at once.
Out of all the things that Darkness could have said in this single moment, the name of the place where Neku, his new friend gained during the Mark of Mastery, said he was from was blurted out.
Sora did not forget for a single moment his promise to meet Neku, Shiki, and the others in Shibuya.
"Shibuya… did you just say- "
"Yes, Shibuya. Heard of it? Well, that's the place I have my eyes set on. It could be nothing, but I have an inkling that something is there. What that something is… we will have to see."
"We?"
"Oh, don't give me that. You have curiosity etched across your face. You don't do a good job at hiding your emotions. I can tell you have some sort of connection to Shibuya. What that connection is, I have no clue. But we both know that you won't sit and wait. There's too much at stake."
Unsure of what to say next, Sora kept quiet and waited.
"Well then, I'll leave you to process everything that's been said. Oh. Rather than that, I'd be more than happy to give you a… breakdown of what it is I want."
"Wha- "
Without even processing what was happening, a dark mist had worked its way all around Sora and managed to grab hold of his arms and legs making it so he could not move at all. This also forced him to drop his Keyblade and watch as it flashed away.
"Ngh!"
Struggling with all his might, the Keyblade wielder could not break free from whatever kind of magic ability Darkness was using right now. The situation was not in his favor.
"Now, let's take a look at your heart…"
Hearing Darkness say this, Sora immediately summoned his Keyblade in his right hand and twirled the blade, so he was holding it from the bottom and slashed the dark mist holding his right arm. He then slashed at the mist on his left side and was about to make another move when…
*WHIRL*
*WHOOSH*
A flash of purple light hit his chest causing him to flinch and wince in pain.
"Agh!"
"Hm. Let's see… what is it that you fear most?"
*WHOOSH*
The purple light continued to hit his chest and the pain he could feel was unlike anything he felt before. It wasn't a life-threatening pain he was feeling. Rather, it felt like his head was hurting tremendously while flashes of memories began playing out in his mind.
Memories of all the difficult situations and critical fights he's experienced throughout his past adventures. All the intimidating individuals and creatures he fought against as well as his deep feelings of worry come bubbling up in his head. The distinct visuals of Ansem, Xemnas, and Xehanort could be seen and felt in his heart. Furthermore, the appearances of the Lingering Will, which was now known to be Terra, the One-Winged Angel, Sephiroth, and the many mysterious figures in black coats could be seen and felt by him.
However, there was one memory that made the hair on his neck flare up. The speed of his heartbeat also rapidly increased while a sense of uncertainty and anxiousness spiked throughout his body and mind. This memory also happened to be one that happened recently. A fresh memory.
"Oh? That's very interesting."
"Gah! W-What is?!"
"This memory… it's fresh. It's still on your mind. Even though great joy and happiness are swarming around your heart, I can sense this memory is something you don't want to think about all too much. It's quite the memory."
"Get. Out. Of. My. Heart. And. Head!"
*BOOM!*
In a flash of light, Sora's entire body exploded while casting the dark mist that was holding him had now been dismissed leaving the Keyblade wielder in his Second Form.
Sora then started looking for Darkness and couldn't find the dark being anywhere.
"I must thank you for letting me do that. A look at one's memory is always a joy" Darkness said while appearing behind him.
Jumping back, Sora now had his Keyblade ready to strike.
"I've had enough!"
Dashing forward, Sora swung his Keyblade right at Darkness in a horizontal slash expecting to hit nothing because of his previous experience with Young Xehanort phasing out of the way.
*CLANK!*
However, that wasn't the case this time.
The Keyblade was defensively met with Darkness's arm acting as a shield to counter the attack. There appeared to be no blade or shield at all. Just a mass of darkness preventing the blade from striking the dark being.
"So, that's how it's going to be, huh?" Darkness chided coldly.
Not backing down, Sora readied himself and got into his signature battle stance. No matter what would happen, he wouldn't let Darkness get away.
*WHOOSH*
Suddenly, a Corridor of Darkness appeared right behind Darkness which left the Guardian of Light confused about the developing situation.
"Unfortunately, I have no desire to fight you at this moment. My interest in Shibuya overshadows any interest in fighting. I'll be seeing you there shortly. Make no mistake of that."
And with that final statement said loud and clear, Darkness disappeared into the Corridor of Darkness. Leaving Sora alone with various thoughts and too much to contemplate. He needed a minute.
"Shibuya…"
Several minutes later
After clearing the area for a second time, Anti-Skill officers made their way back to the Keyblade wielder who seemed to have a distant look on his face. Compared to the confident and brash boy that appeared when the Heartless were recking havoc, this boy looked utterly lost and deep in thought. Something had happened to him.
"Hey, kid. Are you alright?" one of the officers spoke up.
"He doesn't look so good. Did he get hit?"
"Doubt it. There's not a scratch on him. Maybe he heard some bad news?"
"What could it be?"
As the other Anti-Skill officers were talking amongst themselves, the unique officer walked up to the spiky-haired boy and coughed into his hand to get his attention.
"*cough*"
"H-Huh? Oh. It's you guys."
"Right… I take it things are good over here?"
Slowly nodding his head, Sora held a visible frown on his face as he looked ready to say something.
"Yeah… things are fine here. There shouldn't be any more Heartless."
"That's good news. Though, I can't say the same for the area…"
As the Anti-Skill officer said this, the two glanced around at the post-battle scene before them. Multiple cars were upside down and debris was scattered across the ground. Pieces of the road had been broken apart with large gashes present. This was thanks to the large weapon used by the Metal Troll. Overall, it was quite clear that things got hectic here.
"Never mind. It doesn't matter. You got rid of those monsters. That's all that matters."
Not giving the officer an immediate response, Sora simply nodded his head while turning his head away.
"Yeah…"
It was easily noticeable that there was something wrong with the teen.
"Hey, are you- "
"Let Yomikawa know that things should be good here. I have to go."
"Wait? Where- "
Before the officer could get another word in, Sora had sprinted away without a moment's notice. Whatever he was dealing with must have been regarded as very important. Either way, the officer could only sigh and get ready to make a report of the entire situation.
Based on how things had turned out in District 7, there was no time to rest easy.
A few moments later
Coming across a small bench positioned under a set of trees, Sora plopped himself onto it while letting out a heavy sigh. There was so much contemplation on his mind right now that he wasn't sure where he should start with it all.
'Shibuya…'
That place had now scaled its significance factor by tenfold. Being mentioned by Neku is one thing but to have Darkness mention it as well as it being in this world shocked him. There was no way he could ignore this subject now.
Even now, Sora could recall Neku's words about seeing him in Shibuya. How the carefree and happy offer was now riddled with concern. Darkness had now left the Keyblade wielder doubting himself and what he was feeling now.
'I… I didn't even know Shibuya was a place here in this world. There's still so much to see in Academy City, my focus has only been here…'
As Sora continued to contemplate with himself, he subconsciously gripped onto the. Keyblade's handle tightly. A sense of the unknown could be felt wrapping around his head.
He was in totally new territory yet again.
"I know what I have to do… but how do I just let go of one thing and chase after another?" He asked himself while staring up at the city buildings around him.
The feeling of being small was alleviated greatly at this very moment. Surrounded by giant structures while also comparing them to the problems he was facing now.
After staring at the buildings for a few more minutes, Sora let out a tired sigh and reached for his Gummiphone while pulling up a certain someone's number.
*Ring*
*Ring*
"Hello?" Came the voice of another spiky-haired boy.
"Touma. You guys good on your end?"
"Err… we're…. Getting there. What about you?"
An audible sigh could be heard across the phone call.
"Things have gotten… complicated."
"Complicated how?"
"Well, I might have to leave Academy City…"
As this sudden news bomb processed inside Kamijou's mind, he would ultimately respond in what could best be described as a tonal shocked tone.
"…Huh? You might have to leave?"
"I had a run-in with the guy who might be in control of the Heartless or at the very least is part of the reason why they keep showing up" Sora explained.
"And this guy showed up after you took out the Heartless in District 7?" Touma asked, trying to keep up-to-date with events.
"Yeah. He also mentioned something that might spell trouble."
"Like?"
Sora couldn't help but lower his head and frown while responding.
"He said… Shibuya was a target of his."
A gradual gasp could be heard from the other end of the call.
"Shibuya?! What did he say would happen there?"
"I'm not sure. Just that he had a newfound interest there. And I can't let him get away with whatever he has planned" the brunette replied with determination present in his voice. "But that also leaves me with a problem. How am I going to be able to help- "
"You don't have to worry about that, Sora."
"Eh? What do you mean?"
"Leave the magic cabal to me and Index. And I guess Stiyil but who knows how helpful he really will be?" Kamijou said in what sounded like a reassurance.
"But- "
"It's alright, Sora. Leave the magical problem to us while you go and deal with this Heartless and bad guy problem. And honestly, now that we know what the magic cabal is up to with Agni's Festival Fire, we can be ready to stop it. However, with that guy having a hand in the Heartless showing up, we have no idea what he could be up to. But you do."
Listening to Touma break down the situation, Sora was starting to see things differently. Whereas before he felt obligated and stressed by having to deal with so many things, now he had a solid goal in mind. Stop Darkness from causing trouble in Shibuya.
"You're right! I'm the only one that can stop this guy. Just like you and Index and I guess Stiyil are the only ones who can stop that magic cabal."
"Right. You do what you need to do."
"Got it. I'll call back once things are good in Shibuya."
"Good luck."
"Thanks! You as well. Wait. Speaking of Shibuya, what can you tell me about the place? I know it's somewhere in Tokyo. That's about as much as I know. Think I could get a heads up about the place?" Sora eagerly asked with a bit of excitement in his voice.
However, unbeknownst to the Keyblade wielder, the wielder of Imagine Breaker was in quite a peculiar and misfortunate predicament. Kamijou Touma was dealing with a problem that only he and one other person knew about and it all had to do with a memory-related issue.
It was a problem so grand and impactful on the boy's life and yet he continued to trudge through what was his new life. Alas, this also came with many setbacks and forced him to learn new things on the fly. The topic of locations outside of Academy City was something he didn't pay much mind to, and in this case, he couldn't give Sora the help he asked for.
"I… I'm sorry, Sora. I'm not that familiar with Shibuya…" Touma responded while silently hoping that he gave a reasonable answer.
"Oh. That's okay! No worries. I'll figure something out. Maybe ask another one of my friends about what I should expect when I get to Shibuya."
Feeling relieved from how Sora took his response, Touma let out a good-hearted chuckle.
"That'll probably help you out more. Either way, take care over there."
"You too. See you!"
*BEEP*
The line went out leaving Sora to take in his surroundings once more. The feeling of being overwhelmed had now become less overwhelming since he didn't have to worry about the magic cabal.
His attention was now focused on stopping Darkness and getting to Shibuya.
Speaking of Shibuya, Sora was now left dumbfounded on what he should do next.
Obviously, he would contact Moogla and let her know his new game plan for stopping Darkness, but would she also know about Shibuya?
There was a chance that she might not know given that she was from another world and whatnot. With this in mind, Sora began to ponder on who might be familiar with Shibuya and help him.
'Yomikawa? No, I don't want to involve her in this. She's already dealing with enough thanks to the Heartless showing up across the city. Misaka? Maybe…'
As he continued to rattle his brain by going down the list of friends he had, a certain girl's name came to mind. Someone that might have an idea of what to expect there. And given her personality, it was safe to say she might be his best bet.
'Should I give her a call? We… haven't exactly talked since she called me that night. I also kind of hung up on her when she started asking questions about the Mimic… I just know that I'm going to get yelled at.'
The girl that Sora was considering calling was none other than Mugino Shizuri.
Having gotten a somewhat better understanding of the Level 5 girl, she seemed like the right person to call to learn more about Shibuya. Besides, he also had not talked to her lately. Now seemed like the right time to fix that.
Granted, he also began to worry for his ear's sake.
"*sigh* It's now or never."
Pulling up her number, Sora's thumb hovered over the call button with an anxiousness present in his body language.
Who knew that the boy who fought monsters and villains seeking to destroy the worlds was feeling more scared to talk to a temperamental girl?
Meanwhile…
Resting her feet above the rim of her bathtub, Mugino Shizuri was at peace.
After having to deal with Frenda's usual nagging about random things, Kinuhata's stupid obsession over shitty movies, and Takitsubo's bland reaction to everything, she needed this right now.
The warm water surrounding her naked body along with the towel wrapped around her neck and cut cucumbers resting on her eyes. She was currently living on Cloud Nine.
"Ahh~ I needed this."
Splashing her feet around in the large, luxurious tub, Mugino couldn't help but smile to herself.
"No Frenda."
*SPLASH*
"No Kinuhata."
*SPLASH*
"No Takitsubo."
*SPLASH*
"And no So- "
*RING*
*RING*
*RING*
The sound of her phone going off forced the Level 5's mood to take a swan dive off a cliff. One by one her cucumbers fell into the tub and floated atop the surface of the water. Her hair was all wet and weighed down on her shoulders. And above all her peacefulness was gone.
Reaching for the stand next to the tub, Mugino aggressively checked to see who was bothering her.
"Who the hell… is…calling…me…"
Mugino's voice had faded away as she saw who exactly was calling her.
The very same person she was about to say.
Unsure of what to think or how to act, the tea-color-haired girl lowered herself into the water until her nose was poking out. Her eyes gleamed along the water's surface as she continued to observe the call status on her phone with a simple name shown.
Sora.
Part of her was ready to ignore his call and pretend that it didn't happen. Another part of her wanted to answer and start yelling at the spiky-haired idiot for hanging up on her. Additionally, another part of her was tempted to answer and then hang up out of pettiness.
However, a small part of herself could feel her breathing pitch up while a warm feeling washed its way across her face. Normally, a reaction like this would never happen. The fourth-ranked Level 5 Meltdowner blushing like a schoolgirl gushing over stupid feelings. That thought deserved to be tossed in the trash by all her accounts followed up by being blasted by her Esper ability.
And yet, Mugino couldn't dismiss what she was feeling.
Alas, as soon as that feeling appeared in her heart and head, it was soon thrown to the side for a more balanced reaction. One that encapsulated her furious response while also taking into account this… different side of herself.
Answering the call with a light tap of her finger, Mugino slowly brought the device up to her ear while still sitting in the warm tub of water. As stupid as it sounded, part of her was excited.
"…Hello."
"Err… H-Hey, Mugino, long time no hear…"
"…"
"Ah. Right."
Doing her best from blaring into the phone with nothing but swears, the brunette girl bit her tongue and responded in what could be described as silent fury.
"What do you want? I can tell this isn't a friendly check-up call."
A brief pause was drawn on Sora's side before he spoke up while awkwardly chuckling to himself.
"Aha…ha…I'm sorry about that. Our last phone call ended- "
"Abruptly by you hanging up on me!" Mugino aggressively countered.
"…Yeah. I'm really sorry about that. Things have been pretty wild for me."
"Cry me a river."
A sigh could be heard coming from the brunette boy.
"I'll say it again, I'm sorry for hanging up on you. I'm sure you've got many questions."
"No shit."
"Well, I'd like to say that we should catch up and I'll tell you all you want to know" the Keyblade wielder reasoned. "I bet your questions are tough ones."
Processing the boy's response, Mugino couldn't help but snort while having an intrigued look on her face. Alas, she was still quite pissed at him but wanted to hear a bit more of what he had to say.
"I can tell you're about to make some kind of sad excuse for why that won't be happening any time soon. So… out with it."
"*sigh* I need your help."
A flash of surprise covered the girl's face before morphing back to an annoyed tone.
"Color me surprised. You think just because you beat in a fight that you can boss me around and spout some sort of bullshit on me?! Or that you can call me out of the blue like we're jolly good friends!"
"No! I didn't- "
"I don't need to hear any more of your shit, Sora. You can kick dirt for all I care!"
"I called you because- "
"That's where you messed up in the first place. Don't ever call me aga- "
"I called because I need your help! You're the only person I could turn to!" Sora frantically shouted into the phone.
Taking a second to let his words register in her mind, Mugino looked down at the tub holding her body and began to consider her next choice of words carefully. The fact that Sora thought of her as a crucial source of help for whatever reason jolted her intrigue even more.
"…You have thirty seconds. If you don't give me a good enough reason to listen, then I'm hanging up and blocking your number for good."
Through the phone call, Shizuri could hear the boy let out an audible sigh which caused her to smirk knowing that she was causing him trouble.
"Ok. To keep things short, I ran into this guy who might have a hand in why the Heartless have been appearing all across Academy City. After we had a little chat, he mentioned going to Shibuya which is in Tokyo, but I don't have a single clue as to how to get there. And I wasn't sure who I could ask for help… you were one of the first friends I thought of to ask for help. That's what's going on right now, and again I'm sorry for hanging up on you…"
Without giving an immediate reply, Mugino could feel the side of her lip tilt up into a sly smile as she couldn't help but feel vindicated. Even with her anger still directed at the spiky-haired boy, she felt very smug.
"…Well, you passed the test. Barely might I add" she said in a teasing tone.
The instant response she heard from the phone was Sora letting out a huff of air for managing to not mess things up now. This added to the Level 5's smug attitude.
"So, what do you want to know exactly?"
"Shibuya. How do I get there?" Sora asked, now taking a serious tone in his voice. "I heard it was a district in Tokyo… What can you tell me about that district?
Confused by what he was asking, Mugino donned a perplexed expression while still in the bathtub and holding the phone up to her ear.
"Why are you making it sound like you've never even heard of it before? Let alone the fact that you sound quite unsure about Tokyo."
A moment of silence passed before it clicked in Mugino's head.
"You're kidding me? Are you seriously telling me that you've never been to Tokyo?"
"I wouldn't be asking for your help if I did," argued the Keyblade wielder.
"How is it even possible that you've never- "
"Look, that's not the point" Sora countered before continuing to get back on track. "What can you tell me about Shibuya and Tokyo? It's really important. I need to know what to expect there."
"First off, before you can even think about leaving, how do you expect to leave Academy City?" The Level 5 asked in a stagnant tone.
Confused by what she meant, Sora's voice came back through the phone call in a puzzled tone.
"…What do you mean?"
"You colossal idiot! Do you not even know about Academy City's strict monitoring system? The controlling access governed by the Board of Directors!" Mugino answered back.
Hearing all this official talk, Sora didn't immediately answer back which gave her the realization of what she was dealing with.
"You have got to be kidding me!" Screamed Meltdowner while slamming her free hand into the bathtub, sending water everywhere. "What the hell were you planning on doing? Leaving the city on a bus or train?!"
"Well… yeah. That was one of my plans. The other was to run to Tokyo. But I don't know exactly how to get there or where Shibuya is" the Guardian of Light truthfully replied.
Mugino could not believe what she was hearing.
"You have got to be fuc-"
"I have to stop whatever could be happening in Shibuya! It doesn't matter if I have to run there, I will get there no matter what."
Realizing that Sora was serious about this, the tea-color-haired girl simply brought a hand up to her face and began thinking to herself.
"Even if that means getting into even more trouble… I need to make sure that I'm prepared for…" Sora continued to mutter to himself while still on the phone.
She didn't have to deal with this. There was no reason for her to waste any more time on this matter. Her best bet would be to end the call and block his number. He was giving her a migraine already just by dealing with his stupidity.
And yet, curiosity was etched into her mind already.
There was no turning back now. She had that chance just before hearing him ask her about Tokyo and Shibuya. Having now learned that there was some kind of connection to the Heartless going on in Tokyo led her interest to become enlightened.
Past all the insults and swears she wanted to unleash on the spiky-haired boy now, she was unable to end the conversation.
"…I have no idea how the hell you're going to be able to leave the city without the higher-ups stepping in and locking your ass up."
Scoffing at this entire conversation, the Level 5 continued.
"It's not like you can just walk out of the city or catch a ride so easily. If even a Level 5 like me has trouble dealing with the higher-ups, then I don't see how you'll get anywhere."
"I'll think of something. Besides, I've dealt with worse situations before. Nothing new to me!" Sora confidently remarked with a smug voice.
Shaking her, Mugino could just imagine the look on his face now. It irked her to no end.
"Cocky bastard. *sigh* Fine. Academy City is located in the Kanto region of Honshu, Japan. It is situated between Tokyo and other regions. If you want to get there quickly, then the most direct route would be to take a train or bus through the city of Kasukabe and then into Tokyo."
"Kanto region…" Sora mumbled.
"Don't tell me you're already confused!? Are you seriously that much of an- "
"No! I'm just making sure I remember where to go. I've got a lot to think about, but… Thanks for this, Mugino. I'll be sure to get there in time."
"What? Wait, you idiot! I'm not done giving- "
"I know! But I've got to get a move on. Time is not on my side right now."
"Cut me off again and I'll make sure you walk around with a hole in your body from my Meltdonwer!"
"Got it. Thanks again, Mugino! Once things calm down we will have to meet up and chat. The others are also welcome to join us. See you!"
*BEEP*
Before Mugino could scream back at the Keyblade wielder for nonchalantly dismissing her deadly threat, he had ended the call. This both angered and annoyed the brunette girl while also leaving her with some thinking to be done.
Knowing that he was heading to Tokyo on the hunt for someone who had connections with the Heartless further piqued her interest. Now she also wanted to know what was happening there.
Stepping out of the warm bath, Mugino was now staring openly at the bathroom sink mirror and dialing another number on her phone.
*Ring*
*Ring*
"Ah. This is quite an extraordinary surprise. The young lady- "
"Stop with the introduction" Mugino huffed out.
The very person that she had called happened to be her family's personal butler, Mujinayama.
"Mm. Very well, millady, what sort of trouble do you need help with?"
"Information. Tracking. Observation."
"Simple ends. Might I suggest more informative tactics for whatever it is that you need?" Mujinayama added casually.
"The situation doesn't call for anything more than what I said" Mugino declared while grabbing a towel in her bathroom and beginning to dry herself.
"I see. Very well, milady, it will be done. I'll have a spy or two available in Academy City to- "
"I don't need the help in Academy City."
"Oh? Do clarify, milady."
"It's Shibuya. Someone- I got word that an interesting person will be heading to Shibuya soon. Within the day might I add. I want him tailed."
"I presume you wish to keep tabs on this individual?" Mujinayama asked, making sure to multitask and get the young lady's request done.
"You can say that. This guy's a total mystery. And I can't exactly leave the city to go and follow him" the tea-color-haired beauty said while beginning to dry her hair.
Processing the young lady's request, the older gentleman on the other end of the call simply listened.
"No, that would not be the easiest of actions to do. Academy City's surveillance of students is highly proctored. But… if I may, young lady, I do have a question."
Startled by the sudden question, Mugino wrapped a towel around herself and responded.
"What kind of question?"
"Well, it has to do with this… boy. You said yourself that following him would be highly difficult for you. Hence, the calling for someone to spy on him. However, you didn't necessarily clarify if he was a student or not."
"Huh. Must've missed that. Yes, he's a student" Mugino answered while grabbing another towel and beginning to dry her hair.
An affirming hum could be heard coming from the older gentleman.
"I see, it is quite unusual for you to take such interest in someone unless they pose a threat to you and your team. This boy must have some sort of importance around him."
"You have no idea…" Mugino idly muttered. "He's a complete mystery. Even though I've met him and talked with him for some time… there's so much about him that's hard to find."
"Hard to find you say… In what way, milady?" Mujinayama asked, making sure to listen closely.
Letting out a mildly annoyed sigh, Mugino placed her phone down on the bathroom sink and began to wrap the towel around her head to dry her hair. At the same time, she put the phone on speaker and continued.
"I've already had a few sources run background checks on him and to no avail, nothing solid is brought up on him."
"Hmm. I assume you took selective actions to find information on him?"
"Obviously. You make me sound like an utter idiot."
"I meant no offense, milady. It's just that with situations like this, the simplest error might be the one causing quite the conundrum" Mujinayama clarified in a supporting tone. "This is certainly not your first time encountering a challenging task of finding information on someone."
A satisfied hum could be heard coming from the Level 5.
"You're right about that. But I have a feeling that there's something more to this boy… perhaps he is being protected."
Hearing this, Mujinayama began to ponder just how vast and complex this situation truly was. The young lady was quite the information seeker on her own within Academy City. So, if she was having trouble, then this might raise the stakes surrounding this mysterious boy.
"If I may ask, milady, you haven't said what this boy's name is."
Rather than blurting out his name, Mugino feigned a moment of silence as she observed herself in the bathroom's mirror. A sense of frustration swelled in her chest as she recalled all her previous encounters with the spiky-haired boy.
She couldn't help but respond in a heightened tone.
"His name is Sora."
"Sora? Hm…"
"What? What's with that suspecting tone?"
"Do dismiss my unnatural tone, milady, I'm merely pondering the name."
"Tch. Yeah, well, that's the bastard's name. He's the one who'll be heading to Shibuya soon. I want him tailed. Anything that happens to him or around him or even involves him… you tell me right away!" the Level 5 girl demanded without sparing a breath in her words.
Making sure to let the young lady's words be impactful, Mujinayama let a moment pass before speaking up again.
"Very well. I'll see to it that all information whether it be small or insignificant is discussed. As well as giving full detail on anything more significant of nature."
"Good. I better have it all" Mugino declared.
"I do have one question, milady."
Annoyed with the last-minute request, she groaned into the call.
"What is it now?"
"Just what sort of details shall I have our spies be on the lookout for?"
With one final glance at the mirror, Mugino's stern face became solely focused.
"Everything."
Inside the Windowless Building
Sitting afloat in the liquid-filled tube, Aleister Crowley quietly remained while watching a large screen that showed a familiar spiky-haired boy running across the city's streets.
Being the Board Chairman of the city, there wasn't much that he did not know about. Aside from the cameras and drones positioned across the metropolis, Aleister had literal eyes and ears everywhere. Meaning that he knew exactly what was with the boy who wielded the mysterious key.
*Step*
*Step*
The sound of someone coming into the room caused the chairman to nonchalantly tilt his head up and automatically open the doors. An amused huff could be heard coming from the individual who was now passing through the door.
*To Aru Majutsu no Index OST 2 - Zetsubou*
However, instead of a human passing through the door, it was a four-legged being with what appeared to be a brown backpack wrapped around its body. Along the side of the pack were what appeared to be robotic arms idle but ready to move.
A golden retriever could be seen casually strutting through the doors which had now closed on their own.
"Thank you for that" came the response from the golden retriever. "I see you're quite busy today."
"When am I not busy?" Aleister replied in a friendly tone.
"True. But nowadays it seems like quite a lot is happening across the city."
Strutting up to the liquid tube, the golden retriever sat himself right in front of the screen displaying the young man rushing across a street and avoiding traffic.
The golden retriever was better known as a friendly pup that could be encountered across the city. But for those in the know of his identity as well as the position of power he held, they would know him as Kihara Noukan.
"Mm. Tell me, old friend, what brings you to my esteemed estate?"
Tilting his head from the screen to the long-haired man in the tube, Noukan licked his bottom lip before giving a response.
"Can't an old friend visit?"
"…"
A remedied silence worked its way between the two leaving Noukan to quietly grunt.
"Fine, fine. You've got me read."
"Play enough games of chess and you'll be able to read your opponent in general better" Aleister replied with a hint of amusement.
"Noted. Alas, you are correct. I'm here to do a bit of digging and learn what exactly is happening across the city. Having been busy with my projects, I haven't been caught up with all that's happened as of late" Noukan explained while shifting his eyes from Aleister to the screen.
The Board Chairman easily noticed this.
"And I'd take a grand guess as to say that this boy has something to do with everything that's happening…"
"To make a rather long explanation short, yes, you are correct. This young man appears to be at the center of everything new. He has also managed to encounter a certain someone involved in my plans."
Hearing this, Noukan let out a chuckle.
"Young Kamijou…"
"Right on your first try."
"When it comes to someone important to your plans, he is always the first person to come to mind."
"Quite so. This boy's name is Sora, and he has quite the situation surrounding him now" Aleister said while seemingly summoning several other monitor screens to appear out of nowhere and showcase videos involving Sora. "He's quite the impressive individual on his own."
Observing the screens and seeing the brunette boy perform spectacular feats while fighting against mysterious dark creatures with large yellow eyes, Noukan was left in awe.
To think that while he was busy with his work, this boy was out there dealing with an unusual situation.
"How long has this Sora been involved with these strange creatures?" Noukan asked with great intrigue.
"Unclear. His appearance is recent and I'm still learning all that I can about him."
"Huh? What do you mean… he appeared recently?
Shifting his eyes to look at the golden retriever, Aleister simply closed them.
"It is as I have told you. He only appeared recently in the city and since then, things have been anything but quiet."
Left aghast at this admission, Noukan took another look at Sora on the screens. Many questions flooded Kihara's mind about this strange boy. Just who was he?
"Tell me, what is his Esper level and power?"
"…Haha…"
A stark fit of laughter could be heard coming from the man in the tube. It wasn't very often that Aleister laughed. There weren't that many that could recall hearing or seeing such an event. Hence, Noukan was left startled when he heard the old magician laugh.
"My friend, he has no Esper ability."
"…What?"
"You heard me right. Sora does not have an Esper ability."
Processing this monumental news drop, the golden retriever quietly uttered a response.
"Is he a magician?"
"…Not quite."
"*sigh* What do you mean by that?"
Suddenly, another screen appeared and displayed Sora using his weapon which had the appearance of a giant key. The boy was using what appeared to be various forms of elemental magic at his will while performing extraordinary actions.
"Sora does use magic, but it is unlike most forms of magic that I am aware of. The same will probably go for you" Aleister said. "He is, in simple words, a wild card."
Noukan now donned a strained expression along his golden retriever face.
"This is rather… complicated. How is he accommodating to being in Academy City?"
"Ha. That's where things get even more interesting. Sora fits quite well in the city lifestyle. He has a certain someone vouching for him and built a susceptible lie around his persona. A fake Esper ability has also been accustomed to fit his magical abilities" the Chairman elaborated to the Kihara.
"Using magic under the pretense of an Esper ability… how fascinating!" Noukan happily commented. "How has that worked for him?"
"Simple investigations into his character have been done. Anything more extreme has been met with… formidable resistance."
"Ah. The classic hold of information. How long do you intend to keep a watchful eye on him?"
"Long enough."
"Fair. However, this certain someone vouching for him, I take it we know this person?"
"Mm. Quite well actually. He has an impressive title when it comes to helping young Kamijou."
A look of realization worked its way onto Noukan's face.
"Ahh… I see. Sora is very fortunate to have made him a friend."
"Yes, well, there are those who are becoming more curious about Sora. I may have to send a stark message to them…" Aleister whispered to himself.
"I'm sure there's another story to be told there, but may we go back to Sora and his situation as a whole? These dark creatures I've heard about and am now seeing on the screen are new. What are they?"
Allowing a momentary silence to envelop the room and add to the seriousness of things, Aleister soon responded.
"These creatures, or rather, these beings are known as the Heartless."
"Heartless?"
"Yes, they are a rather odd predicament that I am dealing with right now. As Board Chairman of the city, it's my job to make sure I know the ins and outs of everything transpiring on a daily. However, these Heartless are quite fascinating."
A stricken look of confusion worked its way up Noukan's face.
"Do tell. I'm not sure that I am following all that well, old friend."
"To give a rather mundane run down of their presence, they do not pose any threat to my plans. Everything is as it should be. Alas, these creatures can appear at a moment's notice. Without any warning whatsoever. And to top it off, their existence flickers with a hint of magic as well as something more…"
Based on how Aleister's intrigue sounded, Noukan wasn't sure if that was a bad thing or a worse thing to happen.
"What's more, Sora seems to be leaving Academy City."
"…I assume you'll step in and stop him? An individual like him who is unpredictable in nature would be put under strict- "
"No. I am not stopping him."
A surprised expression painted itself all over the golden retriever's body. This was not the reply that he was expecting from the Board Chairman.
"That's quite unexpected. Academy City's policies for the leaving of any citizen are rather complicated. This is further expanded upon for Espers of a higher caliber. Level 5s are quite complex cases that have an entire library worth of policies dedicated to themselves.
"The only Level 5 who has shown interest in leaving Academy City would be Misaka Mikoto. She has already shown evidential proof of wanting to return to the city should anything happen. Whether it is for her sisters or friends, she will return. As for the only other Level 5 who would seek to leave is Mugino Shizuri."
"Ah, Miss Mugino… quite the convoluted young woman. If she wanted to leave the city, she would have done so by now. Be it through force or sheer legal action."
"While that may be true in theory, I believe that Meltdowner knows the consequences of doing such an act. After all, she's already had a run-in with the hidden authority residing in Academy City. I doubt that's a situation she would want to deal with again."
The situation Aleister was referring to had to do with a certain event that transpired over a year ago during the end of last year's summer. An incident involving Item that resulted in them being placed on a hit list. This event was a stark reminder of the depths within Academy City and how the light side and dark side were not only separated but also intermingled on a greater level.
"Yes, that was quite the incident. Though, it was merely one of many in a long list of violations occurring in the city. There are still many who cause trouble behind the shadows."
"…"
"…Aleister?"
Unexpectedly, the Board Chairman had gone silent in thought and was merely processing whatever idea had come to him. This left Noukan to wonder just what was going through the chairman's head.
Suddenly, Aleister replied in a distant tone.
"Those that linger throughout the dark side of Academy City… I wonder how it could all be connected…"
"Connected? You've lost me, old friend."
Out of nowhere, multiple screens showcased pictures of Sora in different scenarios.
One of the pictures was of Sora holding his key-shaped weapon while another picture taken in the nighttime had him holding two strange-looking guns. On another screen, the boy's clothes had taken a different color scheme while he was holding his unusual-looking weapon. A few more of the screens had recorded videos of Sora battling against the Heartless.
It would appear that Aleister Crowley held some sort of interest in this boy.
"Do tell me, Noukan, how much crime do you think is documented in a day across Academy City?"
Tilting his head, the golden retriever couldn't come up with a truthful answer. However, an estimate would be the next best thing to present.
"Hmm. If I were to give a loose estimate… 50 percent of crime is unreported across the city."
"Sadly, my friend, you're off the mark by just a bit. The total identified crime on all monitoring systems across the districts comes up to 75 percent. I should also add that the incidents occurring in the dark side are also not accounted for."
"Such a large number… and yet, a great deal of incidents is covered by Anti Skill and Judgment."
"With this topic in mind, now consider the increased sightings of these Heartless."
As Aleister said this, several monitors appeared next to Noukan which displayed a holographic model of Academy City and all the districts. The map was then spotlighted with hundreds of dots scattered across the city.
"Are these…"
"Yes, they are. Sightings and encounters with the Heartless. All reported by Anti Skill… just from yesterday."
A staggering bundle of emotions hit the golden retriever as he was unable to give a thoughtful response. The realization that all these sightings and encounters were just in the last 24 hours was something to be taken seriously.
"…This is worrying."
Suddenly, another spotlight appeared on the large-scale map displaying green dots in various locations.
"I assume this is who I think it is…" Noukan asked, already knowing the answer.
"You assumed correctly. These are all the locations that Sora has managed to hit and deal with the Heartless. It's quite impressive."
Examining the map closely, Noukan had to wholeheartedly agree with Aleister's statement.
"Sora covered all this area…"
"Cast your eyes to the broader picture."
Doing just that, Noukan began glancing around at all the other districts and could see just how many green dots appeared across the city. Sora had left quite an impact across the city in just a short amount of time.
"Either he must've had quite the method of transportation to get around or some sort of trick."
Sporting a faint smirk along his face, Aleister shifted his eyes which seemed to cause another screen to appear which played a video of Sora running across a street in haste. In the next moment, the video managed to capture a strange blue light glowing around the boy followed by him shooting forward and spinning around a pole before being launched at the nearest wall and beginning to run across it with ease.
This answered the question of how Sora was able to get from one place to another in such a short amount of time. Such a feat was quite an abnormal sight, but in a city filled with limitless potential, something like this was possible.
"… I'm beginning to have every expectation around Sora be shattered the more I learn about him" Noukan enthusiastically commented. "So fascinating…"
"There is a great deal I wish to learn about him. Which is why I will not be doing anything and let him leave Academy City. Not to mention, he isn't technically an Esper and has no real ties to Academy City."
"Truly a wild card then."
"But… therein lies what I would starkly call the start of a grand plan."
"Hm? A grand plan… another one of your complex foreseen schemes?"
"Yes. Alas, this time things will be different. My plans will undoubtedly be under my watch. However, with Sora's influence, I wonder just how this city of darkness will change once he becomes more involved…"
Noukan couldn't help but be curious about what was being said. It all sounded… mysterious.
"I take it this goes back to your connected comment?"
"A valid assessment. I wish to see how quickly these Heartless and Darkness continue to spread across Academy City. Making sure those who reside in peace stay in peace, but those in the dark are met with a darkness that overshadows what's been stained."
"Pitting the dark side against this… newfound darkness?"
"That's one way of putting it."
A simple glance at the various monitors let Noukan understand just what Aleister meant now.
"Along with having Sora deal with the mess?"
"Precisely."
"And what purpose does this solve? People will get hurt."
It was at this moment that Aleister Crowly had the perfect response.
"Then we are lucky to have a hero in our midst."
*BEEP*
Appearing on one of the maps, a notification caught both scientist's attention.
"What's that?"
"Our wildcard is nearing the outskirts of the city which leads to Tokyo."
Noukan couldn't help the surprised expression on his face.
"Well, I'll be… Sora's moving fast."
Examining the screen closely, Noukan could see what Aleister meant. The interesting young man was moving incredibly fast and heading to a train station.
"You're truly not going to do anything?" The golden retriever carefully questioned.
"Why should I? Our friend is clearly moving with a goal in mind. If anything, I'm rather curious as to what has him acting this way. Perhaps there is something to be concerned about?" Aleister countered.
"True. Besides, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious about what was happening."
Content with this answer, Aleister soon focused on the screen to see what the young man would do next.
Meanwhile, with Sora…
Rushing through the closing doors, the spiky-haired teen had to catch his breath. He didn't know how fast or long he had been running, but all that mattered was that he was here now. Sitting on a train heading to Tokyo.
Leaning back in his seat, he tiredly lifted one eye to see who else was on the train with him and found only a couple of people. A few students and adults were all separated and kept to themselves offering a tempered atmosphere.
A pleasant sense of peace was what he had found.
'I made it… I didn't think I'd catch the train in time…'
Thinking back to what happened after he ended his call with Mugino, Sora hastily sprinted off in the direction of Tokyo. Once there, he could work on finding Shibuya. One problem at a time.
The rest of his trip was a haze at this point. Running down the streets and using his Flowmotion to spin around poles, run along walls, or slide down railings. A true showcase of how well he mastered the abilities around Flowmotion.
Closing his eyes and feeling his body relax, the Keyblade wielder had no idea how long this train ride would be. Hence, he figured a nap would suit him best.
Besides, who knew what trouble would await him in Shibuya…
Some time later…
Feeling his body be pulled forward, Sora snapped his eyes open to see that the train was slowing down which meant that it would soon stop. It had felt like no time had passed at all from when he rested his eyes to now opening them.
Checking his surroundings, he was surprised to see more people had boarded the train making it quite compact. The space had gotten to the point that it was hard for him to see the exit from where he was sitting. Various people could be seen all around the compartment. Ranging from students dressed in their school outfits to middle-aged people dressed up casually, to older folks trying their best to have enough room. One elderly couple in particular caught his attention.
"Excuse me, sir, miss, would you like to take my seat?"
Surprised by the sudden question, the older couple glanced at one another before speaking to the Keyblade wielder.
"Oh? There's no need to- "
"Don't worry! It's alright. If I wasn't passed out, then I would have given my seat to you two sooner" Sora reasoned while offering a friendly smile.
"Ahh. Such a kind young man. I wish more young men had your kindness" the older lady commented. "Kids nowadays are so self-absorbed. Only thinking about themselves."
Not quite sure how he should respond, Sora simply scratched his cheek.
"Y-Yeah… But anyway, please take my seat."
Getting up and making room for the couple, he helped them sit down and could see their bodies relax a bit after getting comfortable.
"Mm. This is really nice. Thank you, young man," said the older gentleman. "Are you sure that- "
"I'm sure. Besides, I think my stop is coming up."
"Hm? And where are you heading off to?"
*PING*
Just as Sora was about to respond, a voice coming from an intercom not seen could be heard making an announcement.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are now arriving at Shibuya Station. I repeat, we are now arriving a Shibuya Station."
Utter shock could be seen on the brunette's face as he was not expecting to easily get where he needed to be. His initial thoughts for getting to Shibuya included a long mess of train hopping or even walking on foot to get to the area. This was a total surprise.
"Deary? Are you okay? You look displeased?" the older woman said.
Pulled from his shocked state, Sora shook his head.
"No, no. I'm alright. I just… figured it was harder to get to Shibuya."
"Ah. Is this your first time?" the older man asked.
"Yep!"
"Well then, I hope you're ready to deal with the crowds. Everywhere you go, there's going to be a line of people waiting. Whether it's for food, shopping, or just waiting for transportation, the lines get hectic."
Making a mental note of what to be prepared for, Sora nodded his head while feeling the train coming to a stop.
"Right. Thank you for the heads up."
"Also! Make sure to carry a map with you. It's relatively easy to get lost across the districts" the older lady added. "Shinjuku, Akihabara, and Kichijoji are also lively locations. Those are must-go places."
"Will do. Thank you!"
"No, thank you for giving us your seat. Take care now."
Waving at the older couple, Sora made his way off the train and was now standing in quite a mess. All around him, people were walking back and forth with no trouble whatsoever. Before he knew it, he was being pushed from all sides as people were trying to either board the train or exit.
Deciding that he couldn't stay here, he made his way forward and up a flight of stairs. His amazement continued to grow as stared at the underground structure surrounding him and allowed people to enter from different points.
Continuing to move ahead, Sora viewed various shops selling all sorts of things ranging from flower shops, coffee shops, toy shops, and shops that he didn't have a clue about. It was also a bit confusing to navigate his way around. Hence, he was left wandering along the narrow halls of the train station.
'Ugh… where is the exit!? I thought the line that I passed was the exit, but it was just a restroom. Maybe if I keep going up?'
Left in his thoughts, he continued to stride up the stairs before finding even more people moving along the station. To get out of here, he would have to put his agility to the test.
Weaving through the crowds of people, Sora did all that he could to get past the intimidating wave of people. Before long, he soon found himself seeing sunlight in the distance.
'The Sun!'
Pressing himself forward, the Guardian of Light soon found himself standing at the top of the train station and out of the underground maze. A sigh of relief hit him as he missed the Sun's light.
"Whoa…"
Keeping his head on a swivel, Sora tried to take in all the new and exciting sights before him. Buildings that went high into the sky followed by countless windows spread across the structures, countless people moving in various directions while all having unique appearances and features, and the noise.
*BEEP*
*CHATTER*
*HONK*
*DING*
*STEP*
*STEP*
A lingering thought presented itself to Sora as he took in the city's features.
If he had not visited San Fransokyo before coming here, then he would have had a brain malfunction. The same could be said for when he woke up in Academy City.
Granted, waking up on the ground in a strange new city dealt with different circumstances. Plus, it was night at that time. If he awoke during the day, then things might have been different.
Timidly stepping forward and beginning to head into the unknown, Sora kept an eye on any sort of landmark or building that was unique or had an unusual design. He also made sure to prepare himself for anything that might happen.
Darkness was still on the loose and he had no idea where the mysterious being was.
"Hey! You! Spiky!"
Startled by the sudden shouting, Sora spun himself around to try and find out who was calling out to him.
"Huh? Who…"
"Behind you!"
Turning around, the blue-eyed boy soon found himself in an odd situation.
*PING*
Walking over to him and now standing in front of him, a girl around his age had her hands on her hips with a mixed expression. The girl's appearance was that of short dark brown hair, brown eyes, and a black and red sleeveless hoodie. She wore a red and black tartan-pattern miniskirt with black heeled boots that had red soles. And to top it off, she had a friendly smirk on her face.
"You're new here, right?"
"Err… how did you know?" replied Sora.
Wiggling her finger at him, the girl couldn't help but giggle.
"Because you look like a chicken without its head."
Sora couldn't help but utter a single word to encapsulate the confusion swarming around his brain.
"Excuse me?"
"You look lost. You've been standing still for a good five minutes straight. Everyone's been looking at you weirdly. And to be honest, I am too."
Feeling a wave of embarrassment hit him, the Keyblade wielder could only scratch his cheek while letting out an awkward laugh.
"R-Really? Hehe… I guess I was deep in thought then…"
"You have no idea haha. I'm Iris. Iris Amicitia."
"Nice to meet you! I'm Sora."
Nodding her head, Iris continued.
"Well, Sora, do you need help with something? You mentioned being in deep thought. Maybe I can help?"
Realizing that this was his chance to get some help, Sora gladly jumped at the opportunity.
"Actually, I do need help."
"Great! What's the problem?"
Giving the surrounding area another glance, Sora came up with what he wanted to ask.
"Is there any sort of special place around here that I could get to?"
Tilting her head, Iris could only laugh at the boy's bizarre comment.
"Uh… Sora, you do realize that we're in a city. I could name over a dozen special places around here."
"I know that. But maybe something that will help me…"
"Help you? With what?" Iris asked with a hint of concern.
Not wanting to involve her in his mess, he shook his head and scrambled his brain for a decent response to her question.
"I… I'm new to Tokyo! And new to Shibuya and just wanted to know of any cool places to see nearby. Maybe do a bit of sightseeing?"
Keeping a hard stare at the boy, Iris could obviously tell something was up, but with due respect for him, she decided to take it at face value.
"I see. Well, there are a couple of sightseeing spots that most tourists want to capture. To list a few, we have Hachiko's Memorial Statue, Togo Shrine, Dogenzaka, Meiji Jingu, Shibuya Scramble Crossing, and- "
"Wait. Go back. What did you just say?" Sora eagerly asked. "That place…"
"Shibuya Crossing? Is that what you're interested in?"
Nodding his head, Sora kept his response direct. However, on the inside, he was currently bouncing around thoughts in his head.
'Shibuya Scramble Crossing… Neku mentioned Shibuya back in Traverse Town. So, that must mean it's important or somewhere he might be familiar with. I still need to find out where Darkness could be… Maybe I could do two things at once?'
"Huh… Well, you don't have to worry too much about finding it. See that road?"
Iris was now pointing in one direction.
"If you just head that way, you'll see a lot of people waiting at several crosswalks for the light to turn green. That whole area is known as Shibuya Scramble Crossing. You probably get the idea of where its name comes from. It's also a good spot to see the ten *BZZT* building."
Sora's eyes shot wide open.
Something was not right.
"Huh? Iris, what did you say about the building?"
"Eh? Did you not hear me? I said it's a good spot to see the ten *BZZT* building."
Without a doubt, Sora knew something was off. Mishearing her once was something he could admit, but to hear the same thing again was not ordinary.
Making sure to not scare her, he kept as calm of a face as he could and simply put on a happy-go attitude.
"Oh, man! I've heard of that building before. That's gotta be my first spot to go!"
Perplexed by the boy's sudden burst in emotion, Iris decided to play it cool.
"Is that so? Well then, I'll leave you to it! Good luck, Sora! And maybe I'll see you around?"
"Maybe. See you!"
Dashing away without saying another word, Sora headed in the direction that Iris pointed to him. His mind was set on finding this Shibuya Scramble Crossing. Once he got there, then he'd work on what to do next.
Watching as the spiky-haired boy got further and further away, Iris couldn't help but get the feeling that there was something odd about Sora. Either way, she wished him the best of luck.
Turning away from the station, Iris began to walk away to meet up with some of her friends.
Coincidentally, a slim man wearing a professional dark suit was seen walking in the direction that Sora had taken. The man had a tilak with long black hair coursing along his back. A serious atmosphere could be felt around him.
Pulling his phone out, he made a call while walking at a steady pace.
"Sir, I have eyes on the boy."
"Good. Keep a close eye on him. Our spies in Academy City saw him rushing to the train station. Something must be going down in Shibuya."
"Understood, sir."
"Oh, and Tseng?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Have Elena watch him from a distance. Knowing what he's capable of, it would be wise to have multiple eyes on him."
Glancing over his shoulder, Tseng could see a young woman with a slender physique, fair skin, brown eyes, and neck-length blonde hair. She was dressed in a dark uniform just as he was. A stern and bored expression could be seen on her face.
"Already on it, sir."
"Hm. Keep me posted then."
Click*
The call ended as the blonde-haired girl better known as Elena let out an exasperated sigh.
"*sigh* Are we seriously watching some kid run around the city?"
"You've read the reports and seen the recorded footage of him in action."
"I know that! I'm just saying… it's going to be boring until things happen."
"…"
Tseng gave no response and simply stared in the direction that Sora had gone.
"Elena, watch him from a northern point. I'll take the South."
"*sigh* Fine."
With nothing else needing to be said, the two agents moved swiftly and followed the aimlessly wandering Keyblade wielder.
A few minutes later
Coming into a large crowd of people, Sora couldn't believe his eyes.
Before him, a sight that resonated deep in his heart as well as ignited a memory of a devastating duel. He could not fathom what he was seeing.
"No way… it looks… exactly like my dream…and…"
Around him, the sight of Shibuya Scramble Crossing was on full display. From where the crosswalks intersected to the building placements, he could easily see that things were busy.
Then again, busy was an understatement.
Advertisements were showcased along all the buildings that he could see. Posters of food, clothes, or people could be seen. Not to mention, the people all around him were moving like ants. One after another waiting to walk across the street or minding their own business. He felt like he could be swept away in the wave of people.
Scanning around for anything that would serve as a place to scout out the place, Sora began walking along the sidewalk until he managed to join the mass of people moving away.
As he walked across the street, a sense of heavy Deja vu began to settle in his mind.
'I… I was here… in this exact spot…'
Turning his head and looking up at the buildings around him, Sora could easily recall the sensation of familiarity hitting him. It was as if he had jumped into his dream. Or at least the faint memory being played out in his mind.
'I was in Shibuya… when I fought Yozora? But how? He said that wasn't the real world, but that doesn't make sense. I also remember looking up at the building… '
From the buildings and structure of the roads, Sora wasn't sure what to think. But just as he was about to look at the building where he fought the mysterious boy, something felt off.
*PING*
Just as he was about to look at the building, his vision began to distort. The number sitting near the top of the circular structure was phasing in and out of reality. There was no concrete way for Sora to describe what exactly was happening.
*Step*
*Step*
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a voice called out to him.
"Careful not to strain yourself, my boy."
Immediately knowing whose voice that belonged to, Sora swung his body around and had his Keyblade already summoned and pointed at the familiar foe.
"You!?"
*Kingdom Hearts 3 - Organization XIII -Mark of Fate- OST*
A sly grin appeared on the individual's face.
"Come now, is that any way to greet an old friend?"
Sora didn't reply and simply continued to glare at the person.
"Haha. It's nice to see that you're taking no chances. Shows a bit of character development."
"Quit it."
"Quit what?"
"Using others' faces... I know you're not the real Master Xehanort!"
Standing there with a gleeful yet chilling grin was an older bald man with thin eyebrows and a curled silver goatee. His ears were pointed and his eyes were cold with an amber color. He appeared overall as a somewhat feeble old man, certainly deceiving given his immense power. His clothing was composed of a white and black coat with a red inner lining, which was worn over a white shirt with two thin black belts, as well as white gloves and calf-high black boots.
"And what makes you say that?" Xehanort questioned while grinning madly.
"I watched Xehanort…" Sora said, gritting his teeth as he recalled the last passing moments of the actual Seeker of Darkness. "I watched him pass on. Peacefully."
"Mayhap I survived?" The old man coyly replied.
Feeling his blood boil, Sora wanted to yell at the foe before him but realized that was exactly what he wanted.
"…You're wrong. I know in my heart that Master Xehanort, even with all the bad things he did in his life, his last moments were of peace. And you show up here looking like him is just wrong, Mimic."
A dark chuckle escaped the fake Master Xehanort's mouth.
"I am pleased to see that you are taking the time to analyze the situation and not jump straight to aggression. You're building character, Sora."
"Quit with the compliments! Tell me why you're here. And where is Darkness?"
"Darkness is all around us. You know that much is certain."
The annoyed expression on Sora's face spoke volumes.
"Mm. Tell me, hero, what do you think of this place?"
"What? What are you- "
"Shibuya. Such an interesting place. Where many hearts all come together. You're bound to find someone out of the ordinary here. Hearts of light or darkness. This city is truly unique."
"Is this why Darkness is here?" Sora asked, making sure to pay attention to whatever might be said. "And why are you back? I thought I beat you?"
"Did you really? Or is that what you think?" the Mimic sweetly retorted.
"It's a fact."
"Well now, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but you merely destroyed a Mimic. Quite the double act, wouldn't you say?"
As Sora processed this information, his expression switched from thoughtful to full-on irritated.
"Grr. Then I'll just beat you again!"
"Not a care in the world. Do you even realize your situation? Better yet, your surroundings."
Glancing around, Sora immediately realized that something was not right. Around him, people were continuing to go about their business and not notice the confrontation that was going on. Even with his Keyblade out, nobody paid him or the fake Xehanort any mind.
"What did you do?"
"I merely made it so we could chat with no distractions. Besides, we both know where this conversation is heading. Are you sure you want innocent civilians caught up in the crossfire?"
Knowing that the fake Xehanort was right, Sora huffed some air before taking another look around. Everyone continued to keep to themselves. It was almost as if he was invisible to them.
Casting a glance up at the circular building, Sora continued to have his vision messed with as he couldn't tell exactly what numbers were displayed on the building's side. From the looks of it, only two numbers could be seen.
'One… zero…'
Realizing that he was getting nowhere with that, he turned his attention back on the disrespectful copy of Xehanort.
"What are you and Darkness plotting here? Why Shibuya? Why now? And why can't I see that building clearly!?'"
Raising his gloved hand, the fake Master Xehanort chuckled grimly.
"Qwell your frustration, hero. Otherwise, you'll be overtaken by the amount of questions lingering in your heart."
"I wouldn't be so frustrated if you just quit being cryptic!"
"If you think I'm being cryptic, then you are in for even more pain. This world is riddled with questions. Complex dilemmas that revolve around science and magic. Even now, you chose to leave Academy City while leaving the magical problem to your friends. Quite selfish if you ask me."
An annoyed sigh left Sora's lips as he continued to stare down at the old man.
"You keep saying this world is this or this world is that. I get it."
"No… you don't. Soon enough you will be met with grievances that are almost too much for you to handle. Things are not as simple as you once thought. Hearts are not coated in light or darkness here in this world. Even a gray tone would not do it justice."
"It doesn't matter! I'll continue to follow my heart and do what I believe is right."
"Even at the cost of a friend?"
Taken aback by this sudden statement, Sora weakly responded.
"What…?"
Crossing his arms behind his back, the fake Master Xehanort held an aura of superiority above the Keyblade wielder. Whatever the old man knew, it wasn't good.
"There are many in this world that do not walk the fine lines of light or darkness. Sooner or later you will encounter someone's resolve that rivals your own, and yet, you may have to be the one to destroy their ambition to save the lives of others."
"That won't happen!"
"How can you be so sure? You have made it here and now by listening to your heart. But what if someone else's heart has them walking a dark road? Will you prevent them from reaching their goal? Taking away their purpose?"
Gritting his teeth and feeling his head throb, Sora didn't know how to respond. The idea of having to stop someone to save others should have been a no-brainer answer.
However, if he had to stop a friend… this made his stomach churn and feel anxious. In the short amount of time that he'd been in this world, he knew that things were much different. Even though he had not seen everything, he knew the darkness here was something much more malevolent. Not to mention the many people who could use powers.
What the Mimic was saying had some merit.
"…It doesn't matter. If my heart tells me to step in and stop someone from hurting others, then I'll do that. And more! I'll save everyone!"
"Boundlessly heroic as always, Sora. That's why you're so special."
Sora frowned at what was being said but didn't interject.
"The bonds you create with others and utilize to become stronger… such a simple aspect yet given enormous form. Darkness will have to take notes."
"Enough! Where is he?!"
"Right behind you."
Feeling goosebumps scour across his body, Sora immediately flipped himself around and expected to see the dark mysterious being known as Darkness. However, he was met with something more… painful.
*BOOM*
*THUD*
Being sent hurtling along the ground and landing in a crowd of people, Sora hurriedly got back to his feet only to be met with a tense situation.
*SCREAM!*
Everyone had seemingly begun running away in droves causing mass panic and even vehicles to crash into one another. Swerving his head around, Sora could not tell what just happened. Only that something bad was here.
Turning his attention back to Darkness and the fake Master Xehanort, he could see the dark being say something to the Mimic before it nodded its head and began fading away.
"Hey! Where are you going!?"
"Don't worry. It'll be back soon" Darkness coldly replied. "I hope this little trip has been eventful for you."
"It would if I didn't have to deal with you!" Sora fired back. "What are you planning!?"
Raising his head to see the people continuing to run away, Darkness let out a faint chuckle.
"I told you before. This world has many mysteries. Sources of magic and power. Shibuya was but one of many sources. Alas, it's also a stark reminder of how vast reality and unreality truly are."
"You're not making any sense!"
"Good. If I was, then we'd both be losing our minds. So, let me make things easier to understand…"
Suddenly, several dark orbs began rising from the ground until they started circling the Guardian of Light and Fragment of Darkness.
"Shibuya is a beacon or a landmark. Whatever term is easier for you to latch onto. It's an imaginative point where hearts are conjoined. Whether it's from this world and events that have happened here or will happen… or events that have happened in another Shibuya…"
Doing his best to understand what Darkness was saying, Sora began considering the topic closely.
"What's happened in this Shibuya… or another?"
"Correct. Before you confuse yourself any further, consider this, you have already dealt with multiple realities revolving around one space. May I remind you of the Mark of Mastery?" Darkness proclaimed to the boy.
Immediately realizing what Darkness was getting at, Sora had to agree.
During his previous adventure, he had to partake in a test to become a true Keyblade Master. However, he and Riku were separated into two different versions of a single world. The first world they traveled to was Traverse Town which is where he met Neku and his friends as well as learning about Shibuya. Two Traverse Towns existing at the same time yet dealing with different situations helped him better understand what Darkness was saying.
"Yeah… I get what you're kind of saying now. So, does that mean there are multiple Shibuyas?"
"…"
Darkness did not respond and simply shifted his attention out to the city. People could still be seen running away along with screaming being heard. No one knew what exactly was going on and that bred the perfect recipe for things to come.
Fear had taken over.
"Hey! You didn't answer me!"
"And I don't need to. This ideological point was something that I raised. You will have to find the answer out on your own, Sora."
Gripping onto the Keyblade's handle, Sora was not going to take that response.
"That doesn't matter! What matters is stopping you and whatever you have planned now."
The dark being then appeared to shake his head before turning his head to look at the Keyblade wielder.
"I'm afraid that won't be in the cards. You're going to have your hands tied."
"Yeah right! You're not going anywhere!"
Before Sora could sprint right at the dark foe, something unusual happened.
"I have some other business to look into while I'm here. Don't worry. She'll keep you company…"
"Who?"
Within a split second, Sora felt someone appear right behind him and walk to his side. Upon a better look at the person, he could see that it was a girl.
This girl's appearance was that of shoulder-length black hair with an unreadable expression on her face. While she was beautiful, she was wearing a strange militaristic outfit featuring a mix of blue, white, and black colors. Covering her left shoulder was a white jacket that went past her hand and ended with a feather outline. A pair of dark shorts could also be seen as well as a white belt holding various items. Black boots could also be seen laced up and reaching to the middle of her calf. Another stand-out feature of this girl was the blade resting on her hip.
"…"
The girl said nothing to Sora and simply waltzed past him until she was several feet away.
"Who are you?"
"…"
"What's wrong? Why aren't you talking?"
Witnessing the boy's frustration growing, Darkness let out an amused chuckle.
"I wouldn't worry too much, Sora. Besides, the only thing you should be worrying about… is how you're going to fight back" Darkness cryptically announced.
"Huh? What are you- "
*FWOOSH*
Out of nowhere, the mysterious girl pulled out her blade and pointed it at Sora. Additionally, a strange-looking hat that covered her eyes and went past her nose with weird designs was now resting atop her head. The hat was black and white with glowing outlines that formed a strange symbol.
Sora wasn't sure what to think about this sudden change.
"Hold on! You don't have to do this!"
"I'm afraid she does, Sora. Her name is Sari Nijiima. Well, the actual her might I add."
"The actual her… then…"
"Bingo. I asked the Mimic to take on a new form. Someone you've never dealt with. I figured a challenging new foe would put you in your place."
Brandishing her weapon and now pointing it at the Keyblade wielder, the fake Sari held a cold glare in her eyes.
*DING*
Suddenly, the girl's eyes, hair, and even clothes glowed a vibrant blue color. It was almost as if she activated a power boost to herself.
"Well then, depending on if you make out in one piece, I'll be seeing you back in Academy City."
"Wait! You're not leaving!"
"Afraid I am. I've got a few more things to investigate here in Shibuya. Make no mistake. I'll be back. But for now… May your heart be your guiding key…"
*WHOOSH*
A Corridor of Darkness soon appeared right before Darkness. With one final nod of acknowledgment, the mysterious foe walked through the portal and disappeared. The portal immediately closed.
Now, staring down at the fake Sari Nijiima's blade, Sora knew a fight was going to happen no matter what.
Meanwhile, up in the air.
Hovering directly above the Keyblade wielder and adjusting itself for a better view, a drone could be seen capturing the events happening below. Furthermore, this drone was sending a live feed directly to the Board Chairman and the golden retriever watching the confrontation live.
"Things are getting out of hand fast," Noukan grimly remarked. "Are there plans to cover this up?"
"Depending on how things proceed… that can be arranged. However, I'm intrigued by how things will play out. It seems we're in for quite a show" Aleister Crowley responded with a great hint of intrigue.
"What about public consumption? Aren't you worried about footage of magic at play being recorded?"
"If I weren't worried, then I wouldn't have caused the mass panic to ensue. Letting Sora deal with this… unusual individual."
A look of surprise appeared on the golden retriever's face.
"Oh? That was you? I figured with Sora being thrown back that people were fleeing due to the heightened confrontation."
"That could have garnered enough reason to leave the area, but I figured a simple little message appearing on everyone's devices would give enough incentive to leave hastily."
Appearing in front of the two was a screen that showcased a simple message.
BOMB IN THE AREA. EVACUATE NOW!
"Simplicity to its fullest."
Just as Aleister was about to respond something was beginning to take place on the screen focused on Sora.
"Hm. It would appear that the show is about to begin."
Both Aleister and Noukan's attention was directed at the scene ready to see what would happen. Things were getting interesting by the minute.
A few minutes before
Sitting inside one of the buildings with a direct line of sight to Shibuya Scramble Crossing was a middle-aged woman minding her own business. At least, that's how she wanted to be viewed. In reality, she was keeping an eye on the events unfolding down on the ground.
Shifting her gaze between the bomb warning sent to her phone and the many people running around her to get away, she was tasked to keep an eye on the spiky-haired boy. No matter what was going on, her mission was to report everything that happened around him.
Reaching for her phone and calling up a number, she began to see movement on the ground as the other end of the line picked up. A direct line to the Mugino family butler.
"Sir, I have a live report. You're going to wanna hear this."
Back to Sora.
Twirling his Keyblade, Sora stared right back at the fake Sari and wanted to tell her to stop this. Alas, he remembered that this wasn't the real Sari and just another imitation presented by the Mimic.
He would need to fight to end this charade.
*Reynatis - Suppression of Magic OST*
Without missing a beat, Sari lunged her blade right at Sora causing him to block the attack. But before he could react, she had already pulled her weapon back and began stabbing at his torso. This forced him to instantly block the attacks.
*SWISH*
*TING*
*SCHLING*
"Gah!"
The fake Sari did not say anything and simply stared at the teen coldly.
*WHOOSH!*
Breaking away from the blade bind, Sari swung her blade right at Sora's shoulder causing him to block the attack. Unfortunately, that was exactly what she wanted.
*WHAM!*
"Agh!"
*CRASH*
Being kicked directly in the chest, Sora was sent flying back and landed on the side of a parked car. The door had been completely dented while the brunette was wincing in pain.
Suddenly, Sora could see Sari dashing right at him with tunnel vision on her face. This resulted in him flopping to the ground and rolling back to his feet. He was then met with another barrage of stabs coming his way which were all blocked in perfect succession.
*DING*
*WHOOSH!*
*BAM!*
Blocking each stab directed his way, Sora deflected Sari's katana-looking blade while trying to find an opening. Alas, that proved to be a waste as his foe was quick on her feet and even quicker with adapting.
"Hyah!"
*CHING!*
Flashing away, the Mimic then appeared right above Sora and tried landing an overhead slash on him, but he threw himself backward and managed to avoid the attack.
Crawling back to his feet, Sora tried casting a Wind spell to throw her back but was sadly mistaken for a faint attack as she soared right into the air and came diving down at him.
*WHOOF!*
*WHAM!*
"Ngh! Grr!"
Having the Keyblade held in front of him, Sora managed to mostly defend himself from the brunt of the attack, but there was still quite a bit of debris that had appeared around the two.
Seeing him block the attack, Sari teleported away and soon reappeared high in the sky. Her blade then began to glow blue before she sent slashes of light right at him.
Sora wasted no time in dodging the projectile attacks and having his vision be lopsided from all the rolling.
After the third roll, the teen decided to try something new and immediately tried casting a Triple Plasma spell at the flying adversary. However, this proved to be difficult as Sari had once again teleported away and then reappeared in front of him.
*BANG!*
*TING!*
Before he could react, the Mimic had teleported high into the sky and slashed her sword down at the Keyblade wielder causing slices of light to soar through the sky and at him.
"Whoa!"
Dodging the light attacks sent his way, Sora was then forced to block one of the attacks head on causing a small explosion to occur.
*BOOM*
"Nice trick. But that's nothing!"
The Guardian of Light then dashed right at Sari and met her head on in another barrage of strikes.
*DING*
*WHOOSH!*
*BAM!*
*SWOOSH!*
The two continued to duel it out with a constant flurry of attacks being blocked on both sides. Whenever Sora would try to land a direct attack, Sari managed to deflect his attack and counter with her own. However, he would do the same. Leading to a back-and-forth situation to take place even making sparks from the two blades clashing against one another.
After having another attack blocked by Sora, Sari leaped back and raised her blade into the air. At the same time, her body began glowing blue just like the first time causing a bit of concern to grow in Sora's chest.
With quick thinking, Sora pointed his Keyblade at her and began casting several Blizzard spells right at her.
Seeing this, the Mimic simply sidestepped each ice spell before lunging forward with enhanced speed. Sora didn't have enough time to act and was hit.
"GAH!"
Out of instinct, he countered by reprising and casting a Thunder spell right at her.
*BOOM*
A strike of yellow lightning hit Sari causing her to wince at the attack but not before rushing at him. The magical attack managed to hurt her but only a slight bit.
Not about to let a little wound set his back, Sora countered this move and also dashed right at her. But he had a trick up his sleeve.
"Come on!"
Once the two were inches away from having their blades clash together, Sora acted fast.
*KA-BOOM!*
An explosion of light consumed the area and sent Sari flying back so that she landed hard on the ground a bit away. As she regained her vision, the fake girl could see the spiky-haired boy now in a different light.
Sora's attire had changed to a black tone with a mix of red, yellow, and white all over his clothes. Another standout feature of him was the confident smirk on his face. Something that conveyed how he truly felt.
Second form was now in play.
"You're done here!"
Charging forward, Sora wasted no time and went on the offensive.
*BAM*
*BANG*
*SWOOSH*
*CLING*
*CLANG*
*WHAM*
Rolling to the side, Sora fired several Fire spells at the Mimic, but most of the attacks were dodged. One of the spells was deflected by Sari's weapon and hit a parked vehicle causing it to explode. Whether it was due to the spell's power or something else that remained to be seen.
*BANG!*
*CLASH!*
*WHOOSH!*
The two continued to duke it out with their weapons. Sora even tried pulling a few of his own tricks against the formidable foe by performing a Strike Raid at her.
*SWOOSH!*
*FWOOSH!*
Every time the Keyblade was hurled right at it, Sari managed to dodge each attack by either leaping high into the air or completely phasing out of the way.
This forced Sora to keep changing his way of fighting. Seeing that this was his first time ever fighting against this Sari individual, even if it wasn't the real version, he still needed to be alert.
*BAM!*
*TING!*
*CLING!*
*CLANG!*
*SCHING!*
*WHOOSH!*
At an incredible speed, the two were appearing and disappearing followed by bursts of light flashing. An even display of swordsmanship was being projected by the two as the fight continued.
*BAM!*
Sora was sent flying back from a swift kick.
However, that would not stop him.
Twisting his head to see what he was going to hit, a light pole was the first thing to catch his eye. This caused him to smirk while simultaneously coming up with a plan.
Flipping himself around effortlessly, Sora's entire body was soon glowing blue thanks to his Flowmotion activating. He then maneuvered himself to hit the pole straight on which gave him the advantage he needed.
*WHOOSH!*
Immediately, his entire body was spinning around the pole and gaining tremendous speed.
The fake Sari wasn't sure what was happening, but before she could even react, she was launched backward and slammed right into the closest wall causing dust and debris to go flying all over the place.
*BOOM!*
Sora was now standing right where the Mimic just was and could see her shrugging off the attack. A calculated glare appeared on her face as she stared daggers at the Guardian of Light.
"What? Not feeling like talking this time around, Mimic?" Sora asked, antagonizing the Mimic.
"..."
"The last time we fought, you wouldn't stop talking while using the faces of Larxene and Marluxia. What happened this time?"
"..."
"Don't feel like talking?"
"..."
Just as Sora was about to say something else, the fake Sari took off her hat and stared at it for a split second before letting it fall to the ground.
*DING*
Repeating what happened before, Sari's hair, eyes, and outfit glowed a bright blue color as she prepared her blade to strike.
"..."
Realizing that she wasn't going to say anything, Sora huffed out some air before getting into his signature battle stance.
"I'm not losing!"
With one final breath, the two charged right at one another and continued to be locked in a tight duel of blades. Sparks were flying all over the place along with Sora's elemental spells either being deflected or dodged.
Shibuya Scramble Crossing had now turned into a battleground with fire, ice, water, damaged vehicles, and debris scattered all over the place. Sirens roared in the distance and not a single person could be seen in the area.
At least that's how it appeared.
However, several individuals continued to witness the fight and take note of everything that was happening. Different powers that be were all keeping an eye on the developing situation, and it all centered around a certain someone.
That someone being the wielder of the Keyblade.
*A/N* - Long time no see. There's a lot to discuss, but before I get to that I just want to come out and apologize for the long wait. I know I said that things would be different and that I'd get chapters out sooner. But that promise went right out the window lol. A lot has happened to me this past year. Nothing too bad. Just life being life and having to change with it. I won't bore with the details but I did have a bit of Writer's Block which is quite the hole to get out of. Nevertheless, I don't have any plans to stop with any of my stories. Things may be slow and chapters will take a minute to get released, but I have no intention of dropping or stopping things randomly. I am thinking about dropping shorter chapters to not make the wait longer so will happen next time. Either way, thank you for checking this story out whether it was out of curiosity or you're a fan of Kingdom Hearts or Toaru Majutsu no Index. All reviews are a joy to read and learn from. Thank you!
Now then, onto the chapter. Shibuya. Since the start of this story, I always wanted Shibuya to play a role in Sora's adventure. I wasn't sure how it would happen, but with where the story is now, I have a better idea of things. Fortunately, Shibuya is featured in Toaru later in the Genesis Testament series, and it will come back into play later on. Nonetheless, Shibuya has so much potential to be used in various ways. This is also why I included Reynatis and Final Fantasy XV in this chapter.
For those not familiar with Reynatis, it's a game developed by FuRyu and Natsume Atari. It takes place in Shibuya and also features a few key notable individuals who have worked on Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy before. I wanted to have an easter egg or reference to the game and figured Sari Nishijima would fit nicely. I really like her design. Consequently, if you're not familiar with the series then that's alright. I won't be utilizing it a great deal past this chapter or next.
However, I can't promise that same point when it comes to FFXV. For those unfamiliar with the game and story, Iris Amicitia is a character from that game. She's Gladio's little sister and a friend of Noctis Lucis Caelum. Her age in the game is about 15 years old making her around Sora's age in high school. She won't be playing a big part in the story. I just wanted to include a small Final Fantasy character easter egg in this chapter. The story elements of FFXV can be traced back to Final Fantasy Versus XIII which is a whole other can of worms I don't want to open here. Otherwise, I'll have to post an entire 20k chapter just to explain what happened with that game. Look it up. Quite the saddening story. But there are so many cool story beats and fighting elements that I'll be using as inspiration, so that's going to be fun to see soon.
The different powers are all keeping a close eye on Sora now. We have Shinra, Rufus, and the Turks in this universe (AU), Aleister Crowley, essentially the Science Side, and the Mugino family. Each has their own goals and reasons for wanting to know what Sora is up to. Things are going to get more difficult for him as more and more people realize that he's a complete wild card. Unpredictable yet easy to predict due to his nature.
Mugino Shizuri. At this point in the story it should be obvious I like including her and ITEM into the story lol. As of this chapter coming out, the fourth volume of the ITEM light novel will be released in March sometime which is exciting. I am not sure when it takes place throughout the timeline, but like the other volumes, I'll continue to use what new information or character development is presented in the story. Mugino is always a joy to work with seeing that some view her as just a cold, violent character. However, since she's not featured as heavily as Misaka, Touma, or Accelerator that gives her a blank slate of things to do. Expect her to show up more and interact with Sora. Don't worry. I have a plan for her involvement to grow in the story as well as her bond with him.
Touma and the others. The departure in this chapter might have surprised those familiar with the main timeline of the Toaru Old Testament story. I originally intended for Sora to help Touma with solving Agni's Fire Festival situation, but I didn't want to make it all copy and paste for the side story. The chapter originally had Sora stick with Touma for the majority of it all, but after a while, I decided to change things up. Hence, Sora leaves for Shibuya while Touma and Index continue to solve that problem back in Academy City. The Toaru story has so much depth to it that it's sometimes intimidating to deal with. And while I could break out the (AU) card I want to do right by the timeline. So… expect a mix of me staying close to the lore and then breaking out into something original. I think this will offer a sense of newness and familiarity with the story.
To conclude this author's note, I want to once again thank you all for checking this story out and ask that you stick around for the next chapter and so on. I'll say this out loud and somewhat proud. I am a slow cook. I will try to be better and get things out faster. Alas, expect shorter chapters to come now. All feedback is read and taken to heart. I want the story to turn out good as well. Now, with nothing else needed to be said… onto the omake!
*Special Author's Note*
In the spirit of Christmas having come and gone already, this omake will be centered around Christmas and a bit of mayhem that Sora manages to stir up with the others. Hope it'll be a fun read!
Omake - The Key to Christmas Mayhem I
Feeling a slight breeze brush past him, Sora glanced up at the bright and clear sky before him cascading across Academy City and beyond. The winter holidays were beginning to take effect, and it was obvious with all the Christmas decorations now being placed on doors and windows. The joyful holiday was nearing.
However, a certain statement continued to bounce around his head.
"I don't believe in him."
That was the staggering announcement coming from the young girl dressed as a nun, Index.
Even now, as Sora was making his way to another one of his friend's places, he couldn't get that groundbreaking statement out of his continued to rattle him as he replayed the events that led up to that bold and hazardous announcement.
A few minutes earlier
Sitting around the small table inside the Kamijou apartment, Sora was hanging out with Touma, Index, and Sphynx. Kamijou was currently busy preparing a light breakfast while the other two humans were chatting about the topic of Christmas. Sphinx on his part was being manhandled by Index.
"Wait… so you're telling me that Santa- "
"The thought process of Santa can be traced back to the real-life 4th-century Christian saint, Saint Nicholas. The legend of Saint Nicholas is a key part of Christmas traditions" Index explained.
"…I see…"
"What's wrong, Sora? You look more confused than upset. You do know that Santa Claus isn't real."
"Meow?"
"I hear ya, Sphynx. She might be on the naughty list" Sora replied to the calico cat.
"Excuse me, but I don't see how what I'm saying is wrong. And how would you know that?" Index argued while folding her arms. "Santa Claus is not real."
Scratching his cheek, Sora could argue that he definitely knew Santa Claus was real. He even got to talk with him and help him deal with a bubbling was without a doubt a Santa.
After being asleep in a pod for over a year, Sora, Donald, and Goofy went back to Halloween Town to catch up with their old friends. But things are never too simple as they were soon forced to deal with the Heartless showing up and causing a ruckus. This soon led him through a Christmas Tree door that took him to a snowy place. It was there that he managed to meet Santa and learn the harsh truth of the world.
He was put on the naughty list.
All thanks to him and his big mouth for telling everyone when he was younger that Santa Claus was not real. That's what landed him on the naughty list.
He would not be put back there again.
"I'm sorry, Index, but he is real."
"No, he's not."
"Yes, he is."
"No!"
"Yes."
"No!"
"Mm-hm. He's real."
"No!"
"Yep."
"Meow."
"Grr. Touma! What do you think? Is Santa real or not?"
Finishing up on breakfast, Touma stepped out of the small kitchen and held a strained look on his face.
"Well…that's kind of complicated for me to answer."
"Complicated? How?"
Regarding Kamijou Touma's current predicament, he wasn't exactly clear on how he used to view the whole Santa Claus debate. Before his memory loss, he could have been the biggest Christmas hater around, or he could have been one of the jolliest people to be around.
Either way, the current him viewed the holiday in a different light. To him, Christmas was the time to be around those you cherish and be thankful for all that's happened. When it came to him and being thankful, he was lucky that misfortune continued to plague him daily and not anyone else. The joy and happiness seen on others' faces were more than enough for him.
"I… I think I'm a bit in between on the matter."
"Eh? Really?"
"Touma!"
"Meow?"
Raising his hands to defend himself, Kamijou set out to explain his reasoning.
"I only say that because… I don't really remember how I was… err… last year. Besides, a lot has changed this past year."
"You could say that again" Sora mumbled.
"I've gotten to meet so many wonderful and amazing people. And then there are some people that… I hope they trip, fall, and eat- "
"You're talking about Styil, huh?"
Kamijou immediately nodded his head.
"Yep! But I hope everyone has a good time during the holidays no matter what you've done. Now, about Santa… I don't want to outright say he's fake or doesn't exist. However, I do think the idea of him is great. And what he represents should be looked at and appreciated while also looking past the gifts. As mushy of an answer as that was."
Touma then spent a solid moment contemplating something before breaking into an awkward laugh.
"Even though… I don't think he's left me gifts before…"
"See! Touma doesn't think he's real!"
"I didn't say that!"
"You basically did!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"No, I didn't!"
"Grr! Sora!"
"Y-Yeah?"
"Did Touma admit that he thinks Santa isn't real?"
Glancing over at his fellow spiky-haired friend, Sora wasn't sure what to say. Kamijou had taken a stance both in favor and against Santa. But the holiday spirit was still involved.
"Touma said that he believes in Santa. That's a yes from me."
"Bleh! You're not going to get anything this year."
"Who would've thought that a sister of the church would be so against Santa being real?"
"That's because the fictional character of Santa Claus is a derivative of Saint Nicholas."
"…That still has to count for believing in Santa."
Index couldn't help but glare at Kamijou with a hungry look in her eyes. Seeing this, Touma jumped up and hastily got her breakfast ready.
Sora, watching this play out, couldn't help but laugh at the comedic exchange. It also warranted a thought regarding his other friends and the entirety of Santa Claus.
"Do the others believe in Santa?"
Back to the present
As Sora crossed the street and stayed deep in thought, he soon felt a small tug on his jacket which forced his attention up and around. However, he didn't see anyone close to him.
That is until he looked down.
"Hiya! Says Misaka Misaka as she gets your attention."
Standing there wearing a fur coat around her shoulders and dressed a bit differently than the last time he saw her, Sora had now encountered Last Order.
"Last Order? What are you doing out here?"
"Haha! This Misaka wanted to get out and enjoy the festive mood, says Misaka Misaka as she is also hiding the other reason for being out and about."
Tilting his head, Sora was about to ask her what she meant but was soon surprised to see another familiar face.
"Misaka?"
"Greetings, Sora. This Misaka is looking for the smaller Misaka unit, says Misaka as she spots the gremlin."
"Gah! Help! Says Misaka Misaka as she cries out for a hero to help her!"
As the younger Misaka leaped behind the Keyblade wielder and used him as a shield to prevent the older Misaka from nabbing her, Sora got a better idea of the situation.
"Ahh. I see what's up."
"Misaka thanks you for your astute observation of the situation, says Misaka happy that you're a quick learner."
"Err… you're welcome? But why are you running away, Last Order?"
"Misaka was told by a certain someone to always have someone around. Misaka 10032 was assigned to watch over me, says Misaka Misaka as she begins to pout."
"To clarify, the control tower needs to be watched at all times otherwise she will be easily captured or hurt, says Misaka in an authoritative tone."
"Ah, that makes sense. Last Order, you need to listen to your sister and whoever told you to have a guardian" Sora replied with genuine concern. "The city is a busy place and filled with all kinds of dangers."
Left defeated, Last Order let out a defeated sigh.
"*sigh* Fine. Misaka will make sure to keep a guardian around. Whether it's another Misaka model, the savior, the hero, or Accel- "
"Insufficient. You will always keep a guardian around you, says Misaka with a big sisterly tone."
Sora couldn't help but chuckle at the two sisters' behavior. He could only imagine if Mikoto were here to argue with her sisters. That would be quite a comedic sight to Misakas arguing with one another.
What a unique family.
"Nuh-uh! You can't always stick by me, says Misaka Misaka as she continues to dismiss your rules."
"Hey, I've got a question for you two," Sora said, pulling the two girls' attention.
"Oh? What's the question, Sora? Says Misaka Misaka as she leans forward earnestly and out of curiosity."
"Yes, what is the question lingering on your tongue, says Misaka as she listens intently."
Folding his arms across his chest and coming up with what to say exactly, Sora decided to just ask the question.
"…Do you guys believe in Santa Claus?"
The two Misaka clones glanced at one another before Last Order was the first to jump up with joy.
"Who is this, Santa Claus? Says Misaka Misaka as she can't ever remember meeting or hearing about Santa Claus."
"Correction. In the control tower's case, she is, and I quote still too young to understand who this Mr. Claus is, says Misaka as she clarifies the situation."
"Hey! I'm not too young! Says Misaka Misaka as she is offended by that statement."
"Counter correction. You are indeed too young, says Misaka with a smug tone."
"Hmph! Sora! What do you think? Says Misaka Misaka as she wants to hear what you have to say."
Nodding his head, Sora's take on this point was obvious.
"I have to agree with Misaka. But that just makes learning about Santa Claus even more special."
Last Order's face switched from frowning to now genuine interest in Santa Claus. Furthermore, she was becoming giddy with excitement.
"Hmm. Ignoring the undeniable fact that I am a younger Misaka unit, please tell me more about this Santa Claus. Says Misaka Misaka as she is invested in learning more about this individual."
"I concur. Says Misaka as she takes a step forward and listens intently."
"Wait. Misaka? You don't know much about Santa?"
"Correct. I have a very basic understanding of this Mr. Claus, but I would like to learn more says Misaka as she is now paying close attention."
Happy with the interest shown for Santa, Sora happily jumped into the details.
"Alright! Where to begin… Uh… Hm. I'll just start with a simple explanation. Every year during Christmas, it's the time to be around those you love and care about. Making it all about appreciating kindness. As for Santa, he gives presents to show the spirit and joy of Christmas to good kids. But you've been naughty, then you'll either get coal as a present or nothing at all."
"Question. Why coal of all things to give to naughty children? Asks Misaka as she is quite confused."
"Yeah! That seems like an unfair thing to give. Says Misaka Misaka as she is now starting to worry if she's been good."
"Err… I'm not totally sure why Santa gives out coal to bad kids. But if I had to guess, then it's to let kids know to be better behaved next year" Sora reasoned as he also didn't know why coal was used.
"But! What counts for being naughty? Does it mean if you do something really bad? Or something small can still be counted as being bad? These are very important questions. Says Misaka Misaka as she begins to reflect on herself this past year and realizes that she might be on the naughty list" Last Order said while grasping onto her head and wearing a defeated face.
Misaka 10032 also displayed a dismayed expression as she had a concentrated look on her face. Emotions were flipping across her face.
"If we are looking at the past year, then this Misaka unit will, unfortunately, be placed on the naughty list as she remembers acting quite naughty toward her big sister. Says Misaka as she can't help but grin at remembering what she did to the original Misaka. Heh."
Hearing this, Sora couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of the two Misaka sisters. This also made him consider another vital question.
Would Mikoto Misaka be placed on the naughty list?
Meanwhile, at Tokiwadai
*ACHOO!*
Sitting at a table and having a cup of tea, Mikoto Misaka couldn't help but sneeze suddenly causing a bit of her tea to go flying from her mouth.
Across from her was Shirai Kuroko who was startled by the Level 5's reaction.
"Onee-sama? Are you okay?"
"Y-Yeah. I'm good…. I think?"
"Did something just happen?"
Staring down at her tea, Mikoto was trying to come up with a reason for her sudden sneeze.
"…Hey, Kuroko?"
"Yes?"
"What's that saying people say when you sneeze? Someone is thinking about you?"
"Hmm. I believe that's the one. But why do you ask? Do you think someone was thinking about you just now?"
Shaking her head, Mikoto held a frown, "I don't know. But I think someone is thinking about me now…"
The third-ranked Level 5 stared right out the nearest window and had one immediate thought come to her.
*ACHOO!*
'It had better not be that idiot!'
The idiot she was referring to had black spiky hair and held an unusual power in his right hand. He was also someone who made her heart hasten and fluster her to no end.
Just thinking about him now caused her to start sending small trickles of electricity around her body. Additionally, a bright blush could be seen covering her entire face. This caused Kuroko to jump up in her seat.
*STATIC*
*BZZT*
"O-Onee-sama!?"
"Gah!"
"Watch your electricity!"
*BZZT!*
*SHOCK!*
"THAT IDIOT!"
Back with Sora
"So, this Santa Claus, what kind of gifts does he give to children? Asks Misaka Misaka as she wants to learn all that she can about this Mr. Claus."
"Well, normally, kids make a list of things that they want and send it through the mail for Santa to get the list."
"Question. There are many discrepancies that I am finding with this explanation. Are you telling us that Mr. Claus can review every single letter coming around the world as well as ensure those lists are fulfilled? Asks Misaka as she struggles to understand this whole Santa dilemma."
Dumbfounded was the best way to describe what Sora was feeling right now. He could only stammer to get out a response.
"I-I… I don't know how- "
"Or does this Mr. Claus manipulate the mailing system so that all the letters from children reach him at an increased rate? Fundamentally speaking, it still does not make sense. Unless Mr. Claus is positioned on the wealthier side of things, which would make sense considering he's able to distribute toys across the planet. Says Misaka as she tries to analyze the situation."
"I think you're overanalyzing it all!" Sora exclaimed.
"I think not. Says Misaka as she stands by her confusion."
Donning sparkles in her eyes, Last Order began hyping herself up.
"Ooh! This Santa Claus sounds like a really nice guy! Says Misaka Misaka getting all excited!"
"He's a nice and jolly kind of guy. I got to meet him once."
"YOU DID!?" Last Order shouted excitedly.
"Do tell us more, asks Misaka in a very eager tone as she would like to hear more about your encounter" Misaka 10,032 said aloud.
"Yep! My friends and I got caught up in quite the situation where we had to deal with some… troublemakers making things harder for Santa."
Amazement could be seen written all over Last Order's face. If there was ever a time to witness someone's faith in something jump from a low point all the way to near full believing, then she just showcased that jump.
"No…way! This Misaka can't believe it! Says Misaka Misaka as she is beyond excited and can't come up with the right words!"
"Haha! Yeah, it was so much fun helping him out. But you know what that means, right Last Order?"
"Eh? What does that mean? Asks Misaka Misaka as she is switching from excited to concerned."
Sora was now sporting a smug grin.
"That means that you have to listen to your sisters and guardians. If they tell you something, then you gotta do it. It's only to make sure that you're safe and sound."
The younger girl's face morphed into a battered and wincing one as she realized the further implications of what Sora was saying.
"Bwah! This Misaka understands. She'll listen to the others… says Misaka Misaka as she waves the white flag in rebellious defeat."
"Heh."
Misaka 10,032 was enjoying this perhaps a bit too much.
"But! If that means that Santa will visit us, then this Misaka will be the best Misaka! And that starts by getting him into the Christmas spirit! Says Misaka Misaka as she runs back to spread the joy of Christmas with a certain grumpy person."
Taking off without letting anyone else speak, Last Order was bolting away leaving Sora utterly helpless to get her attention.
"Don't worry about her. This Misaka will make sure that she gets home safely. Replies Misaka as she feels a headache appear… or rather a bug form inside her programming."
"Hehe… good luck with that. And I feel a bit sorry for making things… complicated on your end now. Christmas and Santa are kind of hard things to explain to someone who has never heard about him."
"It is quite alright. You might have made not just her day, but others as well. Thank you for that, Sora. Says Misaka with genuine appreciation."
"You're welcome, Misaka."
With a simple nod, the older Misaka sister took off and began chasing after the younger Misaka leaving quite the comedic scene for Sora to process. He was happy to know that someone new had found the joy and excitement around Christmas. Granted, that wasn't the only reason to celebrate it. The time shared amongst family and friends as well as basking in the kindness shared by others is what truly made the holiday a special time.
However, he had to wonder if his other group of friends had that same understanding. Or if they believed in Santa Claus himself.
Not long later…
Sitting down on a luxurious couch and staring at a tea-colored-haired girl, Sora could feel his nerves telling him to brace for impact. This was further elevated when he could see the scowl appear on the girl's face immediately after he asked her the million-dollar question.
"Are you kidding me!? What the hell do you take me for? Believe in Santa? Give me a fuc- "
"Hmm. If I'm being honest, then yeah! I still believe in Santa."
Mugino's sailor mouth had come to a halt as she could not believe Frenda's candid answer.
"Frenda! Don't tell me you believe in that overweight creep."
Shrugging her shoulders, Frenda gave her honest opinion on the topic.
"What can I say? I still believe in him. I mean, part of the reason is because of my little sister, Fremea, but even then, growing up we didn't have much. So, whenever Christmas came up, I would do my best to make sure that Fremea believed that by being a good girl she'd get presents."
A slight break in her annoyed expression could be seen on Mugino's face before she then huffed.
"But you never did get anything on Christmas."
"True. But I made sure to do my best to get Fremea something so that it appeared like Santa gave her something. No matter how small it was, she appreciated it. I think she even has some of that old stuff still around… I'll need to ask her… and maybe clean it up" Frenda said while donning a thinking pose.
Taken aback by the blonde's story, Sora couldn't help but smile sadly at her story. While it involved a bit of strife growing up, he was elated to know that Frenda did all that she could to make her sister happy. A feat that he could respect greatly.
"But even now!? You still believe in the lie!" Mugino remarked with her right eye twitching.
"I know that Santa isn't real. But the idea of him still makes me want to be extra… chipper during the holidays! I make sure to donate a bit of my mission earnings to the orphanages around or make sure Fremea is happy and healthy."
Sora's face came crashing down as he heard what she said.
"Err… Frenda…"
Considering that he knew the truth, there was no easy way for him to put this. Thankfully, in the ITEM apartment, it was only Mugino and Frenda. Takitsubo and Kinuhara had gone out to get some groceries.
"Yeah, Sora? What's up?"
"I… how do I put this…" Sora contemplated on how to respond. "Hm…"
"Just spit it out!" Mugino snapped. "If you're going to stumble over your words then it's a wonder how you stumbled here!"
"Aren't you the one who invited him over?" Frenda asked the Level 5.
"Shut up."
A grin began working its way up the blonde's mouth.
"Also, weren't you extremely happy that he was coming over?"
"Frenda."
"Annnd if I recall right, you even wanted to- "
"That's it! You're- "
"Hold on! Before anything gets broken, I should say this loud and clear. Santa Claus is real."
"…"
"…"
The two members of Item stared at the spiky-haired boy with puzzled looks on their faces. Granted, Mugino was staring at him like he just said the dumbest thing ever while Frenda was looking to see if he was joking with them.
Once a stagnated moment passed, the two could see that the Keyblade wielder was serious.
"…You have got to be kidding me."
"Hang on, Mugino. Just think about- "
"You believe that he's real. You're not messing with us. You actually believe that he's- "
"Where's your proof? Frenda questioned while looking skeptical. "Claiming something like this requires a lot of backup. So, where is it?"
Realizing that he was going to have quite the uphill battle with these two, Sora let out a sigh and prepared himself as best as he could in a split second.
"Well, I can vouch that I've seen him before."
"Oh, yeah?" So, have I. I saw the old geezer at the mall the other day" Mugino countered.
"Not like that. I mean I've actually met him before."
"Could it have been an excellent cosplayer?" Frenda questioned. "That would technically count."
"No! It was the real Santa."
"Again, where's the proof?"
"It's… I… "
"Hm? Where? I don't see it."
"I'm with Mugino on this one, Sora. Unless you give us some kind of proof, then it just sounds like you're making it all up."
Left with no direct response, Sora's attempt to explain to them that Santa Claus was real began to crumble. He didn't have any sort of picture or memento regarding his time in Christmas Town, so he was basically spouting nonsense.
He had no way of proving it.
"I…"
*WHOOF*
Suddenly, a bright door of light appeared out of nowhere and phased into reality right next to Sora. This random occurrence caused Mugino to summon several of her Meltdowner orbs while Frenda instantly pulled out several grenades. At the same time, Sora summoned his Keyblade and had it ready for whatever might come from the mysterious door.
*TAP*
*TAP*
"Sora? Is that you?"
"Huh!? I recognize that voice. Jack!?"
"Jack?"
"Jack?"
What happened next left both Mugino and Frenda utterly speechless and frankly made their blood run cold. Even as operatives of the dark side of Academy City, what they were witnessing now made no sense at all.
Stepping right out of the door of light was a tall yet thin man with white and black attire. The only problem was that this man was dead, or rather he was a giant skeleton.
"Jack Skellington!?"
"Sora! My friend! How are you?"
"H-How are you here!? Did you put that door of light here? I'm so confused!"
"Haha! Patience my friend. We have a lot to talk about. But before that, I need your help."
"Huh? What's wrong?"
Rubbing his skeleton hands across his round skull, Jack let out a tired sigh.
"It's Sandy Claws. Something strange has happened again."
"Sandy- "
"Claws?"
Mugino and Frenda were completely lost.
"Santa? What happened? Was it the Heartless? Did Oogie Boogie return?"
"No, that sour Oogie Boogie hasn't returned. And I'm not sure about the Heartless, but Sandy Claws is dealing with something else" Jack explained.
"Something new? Say, why are you helping Santa again? Were you causing trouble again?" Sora asked with a light-hearted tone.
"What is going on...?" Frenda muttered while watching this strange exchange.
He could easily recall the first time that Jack had a fascination with Christmas Town.
"No, no. It's nothing like that. I merely went with Sally to pay Sandy Claws a visit. A friendly visit. That's all. But when I got there, I found him in quite a mess. Sally is there with him trying to help things calm down. It was then that he told me of a way to reach someone no matter where they are as long as they believe in him and Christmas!"
A look of bewilderment and irritation appeared on Meltdowner's face.
"You have got to be sh- "
"And that's how you're here… "Sora said before looking at the door of light.
"Yep! Because I knew you were the first person to turn to for help."
A look of appreciation and sincere happiness crossed Sora's face before it fell and the events of his recent adventures settled into his mind.
"Jack… I… a lot has happened…"
"Then I'm all ears. Even though I don't have any" Jack replied while tapping his skull.
"Hehe. Right. Thanks!"
Sora then turned his attention to Mugino and Frenda who continued to stare at the boy and tall skeleton with wide eyes.
"Haha… you guys probably have questions."
"Yeah…"
"You have no idea…"
Awkwardly laughing at their stunned reactions, Sora knew what he needed to do.
"Mm. Well, when I get back, I'll explain it all to you. I won't leave a single detail out."
"I'll be holding you to that."
"Don't worry. I promise!"
Giving the girls a firm nod, Sora then turned his attention to Jack.
"I'm ready!"
"Then onwards! To Halloween Town!"
Jack then dashed right to the door of light before disappearing. Sora gave the two girls a nod and wink of the eye before leaping through the bright doors.
Alas, once he was through the doors, they closed immediately and flashed away leaving the Item apartment void of any supernatural glowing doors.
Mugino and Frenda spent a whole minute just basking in silence while trying to process what just happened. The soft tea-colored hair girl strutted straight for the kitchen and grabbed a wine glass before reaching into her pantry for a specific bottle.
Frenda watched as her leader and friend began pouring a large amount of wine into her bottle before she set the wine bottle aside and grabbed her drink. She then watched Mugino down the liquid in one go and it spoke volumes for how much this must have been for her.
Watching the boy she had growing feelings for walk through strange doors while being accompanied by a tall and frightening Skellington. Frenda couldn't blame her.
Once Mugino put down her empty drink and stared at Frenda blankly for a split second, she then reached for the bottle again.
"I need another drink…"
It was at this point that Frenda wondered if she should have one as well.
Today was beyond weird.
*A/N* - Thanks again for checking this story out! Again, sorry for the delayed release. I wanted this to be out before Christmas, but I let other things take over as well as life being life. Hence, this omake being a Christmas one. Expect future chapters to be a bit shorter but not as short as the early chapters. Take care and I hope you have a great day!