Disclaimer: I do not own any of this and any of this belongs to the original creators.
WORLD OF HEARTS
LINKED AS ONE
Act 1
Chapter 1
Neo Bastion
Last time on World of Hearts: Linked as One...
Kizuna was just a normal kid living a normal life until one fateful morning he met Yoh Asakura, a shaman accompanied by the spirit of a long forgotten samurai called Amidamaru, Madoka Kaname, a magical girl from Mitakihara city, Izuku Midoriya aka Deku, a boy who possesses a Quirk that holds other Quirks, Ruby Rose, a huntress hailing from Vale, and the enigmatic Balan, a keyblade wielder of unknown origin. He also came into contact with Riku and Xehanort, two keyblade masters that he strangely knows. The boy is thrusted into a conflict with a group called Eternal Darkness when one of their agents called Lance attempted to assassinate him, only for the boy to triumph against a powerful monster sent by his assassin.
Faced with undeniable truths, the boy decides to go to Daybreak Academy to not only grasp the secrets behind his power and those of Sora, the Boy of Destiny, but to also achieve his dreams of becoming a hero.
-1-
An airship was in route to Neo Bastion. Onboard that ship was Kizuna. He had spent months training and studying for the entrance exams that awaited him. He was going to arrive at the fortress city that was the accumulation of mankind's collective wisdom and wealth, the real crown jewel of human civilization. He was already issued a commuter pass prior to the trip. He was in his seat as the ship continued its journey to Neo Bastion. He wondered how everyone else was doing as he looked through the window.
"We meet again, Kizuna Daichi,"
Kizuna quickly turned around and saw... Yoh?
"Yoh?" Kizuna asked before getting up.
Yoh smiled.
"Surprised that I'm here, right?" Yoh asked. "I figured that if you were going to Daybreak, I might as well come along with some friends I know."
"B-But what about you're engagement?"
"Don't worry about that. Anna is here too, as well as Madoka, Midoriya, and Ruby and all of their friends." Yoh said.
"Madoka and Midoriya are here too?" Kizuna asked.
"Well, we all agreed on one thing," Yoh said. "Someone has to look after you."
"We're the same age..." Kizuna said.
"I know, but you never know when someone is attempting to assassinate you," Yoh said.
Kizuna scowled.
"It was that one time only," He replied. "Besides, I was training for a whole year for this."
"And you're going to spend the next 3 years learning and getting stronger," Yoh said. "Quite the ambition you got there."
Kizuna got up.
"Come on, everyone's waiting for us," Yoh said, to which Kizuna nodded.
He and Yoh began to walk down the aisle.
-2-
Madoka was excited today. It had been a while since she last saw Kizuna. She knew the option of coming to Daybreak Academy was a difficult one to make. Leaving the comfort of her home in Mitakihara for a new life in Neo Bastion was a decision that she alone had to make, no matter how much it weighed on her heart. Her friends, the rest of the Holy Quintet, went along with her. She looked at Homura, who approached Madoka.
"So, this is it," Homura said. "Are you ready?"
Madoka, as much as she was excited, became worried now that Homura brought up that question. She felt her throat getting stuffy all of a sudden. Her eyebrows twitched.
"I... I feel like I swallowed a bottle cap..." Madoka responded with humility.
"It's alright, the entrance exams won't be that tough," Homura said. "We all studied them when we all came to an agreement in coming here."
"I don't know... I heard that it would be different from other entrance exams," Madoka said.
"And if UA is anything to by, you can be sure that there will be a practical exam,"
Madoka turned to see Izuku.
"A-Ah! Deku! You're here too?" Madoka asked.
"Yup," Izuku said. "Kacchan, Todoroki, and some of my classmates are here."
"Huh? Some of your classmates?" Madoka asked.
"Yeah, from UA." Izuku said.
"From UA?" Madoka asked. "You have friends there?"
"Yeah," Izuku said. "You already met Todoroki and Kacchan."
"Kacchan?" Madoka asked.
"Oh, yeah, that's who I've always Kacchan back when we were kids," Izuku said. "Of course, he also called me Deku back in the day."
"So that's where you got your hero name from?" Madoka asked.
Izuku scratched his head.
"You could say that," Izuku said. "As for Todoroki, he's usually calm and collective. When it comes to socializing, he's not quite used to it yet."
"Huh? Why's that?" Madoka asked.
"Well..."
"You have my father to thank for that," Todoroki cuts in.
Izuku and Madoka looked at Todoroki.
"Todo-kun?" Madoka asked.
"I didn't have much a chance for a normal life when my father used to abuse me," Todoroki said.
"Todo-kun..." Madoka said, looking sad.
"That's in the past now," Todoroki said. "At least he's trying to make up for it all. Now if you'll excuse me..."
He walked off, leaving Madoka, Izuku, and Homura alone.
"Now that I think about it, how are your parents doing, Madoka?" Izuku asked.
"My dad is working hard on the tomatoes and my mom is busy with work, but they're fine," Madoka said.
"Tomatoes?" Izuku asked.
"Her father grows tomatoes," Homura said.
"Ah! I didn't know!" Izuku said. "My mother used to cook my own meals while my father works abroad."
"Really?" Madoka asked. "He's working abroad?"
"In America," Izuku said.
"In the birthplace of Heroes..." Homura said.
"Wow..." Madoka said.
"Hey, Deku!"
Madoka, Homura, and Izuku turned to see a brown-haired girl with short hair approaching the trio. Izuku blushed as the girl came close to him.
"I can't believe that we're all going to Neo Bastion!" The girl said.
"Y-Yeah, me too, Uraraka-san!" Izuku said.
Madoka observed the girl. The girl had a round face. She had a slender and curvaceous figure. The girl was slightly taller than Madoka and slightly smaller than Homura. Madoka became transfixed on the girl's body. The fair skin, the curvy figure, those slender legs, those big round eyes...
Madoka was jealous.
She was pouting as she looked at this Uraraka girl. This girl has the audacity to approach Izuku and make him blush. She could tell the boy was trying his best not to stare at the girl's chest. She's not even standing at arm's length of him! Why she ought to—
"Hey guys, look who I found on the ship," a male voice called.
The group turned to see Yoh and Kizuna coming into the room. Madoka went over to Kizuna and Yoh. Izuku looked at Kizuna and went over to him.
"Kizu-chan!" Madoka said.
"M-Madoka! Midoriya! Homura!" Kizuna said.
"Kizuna-San," Izuku said. "You're just in time to meet someone!"
"Huh? Is it a friend of yours from UA?" Kizuna asked.
"Yup, meet Ochako Uraraka," Izuku said as he moved to the side, "Uraraka, meet Kizuna Daichi. Everyone else, meet Uraraka."
Ochako walked up to Kizuna and waved her hand at him.
"So you're the guy who fought that monster from a few months ago!" Ochako said. "The way you handled the sword was amazing!"
She moved her hand to imitate a sword slash. Kizuna blushed and scratched his head a bit.
"Oh, it was nothing..." Kizuna said with a bit of a smile. "Besides, Midoriya-San was with me all the way..."
"We were there too," Yoh said. "Madoka, me, her friends, Ruby, her sister, Weiss, Blake, Amidamaru."
"O-Oh, right..." Kizuna said. "So you know Midoriya?"
"Yup! We met on the UA Entrance Exams," Ochako said. "There was this big robot and I was caught under some wreckage of a villain bot and then Deku jumped at that robot and punched it so hard that it exploded!"
Kizuna and Yoh looked at Izuku, who was pressing the tips of his fingers together. Madoka on the other hand, looked at Ochako with her cheeks puffed.
"Wow, I didn't know you had it in you at the time," Kizuna said.
"You take being a hero seriously," Yoh said.
"G-Guys... come on, I j-just couldn't leave her there. I uh... had to do it," Izuku said.
"And you weren't trying to impress her?" Madoka asked.
Homura looked shocked.
"W-W-Wait hold on, Madoka, that's not—"
"She makes a good point," Yoh said. "I mean, I love my fiancé and everything, but she doesn't look all that mature to me and I'm perfectly fine with that."
Kizuna was silent, only nodding in agreement with Yoh.
"Have you two even gone on a date?" Yoh asked.
"Um—"
"Well... there was that one time we went to the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall in Musatafu once but—"
"That one doesn't count," A voice spoke up.
Bakugou was standing behind Ochako.
"Bakugo?" Kizuna asked.
"They went out shopping, it doesn't count as a date," Bakugo said. "I fact-checked it myself. It. Does. Not. Count."
He walked off.
"Well, it could have been a date if..."
BOOP-BOOOP!
"Hello passengers, this is the captain speaking. We will soon be arriving at our destination: Neo Bastion. Please get ready for landing and make sure you're luggage is secured."
"Oh thank god, we're almost there..." Izuku said.
"You heard him, let's get ready," Yoh said.
"R-Right," Kizuna said.
-2-
Mickey Mouse was sitting comfortably in his office. He was in this job ever since he helped in bringing the Chaos Era to an end. It wasn't the same as being a king inside the castle, but guiding future generations to becoming protectors of the world was something he would never get tired of doing. Someone had to teach the next generation of soon to be heroes into lean, mean fighting machines who dish out justice. His scroll rang and he was quick to answer it.
"Yes, Minnie, what is it?" Mickey asked.
"We've received word that the students will be coming off the airships any minute now, should I arrange for—"
"Do so at once," Mickey said. "Oh and Minnie, how is that orientation speech coming along?"
"It's coming along just great, I'm just doing the finishing touches," Minnie said. "After that we can start practicing for it."
"Thanks, Minnie," Mickey said. "So uh... has everything been set up yet?"
"Yes, the staff just finished setting everything up," Minnie said. "Everything is ready."
"Good, good," Mickey said. "Then I guess it's time we get this show on the road. I'll be seeing you soon. Take care, Minnie."
"You too, my king~," Minnie said.
He pressed the button and the call was finished. He took a deep breath before stretching himself out. He got out of the chair. He heard a beeping sound coming from the door.
"Enter,"
The door slid open. Standing there was Yen Sid, Mickey's former Keyblade Master. If there was anyone old and wise that he trusted, Yen Sid was one such man among others who fit that criterion. He wasn't just some wizard. This man's magical powers go beyond that of a 'normal' Keyblade Master. Yen Sid himself was considered a god in the realm of magic. Witches across the world, be they good or bad, both respect and fear him, for he has possession of the mightiest of magic spells.
But here at this moment, he is but an old man who came to seek Mickey not as his master, but as his friend.
"Is this about Kizuna?" Mickey asked.
"That's partially the reason I'm here," Yen Sid said. "It's about Yujo and Ai."
"Ah... those two," Mickey said. "What about them? Any concerns from Riku, Kairi, or anyone else that I should know of?"
"Yes," Yen Sid said. "Yujo has a competitive streak comparable to Riku's back when he was younger. Even as Riku was teaching the boy, Yujo lacks restraint. That boy took on a gang of thugs the day before he got on the ship this morning. Most of them are being hospitalized even now."
"And Ai?"
"She is a klutz and rarely shows up to Kairi's training and meditation sessions on time. The girl barely even takes her training seriously and acts as though it were a game," Yen Sid said. "I will admit that there is potential in the two, but they have their own problems that they themselves must fix."
Mickey knew where Yen Sid was getting at.
"One is reckless and competitive while the other is lazy and doesn't take things seriously..." Mickey said. "But what does this Kizuna have to do with this?"
"It's been months since Sora's powers have woken up in the boy and he has shown no signs of improvement," Yen Sid said. "All three of them are not ready for what lies ahead."
"Yet, it's too late now..." Mickey said. "We'll just have to hope for the best for them."
"Hope for the best..." Yen Sid said. "You've made arrangements to have the applicants picked up, yes?"
"Uh Huh," Mickey said. "Minnie is working on that right now."
-2-
Spira Airport
Kizuna was getting off the ship, making it for the gate. His luggage was currently being moved through a conveyor belt.
"Thank you for taking Highwind Airlines, have a nice day."
Kizuna took a deep breath and breathed out as he made his way down to the exit. He waited by the conveyor belt for his luggage to come out. He saw his luggage and grabbed it all before turning around.
Just then, he saw a man standing there.
The man looked to be about 35 years old judging by his height and build. He had black, disheveled hair. The man was wearing a red haori that was closed with a blue strap and a pair of brown belts. The man's left arm was tucked in a sleeve, almost as if the arm itself was in a sling. He had black pants with a pair of black shoes with brown straps attached to them. The man had a pair of shades. The man's right eye was shut and had a scar on it while his amber left eye gazed at Kizuna. The man had a jug that was hanging off to the man's right hip. The jug itself had a cork in it.
Kizuna looked at the man for a while before his eyes lit up in joy. His left eye went from green to blue. The boy smiled as he felt joy in his heart. The boy ran over to Auron and had his arms stretched out for the man.
"Uncle Auron!" Kizuna said in excitement.
His wings spread open as he jumps to the man, gliding over to the man. Kizuna hugs the man with his arms as his wings follow suit, wrapping themselves around the man. Kizuna looked up to the man to meet the man's left eye.
"You've changed," Auron said.
Kizuna beamed with happiness as he looked at the man. Nostalgia filled his head as he looked at him. It had been a long time since he met the man. Auron wasn't much of a talker, but when he did talk, Kizuna would listen to his uncle. His uncle was so wise for someone who was only 35 years old.
"Are you done?" Auron asked.
"Huh?"
Kizuna noticed people were looking at him and Auron. Kizuna's wings retracted and gave his uncle some space. His blue eye turned back to the usual green color.
"So... uh... did you come to see me, uncle?" Kizuna asked.
The man was silent.
"Hey! Kizzy!" Kizuna heard another familiar voice.
Kizuna turned to see none other than Ruby Rose, her sister Yang, and her friends Weiss and Blake. Ruby hugged Kizuna tightly, squeezing the boy.
"I can't believe you're here!" Ruby said.
"Ruby..." Kizuna said as a slightly muffled cracking noise could be heard. "I think that's my ribs going..."
"Oh, my bad," Ruby said, letting him go, letting the boy breathe. She noticed Auron standing there, looking at her with a stoic expression. "Oh, and uh, who is this?"
"He's my uncle," Kizuna said.
"You're uncle?" Ruby asked, looking at the man.
"He reminds me of a certain someone I know..." Weiss said with a rather curious look on her face. "Hmm..."
"Nice shades you got there," Yang said.
"Why does your uncle have a scar over his right eye?" Blake asked.
"Oh uh... he never actually got to tell me—"
"Why do you wear a bow on your head?" Auron cuts in with a question.
"H-Huh?" Blake asked, her bow suddenly stretched up.
Auron grabbed the bow and swiftly unraveled it. A pair of cat ears were revealed. Kizuna looked slack-jawed while Ruby, Weiss, Yang, and Blake went into panic mode.
"You hide your true identity when you have no reason to hide it," Auron said. "Isn't that right, little cat?"
"W-Wha—? How did you—?"
"How did I know you were a Faunus?" Auron asked. "You're not the first Faunus I met who tried to hide his own identity from those who would call him a friend or even a brother-in-arms."
"B-Blake... I didn't know you were a Faunus..." Kizuna said. "Ruby... did you—?"
"Y-Yeah... we knew..." Ruby said. "L-Look, I know—"
"You were afraid of what others will think of her," Auron said. "She is as human as we are."
"W-Wait, you mean—"
"I have nothing against anyone who is not human," Auron said. "For now, I'll keep this a secret. You have my word."
Ruby, Weiss, Yang, and Blake all sighed in relief.
"You have some interesting friends," Auron said.
"Y-Yeah, that I do..." Kizuna said.
The man turned around and began to walk away, throwing the bow back to Blake. The girl quickly tied it back on.
"H-Hey! Uncle Auron! Where are you going?!" Kizuna exclaimed. "Wait up!"
Kizuna ran after Auron.
"He's so cool..." Ruby said.
"Yeah, like Uncle Qrow," Yang said.
"I feel like I've heard that name before..." Blake said, rubbing her chin. "Auron..."
"Auron... Auron..." Weiss said to herself.
Her eyes widen in shock and revelation.
"By Oum, that can't be..." Weiss said. "His uncle is Auron the Guardian!"
"What?!" Yang and Blake exclaimed.
"Wait, who's that?" Ruby asked.
-3-
Kizuna caught up with Auron. He was panting as he looked at his uncle.
"Hey! What gives?!" Kizuna exclaimed.
"..." Auron didn't speak.
"Come on! We haven't talked much since I last saw you back when I was in grade school!" Kizuna said.
Auron turned to Kizuna.
"Is that Sora talking for you?" Auron asked. "Or were those your own words?"
Kizuna looked stumped.
"Y-You know about—"
"I was watching you in Shinjuku that day," Auron said.
Kizuna sighed.
"If you were watching me, then—"
"Why didn't I jump in to save you?" Auron asked. "Because this is the beginning of your story."
Kizuna growled. "I don't care about your stories right now..."
Auron said nothing. It was one of the things he couldn't stand about Auron. The man's utter silence. As wise as the man is, he isn't much of a talker. Auron only speaks when he wants to. The man looked back at Kizuna.
"You should care about your own stories," Auron said. "Isn't there something you should be doing?"
"Something I should be doing?" Kizuna asked. "Like what?"
Auron approached Kizuna and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Heading to school," Auron said. "You still have those exams."
Kizuna sighed. Auron had a point. He has to go to school now. He can't miss the entrance exams. This was his once-in-a-lifetime chance. Kizuna nodded and walks away, heading towards the exit.
-4-
He got to the exit to see buses coming in. The buses came in blue colors, sporting the Daybreak Academy symbol. The symbol consisted of a castle within a heart with the letters "D" and "B" shown on the two top corners. The many applicants were separated into groups to fill all the buses up. In a single file, they went into the busses. Kizuna got on one of the buses and took a seat by the window. The bus went on its way along with the entire convoy of buses. Kizuna saw just how futuristic the city looked. It was as though the designs of the buildings were taken out of a cyberpunk manga. The city itself was a fortress and a self-sustaining platform man-made island. The city stretches out to a total area of 410.32 km squared. It was built just outside Tokyo Bay. The city runs on geothermal energy from the magma beneath the Earth's crust.
"So this is Neo Bastion..." Kizuna said to himself.
"Impressive, ain't it?"
"Yeah, it... is?"
Kizuna turned around and saw no one next to him. He could have sworn he heard a voice as though it were right next to him. Then he felt as though something was on his right shoulder. He put his hand on his shoulder for a moment and then he felt something in his hand. He pulls the hand towards his line of sight and opens his hand.
There, standing in the palm of his hand was an anthropomorphic bug. It looked like a cricket wearing a suit, a tie, a hat, some shoes, and gloves, holding both an umbrella in one hand and a journal in the other hand.
"GAH!" Kizuna gasped. "W-What in the—?! W-Who are you?!"
"Hey! Hush! There are people on this bus!" The cricket spoke, shushing Kizuna.
The boy took a second to calm down and looked at the cricket with a sense of familiarity. The cricket smiled upon seeing the boy calm down.
"My name is Jiminy Cricket, at your service," the cricket introduced himself.
Kizuna's left eye turned blue for but a moment.
"You're one of Sora's friends..." Kizuna said.
"So it is true," Jiminy said. "You do have Sora's memories."
"Yeah, but I haven't gotten used to them completely..." Kizuna said, scratching the back of his head. "I haven't made any progress in bringing these memories back up."
"Huh... I see..." Jiminy said. "I guess that's understandable since you've just awakened those memories and the power that comes from them."
"Yeah..." Kizuna said. "How did you—?"
"Managed to sneak into your pockets? You can thank Auron for that," Jiminy finished the thought, throwing an explanation in as well.
"My uncle?" Kizuna asked.
"Yeah, he needed me to keep an eye on you and to take note of anything you encounter and whatnot," Jiminy said. "You are going to a well-respected school for people with powers looking to be part of the next generation of defenders of the Earth if not the whole universe."
"R-Right... of course, he would," Kizuna said. "Good to have you around then, Jiminy."
Jiminy hopped into Kizuna's vest and went inside the breast pocket.
"I'll be right here when you need me," Jiminy said.
"R-Right," Kizuna said. 'Well... this can't get any weirder than it already is, can it?'
-5-
Kizuna looked in awe as he saw the school building. It was like a huge modern castle with a big clock tower. The boy was amazed at how big the campus was. He saw multiple applicants heading inside. Coming to this place was a dream come true. It was unlike any other building he had seen. It was a marvel of construction, a giant work of art, and the one place where new legends are made. He always wanted to see this place in person when he was just a kid.
Seeing it now in person, he wanted to take an honest-to-god selfie so he wouldn't forget about it.
He pulled his phone out, got the camera on, flipped the camera, and took a selfie of the building itself. He looked at the picture and smiled.
'This is going to be the greatest moment of my life!' Kizuna thought.
He felt someone bumping into him. The boy felt irritated and looked at the person. The person was a boy dressed up in a black uniform with silver hair. His hair was short and had spikes on the back pointing down.
"Hey! What's the big idea?!" Kizuna exclaimed.
The boy stopped and slowly looked back.
Kizuna's eyes locked with the boy's eyes.
The boy had amber-colored eyes and a cold expression on his face. Kizuna froze upon seeing the guy. There was something about that man that didn't seem right. It was as if he felt the young man's gaze piercing his soul.
'T-That face... it looks just like Riku!' Kizuna thought. 'But something feels off!'
"Hey, Yujo!" A voice spoke up.
Kizuna saw a boy with spiky pink hair run out from the corner of his eyes. The boy had a red hoodie over the black uniform he was wearing.
'W-Who is this?' Kizuna thought.
"Yuji Itadori..." The boy said.
"Come on Yujo, you can't just rush off!" The boy called Yuji said. "Remember what Gojo-sensei told us?"
"I know what he said—"
"Then let's hear it!" Yuji said.
The boy called Yujo sighed.
"To have 'fun' on the exams."
"Exactly, so loosen up! It's not like we have only one shot at getting into the school where we end up becoming heroes!"
"Um... excuse me?" Kizuna asked. "Um... do you two go to a school together?"
"Huh?" The pink-haired boy asked. "Who are you?"
"Oh Um..." Kizuna cleared his throat. "My name is Kizuna Daichi, you?"
At that point, the silver-haired boy stepped in front of the pink-haired boy.
"His name is Yuji Itadori," the silver-haired boy said. "I am Yujo Yukikaze, and we in fact do go to a school together, but it's not like the school you've ever gone to."
"Hey, Yujo, lighten up," Yuji said. "Pardon my classmate here, he's usually not like this. He's a nice guy when you get to know him better."
'Yeah, right...' Kizuna thought. 'He looked like he was about to kill me with that menacing glare of his...'
"Hey! You two! Wait up!" A female voice caught his attention.
Kizuna saw a girl with mid-length orange hair and orange eyes with long lashes. She had a short and slim figure. She was followed by a man with black hair resembling a sea urchin and green eyes. They were both wearing black school uniforms as well.
"Nobara, Megumi," Yujo said. "What now?"
"Hey, jackass, in case you haven't noticed, we're in this together, got it?" The girl called Nobara said.
"She's got a point there," the boy named Megumi said. "We're students of Jujutsu Tech."
"I know that part already," Yujo said. "We're going to be late. Let's just go already."
Yujo turned around and walked off. The other three shrugged and followed after him. Yuji turned around and smiled.
"Good luck with the exams!" Yuji said before joining the others.
'Jujutsu Tech... I never heard of a school like that. Those guys must come from that school,' Kizuna thought before he pouted. 'And what's the deal with that Yujo Yukikaze jerk?! First, he bumps into me, and then he acts like he's all high and mighty! Who does he think he is, the King of the Earth?! Why I oughta—!'
"Hey, there cutie~"
He heard a feminine voice behind him and looked to see a girl wearing a long navy blue hooded tunic over a school uniform, a pointed hat, a body belt, stockings, and long boots. The girl had dark brown hair and cyan-colored eyes. The girl had a smile on her face. She winked at him and got up close to him. The boy looked bashful. Then, for a moment, when he looked at the girl's face, a sudden image of a girl who looked like her came to mind.
'W-Where have I seen that face before?' Kizuna asked himself. 'That girl... she looked almost like... Kairi...'
"Are you here for the exams?" She asked.
"Um... uh... yes, I am," Kizuna said. "A-And you are?"
"Ai Nami," The girl said. "But you can just call me Ai~"
Kizuna didn't know what was going on. He wasn't prepared for this. He may have prepped for an exam, but this? This wasn't among the things he was prepared for.
"Ai Nami!"
The girl named Ai winced and looked annoyed, sighing before turning around.
Kizuna saw another girl who was wearing the same tunic, boots, body belt, stockings, and all. He could tell the girl wasn't Japanese at all. Her skin was white as snow. She had platinum blonde hair with side swept, tea-green highlighted bangs, and light blue eyes.
And she looked serious.
"Friend of yours?" Kizuna asked.
"Yeah... I guess you could say that..." Ai said. "What do you want from me now, princess Diana?"
"First of all, it's Diana Cavendish to you, not 'Princess' Diana," The girl spoke. "And second of all, we are not here so you can start flirting with the nearest man close to your age."
"Ugh! Why do you have to be such a buzzkill?" Ai said. "Do you know what it's like to live in an all-girls academy with no boys to talk to?"
"Oh for the love of..."
"Hey, Ai, take it easy, will you?"
He then saw a girl with chestnut brown hair and red eyes walking toward him and Ai. Two other girls arrived. One of them was wearing glasses that were bigger than her eyes and looked a bit nervous and bashful. The other looked bored, indifferent, and droopy. Her skin had a grayish complexion. Her left eye was covered by her mauve-colored hair.
"Akko!" Ai said. "It's been so long since I've gotten to talk to an actual boy in the flesh..."
"I know, I know, but we have an exam coming up and I speak for Diana when I say we should just focus on the exams," the girl named Akko said.
"Akko?" Kizuna asked.
"Atsuko Kagari," Ai said. "We're besties. Those two over there? Sucy Manbavaran and Lotte Yannson. One is a girl with a creepy thing for poisons and mushrooms and the other is a bookworm who's a big fan of Harry Potter and Night Fall."
"Huh... and they're—"
"From Britain, yes," Ai said. "Except Akko... she and lived in Japan before we went to an all-girls high school in England."
"Yup, and it's nice to meet you... uh..."
"Kizuna Daichi," Kizuna said.
Akko had an inquisitive look on her face.
"Have I seen you before?" Akko asked.
"Huh... now that you mentioned it," Ai said, looking at Kizuna. "Wait... no."
"Hey, Ai," the girl named Sucy spoke. "What is it?"
"Yeah, Ai, you..."
"Oh my god..." Ai said. "Y-You're him! The guy who fought that monster a year ago!"
"EEHHH?!"
The girls went silent and they all, save Diana, looked shocked. She facepalmed.
"No way... I can't believe it..." Akko said. "I... I can't believe we found him..."
"This just got a whole lot more interesting," Sucy said sarcastically.
"I can't believe he's going to be in the entrance exams..." Lotte said.
"Girls... we have pressing matters at hand..." Diana said.
"Oh! Right! The entrance exams!" Ai said. "Well, Kizuna, me and my friends have to go now! See you later!"
The girls walked past him. Kizuna turned around and saw them go inside. He walked over to the entrance, thinking about those two people who looked awfully like Riku and Kairi.
'Yujo and Ai... who are those two?' Kizuna thought to himself.
He went inside the building, wondering just what these exams will be like.
-6-
Mickey took a deep breath and exhaled. He thought back to his life in the Old World. He could still remember back when he was a king and what he was before that. He was a pilot of a steamboat before becoming a musketeer with his trusty friends Donald and Goofy, the former becoming his royal magician and the latter becoming the captain of his royal knights when Mickey and Minnie got married and ruled over Disney Castle.
Back in those days, he was a mischievous little mouse. He would skip out on work days and do things that almost always get him in trouble. But even then, he was brave and dedicated. Even if he didn't know how to use a sword then, he wouldn't hesitate to jump into danger like a musketeer would when someone is in trouble. In fact, such bravery and dedication molded him into a great king and a great warrior. He endured many challenges and matured during his apprenticeship with Yen Sid. Then he got to meet Ventus, Terra, Aqua, Sora, Riku, Kairi, Roxas, Namine, Xion, Lea, and many others during his reign as king. He instilled them with wisdom, just as his former master Yen Sid instilled wisdom unto him.
And now, here is now in a world molded by the destruction of his own homeworld, reshaped and reconfigured by powers beyond his own abilities. Acclimating to this new world was a challenge, even for him. He had his share of battles under his belt, but nothing prepared him for a world that was thrown deeply into chaos.
"Hey, your majesty,"
Mickey looked ahead to see Balan standing in front of him.
"Ah, Balan," Mickey said. "What are you doing here?"
"Well I figured that I should be here," Balan said. "Besides, you looked like you were going on a nostalgic trip down memory lane there."
Mickey chuckled. Balan was a strange man indeed. Balan reminded the former king of himself back in his younger days: mischievous and reckless.
"So uh... I need to hit the stage," Balan said. "There are lots of young boys and girls who're gonna need some dazzling—"
"About that..." Mickey said.
"Huh? Wuzzat?"
"We... already got someone giving the applicants the rundown of the entrance exams," Mickey said, feeling a bit regretful upon saying this to Balan.
Balan simply stood there with his smile intact.
"Who's doing it then?" Balan asked.
"The answer may surprise you," Mickey said.
-7-
Raven Branwen was furious. She was standing on a stage in the auditorium where the spotlights were focusing on her. The cameras were rolling, looking at her and streaming the thing live for all the applicants that couldn't get in the already packed auditorium to see. Raven couldn't believe this and wished this was all a dream. She wanted to scream and shout at the top of her lungs, but she had no choice but to try and keep a straight face for everyone present and watching. She had a headset linked to the speakers in the room. She even had a collar on her neck.
'I'm not getting paid enough for this shit...' She thought. 'If only I hadn't taken that stupid bet with Qrow, I wouldn't even be in this position right now!'
Her own pride brought her here. It was all a bet, a bet she lost to her own brother Qrow because his cursed semblance screwed her over. She knew what she was gonna do when she got this over with.
She took a deep breath and exhaled before turning the headset on.
"Testing... testing..." Raven talked to herself. 'Ok... you can do this Raven... just get it all over with and you'll never have to do this shit ever again...'
She looked at the audience and cleared her throat. The applicants had eyes on her.
"Alright, you nuggets, listen up, because I'm not going to repeat myself," Raven said, adopting a serious look on her face. "My name is Raven Branwen, a former student of Beacon Academy. At this moment, I'm going to fill your heads with a bunch of information pertaining to the exams that you're about to take."