Disclaimer: I do not own any of this and any of this belongs to the original creators.
WORLD OF HEARTS
LINKED AS ONE
Act 2
Chapter 5
Time to Reflect
Tifa started to show the class around the dorms where they'd be living. The students were amazed by how high-tech the dorm's kitchen was. Luffy was quick to head for the fridge and open it, only for Sanji to stop him from going anywhere near the fridge with a kick to the face. Kyoko and Makoto got on the couch and lay down on it in the living room. The living room had three couches and a widescreen TV monitor mounted on a wall.
"Man... these couches are way better than what we had on summer vacation..." Kyoko said.
"You're telling me," Makoto said.
"It even comes with the latest in television!" Josuke said.
"I wonder how many channels we can look on this thing," Okuyasu said. "I bet it comes with all the streaming services."
"It feels so homey here," Madoka said.
"It's a shame it doesn't come with a hot spring," Yoh said.
"Hmm... yes, it does lack a hot spring..." Amidamaru said, appearing alongside Yoh. "Surely, Neo Bastion must have at least one hot spring here. I'm already missing the Funbari Hot Springs as it is..."
"Does it at least come with a shower and a bathtub?" Kizuna asked.
"Yup, every room has one," Tifa said. "Like I said, it has everything you need."
"So cool..." Ruby whispered.
"I can't wait until we see our rooms," Yang said.
"Then what are you all waiting for?" Tifa asked. "Go ahead and see your rooms."
"Wait," Mina spoke up. "If we're gonna get started on the rooms, then we should start off with the boys' rooms first."
"That again?" Tsuyu asked.
"Ashido..." Momo raised.
"No no, she's got a point," Yang said with a smirk, glancing towards Mina, who was also smirking while glancing over to Yang.
And so, the students began to have a tour of the rooms on the floors above. They started with Kizuna's room, which looked like an ordinary room with action figures. Kizuna was scratching his head.
"I know, mine isn't the fanciest of rooms, but it's better than nothing, right?" Kizuna said.
"Hmph, pathetic," Yujo said. "I thought the Reincarnation of Sora would have a better-looking room, but it seems I overestimated your choice in aesthetic."
"Do you always have to antagonize me with every opportunity you get?" Kizuna calmly asked Yujo.
Then they moved to Izuku's room, causing the boy to freak out as he tried to block the door.
"WAIT, NO! DON'T—!"
Everyone was inside the room and saw All Might posters and action figures all over the room. Bakugo was laughing while Izuku was covering his face. Madoka was trying to cheer him up.
"I still can't believe you kept those around!" Bakugo laughed.
"It's ok, Deku," Madoka reassures the embarrassed green-haired boy. "I mean, it's not all that bad."
"Yeah, it could get worse," Panty Anarchy said, "For all we know, he could be hiding All-Might-sponsored condoms."
Ochako's face turned red as Mina, Ryuko, Josuke, and Bakugo were laughing at the thought. Mineta just looked up at Izuku with disappointment etched on his face. Shoto didn't even bother to say a word. He just turned around and walked away. Iida was just about to chastise Panty for that remark before she stopped him.
"Don't even get me started, nerd," Panty said. "For all I know, you wouldn't last 10 seconds, and even if you do get a girlfriend, she'd just want you for your money. I've seen plenty of gold-diggers already."
Iida was frantically karate chopping the air while struggling to keep his glasses on. "N-Now you hold on just a minute-!"
"Don't even bother, four-eyes," Stocking Anarchy said while chowing down on some pudding. "Besides, you're not dumb enough to fall for her."
"Not like I wanted to sleep with this guy anyway," Panty spoke up.
"Well, at least we know he's All Might's number-one fan," Blake said.
"HEY! I'm All Might's number one fan!" Bakugo said.
"Then how come your old dorm room lacked any All Might merchandise?" Todoroki asked.
Bakugo growled. "I know where you sleep, Icy-Hot."
Yujo's Room
The room was dimly lit with candles and was filled with bones. Mostly everyone in the dorm looked disturbed. Even Tokoyami couldn't help but look perturbed by the appearance of the bones.
"Why are there so many bones in this room?" Tokoyami asked.
"I'm a sorcerer," Yujo said.
"Uh, yeah, no shit," Bakugo chimed in, pointing at several items that scream cursed.
"This looks like the room a necromancer would live in," Blake said. "Nice candles by the way."
"Thanks, they were sort of expensive, but I got them for at least 50% off," Yujo said.
"On sale?" Blake asked.
"Yes," Yujo said.
Kizuna couldn't help but feel disturbed.'Just when I thought this guy couldn't be any weirder and edgy...'
In the Station, Sora shivered from the fact that Yujo resembles Riku a bit. "He even acts like Riku when he was younger..."
Somewhere in Tokyo, Riku sneezed. A taller man with white hair a black uniform and wearing a black blindfold over his eyes looked at Riku. "Geez little bro, warn me next time before you sneeze. I could have had your snot on my uniform if-"
"If Limitless wasn't on. I get it, Satoru," Riku said. "Must be my allergies."
"Or someone is talking about you," Saturo said.
Yuji's Room
There were posters of Jennifer Lawerence and Megan Thee Stallion on a wall together. Everyone was looking at Yuji, who was dismayed at how everyone was just looking at the two posters.
"Guys, don't look at them like that..." Yuji said.
An eye and a mouth appeared over his cheek.
"Ha! I knew you couldn't resist bringing those posters along, brat!" A voice spoke from it.
"Shut up, Sukuna!" Yuji said quietly.
"Sukuna?" Kizuna asked.
"It's a long story," Megumi said.
"Well, at least he's got good taste in women..." Mineta said.
"Shut up, Mineta." Everyone sounded off.
"All I said was—"
"Do you want to die, trash?" Katsuki asked.
"No..." Mineta answered meekly.
Yujo facepalmed. He was glad that the oaf, Todo wasn't around. That man was the last thing he needed on his mind right now.
Edward's Room
Ami was skimming through the pages. She was impressed by Edward's knowledge of Alchemy and how much of it he has accumulated over the years. Momo was reading up on Alchemy as well. Diana and Akko looked through an Alchemy-related book. Satsuki was holding another book. The room was filled with books relating to Alchemy.
"Hm... you dedicated your life to Alchemy," Satsuki said. "Such a degree of dedication is admirable."
"And yet, you haven't found a way to make yourself taller," Bakugo said, promptly earning himself a kick to the face from Edward. Edward took a deep breath and puffed his chest.
"Yeah, well... it's a long story..." Edward said, looking at his automail arm and leg.
"Some of these are old..." Blake said, already diving into one. She skimmed through it and saw another book. She put the one she had back and pulled it out. "Some of them you can't even find online..."
"Yeah, me and Al brought all our research materials all the way here," Edward said.
"Hmm... is this...?" Ami looked at the pages. "Yes, yes it is. This book goes over the existence of Keyblades."
"You're interested in Keyblades?" Izuku asked.
"Well duh, I'd like to have a keyblade too!" Ruby chimed in. "A weapon that can turn into any form you want with just pure imagination! All the possible weapons I can think of!"
"Well, I'm more interested in the other aspects of the Keyblades themselves," Edward said. "Sure, everyone knows that all keyblades were made from attempts at replicating the X-blade and that each keyblade is made from a person's heart, but that can't be all there is to them."
"The 'other' aspects of a keyblade?" Momo asked.
"Yes," Edward said. "Keyblades are still a mystery. Even with everything we know about the keyblades, there are so many unknowns shrouding the keyblades in mystery."
"I'm curious too about the keyblades," Alphonse said. He rubbed his metal chin. "You know, maybe I will one day have a keyblade of my own, brother."
"That would be something," Edward said, looking at Alphonse with a smile.
Kizuna found himself agreeing with the two. Many questions about the keyblades were thrown around, even with all the information available online and in print. Research on the keyblades was progressing, but all that research led to was more questions than answers. A keyblade can indeed be enhanced using minerals, alloys, ore, gems, etc. This suggests that it is possible to forge a keyblade, albeit under certain conditions. Keyblades can boost or even gift people with magic by acting as an amplifier of sorts. The keyblade, however, can be broken with enough force and can be worn down, requiring them to be reforged. Kizuna knew that the keyblade could also amplify a person's life energy and could go as far as enhancing Haki.
It does pay to have the memories of a former keyblade wielder permanently stuck in his head.
Gohan's Room
Gohan's room was filled with books. A pair of glasses were sitting by a desk. Everyone was amazed by the number of books in the room. They never thought that the son of one of the world's strongest martial artists was a study nut. There was even a picture of him with a girl. Gohan was looking a bit embarrassed.
"Yeah, I know, this room isn't exactly what you expected me to have, did you?" Gohan asked.
"Gohan, are you... studying for a college degree?" Baki asked. "Don't get me wrong, a college degree is cool, but you're not just going to give up being a martial artist forever, right?"
"Well... I can't be a martial artist forever," Gohan said. "But that won't stop me from wanting to protect people."
"Hey... who's that girl in the photo with you?" Makoto asked.
"Huh?" He looked at the photo. "Oh, you mean Videl? Well uh... she and I are dating." He scratched the back of his head, giggling.
"Wait, you have a girlfriend?" Usagi asked.
Almost all the boys were looking at Gohan. Minako, Makoto, Mina, and Ai sighed in defeat. Panty looked at the picture and huffed.
"Yeah, I uh... I'll introduce all of you to her when we get there," Gohan said. "She's a sweet girl when you get to know her. We even went to the same school together."
"And what does she have that some of here don't?" Panty asked.
"Well, she is smart, brave, and she's got so much determination in her," Gohan said.
"And she's related to Mr. Satan," Blake said. "No, I'm serious, that is his name."
"He prefers to be called Hercule," Gohan said.
"Oh, so that's what his name was," Baki said, getting almost everyone's attention.
"You met him in person?" Satsuki asked.
"Oh I met him alright," Baki said. "But that was before I decided to fight him."
"Wow, Hanma-san, I didn't-" Gohan stopped himself and looked at Baki. "Wait... what was that last part again?"
"The part where I met him or the part where I just casually came up to him and punched him in the face?" Baki asked.
"You what?!" Izuku exclaimed.
"There was this crowd surrounding a limousine and I got a little curious, thought I should check it out and see what the fuss was about," Baki said. "He comes out of the limo and I ask someone in the crowd and he starts going off about how he is the reigning world martial arts champion. I thought that maybe I should fight this guy and see if he was as strong as he says he is. I came up to him and then punched him in the face. Hard. You should have seen the guy. He was flying-"
"Baki, you can't just punch a guy just because he said he's strong or something like that!" Gohan said. "I mean sure, he has a big mouth and he shows off more than he should, but-!"
"You just committed assault and battery!" Iida said, chopping the air in front of Baki.
Baki just looked at Iida. "Your point?"
"The point is that you just punched a guy and... was someone recording the whole thing?" Kirishima asked.
"Well, some of them pulled out their phones and there were some news reporters," Baki said absentmindedly. "So... yeah."
Everyone looked at him in shock. Homura had her shield materialize and reached into it. Jiro had one of her ear jacks ready to reach towards Baki. Yujo could care less about the fact that Baki just punched a famous martial artist celebrity in the face. Nobara pulled out a hammer and Yuji was trying to keep her from bludgeoning Baki.
"How on earth are you not in a jail cell?" Yang asked. "On second thought, don't even answer that question."
"By Kami, Baki, think before you punch someone in the face," Gohan said. "You could have gotten yourself arrested for that."
"Well, I did get arrested in the United States for kidnapping the president four years ago," Baki said. "And I also somehow managed to piss off America's number-one Hero."
"You kidnapped the President of the United States?!" Izuku exclaimed.
"Yup, just snatched him up in broad daylight," Baki said. "I only did it so I could get into the Arizona State Prison and take on Biscuit Oliva."
"Wait... so you kidnapped the President so that you could get yourself thrown in prison... to fight some guy called Biscuit Oliver?" Kaminari asked.
"Yes, and it's Oliva, not Oliver," Baki said. "He's the strongest man in America, the Unchained, a mercenary receiving blank checks from the US government to deal with dangerous individuals in case they become too much for the police or any Pro-Heroes. He lives in the Arizona State Prison. I couldn't pass up an opportunity like that. Besides, the Black Pentagon was made to be a fortress. Breaking in and breaking out of there would be suicide."
"He's right," Satsuki said. "Arizona State Prison is the same as Tartarus. Both were designed to house incredibly dangerous individuals that even conventional law enforcement or conventional prisons can barely handle. State-of-the-art security measures, guards posted at every corner, Villain Bots parading the perimeter of the prison, and little to no structural weaknesses. I heard that the guards have orders to execute any prisoners if they get too violent."
Almost everyone gulped upon hearing that.
"Oh my god, our classmate is an inmate and a delinquent..." Rei said. "At least you weren't on death row, right?
"No, but I did fight at least two or three death row inmates-"
"Stop," Diana puts a finger on Baki's lip. "I think we've all heard enough."
"Yeah, if I have to hear any more wild stories about your life, my head will explode..." Boruto said.
Much later...
"Alright, now it's time to get to see the girls' rooms," Yuji said.
"Yeah, it's only fair we get to see the rooms the girls will be in," Kaminari said.
"Yes, finally..." Mineta said, getting a kick to the head from Panty.
"Stay out of my room, you perv," Panty said.
"You're one to talk," Stocking said, glancing at Panty.
Rei's Room
The room looked like a traditional Japanese room with a small shrine surrounded by incense and a small fireplace. Kizuna felt like he was at that old shrine his mother took him to when he was a kid, offering their prayers to both the Buddha and Kami after slipping a 100 yen coin in the box. Madoka looked amazed at the aesthetics of the room. Yoh looked impressed as Amidamaru appeared beside him and looked at the shrine with a sense of nostalgia.
"Somethings never change," Amidamaru said. "It's been a while since we've been to a shrine."
"Yeah, it has been a while," Yoh said.
"It's like you brought your family shrine with you," Madoka said.
"Well, it wasn't that hard when you have a say in how you want your room arranged," Rei said. "I bet Usagi still has those bunny rabbit-themed bed sheets."
"I'm right here, Rei," Usagi said, pouting as she looked at her fellow Sailor Soldier. "Besides, bunnies are cute!"
Mirko's ears twitched. She looked at Hawks.
"Why do I get the feeling someone just called me cute?" Mirko asked. Hawks looked at Mirko with a playful smirk on his face. Mirko looked at him with a stern look in her eyes, brows furrowed, tapping her foot repeatedly. "Takami, don't you dare..."
"Who says not all bunny rabbits are cute-" He was met with a sudden dropkick to the face that sent him careening into a parked car in a public parking lot. He left a dent in the car after the initial impact and fell onto the top of the car. "Heh... worth it..." He pulls a thumbs up.
"WHAT HAPPENED TO MY FRICKING CAR?!" An unfortunate civilian exclaimed, seeing his ride beat up.
Nagisa's Room
Ryuko was holding a lacrosse stick and looked at Nagisa. "You play lacrosse?"
"Yeah, always have been playing lacrosse since I was a kid," Nagisa said.
"So much so that you forget your studies?" Honoka asked.
"Honoka!" Nagisa pouts. "You didn't have to bring that up!"
Nanoha and Sakura were looking at a picture of a guy in a soccer uniform.
"I wonder who that is," Sakura pondered.
"Me too," Nanoha said.
Nagisa snatched the picture out of their view. She was laughing nervously. "Oh, he uh... he's kind of special to me."
"Just tell them the truth, Misumi-senpai," Sayaka said.
"You know, before I got into Jujutsu Tech, I would have smashing records in almost every sport," Yuji said. "I managed to throw a shot put 30 meters from where I was!"
"Hmph, I wonder why," Yujo said.
"Haven't any of you played Quidditch?" Diana asked.
"You mean Quadball, right?" Leonardo asked.
Diana glared at Leo. "Never. Say that word. Ever. Again."
Blake's Room
Blake's room is filled with books of all kinds in different genres. Some of these were manga, novels, and anthologies. Some of them were even autobiographies. There were some motivational cat posters and a cardboard box with a ball of yarn next to it. Replicas of ninja gear were put on a display case. The books were in different boxes in alphabetical order. Usagi was going through a box of books until she pulled out a manga.
"Wait a minute... is this... no it can't be!" Usagi said. "It's the latest volume of Sailor V!"
"You like Sailor V too?" Blake asked.
"Oh great, the kitten is an otaku and a bookworm," Bakugo said with an irritated tone. "What else is new?"
Koichi saw a box labeled "PRIVATE" all by itself. He went over to the box and saw that it wasn't opened.
"Huh, what's this box doing here?" He asked himself. He digs through his pockets and pulls out a boxcutter. He was about to cut the box open, but then he began to have second thoughts. He probably shouldn't open this box. This was Blake's stuff in this box. Then again, this box was separated from the rest. He saw a chest right next to the box. Now why was that there? He wants to know what's in there, but-
He hadn't realized that Mineta had already taken the boxcutter from him and was already cutting the box open. As soon as Mineta opened the box and dug into it...
... he had a dirty look on his face.
"We've struck gold, ladies and gentlemen," Mineta said.
"Huh? Mineta-san?" Koichi asked. "What are you talking about-"
Blake was quick to pounce him on the spot. She closed the box and looked at Koichi, who was waving his hands in front of him. Blake was looking at him with cold, dead, cat eyes.
"ItsnotwhatitlookslikeItsnotwhatitlookslikeItsnotwhatitlookslike-"
"Ninjas of Love?" Momo's voice was heard.
"NO!" Ruby, Weiss, and Yang freaked out.
Momo was skimming the pages of a book. She stopped and blushed. Ochako was right next to her.
"Momo, why is your face red?" She looked at the book and blushed. "Oh. My. God."
"What is it, ribbit?" Tsuyu asked.
"Its... Its..." Ochako stammered.
Panty looked at the book. She looked at Ochako. "God, you girls are a bunch of prudes. Haven't any of read a single smut book in your life?"
"HUH?!" Everyone except Satsuki, Yujo, Megumi, Luffy, Zoro, Homura, and Baki exclaimed in shock.
"No! My secret shame and sin!" Blake collapsed onto her knees.
"Miss Belladonna!" Iida was furiously chopping the air as he started chastising the cat Faunus. "How could you bring such... such... c-c-c-contraband here?! Have you no shame?!"
"Oh, so we're just going to ignore the fact that grape head here has an entire stash of porno mags in his room?" Bakugo asked, pointing at Mineta.
"Yeah... this looks tame compared to what Mineta-and there's tentacle porn in there," Mina said.
"What are you-OH MY GOD! WHAT IS THAT THING AND WHAT IS IT DOING TO THAT GIRL IN THE COVER?!" Koichi freaked out.
"At least she doesn't have an Onlyfans account, right?" Minako asked.
Everyone looked at Minako all of a sudden.
"Minako-"
"Ok, let's just move on and forget this ever happened!" Ai said.
"Um, quick question: what is smut?" Luffy asked.
"I SAID WE ARE MOVING ON!"
Nami's Room
Nami's room had maps and charts, including a globe, a desk with various measuring tools, and a unique-looking compass. Everyone else was glad to be out of Blake's room for a change. No one said a word after they moved on. No one felt comfortable talking about what went on in that room. It took them a while to move on from the whole charade entirely.
Poor Koichi lost his innocence in that room. He was rocking by the doorway.
Kizuna saw the compass and looked at it. "What kind of compass is this?"
"That's a Log Pose," Nami said, picking up the compass. "It's a compass made of special materials used to navigate the Grand Line."
"The Grand Line?" Okuyasu asked.
"It's a route in the ocean running along the equator, wrapping the world in a straight line, hence the name," Nami said. "The Grand Line also has a long chain of islands comprised of minerals constantly producing atypical magnetic fields that interfere with normal compasses."
"So... how does it work?" Josuke asks.
"That's where the name comes in," Medaka said, appearing alongside the two boys, causing Okuyasu to jump into Josuke's arms.
"What the hell?!" Josuke freaked out.
"Log Poses records the magnetic field of one island, then it resets to point to the next island," Medaka said. She looked at Nami and held her hand, catching Nami by surprise. "To think you had something so rare all this time! I had no idea there were still a few Log Poses left! Truly, you take your role as navigator of the Straw Hats seriously! Though I'm not a particular fan of piracy, I can't help but admire your dedication to your crewmates."
"Um..."
Nami looked at Medaka's eyes. She had never seen a pair of eyes sparkle so much, it was like staring at treasure. Nami didn't know what to say to Medaka. She was at a loss for words. Of all the people she had met, from pirates to criminals to filthy rich people to royalty and marines, this girl was just something else.
"T-Thanks... I guess?" Nami replied.
"I am left quite curious, so tell me, what motivated you to be a pirate?" Medaka asked.
Nami hadn't heard anyone ask her that question since... a while. Nami sighed and took a breath. "Well, I-"
"Money, plain and simple," Zoro said.
"Hey!" Nami looked at Zoro, clenching her teeth.
"Gah! Where did you come from?!" Black Star asked.
Sanji looked like he was ready to kick Zoro in the face.
"So, she's in it for the One Piece," Koichi said.
"The what now?" Yuji asked.
"It's Gol D. Roger's secret treasure hoard situated on Laughtale, the last island in the Grand Line chain of islands," Medaka said, looking back at the others. "It is said that Gol D. Roger had amassed so much wealth, that if one finds the One Piece, they shall become-"
"The King of the Pirates!" Luffy interrupted her before getting a prompted smack to the head from Sanji.
"So, find the One Piece and you're set for life," Soul said. "That sounds cool. I may have to give piracy a chance for once."
"Yeah, if you're ok with fighting giant sea monsters, pirates with absurd abilities and the entire government putting a bounty on your head..." Maka said.
Sarada's Room
Sarada had plenty of history books on her bookshelves. She had several pictures of her and a woman with long pink hair. Some of her classmates were looking at the photos.
"Wow Sarada, you look cute in these pictures," Akko said. "Who is this?"
"Oh, that's my mom," Sarada said. "She's always been kind and gentle with me when I was growing up."
"And your dad?" Mina asked.
Sarada was silent. She took a sigh and pushed her glasses up. "It's... very complicated. I never got to know him much as a kid. He was mostly absent from my childhood days."
"Oh... mysterious~," Mina said.
Sarada looked at Mina. "I'm sorry, what was that?"
"Oh... nothing to be concerned about."
"Hmmm... you seem to like reading about history," Blake said.
"Well, you know what they say about history," Sarada said, pushing her glasses, "Those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it."
"George Santayana," Satsuki said.
"Impressive, you picked up on that," Sarada said.
"I did receive the best education," Satsuki said, smirking.
"And yet, Medaka keeps beating you in the most popular girl in the school department," Ryuko said, much to Satsuki's chagrin.
"And I will surpass her," Satsuki said, her voice cold as ice, yet brimming with flame. "No more shall I be the second most popular girl in school ever again."
"Do you believe in your hype that much?" Liz asked.
"I am the hype," Satsuki said, her voice quietly seething.
"Be careful who you say that around," Gohan said.
Meanwhile
Vegeta could have sworn he sensed a disturbance. Turns out, it was probably nothing.
Or... was it?
Mami's Room
Mami's room was highly decorated with furniture. There sat a table in the middle with a bed off to the right-hand side of the room, a vase, and some of Mami's napkins.
"Wow, Mami, you brought your entire apartment with you," Madoka said, looking amazed.
"Well, who says you can't bring home with you wherever you go?" Mami said. "I even brought my tea set."
"So cool..." Ruby said, gushing over the aesthetic of the room.
Madoka and Sayaka couldn't help but feel nostalgic. The lovely memories of hanging out with Mami, learning from her on the day they became magical girls.
"No! No! NOOO!" Kid freaked out. "Why did it have to look asymmetrical?!"
Kizuna, Yujo, and Ai looked at Kid. Everyone else looked at Kid, some of who were understandably confused and
"Asymmetrical?" Ai asked.
"Oh boy... here he goes..." Soul said.
Kid looked sullen, like a piece of him just died or something. His DWMA classmates and his two weapon partners knew all too well what was going on through Kid's head right now. They've known since the beginning. If there is one thing about Death the Kid that constitutes a weakness...
It's his love for all things symmetrical and his abject horror, disdain, and disgust for the direct opposite.
Kid looked at Mami and cupped her cheeks.
"Listen, Tomoe, a girl with such beautiful symmetry like you can do better than... than... this," Kid starts.
"I don't follow," Mami said.
"Yeah, we probably should have mentioned this earlier, but Kid's... got a problem," Liz said. "He's... a little too passionate about symmetry."
"If something is off by so much as a smidge, he loses it," Soul said. "But if something looks almost too perfect, he gushes over it!"
"Ok, so he has OCD," Bakugo said. "So what?"
Liz took a deep breath.
Flashback
Kid was rapidly firing nonstop at a mummy that had just been reanimated, blowing off pieces of it and the wall behind it. Kid was constantly shouting how disgusted he was after seeing something so symmetrical that it had one tiny detail that threw the symmetry right off. He had only noticed that the mummy's sarcophagus had an extra brow on the right.
Another Flashback
"Ah... look at the sun, shining so bright and looking so symmetrical in the morning," Kid said as he was riding his skateboard. The skateboard jets were on as he was skimming the ocean.
He was too focused on the sun to see that a Sea King had already taken a liking to its next meal.
Liz was trying to warn Kid about the dangerous sea monster coming to eat him, but he just wouldn't stop looking at the sun and admiring it to even register her voice.
Another Flashback
"No... I can't go on like this..." Kid was hunched over. There were mines on the ground. They were placed in an unorthodox formation.
"KID! NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR THIS!" Liz said. "If we don't get moving, he's going to get away!"
"But... but..." Kid was already a sobbing mess.
"Get your ass moving, damn you," Patty said in the most criminal-esque voice impression that scared Liz.
Death the Kid eventually got moving, brushing past the mines while sobbing, saying how much he hates Patty for making him even run through the gauntlet of mines.
Another-
"Ok, author/narrator, I think everyone gets it now," Liz said.
"Author/narrator?" Kizuna asked.
"HEY! Don't go breaking the fourth wall like that!" Mineta said. "We already have enough people breaking the fourth wall!"
"Besides, that's my shtick!" Deadpool said appearing out of...
...
...
Shouldn't you be in a movie?
"Oh yeah, let me just-"POP!
Ahem, where were we? Oh yes.
"And I thought Satsuki was a perfectionist..." Ryuko said.
Ai's Room
Some potions and seashells were lying around on a desk. Most of the room looked like it was made out of mahogany wood. A green gemstone was glowing on a dresser.
"Wow, Ai, your room looks so... magical," Madoka said, taken in by the aesthetic.
"Yeah, I'm getting a lot of magical vibes from this room," Mina said. "It's almost like you're living in a fantasy novel."
"I know, pretty impressive, am I right?" Ai asks. "Being part of a magical family has its charms."
"I'll say..." Kizuna said. "Hm? What's with the sea shells?"
"Oh, my big sister gave me those when we were kids," Ai said. "My family and I do a little role play, pretending we were characters from The Little Mermaid, with me being Ariel."
"I see..." Kizuna said.
The Little Mermaid was a story about a mermaid named Ariel. She was the princess of Atlantica, a kingdom under the sea ruled by her father, King Triton. Driven by curiosity (even to the point of obsession) towards humans and the surface world, she wanted to experience life on the surface. Her father, however, would not allow it, crushing her hopes and dreams of seeing what life on the surface could be like.
And so, she made a deal with the devil.
A deal with Ursula, a conniving, power-hungry sea witch that wanted nothing but power to rule the seas as if they were hers alone. In exchange for becoming human, Ariel would lose her voice. The deal was sealed and she went up to the surface.
That's when she met a man by the name of Eric, a brave sailor who turned her life around. Though he found out her secret identity, he wasn't put off by it at all.
By the story's climax, Ursula had gotten her hands on King Triton's trident, only to get impaled by a ship with a broken bowsprit.
Then Ariel and Eric got hitched and it all ended happily ever after.
Ai sighed, her hands clasped together. "That was my favorite story of all."
"Then why don't you turn yourself into one?" Kyoko joked.
"I tried, but it didn't... turn out the way I thought it would," Ai said.
After everyone was touring the rooms, everyone was celebrating the end of their first day at school. Satsuki had her butler bring enough tea for everyone to enjoy. Yujo had stepped outside, leaving everyone to celebrate. Everyone had their cups raised.
"To three years of becoming kick-ass heroes!" Josuke said.
"Cheers!" Everyone said.
Kizuna was drinking his cup of tea. Jiminy peeked out.
"Huh, a tea party," Jiminy said before looking at Kizuna. "Can I have some?"
"Sure,"
Jiminy jumped up onto Kizuna's hand and pulled out an empty tea cup. He scoops up some tea and drinks it.
"Mmm... mocha," Jiminy said. "Well, kid, the future is looking up, but don't rest your laurels yet. The Order is keeping an eye out on you."
"The Order? Oh yeah..." Kizuna said. "They must be keeping a close eye on me, especially after the entrance exams."
Jiminy nods. "Exactly, if you're going to get stronger as a keyblade wielder, you have to get recognition from the Order. Once they formally and officially take you under their wing, they're gonna make sure that you're up to snuff. They'll expect great things from you."
"I'm sure they will," Kizuna said.
Somewhere else, Luna, Artemis, Jama-P, Kyubey, and Kero (Cerberus) were watching from a distance as everyone was laughing and sharing stories.
"It's nice that they are all becoming friends with one another," Luna said.
"Yeah, it's nice to see the girls making some new friends," Artemis said.
"I'll say," Kero said. "They got their whole lives ahead of them. These three years will test their friendship."
"As long as they have love in their hearts, they'll get through any challenge thrown at them," Jama-P said.
"Hmm..." Kyubey pondered. "If you'll excuse me, I'll grab some fresh air."
"But the party just started," Artemis points out.
"It'll be for a moment," Kyubey said as he headed outside.
He caught sight of Yujo standing outside of the dormitory. Kyubey wasn't sure what to make of the young man. Yujo was a rather fascinating subject. He seemed... stronger than most humans are. There was something about Yujo that stuck out like a sore thumb, making the boy himself an anomaly. It was safe to say that he had become interested in Yujo, especially with the boy's obsession of being stronger and better than Kizuna. Competition is but a natural part of nature. Humans, meta-humans, ghouls, and even otherworldly creatures are no exception to this universal law. Some cooperate to stay ahead of the competition.
Kizuna soon came out of the dorms. Kyubey could sense that a conversation was about to begin.
"You know, there's nothing wrong with partying with friends," Kizuna said. "Besides, we're going to spend three years here together."
Yujo scoffs. "Those imbeciles can party all they want. I'm only here to get stronger."
Kizuna didn't seem surprised.
"Man, Yuji was right about you being a jerk..." Kizuna said.
"For once, I understand why Fushiguro refuses to partake in Itadori and Kugisaki's pranks," Yujo said. He looked at Kizuna with an eerie look in his eyes. "It's pointless."
"Pointless? That's your take on partying?" Kizuna asked, not even trying to sound impressed. At this point, he's just about had it with Yujo being so anti-social and edgy. "Can't you just learn to relax for once and—"
He quickly dodged a punch coming from Kizuna. Kizuna materialized his keyblade.
"Hey! What the heck is your—?!"
Kizuna stopped to notice that Yujo had put his hands together to form a diamond. Kizuna wasn't sure what Yujo was doing, but if anything, to him, this was round two, or perhaps Yujo wanted to finish what had started during homeroom. Kizuna could feel the tension in the air, his pulse quickening as he locked eyes with Yujo.
"Let's be real for once, Kizuna Daich," Yujo said. "You may have surprised me with that neat little trick of yours, but this time, things will be different."
"Different?" Kizuna asked. "Different how?"
Yujo smirked. "Domain Expansion."
"Domain... Expansion?"
Suddenly, walls sprouted up from the ground and closed in all around him and Yujo. The ground gave way. Both Kizuna and Yujo fell into the earth.
Rei felt a disturbance just now. It was coming from outside. She headed outside and noticed what looked like a black orb just floating about outside the dorms.
'W-When did this orb just appear?'Rei thought. "Guys, you may want to see this!
Kizuna opened his eyes, only to find himself in what looked like some grand hall filled with candles. Flashes of lightning and the sound of thunder illuminated the entire hall. A chandelier was hanging above him. Kizuna looked around and saw a projection of Sora standing next to him.
"GAH!"
"AH!"
"YOU SCARED ME NEARLY TO DEATH!" Kizuna and Sora said, pointing at each other.
"Hey, how did you—"
"How did I manage to pull this off?" Sora asked. "Well... I... I figured that if Amidamaru could manifest his spirit into the physical world, then surely I could do the same thing. Feels way better than just being some voice in your head."
Kizuna looked completely indifferent. "You mean you could have just done that at any moment?"Kizuna said.
"Hey, I had to go through hours of trial and error to pull this off and this is the thanks I get?"
"Are you done yapping like some dog?"
Another flash of lightning came, and there he was. Yujo was sitting on a chair with a snarky grin.
"Welcome, Kizuna, to the Castle of Shadows," Yujo said. "Or rather... my world."
DOMAIN EXPANSION: CASTLE OF SHADOWS