Court of Souls, a Kingdom Hearts Fanfic

[Nox_Magi]

This is going to be very long and will probably take several months for me to finish, but I will, no matter how long it takes. Sora will be traveling through different Anime worlds (eventually) with new allies and a new enemy. I will do my utmost to make this the best fic I’ve ever written and I’m welcoming any and all reviews, to help me make this better.

Also, I couldn’t find a way to incorporate the Save Point in my fic without using ideas from other authors. So the Save Point will be called a Rest Point, but just be aware that I didn’t come up with this.

Thank you for your attention (hopefully) and please enjoy the first part of my epic adventure.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any Anime that appears in this fic. I do own the game and many Anime videos, much to my heart’s content.







Court of Souls

By

Nox_Magi

Book I: One more Thing



“The toughest thing about being a success is that you have to keep on being a success.”

~Irving Berlin



Prologue


Cold and quiet and dark…

Cold and quiet and dark…

Cold and quiet and dark, as well as never-ending, stretching everywhere and nowhere at once. There was so much, there was so little, there was absolutely nothing at all. There had always been nothing, but there was always the possibility of more.

This was the Place.

It dwelled in this place, in the cold and the quiet and the dark. And it festered here, absorbing all the nothing that there was to absorb. It grew and it changed and it began to see this Place, its home, with only the quiet, the cold, and the dark for company.

It saw this and wanted more.

So it aimed its growth towards escape, a way to use the nothingness to its advantage. It knew there were other Places, with warmth and life and light; it knew this because such things had once been its own.

Not that that mattered now; all that it was, all that it had become was the cold, the quiet, and the dark.

It felt its readiness, the completion of the growth need to be free of the Place, but not for reclaiming what had been lost to it. There were tools to be made, Places to be chosen, and many focuses to be found and changed, right here amid everything and nothing.

Very soon, it would no longer be alone.

It stood on the platform it had just created and stretched its arms, flexing fully developed fingers, a small smile on its pale face while its solid midnight eyes stared into eternity.

“Sora…” is whispered and around it the cold deepened, the quiet became utter silence, and the darkness swallowed all.

“I’m coming, Sora.”





Chapter I: Dreams of Warning



It was a typical day on Destiny Islands; it was bright and sunny with just a little breeze and, astoundingly, zero humidity. The gently sound of the waves was accompanied by the distant cry of seagulls and the soothing cascade of the waterfall. Yup, it was perfect, just like it had been the day before, and the day before that, and the day before that. As a matter of fact, it was exactly like it’d been for most of the last two years.

Kairi was beginning to think the weather was purposely mocking her.

It was two years to the day since she had last seen Sora, since she had last heard his voice, but he had been in her thoughts almost constantly. And at night she would dream of their last moments together; him reaching for her, she doing her best to hold on as long as possible.

“Remember what you said before?”

It was a bittersweet memory; the clearest, but most painful of all.

She thought about Riku sometimes, too. She’d felt him right before she’d been separated from Sora, but she hadn’t been able to see him. She wondered where he was, what he was doing. He had always been a close friend, always would be, and she would never stop caring.

So it was only with a little guilt that she turned her thoughts to Sora again

“Ooohhhh, I know what you’re thinking!”

Kairi spun around, overbalanced, and fell on her butt. Selphie laughed, then gave her a hand up.

Blushing furiously, Kairi responded, “Oh yeah? Well then, what am I thinking about?”

Selphie waggled her eyebrows, “The exact words would be ‘when will Sora come back?’.”

“I’m always with you too.”

Kairi sighed and sat back down, the surf brushing gently around her ankles.

“Is it that obvious?”

“Yup,” Selphie plopped down next to her. “And you were thinking the same thing yesterday.”

Kairi glanced sideways at her.

“You know, only Tidus was here with me yesterday.”

Selphie gulped and looked at her guiltily. Kairi smiled sweetly.

“So you’ve got Tidus spying on me too, huh? Wakka not getting the job done?”

“We’re just worried about you!” Selphie exclaimed in a pained voice. “You’re not the same anymore.”

“I’ll come back to you, I promise!”

No, I’m not, Kairi thought to herself, but only said, “You don’t need to worry. I’m alright. I just…miss him.”

Selphie fidgeted for a while, then finally looked Kairi full in the face, her expression sad.

“What if he never comes back?”

Kairi looked down at the indifferent waves, the gentle waters caressing her legs. The soft breeze caused her much longer hair to tumble about her shoulders and her deep red skirt to flutter slightly. She smiled, an empty motion meant to hide the loss.

“I know you will!”

“I guess then you can worry.”



******



He watched with growing horror and fascination as it grew, becoming more and more unnatural and perfect. He couldn’t take his eyes off it, even though her should’ve been rendered blind by the total lack of light. He had experienced such a darkness only once before and that was a time best left unremembered. Yet he could not bring himself to turn away.

There was something here, something he just had to see.

It was finished, whatever it was, and, from the void, it created a gleaming black platform, on which it slowly stood. Its near white skin seemed to glow eerily in the darkness, though its other features remained hidden in the gloom. It raised its arms, pulling the platform to extend all around it. Inky, silent liquid flowed from its feet, a pool of pure darkness.

He found himself walking towards it, his footsteps making no sound, not even when he stepped on the advancing liquid. He got closer and closer, until he was almost close enough to touch it. He could feel the cold radiating off it, ready and waiting to consume him.

Or to be consumed.

The liquid and the platform suddenly stopped their progress and it dropped it arms. The cold seemed to intensify, the shadow surrounding them beginning to convulse. A fierce wind started up, catching the liquid and creating a haze of black that began to swirl inches away from him. The pale, pale thing turned with agonizing slowness to face him.

Their eyes met and Sora’s heart stopped.

The winds erupted into a raging typhoon, made up of only the cold and the dark, accompanied by an utter silence. Sora was torn upwards, knife-like blasts of cold stinging his skin and eyes, his cries lost in the dark. He flipped end over end, his limbs flailing for purchase, but there was nothing…nothing anywhere and no one to help him.

Amid the chaos, amid the confusion and the hurt, Sora, on some instinct and irresistible compulsion, reached for the pale thing, all his being centered on it and it alone. He was drawn towards it and the tips of his fingers brushed its cool, cool skin

“Sora! Sora, wake up!”

Sora jerked up out of the bed, hitting his head on the bunk above him and tangling his legs in the thin blankets.

“Ow!”

Goofy’s head popped up from below the edge of the bed, while Donald’s came down from above. Sora wondered briefly if taking the middle bunk had been such a good idea. He rubbed the growing knot on his skull and waved his hand dismissively.

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Sora winced as the room heaved, but it had nothing to do with the bump on his head.

This ship, the S.S. Nathan, had been stuck in the same system of storms for the last week and a half. The still had enough food and water, but the boredom, confinement, and Donald’s constant seasickness were driving Sora up the wall. Not only that, but he’d been having some crazy dreams that left him trembling and covered in a cold sweat.

Although, this last one had been the most real by far. Every part was crystal clear…except that last bit. For some reason, Sora just couldn’t remember what had scared him so.

Sora ran a hand through damp hair, smiling blandly.

“I think I need to cut back on those clams; they’re giving me bad dreams,” Sora’s laugh was self-depreciating, “But thanks guys, for waking me up.”

Goofy looked at him worriedly, “Uh, but Sora, we didn’t do anything.”

Sora’s eyes widened.

“Seriously?”

Goofy nodded and Donald grumbled something about how he knew Sora would crack someday. Sora, luckily enough, didn’t have to respond as one of the crew, a tough-as-nails sailor by the name of Deadon came into the room. For some reason the man had taken it upon himself to watch over their group, Sora in particular. They weren’t sure why, but he’d been a big help.

“You’d better get up,” he said, a smile on his broad face, “That lurch was the ship docking.”

“Really?” Sora asked excitedly and attempted to jump out of bed, but succeeded only in falling flat on his face. Deadon laughed and helped him up.

“The ship’ll be in port a few days, but you might want to disembark now,” he said, heading out the door, “I hear there’s a great temple in this town you just gotta vist.”

Surreptitiously, Sora rolled his eyes. In the two years they’d been stuck on this world they’d probably visited a least a hundred temples. It’d been a vain hope, really, but the natives had said there was ancient magic locked within the temples. Unfortunately for them, they had yet to see any sign of magic. They were getting desperate, as the temples had been their only lead in getting off this world.

“We’ll be sure to,” Sora said, not looking directly at Deadon. “Just give us a sec.”

Sora quickly changed out of his nightshirt and pants, rummaging through the bed sheets in search of his clothes. He found his pants and belts first and he tottered precariously around as he tried to put them on while the ship continued to tilt. His pants were full-length, deep blue with numerous, wide-open zippers running horizontally down his legs, giving occasional glimpses of muscled legs. He wore two leather belts now, as these pants tended to sag; mainly because he couldn’t bear to part with the chain he still wore at his waistline.

His shirt and vest he found crumpled underneath his pillow and grumbled a bit as he tried to smooth the wrinkles out. Sora’s shirt was mostly the same, sleeveless and red with a zipper running all the way down. His vest, though, was longer, mostly white instead of black, but with a dark trim at the edges and under his arms. Metal clasps went from the thick, hooded collar to about his stomach, but Sora preferred to keep the vest open.

Sora’s gloves and shoes were stuffed into a corner, along with various odds and ends. When his old shoes had become worn beyond repair he’d been forced to buy a new and much smaller pair, which irked him a bit, since he was pretty partial to oversized shoes. He hopped on one foot as he pulled on a shoe, hastily buckling the straps that crisscrossed across the top and around his ankle. This pair was yellow—thankfully—with black on the top and thick black soles, heavily ridged for traction.

Sora’d had to get new gloves, too, and had ended up with a set that went several inches past his wrist, loose and dark blue with white circles on the backs of his palms. Because of the looseness, he used a couple of yellow straps to keep the gloves from slipping off. Lastly, because the weather tended to be humid, Sora tied a few tightly woven bands just below his bicep to keep the sweat from pouring down his arms.

“Come on Sora!” Donald shouted impatiently, already out in the hall. “Let’s get this over with!”

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Sora replied calmly, long used to Donald’s churlishness in the morning, though he was tempted to point out that he hadn’t been the one growing like a weed for the past year.

Sora grabbed his pack and was about to follow them when he stopped, suddenly remembering. He went quickly back to the bed, groping frantically until his hand emerged from the sheets holding his battered, slightly tarnished crown medallion with its equally battered chain. Sora smiled and slipped it around his neck.

“Okay, now let’s go.”

“…Sora…”

Sora paused, listening, as a whisper seemed to come out of nowhere; barely audible, yet so close.

“Sora!!”

Sora shook his head as if to clear it and ran after his friends, trying not to notice the chill that had crept into the air.



******



Ah, the first chapter down with the second soon to come (I’ve got this process going: a chapter is being typed at all times and a chapter is being written at all times; it works pretty well, as long as I stay interested).

I hope you’ve liked it so far and, if the action is a little slow, that’s only to introduce my writing style and the mood of the fic. It’ll get better soon, I promise.

If you have anything at all to say, review! I’d really appreciate it.

See you again soon!

[Nox_Magi]

Authors Note: Heh, I was looking over my last chapter and noticed several typos. Curses, no matter how hard I try they always seem to creep into my writing. I’ll see if I can avoid doing that with this chapter, but I can make no real guarantees. I just have a hard time seeing these things when I type them. I’ll try to fix chapter one and upload it again.

This chapter features the début of the new enemies. What are they? Well, you’ll just have to read to find out. Also, Riku enters the scene! Though don’t expect him to be reunited with his friends for a while. Why? That’s for me to know and you to find out.

Welcome to chapter two!



Dis: I don’t own any of this, except for the town of Canath and a rouge lamppost.







Chapter II: Call to Arms



The town of Canath was blanketed by a thick, warm fog—a byproduct of all those storms—which showed no sign of lifting. What buildings that could be seen were squat and square, built to withstand hard weather, but with a certain beauty as well. Everything was blue, white, or tarnished gold with elegant, deep-set engravings, changing the stone walls into the frozen images of wind-tossed seas. And everything glistened with moisture, making the whole place both old and new at the same time.

Sora felt like he was breathing clouds as he walked down the smoothly cobbled street; it was almost like he was underwater again, except with legs instead of a tail.

“See a store anywhere, guys?” Sora asked to the fog, hoping his friends were still walking next to him.

“What do you think?” A blurry figure replied gruffly in Donald’s voice. “Feels like soup out here.”

“Well, we’re bound to find something eventually,” Goofy commented from a patch to Sora’s left. “All we gotta do is keep going and--”

Goofy was cut off as he walked into what appeared to be a lamppost. Sora helped him up as he looked around in the surprisingly thing patch of fog. It was like something had just cut a chuck out of the grey, exposing some kind courtyard or miniature park. There were several benches and low-hung trees, as well as what seemed to be several dark lumps scattered on the ground…

“Sora! Look out!”

Instinctively, he ducked as a dark shape hurtled over his head. It landed and spun to face the threesome, easily balanced on two bent-back legs. Its body was painfully thin, with wraith-like arms that ended in short, sharp claws. Two long antennas ran from the pointed ends of its wedge-shaped head, far back from the slanted eyes that glowed green in the gloom.

Behind it, he lumps on the ground got smoothly to their feet, proving to be more of the same creatures. They spread out, surrounding the trio.

“Heartless?”

Sora looked sideways at Goofy.

“I don’t think so.”

The creatures leaped inward, claws coming down to rip them apart. Sora Dodge Rolled under, the Ultima Keyblade appearing in his hand. He quickly got to his feet and slashed at the creature’s unprotected backs. They didn’t dissolve though, only fell forward a bit from the impact, and Sora was forced to jump as three attacked him. He didn’t see the near dozen that materialized out of the mist, or that Donald and Goofy were cornered by a dozen more.

Sora went sprawling as something rammed into him midair and he hit a wall, his Keyblade falling from his hand. He tumbled to the ground and four of the things pinned his arms and legs, while a fifth jumped on his stomach. It raised its claws, aiming for his chest, but its green eyes met Sora’s and it hesitated.

“Thundaga!”

The creatures burst into nothing as lightening cascaded around Sora. He was on his feet in a flash, grabbing his Keyblade from the ground nearby. Donald and Goofy rushed to his side, panting from exertion.

More and more of the things appeared out of the mist, moving slowly and menacingly. Sora looked at companions questioningly. At their nods he crouched low, an aura of gold drifting around him.

“Give me strength…”

He reared back, a deep red bubble of light entering his Keyblade; all the MP his friends had left. The gold solidified and the whole are was bathed in red. Sora flipped and plunged his glowing weapon into the ground, swinging around as a red/white light gathered above him. His feet came down on a great, light-filled crest and the energy exploded everywhere, momentarily blinding Sora and his friends.

It eventually dissipated, gold sparkles lifting in the air and the red fading away. Amid the residual magic Sora thought he saw a dimly glowing shape, like two diamonds, one very large and one very small, joined at one point, but it quickly disappeared.

“Are all of you okay?!”

Sora turned to see Deadon running out of the rapidly fading mist. Sora opened his mouth to reassure him, but fell to his knees, weak from using the Trinity Limit. Deadon rushed to his side, while several other townspeople came to Goofy and Donald’s aid. They were half-led, half-carried t o a nearby inn.

The innkeeper was all too willing to give them a room, going on about how they had saved the town as he led them down the hall. Sora was deposited on a large, fluffy bed with a heavy, engraved frame. Deadon shooed the townspeople out and shut the door firmly behind them, leaving only himself and the innkeeper.

“That was amazing young man!” The innkeeper, Argil, exclaimed in an excited voice. “You’re the only one who’s ever been able to destroy those monsters!”

Sora forced himself into a sitting position. “I couldn’t have done it without his friends, but what do you mean ‘the only one’?”

Argil rubbed his substantial chin nervously. “They showed up about ten days ago. Started attacking people right away; and anyone they got never came back. We never even found any bodies, just more of the damn things. They’re a menace, those Soulless.”

Sora’s head snapped up.

“Soulless?”

Argil shuddered. “That’s what folk call ‘em; those without souls. I figure the people that’ve gone missing have lost their souls and become more of the monsters.”

“I’m sorry Sora,’ Deadon said as he and Argil started out the door, “It’s my fault you had to fight those things. You wouldn’t have gone if I hadn’t mentioned the temple. Argil told me that’s where the Soulless came from in the first place.”

Once the door was shut Sora sank back into the pillows, disturbed. Why Soulless? What was the difference between a Soul and a Heart? And how could these people tell?

But most importantly, what did this mean for the three of them?

“Sora,” Goofy asked from the bed on his right, “He said they came ten days ago, right?”

“Yeah,” Donald answered before Sora could open his mouth, “Just about the same time we…”

“Set out,” Sora finished for him when he trailed off, “When we first decided to come to this town.”

Donald and Goofy shot concerned glances at each other and Sora’s fist clenched.

“First thing tomorrow we’re going to the temple.”

******

Revived after a hearty breakfast and a stop at a Rest Point, the trio headed for the temple, a perfectly beautiful, crisp morning to accompany them. It was a welcome change from yesterday and there were no Soulless in sight. Sora and his friends could only hope that didn’t change.

However, Sora couldn’t shake off his sense of disquiet. He felt like he was tittering on the edge of something vast and important, where one little slip could cost him everything. He’d had this feeling enough times before to know to take it seriously. Donald and Goofy knew it too, but had different ways of dealing with it.

“This is just what we need,” Donald griped loudly, “As if the Heartless weren’t bad enough. Now we gotta deal with these things.”

“I’m sure we’ll be able to handle them,” Goofy commented, “As long as Sora has the Keyblade we should find a way.”

Sora kept his mouth shut, deciding it was best if he didn’t mention how the Soulless had been completely unaffected by the Ultima Keyblade, the most powerful one he had.

Well, not really, Sora thought to himself, the Kingdom Key is its true form, but how do I know if that won’t work either?

“Hey, there’s Deadon!”

At Goofy’s shout Sora looked up, seeing the aforementioned sailor waiting for them on the steps of a large, surprisingly circular building with absolutely no engravings, only a light grey wall and a solid-looking door. There were some inscriptions on the door, though, in a language Sora had never seen before. He stopped at the bottom of the steps, staring at them.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better,” Deadon said as he walked a small ways down the steps. “I was a little worried, but after you destroyed that big group no other Soulless have come through the mirrors.”

“Mirrors?”

Deadon jerked his thumb behind him.

“See for yourself; this temple ain’t like the others.”

Goofy and Donald started to go inside, but Sora paused.

“Deadon, what does that inscription mean?”

“Oh, that?” Deadon rubbed the back of his head, “It’s in the old tongue and not easy to translate, but the best way would be ‘For now we see as through a glass darkly’.”

Sora lifted an eyebrow.

“Is that it?”

“Well, no,” Deadon answered sheepishly, “The rest was either lost or forgotten centuries ago. Anyway, I’ve got some things to take care of, so I’ll meet up with you guys later.”

“Yeah, later,” Sora said distractedly, already heading inside the temple.

The heavy door swung silently shut behind them, the near darkness closing in. There was enough light to see, though, strange, blue-flame candles flickering from numerous spots around the one room. The interior was like a cylinder, the ceiling hidden in the shadows. Their footsteps seemed to echo endlessly, the stillness holding them in a single moment of time.

And everywhere Sora looked there were mirrors; mirrors of all shapes, sizes, and design coated the wall, stood on and lean against pillars. No matter where Sora turned he saw countless reflections of himself going on into eternity.

He wasn’t sure why it disturbed him; it was just himself, a teenage boy in slightly scruffy clothing with a crown of brown spikes just starting to feel the inexorable toll of gravity. It was himself, but, for some reason, he didn’t want to see it.

“Sora! Look at this!”

Sora jerked out of his dark thoughts and went to his friends, who were standing in front of a wide, full-length mirror which had an arched top and ornate silver frame. Unlike the others, the reflection on this one was fogged, the black on black surface seeming to absorb light instead of bouncing it back.

Sora leaned close, his gaze riveted on the tarnished glass surface. Slowly, he raised one hand and touched the solid darkness with the tips of his fingers. The glass rippled like water, distorting the already hazy images. Then the reflections disappeared completely, while the surface continued to move ever-so-slightly and a ribbon of deep, deep blue began to swirl at the very center. Sora could feel the vastness on the other side of the mirror, a long, long tunnel with no end in sight.

Sora pulled back and suppressed a shudder, smiling shakily.

“That’s where they came from, all right. I don’t know how they did it, but this mirror is a door to another world.”

“Does this mean we’re gonna have to go through it?” Goofy asked, apparently not very happy with the prospect.

Sora could understand. A chill seemed to drift out of the mirror, a brittle cold that was uncomfortably familiar. He shook off the unwanted feeling and backed towards the exit.

“Look’s like it,” Sora answered, “but let’s wait until we can re-supply. I don’t want to go anywhere unprepared.”

“Then let’s get out of here,” Donald proclaimed as he stomped out the door, Goofy running to catch up. Sora hesitated, feeling a strange pull from the mirror. He managed to resist it and run outside.

The mirror rippled again.

“…I’m coming, Sora…”

******

“King Mickey! What’s wrong?! What’s happening?!”

“It doesn’t matter now, Riku! Just go, before it’s too late!”

Despite Mickey’s command, Riku still tried to reach the king, fighting against the darkness. He was losing ground, though, and the shadow was steadily consuming the light of Kingdom Hearts. Riku looked behind him at the wall of joined Heartless and began to give up hope.

They had been fighting for what felt like weeks now, the Heartless steadily destroying the light despite their best efforts to stop them. But that wasn’t how it’d been in the beginning when Riku had first been locked within Kingdom Hearts. It had been very calm at first; just the light and the dark, perfectly divided. Once the door had been closed the Heartless had become almost torpid, dissolved in pools of black just outside the light.

For the first couple of months the glowing eyes staring out at him from the darkness had bothered Riku, but once a year had gone by he’d gotten used to it. He gotten used to everything; the fact that he never got hungry, the gentle, distant sounds that could not be identified, and the soft ground with many layers of light and dark.

And King Mickey had been with him, keeping him company and helping him to hold onto his sanity. He also had his Keyblade and used it on the occasional rouge Heartless that attacked them. Yes, Riku had settled into a kind of pattern of life, or as much of a life as a person could have in this kind of place.

That is, until the nothingness had come:

“Your Majesty, I can’t feel anything beyond this point. It’s like something just took a piece out of the ground.”

“You really should call me Mickey, you know. Hmm, that is strange.”

“What do you think it means?”

“I don’t know but we’d better…”

“Your Majesty? What is it?”

“…I’m not sure, but we need to start running…now.”

“Why? I don’t see—ahh! The cold!”

“It’s coming! Run, Riku! RUN!”

So Riku had run.

It had only gotten worse from there. The void had spread, eating away at Kingdom Hearts, until only a small amount of darkness was left outside the light. And that’s when the Heartless had awoken from their lethargic state. They had risen up, a monstrous wave of joined shadows, and had begun to cover the light.

That had been about ten days ago and now only a tiny sliver of illumination remained at the top of the wall.

Riku was backed up against it, the void mere inches away. Mickey was several feet to his right, in the same position. Riku gritted his teeth, prepared to stand firm until the end. He had let people down before; he wouldn’t give up now, no matter how bad it looked. He wouldn’t face that shame again.

Then, taking him totally off guard, a fine, beautiful silver mist appeared out of nowhere, shining with its own light. The sheen swirled in front of them, holding the emptiness at bay.

Mickey broke free from the wall, running towards Riku. It was hard to tell in the haze, but it looked like the King’s Keyblade appeared in his hand, glowing strangely. He dashed to Riku’s side and thrust the weapon into his hands.

“Hurry, there isn’t much time,” Mickey said quickly, pointing upwards. “You need to get to the light. Don’t worry about me; we’ve got help, now.”

Riku held the blade lightly reluctant to take Mickey’s only protection.

“I can’t take this! And what do you mean, ‘we have help’?”

Mickey smiled. Riku had gotten used to that, too; Mickey always smiled, even when he knew you couldn’t see him in the dark. He reminded Riku of Sora and that hurt; he always felt a stab of guilt, even now.

“Don’t worry, Riku,” Mickey said, giving him a push upwards. “Just head towards the light. Sora’s going to need your help; they all will.”

A blast of icy cold wind hit them like a sledgehammer, scattering the silver mist.

“Go!!” Mickey yelled and turned to face the void.

Riku scramble to find a hold; as he started climbing he thought he saw something strange out of the corner of his eye, but he ignored it and concentrated on the ascent. Mickey had sacrificed his only chance so that Riku might be able to escape. He wouldn’t waste the hard-fought opportunity.

It was hard, the ossified Heartless cold as ice and slick with moisture from the mist. Regardless, Riku climbed as fast as he could, his free hand quickly becoming scratched and bruised. The closer he got to the light the more violent the arctic wind seemed to become and the cold was almost enough to burn.

Sweat was pouring down his face and freezing on his arms when Riku’s grip finally began to give. His numb, blue hand was inches from the top when he began to slide. His turquoise eyes narrowed.

No! I won’t fail this time!

Riku’s fingers slipped and he careened into the dark.

******

Mwahahahahahahahah! A cliffhanger! And you don’t get to know what happens to Riku until chapter five! Well, don’t worry, it will come up eventually; like I’ve said before, this will be finished, no matter how long it takes.

The next couple of chapters concern the ‘certain Anime characters’ I mentioned. One of the worlds, too. It’s getting more interesting, so stay tuned.

Until next time! ^_^

[Nox_Magi]

Chapter III: Darkened Skies

Ranma Saotome of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts knew something was wrong the moment he got home. Everything was to quiet, too still. There was a chill in the air, a dark feeling that made his skin crawl. And when he saw the door of the dojo hanging wide open, a horrible gut instinct told him he should’ve gotten here sooner.

Instantly regretting his weekly fight with Ryoga, Ranma charged through the door, his fighter’s mind quickly noting the disturbed gravel and shredded bushes. Also terribly aware of how dark it looked inside as well as out, he ran into the house, calling out almost frantically.

"Pop! Kasumi! Nabiki!"

Ranma got no real answer as he ran from room to room, seeing the same scene over and over again. Tables overturned, chairs and beds in tatters, whole walls blasted through. But, no matter where he looked, there was not a single sign of life.

"AKANE!"

"Ranma!"

Ranma jerked with surprise and spun around to see Akane emerge from a hall closet, a frying pan in hand. She had several bruises and her shirt was torn. Ranma’s eyes widened as he realized what had happened; someone, or something, had attacked the house and Akane had…hidden in a closet. Ranma sucked in a quick breath, knowing full well that Akane would never hide from anything, especially if it was threatening her family.

Akane was able to see the disbelief on Ranma’s face, the shock, and it renewed her own fear. That, combined with the relief that overcame her senses upon seeing Ranma, she sank to her knees, trembling.

Instantly, Ranma was at her side, putting his arms around her shoulders to comfort her.

"What happened Akane? Where is everybody?"

"All gone," she whispered and Ranma was utterly surprised as he felt hot tears on his arm. "I tried to stop them; we all did, but nothing worked. Not even your dad…the secret techniques…"

Ranma fought off his rising panic. Akane needed him to be strong right now.

"I couldn’t stop worrying about you, Ranma," she continued, looking up at him with wide, glistening eyes. "They were heading in your direction. After…after they got dad, Nabiki pushed me in the closet. She told me to stay there and wait for you. I stayed and after a while things got quiet…Oh, Ranma, I’m so scared."

She buried her face in his arms, her tears wetting his shirt. Ranma took several deep breaths, trying to absorb it all. Akane had said they’d been moving towards him, so why hadn’t he and Ryoga encountered them? That question only puzzled Ranma a moment; he and Ryoga had been all over the place, so maybe they had just missed them. And what about these things had made them so hard to beat? If his Pop had really used the Forbidden Techniques, then he should’ve been able to stop them.

"Akane, what where these things like?" He asked gently, "Can you tell me anything?"

"Like shadows," she answered, her voice hushed, "With glowing…green…eyes…"

She trailed off and grabbed Ranma’s arm, her fingers tight enough to bruise. She stared down the hall with open fear. Ranma followed her gaze and saw them; they were like shadows, like shades, with razor thin bodies and long, whip-like antennae running behind slanted green eyes. They stalked towards them, their short claws scraping on the hardwood floor.

Ranma stood, lifting Akane beside him.

"Can you run?"

Akane nodded, her courage returned now that Ranma was here.

"When I tell you, I want you to run and get out to the street. Head for either Kuno or Shampoo’s place; you should be safe there."

"What about you?" Her voice was shaky and she refused to let go of his arm.

"I’m gonna see just how indestructible these things are."

"You can’t!" She exclaimed, scared and defiant at the same time. "You can’t fight them alone!"

Ranma’s small, determined smile stopped her protests.

"I have to. I don’t want you in anymore danger. Now, GO!"

He thrust Akane behind him and leaped at the creatures, spinning to bring both hands and feet to bear. He connected with what felt like soft ice, incredibly cold and giving. His fist began to actually sink into the thing and he felt his fingers go numb. He jerked back and kicked hard, sending the creature into the opposite wall.

But it managed to flip over midair and kickoff from the wall, coming back at him with double force. The arch of its head hit Ranma in the chin, snapping his head back painfully. He countered with a backhand, flinging the creature from him. Ranma regained his balance, forcing himself to relax into a fighter’s stance.

"I won’t let you win," he declared in a low voice. "Not after what you did to my family!"

Ranma’s hands came together, palms cupping a growing ball of flame-red chi. This wasn’t any well-practiced technique, only every bit of energy he could throw at the monsters. He had the feeling that if he tried anything less he was done for.

"I don’t know what you things are," he said, fiery light shinning through his fingers, "But I don’t think you’ll be able to survive this!"

Ranma’s hands came forward, unleashing a massive blast that tore away the walls and ground through the floor. The dozen creatures turned and ran, but weren’t quite fast enough. They were consumed by the light, their bodies dissolving in bursts of dark smoke. Ranma thought he saw two conjoined diamonds, faintly bluegreen in color and glowing, emerge from the darkness, but his vision clouded over before he could get a better look.

He fell to his knees, shaking with exhaustion. He did manage a weak, satisfied smile as he looked down the devastated hallway.

"That’ll teach ya," he panted, struggling to his feet.

"Ranma! Look out!"

He snapped around as another of the creatures jumped at his face, claws extended. It didn’t get very far, though, as Akane rammed the frying pan down on its head, smashing it into the floor. She grabbed Ranma’s hand and dragged him after her, running for the front door. They reached the street and pointed to the sky.

"I told you!" She yelled desperately, pointing to the sky. "You can’t fight them! They come from the dark! Look!"

Ranma did and his eyes widened. He stumbled, his legs suddenly like jelly. A great curtain of darkness was traveling across the sky and a wall of pure black was eating up everything else. As Ranma watched chunks of earth and cement were ripped upwards and sucked into the void. At the same time the curtain was consuming the sun and, all at once, the light went out.

Ranma felt a sudden jerk on his arm and Akane’s hand was torn away.

"Ranma, help me!"

Akane was sinking into a pool of darkness; a pool with many green, glowing eyes.

"Akane!"

Ranma dove for the pool, locking hands with Akane and heaved upwards with all his might. But no matter how hard he tried she was steadily being absorbed by the darkness.

"Ranma…" she whispered, the smile on her face that of a person who had known all along they were not going to make it.

Her face disappeared beneath the surface.

Ranma clenched his teeth, grasping her hands even more firmly.

"No! I won’t let you go!"

Her hands went into the dark, taking his with them. A chill instantly spread down his body and his teeth began to chatter. Against his will Ranma was dragged forward and his chest touched the surface of the pool, changing the chill into a stabbing cold. Ranma gasped from the pain, but refused to let go.

"I won’t let you take her! I WON’T LET YOU WIN!"

And short, needle-sharp claws plunged into his chest, ripping and tearing at something that wasn’t flesh. Akane’s fingers slipped from his hands and he was blown upwards, the wall of darkness sweeping in behind him. Ranma was pulled into the void, hands tight over a spot on the center of his chest where a shinning blue light was pulsing, exposed and in great pain.

The black swallowed him and all was suddenly silent, still; there was no more wind, there was no more destruction. Everything was quiet and empty and Ranma gasped in the dark, overwhelmed by the ache in his chest.

But he did see, an almost immeasurable distance away, another light, pale gold, pulsing in time with his own.

******

It began simply enough; storm clouds started rolling in at about noon and by the time Yugi Mutou got home from school the sky was almost a solid wall of near black. He couldn’t imagine the kind of storm that would come out of those clouds; and the temperature was dropping rapidly, causing his breath to come out in while puffs. He didn’t like the wind that was starting either; is had a hollow sound to it, sounding almost empty as is whistled between the buildings.

So he was very relieved when he entered the Kame Game store, his shoulder’s relaxing from their tensed-up state while he breathed a gentle sigh. He even managed a smile as the door shut behind him.

Are you alright, aibou?

I’m fine, Yugi responded to the silent query, It’s just that I’ve never seen such violent-looking clouds before and with Grandpa gone for the week—

There was a brief flash of light and his dark counterpart emerged beside him. Yami looked as cool and collected as always, but inwardly the ancient spirit was worried; he’d never experienced storms of this nature before, either (excluding a few sandstorms in Egypt that had been so terrible that the inscriptions had been worn off the columns). But there was more to it than just the weather. Something ominous hung in the air; something heavy and cold and…quiet. A terrible power brushed his own, but he couldn’t locate it and he didn’t know what to do.

But he would comfort Yugi, just the same.

"I’m sure we can face whatever comes," Yami stated confidently, "We always have."

"You’re right," Yugi replied, smiling more brightly. "I shouldn’t worry so much. Look’s like we can close the store early, so how about a game?"

Yami raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure you know what you are getting into, Yugi?"

The answer was cheerful as the younger boy reached in his backpack for his Duel Monsters cards.

"Of course. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t."

Thus a heated Duel began and time flew, neither Duelist noticing the sky outside getting darker and darker.

Nearly two hours later, the action had come to a standstill, Yugi’s Black Skull Dragon facing Yami’s powered up Black Luster Soldier.

"Yugi, are you sure it was alright for us to use the other’s cards?" Yami asked, looking up from the counter. "I mean, they only asked you to take care of them."

"Aw, they won’t mind," Yugi replied, "Besides, they don’t know we’re using them."

Yami smiled. "Well Yugi, you’ve certainly…gotten…"

He trailed off, red/violet eyes widening. He began to tremble, the cards falling from his hands.

"It’s coming," he whispered, feeling intense pressure on his magic and the very fabric of the world. "The…dark."

Yami leaped out of his seat, dashing for the door. Yugi clamored after him, instinctively stuffing the cards into his backpack and taking it with him. He joined Yami on the street, gaping up at the void the sky had become.

There was no light, none at all, and the surface of the blackness rolled and thrashed, a power barely contained. A frigid wind howled through the streets and there was not a person to be seen. Everything but the wind was eerily silent and Yami felt to the core of his being that it was already too late.

"Yugi, we’re going to have to run. Be ready."

Yugi moved closer to him, backpack clutched tightly.

"But Yami, what is it?"

Yami’s fierce eyes narrowed and a hand traveled to his chest, where a dull ache had begun.

"Darkness."

As soon as he said it the sky burst forth, raining down shadows upon the city. Everything the black rain touched was consumed, leaving only emptiness and an increased cold. The storm was dense, fast, and unstoppable and all around them the world was quickly lost in the growing, silent void.

"Yami! Behind you!"

Yugi shoved Yami out of the way as a creature, born of the black rain, lunged at them. Yami hit the ground and the shadow pounced on Yugi. It was only slightly bigger than he was, but it managed to throw Yugi over its shoulder and dashed away, claws making a high-pitched clicking noise against the cement. Its destination appeared out of thin air; a large, rippling surface that produced dim reflections and had many glowing, green eyes.

Yami ran after them, knowing more than anything that he had to keep Yugi from going through that mirror-like door, had to keep him in the rapidly fading light. It was a race between Yami and the creature; a race to the dark.

Yami lost.

The shadow and Yugi disappeared into the mirror, the boy managing one last cry.

"No, Yami! Don’t follow us!"

Yami continued, regardless and reached the event horizon of the door and made to jump through, but was pushed forcefully back as three more of the monsters came out of the mirror. He skidded to a halt and sought into the Shadow Realm, putting everything he had into capturing and destroying the monsters. The ancient magic reached inside and found…nothing, absolutely nothing.

Yami sucked in a breath his false body didn’t need and put his fists up.

"These things have no soul!"

Yami began to throw a punch, but the creatures were far too fast for him and he was tackle to the ground, two pinning his arms and the third jumping on his stomach. Its green eyes narrowed and it sank tiny, ice-cold claws into his chest.

At Yami’s scream they vaulted off him and into the mirror, which disappeared with a dark flash. He to stumble to his feet, but immediately fell into the void that had completely surrounded him by then. All sensation instantly disappeared, the cold numbing his entire body. But the pain in his chest continued, a pale gold light pulsing at the sight of the wound. Yami’s vision glazed over and for what seemed like a long time he knew no more.

What felt like an eternity later Yami became aware of more than the soul-deep ache that throbbed throughout his entire body. He was drifting in the dark, amid only quiet and terrible cold. But floating nearby was a battered lump and he watched it as it came slowly closer.

He grabbed it once it was within reach and found it to be Yugi’s backpack, straps torn but mainly intact. He pulled it close and drew in a shuddering breath, his eyes squeezed shut. When he opened them they glistened, but he refused to let it come to that.

Yami would not give up.

Determined, he looked around again and saw, very far away, a dimly shinning blue light, pulsing faintly, its rhythm the same as his own.

One hand clutching Yugi’s backpack, the other tight over his fading light, Yami weighed his options. Then, coming to a decision, he strained for that other light, hoping for a way out.

Yami may have been fooling himself, but the blue light seemed to do the same.

******

[classy_cat18]

Whoa, another Kingdom Hearts fic. This one is getting to me. Ranma 1/2, Yu-Gi-Oh!, what next? Come on, next chapter, next chapter!

[Nox_Magi]

Chapter IV: Crowded Spaces

Yugi was sure that if he had any feeling at all he would be acutely aware of the massive bruise that was probably forming on his torso; fortunately for him, the cold had numbed his entire body, causing all pain to stop. Well, mostly. The constant jostling he received, positioned on the monsters shoulder, caused an increasing nausea in his stomach. That could be counted as pain.

The despair he felt, and the loss, could be counted as pain, too. He just couldn’t get that last image out of his mind; the dark, chaos ripped world, the terrible cold, and Yami, trying his best to save him. Yugi didn’t blame the spirit. Such a thing was beyond him, but he did worry and he did shed inward tears.

His heart told him something terrible had happened to Yami.

The sound of the creature’s footsteps changed, becoming a small splash instead of a small thud. They were in shallow water, though Yugi could barely see it, the only light the green of the shadow’s eyes and a faint, soft yellow glow that had been emanating from his chest, right above his Millenium Puzzle.

It had started up as soon as they had gone through the mirror. Yugi wasn’t sure what it was, but every time it pulsed he felt emptier inside, as if, little by little, he was losing something.

"Let go! Let GO!"

Yugi twisted in the monster’s grip, straining to see over its antennae. He spotted two others, running adjacent to them but getting steadily closer. They held between them a struggling girl a little older than Yugi, with black hair and dark eyes, though it was hard to tell in the little light. She thrashed mightily, trying to break the creatures’ hold, but they ran on regardless, seemingly unaffected.

"I don’t think that’ll work," Yugi called, his voice resigned, "They’re just too strong, whatever they are."

"I have to try!" The girl yelled, then got a good look at Yugi, her own pale, violet light illuminating his face.

Seeing him in the same position she was, she calmed down, her expression growing glum.

"I’m sorry," she said, close enough now that she didn’t have to shout. "It’s just…they…"

"I know," Yugi replied, sagging slightly in the monster’s grip. "The same thing happened to me. They destroyed my whole world."

Saying it out loud seemed to make it more real and Yugi’s eyes squeezed shut. He pulled in a shuddering breath and tried not to let the tears out. Yami had taught him to be strong and he would not break in front of these shadows.

"But we’re still alive," she said, "I think…I think there is still hope."

She tried to smile, even though the cold was burning into her skin and the darkness was all around. Someone had taught her to be strong, too, no matter what came. If this boy had survived, maybe others had, too. Maybe, maybe there was a way out of this.

She had to believe that, anyway, or she would lose even the memory of her home and…of Ranma.

"I’m Akane Tendo," she said, putting on a brave face.

Yugi replied in turn, and felt his light lose a little less, remain just a little more whole.

"Yugi Mutou."

Though words would have helped ease the hurt, they didn’t get the chance as the shadows began to move even faster, their antenna waving in almost an excited manner. The splashing of their feet became more pronounced and an echo started up, catching every little sound and sending it back an endless amount of times. A breeze was blowing; more cold, but of a different nature. This wind seemed alive and it slithered into their clothing, chilling them to the bone.

Ahead of them a dark form loomed above the waters, immense and glinting like glass. There seemed to be a massive crest engraved on the structure; it was like two conjoined diamonds, one small, one large. The points of the diamonds were needle sharp and the smaller one, aimed downwards, had serrated edges that curled slightly. The image was merely a frame, though, and two spiked bands crisscrossed on the middle.

The whole thing shimmered with a black light and the pair had to struggle to keep a hold on their hope, especially when they where suddenly thrown down in the water, the creatures forcing them to lay flat.

Their faces barely breached the surface, so they didn’t dare to move, not even when a shadow approached their side and drew, with a dark, clawed hand, the same crest that was on the gigantic building. The black mark covered their light keeping it locked up inside. The edges of the crest where blue, while the gaps where a transparent black, letting a small amount of their light through.

Akane suspected and Yugi knew that it was for identification; something, or someone, wanted them here, in this place, where there was only cold, quiet, and dark. They didn’t dare guess what for.

From somewhere deep, deep within the structure, a pale form with solid midnight eyes, the blue barely discernable, saw this and was pleased.

******

Yami was exhausted. He felt like he’d been here for days, moving inch by creeping inch towards the blue light. Perhaps if could remember more of Yugi’s science class, where the teacher had explained the so-called laws of motion, he could understand why this took so long. Though he doubted that any laws applied to this void; it was like being stuck between life and death.

Yami’s past experience and the increasing pain in his chest made that analogy all too evident. He felt his time running out and he put more effort into reaching the other light.

The blue light had ceased moving a short while ago; Yami suspected that its energy had been spent. He knew his own was almost gone as well, but his false body gave him some leeway. When you weren’t real in the literal sense physical limitations didn’t apply as much. Briefly, certain comments about his preferred pair of pants and his ability to breathe came to mind.

But that humorous/insulting thought brought Yugi to mind as well and that renewed the ache.

He’d let his aibou down, let the darkness take the boy he’d sworn to protect. The failure ate at his heart and whenever he thought about it his light dimmed. He knew it was adversely affecting him, weakening what he could only describe as his spiritual state, and lessening his chances of escaping this place.

Luckily for him, he was finally near enough to determine the source of the blue light.

It was a boy of about seventeen, with bushy black hair in what looked like a pigtail or a braid. His gray/blue eyes were narrowed with determination, but he was apparently at the end of his strength. Yami guessed him to be some sort of fighter and a good one at that, if his honed, slender body was any indication.

The boy’s eyes were on him and he looked slightly annoyed. Yami’s own eyes widened with bewilderment.

"Is there a problem?"

"What took you so long?!!"

Yami raised an eyebrow. The sheer absurdity of the situation seemed to be renewing his strength. The concept was improbable, but he couldn’t throw the results. His light was beating stronger already. Rudeness, however, could not be tolerated.

"I beg your pardon, but I don’t see you making any attempt to improve our situation."

The boy made a face and struggled to stay facing Yami.

"I would if I could, okay! I’m…I’m just tired."

Yami glanced around him at the unchanging void, his hand still safely secured over his light. He noticed the boy doing the same.

"We need to get out of here," Yami stated, inwardly searching for an answer. "But I have no idea how."

"The light," the boy stated simply, "Only our light changes. So it has something to do with us being here."

"If we could combine our light…" the spirit murmmered, seeing this as their best chance. "We can attempt it; we have nothing left to lose. My name is Yami, by the way."

It was the boy’s turn to lift an eyebrow. "Darkness, huh? Well, whatever. I’m Ranma."

Yami smiled, wrapping the straps of Yugi’s backpack tightly around his arm.

"On three, we’ll release out light."

"Got it."

"Okay…one…two…three!"

They let go of what felt like their very souls and the two radiant beacons met, blazing gold mixing with shinning blue.

The impact rocked the void, the darkness swirling around and away. The wind began again, but it wasn’t cold, it wasn’t dead; it was warm and full, a comforting blanket of pure life sweeping down upon them. They were pulled out of the void, riding along what felt like the crest of a wave. They saw in the distance two pure white points, shimmering like stars.

They each felt a connection to one of them and knew in their hearts that those dimly glowing lights were their worlds. They didn’t look away until the lights went out, fading into the darkness.

Then the wind swirled faster, a hurricane of returning existence. Each focused on his opposite, both refusing to lose sight of the other.

In was in this way that they fell from their worlds into increasing incandesce and what they would soon realize was their destiny.

******

"Oh my God! They appeared at the same time the stars fell!"

"Does that mean they’re survivors?"

"It has to! But…there aren’t any others. And they’re the only ones in months. Why?"

"That doesn’t matter right now. It’s obvious that they need medical attention."

"But all the hospitals are packed with the citizens who were attacked. Where can they go?"

"They can come to the Pokemon Center. We have all that we need to treat them there."

"But Nurse Joy…the light…"

"I’m well aware of their condition and I’m certain we have the means to treat them."

Ranma was rather peeved that people where referring to him in the third person when he was right here and wide awake. Well, sort of. All he could see were bright, blurry images. He was aware of movement and he could certainly hear what sounded like six or seven other people. He decided he would not be treated like some sort of luggage.

"Excuse me," he rasped, his throat extremely dry, "But I’d like to have a say in what happens to me and Yami."

All the people got suddenly quiet. The soft spoken yet forceful woman, Nurse Joy, recovered first from her surprise.

"Yami? Oh, do you mean the other boy?"

"If he has a weird hairdo and red eyes, yeah. It’d be nice if we could decide where you take us."

Ranma suspected Nurse Joy was smirking as she replied, "And where would you have us take you, young man?"

Ranma’s mouth opened to answer, but an intense, sharp pain pierced his chest, taking his breath away. Blue light filled his vision and he knew his wound had reopened. Motion instantly erupted around him. He felt his body lifted on a stretcher and he was wheeled through sliding doors, a warm breeze hitting his face. The aforementioned Pokemon Center must have been right next door, as he was almost immediately pushed through another set of doors.

Ranma might have tried to get a better look around him, as his vision was clearing up, but the pain prevent him from doing anything but holding tight to his chest and fighting to breathe. He vaguely realized that Yami must be unconscious, as he would certainly be making gasping sounds, too.

"Get the baby Pokemon over her, STAT!" Nurse Joy commanded and, if Ranma hadn’t been disabled by his suffering light, he would have wondered why the other nurses responded with:

"Chansey!"

A short time later Ranma felt something jump onto his chest with a soft plop. It was no bigger than a football and when it waddled into view he didn’t know what to think.

It looked like an egg; an egg with blue and red markings and a cracked open top. Through the breech in the shell came a wide, white head with ridges on the top and a cute, smiling face. The thing had little feet and arms sticking out of the shell and it laughed when it saw his face.

"Togeprrrriiiiiii!"

The little thing smiled and placed its tiny hands on his own, right above his light. It laughed again and the pain diminished, then disappeared. Ranma slowly released his hold, staring in complete shock at the little creature, which hopped up to his shoulder and began patting his cheek affectionately.

Ranma looked at the woman standing beside the stretcher, her confidently smiling face framed by to hoops of bright pink and bright pink bangs.

Nurse Joy nodded reassuringly, "I had a hunch that would work. Infant Pokemon are the only ones that haven’t been attacked. You’re friend should be alright soon, too."

Ranma peered past her to another stretcher where Yami lay, a tiny, yellow and black creature sitting on his chest. The little thing smiled, clapped its small, yellow paws and said happily:

"Pichu! Pichu!"

Yami’s golden light was absorbed back into his chest and the creature hopped over his face and buried itself in his multi-colored hair. Nurse Joy laughed softly, then grew more serious as she looked at Ranma.

"You two should be fine now," she said, "But since you’re the only survivors of your world, there isn’t any place for you to go."

"We’re from different worlds, actually," Ranma replied, almost apologetic, "We met in…in the dark."

Nurse Joy shook her head, "I’m afraid that makes it worse. As shameful as it is, people will be suspicious of you. I doubt anyone will take you in."

Ranma breathed out slowly.

"Then what are we supposed to do?"

The young woman thought for a moment, "I tell you what. I’m in charge of this Pokemon Center, so if you’re willing to work once your recovered you can stay here. We need all the help we can get."

"Thanks a lot," Ranma said, genuinely relieved, "But why do you need our help? Is your world disappearing?"

Nurse Joy shook her head, "No. At least, not yet. But many of our people and Pokemon are being attacked by the Soulless. We are getting new patients everyday."

Ranma’s heart stilled.

"Soulless?"

"Things without souls, shadows of their former selves," Nurse Joy said, sounding tired for the first time, "We’re losing more and more lives to them."

Ranma remember the shadows the glowing green eyes and his fists clenched. He met Nurse Joy’s gaze, unfearing.

"If there’s anything we can do, we’ll do it."

"You can be sure of it."

In the opposite stretcher Yami nodded in agreement.

"Okay then," Nurse Joy said, her bright smile returning.

"Welcome to Saffron City."

******

Wow, this one took a while. Or maybe not, but working late at night certainly makes things seem longer. Either that or the tension headaches I get while typing are having an adverse effect on my brain.

Well, were you surprised? Considering the serious nature of my fic, I don’t think many people guessed I’d be using a city from Pokemon as the hub world. I can only hope that the other worlds Sora will eventually visit will surprise you as well.

Next chapter the spotlight switches back to Sora and part of Riku’s fate is revealed. A couple parts are ‘cinematic scene’ material, so be prepared!

See ya later! ^_~

[Legends-Kuja]

You are a most impressive writer. I like your style, and a KH fic is most welcome to these boards.... I too have a KH fic, and I'm off to post it...

Your dark nature contrasts from my more hectic and crazy nature. I'd love to compare my fic to youes, but that's something that'll have to wait for another day... although there is one thing...

[Immature]I HAVE SOULLESS TOO! THEY'RE THE GOOD GUYS!!! RRAAAUUURRGGH![/Immature]

[The Prophet]

This is a very good fic. I like the idea of using anime characters instead of Disney (WILL VASH BE IN THIS?) and its darker nature. Your concept of Soulless is very interesting. As long as this doesn't descend into the realm known as Sora/Riku, I will continue to read this... and, if you pull it off well, I'll continue reading it anyway.
BTW, are there going to be Non-Existant Ones like the Unknown from Final Mix in this? (I'm guessing he was a NEO, but I could be mistaken....)

[Legends-Kuja]

This makes THREE KH fics...
Nox Magi: Court of Souls
Me: Darkness Hearts
you: KH II

But we're all good. You too. Lack of fights saddening, but you say you'll remedy this, right?

[Nox_Magi]

Okay. To answer your questions, Prophet, there will be NO yaoi in this story. IMHO, yaoi is perverted. At the moment, there are no NEO's in the story, and I am not sure I am going to put them (yes, them) in.

You want to see if Vash is in the story? Well, you'll just have to wait and see...

[The Prophet]

No yaoi? Thank God. You wouldn't beleive all the Sora/Riku they have on Fanfiction.net.... well, anyone who visits the KH section regularly would.
Aww, no NEOs? But there's sooooo many possibilities for them... and, after all, they are the third enemy...
But you can do what ya want ^^ I'll still read it.

[Nox_Magi]

Chapter V: Through the Mirror

Riku felt his grip finally give and he fell back into the darkness, the wind swirling up to meet him. The cold was terrible, the failure poignant beyond description. In the few seconds it took him to leave the wall, he realized what this meant. Everything, every hope, every chance, every future, ended here, with this. He knew it to be true, but he refused to accept it. Whatever was doing this, whatever hated the light so, would not have the satisfaction of seeing him break.

His last, defiant cry echoed through the dark, his left hand tight around the Kayblade.

And someone grabbed his right hand, pulling him with incredible might back towards the fading light. Riku’s eyes widened with complete shock as he was bathed in warm, soft white luminescence, the brightness chasing away the cold. He’d never seen anything like it; not even the light of Kingdom Hearts compared to this. It was all beauty and strength and…joy.

"It’ll be alright, Riku. It’ll be alright."

That voice; it sounded so familiar, but he couldn’t remember where he’d heard it before. It just seemed so close, as if it came from his own heart; yet it sounded nothing like his own voice. It was a deep voice, one that knew how to laugh, how to live. And a broad, long fingered hand held his in an unbreakable grip.

This person was the source of the light.

At its center gentle, laughing eyes gazed calmly out at Riku. "Just come this way and you should be fine."

Riku’s feet hit the side of the wall and, with the person steadily pulling him upward, he slipped through the tiny opening, falling face forward into the shinning core of Kingdom Hearts.

And falling and falling and falling, the person who had helped him getting farther and farther away.

Riku knew, somehow, that he was leaving Kingdom Hearts, traveling through a door no one had ever known about, that no one had ever seen. Except, perhaps, whoever owned those laughing eyes.

"Mickey knew it too," came that voice, still impossibly near, "But he also knew that you are the one needed now."

Then, all at once, the voice, the light, and the distant howl of the wind all disappeared, total darkness swallowing all. But only for a moment. Riku’s eyes were bombarded by sudden sun light and he hit an uncomfortably hard surface. He lay there, stunned, for several moments, then scrambled to his feet, looking about him wildly.

"I know this place!" He yelled, not sure if he should be relieved or insulted.

He was in Hollow Bastion, though it looked considerably better. Many of the balconies had been expanded by the removal of several walls and were now transformed into miniature courtyards, complete with grass, shrubs, and an occasional tree. Of course, Riku had had the luck of the landing on one of the cement walkways that twisted here and there.

In the distance he could see the Rising Falls, but the once barren expanses supported floating platforms, on which many houses and parks had been constructed. The castle itself seemed younger, fresher, and not a sign of the giant Heartless crest could be seen. Everything looked alive, but there wasn’t a person to be seen.

Riku walked slowly around, trying to spot any other signs of life. He reached the center of one of the courtyards, where a high, elegant fountain stood. His eyes passed over the pool of water, then zipped back, wider than before.

It’d been quite a while since he’d seen his reflection and he wasn’t quite prepared for what he saw. He knew he’d be older, but the tall, muscular young man with waist-length silver hair and fierce aqua eyes staring back at him was still something of a surprise. Not only that, but he hadn’t changed clothes in two years; so, while he’d been growing, his shirt—and pants—had not.

A dark red blush spreading over his face, Riku scrambled for the entrance of the castle.

******

Sora still wasn’t sure if they were ready for this. They’d been preparing for two days, getting whatever supplies they thought they needed and honing their skills to near perfection. They knew they’d face more Soulless and were determined to be ready for them. And yet…and yet, Sora couldn’t shake the feeling that it was all for nothing.

Regardless of his premonitions, Donald, Goofy, and himself where standing at the entrance to the mirror temple, being given a simple send off by Deadon, the only person brave enough to come near the so-called ‘cursed’ temple. He knew the townspeople were being foolish; the Soulless, not the temple, where to blame for all the terrible things that had happened.

"So, you boys ready?" The sailor asked, walking with them up the stairs.

"You bet," Sora lied, "I just wish I knew what kind of trip we were in for."

"I’m sure we’ll know soon enough," Donald pointed out, giving them what Sora called ‘The Eye’. "It’s no use putting it off anymore."

Goofy looked downtrodden, "Well, I coulda gone for a little more breakfast. Who knows when we’ll be getting good food like this again?"

Sora patted his friend on the back, but could think of nothing comforting to say as Deadon swung the door of the temple open, the darkness within sucking up the sunlight. The trio went in, Deadon remaining at the entrance.

"Good luck," he said and shut the door behind them.

Sora swallowed heavily, glancing around at the small, insufficient candles and the myriad of reflections. Looking at all the mirrors made him a little dizzy; but one made his nauseous.

The black-lighted mirror was still there, still rippling slightly. Sora’s sense of foreboding increased, becoming a kind of tightness in his chest and throat. It wasn’t fear, not quite; but warning, some sixth sense that told him things were not quite what they seemed.

Donald and Goofy seemed oblivious to the sensation, however, and Sora could do no other but follow them to the mirror. Like so many times before, they let him go first. Normally, that was the way he preferred it, but now all he wanted was to be away from the thing, away from what felt like terrible loss. Everything he’d ever dreaded was beyond that darkness, beyond the surface that radiated cold.

With a trembling hand, he touched the black mirror.

******

Kairi jerked up out of bed, glancing around quickly for what had woken her up. She saw no one and nothing, but something told her she had to get somewhere, had to see…see what? She had no idea. Despite this, she quickly got dressed and crept out her bedroom door, making it out of her house and down to the harbor.

She took the small boat to the adjacent Destiny Islands, where she knew something was waiting for her. She didn’t like the feeling; the last time it happened did not bear thinking about. Yet, she had to go and when she stepped off on to the dock she couldn’t quite help the small sigh that escaped her.

Driven by some compulsion she couldn’t name, she ran around and over the trees and crawled slowly into the now-smaller seeming tunnel to the secret spot. When she’d been younger she hadn’t realized the importance of this place. Now, however, she knew that the keyhole to this world was here, inside those seemingly innocent boards of wood.

So she wasn’t surprised when she saw it, thin tendrils of gold outlining a round, elegant keyhole. But she was surprised by the flat surface of swirling, rippling black the hovered a few inches in front of it. The dark portal leaked cold into the Secret Place, the midnight light distorting the images on the walls.

But it was the image in the mirror-like thing that caused her to gasp in total shock and her eyes to fill with tears.

"Sora?"

"…Kairi?"

******

Riku was kind of thankful that there didn’t seem to be anyone within Hollow Bastion. The lack of people had made it easy for him to locate a bedroom and…borrow something clothing that fit him. Standing in front of a mirror, he couldn’t help but be pleased with the result. Although, he was kind of surprised that he’d been lucky enough to get clothes that at least fit loosely on him. What were the chances of that?

A pair of black pants, adorned with several crisscrossing bands of dark leather, had been his first find. A black shirt with an elaborate, deep blue pattern at the scoop neck had followed it, as well has heavy leather belts. The belts had metal-rimmed holes all around, but the silver buckles were shaped like ornate hearts. After that he’d found, much to his surprise, shoes that fit him; a deep gray pair with thick, black laces and heavy, solid soles. Lastly, a long, durable gray coat had presented itself.

The coat was slightly unusual. The slate gray material looked heavy but was actually light as air. A black zipper traveled all the way down, nearly reaching the bottom (which was just above his feet). The hood was large and loose, but two long-beaded straps at his neck could make it tighter if he wished.

The final thing he’d had to deal with had been his hair; he knew that he wouldn’t be able to manage it at its current length. So, after locating a pair of heavy-duty scissors, he’d made short work of his silver locks. One of the courtyards beneath this room’s window was littered with scraps of hair, but the rest was now workable. It hung a ways past his shoulders, but he could deal with that.

"Well, that takes care of that," Riku said to himself and glanced at the Keyblade he’d put on the bed.

He’d had it with him since returning to this world, but it had only been when he’d calmed down after that first shock that he had noticed the difference.

Mickey’s weapon had once had a golden blade and a silver handle, but Riku suspected that had all changed as soon as it touched his hand. He wasn’t sure how it’d happened, but one entire side was now completely white, while the opposite side was completely black. The shape was the same, but it was obvious that the difference went deeper than the appearance.

"It’s me," he murmured, looking at himself again in the mirror.

He would have continued talking to himself, but the surface of the mirror rippled, black spreading along the motion. A frigid breeze moved with the mirror, black light emanating from it. The distortion slowed and, little by little, an image appeared.

But it wasn’t his reflection.

It was like looking inside a three-dimensional triangle; there were three sides, each one holding a different picture. One side obviously represented himself, but in the others…Sora and Kairi gazed across at each other.

"Sora?"

"…Kairi?"

Riku’s eyes widened and his quick gasp shuddered into his lungs. With a kind of desperation he lunged at the mirror, but, even though the surface looked like liquid, he was met with a hard, unyielding surface.

"No! NO!"

Riku punched the mirror, but to no avail. Nothing he did could break through the surface. He sank to his knees, watching events he had no control over unfold before him.

So intent was he on the mirror that he didn’t notice the Keyblade glowing. It flickered every time he hit the portal, as if the Keyblade itself, not the mirror, was holding him back.

******

Sora couldn’t believe what he was seeing. It was Kairi! She was right there! He could almost touch her, but the cold, the cold held him back. A heartbroken whisper escaped his lips.

(When you walk away…)

"…Kairi…"

Kairi’s image gasped and tears began to flow down her face.

"Sora!"

(You don’t hear me say…)

That was enough for Sora. He jumped forward, reaching for Kairi.

(Please, oh baby, don’t go…)

Riku saw Sora’s leap and felt his heart constrict. Sora couldn’t see how far their images were apart! He couldn’t see it!

"He’s not going to make it!"

(Simple and clean is the way that you’re making me feel tonight…)

As soon as she knew Sora was going to jump Kairi attempted the same, but the mirror was solid and all she could do was watch in despair as Sora’s image entered the space between.

"No, Sora!"

(It’s hard to let go…)

Sora entered the darkness and the infinite space between the mirrors, his arm reaching across the distance of only a couple yards. His outstretched fingers brushed the surface where Kairi’s hands were pressed.

"Please…" he sobbed, "Please, not like this…"

(Don’t get me wrong I love you…)

Riku heard Sora’s cries and his own rose in unison.

"It can’t happen this way! It can’t!"

On the bed, the Keyblade flashed, far brighter than before.

(But does that mean I have to meet you’re father?)

Kairi saw, and felt Sora brush her hand, but, with a blinding light, the Kingdom Key appeared in his hand, the brightness pulling him down into the space between. She felt the pull on her heart, the connection beginning to strain.

"SORA!!"

(When we are older you’ll understand…)

"NO! I don’t want to go!"

Sora tried to wrench his hand free of the Keyblade, but he was pulled down, away from Kairi, but the incredible light. It aimed in one direction, going towards one point, far away from the one place he wanted to be the most.

"I DON’T WANT TO!"

(What I meant when I said "No,")

Riku had never felt so helpless. Why was this happening? Why?

And why couldn’t he do anything!!

Riku threw back his head and his first tears slid down his cheeks.

"Why am I so worthless?!!"

(I don’t think life is quiet that simple…)

Kairi dropped to her knees, pushing her face against the mirror to keep Sora’s falling image in view. It became easier when the brilliant point that was the Keyblade began to shimmer, pulsing like a rapidly beating heart.

Kairi saw this and knew.

"Oh, Sora, be careful…"

(Hold me…)

Sora felt it, the change in the Keyblade; it was splitting, shedding the excess so that only the true form remained. The great gathering of light burst.

Shinning stars with pure white tails, blazing like comets, scattered into the reaches of the space between.

(Whatever lies beyond this morning…)

Riku knew it too, when he saw it. All that light, the remembrance of joined hearts and life-long friends. It was the true source of the Keyblade Master’s power; the hearts of his friends.

"The Key Chains…" he murmured and his fist pounded the mirror again.

(Is a little later on…)

Kairi finally lost sight of Sora, the last shred of light disappearing in the darkness. For a few moments her breath came in wrenching sobs, but she forced herself to be calm and, with a broken smile, she gazed once more into the mirror.

"Please, come back soon, Sora…"

(Regardless of warnings the future doesn’t scare me at all…)

Sora would not let this happen; he would not lose the only connection to his friends he had. With all of the strength he held onto one of the points of light, doing his best to keep it with him, in him.

But it was almost like the Key Chain itself had other places to be. It was torn from his hand by an unseen force, but continued to fall parallel to him, some distance away.

Sora knew he had done his best and lost himself in the dark descent, trying to keep his silent tears from ripping his heart apart.

He didn’t know where he was going, but he would find a way back, no matter what.

(Nothing’s like before…)

******

Man, I’m drained. I put my whole heart into this chapter and now I feel all hollow inside. I tried my best, so if anyone has any ideas for improvements I’d love to hear them. Making this the best I can is my ultimate goal.

I know it’ll upset some to hear this, but you won’t get any more concerning Riku and Kairi until after about four more chapters. I’m sorry, but things just turned out that way.

What happens next chap is pretty predictable, so I won’t say anything. But we are getting closer to the real adventure. I’m aware some want to know what Anime worlds Sora will be going to; I can’t tell everything right now, but there will be seven in total, as well as characters from five more.

Jeez, I’m exhausted already.

[Nox_Magi]

Chapter VI: Saffron City

Sora awoke with a very familiar smell in his nostrils; the smell of dog. Slightly confused, he forced his eyes open. He was met with a wet, pink tongue, determined to wash his face and probably his hair, too. For a moment he just sat there, completely stunned, then shoved the mass of fur off him, sputtering.

"Hey! Cut it out!"

"Growlithe!"

Sora stared at the creature in front of him, more confused than before.

"What?"

It looked sort of like a dog, but not quite. It was stockier, its snout more blunt. Its fur was a dark flame orange with some scattered black stripes, though its muzzle, chest, and belly were coated with a thick puff of white. The brush on the top of its head and its fluffy tail were white too, and its large black eyes gazed happily into Sora’s. Sora, however, was more concerned with the fact that he thought the animal had just spoken.

"Uh, did you say something?" He asked, feeling foolish.

The dog creature tilted its head.

"Growlithe?"

Sora stood slowly, hoping not to upset it. "Yeah, whatever. I don’t suppose you know where I am, do you?"

It seemed to smile, its eyes squeezing shut with merriment.

"Growl!"

Sora laughed nervously and tried to edge around it. He got past, but it followed after him. Deciding that it wasn’t dangerous, just weird, Sora tried to ignore it and get a better look around him.

He’d never been in a big city, but he could recognize one when he saw it. The buildings where so tall, blocking out most of the night sky. Streetlights were spread along the sidewalks, illumining the dark streets with muted yellow glows. Trash was littered here and there, rustling about in the tiny breeze. There were a few shrubs and benches, but not many at all. Some posters and signs adorned the fronts of the buildings, but they were hard to see in the thin light.

Despite the apparent size of the city, there was no one around, which made Sora extremely suspicious. He’d learned that an empty, seemingly abandoned place often meant something dangerous was lurking about. He had the feeling that the Soulless were not too far away. And after what had just happened to him, coming to this place, he wasn’t about to let them catch him off guard.

He had to find away back to Kairi.

He felt them coming, the cold that just appeared out of nowhere, poisoning the breeze. The creature at his side crouched low, baring sharp teeth.

"Grrrrooooowwlll…."

Sora looked down at it.

"It’s not safe for you here…Growlithe."

It looked up at him, determined. Sora’s response smile was daring. Inwardly, he didn’t know if he could fight the Soulless alone, so he was glad of any help. He knew how hard it could be, fighting the darkness alone.

It was something he never wanted to do again.

The Soulless appeared suddenly, the way he thought they would, but seeing them still surprised him; they were different than the ones he’d seen before. They were slightly larger, the bodies more stocky. Their overall color was a dirty yellow, with what looked like heavy, metal bracers at their wrist and ankles, extremely rusted and cracking. They hunched over a bit, large, animal-like faces adorned with two dark red spots on each cheek and empty white eyes. Their ears were long and tipped with black, fangs poking out from their upper lips.

Lastly, on their chest, there was a kind of crest, two conjoined diamonds with blue, spiked bands crisscrossing through the center.

Unsure, Sora activated his Scan ability, the information appearing magically before his eyes.

"Soulless, ChuKahs. Uses thunder and physical attacks." Sora said aloud, glad for some kind of heads up. "Let’s see if we can handle these things, Growlithe."

There came an answering growl as the Kingdom Key appeared in his hand.

Sora spun forward, Vortex giving him precious speed. Silently sending up a prayer, he slashed with his Keyblade. He felt it connect and one ChuKah was thrown back, stunned. With renewed confidence, he unleashed a combo on another, four swipes hitting their mark before the Soulless burst into yellow/black smoke, the two daimonds drifting up and away.

"Force!"

A ball of darkness stopped three more in their tracks, giving Sora the chance to Dodge Roll closer, eliminating them with his Keyblade. Six more emerged from the darkness, only they held back, hunching over even more than before.

"Kkaaahhhhh…"

Their deep, guttural sounds set Sora on edge, so he Dodged just in time as several streaks of yellow lightning roared his way, scorching the spot where he had been. Sora jumped and used Superglide to come speeding down from above, a flurry of attacks and a final spell finishing them off.

"Deep Freeze!"

The ChuKahs dissolved into nothing, but behind him Sora heard another group releasing the same attack. His eyes widened.

"Oh no! Growlithe!"

Sora spun around, only to nearly fall over in surprise as Growlithe dodged the thunderbolts and release from his mouth a massive string of flame on the Soulless, leaving only smoking remains. The creature barked once, panted, and ran over to Sora, looking just as happy and carefree as before. Sora smiled sheepishly and bent over to scratch Growlithe behind the ears.

"You really are like a dog, aren’t you?"

"He’s a puppy-type Pokemon actually, as you should well know, young man."

Sora looked up at the source of that feminine, commanding voice. A woman in a blue uniform with dark turquoise hair and red amber eyes walked quickly towards him, her heels clicking on the cement. Several people in similar uniforms followed, though she seemed to be the one in charge.

Growlithe ran up to her and rubbed against her leg affectionately. She patted his head, then turned her attention to Sora. He almost flinched under her gaze, though he wasn’t sure why. There was just something about the woman, the knowledge that it would be better not to make her mad. She’d also seen him use the Keyblade and, occasionally, that didn’t make a good impression.

Sora smiled nervously, "Wh-What should I know, again?"

The woman scrutinized him carefully, her eyes traveling up and down the length of him and finally settling on his Keyblade.

"You’re not from this world, are you, young man?"

Sora gulped. "No, I’m not…How did you know?"

One slender eyebrow went up, "Do you mean besides the obvious? Well, Saffron City seems to be a gathering place for those who’ve lost their worlds to the Soulless. Are you such a person?"

Sora paused, wondering if it was best to tell the truth. The direct approach appeared to the way to go with this woman, so he took a deep breath and went for it.

"No. I’ve come here to stop the Soulless, if I can."

The woman looked genuinely surprised.

"How? Only high-level Pokemon like Growlithe here have been able to fight them off." She stopped and looked again at the Keyblade. Her eyes narrowed.

"Who are really, young man?"

He sagged slightly, the weight returning.

"My name is Sora," even he could hear the weariness in his voice. "I’m the Key Bearer. I can lock the door to this world and, hopefully, keep the Soulless out."

"Hopefully?"

"I’ll do the best I can," he replied, a tired smile on his face, "Though I’m not to sure what I’m doing this time."

The woman’s suspicious expression faded, hearing and seeing the scars of all the past battles. She walked up and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her and saw her true nature in the gentle smile the graced her features.

"I’m Officer Jenny. I apologize for not trusting you," she said, and began to lead him down the street, the other uniformed people dispersing, though not heading anywhere alone. "But these are hard times."

Sora was somehow glad that there was someone to give him direction and he felt free to ask questions.

"How long have the Soulless been here?"

Officer Jenny sighed, the strain showing on her face.

"It’s been about seven months since the first attacks. Nearly a fourth of the population was lost before we found a way to defend ourselves. Since then we’ve been losing people and Pokemon little by little, either through carelessness or increased aggression from the Soulless. This city would probably be abandoned by now, if not for the refugees."

Sora paused in his musings as to what exactly Pokemon where when he heard this. Something about it rang horribly familiar.

"Refugees?" Sora couldn’t help the sick feeling in his heart. He couldn’t already be this late, could he? "Do you mean people who’ve lost their worlds?"

"I’m afraid so," she replied, shaking her head. "They have no other place to go, so they settle here. Some have been living in the city so long they’ve set up businesses."

Sora closed his eyes. It was Traverse Town all over again. He could only hope there was something he could do. He knew he had to help these people, if he could. It was that sometimes annoying sense of duty, but he was long-used to it. He lived by it.

He refused to listen to the quiet voice deep down inside, telling him that he was only doing this to get it over with as quickly as possible and find a way back home.

The buildings around them were becoming more well-lighted and Sora spotted a few people here and there. He spun his Keyblade and it disappeared, hidden away until he needed it again. Officer Jenny gave him a look.

"What is that anyway?"

Sora was glad for the distraction that pulled him away from his dark inner thoughts.

"It’s the Keyblade. Even after all this time, I still don’t know how it works, but it’s capable of sealing the heart of a world and destroying creatures like the Soulless. The Keyblade chooses its master and there’s only one other that I know of ."

"Where is this one? It looks to me like you could use some help."

Sora looked at the ground, seeing again that small silhouette and hearing that voice, so accepting:

"Now, Sora, let’s close this door for good."

Like so many times before, the rest of that moment followed, the old pain reawakened. Riku’s voice echoed in his mind, that last time, so long ago and so clear.

"Come on! Together we can do it!"

Sora’s chest began to ache, the loss a knife in his heart.

"Don’t worry, there will always be a door to the light."

But where was it? Why couldn’t he find it?

"Take care of her."

I can’t!

"Sora, are you alright?"

Sora’s head jerked up, his heart returned to this time, this place. It was dangerous, remembering the past. He knew every time he did a fresh wound was struck in his heart. There was so much he wished he could undo, wished he could make better. He’d made so many mistakes.

But the past was the past. He had to focus on the present; this time, this problem. If he really tried, he could avoid all the errors he’d made the last time. At the very least, he had no friends here he could endanger. There was no one to be at risk because of him.

"I’m okay," he answered, not looking directly at Officer Jenny. "I’m just a little tired."

She smiled sympathetically.

"There really aren’t any hotel you can stay at, but there’s more space at the Pokemon Center now, with those boys helping out."

A strange feeling in his heart, Sora glanced at her.

"What boys?"

"Oh, you wouldn’t know about them, would you?" She said, smiling faintly. "They showed up a week ago. They’re worlds had been destroyed and, after they’d recovered, they stayed on to help at the Center."

"Recovered? From what?"

Officer Jenny’s expression was sad. "Their souls had almost been taken. I happened to be nearby when they were brought to the Center. You could see the light leaking out of their chests; it was beautiful, in a heartbreaking sort of way. Strange, too. All other souls I’d seen had been a kind of bluish green, but theirs…one was a stunning blue, the other brilliant gold. It was amazing."

The odd feeling increased and Sora was driven to ask more.

"But they’re alright now?"

"Yes. Through some special technique the souls were put back. Though they’re the only ones left from their worlds, they’ve managed to bounce back; they have even developed their own ways of fighting the Soulless, though they’re not very good yet."

Sora thought of Donald and Goofy, now so far away, and the accusation he’d once received from Riku, that he’d been replaced by the two of them. Where the tables being turned now? Was Sora ‘replacing’ Donald and Goofy with these two unknown boys?

It’s not like that. I just can’t do this alone.

Sora looked again to Officer Jenny, driven now but fighting off an inner sense of guilt.

"Do you think you could take me to see these two?"

She nodded, changing direction and heading for a well-lit, dome-shaped building. "Of course. They might be able to help you. From what I’ve learned, they’ve actually been in the void, the place where the Soulless come from, though I have now idea how they escaped."

Following after her, Sora looked up at the night sky, dotted with very few stars. Three years ago, he wouldn’t have now what that meant, but now he knew time was short. He had to help as many worlds as he could, but also learn more about this ‘void’, the place where it all began. He felt a terrible, distant cold thinking about it and a helplessness he didn’t understand.

He also felt a twinge of physical pain, he source of which he couldn’t identify.

Deciding to ignore it for now, Sora ran to catch up with Officer Jenny.

"What are these boy’s names, anyway?"

"I’m sure they’ll introduce themselves when you meet them, but they go by Ranma and Yami."

******

An unbelievable distance away, the pale thing felt the guilt, the loss, the hope, and the determination. The emotions bringing forth its own memories, the slow, never-ending cycle began again.

"Riku!"

******

Those last couple sentences were put in at the last moment and are meant to be confusing. I’ll have little tidbits like that throughout most of the fic. They have something to do with the story underneath this all and, eventually, the secret will be revealed.

Some of you may guess what is going on, but, if you do, please don’t put it in your reviews. If you really think you know and wish to gloat, e-mail me and don’t give it away.

This chapter was a filler basically; some plot development and some action, but nothing like the last chapter. Book I ends after chapter seven, so I’m purposely winding things down. Obviously, the next part up will have Sora meeting Yami and Ranma, though there is some interesting stuff.

See ya there!

[Legends-Kuja]

You're most impressive.

I read your story somewhere else, and I must say, your work takes more commending than I can offer.

As I mentioned earlier, I use the Soulless as good guys. Why don't you run along and see how they compare to the more Heartless like creatures you make?

[The Prophet]

Woo, cool! I can't wait to see the next couple chapters (ANIME CHARACTERS!). Pity there won't be any Riku for a while, though....

[Tha Legend]

Since I don't know the story of the previous game, I would like to applaud you on your superb characterization.
~Legend~

[Shadow Trainer Ash]

Originally posted by Legends-Kuja
This makes THREE KH fics...
Nox Magi: Court of Souls
Me: Darkness Hearts
you: KH II

Actually it makes FIVE. My KH stories Tooi Kono Machi De and Look to the Sky are on here as well

[Nox_Magi]

Dis: I claim no rights to anything copyrighted, except for any Soulless that appear in this fic. I made them up so I get to keep ‘em.



Chapter VII: Partners

The Pokemon Center was not quite what Sora expected it to be. Something like a hospital had bee his first guess and it was a bit like that, but more as well. Along with the check-in counter he saw rows of telephones (Cid had explained, or at least tried, to explain them to him once), benches and chairs that looked equally good for sitting or sleeping, and even a café area set off in one corner.

After just a few minutes inside, Sora saw that it was a place for healing in all things, not just the body.

Officer Jenny and himself had become the center of attention the moment they’d stepped in the door, the numerous young people and strange creatures at their sides looking at the pair closely. Looking between Growlithe and the other animals Sora decided they must be more of these Pokemon, though some were greatly different from the so-called ‘puppy-type’.

One looked incredibly like a rock with arms, immense beside a small girl in a pink raincoat. She leaned against its side, almost asleep, and its soft, deep rumblings of "Graveler" appeared to be meant to help her into slumber. A teenaged boy with long black hair and razor thin scars on his bare arms was soothing a small, brown creature that greatly resembled a teddy bear with a white crescent moon on its forhead. He held it in his arms, rocking back and forth slowly.

"Don’t worry Teddiursa, I won’t let them hurt you again."

Such pairs were scattered throughout the center; the in and out patients, or at least, that was Sora’s guess. Among them were what could only be described as numerous, pink eggs with dreadlocks and white nurses’ aprons and hats. Their small, smiling faces greeted every patient, whether they be human or otherwise. Their soft, sweet calls of ‘Chansey!’ echoed around the room.

One approached them, its vocalization changing into a question.

"Chan—sey?"

Officer Jenny smiled, "I need to speak with Nurse Joy. Can you please tell her?"

The Chansey (or so Sora thought of it) nodded and waddled off. It returned a few moments later with another nurse in tow, a human woman this time. She appeared to be about the same age as Officer Jenny, but she wore white instead of blue and had bright pink hair. She was smiling was she walked over, but it became a little sad when she saw Sora.

Inwardly, he cringed. Just how much had these people been through? How many had already come to this world?

"Well, you’re in luck young man," she said before introductions could be made, "We still have some space; that is, if you’re willing to work a bit."

Officer Jenny held up a hand. "Oh, this one’s not like the others, Joy. His world was not destroyed; actually, he came here of his own free will."

Sora cringed again, but decided not to speak up. He didn’t like to think about how much he didn’t want to be here.

Nurse Joy looked at him with some surprise. "Is that true? Why?"

Sora gave her is trademark smile, knowing that it would help. It always did.

"Well, it’s what I do, what I was chosen to do. I’ll help you, if I can, but Officer Jenny tells me there are some people here you can give me some help."

Nurse Joy gave him a look. "You want to help but can’t right now?"

Sora scratched his head nervously. "Uh…it’s just, I need as much information as I can get and…and I can’t fight alone."

Nurse Joy must have seen the same thing in his face Officer Jenny had and she withdrew her protests. Sora supposed she was willing to accept any assistance at this point, after what looked like a long, hard road.

"No, no one can," she said, "I’ll take you to see the boys. Their dealing with some emergencies right now, but they should be finished soon. What is your name, by the way?"

"I’m Sora," he replied and followed her through a large set of double doors and a long, wide hallway. Everything was polished and clean and through several other doors Sora was able to catch glimpses of more people and Pokemon. Their destination, however, was in the very back; the emergency rear entrance, as he was told by Nurse Joy.

They approached another set of double doors, but, before they could enter a loud, deep-voiced shout was heard:

"Ranma! You’ve got to hold him or Cleffa won’t be able to get close enough!"

The response was slightly annoyed.

"I told you, I’ve got it under control!"

There came a sudden clatter and a boy about a year older than Sora came flying through the double doors, crashing into an extremely offended Chansey. The boy received several slaps as a result and hastily scrambled clear of the enraged egg Pokemon. He hid behind Nurse Joy until it stomped off, then leaned against the wall, panting.

The boy, who Sora guessed to be Ranma, was dressed in a white orderly’s uniform, his thick black hair held back in a pigtail. He breathed deeply twice, brushed off his muscular arms, and ran back through the doors, his blue-gray eyes narrowed:

"That was a lucky shot! He won’t do it again!"

Their group followed him, emerging into a prep-room, where Ranma was facing a large, bug-like Pokemon, all green with insect wings and wicked-looking scythes for hands. Despite the apparent danger he jumped at the creature, ducking under its first swipe and blocking the flat side of the second. He maneuvered around behind it, dancing just out of its reach, and pinned it from behind. He pulled back, lifting its blades harmlessly into the air.

"Okay Yami! Now’s your chance!"

Another boy ran towards the struggling pair. He looked near the same age as Ranma, but there was something about him that told Sora he was older. He had the strangest hair, golden bangs shaped like lightening framing his face, while the main part that spiked upwards was black tipped with shades of magenta. He was a bit short, but the way in which he carried himself more than made up for it.

The fierceness of his red/violet eyes also might have had something to do with his imposing image.

Contradicting this, however, was the tiny, pink creature he held in his hands. It was star-shaped, with small legs and arms and a little curl on its head. Yami was speaking softly to it was he carried it to the struggling insect Pokemon.

"It is alright, Cleffa. Scyther does not mean to hurt you; he is the one in great pain and needs you to help him."

The little Pokemon looked up at him trustingly and nodded. Moving carefully, Yami held Cleffa up to the Scyther’s chest, where a bluegreen light had been pulsing all the while.

A soul, Sora realized and watched, fascinated and more than a little hopeful, as the creature placed its paws (hands?) on the distressed light. Cleffa smiled and a soft laugh drifted through the room, the sound of innocence. The light ceased its flickering and was absorbed back into the Pokemon’s chest. All at once, Scyther sagged, utterly exhausted but finally able to rest, his pain gone.

A girl with extensive chestnut hair and tear-filled eyes ran to the Pokemon, gratefully taking it from Ranma. She held it with tender care and listened closely to what Yami was telling her.

"Your Pokemon is strong, but he’s not quite up to the point where he can fight the Soulless successfully. Am I correct in assuming you won’t attempt this stunt again?"

The girl nodded vigorously, too relieved for words. She was led off by a couple of Chanseys, and the pair turned to Nurse Joy.

"I think that’s it for the night," Ranma said, then spotted Sora. "Who’s he?"

Officer Jenny spoke up, "This is Sora. He needs to ask you a few questions."

Yami shook his head, "With all due respect, we do not need any more of the curious taking up our time. If you really wish to know, talk to one of the dozens of others that have already wasted precious hours."

Sora, who, after dealing with hearts so long, could tell more about a person than they let on, was able to see beyond what the older boy was saying. What he saw in Yami was strangely familiar; a somewhat churlish attitude and easily exasperated mindset that did not tolerate the foolish. Although, it was restrained by manners and a kind of superior detachment.

He reminded Sora of Donald.

A rather goofy smile on his face, Sora walked up to the older teen, hand outstretched.

"It’s more than information I need. I’ve come to ask for your help."

******

In the end, they asked Sora to tell them everything, to explain this ‘Keyblade’, its purpose, and what it, and him, had to do with the Soulless.

He’d told them; or as much as he could anyway. He told them about the Heartless, about the hearts of worlds, and just a little about Kingdom Hearts. Though he was willing to do much to gain their trust, he didn’t want them to know what it’d come down to in the end. He didn’t want them to know about the sacrifices, the separation, the guilt.

He needed their help, not their contempt.

"We managed to defeat Ansem and have been hunting down rouge Heartless ever since," Sora was finishing. "Or we where, until the Soulless showed up. We managed to locate a doorway, but…my friends weren’t able to go through. Only I was, and probably because of the Keyblade."

Yami and Ranma sat in a couch opposite of him, in their sectioned-off area of the lobby, were they presumably slept. Both where in deep thought, though Yami’s looked considerably deeper than Ranma’s.

"So you say you’ll be able to keep a world safe from the Soulless by sealing these Key Holes?" Yami asked, those intense eyes centered on him.

"Yes…or, at least, I’m pretty sure," Sora stammered, slightly put off by Yami’s voice, which was far deeper and richer than seemed possible. "I know it sounds iffy, but, right now, it’s all I have to go on. I’ll try my best, but I’ve learned, with this kind of thing, you can’t go it alone."

"Oh, we know that," Ranma stated with a rueful smile that hid something deeper, "I don’t blame you for asking for help, but…I really don’t know how much we can give you."

Yami looked at the floor, the shadow of remembered pain darkening his expression. "We tried to protect our worlds, but nothing we did worked. Even now, it’s a struggle just to protect this Center."

Sora frowned.

"There’ve been attacks?"

"Yes," Ranma answered angrily, "Almost every night. They always come after a busy day, as if they knew we were tired."

Yami glanced sideways at Ranma.

"Are you actually admitting that you get tired, Mr. Anything Goes Martial Arts?"

Ranma made a face at him, but was cut off from responding when a crash resounded from the front door. The trio jumped out of their seats and ran around the divide. They were met with a vision of destruction; the large, glass doors had been shattered, a particularly large group of ChuKahs pouring through the break. They made a beeline for the patients and the people and Pokemon pulled back in fear.

Sora made to pull out his Keyblade, but Yami ran past him, the inverted pyramid he wore around his neck glowing brightly. He pulled some kind of playing card out of his uniform and held it high in the air.

"Silver Fang!"

The card blazed silver, flickering like a flame, and from it appeared a large, moon-white wolf, which, with surprising speed, charged in and out of the cluster Soulless. It didn’t destroy them, but many staggered, giving Ranma the chance to follow up with a flurry of punches and kicks, his arms and legs glowing a strange flame red. It took about four hits for him to destroy one, but he went on without pause, though it was obvious that the attacks drained him.

And more were pouring through the door.

Deciding it was time for him to step in, Sora called the Keyblade into his hand and the Kingdom Key appeared with a flash of white and gold light, surprising the bystanders. Using Vortex to its greatest advantage, he struck three in a row, aiming for a group already weakened by Yami’s Silver Fang. The ChuKahs burst into nothing, but Sora had to Dodge Roll under the lightening attacks of several others.

Seeing another way to take advantage of the clustered Soulless, Sora put his weight into his perfectly horizontal Keyblade, building up his power.

"Sonic Blade!"

Sora became a golden and red blur, moving almost too fast to see and leaving nothing in his wake. He dashed back and forth until he reached the final strike, vibrant blue and stunning white mixing with the energy already radiating from his Keyblade.

"Blast!"

The last lunge really was like a sonic blast, some benches being blown aside in his passing. He skidded to a halt, debris flying past him as he stopped. All was silent behind him and a satisfied smile spread across his face. Maybe he’d be able to do this after all.

Sora thought he’d gotten all of them, so he was caught completely off guard when four more ChuKahs rammed into his back. He hit the floor hard, hissing in pain as some glass shards were embedded in his side. Despite the pain, he rolled to avoid their next attack, but, as he rose quickly to his feet, he saw that it was a wasted effort as Yami and Ranma came up behind the Soulless.

Yami held up another card and this time the flash was green as he yelled:

"Celtic Guardian!"

What could best be described as an elf in green armor, carrying a broadsword, emerged from the card and charged the Soulless with is weapon. Ranma followed, still glowing and spun, arms out and blazing like fire.

The four Soulless were done with quickly, leaving Sora to stare in complete and welcome shock. These two were good, combining physical attacks with what looked like summoning magic. Sora could tell they hadn’t been fighting like this long, but still, it was better than nothing and better than he expected.

It looked like there was hope after all.

******

Once things had been put more or less back into order, Sora returned with Ranma and Yami to their sleeping area. He’d had his side bandaged by a displeased but relieved Nurse Joy, and they’d had to help clean up the mess. Nothing could be done for the door until morning, but, luckily enough, the Pokemon Center hand metal panels that came down over all exits after a certain time.

Sora remembered some of the other people talking about a curfew, whatever that was.

Laying down on the bench that had been converted to a bed for his use, Sora smiled at Yami and Ranma.

"Thanks again for deciding to help me," he said, genuinely appreciative. "There’s still some stuff we have to do before we can get started, though."

Ranma glanced at him, "What do you mean ‘get started’?"

Sora shrugged his shoulders apologetically, "If my hunch is right, there are worlds that are in more trouble than this one. We may need to help them first."

"He’s right," Yami said, "This whole affair is big enough to encompass more than one world. I suspect there is still a great deal we need to discover before we can face the true strength of the Soulless."

"Aw, man," Ranma breathed, falling back on his bed, "I’ve got a feeling that this is going to take a long, long time."

"But I think we can do it," Sora replied, his eyes distant but his thoughts finally in the now. "I mean, we’re partners now, right?"

Yami looked at Ranma and Ranma looked at Yami. Both smiled, daring expressions that accepted the challenge, as well as the friendship Sora secretly offered them. And they both knew the way back to their loved ones lay in this boy and his key.

But even more than that, they trusted him and his knowing smile.

"Yeah, partners."

End Book I

******

Oh yeah! The first book is now completed! Unfortunately for me, it was the shortest one of the lot. Book III is longer and Book II (which is starting next chapter) is the longest of all. If you want to know, its planned number of chapters is at the thirty-five mark.

It’s going to be a long, long ride.

But it will be a good one, filled with many Anime worlds, hopefully varied battles and boss fights, and the little tidbits I mentioned last chapter, which will reveal that secret threat spoken of in the summary. And, like I’ve said before, if you guess what it is, don’t let anybody else know; it’s supposed to be a surprise!

I hope you like what’s coming, because I know I will.

Live Long and Prosper! ^_^

[The Prophet]

Cool! ^_^ But it's going to get rather akward the first time the group ends up near cold water.... XD

More Anime characters? Are there gonna be a few Manga-only worlds too? I wanna see Dragon Knights....

[Nox_Magi]

Book II: On the Long Road

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

~ Chinese Proverb

Chapter I: Out on the Town

Looking back at the repaired Pokemon center, Yami couldn’t help but smile. Nurse Joy had been glad they were going to stop the Soulless, but, as soon as she learned they were leaving, she had kindly asked them to pack up their things. She was a wonderful, giving woman, but she knew her priorities.

"She knows we’ll do well," he said, hefting a battered-looking backpack onto his shoulder, "Now she has more space for more patients and more workers. She’s a true healer."

Ranma nodded in agreement. "Yeah. It was kinda nice though, staying there."

"Well, we might have to again," Sora said as the three of them walked into a large, sunlight park in the middle of the city, "I mean, I think we may have to come back to this world to rest and restock our supplies. We’ll need somewhere to sleep when we do."

Ranma scratched the back of his head, "I don’t wanna take up space if we’re not going to help. There has to be some other place where we can go."

"I may have a solution." Yami said, and pointed to a squat, wooden building at the far end of the park. It looked pretty new and the style was what Ranma recognized as Chinese. "I heard from some of the patients that that hotel was built by one of the other survivors a little while before we came here. If the price is reasonable, we may be able to stay there."

So, lifting their few belongings, they went over to the building, Sora spotting the small sign.

"Uh, do you guys have any idea what that says?"

They looked where he was pointing. Yami didn’t answer, as he couldn’t read it, but Ranma smiled sheepishly.

"It’s in Chinese. I can read a little of that language…uh, it looks like it says ‘Ishikawa Inn’."

Standing now at the foot of the stairs to the front door, they trio shrugged their shoulders and started up. Sora didn’t know what to do; knock or just open the sliding door. Yami didn’t either and Ranma looked as though he was trying to remember. Luckily for them they didn’t have to, as a young, well-endowed woman in a striped tee-shirt and extremely short shorts started out the door.

She stopped, mid-stride, staring at them. Then, almost happily, she looked over her shoulder and yelled:

"Hey, Goemon! You finally have some customers!"

She opened the door wider for them and motioned inside.

"Please, come inside. I’m your hostess, Fujiko Mine."

The three of them, kind of caught off guard by this beautiful woman (who Ranma was pretty sure wasn’t wearing a bra), stumbled into the shadowed interior, lit only by candles. Inside it was like a piece out of history; Fujiko asked them to remove their shoes, so as not to damage the mats spread on the floor and they did so, staring at the gorgeous, highly styled paintings that adorned the cream-colored walls.

Fujiko led them to a small meeting room with a low, polished table that had several soft-looking cushions around it. Sitting at the head of the table was a young man with long black hair, wearing a kendo training gi, or so it looked to Ranma. Fujiko smiled sweetly at them one more time, winked at the man and swept out, taking the smell of expensive perfume with her.

"I am Goemon Ishikawa. Would you like some green tea before we discuss how long you’ll be staying here?"

"Uh, no thanks," Sora said, clearing his throat. Goemon nodded and motioned them to sit. Yami and Sora started to, but Ranma nudged them and whispered:

"Sit on you knees."

Sora glanced at Yami and shrugged. They sat one their knees, Ranma and Yami each on one side of the table while Sora faced Goemon from the other end. Sora cleared his throat again.

"We don’t plan to stay here right now, but we want to know how much you charge so we can later."

Goemon lifted an eyebrow.

"Why is this?"

The three of them glanced at each other, not too sure if they should go around telling people what they were doing. After a moment Sora sighed and decided that, if they were going to keep coming back here, they needed to explain why.

"Look Mr. Ishikawa, it’s like this: we plan to travel to different worlds to stop the Soulless and we made need to come back here to rest. I think it would be good if we started an account or something, so even if we run out of money, we’ll still have a place to sleep. So, can you help us?"

Goemon looked, if anything, stunned. Sora flinched, but held firm. After a moment the man seemed to gather himself and he stared intensely at the boys.

"You say you can stop the dark creatures?"

"We’ll try, anyways."

Goemon’s head lowered in thought. He was about to speak when Fujiko and another man, this one in a dark suit with a spiky black beard framing his face, burst into the room.

"We have to help them!" Fujiko said, a very different look on her face. It was almost like…desperation. The man with her, though far less vehement, nodded in agreement.

Sora glanced between the three of them, confused. Goemon saw this.

"I suppose we must explain. Out world was destroyed, but Fujiko, myself, and this gentleman, Daisuke Jigen, managed to escape."

"But there used to be four of us," Fujiko said and the trio could see the pain in her eyes, "Lupin…he didn’t make it."

The other man, Jigen, looked solemn, "Lupin III he was called and there was no better thief than him. But I guess being a thief won’t protect a person from the Soulless."

"We didn’t see him taken," Goemon continued, sounding pretty subdued himself. "But we know he didn’t make it off our world."

"So, if we let you stay here for free, will you look for him?" Fujiko entreated, her hands clasped together, "If you found him, could you bring him back to us?"

Sora, seeing loss he never wanted to see again, nodded with full sincerity.

"Yes. We’ll do what we can. Right, guys?"

Yami and Ranma nodded and Fujiko smiled.

"…Lupin used to always flirt with me; I just couldn’t get the guy to leave me alone. But I didn’t mind, not really. We all miss him."

"We understand how you feel," Yami said gravely, but with a small smile, "And believe me, we will repay your kindness."

Sora was happy they were already helping who they could, but he couldn’t help feeling that if they did find this Lupin, they wouldn’t like what the saw.

******

"Well, I guess that takes care of that," Ranma said as they exited the inn, "I guess we can start going to other worlds now. You ready to take us, Sora?"

Sora walked into a tree, sputtering as a fistful of leaves smacked him in the face.

"Wha—what did you say?!!"

The other two stopped walking and looked at him strangely. Ranma helped him to his feet.

"You do know how to travel to different worlds, right?"

Sora gulped, "Well, uh, I can open the doors to worlds, but getting there…I really have no idea."

There was a moment of stillness, then Ranma freaked out. He grabbed Sora by the collar and started shaking him back and forth.

"What do you mean ‘you have no idea’?!! How do you expect us to help you save worlds if we can’t even get to them!!!"

A massive sweat drop formed on Sora’s head and he had no idea what to say. Yami, on the other hand, thought for a moment. After coming to some sort of inner decision, he placed a calming hand on Ranma’s shoulder. He let go of Sora, who laughed nervously and edged around to hide behind Yami.

"I don’t think we need to worry," the spirit said and motioned for them to follow him. "I heard rumors of a survivor who made it off his world piloting a device of his own making. It may not be true, but it is worth checking out."

Ranma thought this over for a moment. He shrugged his shoulders.

"Alright then, let’s do it."

Yami glanced over his shoulder at Sora.

"Do you agree?"

Sora nodded, "Yeah, sounds good. Um, tell me…is Ranma always violent?"

Yami paused, as if he didn’t understand the question, then smiled.

"Oh, don’t worry. Although I haven’t been around Ranma long, I’ve learned that Ranma can only show he’s concerned about someone through…hmm, shall we say tough love? It is beyond me as to why, but you should get used to it."

Even though he didn’t quite get what Yami had said, but he guessed he should except it. He and Ranma followed after Yami, heading for what could best be described as the business district of Saffron City. Despite the threat from the Soulless, numerous shops and stores were open. Judging from the many differences of styles and products offered, Sora was able to confirm that what Officer Jenny had said was true. Almost all the people operating here were from other worlds.

"It’s the last one on the street," Yami was saying and pointed to a large, warehouse-like building.

They went up to the huge, garage doors, but had no idea whatsoever has to how to open them. Looking around Sora spotted a small, person-sized door off to the right.

"Hey, let’s try that one."

So they did, finding it to be unlocked. Not sure if it was entirely legal, they slipped inside. The interior was a cross between murky darkness and muted sunlight, large, ominous shapes highlighted by the illumination passing through the dirty windows. The business may have been new, but the building was obviously old, wooden and metal beams creaking with age above and around them. Dust drifted everywhere and, as they walked inside, Ranma sneezed loudly.

Quite loudly, actually, and the sound of it echoed around the room.

Yami glanced sideways at Ranma and Sora sighed.

"I suppose whoever owns this place will know we’re here."

"You got that right, kid. Now tell me, who are the lot of ya?"

Someone walked into a beam of sunlight, an extremely large wrench in hand. It was a young man, maybe twenty-five, with wild, dark blonde hair and sea green eyes. He wore dirty jade green overalls and a sleeveless blue tank shirt. His black and blue gloves were stained with oil and who knows what else; also, a deep red bandanna was tied over the back of his hair.

"Err, well," Sora shifted nervously from foot to foot. "I’m Sora, this is Yami, and he’s Ranma. We…we heard you had a way of traveling to other worlds."

The young man looked at them suspiciously, "Yeah, I do, but this is one of the most peaceful worlds in all the ones I’ve seen. Why do ya wanna leave?"

Here we go again, Sora thought and, sounding slightly exasperated, said, "We want to stop the Soulless. The only problem is we don’t have a way of getting to the worlds in trouble. Can you help us?"

When the young man looked more closely at them; it was as if he was searching for something. He apparently found it, because he smiled.

"Yeah, I’ll help ya kid."

The trio smiled in response. Sora, glancing hopefully around them, asked, "So, how are we supposed to get to other worlds, Mr.…uh…"

"Call me Bit. Bit Cloud. And the way you’re gonna get there is by piloting a Zoid."

"A what?"

Bit motioned for them to follow and he flipped a switch on one of the walls. The huge space was instantly illuminated by the overhead lights, making it possible to see clearly what had only been looming shadows before. In neat, orderly rows were what Sora could only describe as giant robots of all shapes and sizes. Two were blue, but vastly different in style; one resembled a wolf, while the other was like some kind of bird with wide, net-like wings. A couple dinosaur-shaped ones were clustered in a corner, while next to them was a particularly large one that looked remarkably like a bull. Some looked like different kinds of big cats, but the one that really caught Sora’s eye was a white, almost feral seeming one off by itself in the back.

Sora didn’t know why, but he sensed a kind of pain drifting around that one; pain and a weariness that he couldn’t understand. Bit followed the direction of his gaze and smiled sadly.

"That’s Liger Zero. We…we escaped our world together; he was the Zoid I piloted through the tunnels. We made it, but the trip…it did something to Liger. I’ve done my best to repair him, but…he won’t wake up."

Sora looked over at him, his voice kind and quiet, "But you’ll keep trying, right?"

Bit glanced over at him, surprised, then smiled again, this time with much more hope and a little arrogance.

"Of course."

Yami, pleased by the progress Sora was making, spoke up, "Excuse me, but what are these ‘tunnels’ you speak of?"

"Oh, you wouldn’t know, would you?" Bit rubbed his chin in thought, unknowingly creating a smudge of grease. Ranma snickered until Yami kicked him in the shin.

"The tunnels are just what they sound like; long pathways between worlds. You can see space if you look outside the walls, but the tunnels aren’t really in space."

They all stared at him.

"Where are they then?"

Bit smiled ruefully, "It’s kinda hard to explain, but the tunnels are almost a world in themselves; a world stretched almost too thin and extending in all directions. It’s in a dimension off by itself. The only way I can put a name to it is by calling it the Space Between."

Sora’s heart stilled, remembering; jumping out into pure nothingness, the black mirror a doorway to worlds. It was means of travel, if one knew how to utilize it.

"Bit, the entrances and exits to the tunnels, are they like mirrors?"

Surprised, Bit turned to face him.

"Yes, they are. How did you know?"

"I had to come through one to get here, right? But that mirror was being used by the Soulless. How are we supposed to find one?"

Bit’s challenging smile returned. "I’ve been working on that one for a while now and I just recently came up with a solution. I was able to create a special kind of drive using blueprints from a certain Zoid part called a Black Box. I won’t explain that right now, it takes too long, but the important thing is that a Zoid that has the drive installed can open the doorways to the tunnels."

Ranma smiled brightly, finally seeing some progress, "Hey, that’s great!"

"But that’s not all," Bit continued, assuming what Sora and Yami guessed to be his natural manner: cheerfulness. "The drive is also equipped to scan the star systems outside of the tunnels and plot new courses. It takes a while for the computer to work it out, but I’m still sure it’ll be a big help to you."

Sora looked around eagerly at the many Zoids, "So we can pick any one of these?"

Bit laughed, "Well, not really. You see, I’ve only installed the drive in one Zoid; that Command Wolf over there."

He pointed to the blue Zoid they’d noticed earlier, "It actually takes a couple of weeks to put in the specialized drive. I chose the Command Wolf because…because a friend of my used to pilot a Zoid like that. It has a good balance between offense and speed, so you should be able to handle any enemies that come your way."

Ignoring the nervous looks from Yami and Ranma, Sora smiled and shook Bit’s dirty hand, "Thanks a lot Bit. We still have some supplies we need to pick up in this district, but we should be ready to leave by tomorrow morning. Can the Command Wolf be ready by then?"

"Sure," Bit replied as he walked them to the door, "Be back first thing in the morning and everything should be good to go."

"Thanks again," Sora said and they all waved while the door shut behind them.

Bit smiled, somehow tired and happy at the same time. He looked back over his shoulder at the sleeping Liger.

"You know, Liger? Those three might just be able to do it. I hope so, anyway; because, if what we saw comes here, there’s no chance. No chance at all."

******

[The Prophet]

LUPIN! NOOOOO! Oh, wait... wrong Lupin ^^;; And apparently anime trademarks such as sweatdrops are going to be used from now on, eh? (not complaining, of course)

Anyway, keep up the good work! ^_^

[Nox_Magi]

Chapter II: Finishing Up

Sora, Ranma, and Yami exited Bit’s shop to the advancing afternoon, even more hopeful than before. It looked like they were actually going to start this crazy adventure and really accomplish something, but Ranma and Yami weren’t sure about something. What other supplies did they need? They’d gotten medical supplies from Nurse Joy (though Sora had moaned quietly about something; had sounded like ‘I’d kill for Hi Potions’ or some such nonsense), food had been donated by Officer Joy and her co-workers, and Goemon had given them some thin, easily transported sleeping bags.

What more could they want?

Sora looked over at them, seeing their confusion. He shook his head in a kind of long-suffering way. They might not have been aware of it, but they currently looked like they’d been getting clothes from the garbage. Everything was worn and didn’t fit them quite right and Sora was pretty sure Ranma hadn’t brushed his hair since he’d arrived in this world.

No one could really tell if Yami’s look was intentional or not.

"Uh, I want to see if I can find anything like a magic shop."

Ranma laughed out loud, "Magic? Like they’d have magic—"

Yami gave him a dirty look and he quickly shut up. Sora couldn’t keep the grin off his face and, together, they continued walking down the street. They looked from the left to the right, trying to spot anything that looked even slightly mystical. Didn’t have very much luck at first, but they kept at it.

In the end, it was Yami who sensed the magic, hidden with a shabby, inset shop at the shadowed end of the street. It was curiously easy to miss, rising Yami’s suspicion; he got the feeling that the shop was being purposely hidden.

Sora glanced sideways at him, having the same feeling. They nodded to each other and headed for the oddly rounded front of the shop, a confused Ranma following in their wake. An almost delicate chime sounded as they swung the heavy wooden door open. They took a few steps inside and the door swung silently shut behind them, leaving them in the eerily quiet interior.

It didn’t look like a magic shop, that was for sure. More like a junk shop, actually, with piles of assorted, odd-shaped objects piled on shelves and hanging from the walls. The style of the items ranged from ancient-looking shields and swords to futuristic pistols and what Sora was sure was a jetpack (Cid had explained those, too). There were even articles of clothing on the back wall and hanging from a rack in the rear.

"Well, that solves one of our problems, but I can’t see the source of the magic," Sora commented, poking at what appeared to be a stuffed owl. "Do you think anyone’s here?"

"Damnit, Gilium! It’s never gonna work if you keep fidgeting while I install it!"

The trio shot each other glances, then looked at a curtain they’d almost missed, hidden behind the clothes in the back. It was from behind the thick, maroon cloth that that young, enraged voice emerged, followed by another that Sora was sure wasn’t human.

"But Jim, I’m not sure I was designed for this kind of modification."

The response sounded annoyed.

"You and I both know that doesn’t matter anymore! So just sit still and let me finish."

The curious group slid behind the curtain, beholding yet another strange sight. A boy of about thirteen years of age with dirty blonde hair that framed his face like a haystack was attempting to tinker inside what appeared to be a pink soda can with tiny metal arms. The soda can vibrated, as if trying to escape, but the boy finished whatever he was doing, releasing the can so that it hovered a few inches above the worktable, a miniature set of helicopter blades keeping it in the air.

The boy smiled, his dark eyes bright with success, "See, I told you Gilium! Now you can get around even without the hookup to the Outlaw Star."

The soda can, Gilium apparently, flew around the room, no longer protesting.

"Well, I must say Jim, you proved me wrong. This is actually quite efficient. But haven’t you noticed the three young men standing right over there."

"Huh, what?" Jim, lifting an eyebrow in confusion, turned to look in their direction, surprise blossoming on his face. That beached fish look quickly changed to one of enthusiasm, Jim closing his eyes with mirth and rubbing his hands together.

"You wouldn’t be customers, would you? I haven’t had any customers since I started rooming with that weirdo. Not sure why, but I’m ready to serve. So, see anything out there you like? Hawking Industries is willing to find you anything, at any time."

Somewhat stunned, Sora stammered out his answer, "Err, my friends could use some new clothes and maybe a few weapons."

"Real warriors don’t use weapons," Ranma muttered under his breath and, inwardly, Sora smiled.

If Yami was sort of like Donald, then Ranma was kind of like Goofy; although, he had a great deal more hand-eye coordination.

"Okay!" and Jim led them out into the store, a huge smile on his face, Yami and Ranma in tow.

Sora was glad, but he had two other things on his mind at the moment; one, he was sure Jim was hiding something. When they’d come in he’d mentioned the Outlaw Star, whatever that was. Also, Sora could still sense magic somewhere in here; suppressed, but present and…watching.

While Jim wrestled with his companions and their frequent statements that they didn’t need anything, Sora concentrated on the distant power and the hard to shake feeling that they were wasting time.

******

In the end, it sure didn’t look like stopping at Hawking Industries had been a bad idea. As a matter of fact, Sora thought it’d been a stroke of luck that they’d found this place. Yami and Ranma couldn’t have looked better.

Leather seemed to be the material of the day for Yami. A tight bodysuit of dark blue encased his legs and torso, leaving his slender, muscular arms bare. Black, metal-studded belts crisscrossed over his chest and met at a large, golden ring at the center of his collar bone. One long strap went down to the ring on his belt, with another band going around at the base of his ribs; small sleeves hung from the belt, which Yami had already filled with many of the same kind of cards Sora had seen last night. Two belts were tight around each bicep, while heavy golden bracelets hung at his wrists.

A black leather cape with a blood red lining drifted easily from his shoulders, reaching a short ways past his waist. The collar was high, studded with dark metal. His boots, which melded flawlessly with his pants, had steel toes and heels, the soles gold. Yami, apparently pleased with the rest of the outfit, was fingering one of his ear lobes gingerly, where three small, gold and silver hoops now hung. The golden pyramid around his neck, though, remained unchaged.

"Aw, Yami, it doesn’t look that bad," Ranma said, seemingly unaffected by all the business, now that it was over. "But Jim, why did you have Gilium do that?"

Jim smiled, handing Ranma some gloves with spiked knuckles. "You guys strike me as the kind that can look really cool if you try for it. Yami has almost topped the scales; if only we could do something about that hair…"

Yami shot him a glare that could whither flowers, so Jim laughed nervously and sidled around to hide behind Sora.

The Keyblade Master thought that the boy had done a good job, with both Yami and Ranma. Although, Ranma’s style was considerably different. His clothes were loose, the make Chinese (not that Sora himself could recognize it); the large shirt with the tabs running off to the side and the long sleeves was a vibrant red, the long black pants tied just above his slim, dark shoes. The black, finger-less gloves Jim had given him went well with the ensemble, though Sora was pretty sure they didn’t usually go together.

A black chain hung around his neck, at the end of which was a silver, ornate symbol. If Sora had been able to read Japanese, he would have known it meant Soul. Lastly (and Sora wasn’t quite sure how they’d managed this) Ranma’s braid was now razor thin, traveling down almost to his knees. Ranma caught Sora staring at it.

"I’ll explain later, okay?"

"Sure, whatever," Sora replied and looked around the store one last time. "I guess that’s all we need, but it would have been nice if we could’ve found the source of that magic."

Pausing in his counting of their payment, Jim glanced at him, "Did you say magic?"

"Yes. We sensed some when we passed this place, but you’re obviously not a magician."

Jim jerked his thumb towards the wall on the right, where there was a metal, spiral staircase going up into the second floor. The trio stared, knowing that that hadn’t been there before.

"If you want magic, you need to talk to Clef. We share the rent to this place, but, I tell ya, the guy freaks me out. Doesn’t look much older than I do, but he’s got the weirdest stuff. Not only that, but ever since he moved in here it’s like the customers don’t spot the shop. You guys didn’t even look at the staircase when you came in."

Sora gulped and Ranma bent over a bit, trying to look up through the hole in the ceiling.

"Is he a magician?"

Jim shook his head, looking incredulous, "Nah. He tells me he’s some kind of ‘Master Mage’, but I don’t know if that’s true. I mean, he lost his world and everyone on it; if he was a master mage, shouldn’t he have been able to save at least a few people other than himself?"

Ranma and Yami started to go up the stairs, but Sora paused, gazing questioningly at Jim.

"But what about your world. Weren’t you the only survivor?"

Jim, whose back had been turned, jerked as if struck. He didn’t face them, but his answer was quiet, grieving. Sora regretted asking the question.

"I was one of the people saved. Heh, it’s funny; someone was always saving me, but I’d pay them back, somehow. This time, though…I cost them everything; Gene, Melfina, everyone, all gone. And it’s all my fault."

Sora closed his eyes, trying not to see yet another example of the damage the Soulless were doing. How long had this been going on? How much time had he wasted?

And why hadn’t he known?

"Don’t worry Jim. If we defeat the Soulless, all the worlds should return to normal. You’ll be able to go home and all your friends souls will be returned."

Jim, eyes wide with shock at that confident, softly spoken statement, spun to face the trio, but they were already gone; ascended to the second floor to confront this Master Mage Clef.

******

If it was at all possible, this room was a stark contrast to the shop downstairs. Not only that, but the marble flooring and numerous white columns could not have been supported by the old, wood and stone walls of downstairs. Sora was sure he saw a balcony with a slim, silver table and a couple of chairs extending from the window that had looked (from outside anyway) only a few feet wide. There were many bookshelves lining the smooth, gleaming walls and a long table set up with dozens of odd-looking instruments.

Set off to one side was a bed and chest of drawers, but what really caught their attention was the short, violet-haired young man walking in their direction. He did indeed look the same age as Jim, but was vastly different in appearance, his fathomless blue eyes missing nothing. He carried a knarled, iridescent staff topped by a glistening sapphire stone. The white, voluminous robes he wore rustled softly as he walked and a large, intricate pendant swung back and forth on his chest.

He stopped only a few feet away from them, those amazing eyes scrutinizing them carefully. After a few moments he smiled and motioned for them to come further into the room.

"I suspected something of this nature would occur eventually. One of you holds the Key, I suppose?"

Surprised, Sora stumbled and looked closely at the diminutive boy.

"I do, but…how did you know that?"

Clef, as they now knew him to be, sat on a silver, cushioned chair, leaning his staff against one of the legs. Since there were no more chairs other than the ones on the balcony, Sora and his friends were forced to stand.

"I’ve been without a world for quite some time now, so I’ve had ample opportunity to study the Soulless and their methods. To take a soul one must find the door to it; at least, that is how it is supposed to work. The Soulless, however, force their way into a person and take the soul regardless of any barriers."

Ranma, leaning against a column, let out an exasperated sigh.

"Well, what’s the point of the door, then?"

Clef shook his head, "The door functions just as it always does; the problem is a person’s soul is not restricted. The door is there, but it isn’t locked. So a key is needed to keep a soul safe."

"That still doesn’t explain how you knew about me," Sora pointed out, realizing that this was about the fourth time they’d gotten sidetracked.

"A soul is a special thing; it takes a special kind of key to protect it. I was not aware of you, young man, but I did feel a very unique kind of magic from you when you entered the shop. Your companions, though different in their natures, felt the same. That is why I let you see the staircase."

"I knew something was up with that!" Ranma whispered loudly and Yami kicked him in shins.

"Hey!"

Clef shot a look their way, slightly annoyed, but continued, "I wasn’t sure if you actually held the key to souls, but, when I said it, your reaction confirmed my suspicions. Well, since we are now clear on that, is there anything I can help you with?"

The trio glanced at each other. Sora had been the one who’d wanted to come here, but what for?

"Err, do you know anything about summoning?" Sora asked, not to sure if this would do any good. This guy was nothing like the Fairy Godmother. "I had about six summons before, but I noticed that when I came here they all disappeared."

"They were from different worlds, correct?" Sora nodded. "If that is the case they may not be able to exist in this world. Once separate worlds become too different people and things from those places are no longer compatible."

The Key Chains…that’s why I lost them. But what about the one that I managed to save? I could’ve sworn I saw it falling along with me.

Sora shook his head slightly, deciding to think about it later.

"I guess there’s nothing I can do then. My other magic should last me."

Clef smiled and reached inside his robes. "I wouldn’t want our only hope against the Soulless to be lacking. I came across this months ago, on my way to this world, but, though I enabled the magic, I have not been able to summon whoever is inside this gem. Perhaps you can, young man, with the key you possess."

His hand returned holding a perfectly round, white stone, gleaming like glass in the fading sunlight. He gave it to Sora and he held it for a moment before it began to glow, pulsing like a beating heart. It flashed and disappeared, going within Sora, to a place deep inside his heart, where the Keyblade slept until it was needed. Clef smiled when he saw this, his hopes proven true.

Maybe the sacrifice of the Magic Knights would not be in vain.

"I call that one Hallowed West. If you find any others be sure to bring them to me; I am certain there are more, strong souls that are willing to fight."

"Thank you," Sora said gladly and started to go down the stairs with Ranma and Yami. But, after they had gone, he paused and looked once more at the boy with ancient, knowing eyes.

"I…I’m not sure why I’m asking you this, but you seem to be the only person who would know: what is the difference between a soul and a heart?"

Clef paused in his own actions, clearly surprised by the question. He thought for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders helplessly.

"Even I don’t know that. I suppose it’s something I person has to discover on their own and only in relation to themselves. Why do you ask?"

A distant, injured smile on his face, Sora shook his head, "I’ve…fought an enemy before that was a lot like the Soulless, but instead of being without souls, they were without hearts. I can’t help wondering what makes them different. Oh, well, I’m sure I’ll find out sooner or later. Thanks for everything, Master Mage."

Then, Sora was gone, leaving Clef to ponder these unexpected revelations and the disturbing emptiness he sensed within the boy who held the Key.

******

The morning came all too quickly for Sora, Ranma, and Yami. They were up before dawn, getting ready and were standing outside of Bit’s warehouse just as the light was breaking over the tops of the skyscrapers. It was turning out to be a beautiful day, especially wonderful after a completely quiet night.

The peace made Sora edgy, but he paid close attention as Bit explained the controls of the Command Wolf, Yami and Ranma loading their things into the modified cockpit.

"The weapon controls are pretty simple once you get the hang of it, but don’t let yourself get overbalanced. This is a quick Zoid, but if you don’t compensate for the recoil you’ll tip."

Sora slid into the pilot’s seat, griping the main control handles experimentally. He glanced again at the black, square button off to the side of the main panel, beneath a clear, plastic cover. Bit followed the direction of his gaze.

"And remember, the mirror will only be stable for a few seconds. Get the Command Wolf through it before it closes. Oh, one more thing; remember to bring it back for repairs regularly. It can be murder, traveling through the Space Between." Bit paused and glanced over the top of the Zoid. "Looks like you have some people to see you off."

Indeed there were. Nurse Joy, some of her staff, Officer Jenny, Goemon, Fujiko, Jigen, Jim, Gilium, and Clef were all standing some distance away, waving heartily (Goemon, Jigen, and Clef weren’t really waving, but their smiles did wish them luck). But it was a small, lone figure running their way that caught Sora’s attention.

He watched the person, curious, until he heard, from about fifty yards away, a shout that sounded like:

"FLY!"

The person suddenly got a lot closer, a young girl with light brown hair and deep green eyes riding atop what looked like a pink staff that ended in real, extensive wings. She flew right up to the cockpit, breathing heavily and entreating Sora with her wide, desperate eyes.

"Wait! Wait, I want to ask you a favor!"

Sora stared for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders and carefully stood in the cockpit.

"Uh, yes?"

The girl smiled and reached inside her interesting, light gray outfit. She held a kind of playing card out to Sora, the style very different from the ones Yami used. The designs were much more intricate and the picture was that of a woman in flowing clothing with long, bright yellow hair. Beneath the image were the words ‘The Windy’.

"Several of these were scattered on different worlds. They’re very important to me, so could you please, please look for them while you’re off fighting the Soulless? I’ll pay you back, I promise!"

Sora looked at her closely, that strange feeling returned to his heart.

I can’t believe this. Another one whose lost something dear to the Soulless. But…cards? Oh well, I get the feeling that it would be better if I helped her.

Besides, she reminds me a little of Kairi. I wonder how she got that staff to fly?

"I’ll see what I can do," Sora said and received a dazzling smile from the girl, who turned and began to fly off. She did, however, stop long enough to yell over her shoulder:

"My name’s Sakura!"

Once she was gone, Sora plopped back down into the pilot’s seat. Bit gave him a thumbs up and jumped down, somehow surviving the substantial drop. The transparent orange panel came down over Sora and his friends and, after checking to make sure everything was all set, Sora flipped open the covering on the black button.

"Here we go."

He pressed the button and, almost instantly, darkness entered Saffron City, a huge, mirror-like portal opening in front of the Zoid. Sora held back for a moment, feeling again that terrible cold and a loss almost too great to bear.

"Please, not like this…"

The Zoid charge forward and was gone.

******

Jeez, that was getting close to four thousand words! Can you believe it? Huh, maybe I should’ve spilt this up into two chapters. Well, maybe not. My outline doesn’t need any more revising.

So, let’s see how many Animes we have to date: Yu-Gi-Oh!, Ranma ½, Pokemon, Lupin III, Zoids, Outlaw Star, Magic Knight Rayearth, and Card Captors. You know, I think that’s actually more than I planned. The more the better, I guess, as long as I can keep it interesting.

Next chapter you finally get to hear what happened to Kairi, Riku, Donald, and Goofy; more of Akane and Yugi’s fate is revealed, too! It plans to be a good one, so don’t miss it!

Onward! ^_^



Oh and BTW, sorry for the long wait... I totally spaced out on posting this chappie.

[The Prophet]

YAY! RIKU'S IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!
Anyway, the more is definately the merrier (Trigun...?), and I can't wait to see the next chapters.

[Legends-Kuja]

Hey, about time you updated! HEY! How about looking at other guys stories for once, The Prophet has a good one, and so do I! The link's in my sig!

[internal dragon]

You do know that this story is on fanfiction.net under another authors name right?

[dratinihaunter13]

You bet he does. It's verbatim from the ff.net version from the real author - Rem-chan. Plagiarism is one of the worst things you can do on this forum, Nox-Magi, and I've already talked to you about it over PM. Rem-chan has contacted me and is very upset with the way her work has been stolen. She trusts me to deal with you as a plagiarist should be dealt with, and I'll let you know right now, a ban is likely in order unless Oz or L_P can change my mind about it. I usually don't get too upset over things around here, but plagiarism is something I simply can not stand. This topic is closed, and please think twice before doing something like this again. Good luck in your writing.