Kingdom Hearts 1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Yawning, he stretched his arms and legs, feeling the lush grass beneath him tickle his skin. It had been hot the entire day, the bright sun blazing away like it was nobody's business, all the more reason for this teenager to rather be outside, laying in the grass under the trees that provided him shade. He didn't want to be inside today, the classroom always smelled of sweat and enthusiasm, while their teacher droned on and on about this strategy or that part in Gamma's history, it was all too much for him to take when all he wanted to do was laze in the cool shade. He was getting tired of hearing about the war between Alpha and Beta and how it had been going on for ages. He figured they had no intention of ending it any time soon so he had plenty of time to sit around and be lazy, then learn about it later when they end their war, if they ever ended their war.

No, today was definitely not the kind of day the King of Truancy would spend inside. No one could see the black haired youth at this angle since most of the trees blocked the view from any of the school's windows, particularly the Headmaster's. He yawned again just as a breeze blew past him, blowing his black, zipper hoodie over his face. He cracked open an amber coloured eye and grabbed it off his face, scrunching it up into a makeshift pillow before tucking it under his head. The breeze blew again, making the grass sway underneath him, tickling his bare legs again. He folded his hands beneath his head over the sweater and thought about what to do for the rest of the day, if maybe he should practice using his wooden sword or find another spot to nap.

He turned his head over and stared at his training sword, a mixture of feelings rising up inside him. Like his father before him, he was training to become one of the Royal Guards, not that he had wanted it to begin with. Just like him, his grandfather had forced his father into service, and his great grandfather before him had forced his grandfather, and it went on like this for generations of men in his family, only a few having chosen service by their own will or either escaped by becoming wealthy. Sato never understood it, nor did he ever try to, but here he was training to become one of the elite guards that protect the Magistrate. He turned his head again to stare up at the clouds, wondering if his father had laid in the grass like this as well, plotting his next stunt to get out of training or out of a chore. His grandfather never spoke about his father much, but when he had Sato learned things that his father would never have told him, especially things like his father never having liked authority and the means he took to get out of his responsibilities.

Nio, his friend and rival, was always trying to boss him around, especially when she passed him in lessons or exams, and sometimes, even in swordsmanships, forcing him to find new and inventive ways to surprise her when he did beat her. His fighting style changed constantly because of this, earning him a lot of sermons from his teachers when they couldn't keep up with all of the changes, but he new it annoyed Nio even more, which only made her find new ways to annoy him in return. Much to his amusement, they reminded him of Alpha and Beta and how they're always going at each other, back and forth, to and fro, always trying to one-up the other side.

"What in the devil's name are you doing here?"

Sato cracked open an eye, recognizing the voice as coming from the only person that would actually put effort into looking for him, no matter where he hid, and ruin his naps. He turned his head and stared up at her and, surely enough, there she stood as smug and self-important as ever, staring back down at him with that utter look of contempt at her friend. This was the reason why they were friends, she never hid her feelings or try to sugar coat things around him, she was honest, and that deserved not only his respect, but also his trust, even if she did annoy him to no end.

A stream trickled no more than a few feet away from where they were and birds sang in the trees above him. "What does this make? Five times?" The small stream that flowed through provided a refreshing backdrop to the songs of the various birds making homes out of the trees around him.

"You'll never make it into the Guard if you keep ditching training!" Nio nagged at him, shifting her weight onto her other leg and propping both hands on her hips. She went on for another five minutes about how he's wasting time being lazy and not paying attention, and how someone else who wants this more than he does would probably kill for the chance that was handed to a no good, lazy bum like him. This made Sato grin, infuriating her even more, her face scrunching up into that angry look she always gave him. "You'll end up just like your father! Useless, pathetic, miserable and worthless!"

"You just repeated the same thing four times," Sato told her, trying not to show how much he was enjoying this.

"Not doing anything to benefit us or Gamma!"

"Five..." Sato now opened his other eye, taking in the full image of his best friend shooting him a look that would probably have had him burst into flames if she had her way about it.

The wind blew again, harder this time, making her two braids on either side of her heart shaped face sway to the side along with her pony tail, her silver hair almost glaring in the sun light. Nio was half Beta and half Gamma, having inherited traits from both sides of her family, probably playing a huge part in the reason why she kept kicking his ass all the time, in sports, training and even in class. Gamma residents were strong physically, making them some of the best in building, fighting and sports, unlike Betas who were stronger mentally and were excellent magic users, making them experts in sciences, research and technology. The people of Alpha mainly focused on defending themselves and their territory, or on attacking Beta for whatever it was that Beta did to them in return for whatever it was the Alphas did to the Betas-Sato's head began to spin with all the back and forth, probably a good reason why he never liked history all that much.

Sato sighed her name. "That was really rude, talking smack about my father right in front of me. Those are fighting words." He turned over and grabbed his sword with his left hand as he rose to his feet, lifting the wooden sword to chest height as he raised his other hand to his side. He slid his feet two shoulder lengths apart and held up his sword before bringing it down vertically as he used his other arm for balance, as though he were holding a shield. The technique was awkward for most people since it left them slightly open to attack, but it was something he liked to use because it also sometimes caught the opponent off guard, something his father had taught him.

"Remind me then, Satoshi, what it is you value in a fight. Strength? Defense? Or was it magic?" She reached her hand out and grasped at something, pulling it out of thin air and Sato watched as a wooden sword formed in her hand, smaller and thinner than his, neater and tidy, just like she was. It wasn't her preferred weapon and that almost caught him off guard, he had been expecting a long staff or a glaive.

"Strength," he replied, watching her take a basic sword fighting stance.

"Then, what is it you value least?"

"Jeeze, come on, do I have to tell you everything? Magic, obviously." He watched her carefully, trying to predict when she'd make her move, he knew better then to underestimate her simply because she chose a weapon she's unfamiliar with.

"So, you value strength in combat but not magic? Is that the path you've chosen?"

Nio asked as she lunged at him, forcing him to step backward to evade her attack and used the hilt of his sword to deflect it with a loud clacking sound of wood hitting wood. He spun around on his heel and attempted to kick her in the stomach while she was recovering her stance and unbalanced but was too late, she had recovered her stance and had backed off already, making him miss by mere inches, leaving herself open. He noticed her vulnerability that his last move had left her in and took advantage of the opening, moving his other hand to grasp his hilt and slash two handed at her exposed midriff. Her sword, being slimmer and lighter, sliced through the air with ease and clashed with his, pushing away his attack and throwing him off balance before lunging at him again. He switched his grip to a reverse handed one and blocked her attack, pushing her back as well as he returned to his original stance.

She was good and he knew it, how she was always watching him train and how she always watched every move he made whenever they fought, as if she were memorizing his patterns. She was good, and it was something that had always annoyed him, because no matter what he tried she always adapted her moves to counter him and would add new ones of her own. It's what made fighting her exciting and fun, but he knew he had a slight advantage over her this time, his weapon was heavier and longer than hers was.

"So far so good, Sato, you're keeping up," Nio teased him, adjusting her small, blue t-shirt, small enough to expose a part of her tanned stomach over her dark blue jeans. She had changed before coming here, he noted, knowing well enough she'd never have dared to wear that to training like all the other students who wore the minor armor over a school uniform. He never wore the uniform or the armor, it felt too bulky and awkward on him.*

Sato didn't take his eyes off hers, he knew better than to lower his guard simply because she had praised him, however much her words dripped in sarcasm. He had seen one too many trainees fighting against her be taken down in seconds just because she flashed them a smile or said something. It disgusted him how easy some of the guys at the academy were. He watched her carefully, how she moved, held her sword and even how she breathed, every little detail told Sato exactly the sort of state she was currently in, how she was tiring and what she'd do next.

She shifted her right foot and took her eyes off of him for just a split second, long enough for him to take advantage of the opportunity and rush forward with a downward slash, only managing to slice the bottom edge of her shirt as she bent backwards into a one handed back flip, narrowly missing his attack. As soon as he realized he had missed he pulled away and prepared for a second assault just as she returned to her feet and leapt forward at him, using the momentum to slash her weapon in an upward motion, catching him off guard and smacking the tip of her wooden sword against the bottom of his chin. The impact made a loud smacking sound and Sato nearly bit his tongue for it, startled by the bold move. Both stepped back and retook their stances, both breathing heavily.

"One more hit calls the match," Nio told him between breaths. Sato nodded as he wiped a bead of sweat off his brow, the heat was really getting to him.

"It'll be my match anyhow," he replied confidently as he feigned to wipe sweat off his brow again, watching her from beneath his hand as she looked away from him for the second time. He smiled inwardly and lunged again, switching his grip as he swung his sword to slash across her chest, catching her by surprise for the second time that day. The attack forced her backwards so fast she fell onto her back, but his wooden sword undeniably had touched her chest, the tip now resting beneath her chin.

"That was really cheap, Sato, and twice in one match no less," Nio growled at him as she stood up, patting the grass and dirt off her backside.

Sato straightened and raised his sword above his head before flipping it to point downward as he slid it down his back until he found the hook with his hand, attaching his wooden sword to it. He stepped toward his friend and rival and extended his hand toward her only to have it slapped away with an angry scowl.

"I'm not shaking the hand of someone who uses cheap shots to win!" she shouted at him, angry.

Sato rolled his eyes and shifted his weight onto his left leg, propping a hand on each hip. "You're taking this way to seriously, Nio, I was just screwing around. You weren't taking this seriously either, I might add."

"Yeah, because if I had brought out my weapon the results would have been different, but I suppose you weren't that bad, though your techniques could still use some work." Nio tossed her sword into the air and it disappeared. "You better show up tomorrow," she told him with an air of authority, she was bossing him around again. "We're joining the escort for the Magistrate as part of the training."

"Why the hell should I?" He hated it when she took that tone with him, as if he needed another parent around shaking a finger at him.

"Because, if you don't, you'll end up like your dad, old, bitter and a good for nothing drunk that spends way too much time hitting on barmaids and bringing hookers home. That's no way to go through life and you know it, grow up already." She turned on her heel and began walking away from him.

"Hey! Don't you walk away from me you son of a-"

"My mother has nothing to do with this," she shouted back at him with a wave of her hand over a shoulder.

Sato simply stared at her before bursting into laughter, grateful that at least one person respected him enough to be that honest with him. Sighing, he looked up at the sky and prayed silently to his dead mother, asking that she watch over him and give him the strength to continue living his life in his manner, the way she had.

(~)

"Dis world is awreadeh corrupted!" His laugh bellowed around him and his large, extended belly shook and jiggled to and fro as the large man enjoyed his nefarious idea. His blue armor suit had to be custom made just for him since nothing else would have fit his extra large size. "Den, Maleficent will be proud 'o me." He laughed again, this time loudly enough that he alerted guards that had been standing nearby on duty.

"Who does dare trespass into Alpha territory?" one of the soldiers shouted at him, pointing a spear in his direction.

"What do you see?" one of the other soldiers shouted from a distance behind him.

"He's strange and wears even stranger clothing, and he is covered in fur and has dog ears..." the soldier shouted back, never moving his spear or taking his eyes off the large dog man in front of him.

Two other soldiers appeared over the hill behind the first and pointed down in the direction of their comrade and the stranger, one of them shouting an alarm. "It's a Beta spy!"

Waving his hands over his head to get their attention, the dog man shouted back to them. "No no, I am not your enemy, I'm a friend here ta help ya out. What do ya say? I can bash those Beta people real good!" He raised two fists and smashed them together knuckled against knuckle.

"What does thou sayeth? Ye lend us aid against these heathens?" The first soldier looked him up and down as though to gauge his sincerity, looking back at his comrades behind him over his shoulder for confirmation before returning his gaze to the stranger in front of him.

"The name's Pete," he began his introduction, snapping his fingers. A black circle like object formed in mid air and rose up a little higher, sprouting two antennas and growing two yellow eyes, which blinked open and looked around before noticing the soldier below, growing two arms and legs as it stared. The soldier took a step back and then another, uncertain of what he was seeing and lifted his spear in defence. "And dis here, dis lil feller, he gonna put one heck of a damper on dem Beta folks."

One of the soldiers from behind approached the first soldier, also holding up a spear pointed toward the creature that now had fully formed and stood beside the stranger, bouncing from one foot to another. The first soldier turned his head slightly in the direction of his comrade beside him, enough to see him from the corner of his eye but not enough so that he'd have to take his eyes off of the stranger and the strange thing. "I do not think this is a wise course," he told the other.

"But, he has offered us help against the Betas and perhaps the King would wish to hear him out. His Majesty would be pleased if we brought Him another ally and perhaps even a new weapon against His enemy..."

The second soldier straightened and lowered his spear before putting a hand on the first's shoulder, getting his attention and the two exchanged glances before the first relaxed, letting down his spear slowly as well as he straightened. The second approached the oversized dog like person and had to look up in order to meet his eyes.

"Very well, ye shall come with us to meet His Majesty, our King, and He will decide what to do with ye." He moved out of the way and was followed by the other soldier as he gestured in the direction toward the other soldiers that now had gathered at the top of the hill where they had waited.

Pete slapped his hands together in mirth and rubbed them together, a wide grin on his face.

_De plan is going perfectly and soon, very soon, dis world will be covered in darkness and Heartless too!_

(~)

Absolute darkness surrounded him like a blanket of thick, black silk that filtered out any source of light. He reached for his face with both hands and felt where his eyes were suppose to be, making certain he really did have his eyes open, and he did. He looked around, if he could call it that, and found nothing but more blackness in all directions, and not only could he see nothing in this thick void, he could also almost feel it in his ears as well, a sort of dull pressure. A bell sounded somewhere he thought was behind him, the sound as sweet and warm as a mother's tender voice, the sensations rising inside him mirroring the familiarity of the sound, calling to him, commanding him to turn in its direction and look at it.

He turned and found a shaft of light as warm and inviting as the sound that had brought it illuminating a spot on the black floor several feet in front of him. It called to him as enticingly as the sound had, making him move toward it without his even realizing he had begun to move at all. As he approached the golden light he noticed, for a split second, that the movement almost felt as though it were not him, as though he was simply an observer inside whatever it was that carried him toward the light. Once he was close enough to feel the warmth on his face, or the face of his host, he could make out a black form within the light, covered entirely by it and yet still remain in complete shadow.

Another bell rung, this time all around him, stronger than before and the sensations it brought were of a different sort, almost feverish and impatient, demanding his complete and undivided attention. He was also confused and somewhat frightened by the feelings the second bell brought, like a feeling of watching someone who was in a hurry and had only moments to tell you something very important as though they could disappear at any moment. He wondered which of these swirling emotions actually belonged to him and belonged to his host.

_The keyblade of darkness. The keyblade of light. The bearer, Sora. His counterpart of darkness. Born from the darkness. The one who tries to do everything on his own. The one who feels guilty for surviving. The one who risks everything to try to right a wrong._

The voice seemed to come from all around him and from nowhere at the same time, like the bell, from a point in the distance and from inside his head, or the head of his host. Confused and feeling utterly helpless, he tried to move but found he couldn't, the feeling of disembodiment stronger than when he had just woken up in this strange place.

"Who's there? What do you want?" Sato shouted into the darkness around him, the sound failing to carry passed his lips. His question fell on deaf ears and left him with a feeling of frustration that his questions were ignored and yet he was forced to listen to this sermon.

He fought against the will that kept him immobile and forced himself to look down at his feet, his eyes widening in recognition of the circular window beneath him. He watched the brown, spiky haired boy inside it standing amongst another group of people, people whose faces he could not see because they were shrouded in shadow. Inspecting the boy at the center of the image Sato watched as he reached behind him over his shoulder and grasped at something, pulling it up and over to hold out before him and his companions. Sato stared at the object in the boy's hand and his heart skipped a beat, a momentary image of the object sitting enshadowed in the light flashed in his mind before fading away. The object was strange, for a blade, and he's seen many swords to know that this was no ordinary sword, if it were a sword at all. The blade was shaped like a giant key forged of silver and gold, beautiful and ancient, and he could almost feel the magic it emanated, an ancient magic that felt as old as existence itself. The object kept him mesmerized, almost entranced, and it was all he could do to tear his eyes away from it.

_The keyblade reacts to the will of its bearer and will teleport from a void when not being held or carried. This keyblade allows the bearer to fight the creatures._

"What creatures?" Sato shouted again. "Hello?"

_You will face these creatures soon, Satoshi, for those touched by the user can also fight them._

Sato began feeling lighter, the pressure that had been building up in his ears easing slowly, and he instinctively knew that the voice would be leaving him soon, leaving him with questions still yet unanswered.

"Wait! You still haven't answered my questions!"

_Darkness has befallen our world, but you must not be afraid. You must forge your path toward your destiny for only you can find what has been lost, and save it._

_What once was will be again._

_It has been written._

"Wait, I have so many questions, please, I just need to-"

"Sato!" A voice cut through the darkness so sharply that light flooded all around him, making his eyes burn furiously.

"WAIT!" Sato sat up straight on his bed, beads of sweat rolling down his face, chest and back. He sat there immobile for what seemed like an eternity to him as he blinked, trying to register where he was now and allow his eyes to adjust to the bright light around him. He finally inhaled and breathed raggedly, his body relaxing as he finally recognized where he was, in the barn where he had been sleeping instead of going home. He turned his head to find his friend standing a few feet away from him, a look of grave concern and what looked like to be fear on her face as she stared down at him from the entrance.

"Are you okay?" she asked him.

"Yeah, sorry, just a bad dream. What's up?" he grunted before grabbing for his shirt and pulling it over his head. He fell back down onto the blanket he had laid out on the barn's straw covered floor. He'd become accustomed to being woken up rudely by his friends, two in particular, but it always did somewhat get under his skin when they happened to walk in right when he was having that dream, the same dream that had been plaguing him for longer then he could remember, or even cared to. He didn't like having his friends see him this vulnerable, but he was at least grateful they knew well enough not to ask about it, at least not all the time. Sighing, he closed his eyes and tucked a hand under his head as he listened to his friend.

"Can't you hear the town bells? They've been sounding the alarm all morning. Satoshi, Alpha won the war, Beta has been defeated," she told him.

"What does this have to do with me?" he asked, trying to find sleep again.

"They're coming here, to conquer us. Sato, aren't you listening? Don't you understand what any of this means?" She was almost shouting now and likely flailing her arms in frustration like she always does when he refused to entertain one of her harebrained schemes. He felt something strange at the pit of his stomach though, something heavy like a stone, and the more she talked the heavier the feeling became. There was something in her voice he didn't like, something even stranger than the feeling in his stomach, something like...raw fear. Sato opened his eyes and sat up again, turning to face in her direction, noticing in almost dread that she had in fact not been flailing her arms like she usually did. Her expression was serious.

"Sato, Gamma is preparing for war..." The look on her face validated his fear, and the heavy feeling in his stomach now felt like he had just swallowed a boulder when the reality of her words finally began to register in his mind.

"I don't understand, what do you mean they've been defeated?" Sato asked her, albeit a bit harsher than he had intended.

"Beta was defeated overnight and no one knows how yet, we've only just gotten word from our scouts that came back from Beta territory barely alive, and the ones from Alpha haven't come back at all." She stepped toward Sato and dropped down onto his blanket beside him, both now staring passed the opened barn doors into the morning light. "Sato, I'm scared..." He knew Raven had always been the kind to act brave and tough, even around him, and he had been fond of her for that, but for her to admit fear only forced how serious the situation was onto him. "Do you think they'll kill us?" She brought her knees up and wrapped her arms around them, burying half her face behind her jeans. Sato knew she was trying hard not to cry.

He couldn't stand to see her like this, he never liked seeing any of his friends like this for that matter. He stood up and stood by the barn entrance and stared outside, the carefree and fluffy clouds that had covered the sky yesterday were now different shades of grey, becoming darker and darker further in the distance toward Alpha. He clenched his fists as a familiar feeling rose up inside him and settled in the pit of his stomach, a feeling of heaviness mixed with fear, anxiety and something like impatience. He recognized those feelings from his reoccurring dreams. "I won't let that happen, I won't let them hurt anyone, not you, not any of my other friends, not anyone!"

Raven stood up and went to stand beside him, her expression grim. "What the hell could you possibly do? You barely pay attention in class, I doubt any soldier from Alpha is going to see you as anything else but bait. Sato, we have to-"

"I know!" Sato shouted before turning to look at her. "Don't you think I already know I'm as useless as he is? You and Nio make it a point to remind me every day." He stepped out of the barn and began walking.

"Sato, I didn't mean...Wait," Raven shouted after him. She caught up to him and fell into step as they walked toward their academy together. "I just meant that...Oooh, I don't know! I mean, what the hell will we be expected to do? Do we run and hide or are we going to have to fight?" She turned to stare at him. "Sato, I don't think I want to fight. I didn't join the academy so I could go to war, none of us did, it's not-"

"Then why did you join?" Sato asked before stopping and turning on his heel to stare back at her. "Look, I understand you're scared, so am I, so is everyone, but if we stick together we'll be fine. I promise, I'll do everything to keep our group safe, and so will you and so will everyone else. Stop acting like you're all alone Raven, you're not. I'm here, Nio is over there waiting for us, all of our other friends are waiting for us. We'll be fine," Sato told her as he placed a hand on her shoulder, he said it as much for himself as it was for her.

"How can you be so sure?"

Her hair swayed in the wind again, the gust carrying dead leaves and pieces of grass to swirl around them before moving on. The wind felt colder than usual for this time of year, and the smell it brought was strange, almost metallic. A tree's branches and leaves rustled in the distance and a flock of crows flew above them, cawing out to one another in flight. He wanted to tell her why he was so sure but wasn't certain she'd understand, or even believe him for that matter. Giving her shoulder a squeeze he turned around and continued in the direction of the academy.

"I just am, so come on, we'll be late."

It wasn't long before Sato met up with his group after having received his orders from the academy. All guards and trainees were to assist the military with its operations in defence, not something Sato relished but was willing to go along with in order to not be useless, it was better than being forced and right now he needed something to do other than sleeping. He was reluctant to admit it but he was glad for the assignment.

He quickly found Nio and joined her, falling in line beside her. Looking at her from the corner of his eye he cold see she looked cross and some of her hair pulled up into a messy ponytail, like she had been dragged out of bed. She wore the full academy issued armor, the black cuirass made for females with the blue and white striped shirt underneath, black greaves and sebatons over black leggings, and black gauntlets and vambrase over black fingerless gloves that reached nearly halfway up to her shoulder. This was the reason why he never liked wearing the armor, it was simply too much for him, and no matter how many times they reprieved him he still refused to wear it. He returned his gaze back to the front, wondering if he should say something to her.

Before he got the chance the commanding officer finally appeared and stood in front of the large group in full uniform and armor. He stood there and made eye contact with each person standing on the front line, almost making Sato wished he had fallen in in the back with the rest rather than beside Nio where he stood out like a sore thumb, being the only one not wearing armor. He waiting until the Commander's gaze finally fell on him and for a split second Sato thought he saw him roll his eyes before continuing down the line. Sato snorted at the Commander's reaction, somewhat pleased with himself. When the Commander had finally completed his inspection he began speaking, his voice strong and booming over the noise around them.

"Good morning Squad Nine," he bellowed out.

"Good morning, Sir!" the squad responded in unison.

"I am Commander Bashir, your Commander and Master for the entirety of this mission. I'm certain you've heard rumours by now, maybe even bits and pieces of the actual facts, but let me set the record straight before move on to anything else.

"At twenty three hundred hours yesterday evening, a group of Alpha soldiers crossed the border into Beta carrying a weapon unknown to them, or us. Since their entree into Beta territory, they have destroyed every village, town and city, leaving each of them in a blaze of flames, ash and absolute carnage." Another officer approached the Commander and whispered into his ear, causing the Commander's expression to change momentarily to something akin to shock, but he quickly recovered his composure and nodded before dismissing the other officer and returning his attention to his squad. "We do not know where or how the kingdom of Alpha came to acquire this weapon, but we know they have it and are using it in order to spread their destruction. Beta sent everything they had against them but it was all in vain, costing Beta not only a victory, but the lives of many soldiers, men, women and children in the wake of their enemy's advance.

"Now, we have just received confirmation that Alpha has turned towards Gamma and are marching into our territory even as we speak. But unlike Beta, we have the advantage of information and a warning thanks to the efforts of our scouts who barely made it back here alive, but made it with news that will aid us in our fight against our enemy and possibly save a great many lives.

"Their weapon consists of a great number of creatures, creatures that seem and even behave like animals but that are nothing like animals we have ever known, if they are even animals to begin with. We do not know much beyond that, but they must be stopped at all costs.

"In less than an hour we will mobilize into units and meet up with the archers in the north, and each unit with carry with them a supply of Nightingales, arrows fabricated from the wood of the Elyurias and feathers from the Nightingales themselves, the very Sovereigns of Silence. These arrows will aid in repelling the enemy and using the element of surprise, they won't know these arrows are flying toward them until it is too late.

"We will defend our home, our country, our land. We will be united in our common goal and not be divide by petty differences. We will stand together against our enemy and we will win. We must win.

"We're not ordering you into battle or into danger, we're not telling you to go and die for us, we're asking you to serve your country and your people, your families, and help us defend them, to defend our freedoms not from tyranny, oppression or persecution, but from annihilation.

"We're fighting for our right to live and for our right to be free. And should we win this war, that day will not be known for the day we defeated the kingdom of Alpha, nor will it be known for the blood spilled, but as the day that we declared in one voice:

"We will not go quietly into the night!

"We will not vanish without a fight!

"We're going to live on!

"We're going to survive!

"And though our enemy is strong and many, will we not run away!"

"Sir, yes Sir!" the squad shouted in unison before erupting into roars of cheers and encouragements.

By the end of the speech Sato's heart pounded in his chest and it made him want to believe in those words. Fists pumping into the air amid shouts and hoots, the sound almost deafening as the Commander watched on, nodding his head in silence.

A female officer wearing similar armor as the commander approached and stood beside him, gesturing that the squad quiet down and listen to what she had to say, not bothering to introduce herself though most of the squad recognized her as an instructor at the academy.

"Listen up, I want everyone to remember that this isn't a training mission, so if someone screws up there won't be an officer around to save you or give you asspats. This is serious, this is real, so you need to be on your guard and remember your training. Your best defence is each other, and your best offence is your team work, so keep your head out of your backsides and you may actually survive this long enough to graduate from the academy. I expect every single one of you back, that's an order. If anyone should fail, I will personally hunt you down into the deepest regions of hell and bring you back up just so I can kick your sorry ass. Have I made myself clear?"

"Sir, yes sir!" shouted the squad, most of which, to Sato's surprise, were grinning. He had a hunch the academy was filled with sadists after all.

"Now, your weapon's grid will appear before you and you must select your preferable weapon. Please choose wisely, there will be no turning back or second chances if you end up in battle, take only that which you are familiar with and are able to use to the best of your abilities."

A transparent, octagon shaped grid appeared before him with several choices for weapons, ranging from long range to melee, from magic to none magic, and even spell books and grimoires for the more advanced magic users. He tapped the blade section and scrolled down the list of various daggers, great swords and sabers until he found what he was looking for. Tapping his selection, the grid disappeared and in its place a heavy steel sword appeared, roughly the same shape and size as his wooden sword, only heavier due to the metallic nature. It hovered in mid air in front of him and he wrapped a hand around its hilt, bracing himself for the weight he'd feel when the anti-gravitational spell would wear off. When the spell wore off he tested it, finding it to be comfortable enough to carry.

He was so focused on his sword that he almost didn't notice the strange sound behind him. He swung around on his heel and came face to face with a blue humanoid creature wearing a helmet, its yellow eyes seemingly staring right through him as it shifted its weight from one leg to another constantly. It lifted its hands and seemed to reach for him just when a heart appeared on its chest, making it burst into a puff of smoke, vanishing. A second appeared a few feet away from him and grabbed for another squad member but was quickly dispatched by another arrow, and moments later a third was felled just as quickly.

Sato moved away from the commotion and turned around to where Nio had previously been standing only to find her spot vacant. He looked northward and cringed at the sight of the dark, storm like clouds roiling above the Gamma/Alpha border regions, noticing something rise up toward the clouds in a sort of swarm like movement before disappearing from his view. Furrowing his brow, he turned to look for his friend, not wanting to look up anymore as there were no more blue skies to see, the clouds above him just as dark and ominous as the clouds to the north. The seriousness and reality of the situation dawned on him and for the first time, he was truly frightened for his own life and that of his friends.

More and more of the creatures appeared seemingly out of nowhere and everywhere at once, dropping out of the sky or sprouting out of thin air and attacking people at random. The squad leaders tried to organize the panicked group but it was futile, most of the people here were barely older than himself, and some were no more than new trainees. Amidst the screaming and chaos, Sato moved through the group in search of Nio, shouting her name above the noise hoping that she'd hear him.

For every creature struck down two more appeared in its place. He searched harder, pushing past people and avoided stabs and arrows, He turned around in time to see an instructor struck down by a creature, a heart appearing on his chest before rising up into the sky and vanishing along with his body. Sato stood there and stared in shock, unable to move from where he stood as he realized what the swarm that rose up to the skies in the north was. He looked up to find that the same swarm rose up to the sky above him as more and more people were struck down by the creatures.

Sato turned around to find that he and a small group were surrounded by several of the creatures with no way to escape. He turned to face the creatures while some of the others did as well in their respective directions.

"Stay together!" Sato shouted at them when a few of the newer trainees lunged at the creatures, only to end up like the many others who took on the monsters. Sato watched carefully and came to the realization that their weapons were not only inadequate but quite possibly entirely useless other than the arrows. He opened his mouth to shout another order but was shoved down to one knee when several trainees pushed passed him trying to avoid a monster's attack. "God damn it!" He rose to his feet and ran toward another trainee that was about to be attacked and lunged at the creature with his sword raised high above his head, bringing it down with a slash only to have it go through it and making it vanish. He didn't know if it head been defeated or simply that it moved to another location, but he didn't have time to think about it.

"Sato!" he heard someone scream behind him, making him whirl around just in time to see a fellow classmate vanish before his eyes before her attacker veered on him. Sato's face contorted with anger and rage as he slashed at the monster approaching him and watched it vanish.

"Damn it! I have to find the others...I promised her!" With clenched fists he made his way through the chaos, shouting Nio's name until his throat became so hoarse and raw it hurt to shout. People ran in all directions and it was everything the commanders could do to keep them together or even under control, but Satoshi couldn't really blame his squad for their reaction, the majority of them never having joined to end up in war, much less die here.

He almost gave up finding her in all the insanity around him when finally out of nowhere he felt a hand on his shoulder. He swung around with sword ready and clashed with Nio who had raised her sword just in time to parry his. When he recognized her he relaxed and sighed in relief, having nearly thought her among the dead or dieing.

"Sato, we have to leave, there's nothing we can do here," she told him, placing a hand on his shoulder again. He just stared at her without speaking for what seemed like an eternity, feeling just as sore and bad as his friend's expression told him she felt as well.

"Whoever did this, whoever is responsible, hell will be the least of their worries," he said finally, through clenched teeth.

He pushed passed Nio and other trainees, weaving a way through the throng until they managed to break through, escaping the madness they left behind. As much as it pained him he knew it was better to retreat and live to fight again another day rather than stay here and fight a hopeless cause. They were vastly outnumbered and overwhelmed by that surprise attack, not having expected any of the creatures to reach them until at least a few days from now since it took that long to travel across their territory to reach their city, that is if they had managed to get passed the archers. Sato's heart sank at the realization that it may mean all of their archers were defeated, which is what the swarms of hearts he had seen in the distance would have been.

With a heavy heart, he lead Nio and himself to find shelter until they could plan on how to best find their other friends, if they still lived.

(~)

He was hot, sweaty, and his hair was a mess, some of which had fallen over his face. They had been running, fighting, falling back, hiding, running, attacking all day and night long, so much so that he had completely lost track of time. He was surprised to find the sun rising though, in the East, the fiery ball of flames a hazy, dark disk behind the thick clouds and smoke that blocked out most of the light. Sato turned away from the sight, the colors making him want to throw up.

They had found a bakery and had broken inside to take shelter to hide from what Sato had begun to refer to as 'soldiers', not that the creatures were covered in armor, they only wore a helmet, but he had nothing else to call them and had grown tired of referring to them as creatures or monsters. They looked around and found the shelves and baskets filled with various breads, sweets and pastries, along with a cooler that held drinks and water, making their mouths water. Nio turned to look at Sato, a sort of look he knew meant that she was asking him to break one of his credos, 'Thou shalt not steal'. She tilted her head slightly and without even exchanging words he understood exactly what she was saying to him. He sighed and nodded, knowing that considering the situation, he doubted the owners would mind much if they helped themselves to some of the food and water.

Nio stood and looked around, finding something that made her raise an eyebrow. She picked it up and chucked it at Sato, nearly making him drop it as he caught it by surprise. He stared down at the oversized cheesy bun in his hand, chuckling before biting down into the soft bread. He gave her a thumbs up before she disappeared into the back of the store, staff in hand in preparation for whatever may be back there. He listened carefully for any signs that she may be in trouble but heard nothing unusual, settling down for what may be their only moment of respite in a long while, enjoying what may also be the last decent meal he may get for just as long. Moments later Nio appeared from the back of the store and brandished two bags they could carry on their backs.

"Nio, what are you doing?" he asked in between bites.

"Do you know how long we'll be gone? Or how long this war will last?" she asked him as she began stuffing water and juice bottles into the two bags before grabbing various buns and wrapping them in paper before stuffing those onto the bags as well.

"No, I suppose not."He got up and accepted the soda bottle she handed him as he watched her organize the space in their bags better, adding things like little packs of dried fruits and nuts they also sold in the store. He decided that next time they held survival training in class, he'll pay attention to the lessons."I couldn't find a first aid kit but maybe we can find one in a pharmacy on the way, assuming we can find it before they find us," she said with her back turned to him as she plucked a honey bun from a basket on a shelf near her, shoving half of it into her twisted the cap to his soda bottle just as something in the back of the kitchen fell to the floor with a loud clang, making the both of them freeze and stare in the direction of the kitchen, Sato's hand instinctively reaching behind him for his sword, pulling it up and over his shoulder as he walked toward the kitchen, setting his bottle quietly on a counter as he passed followed a few steps behind him after having had summoned her staff to her hand, careful not to bump into any of the metal racks standing against the walls as they passed them and into the kitchen. Sato put his back to the door frame and gestured for her to wait behind him. He took a step forward and peered into the kitchen, having a clear view of the majority of the room all the way to the back door which stood ajar. He saw movement from the corner of his eye and turned in that direction toward the back of the room, watching two soldiers move back and forth, seemingly agitated about something as they made grunts and throat sounds. Sato gestured again for her to be careful as he took a careful step further inside so he could see what had their attention. He noticed a large stove just a step away on his left as he entered the kitchen and hunched down behind it, gesturing that Nio stay where he had been standing previously against the door frame as he peered above the stove's top toward where the soldiers growled and hissed back, making more pots and pans fall clashing to the floor, causing the soldiers to jump back a few steps. Sato sank farther back against the wall between the stove and the door frame as he listened to the angry cat the soldiers had the misfortune of cornering, making him hope it was one of those angry wild Coons that ran around the streets of the city. It hissed and growled again and Sato glanced up at Nio with a half smile, nodding his head in the direction of the commotion, getting a nod in return as he watched her power up her staff weapon, the sphere on the end beginning to glow hotly. She moved it so that it was more into the store and away from the kitchen so the light wouldn't catch their attention before she had the time to complete powering it up, glancing back to watch Sato pull a pot off the stove above him. She looked at him questioningly and he mouthed a meow to her, he obviously didn't want the animal caught in her attack. She smiled and nodded, giving him a thumbs up, signaling that she was stood up slowly and watched the soldiers before stepping out, throwing the pot in the cat's direction before retuning to his spot against the wall, listening as the cat screeched and startled, leaping from the pot rack it had been cornered in and across the counter, knocking more objects to the floor in a loud clatter. Nio moved against the wall inside the store as the cat tore pass her before stepping into the kitchen and releasing her spell onto the unsuspecting creatures. There was a flash of light and it was over.

"For once, I get to be the hero," she said as she placed one hand on her hip, holding her staff up triumphantly.

"Yeah yeah, good job hero," Sato replied, clapping his hands. She tossed her staff and it vanished into thin air, going back to wherever it was she kept her weapons as he followed her back into the store front. "We should get out of here before more come, that damn Coon made a lot of noise."

Sato raised his sword above his head to sheathe it but found that he couldn't, trying several more times to find the opening of his sheathe. He turned around with his back to Nio and held his sword where the opening should be, cursing before finally asking her for help. Nio stopped and turned around, staring at Sato's back without saying a word.

"Damn it, Nio, would you help me?"

"Sato? she asked, her voice sounded concerned.

"Would you help me before I stab myself?"

"Sato, I really think you should look at your-"

"What in hell's blazes is wrong with this thing?" Sato shouted, bringing his sword down so he could remove his harness to see what was wrong with it. He caught something black moving as he lowered his sword and he startled, nearly letting it drop when he realized the black object was attached to his hand. He stared at it for another moment and let what he was seeing sink in, Nio coming to stand beside him as she stared at it as well. She looked up at him with a worried expression when he didn't move for long moments, only standing there and staring at the black thing in his hand.

"Sato? Are you okay?"

He raised the object and looked at it closely, inspecting its obsidian body. The ridges and grooves went from hilt to tip, intricate carvings covering every inch in a sort of ancient ruins sort of way, like the pictures of ancient swords he had seen only in history books. He followed the length of it until he stared at the end of the sword, memories of past dreams surfacing. The teeth, if he could call them that, were shaped like the heads of ancient hydras he read about in books. He raised the object slightly higher and noticed on the end of the hilt, dangling by a black chain, was a small black, obsidian charm carved in the shape of exactly what he suspected the carvings to be, a hydra with three heads.

"What is it?" she asked again, her voice finally catching his attention as he glanced at her quickly and then back to the object.

"It's a…well, I'm not quite sure what it is, but would you believe me if I told you I've been dreaming of this for probably as long as I've been alive?" he asked her, his tone almost hushed. "I think I wished for it into existence, Nio."

"Wait, you're telling me you just wished and you got a giant, black key with a handle?" She sounded more than worried now, she sounded concerned that maybe he had hit his head and wasn't thinking straight.

"It does look like a key, doesn't it? A keyblade, that's exactly what it is, even the voice in my dreams called it a keyblade."

"Oh, so now you're listening to voices in your dreams?"

"Nio, explain magic and spells to me, the existence of those creatures and how just by touching people they make them disappear. Explain your being able to summon weapons out of thin air and magical arrows. Explain our entire world." He began unbuckling his harness and pulled it off.

"I can't. Do I look like a book?" She placed both hands on her hips and looked at him angrily.

"And I can't explain this anymore than you can explain anything else, I just don't know. I've been having this reoccurring dream for as long as I can remember and every time there's this voice telling me about keyblades and creatures, and that this blade could defeat them." He dropped his harness to the floor, no longer seeing a need for it. He was never really good with magic and wondered if it really would disappear like her weapons did. "Well, suppose I have to try." Holding it up, he just tossed it into the air in front of him and watched it fade away out of sight. "Woah."

"Oh geeze, like it's the first time you've seen that." She rolled her eyes before going back to the bags.

"Anyway, I noticed there's a back room behind the counter, maybe where the staff keep their belongings. I'll go check back there if I can find a first aid kit," he said as he turned toward the back of the counter. "You better finish up with those bags soon though, we have to leave soon while there's still light out," he shouted back at her as he found a staff room after all. He rummaged through the various lockers, not finding anything that they could use.

"Won't they be too heavy to carry with all that stuff?" he asked her as he began looking through boxes. "Nio?" He waited for an answer, raising a brow when none came. He turned to look through another box and froze when he heard her faint whisper of his name before something fell to the floor.

He rushed out of the room and stared into the store front, a soldier standing where Nio had previously been. It didn't notice him right away but moved about the room in an almost confused manner, entirely unaware or even uncaring that it had just taken the life of his best friend. His face contorted in anger again he reached for his sword but found nothing, instead an almost throbbing heat in his hand made him remember that he no longer had a sword, at least none like he had moments before. Lowering his eyes and glaring at the soldier in front of him passed the counter, Sato called for it again and it appeared in his hand, its strange shape and black body something foreign to him but that he'd use to destroy every single soldier he happened to see nonetheless, especially now after what they had just taken from him.

Stepping from behind the counter he approached the soldier without even thinking about it and raised the keyblade, bringing it down upon the monster before it had enough time to turn around and register what or who had killed it. The blade sliced through the body and instead of it disappearing like they had before, a heart appeared at the center of its chest and tore itself from the soldier's body before floating upwards and through the ceiling. The soldier's body vanished much like the people it had likely taken, like they've all taken, like Nio.

"God damn it!" Sato shouted as he raised the keyblade and slammed it down into the floor before falling to his knees. "Why damn it? Why didn't this thing appear before when I actually could have used it to save all those people?" he cried out to an empty room.

_Even if you wish it, even if you demand it, no one can control when or where a keyblade will appear, nor to whom it will appear to. They are not the source of your strength, but rather a means to channel the strength you already have within yourself. Do no despair, Keyblade Wielder, for you now have the means to protect those you care for most._

"What the hell am I suppose to do now?" he waited for an answer but got none,

He slumped against the counter and sat there for what may have been hours, but he didn't bother keeping track. Thoughts raced around in his head, none of them in any particular order but he wouldn't have noticed. The cat they had saved earlier finally came out of wherever it had been hiding, keeping low to the ground as it approached him slowly, sniffing the air. He looked down and stared at it staring back at him, wondering if it had belonged to the people who had owned the shop. The cat moved toward the items that had spilled out of one of the two bags, pawing at a bottle that had fallen over earlier. The bottle rolled over and he noticed it was the kind Raven liked to drink, that really sweet, pink Dream Soda. She always seemed to have one with her.

"Raven…" He narrowed his eyes as he stared at the bottle, wondering why it was there on the floor. He thought about Nio and how she had been meticulously stuffing the bags, always trying to do everything perfect. He furrowed his brow and wondered if she had meant to pack a bottle for when they had found Raven. "Damn…" The thought nearly brought him to tears but he fought them back, deciding now was the worst possible time to be mourning anyone when Raven and so many other people needed him now.

He reached for the bottle as he stood up, startling the cat back to wherever it had been hiding before and he reached for a bag, shoving the bottle into one of the side pouches. He looked through both of the bags and decided he'd carry just one, not wanting to be encumbered when he'd need to defend himself or someone else, though he felt a pang of regret leaving the other one behind, knowing Raven would have not minded the treats it held within. Sighing, he dumped some of the items out of the second bag and tried to fit as many as he could into his, not minding the extra weight as he was well use to carrying something heavy on his back, having gotten used to having to lift his drunken father into bed or a sofa when he'd fallen over.

He spend several minutes fixing his bag and tidying up the place before he slung it over his back, grabbing his near flat soda off the counter and walking out the door toward what he hoped were his friends.

(~)

It wasn't long before they found the source of chaos in Gamma, a round, large, dog like person leaning against a wall of a building on the city's outskirts. He stood and glared as the dog man gave a group of those creatures orders, each one disappearing as another appeared in its spot.

"Hey!" Sato shouted out toward the dog man before he began feeling something wrap around his legs, rising higher and higher. "Hey, what the hell?" He looked down and found himself sinking into the ground when something grabbed at him from below and pulled him all the way in.

"Huh?" the dog man frowned, looking in the direction he thought he had heard something. "I coulda sword I heard somebody over thar." He looked around before laughing so loud his belly shook. "Dis world, is now part of de darkness!"

His laughter could be heard for blocks.

(~_~)

_Not yet Satoshi Ryuu. Your time to strike Pete has not come. Once you become more powerful, you can take Pete on. But for now, rest, train, and listen to Merlin. He can help you control the darkness within your heart. While that is your greatest strength…it is also, your greatest weakness. May the allies that travel with you, assist you in controlling the darkness._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Ugh…" he muttered as he stirred, attempting to sit up. The movement caused him to feel dizzy and light headed, his head throbbing so hard it felt like it would explode at any moment. He raised a hand to rub at his temple and slowly opened his eyes, leaning back on his other hand. He waited for his eyes to adjust to the light and looked around, wondering where he was and how he had gotten here. He checked the rest of his body for any sign of injury and found none, he didn't even feel any sign of fatigue. He rose to his feet and stumbled slightly, reaching out to the first thing his hand could reach to keep his balance. He winced when something pricked his finger and he pulled it back, realizing he had grabbed the top of a barrel in which some nails were exposed around the inside of the rim. He looked around again and found himself in an alley between two buildings made of stone, buildings so tall he could hardly make out where the roof began. He looked to his left and found the alley ended in a dead end, the only way left to go was right, the alley's exit no more than a few paces ahead. Using the wall for support, he made his way toward the exit.

Still rubbing his temple he stood near the alley's exit, leaning against the cold, stone wall. He walked into the open and found himself at what looked to be a small town square, four shops set up with two on either side of the square.

"What the hell? Where am I?" he asked no one in particular as there was no sign of life anywhere. The square and shops were seemingly completely vacant of what you'd expect in a town square, people. "Damn, did I sleep here?" He looked to his left and found stairs that descended into what Sato could only assume was some basement shop. He looked to his right and found stairs that lead upwards and bent around a corner to disappear behind a building. Slowly, memories that seemed like they were from some nightmare floated to his mind's surface, their order jumbled and confusing.

He took a few more steps forward and shouted for anyone to hear him, his voice echoing off the buildings on either side of the square. He moved forward more until he came to stand in the middle of the square and noticed a second square a short distance away, it's center occupied by a single bench surrounded by a picket fence. Sato furrowed his brow as he stared at the oddity but pushed any further thought of it away as he looked around more, pressing his face against the glass of the shops.

"Damn, where is everyone?" he asked no one in particular as he approached the last shop, noticing the pastries and breads on display in the front window. His stomach growled at the sight and reminded him that he probably hadn't eaten since the bun earlier that- "Wait, the bun earlier, at the bakery…" Pushing away from the storefront window he moved toward the center again as new memories began floating to the surface, causing other memories to fall into place and become something he finally could make sense of. Slowly, he began remembering the events that lead up to the bakery and what happened during their stay-his stay, there, his heart sinking low. He rubbing his face with the palm of his hand, a sort of sorrowful anger rising up inside him and causing his eyes to burn as he fought back tears, his throat beginning to ache. He pushed all thought out of his mind and closed his eyes, inhaling deeply and holding it in before exhaling. He repeated this until he was sure he felt calmer, recalling that he had decided to mourn and be angry after he had found the others.

Feeling his stomach growl again he also recalled the bag that had been with him before he blacked out and walked back to the alley he awakened in moments earlier. He entered and shuffled toward where he had been earlier and searched for it. He looked inside the barrel and found it empty, and walked deeper into the alley, knocking over crates and other barrels that lined either side of the path. Finally he found a few crates already knocked over and he tossed them aside, finding his bag upside down and against the wall, but otherwise seemingly in one piece. He spent the next hour sitting in the middle of the square thinking back about what had happened the day before, or at least what to him seemed to be the day before, as he rummaged through the bag, taking out each bottle and making certain none were damaged. He grabbed one of the buns and unwrapped it, tearing pieces and absentmindedly putting each into is mouth. So many questions screamed at him all at once like those paintings with the horribly bright and mismatched colors that just glared at you from the wall they hung from, the kind that no matter how much you tried ignoring you just couldn't tear your eyes away.

_Search out Merlin, for he has answers you seek…_

The voice nearly made him shout and drop the half of his bread between his legs. Looking around, he confirmed he was alone and decided that it really hadn't been a dream at all, no matter how much he had been wishing it for the past hour.

"I'm not speaking to you," he said, staring at his half eaten bun.

_Ignorance will not bring you bliss, Satoshi. Answers, however, may._

"Answers? Bliss?" Sato stood up and with the balled up remains of the bun in his fist, he tossed it as far as he could, ignoring where it landed on the other side of the square. "Screw your answers and screw Merlin!" he screamed, his face contorted in anger and his lungs heaving as he held back the urge to scream until his throat became raw. "My friend is gone, do you understand that?"

_I'm sorry…_

"You're sorry? SORRY?" Sato turned on his heel and kicked his bag, sending it flying up into the air and crashing into a store window, shattering the glass. With clenched fists and furrowed brow, he commanded the voice into silence mentally, slamming shut any connection it had to him before it could say another word. He wiped his face with the palm of his hand again, trying harder than ever before to push back any anger or sorrow he had before it overwhelmed him, he still had too much to do before he could allow himself the luxury of breaking down. He looked into the distance past the buildings that lined the square and noticed something he hadn't before, something so large that he was mildly surprised he had missed it at all.

Behind the square a fair distance away stood what looked to be a castle like those he had seen in story books about the old castles of Gamma. He knew there were still old castles around Gamma but he had never anticipated he'd ever seen one, though their academy had been somewhat like a castle. Somewhere to his left and behind the row of shops, the head of a crane lifted itself up, beams hanging tethered to a cable from it's hook as it rose up and swung to the side before lowering itself again, disappearing behind the shops. Sato watched for a few seconds more and guess that it must be some sort of construction site.

He sighed and turned to reach for his bag but found the spot vacant, suddenly recalling how he had just moments ago sent his bag flying into the store a few paces away. He groaned and decided to do without and instead summoned his keyblade into his hand. Immediately the object responded and appeared from thin air, grasping the hilt with a firm grip as the weight of it increased as it completed its materialization. He stared at it for a moment longer before lowering it to his side, feeling his hand become accustomed to the weight. It was slightly lighter than the sword he was used to practicing with at the academy and narrower if you didn't count the teeth at the end, which nearly doubled its width. Looking down, he noticed his clothes were dirty, some spots covered in what looked to be black soot and others with some dark, oily substance.

"Ugh, I need new clothes." Sato sighed deeply and lifted his hand holding the keyblade, letting it go and watching it vanish into thin air as it dropped, disappearing completely before hitting the ground below. He brought his hand up and stared at it, clenching and unclenching as he thought about his promise to Raven. "I'm sorry…" Letting his hand fall back to his side, he turned around and stared at the shop he had peered into earlier, the one with the food on display in its front window. His stomach growling, he decided to risk it and began walking toward it when suddenly a new voice spoke to him, this time out loud.

"Excuse me, are you alright?" Sato spun around upon hearing the female voice, seeing a woman in a light pink frock, her long, brown braid of hair falling down her front and ending with a pink ribbon. She looked at him with uncertainty. "Were you attacked? Are you hurt perhaps? I could get-"

"It's none of your concern," Sato replied, taking a step closer toward the shop as he readied himself internally to call forth his keyblade should she do something strange.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound suspicious. I was just about to go into-" She stopped speaking and just stared off somewhere behind Sato. He turned and followed her gaze to the broken store window. "Oh dear, seems it's happened again."

"Again?" Sato asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said as she turned to face him again. "It was probably some of those children playing with their balls around here. It's the third time this month, humph!"

"Oh, right, uh, can I ask you a question, Miss?" Sato relaxed a bit as he sensed nothing menacing coming from this woman. "Where am I? I don't remember ever seeing this town in Gamma before, and I've been just about everywhere."

She tilted her head and looked at him strangely. "Gamma? Is that where you're from?"

"Yes ma'am," Sato told her.

"Oh stop that," she said as he approached him, offering her hand. "I'm Aerith, and this is Hollow Bastion, and that," she said, pointing at the grocer's shop he had almost broken into earlier, "is my shop." Sato turned and stared at the shop, his stomach suddenly growling loud enough to hear, making her giggle behind a small hand she held up to her mouth.

"I'm Sato," he replied, wiping a hand on his shirt before offering it to her. Her petite hand grasped his as they shook hands before letting go. "Are we anywhere near Alpha or Beta?" Sato asked finally, her expression puzzled. "I mean, I don't know how far away from home I am and I really need to get back home, this is really important." Sato summoned his obsidian keyblade to his hand. "It doesn't matter how far I am, I have to get back and I won't let any more of those black monsters stand in my way."

"Black monsters?" Her face quickly went from confusion to absolute horror as she took a step back, looking around nervously before looking back at him. "Y-you've run into Heartless? It can't be, He was suppose to have rid the world of them."

Sora…

The voice startled Sato slightly, his eyes widening at the sound of the name whispered into his mind. "Sora?" he asked, recalling the voice had once said he was suppose to be this person's opposite.

"Who?" she asked in return, shifting her weight to another foot as she looked around nervously again. She stopped and furrowed her brow, as though attempting to summon memories from somewhere very far away. She looked up at him again, her face showing signs of distress. "I'm sorry, but I don't know who He was, I don't remember."

"Great, just great. Okay so forget that," Sato said as he a hand on his hip. "Just tell me where I am." He was beginning to find this situation entirely ridiculous and wanted nothing more than to be on his way back home, back to his friends and even his dead beat father, he even missed the academy. He felt a pang in his stomach, a sort of heavy and solid sensation as he thought more about home. He was homesick, a feeling he wasn't entirely familiar with since he had never had much opportunity to feel it, home wasn't exactly somewhere he wanted to be and always found ways to avoid it, but being far from his home town, from everything and everyone he's ever known, he wanted nothing more than to be back there.

"Hollow Bastion, as I said earlier," she said, annoyed that he wasn't believing her.

"And how close is it to Alpha or Beta?" The sky above darkened as grey clouds obscured the sun.

"Sato, I don't quite know how to say this, but your world, it may be gone."

Sato stared at her as she said this deadpan, causing him to chuckle. "That's funny, but seriously, you shouldn't joke about-" Sato was cut off when he realized she hadn't been joking, her face unchanging as she looked up at him with a mixture of concern and regret, a regret he assumed for having said anything at all. "Wait, what do you mean, gone?"

"I-I'm not sure, but it's just something we know. When Heartless appear in a world, it's very difficult to eradicate them, and if you don't do it immediately and they're allowed to roam freely, the world will slowly disappear as more and more hearts are consumed. Once the heart of every man, woman and child has vanished, so does that world. I'm sorry, Sato, I truly am, but you can't go back-"

"NO!" Sato shouted as he stepped back, shock, anger and a new wave of homesickness nearly overwhelmed him. "My world, how could it be gone? I was just there, with Raven and Nio…Oh dear god, what have I done?" he cried out, falling to his knees, the keyblade striking the cement with a clang. Unable to resist any longer, the floodgates flew open and he could no longer hold it back, the tears streaking down his face as he cried out in anger and sorrow. Aerith stood by and could do nothing but watch, wiping tears from her own eyes.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-I mean, I-I-" Aerith stopped mid sentence as she watched him straighten, still down on his knees and clasping the keyblade in his hand, so tightly that it looked as if all the blood had been drained from his first, his face streaked with tears that flowed freely from his eyes. She apologized again and turned away, making her way toward her store, leaving Sato alone in the middle of the square.

"I'm so sorry, Raven," Sato said, his eyes closed. He inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, repeating this several times before he was certain he had control over his emotions again. Standing up, he wiped his face with the back of his free hand, still gripping the sword in his other hand. He wiped until his face was completely dry and free of any evidence that he had been crying other than his slightly swollen eyes. Wiping at his eyes one more time, he turned toward the store he had kicked his bag into to fetch it and was half way there when he heard his name being called out behind him. Ignoring it, he continued toward the store, his boots crunching when he stepped on some of the shattered glass on the ground. He had one boot on the windowsill, ready to jump over when he felt a hand on his shoulder pull him back. Angry, he swung around ready to slam a fist into whatever had tried stopping him when he found himself staring into Aerith's face again.

"What now?" Sato asked a bit harsher than he had intended when he noticed how hurt she looked. Sighing, he looked away. "What is it?"

"U-um, I remembered something and I thought you'd like to know," she told him. Sato huffed before looking at her again, waiting for her to continue. "Merlin, I think he could help. He knows lots of things and he'd probably know more about this than I do, and maybe he could help you, you know…"

"No, I don't know," Sato snapped again, seemingly everything irritated him. He averted his gaze from her again before speaking again. "I don't know anything anymore, everything is just so screwed up."

She closed her eyes and took a breath before opening her eyes and speaking again. "He might be able to help you get your world back," she finished. "And maybe even the people who've lost their hearts."

He turned and stepped away from her, propping one hand on his hip while he rubbed his brow with the other. He knew the ever present and disembodied voice mentioned Merlin earlier and that his journey should be, for the moment, in finding him and whatever answers he may hold. He knew what he had to do, but with the recent and overwhelming events, he wasn't exactly sure in which direction to even throw himself, let alone what questions to ask when he got there. Where the hell was he suppose to begin? He didn't even understand what was happening.

"Sato…?"

"Damn it!" Rubbing his face for the umpteenth time that day, he turned around and faced the young woman again. "Alright, okay, I'll go see Merlin."

Aerith smiled warmly at him and made a gesture that he wait here before she turned around and ran back into her shop. He watched her go with a questioning look but shrugged, turning around as well to hop into the shop through the broken window. He quickly found his bag slumped on the ground near a display case and picked it up, finding the contents still intact and unharmed. He gave a silent thanks to Nio having actually paid attention in incantations classes, that even though she was gone, the spell she had cast on the bags back in the bakery never vanished. Suddenly he had new wave of hope that perhaps she hadn't been lost completely, that maybe this was a sign, however small, that somewhere, she and the others still existed somehow, and that meant they could be saved. If the fact that her spell was still cast on the bag was any proof of that, he wanted to hold on to it, to that small hope, that he'll one day reunite with everyone.

"Sato?" He heard her shout his name from outside the shop and he stood up, moving between the various racks of clothes as he put one foot on the inside of the sill as she turned around to face him. "Oh, I thought you had left."

He tossed his bag over and it rolled to a stop at her feet. "Who owns this shop?" he asked her, thrusting a thumb toward the merchandise behind him.

"Oh, um, an old couple owns it. They're really very nice, but why did you-" she began, then gestured at the bag at her feet. "Is this bag yours?"

"I broke the window," he said as he turned around and entered the shop once more, scanning the shelves of clothing.

"I-I'm sure they'll understand, I left them a note on my counter with some money to repair the window. Mrs. Grimshaw always comes by every morning to pick up some sweet buns and coffee for her and her husband," she shouted over her shoulder back at him.

He looked around for something that would suit him but only found clothing that would suit old people. He looked around at the sweater vests and knitted sweaters, sighing. He moved toward the back more and found a rack with socks, and he grabbed a pair that looked like they would fit him. Sitting on the stool near the rack, he shouted out toward her. "I don't understand, why leave a note? Can't you just tell them?" he asked as he pulled his boots and old socks off, pulling on a new sock over each foot before putting his boots on again. Grabbing his old, grungy socks, he made his way back out and passed a rack of black, hooded vests, some that resembled the one he was currently wearing. He looked for one that seemed his size and pulled it off the rack and then off it's hanger, tossing the hanger on top of the rack before turning around and rejoining her outside. He squatted near his bag and removed his old sweater, tossing it to the side along with is old socks.

She turned around and looked down at him, frowning but otherwise not criticising him. "Because I won't be here to tell them," she told him.

He looked up at her and upon closer inspecting, noticed she had also changed into pants and a shirt as well, a bag slung over her back. He looked back down and spoke an incantation and watched his old clothing burst into flames, the fire consuming everything it was commanded to touch but leaving everything else around it, including the ground, entirely unharmed by its presence. Once his old clothing had been completely consumed by the flames, he stood and kicked at the ashes that remained, spreading them around.

"I think you should stay here, it's not safe and I've already lost-" he began to say, his new sweater hanging from a hand.

"Hold on just a minute!" she exclaimed, legs apart and both hands on hips. "First off, do you even know where Merlin is?" she asked, to which Sato reluctantly shook his head no. "Right, and do you even know what Heartless are? Because if our earlier conversation is anything to go by, I assume you know next to nothing about Heartless or the wars they caused, seeing as your world was untouched by them until recently. I was around during the Heartless war, I've seen first hand what happens to people and entire worlds ravaged by them. So between you and me, it looks like I know a hell of a lot more than you do, you need me."

He stared at her in surprise, his mind trying to find a good counterargument but came up rather short. Arguing that he had already lost a friend and an entire world with someone who probably lost more or just as much as he has. For once, he had nothing witty to say, so he simply surrendered. "I suppose I can't convince you otherwise?" he asked nonetheless, pulling the hooded vest on before putting the bag on his back.

"Nope," she said. "Besides, you look like you could use the company," she said, pointing at the shattered store window behind him. "Don't worry, I wrote down that it was probably some kids messing around, it's not the first time it's happened. Our windows get smashed on a regular basis here."

They journeyed through the world together, sometimes in silence and other moments deep in conversation as she brought him up to date with as much information as she knew about the Heartless. He had also asked her about the dog like person in armour that he had seen before blacking out, but she knew even less than he did on this particular subject. They stopped several times to rest, eat and use restrooms at the various small shops they passed as they travelled through the city. Sato had to admit that she had been right about one thing, she knew exactly where she was going and he likely would have gotten lost among all the side paths, alleys and tunnels that wound up and down in various directions. He asked her several times if she was sure she knew which way they were going and she had gotten mad at him for making her repeat herself, so he resolved himself to simply following her lead.

Most of the buildings, houses and shops they passed resembled the ones in the square, all made of stone of various sizes, shapes and even color, with shingled roofs. Some buildings were small and others as large as his academy. Hours had passed and something nagged at him at the back of his mind, something he couldn't quite put his finger on but that bugged him about the city ever since they left the square. He spent several minutes mulling it over at their current rest spot while they nibbled on the sandwiches Aerith had packed, all the stairs they had to climb and descend were taking a toll on both of them. He watched an old woman pass them, her form hunched over a cane as she put one foot in front of the other, and he wondered if she had anyone waiting for her at whatever place was her destination. Suddenly, it dawned on him.

"Aerith, why are there so few people?" he asked between bites, turning to watch her as he waited for her to answer.

"What are you talking about?"

"The people, where are they?" he asked again, gesturing to their near vacant surroundings. "We've been walking for so many hours my legs burn, but no matter how far we seem to go, every building, park, shop and even the schools seem to be either abandoned or nearly empty of people." He looked at her again, shoving the rest of his sandwich into his mouth.

"I don't know," she replied nonchalant. "Not a lot of people go out in public, even though it's been some time since the last Heartless attack, some people are still nervous. I guess you could say we're still recovering," she told him, putting the last bit of her sandwich into her mouth.

"I guess that makes sense." He quickly finished his sandwich and drink before tossing their wrappers into a waste bin only a few feet away. They spent the remaining journey discussing the various differences in their countries, and as time passed, it was more and more apparent how far from home he was. Eventually, Sato grew tired of walking when he began noticing how late in the afternoon it was becoming. "How much further?"

"We're almost there," she said as they rounded a corner. "The city is pretty big and has different sections, or districts if you will. Each district has its own school, shopping area, law makers and so on, so people never really felt the need to build streets large enough for horse pulled carriages since everything they needed was within reach. Unless they needed something specific they can't find near home most people never leave their own district. Merlin lives near the center of the city in the academy district, which we should be reaching soon. See?" She pointed toward a shop that sold books and items for magic, its wooden sign depicting an image of a book and wand. "And over there," she said, pointing to another shop, this one selling something called 'familiars'. When they passed the shop Sato could see several cages on display in the front window with various animals inside them. A woman appeared and pulled a cat out of one of the cages and disappeared further inside.

"There are people here," Sato said.

"Of course, there will be more and more people as we near the center."

He nodded and continued following her as they descended down a path that lead around another bend, startling Sato when he nearly walked into a man rushing passed them. He looked around and noticed there were indeed more people then before, some standing in groups in front of shops while others sat at tables set out outside of cafés. The buildings here were vastly different than the ones he had seen earlier, the rooftops were of different colors for each building, and the buildings themselves looked in better shape. He could smell the odours from the cafés and restaurants around them, making his stomach grumble. He heard a group of children screaming and laughing somewhere down a side street, and watched as dozens of red balloons were released to float up into the sky.

"Hey, what are they doing?" he asked without taking his eyes off the balloons.

"Huh? Oh, the balloons?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"That's just something the schools do each year to commemorate the end of the Heartless wars. They're suppose to symbolize the hearts of the people and by releasing them they mean to say that no one can steal a heart that's already been set free," she explained, pausing long enough to make Sato look in her direction. "A lot of good that means now though…" He didn't know what more to say so he decided to simply say nothing at all, and returned his attention back to watching the red balloons floating upwards.

Suddenly he bumped into something and nearly stumbled backwards. He bit his tongue before letting out a string of expletives when he realized it had been Aerith he had bumped into. She blinked at him before turning her gaze and pointing down the street to a two story shop that looked out of place with its old, wooden structure and antique ambiance. She looked at him again and smiled before turning around and making her way toward the old shop, Sato following closely behind her.

A bell sounded their entrance when she swung the door open, causing a dog to bark and go running up some steps somewhere in the back. The store looked as old inside as it did outside, the shelves stacked with books and parchments that looked like they'd crumble if he even as much as sneezed in their direction. Cobwebs decorated several corners of the shelves and room, dust covering almost everything out in the open. He looked around and saw that the shop held more than just old books and rolled up parchments, but also had crystal balls, cauldrons, flasks and jars filled with things he didn't even want to imagine, dragons made of iron, stone or wood carved animals he didn't recognize, maps and so much more he finally shook his head and gave up looking around. It was evident this Merlin probably sold all the junk other stores wouldn't, seeing as he couldn't see how anything in here could be of any use beyond as a tacky decoration.

"What are you calling junk, kid?" spoke a voice out of thin air. Sato looked around and found no one to whom the voice belonged. "Aerith, who is this young fool you've brought me?"

"Who are you calling a fool, you old man? Show yourself!" Sato challenged, turning around in an attempt to find the source of the voice.

"The one who came in here insulting my wares," bellowed the voice.

Suddenly someone appeared directly in front of Sato and he was startled for the second time that day, quickly taking a step back.

"Aerith, not only does he dare insult my goods, but he has the gall to refer to my home as a box of sticks? Who is this turd?" Merlin said, swinging around to face her as he gestured at Sato standing behind him, his black, hooded cloak flaring out.

"Hey!" Sato shouted.

"Sorry, Merlin, I don't mean to barge in unexpected, but it's important."

The man pulled the hood away from his face and let it fall against his back, revealing the face of a man who looked older than he had first imagined, Merlin's hair as white as snow, his long beard of the same color falling flat against his chest, long enough to reach what Sato assumed must be his waist beneath the cloak. He turned around to glare at Sato again, his grey, almost blue eyes piercing him.

"I thought you'd be much older," Sato said.

"I was around when your family line was nothing more than a gleam in your makers eyes, older than the oldest pine tree that still stands taller than all the rest of the forest that surrounds this country, and old enough to know a brat when I see one," he said, turning away from the two as he made his way to the back of the shop, completely ignoring Sato as he brushed past him. Door hinges squeaked loudly when a door opened, the man inside shouting for them to come inside.

Sato shrugged and followed Aerith into the back, the dog trotting happily beside them, its tail wagging in the air. They entered a large office sort of room, more book shelves lined the walls and several tables covered in clutter stood at the center, various sizes of books, parchments, tools, pots and jars scattered on them. Merlin stood in the back near what looked like a small kitchenette, pouring water into a kettle before setting it on a burner to heat up. He grabbed a cup and gestured it toward Aerith, offering her a cup, who shook her head no as she plopped herself down onto a chair. Merlin turned his head slightly and scowled at Sato, not bothering to even as much as gesture in his direction in offering of anything. Sato huffed indignantly and found a stool to sit on, sliding his bag off his shoulders and letting it fall onto the floor beside him with a thump.

"So, why are you here?" Merlin asked as he went back to preparing his coffee.

"Sato says he encountered Heartless in his world. When I found him he didn't even know where he was and correct me if I'm wrong, how to even get back. I have a suspicion that maybe his world is-"

"Gone." Even with his back turned to them, Sato didn't need to see the man's face to note the undertones of anger and something close to- "God damnit!" Merlin exclaimed as he slammed his mug down onto the counter, his shoulders hunched. "Why would they come back? And why can't I remember anything?"

"Remember what?" she asked him.

He glanced at her quickly over his shoulder before turning back to pour his now hot coffee. "Nothing, it's not important. Listen, I can't help you, I'm the wrong person." Sato heard him cringe and raise a hand to the right side of his head, rubbing at his temple. He opened a cupboard above his head and pulled out a bottle, dumping some of its contents into his hand. "I'm sorry, but I just don't have any answers, all I have are questions. However," he began, dropping whatever he had in his hand into his mouth, washing it down with coffee, "I do know who can help you, and he might have more answers than I do. God knows, I'd love to have some of those answers myself." He gulped down the rest of his coffee, wiping his mouth with the back of his cloak's sleeve. He turned around and found a worried Aerith staring back at him, ignoring her questioning glances as he walked passed her.

"Where is he?"

"Who?" Merlin asked, stopping at the door, looking at Sato.

"The person you mentioned, who is he? And where? I need to find him immediately if I have any chance in bringing my world back. Maybe you could give me a map and I could-"

"No need," he said, interrupting someone mid-sentence yet again. He disappeared passed the door and Sato looked at Aerith who just shrugged and stood up, following the man out. Sato sighed and followed her out as well, catching up as she disappeared into another room in the back, the door only a few steps away from the door to the cluttered office. This room was darker however, and made out of stone while the rest of the building around it was made from wood. Glyphs, ruins and other symbols decorated the walls all around, on the ceiling and a single circle on the floor.

"Is this how you're going to send us?" Aerith asked, staring at the circle of ruins on the floor.

Merlin looked at Aerith with mild surprise before looking at Sato, who also shot him a glance. Sato tried his best to convey without words what he wanted to say but he couldn't be sure if the man understood. He spent the next few minutes drawing a new circle within the circle, intricate ruins in and outside of it, all the while as Aerith pestered him with a torrent of questions about what he was doing and how it would actually send them. During this time, Sato thought about what the voice had told him and wondered if maybe it had been wrong, or simply outright lied. He didn't find any answers here, the man had none.

_Maybe it was just misinformed, or its information was old. Aw geeze! _Placing both hands on his face, he rubbed it furiously, as though trying to dispel any cloud of confusion or doubt that had decided to rain on his parade. _As if this were a parade. If I start questioning everything it says now, I'll go mad trying to figure out what may or may not be true or real. Damn…_

Merlin stood up and faced Aerith, the expression on his face stern. "Go to my study upstairs and find my book of spells, the one with the black cover," he ordered her. She startled slightly by the tone of his voice but did and said nothing to refuse his command, leaving the room immediately and stomping her way up the stairs that lead to what Sato assumed was his study. Suddenly a hand grabbed a fistful of his shirt front and pulled him off the wall he had been leaning on, shoving him into the middle of the room. He had barely enough time to regain his footing when the ruin beneath him lit up and glowed brightly, lifting off the floor to rise slowly upwards. Sato looked up at Merlin in surprise, not sure what exactly was happening.

The piercing gaze cut right through Sato, and he was unable to look away. "Find Yen Sid, he can help you."

"Wait, hold on, I have more-"

"I found it, Merlin, now we can-Hey wait!" The last thing he saw before the flash of light was Merlin's arm shooting out and stopping her in her tracks, then there was a flash of white light and they were gone, making him have to squeeze his eyes shut.

Not even a second had passed when suddenly he was surrounded by warmth, birds singing, and the scent of flowers and fruit in the breeze. He opened his eyes slowly and found himself in a garden of flowerbeds, shrubberies and trees that lined the side of the garden to his right. The leaves and grass were a rich, dark green, and the flowers of every shape and size were so vivid and bright, their colors almost unnatural. He wasn't about to go sniffing every flower in order to decide if the garden was real or not, but when he heard a bees buzz around his head before flying off to do whatever it is bees did, he decided that was enough evidence to say the garden was real. He looked again to his right and between the trees, noticing that the ground seemed to slope downwards at a sharp angle only a few paces beyond the tree line. He looked around the flowerbed near him and picked out a stone, round and smooth, and carefully stepped through the shrubbery, squeezing between two trees just enough to extend an arm out and toss the stone over the edge. He waited and counted the seconds that passed until he could hear the stone land, expecting an impact sound of some sort.

A minute had passed and he heard nothing, then another minute and still nothing. "That's pretty deep," he said under his breath. He turned around and made his way back just as carefully as he had a moment before, looking around again for some indication as to where he was suppose to go know. The garden itself was closed in on all sides by a line of trees, and upon further inspection, two sides ended in a cliff drop beyond the tree line. He continued to follow the wall of trees until he found himself at break between two very wide trunks, their branches so entangled above that Sato couldn't tell where one tree began and the other ended. He looked down and found large, flat stones that were laid out in a sort of path that lead between these trees and continued in a gentle, downwards slope, more of the same trees lining each side, their branches above creating a canopy of green and blossoms. He followed the winding path and wondered what sort of person lived here, when he began smelling something strange in the air. Raising his nose, he sniffed the air and his stomach growled in recognition, the smell of a meal being cooked. He reached for the strap on his shoulder but found it bare, suddenly remembering his bag, on the floor, of that psycho's office. He dropped his arms in disappointment, wishing he had taken that coffee after all, even if he didn't really like coffee anyway.

He walked on for another ten or so minutes before finally finding another break between the trees, this one widening into a courtyard which opened even more to reveal a stone tower, dark green vines and moss covering most of it as it spiralled upwards, though even through the thick cover he could still make out the deep crevices and small holes in some areas, not making any attempt at hiding its true age, which Sato decided must be really old.

He looked around and found no one, only a stable a few yards away and nothing else, the green lawn completely bare of anything else. He found the door underneath some of the overgrown vines and raised a hand to know, stopping when the door creaked open. With a hand flat against the old wood, he pushed the door open, the old hinges protesting loudly, until it was wide enough for him to pass through.

"Either he's expecting me or this guy hasn't heard of home invasions…" he mused as he let himself in through the door. He startled when the door swung shut behind him, entirely on its own the moment his hand let go of it. The room he had just entered looked to be a small kitchen with a table and a few chairs at the center. He stepped further into the room and found an old fashioned wood burning stove, and to the right of it a sink and counter with a small window the overlooked what seemed to be a vegetable patch in the yard beyond. He looked around him and found shelves and cupboards hung on the walls, and a few pots and pans stacked inside what looked like a small pantry leaning against the wall. There wasn't much else in the room other than the quaint carpet that covered the floor beneath the table and chairs, so he went back toward the front door and turned around to find a staircase that lead upwards, winding around the tower.

He started up the stairs and followed them up, passing several other rooms that opened up to the side of the staricase as he ascended, each one as empty as the kitchen below. The second room he had passed was a smell library, the shelves creating a sort of half circle around three plush seats around a small coffee table, the shelves lined with books of every size and color, some even littered on the floor in either chaotic piles or neat stacks. The third room had been a bathroom, the room much smaller than the one previous, and had only a bath, toilet and sink. He shrugged and continued further upwards, now passing a simple bedroom and a locked door before finally coming to a door that actually obstructed his way further up the staircase. He tried the door again but found it to be locked.

"Oh great, you left your door open to me, gave me access to your entire tower that I could have robbed you blind, and you keep only one door in the entire tower locked? You've got some screwed up priorities…" Sato said, shaking his head, leaning against the wall opposite the door. He stared down at the door and noticed a black plaque beneath the handle, a keyhole at the center. He rolled his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall, wondering what to do now. He thought about the keyhole and wondered if maybe there was some key in one of the rooms below that would unlock it. Looking back at the door, he figured that'd be ridiculous, locking a door behind you but leaving the key behind for anyone to find.

_Too bad the keyhole is too small for my key-_

Something at the back of his mind clicked and he summoned his keyblade to his hand, the obsidian object materializing from thin air. He stared at it and wondered if he could make it shrink somehow, or wish for it to somehow fit. He pushed off the wall and faced the door, standing a few steps below it, and pointing his keyblade at the hole. He wished for it to shrink and fit, but nothing happened. He tried a few more times, each time with a different phrase, but still he couldn't get it to react to his command. He was about to give up and simply wish it'd unlock the door already when suddenly a beam of light shot out from the keyblade and into the keyhole, filling it entirely until some of the light began to spill out like a liquid before fading and vanishing completely. There was a click and the door opened slightly, light filtering through the crack. Using his keyblade, he pushed the door all the way open and stepped inside, not at all prepared for what he saw.

The room at the top of the tower was huge, so big in fact he wasn't sure he could see the ceiling, if there were a ceiling in fact. He couldn't make heads or tails of the room and just trying to figure it out as he stared at it made his head spin. He caught himself on the door frame before falling backwards and likely down the stairs too, forcing himself to look away for a moment as he attempted to regain his bearings. He released his keyblade and felt it vanish from his hand, leaving a gap inside his fist where he had just been grasping it a second before. He shook his head and looked back up, staring up at all the flights of stairs that ran in every direction, up, down, sideways, even upside down, some going seemingly no where while others lead to other doors or stairs. The entire room was one giant-

"Screw me sideways, Escher would be proud if he saw this labyrinth…" Sato said, completing his thought. "Oh damn, this is going to take one, long, while." He looked to his right and followed the staircase down, careful not to step too closely to the edge as he followed it to another passage.

(~)

Several hours had passed and he had grown tired of walking, let alone following paths and doors that lead to nowhere, or teleported him to some other area that was just as confusing and convoluted as the one before it. He had been counting doors as he passed them, using his keyblade to scratch a marker so he knew which one he had gone through, and by the time he had reached the 146th door he decided to simply give up counting until he finally lost count altogether. He had begun passing through doors he had already marked what seemed like hours before until all he saw were doors with the jagged X's carved into their hard surface.

He stopped and rested again, needing to catch his breath after having climbed that particular steep staircase, only ending up at yet another door. He was sick of seeing doors and stairs, all he wanted was to be outside again in the fresh air, smelling the grass, flowers and dinner-"Wait a minutes…" Sato stood up and sniffed the air again, recognizing the scent from what he had picked up outside the towers earlier that day, the one that lead him straight to it. He could smell the scent of bread baking and meat roasting, and almost taste it as his stomach growled and his mouth began salivating. He hadn't eaten in hours and the exhaustion from all the walking and climbing he had done was only causing his hunger to grow all the more quicker. Following his nose, he passed through the door and followed the path that lead in a single direction straight forward, no staircase this time as he followed it to its end, staring up at two large, wrought iron doors. He looked straight ahead and found a plaque much like the black one earlier, though this one looked to be of solid gold, and the keyhole larger than the one before. Lifting his keyblade to the keyhole, he commanded that his keyblade unlock this door and watched as the bright, white light shot out into the keyhole and filled it, it's almost liquid like light spilling out in great amounts as the light only grew brighter and stronger. It was then that he noticed the carved symbol on both doors, each half identical as the other on either side, and watched as the light that which spilled from his keyblade and filled the keyhole also began following the path of the carving itself, filling it like milk through a transparent straw. He continued watching until finally the symbol was completed and entirely filled with his keyblade's magic, causing something inside the doors to turn, almost forcefully, until the doors began to swing open toward him. He took a step back and looked on as the doors swung open wide enough to allow him entry, and he stepped forward, entering the room beyond as the two large doors swung shut behind him.

He could hear the sounds of birds close by and turned to stare out an opened window that reached nearly all the way up to the ceiling, and the ceiling was high, which he noted after craning his neck to look up. He looked out the window again, the long, white curtains billowing in the light breeze, and walked up to it, putting one hand on the window's edge, staring out into what looked like an orchard. The air smelled sweet, like ripe fruit in the heat of summer. He inhaled deeply before turning around to explore the rest of the room. The walls were covered with a yellow tapestry, the one on his left partly lined with bookshelves until being obstructed by a door half the size than the one he had just entered, which stood part way opened. Suits of armour stood in the corners of the room, shields, swords, coats of arms and other various items decorated the walls. On the other end of the room stood an empty heavy Oak desk, ornately carved, and covered with about as much clutter as was Merlin's tables were. A fire crackled somewhere off to the desk's side, a chair obstructing whatever fireplace decorated the wall behind it, the chair's back facing him. He approached the chair and startled slightly when a voice spoke from behind it.

"Ah, you must be Satoshi Ryuu, Merlin said you'd be coming. Would you join me for some dinner?" A hand reached out and gestured to an empty spot to the seat's left, and suddenly another seat identical to the other appeared, a table tray with plates of food and drink in front of it. Sato stood unmoved, unsure as to what to do. The hand gestured at the chair again and he took a step forward, stopped, and watched at the hand disappeared behind the chair to be followed by the face of an old man from around the chair as the occupant leaned over the side to peer back at him. "Well? What are you waiting for? I could practically hear your stomach grumbling all the way from the garden. You must be famished after all that walking, so go on, eat your fill before it gets cold." The hand appeared again and pushed up a pair of spectacles up a thin nose as he continued to watch Sato.

His stomach growled again and he brought his hands up to cover his stomach, slightly embarrassed to be betrayed by his own body so easily. Surrendering, he sat down in the chair and inspected the food before looking up, finding the old man staring back at him, chewing on a morsel of food with fork and knife in hand, gesturing at the food in front of Sato, into which he finally dug in. He shoved a piece of buttered bread into his mouth and looked up when the old man across from him chuckled, lifting a glass that contained what looked to be wine and toasted him before drinking its contents. Sato watched as the glass refilled when he put it back down, freezing midchew for a few seconds as he watched before shoving a piece of chicken in his mouth. He noticed the old man was wearing something similar to what Merlin had been, only this one was of a dark, night sky blue, yellow stars speckled randomly, a long, pointed hat of the same pattern was tucked beneath an unopened book, half hanging off the corner of the table he used. His face was kind, wise beyond his seeming years but still kind, as he forked a piece of cooked carrot into his mouth, reading from the opened book before him. His eyebrows were much bushier than Merlin's, and his beard only half as long. Sato also noticed his hair and beard were also not nearly as white as Merlin's had been, but was more gray with specks of white. "Did Merlin tell you who I am?"

Sato stopped staring at the beard and looked up, swallowing the piece of cheese he had been chewing. "He said you were Yen Sid," he replied before taking a sip from the glass of milk.

Yen Sid sat back in his seat and waved a hand, the table before him disappearing and replaced with a much smaller, round one, topped with a smoking pipe and tin. He opened the tin and pinched some tobacco into the pipe's bowl, putting it to his mouth and tapping it with a finger as he puffed away, smoke rising up as the contents began to burn as if from their own accord like the wine glass filling itself. He took several more puffs until he was satisfied, exhaling a plume of smoke that turned into rings and rose up.

"Did he say what he sent you here?" Yen Sid asked as he took another puff of his pipe before lowering it, resting his arm on the arm rest beside him.

"No, actually, he just said you'd have the answers I'm seeking," he said, mopping up the remaining gravy on his plate with a bit of bread, shoving it into his mouth with a forkful of mashed potatoes.

"Well, it's not surprising. If what you say is true, then it was sure not to be safe to speak so freely of such things just anywhere, even in Merlin's shop." He took another puff and nodded, grunting as though confirming something only he was aware of. "But never fear, young man, for I surely will have some of the answers you're seeking. For now, finish your desert and we'll be on our way," he said, gesturing his pipe to Sato's table.

Sato looked down and found a small, round plate with a slice of still warm apple pie, the scent of cinnamon wafting up to his nostrils. He licked his fork clean and made no apology as he dug into the dessert, savouring every bite of it until it was gone. He suddenly felt a wave of guilt wash over him and he sat there, fork still in mouth, and stared down at his empty plate. His face must have betrayed his emotions because the table vanished from beneath his gaze along with the fork from his mouth, startling him into looking up at the old man who stared out across from the other seat at him, a look of concern, and maybe even a bit apologetic.

"There's no need to feel guilty, these past several days have been quite harsh on you, so you needn't be so hard on yourself. A man must still eat, after all, you'll need all of your strength if you wish to save your friends, and your world," he said before standing up from his seat, his robes flowing behind him as he moved away from the chair toward the door Sato had seen earlier. "Now then, shall we take a walk? There's something I'd like to show you." Yen Sid stopped in his tracks and turned around, extending a hand to gesture toward the door as he looked back toward Sato, the door swinging open of its own accord. Sato also stood and followed him as they passed through the doors and into a long bridge path that spanned a gap between the room they had just left and some other room atop a spire of stone. The path was lined on either side with an ornately carved, stone banister, stone columns every several feet apart held up the path's ceiling from one end to the other. Sato leaned over the side of stone walkway and looked down, gulping when he realized there was nothing but clouds darkness beneath them. "Don't worry, you can't fall from here, I've put a spell of protection," Yen Sid reassured him. They continued down the path together as a cool breeze picked up, stopping in front of another set of doors which opened on their own once they were close enough.

"Where are we going?" Sato asked.

"We need to do something about your clothing, of course, a hero can't go around saving the world with holes in his shirt and dirt on his chin, now can he?" Yen Sid smiled down at him and moved into the room.

Sato looked down at his clothing and was slightly surprised to find that his shirt did indeed have a tear in it, several in fact. He wiped his chin with the back of his hand and followed the old wizard inside, finding himself inside another room as large as the previous, the doors closing behind them with a shudder. The room was indeed very large, its walls made of stone much like the pathway outside, and the floor of tiled marble. Torches hanging off the walls list the room, the light warm and soft, but bright enough that he could see clearly. He looked up at the wizard beside him, uncertain as to what he was suppose to do here. Yen Sid lifted a hand and pointed with a single finger toward the center of the room as he silently looked down at Sato. He scrunched up his brows, never having liked it when people spoke to him in riddles or the like. He sighed and reluctantly did as he was bade, turning to look in the same direction he had been pointing and found himself unable to see across the room as he had been a moment ago. A giant cube like object occupied the center of the room, like a giant, brass puzzle box.

"I cannot go inside with you, for that would surely anger those inside. However, they will allow you entrée and exit, so long as you do not anger them."

"Who are they?" Sato asked.

"Inside, you will find a ring of toadstools, you must stand inside and whatever you do, whatever you hear or see, or may happen, you must not leave the ring until you are given permission. If you should step outside the ring before being granted leave, you will be stuck inside their world, forever, eventually becoming one of them as your mind forgets everything that is you, losing your identity completely along with all of your memories, even your own name. Of course, I could still pull you out then, it would be difficult, perhaps even dangerous, but possible nonetheless, that is, until…"

Sato turned around to find the old wizard staring out passed at the cube behind him. He made no effort to hide the look of horror on his face. "Until what?" he nearly shouted.

The question seemed to startle him back to reality. "Until they give you a name, of course. Once the Queen of Fairies gives you a name, you become one of them. Names hold great power in their world, that is why no one ever knows the true name of a fairy, knowing their names would mean having power over them. But enough of that, off with you now, you mustn't keep them waiting. They so do hate being made to wait." Yen Sid turned around and made his way back toward the doors they had passed through earlier, the doors grinding against the floor as they began to open.

"Hey, wait! Why the hell do I have to go in there? I don't want to be sucked into their world or whatever you call it," Sato did shout this time, not for one second liking the idea of having to step inside that cube.

"Oh right, I knew I forgot to mention something," the old wizard said as he shook a hand before turning around to face Sato. "Your clothes," he said.

Sato deadpanned. "Wait, what? Clothes? Why can't I just buy them from some store? Or have make some? Or why can't you just conjure up some-"

Yen Sid raised both hands in defence, trying to calm the flailing boy in front of him. "Oh no, you misunderstand, young Satoshi. These are no ordinary garments, my boy, these are garments from the fairy world, gifted to you from the fae Queen herself. These garments will allow you to control the darkness within you and channel it into something you can manifest. The Queen owes me a favour for something I did for her a few years back, so I requested these garments for you. Once you've finished, come find me in the other room, we'll discuss your journey over some hot coco." Yen Sid turned around and waved a hand at Sato from over a shoulder, shouting "good luck" as he passed through the doors and disappeared, leaving the bewildered Satoshi alone in the room.

"You have got to be kidding me…" he said, turning around slowly to face the cube. He rubbed his face with a hand before resting his hand on his chin, still unsure if he should go in or not. He walked around the cube several times but found nothing that resembled a door, though he couldn't really say what part of the designs on the giant box could or couldn't be a door. He was reluctant to approach it but knew he couldn't stand around doing nothing all day, and going back empty handed seemed every bit out of character for him, and he wanted nothing more than to be himself completely right now, especially after having heard how he could just as easily lose himself inside. "Aaaaaaaagh, goddamnit, screw this!" he shouted and walked up to the giant cube.

The wall he faced suddenly began changing, parts slid inside while others nearly popped out as they slid in various directions until finally the movement began forming a door like shape. The door shape began to glow hotly and then vanished, leaving a gap tall and wide enough for him to pass through. Taking a deep breath, he walked inside and found himself outside, or at least it looked like he was outside. He stepped forward into the stone floor, though he found himself surrounded by trees and grass, branches above so entangled they formed a canopy, and the trunks gnarled and twisted into odd angles. He blinked and stared down at the floor, following it until he found the edge of the forest scene beyond, the stone floor stopping where the grass and tree roots began.

"This must be some sort of machine, wow…" he half whispered. He took another step forward and something began glowing at the center of the room, odd little shapes that protruded from the floor and formed a perfect ring of light. He bent forward slightly and noticed that these were in fact glowing toadstools that formed the ring. Swallowing hard, he straightened and took one last deep breath before stepping inside, the very second after wishing he hadn't do so so quickly.

The room immediately vanished and everything blurred, rushing passed him, and he was plunged into some sort of tunnel of swirling colors, shapes and sounds his mind couldn't comprehend in this state. More solid shapes sped passed him, even through him, and it was everything he could do to not faint. The sounds began to make his eyes ring and he did finally drop to his knees, luckily still inside the ring, when everything abruptly stopped, the tunnels disappearing and leaving him to vomit on the floor beneath him.

Voices chuckled and chattered around him, though he still had his eyes squeezed shut to steady his still spinning reeling mind he could tell he was surrounded be at least several dozens of whatever creatures made light of his predicament. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and slowly opened his eyes, staring at the green moss beneath him. He looked up slowly and found himself surrounded by similar trees he had seen moments ago inside the cube, the trunks so gnarled and twisted they could hardly be called trees at all.

"What what you're calling un-trees, hu-mon," a tiny voice spoke from behind him before something equally small bounced off the back of his head and landed beside him, the acorn bouncing several times on the soft moss before stopping near the edge of the ring. Sato slowly turned around without standing and his eyes widened. "You're lucky we can't enter the ring, hu-mon, or we'd teach you a lesson for defiling our home, filthy hu-mon."

Another acorn flew at his from another direction and bounced off his head, this time hard enough to hurt. "Ow, what the hell?" Sato shouted, wincing as he rubbed the newly sore spot. The creatures that assaulted him with the flying acorns were in fact exactly as he imagined they'd be, still much to his surprise. Several tiny, glowing, winged creatures flittered back and forth, from side to side, all around the ring of toadstools. Their wings emitted sparks of light which became streams as they moved about, leaving trails of fluorescent colors and sparkles. Their bodies were tiny and slender, each of them a different color that ranged from soft blues and purples, to browns and ivory white, though he couldn't make out much more than that, they moved too much for him to be able to see anything more. "I came to see your-OW!" he winced again, raising his hands to protect his face from the new assault.

"We know, hu-mon," said one.

"Our Mother has far more important things to do than to see you, hu-mon," replied another.

More and more appeared, joining the first group, and soon he was surrounded by several dozen fleeting forms, some flitting about around him and others watching from their perch up on tree branches or flowers. Sato groaned at the prospect of having to be assaulted by more of these projectiles, even though they were small and not very heavy, they still stung when they hit him, especially on his head. He felt another whistle an inch away from his face and half expected to feel more as he raised his hands to guard against it. He waited like this for several seconds before noticing that nothing happened and with lowering his hands to his sides also came the realization that everything around him had fallen silent. He looked around and found that the fairies were no longer paying attention to him, having dropped their acorns or retreated into the woods, those that stayed all stared in the same direction. Following their gaze, he saw a warm, glowing light in the distance moving toward him between the trees. It took several minutes before the light was close enough for him to see that it was in fact a woman in white, glowing robes that were emitting the warm light, though Sato was uncertain if it was just the robes or her completely.

She approached the ring of toadstools, her bare feet mere inches from the edge, her white robes falling all around and trailing behind her. He looked up slowly and could do nothing but sit and stare in awe at the woman who looked down at him, a bemused smile on her face. He skin was fair and light as cream, unblemished save for specks of gold that freckled her cheeks, her hair the color of sunlight, which flowed all about her like threads of spun gold that reached down to her knees. Her eyes were a deep, emerald green, but a green that was so clear and sharp they were almost like emeralds themselves. She took her eyes off him and looked around, and without a word the fairies that had been keeping watch over him, or rather having their fun at his expense, all disappeared into the woods in every direction, some even yelping as they flew off. Looking down at him again, she finally spoke, her voice soft and yet firm, the sound making him taste honey in his mouth.

"Have my mischievous children hurt you, Satoshi Ryuu, Son of Adam?"

Sato opened his mouth to speak but found himself unable to, only managing to stutter out a reply. "N-no…"

She chuckled lightly at him, her eyes and the glow becoming brighter. "You're a terrible liar, Satoshi Ryuu."

"Please," he began, swallowing hard again. "Just Sato is fine," he replied, swallowing hard.

She looked at him sternly at first, but softened her gaze as she extended a hand toward him, stopping at the edge of the ring of toadstools, gesturing that he stand. Sato stood up slowly until he was completely on his feet, nearly tall enough to reach her shoulders. He looked up toward her again and found her looking off in the direction of the woods. He followed her gaze and found three more lights coming toward them, one red, one green and other blue, as they wove through the trees. Their voices became louder as they approached, and it became more and more apparent that the three lights belonged to three people arguing amongst themselves.

"It's your fault we're late!"

"What do you mean, my fault? You're the one who left everything to the last minute, again."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah!"

Suddenly the red sphere of light clashed with the blue, the sphere of green light getting in between the two. Sato watched them bicker between the trees and wondered what sort of world Yen Sid had sent him to. "Stop it you two, we're late enough as it is…" The three lights grew brighter as they burst with speed and wove around the trees and emerged into the grove where Sato and the golden haired woman stood. As soon as they saw the woman opposite to Sato they stopped in their tracks, their demeanour changing completely as they paid their respects.

"High Mother," the three said in unison as they bowed, their wings beating rapidly behind them, much the same as the fairies he had seen earlier, except that these were a little bigger, and a little older looking than the others seemed to have been. Each wore robes the same color as their glow, tiny as fairies were but much rounder than the slender bodies he had seen earlier. Sato remained silent as the three finished paying their respects, only just now realizing the woman was actually the Queen of Fairies, the "High Mother" as the other three were addressing her as. The green fairy approached the Queen as she extended a hand out to the fairy, a small sack resting in the center of her palm. The green fairy pulled a wand from a belt of silver thread around her waist and tapped the sack with it, turning it into light which was then absorbed into the wand. The three thanked the Queen and bowed again before they flew back to stand beside him outside of the ring of toadstools. The Queen gave Sato a light smile and curt nod before she herself also turned into hundreds of little spheres of light, vanishing into the woods and out of sight. He had been watching so intently he hadn't even noticed that the other three were staring at him.

"So, you're that young man Yen Sid told us about?" asked one of the three.

Sato blinked before turning his head to look at them. "Yeah, I guess so…"

"You know, for a hero, he sure isn't much to look at," said the green one.

The blue fairy chuckled but was quickly thumped on the head by the red fairy with her wand. "Stop that, don't be so rude. We have work to do," she told the two, turning to face the blue one with a raised one whilst the green one shook a fist at her back. They turned to face him again, hovering as close to the edge of the toadstools as was allowed. "Now, Yen Sid said you were in need of some new clothes, isn't that right?" the red one asked him, her voice light and kind, it reminded him of his grandmother.

"Yeah, something about controlling the darkness," he replied, turning to face them completely.

"Well now, we're the right fairies for the job," said the blue one as she pulled a wand from her own belt, the green fairy following suit. "So how about some blue clothes?"

"No no no, we agreed it would be red!" argued the red fairy, shaking her wand at the blue one again.

"Green would suit him much better, he has such lovely amber eyes," said the green, causing the other two to turn around and gang up on her.

Sato stood by and watched in silence, his tolerance level slowly depleting until finally it was gone completely. "Enough!" he shouted, the three fairies startling enough to fall back several feet away from him. He glared at them, his brow furrowed deeply in annoyance. "Look, I wasn't exactly prepared for coming here, Yen Sid pretty much just left me to my own fate when he told me to come here. Not only that, but I threw up when I did get here, my stomach pretty much void its entire contents of whatever I had eaten previously. And again, not only that, but right after having thrown up I'm assaulted by a bunch of glowing, flying brats no bigger than my toast throwing acorns at me, a lot of acorns, and they hurt. Now I have you three arguing about something I frankly don't give a flying hoot about, so I'll tell you what, make it black. Not only is it something I prefer, but it also has no dominant color from your triangle. So please, stop bickering and work together, the quicker we get this done the quicker I can get back to throwing up on Yen Sid's floor." With hands on hips, he stared them down with his no nonsense attitude, making it quite clear that he had had enough with everyone's antics in their fairy world.

"Well, I'll be…" spoke the green one first as she broke away from the three and approached him again. "For something so small, you sure got fire in your gut!" she said, chuckling heartily, her whole body shaking. "I like you, young man, you've got gumption."

The other two stood beside the green one and nodded in agreement. "Mhmmm, I don't know about being full of fire, but he sure is full of something," snickered the blue fairy who received a nudged and a glare from her red companion beside her. "What?"

The red fairy shook her head before returning her attention to Sato. "All together now, ladies," said the red one as the three each pointed their wands at Sato, flourishing them in grand circles. A spark of light emerged from each wand and struck Sato, his clothing suddenly changing and turning black. He blinked and looked down at his new threads, adjusting the pants and wriggling his toes in his new boots which laced half way up his calves, his pant legs over his boots, and a large pocket on either thigh. His black, sleeveless trench coat nearly touched the ground, with pockets inside as well. He looked down and noticed that his coat actually stopped just a bit below his breast bone, a silver chain hanging off either side and the tails of his coat falling behind him. He unbuckled his coat and found a black belt wound around his waist, twice, and hung off his hips. His shirt was a simple black, sleeveless shirt that fit tightly around his torso.

"Now then, these clothes will control your darkness, but they're not perfect and they take a toll for their usage. Remember, all magic has a price, and this one's price is your energy. So be careful when you use this beyond their day to day function of holding your darkness inside, but be aware that some darkness does leak out," the blue fairy explained.

"Yes, your darkness will leak out, but if you lose control over your negative emotions it won't just leak out, it will explode out and possess you. Be careful, you mustn't let this happen, because if you do…Oh dear, if Yen Sid is correct, ooh please, do be careful, the calmer you are, the more control you will have over this darkness, and the more it will bend to your will rather than the other way around. Do not let it control you, or you may be lost," continued the red fairy.

"I'll keep that in mind," Sato told them as he inspected his new clothing again, liking how they looked and felt on him.

"Now, for this last thing before you leave, a gift from the Mother herself," the green one spoke. With a flourish of her wand she flicked it toward Sato again and emitted six sparks which flew toward him and attached themselves to his wrists. The sparks grew and formed three golden armbands, three on either wrist, each with a different coloured gem inside. On his right wrist he had an emerald, yellow topaz diamond and ruby, and on his left he had a lapis lazuli, sapphire and a diamond. The bands were thin but strong, and didn't move when he moved his arms around.

"These gems are a gift from our High Mother, the Fae Queen, and the gold armbands are actually made from strands of her hair. They have a lot of magic in them and will protect you, but the gems especially, these give you the power to change your form," the green one continued.

"Change my form?" Sato asked, frowning at the thought of becoming a shape shifter.

"Yes, your form, aren't you listening?" the red fairy chastised him, shaking her wand in his direction.

"Sorry, go on…"

With a nod, the red fairy picked up where her green companion had left off. "Yes, as she was saying, these give you the power to change your form, something that is far more powerful than you are in your normal form. The strength of these forms is strictly dependant on your state of mind and your bond between you and your friends. The stronger your bond and the more positive and strong your state of mind is, the more powerful these forms will grow. If you allow hate and anger to seep in and put a wedge between you and your companions, the weaker this power will become until it abandons you completely. You must respect it, it is not something to fool around with."

"I'll be sure to remember that as well," Sato said.

The blue fairy came forward this time. "You may even become strong enough to control the darkness, but for now, you've gained your first form, Dragoon." As she said this a flash of green caught his attention from the corner of his eye and he lifted his right arm to stare at the lit emerald. The green gem glowed and sparkled, its light pulsating. "This form has the Jump ability and it allows you to take a great leap vertically or horizontally, whichever the situation calls for, and strike your enemy with a great blow!" the blue fairy explained as she slashed at the air with her wand. "How you use it exactly is up to you, but that's the gist of it."

"Woah, that's pretty cool," he said as he inspected the glowing gem.

"Isn't it? I get so excited just thinking about it. Which reminds me, a few centuries ago I met this-Ow!" The blue fairy stopped mid-sentence after receiving another bop on the head from the red fairy's wand. "What was that for?"

"He doesn't want to hear your old stories," said the red one, making a face at the other.

"You can also focus the darkness inside you and by chanting the words 'Darkness Devous' you can unleash a dark version of any spell you have learned. However, like any magic, you must be careful how you use it, especially the dark ones. Right now, you don't have any Darkness spells but you do have one Hell spell," the green one continued to explain as the other two bickered.

Sato sighed deeply, finding it somewhat difficult to keep up with all of the info they were throwing at him, he found it somewhat overwhelming. This was another reason why he never liked being in class much, he'd much rather learn hands on rather than fill his head with so much information he could hardly keep track of it all. His face must have betrayed his thoughts because the green one smiled warmly at him.

"Don't worry, you're doing just fine," she reassured him.

"Yeah, what she said," quipped the red one.

"A Hell spell is the dark version of a spell, for example, Hell Firaga is the dark version of Firaga," the blue one said.

"I'm so lost…" Sato told them, not meaning to whine but he was finding it difficult to keep up with so much information in such little time.

"Don't worry about it I said, you'll learn in time, and as you unleash the magic already inside you, things will begin to make more and more sense. You just need some hands on experience," the green one reassured him again, chuckling lightly.

"Now, one last thing before you go. You also now have the ability to open up portals that will take you to other worlds. Remember how you arrived in Hallow Bastian?" Sato nodded at her question. "You'll be able to do much the same, though you might find it difficult at first, especially that you're not accustomed to the darkness or using it. You might find that a portal you've opened up to one world may actually drop you somewhere else entirely and not always somewhere pleasant, or safe, or even with an exit. Don't let it lead you astray, find and keep companions close, do not attempt this journey alone. Friends are there to help you and their bond with you will make you stronger. Remember, together you stand, divided you fall," the red one said, gesturing with her hand. "This is all we can do for you, we don't know enough about the Darkness itself to know how it works exactly, but we hope we've given you enough tools to help you along your way."

"We're sorry we can't be of more help, Satoshi," said the blue fairy.

"Don't worry, ladies, you've done more than enough already. Thanks to you, I can now use the darkness to my advantage, and not to mention I have these badass new clothes. Thank you, for everything," Sato said, bowing.

"Oh, did you hear that?" asked the green fairy as she turned to her other two companions, her hands over her cheeks.

"Yes, he called us ladies," added the blue one before all three fell into a fit of girlish giggles. "My sister was right about you, we like you," she told him, winking.

"Now off with you, you mustn't keep that other old fart in his stone tower waiting," said the red fairy, flicking her wand at the ring of toadstools.

Sato was about to thank them once more for all their help when suddenly the ring of toadstools began glowing hotly again, throwing him into the tunnel he had taken earlier. This time he squeezed his eyes shut and willed his stomach to ignore the sensations around him, holding his breath. He felt something hard as he fell backward into the marble tiled floor with a thud, forcing him to draw a breath. He slowly opened his eyes while holding his stomach, feeling a familiar wave of nausea wash over him. He fought it back by taking deep breaths, not wanting a repeat of earlier in the grove, already feeling queasy enough as it was. He got up to his feet slowly and waited until he was sure he could walk steadily before moving. He made his way out and stepped onto the stone walk way that lead him back toward the room where Yen Sid waited for him. He looked out over the side and realized it had gotten rather late, the sun having set and the stars twinkling brightly in the night sky above. A cool breeze blew around him, cooling him down and making him feel better. He took several deep breaths as he made his way toward the room, pass through the doors as they opened for him as he approached them.

"So, how does the Queen and her realm fair?" Yen Sid asked with his back turned to Sato. He was bent over and poking the fire in the pit with a fire poker.

"Well enough, I suppose, though maybe lacking in some discipline," Sato replied, rubbing his bruises on his head.

Yen Sid turned around and looked at him, cocking a brow before returning the poker to its stand. "I see her mischievous children gave you a good welcome. I hope you threw those acorns back at them, bunch of spoiled brats," he said as he sat down in his chair near the fire. He gestured that Sato also sit down at the seat that materialized beside him, a table with a cup of some steaming liquid waiting for him. "Have some tea, it will make you feel better, and you can tell me all about what happened."

They spend the better part of the next two hours discussing what Sato had seen in the fairy world, and Yen Sid explaining certain things that he hadn't quite understood. For all their merriness and antics, the three fairies apparently had left some things up to Yen Sid to explain. Once he began feeling better, Yen Sid offered him bread and Briar Honey, something he said would replenish his energy and would settle any lingering nausea he may have.

"So, you're all set I see? You've some new clothes, accessories and new abilities. How about that?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Sato responded.

Yen Sid nodded and stood up, walking to the center of the spacious room, followed by Sato with a questioning look. Yen Sid held up a hand to stall any question he might have and snapped his fingers, a black ant like creature with yellow eyes appeared on the floor before them. Instantly Sato drew his keyblade and lifted it to defend, but was stopped by a hand touching his arm.

"Stay your blade, this is merely an image. The Shadows are the base of all Heartless, they have no hearts of their own and have only one purpose, to take hearts from any living creature. However, Shadows only show themselves if they wish to be seen, they are nothing but pure darkness, and can hide in the shadows of people and creatures, especially if they have darkness in their hearts." Satoshi relaxed after being told it was nothing but an image, releasing his keyblade. "The Heartless have great fear of the Keyblades and this may cause them to attack you for no reason and out of nowhere. Be careful and never let your guard down, even where as it concerns you."

"Me?" Sato asked, looking up at the old wizard.

"Yes, you. You will be your greatest enemy, for the darkness will never cease to try to possess you." He waved a hand and the creature disappeared and with another snap of his fingers a table appeared before them covered with more food. "I hope you're hungry, because I sure am. I feel like I haven't eaten in ages."

"But we just ate a few hours ago and-"

"Ha, magic takes a lot out of you, and to keep this place protected with the barriers I've put up, I need lots of energy. You will too, for you have a trial ahead of you," he said as he sat down at the table, Sato taking a seat across the table from him.

"A trial? What trial?" Sato asked as he watched the old wizard fill his plate with various food stuffs.

"The door you see over there," he said, gesturing with a sideways nod of his head. Sato followed the gesture's direction and found a door standing in the center of the room where they had been standing moments before. "Through that door you'll find Twilight Town, where you'll have your trial. There I want you to find Naminé, the reason why no one can remember the Heartless wars." Sato frowned and leaned back in his chair. "When you find her, I would like for you to request that she string together Sora's heart again," Yen Sid finished before shovelling a forkful of mashed potatoes into his mouth.

"Fine, I'll do ask you ask. Am I to assume that there will be Heartless in this town?"

"Of course," he replied between mouthfuls.

"Right, then I suppose I shall go after eating, again…"

"Indeed." Yen Sid grinned and began pointing at various dishes for Sato to fill his plate with.

(~)

_Little did I know that the battle had already begun, that every single world that I would visit would make me stronger, and all the while, my heart heavier with sorrow. I no longer have a place to call home, no family to shout at, no friends to nag at me…Everything I've ever known and loved is gone, taken from and even before me as I could do nothing but stand by and watch, by the darkness._

_Darkness Devours._

_How true these words ring in my heart now, they are forever burned into my very being, my soul, my core. What these words mean to me will never be more than a memory, if unless my some miracle my home were to be returned._

_But even then, will I be able to protect my world from the darkness that threatens to devour the very existence and essence of life itself?_

_I guess I may never know, unless whatever 'God' that watches over me decides to weave together that very miracle._


	3. Chapter 3 Twilight Town World

Chapter 3

"Can you believe this? They gave us homework over the summer," he said as he ran a hand through his blond hair before folding his arms across his chest. "And here I was hoping we could hit the beach first day."

"Relax Hayner, we'll go to the beach soon," she replied, staring at him with her green eyes as she twirled a strand of her brown hair between two fingers, walking backwards in front of him. She twirled around and fell into step beside him as she adjusted her orange shirt over her tan shorts. "First, we should figure out what we're going to do." When she heard the other boy behind her snort in retort she turned around and walked backward again. "What? You've got something you want to say?"

The heavier, black haired boy opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by the other boy walking beside him and behind Hayner. "Olette! Watch out!" She was about to twirl around to see what was wrong but ended up crashing into something, causing her to take a tumble to the ground.

"Who put that wall there?" she shouted before looking up at what she had just walked into. She stared up into amber colored eyes belonging to a boy with raven black hair.

"Sorry, I should have kept moving," he apologized as he held out a hand to her.

Frowning, she took his hand and allowed him to pull her up, her other friends coming to stand around her to stare at the new boy. "I don't think I've ever seen you around before," asked the black haired boy.

"Oh, I'm new here I guess," he replied, releasing the girl's hand. "I'm actually looking for someone, her name is Naminé. Would any of you happen to know her?" The four exchanged glances but shook their heads no. "Ah well," the boy turned to walk away. "If you do happen to meet her, tell her Satoshi is looking for her."

Just as he took a step to cross the street, the other blond haired boy took a step forward, shoving his hands into the pockets of his dark green and grey pants, chains dangling from his waist whilst another hung around his neck. "So hey, why are you looking for her? Is she your girlfriend or something?"

"No, it's nothing like that. I'm asking for a favor from a friend," he replied, turning around to face them again. "So, I've told you my name, mind telling me yours?"

"I'm Olette and this is Hayner," she gestured at the other blond boy who wore a black, sleeveless shirt with a white skull on the front, a grey sleeveless vest over dark green camouflage, three quarter pants. "That's Pence," she said, pointing at the larger black haired boy who wore a red, sleeveless jersey over a white, long sleeved sweater over blue pants. He kept his hair up using a black and grey trimmed headband. "And that's Roxas," she finally pointed at the third boy, also blond like the other. He wore a white, red hooded vest overtop another black vest over a pair of dark green topped and grey bottom pants. He wore a black and white checkered armband, and a band around two fingers, one black and the other white.

Sato stared at Roxas for several seconds. "Have we met before?" Sato asked him, to which the boy shook his head. "Are you certain? I could swear I've seen you somewhere before, that I know you…" Roxas remained silent whilst Satoshi looked him over suspiciously. "Hmmm, well okay, maybe I'm mistaken. Have yourselves a nice day." He turned around and continued to make his way across the street.

"Well, he was different, I suppose," Hayner said, exchanging glances with the other three.

Pence brought a hand up to his chin. "He claimed to have known Roxas, even though Roxas has lived here his entire life. Don't you guys find that odd?"

"Not really, maybe I just reminded him of someone else," Roxas said.

"I don't know, he seemed pretty adamant." Pence looked at each of his friends. "Come on, I can't be the only one who finds that strange."

"Pence, give it a rest, he said he was mistaken," Hayner groaned. "You read too many mystery novels. Plus, he's hardly enough material to write a whole report on."

Pence shook his head. "That's not what I was getting at," he said as he looked at Olette.

Hayner followed his gaze and noticed Olette staring in the direction the stranger took in deep thought. "No!" Hayner exclaimed, startling Olette out of her thoughts.

"No what?" she asked him, scowling.

"We're not helping him. Besides, we need to get jobs so we can have money to go to the beach."

"Fine, you can go earn money by yourself then! The rest of us are going to help him! Right?" She turned to look at the other two boys. "We're not going to be like Seifer and his gang of bullies."

"Uh, right.." they both said in unison, exchanging glances.

(~_~)

"Surprisingly, he managed entering the city," a deep, male voice mused.

"Do you think he will be a problem for Naminé and Roxas?" a younger male voice asked.

"No, I don't think so. The worst he could manage in his present state would be increasing the speed in which the process has currently taken. Other than that, no, not really."

"I see."

"I know he's a part of the darkness, but there's a glimmer of light inside him."

"Do you think-?" the younger began to ask, looking up at the older man.

"If it'll grow? No, it looks pretty stable right now, but it certainly is flowing."

"Flowing?"

"It has the potential to grow, but that has yet to be seen."

"I see."

( X-x)

"God damn it," Sato complained loudly as he raised a hand to shield his eyes from the harsh sunlight. He had wondered into a deserted lot in search of a clue, any clue, that would lead him in the right direction toward his goal. He looked around for any good spot that offered shade but found none amongst the buildings that surrounded him. "Damn…Naminé, where the hell are you?"

The sound of boots crunching on the ground approached him. "Well well well, look at what we have here. An outsider?"

"Ya know, he does look weird. Ya know?"

Sato sighed and turned around, finding himself staring at two guys and a girl not that much older than him, maybe in their late teens. The one looking at him as though he were beneath him had blond hair poking out from underneath a black toque. He wore a white version of his coat, long and sleeveless, over a blue vest that exposed his midriff, with aubergine, baggy pants tucked into black combat boots. He reminded Satoshi of the sort of guys back home that liked nothing more than to boss people around, talk and act big, and generally be a nuisance, a bully. The one next to him also looking at Sato as though he were scum was the girl with ice blue hair, she wore a blue sleeveless shirt over tan shorts, and light blue shoes. She was examining Satoshi, looking him up and down, and he couldn't decide if he should be flattered that some girl was checking him out or slightly uncomfortable under her piercing scrutiny. She was definitely the intelligent one of the three. The taller, more muscular of the three didn't really look at him like he was anything, his expression somewhat vague if not dumb. Satoshi decided he was definitely not the brightest of the three, though he was much larger and stronger looking, having a square jaw, broad muscular shoulders, thick muscular arms and chest. His hair was short and black, and his skin a tan color. He wore an orange tank top and dark baggy sweatpants over wide, white boots. Around his neck hung a change with a lightning bolt pendant. He had to be careful, though he didn't look too bright, the way he was looking at the other guy expectantly told Satoshi everything he needed to know, he was quite likely ready and willing to do anything his friend asked him to do, even if that meant beating the crap out of some guy they've never met before only because he happened to be in their path.

"Outsiders need to learn the rules around here, after all, how else can we be expected to keep the peace?" the boy in the black cap said. He brought his arm from behind and up, propping the large club like weapon over his shoulder. The older boy grinned and lowered his head before charging toward Satoshi, extending the club out toward him in an attempt to strike. Sato barely had enough time to react and stepped to his right, grasping the club and using the momentum to flip the boy over onto his back. He laid there and stared up at Sato, his expression showing anger.

Sato noticed from the corner of his right eye another group of people approaching them from the direction he had just come. He took a quick glance in their direction while the boy picked himself off the ground, brushing himself off all the while glaring at Sato.

"Rule number one, outsiders aren't welcome in Twilight Town by orders of the Twilight Town Disciplinary Committee," he said through gritted teeth.

Sato took a step back and reached behind him over his shoulder, grasping at what seemed like air as something dark and mist like began to materialize and take form, the black mist coalescing into something more and more substantial as the key blade completed it's appearance. He pulled it up and over his shoulder just in time to block against the club as it come down toward him, parry it and whirl around to bring his key blade to strike at his enemy's back, sending him tumbling to the ground again. Sato turned around to face the fallen boy as he twirled the key blade in his grasp once before holding it up in front of himself. "You can spout crap about random rules I'm willing to bet no one but you gives a damn about all day long, but don't think for one second that I won't defend myself."

"Yo man, he's got some freaky voodoo goin on," muscles said while the girl simply watched, analyzing his every move.

The other boy picked himself off the ground again, visibly more angry and humiliated than a moment ago. "It doesn't matter what kind of trick he can pull out of his backside. He's a cocky, arrogant outsider and needs to be punished," he said before taking a cautious step forward, raising his club again.

"Seifer, knock it off!" Hayner shouted, the other three gathering around him. "He's just here looking for someone. Sato isn't your enemy, so lay off."

The boy named Seifer turned around to look at the four. "Oh look, it's chicken-wuss and crew come to defend the poor baby," Seifer said as he turned around to have another go at Satoshi before stopping in his tracks. Sato had decided he had better take this seriously and had taken his fighting stance, his eyes narrowed, his brow furrowed and his posture as unmoving as a statue. Seifer spat indignantly and dropped his club before turning around and walking away, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Humph, whatever, I'm already bored. Rai, Fuu, we're leaving."

Satoshi frowned as he watched the three retreat around a corner and out of sight. "The hell?" Scowling, he huffed and raised his key blade to let it rest over his shoulder as he walked slightly past the four, staring in the direction Seifer and his friends had taken. "He starts crap he doesn't bother finishing?"

Sato could hear one of them approach him from behind, the sound of grit crunching under each step, and a sigh. "Seifer must have been scared off by somet—"

Sato raised an eyebrow when Hayner stopped mid-sentence before finally turning around to find him standing a few steps behind him, unmoving. "Hayner?" Sato took a step forward and waved a hand in front of his face with no result. Hayner was completely frozen where he stood.

"Hey guys? This isn't funny…"

Sato leaned sideways to look past Hayner and found Roxas staring at the other two, both completely frozen where they stood as well. He shot Sato a worried look and he gestured with his chin toward the other two in response. Roxas just shrugged in a way that told him he knew about as much as he did about what was going on. Sato looked at Hayner again before stepping back.

"Now what?" Sato asked loudly just when the sound of a vortex opening sounded somewhere behind and above him. He quickly whirled around with his key blade ready when shadows dropped down from the dark vortex, falling onto the ground before sprouting into various forms of the creatures he had been encountering everywhere lately. The Heartless, with their shadow bodies and vacant yellow eyes, locked their sight onto Sato and charged at him before bursting into clouds of smoke, and then another and another, each one exploding before they had taken as much as five steps toward him. Sato stepped back toward Hayner to shield him from the Heartless and stole a quick glance behind him over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of whomever had just saved his backside.

"Aha! Finally found ya, Player!" a smaller boy announced as the scythe he carried disappeared. Sato returned his attention back to the Heartless but found nothing there instead, only the empty ground where they had appeared. He relaxed slightly and moved to stand beside Hayner so that he could both see the newcomer and still be close enough to defend if he needed to. He looked back at the boy for a closer inspection, and assumed he must be around ten or so years old, with his hands tucked behind his neck below his tuft of messy black hair. "Ya know, for a Player yer sure are annoyin to track down, Sato." Sato cringed internally when the kid drew out the O sound in his name, making it sound like he was whining. "I hope yer ready to play The Game."

"Kid, do I look like I'm in the mood to play any game with you?" Sato was visibly annoyed and made no attempt to hide it. Not only were the other three still frozen, he still didn't know what caused them to be so and they were dangerously close to be surrounded by Heartless.

"I'm not a kid, ya jerk! I'm Raven the Reaper!" Sato frowned as he watched the younger boy throw a tantrum, stomping his feet on the ground and making his ink black wings sticking out from his back through his black, torn sleeved hoodie flutter. Sato noticed the wings looked like they had been drawn in ink rather than real, feathered wings. He also wore torn, blue jeans with two belts that hung from his hips and crisscrossed. "Damn it! Sliver, Misuko, Titus, get down here!"

"How annoying," a female voice said behind Sato, making both he and Roxas startle. She wore blood red armor and held a staff with a crescent moon at its tip. Next to her stood a sapphire colored armored serpent, it's bottom half coiled beneath itself, whilst its top half stood just as tall as the girl.

Its forked tongue slithered in and out between two white fangs. "Such a shame that one so young must be our target." Sato shuddered at the sound of its voice, each S sound drawn out like that of the serpents he used to read about in novels as a kid. It was quite possibly the creepiest thing he has ever heard. Beside the woman appeared another figure, this one much larger than the two and wearing a suit of armor the color of emerald, and holding a giant axe which was as long as it was tall. "So, Satoshi, how do you feel about meeting the ones who will end you so soon?" Its golden, serpentine eyes shone brightly for a second and an unseen force threw Sato backwards to fall onto his back, sliding several feet before coming to a stop.

"Aw, dun give him a game over already, Sliver!" Raven whined. Sato rolled over just in time to see him summon his scythe to his hand again. "Xaos wants him to remain a playable character." Sato reached for his key blade and found it missing. He looked back and found it had been thrown several feet away from him, landing between himself and Roxas.

"Sliver, with your powers you could have simply slain him. But we're not here for this one," the woman said. She snapped her fingers and bright orange worm like creatures sprouted from the ground. "We'll let the Chaos play with him while we attend to a more important matter." The three in armor, Sliver, Misuko and Titus, turned to face Roxas.

"Sorry buddy, but it really looks like it's game over for ya," Raven chuckled as he leapt into the air and flew up above him. "I wanna play with the Player for a while, I promise he won't get a game over…yet!"

Sato pushed himself off the ground and was about to make a run for his key blade just when two of the worm creatures moved between him and his blade. "Roxas, run!" Sato charged toward the two creatures and leapt between them, landing into a roll and grabbing his key blade right before getting to his feet and twisting his body to swing his key blade around, slashing at the two creatures that had begun moving toward him. Raven began to descend toward Sato with his staff raised, ready to strike, but was instead met with Sato's key blade when he also leapt into the air. Raven pushed back harder and threw Sato back toward the ground, landing on his feet this time.

"Go on now, Knights of Chaos, I'll be keeping Sato occupied with a lil Noise." As soon as Raven finished the three vanished. Sato looked around for Roxas but only found the other three still standing there, frozen. Roxas got away? Sato was startled out of his thoughts when Raven dropped down to the ground a few feet in front of Sato, a black circle appearing beneath him. His expression had gone from mischievous and playful to dark and serious. "In my world, I would have had to wait until Day Seven before I could have faced you. But here, there are no such rules." Raven lifted his staff and slammed it onto the ground beside him, and in the instant it touched the ground a red light flashed bright enough to momentarily blind Sato. Once his vision returned he found himself staring at a giant, grey bear creature, it's arms looking nothing like that of a bear's but rather like something drawn in ink like Raven's wings. Both of it's arms resembled that of skeletal arms, free from flesh, muscle or even blood.

"What the hell is this?" Sato shouted, holding his key blade out in front of him as he took a step back.

There was a gust of wind behind the bear creature and Raven appeared in the air above it. "Unlike the other knights, my world wasn't destroyed by darkness or chaos, so as long as my world exists, Satoshi Ryuu, I can summon Noise wherever and whenever I choose." Raven grinned down at Sato, a cold, dark sort of expression that sent another shiver down his spine. The bear roared and began moving forward. "Enjoy yourself, because this won't give you a game over." He chuckled evilly before flying up higher. "Oh, and by the way, you only get one life. Don't spoil it! Ciao." And with a wave of his hand he vanished as well.

Sato returned his attention to the creature moving toward him, only realizing nearly too late that it had almost bridged the gap between them. Great, as if Heartless weren't enough, now this thing? God…Hold on guys, I'll try to make this quick. Sato twirled the key blade in his hand before gripping it tightly and taking his fighting stance, holding the blade out in front of him. "Since there's no other choice…"

Sato charged toward the beast and swung his arm so that the blade was slightly behind him, trailing the ground. Just as he approached the Noise creature he swung the blade up, grasping it with his other hand for increased impact but was caught by the creature's skeletal fist, raising the key blade and Sato with it up off the ground before slamming him back down, the key blade falling a few feet away.

_Rookie mistake…_

He rolled over onto his left side just in time to avoid a blow which slammed into the ground beside him, and made for the key blade again, grabbing it just in time to avoid yet another blow.

_Okay, so rushing it isn't a good idea and it hardly gives me enough time to recover from having to dodge its attacks, let alone block them…Damn it, what a mess!_

Sato turned around in hopes to get a strike on him but was caught off guard when it slammed its fist into his stomach, not only winding him but also sending him backwards to slam against a wall. He slid down onto the ground into a slump, dark spots clouding his vision as he tried to force his lungs to take in oxygen. He felt a jab of pain in his chest and winced. Judging from where he felt the pain he assumed he must have fractured a rib.

_Satoshi, don't give in! Get up! _The sound of a female spoke to him into his mind.

"Who…" Sato winced again, watching the creature lumber toward him at a slow pace. For all its weight and slow movement, it was sure quick with its fists. "Who's there?" He looked around to find the source of the voice but saw no one else but the three still frozen where they stood.

_Hold on, I can try to heal you. _This was a different voice this time, it sounded familiar.

"N-no, help the others…H-help Roxas…" He looked around and noticed something moving in the distance on one of the roof tops, but his vision blurred again and his immediate attention was brought back to the bear that had nearly closed in on him again. Using the wall, he pushed himself up off the ground, clutching his side and crying out when a wave of pain washed over him. He could taste blood in the back of his mouth, the warm iron making him nauseous. Breathing heavily, he stared at the bear like creature that kid had called Noise.

_You're not making this easy, you know. Be still._

"I have to move, I have to help Roxas…"

_You stubborn fool… if you insist on fighting, avoid being hit on your left again. At least help me while I try to heal your broken rib._

Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he gripped his key blade tightly with his left hand. A sensation of warmth filled his side and he could feel the rib healing inside him. He moved back just in time to avoid the swing of the bear's fist and had to move again to dodge a second blow before it connected with the wall behind him, the wall cracking and crumbling from the impact.

_I hope this will be enough, Satoshi, though I fear it may not be. I hope that you succeed and I will try to help you as much as I can…but where I am, it isn't easy to do… Hopefully, we'll meet some day before I f-_

"Before you what?" Sato asked, getting only silence in return. "Damned voices!" He jumped back to avoid yet another attempt to connect with his head, and found himself feeling well enough to take his fighting stance again. "I guess there's no better time than now to test this out." He gripped his key blade with both hands and raised the hilt near his head, concentrating on one of the gems in one of his armbands, the emerald jewel glowing brightly. "Form change! Dragoon Form!" The emerald's glow grew brighter still, enveloping Sato in a bright flash before the light completely vanished, revealing Satoshi still holding his key blade but now wearing a suit of black armor that fit his body exactly, an open visor helmet and a long, black cape that hung from his back and billowed in the breeze. He felt something move on his back and looked back to find two black dragon wings had sprouted from his shoulder blades.

He reacted barely in time to parry another one of the bear's blows and move sideways. "God damn it, armor?" he groaned loudly. He moved further back again and again, parrying each blow as it came toward him, until suddenly something clicked in his mind.

All it does is attack me, it hasn't stopped even once. Why? He thought about it for a second and then it finally dawned on him. That's it! It's completely offensive, so I'm willing to bet its weakness is-

"Jump!" he shouted and just as the word left his mouth his body seemingly began moving on its own, as though controlled by something and yet not at the same time. He felt no resistance and simply eased into the movements as though he had been doing this his entire life. His knees bent and he leapt into the air above the creature and spun forward and landing on his feet directly behind the bear. He spun on his heel with key blade outstretched before him and slashed at the creature, slicing it in an down-up diagonal movement. Both the bear and his armor vanished into thin air. "So I was right. For all its speed and strength at striking blows, it was slow to move on its legs and weak defensively. Damn, if you're going to try to kill me, you'll have to do better than that."

He looked back at the three that still stood there, completely unmoved from the last moment he had seen and heard them. He looked around to make certain there were no other monsters around and decided he had better go after Roxas, though it still pained him to have to leave those three behind completely vulnerable to attack. He turned around and was about to run in the direction Roxas had run when something else clicked in his mind.

"Why didn't they attack the other three when they had us all completely surrounded? The monsters didn't even seem to know they were even there… Strange." He broke into a quick pace and followed the direction Roxas had gone. He turned a corner and stopped in his tracks, finding himself staring at yet another person, this one making him feel uneasy immediately. Sato raised his key blade in front of him in defense, from the looks of him he didn't want to take a chance.

He couldn't see his face since was wrapped in red bandages which were bound together by what looked to be like two black belts looped around his face. Only his right eye and mouth were exposed through gaps in the bandages. He wore a black scarf that hung off his shoulders loosely, and beneath that a red cape that hung off his shoulders and fell to the ground, the front of it cut off and exposing his black, armored abdomen. From his waist hung a yellow trimmed, black skirt, which fell to the ground and hid his legs entirely, and over the front of his skirt were strips of red leather that formed the shape of a square cross. Off his hips hung a belt that fell over his left thigh, three brown leather satchels hung from the belt.

Sato didn't like the look of him, he didn't trust anyone he couldn't see the face of. He reminded him of dark druids they made him read about in history class, the sort that were once good but turned to the dark side. "I must admit, I did not expect you to breach my firewall, nor succeed against Raven's Noise. He is rather unique, wouldn't you agree?" the red figure asked.

"I have to go help a friend…" Sato told him.

"The Knights of Chaos are no longer here, I've have them escorted out of this word…My world as a matter of fact." He folded his red bandaged arms behind him. "You may tell whomever sent you here that Naminé will do as instructed, the task will be performed."

"Wait, what about the others? And Roxas?" Sato asked, taking a step forward.

"They're safe, I assure you," he said.

"And I'm suppose to just take our word for it?" Sato shouted, ready to defend himself at any second.

"Why don't you ask her yourself? Naminé is standing right behind you."

Sato's eyes shot wide open and he turned around, finding himself facing a young girl with long, blonde hair in a white dress.

"I'll fix up Sora, don't worry, he'll be needed soon," she said in a sweet voice. "Oh, and Sato?"

Sato furrowed his brow, unsure of what to make of this. He hadn't expected to find Naminé so quickly, but then again a few days ago he never expected any of this either. He simply stared at her in silence, unsure as to what to say, if anything could be said at all.

"Good luck."

As soon as she spoke the words he suddenly felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He looked down to find himself stuck inside a dark, purple puddle yet again, bits of it reaching up toward him and pulling him down further inside. He tried to reach out to grab at something but found nothing to hold on to as he sank deeper.

"Wait! WAIT! WHAT THE-"

(~)

"WHAT THE FUUU-Oomf!" Sato landed on his back with a hard thud, feeling a slight reminder in his ribs that he hadn't been completely healed 100% yet and it still hurt a bit. He groaned loudly, more out of irritation at having been tossed around from one world to the next than at any pain he felt. He sat up and rubbed the back of his head.

"Welcome back. I see you've completed my trial and successfully used Dragoon Form, and not only that, you actually put yourself in harm's way in order to protect complete strangers. Not bad, and the Knights of Chaos were quite a surprise."

Sato stood up and scowled deeply at the old man pulling on his grey beard. He was anything but happy at seeing him and wanted nothing more than to let loose a string of expletives to express just exactly how happy he was. Sensing an impending verbal attack, Yen Sid raised a hand to stall Sato's anger. Another portal opened up behind Satoshi at which he stared at over his shoulder before returning his glare of death at the old man.

"If you think for one second that I'm going back out there without you telling me just what the fu—"

"Please, would you calm down and stop using such vulgar language?" Yen Sid bellowed, slamming the base of his staff onto the floor with a loud boom that echoed in the room. "You are a master swordsman, Satoshi Ryuu, whether you realize it or not, it will slowly come to you as your instincts are roused from their sleep. You have the knowledge inside you to use Forms, they will come to you when you have need of them. Simply be patient and let things come to you on their own, don't force it. This world behind you will train you in ways that I cannot."

Feeling slightly calmer, he sighed deeply as he relented to being tossed around from one world to the next. "Fine, I get it. What am I suppose to do in this one?"

"You will find your companion inside this world and once you have, return here with them. It will be only after this has been done that I will then teach you how to open portals yourself." Yen Sid reached over and pulled a large pouch off of a table and handed it to Sato. "Inside you'll find some supplies I'm sure you'll be happy to have with you. It isn't much, just a few food items and beverages to replenish your strength. Also, upon the advice of some mysterious voice inside my head, I've included a small healing potion that should help heal the remaining fracture in your rib… You did have a broken rib, did you not?" the old man asked, pointing at Sato's side.

"Yeah, thanks," he said, turning around to face the portal.

"One more thing, Satoshi." Sato turned his head to look back at the old wizard. "You'll be fine, don't worry. You're far stronger than you give yourself credit for. So if you cannot believe in yourself, let others believe in you."

And with a nod, he stepped through the portal.

(~)

He stepped through the portal and blinked before taking a step forward.

_A new world and probably more danger...No, probably more people who want to kill me. Though I'll apparently not be alone for very much longer if what he says is right._

_A new friend, huh? I wonder if they even know I'm coming. A boy? Perhaps a girl? Maybe she has big—Eh, probably not the best time to be thinking about that. Sato sighed deeply. I miss the girls back home…_

_I guess I haven't done too badly though I barely survived that bear thing he called Noise. I was lucky someone healed me._

_Who was that anyway?_

_And that first voice, wasn't it female?_

_Ugh, too many voices in my head, if people back home heard me talking like this they'd think I was crazy._

_Home…I miss home._

_He pushed the thoughts aside and decided he'd think more upon them later as he headed deeper inside the world that held his newest challenge, and his destination._


	4. Chapter 4 Dog Days

Chapter 4: Dog Days

"Finally, we've gotten passed the Biscotti army!" he said, running a hand through his black hair. His brown canine ears twitched.

"Yeah, once we pull the flag down we'll win this war," the fatter of the two said. He kept his sword in hand ready and kept looking around, observing everything around them just in case an enemy soldier decided to pull an ambush. The other nodded, his ears still twitching as he also canned the area around them.

"Any who try to sneak passed and win the war must answer to me." Both Galette soldiers turned around in unison, finding themselves face to face with a boy with no ears or a tail.

"Well, um…Who are you?" the larger of the two asked.

"It doesn't matter, get him while he's unarmed!" The thinner of the two soldiers drew his sword and lunged at the boy, weapon raised. As soon as the soldier neared him the boy stepped left, catching the soldier's arm as he swung with his sword. He used the man's momentum by pulling him downward while lifting his knee and driving it into the soldier's gut, then lowering his body so that he could leverage the man onto and over his shoulders, succesfully flipping him up and over. The man landed on his back with a thud, laying still for seconds before vanishing in a cloud of white smoke which quickly dissipated with a breeze, revealing a tiny ball of what looked to be fur with eyes and ears.

"And that would be what it looks like when you underestimate your opponent simply because he or she is not armed," said the boy as he straighted, staring out across at the second of the two soldiers. "But I suppose I could humor you for now." The boy reached up and over his shoulder, grasping at what seemed like thin air when suddenly something began to form and take shape where nothing had been a second ago. He grasped the materializing object and raised it above his head, bringing it up and then back down to hold it out in front of him. By the time his fist had reached chest height the object had materialized enough to reveal itself as a giant key.

"The name's Sato and I'll call you Fluffy." The boy moved to take a step forward and the man reacted, lunging forward at the very same time Sato did as well.

(~)

"Is he worth your time?" Yen Sid asked, his back turned so that he faced away from the dark figure that hid wthin the shadows behind him. He pulled at his greying beard, his white robes trailing on the floor beneath him. "Will you consider training him, Tutor?"

"I know that you are old, Yen Sid, you are not as spritely as you once were," said the figure in the shadows. Yen Sid snorted at the comment but remained silent. "But no, for the time being, I would not spend this time on him. I am already training another that for now I see as more worthy of my time."

Yen Sid stood and turned around to face the shadows in the corner of his chamber, the dark mist coalescing like a barrier that hid the figure within. He huffed and turned to face away again, folding his hands behind his back. "Then let him prove himself with a task, a challenge that even you could not deny his worth."

"Yen Sid…"

Yen Sid turned around again, in a flurry this time, his white robes speading around him as he whirled on his heel to face the shadow. "I am old, as old as the oldest libraries that still stand against time. I have seen the impossible and the miraculous, and even had a hand in several. I have seen things that cannot be unseen and done things that cannot be undone. But Master, in all my miserable years, this I know for certain, this you cannot deny me.

"With your guidance, Tutor, who is quite possibly even older than I, he will become even greater and stronger, perhaps even strong enough for that which only he can do. That which only you can teach him, old friend and mentor. I am an old dog and I have no tricks left to learn, but this boy, he's just a pup." Yen Sid took a step forward. "And with your will, he can grow into his fangs and his claws and perhaps even become strong enough to defeat Him—Master, if you do not, I fear we may be sending a pup to an old wolf."

The room remained silent for several moments, but Yen Sid refused to move from where he stood. With both hands at his sides he looked on, waiting for any sign that could be an answer. Several minutes more passed when the smoke suddenly seemed to explode outward before moving back toward the corner. He could have sworn he heard his old mentor heave a heavy sigh.

"You're a difficult friend to refuse," he said. Yen Sid was about to say something when the black smoke swelled outward again before retreating back into the corner. "But make no mistake, Yen Sid, I will be a very difficult judge, for I will not be easily swayed. However, if he can unlock it, then I will consider your request."

(~)

"I can't believe we won the battle!"

"Princess made a good call hiring him."

"Good job, Satoshi." A hand patted him on the back. Sato laughed nervously, though he didn't feel like celebrating much. No one strong enough had broken through the front lines so far.

"Look at you, basking in all that praise," said a girl on his right, her voice dripping in sarcasm. Her shoulder length green hair swayed in the breeze, as well as her white and green coat and black dress. Her arms were adorned with wrist guards and on her back hung her twin daggers.

Sato sighed. "No one asked you, Éclair."

"Oh please, you take down two guys and suddenly you're the hero." She rolled her eyes at him. "The only thing you've done is assist in our first win, nothing more and nothing le—Well, nothing more." She twirled on her heel to face him, her green floppy ears bouncing. "Don't forget that."

"Yeah yeah…" Sato sighed again.

Biscotti reminded him a lot of his own home as they walked through the streets, especially his home town. Stalls lined the street on either side, each filled with various foods, objects and souvenirs that people stood in long lines to buy. A small child cried loudly near one of the stalls, pulling at his mother's dress as he pointed with a stubby finger at the fat sweet smelling pastry on display. Sato suddenly had to jump back when five or more chickens ran passed him and his companions, clucking loudly as two small barking dogs followed after. He sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets and stared off into the distance, his eyes falling onto the castle standing at the farthest part of the town's outskirts. He recalled appearing there once he had walked through the portal to find a woman waiting there for him. If it hadn't been for her pointed ears and tail wagging excitedly, he'd have thought nothing of the world he had appeared in. He introduced himself, as did she and it turned out she was a princess of the country called Biscotti. After the introductions the conversation quickly went from where Sato had come from, to where he was now, to war and being recruited. There wasn't much else to say after that, he accepted and that's how he ended up where he is now.

He didn't want to get too much into the politics of this world, but from their quick conversation and other bits he picked up along the way, it seems as though this world treated their wars to be more like games. Two opposing countries consent on a war and decide upon rules. They then face each other with weapons and fighting, only difference is that here no one dies, they simply turn into balls of fur and are picked up by whomever is assigned to gather them. Injuries are treated by a medical team that treats wounds regardless of which side the wounded is on. It's all very docile, but seems that lately the wars have taken on a slightly more aggressive tone than what is usually expected, especially when the ruling Princess of Galette, the opposing country, declares war consecutively. Apperantly it's unusual for any country to declare more than one war back to back, not giving the other country enough time to recover whether from injury, fatigue or economic loss. From what he had learned so far, the Princess of Galette and the ruler of Galette were once very close friends and then suddenly the she became very cold toward the Princess of Biscotti, even pushing for war when the other did not wish it.

Well, it certainly wasn't as simple as a quarrel between friends, but though he had accepted to help, he didn't want to delve deeper into the situation than he had to. It wasn't that he didn't care, but that he was an outsider and didn't want to interfere where he may not even be wanted, let alone needed. The Princess had asked for help in the war and that's exactly what he was doing.

"The people will expect you to win every battle for us. You do realize that, don't you?" Éclair asked, breaking the silence.

"What?" Sato blinked and then turned his head to look at her. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

She rolled her eyes at him before averting her gaze. "It's like you don't even care. You're either incredibly confident or just plain arrogant."

"Hey, come on!" he snapped at her, albeit a bit too angrily. He also averted his gaze away from her. "I'm just one man, I can't be expected to do everything, nor did I ever intend to. My assistance was requested and I accepted, that is all. Knock it off with this hero crap." He huffed indignantly and clenched his fists inside his pockets. He recalled Yen Sid telling him he'd find his first companion here and the request for assissting them during their war was more or less accepted as a means to that end, find this companion. Or was he, or she, suppose to find him? _I wish he had at least given me a name or some clue…_ The scent of sweets, breads and mead brought back memories of home flooding up to the surface, of places, events and people… _Nio, hold on just a bit longer. I'll save you and Raven, everyone._ Suddenly he felt something hit him hard in the right shoulder, making him stumble slightly. He turned to glare at her. "What the hell?"

"You were making a serious face. I was worried your face might crack under all that pressure," she said.

His expression softened as he rubbed at his shoulder. "I'm sorry, I just have a lot on my mind."

"It must be pretty big."

"Yeah, it is," he said, shoving his hands back into his pockets again.

Éclair folded her hands behind her head as several kids ran out in front of them and then were gone, screaming and laughing about some candy they had wanted to buy. "She must be important."

Sato looked at her with a bit of surprise before looking away, his smile iight and yet somewhat sad at the same time. "Yeah, they are."

"Well, whatever it is, don't let it eat you up." She lowered her arms and swatted at his shoulder playfully, giving him an angry look. "You should be grateful too, I don't give advice to just anyone." She propped both hands on her hips and began to walk away. "Go try out the baths and relax. I'm going to get some training in before dinner." With a wave of her hand over her shoulder at him, she was gone.

"Yeah, thanks…" he said under his breath. He said his goodbyes to the others that had been walking with them and found somewhere a bit more quieter to think. He leaned agains the walls of one of the shops that had set up stalls on the street, sighing deeply. "This is probably the worst time to become homesick. Come on, get it together." He rubbed his face with both hands, Éclair's words echoing in his mind. It made him wince slightly at just how much she reminded him of Nio. If she had a bit more fire to her he'd swear they were twins, or at the very least siblings. He pushed those thoughts aside when he realized they only made him feel homesick even more. "I just…don't know what to do."

_You have to find your companion and find the lock. Your blade will be the key that closes this world to the Heartless. If you fail, this world will—_

"I know!" he shouted through gritted teeth. A few people walking passed him turned to stare, wondering what he had been shouting about. He pushed off the walls and began walking toward the castle. "Listen, I appreciate that you're only trying to help, but you really need to stop invading my thoughts uninvited, or giving advice without being solicited."

(~)

He couldn't tell exactly how long he had been in the bath, but he estimated it must have been at least over an hour. As soon as he had entered the castle two guards followed him a few paces behind. He had gone directly to the bath house and it was only a while later that he realized those same soldiers were still standing outside the entrance to the baths, either guarding or blocking anyone from entering. He figured it must be the latter since no one had bothered him since he had entered, after all, this was the castle's male public bath.

He turned around to face away from the entrance and slid further into the water, letting the heat wash away any thought or ache that would violate him. He stayed for at least another half hour before finally stepping out of the baths and into his clothes. Hair still wet, he let the two soldiers escort him out of the castle and he disappeared into the crowds, going wherever his feet lead him. He had barely been outside for more than a few minutes when a large cube like projection appeared in the sky, the face of a young woman with pink hair staring down at them from above.

"Tomorrow, we will have another war," she said, he voice booming from the speakers.

Suddenly people began whispering amongst themselves while others shouted out, but what annoyed him the most were the people within his immediate vicinity who turned to him while shouting praise. "Yeah, Satoshi will win this!" shouted a man and others cheered with him. "Satoshi won the last war all by himself!" shouted another and more cheers followed.

With a heavy sigh, he turned and quickly took his leave of the crowd, walking along the walls of the store fronts behind the stalls that lined the streets, hidden away from the main crowd still cheering on the street itself between the stalls. He found a bench against a store's stone wall and sat down, glad to find a spot where he could sit in relative peace and quiet. It wasn't that he wasn't grateful for their unconditional trust and confidence in him, but rather that he didn't do it by himself and he didn't win it alone. As much as he enjoyed the attention he got when he did something cool, he didn't like the false praise. Well, it's not like it was entirely false, he did have a hand in winning their war, but he had no intention of sticking around to win all their wars either. He folded his hands behind his head and let it fall back against the wall behind him.

"Does it bother you?" a deep, male voice asked beside him.

Sato opened his eyes and looked up to his left, mildly surprised by the man's size and how he had successfully snuck up on him. The man was tall, at least six feet and had thick arms and legs, his arm muscles flexing as he lit his tobacco pipe, the dark and richly scented smoke curled above the pipe's bowl. It was then that he realized the man also had stark white hair, a long beard and mustache. The man looked down at him from where he leaned agains the wall beside Sato, his right leg crossed in front of the other. "Do I look that old?" he asked, as though reading his mind.

Sato shook his head no and averted his gaze just when the sound of cheering finally died down at the request of the Princess of Biscotti who had waited for the opportunity to continue her announcement. "Of course, with our guest Knight, Mr. Satoshi, we have won the previous war, but we may have been lucky that not as many of their generals were fighting. However, I fear that Prince Gaul himself will be participating in this next war…" Again, more people began speaking amongst themselves, some of the conversations making their way to Satoshi's ears as he listened to the concern and dismay the people felt.

"Is he really that strong?" Satoshi asked as he folded his arms across his chest, turning his face to look up at the man beside him.

"Very, one could say he is the second strongest warrior in Galette, second only to Princess – Her Majesty Leo." The man puffed at his pipe and exhaled clouds of dark smoke. "Without our strongest knight, we might not stand a chance –"

"And what am I? Chopped liver?"

The old man chuckled and looked down at him, pulling the pipe out of his mouth while exhaling plumes of smoke from his nose. "You think you can take him on? Why, you're hardly bigger than a bean sprout."

Sato stood up and faced the man. "I took on their army in the last war, didn't I?"

"Well yeah, sure, but you didn't do it by yourself." The man stuck his pipe back into his mouth and inhaled deeply before exhaling. "You really think you can take him on?" he said with his pipe between his teeth.

Sato reached up and over his shoulder, pulled at what seemed like nothing but air until something began materializing in his grasp. By the time he had brought his fist out in front of him, his keyblade had completely materialized. The man watched on in silence, his expression not even changing.

"Watch me."

The man cocked an eyebrow before sticking a thumb into his pipe, crushing whatever he had burning before flipping it over and banging it lightly against the wall, the contents spilling out onto the ground. He grasped the pipe in his fist and shoved it into his pockets along with both of his hands before pushing off the wall. "I'll tell you what. If you can defeat Prince Gaul, I'll donate all of my wares for the next five wars."

Sato tossed the keyblade into the air and watched it vanish. "Then I suggest you get started, because you're also going to be eating those words for the next five wars."

The old man broke out into a laugh as Sato began walking away, shouting out to him that he liked his spirit and would be waiting for news of his victory. Sato waved goodbye over his shoulder as he disappeared into the crowd, making his way back to the palace.

(~_~)

"We don't need to rely on him!" Éclair shouted, gesturing a finger at Sato who stood leaning against a wall to her left, his eyes closed. "We can do this on our own."

"Can we really?" another old man asked, only this one looked much older than the one he had met earlier today. This man's hair and beard were much longer than the other, his canine ears limp against his head of hair. He closed his eyes before continuing. "If Prince Gaul truly intends on participating in tomorrow's war, we will need every hand, sword and able warrior that we can muster."

"We don't need a hero!" she shouted again, slamming her fist onto the table. "He's an outsider and a waste of space, he'll only be a burden to us—"

His eyes shot open and narrowed at her. "Of all the things to say, you had to say that. For someone who only just arrived in your world, I have to admit I didn't do too badly winning your last war. I wasn't even being—"

"Don't you dare insult us by saying you weren't being serious, you impudent tailless freak!" she snapped back, glaring at him.

"Fine, I won't say it then. But I will take this Gaul on, whether you like it or not, the decision isn't yours. So why don't you go wag your tail up someone else's tree?" Sato shot back.

"We don't need you here, in fact I don't recall the Princess ever asking our opinion on whether or not we needed your help to begin with. So why don't you go back to wherever it is you came from and stay there!"

"I can't leave until I find this world's Keyhole and lock it. So until I find it, you're stuck with me. I suggest you learn to deal with it."

"Both of you, stop!" By now the two of them were almost nose to nose which caused the pink haired girl, the Princess, to become concerned and stand up. "Please, let us discuss things camly."

Satoshi averted his gaze. "I'm sorry, Princess Millhi. Excuse me," he said before turning on his heel and storming out of the war room.

A man in silver armor sighed and turned to look at Éclair. "Must you drive people into corners like that? If Gaul really is participating we will need—"

Éclair cut him off midsentence. "If he is, then I'll take him on alone—"

This time it was her turn to be cut off by the knight. "Enough!" He slammed his hand onto the table, the sound reverberating in the war room. "You will fight with him side by side." He looked at her firmly, not blinking as he held her gaze.

Her eyes, however, shot open at the command. "But we don't need his assistance…" she pleaded.

"I think it's a wonderful idea, Éclair. You and Satoshi shall hold the front line," the Princess announced, clapping her hands joyfully. "If we win this war, I'll put on a performance."

"Fine, I'll do it…" she said, pouting like a child who had just lost an argument with an adult.

(~)

"Those two are amusing together, don't you agree?" Yen Sid told the other hidden in the shadows.

"He has a short fuse and loses his temper rather quick. I'm deducting points."

"Humph." Yen Sid returned his attention back to the mirror they both watched. "So hard to impress."

(~)

"Welcome to today's war!" a red haired woman announced into the microphone. "Today's match is a special one. Whichever side loses their General first loses the war."

"Sounds like Chess, Lidia. When the King falls, it's game over!" said the other announcer. They both appeared on a cube like monitors that floated up in the sky above.

"That's right, Mork. In today's war, we have Rolan Martinozzi who will be General for Biscotti and Prince Gaul Galette des Rois who will be General for Galette."

Sato ignored the groans, sighs and complaints amongst those who surrounded him. He reached up and over, pulling out his keyblade from that invisible sheathe and held it out in front of himself. "Gaul's in this fight, so I hope he's everything everyone says he is. Or I'll be very disappointed."

"Do you really think you can take on the Prince by yourself?" Éclair asked beside him, shooting him a glare before averting her gaze as she drew her daggers. "We're working together, not that it was my decision either. But that means—"

"It means I'm going after Gaul."

"Ugh, you ignorant fool." She adjusted her grip on her blade so she could form a fist and punch him in the shoulder, making him stumble sideways. He shot her a glare but was met with another glare. "He always has the Genoise with him. In other words, his Imperial Guards. They're not only strong, quick and nimble, but they also attack randomly, together."

He shrugged and propped his keyblade up onto his shoulder. "I'll take them out first. I highly doubt they're stronger than Nio, so it shouldn't be a problem," he said as a loud buzzing sound signaled the start of the war. "How about a bet?"

"What?" she asked, looking at him as if he had just grown a second head.

"Whoever gets the most points wins half of the other's winnings." _It's not like money earned here means anything. I can't use it anywhere else but here and I won't be here long enough to spend it._

"Are you stupid?" she asked but he turned around and began walking away. "Wait—Hey!" Sato kept walking and ignoring her. "Fine!" she shouted after him, after which he waved at her over his shoulder before breaking onto a run. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

(~)

It wasn't that he was some sort of exceptional fighter or some fantastic hero, or that he was poorly at fighting either. Fighting was something he was good at, with is fists or with a sword, which was what filled most of his days back home when he wasn't in class. He wasn't book smart like Raven or Nio, but he was street smart about fighting. The soldiers didn't last long against him, each of them turning into that ball of fur whenever he attacked or slapped them on the back. It wasn't that they couldn't fight either, but maybe all the years of fighting wars where no one got truly hurt, where no one died, had made them complacent. They didn't really fight because their lives and the lives of those they were professing to protect weren't really on the line.

It pissed him off, it made him angry. While they treated war like a game here, a real war where people died, got hurt, where entire worlds vanished waged on out there beyond their own world. He didn't blame them, he knew it wasn't their fault, but what really pissed him off the most was that while they played here, true danger could be coming for them if he didn't find that Keyhole in time to lock this world out from the outside. If he wasn't fast enough, he wondered how long this world would last against a real enemy that would kill everything in its path without prejudice.

He charged on, breaking through each line of the opponent's defense and doing away with them. He fought them off with relative ease, his body light as he whirled and swung at his opponents, parrying each attack and turning them into balls of fur. He stepped back to catch his breath when he heard a familiar twang, jumping back in a reflexive motion, narrowly missing the arrow that struck the ground where he had stood. He looked up just in time to jump back, again narrowly missing a dagger as it struck the ground, then another and another, until he had stepped back at least 30 paces with a row of daggers following him. Finally they began to catch up to him when several sliced the air mere centimetres from his flesh, slicing holes into the fabric of his clothing.

"Show yourself!" he shouted as he stepped back once more. He stopped and stood still when he realized the knives no longer fell. Two figures stepped out from behind a tree while one jumped down from above, landing on one knee in front of the other two before standing straight, facing him. Her long hair was tied back with a red ribbon in a low ponytail that hung against her back. Two black feline ears poked out from her head of black hair and her tail of the same color swished to and fro behind her. Her uniform consisted of a black coat with short, red rimmed sleeves and gloves of the same color which stopped just above her elbows. She wore a red belt around her waist that held her short sword in its sheathe, which she drew and held up in front of her, the belt hung over a black skirt which stopped just above her black, thigh high stockings. From behind her approached the other two figures to have ermerged from the trees, joining the girl in black. The one on her left was the tallest of the three, her long rabbit ears which stood straight up not counting toward her actual height. Her long, blond hair fell down to her midsection, two flowers, one on each side, poked out from her blond hair. Her uniform coat was black and green, her belt and skirt also being green. She too wore thigh high stockings which vanished beneath her knee high skirt. Sato noted she was the one who had shot the arrow moments earlier, her bow and arrow pointed directly at him. The one on the right of the girl with the dagger was only slightly taller than her, but seemed to be the strongest of the three physically wise. She held a giant battle axe propped up onto her shoulder as though it weighed nothing at all. Her hair was dual toned, the front bangs and sideburns were short and blond while the rest of her long hair was a dark brown, which was held in a braid that fell against her back. Her feline ears and tail were fuzzy and also dual tone like her hair, blond and brown, though her tail was actually striped in a spiral manner. Her uniform coat also followed this color scheme by being black and yellow, with a yellow belt around her waist and a yellow short skirt. Just like the other two, she wore thigh high stockings.

"We are Génoise. I am Noir Vinocacao," said the girl in the middle.

"Jaune Clafouti is the name, beating up heroes is my game," said the girl with the axe.

"And I am Vert Far Breton." She pulled back at her bow and released it, the arrow flying straight at Sato which he knocked aside with his keyblade.

The girl Noir gestured with both hands and suddenly her dagger became several daggers, all of which she threw at him with a motion of each hand in his direction. He didn't bother knocking those aside like he did the arrow but simply stepped back each time one struck the ground instead. He had nearly been too focused on the knives when the flash of yellow caught his attention just in time to see the girl with the axe come down at him from above. He managed to backflip just in time before she cleaved him in half, landing his backflip on one hand and flipping over onto his feet, sliding back several paces into a tree. He ducked just in time to miss the arrow that impaled the tree, three knives following after in a downward motion as it followed him in that direction. He had almost crouched as far as he could go when Jaune swung at him horizontally, forcing him to jump upward. Once she had completed her motion and the trunk began to fall behind him, he placed both feet on the falling trunk and pushed himself off and over her, throwing himself at Vert. Having pushed off the tree, he reached with his left hand and placed it on Vert's shoulder, using his two legs to twist his body while he felt the tip of her arrow between his eyes. With a single motion, his body whirled around and he landed behind her, the girl wincing in pain from his palm twisting on her shoulder as he landed on both feet behind her. With a hard slap on the shoved her forward and watched as she vanished into a cloud of smoke, turning into a ball of fur with tiny rabbit's ears.

He moved his head to the right just ever so slightly, not even blinking as the knife grazed his cheek and caused blood to trickle down his face. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to kill me."

"SPECIAL ENEMY UNIT DEFEATED! Satoshi gets double the points," announced the female announcer.

He didn't pay much attention to the annoucement and was barely aware of it while he ducked and rolled to the side to avoid the axe again. He used the rolling motion to twist his body as he stood up and swing his keyblade in her direction, letting it go and watching it strike her dead on chest. A cloud of smoke appeared again and left only a ball of fur. The blade also disappeared into thin air.

"Looks like it's just the two of us now, Noir." He straightened and had to step back several paces again, though this time he was unable to miss the knives as they cut his arms and legs. Warm blood trickled down his skin as his hand twitched, the blade reappearing in his grasp. "Seriously, could you stop doing that. It's like you're not even trying to kill me anymore, you're just cutting me up. Do I look like a pig roast to you?" She raised both hands again, each with a fresh supply of knives. "Where the hell do you keep all of those knives? Wait…" Sato winced as several mental images floated up to the surface of his mind. "I actually would rather not know."

He could have sworn she blushed right before throwing more knives at him, making him step back again and again until she finally stopped. They both stood still facing one another, each with their weapon aimed at the other and waiting for the other to make the first move. She blinked and he threw his keyblade, but it seemed she heard him move because she also reacted by throwing her knives. The two weapons collided and he thought his blade would have been heavy enough to knock the knives to the side but realized how wrong he had been too late as he watched both the knives and his blade fall to the sides, each never having reached their intended target.

She stood still and watched him silently. A breeze blew passed them and the sound of something hissing made their way to his ears. He turned to see what it was but only found the grass moving in odd patterns toward his opponent. Toward Noir.

"Noir, MOVE!" Her eyes widen only slightly and though he knew she thought he was going to attack her, he moved toward her anyway. She motioned to replenish her knives just as he reached her, putting himself between her and whatever leapt up from the grass and attached itself onto his shoulder, its teeth digging down and tearing through his skin. With his other arm he managed to shover her away and turn to face whatever had attached itself to his shoulder, but his vision become blurry and he could barely make out the black serpent as he pulled it off, crying out in pain when the teeth nearly tore off part of his shoulder before he tossed whatever had attacked him away. His chest began to feel heavy as he also began to lose feeling in his arms and legs, the numbness quickly spreading and he fell to his knees, clutching his injured left arm.

"Why would you save me? We're enemies."

"Not really…" His words barely left his lips when darkness overtook him and he lost consciousness.

(~)

"Saving the life of an enemy…" said the voice hidden within the shadows. "He reminds me of Dino in fact."

Yen Sid turned around to face the shadows, his robes whirling around him from the motion. "And?" he asked, almost too impatiently.

"Listen, I'm not the right man for this, I cannot tutor him." She mist like shadows coalesced.

"But surely you could teach him something. There's still so much for him—"

"I never said I wouldn't teach him, Yen Sid. I know how much this means to you, so I will train with him. I cannot do more, old friend, it will simply have to be enough."

Yen Sid turned around to face the mirror again, watching the images on the surface play out. "That serpent, it was meant for the girl. They'll need to get the antidote for him." Yen Sid began pulling at his long, white beard. "For Sliver to have sent an emissary, hmmm…"

"And here I thought that his companion would be someone much—"

"He has not chosen his companion yet!" Yen Sid said.

"Whomever it may be, once it has been done, send them to my world. There I will have need of them. A war is brewing and it will require two Guardians."

"I will teach him the manner in which to open portals after which he will be the one to decide the path in which they take. I will inform him of your need and send him on his way."

"Then also tell him that I can be of assitance," the voice said before Yen Sid nodded and flicked his wrist. The shadows completely vanished from the chamber.

"Still in your own ways," he said, chuckling.

He faced the mirror once more and watched as a new accouncement was made to the world where Sato was currently exploring.

"_The war is on hold! I repeat, the war is on hold!" Spoke one of the announcers. "We have reports of a man being down due to a snake. Medics have been dispatched and are just now reporting that the snake is poisonous. I repeat, the snake is poisonous and has been spotted in the general vicinity. The war is canceled for the time being."_

Yen Sid watched as the cat girl's, Noir if he recalled correctly, expression from stoic to concern.

"Things will get interesting indeed," he said, stroking his beard.

(~)

_This boy, he saved me from that serpent, but why? I didn't even notice it either until it was too late and even though I thought he was going to attack me, even though I was prepared to attack back, he still lunged himself at me and saved my life at the risk of his own._

_But why? When I said we were enemies he said _"not fully"_. Did he mean to say more?_

_Even though we are on opposite sides, I must show my gratitude for having risked his own life to save mine. I wonder if His Highness will allow me to search for the All-Cure herb for his sake…_


	5. Chapter 5 Dog Days

**Chapter 5**

_It was dark._

_And the darkness was like a pool of black liquid slowly filling his senses, saturating him in its nothingness._

_How long had he been here? He could no longer tell, the passing of time seemed to have lost its meaning in this place. How had he come to be here? He tried to remember but the thoughts seemed slow and sluggish, as though the force of the darkness all around him not only kept light outside at bay, but anything that might illuminate him inside as well._

_Were his eyes closed? He couldn't tell. He tried reaching for his face with both hands but felt nothing. He was surrounded by nothing and nothing else but the nothing seemed to matter as his mind tried to understand it. He let himself sink deeper into the darkness and just as he was about to drown within something flickered somewhere before him. The fact he was able to see this something must mean he was facing it and thus his eyes must also be open. The sheer amount of will power that was required for his mind to have summoned these thoughts passed the dark wall within staggered him a little._

_Suddenly that something in the distance was gone and back again. Did he blink? He tried again and found that he could blink. Other than the small, glowing light in the distance, he found that he had a small of control over his eyes and that he could see. That was three somethings now. He stared at the light in the distance and wondered what it was, how it had gotten here and was it just like him. He took a step forward and felt the darkness weigh him down as he pushed against the darkness to move forward. He found that he could feel what he guessed must be his feet that struck the smooth surface with each step. The surface was smooth he noted, another something._

_The light's glow grew stronger with each step and with each step the burden to go forward became heavier, but also with each step came a new realization, a new illumination that pushed back the darkness. His mind began to fill with other thoughts that manage to fight their way through to the surface, adding to the already growing numbers racing around in his head._

_Finally he was close enough to note that the light was actually not just a light, but something that gave off light. He stopped and stared at it, trying to decide what it was. Was it a something or another nothing? It had to be something since it was the only thing around that actually gave off light. He blinked and moved to go around it, its shape becoming more and more defined as he stared at it more. He realized the shape was actually alive and curled up around a shaft of darkness the protruded from its body. Its chest moved up and down against the object sticking out from its white fur. He followed the black object up with his eyes and had to squint hard to see it against the darkness all around him. It had a shape too and this shape strongly reminded him of something important. Something he had once held._

_He made a fist and felt his nails dig into his palm, trying to hold on to the memory of the sensation the object had brought to the surface. He stepped forward once more and the object shimmered and then its form came into view, its long, black blade stuck inside the seemingly sleeping beast, a red, beating heart attached to the hilt by a thorn vine. His own heart skipped a beat and throbbed painfully, forcing him to unclench his fist and grab at his chest, squeezing his eyes shut against the pain. When he opened his eyes again the bleeding heart was gone and was replaced by a heart shaped crystal broken into two halves._

"_Who…"_

_He started and jumped back, not realizing that the sleeping creature had awakened, lifting its head from under two tails that he been wrapped around its body. When its eyes met his own, his heart sank as the sadness and pain he saw within them stirred other feelings inside him, feelings he had almost forgotten he had. He wanted to speak but found his voice hitch in his throat as sensations and awareness of his body and self slowly began to return the longer he stood within the light, but also emotions he wasn't sure he was ready for also surfaced._

"_You…who have come here…"_

_He tried to speak again, but nothing came out._

"_Please…Save me or…kill me…"_

_He tried running away but found his body's need for whatever nourishment the light offered overrode any command his mind gave._

"_Blaze Wing Spear…Please…It hurts…"_

He opened his eyes.

(~)

He tried turning onto his side but the pain made him cry out, his throat was so parched it itched and made him cough, causing his body to be racked by even more pain. Finally, a nurse noticed him and immediately came to his bed side, injecting something into his serum that within seconds eased his aches, pains and coughing fit. She checked his temperature before walking away, leaving him alone with his thoughts again. At least whatever it was she had given him was working, he could feel the pain slowly subside and his muscles relax. Another nurse came to check up on him and he reached out, startling her.

"Oh my god, you're awake!" She turned around and shouted for another nurse to come. "Valla, get the doctor, he's awake."

A few minutes later he was sitting up in his bed propped up on pillows, a cup filled with some sort of fruit juice in his hands. He was still too weak to lift the cup all the way up to his mouth so he had to settle for using a straw. The nurses fussed over him while they waited for the doctor to come, skirting each of his questions with practiced ease. Finally he gave up trying to get answers from them and decided to wait for the doctor instead. He turned his head on his pillow to look outside the window, wondering how long he had been stuck in this bed for. He remembered going up against Noir and being bitten by something, but everything after that was hazy. Trying to remember what happened triggered a headache accompanied by a wave of nausea. He shut his eyes for a few seconds before opening them again when he heard footsteps approaching his bed.

"Ah, Sato, so you're finally awake." Sato turned his head to find himself staring into the eyes of an older woman. "We weren't sure if you'd ever wake up."

His brows furrowed. "What do you mean? I couldn't have been out for more than a few hours."

"I'm sorry but you've been in a coma for a little over a week now." The old woman gave him a sympathetic glance before turning to leave him but right before she disappeared she waved a hand at the wall and activated a wall monitor, the images flashing to life in front of him. "I'm sorry you can't go out right now, but why don't you catch up on what's been happening since you've been here, eh?" She gave him a warm smile and was gone, leaving him alone on his bed to watch the war on the screen. The enemy had broken through the front line and the cameras were all concentrated on watching the two groups go back and forth. The screen flashed and a box appeared in the corner showing the three announces as they described the events with excited voices.

"Next war, I'll be out there," he muttered to himself. There was a green flash and the cameras turned toward Éclair as she activated her seal, splitting the air with her green crescents hurling toward the enemy. Another flash, darker this time and behind her, as her brother activated his own seal and took out the ones that had managed to make it passed her. Suddenly he saw Halla run across the field on the wall screen and passed Éclair. By the direction the giant bird was running he assumed it was going back toward the castle and just as he was about to call for a nurse there was a sudden pink glow that filled the air around the castle, filling his room with its color. He turned on his bed and planted both feet on the cold floor, gripping the bed side as he pushed himself up. While holding onto the wall and IV pole, he managed to make his way toward the furthest window in his room. By angling himself just right he could see the alter high above the castle and a pillar of light that shot straight up to the sky.

"Quickly everyone, the Princess has summoned a hero!" Sato turned his head in the direction of the commotion outside of his room before returning his attention to the dissipating pillar of light. He sighed and turned away from the window, leaning against the cool wall. "After the hero has arrived we must change him in no more than 30 seconds. Please everyone, to your place and—"

"This just in, Princess Millhiore has used Hero Summoning for this decisive battle. This is amazing! This is my first time witnessing a summoning. I can't wait to see what this hero is made of. What do you think?" The announced turned toward the other announcers and they began to discuss what they were expecting from this hero, but Sato had already begun ignoring the wall screen as he made his way back toward his bed. By the time he had begun crawling back in Princess Millhi had taken a mic and begun giving a speech to her country and still defending army. She introduced the hero and Sato could hear the roar of cheers through his windows. The cameras turned toward the new hero of Biscotti, a white cape blowing behind him along with the long strands of his blue headband. His left arm was armored with a white armguard and his other arm wrapped in red table that wound around from his wrist to his elbow. He wore a white top and black pants with white boots, carrying a white staff in his right hand. He ran a free hand through his spiky blond hair, smiling sheepishly. Fireworks shot up into the air and exploded in various colors and sizes above him.

The new hero tossed his staff upwards and he leapt into the air, spinning and landing onto the ground in a run, catching the falling staff with his right hand without missing a step. He slid to a stop in front of the opposing army and spun the staff in his hand and around his body before taking an offensive stance.

"Tch, show off. He's probably all talk and no bite…"

(~)

Several hours had passed since the summoning and Sato had been allowed his request of an actual meal, having eaten nothing for over a week had left him feeling empty inside, as well as a bit looser in his own clothes. He stabbed a fork in a piece of meat and shoved it into his mouth, chewing absent mindedly. He was glad he could at least hold his food down instead of gagging at the mere mention of anything food related. Having tried to eat earlier that day had resulted in several visits to the toilet to throw up. After having drunk some medicinal tea that helped ease his stomach and take the edge off the poison's side effects, he had been able to stand the thought of food, let alone the smell. With food inside of him finally he felt his strength returning, though he wondered if it was mostly thanks to that tea Ricotta had given him.

The hero, Cinque, had turned out better than Sato predicted. With Éclair at his side, she and the hero Cinque had forced Princess Leo to surrender, which seemed to not sit well at all with Éclair as he could hear her fuming all the way from down the hall and one floor down. He looked up when he heard some commotion from outside and went to the window, opening it up as he watched Cinque running toward the gate. Sato gripped the window sill and breathed in, deciding he had had enough of sitting around doing nothing. With a push off the ground he pulled himself up onto the sill and out the window, falling two floors before landing with a loud thud on the ground in front of the gate. Cinque slid to a stop when he realized someone was blocking his path.

"What's going on?" Sato asked, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Prince Gaul just kidnapped the princess!" he said, taking a step forward while raising his staff.

"Uh huh. And do what with your stick?"

"I'm going to get her back and—" Cinque was becoming visibly frustrated at having his path blocked.

"I don't think so, not on your own anyway." Sato turned his attention toward the castle outer wall which was lined with large, thick bushes. "Éclair, stop hiding, we need to get the princess back."

Frowning, Éclair stepped out from the bushes and fell in beside Cinque. "We have to get her back before the concert begins or else…"

"We will, stop worrying," Sato said.

Éclair narrowed her eyes at him before she turned toward the castle behind them and raised her hand to her mouth, sticking two fingers to her lips and whistling only loud enough for whomever had been expecting it. A small girl with orange hair, ears and tail came out riding on a bird, trailing three other birds behind her on tethers. She let go of the tethers and moved out of the way so the other three could each mount their own bird. She thanked Ricotta and they began moving in the direction the Prince had taken. "You better make good on that promise, or else…" Éclair stopped midsentence when she realized Sato had stopped listening, his attention elsewhere. She was about to turn her head to see what had gotten his attention when something moved out of the corner of her eye. "They're here," she said under her breath.

"Who is?" Cinque asked.

"Come on, we better get going. Sato, stay behind us and take point, make sure there are no surprise—" Éclair began to say before being cut off by Sato as he passed her on his bird, flashing her a glare.

"I'm not dying, Éclair, I can still fight, even if I am poisoned. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." He kicked his heels into the bird's sides and trotted off ahead of them.

(~)

They had travelled approximately a half hour before finally arriving at the stronghold, Ricotta having broken off from the group immediately to take up her position. "Remember, Rico's position won't allow her to properly see where to aim, so she won't be able to tell between friend or foe. Be careful of friendly fire."

Sato had gotten down on one knee next to Éclair and Cinque on her other side, the three of them watching carefully for any sign of their having been exposed. "One of us should go with her in case she is attacked."

Éclair shot him a glare. "Because of this idiot," she said, pointing a thumb toward the sheepish Cinque, "we can't spare anyone to protect her. Once we've breached the fortress it will be close combat, and since Rico won't be able to tell who is friend or foe…"

"We have to be sure to avoid being struck, I understand." He mentally kicked himself at not having remembered sooner that they were still in the midst of a war. Any casualties from their excursion would still count toward the score, even if they are hit by one of their own. They had to succeed no matter what, it could mean everything. They only had 45 minutes to do this, so they had to get in and get out quickly.

"Remember Sato, we're the distraction while Cinque sneaks in to rescue the princess," Éclair explained. She stood up slowly and moved passed Satoshi, putting her back against the wall and peering around the corner. She turned to look back at the other two. "If we get the chance I'll go in second after him, so you'll have to go batshit crazy to keep them focused on you. I don't want them to know that there more of us so if you and Rico can manage to make them think it's simply a two man team, we could pull this off with virtually no risk. As long as you don't pass out or anything…"

It was Sato's turn to shoot her a glare as he stood up and joined her against the wall, Cinque following behind and listening attentively. Sato huffed indignantly but said nothing.

"I know you don't like the idea of being the distraction, you've been cooped up in the castle for a little over a week so I can sympathize that you might want to fight your way in to some noble goal like saving the princess, but right now we just need to do this correctly. Any screw ups could decide the war right now."

Cinque sighed at the two arguing and chose not to get involved in their conversation, instead surrendering to whatever orders Éclair would give him as long as he got to save the princess. Suddenly there was a commotion and Éclair peeked around the corner only to startle, making the other two also peek around the corner. All three stared down a row of spearmen that had taken up position a few hundred feet from them. It was obvious their position had been exposed, especially when purple spheres began falling over the spearmen and exploding on contact, turning each one it hit into a ball of fur. Éclair ran out from their position and in front of the remaining spearmen, activating her seal. A green circle with runes appeared in front of her and from it she drew two swords, each identical to the other, as the energy emitted by the seal transferred to her blades, making them glow in the same color. With a single motion she drew the blades and slashed them out in front of her in an X motion.

"Air Slash Cross Cut!" she called out. Crescents shot out and formed an X as they rushed toward the remaining spearmen, turning what had been left into balls of fur as well. Sato knew it was his turn to move and he leapt back up onto his bird and kicked it into running, reaching behind him over his shoulder and summoning his keyblade as he stood up onto his bird and running straight for the gate. He lunged forward and off his bird with his keyblade in hand above him, twirling once in the air and using the momentum to use his blade's attack, blowing the gate up. He landed on his feet and ran through the smoke and debris that fell to the ground around him, emerging on the other side to find himself facing an army of two hundred Galette soldiers. In front of them, what Sato assumed was their leader, was a man with a lion's ears and tail, long brown hair and armor so black it reflected what little light there was around them. He held an axe over his shoulder, a morning star ball hung the handle.

"It'll be a lot tougher if more than one of them had come," Sato said when he noticed Éclair and Cinque had come to stand beside him.

"Rico's cannon fire stopped," Cinque told them.

"She must have been captured. Artillery is useful until they're captured since they can't find in close combat. Sato, you take the middle while Cinque takes the left flank. I'll take right." The two nodded and the three darted in their respective directions.

Sato quickly found himself under attack by the heavily armored knight, ducking when he swung the axe at him. He slid beneath and sprang up over several soldiers, tapping each out of the war right before tossing his keyblade aside. He landed on his feet behind them and grabbed one of the falling spears and swung it around, readjusting his grip to a slightly longer version than what he was used to. He whipped it around in an arc and slammed the spearhead into several soldiers that had the misfortune to be standing within reach, turning each of them into fur balls as well. He spun around to take out the general from behind but found himself face to face with an axe that came crashing down on his spear, cleaving it cleanly in half. He lifted the end of his spear to stare at it.

"Woah, that's so badass. You cut right through metal." It was nearly a second too late when he realized the general had lifted his axe up again, forcing him to drop the broken spear and jumped back, falling onto his back. He rolled backwards onto his feet and jumped back again to avoid the impact as the spiked ball slammed into the ground. Where he had been standing moments before there now was a crater, clumps of earth and debris flung in every direction as he pulled the spiked ball out of the ground. Breathing heavily he stepped back, wanting to put as many steps between them as possible. "Well, aren't you just a brute." The man said nothing as he stepped toward Sato as he stepped away from the man, reaching over his shoulder and behind. "You're not much for conversation, I take it?"

He drew his keyblade and brought it out in front of him just in time to deflect a blow from the axe. He saw the motion from the corner of his eye and narrowly dodged a left swing aimed at his right temple but was suddenly taken by surprise when the fist opened up and grabbed a handful of his collar, pulling him forward and then backwards when something hard, strong and forceful impacted with his ribs. Sato slammed into the ground and slid several yards before rolling to a stop. He laid there, unmoving, and watched the brute of a man pick up the ax he had dropped in order to deal his opponent that blow to the ribs. The pain made his mind and eyes go fuzzy for several seconds before they cleared up soon enough to see the man walking toward him, the ax hanging at his side from a gloved fist.

It was painful to breath and he could feel his ribs bruising from the blow. He moved his head to look around and found his keyblade on its side a few feet away from him. The ground was harder here and to his dismay he realized it wasn't ground at all he had rolled onto. The concrete was cool beneath him, almost comforting against his hot skin. He resolved himself to get up and reach for it before the man reached him. Wincing, he pulled his arm, the one not aching from the pain shooting from his ribs, and pushed himself up high enough to get a knee tucked beneath him. He pulled himself up onto his knees and then finally onto both feet, stumbling and nearly falling forward as he cried out in pain when reaching for his keyblade with his good arm. Using his aching arm, he placed his hand over his ribs and grimaced at the pain, breathing even heavier than he had minutes ago.

"You know, for a big man, you hit like a girl," Sato told him, smiling painfully. "You must be Godwin, General of the Galette army, feared by all and second to none, or so some say."

"For such a little girl, you have a big mouth," the man retorted. "You must be Satoshi, the one who took a blow meant for his enemy and became ill from the poison. A kind and noble gesture, I'm sure, but also very naïve." The general stopped and raised both hands, gesturing to their surroundings with his palms outwards. "You saved your enemy and yet here you are alone, broken and from how you're holding your ribs, in a lot of pain. You know, it's funny," he began before pausing, raising a free hand to his chin. Sato remained silent, his expression confused instead. "Well, I was wondering what manner of creature an outworlder would turn into after receiving a blow. I see now that instead of becoming a furball, you just break."

The man took another step forward and swung the spiked ball at him who dodged it by ducking beneath and lunging forward, dragging his keyblade against the concrete floor, sparks shooting in every direction and brought it up with as much force as he could summon, slashing horizontally. His attack was thwarted with ease when Godwin deflected the blow with his ax, using more force than Sato had been prepared for and was sent backwards again. He managed to twist his body into a midair somersault by touching off on the ground with his bad hand, landing onto his feet and stumbling backwards. He managed to find his balance before falling backward, unsure if he'd be able to get back up if he were to fall again.

"How old did they say you were? Sixty? Eighty?" Sato taunted again between breaths. Sweat ran down his face and back, more so from the pain and fever than from any exertion. "You're pretty good for an old man."

"Did you really think a weakling like yourself could ever be on equal grounds with me? Your attacks are nothing more than a nuisance, you're still a little puppy who thinks he's big enough to run with the big cats. None of your attacks will win you any battle, so why don't you—"

"You talk to much," Sato said, relaxing the arm the held his keyblade. "For someone who boasts to be as good as you say you are, you're full of shit. Didn't anyone ever teach you to never underestimate your enemy?" Godwin didn't bother to mask his amusement.

"Strike Raid!" Sato lifted his blade and threw it like throwing an ax, only the keyblade didn't spin at all but flew toward Godwin in a beeline before veering off to the left just as it was about to strike him. He had leaned away from the projectile, never taking his eyes off Satoshi. "You'll have to do better than that, kid." Godwin twisted his body around and brought the spiked ball to swing down at him just as the keyblade twirled in midflight and began coming back toward Godwin. He must have seen Sato watching it because right before it was about to make contact with his head he pulled his descending spike ball back and stepped back so as to intentionally miss Sato and duck just in time to avoid the keyblade's impact. Sato raised a hand in the air just in time to catch it midair as it passed near his head, twirling it in his grip before returning it to its original position.

Godwin straightened and looked at him with mild surprise. "Impressive, to use your weapon like a boomerang. Not bad at all. Perhaps your tricks will make up for what you lack in skill and size."

"You can thank your own agents for that one. I had a chance to discover when I fought Noir and Jaune," he explained, returning to his fighting stance with pained reluctance.

_Damn, I wish I knew what that Blaze Wing Spear attack is, it would be really handy now._ Sato thought back upon his dream, bits and pieces having floated up to the surface ever since having woken from it. _If only Nio were here…_

Godwin was about to attack again just when light laughter stopped him in his tracks, his look of amusement all but gone. Sato heard some commotion behind Godwin and saw Cinque and Éclair with their backs against a pillar, surrounded on all sides. He returned his attention to Godwin but his opponent was no longer watching him. He followed his gaze and found himself staring up at a woman standing atop another pillar, her long braided brown hair blowing in the wind. She wore a sleeveless purple and white coat with fur trim and belt that held it in place over a black, high collared shirt. She wore grey tights and black boots and both hands armored with fingerless gauntlets the same color as her boots and shirt. An open, purple, white fur trimmed cloak billowed around her as she lifted her head to expose her face beneath the rice hat she held pinched between two fingers, her other hand on the hilt of the sword which hung from her belt.

"Enjoying yourselves?" she asked, smiling warmly. "Can I play too?" Something glinted from the corner of his eye and he turned to see just in time as archers leaned out of the tower windows. He turned toward her to shout a warning but was stopped midsentence by her expression as she began to draw her sword. A purple seal appeared behind her. "Single Horizontal Slash, Rekku Ichimonji!" She twisted her body around on the spot as she drew her sword out full length, twirling around and bringing her sword up and slashing through the air. A purple blade of energy shot out from the sword's tip and crashed into the tower, making it crumble from the sheer force until finally it collapsed. "By request of Rolan Martinozzi by reason of the Princess' capture, I, Countess Brioche d'Arquien, have come to lend assistance." She smiled brightly before removing her hat and tossing it aside. "In other words," she began as she unclasped her cloak, "I think I'll join in on all the fun." She leapt down from the pillar and released her cloak, letting it fall into the wind behind her before landing between he and Godwin. "I can handle everything here, you should assist Éclair."

"Wait, are you sure you can—" Sato sighed when he realized Godwin had lost all interest in him and was now giving this woman his complete and undivided attention. He never liked being ignored during a fight but he didn't have much room, much less time, to argue the matter. He was running out of time. "Fine, suit yourself." The woman shrugged and Sato ran off in Éclair's direction.

(~)

"Damn it!" she muttered just before rolling left to avoid an arrow impaling her. The wall behind her exploded outward when the arrow that should have struck her struck the wall instead. "Using a seal to strengthen the arrow."

"Don't think for a second that you can get away," Vert shouted down at the two below. She nocked another arrow and drew the bowstring back.

"Strike Raid!" he called out, throwing his keyblade at Vert, watching it veer left just as it was about to strike her as though it had missed her entirely. Vert chuckled and drew the bow back even further.

Having heard his voice, Noir stepped forward to stand beside Vert. "He is alright…"

"Yes yes, your savior is alive and—" Noir jumped back when Vert suddenly cried out before collapsing forward over the wall. Noir caught her and pulled her away from the edge before she could slip all the way over, both her bow and arrow falling to the ground below.

Sato leapt up, albeit painfully, and caught the blade on its return trajectory, landing beside Éclair. "You're late," she told him.

"Sorry, turns out Godwin wasn't a pushover and I think a few of my ribs are broken. But I'm otherwise alive, thanks for being concerned." He slid into his fighting stance, his sides itching madly as he felt his broken ribs mend themselves slowly. "The Genoise, I presume, the quiet before the storm, minus one."

Cinque chuckled as he fell in beside Satoshi.

(~)

Somehow, they had managed to defeat the Genoise, break into the castle passed the guards and find the Princess. To his dismay, however, Éclair had shoved him back into the hospital wing as soon as they had passed the castle gates. He didn't have to spend there long, however, because unlike the poison, his injury had begun mending themselves and were nearly completely healed by the time he had arrived to see the doctor. He didn't tell them about the broken ribs however, instead he let them continue to think he had only been bruised. Without any other severe injuries they had no choice but to release him.

He sighed deeply as he walked through the town, finding a closed shop and leaning against the cool wall as the sounds of the Princess' concert made their way to him. He didn't feel any need to be there and figured no one would miss him anyway. He liked to have his time alone where he could think quietly to himself, though he had gotten used to Nio's interruptions. He felt a pang of regret and forced the thoughts aside, shoving his hands into his pockets as he enforced his resolve to not mourn anyone he wasn't sure was really gone. He still held out for any chance he could save them, bring them back, however remote.

He thought back on the previous battle with Godwin and wondered about his own ability. It was a rude awakening that he wasn't as strong as he believed he was, but it was also a good realization, because it meant he could still learn new things and become even stronger than he is now. Godwin was definitely the strongest of anyone he had fought here.

He looked up at the single pale moon that dominated the night sky. He missed his world's two moons. "Damn, I have to stop getting involved in this world's problems. That keyhole won't find itself, unfortunately," he said to himself, chuckling at his own joke. "And my companion, how the hell am I supposed to find him? Her?" He took a hand from his pocket and ran it through his hair furiously. "Bah, whatever, I'll cross that bridge when I actually find it."

Pushing off the wall, he wandered the town streets for the remainder of the night.

(~)

_This man…Well, maybe not a man yet, he's not really any older than I am. I think. He is strange though, but also kind. He saves an enemy and then he fights them. He did come through when we needed him the most to save the Princess though, and on top of it all, he took on the general on his own until she arrived._

_I do wonder though, is he friend or foe? I guess as long as he's in this world I may find out. Let's just see how far this takes us._

(~)

"Sliver, what's this I hear? Do my ears deceive me?"

The one called Sliver winced in fear.

"Have you intentionally gone behind my back and sent a poisonous serpent to kill our target? Hmmm? I simply cannot condone this, I cannot. He is needed, he must be allowed to grow stronger, or else the plan will fail. He must be observed, he must be watched. Do you want it to fail?"

She kneeled before her master but remained silent.

"No? You have nothing to say? I didn't think so. If you do this again, I will be forced to punish you. Punish you! There will be repercussions, do you understand?"

"Yes, master…"


	6. Chapter 6 Dog Days

Chapter 6

"You think you can defeat me with that level of skill?" Éclair shouted as she blocked a strike from Cinque's staff with ease with her two blades in an X formation above her head. Satoshi watched several feet away in amusement at the two sparring seriously, matching blows. He was reminded as he watched the two how he and Nio would spend days training together, more often than not because he had skipped classes and she'd find him to impart some sort of lesson about hard work and studying. He had never really paid much attention to her lectures about school and all, he just wanted to spar with her, a person who didn't treat him like some underclassman, like a kid, but would rather match him equally. That's how he was able to become stronger, because he had someone who never looked down on him. The memories were nostalgic and yet bittersweet.

Cinque sprang backward to avoid Éclair's attack and Sato pushed off the wall.

(~)

"_Do you really think you can beat me with your level of skill, Sato?" Nio raised her wooden glaive above her head and brought it down toward him in a slash before making a quick twist of her wrists and wrenching his wooden sword from his hands. The sword flew up in the air and impaled the ground several feet away. "You're always on the offense."_

"_Yeah, so?" he responded cheekily. He rubbed his left wrist, still feeling the sting of her attack. "I can still fight!" He lunged forward at the silver haired girl._

_She sighed and hopped backwards with relative ease, bringing her glaive to her side and swinging it out, knocking him backward midair. He landed on his back and slid to a stop._

"_Sato! Are you okay?" another girl called out as she approached him, her long, red braid bouncing. She stood over him with her hands on her knees and stared down at him with her amber eyes opened wide in concern._

"_Yeah, I'm okay." He brought a hand underneath him and pushed himself up off the ground but had to stop and stare up at the girl still looking down at him. "Uh, Raven?" She squeaked and stepped away to give him room to stand. Putting both hands on the small of his back, he bent backwards slowly and winced at the cracking sounds his back made. "God, Nio hits like a beast." Raven giggled into her hands and he half rolled her eyes at her before glancing in Nio's direction, relieved that she had moved out of ear shot._

"_I think she's just trying to prove something." She pushed several strands of stray red hair away from her face and tucked them behind an ear. "Like she's stronger than anyone and that she doesn't need anyone." Sato nodded and walked over to pick up his wooden sword. "Although, sometimes I think she just doesn't want to lose to you."_

_Sato looked at Raven in mild surprise. "And all this time I thought it was just me who didn't want to lose to her. But you know what they say about Gammas, don't you?"_

"_That all Gammas are all brawn and no brain," she replied with a near perfect impersonation of Nio, hands on hips and all. She brought her hands back to her mouth and giggled again._

"_You do a better Nio than I do," he said, propping his wooden sword over a shoulder._

_She raised a hand and flashed him a peace sign and a smile. "Thanks, I've had years of practice."_

"_Yeah, I'll bet." He turned to walk in the direction Nio had taken, Raven following behind him. She was a good head taller than he was, not to mention a year older than him. He was twelve while she was thirteen. Some of his buddies had teased him about how he always hung out with older girls._

"_Oh right, before I forget!" Raven hit her open palm with a fist. "My dad says you should come by the smith shop when you can, preferably soon."_

_Sato looked at her confusedly before rolling his eyes again when Nio shouted back at them for lagging behind. "Why?" he asked Raven as he pulled down his bottom eyelid and stuck out his tongue at Nio who stood ahead of them._

"_He has something for you. He said it was a gift for having made it into the training program."_

_He shoved his hand into his pocket and turned to look at her. She flashed him another smile before he looked away again. "I don't see why. It's not like getting into the Royal Guard is particularly difficult. After all, they let Nio in. Can't be that hard."_

"_I heard that, jerk!" Nio shot back as they finally caught up to her. She stood there glaring at him with both hands on hips. Raven giggled and Sato chuckled._

(~)

He walked down the castle halls alone, enjoying the time alone to gather his thoughts, though he ended up just recalling old memories rather than thinking about his current mission. He shoved both hands into his pockets and felt something warm and metallic in one pocket. Wrapping his hand around it he pulled it out and stared down at it, the gold ring conjuring up more of those bittersweet feelings he had been trying to lock away. They only made him more depressed.

He turned the ring around in his hand, the light glinting off the cool, polished gold and amber stone, the six diamonds, three on either side of the larger stone in the middle, glimmered even in the indoor light of the castle hallway. He turned it over again and something on the inside of the band caught his eye. He lifted it up to examine it closer and to his surprised he found words engraved.

"An Unbroken Promise… That's what he called you…"

(~)

"…_An Unbroken Promise."_

_Raven's father, Totosai, was huge, almost twice his height and not to mention probably three times his weight in muscle alone. Raven had the same colored eyes as her father, a dark warm amber, as well as the same hair color. Apparently she had inherited her brains from her mother and looks from her father._

_Her father turned around to face them again, his grey streaked, red pony tail bouncing as he moved. He held out his fist toward Sato and he put his open hand beneath it, feeling something drop into his palm. He stared down at the gold ring before looking up at Totosai with a confused look on his face._

"_So long as my daughter is alive, this ring will remain whole."_

"_I still don't understand. Why would you and my old man think Raven and me are a match made in heaven?" Satoshi shoved a hand into his pocket while turning the ring over in his other hand. "We're still just kids… I mean, don't get me wrong but, I don't think you should be making this decision for us."_

"_Son, in times of war, boys grow to become men quickly and girls become women. Soldiers don't just fight the enemy, they also fight to stay alive and to protect the people who can't fight." He turned to look at a picture hanging on the far wall. "My wife, she was a soldier, and a damned good one at that, but you can't always predict or plan for everything. Sometimes, something goes wrong or it's unexpected. They took her arm and then a leg while they tortured her for days before she finally succumbed to her wounds." He turned to face away from them and Sato could hear the sadness in his voice. "Two years after Karasu was born…"_

_Sato wanted to say something but wasn't sure what words to use. The Beta's had taken almost everything from him, his wife, his home and his joy of life. They had taken almost everything but left him with the one thing that gave him reason to get up every morning. If she hadn't been here, Sato was certain he'd have given up a long time ago._

"_I'll… I'll look out for Raven. For you, I give you my word." Sato took out his other hand and slid the ring onto a finger, finding it fit perfectly. "I may not be strong yet, but I will get stronger. I won't let you or her down."_

_The large man turned around and stared at Sato with a look of curiosity. "By the way, Sato, I've always been meaning to ask you. Why do you call her Raven?"_

"_Karasu means black bird, doesn't it?" The large man nodded. "It just seemed appropriate."_

_The heat from the furnaces was beginning to make him feel uncomfortable and sweaty. Beads of sweat rolled down his back and he held back the urge to shiver in front of the man. Fires burned inside several of the furnaces that occupied the corners of the room, three out of four of them occupied by an apprentice blacksmith pounding away at either some piece of armor or sword. A larger furnace, this one made of giant stones, stood near the center of the room, where Totosai forged the best armor in this region. The various hammers, anvils and other blacksmith tools looked heavy enough that even Sato wasn't sure he could lift by himself. Though he and Nio were better at using weapons than Raven, of the three Raven was by far the strongest physically, even for someone her size. Even though she was taller than him, she was still considered short for her age, and with her slender body, arms and legs, anyone meeting her for the first time would never imagine that she spent a lot of time forging armor, tools and weapons with her father. She had no problem lifting the hammers with just one hand. He had never seen either of them lash out in anger, but he often wondered who was the strongest between the two; father or daughter?_

_Sato resisted another urge to shiver in front of the man. Totosai pointed at the ring. "Don't ever forget your promise…"_

(~)

"So long as my daughter is alive, this ring will remain whole…" Sato sighed deeply as he passed an open window. He slid the ring onto a finger before crossing his arms on the window sill, leaning out of it. "If she's still alive, then I have to believe the others are as well." He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, feeling his lungs with the fresh air until they hurt. "I swear I'll find you, Raven, Nio and everyone else."

"Talking to yourself again, Satoshi?" Éclair asked standing behind him.

Sato pushed off the window sill and turned around to lean against it, facing the girl. "More like remembering a promise." He stared down at the ring, running a finger over the gold band. "This ring is a sign that my friends, my world, still exists somehow. It means that they're still alive somewhere and I still have a chance to bring my world back. Until then, I won't remove this ring." He clenched his fist as he spoke.

"Knight Captain, Satoshi!" Both turned to stare at the Biscottie soldier running toward them. "We have a problem! Please head to the nearest Cube." The soldier made a quick salute before running off again.

The two looked at one another and took off toward one of the courtyards closest to them that had a Cube. The screens flickered several times before finally coming to life, each of them showing the same image of a woman with white hair and white cat ears. She wore purple armor that Satoshi didn't recognize.

"In exactly three days we shall have another war. The prizes this time shall be each country's sacred weapons. Biscotti shall offer up Palladin and Excelide, and we shall offer up ours. The winner of the war shall keep the sacred weapons for exactly thirty days before returning them to their respective owners."

They could hear the sound of cheers and applaud from the town and palace around them. He had to give her credit, by offering up the sacred weapons as a prize he had ensured that Biscotti would not refuse the challenge, otherwise they would insult not only the challenger, but they'd also lose a lot of respect amongst other countries. Even if the prize came with a thirty day restriction, it was still something they couldn't refuse.

"Didn't you tell me once that something like this was taboo?" he asked her once the screens had turned dark again. He stole a quick glance at her and from her pale color and shocked expression, he surmised that this wasn't supposed to happen. "Galette is risking a lot by forcing a war…"

"They're not forcing a war!"

Sato turned around in surprise and found himself only inches away from Éclair's angry face. He had to take a step back to put some distance between them. "She offered up her own country's sacred weapons as a prize and asked that Biscotti do the same knowing that they wouldn't refuse—no, that they couldn't refuse. To go this far… I don't like this one bit. Something just doesn't feel right."

"Then we'll just have to win this war!" Éclair turned around and stormed off, leaving him alone in the garden.

_To go this far, I don't think Galette is going to take no for an answer, let alone a loss. I have a bad feeling that this war is going to be a lot rougher than they're used to. Shit is about to get serious around here._

He stared up at the pale moon and watched as it hid behind clouds. A cool wind picked up and the leaves rustled in protest, the chill in the air sending a shiver down his spine.

_Better prepare myself._


	7. Chapter 7 Dog Days

Chapter 7

For three days dark storm clouds had blocked out any traces of sunlight over Flonyard, the world the people of Biscotti and Gallete occupied, and for three days he had felt distracted and restless. It had rained relentlessly for the first two days, turning soil into mud and mountain roads into rivers. It had rained so hard that the castle's basement had flooded. Several guards and retainers had to destroy a wall and create an exit for all of the water to flow out before it had reached the above floors. He spent those past three days training with Éclair, though today had been the first in three days that they had been able to train outside in the courtyard, albeit a very wet, and muddy courtyard.

He had been trying to master a new spell, Blaze Wing Spear, and even though he had the words and determination to do it, he simply couldn't bring it out. No matter how hard he tried. Every time Éclair shot her Seal Cannon at him he'd only get blasted into the wall or thrown back. For as much as he wanted to make it work he felt like there was something missing. He just couldn't put his finger on it…

"Gah!" Sato cried out as he slid back and slammed into the wall behind him. Éclair had shot her Seal Cannon again and he had been so deep in thought that he hadn't noticed until it was too late.

"What's with you lately?" she shouted at him between breaths. "You've been zoning out a lot. Pay attention or you'll never learn that spell or whatever you call it." She scowled when he didn't reply and slid her foot back to brace herself as she activated her seal again.

Sato pushed himself off and away from the wall as he held his keyblade out in front of him just in time to parry her Seal Cannon with a twist of his wrist and sending the blast up into the air with his blade. The motion, although seemingly simple to anyone watching, took almost all of his energy just to manage. He had barely slept the past three days nor could he sit still for very long. He was exhausted and this training exercise was sapping him of whatever he had left.

He moved away from the wall and dug into the reserves of whatever magic he had left deep down inside. His breathing was ragged and uneven. The voice within his head telling him he could find it if only he dug within himself deep enough and tapped whatever hidden power laid inside him. He inhaled deeply before stepping forward and raising the keyblade above his head. "Blaze!" A flaming orb appeared above the tip of the keyblade and he brought it down in an arc, the orb moving to reposition itself so it sat atop the end edge of the keyblade now that he held it out in front of himself. "Wing!" He slid his right foot back and brought the hilt to his side as he moved the hydra keyblade away from the fireball. "Spear!" With a fluid motion he moved the keyblade parallel to the ground and brought the tip downward in an arc until it moved passed his right leg and he brought it up to slash upwards through the fireball. As soon as the blade's tip moved through it the flames simply vanished like a mist. The flaming orb gone and his keyblade unchanged.

"I don't…" he began, frowning and breathing heavily. He dropped down to one knee and leaned on his keyblade, the tip digging into the dirt. "I don't understand. I'm doing exactly as instructed but nothing happens. What am I missing? Is there something more?"

Éclair shook her head as her seal shattered behind her, sheathing her daggers. She shifted her weight to one leg and crossed her arms across her chest. "Maybe it's the storm clouds. Could they be blocking you?"

He looked up at the sky and let out a long, drawn out sigh. He was sweating profusely, exhausted, bruised and beginning to feel defeated. He didn't have long to recover from his fatigue, much less learn the skill in time before the war would begin later that day. He had run out of time.

"Ugh!" Éclair groaned as she rubbed her forehead. "Listen, there's no point in continuing this right now. Let's go grab some food and some rest before it begins." She held out a hand to help him stand. "Hey, maybe you'll get lucky and learn it during the war."

(~)

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Flonyard's biggest war, ever!" The announcer announced and a roar of cheers erupted. "The battle for the sacred weapons of Biscotti and Galette are the ante."

The petite girl with orange hair shifted nervously, her tail twitching to and fro. They stood together on their own birds apart from the others, his duty being to guard her whilst they both participated in the war. "Relax," he told her when she began twirling her hair around a finger. She squeaked lightly but stopped fidgeting. Instead of attacking them directly, they had split up their forces to go around from behind and merge together with the squad and Éclair. Together in the canyon they could attempt to break through to Princess Leo before the squad broke off to hold off any defenses.

He pulled on the reigns and moved his bird closer to hers before speaking loud enough that she could hear him over the announcer's voice blaring through the loudspeakers. "Are you ready?" The girl looked up at him and nodded. He gave her a nod in return before looking forward just as the announcer shouted for them to begin.

With a shout all of the Biscottian soldiers rushed forward toward the swamp area to clash with the Galette forces. Sato and Rico kicked at their bird's sides and urged them forward, moving off to the side to allow the Biscotti forces to pass them toward the swamps. Sato glanced behind him to check on Rico and she smiled back at him to signal that she was fine and indeed following him. They both rode together passed the currently clashing soldiers from both sides and away from them toward the canyon.

They began approaching the entrance into the canyon and Sato glanced up toward the walls on either side, noting they looked a bit strange. He looked at Rico behind him from over his shoulder and she shrugged. He looked forward again and was about to slow down as they approached the walls when he realized they were beginning to crumble. If they stopped now they'd be crushed under the weight of the walls. He shouted at Rico to run faster and he kicked at his own bird's sides, urging the bird to speed up into a sprint as Rico followed closely behind him. He watched from the corner of his eyes as the walls behind to fall on either side of them, barely giving them enough time to clear the destruction as the walls collapsed behind them into a pile of rubble.

Sato pulled on the reigns and slowed his bird down, Rico stopping beside him. Around two dozen Galette soldiers came out from their hiding spots and stood blocking their path, laughing and bragging that they had succeeded with their trap. Holding onto the saddle he shifted his weight onto one foot in a stirrup and stood up, bringing one leg over and dropping down onto the ground between his bird and Rico's. He handed her the reigns and stepped forward, standing alone in front of the enemy forces.

"Haha!" shouted one of the soldiers. Sato summoned his keyblade and held it beside him. "It worked. We trapped Palladine's user…"

"No, you idiot." Another soldier came up to the other and smacked him over the head. "We got the wrong guy. He's just that weird giant key wielder."

Several of the soldiers huffed in some half assed attempt to intimidate him as they drew their swords and lunged forward. Sato also stepped forward and upon closing the gap he stepped to the left and swung his keyblade to strike one of them in the back before turning on his heel and high kicking the other on the back. Both turned into balls of fur and Sato replaced his foot on the ground, turning to face the remaining soldiers as a ball of flames formed at the tip of his blade.

"Blaze!" He swung the keyblade around in an arc until it was out in front of him again. "Wing!" He slid his right foot backward as he brought the tip of the blade down to point at the ground while the ball of fire remained hovering in the air in front of him. "SPEAR!" In a quick slash motion, he brought the tip of his blade up again and cut the ball of fire in half.

Nothing else happened. The fireball fizzled and was gone.

Sato scowled in disappointment and frustration at not being able to master this one skill that he needed in order to move on. He could travel to different worlds, shoulder the weight of his world on his shoulders and keep it all inside… But for all the good that did him, he could not make this one thing work for him. He swore under his breath as he lunged himself into the fray as the enemy soldiers advanced on him with swords and spears. He blocked and parried one attack after another, seemingly not finding a single opening in order to counterattack. They advanced harder, pushing him back toward the wall, or so he hoped. He'd much rather have a wall at his back than the tip of a weapon. He deflected another slash, this one mere inches from his face as he tossed his blade into his other hand, effectively switching his grip as he deflected yet another sword. For once he was glad for being ambidextrous.

They pushed him further back and this time he really did feel his back up against the wall as it was all he could do to keep them from hitting him. He swung, parried, dodged, swung again and still he couldn't find an opening in order to break through. He growled and just as he was about to shout for help the soldiers attacking him suddenly disappeared into puffs of smoke, emerging from the vapors as balls of fur with tiny ears and tails, their weapons falling to the ground in a clang. He looked around to find his savior but found no one within his vicinity.

"Look out from above! Sir Zand of the Biscottian Javelin Knights reporting for duty,sir!" a voice from above him shouted out as more javelins rained down on the confused group of enemy soldiers before him. At least five more turned into balls of fur and finally gave Sato the opening he needed.

Sato pushed off the wall and stepped forward as he swung his blade behind him. "Strike!" He swung the blade forward again in an extreme arc and released it as it turned into a boomerang. "Raid!" It struck several more of the soldiers one after the other before returning to his hand as a keyblade once more. He stepped forward and swung it upwards again toward the remaining soldiers. "Falling Sun!" A blast of heat, like a shockwave, sent them flying backwards to crash into the ground and turn into balls of fur, all except for one who had the misfortune to be in the right place to take most of the attack as it sent him flying upwards. Sato stepped toward him as he descended and leapt into the air, swinging his keyblade over his head and downwards into the soldier's chest. "Rising Moon!" The force of impact caused the soldier to crash into the ground hard enough to create a mushroom cloud of dust that rose up around Sato as he landed beside what was now another ball of fur.

"Careful now, I'm coming down to you." Sato moved away to make room as the javelin knight came down the cliff side atop a brown bird, both only wearing simple chest plates, greaves and knee guards. On his back where one would find a quiver of arrows for an archer, there hung a quiver of javelins, at least a dozen or more occupying the container. His dark red fox ears twitched as he approached Sato on his bird, the ponytail of the same color swinging from side to side along with his thick, bushy tail.

"I take it you're Sir Zand?" the soldier nodded. "Where is the other? Sir Zerez?" Sato tossed his key aside and barely noticed as it vanished into thin air, though anyone close enough to see watched in mild awe and amusement, including the one atop the brown bird. Rico had moved to stand behind him and had brought him his bird as well as Sato jumped up and swung a leg over, mounting the large animal.

"You mean that dual wielding bastard, Zez? He's up ahead keeping any more of the enemy from coming in." Upon finally noticing Rico he bowed respectively. "As you both may be aware, until Sir Cinque and the Lady Éclair are able to join you, that dual-wielding-bastard-show-off, Sir Zerez and I are to escort. Not that we doubt your abilities, Sir Satoshi…"

"Drop the sir and call me Sato." He pulled on the reigns and gave a light kick to the bird's side to get it to move forward, the other two falling in behind him. "Then let's hurry up and meet up with Sir Zerez, then we can regroup with Cinque and Éclair."

They hadn't run for more than a few minutes before finally exiting the tunnel and finding themselves staring at piles of fur balls twitching and mewing in protest. Standing at the center was a silver colored version of Zand, ears, hair, tail and all. He sheathed both swords when he realized the three were approaching from behind.

"We'd best hurry," he said without turning around. "Zand and I will take Éclair and Cinque's position as soon as possible. You both should head toward the next ravine."

"Eh, but the plan was—" Sato began before frowning. "I see… " He turned to Rico. "Come on, we're moving."

The two began moving toward their next location as the other two knights left them to find another fight ahead. The path was relatively clear of any enemy and they found their destination easily enough, along with two who arrived at the same time as they did. They exchanged quick updates before they all looked down the ravine.

"They're bound to have set up an ambush, I know I would have," Satoshi said.

"Agreed," Éclair said. "I'd have done the same. In that case, if we find ourselves in an ambush, Satoshi, you and Cinque—"

"I'll take the ambush." Sato cut her off before flashing her a glare.

"Whatever," she huffed before rolling her eyes and folding her arms across her small chest. "We'll leave any ambushes the enemy may have set up to Satoshi, since he's in a hurry to die. I'll take lead, Cinque you support."

"Right," Cinque replied. "Good thing no one actually dies in these wars."

They entered the ravine and moved forward silently until they finally found themselves facing a lone enemy before them. Noire, one of the three Genoise knights, stood there alone and drew her dual blades. Her face was expressionless, as usual, though Sato didn't seem to mind.

"Round three?" His bird moved forward to stand ahead of the other two. She took a step forward. He leaned forward on his mount and put his weight onto his feet in the stirrups. "Go!" he shouted as he jumped up and onto the bird before pushing off, lunging himself into the air and toward her as his keyblade materialized into his hand as he slashed downward at her. She met his blow with both of her blades above her head in an x formation, successfully blocking his attack. Sato jumped back and slid one foot behind him, ready to lunge again.

He signaled for Éclair and Cinque to move around them and just as they were about to pass him another suddenly appeared from behind Sato and moved to stand near Noir.

"You must be Satoshi."

Sato glanced at him and noted the silver colored ears, lion tail and short, disheveled hair. He wore a purple cloak lined with thick, silver fur whilst the rest of his garments were colored black and purple.

"You must be Prince Gaul." He took another step back and prepared for a 2 vs 1 attack. Amber eyes met amber eyes and from his mischievous expression, Sato suspected the newcomer had different plans in mind.

"I heard that you wanted to challenge me so I came out to meet you. I thought it would be fitting to fight you in the final battle." Gaul smirked and drew his blade and pointed it toward Sato. "Come and face me, Satoshi!"

Gaul lunged with the swiftness of a cat springing forward and Sato barely had time to twist his body to avoid the attack.

(~)

Their blades clanged when metal struck metal, neither boy giving the other any sort of chance to take the upper hand. Sato had managed to stay toe to toe with his silver haired opponent for the past half hour. He stepped forward and brought his blade down toward Gaul just as the announcement screen floating above flashed and the announcer shouted excitedly over the PA.

"Ladies and gentlemen, what in the world is happening?!" Both Sato and Gaul looked up in time to see the second announcer steal the mic from the first and shout into it. "Up in the sky! Is that a… sphere?"

Sato returned his attention to his opponent in front of him but Gaul wasn't paying attention to him. Instead he seemed to be staring up at something in the sky behind Sato, his eyes wide. He turned to look at what the other boy was staring at and his heart sank.

"A demon is rising!" Gaul shouted and stepped back as a leg broke through the sphere.

Sato clenched his fists and gritted his teeth at the sight above him.

_This one is stronger than those you've encountered before, Satoshi. It was left behind when someone else, someone with a dark heart, passed through this world._

_Oh joy… _Sato thought as the girl's voice inside his head became silent. Something about this bugged him and it took a moment before it finally dawned on him. _This is right above the castle Princess Milhi disguised as Rico is supposed to meet up with Cinque and Éclair… Oh god, no…_

"I have to go," Sato said. Gaul turned to look at him and reached out, grabbing his arm above the elbow. Sato turned to look at him, Gaul's expression turned serious. "You don't understand. That thing doesn't belong here. It's just like me, we don't belong here. Only I can defeat it… You have to trust me." Gaul's brow furrowed but he released his grip on his arm, nodding silently.

Sato bumped his fist against Gaul's shoulder and nodded in return before running toward the castle in the distance. He waited until he was out of anyone's sight before casting a spell and changing into his Dragoon form.

_What a royal pain in the ass… How am I supposed to even fight something that big?_


End file.
