Hello. this is a new story i started about the aftermath of Sora's fight with Organization XIII. starring Ferax, a girl who has difficulty displaying emotions and her friend Terin, who has too many. enjoy Prologue Ferax March stepped off the train and took a long look around the station. Located on the edge of Despair Village, it was the only place where people could leave town, as they often did. More people remained, however, people who could handle the stress of their environment. But for all the people who had left, Ferax was one of the only ones to return. She loved the town, with its blue, black, grey, and white houses. However, she did realize that the colors, and the never ending dawn were unnerving to most visitors. She was sixteen, of average height, and slender, with straight auburn hair and ice blue eyes. She wore a grey blue T-shirt and torn black jeans. “Hello Ferax,” an old woman with a basket on her arm and a pair of daggers stashed in her belt greeted her, “So nice to see you comeback alive. How are you today?” Ferax smiled at the woman. “Very well, Mrs. D, thank you.” Mrs. D had lived in this world for as long as anyone could remember. She was the only Elder who had been born here; all the rest had moved in during their adult years. The woman smiled, a smile as fake as her stooped back and feeble manner. “Good, good. You can report your findings tomorrow during the village meeting. For now, go home and rest. I'm sure your mother is worried about you.” Ferax bowed slightly to the Elder. “Yes, Mrs. D.” She hoisted her backpack higher up on her shoulder and made her way to her house. It wasn't a large house, but it wasn't small either. Painted blue, not for any aesthetic reasons but because of the village's laws, it was as welcoming as a house in this world could be. The smell of ginger chicken drifted through one of the windows as Ferax opened the door. She sighed deeply and called, “I'm home!” She quickly braced herself and, as always, received a flying tackle hug that slammed her back into the door. “Hi, Mom.” Her mother looked up at her and smiled, a smile which showed all the joy in her heart. “Ferax, welcome home! It's been forever! How did it go? Did you get hurt?” She disentangled her arms from her daughter's torso, instead grabbing her shoulders and holding her at arms length. She looked Ferax up and down, searching for wounds. “What's this? Ferax, why are your jeans ripped? They weren't like that when you left.” Ferax winced, wishing she had worn a different pair of jeans home instead of these. “Just a scratch Mom. A Zip Slasher thought he could get the better of me.” Ferax's mother sighed at her daughter's lie. She had been at the kitchen window when Ferax had walked up the path, and she had seen her limp. “Come to the kitchen. I'll fix it up.” Hope March was of similar build as her daughter. Ferax had inherited her hair color from her mother, but not Hope's warm brown eyes. She walked with grace and power as only a swords master could. Her claymore leaned against the kitchen counter, ready, should the outside forces try to invade their town again. She sat Ferax down on one of the chairs, then moved to check the chicken. Satisfied that it wouldn't burn, she opened one of the cupboards and pulled out an oversized first aid kit, staggering a little at its weight. Assessing the damage on the jeans, she took out a knife and slashed them off at mid-thigh. She held back a sympathy wince at the sight of her daughter's leg. It was a long cut, starting at the hip then spiralling down until it reached mid-calf. “Ferax, did you honestly call this a scratch? Nevermind this,” she hefted the first aid kit again and stowed it away, “this is going to take magic.” She gazed back at the oven. “If we do this now, the chicken will burn. Can you wait a few minutes?” “Mom, I waited for the entire trip home. Besides, its really not that bad. Really! See?” She started to stand up, stopping when Hope placed her hand on her shoulder. “Sweetie, if that trip had taken another hour, that 'scratch' would have torn open, and that would been the end of you.” She pulled the chicken out of the oven, transferring it - along with some rice and peas - to a plate, plunking it down in front of Ferax. “Now sit down, shut up, and eat your chicken. You look like you need the food.” As Ferax ate, Hope knelt, moving her hand a few inches over her daughter's leg, checking to see if she needed to clean the wound before healing it or not. After a few minutes she stood, cast a quick Cura and sat down next to Ferax. “The good news is that the cut wasn't infected. Good job keeping it clean by the way. The bad news is that you're going to have lots of trouble with it for a while. Random stabbing pains, that sort of thing. Just don't overexert yourself and you'll be fine. I'll ask Mrs. D to keep you off missions for awhile.” Ferax nodded reluctantly. After supper, they sat at the table for hours, catching up on the four months Ferax had been away. At midnight, they finally finished talking and went to bed, with sorrow in their hearts. “Attention, attention. As you all should know by now, Ferax has returned from her mission.” Mrs. D, standing at the podium of the town hall, a building painted a grey purple color, stared out at the people assembled before her. Most of the town, but not all, was here today, wanting to hear first hand what Ferax had found. “Ferax?” Ferax climbed the stairs to the podium almost reluctantly. Her news wasn't good, and it might send the normal citizens of the town off the brink of despair for good. She straightened her back and spoke, in a clear voice that carried all through the hall. “The report we received five months ago was correct. I'm sorry to report that many of you did indeed lose your relatives: Organization XIII has been destroyed.” She stopped as the room was filled with the sounds of disbelief, exclamations of outrage and vengeance and sobbing. so theres the prologue. for those of you who are wondering, yes Sora will be in it. of course.
Oh...I like it so far :D Its really interesting and the way you write it makes me want to read more!! Please hurry with chapter one xD
i decided to combine these two chapters because theyre kinda short. thus, chapter 2 becomes part of chapter 1. enjoy! Chapter 1 The Beginning Ferax sat on the roof of her house, staring calmly at the dawn. Almost dawn, she amended mentally. This was true, for the sun didn't actually rise over the horizon. It never did. It never would. The only indication of the sun this village has ever had was a rosy smudge of light in the eastern sky. Ferax didn't mind. She loved this village and all it held. She loved her blue house, even if her mother would have preferred it to be white. She loved the old oak tree near the town hall which was tearing up the road with its roots. It was where she had grown up. Her village. Ferax jumped as a voice called out her name. She looked over the edge of the roof to see Mrs. D standing at the gate. “Come down. I have a mission for you.” She wasted no time going in through her bedroom window, then out the front door, her usual route. Mission offers warranted more haste, so she simply jumped down onto the lawn. “Yes, Mrs. D? You said you have a mission? What are the details?” “We haven't received our monthly report from Organization XIII. Nothing, not even a single letter, has come from The World That Never Was in over three weeks. We need you to investigate. If they have been destroyed, you need to find the location of each members death, so that family members may mourn accordingly. Your expenses are fully covered. If you accept, you leave within the hour.” Ferax turned the information over in her head. The Organization's reports had always been on time, to the second. It should have arrived four days ago; that it was this late was unheard of. And the expenses have full coverage? This must be urgent. “The mission has been accepted.” Mrs. D nodded absently, knowing that Ferax wouldn't refuse. “Good. This mission will be a long one, so be prepared. Say your farewells, then catch the 6:15 train. You'll need this.” A small briefcase changed hands. “All the additional information you'll need is inside. There's also a camera; I want you to document each location very well. Anything you have to do to make sure our citizens get their last goodbyes, do it.” She gave a rare, true smile. “See you when you return.” Ferax turned and raced into the house. *** Half an hour later, Ferax was sitting in her seat, a rather large pack sitting in the seat next to her. Open in her lap was the briefcase, filled with pictures and stacks of papers on the Organization's supposedly final days. She held up the summary. A member of ours, Number XIII Roxas, has left the Organization, for reasons unknown to us. His “friend” Number VIII Axel, has been given the task of returning him to the Organization. He reports that Number XIII may be found in a world called Twilight Town. Beyond that, Number II Xigbar has reported some success at the Land of Dragons. He believes that, barring outside interference, he could turn target into a Heartless, and a potential ally, within the month. Number III Xaldin continues working at the Beast's Castle. Nothing new to report, excepting the fact that the Master of the Castle has stopped speaking with its servants. Number IX Demyx has been assigned recon of the world Olympia. It seems a new area, the Underworld, has surfaced. He has protested being posted on “such a difficult sounding mission”. However, this is the easiest mission we have available. Number X Luxord has been given recon of the new world [Port Royal]. His preliminary report stated that he may have found a way to make us invincible. He says that he will be testing the method on local Heartless, then report back with his findings. Finally, Number VII Saïx reports that when Number XIII returns, Kingdom Hearts will be completed, although he is unsure of how long that will take. He also reports that the number of Nobodies has decreased some since Number XIII defected, but that was expected. Ferax put down the sheet. So much activity in such a short amount of time. And now? Nothing. It was... sad. She pushed away the emotion and picked up a more detailed report of all of Xigbar's previous missions. She would investigate The World That Never Was, then, if she found nothing more of note, go to this place, the Land of Dragons. *** Ferax's footsteps echoed across the empty Grey Room. Looking around, she could tell that no one had been here in a long time. This didn't bode well, for if the room where the members received their missions was abandoned, then either there was no one to give out the missions, or no one to receive them. Se pushed down her queasiness and left the room. Walking swiftly, she followed her mental map to the member's rooms. She searched them all, hoping for something to tell her where they had gone. The rooms all held what little personal items the Nobodies had possessed, so they hadn't relocated. The only room with a journal was Number XII's, and it was horribly out of date. Flipping through its pages, Ferax noted the neat cursive and flowery pictures and guessed that it must belong to the female member of the Organization, Larxene. The only other object of note she found in the rooms was a popsicle stick with the word “WINNER” carved into it, in Number VIII's room. She slipped it back into its envelop and left for the Superior's rooms. Xemnas' rooms were more sparse than the other Organization members, even though there were more of them. She did find a filing cabinet, holding detailed accounts of daily life at the Organization, going back to its founding. She skipped ahead to the reports of the last five months and quickly noticed a pattern. Saïx's primary mission was to find someone named Sora, to “further quicken the creation of Kingdom Hearts”. This Sora person had been inactive for months. She jotted a quick note on a scrap of paper she found on the desk and continued rifling through the files. About two weeks after the disappearance of Roxas, Sora's name appeared again and this time, he was active. Heart counts soared. Then he fought, and killed one of the Organization members. As she flipped through the pages, Sora continued devastating the Organization's already small numbers. A mention of Castle Oblivion sent her backtracking through the files. Sora's name came up here too, decimating members as he ascended the floors, along with another name, Riku. She wrote down each member's name, along with the world of their defeat, then checked the last page of the files. They ended abruptly with two short sentences: With Number VIII's defeat, we have confirmed that Sora is coming here. Now, we shall see. Here. This Sora person came here. How could someone travel to The World That Never Was without a dark corridor? Shaking her head, Ferax reorganized the files and put them away. She would send someone to retrieve them when she returned from her mission. Beyond confirming the deaths of the Organization members, they held little value to her. She walked down to the Dark City, knowing she needed the air. “All those mentions of Sora, and no location,” she mused aloud, realizing that the village would expect her to find him. She walked all the way down to the Alley to Between, and was about to turn back, when she saw something in the corner of her eye. There, to her left, was a portal. About shoulder height, it was mainly black and green, but held other colors too. “Mystery solved.” Quickly, she made up her mind and took a few steps back. “Looks like the Land of Dragons is going to have to wait.” Next chapter should be up soon. guess where Ferax is going? chapter 2 coming soon. i think. heh. ^_^'
heres the next chapter. enjoy!!! Chapter 2 Off Again “Hey Ferax. I heard what happened. Sorry about, well, you know.†She looked up at him, a false smile painted on her face. “Terin, didn't you know? The point of hiding is so that no one will find you.†Terin laughed, something more genuine than Ferax could ever produce. “I'll always be able to find you, no matter where you are.†He sat down on the cliff side next to her, gazing at the smudge of predawn light which was all this village had. She looked him over thoughtfully. In the four months that had gone by since she'd left, Terin had gotten a lot taller. He'd even gotten a new jacket, a short one that was black with yellow lining and only reached the base of his rib cage. However, his night black hair and solid yellow eyes remained the same. “You're not mad at me? You had friends in the Organization.†“Why should I be mad at you? 'Don't blame the messenger' and all.†He turned his head towards her. “Besides, us Half-Hearted have to stick together, right?†Ferax pulled her knees away from her chest to let them dangle over the cliff. “Tell that to Justine. She looked ready to kill me.†Actually, Justine had given her a few nasty bruises, but she wouldn't tell Terin that. He'd kill Justine. Terin laughed again, a sound Ferax thoroughly enjoyed. You always love what you can't have. “Justine didn't even know Vexen very well. Now, I don't want to hear anymore about Justine. She can go jump off a cliff for all I care. Tell me how the mission went.†Hours went by, as Ferax told him all the details, more than she had even told her mother. He laughed when she told him about her run in with the locals, and relished each victory she had had against the lesser Heartless and Nobodies. He even cried for her when she retold the discovery of the location of each Organization member's death, because she couldn't. When she had finished telling him, he grew thoughtful. “So you're not done then?†His yellow eyes glowed more brightly as he searched her face. She shook her head sadly. “No. I still have to find the person who killed them and exact the proper revenge. The Elders won't be happy until I do. It'll probably take another few months, if not years†Terin stood up, and waited a moment before speaking. “I'll just have to go with you then.†“WHAT?!?!†In her haste to stand up, she cut her hand on a jagged edge of the cliff face. She held it up to the dim light, trying to see the damage. Wide, but not deep, it bled profusely, dark, almost black blood. Each drop of blood that came out of contact with her skin dissipated with a puff of darkness. He crouched next to her and took her wounded hand in his own. Without hesitation, he tore a strip from the base of his shirt and started wrapping the wound. “We've been friends for years. If you think I'm not going with you, you're insane. The only reason I didn't go last time was because by the time I found out you had gone, you had hopped on the train and left.†He tugged fiercely on the knot. Lifting his eyes to hers, he continued, “We promised years ago to always fight by each other's side. I've already asked Mrs. D if I could go and she said yes. I'm going Ferax. And you can't stop me.†Ferax stared at him defiantly. “I can leave without you, get on an different train. I could knock you out right now, tie you up and leave you here. There are any number of things I could do to stop you.†A smug grin crossed his face as he pulled a folded piece of paper out of his jacket. “Official orders from Mrs. D. If I don't go with you, I have orders to hunt you down and bring you back, so you can get punished and we can continue our mission together. Wanna read it?†He waved the paper in front of her face. She snatched it quickly with one hand, making a rude gesture with the other. Quickly, her eyes scrolled down the page. He was right curse it all. Terin laughed at her expression which, while subdued, must have been hilarious. “And with that, I bid you good night. We have to leave tomorrow morning, so don't unpack.â€He started down the cliff, then did an about face. Before I go, did you at least get the name of the person who killed them all?†She glared at him for implying that she hadn't done her job. “Of course I did. It was in the files in The Castle That Never Was. There were actually two people. One was named Riku, but the one with the larger body count was Sora.†“Sora, huh? I heard the Elders talking about him a few weeks ago.†“Really?†“Yup. Keyblade wielder. He's also the guy who wiped out the Seeker of Darkness' Heartless.â€He turned to face her. “Are you sure you want to go? This guy's dangerous.†“I can't quit. It goes against everything this village stands for. Besides,†she gave him a smug grin, “you're the one who's volunteering. Oh!†Terin looked down just in time to see a Shadow popping up from the ground. “Kyle, I told you to wait for me at home.†Pause. “You can't be lonely, Mom was at home–†Pause. “Fine, let's go.†He turned to Ferax. “Kyle wants to go to your place; so, we might as well have a strategy meeting, pick where we go first, et cetera, et cetera.†Ferax picked up the Heartless and smiled. “How can I say no to you Kyle? Let's go.†Kyle flopped his head over her shoulder and gave a meaningful look at Terin as Ferax walked down the hill. He smiled and scooped a rock off theound. “I know Kyle,†he said quietly, “I know.†“Terin, let's go!†He smiled and threw the rock over the cliff before following.
Heya!! here's Chapter 3! im also done Chapter 4, so ill have that posted, probably tomorrow. just have to edit and such. enjoy!! Chapter 3 Decode Crawling out from the hole in the wall, Ferax blinked in the sunlight. The sky was a orange-red color that she had never seen before. A sunset, she reasoned, this is a sunset. Dusk, rather than dawn. She shuddered, excited at the new experience, then walked out into the town. As she did so, she contemplated what she had found in that mansion. A Nobody had died in that tunnel, leading from The World That Never Was to the mansion. It was most likely Number VIII, Axel, if the reports from Xemnas' rooms were to be believed. She had no idea what the large white pods – just big enough to hold a person each – were for, but she had found some data on a computer which might help. Found it, that is, once she had figured out how to leave the data world. The data she had printed off of the computer was mostly gibberish to her. Written in a code she didn't understand, there were few words she could read, most of them names. Riku and Sora came up frequently, as well as Roxas and Naminé. Roxas and Naminé. They had been part of the Organization, or as least Roxas had been. Naminé had been a puppet that the Organization had used, an action which held the disapproval of most of Despair Village. Beyond that, the only words she could find, and understand, were mostly updates on “percent completion”. Whoever had coded this, they were good. She was putting the papers back into her backpack when someone bumped into her from behind. She almost attacked, a product of good reflexes, before she realised that it was just three local teens. “Hey, watch it!” A blonde boy, younger than her but not by much, wearing a grey vest, black T-shirt and green camo pants stared at her for a moment. “You're not from around here, are you?” A girl shoved her elbow into the boy's ribs. “Hayner apologize!” She turned to Ferax. “I'm sorry about him. I'm Olette. What's your name?” She was petite, with long brown hair and wearing an orange tank top and yellow capris. Ferax stepped back, unused to such attention. “Um...” “Oh wow, what's that?” A short round boy shoved his way into the front of the group assailing Ferax. He also had brown hair, kept out of his eyes with a black-and-white headband. He wore a red tank top over a white T and very baggy jeans. Quickly, but gently, he grabbed the papers out of her hand. “Neat code! Did you make it? It looks computer generated.” He started flipping through the papers. “Pence!” Olette grabbed the papers from her friend's hands and handed them back to Ferax, a small smile on her face. “Here. I'm sorry. Ever since he hacked that computer at the mansion, he's been obsessed with them.” “Olette! We're going to be late! C'mon, or we'll miss it!” Hayner and Pence were already at the other end of the plaza, waving at her. Olette gave a quick wave in Ferax's direction, then ran after her friends. Ferax stood confused for a moment, staring at them, then looked down at her notes. “What was that about?” She shook her head, then continued up the hill. About halfway up the hill, she stopped and ran the conversation through her head. “He hacked the computer at the mansion?” She stared at the notes in her hand, then looked back, in the direction the locals had gone. “Maybe he could help me decode this.” *** “Let's hear it for Siefer! By winning this match, he will be advancing to the finals against Hayner!” The loud cheering of the Sandlot assaulted Ferax's ears. Despair Village was a quiet place, silent except for training hours and battles. Up on a stage, about a meter high, Hayner stood, holding up a blue bat and facing a tall boy, older than Ferax with a black skull cap over his blonde hair and a long bluish white coat hanging down past his boot tops. “I'll wipe the floor with you, blondie.” The person Ferax assumed to be Seifer snarled. He hefted a bat similar to the one Hayner held and pointed it straight at his opponent, in a combat pose that Ferax judged to be weak and full of holes. Hayner just laughed. “Yeah, like I'm gonna let that happen. Bring it on!” At the announcers call, the two boys threw themselves at each other with all they had. After just a few seconds watching them, she knew that neither of them stood a chance against anyone from the village, so she turned her eyes away from the spectacle that mesmerized the rest of the crowd. A quick scan of the audience showed her exactly where Pence was. After the match – Siefer won, to the dismay of the local trio – she threaded her way through the crowd. “Excuse me?” Pence turned around with a surprised look on his face, which quickly grew into a smile. “Oh, hey! What's up?” She painted a smile on her face, to match the one Pence was still beaming at her. “Nothing much. I was just wondering if you could help me with something?” “Sure, how can I help?” “Well,” she held out the papers towards him and angles herself so that they could both see what was on it. “I was wondering if you could decode these for me. They're rather important, but I can't understand them like this.” He grabbed the papers out of her hand again, and started riffling through them. “I could, probably, but it'll take time. And lots of it, judging by the amount that's here.” Ferax sighed. More setbacks. “How long?” Pence was already engrossed, his mouth moving along with his thoughts. So she gave his shoulder a small shake. “Hm?” “How long will it take to decode this?” He did a quick calculation, then answered, “Maybe four months. If it uses the same system throughout, I could probably get it done in three. No guarantees though.” It was much better than Ferax had hoped. She'd been expecting years. “Thank you so much! How can I ever repay you?” “No thanks needed.” He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. “I'm just happy to have something interesting to do over summer break. I've already investigated the Seven Wonders. Now if you'll excuse me...” He trailed off as he walked in an aimless direction, staring intently at the papers. She smiled and created a corridor under her feet. hey, guys, if you dont want to read this, just let me know. i mean, ill still finish it (because its AWESOME), but if no ones interested, then it takes off pressure to post these quickly. it would also give me more time to work on my projects. stupid dumb projects... *grumble mumble projects grumble*
Ok, chapter 4 is up. Enjoy ma pepples!!! :) Chapter 4 Battle The Alarm was blaring. The noise level of the village exploded as all of the residents leaped out of bed, grabbing weapons and armor, anything that would fit over their pyjamas. Ferax, herself wearing a blue T shirt and shorts ensemble, slapped her arm guards on and summoned her weapon, Gamble. A daikatana, which was both longer and broader than the standard katana, it should have been to large for someone of her build. A blue ripple pattern showed through the grey steel; the hilt was hand-and-a-half wrapped with red leather to keep her grip from slipping. A charm dangled on a chain attached to the end of the hilt. Part of it was the symbol for a whole person, a curled heart. However, two grey spikes stuck out from the bottom of the heart, right under the spirals. The symbol for those very rare people with only half of a heart. The symbol of the Shattered. Fully armed, she jumped out her window and raced for the hill. On the opposite side of the cliffs was The Cave. In front of that was an open field, and this was where the battle was. As she crested the hill, she got her first sight of the chaos below. It was fully underway, despite the Alarm going off barely a minute ago. Swarms of Heartless and Nobodies, strong only in numbers, rushed towards The Cave, hoping to gain entrance. The villagers crowded around The Cave, fighting back. Each group of fighters had a different specialization. The Seventh was mainly commanders, shouting orders at top voice to the other villagers. They were spread out in a circle around the entrance of The Cave. They also held the job of shooting down any and all flying enemies who tried to come in from above. Surrounding them, in a large circle were the Bears, a wall consisted entirely of brawny men with oversized weapons. They dealt with the strong Heartless and Nobodies who managed to break through the other groups. The other groups were further away, to give the Bears space. Among them were the Reds, consisting of mages; the Hearts, a small group of people like Terin who had Heartless companions; the Shadows, who used a variety of bladed weapons, such as swords and axes; and the Left, who used everything else, from bows to shields to daggers. She quickly joined her group, the Shadows, and swung Gamble. Her vision was obscured briefly as the Heartless vanished in a puff of darkness. About an hour later, during a lull in battle, she paused a moment to marvel at the stream of hearts, bright and crystalline, moving towards the entrance of The Cave. She was so used to the hearts going to The Cave that on her first mission, she had been surprised to see the hearts float upwards. “Ferax, you're bleeding.” Terin came up behind her, Kyle cradled in his arms. She twisted her head to look at the rather deep wound in between her shoulder blades. “I'll be fine. Shouldn't you be crushing Heartless with your awesomeness?” Terin smiled at her. “Nah, I did that already. Kyle's to worn out to fight anymore, so they let me hang out on the sidelines, doingmedical aid and such. Speaking of...” He turned her around so he could see better. “You will NOT be fine, not with something that deep. This is out of my league. I'm getting your mother.” “No, Terin, not her, please!” Hope was already worried enough about Ferax for the Zip Slasher injury, no need to add this one to her list. “Ferax, you know you of all people can't go around with gaping wounds for too long. None of the Shattered can. Their darkness escapes and as it does, it makes the hole larger, which lets more darkness out. Your mom's the best healer in the village, and so I'm getting her whether you like it or not. Hold Kyle.” He dumped the Shadow into her arms and stormed off. Ferax started after him, a perplexed look on her face. She looked down at the sleeping Kyle in her arms and asked, “What's he all mad about?” Kyle simply cracked one yellow eye and gave a small shrug before returning to slumber. “Helpful.” She muttered. Two hours later, freshly bandaged, Ferax, Terin, and Kyle walked home together. Many of the villagers still had work to do at the battlefield, healing wounds, collecting and identifying corpses, giving reports to the Elders, among other things. However, the trio was given early leave from their duties so they could rest up for their mission together. “So, what's your count?” Ferax voiced, a question asked more out of habit than anything else. The question wasn't an uncommon one, being voiced more often than not after a battle. It was similar to asking “How many eggs did you buy today?” after a trip to the supermarket. “4250.” Terin had a smug smile on, and for good reason. 4250 Heartless and Nobodies in under an hour was an exceptional count. “You?” “6000 even.” Ferax could almost hear his jaw dropping. “What?! But, even Mrs. D could only ever get 5500! How did you...?” His hands flailed around his head as he tried to understand it. It was funny to watch, in a manga sort of way. “I don't know. Ever since I've gotten back from my mission, I've felt better than ever!” Adrenaline pounded through her veins; she felt like she could take on another thousand, no, another MILLION Heartless. “The feelings been passing though. Since I got off the train.” She expected Terin to freak out, in a good way, but when he replied “Really?” his tone of voice made her turn to look at him. He had stopped walking and was looking down, expression serious, as if thinking really hard about something that was troubling him. “Terin?” His head shot up. Abruptly, he smiled again. “I have to go talk to Mrs. D. You go home and get some rest, OK? We still have that mission tomorrow. C'mon Kyle!” Terin turned and raced back towards the battlefield. Her hand was poised in the air in front of her, as if reaching out towards him, but she had no memory of putting it there. She lowered her hand, confused at his sudden departure. “Terin?” she asked again, even though he could no longer hear her.
New chapter. sorry its been so long, ive been busy with exams and last minute assignments and such. this ones really long, now that i realize it. anyways, enjoy! Chapter 5 Departure “You're sure that's what she said?†Mrs. D narrowed her eyes. If this was true, then this village was in danger simply by her being here. That, she could not abide. “Yes Mrs. D. She said that since she's returned to the village, her energy boost has been wearing off.†Terin stood in front of Mrs. D's chair and shifted nervously from foot to foot. Mrs. D sighed and stood. “We can't do anything about it besides getting Ferax out of the village. The sooner she's gone, the sooner both she and the village will be safe.†She turned away from him in a silent dismissal. When he didn't leave, she turned back towards him and gave him a weary nod. Quickly, he clamoured to ask his question. “Mrs. D, could it really happen? Could The Cave really...?†He was clearly going to keep pressing the matter, so she answered honestly. “Yes, it could. Through your own stupidity, you know full well what's in there. It can and will take what remains of Ferax's heart. And if it does that... I can't tell you what will happen. It's bad enough that you know what's in The Cave. Now, remove yourself from my presence, Half-Light, and take your other half with you.†Her dismissal more obvious this time, he picked up Kyle and walked in the direction of the village. “Kyle, what can we do?†His voice was desperate, he knew. Kyle looked up at him with those round glowing eyes and, as always, spoke directly to Terin's heart. We can go ahead with the mission. The sooner we get Ferax out of here, the better for everyone. For her too. Let's just trust that Mrs. D can fix this before we get back. Terin smiled. “You're right. When did you get so smart?†I've always been smart. I'm the logical half of your heart, remember? You kept all the emotions. A wicked grin crossed the teen's face. “If you have no emotions, then why can't you stay away from Ferax?†What!? I... She... ...why would you ask that? You suck. Terin could almost swear that the Shadow was blushing. I blame you. It's your fault I can't stay away from her. So there. It was a little known fact that Shadows have tongues, stemming from the even less known fact that Shadows have mouths. But Kyle single-handedly proved both were true as he stuck out his tongue at Terin, something he had picked up from the village children. Despite Kyle's childishness, Terin could not deny the truth of his statement. “Can she hear you yet?†Kyle shook his head sadly. No, not yet. Terin allowed himself a moment to be sad, then shook his head and smiled. “Well, we'd better get on with that mission then.†“Are you sure you're okay to go? You didn't get any sleep.†“I can sleep on the train. Besides, the mission is more important than my sleep. And,†Terin gave her a knowing smile, “I'll bet you didn't get any sleep either.†Ferax probably would have blushed if she could have. “It's different for me. I only need 3 hours of sleep. You need 12. See the difference?†“Don' lie to yerself luv, ye need 't least 6.†He adopted the accent to tease her. “Come now, th' train's awaitin' and we 'ave a mission.†He dodged her elbow as it sailed towards his ribs and ran ahead, laughing. “Come on, hurry! If we get there early, we can get the good seat!†Ferax raced on, quick to catch up. When they reached the station, at the same time and both barely winded, a voice called Ferax's name. She twisted to see Justine running towards her. Terin smiled. “Don't look like that. She's probably come to apologize.†When her face showed disbelief, he laughed and said, “As faith that she's just come to apologize, I'm going to get the good seat. Have a nice conversation.â€and with that, he shouldered his backpack and walked into the train station. After a moment, Justine skidded to a stop in front of Ferax. Her blonde hair was pulled up into two pony tails, one over each ear. She wore a red dress that came down to mid-thigh and was slitted up the side for ease of movement. Black leggings and pink knee high boots covered most of her legs. “Ferax,†Justine was incredibly winded. A Snipe like her didn't need to run as much as a Shadow did. “I wanted to apologize for my behaviour yesterday. A simple emotion like anger is not a proper excuse for attacking a comrade. I'm very sorry.†A sigh that had more to do with Terin being right than annoyance at Justine escaped Ferax's lips. She painted on one of her best smiles. “It's okay Justine. I understand.†Justine looked up at her, brown eyes sad. “Right. You lost someone too. I'm sorry.†“Really, it's alright. Stop apologizing.†Suddenly the train whistle went off, the final warning that the train was leaving. “Gotta go Justine. Good luck with your archery!†As she dashed onto the train, the phrase “saved by the bell†passed through her mind. The “good seat†as Terin had put it was in the back of the train. All the cargo was carried in the car behind the engine, so the last car had been set with a large window that curved around the train. As such, the back of the train was both the most coveted and most despised car. Coveted for it's view, and despised because it reminded people of what they were running from: constant battles, strange people with only partial hearts, and eerie lighting. Today, it was empty. “Looks like the train is full of runners today. Pity. The village's population had just broken 400.†Terin's cursory glance of the train was habitual. Checking all exits, points of entry, possible sites of darkness where a Heartless could easily appear. Ferax's eyes followed his as she performed a similar check. They settled themselves on either sides of the cabin, on the far side of the door. Terin grabbed a table from the side as Ferax pulled the mission files from her bag. “How long has it been since I started my last mission? In Standard Time, not Village Time.†As she spoke, the train started to move. Terin checked his Truewatch. “Three months exactly. Why?†“I have some documents to pick up from Twilight Town. And, last time I was there, I picked up a dark trail. I'd like to check out where it leads.†She spread the papers on the table; a map of the worlds, a copy of the papers she had taken from that mansion and the mission statement, which Terin picked up. “Huh. Look what it says here. We've got no restrictions on this mission. No 'preserving the world border', no keeping our world a secret. We're even allowed to be seen by people in the other worlds.†His glowing yellow eyes widened as he read on. “Munnetary expenses are covered, permission to use force on world residents, lethal if necessary, what is this? I've never seen this before.†Ferax nodded her head. “I know. It was the same on my last mission. Is it really so important that we catch the person responsible for the Organization's deaths?†He smiled. “That's what we're supposed to find out, remember?†“Good point. Here. These are for you.†She held out a pair of sunglasses. Terin took them, inspecting the darkened lenses. “What are these for?†“Your eyes. They stand out too much, so you have to wear those.†She picked up another pair for herself. “I get to wear these, so that you don't stand out wearing them. What do you think?†She plopped them over her eyes. “Oh, yes, very inconspicuous.†He put on his own pair, and looked around. “I don't think these are helping much. I can barely see. And Kyle can't navigate for me because he attracts attention too.†Indeed, the glow from his eyes was barely diminished. “Well, I'm sorry, but that's the best we have for now. Kyle can stay in your pack. There's enough room for him. Or he can stay in your shadow. He seems to like it there.†Kyle nodded vigorously, a third set of Shadow-sized sunglasses in his claw. He slipped them over his eyes and looked around the cabin, copying Terin. Terin laughed at his Heartless' antics. “Alright,†he said, abruptly serious, “so, where are we going to go after Twilight Town?†She pointed to the map of the worlds. “I was thinking this place.†She pointed to a world on the map. Terin leaned in to read the inscription on the map. “ 'Destiny Islands'. Sounds fancy. Why there of all places?†“It was the only place I didn't have time to check on my last mission. It seems like a good place to start.†“Right you are. Destiny Islands it is.†He paused, then asked, “Since it's an island, do you want to go swimming?†“What?†“The Meridian Ocean is the only place place a person can swim in Despair Village and it's always too cold for it to be any fun. I would like to swim somewhere where I don't have to sit next to a bonfire afterwards to defrost for once.†She paused to think about this. While it would be nice to swim in warm water for once, as Terin said, the mission was definitely more important than their own personal enjoyment. “Sorry Terin, I don't think so. The mission is more important right now and besides, I didn't bring my swimsuit.†She grimaced when he flopped down onto the seat and started making the same whiny noises a four year old would make when denied ice cream. “We can go after we complete the mission.†Instantly, the whiny noises stopped. Terin's eyes popped up over the edge of the table, narrowed with suspicion. “Promise?†“Promise.†Ferax confirmed. Terin bolted upright, a wide smile stretching across his face. “Yes! Come on, let's finish planning. Where to after the Destiny Islands?†“I was thinking we could go back to The Castle That Never Was. I want you to take a look around as well, in case I missed something.†“Great, and after we can go to...†“Is that...?†Ferax smiled at the look on Terin's face. Her expression couldn't have been far off, albeit more subdued. First sunsets will do that to a person. Second sunsets too. “Yup. Isn't it beautiful?†Terin nodded in agreement. They were standing on top of the clock tower, where the dark corridor had deposited them. The sky was filled with fire and the sun turned the gleaming ocean red. His eyes wandered over to Ferax, her hair glowing crimson, ice blue eyes made softer, less intense as she watched the sunset. “Yeah,†he said softly, eyes returning to the sun, “beautiful.†Kyle poked his head out of Terin's backpack They stood atop the tower for a few minutes more, enjoying the view. Finally, Ferax sighed. “Come on. It's time to go.†Rather than take the stairs, they jumped down from the top of the tower. Landing gently on the balls of her feet, Ferax waited until Kyle had hidden himself in Terin's shadow, then led the way down from Station Heights. “So, where to?†Ferax looked over her shoulder at Terin. “I have to check in with someone. I asked them to decode some papers when I was last here and I want to see if they're done. Then we have to check on a trail I found.†Terin cocked an eyebrow. “Trail?†“I mentioned it on the train. Last time I was here, I picked up a left over trace from an old dark corridor in an alleyway. I didn't have time then, so I want to see where it goes now.†“Okay. So, let's go find this codebreaker of yours.†Finding the codebreaker she had met last time – what was his name? Pence? - was difficult, but no more so than she had expected. They didn't know where he lived, didn't know his usual hangouts and definitely didn't know whether he was even in town or not. It was a weekend here; he could be on vacation. In the end, they couldn't find Pence, so they went to check on the dark trail. They were walking in the alleyway when Olette's voice drifted from behind a chain link fence. “So when do you think Sora and Kairi are going to visit?†Ferax froze at the name. Sora? They knew him? And who's Kairi? “Who cares?†Hayner's voice this time. It was full of sarcasm but Ferax could tell it was insincere. “Should be soon. Sora said he would.†Pence's voice floated from the same area. Ferax motioned for Terin to move back as talk retreated from Sora to winter break and upcoming exams. “That name again. Sora. What's his part in all of this?†Terin mused, his shades slipping down his nose. “And how did he get from Castle Oblivion, to The World That Never Was, to here? Can he use dark corridors?†“Maybe. Either way, we can't ask them.†Ferax sighed. “We have to go in anyways. Both my codebreaker and the trail are in there.†“Alright, so we go in and don't ask about Sora. We go in and you ask about the papers and distract them, while I check on the trail.†“It's on the left hand wall, in front of a furnace.†“Hey everyone. Long time no see.†Ferax strode into the area with Terin following closely behind. Hayner was sitting on a yellow power box right in front of the entrance, Pence on a crate in the corner and Olette on the sofa. “Oh, it's you!†Pence sounded happy, as he did last time she saw him. He'd gotten a new shirt. Actually, it was the same shirt, but it was more orangey-red than red. “I finished decoding those papers you gave me.†He reached for a bag sitting behind the crate. Olette gave a warm smile. “You're just in time. He just finished today.†She'd also gotten a new outfit: longer pants of the same color and a white T shirt. “Who invited you? You can't just barge in here without permission.†Hayner had gotten a longer sleeved shirt, still black, and had replaced his camo pants with solid green long pants. His vest was still there though. “Hayner!†Olette turned to him looking shocked at his manners. “What?†Pence hopped up off the crate while Hayner and Olette argued. “I've got them right here. One second. I never caught your name last time you were here.†He continued rummaging through his bag as he spoke. “It's Ferax.†She hadn't deliberately concealed her name on her last visit. It just never came up. Pence nodded, then pulled his hand out of his bag with a large sweeping motion. “Aha! There they are.†He pulled his arm out of the air, and indeed, there was a sheaf of papers in his hand, no worse for wear despite the messiness of his backpack. “Here's your documents, I translated them as best I could, but there were a few words I couldn't figure out. I just have one thing...†Pence's features turned into an uncharacteristic worried frown. When it became clear that he wasn't going to ask without prompting, Ferax asked, “What is it?†Pence looked up, searching her face for his answer. “Why does Sora's name come up so often?†Ferax sighed. She had been expecting this question. “I don't know.†That was the truth. “That's what I'm trying to find out.†That wasn't, not quite. Pence nodded, however, like that was the best he was going to get and he'd better just accept it. He handed over the documents. Ferax quickly skimmed the pages. “Thanks pence. I -†Hayner's voice broke through her gratitude. “And who are you? I don't recall inviting you either.†He had just noticed Terin standing in the corner, investigating at the furnace. Terin continued his search for another moment before looking up. His voice when he spoke was pleasant and friendly. “Hm? Oh, I'm Terin, Ferax's friend. Nice to meet you.†He smiled his most charming smile, but the effect was ruined by his sunglasses. His eyes cut from Hayner's face to Feraz's. “Come here. I think I found it.†Quickly, she opened her bag and slipped the papers inside. There was time to look at them later. “Let me see.†Terin stood to one side, pointing at a spot on the furnace. “See, the point of entry has shrunk over time, but it's still here. It's only the size of a pinprick now though.†“A pinpricks enough. Stand back.†She flattened her palm against the spot Terin had pointed at and concentrated. Terin followed her advice and retreated a few steps. Hayner, Pence and Olette came a few steps closer, to see what she was doing. With a small bang and a large shock wave, a dark corridor opened. Hayner and Pence were blown back a few feet, while Terin and Olette, who had come closer but was still behind Terin, nearly got pushed over. Opening a dark corridor normally isn't that difficult. Reopening one that had been closed for several mo was much harder. “There,†Ferax said, dusting her hands off, “that should do. Let's go Terin.†“Yeah, one sec. I lost my sunglasses.†The trio's eyes bulged as they saw Terin's glowing yellow eyes. Terin got on his knees and reached under the sofa, exclaiming when his hands touched something. “Got 'em. Let's go, Ferax.†Pence rubbed his eyes. He could have sworn that, as they strange pair walked through the swirling darkness, a spot of even blacker darkness hopped out of Terin's shadow and into Ferax's arms. He could have sworn...
hello! sorry for the late update, ive been busy. Anyways!!! this chapter is really long. about 3 times longer than my previous chapters. so, to prevent you from having to read a wall of text, i broke it into 2 parts for you. enjoy! Chapter 6 Finding and Losing Spoiler: Part 1 “Huh. Strange how coincidences work out, right?” Terin's eyes glowed brighter in the noonday sun, revelling in the view. “You know, I've never seen the sun this high in the sky before. It's much warmer up there than it is near the horizon.” He glanced back at Ferax, who was sitting on a tree that stretched horizontally for a portion of its' trunk. She was busy looking over the documents she had gotten from Pence. She glanced up at him quickly, her eyes returning to the pages a bare second later. “You also haven't seen midnight. It has it's own beauty.” “Where could we see that one?” “Hm. Well, we could go to The World That Never Was and see it there, but it's probably just easier to wait. This is a world when the sun rises and falls.” “...The sun can do that?” “The sun does that in most worlds. Only in a few places like Despair Village and Twilight Town does the sun stay stationary.” She motioned for him to come closer. “Here look at this. This page here gives a full profile of Sora and Riku, whoever they are.” Ferax's finger scrolled down the page, her eyes following. “It says they're both from the Destiny Islands.” Terin read the profiles quickly. “Well, it's a good thing we ended up here isn't it? Oh, look. Fruit!” He jumped onto the tree trunk and walked carefully along it, reaching until he picked the yellow star-shaped fruit hanging from it's branches. He flopped down beside her, tore off a corner and popped it in his mouth. “Wow, this is delicious! Want some?” He tore off another corner and held it out. “Sure. This is good!” Quickly, she ate the rest of the piece. “Mm.” They finished the fruit together in silence, then went back to planning. “So, first we have to find Sora and Riku. They're probably on that island,” she pointed to her right, towards another island, buildings visible in between the trees, “but it looks like they come here a lot too. We could just wait.” “They come here often?” “Yes. There's a pier over there, and on the underside of this tree...” She broke off and gestured vaguely at the underside of the tree. Terin jumped off of the tree and checked the underside. “'If ever we separate,'” he read aloud, “'we vow to always return to this spot, whether in Light or Darkness. Sora. Kairi. Riku.'” He stood back up. “It looks fairly recent. Only a few months old. So we wait.” He was quiet for a moment, then asked, “Do you want to go swimming?” “Sora, hurry up! Mickey said he'd pick us up today!” Riku stood on the end of the pier, waiting to get into his boat. He was wearing the same pair of jeans he had worn in The World That Never Was, but had replaced his shirt with a baggy black T and a long sleeved yellow jacket. Kairi stood beside him, a bag at her feet, the setting sun highlighting her hair. She had a pair of red shorts underneath her dress. Sora hefted his backpack higher up on his shoulder as he ran. “Coming!” He stopped at his own boat and dropped his bag at the bottom. “Sorry I'm late. Mom didn't want me leaving again so soon.” He brushed off his jacket, which still only went to the bottom of his ribcage; it was however a different style, clasping in the front and with longer sleeves. His pants were longer as well. Kairi placed a hand on his shoulder. “But she does understand why, right?” Sora nodded. “She does. She just doesn't like it.” He leaped down into his boat. “Let's get going!” They were going out onto the island for a camp out while they waited for Donald, Goofy and Mickey to arrive with the Gummiship. None of them mentioned it yet, but they also wanted to say goodbye to the islands, and to each other. The Islands had been attacked by Heartless numerous times over the past few months, so Kairi had to stay to protect them. Sora hadn't wanted to part with her so soon, but knew he had no choice. He pulled out Mickey's second letter again and read it. Sora, Two months after you defeated the Organization, I got a report from Radiant Garden. Someone had been there recently, asking lots of questions about you, Riku and the Organization members. Me, Donald and Goofy are coming to the Islands to pick you and Riku up for your Mark of Mastery. Keep an eye out until we get there, okay? We'll be there on the 15th, three months from now. I'll be leaving a few soldiers behind to help with the defence of the Islands. I know you'll be worried. King Mickey P.S. I enclosed a pendant with the letter. Chip and Dale just finished it. It's a device that detects the presence of Heartless and Nobodies. It turns black when Heartless are nearby, grey for Nobodies and white for both. Chip called it the Clicker, due to the noise it makes when it changes color. Sora checked his watch again, for the millionth time that day. The 15th was tomorrow, but the trio didn't know what time the King would get here, so they wanted to be ready. He glanced down at the Clicker, gold colored when not in use, resting just above his necklace. He smiled when he thought of how much it would help. They rowed over, each in their own boat. Riku landed first, as usual, followed by Sora and Kairi. “C'mon. Let's get set up.” Riku grabbed his duffel from his boat and leaped into the sand. Sora, grabbed his bag, undoing the zipper as he ran to catch up. Kairi followed at a more leisurely pace. They set up camp in the middle of the beach. Sora gathered driftwood from the beach while Kairi rolled out the sleeping bags and Riku prepared supper. He was a great campfire cook. They were unusually quiet, sensing the importance of the upcoming parting. Sora glanced up to the Paopu Tree, remembering the times he and his friends had spent there, wondering when he would see it again. Something seemed off about it though. He squinted at it, trying to find out what was different about it. A slightly darker shape was silhouetted against the blackness of the night sky. The shape turned towards Sora, glowing yellow orbs set where he thought the eyes might be. Another pair rose out of the ground underneath the Paopu Tree. Around his neck, the Clicker started up a steady pulse of clicks and turned black. Sora didn't notice the thin tendrils of white threading through the now black Clicker, due in part to the small amount of available lighting. “Heartless.” He murmured and summoned his keyblade. Terin shook Ferax awake. They had decided to take naps as they waited, one person on watch, the other sleeping. Ferax had taken the first shift, keeping an eye out for anything. She'd woken Terin shortly before sunset so he could see the event in each stage: when the sun turns the sky bright red, followed by a subdued pinkish orange, then violet, and finally a deep impenetrable blue. Stars glinted in the sky shortly after, the first he had seen, as the moon rose slowly from the horizon. He was so entranced, he forgot to watch the beach, until the sound of a crackling fire and low voices attracted his attention. “Kyle, keep an eye on them.” The Shadow rose silently out of the ground as Terin knelt next to Ferax. “Ferax, wake up. We've got company.” She woke instantly, identifying the fire and the people around it immediately. “Is it them?” She murmured, her voice a whisper. Terin nodded as a quick burst of light flashed through the closest figure's right hand, leaving a key-shaped weapon in its' place. “A Keyblader. Looks like this is our guy.” Behind the Keyblader, the other two figures also summoned Keyblades. His nod was the only confirmation she needed. She took a running jump off of the bridge, landing softly in the sand, right in from of the first figure, who was running towards a shack behind her. Another boy with silver hair and a girl with red were following him. All three held Keyblades, although each had a different Keychain. Ferax looked from person to person. Two males and a female: the closer male had spiky brown hair and looked to be around 15, 16 years old. Based on the profiles she and Terin had spent the entire afternoon studying, this was Sora. The further male, taller than Sora with shoulder length silver hair, was Riku. Then she must be Kairi. Ferax thought as she turned her ice blue eyes on the female; red hair, about the same age as Sora and a bit shorter than him. Ferax couldn't see who else she could be. Both Sora and Riku had positioned themselves so that they could both attack and defend, as needed, which showed that they were much more experienced fighters than the ones Ferax had seen in Twilight Town. Made sense. Kairi, however, held her Keyblade uncertainly. She hadn't had it as long as the other two did. Finished with her observations, which her report would need when she finished the mission, she locked eyes with Sora. “Hello Sora.” Sora flinched at hearing his name from this unexpected source. “How do you know my name?” He asked insolently. He gripped his Keyblade and subtly shifted into a position better suited for attack. She painted a reassuring smile on her face, hoping it would calm him down. “I've been looking for you. My na–” “You're the ones Mickey warned us about!” Riku cut her off. “What do you want?” He shifted towards attack as well, and after a moments hesitation, Kairi struggled to copy him. Ferax shifted her eyes to Riku and stared at him for a moment, putting all of her battle experience into her gaze. Riku broke eye contact and glared instead at Terin. Ferax continued, “My name is Ferax. I'm a representative from the Council of Despair Village. We would like to question your motives for the destruction of Organization XIII. We promise that you will not be harmed as long as you do not harm myself or my partner Terin.” Terin gave a small wave from behind Ferax, a genuine smile creeping across his face despite Riku glaring at him. “The Council simply wishes to know the reasons behind their demise. After that you will be free to leave.” Sora clenched one fist and took a step forward, his Keyblade hanging by his side. “You expect us to believe you? How do we know you're not Organization lackeys yourselves? And what about him?” He gestured towards Terin. “Do you expect us to believe that he's not allied with the Heartless?” Terin jumped. He knew he'd been forgetting something. “Oh sh–” He pulled his sunglasses from his bag and plopped them on his face, smiling like that made it all better. Ferax threw a withering glance in his direction. “Yes, I do. Because if you don't...” Quickly, she summoned Gamble and dashed forward. She grabbed his right wrist and held her daikatana in front of Sora's throat. He was caught completely by surprise, if his expression told her anything. She doubted of he had even seen her move. “If you don't, I'll have to knock you unconscious and drag you back to the Village myself.” Riku and Kairi rushed forward, the stopped when Terin appeared in between them and Sora, his buster sword Darkness' Other raised. A full minute passed like this before Ferax removed her sword and stepped back, shoving Sora towards his friends as she did so. At the same moment, Terin banished Darkness' Other. “As I said,” Ferax stated simply, brushing a hair out of her eyes, “We'd prefer it if you came willingly. We don't want to start any grudges, we just want to know why you destroyed Organization XIII. That's all.” “But,” Sora looked around at the Islands, “We can't leave. All of us had a hand in destroying the Organization, in our own way, but the Islands have been under attack recently by Heartless and Nobodies.” “Hordes of them,” Riku added. “It's almost worse than the first time the Heartless came here. And it gets worse all the time.” Kairi nodded. “It's almost more than the three of us can handle on our own.” Ferax turned to speak with Terin. “Could we request a few squads? I know we need as many as we can use to defend The Cave, but maybe one or two Shadows...” Terin paused to think, the slowly nodded. “I think I could get Mrs. D to help us out. She owes me a few favors.” “What? What did you do to get Mrs. D to owe you?” And when could she start doing the exact same thing? “Household chores mostly. She's so busy running the Council that she doesn't have time to clean.” She gaped for a moment, then shook her head and turned back to the Keybladers. “We can probably get one or two squads from Despair Village to protect the islands while you're gone.” “Will it be enough?” Kairi asked. Ferax nodded. “More than enough. That's at least ten, maybe twenty people. And everyone in Despair Village is used to fighting hordes. Terin and I alone could probably beat one or two hundred each.” Sora smiled. “Well... as long as the Islands would be safe, there should be no problem. Except, we were supposed to meet the King here today.” “I'm sure we can figure...” As she said this, Neo Shadows started appearing from the ground. “Time to put that 'one or two hundred each' statement to a test!” Riku shouted, cutting through a Neo Shadow. Terin summoned Darkness' Other and allowed himself a moan as he quipped, “Oh the irony!” before jumping into the fray. “This is,” Sora shouted, punctuating his words with attacks, “the third time,” he reached around and stabbed a Heartless that was creeping up behind him, “THIS WEEK!” Ferax summoned Gamble again. “Oh well. We can leave after we get rid of them.” She sliced downwards, chopping a Neo Shadow in half. “Let's go!” Kairi was eager to see how her training with Sora and Riku had gone and battled her way through the clustered Heartless. Ferax slashed through another Heartless then impaled another three through the chest at the same time. She whirled as the Heartless dissipated, clouds of darkness streaming off of Gamble. Her blade was a slash of light weaving through tendrils of darkness. Spoiler: Part 2 “There,” Sora wiped his forehead, “that should be the last of them.” He relaxed his guard and didn't see the puddle of darkness behind him. Ferax wasn't the only one who saw, but she was the only one who was able to react quick enough. A verbal warning would be too slow: she would have to wait for Sora to process and react to her warning and by that time it would be too late. So she reacted for him. She dashed forward and shoved him aside, fully intending to get out of the way as well. However, Sora's arm came flying out and caught her across the chest. Most likely a reflex. She stumbled from the blow. She didn't have time to stumble, she had to get out of the way. As Sora landed, a sharp pain lanced through her back, just between her shoulder blades. Her eyes widened. The force of the blow lifted her several feet off of the ground. As the Neo Shadow's claw exited her chest, she felt it take something with her. Something important. The important thing was leaving her body, floating just above her head. No. She needed that. Her hand lifted, slightly, trying to grab it, take it back. Her chest hurt. She looked down. The claw was reaching for the, no, her important thing. She decided. She would rather lose her important thing, so beautiful it was, than let the Neo Shadow get at it. She pulled her outstretched hand downwards and grabbed the claw, pushing it downwards. She spared a moment to look up at her important thing. It was so beautiful, deep red and glowing up there. Crystalline. As she watched, she felt a sense of wrongness, mixed in with her awe. She shouldn't ever see it, never. It wasn't right. But that wasn't the only source on wrongness. Why is it broken? she thought, before her mind succumbed to darkness. “Ferax! Ferax! Wake up!” Terin held her by the shoulders, shaking her. He wanted her to wake up instantly, as she had done just minutes before. But her eyes remained closed, and her breathing slowed. Sora had destroyed the Neo Shadow after Ferax had pushed it out of her chest. Before the Heartless had had a chance to dematerialize properly, Sora was on the ground next to Ferax. “Is she okay?” His voice was filled with genuine concern. Kairi was there too, healing the injuries inflicted by the Neo Shadow. Riku hovered behind Terin, staring at the place where Ferax's heart had vanished. “Does she look okay?” Terin snapped. “The Heartless took her heart! Who would be okay after that?” He gazed up at the sky where her heart was just vanishing out of sight. “The Heartless didn't get it,” he murmured in wonderment, “it's going back to Kingdom Hearts.” Sora grabbed Terin's arm to get his attention. “Where can we take her? What can I do to help?” Terin looked straight into Sora's eyes. “Despair Village. We need to go now.” Something in Terin's voice caused Riku to look down and stare at him apprehensively. “When you say now, do you mean now, now?” Rather than answer, Terin opened a corridor beneath them, casting them all into darkness. Sora's last glimpse of the Destiny Islands was of the moon, climbing high in the sky. “Ow~! Did you have to drop us so hard?” Sora was rubbing his shoulder where he had landed on it. He had landed almost upside down; Riku had landed on his feet in a ninja-like crouch. Kairi had landed on her feet as well before losing her balance. Terin had fallen hard on his back, taking the brunt of it, sparing Ferax as much as possible. “Sorry, I don't usually use dark corridors. More Ferax's job than mine.” Riku sat down and blew a strand of hair out of his eyes. “So, Ferax had transportation. I'm guessing she was also in charge of talking to us. What was your job?” When Terin didn't answer, he took a shot in the dark. “Was it protecting her?” Terin shook his head slowly. “No... it was more... protecting her heart. Keeping it from the Heartless and the Nobodies.” He laughed weakly. “Guess I botched that job.” The group spent a few minutes in silence, sitting on top of a tall spire of rock, surrounded by water. Kairi crawled over to the edge and lay flat on her stomach, watching the waves as they lapped against the base of the rock. “So,” she said, simply to initiate conversation again, “where are we anyways? I've never seen this world before.” Sora moved up next to her. “Yeah, me neither. It seems so... empty. Is this all there is?” Terin shook his head again, his arms still wrapped around Ferax's limp form. “Of course you haven't seen this world before. It's closed, not connected to any of the Pathways, Light, Dark or otherwise. It's our world.” He moved an arm to indicate Ferax and himself. “Tirindia. Home of Despair Village and The Cave. This spire we're on, it's called Edge and it's the only entrance to this world. It's also the only place where corridors can be created.” Riku looked back at him from where he had been sitting. “The only place? How do we get off of here then?” Terin smiled a wicked smile. “We take the train.” Riku was about to ask “What train” when a whistle sounded behind him. He whirled just in time to see a six car train materialize out of thin air. The tracks extended beyond the train about 4 meters, front and back and was made of light, darkness and nothingness. Terin stood up, Ferax cradled in his arms and both of their bags slung over his shoulder. “Come on, this is our ride.” “So,” Riku started as he looked out the window, “I think you owe us a few answers.” “Yeah.” Sora agreed. “For starters, this place we're going – Despair Village? – why is it necessary for us to get there so quickly?” Kairi shuddered. “That name gives me the creeps.” Terin looked all three of them straight in the eye before starting. They were in the 'good' car, with Sora, Riku and Kairi sitting on one side of the table and Terin on the other. Ferax was stretched out on the seat with her head on Terin's lap. “It's called that because of the way the town looks. Eternal predawn and the colors the buildings are painted with give about half of the people who live there depression. They despair of ever seeing the sun again. Most leave after a year. And,” he turned to Sora, “it's necessary to get there so quickly to prevent Ferax's heart from reaching Kingdom Hearts.” “What?!” Sora exclaimed, “But, how can we do that from Despair Village? Don't we have to go to Kingdom Hearts to do that?” “We are.” Terin stated simply, “One of the entrances to Kingdom Hearts is in the Village.”
