Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction ❯ Unfulfilled Prophecy ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2

 

Yami396

 

I have a million more important things to be doing right now instead of writing Chapter 2, but here I am, sitting in front of my computer, writing it. My brain is screwed up.

 

I'd like to say thanks to Ri2 for being my first reviewer, and thanks to Anonymous Phantom Writer who scared me into updating earlier than expected. This chapter is also dedicated to these two.

 

Disclaimer: I own Xenos, Winter, Hotaru, the idea of what the Chasers are, the idea of what Kingdom Hearts is like, the plot, and Sora's attitude problem. Kingdom Hearts the game belongs to Square Enix and Disney, and all that I own from this is my hypocrisy because I lust after Riku and Sora, and I yell at ------ for lusting after Tifa.

 

*~[--]-------_--_-

 

Sitting under the twin waterfalls near the entrance to the Secret Place, Sora basked in its welcome coolness upon his heated skin. He had forgotten how humid it could be on the tropical island; five years of air-conditioning had weakened his body more than he thought, and in his haste to find completion, had suffered an almost serious bout of heat stroke. If it hadn't been for the immeasurable amount of luck that seemed to plague his existence, he would not have stumbled into the cool embrace of the trees, nor would he have collapsed straight into the shallow pool. But luck aside; Sora was grateful that his impromptu plan had not given way to dire consequences.

 

He was the first to admit it; he was no master tactician. He knew perfectly well he fought primarily on instincts, and rarely ever spared the time to concoct a true battle plan that consisted of more than wailing in on the enemy, and casting magic a few times to make sure none of his allies died. And now he berated himself, head still poised under the pounding waterfall, about his lack of patience and his naiveté of his actions.

 

“Idiot. I nearly died there,” he muttered, uncaring that he swallowed a bit of the waterfall in the doing so. “What was I thinking, running around the island like that?”

 

The little voice that lived in the back of his head piped up, “You weren't!”

 

Choosing to ignore the brutally honest imaginary mini-Sora, he continued, “I've got to be systematical about this. I need to find a way to call the Keyblade back.”

 

“At least we have an objective now,” mini-Sora said sardonically.

 

“But the Keyblade is locked in Kingdom Hearts…and I have no way of getting there on my own,” Sora continued, unaware of the growing danger of drowning as he tilted his head back, deep in thought, mouth partially open.

 

“You can try a Gummi Ship,” the mini-Sora supplied. “They always worked, even when the paths to separate worlds were broken.”

 

“But I have no Gummi Ship,” Sora replied, wondering if this was how Riku felt when he was possessed by Ansem. Come to think of it, hadn't Riku mentioned Ansem used to whisper to him, strange little things, while they had shared a body, that one time, when the trio of friends had had a bit too much to drink? Or had that been just the effects of alcohol? “And I searched the island a few years back for them. I couldn't find one!”

 

“Well now, we have a dilemma,” the mini-Sora said, thoughtfully rubbing its chin, leaving Sora painfully aware of how he had just imagined a chibi version of himself, sitting cross-legged on his brain, stroking its chin. “We can always do how Riku and The Beast did.”

 

“You mean travel with no ship?” Even to Sora, who had once been the optimist of optimists, the suggestion seemed absurd. “Riku went more than crazy looking for Kairi, and The Beast…The Beast was a beast! Even Maleficent said it was foolish to travel between worlds with no vehicle!”

 

“But,” the mini-Sora began, but Sora cut him off, swallowing even more water in his haste to make his point clear.

 

“And besides, I have no idea where the entrance to this world is anyway!”

 

“Then you're just plain stupid,” the mini-Sora barked. “You've seen the entrance before, you just didn't know what you were looking for!”

 

“If you're so smart,” Sora snarled, realizing that he was having a conversation with himself, out loud, yelling loud enough to risk being heard. “You tell me where it is!”

 

“But where would the fun be in that?” mini-Sora asked, its personality shifting slightly to that of the Cheshire Cat. “But I can give you a hint. You found mushrooms in it once.”

 

“What kind of hint is that?” But still, Sora had learned that sometimes it was good to listen to his instincts, and if the little annoying voice in his head was his instincts, he would listen to it. Mushrooms though? He didn't even relatively like mushrooms…he had a vendetta against eating fungus, although Riku assured him it was a delicacy. “Mushrooms like to grow in dark damp places,” he said, reciting lessons learned in Science classes of past. “That narrows it down to around here,” he concluded, looking surreptitiously around him, in case a door should pop up out of unknown origins.

 

“Very good!” the mini-Sora mocked, clapping its imaginary hands together. “Now, to pinpoint its direct location!”

“It can't be too far away from the waterfalls,” Sora answered, running his hand through his soaked hair. Hazy memories were starting to resurface, ones that entailed the days before that fateful night of the storm, before he was the Keyblade Master, when the three of them still wanted to travel to other worlds. He had been on supply duty, but he had gotten distracted…he had been in the Secret Place, and he had been looking at the drawings on the wall, and then the creepy disembodied voice he now could identify as Ansem talking to him, telling him his world had been connected…and then later that night, when the mysterious doors had appeared at the entrance way, and Kairi was flying through his arms as the door in the back of the cave that would never open opened…Sora's head jerked back and he gasped, choking and sputtering on the water that invaded his mouth and trickled down into his lungs. “The Secret Place!”

 

“Finally got around to thinking,” the mini-Sora said.

 

“But I can't go through there. The door's locked.”

 

“Try to remember, did you ever actually lock this world's heart?” Sora's eyes widened as he realized the implications of the question. Now that he thought about it, he never had locked the Destiny Islands, had he? He had always assumed it would be safe from the Heartless, and the Nobodies and Organization XIII never bothered his world. It hadn't been necessary to lock it. “No, you didn't,” the mini-Sora continued. “And that means that this world is like a portal, free for anything to come in, and free for anything to leave if it so chose.”

 

“Yes,” Sora agreed, and the forgotten desire welled up once again within him, that insistent urgency to claim what was his clouded his mind, and the darkness that resided in his heart twisted and wriggled in pleasure. “If I open the door again, I will find my Keyblade.” His voice switched back to the husky one of the predator, a predator that was hungry, dangerous. He stood, fully intent on marching into the Secret Place and forcing the door to open, even if he had to rip it from the wall with his bare hands, but then quickly crouched back down as feet appeared through the thick foliage. He growled, a deep vibration that ran up and down his throat but stopped as a familiar voice rang out:

 

“Sora? Are you here?” The growl turned to a chuckle; after all, his desire-ridden body only knew it needed completion, and if he couldn't have his Keyblade just yet, Kairi was a fair substitute. He crouched lower, hidden by the overgrown tangle of branches and vines, waiting as Kairi's feet disappeared and then doubled back, before springing out and tackling her, pulling her screaming into the cool water.

 

“Relax, Kairi,” he told the struggling woman, and at the sound of his voice, she ceased fighting, and melted into his chest as his lips claimed hers.

 

*~[--]-------_--_-

 

Winter tilted her head back, allowing the stream of warm water to roll off her hair and down her back, stopping to bead on her legs before landing soundlessly on the tiled floor of the shower. The water had a soothing effect on her worn-out body, easing some of the tension gathered in her shoulders, and as she turned it off, she allowed herself to enjoy the steam that gathered around her. But the steam was evanescent, and it dispersed quickly, leaving a shivering Winter to flounder about for a towel, and, once one had been procured, wrapping it deftly around her thin frame, she set to work braiding her sopping hair, all the while avoiding the mirror.

 

Meanwhile, Hotaru leaned against the wall, straining against the tidal wave of emotions and memories threatening to break through the mental barrier she kept around them at all times.

 

“You only feel pain when you let yourself,” she whispered, repeating the mantra she had always used ever since she was six years old.

 

“So if Winter finally snaps one day, and stabs you with a kitchen knife, you won't feel it if you don't allow yourself to?” Startled, Hotaru's head snapped up, her left hand automatically jerking to call her Keyblade. “Calm down, it's only me.” Hotaru sighed, and closed her eyes again.

 

“One day, Xenos, you're going to get yourself killed,” she said, her cool outer demeanor hiding her painful inner turmoil. “More importantly, Winter would kill you first.” Xenos grinned cockily.

 

“True, but with my good looks, I bet I can seduce that knife out of her hand.”

 

“That's why she would kill you first,” Hotaru said dryly, cracking open one eye to look at him. “You and your comments.”

 

“At least I speak what's on my mind.” Hotaru tensed. “The only time I ever hear you say more than a few sentences is when you talk about the Chasers. Other than that, you're silent. What are you hiding?” He meant it in a casual way, a simple flippant comment, and yet, those carelessly chosen words casually shattered Hotaru's barrier. Memories flooded out, replaying some of her worst memories over and over again, swamping her in pain and sorrow.

 

“What are those things in the basement, Father? They scare me.”

 

“Father, what happened to Mother?”

 

“What's that machine in the basement? What does it do?”

 

“What's happening?! Why are more and more people disappearing?! And why do the black things in the basement keep growing in number?!”

 

And finally,

 

“Don't worry, my little Hotaru. This is just a simple experiment.”

 

Searing pain.

 

Hotaru unconsciously rubbed her left eye.

 

“Got something in your eye?” Xenos asked, grinning. Hotaru glared at him.

 

“You have no idea,” she said icily. Momentarily shocked by the unusual amount of animosity in her voice, Xenos stood there, mouth open and gaping like a fish, before he angrily began to speak again.

 

“Hey, I don't know where you get off—”

 

“Of course he has no idea, he's Xenos!” Winter yelled a bit too brightly, bounding down the hallway, her braid bouncing on her back. “So, when are we leaving? Tomorrow?” Xenos opened his mouth again, unwilling to give up on his tirade. He was cut off again.

 

“We leave now,” Hotaru said, the tone of her voice leaving no room for discussion. Winter ignored it.

 

“We're leaving now?” she asked incredulously, while Xenos heaved a long and exaggerated sigh behind her. “After you make me go take a shower? What was the point?”

 

“You smelled rather badly,” Hotaru answered.

 

“I hate you sometimes, I really do.” But as Xenos pushed past them in the hallway, and they fell into their usual order of Xenos, followed by Hotaru, with Winter bringing up the rear, Hotaru sent the younger girl a small thanks with her eyes, and was rewarded by a wide smile and a wink. Very few things passed by Hotaru unnoticed, and she knew an intervention when she saw one. “How long will this take?” Winter asked.

 

“Three hours at best,” Hotaru answered. “Longer if we hit Chasers.”

 

“And we all know that's going to happen,” Xenos said. “Like we would be lucky enough to avoid Chasers.”

 

“Stupid Chasers,” Winter added.

 

“This is truly pathetic,” Hotaru finished.

 

*~[--]-------_--_-

 

Something was wrong; she knew it. Riku was mumbling in his sleep again, nonsense phrases about Kingdom Hearts, a graveyard of Keyblades, and of Sora.

 

“The Keyblade Master brings death and destruction to all. He will open the door, and all will be lost to darkness.”

 

She shivered, staring out at the vast ocean that surrounded her home, the ocean that had returned her friends, the ocean that had stolen them away and made them into different people.

 

Riku had turned into a bundle of nerves ever since he returned; Wakka had snuck up on him once and nearly had his arm snapped off. He disliked the sun, his skin more sensitive to light now and it burned after only a few minutes, but he refused to move into the shade. Shade reminded him of his sins, as did the dark, and though he denied it, Kairi knew he kept one light on when he fell asleep each night. The only time she had ever seen Riku truly happy was the time she caught him, up in the paopu tree, watching the dawn spread its fingers across the sky. The look on his face had been akin to joy, and in that moment, he had looked the Riku he had once been.

 

But Sora had changed the most, far worse than Riku had. He had once been cheerful, always smiling, no matter how bad the situation was. But when the King had brought him back from his final mission, Sora looked utterly devastated, scared and insecure without his Keyblade.

 

“But maybe your smiles and antics were all a mask,” Kairi thought, the sea-spray clinging to her face and hair. “Maybe you were always scared and you just hid it from all of us.”

 

*~[--]-------_--_-

 

Three hours and several battles later, Xenos called out, “Are we there yet?”

 

“No,” Hotaru replied stoically. A few minutes passed in silence, and then,

 

“Are we there yet?”

 

“No.”

 

“How about now?”

 

“You are such a pain!” Winter yelled, aggravated to the point where she was seriously considering ramming her Keyblade into Xenos's thick skull. But she didn't because that would make a rather bloody mess, and Winter was too hot and tired to even bother thinking about washing bloodstains from her armor. “Can't you be quiet for five minutes?”

 

“Can't you two take anything seriously?” Hotaru snapped, pointed earpieces swishing through the windless air as she walked.

 

“I am taking this seriously!” Winter whined, stamping her foot in childish temper. “It's him who isn't!”

 

“Hey! I do take this seriously. I'm just damned sick of walking and fighting!”

 

“We all are!”

 

“At least I'm not a whiner!”

 

“You take that back!”

 

“Children, behave.”

 

“To hell with both of you!”

 

“Very clever, Winter.”

 

“Hotaru, I don't want to hear your impassive and incredibly hot voice any more. Got it?”

 

“…Now you die.”

 

Their voices escalated, combining together to create one unintelligible roar that carried through the arid air and across the desert.

 

“Gah! Watch where you're pointing that thing!”

 

“I was aiming for Hotaru.”

 

“You have lousy aim.”

 

“Eat my Keyblade!”

 

“You hit me!”

 

“Xenos, your helmet is bent.”

 

“Look what you did, Winter!”

 

“Don't throw that at me!”

 

“Too late!”

 

Xenos's monolithic Keyblade hurtled towards Winter and she dropped to the ground, a cloud of red dust rising up and settling on her. The Keyblade flew over her head, humming, and rebounded off a spire composed entirely of brown and red rock, massive and eroded. It clattered to the ground, covered in red as well, and dozens of hairline cracks created a web on the surface of the rock formation.

 

“My Keyblade better not be broken.”

 

Boulders began to rain down from the spire, and the ground quaked. The thin cracks became wider and longer, zigzagging from the point of impact to the peak, and a dull roaring sound issued forth, as if compressed air had suddenly been released from a small hole.

 

And somewhere, deep within the rock prison, a great beast breathed its first breath after years of imprisonment. Molten red eyes opened, and the beast stretched, breaking out from the spire bit by bit, using its elongated claws and teeth to help the natural destruction.

 

“What did you do!?” Hotaru cried, her gloved hands tense and rigid, positioned to wrap around Xenos's throat in seconds.

 

“She did it!” he yelled, very aware of the danger he was in. “If she hadn't hit me!”

 

“If you hadn't thrown your Keyblade of Doom, you wouldn't have done whatever it is you just did!” Winter countered, jabbing him in the armor.

 

“Don't blame this on me!”

 

“It's your fault!”

 

A metallic roar stopped Xenos and Winter's bickering, and all three friends scattered like fleas as a gigantic paw fell towards them, crushing the very place where they had stood.

 

“What is that?” Winter whimpered, her eyes wide underneath the helmet.

 

“A really big Chaser,” Xenos said, equally as stunned and awed by the massive creature. It stood tall, taller than the spire that had imprisoned it, with saber-like teeth that gleamed, and deadly claws, claws that made the Spiralers' claws look like playthings. It's red eyes bored into the two teens' eyes, and it threw its head back and roared again.

 

“It's the Iwahara Honoo. The Stone Meadow Flame,” Hotaru said, reading off her screen. “It's pretty much invulnerable to physical attacks.”

 

“That's uplifting,” Xenos muttered, watching as the monster Chaser slowly crept towards them.

 

“Let me finish,” Hotaru said impatiently. “There are a few points of weakness. The pads of its paws are very sensitive, though I don't know how we're going to attack there, but on its back, there should a spot of soft flesh. Attack there, and it should die,” she finished, her screen disappearing from her view.

 

“And just where is it located? Its back is huge!” Winter asked, pointing to the Iwahara Honoo. “It could be anywhere!”

 

“It didn't say,” Hotaru sighed. “It only said somewhere on its back.”

 

“Yeah, well, we can't do anything until I get my Keyblade back,” Xenos stated, leaping to his feet. The Iwahara Honoo noticed the movement, and it charged, head lowered, the thick plating covering it hard enough to smash bone with little force. Xenos kept running, meeting the charge head on, and at the last second, while Winter clutched Hotaru in fright, he dove into the space between its head and the desert rocks, skimming beneath its underside and legs until he cleared it, and flipped into the air, landing a few feet away, Keyblade in hand.

 

“Now, you little sucker, you're mine,” Xenos thought, a wicked grin plastered on his face. Muscles tensed, and then, using another rock as leverage, he leapt, nearly weightless, and glided, his Keyblade ready to dive into the Iwahara Honoo.

 

At least, that was what he planned to do.

 

As Xenos neared it, losing altitude, the Iwahara Honoo's head twisted all the way around, and a column of fire emitted from its mouth, directly in Xenos's path. He cursed, and flipped in mid-air, the bottom of his boots scorched, and landed gingerly, testing to see if his feet were burned.

 

“Why didn't you tell me the thing breathes fire!?” he yelled.

 

“I thought you knew!” Hotaru yelled back. “Flame is part of its name!”

 

“Look out!” Winter yelled, diving for cover as another massive paw came crashing down near them. Several more rocks fell from the other spires around them, some debris as small as pebbles. And with that, Winter began to formulate a plan. Inching around, and avoiding another explosion of fire, she aimed her Keyblade at one of the fallen boulders, throwing it with all her strength, and completely demolished her target. Shards of rock flew past her, a few bouncing off her thick armor.

 

“What are you doing?” Hotaru asked her, momentarily distracted by the noise.

 

“You'll see,” Winter assured her, a small smile playing on her lips under her helmet. “But I'll need your help.”

 

“How so?”

 

“I need you and Xenos to distract it while I get ready.” Hotaru nodded.

 

“I believe that is in my power.” She ran off, her Keyblade glinting in the strong sunlight. She had no clue as to what Winter was planning, but they had all learned, in battle, they needed to trust one another. So she left Winter to her own devices and joined Xenos, who was currently jumping around in the air, trying to land on the Iwahara Honoo's back and avoid its flame attack at the same time. The imagery it produced was fairly amusing, but given the solemnity of the situation, it was also fairly misplaced.

 

“Xenos! Out of the way for a moment!” she yelled, gripping her Keyblade by its shaft. As she neared the Iwahara Honoo, she pulled her arm back and threw her body forward, throwing her Keyblade like a javelin. It sailed through the air and hit its mark - the liquid red of its eyes. Hotaru crashed to the ground, bruised, and rolled out of the Iwahara Honoo's way as it stampeded madly around, pain radiating from its injured eye.

 

“How did you know to hit its eye?” Xenos asked in wonder as she picked herself up.

 

“You can't train your eyes,” she answered shortly. “Are you done yet?” she called to Winter, who nodded, and scurried over, her arms full of rock shards.

 

“Now I need you to lure it over here. And Xenos, be ready to find the spot on its back,” she said, scattering the small rocks on the ground haphazardly.

 

“Why are you littering the ground with rock scraps?” Xenos asked her, picking one up. “And they're sharp too! What gives?”

 

“Its paws are sensitive,” Hotaru answered, her eyes lighting up. “I see. You're going to distract it with the rocks and Xenos is going to attack it.” Winter nodded.

 

“How do you people come up with these plans!?” Xenos wanted to know. “I would have never thought of that.”

 

“That's why you have us!”

 

“Yes,” Hotaru agreed. “Now go!” Xenos turned to the Iwahara Honoo and stood in front of the path of rocks.

 

“Hey, you ugly hunk of rock!” he taunted. The Iwahara Honoo's head snapped over to the sound of the noise, its one good eye narrowed, the other trickling blood. “Yeah, I'm talking to you! You pathetic waste of air, I bet you can't even kill a fly, never mind me!”

 

The Iwahara Honoo did not understand human language, but it understood body movement, and it knew that its prey was taunting it. With a roar that vibrated even in its own head, it charged again, its limited eyesight fixed on the fighter. But when it did not move as it had done before, the Iwahara Honoo knew instinctively that something was wrong, but, with all its weight pushed into its stride, it could not stop. Its prey dove to the side, and the Iwahara Honoo crashed straight into Winter's trap. It screamed, a high-pitched whine as sharp stones cut into the soft pads of its paws. Blindly, it sought escape, stomping and crashing, swinging its head around, but the rocks were everywhere, and more and more of them were imbedded in its feet, adding white-hot pain to the dull throb of its previous injury.

 

Winter watched, pleased as the Iwahara Honoo writhed in pain, its head whipping around in an endless cycle. There was a flash of movement to her right, and she stilled for moment, afraid that it might be more Chasers come to help. And then, her breath caught in her throat as she watched Xenos, helmet gone, soar through the air, his hair flowing out behind him. There was a certain masculine gracefulness to his movement, the way his face was set, the way she knew his body was tense under his armor, and it humbled Winter, it made her blush as she wondered how it would feel to be held by someone like that.

 

Up in the air, Xenos plotted his next move carefully. He would have to land on its back and make quick work of finding that weak spot before it could realize he was there. If he could scan it now, it would be easier for him to kill it; with the way the Iwahara Honoo was thrashing about, he was going to have problems keeping his balance for very long.

 

Then finally, he found it. Nestled between its thick neck and back, there was a small fold of flesh, supple and stretching as the Iwahara Honoo raged below him.

 

“Now, you are definitely mine,” Xenos whispered. Arcing his Keyblade across his body, he created the extra momentum needed to land on its back, right in front of the vulnerable flesh. The Iwahara Honoo, feeling Xenos's landing, reared, its back nearly vertical to the ground, and as it fell, Xenos stabbed it, Keyblade tearing through skin, veins, and arteries. The Iwahara Honoo, already greatly weakened by the rocks, stopped, and, almost as if it were confused, turned its head side to side before a long keening wail rose from its throat; its death cry. Slowly, it sank to its knees, collapsing unto itself, and in the midst of another wail, the Iwahara Honoo died. Xenos jumped from its back and barely had time to stow away his Keyblade and smooth down his hair before he was caught in the crushing grip of Winter's embrace.

 

“That was amazing!” she squealed and Hotaru nodded in agreement.

 

“Yes, that was very impressive young man.”

 

Startled, Xenos dropped Winter and looked up at the three figures that seemed to have materialized out of nowhere. Hotaru dropped to her knees and bowed.

 

“Elders,” she murmured, and the speaker, an ancient looking woman, smiled.

 

“You may rise, child. There is no need for such formality.”

 

“These are the Elders?” Winter whispered to Xenos.

 

“Don't look like much, do they?” he whispered back, and Hotaru glared at them.

 

“Respect!” she hissed.

 

“We have seen your coming,” one of the others, this time a man, said. “And we have seen your leaving. Now we will tell you of your stay. I am Urd, Keeper of the Past.”

 

“And I am Verdandi,” the woman continued, introducing herself. “Verdandi, Keeper of the Present.”

 

“And I am Skuld, Keeper of the Future,” the other man finished.

 

“We are,” Xenos started, but Skuld waved him off.

 

“We know who you are,” he said. “You, young man, are Xenos. The girl with the gold hair is Winter.”

 

“The woman with haunted eyes is Hotaru,” Verdandi completed. “Yes, we know you very well.” Hotaru's eyes had narrowed, but she said nothing.

 

“We came here to ask you about the Graveyard of Keyblades,” Winter explained, looking everywhere except at the Elders, with their flowing robes and dark piercing eyes.

 

“Yes, I know of your reason. I have seen you come and go already,” Skuld said. “And we will tell you where to go.”

 

“But your path will not be easy,” Urd picked up. “It will be fraught with perils. Are you still wanting to go?” The trio nodded.

 

“Then I will tell you where you where to go,” Verdandi said. “Follow the sun to its horizon. When you reach there, you will reach the end of this world. Follow the edge, and you will come upon a crossroad. At this crossroad, there will be what you seek and more.”

 

“You will find what you are seeking at the edge of the crossroad. But you must act quickly, for your enemy will be with you as well,” Skuld said. “You will know what to take by your hearts.”

 

“The horizon?” Xenos asked skeptically. “The horizon is unreachable.”

 

“As is your goal with that attitude,” Verdandi replied, almost cheekily.

 

“To help you with your search, we will each show you three things. One from the past…” said Urd.

 

“One of the present…” said Verdandi.

 

“And one that has yet to happen,” finished Skuld. Urd moved forward, and in a language that only he understood, wrote ancient runes into the sand. It rippled, and a hazy picture began to play, the sound muted.

 

“I know now, without a doubt, that Kingdom Hearts…is LIGHT!” A fourteen-year-old Sora pointed his Kingdom Key at the stained glass doors, and they flew open, bathing everything in brilliant light. The man in front of him, his long silver mane trailing out behind him shielded his eyes and disappeared into the light.

 

“Such is the power of the boy's heart,” Urd said, wiping away the image. “He is truly worthy of the title Keyblade Master.”

 

“Now I will show you the present.” Verdandi now stepped forward, and, in a different language, spoke, the air in front of her solidifying into clouds, and a gray picture showed.

 

“Sora, why are you so moody all of a sudden?” a light-haired man joked, jostling the man next to him. The darker-haired man smiled weakly, and as his friend turned around to speak to the red-haired woman next to him, he grimaced.

 

“Such is the boy now,” Verdandi whispered. Winter was open-mouthed and Xenos and Hotaru looked stunned.

 

“Are you sure this is the present,” Xenos finally asked. Verdandi, a bit annoyed by the question nodded.

 

“Time moves differently here then it does in the outside worlds,” she explained.

 

“Oh,” Winter said breathlessly, closing her mouth.

 

“And here is the future,” Skuld said, stepping forward. He said nothing, nor did he write anything. Instead, he simply clapped his hands together, and when he opened them, a small circular picture played itself out.

 

“Firagun!” Sora roared, a wall of fire exploding from his Keyblade.

 

“And that is all you will see,” Skuld said, bringing his hands back together. “It is dangerous for you to see too much.” Xenos pulled a face at him as he walked away, but had to swallow it as all three of the Elders turned back around.

 

“To understand you enemy,” they said at once. “You will need to understand more than we can tell you. You will need to learn of Xehanort.”

 

“Who?” Winter asked, and at the same time, Hotaru exclaimed,

 

“Xehanort!”

 

“Yes, Xehanort,” Urd confirmed, breaking the chain of Elders and placing a comforting hand on Hotaru's shoulder.

 

“Xehanort is of great importance to your journey,” Skuld broke in. “But not as a person. You will need something else of his. Something that he has lost and will never find.” Xenos raised a quizzical eyebrow at him.

 

“You will need the memories of Xehanort,” Verdandi broke in. “They have been destroyed and scattered, and you will need to find the pieces. It will not be easy. You may find them, and not know you have found them at the same time.”

 

“This is getting very confusing,” Winter mumbled, and earned another reproving glare from Hotaru.

 

“We hope you succeed in your mission,” the three elders said at once, disappearing into the sand. Winter jumped back.

 

“Creepy!”

 

“And one thought more.” Their voices rose up from the ground. “Two of you will disappear, and one will never return.

 

“Just go,” Xenos said harshly to his companions, grabbing the shaken Winter's arm.

 

“You don't really think…” Winter trailed off.

 

“They're just trying to scare you,” Xenos said gruffly, propelling her forward. “No one's going to die.”

 

*~[--]-------_--_-

 

Sora sat on his bed, waiting for sleep that didn't want to come.

 

“Problems?” the mini-Sora asked cheerfully.

 

“Shut up,” Sora mumbled, turning over.

 

“Birth by sleep, Sora. Birth by sleep…”

 

*~[--]-------_--_-

 

And we finish. Hint, hint! Foreshadowing! And this takes care of some of the stuff from the trailer. Go watch it!

 

Urd, Verdandi, and Skuld - Technically, they are three goddesses, but I didn't want to make them all women. As in the story, they respectively control past, present, and future. I thought it was pretty fun to use.

 

Read and Review!