Chapter Seven: Encounter
-Three Weeks Later-
The weeks of training passed and Karen responded well. She was fast and flexible, good attributes for a warrior. Those weeks, Sora and Riku slept on the roof of the school. They accompianied Karen and Emi to their various activites and every Sunday, they all attended chapel.
Before they knew it, the Struggle had arrived. Emi was gone before anyone else was even awake. She had to be at the Sandlot early for one last practice, and to pick up her uniform. Karen and Sora sparred one last time. When they were done, they couldn't help but smile. They walked to the Sandlot. They could hear the crowd before the could see it, and the tournament hadn't even begun. They walked in, Sora, Riku and Karen. "Okay," said Karen. "You know the deal. We have to go listen to the rules and wait for our match." Sora and Riku nodded.
They got the rules out of the way and went to go stand with the rest of the competitors. Hayner and Seifer were there of course, and the rest of the Disciplinary Commitee. And, Setzer. Karen rolled her eyes at a group of girls crowded around him, giggling.
The announcer had to scream despite the megaphone. "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the Twilight Town Marching Band." No one screamed louder than Karen as the upbeat music started and the red and gold clad members marched out.Emi was easy to spot, whaling on her quads.
Sora laughed. "What's with the funny hats?"he yelled over the crowd to Karen. She just laughed. The band members took their spot and the tournament itseld began. It was Fuu versus Vivi first. Fuu had no qualms about beating one of her own and did so, so fast it was blinding. Vivi never had a chance and probably never saw it coming.
Next up was Karen versus Hayner. Karen was unsure of herself as the ref started to stick the orbs on her body. She didn't want to fight Hayner. Sora reassured her with a pat on the back. She smiled at him and picked up one of the blue and yellow clubs. Hayner was waiting for her in the ring.
He chuckled. "Hey, no offense," he called. "But, you are going to be a breeze to beat." Karen chuckled to herself and assumed the battle stance Sora taught her, the same one he used. She didn't say anything, but when the buzzer sounded, she proceeded to prove Hayner wrong.
His first mistake was to rush her. She skipped out of the way, and momentum carried him on, leaving him stumbling and vulnerable. She leapt over, so light on her feet from years of dance lessons, and struck his back. The orbs seemed to explode off him. She gathered them quickly and skipped backwards, heading for the far end of the ring.
Hayner recovered from the blow and started running towards her. He kept his club low and swung up when he got close. Karen raised her own club, supporting it with two hands, and blocked his attack from above. She pushed, sending him flying and stumbling backwards. She brought her club down hard onto his head, sending orbs flying.
The buzzer sounded just as Hayner was swinging sideways for a chest shot. He yelled in frustration and threw his club down. Karen gasped, the blow knocking the breath from her chest. She'd won...she'd won! Sora, Riku and especially Emi screamed. The ref ran up and grabbed Karen's wrist, pulling it up as a sign of victory. Karen and Hayner stepped out of the ring to make room for Riku and Seifer. Hayner shook Karen's hand and walked off. Karen walked over to Sora to watch Riku's match.
Emi grimaced when she saw Riku was up against Seifer. There was a fued just waiting to happen between them. As much as Emi would've like to get in the ring and beat Seifer up (again) she would just have to hope Riku could do it for her. Riku's face was totally passive. He looked to Sora, wondering if he should use his Keyblade. Sora wasn't able to help, and Riku turned to face Seifer.
Seifer's face was still sore from his encounter with Emi. He sneered at Riku, the boy he still thought was keeping him from Emi. He was akready covered in orbs, taking slightly away from his intimadation factor but Riku was still worried. The ref stuck the orbs to his clothes and smacked an orb covered helmet over his fine silver hair. Riku took the club from him gingerly, staring at it. Seifer was still glaring.
Riku almost jumped when the buzzer sounded, the shrill noise bringing him out of his deep thought. Seifer rushed him before he had a chance to move, so his only choice was to block the attack. WIth a flash of light, the club in Riku's hand turned into his Keyblade, The Way to Dawn. Seifer gawked at the blade that was stopping his club. The crowd went wild as Riku pushed Seifer backwards. The fight was fast, Seifer and Riku circling each other. The clang of weapons was hardly audible over the crowd.
It was such a close fight. When the buzzer rang, Riku had only three more orbs than Seiger. Riku put his arm down and stopped immedietly. The Keyblade in his hand flashed and turned into a club again. Seifer wiped the back of his hand across his mouth and bent over, putting his hands on his knees. The club fell from his hands and rolled around in a weak circle.
The ref ran up and raised Riku's wrist in victory. Seifer just sneered. The crowd cheered and Riku walked up to Seifer. He stood slowly, taking the hand Riku outstretched gingerly. They shook hands grudgingly. "Thanks for a good fight,
said Riku. Seifer was silent. When they dropped their hands, Riku reared back and punched Seifer square in the nose.Seifer stumbled back, his hands flying to his face. Riku yelled over the crowd "THAT WAS FOR HER!"
He walked off to stand with Sora and Karen, leaving Seifer to sit in the dirt and wipe away the blood pouring from his nose.
Emi, still sitting in the band section, stood up, alarmed. Her jaw dropped when Riku punched Seifer, but she a got a certain satisfaction from it. She felt to shame about being happy to see Seifer in pain. He deserved it for messing with her. She caught Riku's eyes as he walked down and she mouthed "Thanks." He smirked and gave a gentle nod. Emi sat down feeling...relieved. She allowed herself a small smile and leaned back, satisfied.
Sora and Karen rushed up to Riku yelling things like "What did you do that for?!" Riku ignored them and leaned against the wall, eyes low. Sora shook his head and chuckled. "Show off," he muttered. The referee called his name and the brunette looked over and grinned. His turn.
He almost bounced over, ready to unleash the power of the Keyblade all over Rai's backside. He bounded up into the ring and grinned as the ref wrestled the helmet on over his spiky hair. Rai looked absolutely ridiculous covered in little red balls. Sora snickered and took the club offered to him absently. If Riku could use his keyblad, then so could Sora. Rai didn't stand a chance...
...twenty seconds before the buzzer sounded, Sora knocked off and gathered the last of Rai's orbs. He stepped back and grinned, knowing he'd won. The Kingdom Key dissenigrated in a flash with a metallic shing. Rai collapsed comically onto his back and Sora realized something. He spun around and looked at the leader board. After thinking for a moment, he realized...he was fighting Riku next! He frowned at first, but then smiled. Ah, sparring with Riku... that brought back some old, happy memories. He walked away, ignoring the ref that had run up to announce his victory.
~
There was a short break so the competitors could rest. Emi went over to thank Riku for socking Seifer. Sora sat on the ground, deep in though. Everyone figured he was planning his strategy, but Riku knew there was something up. In truth, Sora was thinking of Kairi. Wondering where she was, what she was doing. If she was still alive.... he missed her terribly and it broke his heart to think of her dead.
Emi tapped Riku's shouder and he looked up. She shifted her weight nervously and said "Thanks. For...Seifer." Riku nodded. "You're welcome. He deserved it. Does he always act like that around girls?" Emi shooked her head. "Nope. Just me. Apparently my rebellion is attractive. You don't meet people... like me... around here much, so Seifer singled me out."
"Well, that sucks," remarked Riku. They both chuckled. Riku's eyes flickered up to Emi's funny looking hat. It was red with old accents, including a golden feather. And a chin strap. "I like your hat," he remarked. Emi's lips quirked. "Ha ha," she said sarcastically, leaning against the wall, similar to Riku. She crossed her arms over her chest. Riku straightened up. "No, really. I've always liked to watch marching bands on television. We don't have one at home." He chuckled. "Heck, we don't even have a football team. We have a blitzball team. My friends Wakka and Tidus play."
Emi looked at him intently with fierce green eyes. "I've never heard of blitzball. We don't have a football team either. I'd like to hear more about your home sometime, though," she said. Riku nodded."Okay, yeah. Sure, sometime," he said, smiling. Emi smiled back and said "You know, you aren't so bad.Sorry for tackling you that one time." The band director called Emi back and she walked away. She lifted and jerked her hand in the air in a short wave.
Riku looked down at Sora, sitting on the ground. He was staring up at the sky. "What are you thinking about?" asked Riku, grinning mischiveously. Sora looked up and he looked really... sad. Riku frowed. He crouched down next to his friend and asked "What's the matter?" Sora sighed heavily. "I miss her. I miss her so...so much."
Riku clasped Sora's shoulder. "We'll see her again. Don't worry about it." "I know, I know. It's just that..." Sora sighed again, rubbing his face. "I think... I know... I love her. My heart aches when I can be with her, can't see her." Riku patted Sora's shoulder."I love her too. We'll go back. We'll find her. You can tell her how you feel one day when all of this is over with." Sora nodded. He was still sad, but Riku's words cheered him a little.
~
And then it was time for the semi-finals. It was Karen versus Fuu and Riku versus Sora. Karen's match was up first and she knew Fuu was more likely than not a tougher opponent than Hayner. She was just a tiny bit worried.Sora, standing next to her, gave her a small reassuring smile. "You'll do fine."
Karen took a deep breath, walking up to the ring, taking long confident strides. She held her chin high. Fuu stood on the other side, glaring at her silently. All of her friends had been defeated and she wasn't about to give in. The orbs were stuck on and clubs passed out. Karen's hands shook as she took the blue and yellow weapon. Her heart pounded as the officials cleared the ring. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of her face, both from the heat and the tension in the air. The air was heavy and humid. Fuu seemed totally calm.
Karen looked over her shoulder at Sora, wondering if she should just quit now. But, Sora was cheering for her. Riku was clapping, and Emi was cheering, too. She couldn't quit! She needed to win, to prove herself stron enough to save the world. Sora was counting on her to help him and Riku. Emi was counting on her to get her out of this sleepy town before her anger tore her apart. And she was counting on herself to find out about her family, the family she never knew. Maybe even find them, her mom and dad.
Something rose up in Karen and everyting and everything seemed to slow down. She didn't hear the buzzer, she could only hear her own breathing and heart beat. She knew it was time to go when Fuu started running towards her. Then, reality exploded back and everything sped up. She spun away from Fuu's first strike, a pent up breath exploding from her. She cried out and skipped backwards, ducking low to avoid another swing. She lashed out, striking Fuu in the knees. Hard. Fuu stumbled sideways, almost losing balance. Karen took advantage of Fuu's stumble.
Strike, strike, strike. Back and forth, circling, striking. Parry, block. Karen was winning, by a lot. She grinned when the buzzer sounded. Fuu crouched, breathless. "No...fair..."she gasped. Karen looked over her shoulder, the spun around, throwing her arms in the air and shrieking with delight.
She ran down the steps, ignoring the ref. She and Sora hopped around, laughing. Riku looked on anc chuckled, shaking his head. Emi stood up and almost smacked her fellow drummers when she flung out her arms. Karen hugged Sora then stood next to him. They watched the ref write her name in the bracket for the final match. Sora looked over and realized her was fighting Riku next. He grinned. Piece of cake.
Riku studied the leader board for himself and immedietly thought back to all those years ago, sparring with Sora on the beach. Funny how stuff like that can change your life, the outcome of certain events, and prepare you for things ahead. Riku thought "What would've happened, had we not gotten that training from sparring each other? Our skills certainly wouldn't be where they are now, not with out the extra push in the beginning."
Karen slapped them both on the back, wishing them luck and pulling Riku out of his deep thoughts. "I'm rooting for both of you," she screamed. The loud, rowdy crowd drowned her out. Riku and Sora walked to the ring together. The shook hands jokingly before taking the clubs offered to them. The ref chastised them. "I don't know what all those flashy lights were, and I don't know how you switched weapons. But, if you do it again, you're disqualified. Got it, boys?"
Both boys nodded, bored with this and fully ready to beat the crap out of each other. The boys went to their sides of the ring. Emi gripped her drum sticks, intrigued. She wasn't sure who to root for. Overly eager Sora or arrogant sarcastic Riku? She decided to just sit back and watched what happened.
When the buzzer rang, Sora hung back for a moment. Riku circled around, his club held low. Sora hopped backwards, swing up with one hand to block Riku's rapid blows. He jumped into it, up and bringing his club down on to Riku's helmet, knocking all the orbs off of it. Riku stumled forward with a small cry, leaving his back vulnerable. As fast as he recovered, Sora didn't have much time. He jumped over Riku's back, gaining a collective "Ooooo!" from the crowd.
Out of the ring, Karen watched, enthralled. Both of them fought with such grace. She wanted so badly to seem them in an actual battle. To see that grave that was earned only through hard work and practice. In the face of danger, it was the test of a true warrior.
Emi watched the fight, her eyes serious and her thin lips set in a straight line. One of the other drummers elbowed her in the ribs and said "You look like you have some money riding on this, huh, DesCoteaux?" Emi gave him a blank stare that actually held quite a bit of meaning. The snare player backed off. Emi returned her attention to the playing field.
She felt something.
She wasn't sure what, but something was [i]there[i], nagging her. What WAS it? She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the annoying sensation.
Back in the ring, both Sora and Riku were enjoying themselves immensely. Persperation made their hands slippery. Their muscles ached, but it was a good, deep ache. Both had learned to accept that sensation as an affirmation of life, a sign they were still living to fight on.
Perhaps a little melodramatic for such a small event, but it seemed like forever had passed since they last felt the exhilaration of a good fight. Pillow fights with Kairi just weren't the same, didn't give the same buzz as an epic battle against hordes of heart-thirsty Heartless.
They both backed away from each other. Sora dived to one side to avoid a thrusting attack. Riku threw himself into it a little too much and momentum carried him sliding forward. Sora wiped the sweat from his head, wiping his hands on his baggy shorts, Riku blew out and sucked in breath. He smirked,loving every moment. He looked up and saw Emi staring right at him.
She looked so...serious.For the first time, he noticed the sadness in her eyes, the darkness under them from too many sleepless nights, lying awake wondering about the family she'd never know. Her thin lips carried potential for a beautiflu smile, but seemd to perpetually frown. Riku still wondered why she seemed so familiar to him. It was like he'd seen her somewhere, in a photo or crossing a street, a long time ago.
It [i]almost[i] clicked. Just before Riku remembered, Sora leapt up behind him with a playful cry, blue eyes wild and smiling. Riku lost the remainder of his orbs with five seconds to spare. He fell to his knees, shaking his head and laughing. Sora helped him up and said "You left yourself wide open for that one, Riku."
Riku chuckled. "Yeah, I know," he said, standing up. The ref ran over and announced Sora's victory. Emi clapped but felt disspointed. She'd kinda wanted Riku to win, she decided after the fact. Maybe he wasn't as arrogant and annoying as she thought. But her cynical side stayed closed.
Karen clapped, but felt her nerves get up again. She'd won against Sora a few times, but he was...experienced. This was a real fight, not practice, even if it was just for entertainment. And Sora had the kind of experience you could get from three weeks of sparring with wooden swords.
Sora and Riku stepped down. Another break before the final match. Of course, either Karen or Sora would go on to fight Setzer, but that was purely in fun. Sora gave Karen a high five and said "I'll go easy on you, okay?" Karen grinned and punched him in the arm. "Don't hold back! Unless you don't have anything to give. you chicken wuss."
"Stealing phrases from Seifer, now are we? Such big talk coming from such an itty, bitty girl," said Emi in her distinctivley Emi voice, from behind. Karen spun around and punched Emi lightly in the ribs. "You're just jealous because you know you couldn't get this far if you competed," she retorted. She chuckled and they hugged.
Emi looked at Riku. It was refreshing to be able to look directly into someone's eyes rather than down into them. She smirked. "You should pay more attention. I was watching you. You were wrapped up in something, not paying attention." Riku smirked as well, wondering why she didn't notice he had been staring right at her. "Yeah, I know. Listen, can I ask you a question?" "Um... I guess," said Emi. "Have we...met somewhere before?" asked Riku. Emi looked at him, puzzled. "Uh, no. I've never seen you before in my entire life, before three weeks ago. Why?" Riku laughed nervously. "Oh, no reason. You just seemed familiar, that's all." "All right, whatever," said Emi with an absent shrug.
It was late afternoon now, almost time for the tournament to end. The crowd had settlled down quite a bit, tension in the air as they waited for the final match.
~
Karen felt something.
Something buzzing in her head.
An expectation.
She perked up, looking around. It was like someone had called her name. Sora felt it, too. He placed a hand on Karen's shoulder. "What... what...is that?" she mumurmed.
And then... everything just stopped. The crowd, the noise. Even the air itself seemed to stop. Time had ceased to be.
Karen cried out when she looked down and saw three black creatures. They seemed to spring out of nowhere at her feet, materializing from dark puddles. As more and more of them appeared, Karen became more and more alarmed. She stopped with the short cries and started a long, keening scream.
She felt something in her hand, a kind of energy. Sora and Riku had both withdrawn their Keyblades, so Karen deducted these creatures must be Heartless. The energy in her hand felt stronger, oh so strong. Pulling every bit of strength from her body. She looked down, slowly, at her hand.
In a blinding flash of light, that energy materialized. Karen screamed again, stumbling backwards. She threw her arms out in front of her,as if she were blocking sunlight with her hands. In her hands...she was gripping a sword of some kind or another. As she fell, she saw Sora turn to her, eyes wide. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion.
The Heartless were surrounding her, but the only thing she could even understand was the blade in her hand. It was an iradescent white, marbled and streaked with sky blue. The handle was heart shaped, crafted from what looked like twisted wrought iron, with a rod through the middle for gripping. At the end of the cylindrical, three foot long shaft, sticking out on the side, was a peary blue heart shaped part. There was a keyhole shaped hole through the middle.
"What the..." she breathed, turning the mysterious weapon in her hands. Sora blasted through Shadow after Shadow to get to her. He helped her up, both of them staring at the shiny white hunk of metal in her hands. "What is it?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper. Sora grabbed her shoulders. "It's a... Keyblade."
Karen's eyes got even wider.
"Sora!" cried two voices simultaneously.
A few moments earlier, Emi had stood. She's ripped off her feather hat, trying to grasp what the heck was going on. She was holding a drumstick in either hand. Her hands... they felt strange, and heavy. She glanced down at them. So, heavy, a strange draining sensation.
In a flash of numbers, letters, symbols... data... a Keyblade appeared in both of her hands. She screamed, throwing them down. She screamed for Sora then, the flash of data coming again. The two blades reappeared in her calloused hands. Again, she threw them, as hard and far as she could. Before they could even hit the ground, they burst back into her hands.
At the same time, Shadows seemed to flood fluidly around Riku's ankles.Usually, Shadows were no big deal, but they kept coming and coming, no matter how many he defeated. They kept coming until he couldn't even see his feet. He called to Sora, and looked up and saw him with Karen. Saw the Keyblade in her hands. He heard Emi yell for Sora as well, the same time he did. He glanced over.
She was holding a Keyblade, as well... two of them! Oblivion in her left hand and Oathkeeper in the other. Double-wielding. She looked distressed and was trying to rid herself of them. "Help him," screamed Sora to Emi. Emi moved, not really sure to use the abnormally weighty blades in her hand. Not that she knew they were unusally heavy. She ran to Riku, the blades dragging behind her. Sparks erupted from the grinding of metal against the ground. A few Heartless were defeated in the dragging, but not enough to make a dent.
She kicked another Heartless out of the way, and slapped a few aside with her left blade. She and Riku were back to back now, as he turned to survey what was behind him. He spoke to her over his shoulder. "Just pretend they're Seifer. The only way to get rid of them for good is with the blade. Go!"
Riku leapt off , knocking Heartless left and right. Emi shifted her weight, and took a deep breath. She moved, swinging the heavy blades.It wasn't quite as easy as it looked... she was surprised by the number of Heartless left over when she was too tired to continue.
She dropped to one knee, the blades clattering down onto the ground from her hands. They didn't flash black like they had before. In a flurry of data, they returned to drumsticks. She must have fought non-stop for fifteen minutes, putting every ounce of strength she had into it.
"What happened to that amazing stamina?" asked Riku haughtily from behind her.In a flash, all of the Heartless were gone. He helped her up, offering her a hand which she gingerly, hesitantly took. The both looked around. Sora was standing, looking very tired. He waved to them.
Karen finished off the last Heartless. The four of them watched the faint, pink heart float up and away. It was like watching a balloon. Karen looked to Sora, breathing hard. She sunk to her knees, then slumped over, lying on her stomach. Sora's Keyblade, as well as Riku and Emi's, dissapeared as time resumed.
Emi and Riku were standing near the band, at the exit to the Back Alley. Emi looked down and realized... she was still grasping Riku's hand. She snatched her hand away, blushing deeply. Riku's face pinkened just a little, and he shoved his hands into his pockets.
Time was back to normal, and as far as the ref was concerned, the battle had been fought and the tournament was over. He declared Sora the winner, unawares as to the real reason Karen lay unconscious in the ring. Sora declined the fight was Setzer. Emi ran up to help carry Karen back to the dorm room, refusing medical help. "I'll get my quads later," she said, lifting Karen to her shoulder.
Sora looked at her sadly. "No need. You won't need them. We're leaving as soon as it gets dark."
~
Chapter Eight: It's A Small World, After All.....
Karen Kano sat on the bed, holding her aching head in her hands. Emi had changed out of her band uniform and was now wearing a tight purple tee-shirt and ripped jeans. She glared at Sora. She didn't really know why she was angry. Sora stood at the window, watching the digital sky turn darker. The sunset had been beautiful, even if it was just a program. Riku sat in the desk chair, staring stonily in at the floor.
"Geez... can I at least bring my sticks?" moaned Emi. Sora muttered "Sure." Emi grabbed a pair from the bedside and shoved them into her back pockets. Sora turned. "Fifteen minutes and we're going. Do what you need to do." Karen stood up shakily. The Heartless battle earlier had left her brusied. She looked at Emi. "Are you ready?"
"I've been ready for seventeen years. Let's get our tails out of this place," said Emi stoicly. And it was true. She was leaving nothing behind. The way she saw it, leaving this place was the best thing she could do. She could only be moving towards something greater. There was nothing here for her anymore. No family, one friend... one friend who was coming with her anyway.
Emi looked away from the others, leaning against the door and bowing her head. She crossed her arms. Sora looked to Karen. "What about you, are you ready?" he asked. Karen shrugged. "I have to keep telling myself... there isn't anything here. This is all a facade. My friends, the school...everything is...a lie. It's kind of sad but... liberating at the same time. I can't wait to get out there and see everything, but... it breaks my heart to leave this place, even if it isn't real."
Riku had to point something out. He looked up. "Karen... you know this is more than just a sight-seeing vacation, right? There are going to be battles... it's going to be tough. I don't think you get the magnitude just of what we are doing." "I..... um..." said Karen, biting her lip. Riku leaned over. "We're going on a journey. To find and close two Doors, one of light and one of dark. If we don't... or if we don't make it in time... the darkness coming from the door will eat away at the heart and soul of every world. Even the light coming from the other door won't be enough, do you understand? The darkness... is already coming through and coroding the Door to Light. We don't have much time now."
"I knew we should have left when we had the chance before...." muttered Emi with a scoff. Nobody paid much attention to her. Karen wilted. "I know. I know...it's just that I...." she said sadly, turning her face away from Riku. Riku sighed. He hadn't meant to make her sad. Sora tapped his fingers against the window pane once and said "Well, in that case... let's get going now then. No reason to stick around."
Emi nooded once and stood up straight. Karen looked up and around the room. This was the last time she would see it. She took every detail into memory. Then, she squared her shoulders and stood up and nodded. "Okay, let's go." Emi turned and opened the door. She walked out and down the hall, not even waiting for the others. Riku rose from the chair and pushed it back under the desk. Sora walked from the window to the door, stopping for a moment to look at Karen. She was staring at the window over her shoulder.
"Karen..." said Sora, taking a step back into the room. Karen looked at him, somewhat startled, like she hadn't known anybody was watching. "No matter what Riku's says... you're going to be okay. I promise. Okay?" he said, walking to her. Karen nodded. "Okay," she said. They walked to the door together.
Emi and Riku were waiting at the top of the stairs for them when they finally rounded the corner. The sky was already dark and the moon was rising. The faint light coming through the massive stained-glass windows cast eerie yellow and red shapes onto Emi and Riku's skin. The yellow from one of the panes reflected in Emi's pale green eyes, giving them a kind of yellow tint.
Riku stared at her. He wasn't sure why, but there was that feeling again. Why did she seem so familiar!? Standing there in that strange light, the pull on his memories was so strong. He was certain he had never seen this girl before. That much was obvious if her story was true, that she had lived here for most of her life. Maybe, while he was with DiZ... he had controlled this place. Maybe he had seen her once, on the screen. No... that wasn't it.
It just wouldn't click. Sora and Karen joined them and Emi moved from the light, going down the stairs. Emi moved with a different kind of grace than the dancer Karen. Karen moved swiftly and gracefully, but Emi had an arrogant regality about her. Riku asked her "Do you know the way to the Old Mansion?"
Emi stopped on the middle landing of the stairs. "You mean the haunted one in The Woods? Yeah, sure... but why?" Sora laughed behind them. Emi looked over her shoulder and gave him a cold glare. Sora just shurgged. Riku continued, turning slightly to include Karen in the conversation.
"The way out of the digital Twilight Town, as well as the way in, in the real Twilight Town, is in the Old Mansion. In the library, under the floor, there's a basement lab. The computer there will get us out," he explained to them. Emi raised an eyebrow and scoffed. "Oookay, whatever you say," she said, continuing down the stairs. Karen seemed a little wary, too. But she just smiled and said "Okay." She followed Emi down the stairs.
The front hall was deserted again. Their footsteps echoed around the huge space. The only light came from the windows, which cast the same yellow and red shapes on the polished stone floor. "Good bye, you stupid hall," said Emi, to herself. "Goodbye, stupid cafeteria. Goodbye stupid dorms. Goodbye stupid classes, and stupid teachers and ugly stupid Headmaster. Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye." She said this all with a heavy contempt, almost spitting the words.
Karen thought something along the same lines, only instead of acid in her voice there was a heavy sadness. "It's not real, none of this is real, I am leaving nothing behind." But still, it hurt. Outside, they walked past the fountain for the last time. Emi's eyes flickered towards it for a moment and she smirked. Karen tried not to look at it, knowing it would bring fond memories to the surface and probably break her.
Through the lazy city they went. The city looked cozy at dark. It reminded Sora vaguely of Traverse Town. The lights gave off a soft glow and the few people that were out gave the town a sort of soft murmur. Nobody minded the four teenagers walking to the huge crack in the wall that would lead them to The Woods.
The Woods were frightening at this time of night, but Sora, Riku, Emi and Karen were old enough not to be afraid. Their feets crunched against the dead leaves and pine needles on the ground, but that was the only sound. No one spoke. This was sort of a...reverent event. A rite of passage almost. Not only that, but what do you say when you are leaving the only home you ever knew? A home you just discovered didn't exsist really in the first place.
Emi grunted gently when she realized something. "Hey, Riku," she said, asked. They both stopped and Sora and Karen, who had moved in front of them, kept walking. "Yeah?" answered Riku. "The people here? Won't they miss us? What's gonna happen when the headmaster nevers finds us? Or when we don't show up for classes and therapy and stuff?"
Riku sighed heavily. "Well.. I wasn't sure how you guys would take it if I told you before. But, since this is a computer generated town, it's possible to erase your existence. These people are just...programs. We could reprogram them to ignore your exsistence in this place? You got that?"
Emi nodded. "Yeah. Good. I don't care. Listen, I'm still sorry for tackling you earlier. I guess you know by now I have a bit of an anger problem." Riku smirked. "Oh, yeah, I noticed. You're forgiven," he said. Emi nodded and started back towards the mansion again.
Standing in the front of the mansion, Sora withdrew his keyblade. Emi and Karen gasped when he used it to unlock the front gate. Emi punch Riku in the arm. "Couldn't you have done that when we broke into the drama department? And save me from taking the hinges off the doors? Huh?" she mumbled. Riku smirked and shrugged. Emi stood there for a moment as the others walked in, narrowing her eyes at Riku. And then stomed on, following them.
The interior of the mansion was downright creepy. "On your toes, guys," warned Sora. "This place was crawling with Nobodies last time I was here." "Okay," they all said. Karen and Emi had already had Nobodies explained to them, so they knew they were something to look out for.
Up the stairs and down the carpeted hallway. Sora rested his hands on the heavy wooden door of the library and pushed. The door creaked open, and they filed in one by one through the crack. Emi was the last one end and she joined Emi in being awed at the giant hole in the floor.
"Yeah, that's still weird," chuckled Sora, jogging down the ramp. Emi and Karen glanced at each other and then followed him and Riku. Their feet made a metallic clanging noise against the metal. The lab door wooshed open eeriely. For a moment, Riku wondered who was maintaning this place in DiZ's absense. Then he remembered, this place was designed to run itself.
"Okay," said Sora. "That's it. All we have to do it touch that beam of light over there and we get transported to the real Twilight Town. Are you girls ready?" Both girls nodded solemly. Sora demonstrated, walking over to the beam and passing his hand through it. He dissapeared in a flash of data, leaving Riku and the two girls behind.
"Who's next?" asked Riku. Karen raised her hand and bravely stepped forward. "Go on," urged Emi, patting her friend on the shoulder. Karen looked up anxiously, but something in Emi's pale green eyes encouraged her. "I'm coming right after you," Emi told Karen.
Karen smiled. "I'll be waiting," she said. And then she touched the beam.
Emi and Riku were left alone. Emi straightened up and brushed her hair off her shoulder. Riku smirked because her hair was so bushy and it all seemed to move at once. She glanced at Riku, blowing her razored bangs out of her eyes. "See you on the other side," she said, raising an eyebrow. She turned her attention to the beam, reached out and touched it. She was gone before Riku blinked.
He laughed to himself then. It started out as a chuckled, but escalated into a loud, racous laughter. Wiping a tear from his eye, he stepped into the beam and was transported to the other side.
~
Sora was waiting for them next to the computer bank.Karen tumbled through and said "... it doesn't look any different? Did it work?" "Yup," said Sora with a bright smile. "Welcome to the real world, Karen Kano."
Karen smiled and felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and there was Emi, a puzzled expression on her face. "Don't worry," she reassured her. "Sora said it worked. We're... we're really here."
Emi blinked and then nodded. Riku stumbled through next, his face still bright from the laughing.
"What's so funny?" chuckled Sora. "I'm not...quite sure," replied Riku breathlessly. Emi looked at him like he was crazy and rolled her eyes, but Karen giggled. Sora looked around."It looks like Hayner and the others must've gone on home. Riku, what do you think we should do?"
"We should probably find a place to get some sleep and then figure the rest out tomorrow," said Riku. Sora nodded. "Okay, but where?" he asked.
Karen perked up. "Well... I don't know about in THIS Twilight Town, but in MY Twilight Town, Hayner and his friends had a kind of a hang-out in the Back Alley. Do you think the Hayner of this Twilight Town would mind if we stayed there?"
Sora thought about it for a moment, putting his hand to his chin. "Yeah, I don't think they'd mind, given the circumstances. Let's go," he said, starting towards the stairs. Karen, Riku and Emi all looked at each other, Riku shrugged and they followed after the spiky haired brunette.
~
"HEY! WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU GUYS DOING!?" screamed a voice. Sora opened his eyes blearily and wondered for a moment where he was. Then he remembered and the voice booming from the door way registered. "Oh, Hayner..." yawned Sora.
Karen was sitting straight up on the sofa, absolutely terrifed. Emi was asleep on her stomach on the sofa, her head hanging off the arm rest. She was snoring. Riku was awake, too, rubbing his eyes. His silver hair was messed up, but he was staring at Hayner, Pence and Olette. Hayner didn't look happy.
"Okay, look, I don't mind if you guys spent the night here, but you could've left your girlfriends behind," he growled. Sora blinked and Riku muttered "They aren't our girlfriends. These are the people we were looking for yesterday, remember?"
Sora stood up and ran his fingers through his hair. Karen hopped off the couch and said "Sorry. I'll leave, I'll meet you guys out at the Tram Common," she said, speeding towards the door. Olette stopped her. "No, it's alright. Hayner was just startled, please... stay!"
Karen hesitated at first but then she nodded and fell back to stand next to Sora. Pence motioned towards Emi. "Is she okay?" he asked Warily. Karen nodded. "She's fine. She always sleeps like this. Do you want me to wake her?"
"I got it," said Riku. Karen's eyes widened "Are you sure? Emi was really angry the last time you..." But Riku had already grabbed her ankles. Karen covered her eyes and squealed as Riku jerked Emi off the couch. Emi tumbled off with a scream, just like last time, and Riku stood there and laughed at her.
She sat up straight, pulling hair out of her mouth and eyes and Karen ran over and helped her up. "Hey, you... didn't you learn last time?" hissed Emi, poking Riku's chest stiffly. Then she noticed Hayner and his two friends and covered her face.
Sora jumped in front of the whole scene with a nervous laugh. He grabbed Riku and Emi's wrists and said "Ooookay, we'll be leaving now, bye!" and dragged the two forward, pushing past Hayner and Pence. Karen squeaked and ran to follow them.
"Those guys get weirder and weirder everytime we see them," observed Pence with a shake of his head. Hayner and Olette laughed.
~
Sora and the others ran all the way to the Tram Common. When they got there, they leaned against a wall and laughed. Even Emi chuckled, even though she covered her smile with her hand. "What do we do now? We found Karen. What should we do?" asked Riku.
Sora thought for a moment and said "I'll bet Leon and his friends would help us out. We should go to Hollow Bastion." "Radiant Garden," coughed Riku, with a smirk. Sora punched him in the arm. Karen's eyes went wide. "A...another world? Again? Just how many are there."
Riku and Sora chuckled. "Several thousand, I'd guess," said Sora. Riku shook his head. "No. There are an infinite number of worlds," he said, as-a-matter-of-factly. Sora shrugged at Karen and Emi, and laughed. "How do you suppose we are going to get to this world," said Emi boredly. "Fly?"
Sora and Riku looked at each other and Sora replied "Yes, actually. We are going to fly."
Emi and Karen blinked. "Humans can't fly," Emi stuttered. Sora laughed at her and said "Trust me. I used to do it all the time. But where am I going to get my gummi ship? There's no way there is enough time to build a new one."
Sora paced as he thought. Emi leaned over and whispered into Karen's ear "What have you done? Dragging us along with two pyschos?"
Suddenly, Sora had it. "Yen Sid!" he yelled, grabbing Riku's shoulders and shaking him. Riku laughed and said "A what?" "No, no, Yen Sid. Riku, you should know him! He was King Mickey's teacher. He helped me and Donald and Goofy last time. He should be able to help us again."
"Oh, him," said Riku, sarcastically. "I don't get it," said Karen. "I'm hungry," said Emi, as ignorant as ever. Everybody looked at her and she said "Can't we at least get some breakfast before we go off adventuring?"
Sora, Riku and Karen laughed and agreed that they were hungry. "First, breakfast. And then, it's off to the train station!"
~
After breakfast, they walked all the way to the train station. The walk wasn't as silent as the one to the Old Mansion the night before. They all chatted and Sora explained. "Okay, we are going to get on this magic train, right? And then we're gonna go vist this really smart old guy. Hopefully he can help us in the transportation deparment. I have a hunch that King Mickey has already taken care of it."
"King... Mickey?" asked Karen. "What kind of name is Mickey for king? And who is this guy anyway?"asked Emi. Riku sighed and looked up at the sky. "King Mickey was this really great... king," he said, failing to find the words. "If it weren't for him, I really don't know where I would be now."
There was an awkward silence. But Sora broke it by saying "Yeah, the King is great. I'd really love him if he hasn't left us hanging."
They walked into the train station, and Karen and Emi gawked when the two boys walked right past the ticket counter. "Hey. Hey!" said Karenm running to catch up with them. "You can't just get on a train, you have to pay!"
"Not for this particular train, we don't have to, now hurry," said Riku. Emi sighed and joined them next to the empty tracks. "Not even the town line is here right now," she huffed. "Just wait," said Sora. They waited. Riku leaned over to Sora and asked "How exactly did you get this magic train to appear the last time?"
Sora blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Um, well... King Mickey did it, I think. It was just sort of...here. Aw, geez...Yen Sid is like... the Wizard of All Wizards, you would think that he would notice us standing here waiting."
As if by magic, the huge doors that let the trains in and out rumbled open. Emi jumped back, startled, but Karen bounced on her toes and clapped her hands. "Yay! Magic train time?" she exclaimed. Sora smiled and patted her shoulder. "Yeah, it's magic train time."
They boarded the train when the doors wooshed open. Karen and Sora sat on the plush benches happily. Riku leaned against the wall next to the door, propping his foot against it. Emi reached up and grabbed the hand hold, shoving her other hand in her pocket. She was used to the trains of Twilight Town. Karen rested her palms on her knees and leaned towards her friend. "Are you excited yet?"
Emi looked down boredly. "Yeah. Magic train... woohoo," she said, sarcastically. Karen smirked and smacked her friends elbow. Emi stuck out her tongue. Looking out of the window, Sora saw the flash that told them they were now in the world outside of Yen Sid's tower.
Emi's pale green eyes went wide. "What the he..." she started, but Karen smacked her on the arm roughly and said "No cursing. Not even on the magic train." Karen scrambled onto her knees and peered out the window. "Whoa, awesome," she squeaked. "Yeah, isn't it?" said Sora. Karen nodded. Emi still looked a little bit frightened. Her grip on the hand hold tightened.
The train stopped and the door next to Riku wooshed open. Karen went out first, excited, followed by Sora. Emi walked to the door and stared at Riku for a moment. "Are you sure you aren't crazy?" she asked, seriously. Riku smirked. "No," he replied.
Emi rolled her eyes and shoved him over a little. Then, she stepped out of the train and over to Karen and Sora who were running towards the door. Riku hopped out and no sooner than he had landed on the soft grass than the train dissapted behind him. "Oops," he said, looking over his shoulder. "Did I do that?" he asked to no one in particular. He dashed to catch up with the others.
Sora pulled open the giant doors and they peered up, up, up. "That's... a lot of stairs," said Emi nervously. "What, are you stair phobic or something?" asked Sora sarcastically. Emi glared at him dangerously. "No use in wasting time. Start climbing, you wusses," said Riku, starting up the stairs.
"Please no heartless, please no heartless, please no heartless," Sora prayed as they walked up the stairs. No heartless appeared as the climbed stair after stair, opened door after door.
Finally the reached the top. Sora almost barged right in but Riku stopped him and said "Geez, don't you know how to knock?"
Sora sighed and knocked on the door. "Enter," boomed a deep voice from behind the door. Sora's hands alighted on the door knob and he turned it. They walked in, and there was Yen Sid, sitting at his desk. Sora stood in front of the desk and bowed. Riku bowed as well, and Karen swooped down into her prettiest ballet curtsy. Emi, who was somehow even ruder than Riku, just waved and said "Hey."
Karen smacked her in the stomach and said "Bow, you moron" and so Emi copied Karen. Or at least she tried to. Her curtsy was a little...clumsy and she almost fell flat on her face. Her cheeks burned with blush.
Yen Sid stared at them stonily for a moment and said "Sora, Riku, Karen, Emi... I've been waiting for you."
Sora, Riku and Karen straightened up gracefully. Emi stumbled around a little, trying to untangle her feet. She finally managed to stand up and she shoved her hands into her pockets. "You have already explained to the young women about the journey," said Yen Sid. It wasn't a question.
Sora coughed. "Um, well. That depends. I told them about the heartless and stuff... but really, none of us sure what the heck is going on... uh,sir," he said. Yen Sid nodded slowly. "If you will walk through that door, you can prepare for your journey. Return here when you are ready and I will explain what is happening."
Sora nodded and said "Thanks, sir," and pushed his friends through the door. On the other side, three old women waited. Flora, Fauna and Merryweather. Red, green and blue, and bickering as usual. "Oh, God, please no," said Riku. The three fairies notice the four young people and shrieked with delight.
Emi's eyes went wide for the nth time that afternoon. "What the heck? Now there are fairies?" she muttered. "Master Yen Sid sent you in here for preparation, didn't he?" asked Flora. "Oh, yes. These two girls are in desperate need of some better travel clothing, don't you think, Merryweather?" asked Fauna. Merryweather nodded. "You first," said Merryweather, grabbing Karen's wrists and pulling her forward. Karen cried out and the others took a few steps back. "This could get violent," said Sora with a nervous laugh.
The fairies circled around the small, slim Karen. Poking her, prodding her. "I think she's look best in red," said Flora proudly. Karen coughed and said "I really don't think th--" "No, green!" intteruppted Fauna. Karen sighed defeatedly when she was interruped again when Merryweather yelled "Blue!"
After a few minutes of squabbling and even taking a few swipes at each other with their wands, Karen finally yelled "Will you old women PLEASE get me out of these jeans and shirt please? I want something cool looking and... in purple, please!"
The old fairies looked at her, somewhat tiffed and then they rememberd they were supposed to be outfitting her. They circled around her and Flora said "All right, all together now!" and with a flick of their wands... a brief flash of light and Karen looked down at her self. Purple skirt with black stitching. A purple coat with black triangles on the sleeves that buttoned at her collar bone, over a slightly belly-bearing lavender tank top.
"Wow, it's great," exclaimed Karen, kicking her new purple and black boots. "You next, Emi-chan," she said to Emi, walking over to join Sora and Riku. "One more thing, Karen, dear," said Flora. "We've endowed that necklace around your neck with very special powers. We're leaving it to you to figure out what they are."
Sora leaned over. "They said the same thing to me, and I got my drive forms," he said. "Drive forms?" asked Karen. "Yeah, I'll explain later."
The fairies were a little quicker with Emi. "My, my..." said Fauna. Emi sighed. "Whatever. Just not pink, please," she said. "I've got a marvelous design," said Fauna. The three fairies consulted for each other privately for a moment and then turned to Emi. They flicked their wands and there was the bright flash again.
Emi looked down at herself nervously, but heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that it wasn't pink or lacy or poofy. Slightly baggy black jeans under a green mesh wraparound, around her waist. She was also wearing a purple and green striped quater length shirt that bared her shoulders and collar bone, under a short sleeved jacket made of light brown, soft leather. Pieces of purple, silky fabric came off the jacket and hung around her knees. "Cool," she said, peering down at her purple and green sneakers. "We also endowed your necklace with special powers. Although they are unlike the ones given to your friends, they will still help you in your journey."
Emi pulled at the black leather cord around her neck nervously as she went to join her friends. Karen elbowed her in the ribs. "Oh, you get special powers."
"Good luck on your journey," said the old women. Sora thanked them and they all turned and walked through the door.
Time for this adventure to get rolling.
