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Hey Everybody!
This is the second poll I spoke of from two weeks ago. All you have to do is read each of the remaining contestants challenges and vote for one of them. I know this might be asking a lot but, I'd appreciate it if, you voted for one of them. The poll will last a lot longer this time around and they'll win one of the awards that was mentioned in here. Thank you.
This is the second poll I spoke of from two weeks ago. All you have to do is read each of the remaining contestants challenges and vote for one of them. I know this might be asking a lot but, I'd appreciate it if, you voted for one of them. The poll will last a lot longer this time around and they'll win one of the awards that was mentioned in here. Thank you.
Spoiler Show
Spoiler ShowThe low humming of a computer was the first sound he heard as he came to, and it was the last thing he expected to hear…He hadn’t expected to ever hear anything again.
A small groan escaped his mouth as he tried opening his eyes, but the bright white and yellow lights above him were too much to handle. Finally, after what seemed like forever, he opened his eyes fully and took a quick look around the room.
Everything was exactly the same as when he last collapsed on to the metal surface of the floor over ten years ago, from the massive supercomputer in front of him to all of the yellow piping and gray sheet metal paneling that comprised the room. It brought back memories, painful ones he wished he could forget.
The frightened look on his best friend’s face as a white robed man turned to him with his black keyblade, the searing pain before he faded, all of the clutching at his chest and at his face, a scream locked within his throat, and…
He took a deep breath as a foreign—no, as a familiar feeling tingled under his skin like an uncomfortable itch that couldn’t be scratched. Right now all he felt was relief. The tight, heavy feeling that had once been a constant within the very core of his being—that he didn't even realize was there until now—was gone. That small, tiny fragment of a heart that wasn’t his had been removed from his own heart.
My heart.
It had always been there, growing within a chest he thought was hollow and tainted. On some level he knew it had always been there, but he chose to ignore it and blindly believed in the lies that had been told to him; willingly rejected what he had sought after all those years. He gave into the dark whims of a heart that wasn’t even his own, corrupting and manipulating him like a puppet and he never even realized it. He had given into it and the dull bitterness that he mistook for apathy, and willingly followed Xehanort despite all of his prior notions of getting his revenge for taking his and his friend’s hearts.
Dread pooled in his stomach and his throat tightened uncomfortably. He didn't deserve to be alive again—to have a heart again and yet here he was, laying down on a cold metal floor pathetically, wave after wave of emotion crashing into him like the crags along a shore during a storm.
He slammed a fist against the ground as a near-uncontrollable anger began to rage within him. All of this was something he never imagined he’d experience again. His heart raced and he could barely breathe from how intense every feeling was.
“But how–!?”
"You'll have to thank Sora for that," a voice said from a distance. Somehow he was still able to control his impulses despite the anxiousness flowing through him, not immediately looking up to where the voice came from. He was feeling too much all at once, and he wasn’t sure what would happen if he actually looked at his new guest—worried that the turbulence within him would only grow worse. “If he hadn’t did anything, you would have been gone for good.”
He stayed silent, pushing himself up into a sitting position to hopefully look less pathetic than he imagined he did. Flax-colored hair fell limp around his face rather than being in its usual slicked-back style, obscuring his vision slightly as he turned his head to finally glance at the other person in the room. Even through his messy hair, he could still easily recognize the lithe figure that was leaning against the wall along the entryway to the computer room.
They were the first and last person he wanted to see right now. Fear and guilt flared up inside his heart and he almost recoiled at the sudden burst of emotions rushing though his veins. Anger was familiar to him. He could handle that but these emotions were hitting a raw spot within him, making him feel vulnerable and ashamed. As a Nobody, all of his emotions were dull and barely noticeable in his state of denial, building up slowly over time and only ever found release when he went berserker, but now his emotions were unrestrained and free every single moment. He thought his chest might burst open and his heart would flee his body once again.
“...Lea." His voice shook as he said his old friend’s name, and then suddenly he wondered what he even was to Lea now. They had changed so much these past ten years; their friendship faded away with their lost hearts, and in place of all of the affection they shared was resentment and indifference. As he had said the redhead’s name, all he could think was how that hollowness hadn’t been what their friendship was meant to turn into.
“Isa.” A small smile flitted across the fire wielder's face, though his bright green eyes seemed guarded and weary. Regret flared stronger. “Glad somebody remembered my name on the first try. You can’t imagine how many times I have to correct people.”
“It's impossible to forget you,” Axel was unforgiving and unattached; the perfect assassin to take down the Organization’s enemies. Lea has always been warm and friendly, never failing to try and make somebody smile even if it was at his own expense…even if had nothing to offer anybody at all except a few minutes of his time. I could always tell the difference. I could never forget you. “I've tried.”
A bark of laughter came from Lea, and through the sorrow bleeding out in Isa’s heart came some kind of nostalgic warmth as he eased into a routine he thought they would never follow again. “Trust you to be a jerk even with a heart. I came all this way to be here when you woke up despite my extremely busy schedule and that’s all you have to say?”
“And leave it to you to be obnoxious.” Isa retorted, a part of him trying to soak up every single bit of fondness he could, hoping it could melt the icy dread and guilt away, hoping it could close the open wound that carried all of the bitterness he clung to for over ten years. All of the warmth and familiarity in the world could never fix this, though. This was something he could no longer hold back. “But I have to wonder, why have you come here at all when you may have better things to do like celebrating your victory with your…friends?”
The words came out harsh, venomous, carrying all of the resentment and jealousy he had harbored and let control his actions when he was still a Nobody. The smirk on Lea’s face fell and his brows furrowed, a serious look stealing away all of the humor from the moment. Isa knew he was hurting Lea—hurting himself—by saying what he had just said and a part of him that was still a teenage boy with only one friend wanted to take it back.
“Dammit, Isa! Just cut the defensive crap already. Isn't that what got us into that mess in the first place?” Lea ran a hand through his red spikes, frustration and exhaustion marring his face. He knew these looks well enough. These were the same emotions he belittled Axel over, thinking the man was foolish for even claiming that he might be feeling more than the same dull disenchantment he had felt. “I’m here because…”
Isa watched Lea struggle to find the words he wanted to say, watched as a dozen different emotions swirled in those vibrant green eyes of his and played on his face. Determination burned the brightest in his eyes, fear lingered around the edges of his mouth, his cheeks were flushed in exasperation, and something shone out from Lea’s heart, something Isa couldn’t exactly see clearly or understand, but it resonated with Isa’s own heart and made it skip a beat.
It felt like…hope.
Kneeling down, Lea placed a hand on Isa’s and gripped it tightly. Hope. “We all got a second chance at living. You deserve your chance, too, Isa.”
“But…”
“You aren’t Saïx anymore.” Standing suddenly, the hand that gripped Isa’s began to pull him upward with a great amount of vigor. Isa nearly pulled his hand back from the sudden movement, but Lea was unrelenting. “Everything you did before doesn’t matter. Don’t you get that? That heart inside you is proof enough, but if you don’t believe me,”
That’s not the problem, idi—
His reflection in the glass that separated the computer room from the offline Heartless Factory caught his eye. Isa’s hand slid out of Lea’s as he turned to stare at his messy visage. Pushing his hair out of his face, he finally saw what the fire wielder was talking about.
The X shaped scar that blemished his face and served as the physical reminder of the worst day of his life had changed. Isa brought a hand up to his face and traced it, marveling at how smooth and faded it had become. If not for the bright lights in the room, he wouldn’t even be able to see it.
But what was the most surprising was the green eyes that looked back at him from his reflection. Isa expected them to look listless and gold like they had been for years, but these new—old eyes of his were just as bright as Lea’s, brimming with all of the emotions Isa had been feeling since he woke up.
Turning around and facing Lea was a lot easier than it had been a few minutes ago. Watching the man’s lips turn upward in a genuine smile that was similar to the one he wore as a teen, but so much more grand wasn’t so hard anymore.
The happiness radiating from his old friend’s smile, the energy vibrating through his own body, the gentle beating of his own heart in his chest, a laugh that refused to be held back, and…
A chance at living—at feeling. It was more than he ever expected to get, but here he was.
He’d give it a try.
Spoiler ShowWalking out of the castle and to the town had been a quiet affair…at least on Isa’s end. Lea, who seemed a bit too excited to have Isa back, wouldn’t stop talking about anything and everything he could think about bringing up. From keyblades to all of the worlds he had seen while on his adventure with Sora and his friends, it was all honestly grating at Isa’s nerves.
While genuinely pleased that his old friend was even talking to him at all, Isa still wasn’t exactly stable in the emotional department and all he wanted to do was sleep for a few hours and maybe get into some clothes that weren’t a black coat.
“Hey, you should come join the beach party we’ve having on Destiny Islands tomorrow to celebrate saving the universe!”
“No.”
“Oh come on! Didn’t we just talk about this? This is your second chance! Live a little!” Lea slapped Isa’s back roughly, and it took everything in Isa to retrain himself from punching Lea in the face.
“If you haven’t forgotten, I actually did try to help bring the universe to ruin. Forgive me if I’m not in a rush to go party with a bunch of teenagers over saving it,” Isa crossed his arms, giving Lea a stern look that was not unlike the one he used to give Axel when he tried to give some lame excuse for not completing his missions on time. “And just because I was brought back by the Keyblade Brat and had a very short heart-to-heart with you does not mean I am suddenly on everybody’s invite list for tea parties and birthdays.”
A bit of indignation, maybe a colorful retort back and a revoking of the invite Lea had extended. Isa expected something like that to happen, but as always Lea failed to comply with the expectations he set for him.
Lea was in stitches, gripping his stomach tightly and wiping at a few tears that were coming to his eyes. It took a minute before the laughter subsided, but once it did a hand softly rested on Isa’s shoulder, squeezing slightly. “I know, but trust me. They would be absolutely fine with you being there. Ienzo and Aeleus will be there and they did some pretty terrible stuff to Riku, and I sort of aided in killing Ienzo and he doesn’t hold it against me.”
Isa wasn’t swayed.
“There will be lots of ice cream.”
“As if that would change my mind. I can get ice cream anytime.”
“Free sea salt ice cream?” Lea looked sly, and Isa was starting to regret ever letting the redhead get close to him again. The man knew exactly how to coerce Isa into doing something, even if was the worst idea ever.
Isa hummed, side-glancing at Lea and trying to look as disinterested as possible. Of course he didn’t. His eyes couldn’t hide his interest. Damn haywire emotions. “If you keep those runts of yours on a leash, I might think about it.”
And that was how Isa ended up going to a beach party with a bunch of rowdy teens and just as rowdy adults eating copious amounts of sugar (except for Terra who still had an aversion to anything sweeter than a nutty tart) and playing a bunch of insane beach games that required more potions and cure spells than any of the teens had expected (thankfully Donald & Aqua were well-stocked and had the foresight to expect some kind of disaster that night. At least Lea didn't set anything on fire.)
If he had made strides in his rocky relationship with Lea’s annoying runts by giving them his last two sea salt ice creams after they lost the rest of their share in a bet with Kairi over who could finish the obstacle course on the other side of the island first (Kairi clearly won. She had more practice than Roxas or Xion even if they were once a part of Sora), he wouldn’t admit to it.
And if he had actually enjoyed himself that night under the stars, well…he’d own up to that.
Spoiler Show
Spoiler Show
“Hey, Kairi, are you busy?” Shakou shut Master Yen Sid’s office door behind her, tucking a short, black lock of hair behind her ear. Please tell me she hasn’t left for her next mission yet. “Can you help me with something?”
“Shakou, is that you?” Kairi’s head popped out from her bedroom door a flight down, and she brushed her burgundy bangs from her sapphire eyes. Fellow Keyblade apprentice and Princess of Heart, Kairi had come to the Mysterious Tower to train under Master Yen Sid only a month before Shakou had, and they became close friends through sparring and late-night talking. “Oh, you’re back! Good to see you.”
“You, too, Princess,” Shakou called back down. “Master sent me, Riku, and Lea to Hollow Bastion for intel on the Organizations.” Her brow furrowed, and the corners of her lips sank as she continued her vigorous descent. “But that’s just it. Something happened to Lea and I can’t figure out what.”
Kairi mirrored her frown and climbed a few steps before she met the older girl’s altitude. “Is he hurt?”
“No, I don’t think he’s hurt…but he’s really quiet. And he’s mad, he’s definitely mad.” She turned and, together, she and Kairi descended further, aiming for the kitchens. “There was this guy…”
“Would it kill him to wait for us?” Shakou grunted. Her boots slapped the stones as she and Riku raced after their comrade, who had taken off for the underground water treatment chamber as soon as they stepped outside. She clutched the disk containing Ienzo’s files in her jacket pocket.
“He isn’t that easily distracted,” Riku replied calmly. “If he ran after something, it must’ve been important. Get ready; it could be Heartless.”
Two Keyblades – Way to the Dawn for Riku, and Resolution for Shakou – flashed into their extended fists, and, after an affirmative nod from Riku, Shakou crept through the tunnel grates.
The water tunnel was by far the cleanest Shakou had ever seen; obviously, people at Hollow Bastion took much better care of their facilities than the people on her home world did. No algae adorned the walls, no stench assaulted her nostrils, and no slime threatened to dislodge her boots from their solid grip on the concrete. As she and Riku crept along, a thundering, monotonous roar echoed and grew louder. A waterfall? How big is this place? Shakou pondered. Upon slashing a few Shadows from their path, the wielders crouched at the exit, straining to hear over the deafening underground river. Shakou scanned the small plateau below her. I can jump down there and sneak to the edge; nobody would see me. As she straightened to prepare for her jump, a scarlet rustling caught her eye, and she quickly sank to her knees again. Cautiously, she poked her head higher again. Bright red spikes trembled as a tall figure leveled a Keyblade directly in front of himself.
“There,” she hissed. “It’s Lea. I see his hair.”
Riku squinted down. “Who’s he with?”
“There’s—?” She stretched her neck, angling left and right, and discovered that Lea’s Keyblade was, indeed, pointed at a second figure. No matter how far Shakou shifted her head or how tightly she squinted her eyes, she could not identify any facial features, for a large black hood obscured nearly all of the figure’s face.
The cloak’s the same as Lea’s, she realized. Who is this guy?
“Why are you here?” Lea growled.
The man chuckled – a deep, cold sound that made the hair on Shakou’s neck prickle. “Perhaps I grew nostalgic and wished to revisit our world. Is that a crime?”
“Nobodies don’t have hearts to feel nostalgic with.” The gravel scraped as Lea stalked forward. “Oh, wait, I forgot – they do, and you lied to me. Oh, and another thing, attempted assault is a crime. Got it memorized?”
“Will you fetch the police?” In a vortex of dark clouds, the figure summoned a large object. Blue and white spikes stabbed outward from a circular head like a frozen sun, and it was connected to a long, thick neck. Its total length rivaled the height of its wielder. “Or will you call upon your little Keyblade-wielding friends? Tell me, have you heard from Roxas recently?”
Roxas? Sora’s Nobody? Shakou squinted further. How does he know about Roxas?
A boulder of fire sped across the gap between the men, colliding with the latter figure and forcing him back several paces. The mysterious man’s hood blew backward from the heat wave, and out spilled a cascade of sky-blue hair. His skin was pale and, from what Shakou could see, flawless, save for a large, symmetrical mark of some kind on his face.
Lea’s eyes glinted in the dim evening light, and he wound up his arm to cast another spell.
“Riku!” Shakou hissed. “I can snipe from here, what do we—“
The Keyblade Master’s hand shot up, stopping her. “No, don’t. This is his fight.”
“But—“
“Shakou, please trust me,” Riku insisted. “This is his fight; let them fight it out.”
She paused, watching as the blue-haired man lifted the spiked club and swung at Lea. She stifled a gasp and reached out but realized that Lea had not flinched or cried out; the second man must have missed. “Can I at least know why it’s his fight?”
“He knows that guy,” Riku explained. “They go back a long time.”
“…They go back a long time and…? That’s a long rivalry, innit?”
“‘Rivalry’ isn’t necessarily the word I’d use,” came his reply. “I don’t really know what the deal is between them. All I know’s that they’re enemies.”
A loud grunt of pain burst from Lea’s direction. Flinching, Shakou shot up, but Riku grabbed her wrist and eased her down again. “We only go in if he seems like he’s in serious danger.”
“Those spikes can go clean through him!” she insisted. “That seems like serious danger to me.”
“He’s tough, Shakou,” Riku smiled. “He’s stronger than you might think.”
I hope you’re right, man, she groaned inwardly.
Dark clouds materialized suddenly behind the blue-haired man. A dark portal! Shakou realized. This guy must be really bad news. Without another word, the man turned his back on Lea and started to walk away.
“Where’re you going?!” Lea bellowed. Another huge fireball targeted itself on the man, but it was too late – he stepped through the indigo archway and vanished. “I’m not done with you yet! Get back here, you—!” A flaming meteor shower rained down where the portal stood only moments before. Lea crumpled to his knees and punched the ground with a yell, then sat still.
Shakou was already moving by the time Riku stood up, racing down the platforms to where the redhead stopped moving. “Lea!” She called back her Keyblade and raised it, pointing it at him. “Curaga.” A green light enveloped him, but still he did not move. She inched closer and squatted down. He was not unconscious, she realized – his eyes were open, and glaring directly in front of him. “Lea–“
“Leave me alone.” Never tearing his gaze from the ground ahead of him, he stood and brushed his coat off. “We got what we came for, so let’s go.”
“He didn’t talk at all on the way back, either,” Shakou finished. “I don’t know what to do. I wanna help him but I don’t know what I’d help with.”
She turned to her companion but found Kairi pale beside her. “Kairi?”
“I-I’m sorry,” Kairi blushed and a bit of her color returned. “Shakou, did you say that the man who fought Lea had long, blue hair?”
“Yeah.”
“And he had a mark on his face?”
“Yeah, it was pretty big, but I couldn’t make out what shape it was.” Shakou squinted lightly at the Princess. “You know him?”
“I…wish I didn’t,” Kairi admitted. Gingerly, she tapped the disk on the counter next to Shakou’s hand. “This has data about the original Organization members, right? I think that man was called Saïx. If you wanna help Lea, I think it’d be best to read Saïx’s file first, before you talk to him.”
“Saïx…” Shakou thoughtfully turned the disk over. “Kairi, why do you wish you didn’t know him? Did he give you problems, too?”
“He gave everybody problems – me, Sora, Riku, Lea, King Mickey.… He willingly steeped his heart in darkness.” Despite her words, Kairi’s eyes remained soft. Shakou wished she could borrow an ounce of Kairi’s forgiveness. “He’s one of Xehanort’s cohorts, and Riku told me he’s one of the new Organization members, too.”
“Xehanort?! No wonder,” Shakou breathed. If he was in the original Organization, too, that’d explain how he knew Roxas. Roxas worked for them, right? “Wait, that doesn’t make any sense, though. Master Yen Sid told us to eliminate as many Organization members as we could, so why didn’t Lea attack him on the spot?”
Kairi fidgeted and looked down at the large metal bowl before them. “I’m sorry, I don’t know. But maybe there’s something in his file that can explain something.”
“True. Okay, I’ll look into it. Thank you for helping me, Kairi.”
Kairi looked up at her, a polite smile on her cheeks. “My pleasure.”
Knock, knock, knock. Shakou’s knuckles rapped softly on Lea’s bedroom door, her other hand tucked behind her back. Upon hearing a low, halfhearted grunt, she turned the handle and eased the door open.
Lea stood at his window, his back to Shakou, while the evening breeze tousled his bright spikes. She tiptoed to him, as though afraid to wake him, until she stood at his shoulder. The glare had not left his eyes, and now a wet film spread itself across his gaze. She drew in a breath and tapped his shoulder. When he turned a few degrees to look down at her, she bit her lip and mustered her resolve not to cower under his intensity. She brought her hand from behind her back and held it out, offering him a fresh sea salt ice cream. The man only stared. Looks like things are even worse than I thought. After a few moments of silence, he lifted his hand, accepted the ice cream from her, and bit into it.
“It’s a bit sweeter than usual,” he commented. She knew that flat voice; he had been crying.
“Sorry,” she whispered. “I guess Kairi and I didn’t add enough salt this time—?”
“It’s fine.” He took another bite. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” She turned a bit and walked to his desk, pulled out the chair, and sat. “You wanna talk about it?”
“No.”
“Should you talk about it?”
Only the soft crunching of ice cream met her question. After a few minutes, she stood with a heavy heart and turned to leave. “If you ever need to—“
“How much did they tell you?”
Her eyes widened, but she recovered her composure and cleared her throat. “Riku just told me that you’ve known Saïx for a while, and Kairi recommended that I read his file on Ienzo’s disk. Lea, I’m so sorry.” She pulled the disk from her pocket and placed it on his desk. Finally turning to face her, he silently beckoned for her to reseat herself on his bed. She did so without hesitation, while he took his desk chair and turned it backward, straddling it.
“The most important things you need to know about Saïx – and me, a bit – never made it into those files,” he began. “Got it memorized?”
“Like what?” She bit her lip and silenced herself again. “Sorry.”
He waved his hand dismissively. “I’ll start by saying that…well, we were best friends, once.”
“His real name, you probably saw in his file, is Isa. He’s only called Saïx now because he still serves Xehanort – he was the one who gave us all our Nobody names.”
“And you were Axel, right?”
“Yeah. Anyway, Isa and I grew up together in Radiant Garden (you know, what Hollow Bastion used to be), practically brothers. We’d hang out every day, at school, after school. We’d get ice cream, spar, pull pranks – well, actually, he planned pranks while I pulled ‘em. He always kept a level head, and I was the hothead. That’s probably why he was so good at everything. It was a struggle to keep up with him, but I did.
“We decided, one day, that we wanted to sneak into Hollow Bastion. We had a plan worked out. But…well, you probably saw this, too, it was the same day that Xehanort went crazy and took the hearts of a lot of the castle staff.” Lea set his jaw. “Isa and I were caught in the crossfire.”
“I’m sorry.”
He gave a solemn nod. “We got turned into Nobodies, and Xehanort named us. Isa became number seven in the Organization, and I was number eight. And even though Xehanort told us we didn’t have hearts, Isa couldn’t help but tease me for being one rank below him.” At this, he offered a wry, nostalgic smile. “We did what we knew best: hatched a plan. We decided that we were going to commandeer the Organization, get our hearts back, and go back to our lives, and that once we did, we wouldn’t storm the castle or pull pranks anymore. It was easy at first: he thought out the plans and played nice with Xemnas (you know, Xehanort’s Nobody?), and I was the ‘muscle’ that carried out Isa’s plans, just like old times.
“But about two years ago, I noticed something about him. His ‘Saïx’ was showing more than his ‘Isa,’ and it got stronger as time went on. We finally completed a big chunk of our plan when Saïx rounded up half the Organization and sent me with them to Castle Oblivion…to dispose of ‘em.”
“Dispose?! You—“
“I know. I’m not making any excuses for what I did as Axel.” He paused briefly to chew off more ice cream. “I was personally responsible for the deaths of two of the members: Vexen and Zexion.”
“Even and Ienzo’s Nobodies.”
“Yeah.”
“I’m kinda surprised Ienzo was so cordial with you, then, no offense.”
Lea barked out a chuckle. “Me, too. Anyway, I left the Organization about a year later. Saïx wasn’t just Isa’s Nobody anymore; he was Xehanort’s servant, a stranger. When my Nobody life ended, I found myself back in Hollow Bastion, recompleted and human again. Only, Isa wasn’t there. And then I dove into that dream-limbo thing to help Sora and Riku escape their Mark of Mastery, and…” He heaved a sigh. “Well, I realized why Isa hadn’t been at the castle when the rest of us were. He tried to kill me. It’s like he didn’t even recognize me anymore.”
Shakou stared. “Attempted assault is a crime,” Lea had said. Is that what he meant? “Why would he try to kill you?”
“Like I said, he wasn’t the Isa I knew,” Lea bristled. “That blue glacier you saw wasn’t my friend anymore. He changed.”
“You were in the Organization for a long time together, right? Are you sure he was the only one who changed?” she
asked gently.
“I’m the same guy I was back then!” Lea snapped. Shakou closed her mouth and fixed her gaze on his pillow. “Sorry,” came his grumbled apology.
She scooted forward to the edge of the bed and placed her hand on his shoulder. He raised his head and matched her gaze. “Maybe you don’t have to do this alone, Lea.”
“’Course I do. He’s my responsibility.”
“He’s your goal. In the end, if you want Isa back, you’ll have to—“ She stopped herself and restarted. “Just because he was your friend doesn’t mean he’s only your burden. I know a few other people who have baggage against him, too.”
“Yeah, like who? Who’s got baggage against him like I do?”
“Sora, for one, and—” But she cut herself off again, fighting back her next words. She opened her mouth to speak again. “We can help you. If you want a final showdown or whatever thing like that, you can have it. But do you have to do everything by yourself?” Her hand slid down and took one of his gloved ones. “Please, Lea, let me help you. I can look for him, too. And I can let you know if he does anything else.”
Lea chewed the inside of his cheek. “Don’t go out of your way, okay?”
“I can’t guarantee that.”
His eyes narrowed at her, and he shifted without withdrawing his hand from hers. “What’s with the change of heart? A few months ago, you drew your Keyblade on me, and you didn’t wanna be anywhere near me. What gives?”
A faint blush tickled her cheeks. “I think I realized that I haven’t been cutting you enough slack. We have more in common than you might think.” She tapped her temple with a light smile. “’Got it memorized’?”
A spark of a smile flashed across his thin cheeks. “Like what?”
“I’ll tell you another time. But this isn’t about me, right now. It’s about you.”
After a few more minutes of staring and questioning glances, Lea murmured, “Thanks, Shakou.”
“You’re welcome. You want another ice cream?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll be right back.”
Spoiler Show
Spoiler ShowWhat's my most treasured memories? Easy.
It was all of those times with you.
I know we weren't the greatest of friends at first... You weren't really nice to me at all; you had to, even though you didn't want to. I always had that feeling that you didn't care, but something changed, I guess. You started caring. You closed that distance, apologizing for your own mistakes and trying to start anew.
It worked. It definitely did.
I just wish I saw that a lot sooner. I wish we could've been closer friends much sooner. After everything I learned, after everything I saw, I realized that all I needed was in front of me already.
My home... my family... Everything. What I had been searching for this whole time was always there.
But I messed up.
I'm... sorry. I couldn't keep you safe. I'm sorry I messed up... I'm so sorry...
Spoiler Show"I'm gonna enter a tournament!"
There was a big grin on Rena's face, a twinkle in her eye. She was ecstatic, enthralled, as the prospect of entering a tournament. As she looked up at the banners on the back wall of the Olympus Coliseum, her resolve became stronger and stronger. She had to enter!
But Aex... Well, he wasn't quite as sure about this idea.
Fighting to hide the dread that was clearly visible on his face, he scratched the back of his neck, looking up at the dark blue banner in front of them. There was a huge list of contenders; there must've been... at least 50 rounds or something!
"You... sure this is a good idea?" he asked, trying to hide a nervous laugh. Thankfully, Rena didn't notice it.
"A'course!" she beamed, her fists placed on her hips. She stood tall, as if she were trying to emulate a superhero. "I'm gonna enter this one!"
Aex laughed a ridiculously sarcastic laugh.
"Uh. No."
Rena gasped, shocked at his lack of enthusiasm, "But Aex! You said I'm supp'sed to be a hero 'n stuff and how'm I supposed to be a hero unless I fight! That Phil guy said I can't be a hero unless I prove myself!"
He grumbled, folding his arms, "His definition of a 'hero' is obviously flawed... It doesn't mean going to get yourself killed in some huge tournament!"
"But what if I enter a smaller tournament? Y'know, like an easy one! Then I can get stronger and get to this big one!"
Aex's frown twisted into a knot. His blue eyes focused on the bright blue sky above as he contemplated Rena's proposition.
"Well... I guess you could do that..."
Her eyes lit up. Yes! She started bouncing up and down!
"Yay, thank you thank you, Aex--!"
"But," he pointed at her nose (she yelped and reeled back accordingly), "if you lose one round, then you can't fight anymore, okay?"
Staring at his finger (so much that she was going cross-eyed), she looked up at him and started to smile a very, very cheeky grin. She pushed his hand down gently and, with her arms folded, she looked more and more coy as her act went on.
"Lose?" she scoffed, "Never! What could even go wrong with this?"
There's a lot that could go wrong, Aex thought to himself... He was dreading this already.
But the two headed into the Coliseum, Rena skipping ahead ecstatically and calling Aex along.
---------------------
"What 'bout this one?" Rena said, looking down at a book of tournaments that the Coliseum was holding at the time. The book was huge -- full of past competitors and past victories in the years of the tournaments. But there were two matches that stood out to Rena...
"That one?" Aex said, pointing down at the tournament's name. "That sounds way too difficult for you. What about this one?"
Rena gasped, her eyes bright. "Yeah! This one sounds super easy!" She slammed the book shut. She was beaming, resolute in her decision. She was about to fight!
Trotting over to Phil, who was cautiously watching the pair before the entrance to the Coliseum, Rena grinned and handed the book back to the satyr.
"I wanna enter the Platinum Match, please!"
Phil's eyes bugged. (Had he been taking a sip of water, he would've spit it all over Rena's face.) Coughing, the half-goat started to cackle.
"You wanna enter that match?"
"Uh-huh!" she nodded absent-mindedly.
He sighed, looking down at a clipboard in his hand. He shook his head, "Alright, whatever, kid..."
After checking a few things off of his list, he motioned Rena to head inside.
"Your opponent's waiting, go on!"
She beamed, giving a mini-salute. Whirling around, she waved to Aex before running through the doorway.
Aex gulped, watching the girl disappear. He hesitantly walked up beside Phil, looking through the dark doorway. Rena was gone.
"She'll..." he gulped, "She'll be okay, right?"
Phil scoffed, focused on his clipboard.
"Well, if she comes back in pieces, I'm sure there's some way to put her back together, I guess."
He blinked. "Umm..."
"That's the toughest match in our roster," Phil said, not even bothering to look up, "I'll be surprised if she comes out alive."
Aex's eyes bugged.
"Oh no..."
What had Rena gotten into?
-----------------
Keyblade at the ready, Rena stepped onto the field with her head held high. There was a little skip in her step as she walked into the arena, readying herself into her battle stance. She was ready!
But, despite what Phil said, her opponent was nowhere to be found. Where was he?
Looking around wildly, she found her answer.
Descending from the heavens, her opponent had arrived. The figure landed softly on the ground, rising to a stand from his knees. He threw his long, silver hair back over his shoulder, looking at the girl with narrowed eyes.
Rena blinked, Keyblade at her side. This was her opponent? She giggled.
"Wow, Mister, you look really--"
shish!
Her eyes bugged. She reeled back. From the other side of the arena, he managed to point his sword at her throat, so close that, if he took another step, the tip could've poked her skin.
"U-umm..."
She looked up at him, looking hesitantly at his features.
His eyes were narrowed, glaring. He never said a word, but he didn't need to. His lip curled in disgust, showing exactly what the man was thinking.
"Uh... oh..."
SHISH!
------------------
"Oof!"
Rena landed face first on the floor, complete with a little slide into the room. Aex gasped, dashing over.
"Rena!"
The match had lasted a good five seconds. There was no contest.
"Are you okay?" Aex piqued up, trying to help Rena to her feet.
She giggled, looking a little singed from the attack (and a little delusional too).
"Can we do that again?"
He glared. After all of that, that's what she took from this. He sighed.
"No."
"But Aex--!"
"No!"Spoiler Show[Based on "Otsukimi Recital"]
"What am I supposed to do?"
He had been like this for days. Since he spilled the beans, confessing everything that had happened to him in his homeworld, he completely changed. Gone was that boy, the one who would always smile, who would always turn red whenever he said the wrong thing, and that strong, brave boy she had barely known.
The glow, the light in his eyes was gone. He sat slumped over on the bench, staring down at his feet while he leaned his chin against his hand.
"Master Yeal... Luna..."
Looking back at him, the girl couldn't help but frown. She hugged her arms, looking at the boy curiously. She didn't know what to say. She had no idea what to do...
He had lost everything: his home, his friends... He had acted tough, stayed strong, but he couldn't keep up the act. He was depressed, heartbroken.
And the only one who could save him was sitting right next to him, looking lost and helpless.
She had to do something... Anything!
"Hey..." she piqued up, wearing a tiny grin, "Aex?"
He barely acknowledged her, lifting his head up slightly to show that he heard anything at all.
Frowning, the girl hopped off of the bench and stood before him. Without hesitation, she grabbed onto his hand.
His eyes shot up.
"Rena?" he asked, "What're you doing?"
She tugged on his arm, flashing another grin.
"C'mon!" she said, her smile bright, "Please?"
He chuckled halfheartedly, slipping his hand out of Rena's grip, "What's up?"
She scrambled for his hand again, taking it and hanging onto it tight.
"Please?"
The black haired boy frowned, his brow knit. He cast a sideways glance, sighing.
"Alright..."
As Aex straightened himself to a stand, Rena grinned, having a little bounce in her step. "C'mon!" she exclaimed, giving his hand a tight squeeze. Then, as if on a parade, she headed forwards with Aex in tow.
"What're we doing?" the boy asked, giving a sigh.
Looking back, the girl smiled.
"You'll see!"
Heading fast through the town, she lead him through the streets of Disney Town, eagerly looking for any and every way to bring a smile back to Aex's face. The town was full of fun games and exciting things to explore. Rena wanted to try them all! There had to be something here that would make Aex feel better!
There was a race track, a court, a stage... So much to do! Something here had to make Aex feel better; there must've been something!
But, at the end of it, Aex's gaze was still downcast. He still sighed, still frowned, and still kept his distance.
Rena's smile was gone, too. She looked up at the boy, heartbroken.
"What's the point?" he finally asked. "Why're you doing all of this, Rena?"
"'cause... I wanna help..."
He scoffed, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"Nothing's going to help. Just... leave it."
Rena shook her head, watching the boy turn and begin to walk off. She leapt after him and grabbed onto his arm.
"There's gotta be somethin'!"
"There isn't," he snapped, not turning around to face her, "Forget it, Rena!"
But she refused to give up. She tugged on his arm as he walked away. In doing so, his hand slipped out of his pocket.
"Rena--!"
cling!
He froze. His eyes bugged, looking down to the floor.
In the dusk light, the object carried an orange glow, thanks to the orange sky above. It glimmered and flickered, as if calling to him.
Before he could reach down and take it back, though, someone else grabbed it.
Rena scooped it up off of the ground, holding it out in her palms. She didn't want to look at it, as if she felt like it wasn't her place to.
"Here," she said, smiling.
When Aex set his eyes on it again, though, he couldn't help it. His voice quivered.
"Luna..."
Rena's eyes widened.
"Aex...?"
Droplets rain down his cheek, his eyes reddening. He held back a choke, almost doubling over. He couldn't bring himself to look at the crescent moon necklace in Rena's hands.
But he didn't need to.
Arms wrapped around his shoulders, giving them a tight squeeze. At first, he didn't know how to react, only staring at the young girl as she embraced him.
"It'sokay," she said, leaning her cheek on his shoulder, "You don't have to be brave on your own anymore..."
Aex's frown quivered. He wrapped his arms around the girl, holding onto her tight.
"Thank you..." he said, fighting back a sob.
"You're not alone anymore, okay?"
Spoiler Show
Spoiler Show
A groan escaped my lips as I picked up the pair of ruined socks out of the dryer. “Dammit. How did this happen?” I asked myself, looking at the once pearly white socks that were now an ugly shade of blue. “I guess, I have no choice but, to get rid of them.” After putting the rest of my laundry away did I go outside. The air was a bit chilly with fall quickly on its way that my mouth watered at the thought of hot apple cider to drink and fresh cinnamon donuts to eat that my stomach growled. I couldn’t wait to go home but, I still had a semester left before I could leave campus. With that thought in mind, did I finally search for an isolated spot outside of campus and pulled out the small shovel inside of my coat pocket. After five minutes of digging did I finally sit back on my heels, looking down at the small average hole I made in the ground.
“Don’t you think thats kind of a waste?” A voice called out from behind me.
I flinched in surprise, turning myself around to defend myself when, I saw it was merely a boy sitting on a ledge with his legs dangling off of it. He looked to be about the same age as I was with a gleaming smile that set my nerves off. His green eyes gazed at me thoughtfully beneath his short black hair that hung over his eyes that I felt myself blush at being caught. “What does it matter to you? I can’t wear them anymore.” I deadpanned.
“You could donate them to Dobby.” He suggested, breathing in the cool air and letting out a puff of smoke.
There wasn’t a cigarette in his mouth that I felt my eyebrows pinch together in confusion. It couldn’t be that cold outside could it? I wiped the back of my hand across my forehead, feeling hot from the daunting task I set out to do. I still have a test to get done. Instead, here I am, letting some stupid, annoying pretty boy distract me. I tried not to let myself smile at his reference of Harry Potter. I was a really big fan of the series that I made sure every book was signed.
“Dobby isn’t real. Everyone knows that.” I retorted, picking up the ugly pair of blue stained socks.
“How would you know that, Sock Girl?” He asked, sliding off of the ledge and dropping down on his own two feet. “What’s wrong with wearing blue stained socks anyhow? They’re just socks.”
I growled. I wasn’t much of a conversationalist. “I don’t want everyone to stare down at my feet.” I placed both socks down in the hole, using my bare hands to take the soft pile of dirt and begin shoving it over the hole that held my ugly pair of socks inside of it. “Dobby is free in Harry Potter. Obviously my socks wouldn’t do any good.”
“You don’t believe in a world like Harry Potter then? What about the other house elves?” He said teasingly, that he crouched down next to the hole on the opposite side of me.
“What did those socks ever do to you?”
"What are you the sock police?" I snapped.
"Nice. I didn't expect you to have a quick comeback." He grinned. "Zero points for originality though."
“Has anyone ever told you how infuriating you are?!” I said, leaning back as far away as possible from him, “Don’t you have someone else to bother?” Then I opened up my mouth in pretend horror. “Maybe you’re my stalker?!” I quickly pocketed the shovel I borrowed from Chemistry 101 and stood up. “And really, Sock Girl? You couldn’t think of a better nickname for me?”
“Would you prefer I call you by name?”
I froze in place. His whole entire demeanor had changed into a more relaxing one. The soft tone of his voice suggested he knew me from somewhere before. I mentally slapped myself from letting myself get caught up in his voice alone and turned to go. “I don’t even know yours.” I stated, looking back up at the dimly lit path to campus. “I have to go, Mr. Stalker.” I brushed off the dirt clinging to my bare hands and kept walking with my back facing him. I refused to waste anymore time on this pretty boy when, I had school work to finish so I could go home.
“We’ll meet again, Amelia.” He called out after me.
I twisted my head around to look over my shoulder back at him. “How do you know my name?” Instead he stood up from where he was crouching down by the hole, his green eyes glowing with full of mischief and wrapped the loose hanging blue scarf tighter around his neck. If he weren’t so infuriating and good looking in his black coat, I might of stuck around longer.
“Use your detective skills.” He chuckled.
Never have I disliked someone so much before. Especially his laughter. Its like he was mocking me. Something must be wrong with me. I frowned, watching him start walking in the opposite direction of me. “I’m sure we’ll meet again, Sock Girl. Try not to turn your socks red next time.”
A Week Later
“You have got to be kidding me!” I cried out, holding the pair of pinkish red socks in the air.
Spoiler Show
Spoiler ShowShe mesmerized him from the first time he laid eyes on her. That luscious auburn hair that flowed so gently on her shoulders, as she walked down the school hallway on her way to class. Those amethyst eyes that practically glowed as she smiled that radiant smile with her friends. She was perfect. But he was far from perfect. He’s just got into the 7th grade, but he has yet to gotten taller. All the other boys in his grade seemed to shoot up this past summer, including the popular guy, Riku. For him, it seemed that puberty hit him right, because almost all the girls swarmed over him each day. But Sora? Puberty must hate him. His unruly hair hasn’t fixed itself, still looks like a pineapple top. His lanky arms and legs seem like sticks and his voice still as childish as his looks. Because of this, his self-esteem isn’t that high. It’s even worse when Riku makes fun of him during class, but what can he do? All he can do is wait, just like everyone around him say, just wait. But what if he can’t? What if he can’t wait to grow into his arms and hair? Because what if by the time he gets to that point, she’s gone from his sights?
He has to do something! But what? Sora had these thoughts as he sat at his desk during 1st period homeroom, daydreaming, chewing on some gum, wondering what he can do to change his situation. “Hey pineapple head!” This voice… he hates this voice. He looks up, at the person who cut off his daydreams and peace. Riku, who recently just started to stand taller than Sora by a foot, with sliver long hair and aqua eyes in a handsome face, it’s no wonder the girls are starting to have crushes on him. But because of his recent popularity, he’s gotten a bigger head and thus, trying to keep his position as the most popular guy changing, he picks on the only person he knows that will make him seem better. “What are you looking at?” Sora looks at him in perplexity, blowing a bubble, then realized why he said this. He has had the habit of daydreaming where ever he was looking at, sometimes at other people or random places in a room, he guessed he must have been staring at Riku by accident. “Nothing, I wasn’t paying attention to you.” Said Sora, trying to get rid of Riku as soon as possible, before the whole class noticed the problem unfolding. “What? Are you in love with me?” Sora’s eyes got wide in surprise, “What? No! I wasn’t looking at you.” Riku could see the fear in Sora’s eyes, he finally hit his nerve. “It seemed you were.” He said as he leaned on Sora’s desk, trying to scare him. The argument seemed to not ever end and the rest of the class watching it unfold, enjoying the entertainment, but it was soon interrupted when the principal came in the room. “Alright, settle down children.” He said as he stood at the podium and the children quietly went to their seats, Riku looking at Sora, trying to intimidate him.
Sora sighed in relief, saved by the principal it seemed like it. “I have an announcement, due to your homeroom teacher retiring recently, we are to get a new teacher for you.” All the children cheered, they did like their old teacher, Mr. Moscoe, but because he was really old, he was a bit hard to work with due to his hearing going away. So there would be too many arguments between him and his students due to him misunderstanding things. “He won’t be here until tomorrow, due to him just moving from Twilight Town. So until then, Mr. Chuma, the 9th grade science teacher will keep an eye on your homeroom time for the time being.” Mr. Chuma, came in as he was introduced, hands in his lab coat pockets, smoking a cigarette. “Ah, why do I have to keep an eye on these brats again?’ He said in a bored voice. The children rolled their eyes, the infamous Mr. Chuma and his “I don’t give a hell about you” attitude, they knew it was coming. “I have experiments to keep an eye on, you know.” He continue to retort to the principal, who continued to ignore his rants. “Alright, be good children!” Said the principal as he left the room as quickly as he could, leaving the students with the annoyed teacher. “Shit…” said the science teacher as he turned to the quiet students, wondering what’s to happen now. “Alright… um… you guys can have free time. So… yeah.” He said as he sat at the teacher’s desk and the students started to mingle.
During this whole ordeal, Sora didn’t pay attention. Because he found his solution to his problem… Mr. Chuma. The science teacher is not just known because of his attitude, but more because his mad scientist skills. He has made concoctions and experiments that is well known around the school for being as ridiculous as they could be. There is a rumor spreading around that he once made a potion that makes the drinker invisible for a whole day, but it failed because the subject has to be naked to be completely invisible and the last subject was almost arrested for indecency because he tried to go to town to scare a female friend while invisible and in the middle of it, the potion started to wear off. But Sora didn’t care of the consequences, all he wanted was a fix for his problem and it seemed he finally has found it.
As soon homeroom was over, he ran after the science teacher to his office. “What do you want kid?” asked the mad scientist, looking down at this scrawny kid. “Mr. Chuma, I need your help!” cried Sora, as the teacher opened his office door. “With what? I don’t council students, y’know. I only teach science, that’s it.” Sora, went in the office after him. “I need scientific help. I want to be a test subject for you.” Mr. Chuma’s looked at Sora, skeptically. “What for?” Sora looked down for a while, thinking what to say. He couldn’t say he wanted to impress Kairi. “I’m… tired of looking small. I want to look bigger, like the other kids.” Mr. Chuma, shook his head. “Kid, give it time, it will happen.” Sora shook his head. “I know, but I want to change. I’m tired of the bullying. Please.” Mr. Chuma shook his head once more. “No. I don’t care the excuse, no. Now go away, I have work to be done.” As he closed the door, Sora looked down for a while, walking away from the office door, smiling.
A while later, Mr. Chuma left his office. He was off to the cafeteria for some lunch, closing his door behind him as he walked down the hall. As soon as he turned the corner, Sora jumped from the shadows and walked to the door, finding it unlocked. He opened the door and took out the gum he placed before in the side lock, at the time he was entering the room after Mr. Chuma. Sora smiled at his cunning plan. He may be small and not as strong as the other boys, but his plans are always pretty smart. He looked both ways down the hall and quietly sneaked inside the room.
Sora looked around the empty, eerie room, which is part office, part lab. On the side of the room was the normal desk, which instead of work, laid only manga and scribbles of equations. The other side of the room was lab equipment, with mysterious liquid bubbling in several beakers on hot plates. While he was wanting to explore the room, he only had one mission. He walked toward the lab side, looking around until he found what he was looking for, the potion cabinet. Inside, each potion Mr. Chuma has made was in beakers, waiting to be used. Sora looked at each beaker, looking for the one he needed. After a few minutes of searching, he found it, “The big potion.” Sora read the description to make sure he had the right one. “Use for making the subject bigger. Warning: side effects include, itching, burping, farting and random whistling.” That’s what he needed, to be bigger. Sora didn’t waste any time… he took off the stopper and drank the whole beaker down. As soon as he drank it, he felt hot. Very hot and achy. The achiness turned to pain that ran all over his body. Sora couldn’t bear the pain anymore, as he wrangled around the room in pain , he dropped the beaker and collapsed on the floor, next to the broken beaker, darkness surrounding his eyesight, then nothing.
A while later, he started to hear his surroundings again. “Hey… kid. Wake up.” Sora heard an echoing voice. “Hey! This is not a clinic! GET UP!” Sora opened one eye, the light of the office hurting it. “What the hell were you thinking!” cried the voice. Sora opened both eyes and saw Mr. Chuma, angrily cleaning the pieces of glass off the floor. “You don’t know what could of happened if you overdosed on the potion! These are made for a normal sized adult, not a young boy!” Mr. Chuma walked across the room and threw the trash away. Sora shook his head, trying to clear it. “Ugh… My head.” Said a deep voice. Sora’s eyes got wide, looking around the room, trying to locate the voice. Who the hell said that? “Well, we can’t change what happened. At least it worked.” sighed Mr. Chuma as he turned to the boy. Sora jumped out of the couch that was in the office and saw that the world looked more different than what he saw a while ago. Everything shorter than him and Mr. Chuma was around the same height as him. Mr. Chuma pointed at his sink with mirror on the side of the lab, moving aside to let Sora go toward it.
In the mirror, was someone he never saw before. Before him was a young man, around his early 20s. His spikey hair flowed naturally around his handsome face and his bright blue eyes looking around his reflection, in a perplexing confused look. To Sora, the man looked like an older brother he might have had, he looked exactly like Sora, but… older. “What the hell!?” he cried, in the deep voice he heard before. The young man WAS him… The potion did turn him bigger, but not what he was hoping for.
“I’m… older! But! I wanted to get bigger! Not older!” he cried, turning to Mr. Chuma, looking at him for answers. “It said bigger, not older! What the hell?!” Mr. Chuma walked toward Sora and slapped his head with a rolled up book. “Well, now you know not to drink unknown drinks! If you didn’t drink it, you wouldn’t be in this problem, now would you?” Sora looked down at the floor, in shame. He was right… if he thought of this through, he would not be in this situation. Mr. Chuma sighed. “Well don’t worry, it’s not permanent. It’s only going to last for a week or two, no more than that. The only thing you have to do is try to keep out of sight until it wears off.” He walked around the office for a while, thinking deeply. “The only problem right now besides this is how to get you out of here. No one knows you and they find a random man around the campus, they are going to think you are some troublemaker. Especially in these clothes.” Sora looked down and saw his old clothes were too small on him, even in this problem, this made him feel a bit better. He sort of did become taller like he wanted it, just with different circumstances. Mr. Chuma walked toward a locker at the corner of the office and took out clothes. “Here, at least wear this. It can disguise you a bit, so you can leave without attracting attention.” He threw them to Sora and left the young man to dress up.
After dressing, Mr. Chuma kicked him out and locked his door for good. Sora sighed and with a smile, he walked down the hall he always saw as a huge hall. All his peers looked so small compared to him, but none noticed him. He was wearing a peach dress shirt with a blue striped tie, black dress pants and shoes. In these type of clothes, he could pass off as a teacher. Which is what happened, when he was about to leave the campus, the principal stopped him. “OH! Mr. Baker! You came so early!” Sora looked around him, making sure he wasn’t talking to him. “What? What are you looking for?” He was talking to him. “Oh! Uh, nothing. Just… taking in the surroundings.” The principal smiled. “Well that’s good! Since this will be like your home in no time! Come! Come in!” Sora tried to back away, but was forced inside. “I’m so glad you came early, it gives you time to meet your students.” Students? What students? Sora started to panic, what should he do? Should he run?
They walked down the familiar hall toward his homeroom. “Here we are, the students should be back from their break. I’ll introduce you.” Sora looked inside his classroom and saw his classmates sitting down as the principal started to talk. He then motioned for Sora to come inside. Sora didn’t know what to do, but to follow the directions and walked toward the podium. “This is your new homeroom teacher, Mr. Baker. Please be on your best behavior.” He was being mistaken as his new homeroom teacher.
The principal then left the classroom and the room became silent as a graveyard. Each pairs of eyes looking at Sora for instructions… this was not good. “Um… uh. Hi guys! Um… I’m Mr. Baker. Nice to meet you all.” He turned to the dry erase board and wrote his name down. God what now…? Then he thought of what Mr. Chuma did. “Since…since we are just starting out together, let’s just have free time for now… until we have our schedule fixed up.” Good excuse, he thought. The children started to mingle once more and while Sora thought he was going to be ignored, so he could escape and run to Mr. Chuma, he was instead surrounded by all the girls in his class. “Mr. Baker! How old are you? Are you married! What kind of girl do you like?” Sora was confused on this attention, why were they after him? Then he remembered his face, it was handsome. They must like him. Sora smiled, this was awesome. But then it hit him, he looked older, not taller, so even though he liked this type of attention, he can’t show his awesomeness like Riku does. This made him feel a bit sad, but then he saw her. “Mr. Baker, where did you graduate from?” said the angelic voice. He looked on the side and saw Kairi standing next to him. He was speechless, there she was, the perfect girl for him, but he can’t show her how amazing he was for her. She giggled. “Cat got your tongue?” He gulped… she laughed. “Um… no. no. Uh…” Come on Sora! He thought. You can’t be tongue-tied now! He had to think fast. “Oh! I’m… sorry. I’m just… a bit nervous. First day. Hehe.” The girls giggled. “Um… I graduated from Twilight Town University. It has a good… teaching program there.” The girls started to whisper among each other, happily. “Um… anyways, ladies. I have to do something important real quick. So if you could stay here and just chill out for a while until I come back, we can continue our chat later.” He winked at them and walked out of the classroom, the squeals of love-stricken pre-teen girls could be heard from the hallway. But it wasn't the squeals of his new fans that was making him smile like crazy, it was his beloved Kairi, who after all this time, has finally spoken to him.
Spoiler Show
I always thought I would never fall in love, but I did with you. Even though you weren’t the most handsome of guys in the college or had any amazing qualities that would make my mother say, he’s was the one, you were special to me. I remembered when I first met you, you asked me what anime I was watching at the school library, and I looking at you as coldly as I could to get you away from me. But you never budged, you kept speaking to me, trying to crank as much information about me as you could from me.
TAYLOR SWIFT LYRICS
"You Belong With Me"
You're on the phone with your girlfriend—she's upset,
She's going off about something that you said
'Cause she doesn't get your humor like I do.
I'm in the room, it's a typical Tuesday night.
I'm listening to the kind of music she doesn't like.
And she'll never know your story like I do.
But she wears short skirts
I wear t-shirts
She's cheer captain
And I'm on the bleachers
Dreaming about the day when you wake up and find
That what you're looking for has been here the whole time.
If you could see
That I'm the one
Who understands you.
Been here all along.
So, why can't you see—
You belong with me,
You belong with me?
Walk in the streets with you in your worn out jeans
I can't help thinking this is how it ought to be.
Laughing on a park bench thinking to myself,
"Hey, isn't this easy?"
And you've got a smile
That can light up this whole town.
I haven't seen it in awhile
Since she brought you down.
You say you're fine—I know you better than that.
Hey, what you doing with a girl like that?
She wears high heels,
I wear sneakers.
She's cheer captain,
And I'm on the bleachers.
Dreaming about the day when you wake up and find
That what you're looking for has been here the whole time.
If you could see
That I'm the one
Who understands you,
Been here all along.
So, why can't you see—
You belong with me?
Standing by and waiting at your backdoor.
All this time how could you not know, baby?
You belong with me,
You belong with me.
[Instrumental]
Oh, I remember you driving to my house
In the middle of the night.
I'm the one who makes you laugh
When you know you're 'bout to cry.
I know your favorite songs,
And you tell me about your dreams.
Think I know where you belong,
Think I know it's with me.
Can't you see
That I'm the one
Who understands you?
Been here all along.
So, why can't you see—
You belong with me?
Standing by and waiting at your backdoor.
All this time how could you not know, baby?
You belong with me,
You belong with me.
You belong with me.
Have you ever thought just maybe
You belong with me?
You belong with me.
Soon we became good friends. We had so much in common, it was fun times when I saw you, then we had my other friends with us and we had such a fun time in college, every day during lunch. Then these feelings started to change, I saw someone that I could be happy with. But sadly, you had a girlfriend, someone younger, but someone you didn’t connect as well as you and I did. But yet, you liked her, and you kept seeing her, using all the gas you could buy to see her. It hurt so much, how much you didn’t see me as I saw you. But I kept trying, I kept talking to you, trying to get closer to you.
When your girlfriend made you sad or mad, I tried to cheer you up. When things were down, I did what I could to bring you up. Then that day came, when you finally announced you broke up with her. I was so happy, but sadly you never saw me as anyone but a friend. Our other friend was your next potential target, you kept going after her and it hurt so much how much you liked her and not me. I would cry all the time, wondering why. Was it because I wasn’t attractive like her? Or because I didn’t like the same music as you?
But it looked like god looked at my way to help me, then one day, I decided to work to get you to see me. I did what I could, and finally. It worked. We were together and it was the happiest days I have had to that point, but it wasn’t meant to last. I could feel you didn’t like me as much as I did to you… and it became so hurtful towards me that I felt like we had to stop seeing each other. It hurt a lot, I felt so empty and like life was horrible, but soon it became okay and then it became better that we were good friends again. Even now, as I think, years later, it was a good time and I thank you for that, never regretting for having you in my life.
Spoiler ShowIn the darkness, the young woman has woken. The sights seemingly unfamiliar to her. Nothing but groves of tress surrounded her and the sounds of the animal life filling the air. She started to stand up, staring at the starry night sky, only wearing her pink ripped pajamas. “Where am I?” she whispered to herself as she looked around to check her surroundings. The only forest she knows is the one nearby her home, but even then, these woods are not that thick.
Trying to think of what to do next, something slithered around the bushes, sticks cracking. She turned to the noise, unmoving. “H-hello?” The bushes moved even more, shaking like her legs were with fear. Just then, a wolf jumped out, growling at her, hungry for meat. The young woman started to walk backwards, trying to find a way to run away, but it was too late, behind her, the rest of the pack came to surround her. What made things worse, the wolves stood up on two legs and started to speak. “Meat… delicious meat. Let’s rip her apart!” She was frozen with fear and shock, how can these animals talk? Where the hell is she? But it didn’t matter anymore, she was going to die a very painful death.
“LOOK OUT!” screamed a voice. Behind her a bright light shone above her, a motor scooter flew from above, landing in front of her. On top was a young man, in a blue and black sweater with black shorts, wearing a red sword on his back. He jumped off and stood in an attacking stand against the wolves. “Oooh! Another one! A feast!” they growled at the boy and girl. “Heh.” Said the young man in confidence. “So you say. Come and get me you mutts!” The wolves started to jump on the boy, trying to rip at his neck. But the boy jumped away from them with several of backflips for measure. He then, attacked with his sword in such speed, it looked like a wave of light as he attacked with a splash of blood leaving each slash. Soon what was left behind but what a cadaver of wolves, laying in the place they once stood.
The boy put his sword to his back and turned to the girl in panic. “Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?” The girl was in shock, still confused and uncertain what she just saw. “Um… yeah, I think.” She carefully stood up and took a good look at him, His face was soft sculpted, seemingly like someone young. His wavy black hair flew gently in the night air and his eyes were bright blue, shining in the moonlight. He offered his hand for her and helped her on his scooter, which in closer expectation was floating on air, another clue that the girl was somewhere unfamiliar.
They started to out the forest, to a small dirt path leading to a castle wall. The guard stood, intensely until he saw who was coming. “Zack, what are you doing out this late in the night?” he said relaxing. “Sorry, I was training, lost track of time.” The guard then turned behind him and pushed a button, where then two giant doors started to open up, leading to a dark sleepy town. “Who’s that? Your girlfriend” said the guard, pointing at the girl behind Zack, who in turn, blushed at the accusation. “What?! No! She’s a friend, we were training! TRAINING!” The guard chuckled, shaking his head. “Okay, okay. Whatever you say lover boy, now go on. Your sister is waiting for you.” Zack, revved his scooter and started to float toward the city, in search for shelter for the young woman behind him, looking more tired than he was.
The floated around streets, turning corners and down arches until he found himself in a small wall arch, where a house glowed in homely warmth, calling both children. Zack helped the girl down from the scooter and both opened the door. As Zack went in, starting to call out, “I’m hom-!” a light hand, came down, bright blue light came out and hit Zack hard, ice shards flying out. He flew out of the door and into the dark street. “DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IS IT? IT’S LATE! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!” a young woman, in a blue light sleeping dress, blond long hair and same bright blue eyes Zack has. She just shoot ice out her hands, ice. The girl was more confused, where was she and how can this be? “Sirenia! I’m Sorry! I was training! And I lost time!” Sirenia still looked angry. “I DON’T CARE ABOUT YOUR BLOODY EXCUSES! I WAS WORRIED! YOU KNOW THERE ARE MONSTERS OUT THERE!” Zack got up and pointed at the girl. “I KNOW! That’s why I was late! I was saving this girl… um… what’s your name?” The girl turned at him, bright green eyes looking at him in confusion. “Um… Riley.” “Right, Riley, here. She was being attacked by wolfmen, they were almost going to eat her.” Sirenia started to calm down after this and looked at the girl. “Oh, well is she okay?” she started to look at the girl, in worry. “I think so, but, I wanted to make sure she was and see she was taken care of before I take her home. Where do you live? Here in Notsuoh?” Notsuoh? “Where’s that? In Texas?” The siblings looked at each other, in confusion. “Tehas? What’s that” asked Zack. “Is that somewhere in Acirema?”
It’s was obvious to her at this time…. She wasn’t near her home, or anywhere in the world. “Does that mean…? I’m in another world? Are you sure you don’t know Texas or America or anything like that?” The siblings shook their heads, no. “Oh… what…?” Riley, sat on the floor, in front of the door, in shock. She wasn’t near anywhere… how will she get home now? How did this happen? “I think, we should come inside, and try to figure this out. Maybe a nice bowl of Perisotar stew will make you feel a bit better and think better.” Offered Sirenia, leading both children inside, closing the door behind her.
She served them food and started a light chat, trying to keep the mind off the problems for a while, trying to learn about the girl. She stated she was from Texas, only 17 years old and the last thing she remembered before landing in their world was she found this curious ring in her room, which she showed, as a beautiful gold right with a purple diamond on top. She never received this as a gift before, so she didn’t know where it came from. Sirenia looked a bit serious after she saw this ring, but all she did was smiled once again after she composed herself and lent the new guest her bed while she cleaned the kitchen. Riley, after her ordeal, was feeling entirely drained, and as she was falling asleep, all she can think of was about home and was to come the next day in this new world.
[/QUOTE]Spoiler ShowSpoiler ShowThis is the story of Maura, A Senpai Insurance customer and how she used Senpai Insurance to help her out. “Are you kidding?” she cried at the invisible narrator. “She was the worst! I asked for money, she gave me Lotto tickets, telling me that because of her low wage she can’t give me cash!” Well, were the tickets worth anything? “Well… yeah. We won like in 3 tickets, $50 and one gave us three more free tickets.” Well then, it wasn’t a lost cause. “I guess… Well she ruined my friends wish!” What she wish for? “For a herd of Zebra.” Oh really, how did that go? “She said because she was poor and even if they have high interest rates, she still doesn’t earn enough to travel to Africa, she had to give us stuffed Zebras.” Was that bad? “Well… no… she liked them.” Well you shouldn’t complain, you got what you asked for. “No! This was not what we asked for when we signed up!” Well then, that’s your fault, you paid the insurance. We didn’t make you buy it. Maura stayed silent. Well, it that’s all you needed to say… Senpai Insurance. We DO notice you.
Spoiler ShowDue to Chibi having eight whole stories, I decided to put them in a link for easier access.
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