Like, is all of this for real...
Or not?"
|| KH ||
"So much to do...
So little time....
Take your time,
Don't be afraid.
The door is no longer shut,
Now take a step forward.
"Why am I here?"
"You don't know? That is very amusing..."
"Who are you...?"
"Someone you know... Or perhaps not..."
"What do you want?"
"Power sleeps within you... If you give it form, it will give you strength."
"What the hell are you talking about?!"
"The door has been opened..."
"The door...?"
"The closer you get to the light... The greater your shadow becomes.
And don't forget."
"I do not fear the Darkness...
"--But don't be afraid.
You hold the mightiest weapon of all.
----... He is the one who opened the door."
"----?"
"Donald,
Sorry to rush off without sayin' goodbye, but there's big trouble brewin'.
Not sure why, but the stars have been blinkin' out, one by one. And that means disaster can't be far behind. I have to leave you all but I've gotta go check into it.
There's somebody with a 'key' -- the key to our survival...
So I need you and Goofy to find him, and stick with him. Got it?
We need that key or we're doomed! So go to Traverse Town and find Leon. He'll point you in the right direction.
P.S.
Would you apologize to Minnie for me?
King Mickey"
The feel of something tapping your shoulder gradually woke you, forcing your senses to come from the dreary depths of sleep and sharpen onto the 'thing' awakening you. A low rippling sound filled your ears as you sat up, your black hair falling across your face.
"What is it?" you groaned. Something next to your bed on the side table shifted before being brought to your face. You drew your head back so you could see the small clock.
[ 7:27 am ]
"Damn it," you groaned. The clock was dropped away from your face so you could see the pair of glowing gold eyes. You smiled lightly and reached out, your fingers pressing against the small black head between the two long antennas of the Shadow Heartless. The little creature pulled its small claws together, twisting them around in an almost anxious motion as its large eyes darted from you to the door to your room. You opened your mouth to reassure the creature when another one suddenly appeared. The Knight Heartless skipped around wildly, its armor clinking together loudly. Now annoyed, you stood and shooed the two away from you.
If the old Hag didn't get her way she would be fairly pissed, and you really didn't want to deal with that end of the short leash today.
"They are so close! Just within our grasp yet you continue to allow them to slip away..." the old Hag's voice growled. "How much trouble could it possibly be for you to capture seven young girls?!"
"Give us time Maleficent," a tall and slider man by the name of Jafar said coolly. "We will capture the seven Princesses of Heart, of that you do not have to worry."
The woman he was addressing turned and smiled at him wickedly, her yellowing eyes standing out against her pale skin.
"Good, I expect nothing less."
"Do we know who each princess is?" a rather odd looking fellow asked. He was dressed in what appeared to be a burlap sack, cut into the shape of some type of ghoul.
"Alice, Belle, Snow White, Jasmine, Aurora, Cinderella and the last is -----."
Each villain in the room turned, their eyes landing on the shadowed figure in the background.
"Who are-"
"It's about time you got here Seina..." Maleficent interrupted the sudden outburst. You smirked and shrugged your shoulders, your black hair falling lightly across the shoulders of your black, calf-length coat. Ahead of you, the assembled group watched as your eyes passed over them. Everyone in the room knew Maleficent's so called 'assistant', your trademark two colored eyes gave you away in the light but hidden was a different story. Many of them hated to admit it, but they were slightly fearful of the girl before them.
Your eyes racked across the company. Ursula, Jafar and Iago, Oogie Boogie, Hades and Captain Hook. A rather large and interesting group that had been assembled but what more could you ask for from a group of cold-hearted fools looking for nothing more than power?
"Seina, I need you to head to Wonderland. Alice is the first Princess on our list..." Maleficent ordered strictly. You released a low, inaudible sigh and nodded to the witch before turning.
"I will return shortly then," you called over your shoulder before disappearing in a cloud of darkness.
"Is she that far gone already?"
"You forget it has been building in her for years..."
"True, but still... Should it be that advanced?"
"Her heart readily accepted it."
"Only because you went to her afterwards..."
You paused just inside the awkward room you had entered. Inside was a small round table with two bottles sitting on it. One was decorated with a blue label while the other had a red. Looking around, your gaze paused momentarily on the large fire place, a bucket in the corner with a faucet over it, a chair and a corner table with a book on it. As your eyes continued to travel across the Bizarre Room they stopped on a very small door. Kneeling down you moved closer and stared at the odd looking thing.
That's when the doorknob snored...
"What the hell?!"
Your sharp outcry woke the brass knob with a loud snort. Its eyes went wide as it stared around before stopping it's beady-eyed gaze on you.
"And just who are you?" the thing asked. Your eyes widened slightly before you composed yourself, returning your features back to their normal 'I-don't-give-a-rat's-ass' disposition.
"I'm looking for someone..."
"Well hello Miss 'looking-for-someone', it's such a pleasure to meet-" the doorknob was cut off as your hand wrapped around the handle that served as its nose.
"I'm looking for a blonde girl, about 13-years-old named Alice. Have you seen her?" you asked coldly. The doorknobs eyes widened as it struggled to get its nose free.
"The Queen of Hearts has her!" it shouted desperately. "You'll have to drink from the Red Bottle in order to shrink down to my size; from there you can enter the Queen's garden!"
"The Queen of Hearts?" you muttered as you released the doorknob. The thing gasped and sighed in relief.
"Yes, the Queen of Hearts... She has a rather nasty temper and has been holding Alice in jail... Something about her disobeying her orders." You sighed heavily and ran your fingers through your black hair.
"Fine, how do I get to this garden after I've shrunken down to your size?" you questioned.
"See that hole in the wall over there?" it asked, motioning towards the right. "Just walk through and it should take you strait to the garden. Be careful though, if the Queen doesn't like you she'll order her card soldiers to attack," it warned. You smirked as you stood up, a low laugh escaping you.
"Believe me, I can take care of myself..." The doorknob said nothing else as you moved back to the table and picked up the red labeled bottle. You took a sip of the liquid inside and gagged slightly. It tasted horrible! Regaining yourself while grumbling obscurities under your breath, you started back towards the door but stopped.
The door...
Was the same size as you now...
"I guess it worked..." you mumbled softly as your stared at the wooden door. Just as you were about to ask it how long the shrinking potion would last a loud snore came from it. You ground your teeth together and sighed. "Guess I'll have to hurry then..." you grumbled. Turning back to the hole, you moved off and through the darkness.
Green and red filled your vision and the strong scent of roses filled your nose. Blinking rapidly, you stared around almost dazed as the bright colors and smells assaulted your senses. Shaking your head, your turned your gaze forward where you heard someone clear their throat.
"And just who are you?!" a rather heavyset woman on a tall wooden throne asked sharply, her dark eyes boring into you. You stared at her for a moment, not really comprehending what she had just asked. "Answer me!"
'That does it...'
Your eyes narrowed aggressively as you glared at the so called 'Queen of Hearts'. No one ordered you around like some puppet. You flexed your fingers and smirked when the heavy weight of your two short swords entered both your hands. The short steel blades caught the sunlight in the garden, reflecting it across the ground in a wide pattern. The hilts were both black with black hand guards that wrapped upwards to the end of the hilt, protecting your fingers. You held the blades so they were pointed downwards to the ground behind you, a smirk spreading across your face.
"You want to ask me that again?" you hissed mockingly. The Queen's face turned red as she stood up, her eyes bulging.
"OFF WITH HER HEAD!"
You rolled your shoulders in their sockets, your two colored eyes glittering in excitement. It had been quite some time since you'd gotten a chance to fight. Your plans were to be cut short however.
"Donald, Goofy, c'mon! I think the Queen's Garden is this way," a voice rang out clearly. You twisted your head around and released a low growl as the Card Soldiers edged towards you quickly. Turning, you stared at the Queen then bowed to her mockingly.
"Until next time... Your 'Majesty'..." With that, you teleported away in a black and purple colored vortex. As the portal cleared away, a young brown haired boy ran into the garden followed by a white duck in a blue shirt and hat carrying a magic staff and a dog carrying a shield dressed in a green shirt, orange colored pants and a hat that looked somewhat like a bone.
"What on earth happened here?" the brown haired boy asked as he stared at the pile of Card Soldiers in front of him each with stars dancing around their heads. Past them he stared at the fuming Queen of Hearts who was still red in the face from anger.
"Another star has gone out...
"And you think I care?"
"Why not? Was not your world taken in a very similar way...?"
"My world chose to be swallowed..."
"No world 'chooses' to have its heart swallowed in darkness."
"Then my world was weak..."
"It's here..."
"What?"
"The 'Key'."
You stared across the small area you were in. The sign on the door below you said it was the 'Mad-Hatters Tea Garden' but you weren't so sure. As of now you were on top a small balcony over looking a long table covered in a white sheet. Tea cups were covering it and at the end hung a picture of a rather odd looking old man in green and an equally as odd looking rabbit wearing a red vest. Both looked sad in the picture so you chose to ignore it.
Pulling out your short sword, you eyed the keen blade and smiled slightly. The second appeared in your left hand as you held it out expectedly. Two blades you had received a long time ago... Before any of this had happened.
You sighed and dropped the blades watching as they disappeared back into the darkness to wait until you called for them again. Sitting up, you stared between the bars of the balcony across the tea garden your eyes resting on the gate that entered into the area.
'Donald... Goofy...'
You quickly pressed your back against the eve of the house so your body was concealed in darkness, drawing your coat hood up so it cast a shadow over your face. You could not afford to give yourself away. The voices you had heard before in the Queen's Garden came again, this time at the gate. You watched quietly as the three figures entered, your eyes traveling from the duck in blue and the dog in green and orange then lastly to the boy in red.
'Sora...'
"C'mon guys, we only have to find one more box with the evidence that Alice is innocent to get her free from the Queen!" the brown haired boy said happily. The dog and duck both nodded in agreement. You watched quietly as the three moved to the table and nosed around before sitting in different seats. Several things popped up around the table, including the box they seemed to have been looking for.
Your eyes narrowed as you stared at the boy.
There was something about him...
Raising your hand slightly, you watched as a portal appeared in the center of the table and a Large Body Heartless emerged. Smiling, you watched as the duck and dog quickly moved in front of the boy.
"Sora!" the duck shouted.
'Sora...?'
The boy quickly twisted around, his hand grabbing the air and pulling what looked like a key from mid-air.
"The 'Keyblade'...
'It's him...'
The boy slashed the Large Body Heartless and you watched quietly as it dissolved, leaving nothing behind to show it had ever existed.
'So that's the Keyblade...'
"C'mon, we'd better hurry," the brown haired boy said quickly as he led both the duck and dog back out the gate. Intrigued, you closed your eyes and focused all your energy on teleporting you back to the Queen of Heart's garden. Darkness surrounded you then your eyes were assaulted by brightness once again. This time, however, you were out of the Queens sight. You were sitting up on one of the hedges, you body pressed between a bush and the arching shrub next to you. You ducked your head slightly and watched as the boy and his two companions sat each box before the Queen.
"Present one box with the evidence and Alice will be set free," the Queen commanded. Ahead of the boy beside the Queens throne you saw what looked to be a golden cage with a red curtain draped over it. You frowned slightly, wondering how you could get the first Princess of Heart from the cage without being noticed by the others when the Queen's enraged cry of 'Off with their heads' reached your ears. Turning, you saw that the boy, Sora; had opened the center box. Inside had been no evidence at all. Instead his companions the duck and dog had appeared.
'That's odd...'
At the Queens command, the Card Soldiers attacked, diving at the three man group simultaneously. You smirked slightly and watched as a large crank tower appeared just in front of the throne. The duck was ordering the Keybearer to attack the crank tower as he and the dog held off the attacking cards. Though it was fairly amusing, you had to use this time to execute your plan and snag Alice.
Moving quickly, you dashed across the garden grounds, both your blades appearing in your hands. One of the Cards saw you and immediately tried to halt your advance but you sliced through him easily, a sadistic grin on your face as he crumbled to the ground.
Pausing, you lifted the red curtain and smiled seeing the blonde haired girl huddling inside. You moved your right-handed blade up to the lock on the cage and pressed the tip inside.
"Lightining."
A small 'zap' was heard then a soft 'click' as the cage door opened. Smiling you reached in the cage, holding out your hand to Alice.
"C'mon, I'll take you somewhere safe."
Alice hesitated before dropping her hand into your own. Still smiling you stepped back into the portal of darkness, pulling both you and the Princess of Heart to the Bizarre Room where you had first entered. You paused, standing on the table while your eyes locked onto the blue labeled bottle.
"We need to drink from that in order to-"
"I see her!" a voice shouted. Turning, you stared down from the table to the owner of the voice.
The Keybearer.
"What do you want kid?" you called out harshly.
"Give us back Alice!" Sora shouted up angrily, his hand clutching the hilt of his keyblade.
"Ha! And what are you going to do if I don't? Beat me with that useless piece of scrap metal?" you called back mockingly. "I'm sorry, but Alice here is needed else where."
"Hey!" Sora shouted angrily, taking a step forward. You rolled your eyes, though none of them could see the gesture and quickly grabbed Alice's wrist.
"We don't need the elixir to grow back tall," you mumbled. Behind you a dark portal appeared and you turned towards it, dragging a fearful Alice behind you.
"Let her go!" Sora shouted as he started towards you.
"Your troublesome," you called down coolly as he hopped up into one of the chairs. "Trickmaster! Take care of the pest so I can get my job done!" Below you, a new portal opened allowing the Heartless named 'Trickmaster' to enter the Bizarre Room. It was very tall and lanky, its arms and legs almost like accordions while on it's head it wore a very tall hat decorated with black, gold and red bands. Smirking, you turned and quickly moved into the portal, taking Alice with you and leaving Sora and his friends to fight the Heartless.
The portal took your strait back to Hallow Bastion, the central station for all of Maleficent's dealings. You paused inside the main chamber, your eyes looking around for the witch while Alice continued to struggle in your grasp.
"Would you stop squirming?" you asked, your voice coming out polite. This startled Alice, her blue eyes widening.
"Why are you doing this?" Alice asked, her voice trembling slightly.
"Orders are orders..." you replied. The sound of someone descending the stairs brought your attention around. Looking up, you watched quietly as Maleficent stepped off the last step and moved towards you.
"Very good Seina... Now I have something else I need you to do-"
"I have other news," you interrupted. The quick cut off left the hag's face withered in silent anger.
"What child?" she snapped, her eyes narrowed.
"The Keybearer has arrived."
Maleficent stared at you for a moment, a frown flowing over her face.
"He could cause trouble for us..."
"He's traveling with the Court Magician and Royal Knight from King Mickey's castle," you continued. The witches frown deepened as she let out an annoyed sigh.
"Fine, change of plans. Go to a place called 'Traverse Town'. Find out what you can about this 'Keybearer' and when you get a chance... Kill him. I need to talk to him about what needs to be done next..."
You stared up at Maleficent before quickly nodding and turning back to the doors to the main chamber. You would need to board your Gummi ship from the entrance of Rising Falls. Behind you the Hag had already taken firm hold of Alice as she tried to slip away.
"Now, now m'dear. You'll be coming with me..." she said coolly as she ushered the confused blonde towards a door shaped like a mis-shapen heart.
