Kingdom Hearts ~another side~ Ch. 1

[Hayate]

Another side, another story… The tale untold, and the place where shadows cannot reach…

Kingdom Hearts ~another side~

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~ Report 1: The Dawn Cometh ~

The sun hangs in the sky over Aubade Town. A utopia of white that serves as home to just over a hundred people. A place that shines brightly and brilliantly even at night. A gem among worlds.

Four floating landmasses, with the largest in the center. Connecting the four was a circular track of iron on which a pair of automated monorails ran.

The central landmass housed both the Morning Plaza and Hub Park. The decorative fountain in the middle of the plaza could brighten any individual’s mood, and the park observed visitation by the children of Aubade during all hours of the day.

The northern landmass was covered with rows and rows of housings to accommodate the world’s populace. ‘Hello’s’ and ‘good day’s’ of passersby were the everyday norm.

To the east of Morning Plaza was the marketplace. Like Hub Park, this region of Aubade Town would see traffic on a day-to-day basis, most prominently by citizens looking to take advantage of daily bargains and giveaways.

Lastly, to the west lie Twinkle Ridge, home to the observatory and Twinkle Hill. To couples and stargazers alike, the view of the night sky was one of the city’s marvels.

The city had little going for it in the way of technology, but the people lived simple, comfortable lives amongst their fellow man, and the commodities that the world provided were sufficient. Even the screech and rumble of the monorail was considered by many to be perfectly bearable.

On this afternoon in particular, one young resident makes the most of the serenity Aubade Town so often enjoys. A boy, 15 years old, with prickly teal hair, dressed in the yellow short-sleeved hoodie, blue jeans, and white black-trim sneakers he’s known for wearing around town. With his hands cushioning his head, the boy lies on the lush grass of Twinkle Hill as a cool midday breeze blows over him. With his eyes closed, the boy takes in and lets out slow breaths of air through his nostrils.

In its mischievousness, the wind picks up a few blades of grass and carries them in the direction of the boy’s nose. The blades tickle his nose hairs…

“ACHOO!”

…triggering a hearty sneeze that stirs him from his afternoon nap. As he rubs the fuzz away from his face, he glances fleetingly at his environment, taking notice of the sun’s position in the sky. With a yawn, he leans back to resume his nap…

…if not for the girl standing over him.

“Whoa!” Startled by her presence, the teal-haired boy shoots forward, now wide awake. He turns his upper body around slightly to face her and hear her laugh. “Come on…”, he starts. “Give me a break, Marin…”

Marin. One of Ciel’s closest friends in Aubade Town. 18 years of age, wearing a pure white tank top over a sleeveless powder blue shirt with thin horizontal navy stripes, cerulean hip-huggers, colorful sandals, and wearing her long dark-red hair in a ponytail. She looks upon her friend with her arms crossed. “‘Top of the morning’ to you too, sleepyhead. How’d I know I’d find you here, Ciel?”

“Do I have a tracking device on me somewhere?”, the boy named Ciel jokes.

“Funny.”

Just then, a third voice -- prepubescent in nature -- calls out from the bottom of the hill. “Hey, Ciel! Down here!”

The two turn their heads to face the voice’s source: a younger boy of 13, and the second of Ciel’s best friends. He bore golden-brown hair even spikier than Ciel’s, and favored a look consisting of red zippered turtleneck, blue ankle-length jeans, and black sneakers with yellow trim. As the kid waves in his general direction, Ciel waves back. “Heh. Hey, Roche. Good to see ya.” Rising to his feet, he looks back at Marin. “You brought the half-pint with you?”

“You know how Roche is.”, replies Marin with a shrug. “Where ‘Big Sis’ goes, he goes.”

“Right, right. So…” Ciel pockets his hands and continues. “…To what do I owe this pleasant interruption of naptime?”

“Why else do I associate with you?”, the young woman teases. Marin holds her right hand out to the side and fully outstretches her fingers. A swirl of air and moisture encircles her arm, and in a narrow flash of electric blue light…

…a Keyblade appears in her hand.

The weapon had a primarily blue color scheme. The shaft was a smooth sapphire, and crystals of ice formed the teeth at the tip. The keychain swung freely by Marin’s wrist, with a tiny teardrop prism at the chain’s end. Marin’s Keyblade-of-choice: the Deepest Blue.

Bringing it up over her head, Marin props the weapon on her shoulder. “…We’ve got work to do.”

Ciel knew full well the meaning of the word ‘work’. “Hmph. Lead the way.”, he says simply, following Marin and Roche to the monorail.

…Cut to the far end of Hub Park. With her Keyblade still drawn, Marin explains to Ciel, “A few kids around town said they saw something glowing over by the trees. Like eyes.”

“Glowing, huh…?” Ciel takes a few steps toward the trees and peers into the thick shade cast by the branches. For several moments, all Ciel could see was black, and all he could hear was the rustle of the leaves. “…”

A pair of golden orbs glares back through the darkness.

“!!!”

A small, black mass speeds across the air at Ciel. With just a handful of seconds allowed him, Ciel leans away to evade the figure’s attack. As it lands in the grass to the trio’s rear with a plop, the figure hops up and assumes it standard shape: a diminutive creature with an all-black body, bright yellow eyes, clawed hands, large feet, and twisted antennae. It had a most peculiar manner of walk.

There was no mistaking it. “Heartless!”, Ciel barks, curling his fingers into fists. At the sight of the Shadow, Ciel draws his own weapon: a Keyblade with a silver and pale green color scheme and an appearance not unlike the Oathkeeper. Thin wing-shaped guards curled around the black handle, and three additional smaller wings formed the blade’s teeth. At the end of the keychain hung a little green helix. This was Ciel’s Keyblade, Pierce the Skies.

In the presence of the Keyblade, the lone Shadow hobbles toward Ciel and lunges at him with its claws.

With some well placed footing, Ciel easily defends himself against the weak attack, and swings the blade back in retaliation.

The Shadow ducks underneath the blade’s arc and sinks into the ground like an actual shadow, as was its primary defense mechanism. Along the grassy earth, it makes its way back into the shade of the trees.

“Oh, no, you don’t!”, snaps Ciel, leaping forward at the flattened Heartless. During his descent, he thrusts the Keyblade down into the Shadow’s silhouette.

The Shadow lets out a pained shriek, and it vanishes in a puff of black mist.

Ciel pumps his arm in victory. “Hah! That’s how it’s done!”

“Uh… Ciel?”, Roche speaks up, pointing his arm to the trees.

Ciel’s triumph is proven premature, as a multitude of yellow eyes could be seen emanating from within the shade. A moderately sized group of Shadows, as well as a small handful of Soldiers, emerges from the darkness to face the two Keyblade wielders.

The teal-haired kid exhales a sigh. “That figures…”

“No worries.”, assures Marin, stepping up with her Deepest Blue Keyblade. “I got your back.”

“Me too!”, Roche exclaims, drawing his own Keyblade as well. This weapon was the broadest of the three, bearing similarities to the Olympia and Total Eclipse, yet was light enough for little Roche to brandish with a single hand. Compared to Marin’s Deepest Blue and Ciel’s Pierce the Skies, Roche’s Superquake Keyblade had the shortest reach but carried the greatest amount of physical might.

This came as no surprise to Ciel. He relied heavily on the strength and support of his two friends. “Hmph. Well, alright then.”, he says simply with a grin.

Gazing hungrily at the Key-bearing trio, the crowd of Shadows and Soldiers leaps forth.

Ciel, Roche, and Marin meet the Heartless legion in the middle, and a small-scale battle erupts.

…A battle that lasts all of 2 minutes. One by one, the Heartless fall, their hearts releasing into the atmosphere and drifting away. Marin had the pleasure of destroying the last Shadow standing. She sighs a breath of relief, and her Keyblade disappears in the same flash of light it appeared in. “Mission accomplished. Good work, you two.”

Roche brings his hands behind his head and smiles widely. “All in a day’s work for us Keyblade masters. Hehehe.”

“You guys finally done over here?”, a fourth voice calls out from behind.

The trio turns around to see another trio approaching -- two girls and one boy. The boy, 16 and blond, wore a black T-shirt, white baseball jersey, black cap, grayish-brown sweatpants (in spite of the heat), and gray boots. He walked in the middle, no more than a foot ahead of his female companions. The first girl, same age as the boy, was dressed in a white short-sleeved shirt, a red plaid skirt, and plain brown shoes. She wore her light-pink chest-length hair in a ponytail that draped over her left shoulder. She stood to the boy’s right. The other girl, 14, was quite possibly the most fashion-conscious of the three, sporting a light amber jacket over a sky blue striped vest top, a frilly cobalt skirt, and white sandals. Her hair, a denser shade of pink than that of the other girl’s, was tied back into a short ponytail with a turquoise bow. She stood to the boy’s immediate left.

Ciel seemed especially excited by their arrival. “Hey, Claire, Snow, Serah.”

“Hi.”, Claire greets in return.

“Heya!”, Serah adds.

Marin greets the three with a short wave. “Hey, you three. Caught us just in time.”

“Awesome.”, says Snow with one hand in his pocket and the other palming a baseball. “If you got nothing else to do, me and some of the guys on our block are getting together to play a game. You in?”

“Sure, I’ll play.”, Roche replies.

Suddenly taking Snow by the arm, Serah perkily cries, “I’m on Snow’s team!”

Claire rolls her eyes at this display of affection. “There’s a shocker…”

Ciel, however, wasn’t as eager. “Thanks, but I’ll pass. Never been much of a sports guy.”

“Same here.”, Marin adds, echoing Ciel’s refusal. “But you guys have fun.”

“In that case…”, begins Claire, taking a few steps forward. “…How about a sparring match?” Reaching behind her, she pulls out a collapsible wooden sword. “Who knows? Maybe this’ll be the day you finally beat me. …I doubt it though.”

Ciel bares a confident grin and pulls out a wooden sword of simpler design. “You’re on!”

Marin leans against a nearby tree and folds her arms. “Oh, I want a front row seat to this.”

[BGM: Hand in Hand]

As Roche departs with Snow and Serah to play baseball, Ciel and Claire assume fighting stances with several yards between them. An afternoon breeze cuts through the calm silence, and Ciel doesn’t look away from Claire for even a moment. “…” He notices a slight shift in her footing… “!!!”…and prepares to guard.

Claire pushes off the ground and rockets forward with sword in hand. Once within range, she motions a quick series of thrusts at certain points of Ciel’s upper body. The attack pattern was familiar to Ciel, as he finds himself guarding or dodging all of Claire’s thrusts. Once an opening makes itself known, he shifts downward and swings at her feet. The pink-haired teen leaps over Ciel’s lower swipe and brings her weapon down upon him from above. Ciel pulls his sword up to absorb the strike, and slips around to Claire’s backside. As he attacks with a thrust of his own, Claire brings the sword to her back to defend, and then sweeps at Ciel’s leg to break his stance. Ciel stumbles for a moment, but regains his footing in time to avoid Claire’s follow-up attack. A couple of yards briefly separate the two, but Ciel leaps ahead to meet Claire in close quarters. A furious clash of wooden swords ensues, with Ciel seeming to gain the upper hand. He matches Claire blow for blow and pushes her back little by little. Claire found herself amazed by how much Ciel’s swordsmanship had improved. He swings vertically downward, and Claire defends with a horizontal sword position. It was now a matter of which side would give out first. “Tch!” With a rotation of her blade, Claire catches Ciel’s arm in her grip, pulls the weight of his body toward her, and flips him over her and onto his back.

“Agh!” Ciel lets out a pained groan as his body comes into contact with the ground. Before he could pick himself up…

…Claire was already on top of him, the tip of her sword just inches from his face. “…Looks like I win again.”, she boasts with a toothy smirk.

“…” Defeated, the boy with green locks closes his eyes and chuckles. “Man. Thought I had you that time. Guess I need more practice.”

“Don’t sell yourself short. You’ve gotten a lot better.” After folding up her sword and putting it away, Claire extends a hand to help Ciel up off the ground, to which he accepts. “Of course it might just have to do with today.”

“Hmm? Why? What’s special about today?”

“You forgot?”, Claire whines, feigning disappointment. “That’s mean, Ciel.”

“U-Um…” Retreating to his mind, Ciel scrambles to remember what made this particular date special. Something to do with Claire. “Hmm…”

Off to the side, Marin holds in her laughter. “Wait for it…”

“…Ah, that’s right! It’s your birthday!”

“There you go.”

The forgetful Ciel slaps himself both mentally and physically, hitting his forehead with his palm. “Aw, man… I’m sorry, Claire. I dunno how I could’ve forgotten.”

“It’s fine. At least you remembered before I made you pay for it.”

“Hehehe…hah…”

“C’mon. Let’s go catch up with Serah and the others.”

“Right behind ya.” Ciel bends down to pick up his toy sword and watches Claire walk away.

“Hey…”, Marin calls out as she walks up. “…How come you don’t fight her with the Keyblade? You know you’d win. Easily.”

Ciel runs his fingers along the length of the blade. “It wouldn’t be a fair fight that way. I wanna beat Claire with my own strength and skill.”

“Well, aren’t we the overachiever? …Soooooooo…you ask her out yet?”

“!!!” Not surprisingly, such a question causes Ciel to drop his sword. “W-WHAT?!?”

“Hmm? I didn’t say anything.”

“That’s not funny, Marin!”

“What’s not funny?”

“I mean it! Cut it out!”

“Cut what out? You’re the one who started yelling for no reason.”

“Argh!”

“Hahahahaha!”

Ciel faces away to hide his blush. “…Seriously, Marin, sometimes you remind me of Relena.”

“!!!”

“…Marin?”

“…”

Marin’s uncharacteristic silence was disconcerting. “Marin, what’s wrong?”

“…It’s nothing. Come on, the others are waiting for us.” Saying nothing else, Marin walks away.

“W-Wait!” Did I say something I shouldn’t have?, Ciel thought. Why did Marin suddenly clam up when he mentioned Relena? Did something happen between them before her disappearance? Ciel thought on her with only the fondest of memories, and he was sure everyone else did the same. So why? “Marin…”

…That evening, even as the sun makes its descent, the streetlights that line the suburb area help the city retain some of its morning colors. A quietness blankets over as the civilians retire to their homes. The sound of chirping crickets permeates the quiet, adding to the sense of tranquility.

The whipping sound effect of a toy sword twirling in midair could be heard in Ciel’s bedroom if one listened well enough. Lying on his cloud-and-sky-themed bedspread, the young Keyblade wielder passes the time by tossing his wooden sword up and catching it by the handle. He thinks on the additional practice he’ll need to do in order to beat Claire. With little else to preoccupy his time, he gazes out the window to his left… “…Hmm?”

…and notices something wriggle its way out of the shadows, into the light of a streetlamp, and back into the darkness just moments later.

Just like that, Ciel had found a means to kill time. “Ahhh… The one that got away, huh…? Heh! Not for long!”

The lone Shadow hobbles down a dead-end alley and stops short of the wall.

Before long, it’s joined by Ciel, who appears at the alley entrance with Keyblade in hand. “Okay, you little freak. No need to be a rebel. You’ll save us both the trouble if you just stay still.”

Paying Ciel’s words no mind, the Shadow sinks into the ground, Ciel’s first thought being it was attempting to flee. But within mere seconds of doing so, it pops back up assuming a new form -- one slightly larger than its first. It had a fairly muscular build, its arms, legs, and antennae were longer in length, and certain parts of its body were lined with faint blue veins. It was Ciel’s first encounter with a Neoshadow.

The Keyblade-toting lad was surprised by the Shadow’s transformation. “Whoa… Never seen a Heartless do that before… Nonetheless…!” Still determined to end the Heartless’ life (or lack thereof), he dashes forward and swings the Keyblade down.

With a nimble leap, the Neoshadow evades the attack, springs off of Ciel’s head, knocking him over, and sprints out of the alley and down the street.

“H-Hey!” Ciel jumps to his feet and gives chase. “Get back here!”

He follows the humanoid Heartless up and down a number of neighborhoods. All the while, the Neoshadow demonstrates both its speed and dexterity, leaping across rooftops and running along the side of buildings, quick enough to remain out of Ciel’s range yet dragging its feet just enough to stay in his sights.

Taking aim with his Keyblade, Ciel fires a barrage of pressurized air bullets at the black creature, each shot barely missing its mark. “Tch! Hold still!”

The chase eventually leads the two to the top of Twinkle Hill, where Ciel corners the Neoshadow at the cliff edge.

Ciel, short of breath, points his weapon at the slippery Heartless. “I’ve got you now…! Nowhere to run…!”

“…That’ll do, sweetie… I’ll take it from here…”

“Huh? Who’s…?” As Ciel glances around for the source of an unfamiliar voice, the Neoshadow sinks into the ground once more and slips by underneath his feet. “Hey!” He spins around to his rear… “!!!”…and sees a figure lurking in the shade nearby. “Who’s there!? Come out and show me your face!”

The Neoshadow pops back up above ground, where the figure could be seen scratching its chin like one would a kitten. “Such a good boy… You followed Mama’s directions perfectly…”

Ciel grasps the Keyblade with both hands. “I said, come out!”

“…It’s not nice to yell at people, Ciel…”

“…H-How do you know my name…?”

The figure steps forward into the light to reveal its face to Ciel: it was a woman who appeared no older than 21. She had golden shoulder-length hair and bright green eyes, and was dressed in a black skin-tight outfit lined with pink fur that showed off her hourglass figure and left much of her skin bare. Completing the bizarre ensemble was a black choker and white cape that reached down to her waist. With a smile, the blonde casually greets, “Hey there, shorty. Ya been good?”

Ciel thought it strange that an older woman he didn’t recognize was addressing him in such an informal manner. “Um… Have we met, miss?”

The blonde woman pouts. “Awww… You forgot me already, Ciel? How cruel. It’s only been, what? Three years, give or take?”

“!!!” The beaming smile of an old friend laps at the shores of Ciel’s memory. A name shudders on his lips. “…Relena!”

“Bingo! That wasn’t too hard, was it?”

The Pierce the Skies slips out of Ciel’s grasp and drops onto the grass at his feet. “Y-You… You came back…”, he stammers through his budding tears. “Where’d you go!? You just disappeared! We… We were all so worried about you!”

“Awww, really? That’s so sweet. You’re a good bunch of kids, y’know? Almost makes me sad I left. …The operative word being ‘almost’, of course.”

“Huh…?”

“I honestly didn’t think I’d be coming back here any time soon. I’ll let you in on a little secret, Ciel… I’ve always…”

The beaming smile that young Ciel remembered was now that of pure malice.

“…hated this world…!”

“!!!”

Relena’s body emits a menacing black aura, and numerous Neoshadows appear to her side.

“More of them!?”

“Do what you like…”, instructs Relena in a sinister tone. “…but don’t kill him. I want him alive so he can watch this place crumble.”

At their master’s command, the Heartless swarm Ciel from all corners.

Ciel keeps the Neoshadow legion at bay with the Keyblade, but they amass at a quicker rate than he can destroy them. In the corner of his eye, he watches as Relena takes her leave. “R-Relena! Come back! What are you…!?”

Saying nothing, the blond in black vanishes through a portal of darkness.

“RELENA!!!”

It wouldn’t be long before more of Relena’s pets appear around the city and begin terrorizing the populace, seizing their hearts as their own. Panicked screams echo across Aubade Town as its siege gets into full swing.

“Come on, this way!”

Claire, Snow, and Serah dash their way through the suburb area in flee of the invading Heartless. Leading the group, Claire looks on in horror as her home slowly collapses.

“What’s going on, Snow!?”, Serah cries in fear. “Why is this happening!?”

“I have no idea! There’s never been this many Heartless before!”

“Don’t panic, you two! We’ll be fine as soon as we get to the bunker!”

The trio continues its mad dash down the street toward the underground shelter, and it seemed as though safety was just around the corner…

…except around that very corner was a group of Heartless lying in wait.

“Aah! They’re everywhere!”

The Shadows shuffle toward Claire, Snow, and Serah, ready to claw their hearts out.

The three found themselves backed into a corner. It was perhaps the first time Claire felt genuine fear and hopelessness. “…”

“Geo Impact!”

Just then, as if by a godsend, Roche descends upon the Heartless from above, slamming the Superquake into the ground and laying waste to the Shadow horde with a burst of earthly power.

“R-Roche!?”

“Get out of here!”, the youngest Key bearer dictates, as this wasn’t the time for pleasantries. “I’ll hold ‘em off!” With that, the boy dives headlong into the fray.

Claire narrows her brows at this spectacle, cursing her own powerlessness against the Heartless. “…Worst birthday ever.”

In Hub Park, among the throngs of Shadows, the Pierce the Skies twirls through the air, taking out any Heartless it comes into contact with, and shortly returns to Ciel’s hand. Utterly winded from the battle, he nearly keels over trying to catch his breath. “Hah… Hah… There’s…so many of them…! I can’t…keep this up…!”

The Shadows, Neoshadows, and Soldiers advance upon Ciel in his moment of weakness. Just as they’re poised to strike…

“Glacier!”

…an unseen force encases every Heartless in the vicinity in ice. With a snap of one’s fingers, the ‘Shadowsicles’ shatter. Through the blackened snowfall, Marin approaches. “You okay, Ciel!?”

“I’m fine…! I just…need a few minutes…!”

“What’s happening!? Where’d all these Heartless come from!?”

“It’s… It’s Relena!”

“!!!” Just like what happened that afternoon, the sound of Relena’s name makes Marin go silent. “…Where is she…!?”

“I-I think she was headed toward the plaza!”

Morning Plaza. That was all she needed to hear. The Keyblade-wielding redhead leaves Ciel and makes for the plaza across from the park.

“W-Wait a minute! Marin!”

Any and all external noise goes unnoticed. Marin mows down the Heartless in her way and heads for the black mass emanating from beyond the fountain. ‘Why…!? Why now of all times!?’

Relena watches in twisted delight as her pets work their destructive magic. “Hahahahaha! That’s it! Tear it down! Tear it all down! Ahhhhh… Such a wonderful sound darkness makes…”

“Relena!”

“…Ah. And the second member of our all-star cast takes the stage.” Relena turns to meet Marin face-to-face. “Hey, ‘Red’. Long time no barf.”

“…”

“…Nothing? Not even a grin? Six years ago, that would’ve had you busting a gut.”

“Six years ago, we barely knew each other. And I didn’t know how sick in the head you were.”

“‘Sick in the head’? That’s a little harsh, don’t you think?”

“What are you doing here, Relena? When we said our goodbyes back then, it was for good. Why have you come back here?”

“What, you didn’t miss me at all? Not even a little bit?”

“Answer the question!”

“…Let’s just say I’ve come to realize something these past few years living on my own -- an epiphany, if you will. This world and the people in it… They’re soft. Weak -minded. Spineless. The light’s spoiled them rotten, making them fearful of even the tiniest speck of darkness. They cling to the light like a newborn clings to its mother. They worship it. …And then there’s yours truly. Heaven forbid I have in me a bit of a naughty streak.”

“Naughty streak? Is that how you rationalize it? As I recall, you had a taste for burning ants with a magnifying glass and breaking windows. And then what do you go and do? You burn a house down! That’s not ‘naughty’; that’s psychopathic!”

“Meh. What can I say? I was young and rebellious. …Ohhhh, you should’ve heard them, Marin. What the adults were saying about me. Calling me a ‘demon child’ and a ‘lost cause’. They were so sure that I was a victim of the darkness. So sure, in fact, that they had the nerve to tell me to leave before ‘my darkness infected the other children’! Come to think of it, that was right around the time you and the munchkins were chosen by the Keyblade. And then the Heartless came! And they go and blame me for that too!? The people living in this city -- they’re the real Heartless!!!”

“…So this is about revenge then…?”

“Oh, this is about more than just revenge, ‘Red’. I told you, this world’s been spoiled by the light. It has yet to know true darkness…and I’m just the girl to give it a crash course!”

Marin had heard enough. She draws the Deepest Blue. “You’re not just sick in the head. You’re completely insane. I’m not letting you turn my home into your personal playground!” She raises the blade and charges onto the offensive.

“Oh, please…” As Relena brings her hand up, a yellow dagger generates between her fingers. With a flick of her wrist, she tosses the dagger at Marin.

The dagger punctures Marin’s shoulder and sends a jolt through her body. “Agh!”

With lightning fast movement, Relena does this 11 times more, making each jolt doubly strong as the one preceding it.

Having been stricken completely numb, Marin falls to one knee, unable to even keep a firm grip on the Keyblade. “Nngh…! W-Why you…!”

“Go ahead and take a knee there, ‘Red’. You’ll end up hurting yourself.” With a virtually secure victory, Marin steps forward, her heels clacking on the cobblestones, and stands to Marin’s side.

With the wind blowing as fiercely as it was, Marin catches a glimpse of an emblem decorating Relena’s bare back. A black and red heart-shaped pattern. The same emblem certain Heartless bear. Marin’s eyes go wide with shock at the sight of the pattern. “Relena, you’re…! It… It can’t be…! You’re a…!?”

“Hehehehe. Looks good on me, doesn’t it? Now then…watch as I reduce this city to dust…”

“No… You can’t…”

“The fireworks are gonna be spectacular… Hehehe… HAHAHAHAHA!!!”

“No…! Please, Relena, don’t…!”

The Keyblade at Marin’s feet reacts to her desperation, and begins to shimmer with white light.

“I…said…STOOOOOOP!!!”

As if responding to a wish made in Marin’s heart, a glint of light briefly shines over Relena and strikes down upon her in the form of a pillar. The light neutralizes Relena’s darkness, causing her a great deal of pain. “GRAAAAAHHHHH!!!”

The pillar of light extends as high up as the sky, for all in Aubade Town to see.

In the suburb area, it catches Roche’s eye. “Wow…”

It attracts the attention of many of Relena’s Heartless pets.

Perhaps the closest to be awestruck by the pillar (besides Marin) was Ciel, having been just a few kilometers away in Hub Park. “…”

As the radiance dies away, Relena stumbles forward, clenching her chest in piercing agony. “W-What…was that!?”

“It was the light, Relena.”

Glancing behind her, the anguished blonde sees Marin standing upright. “H-How are you…!?”

“The light answered when I called out to it. It saw the darkness in you, and decided that you’re not welcome here. And quite frankly, I agree with it.” Marin raises the Deepest Blue confidently. “Now…care to try your knife trick on me again?”

“…” Relena wasn’t impressed however. Her mastery over darkness trumped Marin’s mastery of the light by far. Still… “…Not bad, ‘Red’… Kind of a cheap shot, but I still gotta give you that one…” Another portal to darkness opens to Relena’s rear, indicating her withdrawal. “I may be able to squeeze a little fun out of you after all…”, she concludes with a laugh, stepping backward through the portal.

“Wait! Come back!” Marin attempts to follow through the portal, but it closes before she could do so. “…Tch!”

Shortly after Relena’s departure, Ciel makes his entrance. “Marin! You okay? What happened to Relena?”

“…She’s gone.”

“Y-You mean you…?”

“No. She got away.”

“Oh…”

“…I’m going after her. I’ll take the Nautilus.”

“What!? You’re leaving too!?”

“Relena’s become a Heartless, Ciel. With the darkness at her beck and call, she can lay waste to any world she wants. If given the chance, she could even come back here and finish the job she started. I’m not giving her that chance.”

“But she was our friend! Shouldn’t we try to save her!?”

“Didn’t you hear me? She’s a Heartless now! She’s beyond saving! …I’m sorry, Ciel. I’m taking her out before she can cause any more damage.”

“Then… Then I’m coming with you!”

“No. You’re staying here to look after the others.”

“I’m not letting you go alone, Marin!”

“This isn’t open for discussion!”

“Why is Relena your responsibility!? She was my friend too! All of ours! Stop trying to make this about you!”

“IT ISN’T ABOUT ME!!!”

“…” Ciel lowers his head in grief. Nothing he said seemed to get through. “But Marin…” …Just then, a pair of arms pulls him in close. He looks up and finds himself in Marin’s warm embrace.

“I know how you feel, Ciel. I loved Relena like a sister. When she left, it hurt me just as much as it hurt you. But things are different now. She’s a Heartless. She hurt the ones we love and almost destroyed our home. I can’t let her get away with that. So while I’m gone, I want you to watch over Roche and Claire and Snow and Serah. They need you, Ciel. You’ve gotta be strong. For me, and for them. Especially Roche -- you know he can be a total crybaby when I’m not around. You’re just as much my brother as he is, Ciel. I’ve already lost one friend; I can’t lose another.”

“…Marin…”

The redhead bends over and kisses Ciel on the forehead. “…Take care of each other. I’ll be back soon.”

Having nothing else to say, the boy looks on as Marin walks away, and a few short minutes later, sees a Gummi Ship take off into the sky. “Ma…rin…”, Ciel mutters weakly, battle fatigue finally catching up with him. Unable to even see clearly, he drops his Keyblade and falls over, slipping gradually into unconsciousness.

Elsewhere, in a clearing on the far side of the suburb area, Relena’s remaining forces congregate upon the last Key bearer standing. Roche had his back against the wall, and the sheer number of Heartless was far too great for him to handle. “Get away…!”, whimpers the miniscule Keyblade wielder. “Leave me alone…!”

Even in Roche’s pitiable condition, the Soldiers maintain their relentless advance.

The dirty-blond child cowers to the floor, exhausted and frightened. “Please…! I can’t do this by myself…! Ciel…! Sis…! Someone…!”

Along the wall that Roche’s back was pressed against, a portal of light suddenly appears…

“W-Whoa!”

…causing Roche to fall through to whatever was on the other side.

The Heartless army was reasonably puzzled by this sight. With two Keyblade masters gone, one out of commission, and their blonde mistress having withdrawn, the Shadows and Soldiers leave.

For whatever reason, Aubade Town was spared from the maw of darkness.


“…Marin!”

Emerging from his sleep with a forceful jerk, Ciel awakens to the sight of his room and comfort of his bed. He looks out the window; to his great relief, Aubade Town was still here. Disoriented from the previous night’s events, Ciel slowly gets out of bed and steps outside.

He brings his hand up to shield his eyes, the brightness of the sun taking him by surprise. There was certainly no mistaking the sunlight of Aubade. There, just past his front gate, he encounters Claire, Snow, and Serah. “Hey, you guys.”, he feebly greets.

“Ciel!”, Serah exclaims as she turns. “Thank goodness you’re okay!”

“What happened?”

“We’re not really sure.”, Claire chimes in with. “By the time we left the bunker, all the Heartless were gone. We found you passed out by the plaza fountain.”

“Fountain…? …Ah! That’s right! That’s where Marin…and Relena were…”

“Relena!? She was here!?”

“…” Over the course of the next couple of minutes, Ciel explains to his friends how Relena was controlling the Heartless and had even become a Heartless herself, as well as Marin’s decision to track her down in their Gummi Ship. The tale had brought expressions of complete disbelief out of the three.

Snow was particularly bowled over. “Oh, man… This is huge…”

Claire, however, was slightly less so. “Hmph. Considering her track record, can’t say I’m that shocked…”

Deciding to bring the conversation back on track, Ciel queries, “Where’s Roche?”

“Dunno. No one’s seen him all morning.”

“What!? Roche is missing!?”

“…Maybe the Heartless got him…”

“Serah!”

“S-Sorry…”

Roche’s heart was too strong for the Heartless to take. Ciel knew that much. But if no one’s seen him, it most likely meant he was no longer in Aubade Town. He was too distant for Ciel to detect the light of his Keyblade. “…He must’ve escaped from the Heartless somehow…”, he theorizes. “…I’ve gotta go look for him!”

“You’re leaving…?”

“Marin trusted me to look after Roche. I wouldn’t be able to look her in the eye if I betrayed that trust.”

“But how do you plan to find him in the first place?”, Claire retorts. “Do you even know where to start looking? And besides, Marin took the Nautilus, remember?”

“That’s right… I forgot about that…” Ciel lowers his head in defeat. For the moment, it seemed his quest was doomed right from the get-go.

But in enters Snow with the day-saving suggestion: “You can take the NORA.”

“Huh?”

“I have a Gummi Ship too, and it flies like a dream. You can use it to find Roche and Marin!”

“R-Really…!?”

“But bring it back when you’re done! And you’d better not scratch the paint job!”

Ciel takes Snow’s hand in appreciation. “You’re the best, Snow! I’ll take good care of your ship, I swear!”

“Right! And I’ll hold down the fort while you’re away!”

With a firm nod, Ciel spins around and races toward the monorail, but not before turning back to the others one last time. “Hey, Claire!”, he calls over.

“Y-Yeah?”

“When I get back, I’m gonna buy you the best birthday present ever!”

“Oh…!”

At an outburst like that, Serah couldn’t keep from giggling.

A rather out-of-the-blue statement, Claire thought. Still, she felt obligated to give him a sincere smile. “It’d better be worth the wait then!”

The trio watches as Ciel departs and, a short while after, the NORA pulls away from the hangar beneath the plaza and takes off.

As the NORA disappears into the cloud cover, Serah clasps her hands together as if in prayer. “…Be safe.”

Behind the steering wheel of the ship, Ciel leaves the light of Aubade Town’s sun and is greeted by the black and violet of the Lanes Between. Where his friends had gone, he could only throw guesses. But Ciel would search every world in existence if necessary to find them and bring them home. “Roche… Marin… Wherever you are… I hope you’re okay…”

~ Next Report: Wonder and Thunder ~