[IC] Kingdom Hearts: A New Kingdom

[mattmanganon]

Game Central Station

A white portal opened and Kalak, in his armour, dropped through, into the center of the station. He looked at the piece of paper again "Meet me at Game Central Station. A matter of utmost importance - X". Looking around, he could see the vast amount of colourful characters walking around the station. He was quickly approached by a glowing blue man "Papers and ident, please." The man sighed as he approached.

"Umm... Excuse me, but i don't have..." He frisked himself. The Surge-Protector stared at him with an ever raising eyebrow. "Well, i'm sure that..." The Surge protector sighed, before 4 posts appeared around Kalak, with tape labelled "Un-authorized Program."

"Stay where you are, sir." The Surge Protector said, before walking away. Kalak looked at the tape and noticed that it was holographic. He took a cautious step through it, before smiling.

"Not so hard..." He laughed. He then saw several others enter through white portals, elsewhere in the station. Before finally, a portal opened and a man in Strange Armour fell through and rolled over a few times, before trying to struggle to his feet, but fell flat on the ground. Kalak ran over to him, throwing his helmet to the side and pulled the man over and threw his helmet off to reveal the distinctive face of Xehanort the Wise. Xehanort coughed up a little blood, before gasping for air. "Master Xehanort... What happened?" He asked. Xehanort looked at him, before leaning up by himself.

"That is of no concern to you, young one." He coughed in his raspy, yet soft tone. "In our lives, we have many crosses to bare, this is one of mine..." He coughed up a little more blood as he struggled to his feet, using Kalaks shoulder as a crutch, before dusting himself off. "One does not live as long as I and... Do the things I do without making some enemies along the way. I pray they do not become your enemies." At that point, the Surge Protector popped back up.

"Papers and ident, ple-" he began, before spotting Kalak. "Hey, what are you doing outside of your Quarentine Zone?" He growled.

"Do not worry yourself. I have his papers here." He said, handing a few pieces of paper to the Surge Protector. The man looked through them for a second.

"Seems to be in order, I'll direct your attache's to you upon their arrival." He said, before looking over at one of the plugs. "HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU, QUBERT!!! He roared, before disappearing.

[Potemking]

TO BE REMADE

_{Once I find the motivation}

[Rockin Strings]

Captain Hido

The Japanese pirate captain awoke in a strange place, surrounded by what seemed to be a yellow ribbon made of beams of light. Looking around, he saw many strange beings of various shapes and sizes. He stood, rubbing at his head with a groan. "Ka ga atsu tano?" (What just happened?)

"Ah, you're awake." a strange, small, blue man beside him spoke in a rather monotone and boring voice.

Gennosuke spun and drew his sword, ready for a confrontation. It was then he noticed his swords weren't his swords. Looking closer at the weapons, he noticed they each had the same basic shape as his katana but with extra metal near the tip, extended guards to encircle the handles, and a chain dangling from each one, giving them both a western key-like shape. While examining the weapons he held, he failed to take notice of the weapons aimed at him. "Kore wa nan desu ka? Anata wa nan desu ka? Koko wa doko da?" (What is this? What are you? Where am I?) Upon finally noticing the vaguely gun-shaped things and variously shaped blades pointed at him, he sheathed his new weapons, glancing back at the now-empty sheaths as they disappeared.

Many of the game characters had begun to gather around this man, wondering where he came from and why he was here, though all were warned off by the strange blue man, who he could somehow understand despite the language barrier. Seeing as he was surrounded, he decided to sit back down and wait for everyone else to leave. Despite being able to understand the blue man, he didn't know if the blue man could understand him. All he could do was wait.

[Vega7285]

A portal opened and an armored woman stepped through it. There really wasn’t much to it, Saki thought as she deactivated her armor. Once you get the hang of it, it’s not much different from traveling through the Aetherflow back home. Sure, there weren’t aetherytes to guide the way, but perhaps these paths between worlds were less treacherous. That or someone would probably say one’s heart is one’s guide.

This was the right place, wasn’t it? She thumbed open her book to check the loose papers tucked just under the front cover. Yep, Game Central Station. Lovely place to meet. Plenty of people around, plenty of space and things to do. Not enough information to pick a specific spot. This is like just saying to meet up in New Gridania. At least give a landmark or something. That man… Saki shook her head. “Well, better take a look around.”

She didn’t get very far before a blue man in some sort of uniform appeared beside her. “Papers and identification, please.”

“Oh, sorry, hang on.” Saki checked a few pockets and handed over her license from the adventurers’ guild.

The Surge Protector examined it carefully, and handed it back to her. “I’m afraid that identification cannot he honored here, ma’am. Please wait here while I-”

Saki cut him off. “I’m here to meet a Master Xehanort. You wouldn’t happen to know where I could find him, would you?”

“That would explain a few of you,” the security guard replied. “Right this way.” he hurried into the crowd, and Saki followed him.

[Double]

Around one of the corners in the Station, there was a small flash of light. Eagle eyed game characters caught glimpse of a short, armored figure, only for the armor to dissolve into specks of light to reveal a Duck person. His attire was normal, or at least normal where he came from. He wore a black turtle-neck shirt underneath a hooded, tan jacket with patches on the elbows. Also, he wore glasses over his eyes, and that was about it. His lower half wore no actual clothes and his webbed feet remained bare. Still, he wasn't the strangest looking thing in this station, so the Duck didn't garner too many stares. At least, not until some kind of holographic quarantine tape appeared around him and he was suddenly addressed by a small blue man dressed in a security uniform.

"Papers and identification, please." he said in an almost bored monotone, he hadn't even looked up from his clipboard yet.

"Uh... I'm sorry, what?" inquired Quentin, who had no such things to present to the guard, "I was asked to meet some-"

"Papers. And identification please." said the Surge Protector again, cutting Quentin off. Finally he glanced up from his clipboard and seemed to make a realization, "Right... you must be one of those..." he sighed, as if he was having a frustrating shift at work, "Come this way." he said, the quarantine markers suddenly vanishing.

A little confused, but with no other leads about what he was supposed to do, Quentin followed the blue man. He was led down the main hall of the Central Station, and catching a glance or two from passerby Game Characters who were probably asking themselves what was going on, but none tried to approach or strike up a conversation, obviously wanting to avoid trouble with the blue man. After a little ways, Quentin spotted a couple of people in the distance. It wasn't hard to tell that they didn't belong here, especially since he knew one of them. Quentin picked up his walking speed and outpaced the Surge Protector, who just offered an exasperated sigh before vanishing.

When he was close enough, Quentin addressed one of the two strangers, "...Master Xehanort." he said, sounding almost... cold. It wasn't hard to tell that he wasn't exactly Xehanort's biggest fan. The reason was pretty obvious to him and to the old man, the last time they spoke was that fateful night that Quentin was convinced to give up on returning home. And the Duck had seemed to harbor a sort of resentment toward Xehanort ever since. He'd taken the advice, but Quentin had obviously hated doing it.

[mattmanganon]

Xehanort let out a sigh of relief as he saw the others arrive via various means. He smiled as he saw them approach. "Not everyone that i asked... But i suppose it's possible that they were detained by their duties." He sighed. He looked around at the others that had arrived. "Saki, it is good to see you again." He replied. He then noticed that the others seemed to notice his weakened state. "Ah yes..." He said, before putting his hand on his stomach and a small aura appeared. His wounds seemed to close and the blood stains seemed to disappear. "Better" He said, no longer leaning on Kalak. "Quentin... It has been some time, i am glad that you are here. You have never truly seen eye to eye with me. It gives me hope that others will rally to help me with my cause, because, this time... I've cracked it... And if i'm right, you might be able to go home. Come, we'll get somewhere a little less public and we can discuss it there."t He pointed over to a large terminal labeled "Tapper" He then heard shouting from elsewhere in the station, as well as gasps.

As Hido swung the sword around, more Surge Protectors appeared, holding what appeared to be Tasers. "Look, sir, calm down" one replied, before he started shouting. He then pressed a button on his clip-pad and a menu appeared, he scrolled to "Language" and set it to "Japanese" "Look, sir, calm down, tell us what game you are from and we can have you back there." He said in Japanese. He then looked at the others. "We get a new plug-in today?"

"Not that i know." Replied another.

"Why would i know, nobody tells me nuttin'" Replied a grizzled looking one. At this point, Xehanort and the others had made their way over.

"Allow me to handle this." Xehanort ordered. The Surge Protectors backed off. "My name is Xehanort. I know how confusing this must all be for you." He began, also talking in Japanese. "But i am here to help. You have just taken a very large step into a world that you cannot possibly fathom, but allow me to try and help you." He said, his own Key weapon appeared in his hand. "Your weapon there... An interesting Key you hold. I suspect a duality of your soul to possess such a key. Come with me and i can tell you everything that you need to know." He looked the man up and down. "Ah yes, i believe i have been to your world before... Does the term "15 men on a dead man's chest, yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum" mean anything to you?" He asked. "Come with me and we can discuss it over something you're accustomed to. Any preference for alcohol?" He asked.

[Rockin Strings]

Hido held his new weapons in a defensive stance. As soon as one of them was speaking Japanese, he replied quickly. "I'm from no game. I am Captain Gennosuke Hido. You will back off with your strange weapons." he warned.

It was then a new man approached him. He introduced himself as Xehanhort. He first commented on his new weapons, which made the captain curious. Then he summoned his own, which startled Hido back into his defensive stance. He said to follow him, which Hido was hesitant to until he saw all the other strangers still looking hostile. He seemed to recognize him as a pirate, which made the man smile. "Then you've heard of me." he smiled, "Aye, I know the song. What about it? It's common on the seas." He mentioned alcohol, which Hido laughed at. "How do I know I can trust you not to poison it?"

[mattmanganon]

Xehanort nodded as the man commented on how he couldn't trust him. "You are entirely correct. You have no innate reason to trust me..." He then looked around at the Surge Protectors. "But, on the otherhand, you appear to lack any other choice... Think of this as... Parlay." He smiled. He then headed towards Tappers, wit hthe rest of them in tow. He sat down on the small train and it carried them through to the strange bar and they sat down at the long bar.

"Xehanort, what can i get for ya?" A friendly voice yelled from the top of the bar.

"The usual and one for my allies here, as well." He replied. A pint of beer slid along the bar and into each of their hands, and a small 100 appeared above their heads as it did. He took a long drink, downing the entire drink in a single long series of gulps, before sliding it back along the bar and into Tapper's hands, who poured himself a drink, drank it and then threw the glass over his head, before it shattered. Kalak took a sniff of the beer, he winced a little, before taking a sip of it.

"Uuugh..." He scrunched his face up. "Tastes like an old penny." He then took another sip, and another, every sip making him wince a little. Xehanort looked at Hido. "You have been given a strange and wonderful gift," He began "The chance to move through the multiverse as you wish. You can see wonders that you have never imagined, tastes undreamed and smells unheard. But this gift comes with a heavy price." His key appeared in his hand again. "This Key will open every door in the multiverse, but it will also act as a beacon, drawing to you a darkness in this universe called "The Heartless" They are rogue hearts with no bodies to call their own. They are convinced that they have no hearts either. So, they seek to consume the hearts of others, desperately trying to fill a void that can NEVER be filled." Another jug of beer slid into his hands, with another 100 appearing above his head. He then looked at Quentin, before looking back to Hido "If you value anyone back in your world... You will never return there. They will be drawn to you. Although, as i have found out, they are unlikely to return to worlds that they have already failed to conquer. This one for example, is one such world. Which is why i have invited you."

"So, if they never come back-" Kalak began

"Unlikely... Not never." Xehanort corrected him. "You should probably stick with these people for the moment." He said to Hido. "They will be able to help you to understand the many worlds better. The other thing that you should know... When you first escaped your world... You heard a voice. This voice is your beacon, your lighthouse. I call it a Destiny Link. Your Heart has been ripped away from your world and it no longer has the Heart of your world to guide you. Your Heart has bonded itself to another in order to guide itself through the universe. Seek this person out. When you do, your true power as a Key-Bearer will be realized. You will form other Destiny Links along the way, as well. Bondind with different hearts will grant you more and different power."

"So, Master, who was your Destiny Link with?" He asked. Xehanort simply looked into his beer.

"That... Is a tale for another time."

[Vega7285]

"It's been a while," Saki replied to Xehanort, before leaving him to handle the unexpected newcomer. The language they spoke sounded similar to Doman, but that's about as far as Saki could get. Language barriers. Always a wonderful thing.

Once they were in the bar, and enjoying their drinks, Saki sipped her own beer and listened as Xehanort explained the basics. "It's a bit of a shock, to say the least," she adds after he's done, conveniently changing the subject. "Wandering other worlds, and all that. You will get used to it, though." She took another long drink of her beer. "I'm honestly not sure if the heartless find you, or it's the other way around. But whatever the case, you're going to fight them regardless."

"At least you ran into us. It beats trying to go it alone when lost among the worlds. I'm Saki Gin'iro. Nice to meet you."

[Rockin Strings]

Hido frowned as he listened to Xehanhort's explanation. "Heartless? Would they be little black monsters in colorful outfits? I fought some of them with my crew before..." His voice trailed off. "The next thing I remember is waking up here with the little blue men and you finding me. My world... My home... My crew... I have to become strong enough to save them." He downed the entire glass of beer before wincing. "This tastes like English beer almost."

It was then the others began speaking with Xehanhort. While not understanding the words they spoke, he could read their faces and tones to see if they were relaxed or on edge. It seemed to be a mix of both in each of them. Then one of the others introduced herself to him. "Saki Gin'iro." he repeated. "Sounds like a name from my home."

He stood suddenly and glanced at Xehanhort. "I need to go meditate." He walked off quickly, sitting near the bar, leaning against the wall. There, he sat, meditating on what he knew, hoping something would come to him.

[Double]

"Home?" Quentin muttered to himself. He was taken aback, caught completely off guard. That was the last thing he expected to hear from the old man of all people. Was he serious? No, it... it had to be a mistake. "You can't be serious? You're the one who said..." he let himself trail, it was obvious this other discussion was more important at the moment so Quentin kept it to himself for the time being. But... home? After these long years? What was he even supposed to do? What could he say to her? That was assuming she even knew he existed at all.

While Xehanort talked to the others, Quentin let himself be lost in his own thoughts. Those thoughts of course were all about one person. Without having to think about it, Quentin retrieved something from his jacket pocket. It was a photo, in it was three individuals: a father, a mother, and their unhatched egg. Just looking at it brought an instinctive smile to Quentin's face... and tears to his eyes. She'd be 11 years old by now, her childhood almost behind her. And here Quentin was, missing out on all of it. But... but if what Xehanort said was true, then maybe Quentin wouldn't have to miss out on any more of his little girl's life.

"...You will get used to it, though."

Quentin quickly put the photo and dried his eyes on his sleeve. Then he eyed the young lady with a puzzled look, "Don't be so certain of that. Some things simply never get easier. 11 years of doing this... and not a day goes by I don't miss the people I was pulled away from." he didn't mean to sound like a downer, but he was being honest at the very least, "And I'm no closer to finding the person I bonded with than when I started, I don't even have the luxury of knowing their name."

[mattmanganon]

Xehanort stared at the Pirate as guessed at the Heartless being the black creatures "The very same..." He replied "Although, your crew was unable to harm the Heartless with their weapons. That's because Steel doesn't effect them very much. The good news is that, because you were dragged away from your world, the Heartless may have sensed you and followed, hoping to take the heart of a Keybearer. They aren't very intelligent, but they are ruthless and i imagine that a number of your allies are dead." He sighed.

"Wow, you are just the brightest ray of sunshine i have ever met!" Kalak replied.

"I do not believe in lying to people about the obvious." Xehanort looked down at his drink. "I have saved thousands of worlds and watched tens of thousands of worlds consumed. I'm... Very tired... But onto the more pressing of matters, what i said earlier." He finished his third drink and then gasped. "I've been looking into a final solution to the Heartless... I could bore you with the details of how i'm going to accomplish this, but here is the abridged version... Some time ago, there existed The First Heart. This heart was the only thing in creation and the multiverse was full of the brightest of light. But the heart grew weary of it's lonely existance and it split itself into millions upon millions of other hearts. These hearts eventually created bodies and we were born. But, without the First Heart's light, darkness began to exist across the multiverse, and from that darkness, the Heartless were born. So, you see, the reason why the Heartless exists is because the First Heart no longer does. I have been doing some research with the assistance of an ally of mine and we have both come to the same conclusion... We need to recreate the First Heart." He looked at Kalak, who was smiling and nodding.

"Pssssst, he lost me ages ago..." Kalak whispered to Quentin.

"We have found a way to create a faximile. Throughout the multiverse, there are the purest of all hearts. These hearts are the strongest out there and cannot be corrupted by anyone. They are called "The Princess' of Heart" I believe that they each belong to the fairest and most noble of people from their plane. If we can find these hearts, bring them together, then we could use their power to gather enough stray hearts to create a new First Heart... I call this entity "Kingdom Hearts"."

"Wait, you want us to go rip the hearts out of Princess'?" Kalak asked.

"Of course not, their hearts, when exposed, will call enough wild hearts to allow us to create Kingdom Hearts. So long as they are willing and able, we will be able to pull this off and with no one else harmed. Then, with the radiance of Kingdom Hearts radiating throughout the multiverse, the Heartless will be unable to possibly stand against us. Now, i do realize how preposterous this sounds. But the question is this. Will you not even try?" He asked, looking around the table at the blank faces.

[Vega7285]

"Oh, sorry," Saki quickly apologized to Quentin. "I suppose I misspoke there, but we do all adapt in out own way." She paused, not quite sure how best to phrase things. "I guess in my case, I was already an adventurer used to wandering from place to place, so wandering between worlds isn't much different. I don't know your own situation, so it was a bit tactless of me to speak that way."

She hadn't found the person with whom she shared a link, either. They had to be out there somewhere, and she'd know them if she saw them. But until then, she just had to keep looking.

Xehanort's plan did sound pretty outrageous. Create some artificial First Heart or whatever? Seemed like an impossible dream. But she'd seen enough of the impossible happening in her own world that she wouldn't discount this one.

"I don't see the harm in trying. I'm not kidnapping any princesses, though, so if I ask and they aren't interested in helping, that's the end of it."

[Rockin Strings]

As he meditated, Gennosuke focused on what he knew. It didn't take too long before the other people speaking began to make sense to him.

"...any princesses, though, so, if I ask and they aren't interested in helping, that's the end of it."

He focused on the words and images began appearing of what Xehanhort's plan was. He stood as he looked at Xehanhort. "I'm with Saki. As long as no princesses are forced into it, I'm in." He returned to his seat at the bar for another drink.

He didn't know how he could understand them now when he couldn't earlier but figured that if he could now understand them then they could understand him. Was it his keyblade's magic? He didn't know.

"What's the first step of this big plan, Xehanort?" he asked with a calm smirk.

[mattmanganon]

Kalak watched the others agree to the... Well, rather different idea to stop the Heartless, on the proviso that none of the Princess' were harmed or forced. "Well, obviously. How the hell do we create Paradise with murder?" He asked. "I ain't no Heartless. And Master Xehanort agree's with that, obviously." He replied. Xehanort looked down, before looking up and smiling.

"Obviously." He caught another drink as it slid across the bar into his hand. Kalak stared at him.

"Well, i don't need anymore convincing." Kalak said. "We don't do this, it's just gonna keep being a fight that our kids and their kids and their kids' kids are gonna have to do." Xehanort raised his glass in response. Xehanort then reached inside of his coat pocket and pulled out what looked like a book.

"This is a journal i have kept for a considerable amount of time, it has information on the many worlds of the multiverse." He said, putting it on the table and sliding it over to Kalak, who picked up the book and opened it. He started to read it... Very... Very... Slowly...

"Yeah, this is a slog, anyone else want a go?" He asked, holding it up. Xehanort got up and finished his drink, before sliding it back to Tapper.

"I do not promise that this will end well. I do not promise that this will work, but what i do promise is that there is a chance." He then heard something buzz and reached into his coat pocket, pulling out a Strange device he pressed a few buttons. "Damn..." He put the device back in his pocket. "I must go, i have matters that NEED seeing to." He grabbed the book out of Kalaks hands and put it on the table, he quickly flicked to a page. "My first suggestion would be to search this world first." He pointed to a page labeled Pays Des L'Aristochats "Last time i was there, i sensed a powerful heart. But i was unable to investigate thoroughly due to more pressing matters. You should try there first. In the meantime, i must leave you." He said, before his armour appeared around him. He stepped onto a glider that appeared. He straddled it "Good luck" He said, before it disappearing in a flash of light.

[mattmanganon]

As Xehanort left, Kalak put the book on the table and flicked to the page labeled Pays Des L'Aristochats and looked it over.

"Upon arrival, i have found myself placed in a most curious situation, my body seemed to become different from what i had remembered, it took a little time to figure out exactly what happened, but it was not entirely unpleasant or unwarranted. Moving around without drawing attention became exceedingly easy. With this, i took the opportunity to explore the surroundings. From what i can tell, this is the same city as La Cité des Cloches. The streets and many buildings look much the same, even Notre-Dame herself stands tall and proud in the back. This is most curious, but not entirely unreasonable to believe. If the multiverse truly is infinite, then it stands to reason that, eventually, worlds will repeat themselves an infinite amount of times.

Strangely enough, as i explored, i noticed that there ARE humans here, but the world still chose to change me in this way as i entered. Again, i am not unfamiliar with this, many worlds have chosen to do the same, in the past, but this one is the first i have seen to do so whilst humans are present in the world. I sense a very powerful heart here. One that could potentially assist in my and G's theory of creating a new First Heart. My investigations brought me to the residence of one Madame Adelaide Bonfamille. Her kindness and charity is known throughout the town and she may, in fact, be one of the hearts that i am searching for. After meeting her, i find myself torn on her being the one i am looking for. I sense the presence of a pure heart on her, but hers is...

Unfortunately, my investigation was forced to conclude inconclusively as I received word of another attack from the Heartless and her. I will return to this world for a second part to this report, eventually. Coordinates enclosed.

Xehanort's Report 231

Kalak finished reading and looked around. "So, we need to head to this place and meet with this "Madame Bonfamille" lady. Well, if she's as nice as he says, then i am positive that this is gonna be a piece of cake. Get there, ask her to help us save the multiverse and then find the other 6." He pumped his fist positively. He then looked over at Hido. "First things first." He said, approaching him. "You're gonna need to figure out how to get there. See, now that you've got your Key, you've also got a means to travel." He pointed to the little armour piece that was on his shoulder "We all got one the day we were given these. I think it comes from the same place as the key itself. But look." He stepped back, balled his fist and pressed it to the circle on the piece. In a brillaint flash of light, Kalak's armour appeared around him. A light-blue tinged armour with green and white trims. "See? This stuff is awesome, not particularly great in battle, but it does protect from the elements of the inbetween as well as serve as a nifty disguise. Also, whilst like this, you get to do this-" He summoned his Key-Halberd and in another flash of light, it transformed into a floating rocket-like motorcycle vehicle "Come on. we're gonna save the UNIVERSE!!!" He cried, pumping his fists.

His rocket blasted up into the air and through a hole into the multiverse that appeared. Flying through the space between, they constantly zipped between the large bubbles of worlds. "See that over there?" He pointed out a glowing sun to Hido. "That's the remains of the First Heart. If we can restore it, it'll glow so brightly that the blackness around us will glow white and the Heartless will be destroyed." Flying through asteroids, past chunks of long gone worlds, they also passed a bubble that was completely black, with the only thing to break up the darkness being A large heart symbol with a cross through it. "That's what happens when we fail to save a world..." He pointed out. "Don't bother with that world, it's... It's been consumed." He said. Finally, they arrived at a bubble. He pointed to it. "This is the one. We're in luck, see no symbol on it, the Heartless haven't touched this world yet. But our presence will draw them eventually. So, we should try to be as swift as possible. Don't worry, it's not instantaneous. Usually takes a few weeks before they notice. Well, let's get going!" Jumping off of the front of his glider, it disappeared and his Key appeared in his hand as he flew straight into the bubble, it rippled a little as he disappeared into it.

==Pays De L'Aristochats==

Edgar was the faithful servant of Madame Bonfamille, he had served her without question or dereliction of duty for almost 30 years now. He had looked after her many cats, made her food, kept and cleaned her house... In these later years, he was starting to think of his retirement. Well, since Madame Bonfamille hadn't any children or any heirs... Well, she was meeting with her lawyer to write her Will at this very moment. Edgar was in his room ironing his trousers when he heard his mistress' voice through the servants-phone. Maybe... Maybe just a little listen... He walked over to it.

"-And naturally, I want my beloved cats to be always cared for. And certainly no one can do this better than my faithful servant, Edgar." Said the voice of Madame Bonfamille through the hose. Edgars eyes lit up.

"Edgar?" Asked the lawyer "Adelaide, you mean to say you're leaving your vast fortune to Edgar? Everything you posess? Stock and bonds? This-This mansion? Your country chateau? Art, treasures, jewels and-" Edgar silently danced with joy, 30 years of being a servant had FINALLY paid off, he could go anywhere, do anything. He was going to be a big shot, he was going to be a somebody!

"No, no, no, Georges, to my cats." Adelaide replied. And in that moment, Edgar's heart was split in twain.

"Your Cats?" asked the Lawyer

"CATS!?!?!?!" Edgar wheezed as the news took everything out of him.

"Yes, Georges. I simply wish to have the cats inherit first. Then, at the end of their life span, my entire estate will revert to Edgar." Bonfamille explained. Edgar was forced to sit down at the heavy news.

"Cats inherit first! And I come after the cats." He sobbed. "I, me, after... No. It's not fair! Ooh! I mean, each cat will live about 12 years. I can't wait. And each cat has nine lives, that's four times twelve multiplied by nine times. No it's less than that. Anyway, it's much longer than I'd ever live. I'll be gone..." Then an evil thought crossed his mind. "No. Oh, no. They'll be gone." His eyebrows arched as a sinister plan went into effect. The damage that had been done to his heart when he had got the news began to creep open a little more... "I'll think of a way. Why, there are a million of reasons why I should! All of them dollars. Millions." He didn't realize the black aura creeping from behind him "Those cats have got to go." As he said that, he doubled over in pain. "AAHHHH! WHAT'S..." He breathed heavily as he pressed his hand against the ironing board. "I..." He saw a light appear from his chest as a glowing pink heart appeared in front of him. "What's..." It split in half in front of him. "Uh oh... That... That's..." He then saw the heart turn black as ooze began to leak from it. A black pool appearing on the floor in front of him. "Oh no!" He saw a Small, black creature claw its way from the ooze Edgar's eyes widened as he stumbled back and fell on his bed. "NO, STAY AWAY FROM ME!" He cried. The small creature moved erratically, no fluidity in its movements at all. Jagged and sharp movements. It stared at him, before moving quickly to the ironing board. Edgar through his arms across his face. He then felt something strange around his legs, he shook like a leaf in the wind as he dared to take a look." He looked down to see that the creature now had identical friends and they were dressing him. "Oh... Oh... You're... You're not going to hurt me?" He asked. He stood up as they finally pulled his trousers up fully. "Well... Well, thank you, my little friends..." He then saw the split heart re-enter his chest. and on him, a strange symbol appeared on him. He smiled a sinister smile. "Tell me, my little friends, would you like to help me with something?" He snickered. The small creatures zoomed over to him. "Yes... You'll do perfectly..." He purred in his evil aura.

==The Party==

As the portal to, what he presumed to be the city opened, Kalak flew straight through it and landed on his hands and knee's... Wait, no his feet, all 4 of them. "Wait..." He looked at his hands, they were... Fluffy... "Huh?" He asked. He saw a small puddle on the ground and rushed over to look at his reflection. "AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" He screamed. He turned around and looked at the others as they emerged. "I'M A CAT!!!" He said as they got a full look at his new form "I'M FLUFFY AND ADORABLE AND HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO USE A POLE-ARM!?!?!?" He cried. "I NEED THUMBS!!!" He rolled around on the cobble-stone road and cried. He then looked around. "Wait... This isn't a city..." He was correct. They seemed to be in the middle of the countryside. "This is... Well now what do we do?" He asked.

[Double]

"It's like being saddled with a toddler..." muttered Quentin under his breath. Kalak was going to be one of those types that took getting used to, he could just tell right away. He gave the paper a read for himself, but was more puzzled by it than Kalak seemed to be. What did Xehanort mean by his body not being what he was accustomed to? Oh no, this wasn't going to be one those worlds, was it? In his eleven years of doing this, Quentin had come to despise going to worlds that forcibly changed one's body. It just didn't feel natural, and not helped at all by the fact that more often than not the universe saw fit to saddle Quentin with a new body that proved useless for self defense. The quest they were being sent on hadn't even begun yet and it was already looking to be annoying.

Through the explanation of traveling worlds and the subsequent trip through the Lanes Between, Quentin kept to himself. His own armor was mostly a dark indigo blue, but also possessed grayish silver trimmings to accent it. He couldn't help but wonder about what Xehanort said. Those things about a First Heart and finding seven specific hearts to make a new one, he hadn't heard of any of that in all the years he spent doing this job. All this really meant to him was that Xehanort knew things they didn't, which really only made Quentin question what else the old man was keeping secret from them. Also, who was this "G" person Xehanort mentioned in the report page? It all reeked of secrecy, and Quentin didn't like it at all. But this was also the one shot he was ever going to get to return home, and so he couldn't afford not to take it.

When passing by the consumed world, Quentin swallowed hard. Every time Quentin passed one by he couldn't stop himself from worrying about his own home. That world wasn't it, Quentin had found the route leading to his home some time ago, he had simply been avoiding it as per the old man's suggestion. Still, Quentin periodically wondered to himself if one day he'd return only to find his world reduced to one of those dark bubbles.

When the group had actually made it to their destination, Quentin sure enough found himself in a form he didn't like much. Kalak, though, seemed to be almost freaking out at the change he had undergone. Was this the first time he'd been to this kind of world? And the pirate guy... one could only imagine the utter confusion and horror that had to be going through his head. His first trip to new world altogether, and it was one that changed his body? Yikes, "Relax, would you?" Quentin said to Kalak, "In a body like that, you can probably hold your weapon in your mouth. I've had to do that once in a previous world. Besides, if you think you've got it bad, just look at what I'm stuck with." sure enough, Quentin was in a body that wouldn't help much in a fight. The change didn't actually feel especially radical to him, at least. He still had feathers, and the beak was a bit different but for the most part still felt like his bill. The only change he wasn't a fan of was the wings. No hands meant no wielding his Keyblade, at least not in a comfortable way. And the beak was probably too small to hold the weapon orally. He was probably going to have to use the talons somehow, maybe use the bird body's ability to fly to give himself enough momentum to "swing" it? He'd have to work it out as they went along.

[Rockin Strings]

Hido was, for lack of a better word, confused. Looking at the page of the journal that Xehanhort had opened it to, he could see the symbols moving and shifting into ones he could read. He read quickly over the information on the world with a shrug. "How do we..." he began to ask, only for Kalak to begin answering his question.

"First things first." He said, approaching him. "You're gonna need to figure out how to get there. See, now that you've got your Key, you've also got a means to travel." He pointed to the little armor piece that was on his shoulder "We all got one the day we were given these. I think it comes from the same place as the key itself. But look." He stepped back, balled his fist and pressed it to the circle on the piece. In a brilliant flash of light, Kalak's armor appeared around him. A light-blue tinged armor with green and white trims. "See? This stuff is awesome, not particularly great in battle, but it does protect from the elements of the inbetween as well as serve as a nifty disguise. Also, whilst like this, you get to do this-" He summoned his Key-Halberd and in another flash of light, it transformed into a floating rocket-like motorcycle vehicle. "Come on. we're gonna save the UNIVERSE!!!" He cried, pumping his fists.

@mattmanganon

Hido looked at the armor piece on the left side of his chest, covering the straps that held his clothes on. He summoned his armor on the first try, though he was startled by it at first. "Maho," he whispered to himself. Summoning his vehicle was easier than he expected. It appeared to be a small, silver rowboat that he ended up standing in, looking like a more modern skateboarder. What he didn't expect was the rockets on the back.

The travel to the next world wasn't too hard for him as he looked around at all the different worlds. He wanted to see all of them but knew he didn't have the time. He then passed by the world that was claimed by the darkness. "Is there no way of returning it to normal?" he asked, looking at it as he passed. "Or can that be used as training grounds?" He didn't expect answers for his questions but wouldn't have been happy to hear the answers.

==Pays De L'Aristochats==

Upon landing, Hido noticed he was a bit bigger than the rest. Instead of being feline or feathered like his friends, he was a dog. With his new senses, he immediately began sniffing around. "So this is what a dog's nose is like," he said, sounding very interested and a little amazed. He heard a couple of the others complaining about how they'd hold their keyblades. Hido barked as his keyblade appeared in his mouth, almost looking like wings.

[Vega7285]

Saki shook her head and sighed at Kalak's behavior. He was certainly enthusiastic, but she had a feeling he had a lot to learn. They didn't even know this would work, much less save the universe. But better to go in an optimist.

She picked up the book and read it as well. The report was enough to get them started, but there was something a bit off about it. Then again, she was reading someone else's notes, so there was a good chance they were incomplete simply because Xehanort didn't need to remind himself who G was. She doubted others would be able to make the most sense of her own notes if she just shared them without context. Saki shrugged and stowed the book away. No use leaving it here.

Saki's own armor was white with green trim, and her vehicle resembled some sort of single-person airship. To her, the trip was relatively uneventful. Plenty of worlds to look at as they passed, but the beauty of the spheres could be appreciated any time. And when one had a destination in mind, it wasn't the time for sightseeing.

==Pays Des Aristochats==

Everyone was far too concerned with their new forms. It was always a surprise, if one was visiting such a world for the first time, but saki still had to stifle a laugh. "Oh, come on. This isn't that bad." She had turned into a grey short-haired cat. "I'm surprised I'm not some sort of lizard to be honest."

She looked around. "This definitely doesn't look like a city. So I'd say our first order of business is to look around and get our bearings." They could always just be in a park, but there would at least be people around, then. "Hido, that nose of yours picking up anything interesting?"

[mattmanganon]

Looking around, Kalak saw the others arrive. "Look, i've been a few other things in my time" he said. "I've been a Monster, a Mer-person, an Ape... It's just..." He looked down at his paws. "First time without thumbs..." He said. He then looked over at Hido as Saki seemed to take charge. "Yeah... What she said..." He sniffed the air a little. "I smell... Dog..." He stared at Hido. The dark sky let a bolt of lightning rip through it. "First things first, probably better find cover." He shook his furry head. They then heard a strange sound, a rhythmic popping sound, intermittent with a few bangs. He then saw smoke billowing into the air down the road. "Probably better get out of the road..." He said, before seeing it arrive.

A large, 3 wheeled monstrosity, tearing down the road. It looked like a motorbike that the handlebars had been replaced with a monster. another monster was in the drivers saddle, with a side-car holding what looked like a basket. It was plastered with the Symbol of something that wasn't quite the Heartless.

"OH, Oko taught me about these guys. They're called... Unrehearsed!" He said. "They aren't Heartless, but they kill people all the same... Also, we should probably kill it because they attract Heartless." He flipped the Halberd around his neck as he grabbed it in the middle with his teeth to ready to weild. it. "GEH IHH GUYS!!!" He yelled as it roared past, he jumped and slashed at the creature's front, the motorcycle creature put up its arms to block the Halberds head, grabbing Kalak by the scruff, he instinctively curled his fluffy legs up under him as it carried him, it not slowing down from the attack. "I'h reeeyee sorry..." He groaned through the weapon in his teeth.