This is a Fanfic I started in the back of my history notebook. I have written a chapter or so in it. I recently decided to go ahead and post what I have here and see what you guys think.

 

Setting:

This story takes place before the Keyblade War. If it continues the way I think it will go, the Keyblade War should just start at the end of the story. There is one world, with different nations and kingdoms doted all around. The story will follow a couple of different characters. While most of the main characters are made by me, I will be using Disney and Square Enix characters in both bit parts and major players in the story.

 

Um, I think that's it. I will post the first part of Chapter 1 in a minute.

Enjoy

Chapter 1, part 1.

 

 

 

 

A young man stared at the entrance of JD’s Liquor Emporium. The smell inside was already assaulting his nose. The man reached inside his pocket of his long coat and took the note his teacher had sent him. It told him to go to JD’s and wait to be contacted. The young man sneered and replaced the note in his pocket. He ran his hands through his hair that was a deep red, almost black. He then pulled the hood on the coat over his head and started toward the entrance.

 

He stopped a moment, considering hiding his wakizashi that hung in its scabbard across his back. He reached up with his left hand to touch the weapon, feeling its weight and solid strength. The young man decided to leave the sword were it was. JD’s would most likely be filled gangs and wondering ronins. It would be important that they not see the young man as an easy mark, even though the wakizashi was not his primary weapon.

 

He walked up the steps to the door and pushed it open. His nose crinkled as he stepped through the door and pushes his way to the bar. The man behind the bar looked like an ape and was just as hairy.

 

“What’ll ya have, lad?” the bartender asks the young man.

 

“I don’t suppose you have something nonalcoholic?” The young man said in a deep, accented voice.

 

The bartender looked at the young man as if he was crazy.

 

“Did ya see the name o’ the shop ‘utside, lad? This is a liquor store.”

 

The young man sighed and ordered a glass of red wine. When his master gets here, he can drink it. The young man looked for a corner table but found all of them occupied. He settled for a table against a wall. He sat at the table with his back against the wall.

 

As he waited, he kept a wary eye on the other occupants of the bar. Most were the spitting image of the stereo typical pirate. Dirty, badly made and maintained clothes, few teeth, loud, and plenty of weapons. While a concern, the young man knew that the ones that the quiet, better groomed ones off to the side would be the main threats.

 

He was studying some of the quieter individuals when a big man with a grey mane of hair and a wicked looking axe dangling from a lope on his belt walked directly towards him. A pot belly hung over a giant brass buckle on his belt, which he scratched with his left hand. His left hand was missing its pinky and ring finger. When the big man got to the young man’s table, he grabbed up the glass of wine in his left hand, keeping his right hand near his ax. He took a big gulp of the wine and spewed it out in disgust. The young man barely manages to dodge out of the way of the rejected wine.

 

The big man drew his hand across badly deformed lips and bellowed, “What kind of sissy drink’s that?!?”

 

The young man shrugged.

 

“One I was saving.” The young man replied in a clam voice.

 

The big man snorted.

 

“A rich little brat comes to this bar and ‘saves’ a drink?” He laughed. “Looks like old Billard will be teaching ya what a real drink is.”

 

Billard bellowed to the barman for two of the usual and then leaned close to the young man. He wore an evil, near toothless grin. The young man was subjected to Billard’s rancid breath, but didn’t move a muscle. He leveled his gold colored eyes into Billard’s blood-shot brown eyes.

 

“Gotta name, silverspoon?” Billard asked.

 

The young man stared at Billard for a few seconds more, and then seemed to switch his gaze to the barman preparing two drinks just over Billard’s shoulder.

 

“Tené.” He finally said.

 

“Tené?!?” Billard laughed. “What kinda name is that?”

 

A slight smile touched Tené’s lips.

 

“Mine.” He said in a clam, serene voice.

 

Billard continued laughing. Some of his friends had joined in on the laughter and gathered around Tené’s table, watching for what would happen next.

 

“Not what they expect.” Tené thought to himself.

 

The barman appeared holding two frothing mugs and placed them both on the table. Billard grabbed up one of the mugs and downed half of it in one gulp. He slammed the mug and issued a champion belch. Billard then turned to Tené with an ugly smile.

 

“Not drinkin’, sonny? Here, let me help ya!”

 

Billard grabbed Tené’s hood and hair and yanked back, forcing Tené’s face skyward. Tené opened his mouth to order this to end, but his warning was drowned by a vile drink that Billard was pouring down his throat. Some of the liquid splashed into his eyes, making them sting. His mouth and throat felt like they were being dissolved by acid. He closed his eyes and mouth in an effort to escape the drinks effects. Tené’s mind began to register that Billard and the others in the bar were laughing at him. With an anger boiling over inside him, Tené focused his anger into his right fist and slammed it in to Billard’s oversized belly.

 

Billard laughed harder at the feeble attempt to hurt him, and was about to get the snot-nosed kid to open his mouth again when every light in the bar dimmed. Tené, calling on the power that had long been his ally, sent a blast of dark fire through his fist and into Billard, while his left hand attacked the nerves in Billard’s hand, causing it to open. The big man went flying across the room. He landed on several of his buddies and a table ten feet away. He had a smoldering hole on his dirty shirt and serious burns on his belly.

 

Tené jumped up with a roar. He spat and shook the foul drink from his face. With one eye, he surveyed the scene around him. Most of the bar was up on their feet. While most made no move, some of Billard’s friends were already moving to attack. One small, weaselly man with two daggers lunged at Tené. Tené dodged out of the way, drawing his wakizashi just in time to parry the attack of a man with a saber. Both the man with the daggers and the man with the saber on one side of Tené and attacked in unison. Tené worked hard to keep them at bay

 

He was about to try to make a break to his left when he saw that Billard was up and about to charge with his ax. Tené then noticed that the two attacking him were holding him here for Billard’s attack. Billard’s charge would hit him, but not the others.

 

“Good tactic.” Tené thought. “They’ve used it before.”

 

Billard hit a thick bracelet on his left wrist. A soft, silver light sparked around Billard for a second, then vanished.

 

“A magic ward.” Tené muttered, grimacing.

 

His mind raced through possibilities and found only one good one left. Billard started his charge. Tené lifted his right hand, as if grasping something. When Billard had closed half the distance, Tené’s hand closed around the handle of a weapon that appeared out of a swirl of darkness. Billard was barely able to stop before impaling his throat on the weapons tip.

 

Everything in the bar stopped. Every eye was on the weapon Tené had summoned. The weapon was the length of a long sword. The hand guard started at the top of the handle swooped down reconnected at the hilt. The blade was straight with a finely honed edge on the front, coming to a multi-angle point and had jagged teeth down the back. The whole weapon was mat black with dull silver highlights.

 

“Blood hell.” Billard mumbled as he stumbled back a few paces. The blood had drained from his face and he was covered in sweat. Tené though he could get out before the shock wore off when he heard a shrill voice say the name of his weapon with a maniacal edge.

 

“Keyblade!”

 

Tené looked to see a man he had not noticed before. He was small man in black robes. He had slicked back brown hair, a well-trimmed goatee and a waxed mustache. He carried no weapons, which either marked him as very foolish or very dangerous the man pointed to Tené’s Keyblade with a look of glee.

 

“A million munnies to the man who brings me that weapon!” The man shouted.

 

(Part 2 of Chapter 1 coming soon.)

it's kinda like harry potter

it's kinda like harry potter

 

How so?

Chapter 1, part 2

 

With the strange man’s proclamation still ringing in everyone’s ears, Tené carefully took stock of the situation. Everybody else in the bar was drawing their weapons and all their attention was on him. Tené knew he had to act fast before the mob overwhelmed him with their numbers. Quickly, he cast a Haste spell on himself. With his increased speed, he brought his Keyblade and wakizashi together in a defensive posture.

Tené bated aside several foolish loners who attack on their own before he moved to stage two of his plan. He reached out with the power of Darkness and snuffed out all the light inside the bar. While light still flowed from the door way to the outside, most of the combatants were unprepared for the sudden loss of most of the light in the bar. Tené used this distraction to go on the offensive.

With his keen eyes, Tené saw the large form of Billard pushing towards the front of the crowd to get to him. As Billard broke through the other people, Tené tripped him, causing his to crash face first into the floor. Tené laughed at Billard as he stabbed the big man through the heart with his Keyblade. Tené wasted no time pulling the Keyblade from Billard’s corpse.

Tené pressed his attack and killed two others before one of his targets managed to block his Keyblade from cleaving through the man. Tené quickly whipped his wakizashi around and sliced through the man’s neck, severing the artery. Leaving the man to die on his own, Tene continued to wade into the crowd, his blades swinging.

More and more, Tené saw that his opponents were adjusting to the dim light and fighting back more effectively. Several people were joining together to take Tené down. Tené smiled as they were doing what he hoped. Grouping up would increase the odds in fighting to break out between those wanting to collect the reward.

Seeing a large group of people clustered together, Tené whipped his Keyblade around and threw it at the group. It sliced through several of the thugs before it lost momentum and hit the floor. Many of the bar patrons, watching the Keybalde’s path, dog piled on top of the Keyblade in a desperate attempt to grab the prized weapon. The pile of bodies grew as more joined in the frenzy of grabing.

With attention briefly off him, Tené reached in his coat and retrieved a mote of confusion. He threw it at a shadowy assassin that had been sneaking up behind him. The mote hit the assassin and broke. The assassin stumbled back, shaking his head to lift the fog that fill it. He looked around to see Tené all around him. Picking the closest target, the assassin attacked with his poisoned stiletto. Tené chucked darkly, watching the assassin attacking several members of the Demon Riders gang. The assassin made quick work of several of the poorly trained gang members.

Soon, more people were attacked by the assassin and others attacked those close to them in fear of being attacked themselves. Tené’s chuckle turned into a full blown laugh as the one against 50 fight turned into a free for all. Tené glanced back at the dog pile and saw that it had descended into a bloodbath as the fought over the Keyblade. He was unconcerned as to who the victor would be as the Keyblade had already vanished.

Tené could see more people coming into the bar to join in the fight. With this fresh wave of combatants who knew nothing of the reward placed on his weapon, Tené knew that it was time for him to leave. He switched his wakizashi to his right hand to better fight his way through the mob. He cut a straight line to the door, leaving a trail of bodies that was quickly swallowed up by the raging battle.

Tené was nearly at the door when he caught sight of the man who had offered the reward. With a dark smile on his face, Tené launched a ball of Dark Firiga at than man’s head. Tené’s smile faded as his missile hit not the man, but a magical barrier that surrounded the man. The man was quacking with rage as he looked at Tené.

“YOU CAN’T DENY ME!!!” The man screamed as he brought his hands together, casting a bolt of lightning at Tené.

Tené tried to dodge, but was hit full force by the bolt. The hit sent him flying through the door of the bar. He landed about ten feet from the door. Tené groaned as he got up, still smoking. His wakizashi was ripped from his grasp as he had been propelled through the air. As he straightened up, the bar exploded outward with lightning and fire as a large beast crashed through the roof of the bar. The creature landed directly in front of Tené, sending him sprawling on his back.

Tené looked up at the creature, studying it. The creature had a long slender body, like a snake, though as thick as an elm tree. Two thick legs support its weight and two large bat-like wings come from its back. The creature’s head looked like a alligators head with a mouth filled with dagger sized teeth. The whole creature’s body was light green with re splotches. Tené had only battled a drake once before and that had not been a pleasant experience.

Tené attempted to stand, but stopped as another lightning bolt hit between his legs. He looked up and saw the man who started all this standing on the creature’s back. His eyes were glowing with power and dark lightning crackled around him.

“Damn sorcerers.” Tené mutters as he braced himself for action.

The drake’s head swoops down and bites at Tené, but he rolled out of the way. Tené tried to stand again, but this time the lightning doesn’t miss. Once again on his back, Tené heard the sorcerer cackled with delight.

“Give me the Keyblade, whelp.” The sorcerer threatened. “And I’ll let you live.”

Tené summoned his Keyblade. He looked at it, then at the sorcerer.

“No.” Tené said, as if telling a child that had asked to play with his Keyblade.

Before the sorcerer could respond, Tené fired a bolt of ice through his Keyblade at the sorcerer. The ice hit the sorcerer square in the chest. With a yell, the sorcerer grasped at his chest and curled up on the drakes back.

The drake, hearing its master yell of pain, attacked Tené with its wing while it tried to bite his legs. Tené, knocked off balance by the wing, barely got his Keyblade up in time to block the bite. He let out a yell of anger as he allowed the power of Darkness flow through him, forcing it out of his body with explosive force. The Dark Blast knocked the drake and its master back. Tené, still with dark smoke coming off him, looked for his wakizashi. He saw it behind the drake. Tené grunted with frustration as he prepared to dive for the wakizashi.

He was about to make his move when he saw something red move out of the corner of his eye. The drake must have seen the red as well, because it turned to see what was disturbing it. Tené, knowing exactly what, or rather who, it was, took the opportunity to go for his wakizashi. The creature turned to attack Tené but was interrupted by three fire balls slamming into the side of its head. Tené dove and grabbed the wakizashi and rolled to his feet.

He turned his head to see a man in a red cape. He gave the man a thankful nod. The man in red nodded back and both look back to the drake. The man lowered his weapon and stalked towards the drake and Tené.

The man’s cape was big and tattered around the edges with a collar that covered the lower half of his face. He wore black clothes under his cape. He also wore shoes and a gauntlet on his left hand made of a tarnished gold metal. A red bandana helped keep his long black hair out of his face. His eyes were a bright red with pale skin. In his right gloved hand, he held a Keyblade.

The sorcerer, just recovered from Tené’s ice blast, glared at the new comer.

“Don’t interfere, weakling!” The sorcerer yelled. “Or I shall reduce you to ashes!”

“Hollow threat.” The man in red said in a deep, gravelly voice. “You lack the power to kill one Keyblade barer. Two is over your head.”

The sorcerer roared and threw lightning at the man. The man jumped up into the air, dodging the lightning. He swung his Keyblade up and it transformed. It changed from a blade to a three barreled cannon that the man hefted to his shoulder. An ominous hum came from the canon. The man pointed the canon at the sorcerer and fired solid balls of Darkness. The sorcerer’s barrier barely held. The sorcerer watched as the man in red arched over him and landed on the other side of the drake.

The sorcerer turned his head in time to see Tené complete his jump and slice through the barrier and himself. Instinct kicked in, causing the sorcerer to use his magic to keep himself alive. The action saved his life, but barely. The drake reared up, sending its wounded master flying.

The enraged drake roared and rocketed itself into the air. After it risen almost 50 feet up in the air, it dived for Tené and the man in red. The latter of the two fired his cannon several times at the creatures, hitting it each time. Tené threw both his blades in to the ground at his feet, both of them imbedded in the dirt. He called the power of darkness and launched an endless volley of dark bolts.

The drake screeched in pain as its dive turned into an uncontrolled fall. It crashed to the ground and skidded passed Tené. Tené grabbed up his blades and swung at the creature’s neck, beheading it. Tené stood still a moment as his breathing came in jagged breaths.

The man in red walked over to Tené, his keyblade back to its usual form.

“I thought I told you to just wait in the bar.” The man said to Tené. “Not wreck it.”

Tené closed his eyes for a moment to calm himself. As his breathing became more normal, he reopened his eyes.

“Unavoidable.” Tené replied in an even tone. “A bar brawl that spiraled out of control. And then the sorcerer stepped in.”

“Was he alone?” The man in red questioned a hint of concern in his voice.

“Yes.” Tené answered, understanding his master’s fear. “He wonld not have contacted others, Vincent. Too greedy.”

“V-v-Vincent?” came the hoarse whisper from the dying sorcerer. “Vincent Valentine? The Keyblade Master?”

A look of confusion crossed the sorcerer’s pain stricken face.

“But he died decades ago.”

Vincent Valentine, the man in red, looked over at the broken body of the sorcerer as he lay on the steps of the bar. Vincent then turned away and dismissing his Keyblade. Tené, understanding his master, walked toward the sorcerer. He spun his wakizashi around in his hand so that he held it in a reverse grip. He also dismissed his Keyblade. Tené stopped, standing over the sorcerer, looking down at him.

“How is he alive?” The sorcerer coughed.

“A question for the grave.” Tené stated.

In a fluid motion, Tené brought up his wakizashi and drove it down throught the sorcerer’s heart. The sorcerer gasped, and then breathed no more. Tené pulled his blade from the corpse, noticing that the body looked much older than it had when it was alive. The sorcerer had used his power to stay young. Tené shook his head with distain, knowing that this man and more like him sought the keyblade to gain more power and stave off death. Tené was a young man, but even he knew death took you when it wanted.

Tené wiped his wakizashi on the corpse’s clothes and returned the sword to its scabbard. Tené turned back to rejoin Vincent. He saw that his master had opened a corridor of darkness. Tené cocked an eyebrow.

“Why the hurry?” He questioned.

Vincent turned to face his student.

“Xen is missing.” Vincent replied simply.

Tené’s face quickly went through a look of surprise and concern to end in a look of anger.

“Lombard made his move.” He stated more than asked.

“That is what I believe.” Vincent confirmed.

Tené clinched and unclenched his hands a few times. He did not speak for a few moments. He then switched his hard gaze to Vincent.

“Have we a lead?” Tené asked, an edge of anger in his voice.

“One.” Vincent answered. “Bunansa.”

Tené’s face cracked into a dark smile.

“I was hoping he’d cross us again.” He said, his voice full of malice for the man known to him as Bunansa.

Vincent gave Tené a disapproving look.

“We don’t have time to appease your want for vengeance. Lives are at risk.” Vincent reproved.

Tené nodded, a little ashamed of letting his anger cloud his judgment.

“Yes, sir.” Tené said. “I understand.”

Vincent’s face relaxed a bit and nodded.

“Good.” He said. “Bunansa has been seen near the Tri City. We need to move fast to catch up to him.”

“Understood.”

Vincent nodded and stepped through the corridor. Tené walked toward the corridor. He was going to save Xen. He was going to stop Lombard.

“He will not have Kingdom Hearts.” Tené promised as he stepped into the corridor of darkness after his master.

 

(End of chapter one.)

(Vincent Valentine and Bunansa are Final Fantasy characters and are not made up by me.)

Other than Cloud and Sephiroth, Vincent is my #1 FFVII character ever!!!!!

Other than Cloud and Sephiroth, Vincent is my #1 FFVII character ever!!!!!

 

Think he works as a Keyblade Master?

.....Yeah. That would be cool! I mean, a Keyblade Master who is also "Master" of Chaos........not to mention the immortality.

.....Yeah. That would be cool! I mean, a Keyblade Master who is also "Master" of Chaos........not to mention the immortality.

 

Thank you.

Hey, when's Chapter 2 gonna be posted? Cause this story is one of the good fanfics i've read.

Thank you.

Soon, I hope. It will focus on some other characters.

Thank you.

Soon, I hope. It will focus on some other characters.

 

Coooolllll.....

This is a good story so far, keep it up.

This is a good story so far, keep it up.

 

Thank you.

Sorry about the delay. Still trying to type up chapter two.

Thank you.

Sorry about the delay. Still trying to type up chapter two.

 

No problem~

And it's okay, take your time. : )

Sorry for the delay, but here is chapter two.

Clarus opened her eyes to see the sunlight streaming into her room from her open windows. She sat up and stretched her small frame. Pushing the covers off of her, she stood up. She made her way out of her room and to the bathroom down the hall. She stopped half way there, remembering that she was just in her pajamas, consisting of an old t-shirt and fuzzy sleeping pants. Normally that would be fine, but Master Gamin had important guests and it would look silly if one of his apprentices were to be seen running around so improperly dressed.

Clarus heaved a sigh and started back to her room to grab her bathrobe. She feared that it would be hard to find, but it she was happy to find it draped at the foot of her bed. She pulled the robe on, and then pulled her dark purple hair out of the robe. Her hair hung down a little untidily down to the middle of her back.

Clarus once again made her way to the bathroom. She was just out of her room when a young, strongly built man came around the corner, a few feet beyond the bathroom. Once Clarus saw the young man, she made a dash for the bathroom. The young man likewise raced for the bathroom. With his closer starting point, he beat Clarus. Clarus made it to the door as the man stuck out his tongue and slammed the door. Clarus banged on the door with a fist.

“Come on, Dane.” Clarus yelled through the door. “I need to go.”

“How do you know I don’t need to?” Dane replied, his enjoyment of the situation clear in his voice.

Clarus glared at the door.

“We both know that you were ordered to shave this morning, which you already did.” She accused.

She knew that right then, Dane was rubbing his chin, missing the stubble he had maintained for the past two years.

“Weeeellllll” he said at length. “I can’t deny that.”

Playfulness returned to his voice.

“But that doesn’t mean I don’t need to use the toilet now.”

Clarus could just hear Dane’s grin, which had most likely engulfed the lower half of his face. She tried the door handle, but found it locked.

“You think I won’t lock it?” Came Dane’s response.

Clarus growled, then summoned what she had come to Master Gamin to learn to use: The Keyblade. Her Keyblade looked like an angel wing of silvery white. The teeth were three long feathers. The hand guard was a circle with a gold coloration. The keychain was short, with a single white feather at the end.

Using the flat of the blade, Clarus banged the bathroom door. She could hear the lock respond to the Keyblade’s power and unlock. Clarus quickly grabbed the handle and threw the door open. Dane was standing at the other end of the bathroom, leaning against the wall. Like Clarus had thought, not using the toilet. Dane’s face changed from one of mischievous fun to one of surprise.

“Hey!” he said after some sputtering. “You can’t do that. It’s cheating!”

Clarus gave him a glare.

“Yeah, well” Clarus huffed, “I’m changing the rules.”

She dismissed her keyblade and jumped at Dane. When she got to him, she wrapped her arms around his middle and tried to manhandle him out of the bathroom. Dane’s good natured grin returned as he pretended to put up a fight. Just as Clarus was getting Dane out of the door way, Dane grabbed her and jerked back, causing them both to fall out of the bathroom. Dane landed on his back on the floor with Clarus on top of him.

“What was that for?!?” Clarus practically yelled at Dane.

He would have answered had he not been laughing so hard. Clarus could feel a smile spread across her face. She quickly put a frown on.

“Don’t do this to me, you jerk.” She said, trying to maintain her frown. “Don’t you…”

She then burst out laughing. She didn’t want to laugh, she wanted to be made at Dane. Yet, no matter what she did, he always seemed to get her laughing as he annoyed her. She started beating his chest with her small fists. That only made Dane laugh harder, which in turn made Clarus laugh harder.

When they both heard someone clear his or her throat, the laughter immediately stopped. Clarus and Dane both turned their heads to face the end of the hall that Dane had come from to see two men. Both were middle aged, though they were both still physically fit. One dressed in white robes and had a round, cheerful face with a shaved balled head. The other man was wearing an old, but well maintained military uniform and had a thin, weather beaten face.

Clarus and Dane quickly stood up and bowed to the two men.

“Busted.” Clarus silently grimaced to herself.

“What happened here?” Asked the man in the military uniform.

Clarus opened her mouth to speak when Dane cut in.

“I was playing a trick on Clarus and started wrestling with her.” Dane stated quickly.

Clarus shot Dane a glance. She had started the rough housing, not Dane. Had she ordered him out of the bathroom after she had opened the door, he would have done so. Clarus started to open her mouth to set the record straight when she caught a look from Dane that told her, in effect, to keep her trap shut. The man in the uniform looked from Clarus to Dane and back again.

“And that’s what happened?” He asked.

“Yes, Master Gamin.” Dane answered immediately.

“Clarus?” Gamin pressed.

Clarus tried to follow Dane’s wishes and continue the rues, but all she could get out of her mouth was “I…”

Master Gamin turned to the man in the white robe.

“If you would excuse me, Master Safi.” Gamin addressed the other Master. “I need to speak to my students in private.”

“Of course.” Master Safi said and turned to go back down the hall he and Gamin had come down.

As he turned, Clarus saw him give Dane a “no-harm-done” wink. After Safi had turned the corner, Master Gamin turned to face Clarus and Dane. Gamin focused a stern look at Dane.

“Dane” Master Gamin began to say, his voice full of disapproval. “Did you really think I wouldn’t see through your little lie?”

Both Clarus and Dane stiffened at the question. Dane tried to stammer out an answer, but Master Gamin held up a hand to silence him.

“I can easily recall countless of instances where you played a trick on Clarus and she hit you for it.” Gamin added in the same tone.

Gamin’s face softened as he looked at his student.

“I know you want to protect Clarus from anything and want her to look good for the brass, but you can’t do that by lying.”

Dane, with a solemn look on his face, nodded his head. Master Gamin took a deep breath.

“Now, both of you get cleaned up and changed for breakfast.”

Clarus and Dane turn to go to their rooms.

“And Clarus.” Master Gamin called after them.

Both stopped and turned to face their master. Gamin’s face and voice were neutral, but there was a little twinkle in his eyes.

“Next time Dane does something like this” Gamin said, “hit him harder.”

Clarus smiled.

“Yes, sir.” Clarus responded. “I will.”

Dane heaved a sigh.

“Do you mean to break me of my annoying habits, sir.” The young man asked, mock resignation in his face and voice.

Gamin maintained his neutral expression and tone as he said, “I am only testing your ability to overcome adversity. Either you will learn to be more subtle or Clarus will beat you within an inch of your life.”

The edges of Master Gamin’s mouth lifted almost imperceptibly.

“Either way, I get more peace and quiet.”

The two students laughed with mirth, while Master Gamin’s smile got a smidge bigger. Clarus knew that was Gamin’s sign for laughing. If he actually chuckled out loud, it would be a sign that he was entering nirvana.

“What started this, by the way?” Gamin asked.

“I was trying to get to the bathroom, but Dane took it.” Clarus answered.

Gamin nodded, and looked at the open bathroom door.

“Well, take care of your business in there and then give it back to Dane.”

Gamin looked up at Dane’s mop of dirty blond hair.

“He has some cutting to do.”

Dane touched his hair and said, “You don’t like the new style, sir?”

A look of mock surprise came over Master Gamin’s face.

“I’m sorry.” He said. “I was unaware that your hair had any style to it at all.”

Dane had a concerned look as he looked at Master Gamin’s high-an-tight. Reading his apprentice’s mind, Gamin reassured Dane, saying, “We will not be required to get a high-an-tight. Just deal with that uncontrolled mass on top of your head.”

“Yes, sir.” Dane said, a little relieved. “I’ll do that.”

Dane started down the hall towards his room. A smile formed on his face as a thought struck him. He turned around, showing his smile to Gamin and Clarus.

“You know…” Dane started to say. “I’m not sure our guests wouldn’t mind my hair the way it is. I mean, look at Rus’s hair.”

Gamin’s face slackened into what Dane and Clarus had dubbed his ‘get real’ face. Clarus imagined Master Safi’s apprentice, Rus, and his head. The proportions of his head and face made him quite handsome, but his hair was another matter. Rus sported an afro that was about twice the size of his head. Clarus knew that Master Gamin had to restrain himself from attacking that hair with a buzzer every time he saw Rus.

Master Gamin sighed.

“If the young man wishes to look like he has a globe stuck on his head and his master lets him, that’s their business.” Gamin said. “But I don’t want an apprentice with a scale model of the world on his head. That’s dangerous.”

Dane nodded, having received the lecture on the dangers of long hair in combat many times. Clarus stroked her silky hair, thankful that Master Gamin only required her to tie her hair up instead of cutting it.

Dane, though fully aware of how this would end, pressed on.

“I know it’s dangerous, but I would look good with an afro, don’t ya think?” He said.

Gamin’s face remained blank as he stared at Dane unblinking. After about 10 or 15 secondss, Gamin blinked once. Dane, understanding what the blink meant, nodded.

“Yes, sir.” Dane said, still smiling. “That’s it.”

With that he turned and headed to his room to retrieve the supplies he needed. A slight smile touched Gamin’s lips. Clarus, seeing the smile, cocked an eyebrow.

“What is it, Master?” She asked Gamin.

“Just placing a curse on Dane.” Gamin replied.

“A curse?” Clarus inquired, more than a little puzzled.

“Yes. It is a similar one that his mother placed on him years ago.”

Clarus thought a moment, then it came to her.

“Oh. The ‘I hope you have kids that act just like you.’ Right?”

Gamin nodded.

“Yes, only I’m cursing him to have students just like himself.”

Clarus laughed. Dane had already said he wanted to train new Keyblade wielders when he was a master.

“The problem is” Clarus started to say, “that Dane would enjoy that.”

Master Gamin’s face went thoughtful.

“True.” He said at length. “Oh well, better him get those students than me.”

“But” Clarus interjected “won’t life be boring without people like Dane?”

“Yes, but oh so peaceful.”

Clarus laughed again and conceded the point. Her forgotten need to use the bathroom reminded her of its presence. Clarus quickly excused herself, and darted to the bathroom to relieve herself. She then turned on the shower, but made it brief as Dane still needed to cut his hair. After finishing her shower, she quickly applied some eyeliner to darken her eyelids and ran a brush through her hair.

Getting back into her robe, Clarus gathered up her dirty clothes and the towels she had used. As she opened the door to the hall, she saw Dane sitting on the floor across from her. He had his toiletry bag and wore big headphones connected to an old, well-loved CD player. Clarus waved to get Dane’s attention. Once she had it, she gave him a thumbs up and darted back to her room.

There she put her laundry in a basket, and got dressed. She put on a gray t-shirt and lose white pants with purple trim. She waited to put on the jacket that matched the pants and dealt with her hair. Her nibble fingers danced over her hair, binding it into a long braid.

When she was done, she searched for a pair of socks, but found none. Clarus used one of the two actual curse words she knew and search through her underwear drawer. There she found two mismatched socks, one with gray toes and heal, and another that was all white with a sports logo on the side. Wishing she hadn’t put off doing her laundry, she put both socks on and placed over them white running shoes.

She then walked over to her dresser and opened her jewelry box. Inside was a small collection of simple but beautiful pieces of jewelry. Clarus pulled out a pendent that her mother had given her before she came to train under Master Gamin. It was made up of a clear crystal that seemed to shine in any light and a silver chain. She held it in her hands, thinking of home. She then slipped the pendent over her head and settled it on her neck, making sure her braid wasn’t caught by the chain. When she put on her jacket, the pendent would not be visible, but she didn’t care about that. The pendent was there to comfort her, not to be admired.

She slipped on her jacket and fixed its clasps from her collar to near the hem of her jacket. She looked at her reflection in the full length mirror to the left of her door. She straightened up her jacket and looked herself in the eye.

“Don’t panic.” She told herself. “These masters aren’t here to test me.”

She exhaled loudly.

“Just here to have a meeting.”

She nodded and went to her bedroom door. Taking the door handle in her hand, she paused briefly to take a deep breath. Steeling herself, she opened the door and headed to the gathering hall.

Tene? Why not something more epic? Like, have Tene reveal his real name soon?

Tene? Why not something more epic? Like, have Tene reveal his real name soon?

 

Tene is his name. It's a shortening of the Latin word tenebrae, which means darkness. It also helps how you pronounce the name. The name is pronounced the last e in the name like a short e. Not "Ten E," if that makes since.

A story? I could read this and record it for my homework.

A story? I could read this and record it for my homework.

 

Oh?

Oh?

 

I have homework where I have to read for 30 minutes, write it down, get my parent's signature, and make a summary

Well, it is very epic.I'll give you that much.

Well, it is very epic.I'll give you that much.

 

Thank you.

I have homework where I have to read for 30 minutes, write it down, get my parent's signature, and make a summary

 

same

I should start reading...nah later.

(1 week later...)

I need to do read for 30 minutes...hmm...what book should I use...

(later on Friday...)

Oh no my homework!