Chapter 4: Untitled

“So…this little computer thing is a guidebook?” Isaac asked, holding up the Guide for Miria to see.

“That is The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” Ford stated proudly with a nod. “The quintessential travel companion for any hitchhiker – well, save for his towel of course.”

“You hear that, Miria? We need to purchase towels, ASAP!”

“Aye-aye, Isaac!”

“Somebody shoot me…” Arthur mumbled.

While explaining more, Ford spotted two people rushing out of a doorway. He recognized one of them as Radiant Garden’s president, Squall Leonhart. “Oy, you! Mr. President!” He leapt in front of the charging men. “I’ve got some serious shit to lay down on you, sass, frood?”

“Take it up with my secretary; I’m busy,” Squall said, brushing Ford aside as they exited through the castle’s revolving doors.

“Well I never. You’ll be getting a nasty review from me, I’ll tell you what!” Ford shouted, indignant.

Arthur approached his friend and gestured out the doorway. “So does this mean we’re hitting the road now, or whatever the space equivalent of the term is?”

“Not yet, Arthur. I’ve got to go file a very long complaint with that punk’s complaint center first.”

“This place won’t even have a complaint center for much longer!”

“Hmm…you’re completely right, buddy. We must take this to the man himself! Come on.” Ford dashed out the castle after the two very rude gentlemen.

“Ford, wait up! Oh, I hate Tuesdays,” Arthur moaned as he followed.

Watching their two new friends leave, Miria turned to her partner in crime. “Say, Isaac, what do you think all the hubbub is about?”

“Hmm…” he hummed, placing a hand on his chin thoughtfully. “Judging by the words we overheard, I believe Ford and Arthur are attempting to submit a news article of this world’s bathrooms’ awful state of affairs to the president, however, due to the president’s rather demanding schedule, they were unable to meet.”

“Wow, you’re so smart, Isaac!” Miria exclaimed, then pondered briefly. “But I thought the bathroom was pretty clean, though.”

“Indeed you’re right, Miria! Perhaps we should follow after them, to hopefully correct them of any possible mistakes they have made. After all, friends are only friends when they point out the mistakes in their analysis of bathrooms.”

“Yeah, let’s do it!” Miria agreed wholehearted, hopping to her feet, grabbed Isaac’s hands, and dragged him out to join the conga line of insanity.

---

Rika had always figured that the Keyblade did most of the work whenever it chose its wielder. After all, it was only after Kai received his that he became able of casting magic. However, it became quite apparent to her that it only augmented the abilities she was capable of already and not actually grant her any superhuman endurance or durability. She could already feel her strength leaving her as she struggled to keep up with Ashi and Kai. With their training at the Keyblade Academy, they are able to maintain their energy without overexerting themselves in combat. Rika could barely maintain breathing.

“How many are there?-!” she gasped, straining to fight of one of the dinosaur-inspired Heartless.

Ashi kicked off one that had him pinned, and managed to slash its head off with his Keyblade. He got up and only got a moment’s reprieve before he was assaulted by two more. “There’s no end to them!” He fended them off with his weapon caught in between two sets of razor sharp jaws as the two were suddenly incased in solid ice, to his shock. Kai kicked the frozen beasts into thousands of icy shards from behind.

“We have to find the source,” he said.

Finally finishing her enemy by wrapping its legs with her Keyblade’s long chain and a quick stab in the torso, Rika wiped her brow. “And where might that be?”

“The Heartless aren’t smart enough to organize as well as this. Someone has to be controlling them,” Kai said. “We have to find the leader. Cut off the head, and the rest will fall.”

“You’ve been reading up on those fantasy novels, haven’t you?”

Ashi swung his Keyblade to rid it of Heartless blood before allowing it to vanish. “It’s been over an hour since the call from the Academy. Notice anything wrong with this picture here?”

“That we’re the only ones those seem to be fighting off the Heartless here?” Rika asked sarcastically.

“Exactly. So where are the other Keyblade warriors?”

Realization dawned upon Rika and Kai’s faces. “Did something happen at the Academy?” Kai said.

“If we’re facing an invasion of this scale, the Academy’s teachers and students should be out here with us,” Ashi said, pulling out his cellphone and making a call. He was quiet for a moment before saying, “No good. No one’s answering.”

Kai bit the tip of his thumb. “We have to get back to the Academy.”

“We can’t just leave the Garden to defend itself!” Ashi shouted. “If we really are the only Keybladers out here, isn’t it our duty to protect the people?”

“If we don’t find out what happened to the others, I don’t think we’ll have a Garden to protect for much longer,” Kai said grimly.

“What, and we should just abandon the people and leave them to fend for themselves? Who died and left you in charge?” Ashi matched Kai’s glower with another, but spotted Rika’s anxiety on display from her face. He sighed, “You two head for the school.” He summoned his Keyblade once more. “I’ll take care of things here in the residential district.”

Kai noticed it as well and nodded. “All right, but be careful out there. You still owe me for that save earlier.”

Ashi only smirked and gave a thumbs up. “That’s only returning one of the many saves I did for you.” With that, he parted from the group.

Rika silently gripped her hands, looking down to the ground. This wasn’t how she wanted to be a part of their lives again. Everything was coming apart since she got that stupid Keyblade, but she had no time to dwell upon it. She and Kai had to get to the school.

---

“Where’s this Keyblade Academy of yours?” the Doctor asked as he deftly dodged the talons of the “Heartless” that attempted to take swipes at him.

Squall slashed every monster they came across, clearing a way for the Doctor. “At the center of the city. We can’t miss it.” He grunted as one caught him by the shoulder with a bite, and he smashed its skull with the butt of his Gunblade. “This plan of yours better work, ‘Doctor’.”

“A little faith wouldn’t kill you, would it?” he asked in response before crashing face to face with another “Heartless”. “Blimey.” The Doctor whipped out a pair of glasses and put them on. “Aren’t you a beautiful thing?”

Before it could bite the good Doctor’s head off, a towel wrapped itself around its snout and snapping it shut. “As much as I like appreciating the wildlife as the next guy,” Ford said as he held the other end of the towel, “I think these things are a tad too cliché for my tastes.” He threw the “Heartless” over his shoulder and slammed it against the ground and snapped its neck with his towel for good measure, causing it to dissipate into nothingness.

“Wowie-wow, Mr. Prefect!” Miria admired as she, Isaac and Arthur joined the rest of them. “You sure do know how to handle that towel of yours!”

“Thank you, little lady,” Ford said with a mock Southern drawl.

“Who are you?” Squall asked, checking the area for more “Heartless”.

“Ford Prefect, intrepid reporter for The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” he answered curtly. “Now, I get you’re a really busy guy, trying to handle the local outbreak of face-eating monsters, but you really must take into consideration of your tourists if you want to get any support from hitchhikers.”

Squall stared at Ford incredulously. “I’m sorry, what?”

Isaac threw an arm around Ford’s shoulders. “What my good friend here is trying to tell you is that your bathrooms reek of the high end and require immediate improvement, STAT!”

“Whatchu talkin’ about, Isaac?” Ford asked.

Squall pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay, whatever. Thanks for the help back there, but the Doctor and I have some bigger fish to fry at the moment.”

“Oh, The Hitchhiker’s Guide, huh?” the Doctor mumbled as Arthur showed his copy to him. “I’ve heard of these things. Not terribly accurate, but fairly informative and worth a good chuckle once in a while. A broken clock is right twice a day, I suppose.”

“Doctor!” Squall scowled.

“Hmm? Oh, yes. My bad.” The Doctor tossed the Guide back into Arthur’s hands as the two made another mad dash for the Academy.

“You get back here, you damned bastards!” Ford shouted, taking chase yet again.

“There is going to be a lot of running today, is there?” Arthur sighed, moping.

---

Rika and Kai were quickly reaching their destination, with the sea of “Heartless” growing thicker by the second. “They all seem to be converging at the Academy,” Rika growled, the two not allowing their Keyblades to rest for a moment.

“That, or it might be because of that…”

Rika looked up in the air at where Kai was pointing and her expression darkened. There was simply no mistaking it: A dark, swirling vortex loomed over the Keyblade Academy, with flashes of light as the creatures emerging from it and landing upon the school. Windows were shattered and walls wrecked as those monsters made their way inside. “They’re targeting the school,” Rika said with a low whisper.

“Well, that explains why those things came after us first,” Kai said. “We’ve got to get inside.”

“Yeah…” Rika nodded. However, she felt a chill creep down her spine. It was as if they weren’t alone. Before she could share with Kai, he had already charged through the Academy’s doors. Her body moving on its own and her head pumped full with adrenaline, she followed him. But she knew something was wrong.

The hallways were dark; most of the lights were either destroyed or flickering. Doors were flung open and barely hanging on by the hinges, the many metal lockers crumpled, and the multicolored tiles on the floor shattered and fragmented. And large claw marks and slashes everywhere. It was clear a massive struggle happened. Rika tried her best to avoid looking at any blood she saw.

“Do you think everyone is…?”

“I don’t want to think about it,” Kai said sharply, surprising Rika how different her friend is under pressure.

The two slowly waded their way through the debris from the collapsed ceiling, carefully searching for anyone, but had their Keyblades drawn should any danger spring upon them. Kai stopped for a moment as he recognized a familiar blue cap in the middle of the rubble. “Oh no…” He picked it up, gently feeling it with his fingers. “They got him!”

“Got who?” Rika asked.

“Merlin!” Kai cried out. “The head magic professor of the Academy! Why did they have to kill you?-! You taught me all that I knew! How am I supposed to go on without you? You were like a father to me! I will make them pay for this, mark my words! Damn them! Damn them all to HELL!”

“For Mickey’s sake, boy, get a hold of yourself!” A hand from behind the two reached out and snatched the hat from Kai’s hands. They turned and saw the decrypted old man garbed in a blue place it back on his head.

“Merlin, you’re alive!” Kai exclaimed. “Thank god, I was running out of cliché despair lines!”

Merlin stroked his long white beard that Rika couldn’t help but stare at and want to tug on. “Yes, but not for a lack of trying on those blasted Soulfuls’ part.”

“Soulfuls?” Rika and Kai chorused.

“Oh, look at what they’ve done! All my spell books torn asunder, my tea sets smashed, and…my easy chair!” Merlin groaned, lifting upright an overturned big, red upholstered chair that had all its stuffing sticking out from tears. As he attempted to sit down upon it, the chair broke apart and he fell to the floor. “Blast those prehistoric friends! NOW what am I supposed to sit in when I’m reading my biography?” he lamented as he held up a copy of The Once and Future King.

“Um, Mr. Merlin, what are Soulfuls?” Rika asked, carefully sidestepping around Merlin’s fallen over bookshelf. “You’re telling us those weren’t Heartless we were dealing with out there?”

“Hmm, what? Oh, yes. You kids probably wouldn’t know anything about those beasties, would you?” Merlin hummed as he fished through his pockets for his smoking pipe. “Soulfuls. Now that is a name I’ve not heard in a long time…”

“Are you going to reveal to us that you’re a Soulful now?” Rika deadpanned.

Merlin clocked her on the head with his found pipe. “Now where was I? Oh, yes. Soulfuls. I’m sure you’re well aware of what goes into the making of a Heartless and Nobody, hmm?”

“Heartless are the corrupted hearts that fell into darkness…” Kai said.

“…and Nobodies are the lifeless husks that were left behind that begin moving once more,” Rika finished.

“Correct. Now, there is a third component to what makes a living being what it is: A soul.” Merlin took a puff off his lit pipe and exhaled a large cloud of smoke. He twirled the end of his pipe in it, causing the cloud to form itself into three insignias that Rika recognized two of. One was the unmistakable red and black crossed out heart-shaped emblem for Heartless, and the other the white and silver upside down variant of the Heartless emblem for Nobodies. The third, however, was unfamiliar to her. It resembled what would be the empty space form if the Heartless and Nobody emblems were forged together. “While hearts are what give a being emotion and morals and a body a vessel to host it, a soul…” Merlin pointed to the third emblem, “…is what gives a being life.”

“I always thought Nobodies were composed of both the body and soul?” Kai asked.

“Ah, yes. You are most certainly correct on that account, my boy. However, on the very rare occasions where an individual with a powerful heart and sense of self is turned into a Heartless and Nobody, their soul could be splintered off. That soul could either wither and vanish or they could inhabit a highly cherished personal possession. I have only seen a case like this once, involving the Keyblade wielder Terra and his Keyblade armor.”

“I read about him in the history books. Guy kind of seemed like an idiot,” Kai mumbled.

“However, on ever rarer occasions, that soul could have a strong enough will to live that it becomes what is known as a Soulful.” Merlin shuddered. “Highly unnatural creatures. They are driven to fulfill the goal that they sought after right before they become a Soulful, which usually a desire to simply live. Though there are those that have other motivations. Oh dear, oh dear.” He stroked his beard some more anxiously. “This is most certainly unusual. Unlike the Heartless and Nobodies, Soulful do not typically work together in packs like this. I can only imagine someone is organizing them for a shared purpose.”

“Well, all we know is that they’re targeting the Academy,” Kai said. “Sir, what happened here exactly? Where are all the other students?”

“It all happened so fast,” he said, shaking his head. “The Keyblade Masters quickly took arms and had the students escape outside. I tried to help with my magic, but they overwhelmed me. I got off lucky, for they were not after me. They were hunting for Keyblade users!”

“Why would they go after us?” Kai said.

Rika gave him a half-exasperated look. “Are you kidding me? Ever since you got that stupid Keyblade, we’ve been attacked by Heartless daily. These giant hunks of metal are just magnets for evildoers to try and kill us.” She sighed. “I’m really regretting getting one now…”

“I can not tell you much else, I’m afraid,” Merlin said. “I was knocked out and only regained my senses now.”

Kai nodded and began stepping out of the room, “Don’t worry about it. Rika and I will try and locate the others now. You try to get in contact with the president and let him know what’s going on.”

“Hmm, fine thinking, lad,” Merlin said. “The best of luck to you two. And do try not to get yourselves killed.”

“Thanks for the faith,” Rika grumbled.

---

Squall and the Doctor’s group finally managed to reach their destination of the Keyblade Academy, avoiding being spotted by any lingering Soulfuls that weren’t searching for Keyblade wielders. “Oooh, I feel like I’m in the middle of an action movie!” Miria cooed.

Squall scanned the building for a way in. There were groups of Soulfuls that were patrolling all around the area, blocking off every entryway. He looked upward and spotted a large destroyed opening in a higher story level. He pointed it out to the others. “There. We’ll go through there.”

“We won’t be able to get in,” the Doctor whispered. “Too many guards.”

“Ugh, those things are butt-ugly,” Ford said, shaking his head. “So what’s the plan?”

The Doctor smirked wryly, unable to look any of them in the face. “Live bait.”

“Oh, live bait. Yes. Excellent plan,” Arthur remarked. “Um…so who’s going to be-?”

“Not it!” Ford, Isaac and Miria declared in loud whispers.

“Oh, not it!” Arthur stated as well. “Well, sorry, gents. But I’m afraid it looks like it’s up to…” He saw the askance look Squall gave him. “Well, what the bloody hell do you want me to do; dress in drag and do the hula?-!”


All the Soulfuls turned their heads in the direction of the music and saw Arthur wearing a grass skirt and flower necklace and dancing ostentatiously while gesturing to Ford in a pig costume resting on a large dinner plate with an apple in his mouth.

“If you’re hungry for a hunk of fat and juicy meat,
Eat my buddy Ford here because he is a treat!

“Come on down and dine,
He tastes pretty fine,
All you have to do is get in line!”

“Aaaare you achin’?”

“Yup, yup, yup!”

“Foooor some eat’un?”

“Yup, yup, yup!”

“Coooome to our shindig!”

“Yup, yup!”

“And he is a big pig too.”

“OY!”

Arthur and Ford promptly screamed in terror and fled like little school girls as the Soulfuls charged after the two. “Don’t you love Hawaiian cookouts, Miria?” Isaac said as the remaining four quickly scrabbled to the Academy.

The Doctor reached into his trench coat and pulled out what looked like a pen with a small grappling hook attached to the top of it. He carefully aimed it for an exposed pipe prodding out of the opening. The hook was fired with a wire and wrapped itself around it, and offered a hand to Miria. “Ladies first!”

Miria giggled as she took his hand. “Such a gentleman!”

Isaac rolled his eyes. “You don’t see him dressing a kilt, now do you?”

The Doctor took hold of Miria around the waist and his gadget began retracting its wiring, carrying them up. After bringing Squall and Isaac up as well, the Doctor quickly got to work. They had luckily entered the mechanics lab; the Doctor gathering all sorts of materials and beginning to build. “What are you building, Mr. Doctor?” Miria asked.

“Well, I’m looking to build a machine that should hopefully send those Soulful buggers back from where they come from,” he said, jabbing a thumb up at the dark vortex above the school. “Shouldn’t be too much different from closing a corridor of darkness…”

“You seem to have a lot of experience with this sort of thing,” Squall commented, crossing his arms. “Who exactly are you again? John Smith? If that’s actually true?”

The Doctor had pulled out his strange device with the blue light from before and started pointing it at what he was building, but paused briefly to address Squall. “Um, let’s just say that I’ve done a lot to help protect people from these kinds of things.”

“You still haven’t answered my question as to who you are,” Squall said. “From what I’ve seen, I’m sure you’re a doctor. But of what? Who are you? Doctor who?”

The Doctor put back on his brainy specs again and replied, “Well, that’s just the million dollar question, ain’t it? However, I can promise you that I am here to help.”

“Oooooh, he’s so mysterious!” Miria said, eyes full of stars and admiration.

“Nice lady friend you got there,” the Doctor said to Isaac with a large grin.

“Now, now, Miria. ‘Mysterious’ just means we don’t know anything about the man,” Isaac said. “For all we know, he might be some sort…cosmic hobo or something.”

“Not too far off, really…” the Doctor murmured, returning to his machine.

---

Rika and Kai searched and searched, but could not locate any others. They had ducked in hallway closets whenever they would hear any scratching sounds and waited until the Soulful causing them to pass them by, sometimes having to get into a fight regardless and would kill it quickly without having any other guard Soulfuls catching on. Finally, they reached the Academy’s arena where their athletic classes and practice duels were held. Rika held out her arm and kept Kai from entering right away. “This seems too obvious,” she said. “This is so obviously a boss room, and you know it.”

“Well, we need to trigger that flag or we’re not going to get anywhere, are we?” Kai said sardonically.

“See, I hate that kind of thinking. That’s just us charging right in without a second thought for a plan. This is a trap. We have to figure out how to work this to our advantage.”

Kai sighed heavily. “Yeah, you’re probably right. What did you have in mind?”

Rika was silent for a brief few seconds, before saying, “Yeah, I’ve nothing.”

“Typical Rika,” Kai laughed. “How about this; I head in on my own. If anything happens, you jump in and save my butt. Sound good?”

“That’s a terrible plan. Let’s do it.”

Kai summoned his Keyblade and slowly walked into the arena, lightly carrying his feet should the need arise for him to leap away. Soft creaks echoed the room, Kai’s footsteps barely making any sound. Rika clenched the hilt of her Keyblade, ready to spring any moment. She heard an audible from Kai, and saw him turn around and wave to her. “I found someone!” Rika dashed into the room after Kai. He was peering under a bleacher and reaching out his hand. “Come on out, we’re Keyblade wielders!”

Rika dropped to the ground as well and looked into the darkness, and saw another girl huddled in the fetal position and a Keyblade held tightly in her hands. It was a large Keyblade, about as tall and wide as she was; it looked absurdly sharp, and had a keychain that was of a shooting star. Although she was curled up, Rika could tell the girl was a little taller than she was. Her hair was black and hid her face, which worried Rika. “Are you all right?” she called, crawling under the bleacher after her. “Everything’s going to be all right…”

“What do you know?” she whispered, speaking in a croaky yet soft voice, as if she had been screaming for hours. “Nothing is all right. Not anymore.”

“Well, I know you’re not bleeding out, so you’re at least not hurt,” Rika said, attempting to comfort her. “Come on. Let’s get you out of here. What’s your name?”

“RIKA!”

She only turned her head for a moment when she heard Kai yell before she felt strong kick in her abdomen by the girl and was sent flying out from under the bleachers and crashing into the wall across. Her head had slammed against the concrete hard; everything was spinning, but she could barely make out that the girl was crawling out from her hiding space as Kai was behind held up into a Magnet field of magic by another Keyblade warrior. This one was male, however. He had red hair that looked like it was once brighter than it was now, all pale and faded. He wore small, square glasses that hung from his nose, but he pushed them back up by the bridge. The most noticeably thing about his though was that he was decked out in what Rika recognized as red and white Keyblade armor with a long white flowing cape.

Rika weakly turned her head and saw the girl was enveloped in bright light. When it faded, she too was clad in armor; hers navy blue and silver with a blue cape. She brushed her hair out of her face, and Rika could see that her eyes were horribly bloodshot and wide. Unlike the male Keyblade warrior, who was stoic and cold, she looked very scared and seemed forever at unease.

“Wha-What do you think you’re doing?” Kai wheezed, unable to escape the powerful Magnet magic.

“Do not question your upperclassmen,” the male Keyblade warrior said harshly. He pulled out his Keyblade, which was black with white teeth and guard and a keychain of a spell book. He pointed at Kai, and lightning blasted out of it and electrocuted him.

Kai’s scream of pain woke Rika out of her stupor. “KAI!” She ran as fast as her feet could carry her. Rika was already a faster runner than either Kai or Ashi, but she had never run as fast as she did now. “LET HIM GO, YOU BASTARD!”

The female Keyblade warrior had already cut her off; Rika didn’t even see her move in front of her. It was as if she instantly teleported. “Please don’t interrupt,” she said in her soft voice. Rika backed away in shock, the female Keyblade warrior’s eyes frightening her greatly.

“Hmph…” the male Keyblade warrior finally turned his head to examine Rika. “Deal with her, Yaju.”

Rika didn’t even have a moment to blink before the girl’s Keyblade was inches away from her face. She was barely able to respond in time to block with her own, only allowing a kneejerk reflex to save her. The two pressed against each other, Rika could feel that she wasn’t using her full strength. Rika offered a playful smile. “So you’re Yaju, huh? Maybe you can tell me exactly why you two are batshit crazy!”

Rika pushed Yaju’s Keyblade off and took a swing herself. Yaju easily blocked it. Rika unleashed a flurry of attacks, but the other girl was simply too fast. Too skilled. It didn’t even seem like Yaju was playing attention. Her eyes seemed glazed over and lifeless. That only pissed Rika off further; this chick was messing with her when she had to go save Kai. Finding an opening, Rika rolled out of the way of a slash by Yaju and made a mad dash for the other Keyblade warrior. She snatched her Keyblade’s chain and began swinging the Keyblade by its end once more and threw it at him. The Keyblade is flung spinning toward the magic-user; Rika was confident that she caught him off guard, but he only rolled his eyes. The hive shield that is formed from a Reflect spell surrounds him and her Keyblade is deflected away and back to Rika.

“This is getting annoying,” he said. “Where’s Tatsu?”

Rika