Kingdom Hearts: Daybreak (IC)

Sophia nodded happily at Kousei's response, remembering too how long their friendship dates back to. She looked around the halls and could clearly see her, Kousei and his sister roaming the seemingly endless halls together. She also remembered Deimos, even then, being cautious of Kousei. When she looked back, she saw Kousei beginning his trek down the stairs to the dining hall. Eager to catch up to Kousei, even more so for the brunch, she skipped down past Kousei, leading by a step or two.

Waiting at the bottom of the staircase were an old maid and an old butler, both armed with swords at their hips, clearly guarding the staircase for any unwanted guests and awaiting the Princess's arrival. As Sophia got closer to the bottom, the butler, without having to turn around, said, "There's our sleepy headed princess. Slept well, dear Sophia?"

"Yes Parzival, very well indeed! I'm sorry for being late," she said innocently.

The maid chuckled lightly and shook her head, she too only looking forward. "Nonsense deary. Besides, no one has been in dire need of you nor requested your presence since they've arrived."

"Besides young Kousei of course, you mean Muriel. He must have been in dire need if he had the nerve to sneak past us. We may be blind, but we're no fools master Kousei. Nonetheless, we hope you enjoy the brunch as well," Parzival said, speaking directly to Kousei.

Sophia hopped off the last step and stared at two of her closest staff members in their grayed out, blinded eyes and smiled. "Thank you Parzival. Muriel." She looked up the stairs at Kousei and Deimos nervously, however, ready to enter the dining hall, and asked, "Ok...ready?"

 

Sophia looked up to her right at Deimos and gave him a generous smile. "Thank you Deimos," she said in a low, soothing voice. Although the hall had quited down a bit when Sophia walked into the hall, it was now dead silent as she began to ride from her seat at the head of the center table in this grand hall. Muriel and Parzival slowly made their way into the hall as well, closing the large doors behind them as they stood guard to ensure of no uninvited visitors.

Nervous, Sophia slowly stood up, shaking a bit as her nerves got the better of her. "Umm....hello everyone...." She spoke in a whisper, with several people at the table looking around, worried and confused. Upon looking to her friends, Deimos and Kousei, Sophia took a deep breath and relaxed herself, now calm and ready to speak to the masses.

"Hello everyone! I would like to thank you all for joining me this morning for this brunch I have had put together. Since my parents were not given a proper funeral, because my grandparents wanted to have a private arrangement, I thought it best to celebrate their lives with this kingdom, and the people that my parents fought to defend day in and day out. I know...I know there are many of you skeptical of what kind of leader I may be, but I just want you all to know that I will do my best to make sure everyone is treated equally and to prove that light and darkness are one in the same, and that we can stand strong together. We will find my parents' killer and we will bring him to justice, the proper way. Thank you all for being here, and let us enjoy this brunch that the castle staff has been so gracious enough to serve for us!"




"This son of a bitch won't get away with what he did, I want you all to know. Killing members of my chain of command, even going as far as to kill my personal adviser? It makes me sick. To think that he believes he's gotten away with it too is probably the only humorous substance in this entire ordeal. Mark my words, I will tear his heart from his chest and watch as the color fades from his body and soul evaporates into nothingness. Justice will be served the only way we know how...even if I must travel to the unknown to deliver that justice. Do not fear as I, hesitantly mind you, appoint Lieutenant Hilden as the overseer until my return. The masked man will undoubtedly pay for what he did, I assure you of that."

The red haired man finished reading off his letter, taking a deep sigh once done. He looked to his blue haired ally and asked, "That's good enough, yeah? No one needs to know where we snuck off to."

The blue haired woman scoffed, leaning up against a tree, arms crossed and her eyes looking elsewhere. "Still can't believe you're letting that bastard Hilden take control around here. Especially after he tried to kill you...twice."

The boy shrugged and read over his letter once more. "Yeah well he's tactically smart so I know the Void won't be too fucked up that I can't fix it when I get back." He looked to a young boy that was standing to the side of them, shaking tremendously as he stood in the presence of his king. The man smiled at the little one and got on one knee to be on the same level as him. "Now, kiddo, I'm going to need you to drop this off and the castle gates for me, ok? Don't worry, I put on there for Lieutenant Hilden to even give you a nice wad of munny so that you can take care of you and your parents, ok? Now, run along. And thank you again, Jacob." The small boy gave his king a large smile before taking the letter and running off towards the castle.

The man turned his attention now to the man sized portal that lingered feet away from where the masked man ran off too.

"You sure about this? Running off into the unknown may be your style, but it's never a smart one," the girl asked, getting off of the tree now as she knew the time was at hand now to continue on.

The man's shadow rose from the ground, taking the form of a one eyed individual with silver hair. He threw an arm around the king and smiled at the blue haired girl. "Katey, Katey, Katey, you worrying way too damn much. Me and the king of darkness here got this so you can stay back if you want. No one invited you anyway."

Kate laughed at the man's words and replied, "Please Deimos. And miss out on the possible bloodshed? No chance. Besides, Jordan actually did ask me."

Jordan turned his head back in an annoyed fashion and said, "Hey, cut the shit guys. I'm gonna kill the fucker responsible for Genesis' death, got it? And I'm trying to go before this portal to who knows where disappears. Now, let's get this over and done with."

Leading the pack, Jordan began to approach the portal, with Deimos disappearing back into his shadow. Kate followed behind Jordan, her signature pistols drawn and held at her sides.

The trio from the Void were now making there way through the mysterious portal into unknown territory. As they entered, the portal disappeared immediately afterwards. A band of evil had now crossed dimensions, unknown to them, into a brightly lit forest, signifying that it was daylight. There immense presence set off many of the guards around the castle, and many of the stronger people in the kingdom. Sophia, negligent of such power, paid the new arrivals no attention as she enjoyed her food, laughing carelessly with those around her.

She was unaware that the four fiercest beings from their respective dimension had entered hers: Kate, Deimos, Jordan and the Darkness.

 

Jordan took in the new sights and smell of this unfamiliar territory with caution. It seemed oddly different from the world he had grown accustomed to when he was younger and even more significantly different from that of the Void. Most notably different was the smell. The sweet inviting smell of Light equally matched with the bitter smell of Darkness ran deep through this world. While the smell did nothung to Jordan too much, he noticed Kate raising her nostrils up in disgust.

"It smells like shit," she said, in an impatient tone.

Jordan smirked and replied, "Spending your whole life in the Void will do that to you once you get your first real taste of Light." Looking down at his shadow, he shook his head at Deimos. "Sick? I'm fine. Stay close as usual. We don't know this terrain so we should stay together until given reason not to."

With that, Jordan led the way as the three began maneuvering through the forest.



Sophia was enjoying herself with the guests, laughing carelessly and interacting with faces even she was not familiar with. She hadn't even heard what Deimos had said before he started walking off, worrying Sophia a bit. Momentarily quiet, she looked to Kousei and then to Deimos, as though looking for reconfirmation, before excusing herself and tagging behind Deimos.

"Deimos? Where are you going? Is something wrong," the young, curious princess asked.

 

Jordan smirked, hands in his pocket coyly, as he continued walking. "Yeah? Well let's go introduce ourselves then."

Before the three ventured too far into the forest, inadvertently nearing the castle, a slight bit of fatigue hit Jordan, causing him to stumble slightly as he walked. "Shit...I feel a bit....weak in the knees," he said out loud, leaning against a tree to catch his breath.

Kate too was feeling the effects of this mysterious force, holding her head in slight pain. "I got a raging headache myself. Is it this world? Maybe there's something in the air here," she suggested, trying to find a viable reason for their sudden feeling.

Jordan shook his head, forcing himself to continue as though nothing happened. "Whatever the case may be, we have to continue onward until we-"

He stopped mid sentence upon spotting five guards approaching their trio. The one leading the group pointed his sword at Jordan before yelling, "You there! We sensed an incredible presence here on the assumption that you may be the Supreme Ruler of Darkness and grandfather to our fair princess, Princess Sophia. With that not being the case, you are trespassing and can only be assumed as our enemy! Now either turn back now or face immediate arrest."

Jordan smirked a bit and, much to the surprise of Kate, raised his hands in a surrendering fashion. "Please, we mean no disrespect in trespassing in...well, wherever we are. If it bothers you so, we'll simply find another way around." He waved them off and turned around, attempting to find another path to help him learn more about this unfamiliar land.

After some whispering between the guards, the leader spoke out again, yelling, "Wait! After much reconsideration....we'll be taking you into custody for the assassination of the King and Queen. With that much power, clearly you must be in close relations with that man clad in black leather."

Jordan immediately stopped in his tracks, slowly turning his head back around to look at the group. "The man...clad in black leather?"

Kate smiled, cocking her guns before beginning to laugh. "Uh oh...you boys are in trouble now."

Jordan's eyes turned a bright red as he and Kate began approaching the group, Jordan's shadow, Deimos, rising as well.




Sophia, not knowing exactly how to respond, snapped out of her nervous and frightened self and nodded at Deimos, holding her hands out. She closed her eyes as a light blue mist began emiting form her hands, and yelled out, "Override, Oblivion execute!"

After having activated Deimos' system overdrive, Sophia could feel the hair on the back of her neck stand as blood curdling screams rang out from the forest.

 

A cloud of smoke surrounded the battle field from Deimos' mighty attack, Sophia unable to see anything from the distance she was at. Emerging from the smoke, a battered up Jordan emerged with torn clothing and blood spewing from his mouth. He hunched over, holding his abdomen in excruciating pain and growled out, "No...this....can't be....how it ends. So much....pain...." He coughed up a puddle of blood and stared at it in disgust. He looked up at Deimos, who's position blocked Jordan's view of the princess, and yelled out, "You bastard! You've killed me! You've....killed...." And with that, he fell forward on his face, lying dead on the spot.

Behind him, however, his partner Kate walked out from the smoke, flexing her arm, rotating it painlessly. "Damn, that kinda hurt. Not a lot, obviously, but still hurt." She looked down at her fallen king and raised an eyebrow curiously. "And what exactly are you doing?"

Jordan sucked his teeth and jumped up to his feet, dusting himself off. "Oh come on Kate, couldn't play along just a little? False hope is one of my favorite forms of mental punishments, you know that." He smirked at Kate as the, what was believed to be, blood evaporated into darkness, proving it to be nothing more than a trick. He looked over to Deimos and gave an intimidating smile. "I hope you didn’t give it your all back there because now I wanna REALLY see what you can do."

Not waiting for a response, Jordan pulled his right hand back, forming a fire ball infused with lightning and sent it hurling towards Deimos. Once within a close enough range, Kate drew one of her pistols and shot the burst, causing a large explosion.

Once completed, Jordan held his hand out in front of his face before holding his head in pain. "Shit...I don't feel too hot...that move wasn't even that strong. Deimos, mind handling this one for me? I...think I need a minute," he said, the atmosphere of this world beginning to get to him.

 

The blood splattered onto Sophia, while not in huge amounts, from her face down to the bottom of her dress. She touched her face, feeling one of the droplets of blood before looking down at Deimos in absolute fear. "D-...Deimos?"

Kate drew her second pistol, twirling her two guns around her fingers, yawning a bit as she walked towards the fallen foe. "Well that was boring. Time to finish the job I guess," she said, completely unhappy with the lackluster fight. A hand stopped her from moving forward, belonging to Jordan.

He smiled, wagging his finger at her before pointing at himself. "Oh no. I'm the one feeling weak over here. I'm going to eat." He walked over to Deimos slowly, kicking his body over as he arrived. He crouched down, eyeing the body top to bottom before sighing out, "Man...I really wish this didn't have to go this way. Truthfully, I just was looking for a guy. Oh well. Can't turn down a free meal, I suppose." He rose back up, eyes beginning to glow red as he held his hand out to his side. His fingers twitched a bit as he prepared to summon his Keyblade and finish him off. But just before he could continue-

"Please, stop it!"

Jordan's eyes jerked up to the smaller framed individual standing before him. Somehow he had seemingly overlooked her and gave her a curious look, his eyes fading back to their naturally gray color. "I'm sorry...who are you?"

Sophia, frozen in fear, trembled where she stood as this strange and powerful man confronted her. She managed to stutter out, "I-I'm...S-Sop......Pr-Princess S-S-Sophia. P-Please let my fr-friend go."

Jordan looked at the princess then back down to his prey. He pondered what to do before hearing Kate yell out, "Don't worry, I got this." Behind him, Kate had begun to raise her gun, aimed directly at the young princess' forehead.

Jordan growled out to her, however, "Put your fucking gun down." Confused at first, Kate began to slowly obey the demand. Jordan ran his hand through his hair before raising both of his hands in the air, surrendering. "I mean no harm, Princess Sophia. You must understand that we merely defended ourselves. However, we aren't searching for any unwanted trouble from anyone we don't know. If it means anything, we all surrender, willingly."

Kate screamed in protest, "Like hell we do! Why the fu-"

"And," Jordan began to add, his eyes looking back at his partner, "If any of us object than I promise you that I will make them change their mind."

Kate, saying nothing, holstered her weapons and raised her hands.

 

Sophia smiled happily upon seeing Kousei jump to her defense. She hugged him tight, crying into his back, "Kousei...they...I think they killed Deimos." She slowly let go upon seeing Raven arrive, wiping away some of her tears. "Raven," she said in a low tone. She had grown accustomed to Raven's more rationale mindset compared to others she knew, and decided to allow her to do the talking.

Jordan looked down at the body once more, merely glaring down at it before looking up to say, "He's alive...barely. But alive. He needs immediate aid if you ever want to see him again." He looked at the upset princess, eye to eye, and spoke softly, "I apologize. I truly do."

His eyes shifted towards Raven now, an eyebrow raised at her questions. Just as he opened his mouth to reply, the world around him began to spin, his legs growing too weak to support himself. He fell to a single knee, growling in pain a bit as his ally looked on from the distance helplessly.

Kate took a step forward, immediately wanting to come to his aid.

"NO. We don't need to give them any reason to distrust us," he told her as he began to regain his composure slightly. He thought about Raven's question for several seconds before finally responding, "On one condition. Either myself or Kate here is allowed to walk freely. Monitored, but free. We came to whatever-the-fuck-land for a specific mission. I refuse to fail that mission or allow both of us to be completely incapacitated. We trust you all about as much as you all trust us."

 

Jordan looked up at Raven with a bit of hate, protesting, "No deal. Kate is my responsibility and I refuse to allow her to be taken into custody like a common criminal. If anything, take the puppet master into custody not her." His loyalties as a king beginning to come out, Jordan was not prepared to sacrifice one of his closest allies to a group of individuals whom he had not even the slightest information about. He had already lost one friend recently and was not prepared to risk another casualty.

Kate snickered and replied, "Oh please, I'll be fine. I'm a little light headed too, but you're completely fucked. Last thing you need is to be feeling bad and then cramped into a small space with a single bright light bulb, am I right?" She began walking towards Raven, unloading her hand guns and dropping them to the ground before holstering her pistols back inot her thigh holsters. She stood in front of Raven, palms up, with a slight smile on her face.

Jordan tried getting up to pull her back, but only saw the world spinning around him once more so returned to one knee. "Kate, are you sure? If anything happens to you...I'll be sure to show them the other side," Jordan said, his eyes locked onto Raven and Kousei.

"Wouldn't want it any other way, big boy."

Jordan held his head down and thought for a second before looking back up. "If you're serious, then drop everything." Kate didn't move, nor respond to Jordan's request for several seconds. "You heard me. Drop 'em."

Kate's face turned to one of anger as she reached around her back and grabbed what looked like nothing. After a couple of seconds of holding it, it's invisibility effect wore off and a large sniper rifle was visible in her hands. She unloaded it and dropped it at her feet. She then reached for her hip and grabbed another invisible weapon, this time a large sword and dropped that too at her feet. "Consider this your lucky day," Kate said to Raven, eye to eye.

Sophia looked around Raven and watched as Jordan held his head, trying to soothe his throbbing headache. "What....what should we do about him, Raven?"