Kingdom Hearts: Dawning Star


Keoki sat on the face of the Beach that surrounded Sacred Harbor with his legs pressed against his chest, and his hands wrapped underneath his legs. He was between two of his best friends, Renatus and Trisa, with his other best friends, Juno, on the other side of Trista. They were asleep, as Keoki's eyes drifted from looking at each one of their faces to the saltwater sea that caressed the the beach, though not with enough force to reach him and his friends. There was an easy breeze that brushed at each of them, allowing their hair to sway side to side. Almost as a spontaneous outburst, Keoki begun to speak. Though his words were not loud, how he spoke them gave them a mysterious impulse.

"The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow gets."He said with a distant frown on his face, but curiosity in his lips that barely moved as he spoke. His right hand let go from his left and he brought it up to the crystal around his neck rubbing the sides of it with his index finger and thumb. It gave a slight glow as he touched it, though disappeared as though the light dissolved. His eyes wandered from the the sea, to the sand right in front of him. He closed his eyes lightly,"But don't be afraid,"Slowly he opened his eyes then looked to the sky with a smile that could barley be seen,"you hold the mightiest weapon of all. So don't forget: You are the one who will open the door."

He paused for a few seconds then looked at the faces of his friends again,"As every second passes by, I feel as though everything is going to change. Though I'm unsure if it's going to be a good change, or a bad change. I just hope it doesn't break our bond,"Keoki spoke to them, as though they were awake,"But what can break the love between true friends?"

There was darkness about her, surrounding her, within her. It was so dark that that lack of light coursed through her veins, filled her lungs, and crept under her eyelids. Her fingers reached out warily to brush this darkness aside, as if to search for some railing or table- some door knob to lead her out of this mental basement. But there was none. Only the void around her and the words that were almost spawning in the very depths of her mind. And the only thing she could find, as the young woman fell to her knees, was the glass beneath her fingertips and feet.




Around the young woman, the world began to change. Darkness slipped away and yet her body shrunk. She stood a young pale child amongst the beach, wearing a white sundress with a blue flower at the bottom left edge.

"You look as if the ocean had birthed you." A common, soothing voice came. Imagine it as the voice of a true mother, of someone so loving and unknowing of hatred. A voice that massaged the worry and tension from one's body with only a few spoken words. A gift; a gift that that woman had perhaps given that young girl upon the shore of Sacred Harbor.

"What makes you say that Mommy?" The younger girl said, turning and looking up. She had full cherubic cheeks and a unique smile, with brilliant eyes so icy and sweet. Around her face fell long waves of royal blue that draped down her back and ended along her hips. Her eyes set upon the taller, more gorgeous woman who shared many characteristics; only beholding the difference of straight hair and violet eyes.

"Because of how beautiful you are, inside and out. My little pearl, given from the ocean... You are my love little one." The mother said, kneeling down and wrapping her arms around the child. A whisper entered the child's ear then- one she would never forget.






Trista's eyes opened rather sharply, her pupils shrinking and expanding as they focused on the bright sky above her. The teen yawned, rubbing her face with the back of her hand and picking the sleep from her midnight blue eyelashes before sitting up. She shook her head, making sure to rid the sand from the tendrils of shoulder-length hair before facing her friends. When she looked, she saw Juno upon her left, and Keoki on her right. Her full lips quickly formed a smile as she stretched a bit, before turning to face Keoki- who was also awake.

"I would've thought you to be the first asleep and the last to wake up. The ocean waves are extremely serene today." Trista said in a smooth, gentle tone much like her mother had once beheld. "What is on your mind Keoki?" The young woman said. Unlike many people her age, she appeared and acted a bit more mature than most. She had grown strong, and limber. Graceful too. Her eyes had gained an unusual wisdom that had not yet truly been achieved, and her smile could concoct peace where there was none. And because of all that made her past- with the most of all thanks falling upon her friends' shoulders- she had learned to be so understanding of most situations. Not just that, but she learned to banish her anger. And anger was one thing Trista hoped she would never have to summon again.

As Trista turned to face the ocean, she leaned her head back, letting the wind wash over her and the smell of saltwater fill her senses. Her eyes fell shut and she sighed.

"It is such a beautiful day today. Perhaps you were right not to sleep when it's so nice out."

At the edge of the forest, on a high branch off the normal path of ropes and ladders stood a lone figure. A tall muscular man stood with is arms crossed in front of him, His cold eyes fixed on one spot on the beach, Eyes as cold as ice, never blinking. Eyes never showing hope, fear, sadness, or pain. He watched Keoki, Trista, Juno, and Renatus. The wind blow his pony tail, He watched as Keoki sat there as his friends slept. There was a voice on the wind that couldn't be heard but felt. He ignored it, Fate is interesting, For close to a year now he has been training them. At first it was because they were the only ones that came so often, but now he could see it was more then that. They just don't know it, the sun was getting close to noon. His bracers and mask didn't gleam when the light hit them. The wind still blow when as he took his eyes off of them and looked at the coming sun, There is still much to do. He glanced at them, Trista was getting up, What don't you know, vapor left his mask as he turned around. Letting his arms fall to his side, he stepped of the branch and fell into the shadows of the forest below, There is no time.

But don't be afraid...
You hold the mightiest weapon of all...
So don't forget...
You are the one who will open the door...

Suddenly it was dark, much darker than it was to begin with. It was like drowning in an endless sea of darkness. Shadows seemed to be suffocating him as his form struggled in the absolute darkness. How was this possible? Didn't Juno win the fight? He was pretty sure he remembered stabbing a sword in the forehead of the dark being that attacked. Where had all this darkness come from? The worst part was the silence. Deathly silence swept over Juno's body. It was like hearing a strange ringing sound in one's ears when no other noise could be heard, only amplified by echoing through endless darkness.

On the beach, Juno's fringers grasped sand and his teeth began grinding. Typical responses to having what one considered a nightmare.

In the darkness, Juno could not tell if he was standing or floating. All sense of direction or even the force of gravity disappeared. Was this the vacuum of space or something? Juno couldn't even tell if his eyes were open or closed, it was just too damn dark to tell.

But what can break the love between true friends?

It was the voice again. Familiar yet, completely alien at the same time. Juno's body abruptly went still and began to relax. Hearing the encouraging words had somehow relaxed Juno to the point where he was ready to fall asleep. Darkness seemed to wash away like rain dousing an inferno. When Juno could finally see, he found himself under the sea. He wasn't near the floor, but was just close enough to the surface to be able to see. Instinctively, he began swimming upwards, becoming desperate for a breath of fresh air.

During the ascent, Juno heard voices in his head. They were voices of confidence, encouraging him to push forward. It was hard to tell whom these voices belonged to. Where they his friends? His dad? It seemed like they were everyone and yet no one. At any rate, Juno pushed himself through the water faster with every encouraging voice he imagined, as if gainng more strength from them. The surface was getting closer, and as his hand reached out to break it, Juno heard only one voice.

I feel as though everything is going to change...

As these words were spoken, Juno broke the surface of the water. However, instead of finding himself in the middle of an ocean or lake, he abruptly sat up straight. Eyes shot open as Juno coughed a little, as if he really had almost drowned. As his breathing became normal, Juno suddenly remembered where he was. He had come to Sacred Harbor beach with his friends. Evidently, he must have fallen asleep.

"A dream?" he wondered out loud. That whole ordeal of falling into darkness, defeating a creature, and trying to save himself from drowning was all a dream? It definitely felt like the most real dream he had, or did it? Like most dreams, Juno found himself having a difficult time recalling the events of the dream. Trista's voice snapped Juno back to reality. It looked like they had all fallen asleep, and it looked like Renatus was still in dreamland.

"Man..." said Juno in a slow, bummed out tone, "...remind me never to sleep on the beach again." he rubbed his temples a if he had a migrain. He did this whenever something was on his mind or troubling him. After a dream like that, it was no surprise he acted this way.

The boy fell backwards and lay on the ground. It was over! He’d beaten it! Unfortunately, a strange cold sensation eating at his back interrupted his elation. He tried to sit up to see what it was but he couldn’t. Out of the corner of his eye he could soon see wisps of blackness lick upward like flames. His heart beat faster, and absolute fear told ahold of him once more as the giant reformed itself to watch its victim die.

A voice whispered in Renatus’s ear as the darkness filled his vision "-But don't be afraid, you hold the mightiest weapon of all. So don't forget: You are the one who will open the door."

Despite this voice’s reassurance, he clamped his eyes shut against the tendrils of darkness that had nearly swallowed him. He felt the floor begin to give way; he sunk down through the darkness as if it were lard. He felt it suck at him before finally giving way and he was suspended in it. Even if he’d opened his eyes it would not have made any difference. There was nothing to see in this sea of black. Whether by fear or reality, Renatus felt the presence of those creatures all around him; some whispered to his fears, feeding their flames. One calm voice broke through all of it.

But what can break the love between true friends?

The voices changed to familiar ones, echoing scenes from childhood. He could put a face to every one. His father’s face, gray eyes behind glasses, peered at him with the expression of most fathers who wanted their sons to pursue everything they didn’t; his gruff voice encouraged the very things his eyes screamed. Twila’s eyes were though of a comforting sister, filling a role the mother should, as she would encourage Ren to do what he wanted rather than what dad wanted. A similar voice echoed a similar idea; that voice called him her ‘little knight’. That voice was like soothing honey to the fear that consumed him. So when it interchanged with voices of his father, his sister, Master Linx, even his friends, he bade it stay- even if it was the only one he couldn’t put a face to.

The final voice came upon a scene.

He and Twila were walking for the beach. Ren could hear the waves of this memory as if they were actually there. He looked up expectantly at his dark-haired sister. She looked so different from him, but she’d taken after their grandmother, rather than take the blonde or brown hair their parents had. But that different face had a somber expression this time. Ren walked on, but only until he realized that Twila had stopped. He looked back and saw her holding back tears.

“Twila?”

“Ren…” Her lips quivered as she tried to break the news to her brother. “M-mommy’s not coming home tonight,”

“Did she go on a trip?” His young mind couldn’t comprehend it. But Renatus remembered this day. He remembered it vividly and wished daily to forget it.

“No. Mommy is…” She sobbed, her eyes finally watering, but finally let it all out like ripping off a bandage. “Mommy died today! She fell from Star Reader’s cliff while sleepwalking. They found her-“

I feel as though everything is going to change...

The voice cut the nightmare-memory short and shot Renatus back through the darkness with a great deal of force. Still reeling from Twila’s news and the strange experience, he did not notice the darkness on the other side of his eyelids turn to redness that indicated light. He shot up and over, lying on his side as his right hand dug into the sand.

Realizing he was now awake, and panting from the shock, he began to look at the scene around him. And sure enough, he had turned to face his friend, Keoki, Trista, and Juno, who had woken up from their naps already. He felt heat rush to his cheeks with embarrassment from waking up with such a start. Renatus gave his friends a nervous smile as he sat up straight- his usual sitting position. Gray eyes soon rested on the left hand that rested in his lap; the hand that until moments ago wielded a sword. This dream had Renatus thoroughly distracted.

Trista was the first to wake up, though it didn't come as a surprise to Keoki. His head quickly turned and he had a worried expression on his face because of her brute awakening. Though his worry quickly died and rebirthed into a vibrant smile reflecting her own to him,"Hey there sleepy head." He said playfully, ready to jump into a conversation.

"I would've thought you to be the first asleep and the last to wake up. The ocean waves are extremely serene today. What is on your mind Keoki?" She spoke in her gentle tone, she always made Keoki feel comfortable like a nurturing older sister. Though the question she asked made Keoki's mind scramble for answers. He truly didn't know how to answer something so simple. She spoke again though his confused emotion took over still thinking about how he should explain things to her, his eyes cut from her to the sand in front of him.

Though he was soon snapped from his scrambled thoughts as Juno woke up,"Man...remind me never to sleep on the beach again." Keoki just shook his head."When has taking orders ever been your thing Juno?" He responded playfully teasing. Though just as he finished his sentence Renatus's awakening startled Keoki."Are you okay Ren?" Keoki asked, putting his hand on his shoulder. Then he looked back at Trista,"There is a lot on my mind, a lot I can't explain. I don't know why but-" He didn't know if it was wise to tell them about his 'daydreams' lately. He just gave a breif smile and got to his feet.

"Never mind, it's stupid. Hey I think you guys have practice with Linx today right," Keoki asked putting his hands on his hips looking down at each of them, the only time he would ever feel like the tall one of the group,"I can watch you guys train today, no errands with the medic for me." He said with a smile. He turned to Juno,"I can already tell you're Linx's favorite student. It's only a matter of time before you rank up." Keoki begun to walk towards the forest of Sacred Harbor, before he saw someone in a black hooded cloak standing between two trees.

"Hey guys," He turned around and gave them a concerned look, pointing into the forest,"Whose that-" As he looked into the forest, the figure was gone. Disappeared. Was he daydreaming again? Keoki lowered his hand and looked into the forest confused then ever before,"I swear I saw someone in a black cloak."

Trista was glad to hear his voice bump up into a more bubbly tone; glad to see him smiling. But then the others woke up, one by one near her. Juno first, Renatus second. They both seemed to have slept rather unwell, just as Trista had. For a few seconds, she pondered if everyone had had those dreams of darkness and descent. But the thought was gone as Keoki continued talking. Of course, it was just a dream. Nothing more, no less. It wouldn't be the first time Trista had dreamed of her mother; the woman who both saved her and yet let her down. She dipped her head for a moment, leaning forward and bending her knees up. With her feet flat on the sand, Trista easily rose up to standing. A stretch escaped her lean form, as she stood on her tiptoes and reached for the sky. Her eyes shut and she remembered that unusual phrase her dreamed mother had said to her. About how she felt like everything was going to change.

They turned to move on, heading towards where Linx would be waiting for them. She knew it was time for training though she did not necessarily like it. Instead, she was more of a runner or athlete, instead of a fighter. But Linx knew how to teach her to use her strong-points to her advantage. She had powerful legs, which made her a good fighter when using kick-based tactics and having her arms for defense. But it was then that her train of thought was yet again derailed when Keoki spoke again, this time of having seen someone in the woods.

Trista's icy eyes followed his to the woods. The trees were rather close together, creating a haunting look almost, with the canopies sheltering the ground and casting grand shadows around. A hooded figure could definitely be hiding out in such a place like that. But would they? And even then, would Trista- if not the rest of them- investigate? Keoki perhaps imagined it. But he had not just woken up from those dreams. He had been awake, his senses keen. She doubted he was lying.

"Probably just some guy. I doubt we should worry about it." She said softly, trying to reassure both Keoki and herself. Her eyes then turned to Juno, the tall fighter of the group of friends. "Why don't we all just get going. If we chase hooded people, we're bound to be late for our practice."

Linx made his ways throw the forest. The birds were singing, Light poked throw the canopy, and despite it getting hot out it was nice and cool on the forest floor. Some would say how serine it was, but to Linx it mattered little. His focus was what he had to do before...He stopped at the edge of the forest. He looked back in to the forest, He scanned the surrounding area. After a moment he turned around and continued walk to his dojo, I have to check something first.

He arrived at his Dojo, It was a simple design built near the rocky side of the island. It was a moderately sized one story building. It looked like a Japanese dojo, It hade a sliding door on two sides of it, The entrance and one leading to the training yard on the side. Most of the inside is a training area with a storage room in the back with different types of training equipment. In the main room on the back wall was two weapon rakes with normal wooden swords, Swords with hand guards that curve over the handle, and bokkens. Next to those was a stand for staves. At the other corner is a pair of simple chests with training gear like pads and weights in them. To the side of the building were the second door points is the training ground. There 5 wooden training dummies are planted into the ground. A little farther from the there is a 10 feet wide sparing circle outlined by small rocks. Towards the back of the building was a small stone well, next to it a bucket with a ladle in it, connected to it was a long rope anchored to the ground by a stake. The back of the dojo lead to paths leading into the rocky area of the island.

Linx walked past the building and made his way throw the rocky area to a cave. The cave mouths was just big enough to let Linx in. As he went farther in he it got bigger. He could hear the dripping of water stone and bats getting restless after hearing some one enter. The cave had small holes in the ceiling to let in just enough light for those who didn't bring any sort of light of there own. He made his way deep into the cave until the paths forked. One way had a sign next it that said "Danger. Do not enter." He turned to the other path that had a large boulder that he put there shortly after come to this island. He put it there because of what was on the other side, To keep others from starting some thing they could hope to understand. He moved the boulder with little effort and entered. Inside was a small room with many different thing scratched into the walls. The reason for putting the boulder there was right in front of him. Something that shouldn't be in the back of a cave, A door. The door had a frame that looked like it was make with small trees, the middle with rough wooden boards, and there was a green leaf design going around the inner frame. More weirder then it being in the back of a cave it that it didn't have a handle. Linx approached but stopped a few feet from it and turned around. In the shadows was a man in a black hooded coat with the hood up. Linx just stared at him as the man looked back. they stood there.

Renatus was jolted from his distraction the moment he felt Keoki’s hand on his shoulder. He jumped a bit and turned to see what his friend had to say, but he was turned to Trista, probably in order to reply to something she’d asked before he’d woken up.

"There is a lot on my mind, a lot I can't explain. I don't know why but-" Keoki paused for a moment, taking his hand off of Ren’s shoulder. The blonde totally understood the feeling; it was exactly how he felt right now. Keoki gave a smile and stood up.

"Never mind, it's stupid. Hey I think you guys have practice with Linx today, right?" Keoki asked putting his hands on his hips looking down at each of them, probably enjoying the temporary height difference, "I can watch you guys train today, no errands with the medic for me."

By this time, Trista has pushed herself into a standing position as well. While continuing to speak, pointing out how Juno was probably Master Linx’s favorite by now, Keoki had started to head for the tree line. Ren figured he should probably follow suite if he didn’t want to get left behind.

"Hey guys, who’s that-" Ren heard Keoki ask as he brushed the sand off of himself. He looked up into the forest to see who it was but completely missed what Keoki had tried to point out. He dismissed it with a shrug.

"I swear I saw someone in a black cloak." Odd, even for Keoki.

"Probably just some guy. I doubt we should worry about it." Trista dismissed verbally before looking back toward Ren and Juno. Following her line of sight, Ren found that Juno was the intended target of her gaze. “Why don't we all just get going? If we chase hooded people, we're bound to be late for our practice."

“Fine by me.” Renatus spoke his reply and continued forward. No matter how much he didn’t think it fit his character, Ren looked forward to these lessons. It gave him something to focus on; something that, unlike in life, he could fight back against. Something he could control. He wasn’t near as good at it as Juno, but the never seemed to matter to him. He was content to just enjoy himself.

Juno didn't bother trying to keep up with the conversation, especially with this many people speaking up. At Trista's cue he slowly stood up, but was the first to start walking. People said he was a natural when it came to fighting, that he had talent. For the most part, Juno just let his body do whatever it took to pull off the moves. There was no real secret to how Juno could master fighting techniques as easily as he could, since it was mostly just learned by instinct. Someone had said something about a guy in the woods, but Juno paid it no mind. That, of course, was Juno's weakness. He had a talent for learning most things rather quickly, but he had a hard time staying focused as well.

Linx's dojo was partially outside the town, settled on the rocky side of the island. One might wonder how a place like that was safe for a foundation, but it didn't matter so long as there were no earthquakes. The hike to the Dojo was somewhat long, and Juno didn't try to make much conversation. Instead, he was content with mentally preparing himself for the day's lesson.

"Hey!" called Juno, entering the Dojo's sliding door, "Anyone home? Master Linx? We're here now!" Juno shrugged, making his way to the weapon rack and grabbing a wooden sword. He preferred the broader blades, since they provided the strongest swing, but at the same time they were still sturdy enough to absorb a blow from another sword. Their main weakness was the fact that they were somewhat heavier than the other weapons, so they did tend to swing slow unless one had a good firm grip on the hilt with both hands.

Juno started swinging the weapon in a stationary position for a bit, in order to warm up whilst they waited for Master Linx, "Is it me or do these things get lighter every day?" he asked, his comment signifying that he was getting a little stronger than he used to be. Juno used to be pretty skinny, and although his muscles were still lean, they were much stronger now than they were a few years ago. Juno remembered the wooden swords feeling heavier when he first started practicing, and how the wood also sometimes put splinters in his fingertips. Now, however, the weapons felt much lighter and his hands had developed enough callous that the wood hardly ever splintered his fingers, if at all.

One other trick Juno discovered about himself was that he was ambidextrous, capable of using both hands with equal strength and finesse. He could switch from right-handed to left-handed seamlessly, without showing any difference in the skills of his hands. Knowing this, Juno often switched hands and let both arms swing the sword around separately in order to get an even warm up throughout his body. It was also a useful trick to apply to real sparring matches. The ability to so easily switch hands was a very handy way of throwing opponents off guard, especially if they'd never seen Juno fight before. Master Linx apparently saw that potential as well, because he made Juno practice both right and left-handedly.

"Probably just some guy. I doubt we should worry about it. Why don't we all just get going. If we chase hooded people, we're bound to be late for our practice." Keoki looked towards Trista as she tried to take away his feeling of being uneasy, her words soothed his emotions almost like magic. He sighed looking towards the forest,"Yeah, you're probably right. Could be someone just trying to scary us." Keoki shook his head, but then Renatus addition to the conversation caught his attention. Keoki smiled to see that Renatus was okay, well, at least okay enough to speak.

Juno was a slight distance away before Keoki realized that he had already started walking,"Come on." Keoki said quietly to Renatus and Trista before running after Juno to catch up with him. Keoki stopped running and begun to walk slower when he was along side Juno. They managed to get to the Dojo without any interruptions pertaining to people in black cloaks."Hey! Anyone home? Master Linx? We're here now!" Juno spoke, Keoki stood inches behind Juno as he peered in from behind the boy looking inside the empty Dojo with a slight frown on his face, as though something was not right. Seems that Linx wasn't there. Juno shrugged and walked in and started to look around for weapons, as Keoki made his way to a glassless window, and with a little effortless hop he placed himself on the ledge of it and swung his feet bang and forward as he looked around the Dojo."It's not like him to be late for practice." Keoki said softly, not loud enough to acknowledge.

"Is it me or do these things get lighter every day?" Juno said, swinging a weapon."It's probably just you and your hardcore training." Keoki smiled tilting his head a little. Keoki watched as Juno used his other hand and trained with that one with the same amount of skill and precision. Sometimes Keoki wished that he was as strong as Juno, or wise as Trista, or even as brave as Renatus. He wanted to know what it felt like to have a purpose, a destiny to look forward to. It seemed that everyone was good at something besides him, the only thing he's ever been good at was attracting trouble, and if it wasn't for his friends he fears he might not be as lucky as he actually is.

He exited the room with the door in the same condition he entered it. He made his way out of the Cave with out putting the boulder back, he decided it didn't matter any more. As he made his back to the dojo, his mind went back to encounter with the hooded man.

They stood, staring at each other. Linx's fist clenched, He didn't know what expect from the new arrival. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"Linx's voice help a hint of hostility. The other just stood there, staring at him. Then, "This world is connected." The voice was a womens. Linx relaxed his fists and for a split second there was a hint of uneasiness in Linx's eye, "I see." After a long moment she vanished, as if she was never there.

The conversation replayed in his head. After getting half way to the dojo he pushed it to the side and focused on what he has to do. He was going throw the training that they had done, what he might be able to at least start. In the back of his head he realized That this will be the first time he wasn't there when they arrived. If anyone could see his mouth under the mask, They might see a small grin, I wonder what they would do with out me. That gave him an idea. He made his way to back, but when he got closer he took a different path. It lead to the other side of a number of large boulders that were next to the training yard. He hid behind them and watched.

Juno passed them all, heading into the line of trees. With cheerful encouragement from Keoki, the remaining youths followed. The cloaked man was soon forgotten as the friends made their way to the dojo. However, they were all quite shocked to find their teacher tardy for lessons. The dojo was quite empty.

"Hey! Anyone home? Master Linx? We're here now!" Juno called out. He received only a slight echo in reply. The dojo was normally this quiet, but it seemed even moreso now with the absence of their teacher.

If this had perturbed Juno at all, he wasn’t showing it now. He’d gone straight to the weapons rack to retrieve his favorite wooden broadsword. Utilizing both hands, the black-haired teen demonstrated several quick slashes, proving his ambidextrous ability. Such an ability was enviable, but Ren knew where is own strengths lied. He would never be as agile with a blade as Juno, but he certainly had a chance at improving his defensive skills.

Renatus went over to the rack to grab his own preferred blade: a standard blade of standard length and width. He grabbed a small bucker shield from nearby to accompany it. Master Linx said he leaned on the shield like a crutch, so he made Ren practice without it much of the time. However, Master Linx wasn’t here, and so they were practicing on their own terms.

With the shield fastened to his right arm, the young man hefted his own sword and swung into a few sword forms. His focus narrowed in on the forms, executing them with finesse. He’d always been one to repeat forms until perfection. Except, he had to work at it. Juno had only to watch the Master demonstrate and them he performed them correctly within his first couple of tries.

As they made it to the dojo- a walk that was definitely not too far from the beach- they realized it was rather quiet. Though silence was not unusual, the lack of their rather timely teacher was. Trista looked around, watching Juno and Renatus pick up blades. How awkward, as she had the least of fighting skills of them both. Instead, she was studying magic, and she was neither a good fighter or a defender. Instead, Trista was evasive. It wasn't defense unless hits were actually about to hit you. Trista's taught tactic was evade, elude, and then use her ether upon an enemy. Of course, Trista doubted this would ever come too in handy. Sacred Harbor was just too simple and sweet a place for war and battle.

So when she followed them up to the racks of weaponry, she lifted up a wooden staff with tape around the spot beneath the curled end where she held it most off. She turned and looked at the boys, smiling slightly and turning her eyes to Keoki. He must've felt even more awkward than her. He didn't take part of many of these things...

Trista moved to the flat of wood that was porch-like, but mostly an area for training. It was where Linx held them to fight and train most often. She looked around from the center of the flat, and then put her fingers to her lips. Taking in a deep breath, she blew out quickly; creating a loud, sharp whistle.

If that didn't get Linx's attention, nothing would, she thought with a smile on her full lips as she put her hands upon her hips.

As they made it to the dojo- a walk that was definitely not too far from the beach- they realized it was rather quiet. Though silence was not unusual, the lack of their rather timely teacher was. Trista looked around, watching Juno and Renatus pick up blades. How awkward, as she had the least of fighting skills of them both. Instead, she was studying magic, and she was neither a good fighter or a defender. Instead, Trista was evasive. It wasn't defense unless hits were actually about to hit you. Trista's taught tactic was evade, elude, and then use her ether upon an enemy. Of course, Trista doubted this would ever come too in handy. Sacred Harbor was just too simple and sweet a place for war and battle.

So when she followed them up to the racks of weaponry, she lifted up a wooden staff with tape around the spot beneath the curled end where she held it most off. She turned and looked at the boys, smiling slightly and turning her eyes to Keoki. He must've felt even more awkward than her. He didn't take part of many of these things...

Trista moved to the flat of wood that was porch-like, but mostly an area for training. It was where Linx held them to fight and train most often. She looked around from the center of the flat, and then put her fingers to her lips. Taking in a deep breath, she blew out quickly; creating a loud, sharp whistle.

If that didn't get Linx's attention, nothing would, she thought with a smile on her full lips as she put her hands upon her hips.

[ignore- RPG had an error]

Juno did what he expected, while Renatus was a little unexpected. Trista seemed very eager to start. With his hands behind his back he walked out from behind the boulder and to the dojo. He walked past Trista and the others without glancing at them. He went up to the weapon rack and grabbed a pair of swords, turned and looked them over. His eyes didn't show any emotion, like always they were like ice.

His eyes rested on Juno. He had one of the strongest fighting spirits Linx has seen since coming to this island. He learns quick and the resolve to fallow throw with anything to the end. Some would say if he continued down this path he would be the perfect warrior, some would. Holding both both swords in is hand, he walked over to him. He retrieved the broadsword from him and handed him both the sword. He had yet to truly teach him to fight with two swords, Linx did it while sparing them altogether a few times.

Putting the broadsword back he walked over to Renatus. He had raw potential but he had to work twice as hard then Juno. Because of this he had those two spar together often. Linx grabbed the arm with the buckler on it. Turning it over to the straps he made sure that it was tight. Near the beginning when Renatus used a shield, he would use it to much. In spars with Juno he would block with it most until he thought he saw an opening, But Juno saw throw it and countered with ease. Linx forced him to use a sword. Teaching him to block, parry, counter, and to be quick on his feet. Nodding he walked over to the staves.

"All of you, rank 5 weights." The weights he used were ranked 1 throw 5 that went on there arms and legs. On basic days, he would have Renatus were rank 3, Juno had started to use rank 4.Trista would have rank 3 on her arm but he would have her use rank 5 on her legs. By no means did this mean Renatus was weaker then them, Linx was training him to be balanced.

Taking a normal 6 foot staff from the stand, He made his way outside. "Juno. Renatus. Spar in the circle. Trista, Meet me on the roof." His was a unusual request since he never asked this of her before. She didn't have the same fighting talent that the others did. He couldn't train her in the way that she would excel in, so he taught her the basics of weapon use. Then focused on her speed, along with some other thing. Before jumping up he saw Keoki sitting. In the beginning, he came to train with the others but it didn't take like them. So he found something he felt comfortable with. But he came by sometimes to watch them train and for the occasional accident.

He kicked of the ground and landed on the roof with ease. A wooden beam ran the length of the building, He stood on the far end like a balancing beam. When she found her way up he asked her, "What was one of the first thing I taught you in the beginning?"

Trista grabbed her own preferred weapon, eager to start for once. She’d always been willing to learn, even though Master Linx couldn’t teach her the fighting style she most excelled in. Today, she seemed to want to attract the attention of their absent teacher. She gave a loud whistle, as if it would summon him.

And it did, sort of. Master Linx walked silently out into the training area towards the weapons rack. He picked up a pair of swords and replaced Juno’s broadsword with them. It was something he’d done a couple times recently, but Juno was still better with just one sword.

Then he approached Renatus. Renatus stood there expecting a rebuke for picking up the buckler. And when Linx took his right arm and inspected the shield’s straps, he fully expected him to remove the shield altogether. Instead, he tightened them. He then headed for the staves, showing intent to train with Trista today, and spoke.

"All of you, rank 5 weights." Renatus gave a silent sigh at this. He hated when Master Linx pulled this twist on them. He was definitely had the greatest disadvantage, as his weights were usually the lightest. Despite his dislike for this, he grabbed the weights on the way outside while Master Linx continued.

"Juno. Renatus. Spar in the circle. Trista, Meet me on the roof." Ren saw it coming.

The blonde strapped the weights on and headed slowly over to the sparring circle. These darned weights made him feel like the air had suddenly grown thick. He could still fight just fine, but his stamina would definitely be tested. Positioning himself in the circle, he waited for Juno.

Juno never even noticed Master Linx until his weapon was yanked out of his hand. Juno could either focus on too many things at once (resulting in being scatter-brained), or focus too much on one thing, and suffer "tunnel vision" as a result. That was his main reason for undergoing this training. Juno's dad felt that this sort of outlet would be the best way teach Juno how to properly focus, without stretching himself too thin by many things, or suffering tunnel vision from focusing too much on a single thing. By far, Juno had improved on keeping his focus straight (a few years ago, one couldn't keep Juno's attention for longer than 5 minutes). Master Linx had been able to vastly improve Juno's ability to pay attention, perhaps even too much so (hence Juno's occasional tunnel vision).

Juno blinked as he stared at the swords he was given. This was not something he practiced regularly. When things started out, Juno always went for the weapon with which he could inflict the greatest damage with, and never really accounted for how strong two slightly smaller swords were compared to a single larger one (especially when comparing weight and speed). Still, it hadn't taken Juno long to adept to this somewhat unfamilar stance, as he twirled each weapon as if each hand had a mind of it's own. It was when Master Linx ordered them to put on Rank 5 Weights that Juno finally paid more attention to the dojo around him.

"Rank 5? Y'mean it?" remarked Juno as he excitedly made for the weights. He'd wanted to upgrade weights for a while now, but Master Linx only kept him on Rank 3. Juno knew good and well that the heavier your training weights were, the faster and stronger it would make you. When Juno actually tried on the heaviest weights, he whistled in admiration, "This is gonna be sweet!" he said, hurrying to the practice floor again and swinging the two swords a bit. He was certainly slower, but for some reason he felt great power in each swing. It felt like he might as well be holding a broadsword in each hand. Juno couldn't weight to experience the benefits of such weight training.

After a few practice swings, he heard Master Linx's order to spar with Renatus in the circle. Sparring with Renatus was nothing new, in fact they sparred at least once or twice every day they trained. With these new weights, it was certainly going to be tough on Juno, for he was used to coming in fast and hitting hard. However, thanks to Rank 5 weights, he was going to be moving slower, and having to dual-wield swords meant he would be fighting with a less familiar technique. Renatus would not have these worries, for his defensive take on fighting allowed for him to move very sparingly, meaning he would not feel the weights as much as Juno. On top of that, the extra weight would likely just increase Renatus' defense, making this sparring match Juno's most uphill one to date. Not that bothered Juno, it was just interesting to think about.

He followed Renatus to the sparring circle, which was just outside. After widening his legs into stance and letting his blades slip into a single twirl towards his flank, Juno smirked, "Ready or not, here I come!" and with that, Juno took off toward Renatus. He opened up by swinging both swords in a horizontal slash at Renatus' face, from which he would bring them back and around in a double vertical chop. Unfortunately for Juno, he forgot about the weights, and thus his attack would not have been as surprising as he would have liked. To top it all off, the increase weights caused him to start breathing a little heavier already. This was not good. Unless Renatus decided to drop his usual defensive strategy, he would certainly win simply by outlasting Juno's more aggressive strategy.

Oh man... what have I gotten into?

The thought echoed in Juno's mind as he tried to think of a way he could force Renatus into moving around more. It was no good, anything Juno threw at him could be blocked by the buckler, which meant Renatus was not likely to be going anywhere any time soon. Juno would have to think of a way to just overpower him quickly, because he refused to lose his first spar in Rank 5 weights.

Keoki watched as his other friends made it into the Dojo, and found the weapons as usual. He remembered the days when he attempted to use them, it was horrible. If something wasn't to heavy, it was to hard to swing without escaping Keoki's hands. After a while of trying he just gave up, thinking it would get in the way of people who would be an actually successful fighter.

"All of you, rank 5 weights." Keoki heard from the now entered Linx, Keoki's eyes widened slightly,'wow hes really pushing them...isn't he?' he mentally asked himself. Knowing that this wouldn't be a problem for Juno who loved a challenge."Juno. Renatus. Spar in the circle. Trista, Meet me on the roof." Keoki paused as everyone went their separate ways."Hm." He quietly sighed."Well what now?" Keoki kicked his feet back and forward before he heard a small whimpering noise from the surrounding forest. It sounded like a small animal. Keoki hopped out through the window and walked into the forest,"Keoki to the rescue." He said playfully, knowing it was never a good idea to enter the forest without supervision or friends present.

He pushed branches out his way, avoiding snakes in the grass and spiders in the bushes. He got closer to the whimpering sound. His heart beat faster and faster as he got farther away from the Dojo. He heard branches cracking in the forest and the trees leaves scratching against each other. Keoki started to breath from his mouth as the air begun to get thick with moist and would have made his nose run. He pushed a couple branches out his way to see a small Deer that was scratched at its side. The wound was deep, and Keoki could smell the blood. Keoki ran over to the animal, tears flowed down the creatures eyes."Oh goodness, okay. I'll have you better in no time." Keoki balled his left hand into a fist, and placed his right hand over his left one cupping it. He placed his joined hands over the creatures wounds, then opened his left hand. A neon blue light that looked like pure energy danced around the animals wounds wildly. The animal stopped whimpering and closed its eye. The mysterious blue energy caressed the animals wounds like a mother lion cleaning her young. Over what only seemed to be a few seconds, Keoki removed his hands from each other and the energy turned into evaporating mist into the air. He looked at the wounds, and they were gone. The animal was sleeping, and Keoki smiled as he petted it on the head.

The sense of accomplishment faded away when he heard the sound of breaking branches from around him. Keoki frowned as his head followed the sound. He could tell it was big. The sound stopped, and Keoki paused. Through the bushes in front of him jumped a lion. Keoki gasped, his heart felt as though is sunk, though it started to beat fast almost simultaneously. The lion growled as it approached Keoki and the deer,"Go! Leave!" Keoki said the the lion. The Lion only roared loudly, loud enough to scare the birds away and wake an entire village. Keoki backed up against a tree that was behind him. He would have called for help though he was in shock. The deer got up and tried to buck the lion, but the lion only pushed it out of the way with its paw, throwing the deer into a tree. The deer got up and ran away. Keoki looked into the eyes of the lion as it approached him. The lion didn't look at all a threat,"You're in danger." It said softly. Keoki frowned."Who are you?" Keoki asked the Lion."My name is Aslan. Though that is not important. The important thing is that you and your friends get off this island, and go somewhere far far away, far from Kingdom Hearts."

Trista wondered why, when she finally saw Linx, that he told everyone to use rank 5 weights. Now she could handle it on her toned legs, but her arms would have a hard time- especially in spell casting. But he jumped up to the top of the roof and she knew she'd have to follow. Trista felt a little worried suddenly in the fact that Linx wanted to train specifically with her today. But she obeyed, moving towards the rack and picking up the weights. One to each ankle, and one to each arm. Soon, she was moving towards the roof. Her legs were already flexed; easily noted in the shorts she wore. The woman spotted out the usual path up, and she took it. Jumping to one barrel, then up on top of a stack of boxes, her feet hitting the shingles of the roof as she pushed off once more and landed on the balance beam that rested up upon the roof.

Linx asked her what he first taught her; but it had been so long since then that she could barely fathom it. She gripped her small wooden staff, feeling her arms already stressing to stay strong. She stared at Linx, her brilliant icy eyes gazing into his own as if she could snatch up the answer. But she slid one foot forward, and she had an idea.

"Analyzing the opponent?" She said in a slightly questioning tone, remembering being a good bit younger and having to fight Linx. The point of that lesson was to analyze his ways and learn to get around him, and somehow win- or at least hold out. Of course, back then, she could not do it.

Trista turned her head and looked down behind her. It was a good little fall back to the platform where Renatus and Juno were, she hoped she did not topple that way. But being on the end of the balance beam put her in a vulnerable position. She turned her head and took in a breath, holding her staff now in two hands, barring it across her chest before her.

"What is my lesson today?"

Juno seemed rather eager to test out the weights. Renatus could see him swinging his swords around to get a feel for how heavy his limbs would now be. Though, his thoughts must’ve worn away at this excitement when he analyzed the battlefield, because his face didn’t seem quite as bright when he came to the sparring circle.

Renatus took up his position at soon as Juno set foot on the battlefield. While he usually gave warning, sometimes he preferred to take to battle the moment he approached. The first time the black-haired trainee used that tactic, Ren had lost miserably. He walked away with a scar from where his shattered shield pierced his arm and a warning from Master Linx to be more aware.

Luckily he got his warning in the form of a "Ready or not, here I come!". Using the swords much like we would have used a broadsword, he gave a horizontal slash at Ren. He stepped backwards to dodge it more easily than he’d anticipated. This extra time allowed him to foresee the relatively sluggish vertical slash and block it with his shield. It shocked him to find out how much easier it was to evade Juno with these weights. Looking at Juno’s face, he saw that, too.

But how should he act on that? He knew Juno wouldn’t go on the defensive; he never did. And these weights didn’t lend themselves to offense, not for someone who was used to using rank three weights, as opposed to Juno’s usual rank fours. However, the weights did help with Ren’s favorite defensive strategy. When it was so easy to just let Juno wear himself out, why should he go with anything other than what he was used to?

Ren gave a start when a most unexpected noise sent birds flying from their perches. A lion’s roar came from the forest. He allowed his gray eyes to roam to inspect the direction from which the roar came. It was then that he realized that Keoki had wandered off. Did that roar mean he was in danger? There was no was of knowing if Keoki had gone off in that direction without inspecting the forest just outside of the dojo.

“Uh, Juno,” Renatus asked, his face showing dour concern, “Where’s Keoki?”

He watched the beginning of the sparing match as he waited for Trista. Juno was having problems adjusting to the weight and to the new weapon style. Renatus was hiding behind the shield, Vapor puffed came out of his mask, I have to do something about that. He turned to Trista.

He nodded to her answer, "Good, that has same bearing on on what I want to teach all of you today." Adjusting his grip on the staff he took a step forward, "This lesson is a hard one to teach for two reasons, One is this Island."Another step, his eyes only on her. "You three have lived on this Island all you life. The forest has been your play ground since you could walk. You all know it well. Even this area you've played in despite being told not to. But in real combat you will fight in places you don't know." He got closer. "Under conditions you can't control." He stopped about 5 paces from her. "Then there is your enemy." With out warning he throw a flurry of thrusts with the staff, non made contact, some were around her, some were feints, and those that got past cam within a half inch from contact before he pulled back, " Beside the bandit attack some time ago, there hasn't been any other threats to the island, your only experience is your sparing with each other and me. I really combat your Enemys will very a small bit to greatly. Sizes, shapes, and styles of fighting, There are those how will come at you from the front, back and side ways." He throw another Flurry. "They will hold no mercy for you, so you should show none." He throw another, but this time, knowing her, He throw a low blow that made her drop her guard. At that second his staff end was on the center of her chest, He pushed and she fell off the edge. When her whole body left the roof, in a blink of an eye Linx reached out and grabbed her arm. Letting her hang there, "They will also try to make your moves for you, don't let them."

There was a sudden roar from the Forest. Linx looked up at the forest. Hearing Renatus about Keoki He looked and say he was gone. Lifting Trista back onto the roof. He dropped down to the ground and dropped the staff, "Everyone stay put." He said to them as he dashed off, But Inside he know they weren't going to listen and that was fine.

He barreled threw the forest in the direction of the roar. He came upon a lion over Keoki. He kick of the ground, into the air and landed on the lion. Surprising it, the impact threw the ground were Linx wrestled with it. Eventually, he got his arms around the lion's neck. Locking his arms he put pressure on its throat, slowing its air intake. After some more thrashing, the lion started to slow down. He had some claw marks on his arms, he looked up at Keoki and those how had gathered, "Go back to the dojo." He didn't want an argument.

After they left the area, he throw the lion to the side. He stood there waiting for it to get its breath back, "You must be strong and knowledgeable to get this far. What do you want?"

Just as Juno was about to attack again, a distant roar made him stop. When Renatus asked about Keoki, Juno dropped the swords and made a mad dash into the woods. Master Linx's order to stay behind only made Juno pause a moment before continuing on behind him. Juno about had a heart attack when Linx leaped onto a Lion that seemed to have Keoki cornered, "Quick, Keoki! Over here!" he called, signalling Keoki to join the others while the lion's attention was thrown off. Juno watched in sheer awe as their teacher pressured the breath right out of the animal. But was that right? After all, the lion was only following its instincts to kill or be killed. Did Linx have any real right to kill it over that?

"Go back to the dojo."

While everyone else might have obeyed immediately, Juno hesitated before turning around and following the others back to the Dojo. However, Juno let himself fall behind and snuck back to where the Master had fought the lion. Tip-toing behind a tree, Juno peered into the clearing, and his eyes nearly shot out of his head at what he saw. The lion was not dead at all! Master Linx had spared its life, but that wasn't the weird part, not by a long shot. Linx was talking to the thing! Now why on Earth would anyone talk to a lion? For that matter, how was it even possible? It was a lion for Pete's sake, it was supposed to growl, hunt, and survive! Yet here they were, apparently holding a conversation.

Juno just let himself sit down in his hiding place. Obviously, the surrealism of the situation was overwhelming, and the shock could make him faint if he didn't relax somehow. Okay, first Master Linx wrestles a lion, then he talks to the thing. Nothing out of the ordinary. Juno thought to himself, still trying to wrap his head around the fact that there was a talking lion holding a conversation with Master Linx. At least he knew why the students were ordered to return to the dojo now. Apparently, this was supposed to stay secret.

As that concept crept into Juno's mind, another realization reared its ugly head. What would Master Linx do when he learned Juno had disobeyed him and watched something he was not supposed to see? Suddenly, the idea of facing a lion didn't sound too bad by comparison.

Keoki looked around the area of the forest as though hes seen it in a familiar daydream, every voice seemed to have been getting more distance as everyone came closer. Keoki knew that the Lion didn't mean harm. Aslan. Aslan? The messenger. Sending what message? Keoki was ordered to go back to the Dojo, though as though his braveness increased just a little he got to his feet."Stop!" He yelled closing his eyes, with his hands on the sides of his head,"Something is wrong here." Keoki said opening his eyes staring off into the distance. He looked to the ground then over at Master Linx,"I think he just wants to help." Keoki looked back at Aslan, and approached the fatigue beast.

"Whats Kingdom Hearts?" Keoki asked quietly, those words sounded familiar. It seems as though the lion knew more about Keoki then Keoki knew about himself. The Lion looked to the ground, then into the forest. Its eyes became wide.

"Run! Go! Now! Leave! Its not safe for you anymore."Aslan looked at Linx with a angry snarl. Though before Keoki could even respond, a group of small dark creatures appeared from misty shadows. Keoki gasped,"What are-." Keoki tried to ask, though before he could finish his sentence one of them jumped at him. Aslan jumped at the monster before it could get to Keoki,"Get off the island!" Thunder shook the island, and black clouds ran across the sunset sky. The creatures begun to pile onto of Aslan,"I'll be fine! just go!" Keoki didn't take his chances. He ran through the forest, again being separated from his friends.

He managed to get to the Beach, that was when he saw a big black monster with a hole in its chest. Before Keoki could run away, it picked him with its big hand around his waist. Keoki tried to push it off him, but for some reason, Keoki felt as though he was getting weaker and weaker as it latched onto him. Keoki fell unconscious, and a dim blue flame light emitted off Keoki's body.

"Keyblade Wielders..Show yourself." It said, in a loud deep voice.