Kingdom Hearts: Those Left Behind

Tidus, Wakka, and Lulu wandered all around Traverse Town, taking in all the beautiful sights that surrounded them. Traverse Town was a rather cozy place they discovered. There were many, many small buildings tightly clumped together and were connected. The streets were all made of stone and were dimly lit by the many bright street lamps that were littered about. The buildings were all bright and colorful with bright neon signs that flickered on and off. The town itself was rather medieval in appearance and was relatively quiet. There were very few people out and about and it would appear to them that the whole town was trapped in eternal night, a sea of many bright, twinkling stars always overhead. It was relatively peaceful and there was little noise, a sharp contrast to the islands from which they came. All in all, it was a rather unassuming, humble little world, non-threatening and very welcoming. It was the perfect refuge for those who had lost their homes.

“No sign of Sora or Riku anywhere.” Said Tidus, the three of them stumbling into an alleyway that connected the town’s Second and Third District. “They must not be here.” Said Lulu. “Great...” Whined Tidus, kicking the ground beneath him. “And we looked everywhere, ya’?” Said Wakka. “They might be in another world, ya’?”

Tidus groaned, “Ugh! What now?”

“We could always ask someone. Someone around here might just know where they are.” Suggested Lulu.

“Ask who?” Asked Tidus, a hint of annoyance in his voice. “There’s no one around here.”

“Ya’, they must’ve all locked themselves up in their homes, ya’? Must be because of the Heartless, ya’?” Said Wakka, folding his arms.

“Come to think of it, we have yet to encounter any Heartless.” Said Lulu. “How strange.”

“Maybe they’re all on vacation…?” Said Tidus.

“Whatever the reason may be, I hope it stays that way, ya’?” Said Wakka. “I said it once before and I’ll say it again, I’ve had enough of Heartless, bruddah’.”

“Hey, look. There are some people up ahead. Maybe we can ask them?” Said Lulu, pointing just beyond the alleyway from where they all stood. Not so far ahead was what appeared to be a small group of teenagers kicking around a soccer ball. They formed a circle and were kicking the ball to one another, passing it around. Oddly enough, one of them wore a wide-brimmed wizard’s hat of sorts.

“Hey, people!” Exclaimed Tidus. “It’s worth a shot.”

The three of them would exit the alleyway and into the center of the Second District where there they got a closer look at the group. One of them was a very tall girl with long brown hair and comically large glasses that wore a bright-purple dress. The other was a tall black male with dreads that wore large sneakers and loose cargo pants. The third member of the group was a short male with an oddly-shaped, pumpkin-like head with golden hair. And finally, there was the fourth member of the group, the one whose head was adorned with a wizard’s hat. She had short orange-yellow hair and was dressed similarly to the black male of the group, but with a hoodie instead of a simple coat.

“Hey look guys, we got company.” Said the black male. They would all put their game on pause, save for the one in the hat who continued to bounce the ball on her knee and with the tip of her foot.

“Heya’.” Greeted Tidus with a wave. “How are you all doing?” He would then ask.

“We have a question.” Said Lulu.

“Shoot.” Said the blond kid.

“Yeah, have you guys seen a guy with short, brown, spiky-hair and wears really baggy pants? Oh, and he also carries a giant key.” Asked Tidus.

“I’ve never seen anyone like that.” Answered the girl with the glasses. “What about you guys?”

“Nope.”

“Never.”

“Nu uh.”

“Okay…So, have any of you seen a guy with long silver hair then? He carries a pretty scary-looking sword with him.”

“Nope.”

“Never.”

“Nu uh.”

“Can’t say that I have.”

“Oh, wonderful.” Groaned Tidus. He would then turn to face Lulu and Wakka. “Well, what do we do now? Return to Balthier and Fran?”

“Yo, wait a sec!” Shouted the black male. “You guys know Balthier and Fran?”

“You guys must be the new arrivals we’ve heard so much about.” Remarked the blond kid.

“An’ who might you be?” Asked Wakka.

“I’m Carver, nice to meet you.” Said the black male.

“Tino.” Said the blond kid.

“Tish Katsufrakis, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Said the brunette.

“Name’s Lor, ‘sup?” Asked the one in the hat.

“And you are…?” Asked Carver.

“I’m Tidus.”

“Wakka.”

“Lulu.”

“So, was your world destroyed by the Heartless too?” Asked Tino.

“It was.” Answered Tidus. “Not anymore though. Really, I have no idea how we ended up in this place.”

“What about you guys?” Asked Wakka.

“Our world was destroyed the Heartless.” Answered Tish, adjusting her glasses.

“Heartless. So. Many. Heartless!” Said Carver in an excitable voice as he grabbed his face, eyes wide with near-panic.

“Yeah, we’re lucky to have made it.” Said Tino. “After the Heartless came and took everything away, we woke up here.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Said Lulu in a somber tone. “I know what it’s like to lose a home.”

“You do?” Asked Lor, catching the soccer ball mid-air after bouncing it off her knee. “The Heartless took your world too?”

“Yeah.” She would answer with a nod. “But I was taken to a different world from this one.”

“That’s strange…” Said Tish.

“Real strange.” Said Tino.

“Yeah, I thought survivors are taken to Traverse Town.” Said Carver.

“That’s what Balthier and Fran told us.” Said Tidus.

“Sooo…Are these guys you looking for friends of yours?” Asked Lor, reaching up to make minor adjustments to her hat.

“That’s right.” Said Wakka. “Uh, not to be rude, ya’, but what’s with the hat? Is it Halloween already?” He would then ask.

“Oh, this stupid thing?” Said Lor. “I have to wear it. It’s a “Black Mage’s Hat”.” She groaned.

“Oh? You’re studying to be a Black Mage?” Asked Lulu.

“Yeah, are you one too?”

“That’s right.” Lulu would say with a smirk.

“So where’s your stupid-looking hat?” Asked Carver.

“I don’t wear one.”

“Lucky…” Whined Lor.

Lor would then go back to bouncing the soccer ball off her knee, her eyes focused on keeping the soccer ball in the air as she kicked it around off her knee and off her foot, even bouncing it off her elbow. Wakka chuckled, clearly impressed. “Hey, you’re not too bad.” He would say. “Ever considered Bliztball, ya’?” Lor continued to bounce it around as she said, “Blitzball? Oh, right! I totally heard it before. Never played it before though. Um, how does it go?” She would ask. “Wait!” Shouted Wakka. “You know what Blitzball is, ya’?”

“Um, yeah, totally! Some big shirtless guy told me all about it.” She would answer with a smile. “Sounds like fun.”

Tidus’ eyes widened, his breath coming up short. He stood there, watching Lor closely, his eyes permanently fixed on that soccer ball as Lor bounced it around. It looked so familiar, the way she bounced it around and about. Now he knows why. He balled his hands into fists as he then shouted rather abruptly, “Who taught you how to do that!?”

The four of them were caught off-guard, Lor especially as she accidently dropped the soccer ball. “Oh, well, um, yeah, there was this really big dude, right? Tall, shirtless, carried a giant sword…Right, well, I was out playing soccer all by myself when he came along and taught me a few tricks. Man, for an old guy he was pretty cool.” She would say with a smile. “Wouldn’t shut up about his kid though.” She then bent down to pick up the soccer ball. “Actually, now that I think about it, you look just like him from a certain angle. So, uh, what do you all have against wearing shirts?”

“Bruddah’…”

“I’m nothing like him!” Tidus shouted. “Look, where is he!? Is he still here!?”

“Whoa…Chill dude.” Said Lor. “I don’t know, this was a long time ago.”

“You’re lying!” And in that very instant, there was a strange, dark aura that emanated from Tidus. It was very brief and lasted only for a fraction of a second. No one seemed to notice, save for one person, Lulu. She looked at Tidus, a mixed look of concern and curiosity on her face. “Tidus…” She would say grimly. “Why are you trying to protect him, huh!?” Tidus would shout. “Answer me! Where is he Lor!?”

“H-Hey dude, I-I really don’t know…”

“Yo Tidus, I think you need to calm down, ya’? Just a little…?” Said Wakka, reaching out to place a firm hand on Tidus’s shoulder.

Then, out of nowhere, a bunch of Heartless suddenly rose out from the ground. They were all Shadow Heartless. “Heartless!” Shouted Carver. The Heartless all danced about, twitching menacingly as they all circled the group of seven. Wakka groaned. “Oh, so now they show up, ya’?”

“So, uh, what do we do?” Asked Tino.

“Running seems cool right about now.” Answered Carver.

“Hey Lor, use your magic!” Shouted Tish.

The Heartless all began to close in around the group, their antennae twitching, their eyes unblinking as they hopped from side to side, brandishing their small, yet sharp claws. Lor nodded and began to hold out her hand, “R-Right!” She then took in a deep breath and the shouted as loud as she could.

“THUNDER!”

Nothing.

“Uh, THUNDER!”

Still nothing.

“THUNDER! Doggone it, THUNDER!”

Maybe a different spell?

“Um…FIRE!?”

Nope.

“Blizzard! Um…Gravity? Magnet…?”

We're doomed.

“What were you saying about running again, Carv?” Asked Tish.

“I-I don’t get it! Why isn’t my magic working!?” Asked Lor.

“Go!” Shouted Tidus. Then, with a flash of light, his sword now appeared in his hand. “Get to safety! We’ll take care of this.” He then assumed a battle stance, now standing in-front of Lor, Carver, Tish, and Tino, a determined expression on his face as he was soon joined by Lulu and Wakka, both ready to fight.

“B-But…” Stammered Lor as she looked at her own hands in disbelief.

“Lor, come on! They got this! Let’s just go!” Shouted Carver. Tino would then grab Lor by the arm, dragging her along as the four of them made a run for it, dashing past the encroaching Shadow Heartless.

“Here they come!” Shouted Tidus.

“Ya’? Well, us too!” Said Wakka after.

The Heartless pounced one-by-one, lunging toward the three with remarkable speed. A few, however, were quickly intercepted by a blast of flame that erupted from Lulu’s fingertips while the others were swiftly deflected by Tidus’ sword, expertly parrying their slashes with his blade. Tidus would then charge forth at blinding speed, sword raised up high before bringing it down, slicing through each of the Heartless with little effort, each Heartless disappearing in a puff of black smoke. Lulu’s magic also made short work of them as she called down lightning bolts to stroke multiple Heartless, shocking each one into submission until they all poofed right out of existence. Moggie had come alive, even, it now walking about on its own, mimicking Lulu’s movements as she waved her hands about, casting spell after spell without relent, waves of frost unleashed from her fingertips to freeze those who opposed her in a small chunk of ice before shattering them into many pieces with but a snap of her fingers, a wicked smirk on her face. All the while, Wakka’s Blitzball ricochet from Heartless to Heartless, bashing each one on the head before bouncing off and away to hit another close-by.

The Heartless themselves were no slouches either. For every one Heartless the three would slay, five more would take its place. Even more annoying was that these Heartless, as small as they are, were unbelievably fast and would actually swim along the ground just beneath their feet and out of reach of their attacks.

Soon, all the Shadow Heartless were replaced with Soldiers, the Heartless popping into existence with a small flash of dark-purple light, their armor rattling as they danced about, hopping and skipping around Tidus and his friends. But Tidus, Wakka, and Lulu did not let up, instead continuing to fight with all their might, parrying blow after blow, slaying Heartless after Heartless as they all seemed to come right out of the woodwork like termites.

But the worst was yet to come as one more Heartless came into existence. It was a Large Body. It was big and round with a rotund belly and big, strong arms. Tidus tried to slash it in two, but to his shock, his sword simply bounced off its tummy, its big belly wiggling like jelly as the Heartless then gave it a light scratch, treating Tidus’ attack as nothing more than an itch. Tidus looked up as it balled its hand into a great, big fist and then brought it down hard. Tidus side-stepped, just barely avoiding its attack. Tidus then scurried right behind the fat monstrosity and then swung his blade.

Success!

But, his victory wasn’t a permanent one, for two more Large Bodies poofed into existence right behind him, the two of them looking right down at Tidus with their unblinking yellow eyes. Tidus dashed to rejoin Lulu and Wakka as the two of them took out another couple of Heartless.

“They just keep on comin’, ya’? Oh man, it’s the invasion all over again, bruddah’…” Despaired Wakka. “I don’t think we can keep it up for much longer, ya’?”

“Any ideas?” Asked Lulu.

“Um…Let me think about it.” Said Tidus.

The three of them found themselves standing back to back in the center of a great, big circle of Heartless of all kinds. Each of the Heartless looked at the three hungrily as they slowly closed in.

“Ya’ better think of somethin’ quick, ya’? If you don’t, we’re done for!”