FicWad

Departure

Harry leaned against a wall, watching as Tifa explained to the mysterious yellow-eyed stranger about what had happened to his world. The Heartless. The destruction of his world. To his credit, Harry thought he was taking it rather well, sitting on the staircase with a stoic expression, asking only occasional questions. Harry had practically begged to be told it was a joke when he learned of this new world.

"Harry!" A shout drew his attention back down the street, as Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith ran toward him.

"What happened with that enemy? You don't seem all too flustered."

"A small squad of whatever this enemy is managed to get through our defenses," Aerith responded. "We have no idea what they were, but the strangest thing is that our Claymore defense system didn't even register them, as if they simply didn't exist."

"Harry, who is that?" Leon's gaze was directed straight at Tifa and the visitor.

Harry shrugged. "Another refugee like myself, I suppose. He mistook me for someone from his own world, and attacked me."

Yuffie eyed the man's double-bladed sword appreciatively. "And you managed to stay alive? I guess you're tougher than we gave you credit for."

Harry chuckled mirthlessly. "Actually, he was just about to finish me off right before Tifa arrived. I only survived that long because of this thing." With that, Harry picked up the Keyblade that lay beside him. Whatever reaction he had expected from the trio upon seeing the weapon, their expressions of amazement and disbelief was the last on the list. Even Leon, who had never given Harry any indication that he even had emotions showed momentary surprise on his face. "Uh, it's called a…"

"Keyblade, we know," interrupted Leon. "You certainly are full of surprises, Harry."

"You know? You mean you've seen one of these before?" Harry inspected the Keyblade closer. For the most part, it was colored the same shade of green as his eyes, with silver accents. The design at the end of the blade had an angular design that reminded him of the antlers of a stag. The soft leather grip felt as if it were molded to the exact shape of his hand; it was an elegant weapon, and he felt connected to it. Every part of the Keyblade reflected him. "It just appeared out of nowhere when I was fighting that guy."

"The Keyblade is a very special weapon, Harry," said Aerith. "We still don't know all of its secrets, but we do know that only those with strong hearts have the ability to wield it. And that those who do so often have an important role to play in keeping the balance between all the worlds."

"Great, so even when I fail to protect my own world from destruction, now I'm responsible for saving the entire universe? I just can't catch a break, can I?"

"Tough luck, Harry, but you'll pull through." Tifa had finally returned to the group, the stranger following in her wake. He strode up to Harry, whose eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion, despite the much friendlier look in the stranger's eyes.

"I must apologize for my unwarranted attack on you, Harry. The world I come from is one ravaged by never-ending war, and the color of a person's eyes indicates which clan they are. People with green eyes aren't exactly on the best of terms with yellow." With a guilty smile, the stranger ran his hand through his hair. "My name is Akihiko, by the way."

"Well, I don't blame you for your actions if your world is as bad as you say it is. I know better than anyone about constant vigilance against your enemies." Though not entirely convinced, Harry felt as though Akihiko was someone with whom he could relate. "So, where do we go from here, Leon?"

"Forward." Cryptic as usual, with that, Leon turned away, and headed back toward the house.

The hyperactive Yuffie bounced in at that point, exclaiming, "Well, if you're a Keyblade wielder, then going to the refugee house seems pretty silly; you're meant for bigger things!" She ran behind him, pushing him in the same direction as Leon. "We should talk to Cid about getting you a Gummi ship so you can visit Yen Sid."

"Gummi ship?"

"It's how we travel between worlds! Sounds silly, I know, but it works, trust me!"

Suddenly, Harry ran into someone that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. "I'd like to come along, if you don't mind," said Akihiko. Harry turned around, looking at the spot Akihiko had occupied only milliseconds ago. His speed was incredible, and Harry realized that he had probably been merely toying with him during their fight.

Yuffie frowned. "I don't know, Akihiko. You may be a great fighter and all, but we don't usually let people travel between the worlds. It messes with the order of things."

"Actually, it might not be such a bad idea." Everyone turned to Tifa. "While Harry may be the Keyblade's chosen one, he isn't exactly the best warrior. He could use some protection, and I feel that Akihiko would be much more comfortable on the battlefield than doing a job here."

Akihiko grinned. "If there's one thing I've learned, it's that "chosen" people lead interesting lives. And I like being in the thick of things."

"Trust me," said Harry, "My life has never NOT been interesting." He looked at the Keyblade, noticing the phoenix feather keychain hanging off. "I've already been the Chosen One for quite a while, and it's caused me nothing but trouble. What's one more title to me?"

Yuffie still seemed unconvinced. "Well, we'll have to check with Cid anyway. C'mon, you lazy bums, follow me."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Less than an hour later, the entire group stood inside a Gummi hanger. "Beauty, isn't she?" asked Cid.

"I still think your design is tacky," replied Yuffie.

"Watch it, you!"

Harry wandered up to the ship reverently, ignoring the argument behind him. He tapped on the side of the ship, surprised to find it felt rubbery, almost elastic. "This thing is gonna get us into outer space?"

"We actually call it the Lanes Between, but yes; this will take you to other worlds," Aerith responded. "Before you leave, I would like to give you a gift." Closing her eyes, Aerith's hands began glowing, and she placed them upon Harry's shoulders. He felt a sudden rush of energy enter his body, and felt invigorated, as if power were buzzing throughout his body. "You can now use the Spell "Cure," Harry. Magic works differently in these worlds than in yours, but when the time comes, you'll know how to use it. And I'm sure you'll still be able to use all your old spells along with these."

"Well, are we ready to go?" asked Akihiko.

Cid sniffed loudly. "Yup, that baby is prime! I've got her set on autopilot to take you straight to Yen Sid's Mysterious Tower. He'll know what to do about this whole damn situation."

Aerith placed a kiss upon Harry's head as he and Akihiko boarded the Gummi ship. Then the engines roared to life, shooting them out of the world, and into a new adventure, leaving the Radiant Garden group hoping for the best, and hoping that Harry would never have a reason to use his Keyblade.