The Beginning of the End

[Riku]

Yen Sid looked at the man, his face a world of sorrow. "Are you certain about this?" His voice was deep as usual, but held a tenderness that the man in front of him hadn't heard before.

The man smiled wryly, one hand carelessly grasping the iron bar of the cell door. His head was tilted slightly, and the thought ran through Yen Sid's mind that perhaps he was, in fact, a broken doll and not a man at all. "Of course not. The chance that this will work our is nearly zero, after all."

Yen Sid scoffed at that. "For you, at least four percent." It wasn't a joke, but they needed humor at that moment. It hurt too much to think deeply. But it was true: if anyone were to pull this off, it would be him. Yen Sid could only believe in him. Those children were teaching that to him lately.
"Four percent. Right. Alright, let's not waste time. Do it."

Yen Sid could hardly look him in the eye as he raised his keyblade through the iron bars and touched the end of it to the man's chest. Don't make me regret this, he prayed. With a slow exhale, he let loose a beam of light and then the world turn black.

XxXxX

The next day, he summoned the two young keyblade bearers to his office. Riku was, of course, the only keyblade Master, but Sora's abilities could not be looked over. The two were remarkable in their own ways.

Their own ways...were very different, as Sora made if obvious with his immidiate and slightly impertinent question: "Who are they??" he exclaimed, pointing to the two figures perched lazily behind Yen Sid. Sora had grown up much since his first adventure, but was, in many ways, still a child.
It did, however, make his lips twitch slightly when he noticed Riku's eyes light up in modest curiousity as well. Perhaps they weren't so different after all.

"Patience, boy." I was just about to tell you, if you would just let me..., Yen Sid sighed internally. "These two will be your new traveling partners. Rina," he gestured to the woman with a heart-imprinted shirt, and was staring at Sora with a devilish grin, "will accompany you, Sora. I hope the two of you get along," and under his words lay an undercurrent of warning.

"Riku," who he turned to as he spoke, "you will be with Kojirou. Treat each other with respect and you shall be fine." Riku nodded, but his brow was furrowed in confusion.

"But, sir -"

"You are a Keyblade Master now, Riku. Do not refer to me as 'sir'."

"...right. Yen Sid? What traveling do you mean? We thought the worlds were fine now."

"You as well could do with a lesson in patience. Before I get that far, there is something you need to know. Rina, Koujirou?" The two moved to stand next to Yen Sid. "Rina is a heartless. Koujiro is a nobody."

Riku and Sora took steps back in surprise at such a sudden announcement. "Heartless...nobody? And you want us to work with them? We just fought their kind!" Sora exclaimed in shock.

"Don't worry, boy~ We're not gonna hurt you~," Rina leaned forward at her middle in a slightly provocative pose. Koujirou was silent, looking bored.
"You will need their assistance in this next mission. Riku! Sora!" Yen Sid called out their names and they straightened to attention, more out of habit than anything else. "Pay attention, now. My name is Yen Sid, but I'm more known as the King of Light. Myself, and the King of Darkness, are old and weak. As the youth, it is your job to find the new Kings of Light and Darkness. There is another set of lost worlds out there, as well. You will search them and the worlds you know dearly, with your new partners. Do not return until you have nominated a King of Light," he nodded to Sora, "and a King of Darkness", to Riku, "in each world. Understand? Can you do this?"

The two nodded fervently. What a job they had in store for them! Who were these mysterious partners? What were the new worlds? Would they be able to fulfill this final, wonderous mission? Without answers from Yen Sid's dark eyes, they loaded into their own respective Gummi Ships out into the great nght that held so many, many worlds.