Grand Cross Plus. Episode 1

Her eyes opened and she shot straight up, crying out for her father and expecting to see him still locked in battle. Instead she saw nothing but the dry plains of the western wastes that surrounded the temple she and her family called home. She wasn’t in the temple though, but outside in seemingly the middle of no where. She felt warmth and perceived a glow behind her, turning to see a fire under a large rock where a stoic young man sat, watching her with a blank expression. She knew the man, or at least knew his face, and instinctively rose to defend herself against him.

“You!”

The teenage girl cried as she summoned her Keyblade, called Starlight, and prepared to engage the renegade who sat before her.

“You’re Sasuke Uchiha! You’re the man who tried to kill Knight King Kiske! H-How did I get here, and where’s my family!? What have you done with them!?”

Sasuke didn’t answer her and instead looked away, seemingly ignoring the girl and furthering her mounting fury. She glanced toward where he was looking even if only to ensure no one was sneaking up on her when she caught a glimpse of something her mind just didn’t want to comprehend. For a moment she denied it but soon her memories started to become clearer and she looked over to confirm what she already knew to be true. There, sitting on a sand stone hill, was the still smoldering remains of her temple home. The look on the girl’s face was of total devastation as the Keyblade fell from her hand and she to her knees.

“They…they attacked us…came from out of nowhere. Dad and the other students tried to fight back but…they were outnumbered. I tried to help but…but I couldn’t…”

Tears streamed down the girl’s face and she clutched at her chest, the pain in her heart almost too much to bear. She had lost everything; her family, friends, even the place she called home. All gone.

She then remembered how she had escaped alive, looking over again at Sasuke who was still sitting before the fire with a certain sadness now present his eyes. He hid it well, far better than he wished he was able to, but she could still see it. He was reliving his own pains, his own losses, through the girl that now wept before him. But she wasn’t like him; she hadn’t latched onto vengeance yet as a means to support her heart through such madness. There was still time to save her from that fate…or he hoped to God there was.

He stood to his feet and approached the girl, not certain what he should do but knowing exactly what he needed to say.

“What’s you name?”

“X-Xion…”

“Xion, find something worth protecting.”

Xion was taken aback by the man’s words, looking up at him with her tear soaked blue eyes and trying to process just what he was trying to say. He saw this and tried to elaborate, knowing well these words might set a course for the rest of the girl’s life. It was a heavier burden than he could have imagined it would be, and he finally understood better just how hard it must have been for his brother on that terrible day. Hopefully his words would send her down a better path than his brother’s had set him upon those ten long years before.

“Even if only an ideal, a dream, or even just a feeling; find something worth fighting for and do your best to keep it safe from those that would destroy it. Trying to avenge those that have fallen will only lead to more vengeance, more suffering. But to protect something, so long as it’s good, that’s an endeavor worth living for.”

For a moment Xion thought she was listening to her father due to how noble Sasuke’s words sounded, and she could feel them resonate with her spirit. However this only caused her to cry harder, but she knew then and there that she would eventually overcome that pain and move on with her life. It would take her a long time but she would follow Sasuke’s advice and find a cause worthy of swearing her Keyblade to protecting. She would become a woman her parents could be proud of and a warrior worthy of her father’s legacy.

This was the beginning of her story; the story of Key Knight Xion.

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Two Years Later…

Two youths were running through a maze like structure trying to find the way out, as well as their lost companion who had gotten separated from them somewhere along the way. Rather she had turned left when they were supposed to turn right and been cut off when the walls suddenly shifted positions around them. The leader of the trio, called Saber by her friends, was more than a little perturbed by her teammates’ flippant personalities. The biggest source of this frustration just so happened to be the fellow she was currently stuck with; Zack Fair. Saber and Zack were about as compatible as oil and water, though the latter certainly didn’t feel this way, or rather he was too optimistic to notice…

“Well could be worse…the maze could be on fire or something, right Saber?”

“Stop calling me that, and don’t give them any-“

As they turned a corner they found themselves face to face with a flame thrower lined hall way, Saber turning and practically piercing her friend’s skull with her green eyes. Zack tried to play off the situation with a smirk but his attempts fell flat as another passage opened behind them revealing a large, mechanical golem that was bent on pulverizing them both. Again Saber shot a glare at her teammate whose smirk had become even more strained under pressure until a cold wind suddenly blasted past the duo. They looked back to see the once flame ridden hallway now covered in ice, a familiar face standing at the other end with Keyblade in hand.

“Xion! Nice timing!”

Xion smiled and waved in response to Zack’s words but then took on a panicked expression as she pointed behind him. Zack turned to see the golem’s fist falling toward him, feeling a hand grab his clothes and pull him to safety before the crushing blow struck the ground.

“Praising later, running now!”

Saber’s words did not fall on deaf ears as Zack ran at full speed along with her, though both found the ice laden hallway a bit harder to transverse than they had expected. Still they made it to the other side where Xion helped them regain their balance, but also with the golem in hot pursuit. The ravenette saw this and focused once again on her Kayblade, willing it to gather the water molecules in the air before her. She then activated her weapon’s freezing element and shot it as a burst of blue energy toward the golem. Instead of hitting the machine though it instead flash froze the gathered moisture before her forming a thick wall of icel!

“That won’t hold him for long!”

As if to deny Xion’s words the golem punched straight through the ice wall with little to no effort and began tearing it down with just as much ease.

“…Or at all…run.”

Xion and Zack started to retreat when they noticed Saber standing her ground, sword firmly in hand. She was tired of this maze and doubly tired of running like a coward! She was a squire of the Grand Order, an heir to one of its longest blood lines, and the younger sister of its king! She wasn’t about to be intimidated by some giant hunk of steel!

“Very well! If you wish to face me in battle golem, than I won’t-HEY!”

Saber was left stunned when her friends suddenly grabbed her by either arm and started dragging her away, and keeping an impressive pace while doing so. Though she argued and struggled against this it was obvious she had been out voted and soon the three caught sight of a light they could only hope was the exit. Alas instead they found themselves in the center of the maze, which was doubly heart breaking because it was in that very open chamber that they had begun this madness. Even the usually super optimistic Zack was left with his jaw dropped while Xion just let out a mixed whimper and sigh. Saber also sighed but more out of annoyance than anything, wondering if there even was a way to escape the glorified fun house.

“Not bad. Not bad at all.”

Saber felt joy upon hearing an all too familiar voice say these simple words, quickly coming to attention both out of respect for the one speaking and to make herself presentable to him. The maze shifted around them to make way for the man known as the King of Knights, Ky Kiske, who was delighted by how well the young squires had performed.

“Good job guys, errr, I mean, well done young squires. Perform this well at the exam and I see no reason why I shouldn’t be able to grant you all full knighthood.”

“Thank you your highness!” the three declared in unison, but none more so than Saber who had practically shouted the words. She felt a bit embarrassed but Ky just chuckled and commended her enthusiasm while also giving her a bit of friendly chiding.  

“Now, now Artoria, save your energy for the exams, yeah?”

“Ky, I-I mean your highness, that’s hardly the way a king should address his knights.”

“True, but it is how an older brother should address his younger sister, Saber.”

Saber’s serious expression turned to one of grieved annoyance as her two friends fought to contain their giggling. She shot a glare at them both to which they straightened up, smiles still upon their faces as they looked either way. Ky broke out into laughter at the scene, remembering why he enjoyed being around the three as often as he could manage. However the time he could afford to do so had come to an end as his aid appeared and gave him a swift kick in the back! All three of the squires were often still shocked by this even though they had seen it happen several times before. The petite woman reprimanded the prone King for irking his duties as ruler of the Order for the second time in a week.

“Lord Kiske, I understand how much you’d rather be down here training young squires but there is a growing mountain of paper work with your name on it, or rather lacking it. I hope your pen hand is prepared.”

“Of course Rukia…whenever you’d like to start.”

With that Rukia nodded to the three youths, grabbed Ky by the ankles, and began dragging him away toward the exit. In that moment Zack thanked God that he had no desire to ever be the Knight King, Saber was pleased her brother had someone around that could actually keep him in line, and Xion was star struck by Rukia who she admired most amongst the Order Knights. Of course this all came together to inspire both girls to do the absolute best they could, and to drag their male teammate along for the ride.

“Shall we make another run through the maze Xion?”

“Why I believe we should Saber. I believe we should.”

“Oh come on girls…I’m all for hard work but four runs is too much for one day…”

And of course neither listened, shouting the command word to activate the maze once again in unison which prompted a groan from their weary teammate

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Many miles away in a massive ruin surrounded by forest…

Sasuke Uchiha walked through what was once the stone archway leading into an ancient city, though all that remained of the metropolis were a few over grown buildings and a single, temple like structure. He wasted no time entering the millennia abandoned structure where a small group of people were working to unlock its mysterious. Or at least they had been until they stumbled upon something they weren’t prepared to deal with. That’s why they had called for Sasuke, or rather why their leader had.

“What took you so long?”

A woman clad in the attire of an experienced explorer walked from the table where she was working to greet her old acquaintance, both sporting a frown, as usual.

“Raven.”

“Sasuke.”

“What was so important you’d send that to get me?”

Sasuke looked toward his own shadow at which time a small, impish figure emerged from it and flashed a toothy smile at them both.

“SHE has a name. Midna. Shall I spell it for you?”

“Calm down Midna. You know how he is.”

The odd being simply huffed before floating over to Raven and vanishing into the gloomy girl’s shadow. It was far more welcoming to her than the Uchiha’s had been and she was glad to be back within its confines. With that the archeologist led Sasuke to what she and her team had found deeper inside the pyramid and he knew the moment he saw it that she had been right to do so. It was a large, pot like structure surrounded by ancient warning symbols and what had once been automaton guardians. However the guardians had been destroyed by someone or something in the recent past and there was now a huge hole in the side of the pot through which something had been extracted, or released.

What worse the odd container hadn’t been broken from within, but from without…