Chapter Text
Today’s the day! I get to meet my new Keyblade wielder! I wonder what they’ll be like? I’ve heard the other Chirithies talk about their new partners, and they all sound so different. Energetic, quiet, strong, brash… my new partner feels very calm, but our connection is still pretty weak so it doesn’t tell me much. Still, I’m sure whatever they’re like, we’ll get along just fine!
I’m sure they’ll be here. Any minute now…
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“Geez, what’s taking them so long?” I complained, crossing my arms.
A soft giggle from above. I looked up at Master Ava to find her smiling down at me. “You seem eager to meet your new partner,” she said with a soft smile, crouching down gracefully to give my head a gentle rub. The motion helped soothe my annoyance.
“Of course! We’re gonna be partners, after all!” My ears drooped with a sudden wash of concern. “I hope nothing’s happened to them already…”
“You can sense him though, can’t you?” Master Ava pointed out. She was right, I could. They – no, Master Ava had said ‘he’, hadn’t she? He still felt calm. Probably alright, then. Master Ava nodded, like she could see my worries fading. “Don’t worry,” she added, a hint of amusement in her words. “He might be late sometimes, but he turns up eventually.” Master Ava looked away, towards the hills beyond the city. “Although…” she said thoughtfully, her robes swishing around her as she straightened. “Perhaps it will be easier if we go find him.”
She set off, picking her path without hesitation. I hurried after her.
“You mean, you know where he is?” Even with our tentative connection, I wasn’t too sure myself. Master Ava was truly one of the Foretellers, to know where my missing partner was!
She glanced over her shoulder at me, slowing down enough for me to catch up with her. “Let’s just say, I have a fairly good idea.” Her lips curved in an impish smile.
Master Ava led the way through the town. We climbed a hill on the outskirts, and as we reached the top I realised you could see all of Daybreak Town spread out below. “Wow…”
“Yes, this is one of my favourite spots to see the town,” Master Ava said. “And look! Just as I thought. Over there, see?”
I looked in the direction she pointed and saw a dark shape amongst the grass and flowers. A Heartless?! As we got closer, I saw it was actually just a boy with his arms beneath his head, fast asleep. His coat and boots were black, as was the hat that was pulled low over his face to block the sunlight. A book lay abandoned on his chest, gently rising and falling with each breath. This was my new partner? I looked up at Master Ava, who nodded reassuringly back at me. I looked back at the boy.
I’d imagined a lot of ways we’d meet, but this was a new one even to my imagination. Worry overtook me again – was he perhaps actually injured? Who wouldn’t come to a meeting because they were sleeping?
I hurried closer. Hrm, no injuries that I could see. What a relief! I turned my gaze to his face. Maybe I could get a better look under the hat from here? Before I could do anything, one eye lazily opened and caught sight of me.
“…Who…?”
There was a rustle of cloth as Master Ava walked up behind me. “Ah, Brain, here you are.” Her words were light as she smiled down at us both.
“Master Ava!” The boy sat up in a flurry. I hopped back hurriedly to avoid the book as it tumbled from his chest. “I’m late again, aren’t I? Sorry.” Although I still couldn’t get a good look at his face, he sounded contrite. Good! We’d been waiting a while, after all! He brushed a few pieces of stray grass from his coat.
“It’s alright,” Master Ava reassured him. The boy settled his fallen book in his lap as she moved to sit beside him, spreading the skirts of her robes out neatly. She motioned towards it. “Was your book any good?”
“Hrm.” His head tipped to the side as he considered it, long dark hair falling across a pale cheek. I blinked in surprise at the silver cross earring dangling from one ear. “I’ve read better, and the sun was warm enough for a nap.” His teeth flashed white in a grin. “Guess I fell asleep.”
He fell asleep, when he should have been meeting me!
I was ready to give him a piece of my mind, but Master Ava settled a hand on top of my head and giggled instead. His smile widened, before he hid it under a tilt of his hat. “Well,” Master Ava said thoughtfully, “it’s important for everyone to get enough sleep, since you all must fight the darkness.” Her words and her touch made my annoyance wilt. Master Ava was right.
“In any case,” she continued, “there’s someone I’d like you to meet.”
“Oh?” I’d felt him stealing glances at me before, but it was nothing compared to meeting the full intensity of his gaze when he tipped his hat back for a better look. Woah! It made me shiver. Grey eyes, kind eyes, but sharp and clear and piercing. Maybe that was why he covered them all the time? “Who’s this?” he asked curiously.
“Hi! I’m Chirithy!” I piped up, because it seemed like a good time to join the conversation. “I’m here to help you out!”
“Chirithy, huh?” He smiled, holding out a hand to shake my paw. His hand was large and warm. “Pleasure, the name’s Brain.”
“Brain? What kind of a name is that?” Those grey eyes blinked at me, and I realised I’d said that aloud. “Uh, whoops?”
Beside me, Master Ava was hiding a silent laugh behind a hand, shoulders shaking. I ducked my head, feeling embarrassed. It sure would be nice to have a hat of my own to hide behind right about now…
“About the same as Chirithy, I guess?” my new partner offered, darting a glance towards Master Ava as though asking for help. She was still giggling quietly and had none to offer. He returned his gaze to me.
Ah, but that wasn’t quite right. “Chirithy is my name, but it’s also what I am!” I informed him. It’s our job to help our partners learn, so I figured I could start with this.
Those grey eyes swept over me again. “Which is what, exactly?”
“A Chirithy!” Geez, didn’t he listen?
Master Ava spoke up before Brain could ask another question. “Brain, Chirithy is here to support you on your missions,” she explained. “Think of him as a companion, or a guide.” She got to her feet gracefully, leaving us both looking up at her as she brushed grass from her robes. She smiled. “I’m sure you two will get along well. And remember, may your heart be your guiding key.” With those parting words and a gentle wave, she left.
We both stared after her for a moment, then looked at each other.
“…So, you’re Chirithy,” my new partner said, scratching the back of his neck.
“Yup!”
He crossed his arms and considered this. “And a Chirithy is… what?”
Wow, I had a loooootta work to do with this one. Well, I guess us Chirithies were kinda new. “Weren’t you listening earlier? I’m your companion. All of us have been assigned to Keyblade wielders, and you’re mine!” I told him proudly. “So I’ll be supporting you and teaching you everything you need to know and more!”
“So there’s more of you?” he asked, a thoughtful look on his face.
“Yep!” I replied. Brain nodded, taking this in. “The Master made one of us for everyone, to help you guys out in the fight against darkness!”
He perked up at that, losing his earlier slouch. “The Master made you? The Master of Masters?”
“Yep!” I missed the curious gleam in his eyes at this confirmation as I mused to myself, “oh, but I guess I’m getting ahead of myself…” I should probably explain the basics first, right?
I drew myself up under Brain’s attention, clearing my throat. “Your pursuit of light made you the perfect candidate for a Keyblade Wielder!” I announced in a clear voice. “Darkness is spreading, and it’s up to you to use the Keyblade to get rid of it, collect light, and save the–”
“I know,” Brain cut in. I faltered.
“–world – wait, you know?”
He nodded. “Yeah, I got the introductory speech already.”
“Oh…” My ears drooped; I’d been looking forward to giving that speech. Brain offered me an apologetic smile, and I rallied. “Okay, well, why don’t you recap it for me? So I know we have the same information.”
Brain nodded. “Okay.” He tilted his head to the side in the same considering gesture as before. “Well, like you said, darkness is spreading, mainly in the form of monsters called Heartless who… eat hearts?” He grimaced at that. “So it’s up to those of us in the Unions who have somehow managed to summon this,” brows knit, he lifted a hand and a Keyblade appeared in a glitter of light, “to fight them and collect light in the form of Lux, and, uh, save the world.”
Huh, that was actually pretty good. “Yep, that’s about the long and short of it!”
His Keyblade was the standard Starlight Keyblade all wielders managed to summon at first, a bright contrast against his dark clothes. Although Brain’s words were confident, his tentative grip on the Keyblade gave away his true unease. Practice would help with that, I noted as he let the Keyblade disappear again. “If you have any other questions, I’ll do my best to answer them!”
That gleam of curiosity lit up his eyes again, and he leaned towards me. “In that case, I have a few questions…”
I clapped my paws together. “Okay! Let’s hear them, then!”
He took a deep breath. Then the floodgates opened. “The Keyblade is a weapon, but who makes them? Why are some the same and some are different? How does it pick people? Or is someone else actually picking people? Why are they picking people? Why now of all times? The Heartless are rising, yes, but I’ve read about them, so they must have existed before this. Why does the darkness spawn into creatures, anyway? How do I even collect light? Why does destroying Heartless create light anyway, shouldn’t it just be that there’s less darkness? And you. You said the Master made you. Do you know how? That’s surely some kinda advanced spell-work or synthesis. Do you mind if I look at you? You said you were here to support the Keyblade wielders, but how so? You don’t look like you’re made for fighting. Can you do magic? What’s your purse there for? How do–”
“Wait wait wait time out!” I called, waving my paws frantically against the stream of words. Amazingly, Brain obeyed, falling silent. I blinked. “Wow, that’s… a lot of questions. You sure are curious, aren’t you?”
Brain averted his eyes, pulling his hat down again. It didn’t quite hide the flush on his cheeks. “I – sorry.”
“It’s okay! That’s what I’m here for!” I said cheerfully. Maybe I hadn’t quite expected a flood of questions right away, but maybe all new Keyblade wielders were like this? I’d have to ask the other Chirithies. I crossed my arms and thought back through all the questions carefully. “Okay, well, here goes… I don’t know where all the Keyblades come from, but the Master knows how to make them, so I guess it’s him that does? They’re weapons that are drawn to the light in people’s hearts, so that’s how they pick people!”
I guess knowledge was more important than being embarrassed, because I had Brain’s full attention again as I continued. I straightened up under the weight of his gaze. “As for the Heartless, well, they’ve always been around, but they’re starting to turn up in bigger numbers than normal and I think the Master’s worried about it…” Wait, maybe it was better not to tell the newbie that? “…oh but you didn’t hear that from me! That’s why we’re gathering Lux too, not just defeating the darkness. You know Heartless are hearts that fell to darkness, right?” Brain nodded. Seems like my new partner already knew a lot! “That’s why they’re creatures. If you defeat them with the Keyblade, then you release the heart! I guess it purifies the darkness and that’s what makes Lux, but I’m not too sure on that one. As for me, uh, my purse is actually for holding the Lux you collect! And yes, the Master made me, but I don’t have any idea how, sorry.”
“Ah, I see.” He looked a bit disappointed at that, and I remembered that his book had been on synthesis. Did he like synthesis? I didn’t know anything about it though…
Scrambling to think of something to cheer him up instead, I remembered his request buried amidst the questions. “I guess you can look at me?” That did the trick; he brightened again, shifting into a cross-legged position as I moved closer to him. “But no poking!” I added as he raised a hand.
Brain grinned. “No poking, got it.” He settled a hand on my head instead, like Master Ava. “Hrm, your fur is very soft…” I closed my eyes as he scratched the top of my head lightly, fingers carding through my fur. That felt soooooo nice! His hand moved to my ear, making it twitch at the unexpected touch. He soothed it with a thumb. “Hrm, but your ear is more like velvet? And floppy, I wonder how they catch sound like that…” He flapped my ear a bit to demonstrate. It tickled, and I couldn’t help giggling quietly even as his hands slid around to either side of my head, turning it gently this way and that. “Stripes too… you’re like a cat, but not.”
“That’s ‘cause I’m a Chirithy,” I mumbled, only half paying attention because his fingers were scritching softly through my fur again. Maybe if I didn’t move, he’d keep going?
“Yep, you’re definitely a Chirithy,” Brain agreed, amusement clear in his voice. Sadly, he stopped petting me. I shook my head a bit to clear it and opened my eyes, to find him examining my purse closely, his hat pushed back to see better. “But you haven’t actually explained what a Chirithy is,” he added, taking my paws. “Aside from a companion.”
Hrm, I thought I had? Maybe it got lost in that big stream of questions… “I’m a Spirit,” I informed him. At his confused look, I continued, “I can do some magic, but I’m not all that great at fighting, so I probably can’t help you in battle…” My shoulders slumped. So much for being a helpful companion…
“Hey, that’s okay,” Brain said, squeezing my paws gently in reassurance. He smiled at me when I looked up. “That makes two of us.”
Strangely, that did make me feel a little better.
“Oh! But I do know a lot of stuff, so if you need information, just ask me!” I could be useful like this, right? He did have an awful lot of questions earlier, and I had a feeling that wasn’t the end of it. My new partner seemed like the curious type. “I might not know, but I’ll do my best! I’m also here to just generally support you if you need anything, you know? So don’t hesitate to ask! Phew! Okay, I think that answered everything?”
Brain grinned cheerfully at me. “It did! Thanks, Chirithy.” He reached out and rubbed my head again. I puffed my chest out proudly beneath his hand. I’m not a repository of information for nothing!
“Do you have any other questions?”
His hat tipped down again, hiding his face as he looked off to the side. I was beginning to get a better idea of how to read his hat-language though, and knew he was embarrassed. Ah-hah, he totally did have questions!
“Yeah, a few.”
Oh boy. “You actually mean a lot, don’t you?” I asked shrewdly.
“You said I could ask questions,” Brain pointed out, “and no-one else has any answers. Well, Master Ava might, but I can’t take up all her time.”
Geez, what had I got myself into?
Still, something about the way Brain was still sitting there – the way he’d paid attention to everything I’d told him – the way his hat was still pulled down low over his eyes like a barrier – the way he’d smiled at me earlier, and patted my head… this was my new partner. It was my job to look after him.
I sighed, but it was mostly for show. “Okay, but one at a time this time, alright?”
He brightened again. Geez, he got so excited over something so small! Did no-one ever answer his questions? Still, seeing him happier made me happy too, so I didn’t mind too much.
“Thanks, Chirithy,” he said gratefully, leaning back on his hands. I settled down next to him. “Hrm, where to start… you said you were a Spirit? What’s that?”
Ah, guess we might be here a while…
+++
The stars gleamed brightly in the night sky above me as I wandered across the rooftops of Daybreak Town. There were still a few people out and about, milling around in the lamp-lit streets. None of them noticed me high above their heads, but that was exactly why I had come up here. Brain had long since left for home, our conversation on the hilltop ending when we noticed the sun was starting to set. He had extended an offer to go home with him – a bit awkwardly, like he wasn’t used to inviting people – but the excitement of finally having a partner had left me feeling restless and Brain needed to sleep, so here I was instead, wandering the rooftops. Brain had seemed a little disappointed when I declined… but he’d grinned at my arm-waving reassurances that I’d be able to find him again tomorrow and crouched down to rub my head when he was saying goodbye… so it was probably okay, right?
I touched a paw to my heart, feeling the pale glow of our connection. It was still weak, but it was there, proof that I had a partner now. I had a partner! I couldn’t help spinning around in glee, giddy with the happiness that coursed through my small body. Could Brain sense my feelings through our connection, the way he was a steady, calm ball of light in my chest to me? What did I feel like to him, I wondered?
Brain seemed like a good partner to have, even if he did ask a million questions. I’d have to do my best to guide and support him, and make sure he became the best Keyblade wielder he could be! The memory of Brain, asleep in the grass, gave me the inkling that my task might be just a little bit harder than I was expecting it to be.
…But still, what did that matter? Brain was my partner, and that made me the right Chirithy for the job!
I leapt over the ridge of a roof, humming happily to myself, and bounced down the other side… only to stop short at the sight of another Chirithy sitting on the tiles, staring up at the sky. “Oh! Sorry! I didn’t see you there!” I said in surprise, stumbling to a stop beside them. “Hi, Chirithy!”
They startled, head whipping around to look at me with wide eyes. Huh, guess they must not have heard me coming. “Hi, Chirithy,” they said after a moment, relaxing again. “It’s okay, I was just looking at the stars. They’re really bright tonight.”
I plonked down onto the roof tiles beside them, tipping my head back to stare up at the stars as well. “Huh, you’re right.” I raised a paw, tracing a pattern between a few of them. “Maybe the worlds they belong to are just feeling really happy.”
The other Chirithy made a quiet noise that sounded suspiciously like laughter, but there was only consideration on their face when I glanced towards them. “Hrm… maybe. I don’t know if it works like that.”
“Well, I bet Daybreak Town shines very brightly to the other worlds out there,” I said confidently. How could it not shine like the dawn, with all its Keyblade wielders – here, at the centre of all worlds?
My companion made a noise of agreement. I continued to trace out patterns in the stars above as I hummed quietly – Master Ava’s fox mask, the Moogle who ran the shop in town, a Keyblade. I had just finished making something that creatively resembled Brain’s hat when the other me commented, “You seem full of energy.”
I sat up, waving my arms enthusiastically. “I met my new partner today!” I exclaimed, my chest puffing out with pride.
The other Chirithy perked up, ears twitching. “Oh, really? How are they?”
“Hrm…” I crossed my arms, tilting my head to the side as I tried to think of the best way to describe my new partner. “Well… to be honest, he’s a bit of a strange one.”
My words startled a laugh out of my companion, which they quickly covered with a paw. “Oh really?” they asked, voice muffled. I nodded vigorously.
“Yeah! He asked so many questions… my mouth is tired from talking so much…”
The other me nodded, still looking amused. “Well, curiosity isn’t a bad trait,” they pointed out.
No, it wasn’t a bad trait. It was far better that Brain be curious about things than indifference. And Brain had seemed so pleased to get his questions answered – it had felt good to be the one to make him brighten up like that. I wanted to make sure that the gleam in his eye never died out. “Yeah… I’m glad that he’s mine,” I replied softly, feeling that soft glow in my chest again. My paws curled in determination. “I’m gonna do my best to guide him!” It was my first time being anyone’s Spirit partner, after all! I had to make sure to do it right!
“That’s what we’re here for,” the other Chirithy agreed, nodding.
Despite my confident declaration, I couldn’t help but feel kinda nervous about the whole thing, though. Brain would be depending on me to be a good partner, but what exactly did that mean? I’d woken up in the Master’s workroom with my purpose as a guide and companion already engraved in my bones, but how were we actually meant to go about ‘guiding our wielders down the path of light’? Was there some kind of trick to it or… suddenly I didn’t feel quite as prepared as I had this morning. Meeting Brain had made my hypothetical task much more real.
“I don’t really know what I should be doing, though,” I confessed to the other Chirithy, slumping a bit. “How do you guide people…?” I paused for a second, straightening up with a sudden thought. “Wait, do you have a wielder?” There were still a few of us around who hadn’t been introduced to their partners yet.
The other me nodded. “I do. She has a lot of experience though, so she doesn’t really need much guiding.” They looked up at the stars again. “She’s very focused on making sure she follows the path her heart sets for her.”
“Oh…” I considered this. “Well, that probably makes your job a lot easier, right?”
“You’d think so,” the other Chirithy said wryly, and didn’t say anything more.
Huh, well, that was cryptic. I looked down at the street below, watching the last few people out on the streets making their way home. Was Brain already asleep? My paw found its way back to my chest, resting over my heart; the glow inside still steady and calm. It still felt weak, though; was it supposed to be like that? I snuck a glance at my companion, wondering if I should ask. It sounded like they’d had a partner for a while now. Somehow, though, it seemed a little too personal to ask something like that. They were a Chirithy just like me, and likely wouldn’t be offended by me asking, but… I didn’t really want to share this with anyone. Brain was my partner, my charge to watch over.
“If you’re looking for something to do…” The other me spoke up suddenly, startling me out of my thoughts. Hopefully, it was too dark for them to notice the way I jumped. “There have been reports of new Heartless around town. You could get your wielder to look into it?”
“Oh?” I replied, perking up in interest. New Heartless around town? I hadn’t smelled anything like that, but maybe it was a rare kind of Heartless? That was troubling news, however: Heartless in Daybreak Town. There was always some here and there, though… you’d think that they’d stay away from a place filled with people who could fight them, but I guess the call of the light and the strong hearts here overrode any other kind of instinct.
Finding Heartless around town would be good training, and it would be good to start in a familiar environment… but the memory of Brain’s uncertain grip on his Keyblade had me hesitating. “Oh… he’s still new though,” I said, thinking it over. Brain’s voice echoed in my head, the memory of his hands holding mine:
That makes two of us.
That’s right, we were both new at this, weren’t we? “We should probably start with something easier and work up from there,” I decided with a nod. I’d have to see what low-level missions there were to do in the morning before I met up with Brain.
The other Chirithy patted me on the back. “See? You’re a natural, no need to worry,” they told me reassuringly. “Your wielder is in good paws.”
“You really think so?” I asked hopefully.
“Mm. You’ll both be fine.”
Their words made me feel a little more confident in myself. After all, Brain and I had gotten along well this afternoon despite how it had begun, hadn’t we? And okay, maybe I wasn’t expecting to have to answer a million questions at once, but I had liked being able to help my wielder like that. Like the other me had said, curiosity was a good trait, and surely I wouldn’t have to answer a million questions all the time, right?
I leaned back, contemplating the stars once more. Yeah, Brain had seemed happy to learn things, and I’m sure there were things even I would learn as well. We could find our way down this path together.
“…Yeah,” I agreed, feeling content.