Ranger24: Been a week or more since I updated but here is the new chapter. Enjoy.

Chapter 3: Trio

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

The SSV Normandy finally arrived over Traverse town and the full crew, minus Joker, gathered in the rear briefing room. Shepherd, the official commanding officer, presided.

"Well we're here," Buck said lamely as EDI brought up a holographic map of the world.

"We don't have any information however on where to find this Leon though," Dare noted.

"In hindsight the Chief Probably should have given us more exact instructions," Tucker pointed out.

Shepherd frowned. "We've only got one settlement detected, he has to be there."

"We got any extra Intel on this place?" Church asked.

EDI's avatar flashed to life next to Church.

"All available data suggests that this world is a home for stranded survivors of worlds that have vanished. I also cannot locate a landing zone with adequate space for the Normandy," EDI reported.

Shepherd nodded.

"Alright then," he began. "Church, take Tucker, Caboose, and the Arbiter down with you in Sheila. Have a look around. The Rest of us will remain in orbit."

"What about my team?" Buck asked.

"Your squad's back up," Shepherd answered. "If things get hot down there then they'll need help."

"I'll handle communications with the ground team," Johnson suggested.

"Sounds good to me," Church said with a nod.

"You all be careful down there," Johnson added. "Don't make me have to come down and save all of your sorry asses."

"If you find anything of interest patch it through to me and I'll see what I can find out," Dare added.

"In other words, she'll tell you guys what she thinks you need to know and leave out anything that can get you killed," Buck drawled earning a glare from the Captain.

Five minutes later Church, Tucker, Caboose, and the Arbiter clambered aboard the on board Pelican Drop Ship. Church climbed into the Pilot's seat while Tucker grabbed the Copilots seat and Caboose got on the Crew chief's console. The Arbiter meanwhile simply took a seat in the back. Church flipped on the power and the Drop ship hummed to life.

"Hello, and thank you for activating this pelican class Drop ship. You may call me Sheila." Sheila, the Pelican's onboard AI, greeted in a cheery voice.

"Sheila, Manual control activate," Church ordered.

"Auto pilot deactivated, Manual flight controls activated," Sheila answered.

"Hi Sheila!" Caboose said brightly.

"Hello Private Caboose," Sheila replied. "It is very good to see you again."

"Johnson we're ready to go," Church reported.

"Roger that. Magnetic clamps disengaged."

The pelican roared as it dropped away from the Normandy picking up speed and heat all the time. They shot down into the atmosphere of Traverse town! Gravity began to increase their speed. Caboose pulled off his helmet and tossed his lunch.

"Damnit Caboose!" Tucker yelled as puke landed on his boots.

"I'm okay! I'm okay!" Caboose said holding his stomach.

About thirty seconds later they landed. Church, Tucker, and Caboose leapt out of the back weapons ready! Church had his sniper rifle, Tucker had a glimmering Energy sword in hand, and Caboose had a jackal at the ready! No one was there to meet them.

"Okay..." Church muttered. "Man that ruins everything." He sighed. "Come on guys."

The small group made its way into the cobble stone streets. The town was a sprawling mess of Cafe's, homes, hotels, apartments, and stores all of differing styles and shape. Here and there a few people wandered about.

"Man what a dump," Church muttered.

"Reminds me of Detroit," Tucker commented.

"Oh yeah you grew up there right?" Church noted.

"Yeah," Tucker answered. "Damn easy place to get cheap drugs."

"Yeah sounds wonderful," Church muttered with a roll of his eyes.

"Hey don't diss my hometown," Tucker snapped. "It was shit hole but it was home."

Caboose looked up and saw a star winking out.

"Church look!" He cried out. "A star is going bye bye!"

Church glanced up and watched as the star vanished.

"We have to find Leon or we're screwed," he said bitterly.

"Pretty sure that's already the case," Tucker noted.

They began to make their way down the street not noticing as the Arbiter slunk off into the shadows. Well everyone but Caboose.

"Hello? Arbiter?" He called stopping to look about for the Alien.

"Caboose come on," Church called.

"But."

"Caboose, I'm going to give you ten seconds to get your ass up here or else... I can't be held responsible for what I'll do to you!" Church warned.

"Coming Church!"

Meanwhile down the alley the Arbiter had gone down. He spotted two humans, one a young man slumped against a crate with brown hair. The other was some thug who was relieving the first human of his wallet. The Arbiter drew out his sword.

Tsukune groaned and opened his eyes.

"Oww...," He muttered rubbing his forehead. The he realized he was in a dark alley he didn''t recognize. "What the...? Where the...? HEY! Where's my wallet!"

Suddenly he could hear someone screaming bloody murder! Tsukune cringed against the crate.

"OH GOD MY LEGS! AHH! BLOODY MURDER! AHH MY SPINE! PUT IT BACK IN! THIS DOSEN'T SEEM PHYSICALLY POSSIBLE! HRRGK! Blegh."

There was silence.

Suddenly a strange creature with four mandible lips appeared out of thin air in front of him! Tsukuned yelled out in alarm and leapt onto the crate. Then the creature spoke in a curt direct manner and held out Tsukune's wallet.

"Human, I have killed the one who stole your wallet. Tell me do you have feelings for this female?"

He held up a tiny photo of Moka that had been in Tsukune's wallet. Tsukune snatched it from him.

"Thanks..." Tsukune answered. "Ummm...? Who... and what the hell are you?"

"Sorry human I must find the one known as Leon." It replied before he vanished into thin air. Tsukune blinked a few times in confusion.

"Okay... Weird," he muttered.

Then he noticed the strange Key he had used to fight the shadow creatures was lying next to the crate. And on it was Moka's Rosario. Horror filled him as he picked them up.

Moka's Rosario wasn't just a seal and a piece of Jewelry; it was a tether for Moka binding her two separate personalities. If it was left off for too long the seal would begin to weaken; and the longer it was off the harder it would be to reengage the seal. If he didn't her soon…

He shook his head. He didn't want to think about what could happen then.

He walked out into the street and gazed about in wonder at the strange town.

"Where the am I?" He wondered.

Tsukune went to the exact opposite direction as Caboose and Church. Soon he was in the middle of a really stupid street in the middle of the town.

Suddenly a man fell to the ground and another of the black creatures this one however was taller and had a strange white helmet. Tsukune whipped out the keyblade ready for the fight!

"Great more trouble," he muttered.

He cut the creature with a fierce swipe of the keyblade but dozens of the smaller creatures appeared around him! Tsukune was surrounded!

"Okay now would be a good time to run!" He gulped.

So he ran for his life from the mob of hissing creatures! He ran straight into a store and slammed the door shut behind him gasping for breath.

"Hey kid what'd you want?"

Tsukune looked towards the counter and saw a man with a white shirt and blue jeans. He had blonde hair and a tooth pick sticking out of his mouth. He was holding a copy of the hit adult novel Icchi Icchi!

Tsukune didn't answer and the man set his book down.

"Well if you're not here to buy anything then scram!" He snapped.

Suddenly the creature's outsides started pounding on the door! The man glanced at Tsukune's face then sighed.

"It's them again?" He muttered. "Darn heartless."

He rummaged behind the counter and pulled out a strange device that looked like a camera. He walked over to the door and pushed Tsukune out of the way.

"Move," he growled.

"Wait!" Tsukune started. "Don't open the...!"

The man opened the door and slammed both of his thumbs into its controls! A massive beam slammed into the creatures outside vaporizing them. Tsukune was having an anime jaw drop.

"YOU CREEPS ARE BAD FOR BUSSINESS!" The man roared. "SCRAM!"

As soon as the coast was clear the man slammed the door shut and went back behind the desk.

"What... Are those things?" Tsukune asked.

"Their heartless," The man answered. "Creatures made of pure darkness. They eat other people's hearts to survive and multiply."

Tsukune frowned. "Hey gramps?"

"It's not Gramps, it's Cid," the old man corrected him.

"Right Cid," Tsukune apologized. "Is this another world? Last thing I remember those heartless things were attacking my home and now I'm here."

Cid sighed.

"This is traverse town kid, a place for those who lose their home lands."

"Hey its Tsukune, Tsukune Aono, not kid!" Tsukune snapped. "Any way I'm looking for my friends Gin, Moka, Mizore, Kurumu, Yukira..."

"Kid," Cid said cutting him off. " I'm not sure if their even still alive, what with the heartless and all. You could look around town for them though."

"It's really Important though!" Tsukune urged pulling out Moka's Rosario. "I need to get this to Moka soon or else something terrible will happen!"

"Once again kid," Cid said gruffly. "I don't know what happened to any of them and this is the first I've heard of them."

Tsukune sighed. An apple hit him on the head.

"Eat it," Cid said. "No point searching on an empty stomach."

Tsukune nodded glumly and bit into the apple.

Meanwhile with Church, Tucker, and Caboose...

"Leon!" Church called.

"Leon?" Tucker called.

"Lion!" Caboose called.

"Caboose the guys name is Leon not Lion!" Church snapped.

"OH! Sorry Church."

Church sighed and sat down on the steps of a house.

"Argh! We're never going to find the key at this rate!" He snarled.

"And we're lost," Tucker noted.

"And we have lost the Blagiter," Caboose added.

"THAT'S THE ARBITER!" Church roared.

"Excuse me."

Church looked up to see a young woman in a pink dress with braided brown hair standing over him.

"Bow-chicka-bow-wow," Tucker muttered out the corner of his mouth looking her up and down.

"Shut up Tucker," Church growled before standing up to face her. "Yeah what do you want?"

"Did Master Chief send you?" She asked.

Back at Cid's...

Tsukune finally stepped out of Cid's shop holding Moka's Rosario tightly in his left fist.

"They'll keep coming after you," a dark voice suddenly said as a young man wearing a black jacket and holding a strange weapon that looked like a cross between a sword and pistol emerged from the shadows of an alley.

"As long as you continue to wield the keyblade."

"Who are you?" Tsukune asked.

"Hand over the keyblade and I won't have to hurt you," the man replied in threatening tones.

Tsukune gripped the Keyblade tighter and plunged Moka's Rosario back into his pockets.

"Not a chance!" He countered.

Then Tsukune lunged forward and their blades clashed! The man blocked his blow then countered! Tsukune parried and tried an over head attack! The man blocked him again and kicked Tsukune into some trash cans! Tsukune struggled to his feet, wiping some trash of his clothes.

'Damnit he's good,' Tsukune thought. 'And I'm an amateur with this thing. I knew I should have done Kendo club in Junior high school. '

Then the man lunged forward and Tsukune barely had time to block his blow before he was forced back by the impact.

"Why would the Keyblade pick someone as weak and unskilled as you to carry it?" The man demanded.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Tsukune growled through gritted teeth.

"Idiot," The man muttered before he thrust forward again and Tsukune stumbled back into the wall of the store. Tsukune charged but the older warrior side stepped and he missed. Then he felt something hard collied with the back of his head and the world went black.

When Tsukune awoke he thought he could see outer Moka standing over him, a look of concern on her face.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Moka?" Tsukune groaned.

Moka seemed surprised by this.

"Moka? Who's that? I'm the great ninja Yuffie!" She proclaimed then Moka vanished to reveal the young woman in the yellow and green small like Daisy Duke style shorts and top. In between her top and really short pants was one of those fish net shirts. Tsukune held back a bloody nose as well as he could.

"I think you over did it Squall," she said over her shoulder.

Suddenly Tsukune realized who she was talking to. It was the same guy who'd attacked him!

"That's Leon," he growled.

"Hold on a second what's going on here?" Tsukune demaned.

Leon rubbed his forehead in annoyance.

"Okay we don't have much time," he began. "So I'll give you the short and sweet version. Basically that keyblade is a weapon designed for killing heartless thus they have great fear of it and will try to kill you every chance they get. With that Key you can save the universe and most likely those friends you're looking for while taking down the dark empire from the inside."

Tsukune was silent for a moment

"Are you guys just pulling a prank on me?" He asked. "Because I really don't do well in front of camera's."

"Nope," Yuffie replied.

"Crap," Tsukune groaned.

"Areith should have explained things to the other three by now," Leon stated. "So we'd better start intro..."

Suddenly a pair of the helmeted soldier heartless leapt in! Leon slashed them down with his sword while Tsukune drew out the keyblade!

"Leon!" Yuffie cried out.

"Yuffie go!" Leon ordered.

Yuffie straight out the main door into another room and flattened a certain cobalt armored corporal. She ran past a confused Areith, Tucker, and Caboose.

"Yuffie!" Areith called hurrying after her.

Back in Leon's room, Leon leapt onto the window sill.

"Come on kid! We've got to get out of here," he barked.

He leapt out the window into a mess of heartless! Tsukune dove after him but Leon was already moving up the street!

"Hey wait up!" He called but a swarm of shadow heartless blocked his path. Tsukune went into his fighting stance.

"Okay, bring it!" He snapped.

Meanwhile in Areith's room...

"Church? Church? Where did you go?" Caboose called oblivious to Church's predicament.

"Caboose I'm behind the door!" Church snarled his voice muffled.

"Mister door please stop talking like Church I'm trying to find him. Master Beet says we have to find the key." Caboose answered stupidly while Tucker just laughed.

The door finally moved and Church fell flat on his face.

"You know even with this bad angle I still got to check out both those chicks asses and racks that's why I'm a pro," Tucker noted brightly.

"Tucker, seriously! Shut up!" Church snarled picking up his sniper rifle. "Come on!"

Meanwhile Tsukune was fighting heartless none stop and he'd lost track of Leon now he was in some big square outside the hotel.

He was now facing five soldier heartless. One of then launched a spinning kick attack on him, but Tsukune amputated its leg! Two more tried to attack him but Tsukune cut them down as easily as the first. The fourth tried using its claws to attack his heart but Tsukune got him good. The fifth one just stood there as Tsukune sliced it in half.

"I think I'm getting the hang of this," Tsukune muttered.

Meanwhile on the roof of the hotel Caboose, Church, and Tucker had somehow ended up on the roof of the hotel and they were surrounded by heartless of both types so far seen in this fanfiction. Church brought out sniper rifle and loaded a red magazine into it while Tucker powered on his sword and Caboose pulled out his shield.

"Church I think these are the heartless thingys the nice lady was talking about," Caboose warned.

"Really Caboose I didn't know," Church muttered with a roll of his eyes.

"What do we do?" Caboose asked.

"Kill them duh! Fire Shot!"

Church fired a single shot that burst into flames and burned the lead heartless Caboose however tripped over his own feet and knocked into Tucker.

"Church! I'm falling!" Caboose yelled as he and Tucker tumbled off the roof.

"Damnit Caboose!" Tucker yelled.

"I got... Never mind."

They were falling and the all three half ton soldiers slammed right onto Tsukune. Poor Tsukune, he was flattened underneath two guys in mark VI armor which weighs more than half a ton and a single guy in Mark V which also weighs around half a ton. So that was and Tsukune was being crushed by one and a half tons of dudes and armor. So basically Tsukune was on bottom Church in the middle, Tucker on top of him, and Caboose on top of all three.

"Man we're lucky this short brunette guy broke our fall." Church commented.

"Church, Tucker, look! He's got a giant house key!" Caboose exclaimed.

"Key what are you...?" Church started then he spotted the keyblade in Tsukune's hand.

"THE KEY!" He cried out.

"Kickass! Two birds in one mission," Tucker said grinning.

"Oh my back," Tsukune groaned.

Suddenly a bell tower started ringing wildly! All four of them looked up as a giant suit of armor smashed down to the ground then reassembled itself! Nothing was supporting the armor all it was doing was floating around with a big black heart with a red X on its chest.

"Oh crap," Tsukune, Church, and Tucker all said at the same time.

All four of them scrambled to their feet and brought out their weapons!

"Stay back! I've got this!" Tsukune ordered.

Tsukune rushed the heartless swing at its chest.

Suddenly one of the armors giant hand smashed him down! Tsukune hit the ground rolled to his feet and blocked its counter attack. The fist slowly began to push him back. He gritted his teeth trying to stand his ground but the second fist came flying at him. The hand had sharp claws on it easily capable of tearing him in half. He braced for the impact!

"FIRE SHOT!"

There was a muted crack and a rush of heat!

Tsukune opened his eyes. The fist had been forced back and was singed by fire! Tsukune glanced back at the Three soldiers. Church's sniper rifle was smoking while Tucker and Caboose went into combat stances. The heartless roared, removed its fist from crushing Tsukune, and swung at Church! Caboose sprung into action and blocked the heartless's blow with his sheild, threw back its punch!

"I am Caboose! The heartless destroyer!" Caboose proclaimed.

Everyone, even the heartless, were having an anime sweat drop. Tsukune however took the oppourtuniny to slice off one of the heartless's arms! This snapped everyone back into the fight! Church, Tucker, and Caboose ran over to Tsukune's side!

"We'll cover you, take him out!" Church said.

"How do we know its a he?" Tucker asked.

"Look I'm just making an asumption here," Church replied.

"He's got a valid point though it could be female," Tsukune pointed out.

"We don't even know if these things have gender's," Church replied.

"Um guys?" Caboose said.

"What?"

It was right at that moment that the iron clad fist smashed into them sending them all flying back.

"Well that sucked," Tucker groaned pushing himself up.

"Okay how about we kill it first then see if it has any identifiable plumbing?" Church suggested.

"Doubt it will remain intact but okay," Tsukune agreed.

"Right," Tucker nodded.

Church opened fire with his sniper rifle while Tskune, Tucker, and Caboose charged into battle. The Hearltess rushed to meet them and took a swing it Tucker who rolled out of the way allowing Caboose to block the blow with his shield. Tucker made a gut stab at the Heartless while Tsukune moved in with the keybade and hacked up it with his keyblade! Soon the other arm fell off!

"Yeah," Tsukune cheered. "One...!"

WHAM!

Tsukune was once again sent flying into a brick wall by the heartless's boot! He sturggled out of the rubble. He was covered in buises and a really nasty cut on his arm.

"Hang on kid!" Church called as he yanked out the empty red magazine and slapped in a green one. He took aim at Tsukune and fired! Instantly all of Tsukune's wounds healed!

"Thanks," Tsukune said.

Church insterted a fresh fire shot.

"Less talky more killy!" He snapped.

Tsukune nodded and dodged a second blow from the heartless! Flanking it he sliced off its right leg! The heartless rounded on him and sent its boot flying at him again! Caboose however leapt into the line of fire and blocked the boot!

"Thanks," Tsukune panted.

"Hurry up and make this thing go bye bye! He is very heavy!" Caboose hissed through gritted teeth.

Tsukune got around Caboose and sliced the heartless foot in half with the keyblade! Church rushed over to them.

"Did we kill it?" Tsukune asked.

Suddenly the heartless moved forward chest section spinning like a top. It rushed at them and sent a three of them flying like bowling pins! Church crashed into the ground rubbing his head.

"Nope," he growed.

They scrambled to their feet and tried to counter attack but only Church's could touch it! Tsukune suddenly had a birllant idea. He drew back and hurled the keyblade into the heartless. It hit it and knocked it out of control and it crashed down to the ground. TsukuneNaruto grabbed his weaon and lunged forward!

"Here's the final blow!" Tsukune yelled.

He slashed the keyblade up the heartless's chest! Light flashed from its center! At that moment Leon, Yuffie, and Areith rounded the corner to the square just in time to watch the fire works! Yuffie had an anime jaw drop.

"Damn," she whislted.

"Their good," Areith agreed.

Leon smirked and crossed his arms. "Well I'll be damned."

Tsukune, Church, Tucker, and Caboose stared about the area a the burned courtyard.

"So... we won?" Tsukune asked.

"Yeah!" Caboose cheered. "We win! Thats one for us!"

"Okay we've got some talking to do," Church said turning to Tsukune.

About two minutes of very lengthy explinations...

Tsukune scracthed his head thinking about everything this strange guy had just told him. Leon, Ae

"So let me get this straight," Tsukune began. "Your boss, who destroyed an entire army by himself and fleet of warships, dissappered from yor little fortress in the mountains, told you guys to find me, and then you found me after I folund out that I'm backing a key shaped death device. Right?"

"Yeah thats about it." Church answered.

"And just to clarify your story," Tucker added. "Your dad signed you up for a private school for Monsters where you have somehow ended up with a harem constisting of a Vampire, a sucubus, a witch, another witch, and Snow fairy?"

"Yeah," Tsukune answered with a nod.

"Okay dude, what is wrong with you?" Tucker demanded.

"What are talking about?" Tsukune asked confused.

"You have almost half a dozen chicks gunning for you, only one of them iis still illegal because of Japans age of consent laws, and you haven't tapped any of that ass? The fuck's wong with you?" Tucker demanded.

Tsukune really had no way to respond to that one.

"Tsukune you should go with them," Leon advised. "Esspacily if you want to find your freinds."

Tsukune was thinking deeply, a hand wrapped tight around Moka's Rosario in his pocket.

"So we might find Moka and the others while we're looking for your boss?" He asked.

"Sure,"

"Really Church?" Caboose asked.

Church opened a porivate comm channel to Caboose and Tucker.

"Hell if I know, but we might." He hissed.

"And I could figure out how he scores that much ass," Tucker noted.

"Tucker shut up," Church growled.

"All right I'll go with you guys. Umm... What are your names?" Tsukune asked.

"What we didn't mention that?" Church asked suprised.

"I know my name! You can ask me if you forget," Caboose said brightly.

"Yes thank you. Anyway I'm Church."

"Tucker, resident pimp."

"And I am Caboose."

"Well I think you said your name already. But my name's Tsukune." Tsukune replied.

"Well at least it dosen't sound like a girls name like Sora." Church muttered.

Meanwhile some world far away...

In a very dark room several evil people. They were watching a hologram of our three heros.

"That punk took out that giant heartless!" One proclaimed in suprise.

"Such is the power of the keyblade the childs strength is not his own." Another answered.

"Throw him to a heartless I say, easiest method of getting rid of him," a third that sounded rather effeminate suggested.

"Those three are Master Chief's lackeys," the first noted observing Church, Tucker, and Caboose.

"HERO STAYO NOMO RA," a fourth that was high cold and made no sense said.

"What did our Sith freind say" the Second asked? "All I got was they're ugly."

"Well your no prize either," the third muttered.

"Hey!"

"Enough!"

They all looked at the one figure well lite. He had a pale cracked rocky skin and burning eyes. He smirked his lips curling like those of a snake as he gazed on the young keyblade master and his three commerades.

"The keyblade has choosen him as it's weilder. Will he couquer the darkness? Or will it consume him? Either way he may prove quite useful."

Ranger24: And there we go, if you can guess the new Maleficent I will give you cookies.