The World Rings, Night 2: The Scattered Pages

KND Arctic Base

What's up? You remember me? The name's Nagisa, Leader of Sector SA. It's been a while since we talked, huh? Yeah, I've been busy; saving the universe from an inter-dimensional time demon. Just another day in the life of the Kids Next Door. Right now, I'm on an espionage mission. The Arctic Base has new recruits, and I'm collecting as much info on them as I can. You never know if we're gonna need it.

Dressed in his Sheikah attire, Nagisa was holding the ice ceiling like a spider. He watched as Marcus Drilovsky was walking in with Supreme Leader Cheren Uno. "Numbuh 3621, we have a small problem with one of the cadets: Mikoto Misaka."

"She's the girl Carol recommended. What's wrong with her?"

"Oh, nothing wrong with her; she's incredibly talented at combat, stealth, and hacking, we might graduate her early. However, the real problem lies… with her sisters." Indeed, the massive room was filled with clones of the exact same person.

"'Hello, Supreme Leader. I am Misaka 12057,' she greets with a salute. 'My dream is to become a fashion designer.'"

"'My name is Misaka 13411. I wish to become the greatest Soda Supplier the KND has ever known,' follows Misaka, speaking with utmost enthusiasm."

"'I would like to be in charge of the Villain Torture Chamber,' Misaka 16667 says grimly, shooting bullets up at the ceiling to emphasize her threatening nature." She shot a round of bullets up, and water came pouring down, along with Nagisa.

"Ha ha ha! Well, as long as they got enthusiasm, training them will be easy." Cheren said.

"But there's WAY too many of them! I mean, they're all the same person!" Marcus argued.

"Clones are considered to be individual people, just like our Negatives. Anyway, we don't discriminate, and I expect nothing less of the man who trained giants." He began to walk away.

"B-But, but… aww…"

After the Misaka Clones cleared away, Nagisa remained lying on the icy floor. He heard a pair of footsteps approaching and found himself gazing up at a magenta-haired girl in a white dress. "Are you finished, Nagisa? Goombella's getting chilly."

"And you aren't, Morgie?" Nagisa smirked, taking note of her bare legs.

"Hm, of course not. I'm strong, remember?" Morg returned the smirk.

Yeah, that's my girl! Morgiana, in case you forgot. She was a part of the Fanalis tribe before she was banished. After escaping from slavery, we ended up meeting each other in CND Training. She became a valuable teammate, and my best friend.

"You're still narrating."

"Eh-…" Nagisa sweat-dropped. "Eh hehe. Some things don't change."

"Hurry up, Nagisa!" called another voice near the entrance. It belonged to a 13-year-old nun in a white and gold habit, joyfully holding a knife and fork. "My 12 Hours of Christmas Roast is going to be ready soon! It's going to taste so yummy, you aren't going to believe it!"

"Ha ha! Okay, Index, we're coming!"

And she's Index, our Reminder. Up until today, this happy-go-lucky nun was a White Shadow of mystery. She was full of light, yet remained the most mysterious person in our sector. And I'm supposed to be the assassin. Who would've thought we would be in for such a surprise.

Sector MG Treehouse

It was hard to believe almost seven years passed since they left home. Now Maria was 10 years old, and she had just joined the Kids Next Door last summer. She lay on her bed, staring at old photos of her and her sister (which were taken by the Camera Lakitu). It was hard to believe they were ever friends at all after what happened. The guilt ate away at Maria and she couldn't find the strength to join the KND until a few years later. Now, she and Louise were mortal enemies. All because she insisted on protecting-

"WIGGLER!" A huge stuffed, colorful worm dropped on her, having fallen from a portal conjured by the genie in question. "Hehehe! 'Bet that surprised you, right?" snickered Hoopa.

"Hee hee hee hee!" Maria climbed on top of the worm. "It's not as fun as riding a real one!"

"Oh yeah? Then let's go ride a real one! Quit staring at those pictures and let's do something fun!"

Maria frowned for a moment. This was the same creature they were supposed to protect, and the center of hers and Louise's conflict. There was a very, very small part of her that wanted to resent Hoopa the same way Louise did. …But he was way too much fun! "Why don't YOU bring a real one here?"

"I don't see why not!" Hoopa made another portal and summoned a Tropical Wiggler. Maria gave a mischievous smirk.

The others were in the treehouse living room at this time. "I wonder why Hat Kid hasn't gotten up, yet?" Wendy Marvell asked herself. "I'm gonna go see if anything's—AAAAAAHH!" A giant rainbow caterpillar in a top-hat came waddling into the room.

"AAAAAHH!" Philip and Kiki jumped onto the couch, hugging each other in fright as the Wiggler circled the couch. "Huh?" It was then they took notice of the creature's hat.

Oliver chuckled, "Come on, you guys, it's just Maria- I mean, Hat Kid."

The girl popped out of the creature's head. "Just call me Maria, guys, the secret's already out."

"Ha ha ha ha!" Hoopa peeked out of her hat, pointing at Phil and Kiki. "The looks on your faces! They're so priceless!"

"Hey, I wasn't scared!" Phil argued. "I'm only up here for Kiki's sake."

Flustered, the witch stomped his foot and shouted, "Excuse me if I don't want any weird slime on my dress, scaredy-mouse!"

"Eh hehehehe." Wendy laughed sheepishly. "Okay, Hoopa, maybe you should send it back now."

"Come on, Wendy, I kinda like it!" said Romeo Conbolt, going over and petting the Wiggler. "We could use a pet in this treehouse."

"We already have a pet, his name is Phil." Kiki remarked with an arrogant smirk to the taller boy.

"I should report you for prejudiced behavior." Phil replied.

"You can't do that without these." Kiki said, holding his jar of medicine.

"Hey, give those back!" Phil reached for them, but Kiki jumped off the side of the couch, causing him to fall. "Kikiiii!" Phil scrambled to his feet and chased the witch.

"Incoming transmission from Sector SA." The computer spoke. Wendy and Oliver rushed over to the TV and answered the call.

Index appeared onscreen in a panicky fashion. "This is Index calling Sector MG—oh forget it, PLEASE HELP UUUUS! Our treehouse is under attack, none of the other sectors we called are responding! AHH! NAGASA!" The screen turned static.

"Enough fooling around, you two!" Romeo told Kiki and Phil (who was able to snatch his pills back). "We gotta go!"

"Hoopa, in here!" Maria ordered, the genie flying back into her hat. "Let's-a go!"

As everyone raced for the hangar, Wendy picked up on something odd. His name is 'Nagisa,' right? Why did Index pronounce his name wrong? Must've been a mistake.

Sector SA Treehouse

After making the call, "Index" turned away and snickered evilly, rubbing her hands. She was not dressed in her habit, but instead a red hood and lighter-red dress that seemed a bit small for her body. "Heh heh heh heh! Suckers! Now, I play the waiting game…" She looked outside to the vast snowy landscape.

Close to the treehouse in question, Sector SA was flying in their Triple-S.C.A.M.P.E.R..

Oh, and don't forget Goombella. She's that pink mushroom with the archaeologist helmet. Physically, she hasn't grown much at all, and she's definitely among the smallest operatives in our army. But her Tattle ability has been a massive help, and she's been training really hard to improve her Multibonk. She may look little, but she's our most devout member.

"Thank you, Nagisa." Goombella said with a hint of anger in her smile. "But maybe you can leave out the size stuff next time."

"Sorry. But can you believe how long it's been? Nearly four years; we joined the Kids Next Door in the midst of war and the conflicts only got worse from there. There were dozens of operatives more experienced than we were, but against all odds, we climbed through the ranks and now we're in the #9 spot."

"Too bad for Sector KB, huh?"

"Hehehe! Yep! Especially since Sector RZ stole their #10 spot back!"

Every month or so, one of the operatives would get caught up in a big adventure that involves finding ancient relics or something. Our sector was never good enough for that to happen to. Or… so I thought. You see, it was rare for us to experience cold weather because our treehouse sat in a desert. You can imagine our surprise when we returned and saw-

"WHAT'S WITH ALL THE SNOW?!" Index bellowed. Indeed, the once-orange desert was white with snow, the sun blighted by clouds.

"Nagisa, there's a pirate ship!" Morgiana pointed out the right window. They turned that direction and flew toward the strange ship with a snowflake Jolly Roger. A large figure on the ship blew a massive horn as a dragon of ice came flying at their Triple-S.C.A.M.P.E.R..

"AAH! Dodge it!" ordered Nagisa, Index twisting the steering wheel and turning downward. The dragon about-faced and still pursued them. "Darn it! Index, set the ship to autopilot. Let's see what these people want." The nun nodded and pressed the button in question, and afterwards the four friends jumped off the aircraft. Nagisa held Goombella and Morgiana held Index as they kicked downward to stay elevated and soften their landing.

On the deck of the ship, they faced their attacker: a huge, obese walrus with a thick dark mustache. He wore a horned helmet, and his eyes shone blue like the gems on his helmet, belt, and horn. "Groooooo hahahahaha. Sector SA, what perfect timing!"

Goombella examined him with Tattle. "Guys, this person is…"

Kremling Krew Snowmad Division Commander

LORD FREDRIK

"His Power Level is 9,001, and his official race is Waldough, which are sentient walruses. While he doesn't have any special powers besides Armament Haki, that horn of his contains powerful Ice Chi! But it seems the horn is only as strong as its user's breath." (Play "Punch Bowl" from Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze!)

"Correct! And you're about to get another TASTE!" Fredrik swung the horn and blew Sector SA off the ship with a strong gust of wind. He jumped after them and said, "But I prefer to do it OFF the ship." With that, he blew another Ice Dragon, which Nagisa and Morgiana destroyed with the combined strength of their Tempest Kick and Red-Foot Blast.

"So what if your Power Level is just 1 over 9,000?" Nagisa asked with a smirk. "My Power Level is 5,342, and Morgiana's is 6,243. Together, that puts us at over 11,000!" With that, the two charged for the walrus, with Nagisa using Shave to get behind him and stab him with Finger Pistol. His fingers barely pierced the walrus as Fredrik swung his arm back, then Morgiana dealt a mighty kick to the stomach. Fredrik hardened his fist and punched Morg away, then swung his horn down at Nagisa, who evaded using Paper Art.

Meanwhile, Index and Goombella looked up as penguins and walruses were jumping off blimps. "Well, while they're taking care of the big guy, we might as well do our part, too." Goombella said.

"You got it!" Index put on a baseball glove, which glowed with blue lines. Goombella jumped, and her soles glowed as she was pulled into the glove via her shoes. Index spun and repelled Goombella at high speed, striking a penguin headfirst, and she bounced around the other enemies, either KOing them or dealing head trauma. Index's habit shone as she formed a Light Sphere in her hands, throwing it skyward as it burst into Light Spheres that rained around the Snowmads.

Fredrik jumped away from his opponents and blew a barrage of Ice Dragons at them with sequential huffs of his breath. Nagisa and Morg swiftly dodged them en route to Fredrik, and when they were in range, Nagisa jumped and used Iron Body while Morgiana grabbed him by the ankles. Morg spun around and whacked him against Fredrik in a combo, until the Waldough imbued his horn with Haki and struck him back. Nagisa went flying, and then Fredrik used Haki on his helmet as he charged to impale the assassin, but Morgiana leaped above the Waldough and stomped down on his back with both feet.

Fredrik hacked spit out, falling on his belly, and then Nagisa came to stab him with his rubber knife. "YAH!" His knife was whacked away by a blonde woman wielding a large key. She was wearing a light-green shirt under a black vest.

Goombella looked over and gasped. "That's… Kami Heartly!"

"Kami Heartly?" Nagisa said. "Weren't you the one who defeated K. Rool 23 years ago? Why are you with the Kremling Krew?!"

"Because I want to break my daughter's curse. And K. Rool promised me there's a way." She aimed her Keyblade at Index. "That's why we need HER."

Index felt her heart skip a beat. Could they possibly… know? "What does Index have to do with anything?" Nagisa asked.

"Grooo hahahaha!" Fredrik laughed. "According to King K. Rool, this girl contains a very incredible power. Because she is the reincarnation of Lady Scheherazade!" The worry rose to the top of Index's heart. "Wait, is it pronounced 'zod' or 'zodee'? The king wasn't very sure of that either. But I'm sure she could tell us. After all, her power is supposed to awaken after speaking her true name."

"Her true name? Index, do you know what he's talking about?"

The fighting had all but ceased as all eyes were on her. Index shot a deathly glare at Fredrik. "You realize you're playing with powers far beyond your understanding, don't you? And if I remember, the last time K. Rool did that, it didn't end too well for him."

"And just how do you remember that? You shouldn't have been alive back then."

"Duh." Index smiled. "I read it in the KND archives. Nagisa was just talking about how Kami defeated him."

"Look, all I care about is saving my daughter." Kami stated, approaching the nun. "Just tell me the truth: do you have the power to break her curse?"

"Mrs. Heartly… your daughter has been given the same curse as Django Diaz. It's a curse that requires the victim to be dead before it kicks in. Your daughter had been killed beforehand, and you can't fully bring someone to life without consequences."

"K. Rool came back to life, didn't he?! And my brother came back from Davy Jones' Locker!"

"Patton and the others were aided by the Green Flash that occurs in Jones' Locker every year, and K. Rool's was as a result of Ganondorf's dumping of the Sanzu River. Of course, that was only because it dumped out the more recent deaths."

"Then there HAS to be a way for Kimaya!"

"GROOOAAAH!" Fredrik swung his Haki horn above him and knocked Morgiana off. "Don't let her deceive you, Kami! Use your Keyblade and unlock her true powers directly! She may not need to say her name."

Kami raised the Jungle King, its tip glowing, but she was blinded by Index's Flash attack. Index ran away, but she was grabbed in the claw of a polar bear with a large belt. He was accompanied by a giant owl and a seal, both with horned helmets. "It's the generals of the Snowmad Division!" Goombella analyzed. "The polar bear is Bashmaster the Unbreakable, the owl is Skowl the Startling, and the seal is Pompy the Presumptuous. They, um… have a pretty big combined Power Level."

"Groo ha ha ha ha! You only have one choice, Sector SA: surrender or DIE!"

"That's two choices." Kami corrected.

"You know what I mean! Just Keyblade her in the head already!"

Kami gasped, her Observation Haki kicking in. "Wait! Look out above y-"

"BOOM! !" Maria SMASHED Bashmaster's head with a Ground Pound, freeing Index and landing on her feet. The polar bear wobbled dizzily, his head throbbing. "Nothing more painful than a Mushroomian Butt Pound!"

"Hat Kid?" Index questioned.

Wendy, Romeo, and Oliver landed soon after as the former said, "We received your distress call, Index, we're here to help!"

"What? I didn't send a distress call."

"Bashmaster, Skowl, Pompy, destroy them!" Fredrik declared, blowing more Ice Dragons at Nagisa and Morgiana.

"Ha ha ha ha! Those are the dumbest names I ever heard!" Maria laughed. Bashmaster growled and swung his hammer down, but the Hat Kid leapt on and off it, throwing her hat onto the polar bear. Her body flew into his, and once he was under her control, she swung the hammer into Pompy and flung him several feet. Skowl launched bladed, Haki-imbued feathers at the bear, but the owl was hit by Kiki's Package Bombs from above. Pompy recovered and flopped over to strike Maria with a tail-whack, but the possessed bear grabbed the tail and slammed the seal on the ground.

"Don't attack Bashmaster, you fools, knock off that hat!" ordered Fredrik.

"No, attack me, it feels good!" Maria taunted in the bear's voice.

Index was staring at Maria with slight worry, wondering if he was under her hat. "Index!" yelled Goombella, Headbonking Kami before the woman could stab Index with her Keyblade. Kami raised the weapon in defense, and Index punched her in the hip with a Light Fist.

"Arms!" Wendy cast a strength-enhance spell on Romeo, Nagisa, and Morgiana, all four surrounding Lord Fredrik and attacking him from all corners.

"Cough! This wasn't part of the plan!" Fredrik grunted, swinging his horn at Wendy, who did a great leap back while Romeo dealt a Flame Punch to his waist. "Quit holding back, you fools! We'll disgrace the Kremling Krew if we don't return with Scheherazade!"

"Arooo?" The name caught Maria's attention.

"Scheherazade?" Hoopa peeked out of her hat. "Did someone say…"

His eyes met with Index's. Sweat trickled down her face, for Hoopa could clearly recognize her. "It…It's you… Scheherazade!" The genie swooped down and embraced the nun in a hug. (End song.)

"Hahaha!" Index smiled slightly nervously. "Hoopa, I didn't want us to reunite this early-"

"OWWWWWCH!" Hoopa was suddenly burned by the habit. "AGH, Scheherazade, that outfit is so hot!!"

"Hoopa, I'm sorry! It's only supposed to hurt evil spirits, it must be reacting to your-"

"AAH!" Kami impaled Index with the Keyblade.

"INDEX!" her teammates screamed.

"Hey! What are you doing to…" Hoopa cut himself off when a golden light began to shine from Index's head. The light grew brighter as a giant book rose from it into the air.

"It's… the Universe Book!" Fredrik said in awe. "It really was inside her… Men, seize that book at once-"

The book FLASHED, and everyone was forced to shield their eyes. Index spoke in a monotone voice: "Warning: Unauthorized access to the forbidden tomes. This Sacred Library has been compromised. Now activating the Prison Pages to ensnare the perpetrators." The book flew open and began to slurp everything inside like a vacuum.

"AAAAGH!" Nagisa cried, trying to hold his ground with Morgiana to help him. All the Snowmads were flying into the book, along with the operatives. "Index, what's happening?! INDEEEEEX!" The young assassin went swirling into the golden pages, Morgiana and the others going with him. Soon, Index herself joined everyone inside the tome.

Stage Prologue: Tome of Prisoners

Mission: Escape the book with your friends!

Index came to and realized she was laying on giant pages. She gasped and got up, gazing with awe and worry around the strange realm: the sky was a bright golden-orange and pages were flying everywhere. "W-Where am I? Nagisa? Goombella? Morg?"

The library has been compromised. For safety, they have all been bound within the Tome of Prisoners.

"Are…Are you… her?"

I am you. I am your inner conscience. Your inner memories. Do not worry. Your body is working to rectify the mistake. In a moment, the book will be resealed inside your body, and the witnesses will be lost within the pages.

"What?! But those people were my friends!"

The Universe Book must not fall into mortal hands. If we allow them to go free, the balance will be endangered.

"Well, shouldn't the Universe Book belong to me? That means I get to decide what I do with it, and I order it to LET MY FRIENDS GO!"

Your true power will only awaken once you've said your true name.

"Then I guess I don't have a choice: my name is SCHEHERAZADE!"

Outside, the book burst with golden light as its pages flew open. Hoopa shut his eyes for a second, and then a lovely array of colors glimmered in his eyes. These colors belonged to seven rings that lined the spine of the book. THUMP! A dark force overcame Hoopa, and five more arms appeared around his body. "The Rings! The Seven Rings! Give them to me!"

"No!" Hoopa tried to restrain himself. "Scheherazade said not to touch the rings! Not until…"

Inside the book, Index's habit glowed like the golden pages, and a tall trident formed in her left hand: it was golden, the side points were in a crescent shape, and the center point had a red orb under it. "Now, let's try this again: I order you to free ALL the prisoners trapped within your pages!"

The orb shone like a sun and nine pages rose around Index. 2-D images of Sectors SA and MG were helplessly feeling around their flat prison. "Waaah!" Nagisa felt odd as his body was stretched back into three dimensions. All the operatives escaped their prisons, feeling their bodies to make sure everything was okay. "Phew, that's a relief." Romeo sighed.

"Tee hee, everything alright down there?" Maria snickered, earning a blush from the oldest boy.

"Hey, Index, can I ask you something?" Goombella asked.

"Is it 'What in the absolute Gosh is going on'?"

"More like, 'WHAT IN THE ABSOLUTE GOSH'?! See, the all caps really add emphasis to my complete shock."

Other pages rose up and released the imprisoned Snowmads. "Well, you could've left THEM trapped!" Nagisa exclaimed.

"I'm not leaving anyone trapped in here! All of Arceus's creatures deserve a place in the universe."

"Snowmads, CRUSH THEM!" ordered Bashmaster, placing a large book over his head.

"But they also deserve to be punished for trying to kill us. BATTLE STATIONS!" (Play "Triumph" from RWBY!)

Index launched a light beam into the sky, and a dozen beams rained down around the arctic enemies. Romeo set fire to the pages underneath the Snowmads, hoping they would fall through, but Index used her trident to quickly repair the damage. "Romeo, try not to damage the pages!"

"Could've told me!"

Phil blasted a Condiment Cannon (a machinegun that fired ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, etc.) at the pirates, and Oliver zapped them with Lightning Spells. Kiki cast Engorgio on one of her Package Bombs and dropped it on a large group of pirates. Morgiana ran for Bashmaster, jumping when the polar bear swung his hammer, then stomping down on his head with a Red-Foot Drill. The polar bear general fell in defeat, and Wendy blew a twister to ensnare the remaining pirates.

"We can get to the exit if we follow this path!" Index yelled as a roadway of pages led across the chasm from the edge of the field. Nine of the operatives ran across the path while Kiki flew. Penguins were surfing overhead on pages like magic carpets, wielding bazookas with small swordfish. They shot down at the pages in front of them to make the operatives stop in place, but Philip and Oliver blasted up at the penguins with their cannon and wand. As Index worked to repair the punctured pages, Morgiana threw Nagisa up to knock the penguins into the abyss.

He used Moon Walk to keep from falling as well, and as the lot raced further up the path, massive books were seen over the chasm. They had images of Planet Flora, Earth, Aquaria, Jirachi, Dialga & Palkia, along with old operatives like Nigel Uno. There was a strong gust of wind that blew the path away, and it was conjured by General Skowl and his Hootz. Wendy blew a Sky Dragon Roar to counter the wind, and Index fired Light Beams to knock the underlings out. Nagisa swung a Tempest Kick to knock Skowl's helmet off, allowing Maria to throw her hat and possess him.

"Hoot! Get onto me!" Maria said, flying under the path as the operatives jumped onto her, save for Kiki and Nagisa. Other Snowmads were riding pages and shooting projectiles down, so Romeo, Oliver, and Philip took the liberty of attacking them.

"There's the exit!" Index said, pointing her trident at a book labeled The End on a platform. She used the trident to will the book to open. The operatives jumped off onto the foothold, and Maria released Skowl, kicking down on the owl as he plummeted into the abyss. "Once we're out, I'll release these pirates somewhere safe. Safe and… inconvenient. Like GUN Prison!" (End song.)

"Wait!" Kami Heartly jumped out from behind the exit book, drawing her Keyblade. The others were about to attack, but Index gestured not to. "Tell me the truth… can this thing save my daughter or not?"

Index bowed her head with slight regret. "Truth be told, there are lots of ways to save your daughter. Ways which would have negative consequences on either her or those responsible. But this way is not one of them. Kami, you've seen what happens to people who get consumed by power. You saw what happened to K. Rool. Would you really risk the universe for something that may or might not be true?"

"…" Kami's Keyblade despawned. "You're right… What am I thinking…" She stepped away from the exit. "You better hurry. Lord Fredrik might show up soon."

"You sure you don't wanna come?"

"Even if he is wrong, I might have a better chance at finding a cure for Kimaya if I work for K. Rool."

"Okay, then. Let's go, guys."

Outside, Hoopa was still locked in an internal struggle. "Why do you hesitate?! Collect those rings, and then the Hoopa can do anything!"

"No! I promised Scheherazade… that I wouldn't…"

"HEY! You there!" Hoopa ceased and looked behind to see… Index? "That looks like a real fancy book! You mind if I have a look?"

"Scheherazade? But… I saw you go inside it."

"No, I'm right here. You must've imagined it." Index shrugged, grinning mischievously. Her voice was clearly different.

"You can't be her. I don't feel your Light Chi."

"Look, will you let me see the book or n-" A mustache sprouted on her face. Index felt it. "Uh-oh." Her hair became blonde, she shrunk a few inches, and her body could more comfortably fit her clothes. "Stupid Polyjuice Potion!"

"You're that other girl!" Hoopa recognized.

"WAAAAH!" The ten operatives came falling out of the book. Maria shook her head and straightened her hat, gasping once she noticed, "Louise!"

"Oh, look, you're calling me by name." Louise said with a glare. "You know, don't even bother trying to reason with me. None of it is going to matter soon."

"W…What do you mean?"

"I'm sure you know this by now, but that's the Universe Book!" Louise smirked up at the tome with greed in her heart. "And if what those Gnaa guys said was true, it contains the history of our entire universe! Everything that was and everything that will happen. And those Seven Rings link the pages together. And whoever holds this book holds history in their hand! Do you know what that means? With this book, we can do WHATEVER we want! Space can have air, tragedies can be erased, or better yet, bad guys can DIE!"

"Louise, I don't think that's a good idea."

"It's NOT a good idea!" Index yelled. "If you change even one sentence in that book, it can destroy our very reality!"

"Oh, and I suppose you wanna let these pirates take it. Just like you let them take ME!"

"Louise, I'm sorry."

"Stuff it in your throat! I'm about to erase all the evil in this universe, and you Kids Next Door will PRAISE ME!" The agile rebel flipped up, bounced off Hoopa, and grabbed the Red Ring of the spine.

"SIIIIS!" cried Maria.

"AAAAAAHHH!" Louise's hand was burning against the ring, yet she was glued to it. Incredible rage coursed through her heart. "Grrrrrrr! Damn Koopas, damn Brotherhood, damn Mafia, DAMN YOU ALL!"

"What's happening to her?!" Nagisa asked.

"GRAAAAH! The rings! Give me the rings!" Hoopa's seven hands grew larger, and the little genie worked harder to hold them back.

Index closed her eyes and folded her hands against the staff. "O Ancient Tome that has blessed us with knowledge for a trillion years… Please scatter the rings that bind thee. Let them find souls that are worthy of thine power. May the lost pages be safe from evil's hands." And she raised her holy staff and struck the book with a sacred light.

In a blinding flash, the spine severed, and the pages blew aimlessly in the raging wind. The six other rings spiraled like a swirling rainbow before taking off into the heavens.

The Purple Ring landed on a colorful, comic book-like planet and crashed inside a KND treehouse. "AAAH!" screamed a brown-haired girl. "Deku, something just fell through the ceiling!"

"It's some kind of ring…" A boy with dark-green hair cautiously approached the glowing item. "Did it come from outer space?" He slowly reached down to touch it.

The Aqua Ring was flying toward another pretty planet, its destination a school. In one of the dorms, two blonde girls with glasses and witch cloaks were drawing ritualistic circles on the floor. "No, Emily, the points are supposed to be five inches away."

"Hey, my math is always 101% accurate! My circle is more symmetrical than the roundest-"

"AAAAH!" Both jumped and grabbed each other when the ring crashed through the window. "I'm sorry, Lotte, I didn't mean to anger the Circle Gods!" Emily panicked.

On another planet, two siblings – a white-haired boy and a black-haired girl in shrine maiden attire – were playing Patty Cake in a mountain forest. A White Ring burned through the leaves and crashed on the ground. "Big Brother, look! It's a ring!"

"Hold on, Alluka." The brother held her back and approached the ring. He tried to pick it up, but his fingers passed through it like a ghost. "I… can't touch it."

"Let me, let me!" Alluka grabbed it in both hands—the brother gaped at this fact.

"You can touch it? But… why-"

The White Ring brimmed and slowly dissolved into energy, which flowed into the sister's body. "Allu…ka?"

To the brother's horror, her once vibrant face had become ghostly white, with dark hollow eyes and a smile, as if she were wearing a mask. "Hi, Killua."

Meanwhile, Cleveland Brown was going for a stroll on a desert planet. "Ah love Secco. Not too many baths. No reason to be exposed to the public in the nude." He heard a burning sound and looked up, seeing a ring-shaped meteor. "What the hell?!" It was coming right for him. "No no no no NO NO!" It whizzed right through his body. It left burning holes in his clothes, but he felt no physical wounds. "Phew. Nothing to worry about." It was then his clothes caught fire and completely burned off. "Bet you 50 bucks the Kids Next Door had something to do with this."

Soon, the wind stopped and the light faded in the snow-covered desert. Index's trident disappeared as she tiredly fell to her hands. "You little BITCH!" Louise hissed. "What did you do to my rings?!"

"They aren't your rings! I scattered them across the universe." Index panted. "You'll never find them."

"Hmph!" Louise stashed the Red Ring in her sleeve. "We'll see about THAT." She drew her Paint Staff and colored a neon "M" in the sand before jumping in.

Now that the Snowmads were absent, the snow began to melt, and heat returned to the desert. "Louise… she was acting different." Maria said.

"She took the Ring of Rage." Index clarified. "Don't worry. Its affect on her emotions only lasts a short time. Too much emotion can destroy a person."

"It really is you…" They faced forward as Hoopa approached them. "Scheherazade."

Index smiled and stood up fully. "Hello, Hoopa." She opened her arms and welcomed the genie into a hug. The operatives wanted to find this a heartwarming moment, but a lack of context left them confused.

"OUCH!" Hoopa was singed by the habit again. "Darn it, why are you wearing that thing?"

"Sorry! It only does that against dark creatures, no matter if they're good or bad."

"Oh… then, it's because of my dark side, isn't it?"

"Hmm…" Index glanced at her friends. "I think we should go up to Moonbase. Cheren will want to know what's happening."

KND Moonbase

Sectors SA and MG were sharing the former's ship. As they flew to Moonbase, Kiki peeked out the window with a morbid expression. "Um… What happened to the Earth?" The others joined her, gasping at the sight of their world in pieces, drifting in space like fragments of a book fluttering in the breeze.

"It's as I feared." Index said. "By scattering the Universe Book, our universe is already beginning to come apart."

"Well, that's upsetting." Romeo said.

"The damage would've been a lot worse if things transpired the way they were going to."

Once they arrived at Moonbase, they headed up to the bridge and saw Cheren talking with Weiss Schnee, who was accompanied by Sector $. The Supreme Leader noticed them approaching. "Sector SA and Sector MG? What's going on?"

"Cheren! Look at the Earth!" Panini called. Soon, everyone had a view of what their world had become.

"So, it was true after all." Ciel Phantomhive said, staring at Index. "Your true name really would destroy the world."

"Correct." Index smirked. "Though I never officially divulged that information."

"Huh? UWAAAH!" A magic light swallowed the earl and he was shrunk down to two inches tall. The Fairy Sisters' Secret-Keeping Curse had taken effect.

This earned chuckles from his teammates. "Looks like you're her slave for a month, Ciel!" Prince Raleigh remarked.

"Actually, you can hold onto him for me." Index assured him. "I've got more important things at the moment. In fact, I think you're all owed an explanation."

"This should be interesting." Cheren said.

"Do any of you know the Legend of Scheherazade?"

"I do." Ciel squeaked.

"Hush, Tiny Ciel." Raleigh touched a finger to his mouth.

"Scheherazade was known as the wisest woman in the universe. She knew the entire history of our universe since the moment of its birth. Her knowledge was granted to her by the spirit you see before you: Hoopa. You see, Hoopa is the Firstborn of History. But for some reason, Hoopa was plagued by a terrible darkness, and it threatened the safety of the Universe Book. Thankfully, he met Scheherazade, and she used her holy lightbending to ease Hoopa's heart. He believed the book would be safer in Scheherazade's hands, so he sealed the ancient tome inside her heart. His duty as the Keeper of History was passed on to her."

"And Scheherazade… she's… you." Nagisa said.

"Yes. She was also known as the Walking Library, due to how much history rested inside her. And she would always be reborn every generation, a new body which would serve as her Index. Each Index would collect more information to add to the grand book. Of course, there's only one good way to gain information." Index smiled. "Wanna guess what that is?"

"By joining the Kids Next Door!" Cheren realized. "Now that I think about it… some of the older files listed operatives named Index. But only two that I found. Hehe, never thought about making that connection."

"Not just the recent generations: the First Age, the 2nd Age, Indexes appeared in all ages. And each of those Indexes would at some point reunite with Hoopa, who would share with her his own collected history. We also read lots of books; or at least I did. But it doesn't stop there: in entrusting me the Universe Book, Hoopa also gave up his sources of power: the Seven World Rings."

"I can see where this is going." Nagisa said.

"Yes, obviously we'll need to collect the Seven Rings, but let me explain their importance. The World Rings are the Seven Hearts that make up the stories. They're composed of valuable emotions that make up all worlds. And anyone who would hold all Seven Rings in hand could command Hoopa and the Universe Book. They would have control over history and reality; they could change the past, change laws, and omit the Balance altogether. And it would take more than timebending to rectify the damage."

"That's why you decided to scatter the rings." Wendy determined.

"Yes. Unfortunately, putting the book back together isn't as easy as finding the rings. The Seven Rings have to be linked together with Seven Hearts themselves. Seven mortals whose personalities bonded well with the rings. And if my prayer worked correctly, the rings should have flown to people with matching emotions. Until the rings are actually reunited, no one else will be able to touch them except for the first person with a matching emotion."

"So, we have to search the Earth until we find them." Oliver figured.

"Not exactly." Index smiled awkwardly. "I wanted to be safe, so I banished them across the universe."

"HUUUUUH?!?" All three sectors and Cheren bellowed.

"But that'll take FOREVER to find them!" Kiki stated.

"Actually, I can sense their locations." Hoopa said.

"But they won't be the only things we need to find." Index reminded. "If we're going to restore the Universe Book, we have to collect all the scattered pages. And that… could take quite a while."

"Well, we can't let the Earth stay this way!" Carol Masterson shouted.

"Don't worry, this is only a minor side-effect… for now. But it would be best to keep the pages out of our enemies' hands. If the pages somehow get corrupted by dark energy, not only will our own universe start to decay… but the chaos will spread to corresponding universes. Dare I say… it could even stretch to the Original Worlds."

"I'm starting to think you all like making trouble for everyone." Cheren sighed. Kiki bit her lip and looked away, recalling the time she put Beach City in danger.

"Well, all that stuff makes sense." Carol replied. "But the one thing I DON'T get is how this happened in the first place!"

"Oh, right." Nagisa said. With that, he briefly recapped the battle from beginning to end.

"And they were members of the Kremling Krew, huh?" Cheren thought aloud. "If they know about Index and Hoopa… then their Team Gnaa allies must know, too. This could be the beginning of a New Firstborn Quest. Siiiigh. Just great."

"I'm sorry to get everyone involved. Hoopa and the Seven Rings are supposed to be my responsibility."

"That's an awful big responsibility to carry all by yourself." Nagisa said. "How many times has this happened before?"

"Only once. But that was a really long time ago."

"Well, I don't know what happened then, but right now, you live in an era where people work together. We'll help you find the World Rings AND the lost pages!"

"I'll send the word out to every sector and the GKND." Cheren declared. "I'm actually surprised Nebula hasn't already-"

"CHEREEEEEEEEEEEN!" The furious High Supreme Leader's image displayed over the massive window. "All the planets are broken and MY OPERATIVES NEED SOMEONE TO YELL AT! !"

"H-Hold on, Nebula! There's a perfectly logical explanation! Uh, Index, care to recap?"

"Ugh!" Index stomped up to the screen. "Look, tell all of your operatives to search for flying golden book pages and collect every last one of them. They all emit the same supernatural signature, so I'm sure your radars can find them. As for us," she turned to her teammates, "Nagisa, Morgiana, Goombella, and Hoopa, we're going to find the World Rings."

"I wanna come, too!" Maria proclaimed. "If Louise took one of the rings, then it's my responsibility, too. I mean, she should still be on Earth, right?"

"No." Hoopa said. "I can't feel the Ring of Rage on Earth, anymore. In fact, it seems to be on some kind of spaceship. I can also see the White Ring of Wishes on Hyrule, the Green Ring of Wisdom on Poké…"

"One of the rings is on Planet Poké?!" Raleigh exclaimed. "Sector $, I think we'll take part in this little adventure, too! After all, Ciel's just big enough to fit inside my kingdom!"

"When this month is over, I'm punching you in the-!" Raleigh cupped a hand over Ciel to silence him.

"I think the first ring we should try to find is the Ring of Wishes." Index said. "As its name implies, it has the power to grant wishes, and it's probably the most dangerous."

"HALRIGHT!" Nagisa cheered.

"Nagisa, don't tell me you're planning to visit that Killua boy?!" Morgiana questioned resentfully.

"I think he would be a valuable ally to have! If we're going to Hyrule anyway, I say we swing by his place."

"What about you guys, you wanna come, too?" Maria asked her team.

"Hang on, I don't want three of our best sectors gone in the middle of a crisis." Cheren said. "Sectors V, W7, and DR were gone during the whole Tachyon thing, and villains were having a riot. Besides, you can always enlist the help of the Kids Next Doors on those planets."

"It's okay, we'll help with the situation on Earth." Wendy offered. "Will you be alright without us, Maria?"

"'Course I will! I mean, I AM the daughter of the great Mario!"

"What an honor to be traveling with you, Your Highness." Goombella gave a half-fake bow to the princess.

"At ease, my armless subject."

"But before we go, we're gonna need some provisions!" Index beamed, her mouth drooling. "And there's only ONE chef I know that can satisfy my hunger!"

"Does she got donuts, Scheherazade?!" Hoopa beamed.

"Not for you, Hoopa! You need to start eating healthy!"

"Awwww!"

"Make sure to do our planet proud, Sector SA." Cheren said. "Bring back those rings as soon as possible!"

And that's how we learned Index's true identity, as the Walking Library. Of course, that was only the start of things to come for our little team. Still… the Universe Book's power to rewrite the universe… that sounded all too familiar to me.

Santa Hylia

Louise came out of another paint portal inside a vast room in a high-tech ship. "How did it go, Louise?" asked Lord Vaati.

"Your Polyjuice Potion was shit! But I got this." She drew the Red Ring from her sleeve.

"One of the World Rings? But where are the rest of them?"

"That stupid nun girl destroyed the book and they flew away!"

"Then we must find them all!" a voice thundered from the throne, surrounded by a cyclone. A cloaked, shadowed figure with a captain's hat and single yellow eye sat upon the throne. "Those rings are the key to breaching the dimensional boundaries!"

"And finding the Original Worlds again…" Vaati smirked. "What shall we do, Captain Skaios?"

1st Captain of the Sky God Pirates, one of the Four Emperors

"Free Born" SKAIOS

"Since Louise holds the first ring, then SHE will be in charge of this mission! As of this moment, LOUISE is captain!" He used airbending to take off his hat and blow it onto Louise's head.

"Uhh…" A sweatdrop trickled down Vaati's face. "Are you sure about that, Skaios? Louise does not really have experience-"

The former captain WHOOSHED over to Vaati, staring him dead in the eye. "All men and women are created equal! All mortals are equal to gods! I am as big as you, and you are as small as I! That is the true law of this universe! Is that not true, Vaati?!"

"Ehh… of course." Vaati smiled sheepishly. "My apologies."

"Good. Now, since I am relieved of duty, I'm off to go surfing. Good luck, Captain!" The former captain whooshed out of the ship.

34th Captain of the Sky God Pirates, and temporary Emperor

LOUISE MARIO