Mickey could hardly believe what was happening. He stared at the figure in front of him, hoping beyond hope that he could somehow reach inside… past this cold exterior he didn't even recognize.

"Oswald!" He barely kept his voice from shaking. "Please listen to me… I don't wanna hurt you! You gotta fight this! Don't let it control ya!"

The rabbit stared back at him, and for just a moment he dared to hope. But it was quickly crushed at the sound of cold laughter.

"Control, nothing… I'm just doin' what I should've done a long time ago. Now that you got that Keyblade, how long till everyone decides you're better for th' job?"

His eyes narrowed.

"You already think so."

Mickey could hardly believe his ears. The sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach grew even more.

"Os…"

The rabbit flicked his weapon forward, pointing it directly at Mickey.

"Don't try and give me excuses," he hissed. "This ends here, and it ends now."

He charged fast as lightening, and Mickey barely managed to dodge. An ice-cold grip closed around his heart as he realized the truth he'd been trying so hard to deny.

This wasn't his brother… not anymore.

His eyes stinging, Mickey summoned his Keyblade and took a defensive stance. Oswald scoffed, a nasty smirk spreading across his face.

"Still a weakling."

He lunged forward again, and Mickey forced himself to move. He didn't dare to let himself think, and time seemed to pass in a blur as he fought.

Finally, he caught a breach in his opponent's defense and struck. His stomach twisted as Oswald cried out, then dropped to one knee as his weapon disappeared. Mickey lifted his Keyblade, but his hand began to shake. With that, the numbness vanished. Slowly, he stumbled back a few steps.

No… I won't end it like this… I can't.

"Oswald…" The eyes that looked up at him could have belonged to a stranger, so full of anger and hate. Mickey drew himself upright, but he couldn't stop his voice from breaking this time.

"I know you're still in there."

He lifted his Keyblade, tears filling his eyes as he summoned its power.

"You can beat this… I know ya can."

As the Keyblade's glow increased, he felt the tears begin to stream down his face, but his hand remained steady. The light pulsed, then filled the room with a blinding flash. Oswald's enraged yell seared into him, then slowly faded. Then the light faded away as well. He stood alone in the room.

The Keyblade dissolved in Mickey's hand and he fell to his knees, his fists clenched as they struck the floor.

"I'm sorry…" he choked, then broke off as his body shook with hushed sobs.

I'm so sorry.

0000

"You oughta know by now darkness can't win," Mickey replied. "You think you're so powerful, but ya couldn't get any of us."

Xehanort looked at him, his face unreadable.

"Perhaps not." Suddenly, a sickening grin spread across his face. "But I think you know someone that I did. The same one you've come here seeking."

Mickey's heart seemed to stop for a moment. His fist tightened around his Keyblade, and a dangerous fury slowly replaced the shock.

"What… what did you say?"

The only reply was another laugh. A rage Mickey had never felt before coursed through him, and without a second thought he raised his Keyblade and charged with a furious yell.

Xehenort's unnerving smile widened. Not even noticing, Mickey leaped and swung his Keyblade in a slash with all his strength behind it. It passed right through, with no damage. Mickey's eyes widened, then his heart fell to his stomach.

It was an illusion.

He grunted as he hit the ground, thrown off balance. That same instant, he was yanked up into the air and held immobile. He clenched his teeth, but couldn't stop himself from crying out as a wave of dark magic crackled through his body.

Through his blurring vision, he saw a horde of Sorcerer Unversed and Heartless. All had a clawed hand raised, dark aura pulsing around them. The realization hit him like a slap in the face.

The whole thing was a trap… and he'd walked right into it.

Mickey fought to regain control of his body, but his energy was draining with every passing second. He clenched the fist holding his Keyblade, but he knew that soon he'd be too weak to even hold it. With resign, he let it disappear. At least they wouldn't get hold of it.

Minnie… forgive me…

00000

Oswald stepped out of the portal, pulling his hood tight over his head. If there was as much darkness here as he'd sensed, odds were some of the others would be here too. He couldn't risk letting anyone see him, especially not…

He froze, his ears almost shooting up through the hood. His eyes fixed on the figure suspended in the air, held in the grip of the Unversed and Heartless.

Is that…

"Mickey!"

The yell escaped before he could stop himself. Making sure his hood remained up, he summoned his weapon and charged forward.

By now Mickey was barely retaining consciousness. Then, suddenly, he felt the pain lessen, then the grip on him dissolved, sending him falling to the ground. Groaning, he pushed his eyes open as far as he could.

All the dark creatures were turned away from him, focused on something else. He followed their look, fighting to keep awake.

He just managed to make out a cloaked figure running toward him, a sword-like weapon in its right hand, before everything went black.

0000

Oswald leaped, flipped through the air, and slashed through the last of the Unversed before landing neatly on his feet. As they dissolved away, he whirled around and raced to the unconscious figure on the ground.

"Mick…" Oswald barely clamped his mouth shut in time. Turning Mickey onto his back, he placed a hand on the mouse's chest and cleared his mind. The icy wave of blackness that hit almost smothered him, and he was forced to pull out. He sensed that it hadn't taken over yet, but he also sensed that Mickey was fighting a losing battle. He needed help, and fast. Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, Oswald thought back to their past lessons in magic.

Did Master Yen Sid ever talk about this? He mentioned it once… did we learn how to deal with it?

He tried to remember, but nothing came to him. Oswald growled softly in frustration; it was a good bet Mickey learned about it, but he was in no condition to explain it. That left only one option.

Taking another deep breath, Oswald hoisted Mickey up over his shoulder. Just his luck… he'd spent weeks hiding, and now he had to see the two guys he was most scared of facing in one day. Looking around, he noticed a familiar looking vessel sitting nearby. An irritated smirk tugged at his face.

Still flyin' around in that thing… figures. Guess that means I'm gonna have t' smile th' whole darn way.

Opening the door, he hurried inside and scanned it, glad to see no major changes in the controls. Memories suddenly filled his mind: him and Mickey taking turns at them, laughing and daring each other to go faster or do some crazy stunt that would get them in big trouble. If only things could be that way again…

Oswald shook his head.

But they can't.

He gently set Mickey down, then, after hesitating a moment, took off his cloak and covered him up with it. It probably wouldn't do much for the unnatural chill, but it was all he could do.

Hang on, Mick… I won't let ya down. Not this time.

0000

Oswald tried his hardest to quell the fluttering and twisting in his stomach as he brought the Gummi ship down outside the tower. Not a thing had changed since he'd last seen it, even though it had been so many years ago. Once he'd powered down the ship, he jumped from the seat and rushed to Mickey's side. After taking a quick second to get his cloak back on and the hood up, he hoisted the mouse upright.

Mickey flinched weakly, letting out a faint whimper. Oswald swallowed hard before lifting him into his arms.

Just hang in there… it's gonna be okay.

After taking one more minute to steel himself Oswald hurried out of the ship and carried Mickey toward the tower, being careful not to jolt him too much. Just when he reached the door, it slowly swung open. Master Yen Sid stood on the other side, looking down at them.

Oswald stood frozen, suddenly feeling like a little kid about to be grounded. Even though his hood was up and hiding his face, he had a feeling the sorcerer was seeing right through it. His face remained calm when he spoke, although Oswald was sure he heard concern behind it.

"I saw the ship when you arrived. What happened?"

Oswald gulped hard, then managed to speak in a croaking voice.

"A-a bunch of dark Sorcerer things attacked him. He's in bad shape… I-I don' know enough to fix it."

The sorcerer quickly bent down, his hand hovering over Mickey's chest. His face grew even graver.

"He must have been off his guard. It is fortunate you came so quickly, or the darkness would have consumed him."

Oswald felt his throat tighten at those words, but swallowed the lump.

"C-can ya help him?"

Yen Sid looked up, and his face seemed to soften just a little.

"Yes, but it will take time."

With that he took Mickey from Oswald and headed toward the stairs. The rabbit stood where he was, completely baffled for a moment. Then he realized what the sorcerer was really saying. If Oswald wanted to leave now and keep Mickey from knowing he was here, Yen Sid wouldn't stop him.

His mind told him to go now, while he had the chance. There was no reason Mickey would even want to see him. Still, his feet remained planted as thoughts swirled in his mind like a hurricane.

You already turned your back on him once, a nagging voice whispered. You're really gonna do it again?

Oswald shook his head.

No, it's not like that! He's gonna be fine. I just… just…

The protest trailed off as he realized the real reason… he was scared. By itself, it suddenly didn't seem good enough.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Oswald sat down on the top step. He didn't want to just leave, but fear was still holding him back. Mickey had every reason to hate him, and did for all he knew. Sure, maybe Oswald saved him, but that couldn't possibly make up for everything.

Finally, he stood, and his feet seemed to lead him inside the tower. If he was going to face the music, it may as well be sooner than later.

0000

Mickey felt himself drifting back toward consciousness, and confusion flickered in his hazy mind. He was on something much softer than the ground and the suffocating darkness he'd been fighting was gone.

Wha… what's goin' on…

Slowly, he pushed his eyes open and blinked as he tried to register his surroundings.

"Mickey?"

The familiar voice made his heart jump and he turned his head, squinting.

"M-Minnie?"

That was all he got out before he was seized in a crushing embrace.

"Oh, Mickey! You had me worried sick!"

Mickey slowly sat up, feeling guilty at how upset she was. It was his fault this happened, after all. He'd been stupid enough to walk into that trap, to let his guard down like that.

"Aw, Minnie…" He returned her embrace, rubbing her back. "I'm so sorry… I didn't mean t'…"

Minnie cut him off with a passionate kiss, then began looking him over anxiously.

"Are you all right? How do you feel?"

"I'm okay, Min, honest," Mickey soothed, rubbing her arms. He hesitated. "Actually, I feel fine."

Minnie gave him another tight hug.

"Someone brought you to Master Yen Sid."

Despite his rush of gratitude, Mickey also had to suppress a groan. Odds were later he'd get an earful about the importance of being cautious.

"Wait, someone brought me here? Who was it?"

Minnie frowned in thought.

"I'm not sure… he always wears a hood and won't talk to anyone, but the others say he's helped them a lot."

"Oh yeah…" Mickey said. "They've mentioned some guy who helps out sometimes when there's trouble. Weird I've never run into him, though… wonder who he is."

0000

Oswald had found the most out of the way area possible and was still there. Everyone had quickly figured out he wasn't one for talking when he only replied with nods or grunts, so at least no one was bothering him. That still wasn't doing much for his nerves, though.

What idiot decided t' call it working up your nerves? They just build up.

"So… you ever gonna talk to the King or are you just gonna sit here and sulk?"

The sudden voice made Oswald jump. When he looked up, the silver-haired boy named Riku was standing there, looking down at him.

"Uh…" He coughed and deepened his voice. "What're you talkin' about?"

Riku sighed, but a slight smirk appeared on his face.

"Look, everyone here's figured out you know him somehow… they're just too polite to admit it."

Oswald gritted his teeth; apparently he wasn't as good at being incognito as he thought.

"So?"

"So I get that whatever happened was bad. Maybe I don't know what exactly, but trust me, I know how it feels to be ashamed of something."

Oswald couldn't hold back a bitter snort.

"Oh yeah? You ever let yourself get taken over by darkness and turn on everyone who ever cared about ya?"

There was a long pause, then Riku spoke again.

"Actually… yeah."

Stunned, Oswald looked up with wide eyes and a slack jaw. Riku was gazing off past him now, a distant look in his eyes tinged with undeniable sadness.

"It was the worst mistake I ever made in my life, and I was so sure nobody would ever forgive me for it. That I didn't even deserve to be forgiven for it."

He hesitated, then a smile crossed his formerly solemn face.

"But my friends, they didn't just forgive me… they never blamed me. I think they had more faith in me than I did in myself."

The distant look faded, and Oswald blinked in surprise as Riku looked at him with a look far wiser than his age.

"In the end, the thing I regret most is staying away from them so long. Not trusting them enough to think they'd understand."

Oswald stared up at him, his mind racing. Finally, he sighed and nodded.

"You're right." The rabbit gave Riku a faint smile. "Thanks."

0000

Mickey and Minnie turned as the door creaked open. A hooded figure stepped into the room, almost hesitantly. Mickey blinked in confusion, then his eyes widened in realization.

"You must be the guy who helped me. Thanks for everything."

The stranger didn't answer, but shifted on his feet as if uneasy. Mickey frowned, but before he could say anything, the figure stepped forward. Slowly, he lifted his hood.

Minnie's gasp seemed to come through a fog as Mickey stared, his heart hammering so hard he thought it was going to jump out of his chest. He tried to speak, but his throat was closed up. It took several gulps before he finally choked out a word.

"O… Oswald…?"

The rabbit managed a lopsided grin.

"Hey, Mick."

Mickey could only stare as his throat closed up again. Fearing that he was somehow dreaming, he pinched himself hard. He wasn't.

His eyes began to brim with tears as he slowly stood and walked up to Oswald, barely noticing his trembling legs. The rabbit swallowed hard and looked down, his voice quivering as he spoke.

"Mickey, I…"

Not bothering to hear the rest, Mickey grabbed Oswald and hugged him as tight as he could. All the sadness and regret he had kept buried so many years surged up to the surface.

"I'm sorry…" he whimpered, tears streaming down his face. "I'm sorry…"

Oswald returned the embrace, letting his own tears escape as he squeezed tight.

"No, Mick… I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry for everything. I-I don't know… if ya can ever forgive me…"

Mickey shook his head.

"I never had to, Os… it wasn't your fault." He choked back a sob. "I knew ya could beat it… I knew it."