Author's Note:
I decided, before proceeding with the story, to add some more to the beginning, such as details and characters. I've edited some of the story and dialog as well, and grammatical errors. Hopefully, it's all error free. Anyway, I decided from here on out to make each Chapter (excluding this one) the full story of a world. The next chapter will be a revised chapter of Academia, with the entire story with additions. After that, each Chapter will follow suit and focus on a single world's storyline.
Anyway, hope your not mad about the way I am changing this story up with formatting and editing. Anyway, let me know what you think about the new editions!
Cameos:
Seifer Almasy from Final Fantasy VIII
Prologue
Radiant Garden
"Are you sure?" Ienzo asked. He and Aeleus had sat in the lab to listen to Lea's story, but they didn't want to believe it. "Xehanort is back, and with a bigger fanbase than before."
"Trust me, I wish it wasn't true. Isa's with them now," Lea replied with a dismayed tone.
"This probably isn't the best time to tell you that Even and Dilan disappeared. Perhaps they joined up with Xehanort once again," Aeleus responded.
"It's definitely possible," Lea started. "Of the thirteen there, there was the old Xehanort himself, the young time traveler, Ansem, Xemnas, Isa and Braig - of the revealed members, at least. If Dilan and Even returned, then that's eight members. That still leaves the question of who the other four were, and who they'll get to replace Sora."
"I doubt anyone else of the Organization would be there," Ienzo deduced. "Larxene and Marluxia were traitors. Luxord is a gambler who would refuse to go back. And Demyx... Well, I doubt Xehanort would even want Demyx."
"Did Xehanort mention anything else?" Aeleus asked.
"There was some talk of time travel, so those four might be Xehanort throughout time, but..." Lea began.
"Knowing Xehanort, it can't be that easy," Ienzo replied.
"He hid a lot from us," Lea said. "He talked about how 'one of the Lights' was on his side, too."
"Perhaps a past Keyblade wielder," Ienzo started. "I remember the true Ansem talked of finding Xehanort with the armor of a woman and a Keyblade. Perhaps that woman is apart of his Organization. Not to mention the reports of a masked boy with a Key-shaped sword that were running about back then."
"Eitehr way, we weren't part of the plan," Aeleus said. "If we were, surely we would have either been with Braig and Isa, or been as Dilan and Even had been."
"It's because our hearts are stronger than them," Lea said. "What ever the case, I don't plan on letting Xehanort have his way. Not anymore."
"Count us in," Ienzo said, and Aeleus replied. "After some many years of wrong choices, it's time to do what is right."
Mysterious Tower
"Master Yen Sid, are you sure this is the best idea?" Riku asked. The young man sat in a chair in front of Yen Sid's desk in the Mysterious Tower. Sitting beside him was Mickey, who looked quite worried as did Riku.
"I understand your worry for your friend, Riku, but I am afraid that this must be done," Yen Sid replied. "Xehanort already has an army of 12 darknesses and will be trying to find a 13th to replace Sora. Of our seven lights, there is you, Mickey, and Sora who are present. We have Roxas, Terra, Ventus, and Aqua still out of commission, and I'm not entirely sure if Lea will be taking part in the battle. Not to mention that Kairi herself houses one of those in pain that needs to be rescued. It only makes sense that we train her now rather than wait for Xehanort to take her and use her against us. It is for her own protection."
"I understand that, sir. But, when you asked me to bring Kairi here I thought it was for protection, not to be trained for a battle she shouldn't be apart of," Riku responded.
"And what I intend to do is give her protection. The girl has the capability to wield, even if it is unknown what bearer initially gave her the ability. The truth is she needs to learn how to control it because she's going to be a target in this war, and maybe even further out of sight. She's a Princess of Heart, Riku, and a Keyblade Contender," Yen Sid said, and began to rise out of his chair and stood up. He moved away from them and turned to look out the window, sharing a look of dread. "To take away her one choice to be able to defend herself would be cruel and ill-advised. You and Sora cannot protect her forever. You can't try to hide her from our enemies because your afraid she'll get hurt. She knows the risks, Riku. It's her decision to make. She is with Merlin and the three fairies, trying to catch up just as we did with Lea."
"Gosh, I sure wish everything didn't have to be this way. If we had acted before now, maybe Kairi wouldn't have had to get involved," Mickey said aloud. "But, she's strong, just like you and Sora, Riku. After all, she's spent practically her whole life with you two. And don't you remember when we were going to fight Xemnas?"
"I gave her a Keyblade," Riku said. "I used Xehanort's Heartless to dual-wield like Sora could with Roxas. But the blade changed to how she saw it when I gave it to her. I guess it was because they both had origins in Radiant Garden. We were even going to have her go into the battle with Xemnas."
"It's because you knew at that moment, Riku, that she could handle things herself. Sure, she may not be as experienced as you, but strength comes from one's heart, not just time building up power!" Mickey said, and smiled. Riku looked down at him and smiled back.
"You're right. She needs me to believe in her, after all, I guess we are short on Guardians. And hey, she's pretty strong. I just worry, she's never really been involved in this - even when this all began, she didn't come into it until late in the game. I don't want to see anything bad happen to her," Riku said.
"Don't worry about it," a voice said from behind Riku. Mickey and Riku turned around to see Lea coming in from the next room smiling. "I'll watch out for her, alright? Least I can do, after what I did to her. Besides, we'll be training together, so I'll make sure I make her apart of the Dark Rescue squad!"
Riku continued to smile, as did Mickey, and Riku nodded his head, knowing that he could put his doubts to rest for now.
"I wonder how we'll explain this one to Sora, though," Riku said.
"Speaking of which, Lea, why are you back so soon?" Mickey asked.
"I called him here," Yen Sid replied. "To run an errand for us. After all, he's the only one who can truly move throughout corridors of darkness without having his own heart stained."
"You can thank this little buddy right here," Lea said as he pointed at his coat. "So, what's the mission?"
Radiant Garden
Meanwhile, the sun was slowly starting to descend in the sky of Radiant Garden. Many of the inhabitants were walking about the large market place, buying items and chatting. There was much joy in each of the denizens as they bustled around. Donald and Goofy immediately entered the crowd, having just arrived at the world via their Gummi Ship.
"You sure he can send us there, Donald?" Goofy asked his companion, as they walked down the street. "After all, Master Yen Sid was troubled enough with sending Sora and Riku there. Why aren't we having Master Yen Sid send us there, anyway?"
"You wanted to do something important, didn't you?" Donald asked. "Well then, we're gonna need to go and find a way into the Realm of Sleep to go get Sora. Something doesn't feel right about him being there by himself."
"I guess you're right - after all, one of the Xehanorts might even try to go after him! The plan failed once but we can't just neglect to keep our friend safe because we think they won't try again," Goofy said.
Suddenly, a loud scream erupted from behind the two, and they immediately turned around to see a large group of Neo-Shadows suddenly appearing, attempting to attack the citizens. Donald summoned his staff as Goofy brought out his shield and they both looked at each other and nodded, and then ran toward the Heartless.
"Thundaza!" Donald shouted loudly, holding his staff high in the air as he jumped off the ground at the enemies, and a large thunder storm descended from the sky and attacked each of the Heartless with a harsh hit, stunning about ten of them. Goofy then ran in shield-first, crashing through hordes of the Neo-Shadows and turning them each into dark smoke as he finished the stunned ones off. The remaining group of the Neo-Shadows began to twitch, and launched into the air with their claws drawn to assault Donald and Goofy.
"Get ready!" Donald said to Goofy, as Goofy knelt on the ground and held his shield above his head, using both arms. Donald jumped onto the shield, and immediately Goofy propelled him into the air to counter-attack the oncoming Heartless. Donald began to spin his staff around in mid-air as he flew forward, and the aimed it straight at the oncoming Heartless. "Tornado!" he shouted, and a large wind was summoned from the staff and surrounded the enemies. They each were tossed around in the storm, knocking into each other, until finally Donald threw his staff downwards and the storm exploded, hurling all the Heartless downward. As each one hit the ground it turned into dark smoke, all except for one that had landed right behind Goofy.
"Goofy, watch out!" Donald yelled as he began to fall back to the ground. Goofy was confused and began to turn around just as the Neo-Shadow was about to attack, but the creature was suddenly tossed against the wall of one of the shops. Donald landed immediately on the ground and hit the Heartless with a simple fire spell, destroying it, and then ran back to where Goofy was, but stopped as he stared at the person standing by Goofy.
"Kairi!" the duo shouted, as she stood in front of Goofy with her Keyblade in hand, panting and still in a stabbing pose from when she had hit the Heartless before it could reach Goofy. Donald arrived where Goofy stood, the two both in awe as she stood up carefully and turned towards them.
"Donald! Goofy! I'm so glad you two are here," she said, smiling through her exhausted condition. "You guys were great!"
"You were, too, Kairi. Thanks for helping us out," Goofy said, smiling back.
"Where's Merlin? Weren't you supposed to be training with him?" Donald asked.
"I was," Kairi started, "but the others said that there was something important at the castle so he took off. I was practicing a little by myself when I heard the commotion and ran over. You guys really thrashed those Heartless."
"Aw shucks, it was nothin'," Goofy responded. "besides, I bet had you been here earlier you would have been able to clear them out just as fast with your Keyblade!"
"No," Kairi frowned, and shook her head. "I'm just starting out, You saw me attack that Heartless that was trying to get you. All I could do was toss it away - it didn't disappear from one strike like you guys could do against them."
"Well Sora was just as bad when he first started," Donald said. "I'm sure that you're going to catch up with Sora and Riku in no time."
"I hope so," Kairi said, as she looked down at her Keyblade, Destiny's Embrace, and gripped it tightly. "I've relied on them so much, you know... I can't wait to see Sora's face when he sees I have a Keyblade now, too. Wait," Kairi said, looking at the two. "I know where Merlin took me was a more time-flexible area, but shouldn't you guys be with Sora? Or is Master Yen Sid debriefing him on something?"
"Well, uh..." Goofy began to say, but Donald interrupted.
"Sora hasn't come back yet. We asked Master Yen Sid to send up in to go bring him out, but he told us that he couldn't." Donald responded.
"But isn't he the one who sent Sora and Riku in the first time?" Kairi asked.
"I think he just doesn't want to send us in because he's afraid that something could happen again," Goofy said. "But that's why me and Donald here are on our way to go see Merlin."
"We need to go after Sora," Donald said. "It's getting boring sitting around doing nothing!"
"Trust me, I know the feeling, " Kairi said. "If you two are going to go get Sora from the Realm of Sleep, then I am coming with you!"
"Gee, we sure would love for you to, Kairi," Goofy began. "But don't you have a mission from Master Yen Sid?"
"No," she said. "Well, unless this training counts as a mission, but I already know how to wield and I can hold my own now. I'm sure he won't mind."
"What Goofy meant to say," Donald started, "is that when we got here, we saw Lea leaving and he said Master Yen Sid called him for some 'real important mission.' We just figured he sent word to you as well."
"No..." Kairi said. "Would you guys mind if I borrow the Gummi Ship? I mean, you guys need to go see Merlin anyway, right?"
"Sure," Goofy said. Donald immediately pulled on Goofy's arm though, and turned him away from Kairi into a huddled position.
"Goofy," Donald whispered, "is it really a good idea to let Kairi have the Gummi Ship - alone? You remember the first time we let Sora drive, don't you?" Donald shuddered, seeming to recall the memory.
"Come on, Donald, what's the worst that could happen?" Goofy said with a smile.
"Aw phooey!" Donald said, and then the two turned back around toward her.
"Don't crash into anything!" Donald said, demanding.
"I promise I'll keep it in tip-top shape," Kairi said.
"If ya need any help, there's a communicator in there to talk to Chip & Dale. They're from our world and know everything about flying and Gummi Ships. They could even auto-pilot for you to Master Yen Sid's tower!" Goofy said.
"I think I'll have to take them up on that offer, then," Kairi said. "Better to be safe than sorry. Thank you, guys. And as soon as you find Sora, don't tell him about me. I want to surprise him, okay?"
"Okay," Donald said. The two then turned around and began to walk off.
"Bye Kairi!" Goofy said, waving.
"Bye Goofy! Bye Donald!" Kairi said, waving back as they walked off. By now the marketplace had slowly started to fill up again with the Heartless threat gone, and Kairi stood, confused. 'So Master Yen Sid called this Lea guy for a mission,' she thought to herself.'He's supposed to be Axel's real person. If that's true, and he's also training with Master Yen Sid, that means I'll be training alongside the man who tried to kidnap me.' Kairi sighed, and then turned toward where she could sense the Gummi Ship was parked, dismissed her blade, and began to run so she could make it back in a hurry. 'Wherever Master Yen Sid is sending him, I know I have to come, too. Something in my heart... It can sense something is missing.'
Mysterious Tower
"So, what's the mission?" Lea asked, as he stood in front of Yen Sid's desk. Both Mickey and Riku were no longer around, and it was solely just them.
"You must know by now about those in torment, yes?" Master Yen Sid said, sitting in his chair. "We have reason to believe that a friend of ours is in the Dark Realm."
"So then you want me to dive in, right?" Lea said. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I don't understand why you're sending me into the Dark Realm. Mickey went down there once already, shouldn't he know the layout? Didn't Riku even spend a bit of time down there after the whole Ansem fiasco with Mickey?"
"I cannot send either one of them," Yen Sid replied. "Right now, I sent them to go collect the Princesses that are still in this realm and warn them of what is to come. This realm needs those two, seeing as how Sora is still in the Realm of Sleep and Kairi is barely learning to wield."
"I get it - besides, it's better for me to go in, what with my coat preventing any type of darkness getting in. Not exactly sure those two can just find some lying around to journey on in with. How did Mickey even get down there the first time, anyway? Wouldn't you need to open a corridor of darkness?"
"Mickey did what he had to to make it down there," Yen Sid said. "But this is not just a simple task. I am afraid that even through Sora's adventures of restoring worlds, some worlds still lie in the darkness. I can only believe that Xehanort had a hand in this, since some of those worlds are worlds that the Princesses reside in."
"Alright. So, you want to get our friend who is down there and then gather up the Princesses? Not exactly sure it's safe to let any of them cross through a dark corridor. How will I bring them back up here?"
"You won't - not physically. You must understand, that when Sora and Mickey closed the Door to Darkness, it was because they each possessed a Keyblade of the light realm and one of the darkness. Therefore, it stands to reason that these world that are down there can be unlocked and rescued the same way."
"Let me guess," Lea said. "I go grab the girl, and together we unlock these worlds? I'm guessing she has the Keyblade of light, so I'm the darkness. Correct?"
"No," Yen Sid said, shaking his head. "Master Eraqus, the Master of Terra, Ventus, and Aqua, possessed a Keyblade of Darkness. Aqua did as well, though neither knew that there origins were from darkness. You possess one born of light. Mickey and I tried to locate Master Eraqus' Keyblade first when Maleficent was gathering the Princesses so he wouldn't have to dive into the Dark Realm, but it was lost. I believe Aqua may have it, and even if she doesn't, she will still possess her blade, so you two can save those worlds. But you have to find her first."
"I can take it this won't be an easy job, will it?" Lea asked, more to himself. "What happens if I can't find her? I understand that she was a Master, but the Dark Realm isn't a playground. If she's gone, then I'm going to need back-up, otherwise all those worlds are going to be stuck there until you send me one of our faithful soldiers."
"Send me," Kairi said, as she stood in the doorway, panting from running.
"Yo, Kairi, when did you-" Lea began to say, but Kairi interrupted.
"I want to go, too. I can wield now, and I don't want to just sit around and watch from the sidelines as everyone gets ready to fight," Kairi said. "If the other Princesses are in trouble, then I should be allowed to help them. After all, I'm one of them."
"I cannot send you, Kairi," Yen Sid said.
"Why not?" Kairi asked.
"I gotta agree with Kairi, Master Yen Sid. I'd say she has the best chance of guiding anyone through that darkness."
"I cannot," Yen Sid replied. "Kairi, you must understand, you have just begun to learn the art of the Keyblade. Sending you into a realm powerful enough to annihilate a Master would be irrational. I'm having a hard enough time sending Lea in because we need him, but we also need someone to free the lights in the darkness, and since he walked through darkness he stands a great chance against this threat."
"But this 'friend' you keep talking about, what if she is gone, whoever she is? I could tell from the moment I got this blade from Riku that it was of the darkness. One darkness and one light can free the worlds down there. I want to help free those worlds. Otherwise, what is the point in training me?"
"You must understand, Kairi, you are a large target for the Organization. I can easily guess the moment Lea enters the realm there will be more enemies than just the Heartless waiting for him. I cannot let the Organization get a hold of you, too. You're to be a Guardian and already a princess of Heart. You are too important and not skilled enough to go on such a treacherous journey."
"I don't care!" Kairi said. "Friends of mine are down there! When this all began, both Sora and Riku risked their lives trying to help me, even though they went down different paths. And once they finally saved me, they still kept forward even though they had no clue what they were doing. I can't just stand around anymore."
"The answer is no, Kairi," Master Yen Sid said.
"I guess it is for the best, Kairi," Lea said. "It's dangerous enough down there, but I can't have you go with me, either. You might be a handicap, even if you do have the Keyblade. You're too new at this. I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry, Master Yen Sid," Kairi started, "but I signed on to help my friends, not to simply wait. I've done enough of that. It's my turn to finally help. I understand if you see me as unfit to pursue this road..." Kairi said, as she summoned Destiny's Embrace and held it in her right hand. "But this is my decision. I don't care about becoming a Master. All I want is to help my friends!"
Kairi immediately turned away and ran out of the tower, as Lea and Master Yen Sid stood there, Lea amused and Yen Sid looking weary. Finally, Lea began to walk off.
"Guess it's time to go play hero. I'll be back in a jiffy, alright?" Lea said, sand then waved without turning around. "If things go bad down there..."
"I have faith in you, Lea," Yen Sid replied. With that, Lea simply chuckled, and then walked out of the room.
Lanes Between
As Kairi coasted through space in the Gummi Ship, having asked Chip & Dale to just drive her aimlessly from their auto-pilot system, she felt depressed. She had no idea of how to even access the Realm of Darkness other than when a world fell, and even then she'd probably wind up in another world and not the the realm itself. Kairi had even left her post as an apprentice to Master Yen Sid because she couldn't stand being coddled anymore. She understand that she wasn't at the same level as the others, but more training wasn't going to help. What Kairi wanted was a real adventure, a real mission to prepare her for what was coming. It seemed once again that everyone was trying to protect her again. While Yen Sid was for teaching her how to fight, he wasn't for letting her actually use it. She began to wonder if anyone ever planned on letting her help, instead of just trying tot each her a way to protect herself and to stay in hiding. Enough time had passed for that phase, she wasn't willing to just sit around anymore and let Riku and Sora ascend even further in front of her so she could never catch up.
"Where did I go wrong?" Kairi asked herself.
And then it occurred to her, what Sora had told her when he talked about how he entered The World That Never Was; Twilight Town had a gateway to lead to the Realm of In-between. If she could get there, she knew for sure that a path to the Dark Realm must be there as well.
"Chip, Dale, set a course for Twilight Town. I know what I need to do now."
Radiant Garden
"Well, I suppose I might be stepping on some bad toes, but I say yes if Sora is in danger! The boy is such a great help," Merlin said to Donald and Goofy. The three were in one of the castle's labs in Radiant Garden.
"Thank ya, Merlin, we sure appreciate this!" Goofy said.
"Nonsense, you don't need to thank me," Merlin replied. "Why, I would go with you two if it weren't for what is going on here. Kairi went to Master Yen Sid's, but even now I'm still busy."
"What is going on here, anyway, Merlin?" Donald asked.
"Well, the Organization members you defeated are whole again, which you know. Two of them, Ienzo and Aeleus, have been helping us rewire the world's defense, and even look for some sort of clue as to why Xehanort was at this lab. We've found some secret passages, but each one closes off at one point or another that I suspect only Xehanort knew how to navigate through. After all, they said Xemnas would come here often when they were Nobodies. If we are correct, there could be a key to beating Xehanort here and stopping him before he can try to cause a war!" Merlin said, as he was sorting papers with his wand. "Oh listen to me, now I'm winding on and on. You two want to go to the Realm of Sleep, right?"
The duo nodded, and the Merlin stopped organizing and felt the papers as they were in mid-air, pointing his hand away.
"Alright then. Shall we get started?" Merlin said.
Twilight Town
Kairi faced immediate problems before she could go further - when she landed the Gummi Ship, she realized she had no idea what to do with it. She couldn't remember if Sora had ever mentioned a cloaking device, or how they typically hid it. She even wondered if they did hide it - after all, this was Sora she was talking about.
"Great, what am I going to do with you?" Kairi said to the Gummi Ship, even though she knew reply would come. She was in the forest outside of town, and was thankful for that, because she truly had no idea what she was going to do with the ship. "Ugh, this is so not happening..."
Kairi began to pace back and forth in front of the ship, thinking to herself, trying to come up with a plan, when an idea sprung to her head and she nearly jumped in glee with the idea.
"That's it!" Kairi ran directly in front of the ship and held out her left palm, and stared at the ship with a determined look. "Alright princess of Light powers, you've done a few things here and there, time to show me what you got! I command you to disguise this ship!"
Kairi, having not really expected anything to really happen, was surprised when an orb of energy appeared from her left hand and swallowed the ship whole, and then the light fused with the ship and cloaked it. Kairi could sense it was still there, but now hidden.
"I... I can't believe that actually worked," Kairi said, a little freaked. "That was a bit gimmicky for a power..."
"Such is the power of light," a masculine voice replied from behind her. Kairi, surprised, quickly spun around, and saw a hooded man in a black robe just like the Organization's. Instead of being frightened, Kairi found herself more bored than anything.
"Oh great, so a Xehanort came to ambush me," Kairi mumbled to herself. "Look, I get that it's your life's duty to, oh I dunno, be cryptic and boring, but I sort of have people to save and-"
"You left your Master," the voice replied. As the man stood there, mere feet away from her, Kairi couldn't help but notice how tall he was and how much of a presence of darkness lied in him.
"Well, he was never really my Master," Kairi replied.
"You left to save your friends, right? or to prove yourself, to prove you could be a Master to? Even with a heart of light, you can still act rash and without reason. Looks like not only can you fall to darkness..."
"Look, if you're gonna fight me, just get on with it. I'm not Sora or Riku, I have this thing where I hate speeches. So really, can you get this done now?"
The man turned away and began to walk off as a portal appeared, but then stopped.
"A pure heart of light..." the man said, and brought his head to his forehead like he was confused, but then shook it off immediately and left through the portal. "I wonder... how long is it before you realize that you're incomplete..."
Once he disappeared, Kairi stood frozen in the same position she was in, with a serious expression, but it fell and she did as well. She fell onto her knees and looked frightened more than she thought was possible.
"It's okay, Kairi," she said to herself. "You handled that like a pro. Showed those villains! Ha. Ha. Ha." Kairi started to nervously laugh. It took her a minute before her body finally recuperated, but once it recovered she picked herself back up, and seemed better than she had been before. "Alright, time to go save some friends."
Kairi waltzed in to town through the gaping hole, and saw many people bustling around the buildings and markets. The world was just the way she had remembered it; she was glad. This world had felt so familiar to her, almost like her own, yet different in so many ways. She hoped finding her old friends would be easy.
"Hey!" a masculine voice shouted to her left. Kairi looked at the entrance from the sandlot, and saw Seifer coming toward her. She hadn't spent nearly as much time with him as she had with Hayner Pence, and Olette, but she was glad to see a familiar face.
"Seifer?" She noticed something very different about the boy now - he seemed to have grown more emotionally from the look in his eyes, like forced aging. He carried a long gunblade strapped to his back, as well. Seeing the boy carrying a weapon brought mild concern to the Keyblade wielder.
"It's been awhile, huh?" he asked with a smug grin. She noticed how cocky it was, and it annoyed her, but he had been very polite and nice to her, so she didn't have a problem with him. Kairi knew his gang used to have problems with Hayner, Pence and Olette, but that had been resolved long ago. She hoped the truce had remained permanent.
"What's with the big guns?" Kairi asked. "You look like you've been through war."
Seifer's grin faded, and his face simply remained solitary for a moment.
"You missed a lot. After you and your friends saved the world, a lot happened here. The darkness found a way in... an easier way. There have been Heartless all over the grounds. A lot of places aren't safe anymore, and even places like this are a danger, but we try."
"Heartless, huh?" Kairi wondered. "Look, if you need help-"
"Don't take this the wrong way, but I doubt you can help, Kairi," Seifer replied. "Besides, this isn't your home. No need for you to be trying to play the hero."
"I'm not that same helpless girl from before," Kairi muttered. "Do you know where I can find the others?"
Seifer took a moment to think, looking over Kairi with an unsure expression.
"Well, Hayner and his gang should be up in the Market Street. They've been securing that area," Seifer began. "My gang and I have been keeping an eye on the Station Heights and the sandlot, making sure no one is in trouble. Sunset Hill and all the trains have officially been cut off. Sad, considering that was one of our ways of getting to the beach."
"Wait, Pence and Olette are guards now? It seems a little unthinkable for Hayner, but the other two... Have things become that bad?"
Kairi turned to look up at the Clock Tower, feeling remorseful. The world was slowly falling as her's had, and leaving for the Realm of Darkness so soon would be pointless if she had to go back for this world, too. She refused to let this world fall, but she also couldn't dilly-dally.
"I promise, whatever it takes, I'll help. I have an idea... I'll go find the others," Kairi said to seifer, and began to walk off.
"Hey, you can't go alone!" he shouted, starting to follow. Kairi triumphantly summoned Destiny's Embrace in her right hand, and held it before Seifer. He was speechless.
"Like I said, I'm different now. I'm not helpless anymore. This time, I'm going to help."
Seifer simply nodded his head with amusement, and smiled.
"Alright, Princess. Just remember, if you need any help, there's a Knight waiting right here!"
Kairi proceeded through the vast area without a single encounter with Heartless, and made it to the Market Street. Immediately she was greeted by an old friend's endearing voice.
"Kairi!" Olette yelled. Kairi looked over her shoulder and saw Olette waving at her from a store.
"Well that was easy..." Kairi mumbled to herself. "Olette!" she shouted back as her friend ran over. Olette hugged Kairi and then pulled away, excited.
"Kairi, what are you doing back here? Finally visiting us like we hoped you would, huh?" Olette asked.
"Yeah, kinda," Kairi replied. "Actually, I came here to find you, Hayner, and Pence. I'm on a mission right now."
"Whoa, seriously?!" Olette replied. "We were getting worried since none of you ever came back until now... But then Pence was in the computer lab where we sent Sora, Donald and Goofy off and we got a message from a cute, digital looking Sora. But still, you guys should have let us know you were okay!" Olette replied, pretending to be upset, but Kairi could see she wasn't.
"I'm sorry," Kairi replied. "I guess we were just so surprised after everything calmed down for a few months, we didn't even really think about checking up on everyone..."
"So, what are you on an adventure here for?" Olette asked.
"It'll be easier if I can explain to to the three of you at once," Kairi replied. "Where are they?"
"I'll take them to you," Olette replied. She made a motion for Kairi to follow her, and she began to lead her back outside of town. "They're at the mansion. Ever since we learned it really is deserted, excluding a few Heartless and some of those Nobodies, we've been investigating it."
"Isn't that a bit dangerous?" Kairi asked.
"Hey, when we realized how useless we were around you guys, we figured we had to strength up. We even teamed up with Seifer and his gang to help this town with defense. It's getting dangerous out there."
"Before we go, I think I have an idea for your Heartless problem," Kairi started to say.
"What is it?" Olette asked aloud.
Villain's Vale
"I'm tellin' ya, Maleficent! Whatever you's thinkin', teamin' up with Xehanort and his little group, it's bad! We can't trust those guys!" Pete yelled.
"You idiot," Maleficent replied as she turned towards him. "Those fools couldn't amount to anything other than a distraction for the Keyblade brat and his friends. Xehanort is our only threat, and right now I'm using him to the fullest."
"But Maleficent, you're doin' everything he's been tellin' ya to do! Like when we went and kidnapped Minnie!" Pete replied.
"Pete, you have no understanding of how this game is played... Let Xehanort think I'm his pawn. Soon, he'll see how much of a threat I can be," she replied, while smiling. It was then that Diablo came swooping in through the large gap in the wall, and landed directly on Maleficent's finger. She smiled at her raven, and began stroking it. "My, what do you have for me?"
Diablo began crowing many different things at her, and when it stopped, Maleficent seemed even more pleased than before, but Pete was just as confused as ever.
"What did he say, Maleficent!?" Pete asked.
"It's time we found a new layout, Pete," Maleficent replied. "This place has become a hassle to maintain. In my absence you let it slip into the hands of those old peasants, and now it's heart has grown too strong. We need a new world to conquer, one closer to darkness. And Diablo has found the perfect place."
"I assume then," an elder voice began, and a figure began to walk out from the shadows, "that this is the world you have stated I will be overseeing?" As the figure made itself known, Pete was surprised to see Frollo standing before Maleficent, smiling.
"You! What're you doing here?! Your world fell a long time ago!" Pete gasped.
"I rescued him from darkness's clutches just in time," Maleficent replied, dryly joking. "It seems you will serve a use to us after all, Judge Frollo. Can I assume that you will take full responsibility in care of our destined world in my absence?"
"You're leavin'? At a time like THIS?!" Pete replied.
"You can entrust it to me, trust me," Frollo replied. "I will purge the world of any who threaten to oppose our new Order that is coming."
"It is time to finally enact our plan," Maleficent replied. "After all, our key player is about to enter journey into the Realm of Darkness, and gives us a new fortress of which to use while Xehanort and the Keyblade wielders duke it out. And then, while they are distracted... Kingdom Hearts shall be mine."
Twilight Town
"Whoa," Hayner finally said after a long silence. The trio of friends and Kairi sat in the computer room, as she filled them in on everything she had learned from Yen Sid about the new plot. "That's... Whoa."
"So, Sora," Pence replied. "He still hasn't returned?"
"No," Kairi replied. "But Donald and Goofy are going to get him, so I know he'll be safe. Sora taught me to have faith in my friends, even when it seemed their darkness nearly took them away."
"So then I guess, the best thing to do would be to send you into the digital Twilight Town, right?" Pence replied. "After all, you can access the Dark Realm from wherever it is that Sora used. Then you can go down there and help free the worlds."
"I still can't believe the guy who kidnapped you is on our side..." Olette replied.
"Who knows whose side he is on," Kairi replied. "All I know is, he's my ticket on getting those worlds out from there. So I have to help. Oh, before I forget..."
Kairi fumbled with the backpack she had, and pulled out four large, white glowing rocks.
"These rocks are enchanted. They are meant to create a safety to camp so no darkness can harm you. But, I thought you guys could find a way to use it for the town. Maybe even amplify it so it can reach long ranges."
"Kairi, won't you need those?" Pence asked.
"You need it more. Besides, I'll be fine in the darkness. There's nothing to fear down there so long as you have your friends in your heart."
"Well then, I guess there is only one thing we can do," Hayner replied, and then stood up. Kairi was a bit curious as to what he had to say, but both Olette and Pence were looking down and shaking their heads, knowing what he was about to announce. "The three of us will just have to go down into the Dark Realm with you!"
"I appreciate the idea," Kairi replied, "but I can't let you do that."
"Why not?" Hayner asked.
"Hayner, no offense, but we're nowhere near as strong as Kairi is," Pence replied. "We've been learning basic combat for a few months just to defend our home. Kairi has been training for a year with a Keyblade and has been through a world darker than our's!"
'Okay, so I may have exaggerated just a bit,' Kairi thought to herself, a little nervous.
"More reason why we should go down there and help her!" Hayner replied.
"Look, Hayner, I understand your desire to help but... You need to stay here," Kairi replied. "This world needs you three more than you know," she replied. "In a way, you three actually remind me... of me, Riku, and Sora. We don't need a repeat of that though... Stay here and defend your world. It's what it needs you to do," Kairi replied. The three stayed silent, all flattered, but Hayner slightly disappointed.
"Okay," Hayner replied. "Just know, if you need us, send us a sign somewhere. We'll go right in and help you."
"Thanks, I appreciate it," Kairi said, smiling. "I know it'll be dangerous, but... I think this," she said, motioning to her necklace, "will help protect me down there. So, let's get started then, shall we?"