Kingdom Hearts: Live or Die Part 3 - Sacrifice

by krazykeybladegal

Continuing right after Part 2, Sora is sent on another quest to gather up the remaining members of his family. He is faced with more obstacles from the Darkness and is burdened with the task to destroy Kiari. More secrets are reavealed and more questions arise from Sora's encounters as he wonders or not if he can finish the tasks given to him. (OC's from games/anime are in this.)

1. Chapter 1 - Gathering Together

Prologue

There was only one more thing that was left for Sora to do.

Surrender.

But, after everything he'd been through. After all of his struggling and all of his fighting, he couldn't just give up. There had to be another option. He stared at the brute that was holding him down and at the sword that was lingering over his body.

He caught his own reflection off of the sword and then somehow came up with an idea. His heart protested against it, but what he thought of was the only way to get away. It was the only way to free himself from Kiari's clutches. If she got her hands on him, the world would be in even worse ruin.

Taking a deep breath, Sora readied himself. He knew exactly what he had to do.

Day 18

Gathering Together

"So, I'm curious, what are you going to do now?"

"Why didn't you tell me that Sota was going to die, Fate? Why?"

"Like I said before, it's a rule; I cannot tell mortals of their future."

"You could have still stopped him from dying. It was your choice to choose whether he'd be killed or not, and you let him die."

"He died protecting you, Sora. You can't change that now. You can't change the Fate that I have already chosen."

"Shut up, I don't feel like cooperating with Fate."

"That's harsh. I was the one who saved your ass the last few times you were in trouble, and this is my thanks. I could erase you with the snap of my finger."

"Then why don't you do so?"

"I've already picked what I'm going to do with you."

"Just leave me alone and get out of my head. I have a lot of thinking I need to do."

"Suite yourself. But, next time, don't come crying to me when you need help."

"Don't worry. I won't."

The rain had finally stopped and Sora was back in Bardroy's house, sitting on the front porch. If he entered the house now, it felt as if he were intruding. Even though Bardroy was his uncle, he had never met the man and didn't know whether he'd feel good or not about Sora snooping through his things.

Sora looked up at the dark sky that was now finally starting to grow light. It's morning now. I guess I should get moving. My family. . .

They're out there somewhere. I have to find them.

He stood up and then headed off into the woods. So, four siblings. . . Two brothers. Two sisters. This shouldn't be too hard. But. . . I have to find them first. Sota said that Sanji and Savannah were in an orphanage. That may be a problem. . . Where are they now? Sora Lee is in the castle, but what about Samantha? Shoot, this may be harder than I thought.

It didn't take long for Sora to spot the doorway that led back to the Dominion of Darkness. He eyed the keyhole in the tree and summoned his Keyblade. He quickly spun around when he thought he heard a noise behind him.

"Sota?" He looked around. "Sota?" He lowered his head sadly, remembering well that his father was dead. Get him out of your mind Sora. . . He's gone. Pointing his Keyblade at the tree engraved with the keyhole, Sora watched as a bright light shot out and then flowed into the the keyhole. The light expanded, creating a large doorway.

Sora immediately stepped through.

The Hell on earth was just as Sora remembered it; hellish and dark.

Sora stared at the area. He was standing just outside the creepy forest that him and Riku had arrived in so long ago. Ahead of him, somewhat off in the distance, was Kiari's Kavern. The large castle towered over mostly everything in the area.

Sneaking closer to the castle took some work, but it was worth it because nothing had tried to stop him. I can't just go through the front door. . . Sora thought, staring at the lowered drawbridge. There has to be another way inside. A back door maybe.

Sora hid in the trees and walked closer to the side of the castle. He quickly dashed across the open area and jumped into the river that flowed past the castle so he wouldn't get spotted. When he made sure the coast was clear, he climbed out of the river and then raced over the the stone wall. Looking around first, he slowly edged around the castle. He had to be careful not to take a wrong step; one fault and he would fall into the chasm.

His heart started to ache when he stared down at it, but he didn't know why. That was when he remembered that Riku was down there somewhere. Sora swallowed and then quickly turned his attention back to finding another way into Kiari's Kavern. The only way for Sora to avenge his friend was to defeat Kiari. But first, he had to find a way to her chamber.

Sora stopped when he got to a corner and then carefully peered around it. What he was looking at must have been the Courtyard of the castle. The chasm that took up most of the left area of the Dominion of Darkness somewhat cut into the right of the area, making a large cliff.

Nobody was in the courtyard, so Sora advanced deeper into it. Straight ahead, he recognized the exit to the treacherous Labyrinth. And, from what Sota said, this is where he saw Sora Lee, standing in the window. Looking up at the lightened windows, Sora waited. There was no movement whatsoever.

The entrance to the courtyard led into the castle, and he knew that that was where he needed to go. If Sora Lee was there only about two days ago, odds were, he was still in there somewhere. As he went to enter Kiari's layer, something caught his eye. Looking over his shoulder, Sora turned around when he saw another lighted up building. It wasn't too far away.

That's funny. . . Sota never mentioned that building before. . . Studying the path that led up to the building, it looked like it was rarely used. I wonder what's up there. . . Maybe Sota never even saw that place before. . . Or maybe he didn't mention it for a reason. . .

Sora sighed. Where to go. . ? The Kavern, or that building? Just as Sora went to enter the Kavern, he heard footsteps.

Someone was heading his way from inside the building.

Praying that whoever it was didn't see him, Sora quickly dived to the left and ran around the corner of the castle where he had come from. Careful not to take the wrong step into the chasm, Sora peeked one eye back towards the courtyard.

It was a man. He wasn't young, but he wasn't old either; about the same age as Sota. He stood still for a moment and scratched his head, his fingers running through his silvery blonde hair. He glanced around the area at first, and then turned his attention to the mysterious building to the right of Kiari's Kavern. He sighed and then headed towards the path. Sora heard him muttering, "Damn bitch. . . Ordering me around. . . Who the hell does she think she is? I'm the one in charge." Whoever it was walked slowly, as if he were taking his good old time to get up to that unknown structure.

Who is that. . ? I've never seen him before. . . If he heading towards that building, then I want to know why. His curiosity getting the best of him, Sora slowly trailed behind the man. The man only stopped once, glancing back and forth.

Damn it. . . I need to be more quiet or else he might just realize that I'm following him. When he got closer to the building, Sora paused.

In size, the structure wasn't as big as Kiari's Kavern, but it exceeded any house by a long shot. Bars made it impossible to enter or escape from any windows. The entrance had two guards standing next to it. The man approached them and then began speaking.

As hard as Sora tried to listen, he was too far away to hear anything he said. The guards let the man in and then resumed their positions. Sora bit his lip and tried to think of a way to enter the building. Staying hidden in the trees, he walked around the entire place, but couldn't find anymore doors.

Sora sighed. How can I get in? Maybe I can create some kind of diversion. But what. . ? After a few more moments of thinking, he finally got an idea. Summoning his Keyblade, he pointed it to the right of the building. "Firaga," he commanded in a whisper. The large ball of fire shot in the air at a quick speed and then flew over the building over into a patch of trees. An explosion sounded off when it made contact with its target.

The two guards at the door immediately looked the way where the explosion had occurred.

"What was that?"

"It sounded like an explosion."

"Explosion? Don't tell me Sanji's lashing out again."

Sora paused when he heard his brother's name.

"Damn. . . He could have gotten out again. We'd better hurry up and check it out."

"Let's go."

The two men ran off and then Sora slipped inside the building, closing the door behind him quietly. Sanji. . . Does that mean he's here. . ? I'd better take a look around. I may just find him if I'm lucky. And Savannah too.

When he stepped deeper into the unknown place, uneasiness spread throughout his body. What. . . What is this place? Although he was only at the entryway, the place he was in didn't look welcoming. Not one bit.

He slowly advanced down the first corridor he saw, which was, he dare say it, almost as gloomy as the Labyrinth. He found himself walking carefully down a hall with many rooms. Each of the doors were sealed tightly. On each door, there was a small window where you could look in. Standing on the tips of his toes, he looked through the glass of one of the rooms. A set of eyes looked up at him, and along with the eyes was a face twisted with fear and insanity. Sora stepped away from the door with a jump.

Whoever it was, he didn't look friendly at all. Just his normal gaze was enough to send Sora on his way. He continued on down. Once he went around the corner, there seemed to be more life wandering around. Dead silence was replaced by some people speaking to each other. Another sound that Sora could hear was screaming.

Tortured cries.

Profanities.

Pleads.

As if the place could get anymore creepy, most of the people walking by looked like they were scientists. One that walked by had a set of needles with him. He paid Sora no mind and continued on his way. Occasionally, different people dressed in rugged clothing would drag on by. Sora almost approached one of them, but the bags under his eyes and the dark look on his face told him that he wasn't the right person he should speak to.

Finally, a less crazed man walked by. By the look of what he was wearing, Sora could tell that he was scientist, but he looked a lot more nicer then most of the other ones. But even Sora knew that looks could be deceiving.

"Excuse me," Sora started, "but could you please tell me what this building is used for?"

The scientist blinked. He eyed Sora over and then frowned. "You're not an orphan here are you? You're an intruder!"

Sora's eyes widened and his heart sank. He knew that it was probable that he would get caught, but not that quickly.

The scientist quickly fumbled in his pocket for something and then pulled out a sharp object, a syringe with a strange pink liquid in it. Before Sora could pull away, the man latched onto his wrist.

His grip was pretty strong for the size he was. He tried desperately to tug away from the man, but more men wearing matching outfits came over to aid the scientist.

"Wait! You're making a big mis~" A hand was placed over Sora's mouth before he could say anymore. His limbs were secured quickly.

"Sedate him. We'll report to Hojo about it later. He's in a meeting right now." Sora felt the needle from the syringe jab into his arm. When the bright colored liquid flowed into his body, he immediately was immobile. The room started to spin around crazily and his vision went half blurry. His legs gave out from beneath him but he was still conscious.

A few of the men around him hoisted him up and then started to carry him off. He tried to speak but the only sounds that came out of his mouth were a few inaudible moans. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Sora was sat down on something long and metal. He could feel thick leather being tied around his wrists and ankles. He was being strapped to a table.

The blurriness in his eyes started to subside after awhile. The feeling in his limbs returned shortly too. He was finally able to lift his head. D-damn. . . What was that. . ? I have needles. . . I hate shots. I have syringes. . . I hate going to the doctor. . . But still, what the hell do you call that? I just asked a simple question and I get a needle in the arm? What kind of place is this? Is this supposed to be the orphanage that Dad dropped Sanji and Savannah off in? They did mention something about me not being an orphan. . . This has to be the right place. But this place isn't an orphanage, is it? It seems like a prison more than anything. Trying to move his limbs, Sora fought against the leather that bound his arms to the table he was on. I have got to get out here. . . But how?

As if his questions were just answered, somebody walked through the door into the room. It was girl. Her long brown hair was hanging down to her chest and her eyes sparkled a deep green color. She wandered over to the table that Sora was strapped to. "Oh, so you're already awake. Those other boys said that they found some intruder, but I expected someone more older and matured. . ."

Sora shifted and finally spoke. "Who are you? And what is this place?"

"You're here and you don't even know why? Well, this place belongs to Hojo. He's a scientist. He conducts experiments on us orphans for science. He probably plans to use you for same of them to," she explained. "Oh, and my name's Savannah." She smiled beautifully and leaned over him. She traced his lips with her finger. "Savannah Davidson."

Blinking rapidly, Sora smiled. "You're Savannah? Yes! I found you!"

Savannah stood back up erect. "You were looking for me?"

Nodding, Sora answered, "I was. Does that mean Sanji's here too?"

She nodded in reply.

"That's great! I know that it's short notice but I need you two to come with me."

"Why?" Savannah questioned.

Sora bit his lip. He didn't want to explain the reasons until he had everyone together. "Listen, you want to get out here, don't you? I can help you and Sanji. This place looks more like a prison then an orphanage, so if I help you escape, will you come with me then?"

Savannah thought for a moment. "Only if my brother comes with us."

Sora nodded. "I won't leave without both of you."

"Then you have a deal. Help my brother and I get out here and I'll go with you."

Smiling, Sora said, "Gotcha. Now, can you please help me out of these restraints?"

"Okay. Just give me a second." She struggled to unclasp the leather but she finally managed. Savannah pulled away the restraints and then Sora was finally free.

He got onto his feet and stretched. Shaking his head, Sora advanced over towards the doorway. "Do you know where the entrance is?"

Savannah nodded. "I do."

"Okay, at least when we're ready to leave we have someone who knows where the exit is," Sora said. Just as he and his older sister were about to walk out of the room, the whole building suddenly shook. Sora caught the wall before he could fall onto the floor. "What was that?"

"I'm not sure. . . Let's hurry upstairs." The two of them ran up the stairs that led back up to a different set of hallways. Scientists were running back and forth down the halls, all of them in a frenzy. Savannah stopped one of them.

"What's going on?"

"There's a fight in one of the rooms," the man replied and then went on his way. Smoke was filling the halls and fire could be seen on the other end of the corridor. Sora grabbed his sister's arm.

"We need to get out here! The place is on fire!"

"But what about my brother? What about Sanji!" Savannah panicked.

An explosion sounded off just down the hallway, sending chunks of stone and smoke flying in every direction. "There's no time!" Sora told her. "We have to leave now!"

"But~"

"Let's go!" Sora pulled her along and then ran down another corridor. "Which way to the exit?"

Savannah looked around. "Um. . ." Studying the walls carefully, she pointed down the hallway. "Just down there. We turn right and then the entrance should be there!" The two ran, and sure enough, the entrance was exactly where Savannah said it would be.

Just as they got far enough away from the building, part of the roof blew off and then the flames were out of control. The building was finished no matter what way you looked at it.

Sora coughed and then gasped for breath. It had been hard to breathe in the building with all the smoke clogging up the halls. Savannah had her hands clutched to her chest and was staring at the flaming structure. "I'm finally free. . ." She was whispering to herself.

Standing up, the spiky-haired boy advanced towards her. "You all right?" he asked, putting his hand on her shoulder.

She nodded. "I am, thanks. But still. . . Sanji's in there somewhere. .. We have to go back."

"I'm sorry, but we can't do that. The building's to dangerous to enter now," Sora told her, eying the flames that were already climbing towards the clouds.

"I can't leave this place without my brother!" Savannah protested. "You promised! Sanji wouldn't leave me if he had the chance to get out. We have to go back for him!"

Sora turned around. "Are you sure he's in there? The place is being destroyed. . . Don't you think that he would take this chance to escape?"

"Well. . . Maybe. . . But. . ."

"Exactly. If you guys have been stuck here for years, then he knows that this is the only chance he could have to escape. I'm sure that he knows you'd try to escape too."

"But what if~"

"Don't worry about it. If he didn't get out, then we'll go back for him," Sora told her. "But for now, I want to head to the castle."

Savannah turned her attention to the castle that wasn't too far away. "What's down there?" she asked. "I've haven't left Hojo's building for twelve years. . . I've always wondered what or who lived there."

"Well, now's your chance. But, we have to be careful. Kiari lives there and~"

"Kiari?"

Sora took a deep breath and sighed; he had a lot of explaining to do. "Look, I don't have the time to explain everything to you right now. Let's just say that Kiari is our villain. She's the strongest person I've ever fought and she's behind all of this Darkness. Once I gather everyone I'm looking for and get to a safer place, I'll explain everything."

Savannah nodded. "I guess that you did save me. . . You freed me from a Hell that I thought I would never escape. Thank you. Sanji and I are in your debt. I'll do whatever you want, and I'm sure Sanji will too."

"You're welcome," Sora replied. "But, I hate to break it to you, this is the Dominion of Darkness. It's more of a Hell than Hojo had you in, I'm certain."

Savannah shrugged. "Well, I'll be the judge of that."

"Fair enough. Now, let's get moving. Like I said, we're likely to run into Sanji later, so for now I'll just skip ahead to the next person on my list," Sora told her.

Savannah tilted her head. "And who's that?"

"You should know him," Sora told her. "It's your brother, Sora Lee."

Savannah paused. "L-Lee? But. . . But he's gone. . ."

Furrowing his brow, Sora thought. How unorganized are these people? I guess that it has been a long time since they have seen the rest of their family. I wonder if they'll remember each other. "What happened to Sora Lee that it made you think he was dead?"

"He ran away when we were younger. We never saw him again after that. He just disappeared," Savannah explained. "We just figured that he was dead. But now that you say he's alive. . . Are you sure? I mean, you could be mistaken. . ."

Sora shook his head. If Sota had been telling the truth, then the boy known as Sora Lee was in Kiari's Kavern. "From the information I got, he has to be there. He's just gotta be."

Savannah's green eyes stared into his. "I'm just curious, but where did you say that you got this information from?"

"Don't you trust me?" Sora said it a little more harsher than he wanted to.

He saw the girl that was his sister tense. "I'm. . . I'm sorry," she lowered her head. "I was just curious. . . I guess that I should be quiet."

Sora walked over to her. "No, I'm sorry. I know that it's hard for you to believe me when I'm just a stranger. But you just have to trust me, okay? I promise that I'm on your side. I'll explain everything later, but for now I can at least say this; all I'm trying to do is reconnect the bonds that have been severed. Everything will make sense once I gather everyone I need together and explain. I swear, if you don't believe me then, you can go your separate ways."

Savannah scratched her head and Sora knew that she was thinking about what he had said. "You know. . . You seem like a really nice boy," Savannah told him. She stepped towards him.

It was at that moment Sora realized how much taller she was than he. Backing into a tree, Sora felt his heart race.

She leaned over, her chest pressing against him. "You're really cute too. Maybe. . . To repay for busting me out and freeing me from Hojo, I could give you something of more value." Sora's cheeks flared red. He had never been this close to a woman before. Savannah cupped his chin and forced him to look into her seductive green eyes. She brushed some of his bangs out of his face. "Well? What do you say?"

"Uh. . . Um. . ." Sora stammered. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his head and his heart was beating as fast as a predator running after its prey. Savannah was his biological sister, which made the situation a thousand times more awkward. "Um. . . That's okay. . ." Sora stepped away from her and managed a small smile. "But my heart already belongs to someone else."

Savannah blinked. "Oh. . ." The look on her face was one of surprise. "I-I'm sorry. . . I just didn't expect. . . Oh. . ."

"It's okay. . ." Sora smiled and then said, "Well, let's head to that castle anyway." When he turned around, his smile immediately turned into a sad frown. His gaze was cast downward towards the ground for a moment. A thought lingered in the back of his mind. Indeed, his heart did belong to another, but that certain someone was already gone; never to be seen again.

Who knows what they're doing to her. . . I have to find her, and quickly.

The man had been searching for his precious little girl for almost two days now. Although he was being as stealthy as anyone could be, he was growing incredibly impatient. The thought that someone could have been hurting his daughter overwhelmed him to the brink of rage, but he was doing everything he could to hold it in.

He cursed himself for not jumping that spiky-haired boy who had been walking around the perimeter of the castle only a few hours ago. He could have took him as a hostage and forced him to take him to his little Emily.

Two days and not one clue to where she was. Although he had been in the castle once before, it had been a long time ago. The castle was too big to memorize in just one visit.

Where did they take her? Where is she? Is she safe? Those three questions were driving him crazy. If he could just find one clue. . . One simple clue. . .

Footsteps were heading towards him. Quickly, he paused and didn't make a sound. He was already above the normal hallway floor, walking along a small spot along the wall where he could around silently and be unnoticeable.

Three people were walking around the corner. Two girls and a boy. The man's heart lurched. One of those girls had been one of the ones who had taken his daughter. As mush as he wanted to attack the threesome, he waited. He had to be sure.

"Hey Amalia," a girl with red hair began, "Where were you a couple of nights ago?"

"Mistress Kiari had Viola and I out on a mission," the other girl replied.

"What kind of mission?" the large boy asked.

"I'm not really sure. All we had to do was kidnap some little girl who lived in a forest. It was pretty easy. But I am curious about what the Mistress wants with her."

The man's pulse quickened. They had to know where she was. After two days of lying low and keeping himself hidden, this was his only chance. Before the three could continue their conversation, the man jumped down from where he was hiding and readied his Keyblade for a vertical slash.

Amalia blocked the weapon that had tried to attack her from above. The man landed on the ground and then slashed at her. She attempted to block the next attack but succeeded in getting her shoulder sliced. The man gave her a shove back. Before the boy in the room could act, the man spun his weapon in a circle above his head and commanded, "Fire!"

A wall of fire circled around him and the red-haired girl. She tried to run, but a Keyblade was pointed at her throat before she could move. The scorching barrier around her was entirely made of hot flames which could sear her skin within seconds. She was trapped.

Good, while I interrogate this girl, the other boy and girl won't be able to interrupt me. Unless they want to get severely burned, then I doubt they'll try to run through this. Continuing to point his Keyblade at her neck, he asked, "Where is the girl that you took hostage?" When she didn't reply, he tried again. "Well, where is she?"

The girl clenched her teeth and spat, "Piss off, bastard!"

The man frowned and narrowed his eyes. He poked the soft flesh of her neck with the tip of his sharp weapon. He was through being nice. "Tell me now, damn it!" he yelled. "Where is my daughter!?"

"The hell if I know!"

He was about to reply in a protest when someone came charging through the wall of flames that the man had created. Whoever it was must have weighed a ton because when he slammed into him, the man was sent flying off of his feet. He toppled and tumbled down the corridor until he smashed into a wall.

The man moaned and then slowly got onto his hands and knees. D-Damn it. . . Who the hell was that. . ? I don't~ Shit! The boy who had slammed into him was the same one who was with the two girls. He looked like a normal guy, but now, it was known that he was stronger then most people. For as big as the boy was, he must have been able to run pretty fast because he was already next to the guy he had just launched down the hallway.

Before he could react, the boy grabbed him by the scruff of the shirt and then gave him a forceful toss. He crashed into a wall and then into the next wall of a different room after that. Landing onto the floor of the next room, the man groaned and then muttered a curse. Who the hell is that kid. . ? He's so strong. . . Kind of reminds me of Darren. . . And if he's like Darren, well, I'd better just stay away from him.

The man stood up as quickly as he could. I know that it's ridiculous, but that boy could probably kill me if I'm not careful. I think that I'll just be better if I flee. I have to hurry up and find Emily.

As he ran off, another thought crossed his mind. I didn't see or hear anything about Joshua yet.

Let's hope I don't.

"Now, I'll take the lead, okay?" Sora told his sister.

Savannah nodded. "Okay."

"Just listen to me and we should be all right." Taking the lead, Sora went ahead. They slowly and cautiously sneaked down corridor after corridor. "Hang on," Sora said, sticking out his hand to halt his sister's movements. "Someone's heading this way. I can hear them."

Savannah leaned against the wall, trying to be as silent as possible. Sora peered around the corner and when he did, someone zoomed passed him and continued running straight.

It was a man. He didn't hesitate to continue dashing away. Next, coming down the hallway, was a large group of people. Sora recognized them as Kiari's lackeys. As for the man, he didn't get a good enough look at him to know.

When the fifth person went to run by, he stopped, put his hands on his knees and then started panting heavily. Sora blinked; it was the ebony-haired boy, Zack. He glanced at Sora and then stood up tall, a face full of surprise on his face. Two more people raced up to him, a boy and a girl. The boy had green hair and Sora knew that it was definitely Amiamon. The girl had purple hair and for who she was, Sora didn't know.

"Hey. . . Wait a second. . ." the girl began. "That's Sora! That's the boy that the Mistress is after!"

Sora's heart sank. If he was caught, then he would be imprisoned for who knew how long. It wouldn't be long after that when he was taken to Kiari. And he knew that if Kiari captured him now, then the chances of him escaping were pretty low.

"Let's get him!" Zack shouted, pointing at him. Amiamon and the other girl took the lead, Zack attempting to keep up behind them.

Oh crap. Sora quickly spun himself around and ran as fast as he could.

Savannah closed her eyes and prayed that the three who were after Sora didn't want anything to do with her. She had just escaped one psychopath and she certainly didn't need to be claimed by another one. She hoped that whoever Kiari was and whatever she was after, it didn't have anything to do with her.

Thankfully, the three passed by her with hardly any hesitation. The strange green-haired boy had paused for a moment, but then he had turned back to his main target and raced off. Sighing a breath of relief, Savannah slowly went to check and see if anyone else was running down the corridor.

Just as she looked around the corner, some body crashed into her. Whoever it was didn't fall, but she was sent toppling to the floor. Putting her hand to her head to feel the bump that was forming on the back of her skull, Savannah looked up at who had collided with her.

It was a boy and he looked to be about the same age as her older brother, Sanji. He was gazing down at her with his blue eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry!" he quickly apologized. "I didn't know you were there!" He extended his hand and Savannah took it without delay.

When he pulled her up, she noticed the muscular build in his broad frame. She couldn't help to smile a bit. She had to be at least a bit lucky. Of all people to run into, she ran into the this one.

"Again, I'm sorry," he apologized. "But I have to be going." He started off.

"H-Hey wait!" Savannah called after him. "Don't you want to like. . . I don't know, hang out or something?"

The boy blinked. "Uh. . . Sorry. . . But I have other matters to attend to. It was nice meeting you."

Savannah called after him again. "Wait! What's your name?"

He looked over his shoulder and before he ran off, replied, "Ryan Thompson!"

Ryan Thompson, huh? Savannah smiled dreamily. He was perfect.

Ryan was already around the corner by the time she ran after him.

Swerving around the next corner, Sora continued to run. The three lackeys of Kiari were still chasing him, and they were catching up quickly. He knew that in only a few moments, he would be caught.

He rounded the corner, but when he went to continue on running, something snagged the hood of his jacket and jerked him into one of the rooms. Sora landed on the floor with a thud and then heard a door slamming after that. The sound of footsteps rushing by echoed through the hallways.

"Wow. I don't know what you did, but whatever it was, you must have upset them. I haven't seen that much motivation since I got here."

Sora looked upward and stared into another set of blue eyes. A girl was staring down at him. Sora stood up and then brushed the dust off of himself. "Thanks for that," he said. "I would have been caught if it wasn't for you."

"No problem," the girl smiled back. "But can I ask, who are you? It's obvious that you don't work for Kiari."

"I'm Sora." He took the girls hand in his own and shook it. "It's nice to meet you. And no, I'm not with Kiari. She's been after me for awhile now."

"Why?"

"It's a long story. . . But can I ask, who are you?"

The girl brushed some of her blonde hair behind her ear. "Samantha. I've been~"

Sora blocked out the girls words as she spoke. Samantha. . . Blinking, he eyed the girl. Her hair was blonde like Sota's, and her eyes were the same shade of blue as his mother. But that could have all just been a coincidence, so he decided to search for the main clue.

His eyes skimmed to her neck, where he found what he was looking for. Dangling by a silver chain was a shiny crown charm. There was no doubt about it. This girl was his younger sister. He had found her.

"~but either way, that's how I ended up here." Samantha stopped to breath.

Sora shook his head and blinked. "Huh? What'd you say? I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

The blonde faced palmed. "Really? You didn't hear any of that?"

"No. . . Sorry, I dazed out. I was thinking of something else. . ."

"Basically, all I said was that I'm traveling from world to world fighting the Darkness. That's how I ended up here."

"Oh." Sora nodded. "Well, I'm afraid that this isn't the best place to be."

"I'm starting to think the same thing. I've been eavesdropping on some of the people here, and their conversations don't sound very welcoming. Something about trying to capture a boy for the so-called Mistress and some other junk about opening the door to Kingdom Hearts. I don't know what~"

The spiky-haired boy cut her off. "What? Kingdom Hearts? What did they say about it?"

The thirteen-year-old blinked. "Huh? I'm not quite sure. They were interrupted by someone else before they went on. It was something about opening Kingdom Hearts. That's all I heard. After that, some big dude went running in ranting about an intruder in the castle. A man."

Maybe he's the one that they were all chasing before. . . The guy that ran passed me. I didn't get a good look at him but now I wish I did. "Hey uh. . . Sam. . . Do you care if I call you Sam?"

"Whatever fits."

"Okay, well Sam, I know that we just met and all but I need you to come with me."

Sam narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

"It's just that. . . Well. . ." Sora sighed. "It's complicated. I know that it's hard to believe, but I really need you to come with me now. You're apart of something that is too big to explain right now. Please, you have to come."

"Prove it."

Sora held his necklace up and showed her the crown charm. "You have one just like this. Tell me, where'd you get yours?"

The girl blinked and then ran her fingers over her necklace's shiny surface. "I'm not really sure, actually. I've had it for as long as I can remember."

"So have I. These symbols, these crowns are the proof that we're connected somehow. I know it sounds stupid and weird, but you have to believe me!" Sora pleaded.

Sam was quiet for a few moments, as if thinking over what he had to say. She cracked her neck. "Fine. But if I want to back out, you can't stop me. I'll go as far as I need to."

A large smile spread out across Sora's face. "Really? You'll come."

"Didn't you hear me the first time?"

Sora jumped up and punched the air. "Yeah!" he shouted happily. Once both of his feet were back on the ground, he began, "Come on. I still have to find some other people. I promise that I'll explain everything once I can."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's get moving."

Sora entered the hallway first, being as cautious as he could be. There was no sign of the three people who were chasing him. He motioned for Sam to come out and follow him. She did so and then the two them went the opposite way Kiari's lackeys had gone.

No words were spoken between them until Sam asked, "Can you at least tell me why those people were after you?"

Sora looked over his shoulder. His heart ached when he answered her. "The person who owns this castle is Kiari. She used to be one of my best friends. . . But now she's given into the Darkness and she's. . . Well. . . She's evil."

"Oh. . . I'm sorry."

"It's fine. . . I'm kind of used to it now. . . Besides, I have a more important task to tend to right now," Sora told her. "I'm just hoping that I can finish what I came her for and get out of this hell of a castle. That's all I want for right now."

"I agree. Well, if there's anything that I can help you with then feel free to ask."

"Okay. Hmm. . ." Sora racked his brain for a question that maybe Sam would know the answer to. "Do you know anyone named Sanji? What about Sora Lee? And have you seen a girl walking around here somewhere by the name of Savannah? She's a brunette with green eyes. We were together earlier, but when that group of pawns came after me, we got separated."

She thought for a few moments. Shaking her head, she apologized, "Sorry, I don't know who any of those people are. I haven't been here for long, so I don't know who's here and who's not. And I didn't see your friend, Savannah, either."

Sora let out a deep sigh. "It's fine. I was just asking. They have to be here somewhere, I just don't know whe~"

"There he is!"

Spinning around, Sora immediately locked eyes with Amiamon, who was already running at him, Zack and the other girl following not far behind. "Run!" he quickly told his sister. The two of them ran as fast as they could side by side.

"Well, it didn't take long for them to find us!" Sam stated.

"That's the problem! Every time I seem to get away from them, they just always find a way to track me down!" Sora shouted back to her.

"What should we do?"

"They're after me, not you. Whenever you get the chance, I want you to go down a different corridor and then try to get to the entrance of the castle. Hide in the trees around the border of the forest. I'll meet you there whenever I can."

Sam nodded, showing that she understood. "Don't get caught." Whenever there was a fork in the path ahead of them, Sora went left and then Sam quickly ran down the right hallway. To Sora's thankfulness, no one went after her.

Good, now if I could just ditch these guys again I should be good. But that's the only problem. . . He kept on running as fast as he could. When he saw someone coming up ahead, he was challenged to slow down, but he knew that if he did, he would be captured instantly. So on he went.

It was the man who had walked up to Hojo's prison. The one with the silvery blonde hair from before. He made no move, only looked down the corridor at Sora with a look of confusion on his face. He seemed to be in deep thought.

He's not paying attention to me. . . I can use this to my advantage! Finally, someone I can escape without having to worry about him trying to cap~

At the last moment, as Sora was running past him, he stuck his foot out and tripped him. Crashing onto the floor, Sora did a tumble and then finally slid to a stop. The breath was knocked out of him so he couldn't get up right away. Just as he was about to scramble away, Amiamon and the girl restrained him. Sora tried to pull away from them and run off, but they secured his limbs and made sure that escape was impossible.

Sora watched as Zack turned to the man who had tripped him. He panted and took in a breath. "Thanks Dad."

"No problem, Zack," the man replied.

Thoughts and questions rushed into Sora's head. Was that man Ryan, Zack, and Taylor's father? If so, was he on Kiari's side?

The sixteen-year-old stared into the man's violet eyes. The only thing that he could see was a slight look of recognition that had spread across the guy's face. Sora stared him down until he was pulled around the corner and the man was out of sight.

The dungeon was cold and damp. When Zack, Amiamon and the girl dragged Sora down there, they pulled him the back of the room. They shoved him onto the ground. Metal shackles were clamped around his wrists which were secured behind his back. Something else was fastened around his waist, hooking him to the wall. His legs were tied together with simple rope, but it was so tight that the circulation in his legs could have been cut off at any moment.

After the three of Kiari's henchmen walked out of the cell, Zack pulled a ring of keys out of his pocket. He inserted one of them, a small gold key, into the lock and then latched the door shut. "Well, we got Sora, so what should we do now?" Zack asked. "Have any idea, Viola?"

"Well, it's obvious that we should tell Mistress Kiari that we have captured the boy who she's after," the girl replied. "So, I guess we should go do that, then. What do you think Amiamon?"

"Do what you like with him," the green-haired boy replied. "I'm done here."

Viola raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean you're done here?"

"I'm tired. I'm going to bed." He walked out of the dungeon without another word.

The purple-haired girl turned to the middle Thompson boy. "What's his problem?"

"He's always like that," Zack replied. "You get used to it."

"I guess that I'll go tell the Mistress that we caught him."

"I think I'll join you."

Sora sent Zack and Viola a glare as they walked out of the dungeon. He rested his head against the wall once they were gone and sighed deeply. What was he supposed to do now? Escaping himself was out of the question, and the possibility of someone rescuing him was at a low percentage.

Damn it. . . How am I supposed to get out of here? He lowered his head and let out another sad sigh. He thought about Riku and how much he missed him. He prayed that somehow he was alive and well, even if he was in another world. But that wasn't possible, because Sora knew too well that he was gone.

He remembered the promise that he had made to Sota, about never letting the Darkness get a hold of him again. That was about to be broken. In only moments, Kiari would know that he was at the Kavern and then he would have no more hope left. Once she knew, she'd do whatever she wanted with him and then that would be the end of it.

Just as Sora went to lie his head against the stone and close his eyes, he heard the door to the dungeon open. He feared that it was Kiari, but for once, he was thankful that he was wrong. Flexis, Zack, and a few other people were struggling to drag a man down the steps and put him into a cell. Once they got about halfway into the room, he kicked a girl in the jaw and then pulled away from Flexis. The man darted out of the room and within seconds, the others were already chasing him.

Not that long passed and then they came back down the dungeon stairs dragging the man with them again. This time, they were able to get him in the cell, but when Zack went to lock it, the man kicked the door, causing it to slam into the black-haired boy's head. He charged out of the cell after that and then up the stairs.

Finally, for a third time, they forced him down the stairs and into another cell. They did the same thing they did with Sora, put shackles around his arms, but they didn't tie his legs or fasten him to whatever was wrapped around Sora's stomach.

They all quickly backed out of the cell, not taking their eyes off the man that they had just restrained. Zack carefully fumbled with the lock and made sure that it was latched properly. Before the man had been yelling and cursing, but now, he was completely silent. Not one word came out of his now sewn shut mouth.

"Anyone else think it's odd that he's not talking anymore?" Sora heard Zack ask.

"Naw, he just probably got it out of his head that he can't escape from us. He just doesn't want to admit it," someone else replied as they went out of the dungeon.

Sora leaned over and tried to glance at the man who had been captured. The metal piece that was wrapped around his torso dug into his skin, which prevented him from leaning over too far. But one thing did make him wonder; why was the man being so silent?

The man had been watching Zack and the others like a hawk. Once he was sure they were gone, he finally made his move. Sora raised an eyebrow when he saw the man swish something around in his mouth a few times. He opened his mouth partially, and clamped securely between his teeth was a small gold key.

That's the key to the shackles! How did he get those without Zack noticing? Sora wondered.

The man stretched out his legs and then pressed one foot firmly against the locked door of his cell; Sora noticed that it was a lot smaller than the cell he was in. He pushed off of it and then used his other foot to do the exact same thing, although he did it about a step higher, so his body was no longer sitting on the ground. He leaned his head backward and took a quick look at the shackles that had his arms bound. Craning his neck and stretching his arms out as far as they would go, he inserted the key into the small lock with his mouth. When he finally got it right, he gave his head a sharp turn and then the cuffs on his right hand fell to the stone floor with a clank.

A smile spread out across the man's face as he pulled his arm free. He took the key out of his mouth and then freed his other arm. The man let out a sigh and then rubbed his sore wrists.

Sora blinked. That was amazing! I would have never thought anyone could free themselves like that. . . I wonder who that is. . . It's hard to tell from here. He was able to get out of the shackles, but he can't possibly get out of the cell. He couldn't have stolen the key to the cell door because Zack locked it after he was tied up.

The man stared at the door and acted as though it was no problem. He held out his hand in a familiar way that Sora knew. All of the sudden, a magical weapon materialized in his hand. From just one glance, Sora could tell that it was a Keyblade. Holding out the Keyblade, the man unlocked the cell door and then stepped out. He looked towards the door and went to make his exit.

That man. . . Maybe he can help me. . . "H-Hey! Wait!" Sora called to him. "Please, wait!"

The man paused and looked over his shoulder. He instinctively spun around, his weapon ready to strike at any moment, but when he saw Sora, he lowered his weapon.

"Please! Can you let me out?" Sora asked as the man approached.

"First, tell me who you are."

When Sora went to answer, he paused. Now that the man was standing only a few feet away from him, he noticed who it was. He knew this guy. Even though the two had never met, there was something about him that was oddly familiar. It took a few moments to figure it out, but then it finally struck him.

It was Sota's brother, Bardroy. His uncle.

"Well?" Bardroy pointed his Keyblade at Sora in a menacing way. "Who are you?"

"M-my name is Sora."

Some type of expression flashed across Bardroy's face, but Sora couldn't tell what it was. Was it recognition?

"What are you doing here?"

"I was just passing through. . . K-Kiari's minions jumped me and locked me up," Sora explained. Half of it was true, but he wondered if Bardroy was fooled by the other half that was a lie.

"Why are you completely immobilized from movement? You must really be considered a threat if you're locked up with more restraints than I was," Bardroy stated.

"I-I don't know. Please, I just want to get out of here."

Bardroy rolled his one shoulder around and then lowered his weapon. "I guess you are just a kid," he sighed. "What harm could be done anyway?"

Sora frowned. "I'm not a kid. I'm the legen~" He silenced himself before he could give away his foretold destiny. Even though Bardroy was Sota's brother, trust was one thing that Sora didn't want to chance. He had to be sure that Bardroy was on his side before he revealed any information about himself, his family, or his task.

"It was just a statement," Bardroy said. "But either way, you'd better get out of here as soon as you can. I've seen what some of those minions can do, and they're pretty strong." Unlocking the cuffs around Sora's wrists, he moved on to the metal holder around Sora's waist. "Is that who owns this place? Kiari?"

Sora nodded. "This whole place is ruled by her."

Bardroy pulled out a pocket knife and then sliced the rope that bounded Sora's legs together. Pulling it off, he stood up. "There, you're free."

The spiky-haired boy stood up. "Thanks," Sora smiled, rubbing his wrists. "I owe you one."

"Yeah, well don't make a habit of it." He walked out of the already open cell and then turned his attention back to the door. "The Dominion of Darkness, huh? Ugh. . . Damn this place for being so huge. Well, it was nice meeting you Sora, but I can't waste anymore time here. Good-bye. Watch yourself." Sora watched as the man walked out of the dungeon.

I wonder why he's here. . . Does he know about what happened to Sota? How long has he been here? Sora thought for another moment and then finally, he dashed up the stairs after his uncle.

"Hey, wait!" Once he caught up to him, Bardroy turned around.

"What?"

"Can I stay with you?"

"Excuse me?"

"Please Bardroy, I won't be a bur~" Sora was shoved up against the wall, a Keyblade pressed firmly against his neck.

Bardroy narrowed his crystal blue eyes and hissed, "How did you know my name?"

Sora let out a deep sigh. Damn it. . . I blew my cover. He never did mention his name. . . "I guess that the cat's out of the bag."

"You're a spy for Kiari, aren't you?"

"No, I promise you that I'm not," Sora said, shaking his head. "I'm a Keyblade Master. My name is Sora Davidson."

A look of confusion spread across Bardroy's expression, but he quickly shook it off. "Davidson? So what?"

"I'm Sota's son. . . He told me to find you," Sora said.

This time, Bardroy did pull his weapon away from Sora's throat. "Sota? You saw Sota? Where? Where is he?"

The sixteen-year-old was silent. It took long enough to get over the awful tragedy that had happened only a day ago, but now he had to bring it back up again.

"Well?" Bardroy pressed.

Sora's gaze was cast towards the floor when he answered, "He's dead. . ."

An expression of shock appeared on Bardroy's face that soon turned into pain. He put his hand up to his head and then ran his fingers through his sandy blonde hair. Sighing deeply, he asked, "How long ago was that. . ?"

Sora looked up at him. "Yesterday."

Bardroy bit his lip. "He was alive yesterday."

Sora nodded.

"Who killed him? I want to know."

"It was three of Kiari's minions. Three brothers, Ryan, Zack, and Taylor Thompson," Sora replied.

"Was there a man with them? A tall man with blonde, silvery looking hair and violet eyes?"

Sora shook his head. "No. . . But I saw that man earlier. He was the one that helped the other pawns catch me." He tilted his head in question. "Why? Do you know him?"

Bardroy didn't answer. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and then spun around. "Where was he?"

Shrugging, Sora answered, "I'm not quite sure. . . Somewhere here, though."

Without turning around, Bardroy started to walk off. Sora was going to start to follow him, but he paused when he heard him muttering, "First he kills Miranda. . . Now he has the nerve to take my daughter. . . Oh. . . He's taken it too far this time. . . He'll pay. I'll drag him to the Hell he came from for this. . . I'll be damned if I let him screw up my life one more time."

From the tone of Bardroy's voice, Sora could tell that he was angry. He was on the verge of an unstoppable rage. Whatever was on his mind was something that he had been wanting to take care of a very long time. Sora couldn't help to think that it had to do with the man with the violet eyes.

Just who was he?

How did he connect with everything that was going on?

He wished he knew. Secrets were one thing that Sora was starting to get sick of. When secrets were kept, lies were usually brought out in the truth's place, which led to a false trust that was likely to be broken.

Bardroy had broke out into a run down the hallway and then disappeared around the corner. He can take care of himself. . . I'm sure I'll run into him later. . . Still, I didn't get to ask about why he was here. Is he looking for somebody?

Also, what was he mumbling about? Something about killing Miranda. . . Sota said that Miranda was his girlfriend. . . Or well, his wife. . . I wonder. . . Is she dead. . ? If so, what happened to her?

Maybe the man with the violet eyes has something to do with that too.

Whoever that man was, he sure was mysterious. There was something about his being, something that was odd. Just his existence was something that was cryptic. What was he doing at the Kavern? Was he one of Kiari's servants? Bardroy asked about him, but did he know him somehow?

Sora decided that the man with the violet eyes was a threat. Staying away from him was the best thing he could do to keep himself safe. He couldn't take anymore chances.

Dumping more soapy water onto the floor, Taylor continued to scrub the floor with a scrub brush. He sighed and then wiped the sweat from his brow. "Why did I agree to do this? Damn that Zack," he muttered. Standing up, Taylor grabbed the mop that he had leaned against the wall.

At that moment, Ryan came running from around the corner. "Hey Ryan," he greeted. "What's the hurry?"

Panting, Ryan answered, "Nothing. . . Listen. . . if a girl comes up to you and asks where I went. . . tell her that I went to the lobby."

"Why?" Taylor asked, dipping the sponge he was holding back into the bucket and wetting it.

"Just tell her that," Ryan said, taking off.

"But wait," Taylor said,"why are you going that way if the lobby's to the right?"

"Just tell her I went to the lobby," Ryan repeated and then disappeared around the corner of a different staircase.

"Whatever," Taylor responded, continuing to scrub the floor. Moments later, a girl came racing around the corner. She accidentally stepped on Taylor's back and then tripped and fell to the floor.

"Ow. . ." Taylor moaned.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized. "I'm such a klutz." She pulled him back up to his feet and brushed him off.

Why is there a hot girl in front of me brushing dirt off of my clothes? was Taylor's immediate thought.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Taylor nodded, trying to hide the blush that had sprung to life on his cheeks. She was beautiful. Just absolutely gorgeous.

"Again," the girl began, "I'm really sorry. Have you seen somebody named Ryan Thompson?"

The thirteen-year-old boy was silent. She was chasing Ryan. . ? That must be the girl he told me to lie to. I wonder why. . .

Wait. . . Could it be. . ?

Ryan has a girlfriend!? How could he not tell Zack and me? I'm not letting this chance slip away!

"Yeah, I saw Ryan," Taylor replied. "He was heading that way." He pointed up the staircase that Ryan had run up, directly the opposite direction from the lobby.

The girl smiled and brushed some of her brown hair out of her face. Her green eyes sparkled when she said, "Thank you."

Her smile made Taylor's heart skip a beat. "It was no problem. But can you tell me your name?"

The girl nodded. "I'm Savannah Davidson." She waved and then ran off.

Taylor's smile grew wider. Wow. . . She's hot. I can't wait to tell Zack about this! He tossed the mop that he had picked up back onto the floor and then ran off.

Sora stopped for a quick rest. Where was everyone?

Savannah and Sanji have to be somewhere around here. Sam should be at the entrance. Maybe I should head there first. . . But the question is, where is the entrance!? After a few moments, Sora broke off into his run once again. He quickly slid to a stop and then hid behind one of the corners before entering the next hallway.

Zack and Taylor were facing each other, having their own conversation. Sora narrowed his eyes and wondered what they were chatting about. He decided to have a listen.

"So Zack, how's the day off going?" Taylor asked. "And how's your wound?"

"My day's going fine. Dad healed this wound, remember? It's not perfect, but it's improving."

"That's good." A small grin spread out across Taylor's face. "But, I bet Ryan's is going a little better."

"Why? What do you know that I don't?" Zack asked.

"Oh nothing."

"Come on, tell me."

"Fine," Taylor said, deciding to tell him. "Ryan's being chased by a girl."

"A girl?"

"A hot girl," Taylor corrected himself.

"A hot girl?" Zack restated. "Get out."

"I'm serious. She's chasing him around the entire castle."

"That's unbelievable! I knew that Ryan would get somebody special one of these days!"

"I'm so glad that we got this day off!" Taylor exclaimed. "Sure beats going out on another mission. . . I mean, I know that last one was bad with that man and all, but still. . . It guess it did pay off."

"I guess so," Zack replied.

A anguishing pain latched onto Sora's heart when he heard Taylor say those words. He knew that he was referring back to when they fought Sota. He died not long after that. . . Sora flexed his fingers around the handle of his Keyblade that had suddenly appeared in his hand.

Zack and Taylor. . . They were two of the culprits behind Sota's death. The Thompson brothers. . . They were the reason why Sota was dead. They killed him. Murdered him.

Anger replaced the sadness. Beads of sweat rolled down Sora's face. Two thoughts were fighting each other in his confused mind.

Should he rush out there and kill them?

Or, should he just let them go? Leave them be?

Sora bit his bottom lip and tried to decide. What should he do?

"So Taylor, whatcha doing?" he heard Zack ask.

"Oh you know," Taylor began, "just cleaning up the blood that Riku had dripped all over the floor awhile back."

Whatever anger was in Sora's system, it all shattered and melted away at once. Adrenaline rushed through Sora's body when he heard them speak that name.

Riku.

Just that one word was enough to make Sora's heart pause. He almost raced around the corner to question them about him, but if he did, he would easily be captured. They did it once, and they could do it again.

But there was a question. If they mentioned Riku, was he still alive? How long ago were they talking about? Could there still be a possibility that his best friend was still alive? But still, how could that be so? Sora killed him with his own two hands. How could he have possibly lived? And if he was alive, then where was he?

Sora balled his fists until his knuckles turned white. He couldn't blow his cover again. He had to lie back and wait. Wait for the desperate answers that he ever so wanted.

"You still didn't clean that up? Man, you're slow," Zack said. "I told you to do that weeks ago."

"Hey, I was busy, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"You know. . . What ever did happen to Riku? Did Kiari kill him?" Taylor asked.

Zack thought for a moment. "Nope, I don't think so. I'm not sure what happened to him. He came here looking for Sora, but after we took him up to Kiari's tower, I didn't see him again."

Sora's thoughts spun around in confusion. What. . ? He came looking for me? When. . ? What are they talking about? When did this happen? Damn it. . . I need answers! He was just about to swerve around the corner when a noise stopped him.

"Psst."

Sora stopped dead in his tracks. He looked around the room until he spotted someone. Just across from him, down the other hallway, was a man. His blue eyes locked with the man's green ones. His blonde hair reflected off the lights that kept the halls brightened.

Sora's eyes widened. S-Sota? He shook his head and then rubbed his eyes. No. . . That's not him. But he looks like a pretty damn good twin, almost. Who is~ Sora remembered at the last second that Zack and Taylor were still down the other hallway chatting. If he made a noise, it was probable that they'd hear him.

The man pointed at the two Thompson brothers down the hallway and shook his head. He put a finger up to his lips.

Sora blinked. He knew that the man was telling him to keep quiet and stay hidden. Turning his attention back to Zack and Taylor for a moment, he listened in on what they were talking about once again.

"But either way, he's not bothering us, so I really don't care where Riku is," Zack stated, shrugging his shoulders.

"Neither do I," his younger brother agreed. "So, what now?"

"Well, I'm going to the lobby to fetch some grub," Zack told his brother. "Want me to grab you something?"

"Sure. Just take it up to our room when you do. I'll catch up later." Another grin flickered to life on Taylor's face. "Make sure to knock when you go back to our room though. Who knows? Maybe Ryan and his new girlfriend will be in there."

Zack smirked. "Gotcha."

The two brothers went their separate ways and then Zack disappeared out of the room.

When Taylor turned back to mopping up the floor, Sora turned his attention back to the man who was standing across the room.

His gaze never wavered, but he did motion Sora to come over to him. Glancing over to make sure Taylor wasn't looking, he dashed across the room at a quick speed until he was over at the man. Just as he went to say something, the man grabbed hold of his shoulders and then shoved him into the wall. He pinned him down and then covered his mouth.

Taylor had heard the noise and glanced around. Whenever it was silent, he went back to his own work.

The man turned his attention back on Sora. In a whisper, he asked, "What's your name?" He uncovered Sora's mouth so he could answer.

Sora took a deep breath. "I'm Sora. I promise that I'm not~"

The man put his hand over Sora's mouth again. "What's your purpose here? It's obvious that you didn't want those two to spot you, so why were you hiding?"

When he went to answer, Sora looked up and noticed something shiny. It was an earring in the man's ear, and it was crown-shaped. Looking back and taking in the man's features, Sora realized that the man was Sanji. He had to be.

That has to be him! He's the one I saw in that one room where Hojo was talking to the guy with the violet eyes! He had his head lowered. . . He looked so sad. . . Well, at least he got out.

Trying to keep his expression from turning into a happy grin, he tried to stay calm when he answered the question. "I'm only going to say this once. I'm not a resident of this castle. I'm just a boy who's looking for some people. I promise, I'm not a bad guy. That's why I was hiding from them; so they wouldn't capture me."

Sanji's eyes narrowed and then skimmed down to Sora's chest. The sixteen-year-old was silent for a moment until he realized that his older brother was eying his crown necklace in wonder. Sanji took the metal charm in his hand and then clenched it in his fist. "Where did you get this?"

Sora blinked. "From my father."

The blonde made no move.

"Now that I've told you my name, will you tell me yours?" Sora asked. I'd better get him to tell me his name before I screw myself again. I don't want the same thing that happened with Bardroy to happen to me again.

Releasing Sora's necklace, Sanji backed away. "Sanji," he answered bluntly, and then walked off.

"H-Hey!" He ran after him. "Where are you going?"

"None of your damn business."

"Please, I'm not a bad guy."

"Which is probably why you should stay away from me. I can be a monster sometimes, and I doubt that you'd want to see that side of me."

Sora blinked. "Everyone has a dark side, even me. But still, I need you to come with me."

Sanji stopped. "Oh yeah, and what for?"

"You're a part of something. . . Something big. I need you to come with me," Sora told him. "Please, you have to trust me."

Looking away from him, Sanji repeated with a spat, "Heh, trust? Sorry kid, but I don't trust very many people these days. . ."

"If I give you a reason to trust me, then will you?"

"Sure. . ." Sanji cracked his neck. "But, whatever the case, it'd better be some damn good proof."

Sora nodded. "Well, I'm sure that you're looking for your sister right now, Savannah, right?" He could see the immediate change in Sanji's expression. "Well, I was with her before, but we got separated. If I help you find her, will you decide to come with me?"

"H-How. . ? How did you know she's my sister?"

"She told me. I helped her escape from Hojo's clutches. We got out of the building together. She wanted to go back for you, but she figured that you had gotten out just like she did. That's why we came here. We knew that you'd definitely go to this castle once you escaped from Hojo's. And here you are."

"Where is she?" Sanji asked.

"I'm not sure. Like I said, we got separated. I'm still looking for her. Perhaps it would be better if you came with me. . ." Sora cocked his head. "Two heads are better than one."

Sanji sighed. "Fine. You gave me proof. . . And I guess that if Savannah trusted you, then I could. . . For awhile at least." He tugged on the long sleeves of his shirt.

Sora smiled. "Thank you. You won't regret giving me a chance!" Sora grabbed his hand and started dragging him down the corridor.

"Where are we going?" Sanji questioned, tugging his hand away.

"I don't know," Sora shrugged. "But maybe this way will lead us to Savannah."

Ryan tried to ignore the pounding on his chamber door as best as he could but it was starting to get to be too much. Savannah had chased him throughout almost the entire castle and found where his chamber was located. He couldn't understand why. Taylor was supposed to tell her that he was at the lobby and that was entirely on the other side of the castle. He didn't know how she had found him so quickly. But then again, it was Zack and Taylor. They probably ratted him out the moment she asked.

"Ryan!" Savannah yelled. "Open the door! I know you're in there."

He sighed deeply. How did I get myself into this mess? Damn myself for running into her. I just can't tell her to leave. . . I don't want to be rude, but I'm not interested. Please, please just go away!

"Ryan!"

Forget it. She's not going to leave. I guess I'll just have to tell her to go away. . . Ryan stood up from the chair he was sitting on. He paced over to the door and readied himself. He was going to do it. He would politely tell her off and then shut the door. How hard could it be?

When he finally opened the door and saw her face, he melted. He couldn't just tell her off. She was beautiful. Everything from her sparkling green eyes down to her legs. Savannah put her hands on her hips and then leaned forward. "What took you so long?"

"I-I-I'm sorry," he managed to get out. What was he supposed to say? "W-What do you need?"

Savannah leaned back until she was standing up erect. "I just. . . Well. . ." She blushed. "Well, I was just wondering where you were going. . ."

"Uh. . ." Ryan didn't know how to respond. Shit. . . What am I doing? I was following Zack and Taylor around chasing that one man. . . But then this happened. "I was just coming back to my room to rest."

"Oh. . . Well. . . Is this your home?" Savannah asked, trying to hide the embarrassment in her voice.

"Basically," Ryan answered. "L-Listen, it's not safe for you to be here." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "If Kiari finds out that you're here she won't hesitate to capture you and kill you. You have to leave!"

"But I'm looking for my broth~" Savannah silenced herself when she heard footsteps coming from the halls. And they were approaching fast.

Ryan quickly pulled her into his chamber and then slammed the door close. He stepped over to the closet and ripped the door open. When he did, about ten things fell out in a heap and smacked him in the face. What the hell is all of this junk? I should have known that Zack and Taylor wouldn't get rid of this stuff. Heh, cleaned the room and threw it out they said. My ass they did. Turning back to the brunette, he motioned for the closet. "You have t hide. Get in."

Savannah nodded and then carefully slid herself into the closet. Ryan forced the door shut and then quickly ran over towards the two beds that were on the other end of the room. He dived onto one of them, pulled the blanket around himself and then closed his eyes.

Whoever it was knocked first but then decided to come in anyway. When the door to his chamber opened and Zack walked in, he mentally sighed in relief. Ryan sat up and then pretended to stretch. He managed a fake yawn. "Yeah, what is it?"

Zack walked over to him. "I just wanted to see if you were in here. I just got word from Viola about Sora. He was in the dungeon, but he escaped and so did the man that I helped drag back down there. Kiari orders everyone to search for the two of them. She said if anyone catches one of them and takes him to her, you'll get a week off of missions. Taylor's out searching now."

"A week?" Even a reward like that was worth working for.

"Yup. I was just wondering if you were going to help search for the two of them."

"Sure, just give me a moment to wake up though."

Zack nodded and then turned back to the door. Just before he left, he turned back to his older brother. "Oh yeah. Taylor mentioned something about a hot girl chasing you. Know anything about that?"

Ryan cheeks went hot. So he did rat me out then, huh? "Hot girl?" he asked with a fake laugh. "Don't be ridiculous. There's no one like that here. What's Taylor talking about?"

Zack shrugged. "I'm not sure. It did sound pretty unbelievable. All the girls here are bitches."

"Did Amiamon tell you that?"

"Yes he did."

"What did Joshua tell you about language?"

Zack ducked his head. "Sorry about that. But still, if you want to seem like you're a boss around here, you have to use some curse words sometimes." The ebony-haired boy nodded at his brother and then walked out of the room.

After he was sure that Zack was gone, Ryan walked back over to the closet. When he opened it, Savannah came falling out onto him. He caught her in his arms and held her up.

"Are you all right?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah," she answered. "You should really clean out that closet of yours. There's a lot of stuff in it."

"I've noticed. . . All of that stuff actually belongs to my two brothers," Ryan admitted. He paused for a moment and then turned away from Savannah. He could hear the sounds of people roaming the halls, desperately searching for Sora and the unknown man. Facing her again, he said, "I have to get you out here. If I don't, you'll surely be caught."

Savannah blinked. "You'll help me get out here?"

Ryan nodded.

"Thank you," Savannah smiled. "But wait a minute. . . My brother's here somewhere."

"He'll have to wait," Ryan told her. "But for now, we have to go."

Bardroy shook his head, trying to clear his blurred vision. Somehow, the large boy known as Flexis had found him again and was unfortunately beating him in combat. This had been the second time he was thrown through three sets of walls. He shook his head again, small bits of rubble and dust falling from his hair.

Flexis was coming at him again, this time looking even more crazed. Bardroy held up his Keyblade and pointed directly at his target. He gripped it in both hands and then commanded, "Flare!"

A huge explosion was created in the hallway, followed by an ear-splitting blast. Flexis went flying back into the already broken wall. The entire castle had to have been shaking from the blast that Bardroy had created.

That should keep him busy for awhile. If that kid's human, it would have killed him, but I doubt that it did. He's something else. . . Heh, well, what else should I expect from the Hell on earth?

I still can't believe that I didn't find Emily yet. . . Damn it! I swear. . . If Joshua even laid a finger on her, I'll kill that son of a bitch. I'll kill him the way he killed Miranda. . . His blood will be stained on my hands.

He stood up and then raced down another corridor. If I keep moving like this, I'll just end up getting even more lost. I have to get outside and go around the perimeter again. Looks like I'll be heading back out to the Courtyard.

Sam raced around the corner to run into a boy with green hair. She almost fell onto the ground but was easily able to regain her balance. The boy, who was much taller than her, blinked his ice blue eyes. He ran his long fingernails through his hair and then asked, "You're with Sora's group, aren't you?"

Sam was silent, and instead, she summoned her weapon, preparing herself for any attack that he was willing to hit her with.

"I'm not on Kiari's side. I have no reason to lie to you. If you're looking for Sora," he began, "then I suggest that you head that way." He pointed a finger down the hallway he was just coming from. "Go the first left you see. You should run into him and some other guy just down that corridor."

When Sam made no move, he added, "Better get moving. They may just be gone by the time you get to where I just said to go."

Sam narrowed her blue eyes at the stranger as she carefully walked around him. She never did take her eyes off of him, making sure that he wasn't up to anything. Once she got a good distance away, she asked, "Who are you?"

The boy blinked his ice blue eyes once again and then adjusted the black coat that hung loosely over his skinny frame. "No one special," he answered as he walked off.

Sam watched as he disappeared around the corner before heading her own way. She went the first left she ran into and cautiously moved forward. If he was telling the truth, Sora and whoever he's with should be right around this corn~

When Sam walked around the corner, she was shocked to see a Keyblade pointed at her throat.

Sora blinked. "Sam?"

"S-Sora?" Sam smiled. "There you are!"

"You know her?" Sanji asked

The sixteen-year-old nodded. "Yeah! We met earlier! She's one of the people I was looking for! Now we just have to find Savannah and someone else and we can leave."

"Who's the other person?" The tall blonde man asked.

"Oh. . . Well. . . You would know him," Sora told him. He remembered what Savannah had said about them thinking Sora Lee was dead, so he didn't quite know how to tell Sanji. "Well, I'm looking for Sora Lee. He's somewhere in this castle."

"S-Sora Lee?"

"Your brother."

"You're wasting your time. He's dead."

"No he's not. I know he ran away when you were younger," Sora started, "But he didn't die. He lived and is here, in this castle, right now."

Sanji blinked and then clenched his fists. "So that bastard's still alive, huh? Well, he can just go die somewhere in a hole because I don't give a damn about him anymore."

"Sanji!" Sora gasped. "Don't say that about your brother!"

"I never considered him my brother. And by the way, how did you even know that we're related?" he asked. "I don't remember telling you."

"Like I said, I'll get to that all in good time, but first, we have to get out here. Sam," Sora turned back towards his younger sister, "do you know where Savannah is?"

"How could I know where she is when I never even met her?" Sam questioned. "So the answer would be no, I don't know where she is right now."

Sighing, Sora shook his head. "Okay, fine. We'll just have to keep looking around. She has to be around here somewhere."

"Hold that thought." Sanji stuck his long arm out to stop Sora from advancing forward. "Somebody's coming."

Sora and Sam both readied their weapon. Glancing over towards his sister, the spiky-haired boy turned his attention to her weapon. "I didn't know that you wielded a Keyblade."

"You wield one too?"

Sora nodded. "Yeah, whoever's coming, let's beat the stuffing out of them and show them who's boss." He realized that Sanji didn't pull out a weapon of any type. "Hey Sanji. Can you fight? You don't have a weapon."

"You don't need weapons to fight," Sanji retorted.

"I know that, I'm just asking."

"You'll see when the time comes."

Sora turned back and waited for the person who was heading towards them. When they came around the corner, Sam and him both pointed their Keyblades dangerously close to the approaching figure. To their surprise, it was Savannah.

Savannah blinked. "Sanji?" She wrapped her arms around him, forcing him to become part of a tight embrace. "I'm so glad that I finally found you!"

"You did get out of Hojo's after all," Sanji sighed, relief filling his system. "Thank god. . . We're no longer stuck with that monster. We're free."

Savannah finally pulled away. "I know. . . Sora was the helped me escape. He brought me here. I knew that you'd escape the first chance you got, so we figured that you'd come here too. Looks like I was right."

"So you were telling the truth when you said that you helped Savannah. It might not sound like it, but thank you for helping my sister," Sanji stated. His heart stopped when he saw the stranger who was standing awkwardly to the side. He was tall, about the same height as him, with broad shoulders and a brawny chest. He was twice the size of him.

Sora noticed the stranger also. "Hey. . . Wait a second. . ." When he realized who the man was, his eyes narrowed and hatred reflected off their blue surfaces. "It's you. . . What are you doing here?"

"You know him?" Savannah asked, turning back to the man. "He's here because he was helping me head to the entrance. He can help us get out here."

"I don't care if he's helping you or not!" Sora yelled. "I'll never forgive you for what you did! You killed my Dad!"

Realizing that the boy shouting at him was Sora, Ryan took a step back. "I'm. . . I'm sorry. . . I didn't want to. . . I just. . . It was an order. . ."

"Wait. . . You killed this boy's father?" Savannah asked, wide-eyed.

Ryan nodded. "I did. . . It was an order from Kiari. . . She forced my brothers and I to do it. I'm sorry. . . I never wanted to go that far. . . But I had no choice. . ."

"Do you really think I care about that!? You killed him to save your own skins!" Sora yelled. "It's unforgivable!"

"Sora, calm down," Sam told him, grabbing his arm.

Taking a deep breath, Sora relaxed a bit. "Haven't you caused enough problems already? You and your brothers. . . Just go and mind your own damn business for once."

Ryan lowered his head. "I'm sorry. . . I don't know how many times I can apologize, but I know that I can't be forgiven for the sin that I have done. I just hope that you can see that I truly am sorry for what's happened. I'll make it up to you by leading you out of the castle."

Sora folded his arms and turned his head away from Ryan. "I don't care. You'll probably just turn your back on me again once we're gone."

Savannah frowned. "Please Ryan, help us escape from here."

He nodded. "I can take you to the front entrance, but that's as far as I can go. Follow me." Ryan turned away from the spiky-haired boy and then started to head in the direction that would lead the small group to the front of the castle.

They were almost there until they heard the sound of people running through the halls. Ryan slid to a stop. "Quickly, keep heading this way and then take the second right you approach to. Keep heading straight after that and you'll find your self at the drawbridge. You have to hurry. I'll distract the group that's heading this way."

"Thank you," Savannah nodded, and then took the lead down the hallway. Sam and Sora ran by without a word. The last was Sanji.

He stopped and stared at Ryan for a few moments. The set of blue eyes looked away first. "Go," Ryan said.

Sanji closed his green eyes and then nodded. Without another word, he raced to catch up to his sister and the other two followers. They were approaching the exit.

"There it is!" Sora announced. "We're almost there!"

As they were running, they could see that someone was standing in the middle of the hallway, heading their way. He stopped as did they. While Sora and Sam both raised an eyebrow at the stranger, Sanji and Savannah gasped.

Sora eyed his older siblings. "What's the matter?" He could see their wide eyes. "Do you know who that is?" He eyed the boy over. He certainly had never seen the boy before. . . No, that wasn't right. His outfit was a mixture of colors, but black was the main color. A necklace bearing a broken crown-shaped charm hung around his neck. His eyes were a familiar blue color and his hair was brown. He was narrowing his eyes now, and a nasty frown was plastered onto his face.

Wait a second. . . That's. . . Sora began thinking but soon figured it out. That was the boy who had been glaring at him and Sota from the Kavern window. It was Sora Lee. His older brother.

How could he not see it? His attributes were just like his mothers and his face was clearly similar to Sota's.

"Lee?" Savannah took a step forward which Sora had to give her credit for; that nasty glare was enough to keep the devil at a distance. "Is that you?"

"What are you two doing here?" His voice was obviously full of disappointment.

"I could ask you the same thing. You're supposed to be dead," Sanji retorted.

"Don't you sound thrilled. I'm not exactly excited to see your ugly ass face either, Sanji," Sora Lee responded.

"Screw you. I liked it better when you were dead."

"And I to you."

"Stop it!" Savannah snapped to Sanji. "Lee, what are you doing here? Why didn't you go back to Uncle Bardroy's?"

"I was sick of that place." He started to walk towards them. "I'm much better here than I am there. No one cares anyway."

Savannah continued. "Lee, please. I know that it's been a long time, but I'm glad to see you. It would be nice if we could be a family again."

Sora Lee walked passed them and continued down the hallway that they had just come from. He paused for a moment. "I have my family," he began. "It's right here. I don't need anyone else."

"But Lee~"

"No." His voice was full of a determination that said his choice was final. "I'm not going with you. Get out of here while you still can. You have no purpose to be here and if you do stay, you'll just get in the way and get yourselves killed." And with that last note, he ran off.

"Wait! Lee!" Savannah went to run after her twin but Sanji stopped her.

"Savannah," he said softly. "Just leave him be. If that's how he wants to be, then let him go. We never needed him anyway."

She lowered her head. "Okay. . ."

"But we can't just let him leave!" Sora protested suddenly. "We need Sora Lee to come with us! I'm not leaving without him!"

"Hey! There they are!" a voice shouted.

When Sora faced the other end of the hallway where Sora Lee had run, his eyes widened at the horde of minions running towards them.

"Forget about Lee," Sam started, "Let's get out here! Come on!"

The four of them ran out of the castle. When they reached the drawbridge, Sanji came to a stop and faced the Kavern. "Sanji! What are you doing? We have to go, now!" Savannah yelled to him.

"Just give me a second!" he called back. Sanji flexed his fingers and then stood up tall. "Stand back." Swinging his arms upward in a vertical arc, a huge wall of fire sparked into flames and then covered the entire entryway.

Sora stared at his brother in awe. "That's amazing! How'd you learn how to do that!"

Sanji didn't answer him, but grabbed his arm and then started to lead the way. "Where are we heading?" he asked.

"Oh, right!" Sora took the lead and shouted, "Follow me!"

Propping himself up against the wall, Bardroy sucked a breath in. Finally. . . It only took that freakin' long to get away from those freaks. . . At least I got back outside. . . Damn it. . .

Where in the hellis my daughter?

If Joshua even dared to lay a finger on her. . . Maybe he isn't here after all. . . Maybe that boy was just being stupid. . . Maybe he's just~

"Thank you. . . For everything."

"It's no problem, really. Which direction is your house?" Bardroy spun himself around and leaned over the balcony that he was standing on. Just below him, he could see a tall man with silvery blonde hair heading away from the castle, towards the woods. A little girl was walking beside him, a braid of golden hair hanging down her back.

His pulse quickened when he realized that it was his daughter. That's Emily! But who's with~ Time seemed to pause for Bardroy, for the man he was gazing at was the one he had vowed to kill.

Joshua Capri.

The one who had killed Miranda.

Before he could process what he was even doing, he found himself jumping from the balcony ledge and then getting ready for a vertical slash. "EMILY!" he screamed. "Get away from him!"

Joshua jerked to the side to avoid the slash that was directed upon him. He took a few steps backward until he was just far enough out of Bardroy's reach.

Bardroy's gaze slid down to his daughter. "Are you okay? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"Daddy! He was helping me!" Her wide eyes were full of fear.

His glance went to Emily and then back to Joshua. "Emily, please stay out of this." Turning towards the man with the violet eyes, he began, "Joshua. . . Joshua. . . Joshua. . . You don't know how long I've been wanting to do this."

Joshua sighed. "Bardroy. . . I didn't want to meet you like this. . ."

Instead of replying, Bardroy slashed at him with his Keyblade. Just as before, he dodged the attack, but didn't draw his weapon. "Take your daughter and leave here. Kiari wants you both dead, it's not safe here," he told him.

"I'm not letting you slip through my fingers again! I regret showing you the mercy you didn't show Miranda!" Bardroy yelled, dashing towards him. Joshua avoided the attack once again by stepping to the side quickly. He repeated the motion a few more times until Bardroy's Keyblade finally tore through his side.

Yes! I finally got him! Now he's gonna die! Bardroy pulled back his weapon for one final strike. Who knew it'd be this easy! But. . .

Wait. . .

He skimmed Joshua's body for any type of weapon. His Keyblade was not drawn, but at the very least, he expected to see a knife or some kind of killing device on his body. Not one sharp instrument could be seen. Bardroy looked wildly at Joshua's hands, wondering why he hadn't called forth his Keyblade. Finally, he looked at his enemy's face.

"What kind of game are you playing?" Bardroy asked, his eyes narrowed.

Joshua's gaze slid away from him. "I accept my Fate. . . Even though I'm going to be leaving behind far too much undone. . . I'm sorry. . ." When a tear slid down his cheek, Bardroy paused. Joshua continued, "You said so yourself, I don't deserve mercy. Avenge your wife! Or let her death haunt you for the rest of your days, while her killer walks free!"

Whatever pity or confusion that Bardroy was feeling melted away completely. Without anymore hesitation, he stepped back once again, getting ready for the final blow.

Emily was still standing just a few yards behind her father. "Daddy! No!" Not even her desperate screams were knocking him out of the state of anger that her father had entered.

I have to do this! He has to die! Bardroy's Keyblade was plunged deeply into Joshua's chest. Although he didn't cry out, he coughed out some blood. When Bardroy pulled his weapon back, the red liquid spurted out of the wound and then splattered all over him. Joshua slid off of his Keyblade and then fell to the ground. Blood was pooling around Joshua's body and around Bardroy's shoes.

Holding the bloody weapon up to his face, Bardroy stared at it in deep thought. It's finally over. Joshua's as good as dead. . . I've gotten my revenge. . .

I don't understand. . . I've killed before. . . I killed Raven in almost this exact same spot. . . But then. . .

Why does this feel so wrong?

When Bardroy looked down at Joshua's unmoving body, he caught his reflection of himself in the pool of blood. Crimson dots spotted his face as well as a few of his own cuts. Blood was running down from his forehead and down his chin from the many times he was thrown threw the walls of the Kavern.

He looked like a total madman. In fact, as mad as Joshua had looked all those years ago. Bardroy swallowed and took a step backward. He turned around slowly and looked at Emily, who was staring at him in horror. Her crystal blue eyes were filling with tears as they quickly darted back forth to Joshua and then back to him. She was clutching herself in fear, trying to process what had just happened.

Just as Bardroy went to say something to his daughter, a voice full of sorrow cried out, "FATHER!"

Taking his eyes off of his little girl, Bardroy turned to who had spoken. A boy was charging towards him, his eyes wild with fury. Although it had been twelve years, his appearance had hardly changed. The same fiery blue eyes that were full of a dark determination. The nasty frown that never seemed to disappear from his face. Even from a distance did he look too much like his father.

It was his nephew, Sora Lee.

"Sora Lee?!" Alarmed, hundreds of questions filled his head. I thought he was dead! What the hell is he doing here? What the hell is going on? Shit. . . He's attacking me!? Bardroy clashed his Keyblade against Lee's before he could get slashed.

"Get the hell out of here! I won't hesitate to kill you!" Lee snapped. "GO!"

Bardroy pulled away. He took a few steps backward until he was standing next to Emily. This whole place is screwed up! We have to get the hell out of here! I've had enough shit like this to last a lifetime! It took him a few moments to realize that he must have said it out loud as he was thinking it because his daughter was staring at him like he was a stranger.

"We need to get moving!" Instead of just grabbing his daughter's hand, he scooped her up and then raced off with her. He fled into the woods before Lee could run after him. Whatever his business with Joshua was, he didn't want to know. Lee was the farthest thing from his mind.

At that moment, he only cared about two things.

He got his daughter back.

And Joshua was finally dead.