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Once More With Feeling

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Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts is not now, nor has it ever been, mine. I will, however reluctantly, take the blame for Lady Ahnmuri.

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Author's Note: This will be my version of KHIII. I started writing this before I saw 358/2 or BBS (I don't own a handheld), but have since watched them and reworked a few bits. I will include some things we learn there, but I will be totally ignoring others. For the purposes of this story, Aqua was most likely lost to the darkness, Terra is probably just an interesting back story for Xemnas, and Ventus may be mentioned only in passing. Rescuing them is Nomura's KHIII, not mine, got it memorized? A word of warning: this is not a light story; people are going to get hurt, maimed, and, in some cases, even killed. This is not a PWP, and on this site, it will be staying fairly clean, but this story will, when we get there, contain BL/yaoi and non-canon pairings, e.g., AkuRoku, SoRiku, etc. (sorry Naminé). And, Ahnmuri should be gone after the first chapter. She's just a device to get a few players back in the game. Speaking of which…

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Prologue

The machine was going critical. No, the machine had gone critical and exploded. He remembered now the blinding flash of light engulfing him as he tried to use his body to shield his friends. He remembered unconsciousness over taking him, welcoming it. It was a small gift that he would not feel the pain of death.

But, he felt the pain now.

A dull ache was sifting through the wash of memory, clouding it. Grief over his past actions warred with confusion for his current situation. Death was not supposed to be painful. Maybe this was his punishment. He could not deny that he should deserve such a thing. He let out a resigned sigh that brought a sharp pain to his lungs. He brought a hand to his chest and felt thick fabric. He heard movement off to his right somewhere and, ever wary, opened his eyes to take in his surroundings.

He was lying on a sofa in a small nook that appeared to be part of a larger study. Tan bookshelves lined three of the walls, while the fourth was held by a large window with heavy drapes that were a muted green that matched the soft carpets. Bright afternoon sunlight was streaming through the gap in the curtains. In front of the window was a tan desk covered in more books, stacks of paper, and various strange looking objects, including a large blue crystal sphere that sat in a ring of gold lined with buttons.

Behind the desk sat a figure in a dark jade cloak. While the cloak concealed the person's slender shape, and the hood was pulled low so that shadows hid their face, the grace with which the figure rose and walked towards him, immediately told him she was female.

"Are you really awake this time, or are you going to slip off again?" she asked in a quiet voice that reminded him of waves lapping at the shoreline. He thought about her question for a moment, taking stock of himself. The dull ache was still there, but not intolerable, though it hurt if he breathed too deeply. Looking down at himself for the first time, he thought he understood why. His coat lay open, revealing heavy bandages wrapping his torso, deep purple bruises were evident where the skin shown through.

He gave a dark chuckle that triggered the sharp pain and said, "I believe I look worse than I feel." He could see the shadow of a smile underneath her hood as she sat down in a chair by the sofa.

"If you're conscious enough to try to make a joke," she said, her smile evident in the babbling brook of her voice, "then I'd say we're stuck with you. In which case, let me welcome you back to the land of the living, Lord Ansem."

At the sound of his name, a glimmer of memory sparked in the back of his mind. "You may be right, Lady Ahnmuri," Ansem said as he fought through the pain to raise himself to a sitting position.

"So, you remember my name, at least." She made a move to help him sit up, but he quickly waved her off. She instead made a small gesture with her left hand. With a flash of light, she now held the large sphere Ansem had seen on her desk. Upon seeing it up close, he noticed that the sphere seemed to be filled with a slowly churning liquid and glowed faintly. Another gesture and small flash, and there were two glasses of water sitting on the low table in front of them. Ahnmuri gestured for him to drink and took a sip of her own before she continued on. "I'd wondered about that." Her grip seemed to tighten on the sphere. "I dislike having to introduce myself to people I once called 'friend'. And I haven't poisoned that, you know," she indicated his still untouched glass. "I wouldn't go to all the trouble of patching you up, only to do away with you." Ansem picked up his glass, gave it a surreptitious examination, and took a swallow. The cool water was soothing to his dry throat. He took another drink before setting it back down. When he did, he noticed it was just as full as when he had picked it up. He looked from the glass to the woman before him.

"Too long in the darkness, I'm afraid," he offered with a slight smile. "As such, you have me at a disadvantage." While, it was true that he did remember her name, and that he knew he used to know this woman quite well, his time in the dark realm had removed many of the connections in his heart. He did feel, however, that the truth, at least some of it, was best.

"I know that I know you, but in what capacity, I couldn't guess. You speak of friendship between us, and while this seems true, I am not sure I should trust it. My judgment is…not what it used to be. For all I know, we could be mortal enemies, and you have me hear under some enchantment. You certainly seem capable." As he said this, he glanced pointedly at the summoned sphere and the water.

"What, those little parlor tricks?" she laughed. "They're hardly great feats of magic. Any of my subjects could repeat it, at least, the ones gifted in those arts, anyway. And as for myself, I truly am but a humble 'servant of the worlds', to use your phrase.

"There. How do you explain that you even know that that is one of my phrases?" Ansem had spoken those words to Roxas before he had rejoined with Sora. As far as he knew, the Nobody and he were the only ones who heard that conversation.

"With this." She indicated the sphere in her hand. "I'm afraid that I have cheated a little. You know, it's not every day a half-dead man just appears on your doorstep. Even though I recognized you, it has been nearly ten years since we last spoke. As protector of my people, I needed to know what would bring Ansem the Wise across the Pathways Between in such a state. And, even though the Healers made quick work of your injuries, you've been out of it for almost two weeks now. So, I had one of the masters make me this." Again, she lifted the sphere.

"But, what is it?"

"We call it a memory sphere. Certain masters have the ability to affect people's memories. I know you have some experience with people like this, having seen Naminé in your memories. Using their abilities, they can take a blank sphere and create a copy of a person's memories, perfectly preserving them for centuries. Normally, people use these to record special events in their lives, but spheres are also helpful in the matter of public records or, in your case, interrogations."

Ansem was slightly taken aback at this invasion of his mind and heart. "In other words, you are holding all of my memories hostage in the palm of your hand?"

It was Ahnmuri's turn to be caught off guard, though she recovered quicker. "No, nothing like that, I assure you. This is only a copy, an external record. Unlike your experiences with Naminé, with this, your memories still rest within you. Also, it is only your most recent past, from your time in Castle Oblivion to present. Attempting to retrieve the memories from before your time in the Dark Realm would have put a strain on your heart, and in your weakened state, I forbid them to try. Plus, now that you are awake and I can speak to you, you are more than welcome to destroy the sphere. It's yours to do with as you please." With that, she tossed the sphere onto the sofa next to him. He quickly picked it up, placing it in one of his pouches.

"Finally," Ahnmuri pressed on, "there are no hostages or prisoners here. You are free to leave whenever you like."

"I sense a 'but' coming," Ansem countered.

Ahnmuri hesitated a second. "However," the smile had returned to her voice, "I do have a request of you." Ansem gave a weak laugh and waited. She continued. "It's nothing too terrible, I assure you. I simply wish for you to keep your word." Ansem gave her a confused look.

Ahnmuri sighed. "You told your friend, King Mickey, that you must make amends to the young people. I think I may know a way for you to do so. Not only make it up to Sora, Riku, and Kairi, but to Roxas and Naminé, as well."

"How?"

-{([o])}-

With the fall of the Castle That Never Was, they had worried the rest of the Dark City, along with whatever secrets it held, would slowly sink back into the nothingness from which it came. It was this worry, and the hope of finding these secrets before they could vanish, that had brought the King and his two companions to face the darkness-filled town again.

Following the streets leading from the portal to Betwixt and Between, the trio encountered something they did not expect. While the city had been almost completely overrun by Neoshadows and Dusks, they barely paid the King, Donald, and Goofy any attention. The Heartless were too busy trying to fend off the Nobodies who, in the absence of a leader to tell them the plan had already failed, appeared to be still attempting to destroy the dark creatures to claim the captive hearts.

"Welp," the King said to his friends as they passed the looming skyscraper, "that explains why the city has lasted this long. Never thought I'd be grateful for Nobodies."

The King gave a small laugh at the thought, but was quickly brought up short by the sight that now lay before him. They had reached the Brink of Despair, only now the chasm was filled with the still smoldering ruins of the Castle that had once effortlessly floated above it.

"Aw, phooey," quipped the Magician. "I don't think there's anything left to find in there, even if we could find a way down to look."

"I think you're right, Donald," said Mickey, "but I had to see for myself. The information the Organization would have had could help us. Or it could hurt us if it was in the wrong hands."

"Gawrsh," sniffed Goofy, surveying the rubble, "I hope Pete an' Maleficent made it out alright. I mean, I know they was the bad guys, but they did help us escape so we could defeat Xemnas an' all."

Donald let out a sad groan. The King gave his friends a small smile and said, "Aw, I'm sure they made it out. I can feel it in my heart. Why, I bet they're out there somewhere waitin' to cause us more trouble." He gave another short laugh to try and cover the doubt his words brought to him. He then became serious again. "But right now we've got other things to worry about. We need to keep searchin'."

It was quiet for a moment as they turned to head back into the city before Goofy spoke again. "You know, fellas," he said as they walked back through town, "I've been thinkin'." This caused Donald to let out a snort, but the Knight went on unperturbed. "That there buildin'," he said, pointing at the skyscraper. "Idn't it suppose to have somethin' to do with memories? Maybe it's got some sorta record from the Organization."

"I bet you're right, Goofy," Mickey said with forced cheerfulness. They walked up the short flight of stairs and tried the door. It was locked. Goofy and Donald looked down, disappointed. The King let out a sigh and cleared his throat to get their attention. He didn't meet their gazes, but simply held up the keyblade. With dawning comprehension, they moved out of the way to give him a clear shot. With a bit of a flourish, Mickey pointed the weapon at the door, a beam of light flashed between them, and the door swung freely. The King then motioned for the others to follow him inside.

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"That's all very well and good," said Ansem, "but, unless you have a Gummi ship I can borrow, this will have to wait until I have healed more fully and can use my power to access the corridors of light."

"Unfortunately, I do not have such a ship," Ahnmuri said, "nor do I have the patience to wait for your full strength to return." She turned her head toward the door to her study, gave it a sharp nod, and the door opened by itself. "Fortunately, I have someone who has agreed to, not only accompany you, but to transport you both there himself."

As she said this, a man, whom Ansem recognized from his time at Castle Oblivion, entered the room. He was dressed entirely in black: boots, gloves, pants, and a long, hooded coat with silver accents. His hood was down revealing bright green eyes set in a pale face with a dark, inverted teardrop tattooed beneath each eye. The man was crowned with a long mane of spiky, fire red hair. He smirked at Ansem, who glared back at him.

"Axel!" shouted Ansem.

"Nice to see you again, too, Ansem the Wise," said Axel, giving the older man a sarcastic, two-fingered salute as he walked closer. "I knew I wasn't going to like this."

Ansem turned his glare on the woman seated between them. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded. "Consorting with Nobodies, especially one who is a known traitor, even to his own kind. He was nothing but trouble, even young," Ansem continued, another memory from a lifetime ago flashing in his mind. "That's why he was sent…" Ansem quickly trailed off as Ahnmuri sharply shook her head."

"Hey," spouted Axel with his back to Ahnmuri, not noticing, "I only ever tried to get Roxas back. It's not my fault. You were the one who locked him in the digital prison. You're the bad guy here, got it memor…"

"How is this even possible?" the old scientist's curiosity curbing his anger for the moment. "King Mickey said he faded to nothingness?"

"Well," Ahnmuri replied, "remember when I said that it's not every day that a half-dead man shows up on your doorstep? That statement is truer than you think because, on the day in question, two men arrived. Axel appeared here a few hours before you, after attempting to sacrifice his life to save Sora." Ansem's expression gentled a little upon hearing this. "Like you, we patched him up. Unlike you, Nobodies heal quickly, not having real bodies to mend in the first place. As for how you both got here, one theory is that, somehow, Axel managed to send himself here, and when your machine blew up in your face, it sent you along the same pathway."

"As to why I would send myself to world I have no memory of," Axel said slowly, "I have no idea."

"So," Ansem said in a quiet voice, clearly softening towards the Nobody and the woman as understanding sank in, "We both tried to sacrifice our lives to save the others. "

"And failed," supplied Axel, "at least, in the sacrificing our lives part. Thanks to her." He pointed at Ahnmuri.

"Which brings us back to the discussion at hand," Ahnmuri pressed on, a slight strain in her voice. "Think of it this way: the sooner you start, the sooner you never have to see me or the other person again."

Ansem got to his feet and fastened his cloak. His pain was almost forgotten in the excitement of a new project. "Then, by all means, let us go quickly."

Axel gave a short laugh as he stretched forth his right hand, summoning a dark portal in the middle of the study. Ahnmuri rose to follow as the men made there way to the portal. "Thank you for this, Ansem," she said. "I may yet forgive you," she added, in an undertone. He gave her a half bow and disappeared into the darkness. "And, Axel," she said, "thank you, as well…Look after yourself."

"Look, Lady," Axel said, "I'm doing this for me and because I owe you for saving my…well, whatever it is a Nobody has instead of a life. After this, don't expect to be ordering me around anymore, got it memorized? And quit acting like you're worried about me. You're not my mother." With that, Axel stepped into the portal.

As the gateway vanished, Ahnmuri let out a short, sardonic laugh. She lowered her hood, revealing long red hair that stress was beginning to turn white in places, and sparkling green eyes that were glistening with tears. She moved to sit behind her desk, blinking the moisture away, as another red haired young man entered the room.

"I don't get it, Mom," the young man said, sitting in front of the desk. "Why didn't you just tell them you were the one who magicked Lea here before he could fade completely? I would've been bragging that I could do that kind of magic. For that matter, why didn't you just tell him who…"

"Because, Reno," Ahnmuri cut in, "he's not ready to know just yet. Thank you, though, for respecting my wishes and staying away while he was here. Your little brother was young when I entrusted him to Ansem for teaching. I would have sent him to Yen Sid, but he had stepped down, and Eraqus already had students. Then Ansem was overthrown, the worlds began falling to Darkness, and along the way, Lea was lost himself." She paused a moment to draw a steadying breath. "When the time is right, he may remember us and return. Anyway, you're here right now, not as my son, but because I needed to speak with my Captain of the Guard." Reno straightened his posture a little at her words. Ahnmuri took another glowing sphere out of her desk and placed it in the player. "This is from the memory of a washerwoman on the edge of town." She pressed a button on the device and it hummed to life, an image rising out of the sphere.

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The interior of Memory's Skyscraper was not what any of them were expecting. Although, Mickey had to admit that a giant skyscraper that was completely hollow on the inside was a fitting monument in the city of hollow people. At one time, you would have been able to stand on the empty floor and see all the way to the roof. Now, however, someone had filled the ground floor, or rather the only floor, with lab equipment. Beakers, vials, glass tubes, and other strange-looking equipment took up most of the room. A desk, whose many stacks of papers almost hid the computer, was crammed into one corner. It was here that the King focused his attention.

As Mickey and Donald began sifting through the papers, Goofy was looking at the portrait hung over the desk. It showed a tall, thin man in an Organization coat, with long, sleek blonde hair, a very serious face, and large, staring eyes. Looking at the picture, Goofy scratched his chin in confusion. "You know," he said, "this guy looks awfully familiar."

The King looked at the portrait briefly. "That's Even…I mean Vexen. I met him a while ago. He was one of Ansem the Wise's apprentices. He was also Number IV in the Organization. Not a very polite fella, either way, heart or no heart, but he was really smart. I think this mighta been one of his labs." His Majesty raised a small book off the table to show the other two. "See, take a look. This looks like his journal." They read the first page over the King's shoulder.

What better place for a laboratory to work on unlocking the memories and data contained in hearts than here in Memory's Skyscraper? It is the perfect place where prying eyes, and careless lower members with their silly pranks, will not disturb my research again. Why VIII and XIII decided to destroy my last lab, I may never know. Hopefully, I can convince the Superior to turn them into Dusks over this incident and I will not have to worry about them anymore, especially now that No. i is fully functional. XIII on his own may not be too annoying, but I swear VIII will be the end of me.

"Huh," huffed Donald. "Looks more like a diary than a journal to me."

The King shrugged as he absent-mindedly flipped through the rest of the book. As he neared the end, a computer disk fell out onto desk. Donald picked it up, asking, "What do you think this is?" Mickey located the page from which the disk had fallen. It wasn't difficult, for the page had a slight disk-shaped dent. It was also the last entry. He held the journal so the others could read it as well.

Is it coincidence that, just after perfecting my experiment with the boy, Marluxia goads me into a battle? I highly doubt it. He simply wants me occupied long enough that he may steal my research and claim it as his own. Well, see if he can find it. I have put all my research into this data disk, and destroyed any notes. I will hide it here in my secret laboratory. Even the Superior does not know its location. Now, I am free to take care of the wretched child and not worry about anything.

"Oh, boy!" cried the King, "Vexen's research! And it seems awful important if he was even hiding it from Xemnas. Donald, see if you can turn on that computer so we can find out just what's on that disk."

Donald began to examine the computer for an on switch, when a Neoshadow emerged from a pool of darkness beside him. The first one was quickly followed by dozens more, all clearly finally having decided to try to acquire the only three hearts in this world. The Nobodies were nowhere to be seen. As the Magician slowly backed towards his friends, one of the Heartless swung a clawed fist at the desk, clearing a path towards its prey, and sending the computer flying into the opposite wall, where it smashed into bits.

"Welp, fellas," Mickey said, taking the disk from Donald, placing it back on it's page, and stuffing the journal into one of his pockets, "I don't think we're gonna learn anything else here. I think it's time to skedaddle."

Summoning his keyblade and raising it high above his head, the King leapt into the crowd of Heartless and began to clear a path to the door. Donald called down a torrent of lightning, reducing several Neoshadows to dark mist and shattering most of the glass in the room, as he ran to follow. Goofy simply pushed his cap forward on his head, raised his shield, and charged into the enemy with a mighty cry of, "Gah-hah-hah-hah-hooey!"

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"The great Ansem the Wise, reduced to having a Nobody protect him," Axel quipped as he sliced through several Dusks with his chakrams. He and Ansem had arrived in the main hall of the abandoned mansion outside Twilight Town and were working their way through the Nobodies to get to the basement. Axel was about to send his weapons flying through two Assassins on the upstairs landing when a bolt of light shot past him, destroying the Nobodies, and clearing the path to the Library.

"And the Flurry of Dancing Flames reduced to agreeing to help an old man who is not as helpless as he appears," came Ansem's response as he walked passed Axel and opened the door, his outstretched hand still slightly glowing from his attack. "I may not have the strength to open a portal, but I have power enough to dispatch a Nobody who wishes to do me harm," he said with a pointed glance at Axel as they walked down the hidden stairs. Axel gave a half smile. "And I thought we were getting along so well," he replied.

When they entered the computer room, Ansem sat at the workstation and began downloading all of the files he would need. Axel, meanwhile, was examining the digitizing device in the alcove next to the computer. The device was glowing, still active. This prompted Axel to ask, "Should this thing be turned on?"

Ansem gave a quick glance to the device before turning back to his work. "If memory serves, the last ones to use it were Sora and his friends. I highly doubt, in all the excitement, they would have remembered to turn it off. It also explains why this manor is over run by Nobodies, as there is a portal to the World That Never Was inside the device."

"Right. While you're working on the computer stuff, maybe I should go close that portal."

"That's not necessarily a bad idea. However," Ansem said, taking the disk out of the workstation and placing it in a pouch, "I have already finished with the 'computer stuff' and could just as easily disable the machine itself."

Ansem made a move to do just that when, suddenly, the digitizing beam flashed and three figures stepped off the platform. An identical look of shock was on each of the trio's faces at the sight of the pair standing before them, which was impressive considering the group consisted of a duck, a dog, and a mouse.

As the surprise wore off, King Mickey threw himself into a hug with his old friend, eliciting a small wince of pain from Ansem. Axel found himself in a similar situation with Goofy giving him a backbreaking greeting. Donald, ever the tactful one, asked, "Wak? How are you guys still here?"

Axel tried to extricate himself from the eager knight and said, "If you'd let me breathe, I'd tell you it was a long story, but the short one is that we're still here and now owe a sorceress a favor, which we were working on repaying before we were interrupted." Goofy released him and retreated a few steps, muttering an apology. Axel smirked and gave him a light punch on the shoulder. "What about you guys?" Axel inquired. "What brings you to this lovely place?"

"We was lookin' for information," replied Goofy, ignoring a look from Donald that said the duck clearly did not trust the Nobody. "We searched the whole city and found a journal and a disk from some Nobody named Vixen."

"Vexen," corrected Donald automatically.

Ansem ignored the cranky Magician, and instead turned to the diminutive king. "My friend, may I see the journal?" he asked, holding out his hand. The King took the journal, opened it to the page with the disk, and handed it to Ansem. A smile slowly spread across the old scientist's face as he read the page. "King Mickey," he said, "this is exactly the data I need to finish what I'm working on, although we must go to my study in Radiant Garden. My main computer is the only one I know of capable of handling this much information, and I may need the help of Tron and Merlin, too, if he's willing."

The King looked at Ansem for a moment before smiling at him. "It may be a tight fit," he said taking a small device out of another of his pockets, "but if you promise to explain things on the way, we can all take the Excalibur." When Ansem returned his smile and nodded, Mickey motioned for them to gather closer together before pressing a button on the small device, transporting them all aboard the Gummi ship.

-{([o])}-

The sphere recording was in first-person, as they always were, and, at the moment, showed two wrinkled arms throwing a set of bedsheets over a backyard clothesline in the light of early morning. The sound of two young children chattering and laughing could be heard from a neighboring yard. The woman uttered a mild oath as one of the sheets feel to the ground before she could pin it in place. A wizened hand came up, presumably to the woman's mouth, and the view swung quickly to a gate in the high fence on the left where the children's voices continued without pause, clearly not having heard the foul language.

The perspective shifted back towards the clothesline, but stopped and focused instead on the very back edge of the yard where two figures were emerging from a swirl of silver and black energy. The figures were bald, barefoot, and clothed in simple black pants and shirts, some sort of red and silver charm hanging from there necks. They could have been human, if not for the silver sheen to their skin and glowing yellow eyes. There was also something off about their mouths, but before further observation could be made, the pair moved quickly to the fence separating the two yards, crouched low, and sprang eight feet into the air over the fence.

The old woman's hand snatched up a gnarled walking stick as the children's screams pierced the morning air, and the view shook a bit as the gate came closer and swung open with a bang. One of the creatures had a young girl pinned to a tree, holding her in place with one hand while it watched its companion. The other creature was kneeling over a small boy who had fallen to the ground. The children's mother, clearly frozen in shock, could only watch as the monster plunged a hand into the boy's chest, pulling out the child's glowing heart. The boy's screams stopped instantly. The creature looked at its glowing prize and gave a wide smile. Too wide. Its face split, literally, from ear to ear, revealing a deep, dark maw ringed with teeth. The creature then shoved the heart down its throat, closed its mouth, and looked to the girl, where its partner was gazing hungrily down at her.

The washerwoman snapped from her shocked state and raised her staff at the being holding the girl. A large shard of ice flew from its tip into the monster's shoulder pinning it to the tree. It released its grip on the child who immediately ran to her now screaming mother. The old woman raised her staff skyward and lightning enveloped the trapped creature, reducing it to vapor. As she turned her staff to the other being, it licked its lips and vanished in another swirl of energy. With the monsters dealt with, the view shifted down to the still body of the little boy. As our view got closer to the child's face, the woman having knelt beside the non-breathing body, the boy's eyes opened. They were the same bright yellow of the monsters, and his skin was darkening to black. The view backed away from the child as darkness enveloped his body. When it cleared, the child was gone.

Ahnmuri deactivated the player, silencing the bawling girl and her still screaming mother. "That was this morning," she informed the stunned man before her. "What's more, that wasn't the only reported attack."

"They don't look like the Dark Ones from before," he said when he had recovered his voice.

"Heartless," she informed him. "That's what the Dark Ones are called according to Ansem's memories, and you're right. I was searching through his sphere, before he awoke, for anything like them. They may be after the same thing, but not only their appearance, but their methods are different."

"Yeah, a Dar…Heartless never would have stopped an attack just because its buddy got poofed."

"That's not the only difference. These creatures don't swarm, they hunt in twos and threes making quick attacks, like the one we just witnessed, and vanishing again, even when no one there can drive them off. They're stronger, too. If that washerwoman hadn't been an exceptionally gifted Mage, the little girl might not have been saved."

"In that case, I'll take Lulu and Rinoa with me to sweep the city," Reno said as he got to his feet.

"No," Ahnmuri said. "Take Quistis and Barrett to sweep the town." Reno was surprised by this as his mother rarely interfered with his duties. "What is it you're not telling me?" he asked.

"Lulu and Rinoa have been sent to guard the stadium," she informed him. "I'm going to send all the families there to stay while this is dealt with. There's another difference with these monsters, Reno…they only target children."

Reno could only stare at her.

"I want this stopped before more are hurt," she said by means of dismissal. When he did not move, she continued in a sharp voice, "You have your orders, Captain." She waved a hand, indicating he should get going.

"Of course," Reno started and headed for the door. "Right away, Mom…I mean, my Lady."

-{([o])}-

Ansem explained Axel and his survival, and their current course of action, not once, but thrice. The first time was to Mickey and company aboard the Excalibur. The second time came after the reunion and, in the case of three tiny pixies, introductions with the members of the newly christened "Radiant Garden Restoration Committee" inside Merlin's home. Cid, Yuffie, and Aerith were delighted to have their benevolent ruler back, hugging him and shaking his hand, while Leon gave a noncommittal sigh. For those who knew the young man, as Ansem believed he did, that was close to an emotional outpouring. The third and final time he told the story was in the giant computer room to Tron, both he and Merlin having agreed to help in anyway they could, the latter claiming to have already spent time scouring his many books for any information that could help.

Tron was currently discussing a timeline with Ansem while compiling the data from both of the disks Ansem had fed into the slots on the user interface. Merlin and the King were listening quietly to the pair as King Mickey composed a letter with Axel reading it over his shoulder. Donald and Goofy were outside in the study, discussing the town with Leon.

"It will take me a little time, Master Ansem," Tron informed them. "At least two days. I have to convert the raw data into usable code, configure the code to work in the new format, and set up a clean space inside the mainframe to work in. Also, a few modifications will need to be made to the digitizer, although, now that I have the information on the newer model you built, that will be the easy part."

"I know I'm asking a lot of you," said Ansem, "and I appreciate your assistance, my friend."

Mickey looked up from the letter to inquire, "Today is Sunday, so if we have them here on Wednesday, will that be enough time?" When Tron replied in the positive, the King put the pertinent information in the letter, signed and sealed it, and handed it to Merlin. The Wizard slid the note into a glass bottle he conjured, corked the bottle, and waved a hand over it. There was a bright flash and both bottle and note were sent on their way. "There," Merlin said. "They should find it easily enough. Now, if you'll excuse me, not only do I have work to do, it is time for tea. I would invite you to join me, but I already know you won't." With no more explanation than that, the old Wizard vanished in his own flash of light.

"What a fruitcake," muttered Axel. "I heard that," came Merlin's disembodied reply, drawing a laugh from the three remaining people. Ansem remained smiling and turned to face the Nobody. "If all goes well, Axel," he said, "you will have your friend back before the week is out."

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This is my first story (and I'm stupid enough to tackle a biggie), so please review. Constructive criticism is always welcome. I'll even take flames (it's currently three degrees outside and I could use the heat source).

Please R/R, folks

LSR

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