A/N:

Disclaimer – I do not claim to have any kind of official hold on the Kingdom Hearts series or any of its affiliates, including but not limited to Disney and the Final Fantasy series.

Note – I don't intend for this to be an actual story, guys. It would flop epically if I tried. So you'll just have to enjoy what you get, which is a two-shot.

The Thirteenth

"No. No, no, no."

Lea continued to mutter this under his breath as he fought his way through the corridor of darkness. Both Heartless and Nobodies impeded his way – the new Organization had apparently been expecting an invasion coming from this way too.

"I don't have time for this!" he growled, slashing at a pair of his old Assassins with flaming chakrams.

Xemnas – Xehanort, whatever – was playing a freaking stalling game. If the need to get to the others in time weren't a literally life-or-death thing and therefore seriously angering him, Lea would be looking on with modest respect right now.

He let out a vicious war cry as he blasted a rain of fire around himself, destroying most of the creatures and buying him some time that probably wouldn't last long.

"Damn it," Lea gasped out, sweat beading on his forehead. That flame took a lot of energy, and all the fighting hadn't helped. He hurried through the reforming mass of enemies, not even bothering to fight anymore. Avoiding attacks became the priority.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it all." The exit seemed so far, and Lea ran for it with desperation in his exhausted limbs.

"Sora... Roxas. I'm sorry. Looks like I broke my promise."

. . .

Riku grimaced and took a step back at the sight of Xehanort standing atop his white throne.

The old man summoned his Keyblade in a whirl of darkness, looking down at him and Mickey with a contemptuous smirk. "But first," he announced, "the thirteen darknesses must be united. All the seats have been filled, and now the last vessel shall bear my heart like the rest!"

Master Xehanort waved a hand towards the throne in which Sora lied unconscious, the seat then beginning to rise.

"No!" Mickey cried out, right before Riku's "Sora!" The two ran to intercept the throne before it could rise to its full height.

In response, two of the cloaked figures on the seats vanished from their place. As Mickey leapt between the white pillars to reach Sora, Xemnas appeared behind the small mouse and slammed him into one of the throne pillars with a hand, holding him down firmly.

Riku gasped and hesitated for a split second. That moment doomed him, Ansem suddenly introducing his face to the ground. Struggling, he could feel his cheek being grinded into the floor in response.

With a thunk, Sora's throne stopped rising. It was time.

Xehanort prepared his Keyblade, silent but for a chuckle, and aimed at the slumbering boy. There was a short pause before a golden pink sphere shot out of the dark blade, flying straight and true for Sora.

"No," Riku breathed from under Ansem's grip, unable to look away.

. . .

Master Yen Sid waited in the courtyard of his tower until the expected corridor of darkness appeared.

"Get outta the way!" a shout came from inside the swirling, noisy portal, and Master Yen Sid looked on with surprise when Lea burst out, coat torn and bloodied and carrying a limp King Mickey. He shot a huge blast of fire into the corridor, heat misshaping the air around it, before stumbling away to make room for a similar-looking Riku. Lea closed the door with a jerk of the hand, relaxing visibly after the deed was done.

Taking heavy breaths, Riku limped over to Lea and silently offered to assist with carrying King Mickey. The redheaded young man obliged.

"So I assume the mission failed," Yen Sid said sadly, talking slowly, as if it might postpone the horror of the answer.

Lea's knees abruptly buckled and he collapsed face-first onto the ground, Riku almost dragged down with him, acting as a sufficient reply by itself. The young Keybearer had to fall on a knee and lay King Mickey down onto the grass. He wiped his brow, looking exhausted.

"Sorry," Lea groaned, unable to do more than lift a soot-smudged hand before dropping it limply. "Just... beat. Sora's gone. Couldn't... stop them in time. Had to fight him... you saw just now." He shoved his face into the grass for a couple of moments before continuing in a muffled, tired voice. "The mouse is unconscious, needs some healing. We all need some. Sora laid down a bad beating."

Riku simply added a nod, confirming the ex-Nobody's words. "Sora... It wasn't him anymore," he finally said mutely, looking down at Mickey and his blood-smeared hands. "He was vicious. Bloodthirsty. It was like a darker side of him had taken control, and Xehanort's heart amplified that. Sora was... virtually unstoppable. What you see... It's what we suffered just trying to slow him down."

The Keybearer didn't add that it was also hard because they didn't want to hurt Sora. It didn't need to be said.

Yen Sid let out a slow breath, closing his eyes for a moment before reopening them. He almost looked defeated. "Let's get you three inside. I'll activate the defenses. The Organization might've returned to their own times, but Sora and Master Xehanort will still be here. This way, we might at least get some warning."

Calling there several brooms, the enchanted sweepers helped support the two injured and carry King Mickey on a makeshift stretcher made of a bed sheet from the tower.

"Lea," Riku whispered, glancing over at him as they stumbled up the stairs. The old master was a bit ahead of them with Mickey's stretcher.

The redheaded man grunted back in acknowledgement.

"That was a Keyblade you summoned back there... right?"

Lea slowly turned to look at him and simply offered the flash of a weak grin in reply.

Riku smiled back fiercely. "We're not out of the game yet," he breathed, wincing at a misstep. "No matter what, we're beating Xehanort and getting Sora back. We can't let him win, even if it costs us our lives. I'm not letting him."

Lifting a stiff hand, Lea made a fist at him, silently speaking his approval. "Yeah," he wheezed. "Too much at stake."

. . .

"Kairi..."

Riku only watched her with sad eyes as rivers of tears streamed down her pale face. He didn't move to comfort her – he knew she needed some space.

Kairi's shoulders shook with quiet sobs. "Why?" she finally whispered, her voice cracking. "Why us?"

He didn't say anything.

"Why did Sora have to be chosen? Why are we the ones who have to stop this?" Kairi tried in vain to wipe the still-flowing tears away. "Couldn't it have been someone else?"

"No," Riku answered, handing her some tissues. She took them gratefully. "Sora's always been this kind of guy, you know that. Besides, it was all determined a long time ago, by people who fought the darkness when we were kids. Whether it was all by accident or not."

"Can't we just... give it up? Rescue Sora and leave."

"We can't do that," he sighed, placing his hands in his lap. "I have to stop Xehanort, whether it's with Sora or not. The worlds depend on it. If we run away now, we'll be on the run forever. There'll be no places to hide."

Kairi sniffed, her eyes and nose red but barely streaming anymore. She understood the situation – she wasn't purposely being cowardly, but fear for themselves and for Sora was making her think irrationally.

"I'm sorry," she eventually said. "It's just... Sora."

Riku sighed through his nose. "Yeah. I know."

The two sat there in silence for several moments before Kairi broke it.

"Can I... Is it possible for me to help?" she offered hesitantly. "I mean, I can wield a Keyblade. And I'm a Princess of Heart. I could help." Her voice had gotten stronger with each word at the prospect of having something to do with saving Sora.

She had felt left behind for so long. But now was the time for her powers to finally blossom. Kairi could feel it.

"I'll have to speak with Master Yen Sid about it first," Riku finally said, but his smile spoke differently. "You just need to wait. If it helps, I'll put in a good word for you. I'm a Master now, after all." The smile became a bit sad.

Kairi nodded in reply, trying to smile back but also reminded.

. . .

"Again."

He scowled at the command but furrowed his brow in focus, holding out a gloved hand. It took several moments, but a ball of pitch-black energy began to form within his palm. There was disapproval on the creator's face, however, when the dark orb refused to grow any larger than a baseball.

"No matter. I didn't expect you to overcome your previous nature as quickly as I had hoped anyway. Shoot it."

The cloaked person let out a breath before grasping the orb of energy like it was something physical and tossing it at a large rock with strange, glowing blue veins. It burst into wisps of shadow, splashing onto the dark stone like water – but the damage done once it vanished looked more like ice and fire.

"Good. Better than I had originally planned for. Work on it," – the hunched figure patted his companion on the shoulder and walked off past him – "Sora."

Looking up towards the rippling sea and the place's only source of true light, the turned young boy thought that he might've been here before, standing on the black sand and facing the same master. Something fluttered in his chest but was snuffed out quickly.

"I have to keep working on it," he muttered.

Without another word, Sora continued honing his newfound powers of darkness.

. . .

"The sky..." Aerith murmured, looking upwards into the clear blue uneasily as she paused in her gardening. Clouds were beginning to gather in the distance, roiling and stormy.

"Why does it feel so dark all of a sudden?"