Greetings fellow readers and writers! You are about to begin the first volume in my all new Kingdom Hearts and I hope you like it! Okay, this is going to be more than just a sequel to Beyond the Door to Light, much more. This series will contain many mysteries and intrigues as Sora and his fellow Keyblade Wielders prepare for the Mark of Mastery and become Keyblade Masters, while some of our heroes will learn a shocking truth that will be revealed in due time.

Now, this fic crosses Kingdom Hearts with the Necroscope series by Brian Lumney, while also containing original characters by DJ Scales, a good friend and fellow writer who's been helping me with this new series. Also, credit is due to Kingdom Hearts Guy, who's also been a great help. Thanks to both of you.

Now, I don't own anything in this story except for the plot and my original characters, so please don't sue me. And now, without further delay, please enjoy…

Kingdom Hearts: Path of the Keyblade Master

Volume 1: Between The Worlds

By AndrewK9000

Associate Producers: DJ Scales & Kingdom Hearts Guy

Chapter 1: Rumors of Evil

…Destiny Island…Earth…

"You'll have to do better than that, Sora!" shouted Riku as he and Sora held yet another duel on the small island with the Paopu tree, only this duel, like so many over the past three months, were being fought with their Keyblades instead of their old wooden swords.

Ever since our heroes had triumphed over the insidious plot of Gideon Graves to free Light Yagami, otherwise known as Kira, from limbo, a plan whose true master, Chernabog, sought to bring about mass chaos across existence and feed on it, Sora, Riku, Kairi, Tess and Aiden, whom had briefly returned to The State, only to return to his friends when things were too quiet at home, had been training together, striving for the day when they will be ready to take The Mark of Mastery and become true Keyblade Masters.

Their training had been, to say the least, harsh, almost as horrendous as their training for The Tournament of Light, only so because their sensei, Nodoka Saotome, was otherwise occupied and couldn't come, so Sora and the others had to train themselves, which meant hours of weightlifting, running, cardio exorcises, swimming, spell casting and most of all Keyblade duels.

Since they started their new training regime, Sora and Riku, whom hadn't been keeping a count of duels like they had been in the old days, had grown pretty much even in swordplay skills, yet while Riku had the advantage of physical power due to being a year older, Sora had the advantage in magic.

As for Kairi and Tess, whom were dueling on the beach near the waterfall at that moment, weren't as advanced in swordplay as Sora and Riku, but Kairi found that her spell casting was slightly superior to Sora, while Tess was more agile and had slightly more stamina.

And Aiden, whom was currently doing pushups on the larger pier, always had the advantage of alchemy.

"So what did you think of that book we had to read for Literature?" Riku asked as he slashed his Keyblade at Sora, whom blocked and struck back at Riku's left side, which Riku dodged.

"Which book?" Sora asked as he dodged an overhead strike from Riku, "if it's one of those Shakespeare plays I had to drag myself through, then I didn't like it."

"What's not to like about Shakespeare?" Riku asked, "is there one you particularly don't like? It's Romeo and Juliet, isn't it? You don't like the ending? Or maybe you don't get the humor, from A Midsummer's Night Dream."

"I just don't get any of it," said Sora, "the words they use in those plays, who talks like that?"

"Yeah, sometimes the words are hard to understand," said Riku. He then rushed at Sora, then feinted to the right and delivered a hard low strike to Sora's leg. Sora then countered with a triple strike to Riku's midsection that knocked Riku on his back, only to have Riku spring back up and kick Sora in the side, knocking him off the small island and into the water below with a loud splash.

Sora stood up in the shallow water, wincing and rubbing the stinging salt from his eyes, "how do you keep doing that to me?" He asked, "I thought I figured that backflip kick of yours out by now!"

"I stopped doing that for a while," said Riku as he walked over to the edge of the small island, "you just keep forgetting about it until it's too late." He then knelt down and held out his hand for Sora.

But then Sora reached up and pulled Riku into the water, "didn't see that coming, did you?"

Riku stood up irately, "some friend you are," he said, "but I guess I deserved it."

"Expect the unexpected," said Sora.

Just then he and Riku heard Tess cry out in pain. They looked at the beach and saw Tess kneeling down, clutching at her foot, while Kairi walked over, a concerned look on her face, only to have Tess grab Kairi's legs when she got close enough and flipped her on her back. Kairi quickly got back on her feet, about the same time as Tess stood up, and the two of them resumed their duel.

"Expect the unexpected," said Riku. They then swam back to the beach, ready to continue their own duel, when they heard Aiden shout out in frustration.

"What's his problem?" Tess asked.

"I can guess," said Kairi.

Aiden then walked over, his sweat-drenched and mildly sunburned torso exposed as he carried his shirt in his hand, "I can't do it," he said in a breathless tone, "I just can't do it."

"How many are you up to now?" Tess asked.

"Nine-hundred and twelve," said Aiden, "nine-hundred and twelve pushups, and I'm up to nine-hundred and twenty sit-ups and nine-hundred and fifteen pull-ups. If only I can get to a thousand of each, but I can't do that many, I just can't."

"Give it time," said Kairi, "with time and practice, you can do pretty much anything."

"And there's the fact that we're still teenagers," said Tess, "we're still growing," she then looked at Aiden inquisitively, "and just how old are you, anyway?'

"Isn't it rude to ask someone their age?" Aiden asked.

"It only applies to girls," said Tess.

"Well," said Aiden, "whatever, I'm fifteen and a half, what's it to you?"

"Just wanted to know how long it is until your birthday," said Tess.

"And here I thought you didn't care," said Aiden, "and what about you, when's your birthday?"

Tess was about to say something but she hesitated, "you know, I can't even remember when my birthday is. I mean, I've been fighting almost nonstop since I was little. I…I've forgotten when my birthday is."

"That's horrible!" said Kairi, "no one should have to go through that."

"We'll just have to find out when your birthday is," said Riku to Tess.

"How?" Tess asked.

"Look at your birth certificate," said Sora.

"What are those?" Tess asked.

"I don't think they have birth certificates on Metamore," said Aiden.

"Now that I think about it," said Tess, "even if I do remember, it's probably not my real birthday," she looked at Kairi and Aiden, "you weren't there when I was hypnotized and remembered the last thing my father told me before he was killed by Phobos' dogs. I was a foundling, placed on my fathers' doorstep as an infant. I have no idea who I really am or where I come from."

"And I thought my life was messed up," said Aiden.

"And there's that letter that had your name on it," said Kairi, "the one Ramona had me give to you, from that Alegra person."

"Just what was in that letter?" Sora asked.

"It's personal," said Tess as she placed her hand on her pocket, "for my eyes only, and before you ask, no, it didn't say anything about who I am."

"Then what was in it?" Sora asked.

"I told you that it was personal," said an annoyed Tess, "pay attention already!" She then sighed, "look, the letter had no answers, that's all I'm going to say. I might as well stop thinking about the whole mess, it's only making me miserable. I don't even know where to look for answers."

"Why don't we just ask The King and Queen for help?" Sora asked, "I'm sure they'll know where to start looking."

"You really think so?" Tess asked.

Just then a portal to Disney Castle opened up on the beach.

"Wow, you really can call it," said Aiden to Tess.

"The King must want to talk to us," said Riku.

"Right now?" Tess asked, "but we're all sweaty and tired, and some of us are soaking wet."

"That's easy enough to fix," said Sora. He then summoned several marble-sized fireballs that circled around our heroes rapidly. Within seconds they were all dried out.

Kairi then cast a cleansing spell that soon had everyone completely scrubbed and sweat-free from head to toe, while their clothes were also cleaned and dried.

"Alright," said Aiden as he pressed his wrists, "let's do it!" he walked into the portal, with Sora, Riku, Kairi and Tess right behind him.

They then found themselves in the castle library, where Queen Minnie, Daisy and Pluto were waiting, said dog then promptly leapt at and tackled Sora and showered his face with affection.

"Like clockwork," said Riku.

"Cut it out, Pluto," laughed Sora, "I just got cleaned up!"

"He can't help it," said Kairi as Pluto then switched his attention to her, "we're his friends."

"Pluto's friends with everyone," said Daisy.

"It's in his nature to make lots of friends," said Queen Minnie, "that and to get into as much trouble as possible. But for now his days of wild adventures are on hold."

"Your majesty," said Sora as he, Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess bowed.

"What's the situation?" Aiden asked.

"And where's The King?" Riku asked, "didn't he summon us?"

"As a matter of fact," said Queen Minnie, "I summed you. I will explain soon, but as to where The King is, he is on a mission of his own."

"And he took Donald and Goofy with him," said Daisy.

"They're with The King?" Sora asked, "it must be important if he needs Donald and Goofy."

"It is of grave importance," said Queen Minnie, "for Aqua and Ansem the Wise have gone with them as well. They are in search of Castle Oblivion, where Aqua sealed away the body of Ventus for safekeeping."

"They still haven't found it?" Roxas asked as he suddenly appeared outside of Sora, while Naminé appeared outside of Kairi.

"Warn us before you do that!" snapped a startled Aiden.

"Sorry," said Naminé, "popping out like that is sort of a habit by now."

"Never mind that," said Roxas. He then looked at Queen Minnie, "why haven't they found Castle Oblivion yet? It's a castle, and castles don't just disappear on their own."

"That's what Donald said in his last letter," said Daisy.

"The King believes that some outside force is responsible for the disappearance," said Queen Minnie, "he has his suspicions who, but there is no evidence."

"I also have my suspicions," said Riku.

"if you're talking about Maleficent," said Kairi.

"Maleficent isn't back yet," said Daisy, "that's one thing we're sure of."

"Then it's got to be Hades," said Sora, "now that Maleficent's gone, the spell keeping Hades locked in the Underworld is broken."

"Actually," said Queen Minnie, "there has been no sigh of Hades outside the Underworld. It seems that he does not know that he is free of Maleficent's spell and will stay confined so long as be believes he is under the spell."

"Then no one had better tell that flame-haired jerk," said Naminé, "one less villain to deal with."

"Then who's taken Castle Oblivion?" Roxas asked, "I've still got Ven's heart inside of me, and not that I don't mind carrying it, I'd like to put it back where it belongs."

"I've got one more suspicion," said Riku.

"Xehanort," said Tess, "he's behind it."

"We haven't heard from Xehanort since he warned us about Chernabog," said Sora, "but that doesn't mean he's going to keep quiet forever."

"There's other villains out there," said Kairi, "Sephiroth, for example."

"And that psychopath, Dio Brando," said Aiden, "we haven't seen hide or hair of him since The Tournament of Light, and is there going to be another one?"

"I don't know," said Sora, "we've been so busy saving the worlds and training that we've kinda been cut off from the news. We'll look it up when we get home."

"But before that," said Riku, he then looked at Queen Minnie, "what can we do to help The King?"

"Only continue your training and enjoy your lives," said The Queen, "but for now there is a slight issue in which your assistance is needed."

"Whatever it is," said Sora, "we're ready, willing and able to help." at that Riku, Kairi, Aiden and Tess nodded in agreement.

"Very well then," said Queen Minnie, "word has come to us of strange and dark tidings from certain worlds within the realms, tidings of men, women and children disappearing in the night, of some people savagely murdered, their bodies horribly mutilated, and most mysterious of all, rumors of grotesque monsters that are right out of a nightmare."

"Are they Heartless?" Sora asked.

"Or Nobodies?" Roxas asked.

"Or a type of demon?" Aiden asked.

"We do not know," said Queen Minnie, "what is known is that the incidences are all tied to three worlds; The Castle of Dreams, The Dwarf Woodlands and The Enchanted Dominion."

"I've never heard of those worlds," said Sora.

"Me neither," said Riku.

"Not me," said both Aiden and Tess.

"I think I've heard of them," said Roxas, "just bits and pieces I picked up from The Organization."

"I know of them," said Kairi, "the first is the home of Cinderella, the second is home to Snow White and the third is home to Aurora, otherwise known as Sleeping Beauty."

"So we finally get to see their worlds," said Sora, "cool."

"It's not a sightseeing tour," said Daisy in an annoyed tone as she placed her hands on her hips, "people have been murdered and many more have gone missing. The princesses of the three worlds wouldn't have called for help is it wasn't serious."

"Aurora and the others asked for our help?" Sora asked.

"They did indeed," said Queen Minnie, "and in the absence of King Mickey, I have the authority to dispatch you Keyblade Wielders to assist the princesses of heart."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Aiden asked, "let's go!"

"There's still the issue of how we're getting there," said Tess.

"And which world to go to first," said Riku.

"We've already taken care of that," said Daisy as she grabbed a thick set of files from the desk in the middle of the room, "these contain all the information so far on the murders and disappearances, as well as your flight plan; your first stop will be The Castle of Dreams."

"But how are we getting there?" Tess asked as Sora took the files from Daisy.

"That's what Gummy Ships are for," said Daisy.

"But ours isn't here," said Sora, "The Intrepid Heart is still being fixed by Cid, and he hasn't gotten back with us in months."

"I do believe that Cid is still repairing your Gummy Ship," said Queen Minnie, "he plans to improve it, to make it better than before."

"But it's already perfect," said Kairi, "The Intrepid Heart has everything we need for a voyage between the worlds."

"And the ship has the best A.I. program," said Tess, "I really miss Sidney."

"Oh, Sidney is fine," said Daisy, "Cid told us that Sidney's programming has been fully restored after the battle against Chernabog."

"Then why hasn't Cid told us about any of this?" an exasperated Aiden asked.

"He's been busy," said Daisy.

"It will be some time before Cid is finished with The Intrepid Heart," said Queen Minnie, "in the meantime, I am more than happy to loan you one of the castle's Gummy Ships."

"You've got more than one Gummy Ship?" Sora asked.

"Of course," said Queen Minnie, "come and see."

They followed The Queen and Daisy to the Gummy Hanger, then to another room in the hangar where nearly a dozen Gummy Ships, each one a different model, waited in their berths.

"Wow!" said Sora.

"The King is currently out in our latest ship," said Queen Mickey, "Reliant Blade. Sora, you and your friends may borrow any ship here."

Sora and the others then walked around the hangar, looking at the different ships. They eventually decided on a red and white colored Falcon model named 'The Star Child.'

"Who comes up with these names?" Aiden asked as they looked the ship over both inside and out, finding it to be their liking.

"I don't know," said Kairi, "but I've got a feeling that we shouldn't let Sidney know we're using another ship."

"Why would she be feel like that?" Sora asked, "she's a hologram, holograms don't get jealous."

"Sidney's no ordinary hologram," said Tess, "come to think of it, she's the only hologram I know."

"She would be jealous," said Riku, "but so long as we remember that we're just borrowing this Gummy Ship, I don't think there'll be a problem."

"In that case, we'd better get going," said Sora, "Cinderella and the others are waiting for us."

"Then there is nothing else to say," said Queen Minnie, "except good luck."

"And be careful," said Daisy, "whatever's doing these horrible things isn't something to be taken lightly."

"We know," said Riku, "and thanks."

"We'll be careful," said Sora, "and we'll come back with this mystery solved before you know it!" he then grinned eagerly and gave The Queen the thumbs up.

Our heroes then boarded The Star Child and stowed their gear in the crew quarters. The ship didn't have the same luxuries as did The Intrepid Heart, such as a training room and entertainment rooms, as well as a much smaller kitchen, while the boys had a single room with a triple bunk-bead, while the girls had only a regular bunk bed, but there were two bathrooms and the ship's library had a wide variety of MP3 music files.

"We'll be fine," said Riku as they went onto the bridge and began powering up the ship systems, with Riku at the helm, Aiden at the engendering station, Kairi at the science and navigation terminal, Tess at the weapons computer and Sora in the captain's seat.

"Yeah, fine," said Aiden in a slightly sarcastic tone, "like going to a motel after living at The Alhambra for a year."

"The what?" Tess asked.

"A big hotel in Central," said Aiden, "I stayed there while I was visiting my friends, it's really nice, but a little boring. Now this, going around the worlds and saving innocent people from the gods know what, this is exciting."

"Then let's get going!" said Sora.

"Star Child, launch!" shouted Riku as he pressed the buttons that would launch the ship into space.

But instead of the force of sudden acceleration, the engines merely groaned in frustration and then died back.

"What was that?" Kairi asked.

"Did you press the wrong button, Riku?" Aiden asked.

"No," said Riku in a slightly annoyed tone, "I did, at least I think I did," he checked his terminal, then pressed the buttons again, only to have the engines groan and die back again.

"I did things right, I swear," said Riku, "something's wrong with the engine."

"Where's Chip and Dale when you need them?" Sora asked.

"They're with his majesty," said Daisy over the ship's com link, "and did you leave the breaks on?"

"Breaks?" Riku asked as he looked at the terminal, "what breaks? I don't see any…" he then looked down at the bottom of the terminal and saw a small red switch that was marked in the 'on' position, "oh, here it is," he flicked the switch to 'off,' then pressed the engine buttons. There was a surge pf power and the ship lunged forward into the launch tube, throwing our heroes into their seats as the ship hurtled into space.

"Well, that was exciting," said Kairi once they were in orbit around Disney Castle.

"Not my idea of fun," said Tess.

"We may not have much chance for fun for a while," said Aiden, "we've got all that data on the murders and missing persons."

"Research," said Sora, "yeah, not my idea of fun."

"We'll have plenty of time for research," said Riku as he programmed the coordinates for The Castle of Dreams into the hyper drive.

"Let's hope that we'll get a handle on whatever is behind all this," said Kairi.

"Me too," said Sora as the ship jumped into hyperspace.


"They'll be fine," said Daisy, "they're too good to fail."

"I hope so," said Queen Minnie, "but I can't help but feel that they're in over their heads," she closed her eyes and brought her hands together, "oh, Mickey, hurry back. I'm afraid that Sora and the others will need you."


…somewhere between the worlds…

"We've been looking for weeks," grumbled Donald as he, Goofy, King Mickey, Ansem the Wise and Aqua, sat in front of several computer screens that displayed sensor data inside The Reliant Blade, a huge red, blue and green gummy ship cruised through the vacuum of space on the outer reaches of the realms, "and nothing!"

"We've been backwards, forwards, upside down and inside out across the realms," said Goofy, "and come up with neither hair nor hide of Castle Oblivion."

"I do believe it's the other way around," said Aqua, "but the idea is the same," she sighed with frustration, "I don't understand, how can an entire castle disappear?"

"I don't know," said King Mickey in a frustrated tone, "whatever Xehanort did, he did it big and left us in the dust."

"If there's one thing to expect from Xehanort," said Ansem the Wise, "it's the unexpected."

Just then came a beeping noise from Ansem's pocket. He pulled out a PDA and saw a message, "and speaking of the unexpected," he then looked at King Mickey, "if it's not too much trouble, your majesty, I am needed back in Radiant Garden."

"Is something wrong?" The King asked.

"Nothing of dire circumstances," said Ansem as he read more of the message, "but there is a matter concerning my computer that I must attend to."

"We don't have time for you to check your email!" snapped Donald.

"I can easily do that with my mobile," said Ansem, "but this is a personal matter of grave importance to me," he looked at King Mickey, "your majesty, I wouldn't ask you this if it weren't so important to me. I must attend to this matter."

"What is it?" Aqua asked, "what's wrong?"

"Nothing, yet," said Ansem, "it's a very long and complicated story. In short, a nearly forgotten aspect of my past has resurfaced, something that could prove dire to the realms of light if left unattended. I cannot say any more at this time, only that I must return to my study at Radiatn Garden and resolve this issue with my computer."

"Does it got one of them viruses or somethin?'" Goofy asked.

"Tron could take care of that," said Donald.

"If only it were as trivial as that," said Ansem.

King Mickey had been seriously thinking things over, pondering Ansem's request with his arms crossed, "Gosh, Ansem, I'd like to help you out, I really would, but we're so far from Radiant Garden. To turn around and go back would waste so much time, and for all we know, Xehanort could have moved Castle Oblivion to someplace else and we'd never find it."

"We won't find it if we just sit around arguing," said Aqua.

Just then Chip's voice could be heard through the ship's intercom, "your majesty! There's another ship approaching The Reliant Blade!"

"Another ship?" King Mickey asked, "do we know who it is?"

"I don't know," said Dale, "but it's big, blue and has a big yellow SeeD on it."

"SeeD?" Aqua asked.

"An elite mercenary taskforce," said Ansem, "specializing in covert operations and battlefield support."

"They're hailing us," said Dale.

"Pipe it down here, boys," said King Mickey.

"Hailing frequency opened," said Chip, "audio only."

From one of the computer screens came the voice of a young woman in her early 20's, a voice full of confidence and determination, "this is the SeeD battle cruiser Defiant. Identify yourselves!"

"Well that's rude," said Goofy, "demanding our names."

"At least they introduced themselves first," said Aqua.

"Indeed," said King Mickey, "transmit a reply; This is the royal gummy ship Reliant Blade, under the command of King Mickey of Disney Castle. To whom am I speaking with? And what is your business in the realms of light?"

The reply came within seconds, "this is SeeD Special Commander Quistis Trepe," said the woman, "and I'm on my way to find an old comrade of mine; Squall Leonhart."

"Squall Leonhart?" The King asked, "Leon! Yes, his full name is Squall Leonhart!" he then sent a reply, "Commander Trepe, I know your friend! He's a very good comrade of mine as well."

"So he is still alive," said Quistis, "figures, he's too moody and stubborn to die. Do you know where he is?"

"He's currently on Radiant Garden," said King Mickey, "I'll send you the coordinates."

"With your permission, your majesty," said Ansem, "I'd like to beam over to the SeeD ship, since they'll soon be heading in the dirrection I wish to go."

"You want to go with them?" King Mickey asked.

"Are you sure?" Goofy asked, "they could be dangerous."

"They're not," said Ansem, "not to those who walk in the light that is. Besides, I happen to know Commander Trepe," he then sent a message to the Defiant, "hello, Quistis, it's been quite a while."

"Is that you, Ansem?" Quistis asked, "I thought you died over ten years ago."

"I've been close to death many times, old friend," said Ansem, "we'll get reacquainted along the way to visit young Squall. I request permission to beam over to your ship and accompany you on your journey."

"Of course, permission granted," said Quistis, "it's great to hear from you again, old bear."

"Old bear?" Donald laughed, while Goofy also laughed.

"I'm sort of her unofficial godfather," said Ansem, "now, by your leave, your majesty."

"Of course," said King Mickey, "good luck, Ansem, and I'll see you soon."

"We'll contact you as soon as we find Castle Oblivion," said Aqua.

"I know you will," said Ansem. He then bowed to them and left the scanner room, heading for the ship's transporter room. Within minutes he was beamed across space to the transporter room of the Defiant.

He was met by a tall woman who looked to be in her early 20's with long blond hair tied back with a silver clip and two fringes of hair on either side of her face. She had blue eyes behind a pair of glasses and wore a blue and black tunic and skirt uniform.

"Hello, old bear," said the woman, Quistis Trepe as she smiled brightly.

"Hello, little cub," said Ansem. He and Quistis then hugged like long lost friends.

"So, what's so important for you at Radiant Garden?" Quistis asked as the two of them walked back to the bridge of the ship.

"Do you remember when I told you about when I first built my computer system?" Ansem asked, "about the special file I had secure deep in it's hard drive?"

"That file?" Quistis asked, "then…'it' is about to break free?"

"Not if I have anything to say about it," said Ansem, "I just need to reinforce the encryption protocols, while also try some new programs that will, I hope, delete the problem once and for all. I should have destroyed it years ago but nothing I did could kill it. I can only hope that with recent technological advances, I can lay this old nightmare of mine to rest before it destroys any more innocent lives."

"I hope so too," said Quistis, "that thing is more dangerous than anything we've faced before."

"Indeed," said Ansem, "but enough about me? What of you? What brings you to the realms of light?"

"I told you, I'm here to find Squall," said Quistis, "I've been reassigned to the realms of light to establish a SeeD garden on Radiant Garden, no pun intended, with Squall as the commander."

"I thought Leon retired from being a SeeD," said Ansem, "and weren't you his superior?"

"I still am," said Quistis, "but I'm in semi-retirement myself. I'll be there to get the new base organized and the teams established. Squall will be the one in charge of the actual fighting, if there is any."

"You truly think SeeD is needed in The Realms of Light?" Ansem asked.

"After everything that's happened, yes," said Quistis, "and I know what you're going to ask next, old bear. I know Squall won't take being reactivated well. Part of my job is to convince him to take the job, and then I have to go find the others."

"What others?" Ansem asked.

"The rest of our old team," said Quistis, "I've come to the realms of light to put the band back together."


"They're on their way to Radiant Garden," said Chip.

"I wish them well," said King Mickey, "I think I know what Commander Trepe has planned for Leon, and he's not going to like it at all."

"Meanwhile, we've still got to find Castle Oblivion," said Goofy.

"If it's even still out there," said Donald.

"The only thing we can do is keep looking," said King Mickey, "but where else in the realms of light can we look?"

"If Xehanort has taken the castle to somewhere else," said Aqua, "then it can be anywhere in time and space, and with it Ven's body. I'm just glad I hid Ven in the one place that that evil, evil, evil man will never find him."


…Castle Oblivion…

"Now, where are you?" Xehanort asked to himself as he walked through the halls of the 13 level castle that used to be The Land of Departure, "I know Auqa placed you here somewhere, Ventus, but where? Do you honestly think that I would let go of my desire for the X-Blade? I will have you back, Ventus, you and Vanitas, and the two of you shall become one."

"Talking to yourself is a sure sign of madness," said Dio Brando as he appeared behind the old dark master.

"And using the power to stop time in order to sneak up on people while they are thinking is a sign of rudeness," said a slightly annoyed yet humored Xehanort.

"What can I say?" Dio Brando asked, "I'm not a nice guy. So, what's diabolical plan are we about to initiate today?"

"Nothing, yet," said Xehanort, "not until our new conclave is complete."

"And just how long do I have to wait for that?" Dio Brando asked, "I can only stop time, not speed it up. Patience is one of my virtues, but there's only so much waiting I can endure."

"At least wait until Sephiroth returns," said Xehanort, "his last correspondence said he was on the verge of acquiring a financial backer for our little group."

"Why do we need someone to give us the money when we can just steal it?" Dio Brando asked.

"What I have planed requires vast amounts of currency," said Xehanort, "if one were to steal the amounts required, then the authorities would become involved, not that any law enforcement agency can do anything to stop us that is. Yet I would prefer to attract as little attention as possible, especially from Sora and his meddling friends, for those five Keyblade Wielders are the only ones whom have any chance of stopping us once we start."

"So we need someone whom can get us the money we need through back channels," said Dio Brando, "I get that now, but why are you still hung up about getting a mad scientist? Aren't you crazy enough as it is?"

At that Xehanourt laughed wickedly, "one might say that I am mad," he said, "however, there are sciences that I am unfamiliar with yet are necessary for my designs, and there is no time to learn them. We need a master of dark science, and with Davros's refusal to my invitation, we need to look elsewhere." He then looked at Dio Brando, "and you, my cursed friend, will find us such a mad genius."

At that Dio Brando looked like he either wanted to give a snappy retort or rip Xehanort's head off. Instead he gave the dark master a disarming smile, "alright, I'll go find us a mad scientist. But not because you ordered me to. I want to know what you've got planned, and if running this errand, and other inevitable errands no doubt, is what is required to know what's on your mind, then I'll do it." With that he vanished in the blink of an eye.

"That one is a lose cannon that'll have to be removed before too long," said Xehanort, "but not before he does what is required of him. Now," he then resumed his walk through the castle corridors, "you can hide, Ventus, but you cannot hide forever."


…London…Another Earth…

Outside a seemingly derelict warehouse on the banks of the Thames River stood two girls, twins, approximately 19 years old each. Asian in appearance, they each had amber eyes, with one girl's eyes had a slight red tint while her sisters' eyes were slightly blue and both stood at 5 foot 9 inches tall, both well muscled from extensive physical training, yet they still had a highly attractive figure, curved in places that were bound to attract the desire of any male eye. Yet while they were aware of their sensual attributes, they hated to be treated as eye candy by men and preferred to use their minds to make their way through life.

The girl with the red tint to her eyes wore a red t-shirt under a brown leather jacket with blue jeans and green and white tennis shoes. Her shoulder length black hair had red streaks. She had the aura of a tomboy, whom prides on her physical and emotional strength, disliked being feminine and abhorred it when men try to get too close to her and her sister, both physically and emotionally. Her name is Rita.

Her sister on the other hand was all but a polar opposite. With blue streaks in her shoulder length black hair tied with a purple bow, she wore a blue and white dress and red high-heals and carried a small golden Gucci purse. This was a girl whom embraced her femininity and loved dating boys, but never kept a boyfriend more than a few dates, always moving on to the next pretty face that caught her eye. She enjoyed the attention her figure brought and was sometimes upset by her sister being overly protective of the two of them. Her name is Reina.

The twins looked at each other and nodded in affirmation. They then walked into the seemingly abandoned warehouse. Inside it was a dust and cobweb-ridden mess full of stray bits of garbage and empty boxes. Here and there were support pillars that were mostly rusted, while random holes littered the roof. The whole area had the appearance of being on the verge of collapsing on itself, or catching fire.

Reina walked to one of the support pillars and took a white keycard from her purse. She touched the pillar with her thumb and a hidden panel opened, revealing a keypad and a card reader. She swiped the keycard through the reader and pressed a seven digit code into the pad.

A rectangular section of the floor glowed white, then lowered slightly, revealing itself to be an elevator. Reina and Rita walked onto the elevator and it began lowing itself into the ground. Once they were below the floor of the warehouse, an identical section of the floor slit into place, concealing the elevator.

The elevator shaft was brightly lit as it descended hundreds of feet into the earth, eventually stopping at a metal chamber that held only a single door with another keypad and card reader, but also had a retinal scanner.

This time Rita took out a keycard from her pocket and swiped it through the reader, punched in a 7 digit code into the pad and held her left eye in front of the scanner. After a few seconds the door opened with a loud click.

The twins walked through the door to find themselves inside a vast office complex, filled with row after row of men and women in various styles of business suits working at computers, wearing headsets that allowed them to monitor information from around the world.

Reina and Rita walked pass the cubicles, ignoring the looks the various people there gave them; desire from the men, envy from the women and overall, curiosity, for the twins were somewhat of an enigma to these people.

Past the cubicles were various large rooms full of people undergoing various forms of training; some were learning hand to hand combat in a wide range of martial arts. Others were practicing with weapons; knives, swords, axes and other things with blades. Then there were target ranges where men and women practiced with bows and arrows, crossbows, pistols, rifles, machineguns, RPG's and even flamethrowers.

Then there were rooms where young men and women were practicing with their minds, that is, using mental powers; telekinesis, telepathy, precognition and retrocognition, farsight, astral projection and other psychic abilities.

Reina and Rita then walked through a corridor that had several doors, each door leading to an office. Their destination lay in the door at the far end of the corridor. They opened the door, revealing a reception area with a door at the other end of the room, in the middle of which was a secretary in a blue blouse and skirt, whom sat typing at a computer. She saw the twins and pressed a button on an intercom, "they're here, boss," she said.

"Send them in," said a strong male voice on the other end of the intercom.

"You're expected," said the secretary to Reina and Rita. They nodded their thanks and went to the far door and opened it.

Inside was a large office filled with bookcases loaded with books of all shapes and sizes. In the Near the far corner was a large desk and seated at the desk was a man in a white business suit. He was roughly in his early 50's with short, graying brown hair and one brown eye, the other, the left one covered by a black eye patch. His skin was medium toned, while his right hand was oddly pale. On his left hand was a silver ring with a sapphire crystal.

"Well now," said the man as he stood up from his desk, "I'm glad to see you two again. How was your holiday?"

"Not as long as we hoped it would be," said Reina in a slightly disappointed tone, "But then, any excuse to visit Paris after all is a good excuse."

"It would have been better if we hadn't run into that incubus," said Rita in an annoyed tone. She placed her hands on the desk and leaned towards the man in the white suit, "admit, Lancaster Lawrence, our trip to Paris wasn't just a vacation, you sent us there to kill that thing, right?"

"I personally had no idea there were any incubi anywhere in France at that time," said the man, Lancaster Lawrence, "and please, call me Boss, everyone does, you should know that by now, considering that you've been working with E-Branch for the past year now."

"You don't have to remind us, Boss," Rita, "and I still think it was no coincidence."

"And you don't have to remind us that we've been working with E-Branch for a year," said Reina, "E-Branch, a top-secret branch of the British Secret Service, founded in the early 1970's, who's original mission was to conduct covert, psychic missions against the Soviet Union, and at the same time, counter their psychics."

"But E-Branch evolved into more than just psychic spies," said Rita, "instead of fighting communist psychics, you guys also hunt and kill both human and non-human evildoers; rouge psychics, necromancers and a whole galaxy of monsters that either want to eat humans, mate with them or wipe humanity out."

"Some of those things want to destroy the world entirely," said Reina.

"Yes," said Lancaster Lawrence, "all true. E-Branch has changed over the years, but our overall mission has remained the same; normal humans and espers working side by side to defend not only Great Britain, but the whole world, from those whom wish mankind ill. But we're more than just a secret army of highly trained men and women, we're a family, and I had hoped that you two would feel welcomed in that family by now."

"Not that we don't appreciate all that you've done for us, Boss," said Rita, "but seriously, we'd like to go home, wherever it is."

"Assuming we have a home to go to," said Reina, "for all we know, the world we originally came from is gone, and with it all our friends and family, whomever they were."

"We can't think that," said Rita, "we have to believe that our family and friends are looking for us, and we should be looking for them," she glared at Lancaster Lawrence, "that's where you and your psychics come in, right? You did promise you'd help us in return for our helping E-Branch."

"I am a man of my word," said Lancaster Lawrence, "I remember that day vividly, over a year ago, on the Winter Solstice, when the two of you appeared right in the middle of Stonehenge from a sphere of white light. It didn't take us long to learn that you two were suffering from amnesia; having no memory of who you were or where you came from.

"All that you had was you names, that you were sisters and that you had extraordinary powers the likes of which are unknown on this world, which you demonstrated by vanquishing that demon whom tried to summon a horde of wraiths that would have destroyed London."

"Bonus points to us for killing the wraiths before they could kill anyone!" said a grinning Reina.

"Then you promised to help us remember who we are and where we came from," said Rita, "so, any luck on that?"

"No such luck yet," said Lancaster Lawrence, "but these things take time. A watched pot never boils after all."

"We know," said Rita, "so, of course, while you're trying to help us, we're stuck doing E-Branch's dirty work."

"But we do it so well," said Reina, "we've been given these incredible powers, we might as well use them to make a difference."

"I know, I know," said Rita, "and it does feel good to help people." she then looked at Lancaster Lawrence, "so, Boss, what's the next mission?"

"Is it harpies again?" Reina asked in an uncomfortable tone, "those things creep me out."

"Or is it necromancers," said Rita in a more serious tone, "demented people whom violated the dead in order to learn their secrets from life."

"No," said Lancaster Lawrence, "it's worse than that, much worse; Zerlina."

At that the twins were left shocked into silence for a few seconds. "Zerlina," whispered Rita.

"But we killed that horrible bitch!" snapped Reina, "her and her horrible 'family!'"

"You did wipe out that nightmare of a family," said Lancaster Lawrence, "but Zerlina herself survived the battle. She was sighted while you were on holiday, only to vanish into a dimensional gate."

"Why didn't you call us back from Paris!" exclaimed Rita, "oh wait, you had us fighting that incubus."

"What was there to tell?" Lancaster Lawrence asked, "that the creature that came so close to destroying you is still alive and has escaped to another world, without knowing where she has gone or how to follow? Well, we've found out where she's gone and how to follow her."

"So we're going after Zerlina," said Reina, "and we're going to finish that evil, evil bitch once and for all."

"I can hardly wait," said Rita as she cracked her knuckles in anticipation.

"Indeed," said Lancaster Lawrence, "but, of course, you won't be going alone."

"She nearly killed us last time," said Reina somberly, "but not before we had to fight our way through her 'family.'"

"And she may have made another 'family' by now," said Rita, "maybe a larger one."

"Which is why you'll have a full team going with you," said Lancaster Lawrence. He then pressed the intercom button on his desk and the secretary came in with fourteen file folders, whom handed them to the twins, "seven special ops and seven espers."

"I know some of these guys," said Reina as she and her sister looked the files over, "they're good, really good."

"I'm glad you approve," said Lancaster Lawrence. He then pointed to one of the files for one of the special ops persons, "you'll especially like this one, he'll be your commander for the mission."

"What!" exclaimed Rita as she stood up irately, "why are you putting someone else in charge? Zerlina's our enemy!"

"She's the enemy of all free life," said Lancaster Lawrence.

"Well, she's our nemesis," said Reina, "we've got a major bone to pick with her."

"We know how she thinks," said Rita, "how she operates and her weaknesses. We should lead."

"No," said Lancaster Lawrence flatly, "and there are very good reasons why you shouldn't."

"The hell there's good reasons!" spat Rita.

"You've just displayed reason one," said Lancaster Lawrence, "your temper, Rita. Reason number two is your grudge against Zerlina, it's clouding your judgment."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Reina asked, "there's nothing wrong with my judgment."

"Do you honestly believe that?" Lancaster Lawrence asked, "that if you were to suddenly run into Zerlina, you wouldn't chase after her, abandoning your comrades to who knows what fate, only to run into a trap that Zerlina placed for you? You may know her, but she knows you just as well. She knows what grinds your gears and how to strike the right nerves."

"So we know what makes each other crazy," said Rita.

"It's more than that," said Lancaster Lawrence, "you simply aren't ready to lead. I'm sorry but it's the truth."

"Wow," said Reina in a distant tone, "that's really hurtful."

"I know, and I am sorry," said Lancaster Lawrence, "but that's how it is, and the only way you'll be allowed to go on this highly dangerous mission."

"Are you blackmailing us?" an irate Rita asked, "because if you think for one second you can force my sister and I to do what you want, think again, mister!"

"We'll just pack our bags and go somewhere else," said Reina, "it's not as if we really need to be here, other than that we're needed. But we can always start over someplace else where we can use our talents for good without being bossed around."

"And what of your past before you arrived in this world?" Lancaster Lawrence asked, "we at E-Branch are the best hope the two of you recovering from your amnesia."

"There's other ways to get over amnesia," said Rita, "we'll find a way."

At that Lancaster Lawrence sighed with annoyance, "you know I don't want you two leave, not over such a trivial matter as mission leadership, but I simply cannot allow you to take command, my superiors at 10 Downing Street and our sponsors in Parliament won't allow it. Hell, the Prime Minister himself wouldn't even say yes."

"Not even if we ask him?" Rita asked.

"We can be very convincing," said Reina, "and not just because we're smoking hot."

"Yes, your physical attributes are impressive," said Lancaster Lawrence, "as are your minds and powers. Look, how about a compromise; you can't lead, but you won't have to follow every single order, you'll be more like contracted specialists."

"Like mercenaries, you mean," said Reina.

"Think of it rather as, in baseball terms, pinch hitters," said Lancaster Lawrence, "and we are in a pinch, for if Zerlina is allowed to create another 'family,' she'll be all but unstoppable, and you know full well what Zerlina's 'family' is capable of."

"You don't have to remind us," said Rita in a solemn tone as she pulled out from her pocket an egg-sized silver locket and gripped it tight.

"You know what she did to us," said Reina, "we'll do, boss, we'll work with your team and follow orders, but when the time comes to finish Zerlina once and for all, we get to do it, period!"

"I wouldn't try to convince you otherwise," said Lancaster Lawrence, "now, the team meets in the briefing room in one hour, and you leave an hour later."

"Just where is Zerlina anyway?" Rita asked as she pocketed the locket.

"She's gone to a parallel universe known as The Realms of Light," said Lancaster Lawrence, "everything you'll need to know will be in the briefing."

"We'll be there, boss," said Reina.

"But until then we need some time to ourselves," said Rita.

"I understand completely," said Lancaster Lawrence, "and thank you, you might just have ensured victory over a great evil."

"Here's hoping," said Reina. With that she and her twin left the office.

Once outside in the corridor they walked away and had a telepathic conversation.

:You think he's going to keep his promise?: Reina asked, :let us destroy Zerlina?:

:He hasn't lied to us yet, as far as I can tell,: said Rita, :that man can be a pain sometimes, but at least he hasn't ever hit on us, god I hate it when men do that.:

:You really should loosen up a bit around boys,: said Reina, :they're boys for crying out loud.:

:They're pigs with only sex on their mind,: said Rita.

:Is our fault that we're so irresistible?: Reina asked, :that our DNA and physical training has made us look so desirable? I'm happy with my endowments.:

:Well I'm not happy with the attention,: said Rita, :but that's beside the point. What is, is that we're finally going to make Zerlina pay for what she did to us.:

"You mean to you," said Reina aloud, "I was only there when she hurt you so much."

At that Rita took out her locket again, "yes," she admitted, "she hurt me, and I'll pay her back for everything. A million deaths won't be enough for Zerlina."

"She will pay," said Reina as she clasped her hands around Rita's, "we'll make her pay, together."

"Yes," said Rita, "together."

The end of chapter 1.

Next chapter finds Sora and the gang arriving in on the home world of Cinderella, where they are invited to a grand ball. At the same time, The Twins meet their teammates for their crusade against the evil that is Zerlina. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!