Chapter 1: In which nobody wins.

"…An' this program'll stop any bad guys from usin' it, so the datascape's pretty much as safe as can be!"

Two miniscule books floated within the inverted glass pyramid, the information on the large screen beneath them flickering wildly as the machine updated itself. Sora stared at the collection of screens and wires, fascinated by both the appearance and purpose of the device as Chip chattered on. He, Riku and Kairi were gathered in the king's library at Disney Castle with Donald and Goofy, listening intently to the royal engineers as they explicated a digitizing device. The king himself was absent, having been summoned to the tower of Yen Sid that morning with no explanation and leaving Sora and his friends to listen to Chip and Dale's rambling jargon and winding descriptions of 'The Machine'. Apparently it had been designed to create a digital version of the 'world data' contained in Jiminy Cricket's journals. The chronicler himself was perched proudly atop the newest addition to the machinery: the Digi-Cannon.

Jiminy and the mechanics had launched into the origin story of the Digitizer earlier, spinning a tale of a data-Sora and a Riku-shaped journal, and of the mysterious message that had threatened the very essence of the records. Sora had been tempted to let his mind drift, unable to understand the majority of the terms and phrases used, but he understood the nature of the events. The journal had been corrupted by the presence of a girl called Naminé, and in battling the dark contamination the king had been trapped in the Datascape with Donald and Goofy, and later with two of their oldest opponents: the evil fairy Maleficent, and her disgraced lackey Pete. When the smaller occupants of the room had recounted the ending of their adventures, however, Sora had stopped shouting out questions, leaving his friends to query the chipmunks and cricket. Riku had told him of Ansem's message, of the people he now sheltered in his heart and would have to save someday soon. Two teenage boys, completely identical. Two teenaged girls, with similar faces but opposing appearances. A young man and woman, both garbed in armour and apparently important to the king. And then there was a lanky redhead, his face marked with reversed teardrops, his presence in the data the only real mystery.

"Then again", Sora thought, huffing out a silent laugh,

"what isn't a mystery with him?"

The hero of the keyblade had, of course, formed a bond with the former assassin after he'd saved him from Xehanort. It was a tentative sort of friendship: for all Sora was willing to forgive Lea for everything he'd done, the redhead didn't seem to feel he deserved to be part of the team. If he was being honest with himself, this was partly due to Sora's friends: Riku had stated his mutual dislike of the man soon after the Mark of Mastery, and Kairi was still nervous around the former nobody. (Lea wasn't helping matters: he made no effort to bury the hatchet with either of them, and stubbornly refused to find a new outfit.) He was wont to drop off the radar for days at a time, (although he always made sure someone had an emergency recall spell handy), before showing up at the strangest times with his usual sardonic smirk and no explanation whatsoever. Their friendship had survived mostly due to Lea having nobody to train with but him and the king, the occasional surprise ice cream, and Sora's complete refusal to address him as anything other than Axel. Still... what? The keyblade hero was startled out of his reverie by Kairi's discreet nudge, and looked up to see everybody looking at him expectantly.

"Uh?"-he managed eloquently.

Chip threw his hands up in despair.

"What Chipper said was that the Digi-cannon'll scan you an' your heart an' everything before letting you into any Data-port", Dale huffed.

"We got the idea from the Data-you", Jiminy added with a smile.

"And it's really delicate and expensive and we need a bigger budget and if anyone touches it…" muttered Chip, before blushing as everybody turned to look at him instead.

A quiet chuckle drew the attention of the audience back to the corner of the library, where the newest Keyblade master leaned against the edge of a bookshelf.

"So, Chip, what you meant to say is that it's off-limits to Sora and Donald?"

The guilty party stared at him, before Donald began to protest their innocence in loud tones. Sora's dazed look left his face and he clapped a hand to his heart, his mouth dropping open as an affronted expression spread across his face. The exaggerated look was replaced with a bright smile as Donald stalked towards Riku, Goofy reaching down and confiscating his friend's staff before he could attack the white-haired teenager for his comments. Again. Catching Kairi's eye over the heads of the library's occupants, Riku was gratified to see her cover a smile at his remark. Winking at his lifelong friend, he sidestepped the incensed fowl, cupping his hands around his mouth to be heard over the indignant sputtering.

"Hey, I don't know much about technology, but I'm pretty sure jumping on stuff to get it to work is not a good idea. Chip? Dale? Back me –"

"WAAAAAAAAK!"

"…Ow."

Kairi slumped against the wall, breathless from giggling at the antics of her friends. Goofy had hoisted Donald aloft and away from the white-haired teen, the enraged duck's limbs flailing out at his lanky companion. Sora had taken the wizard's place, jokingly waving his arms at his best friend while making as much noise as possible. Riku bore this with long-practiced patience and a fond grin, rubbing his knee as he held Sora at arm's length, his hand pressed against Sora's tanned forehead. Choking back another fit of laughter as Donald broke free and dashed for Riku, Kairi pushed herself up and crossed to the machine, ready to stop the fight should one of them come too close to the contraption. Perched safely on the monitor, Chip sighed in relief at her actions while Jiminy smiled at the presence of common sense, although Dale continued to shout simultaneous abuse and encouragements at the fighting. The hero of light and the captain of the King's guard had now collapsed in laughter as Riku let out an indignant shout at his new icy hairstyle, then hopped back as the court wizard aimed his next blizzard spell at his feet. Spells of every kind whizzed around the room along with -

"WA-HA-HOOOEY!"

-Goofy's shield, and yet everything important was miraculously untouched. Kairi stood before the ruckus, her eyes bright and her heart fit to burst with joy. It wasn't the tranquil silence of the Mysterious Tower, nor was it the warm golden familiarity of their home island. But all three of them were here, all three of them were safe and together and happy, here in this colourful, noisy chaos. Here in the arching rooms and sprawling hallways that were starting to feel like home.

They'd been sent to Disney Castle again to allow Master Yen Sid peace for another afternoon of scrying, the latest of many. He had been distracted lately, often falling into trances and reciting arcane verses, even with the current lack of conflict. The worlds had been peaceful lately, with no sign of villainous activity since his Mark of Mastery four months ago. Their time had been spent training Kairi and Lea to master their keyblades, as Sora and Riku honed their skills and chased leads on the people trapped in Sora's heart. Nobody was entirely sure what to make of the sudden quiet – on one hand, they were grateful for the time to prepare for Xehanort's next move. On the other hand, they feared their enemies banding together, or lying in wait and gathering their strength. They recognised the threat that the new organization, but with the lack of retribution from its members, they had allowed themselves a measure of complacency in recent weeks, the figurative calm before the storm lulling them into a false sense of security. And so it was that the keyblade wielders were separated from the king and their newest ally, the security of Yen Sid's magics absent, when the deceptive stillness finally broke.

Laughing helplessly, Sora stumbled back towards the bookcase, slumping against it much like Kairi had minutes before. Donald's aggravated shouting had quieted to a garbled string of curses as he dissolved the ice that spiked along the floor, while Riku helped Goofy extract his shield from underneath a pile of snow. He was delighted that his closest friends were getting along so well, each duo easily accepting the other. Now, if only he could convince Ax...

-zap-

A flashing zigzag of blue light in his field of vision interrupted his thoughts. 'There's no way the king'd be back this early, not after Yen Sid's message', he thought, jumping to his feet just as the line exploded outwards, sending a large shape flying across the room, and crashing into the bookshelf. His smile faded as he summoned his keyblade, stepping forward as Kairi and Riku did the same. Donald cast a swift fire spell, handing Goofy his shield from the hissing pool of water. As one, they stepped forward, readying themselves for attack as a loud guffaw echoed from the debris.

"Well I'll be. The library of the great boat-boy king 'imself! I knew this doohickey would work!"

Dusting the ripped pages and broken shelves from his gut, Pete stepped forward. He clutched a star shard in his fat fingers, its usual glow dimmed by the ropey darkness that looped around it. He frantically tucked it behind his back, his face briefly falling at the team before him, but his frown swiftly morphed to a sneer at the heroes assembled before him.

"Heh... look at all the fancy-schmancy key schmucks. Now, Mr Royal Mouse is all tied up, so, kiddies - no help there! Youse bozos can be good and just give me that Digi-Data-thingy contraption, or yours truly'll just have to clobber you all and take it anyway!"

The library was silent. Its inhabitants were stalwart before their enemy, only slightly uneasy at his confidence. Riku stepped forward, placing himself beside Sora.

"You've never actually won a fight against any of us, especially not Mickey. Where'd you really get that star shard?"

Anger transformed Pete's features as Donald hissed at him from the back of the group, drawing his attention away from Kairi and Goofy sneaking over to stand back at the machine.

"Yeah... you couldn't even take one of us alone! How're you gonna fight all of us together?"

Anxiety flashed across the cat's face once more, but it quickly dissolved into his typical cocky smirk, a strange aura beginning to emanate from his portly form. The villain linked his hands behind him, rocking backwards and forwards on the balls of his feet.

"Huh. Weell, I guess you could say I gots an ace up my sleeve."

At his words, a hollow boom echoed in the distance. Dust drifted from the ceiling, more books falling from the shelves as the whole room shook. Chip and Dale yelped behind them, the machine's apparatus crackling as it swayed before settling. A thumping noise came from the doors, Sora and his companions whirling to face them when they heard panicked cries for help from beyond the room. A disgruntled growl came from behind them, and Sora was knocked forward, his weapon disappearing as a heavy weight slamming into his back and left him gasping for breath. From the corner of his eye, he saw a similar fate befall his friends as Pete bombarded the group with his signature bowling balls.

"Watch out for Petey, punks!"

Clutching his side, the hero of light struggled to his feet while resummoning his keyblade and settling into his usual low stance.

"I don't know what you've done to the castle, or even the King, but I do know there's no way you can win against all of us. Give us that star shard and leave!

Summoning another round of missiles, Pete began to laugh.

"How's about… NO!"

Donald was the first to react, raising his staff and casting a barrier spell. The second wave of projectiles pounded the glowing wall of hexagons, leaving the shield to flicker weakly. By then it was too late, as the heroes had already organised themselves according to Riku's hurried instructions. Sora and Riku charged past the barrier to meet Pete in a head-on combo attack, Donald covering them with a wave of thunder spells. Goofy had left the machine for Kairi to guard, and was working on getting the double doors open, the voices behind them steadily increasing in both volume and urgency. Some kind of dark sheen had covered the wood, Goofy's shield doing little to no damage to the oily substance. Kairi had remained at the machine, but alternated her time between watching for attack and casting light-based spells at the door. The five worked together like a well-oiled machine, likely the result of their rigorous training sessions even with their false sense of security. Snarling, Pete summoned a third collection of missiles. These, however, were oddly shaped and glowing. Eyes widening, Sora felt Riku grab his arm and drag him downwards as Donald screeched a reflaga command.

"I'll show you!"

Pete snarled, sending the wave of bombs flying towards the heroes. The barrier gave out after the first ten, leaving the keyblade wielders to dodge and block the remaining explosives. Behind him, Sora heard Riku muffle a curse as the final bomb clipped him, throwing him sideways into a bookshelf. Before Sora could act, however, he heard Kairi cry out from beside the machine.

"Heal!"

His worries for Riku abating, the hero of light rushed towards the brawler, unnoticed by Pete as Donald hit him with another Thundaga spell. Dodging behind his foe's bulk, Sora began a complicated series of slashes across Pete's unprotected back and neck. His blows were made even more effective by the after-effects of Donald's thunder magic, and Pete was knocked across the room, only for Riku to batter him with a Strike Raid.

Roaring in anger and pain, Pete flailed his arms in a wild defence while stumbling around the room, before letting out a yell and charging back at Sora. The keyblade wielder was frozen in shock for a split second before moving to block the charge – only for Pete to crash into him, sending him flying back towards Donald –

"Waaak! Sora!" –

and for the two of them to fall back into the badly-abused bookshelves, stunning both of them. His belly glowing with a blinding light, Pete then ran for Riku, his arms trailing behind him. Kairi shrieked a series of Cura spells at the downed pair before casting Pearl at their foe. He was knocked forward by the light spell, the glow around his stomach dying away. Rolling to his feet in the manner of an oversized bowling ball, he stood up just in time for Riku to slash him across the face, his keyblade wreathed in flames of darkness. Yowling in pain and clutching his nose, he crashed back to the ground.

Sora and Donald had scrambled to their feet at this point, and ran forward to stand by Riku. They watched the brawler with a certain sense of apathy: he'd exhausted any second chances they might have offered him a long time ago. Popping his nose back into place with two large fingers, their adversary got slowly to his knees, an air of defeat surrounding him.

"You've lost, Pete" Riku said. "Again."

The cat's shoulders began to tremble as if he was crying, and he brought a hand up to cover his mouth. He suddenly lurched to his feet and looked at them, but his expression surprised them more than his sudden movements. Pete was laughing. Sora and Riku looked at each other in shock, Donald moving backwards slightly from his position beside them. Pete attempted to cease his guffaws, leaning forward and wrapping his arms around his midsection.

"D-don't youse bozos remember that… that ace I mentioned?"

All eyes turned to Goofy, his frantic hammering at the double doors yielding no result. At Pete's words, the knight began to back away from the now dented wood, his shield raised as he drew level with Donald. Sora's attention was swiftly drawn back to Pete when his laughter abruptly stopped. The entire room was frozen for an instant, for eternity, until Pete raised his arm and snapped his fingers. The heroes exploded into action: Riku, Sora and Goofy running to the door, while Donald raised his staff and Kairi her keyblade to cast a reflect spell. They were too late. The oily sheen on the door melted to the floor where it began to roll in on itself, leaching the lighter colours from the tiles. The doors burst open, allowing the terrified shouts from the hall to fill the library. A number of figures, coated in a putrid black substance fell over onto the library floor. Sora reached them first, catching a hold of an arm and pulling its owner upwards – blackened fingers coiled around his arm – Riku was pulling him away –there was a deafening roar – cries of shock – and a tide of darkness swept into the room, engulfing everyone in its chilling mass.

He couldn't see. The Darkness was impenetrable, his eyes useless and the previous screams muted by the viscous substance. Fear gripped him, overpowered his mind, his worries for his friends and the people around him magnified by a thousand, by a million, until he was rendered immobile by terror. The silence was deafening, any and all movement around him overpowering. And suddenly he became aware that somebody was gripping his arm, and another person had their hand fisted in the back of his shirt, and was pulling him backwards. He endeavored to keep his mouth shut, as he moved with his savior, adrenaline momentarily overcoming the horror with the presence of others , in turn dragging the person attached to his wrist as his lungs screamed for air. His will failed him, his need for Oxygen overwhelming, and he opened his mouth to gasp in a breath – just as he was pulled from the darkness with an oily splash. He gulped down air, slumping back against his rescuer - Riku- as he untangled his hand from the younger teenager's shirt, both of them liberally coated in the cold, horrific substance. Sora let his head fall back, noticing the barely controlled dread in his best friend's eyes, and tried to let his gratitude show in his own, momentarily robbed of his speech. Riku acknowledged him with a small smile before surveying the battlefield. Sora looked down, only now remembering the figure clinging to him – and froze at the sight of the queen.

Minnie was barely conscious, her dress dyed as black as her fur with Pete's "ace up his sleeve". Concerned - no, terrified for her - as he was, Sora's attention left her as he scanned the room hurriedly for his other friends. His eyes skimmed over Goofy and Donald helping Daisy to her feet, all three splattered with the foul liquid, as was the majority of the room. The library was completely destroyed, the few remaining books floating in black puddles, and the king's desk a pile of smashed and stained wood. Behind him, he heard Riku's sharp intake of breath, and his eyes fell on Kairi. Her appearance wasn't worrying; she had only a few tar-like stains up to her knees, her position at the Digitizer (conspicuously absent of a black coating) allowing her to advoid the worst of the apparent liquid darkness. It was her proximity to their foe that caused him to rise to a crouch, gently lying Minnie on one of the cleaner patches of floor as he brandished his keyblade. Pete stood in front the princess of heart, completely unharmed by the dark liquid. The marks from their battle had disappeared, and the brawler seemed almost… energized by the darkness, a sneer gracing his features as he held Chip and Dale captive in one of his meaty fists, Jiminy in the other; the three somehow snatched away in the chaos.

"Now youse punks are gonna zap me into that weird data place, before I pop these pipsqueaks like balloons!"

Pete turned as he spoke, brandishing his hostages above his head. Neither protested: Chip and Jiminy appeared to be unconscious and Dale was hacking up pieces of darkness. Kairi looked to the other side of the room: Goofy and Donald now stood on either side of Sora and Riku, Daisy helping Minnie to sit up behind them. All were drenched in oily black, but their expressions and drawn weapons spoke of their willingness to continue fighting. She glanced at Chip and Dale, then back to her friends – only to see Riku give her a slight nod.

"We can't" she said, a slight quaver in her voice.

"Wrong answer, girly! Wanna try again?"

Dale let out a squeak and Chip began to stir as Pete's fists tightened, Sora and his friends instantly yelling out protests:

"No! You can't!"

"Waaak! Let them Go!"

"Dale!"

It was Riku, shouting above the others, who finally caught the villain's attention.

"The machine won't work for you, Pete!"

Pete shot him a skeptical look, but loosened his hold on his hostages. The glare he sent their way, however, held a dark promise, and Riku continued before their foe could lose his patience.

"The machine's got an enemy block. If the journal says you're against us, the technology won't work and you can't enter the datascape."

Sora noticed their foe's eye twitching, and quickly jumped in:

"And we can't reverse the blocking system 'cause the system's shut down 'cause you're here and there's darkness everywhere!"

Dale, his lungs finally cleared of the gunk, spoke up in a raspy squeak.

"Wh-what Riku said. Also, Chipper put you an' a load of others as core villains: you'll never get in, even if we shut off th'enemy block."

An expression of disbelief had slowly been creeping across Pete's face as they spoke. Now that the room was silent, the baffled look had begun to warp into something wicked and murderous. Spinning on his heel, their nemesis launched the royal engineers and record-keeper at them: Goofy caught Chip, and Dale sprawled on top of one of his oversized shoes. Jiminy flew on, bouncing off the tattered remains of Daisy's skirt before she fumbled for him, finally catching him before he fell to the ruined floor.

"FINE"

Pete bellowed, darkness crackling around his fists. The liquid evil, which until this point had been sinking and pooling away from them into a large puddle at Pete's feet, stretched and thinned into another wave. Rearing up behind the brawler's hulking form, it was held back by his outstretched hand until he shouted again.

"Well if this machine don't work for yours truly… THEN IT AIN'T WORKIN' FOR ANYONE!"

He stamped towards Kairi, the wave speeding across the floor to Sora's group.

"REFLEGA!"

cried Donald and the three keyblade wielders in unison, their spell resulting in a temporary impenetrable barrier, not around them, but surrounding Pete, trapping him inside the purple sphere with the darkness. Riku was the first to move, dashing to Kairi – just as the sphere cracked – darkness spilled – a spiked fist crashed into his stomach. He hit the wall beside a shocked Daisy and Minnie, Sora and Kairi crying out his name as Donald ran over to him, uncorking a potion. The reflect spell had exhausted them all, and they had no supplies on hand to replenish their magic. Now wreathed in fluid black armor, Pete resumed his rush at the machine's sole protector. Sora started to chase after him, only to fall flat on his face as something cold oozed around his ankle, halting his running and yanking him up into the air. A series of whip-like protrusions writhed from the back of Pete's new armour, giving him the appearance of a dark sea anemone with a grotesquely swollen body. Hanging upside down and battering the tentacle with his keyblade, the hero of light desperately tracked Kairi's movements. She was holding her own, ducking the multitude of dark tentacles and occasional projectile from the writhing mass that was Pete. His punches were easy for her to dodge, his weight often pulling him off balance, and her light-based spells shielded her from the shadowy mist now surrounding her and the machine. She could win this, Sora internally cheered. But his mood dropped with a quick scan of their situation; Kairi was now the only fighter left standing. Riku was attached to the ceiling with a suffocating blob of shadows, and Donald and Goofy were swinging around Pete, wrapped in dark, sinewy strips and dazed from the numerous obstacles they had been smashed into. Kairi had to win.

Sudden pain distracted him as a second tentacle caught his arm, pulling it downwards and away from his body so that his keyblade became useless. He cried out in shock, feeling as though he was being pulled apart. A shriek brought his attention back to the fight, as they all yelled out for Kairi. Her fighting style, although swift and agile, lacked power and stamina. Worn out by her constant dodging and a sly, darkness-fuelled punch, she had been backed into a corner, and was now powerless to prevent the rain of blows she received from her armoured foe.

Sora screamed, in fear for his best friends, in frustration and shock at his situation and inability to utilize the keyblade to save them. The primal cry was joined by those of his friends as Pete shoved the weakened Kairi aside, and raised his fists above the keyboard and screen of the machine. And as their enemy delivered his first brutal punch to the device, something answered.

A wave of light rolled outwards from the keyblade hero, dissolving the darkness that held him a prisoner and reaching out for the one that had hurt him. Sora opened silver-hued eyes, floating in a ball of glowing warmth that energized and empowered him, much as the darkness had done for Pete. The radiance separated into thirteen elegant columns, which spread across the room to destroy the bonds that held his friends. A second wave of slightly smaller columns converged around Pete, attacking the darkness that surrounded him and melting away his armour. Pete crashed to the floor, cowering away from the beams in his unprotected state. There was a small lull, the light beginning to fade from around Sora, and his friends gingerly rising from the ground, until they all turned at the sound of screeching metal. With the main circuitry crushed by Maleficent's lackey, and its supports weakened by Sora's unexpected attack and the tide of darkness, the Digi-cannon had come loose from its brace. The noise was all the warning they received before it began to shoot digitizing bursts around the room in a random pattern.

The room descended into chaos once more, but this time its inhabitants weren't fighting. Donald had miraculously produced a single ether from somewhere, and was creating shields around the inhabitants of the room. Minnie and Daisy had been sheparded into a corner; the twin engineers crouched beside them, Jiminy limp on Daisy's. Goofy stood before the frightened castle inhabitants, his shield held out and one of Donald's barriers protecting them all. Riku was covering Donald's back, keeping an eye on his friends and their foe, who had recovered enough energy to start moving. Pete had actually turned to face the new keyblade master, his mouth opening to say something – Riku stepped forward, dodging a beam, raising Way to the Dawn above him –a stray beam hit Pete, catching him completely by surprise. They could only watch, stunned, as their attacker was reduced to a digital silhouette, and then nothing. If the software was malfunctioning to the point where it would work on Pete…

"We have to destroy the machine!"

Riku yelled, Donald hastily enacting another barrier as a collection of blasts headed for the frightened huddle.

"I can't keep this up for much longer, Sora!"

the mage rasped, before ducking behind another shield to avoid more blasts.

About to respond, Sora's eye was caught by the latest trajectory of the rogue cannon, and the person it was now aimed at. Kairi, who had been inching towards Goofy ever since Sora's attack, froze like a deer in proverbial headlights as they all screamed her name, crying out in unison for the second time in as many minutes. Time slowed to a standstill for Sora. The shouts of his friends were drawn out and incomprehensible. Donald raised his staff: a futile gesture. The boost from the ether had run its course. Goofy and Riku both broke away from their defensive positions, running for the keyblade-wielding princess. They'd never make it in time. Sora hadn't known it was possible to move as fast as he could move now. He was at Kairi's side in an instant, pulling her behind him, shoving her backwards and away from the wall and – the – be a m . …

Their shouts faded away. He couldn't feel anything. He thought he might be floating, but he didn't really care.

"What was I doing?", he wondered. "Why's everything so white?"

A sudden emptiness flooded him, almost a physical sensation in its intensity. The pain shocked him out of the apathetic haze surrounding him, his thoughts memories from the last few minutes clamoring to be heard.

"We were fighting… Pete? And he summoned darkness… and… and KAIRI!"

A second wave of hollowness, somehow even more painful than the first, washed over him when he thought of her. He began to struggle, fancying that he could reach after whatever had been torn away from him, whatever had reduced him to this desolate husk. Silver arced into his field of vision, the whiteness gleaming with reflective stripes, as a screeching crashing noise beat at his ears. His head began to hurt, he thought he clutched at it with both hands. The silence had evaporated, a collection of voices hammering at his ears. The encompassing radiance began to fade away.

"NO!" he cried silently, reaching outwards. "Come back" he whispered. His hands attempted to drop back down, the plaintive gesture useless, but his fingers were clutched tightly. Slim fingers lacing through his own; pulling him back. Strong, calloused fingers gripping his hand tight; grounding him. The voices reached a deafening peak, and he gasped, his eyes snapping open, brimming with tears. Aqua framed by silvery white, reddish brown floating over indigo whirlpools. Concern and fear, relief and hope: the emotions swirled together, losing clarity and meaning. Sora managed a smile for them, his eyes momentarily bright behind the salted trails, before his head dropped backwards, vision darkening and breaths slowing as the emptiness took him.

Blinding light and silent screams and the dizzying sensation of falling.

An endless, chystalline abyss; soundless but for the distant beat.

Gleaming shards arise from the tangled chains; melding and melting, smoothing and silvering, and twin mirrors hang before him.

It shudders, this sanctuary, shaken by the desperate cry.

He turns, shocked by the calling of his name, and the lustrous walls turn deadly, the unlimited depths suddenly a prison without escape.

And turning again, he adds his own startled voice to the deafening cacophony.

His shock, his fear: all are reflected in the familiar, alien gazes for an endless heartbeat, before the chrystal walls shatter, and the dream dissolves around them.

…"SORA!"

He was startled awake, overwhelmed by the ambient sensations. Smooth stone beneath his back, face and chest bathed in comfortable warmth, a distant silence surrounding him. Cracking open one eye, he immediately clenched it shut again, unprepared for the crimson brilliance filling his vision. Bracing himself on one arm, his other hand across his face, he struggled to raise himself into some sort of sitting position.

"Ugh, feels like I've been asleep forever"

She didn't want to open her eyes, reveling in the sensations surrounding her. There was a rough stone structure at her back, a light breeze caressing her face and plucking at her hair. Thick material was sandwiched between her cheek and the ground… a hood? Her eyes cracked open, glancing over the black material pooling around her head and covering her form before travelling upwards, to settle on the sun-soaked terrace.

"I'm… here?"

He shaded his eyes, the glaring haze focusing into a familiar orange-hued terrace, backlit by a radiant red sun suspended above the horizon. Rolling onto his side, he scanned the immediate area, taking in his surroundings.

"The clock tower? Why was I lying here? And where're… huh?"

Rising to his feet, he crossed the short space to the low wall, ignoring the small dizzy spell caused by the movement. Crouching a short distance away, he stared at the prone figure dressed in the black coat, starting in shock as they… no, she, raised her head.

Movement to her right caused her to turn her head, gaze sliding along the stone slabs until it stopped on a blond boy wearing white and red and grey. Her mouth dropped open, her body moved without any conscious thought. A strangled screech pierced the lazy silence even as she fell to her knees, her arms coming up to latch around his shoulders.

"ROXAS!"

This… could she even call it a feeling? She wanted to shriek again, wanted to clutch him tighter, wanted to let go of the moistness that suddenly itched at her eyes as she held him to her tightly. The frantic rush of 'wants', however, abated when she realised that her best friend was stiff in her arms, her embrace unreturned, and a cold silence beginning to grow. Shifting backwards, numbness spread over her exhilaration, the brief tide of unfamiliar emotions shriveling away at the hostility on his face, and the cold confusion in his eyes.

He looked at her, this girl in the strange black coat. Black, to match the hair that fell over deep blue eyes. Frowning, he pulled away from her embrace and stood over her, asking the question that had nagged at him since he'd first noticed her.

"Who are you?"


Hi there! Thanks for reading this far; and I hope you enjoyed the opening! So… this story has been in development for quite some time, and it shouldn't go the way of 'New Sunsets' (which I will go back to, by the way: I just haven't had much inspiration lately, and I'm more motivated to write this story). Updates might be a bit sporadic, but I'll try not to keep them any longer than two to three weeks apart.

And…Arrow out!