Disclaimer: I wish I owned Kingdom Hearts, but I don't. I only own the plot of this piece of fiction, and some of the characters and things mentioned in it.

Key:

"Thinking"

"Speaking"

Chapter title and changes

Flashback

Preface

"Get to the Tower. Just get to the Tower. Just. Keep. Running."

She knew this day was coming. She knew her destiny was going to catch up to her eventually, it was just that, well...

She didn't think it would come so soon.

The scene outside kept replaying in her mind, majestic knights clad in glistening armor defending the majestic, modern palace in which she was know sprinting through, desperately trying to get to her destination. She could hear the clamoring of weapons behind her, the hacking of door codes approaching faster and faster. She had trained for this, practiced each scenario for this day, knew every hallway, every escape route, every possible attack that could've been thrown on the castle.

Except for this one.

Cursing under her breath, the Princess kept charging forward, trying not to get distracted from the cries for help and the fighting going on. Their efforts would be for nothing if she couldn't hold up her half of the plan. The teen felt far enough away from the main assault group to catch her breath, but she knew better than to give them the chance to catch up. She knew the castle, but the architect knew it better. The violent shattering of a crystalline statue crashing to the ground followed by a yell of pain caused her to turn around for a second in panic, chest rapidly rising from trying to catch her breath.

"Arete! Follow Arete, dammit!" a deep voice boomed from the source of the commotion, followed by what sounded like numerous people clambering to get up. The order snapped the Princess out of her moment of relaxation, forcing her to start sprinting onward once again, but a smirk appeared on her face at the realization that whatever henchmen were chasing her just lost a good few minutes reorganizing, and those same henchmen aren't the greatest threat to her life.

After a moment of deliberation, the second part struck a great deal of fear in Arete; the worst was yet to come.

"Almost there, three more corridors, you can do it." Lungs burning, the Princess wasn't sure whether she was going to make it or not. The more prominent question in her mind was whether or not she'd make it before her pursuers would.

They had control now, and there was nothing she could do about it. The Cabal had learned how to take destiny in their own hands, and now the only option was to go plan B. Make a run for it to the Tower of Providence, and hope that wherever the worlds took her, it was someplace safe.

Someplace safe... that was where she was right before all this happened. But then the Cabal had to ruin everything.

X - - - - - - - - - X

A black, gleaming holographic banner is floating high up in the center of the domed ballroom, the words 'Happy Birthday Arete' displayed in aquamarine calligraphy.

Hundreds of guests dressed in formal wear are mingling below, dancing and feasting away beneath the contrasting sky.

Gentle, but not boring, music fills the air, as some guests dance away in the center of the room. Tables and seating areas surround the middle of the room where those who are not dancing are enjoying the celebration. Laughter and happiness fills the air, and all in attendance are having the time of their lives.

The teen of the moment is seated at the north of the room atop her sleek, metal throne, saying hello and mingling with her guests. The glowing light of the sunset accents her blond-brown hair flowing just past her shoulders, and her chameleon eyes have taken the color of pure gold from her sheer ecstasy of being in this moment. Her silky aquamarine floor-length dress drapes her slim figure in elegance, and accentuates her sleek shoulders and neck with a clean strapless bodice. Her guests are happy, her people are happy, and everything seems to finally be going right.

Her brother is seated to her left, beaming at his sister's happiness. But Skylar's the one who senses the disturbance first, and he tries not to let his sudden uneasiness startle his sister. He's never known how long they would actually have. He knows his sister has an inept ability to sense problems as well, but so far she has not shown any signs of anxiety. Maybe she's too caught up in the moment, maybe she just doesn't want to accept that it's there. But Skylar knows he's all she has left, and right now she needs him to stay strong, or at least let her enjoy the moment while it lasts.

His bright green eyes glance quickly to his right at the guards in black Mantrarmor standing nearby, careful not to let his sister see his miniscule nod in their direction. The two large men tap the side of their sunglasses, causing a screen to appear, and the guards stationed around the room move to guard the doors giving entrance to the party.

Everything is almost in place, the perimeter almost secure, until Arete sees the last guard to get into place, and her expression goes from one of extreme happiness to that of confusion, panic, and worry. Skylar clasps her hand on the adjoining armrest of their thrones and sends a reassuring smile her way that doesn't really reach his eyes. But it keeps her anxiety in check.

Until two dozen Cabal agents come crashing through the glass dome ceiling.

Numerous high-pitched screams can be heard from the room as glass comes crashing down and the previously cheerful guests realize the situation they are now in. Men and women try to cover their bodies from the falling glass, and children run to their mothers and fathers for some type of security that seems almost impossible to give. An alarm sounds as more ISO agents come rushing in, and the party-goers start scrambling for the exits.

But the Cabal members are quick, and start destroying the tables, taunting the guests, and engaging in struggles with both nobles and security agents throughout the room.

But Skylar and Arete know the true objective of the attack isn't just to ruin the Princess' birthday party.

Skylar was the first one to move, jumping up with Arete's hand still in his. Pulling his sister up to her feet, they both started to run toward the double doors nearest to them. As they weaved in and out of the guests trying to do the exact same thing, he noticed his sister's change in eye color to a deep blue, and bit his lip. That was the last thing they needed right now.

An ISO agent saw the two running for the exit and caught hold of Arete's hand. The Princess turned around slowly, not feeling very motivated to do anything else, overtaken by a great sense of grief and remorse. Skylar turned once he noticed he couldn't get anywhere, and was about to strike the man until he saw who it was. "We have to get her out of here, Verrill, and fast," Skylar directed. He scanned the crowd for any nearby Cabal agents; they seemed to be far enough away, but he knew better than to let that fact fool them. Arete's eyes became a light blue color at the mentioning of Verrill's name, and perked up a tad, issuing a sigh of relief from her brother. Verrill nodded in agreement, maintained his grasp on Arete's hand, and guided them to a secret exit in the wall a few feet away.

As Verrill ushered first Skylar then Arete through the opening, he lightly grabbed the Princess' shoulder and gave her a warm smile once she turned around. "There's nothing to worry about. Just show 'em not to mess with the Eneji again, all right?" He stated, giving her a thumbs up. The teen nodded, smiled, and let out a small chuckle, her eyes turning back to her regular blue and gold color. With that, she followed her brother out of the passage.

The two managed to make it without hearing any sounds of pursuit for about a minute until they heard the masterful quick-stepping of feet coming from the hallway they had just turned out of. As they neared the staircase leading to the main foyer, Skylar slowed to a stop. Sliding to a halt, his sister turned around to look at him, confusion written on her face.

"What are you doing..? We have to keep going!" She exclaimed, trying to catch her breath.

Skylar shook his head, and gave his sister a crooked grin. "You keep going. I'm going to stay and finally give these bastards a piece of my mind," he replied, drawing his two swords from his side.

Arete tried to hold back the fear in her voice. "This isn't the time, or place Skylar! You can get your revenge later. I want to do the same, after what they did to mom and dad! But this isn't the time or place!" She tried to reason with him, voice slightly cracking.

The footsteps were closer now, probably no more than twenty feet away from turning the corner. Skylar let out a grunt of laughter and turned around to face the oncoming opponents. "You know what they say… there's no time like the present. I love you, Ree," he said, not a hint of fear in his voice.

Arete swallowed a sob that was trying to form in the back of her throat and gathered up her courage. There was no way she was going to let him down. "Love you too, Sky," she replied, then turned on her heel and started sprinting down the staircase.

X - - - - - - - - - X

The departure from her brother had been about six minutes ago, and Arete hoped her brother had survived them.

"Confuse them, take an extra turn somewhere." But there were no extra turns to the Tower now, she was too close. Behind her, she could hear those awful men's footsteps moving faster than hers were at the moment; at this rate she had no hope of finding a safe haven before they captured her.

But she wouldn't let Skylar down, not now. There were too many people counting on her succeeding, too many problems that would arise if she didn't. She was too close to her destination to quit now.

Somehow, she found the energy to sprint faster through the halls of the castle, through the giant study near the final stretch. Bursting through the doors to the back courtyard, the Princess was finally in the home stretch to the Tower.

X - - - - - - - - - X

The interior courtyard had always been Arete's favorite. It held her favorite memories, her favorite flowers, and her favorite view of the sky above. There had been many times that the Princess had snuck out to lay on the soft grass and gaze at the stars above, until she eventually let sleep overtake her. She would always be reprimanded for her actions in the morning, but it wouldn't keep her from sneaking back out to freedom again.

Afterall, it was one of the only chances she had to actually feel free.

She hardly had time to look around at the landscaping and the contrasting sky above seeing as she was now trying to outrun her pursuers, but the elegant aromas coming from the flowers planted around didn't escape her senses. They calmed her, allowing the teen to focus a little, and invigorated her to keep moving forward. She'd come back one day, she knew. And then she could bask in the comfort of the gardens just like before.

Panting fully now, the blonde finally reached the tower gates. Unable to open them, she started shaking the bars, hoping to break the lock loose. She glanced behind her, only to catch a glimpse of the men coming after her. They were smirking now, their prey within their grasp. Cursing under her breath, Arete realized she must have miscalculated their speed.

Either that, or her brother hadn't been successful.

The Princess fought back the tears forming in her eyes, before she realized something. There was no way that they were the men that had been chasing her and her brother before; they had a different step pattern than the group outside the ballroom. This gave Arete a bit of hope, and she focused back on getting into the Tower.

Unable to unlock the tower gates, she started shaking the bars, hoping to break the lock loose. Desperate, she lifted one foot and then the other where she could in one of the gates, and flung herself over. She heard the tearing of her gown and felt a bit of a searing pain in her left leg, but that didn't keep her from jumping down. Now on the other side, feeling a little safer even with her leg throbbing from the pain, the Princess sprinted up to the tower doors, slipping swiftly inside as she heard her pursuers pick up the pace.

The only thing standing between her and the start of her journey was the winding spiral staircase presented before her. The actual peak of the tower was four floors up, and there was no time to waste with the Cabal not far behind. Biting her lip to try to take her mind off the injury in her leg, Arete started her ascent to the top.

If there was one thing clear to her in the several minutes it took to dash up the spiral staircase while catching glimpses of the Cabal right behind, it was that whoever opts for spiral staircases in the first place never thought that a person who holds the fate of the universe in their existence will one day be running for her life up it. Needless to say, the princess was running out of breath, and fast; adrenaline was the only thing keeping her going. And the trail of blood coming from her leg – well, let's just say that it didn't really work with the color scheme of the stairs. Nevertheless, she pressed forward, hearing the angry shouts coming from behind her.

Pushing her full weight against the doors at the top of the staircase, the teen stumbled into the golden room. Silver scrollwork decorated the walls, and elegant floor to ceiling windows were placed every few feet around the circular room. Arete started to glance around, trying to locate the item her mother had told her to use to get to safety. "There!" she exclaimed; her escape was finally looking to become reality.

X - - - - - - - - - X

The teen was just about to place a hand on the Orb of Providence and recite what she had been told since day one to say on this fateful day, before she stiffened at the dark laughter emanating from behind her.

"Ah, ah, ahh. You don't think you're getting away that easily, do you?" The voice taunted her from behind. Arete gasped but didn't turn around, focused on getting to the Orb just a few feet away.

Before she reached it though, she heard the man behind her chant something no louder than a whisper, and she felt her body starting to go limp and her eyes finding it difficult to stay open. "Damn it! Just a little farther!"

Limping along with her potential kidnapper following at a leisurely pace, the teen managed to collapse onto the glowing orb that was her only hope of escape. "Heh, actually Aldon, I do," she breathed. "Aid me, Orb of Providence. Get me out of here; take me to wherever I'm supposed to go." Just as the orb of light surrounded her, the teen passed out, free of the man's ill intentions.

At least for the moment.

Somewhere, in another palace, not too far from her own world, that same orb of light appeared, the princess inside but still unconscious from whatever had been cast on her. A dark-haired patrolling soldier was walking by on his usual route, when he noticed the arrival of the girl. Panic overtook his facial expression, and he immediately ran off in the opposite direction. The orb of light began to lose its glow, and fell to the ground, its luster seeming to have vanished forever. The soldier immediately ran off in the opposite direction as fast as his legs could carry him.

Finally reaching the grandiose double doors at the end of an adjacent corridor, the male flung them open. A pair of royal mice stopped their conversation immediately, and turned to face the exasperated man.

"Your Majesties, we have a major problem!"

So, how was it? Not as bad as I expected… now that I've edited it. I know there's a lot in this chapter that's confusing, considering I haven't really explained them, yet. But it'll get there, I promise.

I'd very much appreciate it, and by very much I mean I'd give you a hug, if I knew you in person, but since I don't, I'll give you a cyber-hug. I guess that works. And I'd give you a cookie. And a review back!

But you've got to click that button down there….

Grazie!

-Strokes