"Hey, there's a man dressed in Red and a little mouse here, and two other fella's yo!"
It was a week later and all heads within the confines of Xemnas's old laboratory turned as Reno appeared in the door, closely followed by two figures; Ansem (Diz) and King Mickey………Sora felt his heart leap as he recognised the two other figures;
"Donald! Goofy!"
The two looked up immediately, delight evident on their faces as they recognised the spiky-haired youth………
Riku stared at Ansem; he had a funny feeling that the man knew more of Mai, than any other person there………
"Talk Diz………"
The man looked to the youngster whom had once worked alongside him, confusion evident in his crimson eyes;
"I do not understand Riku………"
"Xehanort and Arleen…their kid ………"
Regret seemed to consume the depths of Ansem's fiery eyes as realization dawned…Riku went on;
"There's a seventeen-year-old girl lying in a bed, back at Merlin's, Leon's with her; she looks suspiciously like Xemnas…and he also seems to know her – What the hell is going on?!!"
The red-clothed man heaved a heavy sigh as his irises trained themselves to the ground near his two feet - he had never in his wildest dreams expected Xemnas, nor Larxene to seek out the girl, but; it seemed some things just refused to be forgotten………
"When I lived here; so did my apprentices; Xehanort, Ienzo, Dilan, Braig, Aeleus and Even. But so did another member of Organization XIII; Larxene, or more so, her other did; Arleen. Arleen and Xehanort were romantically involved, of which resulted a pregnancy; Mai. Mai and her parents lived in Radiant Garden up until all of five years ago; when I realised that my apprentices were, in fact; turning on me; I feared the worst, and through my ignorance; the child's heart became tainted by darkness as her father's and mother's hearts became corrupt………I sent Mai, then twelve to live in Twilight Town, with no recollection of her past and a new persona; there she made acquaintances with that of the same youths Roxas did………but it seems that after the Organization's downfall…and my own; she was returned to here; her original home………"
"So that's what happened!"
Several heads turned as the unwillingly familiar voice echoed around the confines of the study; Marluxia's………three separate black portals suddenly appeared, out of which walked three of the double-crossers………
Sora surveyed the three with an air of uncertainty, then came to notice the lack of the fourth, and, probably, the only one of which he was willing to trust…
"Where's Roxas?"
Axel was the one to answer this query;
"He's on look out back at the stronghold…we couldn't have Xemnas following us…got it memorized?"
"Mmmm………"
Mai's eyes flickered open and she found herself staring at the stone ceiling of Merlin's house; confusion clouded her mind – but only for a second until she remembered what had happened…she remembered; remembered everything………
"Mai, you're awake!"
Leon stood up quickly from where he'd been seated at the computer in Merlin's as his friend came down the stairs………
"If that Keyblade thingy releases all locks…or whatever; that means she's not gonna be on your side when she comes-to now peoples!"
Sora snapped his around towards the water-controlling member of Organization XIII, as several thoughts ran through his head simultaneously, he decided to ask the most obvious of them;
"What d'you mean?"
Demyx shrugged; it seemed obvious to him………
"Well, if her heart was tainted by darkness when she was younger; then won't that darkness be unlocked too?"
Both Riku and Sora looked at each other; both only then realising what dangers now presented themselves………Sora turned quickly back to face Axel, deciding there and then to trust these five double-crossers; if they were willing to put their lives, or more so; existence, on the line; then surely they could trust them………Axel had helped him find Kairi after all, and had died thanks to a kamikaze attack on hoards of Nobodies in a bid to help Roxas – Sora.
"Can you get Roxas?"
"I can try………"
And with that the pyromaniac summoned a portal and walked through it………
"Mai………"
Leon watched his friend as she walked past him…something wasn't right; she didn't seem to be acting like herself; usually she would have slagged him already………He grabbed her by the wrist as she made to walk out through the heavy wooden door of the small house…
Mai spun on the young man, of whom she had no recollection; nor did she want any………Before Leon had a chance to react, a force sent him hurtling backwards; colliding sharply with that of the stone wall that backed the small cottage…Mai watched as this young man fell to the ground; out for the count………
"What's goin on?"
Several heads turned as the voice of the fourth ally was heard; Roxas walked out through a portal and quickly noticed the strained silence that had enveloped the study, Sora stood and walked towards the door, only stopping to face his Nobody;
"Can darkness be unlocked?"
"Why? Why d'you want to know that?"
"Mai's heart was tainted by it when she was younger; could the Keyblade have released it again?"
Roxas felt his eyes widen as realisation dawned on him, he turned and walked out the door, making for the quickest exit of the underground laboratory………
"What're you playing at?!"
Roxas turned to face the numerous faces; and Axel as he continued to walk…
"The answer is yes; it can be unlocked…and that's why Xemnas wants her. No lovey-dovey Daddy shit – he wants her to control the heartless………"
Marluxia stopped dead in his tracks as he too knew the meaning of the statement…things weren't supposed to go this way; her actually having an element changed everything, she'd ally with those who stood against light………
"Fuck it………Roxas, if she has control over them, and sides with Xemnas; then he can use her to resurrect Kingdom Hearts …her memories in the realm of light'll be blocked by the darkness; she's not gonna remember any of this, if we're gonna bring him down once and for all; then we need her! We need something to trigger her memories of when she was younger; before the darkness came along………"
"I know already; but if I can get to her before she regains consciousness, maybe I've a chance of combating the darkness in her heart with light………"
As the two youths continued to talk; Cid turned to face his friends, his blue eyes shimmering with uttermost confusion;
"Anyone know wat the hell dere on about y'all?!"
Several heads shook in unison and agreement to Cid's comment; this was way over their heads! Sephiroth, Remnants, Tsviets, Calamities that fall from the sky; they could deal with; but hearts, Nobodies that existed but didn't actually exist, and Heartless that weren't heartless and actually had darkness consumed hearts was just way too hard to keep track of!
"I think it's safe to say she's awake………"
Not one person even bothered to comment on Demyx's statement of the bluntly obvious as they stared at the hoards upon hoards of heartless that now inhabited the bailey………
Roxas stepped forward, drawing both Oblivion and Oath-keeper, his fellow Organization members followed suit with their weapons; he smirked, despite himself, as Mai came into view amongst the countless shadows, her twin samurai swords raised;
"Protect yourselves; we'll handle her and the heartless………"
A/N; Well, what did ye think?? Ooooh...is Roxas gonna get his butt handed to him again? Is Reno and Axel ever gonna talk to eachother again? Is anyone gonna bother to check on Leon:-P