Kingdom Hearts

Chapter Seven: Good days and bad days

Authors notes: See, I'm not dead! It just so happens I've managed to squeeze this story into my schedule. I'm heavily in College right now, (and as you can tell I'm no English Major) so I have very little time to write. However, I do have a two hour break between classes on Friday that I have now set aside for his story. I'll usually, probably write a new chapter up every Friday and have it posted by Saturday.

Ah yes, more importantly it occurred to me that I never specified when this takes place. The history follows the game pretty strictly as Sora explores Tarzan's world, The Coliseum and Alice's world. After that is when my plot begins and the game is pretty much rewritten. Hoped that helped a bit of the confusion I was sensing. If anyone is confused on anything else, because I'm a complicated person to understand, just leave it in the review and I'll address it as soon as possible.

Chapter Seven:

There was a deathly still pause that fell over the group was Malificent entered the room. Sora felt the darkness seep closer to his heart almost instantly, and became short of breath. Moments ago in the library he had found it difficult to breathe correctly and now he felt more than panic. It was like he was trapped under the water, struggling for a breath that would never come.

There were many things Sora had rehearsed to say when this time came. There were demands to make and his own promises to fulfill, yet now he found all those thoughts fleeing from his brain. None of it seemed right anymore. Nothing seemed right at all to say in her menacing presence. He thought quickly that if she intended intimidation, she had clearly succeeded.

In this time when all seemed afraid to say anything, Leon and Cid had sense enough to speak silently to each other. If any of them hoped to exit the fortress alive, they would have to be quick, stealthy and above all else, willing to accept the idea their whole party was not insured safety.

Leon recounted the floor-plan of the castle. While it had been many, many years since his last visit, certain things never left conscious memory. The lift systems, while intricate and often confusing, could be mastered. The upper levels of the castle provided a fair amount of concealed passageways and rooms that Leon was sure Malificent did not know of—at least not in entirety.

Malficient's voice brought both Leon and Sora out of their thoughts.

"My, my," She began, tone sending shivers down Sora's spine. "Intruders in my home." Leon bit back a response that indeed it was not her home, merely where she had taken up current residence. "How amiably rude of you."

Her eyes swept the group, pleasure growing a tenfold when she realized Cloud was present, along with Sora. Two birds with one stone, she assessed. Perhaps it was her lucky day; if she believed in such.

"I'm not going to tell you again," Leon hissed to Sora, more forcefully than the young boy had ever heard the man before. "Use that damned block and get the hell out of here. You aren't prepared enough to face her yet, and the Keyblade is taking too much out of you at the current time. When you face her it will need to be on your terms, with your strengths available."

"Sora won't be leaving any time soon," Riku bit to the brunette. His eyes hungrily devoured Sora, taking in the last of his boyish features. "He's mine."

Towards the edge back of the group Journey shifted closer to Cid. "Plan, plan now, please. I really want to live. You know that psycho witch won't hesitate to kill us."

"None of you are going anywhere." The heartless closed in further at Malificent's statement, and pressed Sora closer to his friends.

From that point Malificient realized her day wouldn't be nearly as great as she first assumed. There was a flash of light—of power that caused her to step back in pain. The heat nearly drove her from the Entrance Way completely. She recognized the power right away, and knew who was behind it. And from there her hatred for Merlin grew. He had never been a rival of power before, and now she demanded to know how he had breached her castle.

When the heat and power died down and she opened her eyes, she was officially met with nothingness. Literally nothingness. The bottom of the steps disappeared into nothingness, the drop taking a person down to the waterway levels. The path through the large double doors that led to the rising falls had been blown to pieces, with large chunks of cinder or other foundation falling frequently. The whole front part of her castle had been destroyed.

Aside from that more things were missing—people actually. The group of Sora and friends had vanished completely. Whether blown apart by the power or not, they were no longer there. Nor were the heartless. Even the ones that had been left standing at her sides were now puddles of ooze, melted perhaps. But most of all Riku, the boy at her right hand side was missing. Surely he had been able to withstand the blast of power the wizard had sent at them. Surely he was strong enough, and skilled enough to survive.

Her day was officially horrible. She merely prayed Cloud had not been destroyed. She realized fully that finding another who fit Ansem's specifics in the short time left was impossible. Ansem needed that distinct body and soul, and none other would do. Cloud would have to be found and soon.

Leon blinked in confusion, then suddenly lost his balance and toppled down on the ground, Cloud still tucked safely in his arms. All around him he heard similar cries of protest as legs failed and people crashed to the carpeted floor around him.

"Dear me," Came a sweet and gentle voice. "Are you alright?" Leon allowed Cloud to rest on the floor for the moment, while he climbed to his feet. "We were so worried." He recognized her as the Faire GodMother, and then seconds later realized the withered old man she was cradling in her arms.

"Merlin!" Aerith beat him to the duo. She gazed with a concerned look at the exhausted wizard. Immediately she began an attempt to heal him, finding it did little. "What happened?" She asked, Yuffie now at her side.

"We were afraid we wouldn't get you in time," The elderly woman answered for him, sensing his need for rest.

"How did we get here?"

Merlin managed a small smile. "Transportation."

Leon's expression shifted. Merlin was powerful, but not nearly that powerful. "How?" He questioned.

The Godmother took over from that point. She helped Merlin stand and seated him on his bed. At this Leon realized they were in Merlin's small house, tucked back away in the Third District.

"As soon as we realized where you had gone, Merlin and I knew you were in trouble. Poor Merlin used every bit of his magic and the magic the town had to transport you all here."

That was it. Merlin had used the Town's magic.

Leon knelt back down to Cloud's stiff figure and placed two fingers at the side of his neck. The pulse was weak, but it was there, and from this Leon breathed a sigh of relief. "Is there anywhere we can move him?" He asked, "I doubt the floor is a proper place."

The old wizard gave a weak frown.

"How about this?" The Godmother gave a flick of her wand, though Leon noted with a trembling hand, and the large clutter of books in the corner were gone, now replaced with a soft bed. "Is that fine, dear?" Leon nodded, and scooped Cloud up. He gestured for Aerith and Yuffie to make the man more comfortable.

"We were so worried his magic wouldn't reach through the castle. It was so terribly hard on him," She noted now that Merlin was sleeping silently. "He didn't know the proper amount of magic to use, and he suspected he might have destroyed something in the wake of the power. Or worse, Merlin doubted he could bring you all here with his power and Malificent's mixing. I lent what magic I could, but one of us needed to retain something with the protection spells of the town down and—"

She paused, noting Leon's attention was fully diverted from her. He seemed to be searching frantically for something, his body tense and panicked.

"Sora!" He exclaimed, "Sora is missing."

"Oh, dear," The elderly woman placed a concerned hand to a pale cheek. "We didn't know if the Keyblade would allow it. We had to take our chances with bringing who we could. My venture is that the power of the Keyblade intercepted Merlin's power."

Journey placed a hand on his surrogate father's shoulder. "There was an explosion. I distinctly remember an explosion behind us. If Sora was left behind, and there was an explosion," He didn't dare finish the sentence.

"Leon!" He had to leave his Sora troubles quickly behind as Aerith called his name frantically from Cloud's side.

He didn't have to ask what was wrong. Cloud had become pale as a sheet, and his lips were a complete blue. "What's happening to him?" He pressed the back of his hand to Cloud's forehead, and then move to a portion of exposed arm. "He's freezing cold." He retrieved extra blankets from the edge of the bed and draped them over the cold male.

The Faire Godmother looked distraught in her own right. "I'm not sure. There shouldn't be a reason for him being this cold." A quick mummer and the fireplace roared, the room temperature spiking upward. "Even with prolonged exposure to the heartless he should be recovering, or waking up. Something should be improving. There has to be another reason, yes, I'm sure there is something else that is causing this."

"What can you tell me?" She gazed at him as saw love. The deepest form of love possible. This man would give his life for the other, and she felt herself the strongest desire to help in any way she could. "It will require time for me to figure out what has happened. I have my suspicions, but at this moment it is best not to cause any panic."

Leon accepted this slowly, and meticulously tucked the blankets around Cloud further. "Aerith, will you stay and watch over him for me?" He knew she and Cloud were having some sort tryst, if it could even be called that. It was a roadblock in their friendship on Aerith's part because the relationship would not move past camaraderie. Still, he knew he could count on the woman to take the best of care of his love.

"What're we going to do?" Journey asked, feeling slightly out of place with the current group.

"I have to go after Sora. I don't know if he's alive or not, but I can't stop until I find out. I can only hope the Keyblade protected him from the blast. We need him desperately."

"And how do you plan on finding him?" Cid asked. "Most of the remaining people here have fled with their Gummi ships in favor of finding a place with better protection. The Gummy ships left have something wrong with them, and while I'm good, I'm no miracle worker. I could call a buddy of mine with a ship, but that'd take time."

Leon thought this over. "You," he said, pointing to Journey. "You brought a ship here, and it wasn't the one you went to Hallow Bastion with. Would it still be here?"

The teen nodded. "Yes, I don't see why it wouldn't. But I'm used to flying in deep space and dealing with pirates. My ship is configured to work only with myself in the cockpit. If anyone else attempted to take it, or override the system the ship would pump Carbon-Dioxide in automatically. Nasty death I might add, I've seen it happen."

"That's fine," Leon waved off. "Get out of here. I need you to go fly by Hallow Bastion. Do not go any closer than you have to, but we need to know if the Gummi ships are still near the Rising Falls and if we can do some kind of double back and switch ships around. See if there is any damage to the castle, and then head on out to the drifters. Go on out to Omega Colony, that's where most of the refugees from the town will be. They'll need some form of leadership, and you can be there for them."

"Okay," The teen made his farewell quickly, and left at once.

"Cid," Leon addressed. "Get started on repairing whatever ships you can. Just get me one that flies, the more the better, but I need something."

The man seemed to ponder those words, before crossing his arms. "You know, I've been working on a new ship. It'd be better to finish that baby up than try and fix a busted one. It'd be fast, stealthy and have a few," He paused with a devious smith that Leon was almost thankful for. "Additions I think we would all appreciate."

"Good, and the faster the better."

Awaiting her instructions, Yuffie placed a soft hand on Leon's shoulder. He recognized her desire right away. "We're going to clean the town out."

"Cid shut most of everything down earlier."

Leon shook his head. "Not good enough. There are no wards, and no protection. Anything could just stroll in, and that isn't a thought I enjoy greatly. We need to seal absolutely everything up. If anyone stayed here we'll move them to the first district. I want us to cover the second and third fully. We kill everything that lacks a heart and make sure no one gets back in. Hopefully by the time we get done Cid will have a way out of this town."

He pinched the bridge of his nose, just now realizing he had somehow lost his Gunblade. "Yuffie, I need to have a few last words with The Faire Godmother. Please wait for me outside the house, but don't go venturing out into the district. There are bound to be some heartless roaming around just looking for someone to jump."

She gave him one small nod before leaving. Leon only had to spare one glimpse to Aerith before she quickly followed her friend, insuring Leon private company with whom he desired.

"Is he going to be alright?" Leon asked, nudging his head towards Merlin's body. "I get the distinct feeling all is not well."

The woman's face creased. "Merlin knew what he was doing. Merlin knew it would take everything he had to rescue the lot of you. He did it willingly and now he is allowed true rest."

Leon pressed his lips together harshly. "While we are forever indebted to him, this town is truly vulnerable now. Without a wizard to protect us it won't be long before pirates, looters and heartless overrun the place. He's saved us from one death only to insure another."

"Heavens no," The woman almost chuckled, gesturing to Cloud's bed so Leon could have the seat. "His magic might be spent, and he has passed on, but he is not gone. Magic never dies, and I'd expect you to know that by now." Leon looked quickly over to Merlin's still chest, void of life. "He's here, you just cannot see him. He'll be back as soon as possible. You will not recognize him from sight, for he will be in a new body, but you'll feel him. He'll manage a way back when we need him most."

"One question down," Leon managed in barely a whisper. "Now tell me about Cloud." Leon could tell the man was fading fast.

"His hair," Leon noted, running fingers lightly through Cloud's hair. "It's changing, becoming more of a white or silver. His skin is pale, and he's deathly cold. His lips are blue, and he's barely breathing. I'm certain his heart will give out soon." He removed his fingers and settled for resting a hand softly on Cloud's chest. "You've got a theory," He almost glared at her. "I can see it in your eyes."

She gave an uncharacteristic shrug. "It's just that: A theory."

"He's in serious danger, though, right? Something severe happened, and it's affecting his mind, body and soul." He watched her flinch slightly and narrowed his eyes at the slight hint she had provided. "Tell me," He demanded, and his tone told her quite clearly he was tired of games.

"Something is missing." She tapped her wand across the palm of her right hand lightly.

Leon raised an eyebrow. "What is missing?"

"His soul is missing."

Leon was speechless for a moment. He found himself running his hands down the sides of Cloud's face, and coming to rest over his heart. "How is that possible?" He could feel it thump beneath his fingertips. Though why he could feel this was mysterious. "He can't still be alive without his soul."

"Not for long," She told him. "The soul is part of what keeps the body alive, as you know. It's the inspiration, the drive and essentially what motivates us to live—but not what lets us live. Somehow Cloud's soul has been removed from his body, and he's fading without it. He will die eventually unless it is returned."

"I thought you said the loss of a soul wouldn't kill a person."

"Not normally," She corrected. "His symptoms are showing his soul has been forcefully removed from his body through some type of spell. While I don't imagine it intended to kill him, it is doing that. Normally a soul fades from existence when a person loses the will to live, or when death occurs. In this case Cloud is in a form a shock from losing it so abruptly."

A hand came to Leon's mouth and he bit back any words that surfaced. He leaned harder onto the bed and slightly over Cloud. Silently he ran his fingers softly over Cloud's lips, shivering himself over the low temperature and short breaths he felt. His eyes slid shut and he allowed himself to slide forward even more, and he pressed his forehead to Cloud's. "You won't die." He didn't know if he had said this out loud or not. He just knew he couldn't lose Cloud.

"You must find it," She told Leon, a wrinkled, yet soft hand slid smoothly over his hair. "He hasn't got long." She continued her soothing motions, feeling the brunette relax under her actions. "He has only stayed this long because of you."

Leon chuckled, drawing himself off of Cloud after dropping a chaste kiss to the blonde's head. "If he's waiting for me, I won't let him down." Again he was tucking the blankets further around the freezing man. "How am I supposed to find his soul, and before it's too late?"

"You have to find Sora first." It seemed simple enough to her, Leon observed sourly. "He'll be able to sense Cloud's soul, wherever it is. And with the Keyblade he'll be able to bring it back, though I believe Cloud's soul will recognize you and attempt to follow you itself. That is if it isn't being kept somewhere inaccessible or escapable."

The brunette nodded sadly. "Like Hallow Bastion."

"Right now Cloud can hang on, but the sooner you can find Sora, and Cloud's soul, the better."

Leon stood tall and rigid. "I understand to save Cloud I'll have to find Sora, but I don't have the first clue of where to look for Sora. I seriously doubt he was killed at Hallow Bastion. The Keyblade always looks after the Master, and it probably transported him somewhere directly before the explosion, but where is the question. Neither Cloud or I have the time to fly around in a half broken Gummi ship looking for a boy that could be on a dozen or more worlds—half of them I've never been to personally."

"Opportunities will present themselves shortly." She seemed so confident, or almost as if she knew something he did not.

Both Leon and The Godmother jumped several inches in the air as Yuffie and Aerith burst into the small house.

"The King's Aids!" Aerith was calling.

Yuffie followed with: "Donald and Goofy have returned, and they've brought their Gummi Ship!"

A small smile played upon Leon's features. "A change of plans," He told Yuffie, walking her to Merlin's entrance to the secret underground cave. "Down there you'll remember a picture painted on the far, back wall?" She nodded. "Good." He pressed a Gummi Block into her cool palm. "There is a room behind there, and someone is sleeping in the hidden room. He won't appreciate being woken, but he owes me a big favor and I'm cashing in. Get him to help you clean out the Town and do a full and complete lock down. After that wait for me to contact you, and make sure Cid has that new ship ready."

"Sora!"

"Sora!"

Leon could hear the Aids and sent Yuffie off immediately with a promise everything would be fine. "Aerith," He addressed the woman who had once again seated herself next to Cloud. "He's going to get worse, so just take care of him for me."

"Where's Sora?" Donald asked, head poking in the house.

The edges of Leon's mouth quirked up. "We're going to get him."

"You know where he is?" Aerith asked quickly.

"No." Came the immediate answer. "But I have a good hunch as to who will know."

He spared just one last look to Cloud's unresponsive body, and then rushed from the house. "We have to leave now," He told Donald, catching him by the upper arm and pulling him away from the house. "To the port, and I mean now!"

Donald quacked loudly as Leon carried him away, with Goofy trailing after them. "Where is Sora!" Aerith heard Donald demand once more before the group was too far away to hear any more.

"We've fallen apart," Aerith remarked softly, closing her eyes.

"Yes," The Faire Godmother agreed, "But that man has just enough determination to put us all back together. Then the rest will be up to Sora."