Mickey walked along the main hallway of Disney Castle. While it was not at total peace it was currently in a more orderly state than the other two castles of the known worlds.
That wasn't going to last for long.
Halfway down the hall a portal opened above him and Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Xigbar all landed in a heap in front of the King.
"Gawrsh! That was a rough landing." Goofy called from the heap."Speak for yourself you big palooka," Donald gave a muffled yell, "'least you're not on the bottom."
"Sora! Donald! Goofy!" Mickey helped his friends out of the pile, "what are you doing here?" he looked past them to see the Free Shooter getting to his feet, "And Xigbar! Last time I saw you was three years ago "
"Well now's not the time for greetings," Xigbar held a hand to where he'd been shot as he stood up, "There's some weird enemy teamed up with a high ranked Nobody. We fought one of them just awhile back."
"Was it a new type of Heartless?"
"Try a vampire with a taste for opera and a gun with homing bullets." Sora rubbed the back of his head, "If it weren't for this guy and his friend we would have been toast."
"Golly!" Mickey dug into his pocket and handed the group a mega elixir, in an instant the group was healed from the wounds they had suffered on the ship. Xigbar's wound had for the most part vanished but it was still nagging him; normal potions couldn't completely cure nobodies...
"Well now that that's settled, why don't you come with us to Hollow Bastion?" Xigbar rubbed his side, "Lorenzo will be there with the vampire and we can figure out what this whole mess is."
"Good idea," Mickey seemed troubled, "But for all of you to be going through so much. Why is it now that the darkness is rising up again?"
"Because it will always exist."
The group looked up to see Ganis perched on the middle topiary of the castle garden. She bore a smug grin and had her arms crossed.
"Will you even give us one minute to relax!?" Donald huffed and raised his wand to attack, but Mickey held out a hand to stop his temperamental friend.
"Wait Donald, lets hear what she has to say before we get into anything gritty."
"I like your way of thinking mouse," Ganis fell back and sat upon her perch. She then rocked a bit as she continued to speak, "Terenixhak sent Rip Van Winkle to either kill ya or exhaust ya. What she didn't count on was the Organization coming to your aid... Since while we were going to keep you busy we were going to attack the three main castles of the world."
"Three castles?" Sora eyed the grey haired youth.
"Yeah, I mean, you've got Disney Castle, the light one, Radiant Garden, the neutral one, and The Castle that Never Was, the dark one. While Terenixhak goes to destroy The Castle that Never Was she set me and her Millennium troops in charge of destroying the other castles."
"But why are you after me!?" Sora pointed his keyblade at the green clad foe, "I don't even know about you or this stupid Terenixhak!"
"Sora... I might not look it, but," Ganis glowered at the teenager, "I'm doing this to avenge my sister, you knew her quite well actually..."
That was when Sora saw the slick grey tails that withered lazily. On one side they were green with suction cups, much like an octopus. Sora's mouth went agape as he stared up in shock.
"Ursula?"
"Well, little sister Morgana if you want to be frank..." Ganis feinted a yawn as she jumped back up, "But anyway, enough of that, I'd say it's high time to finally kill you all"
She snapped her fingers and a large sum of dusks and samurais rose from the ground. Feeling refreshed from the potion Mickey had given them Sora and the rest of the team charged forward. Mickey and Sora both used their keyblades against the hollow enemies. Xigbar used his guns as katal to fend off the blades of the samurai before blasting them into oblivion. Goofy clobbered a few dusks like dominos. But while all this was going on Donald glared up at the source of the trouble.
"What's your problem duck?" Ganis pulled one of her daggers out of its sheath.
"No one attacks Disney Castle and gets away with it!" he shouted as he bombarded the Nobody with rain after rain of thunder attacks. Several of the bolts struck their target but for the most part Ganis jumped down and rolled to avoid the majority. She uncurled right before hitting Donald and brought her dagger around to slice him. But the duck ducked and all she hit was air. Ganis was about to give another swing but Donald realized the opportunity he had...
"YE-OWCH!!!"
Everyone (including the nobodies despite themselves) turned to see that Donald had clamped his beak firmly on the right talons of Ganis. She hollered and tried to kick him off with her free leg but Donald's vice grip held strong. Taking a chance Mickey shot one of his homing pearl attacks at the distressed foe. A shower of sparks ensued as the attack was a direct hit and Ganis was blown out of Donald's bite and across the gardens. The moment she hit the wall the Dusks and Samurais shook in convulsions and disappeared to the nothingness whence they came.
But despite the setback Ganis stood up once again, this time taking out both her daggers and strutting into a fighting pose.
"Seems that I've underestimated you..." she said dryly, "Well in that case Sora, howsabout a one on one duel with me?"
"You've been hurt by that Pearl!" Sora shouted back as he readied himself for an attack, "You're kidding yourself "
"Goes to show what you know..." Ganis slashed one of her daggers across in an arch. And right when she did several icicles jutted from the ground around Sora. The ground beneath him began to shake as several more icicles started to rupture the ground. Seeing that if he'd stay in the barrier he'd be impaled, Sora knocked down one of the icy walls with his keyblade and charged at the Nobody.
He brought his weapon around in full swing when Ganis fell back and disappeared into the ground. Sora jumped back and let his vision dart around the room.
Where was she? That fool of a Nobody...
"Oh! So I see! This is proving to be entertaining!"
"Hu-wuh?" Sora turned to see not only Ganis, but a man with long blonde hair garbed in a white suit. He adjusted his glasses as he eyed the five beneath him.
"See you brought another friend." Xigbar scoffed.
"Not another one of those vampires is he?" Goofy peeked from behind his shield.
"Fraid so dog." Ganis gave a smile of mirth as she once again let her feet dangle from her perch.
"Ganis," the man seemed tired of her antics, "Do what Montana said and kill them already!"
"I will when I feel like it Luke!"
"And what about Terenixhak's orders?"
"Same there."
The five looked up as the two spat insults at one another.
"Not a very organized troop is it?" Mickey whispered to Sora.
"Not from the looks of it..."
Donald gritted his bill and without consideration for anyone's sake shot a blast of fire at the two. Catching the squabbling villains off guard it singed Ganis's left tail and "Luke's" coat. Upon seeing his white suit marred with smoke. His eyes widened to a scary degree and he pointed accusingly down at them.
"I'll teach you!" he said enraged. He held his arm out much like Xigbar did with his guns and a giant magnum came into being.
And he fired.
"Look out!" Sora tried his reflect spell but realized too late that his magic had been drained from his fight with Ganis. Quicker then lightning a form threw itself in front of Donald as he stood in dumb shock as he heard the bullet pierce skin.
"KING MICKEY!!!"
The king flew backwards with the tremendous force of the bullet and skidded a few yards away. Xigbar and Sora turned back to their attackers with gritted teeth.
"You!"
"Yes, me." Luke said with a smile, "and you, your time is up, Millennium forces should be gearing up to attack Radiant Garden as we speak. Terenixhak will find it amusing to have you mourn over your dead king before killing you all."
The two laugh and with a cloud of darkness they disappeared. Not leaving his highness to death Donald had already been administering cure spells on his downed friend.
But yet nothing seems to work.
"What's wrong?" Sora kneeled down at the mouse's side.
"That bullet," Mickey squinted from pain, "it didn't hit anything, just my shoulder but..."
"It's blocking my cure spells!" Donald stammered in frustration, "There's another spell or something and it won't let me cure his wound."
"Are you going to be okay for now Mickey?" Sora put a hand behind the King and helped him up.
"For the time now, yes, but" he grimaced as he tried to move his arm, "I'll be hard pressed to do any keyblade swinging until we find a way to cure the poison."
"Who do you know that's good at breaking spells?" Xigbar asked the keybearer.
"Erm," The spiky hair youth quickly started to go through names, "Er, Merlin?"
"Merlin's good at breaking, things, not exactly spells though." Donald said uneasily.
"Uh, what about the Fairy God Mother?" Goofy piped up, "She could heal the souls of the beings in those summon gems, maybe she could help King Mickey!"
"But my teleport only got us to here, who knows where that lady could be." Xigbar narrowed his eye at the bleak outlook.
"There's one hope for us." Mickey started to walk towards the castle, "Even though it's not a gummi ship, it will take us to the Fairy Godmother in no time at all."
"A rocket?"
"No, a bed."
"A BED?!" The other four shouted in unison.
This day was just getting worse
