Once Nick, Maylin, Haruka, and Mina stepped out of the portal that led back to Traverse Town, they instantly knew something was up...

...there were tons of people scrambling for something in the center of the Third District!

"What's everyone so pumped up about?" Maylin asked, wading through the crowd of people.

"It's tournament time," a woman's voice replied.

Nick, using the Oathkeeper's power, was able to pinpoint the source of the voice - a girl of about 15 with a green and yellow uniform, and carrying a giant shuriken behind her.

"Yuffie!" Nick exclaimed. "You're Leon's friend, right?"

"Exactly."

"What in the world's going on?" Nick asked.

"There's a tournament going on in the Third District," Yuffie explained. "Whoever's got a weapon is trying to fight a group of Heartless that Leon and I contained. The infamous Sapphire Cup is the prize."

"Really?" Haruka responded. "I've always wanted to show my stuff for the public!"

"We already did, remember?" Maylin exclaimed.

"For your information, that was YOU showing YOUR stuff at the karaoke contest," Haruka noted.

"I'M more interested in that," Maylin exclaimed, pointing her keyblade towards another poster that was sitting on the nearby pillar. It read, "TRAVERSE TOWN SYNTHESIS SHOP OPEN! WANT TO MAKE SOME COOL STUFF? THEN COME TO THE MOOGLES OF TRAVERSE TOWN!"

"I've always wanted to create such cool stuff since I was a child," Maylin noted with obvious enthusiasm. "I promise I'll get some stuff for you guys!"

With that, Maylin was off in a streak, plowing through several groups of people towards the First District.

"I haven't seen her so psyched since... well, EVER," Nick noted, trying to find his way through the crowd to the sign-up booth for the Sapphire Cup Tournament.

"Hey, um... Nick, was it?" Yuffie asked.

"Yeah?"

"You wielding the keyblade... it reminds me of Sora sometimes."

"Really? I haven't seen Sora since the Keyblade Wars ended. I wonder how he's doing?"

"Man, I heard from the girls about what happened to your home," Yuffie noted. "Just like Sora. It must be hard losing everything you knew..."

"Yeah... I lost my lover AND all of my best friends..." Nick replied, trying not to relive the painful memories.

"It's okay, Nick," Yuffie said sympathetically. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"It's not that... Have you heard of the Guardians of the Veil?"

"I think so... weren't they a group of teenage kids gifted with the powers of the elements?"

"Yeah... I'm one of them."

"Really?" Yuffie exclaimed.

"Yeah... but I'm not much of a Guardian anymore. Our elemental powers are only at their fullest when our leader has the Heart of Candracar by her side."

"What happened to your leader?"

"... she was the one who destroyed my world. She'd been baited by the darkness, and she found my world's heart. I couldn't stop her..."

"More like you wouldn't stop her," a mysterious voice said. Nick instantly recognized it.

"Lexaeus!" Nick exclaimed, looking upwards to see a glowing silver orb with the silhouette of Lexaeus' tomahawk. "Guess you want a rematch, huh?"

Wasting no more time, Nick raised the Oathkeeper and jumped into the orb.

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(Trust is considered very fragile. It can take years to build up trust, but it can take only the smallest of betrayals to shatter...)

S.P.D. Gold Ranger presents:
W.I.T.C.H.: Key to Her Heart
This Chapter: April 28, 2007
Summary: Nick and the gang head back to Traverse Town for a break in their adventures. Maylin seems interested in the synthesis shop that's opened recently, Haruka notices postings for a tournament in the 3rd District, and Nick finds another Absent Silhouette waiting for him...
World Exploration Theme: "Traverse Town"
Synthesis Shop Theme: "The Escapade" from Kingdom Hearts II
Sapphire Cup Tournament Theme: "Go For It!" (Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories version)
Absent Silhouette Theme (Lexaeus): "The 13th Reflection" from Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+

Disclaimer: As always, I do not own W.I.T.C.H. or any properties, games, or anime used in the creation of this story. All I own is my created characters (Nick, Maylin, and Haruka). Okay? Okay.

One quick thing: Isn't it weird that all the Absent Silhouette battles take place where that particular member died?

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Chapter 7: Go For the Sapphire Cup (a.k.a. Sidequesting Adventures, Part 1! Time For a Quick Break!)

Maylin brushed a few strands of hair away from her face as she walked towards the synthesis shop.

"I wonder who these Moogles really are?" Maylin wondered. "I'd heard legends and stuff about them, but I didn't think they really existed..."

Maylin knocked twice on the door to the Synthesis Shop, and it opened seemingly by itself...

...until Maylin looked down and noticed a little creature no bigger than her hand, with a little red ball sticking out of its head.

"Are you the Moogles that run the Synthesis Shop? I'd like to make some stuff for my friends," Maylin asked.

"You're in luck, little girl," one of the Moogles replied. "We've just finished gathering the materials for our recipes, and we're ready to open shop!"

"Good, good. Let's see what we can make today," Maylin stated, walking into the shop and towards the Moogle who held the day's recipes.

"Hi. My name's Maylin Rae, and I'd like to apply for a Synthesizing License," Maylin said to the Moogle at the desk.

"Sure. There's just one problem: we need something magical to bring the materials together to make our items."

At that, Maylin smiled, holding up her Chinese Spirit keyblade. The Moogles gasped.

"A Keyblade?" the Moogle at the desk exclaimed. "You are one of the Chosen Ones..."

"There's no need for such flattery. Just give me the materials, and I'll forge them together for you guys," Maylin explained. "Now let's see..."

Maylin began looking through the recipes that the Moogles were offering.

"Okay! I've decided! To start out, I'm going to put together the Heartguard recipe," Maylin exclaimed, picking up a Stylish Heart Recipe. "Nick will like this."

Taking her share of synthesis materials, Maylin also picked up her new Synthesizing License from the Moogle at the desk, and sat down at a nearby table, taking a look at the recipe.

"Okay, let's see... I need three Spirit Shards, three Power Shards, and a Power Crystal..."

Maylin looked at the materials she'd brought. "Drat, I'm short a Power Crystal... wait!"

The Chinese girl reached into her pocket and pulled out the leaf-green crystal that the gang won from the battle against Icy and the Trickmaster. "I didn't think this thing would help me out. But, oh well."

Maylin separated the required materials from the others in her pile, and pointed her keyblade towards the materials for the Heartguard accessory. She began chanting in her native Chinese language. The crystals and shards reacted to Maylin's chanting, rising into the air and glowing brightly.

A few seconds later, as Maylin finished her chant, a bright flash filled the Synthesis Shop. Once it had cleared, the materials for the recipe had disappeared and formed into a crystalline bracelet decorated with shining pink hearts.

"Et voila!" Maylin exclaimed, holding out the Heartguard necklace to show the clearly surprised Moogles.

"Just amazing. You are definitely a Chosen One," the Moogle at the material desk stated.

"You guys..." Maylin replied, blushing.

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Back in Castle Oblivion's fourth basement, Nick hopped out of the Absent Silhouette orb, coming face-to-face with Lexaeus, the Silent Hero, who was brandishing his gigantic tomahawk.

"Well. You're one of the more talkative Absent Silhouettes I've come across," Nick noted, brandishing the Oathkeeper.

"Guess you can say I've been itching for a rematch," Lexaeus responded, screaming to the sky. Nick was suddenly buffeted by a wave of force as a powerful energy aura sprung up around Lexaeus.

"WHOA! I've never felt power like that before!" Nick exclaimed. "But, just like during the Keyblade Wars, that giant tomahawk is the source of his power. If I can get that away from him, he's as good as mine!"

Feeling confident, Nick raised the Oathkeeper and charged forward. Lexaeus began swinging his weapon, which Nick easily dodged. Nick hopped back and forth across the many pillars that dotted the arena, effectively dodging Lexaeus' attacks.

Getting quite impatient, Lexaeus slammed his tomahawk into the ground just as Nick was coming down from his leap. The massive weapon created a pillar of earth that would have done serious damage to Nick had he not blocked with the Oathkeeper at the last second. Nick landed on the ground and reassessed his options.

"He's got some incredible defense," Nick noted, studying Lexaeus. "And the girls aren't with me, so I can't use my Drive forms..."

Nick's train of thought was quickly interrupted by a point-blank slash from Lexaeus' tomahawk. Nick almost instantaneously dodged backwards, and slid back towards Lexaeus, performing an Upper Slash that knocked the Silent Hero skyward.

Now's my chance! Nick thought, leaping towards the flailing Lexaeus and reaching out to grab the tomahawk...

...only to have Lexaeus take it and slam Nick into a nearby pillar.

"Sorry, little boy, but your wish has been denied!" Lexaeus shouted, throwing his tomahawk like a boomerang towards the stunned keybearer. Nick was only able to avoid taking damage by batting the tomahawk away with the Oathkeeper.

Needless to say, Nick was still quite dazed by the Silent Hero's surprise attack. Quickly shaking it off, Nick growled. "Okay, time to get serious," Nick stated, the Fatal Crest keyblade appearing in his free hand. Nick brought his two keyblades into a dual-wielding stance that he'd practiced for a while.

"Please. You think another pitiful key will save you?" Lexaeus taunted. Nick simply shrugged the intimidating words off.

"I don't think YOU get it, Lexaeus," Nick responded, twirling the Fatal Crest around. "Riku finished you off with the Soul Eater. That was not a keyblade. You really have no idea what this 'pitiful key' is capable of, do you?"

Wasting no more time, Nick charged forward, swinging both of his keyblades. Lexaeus quickly countered with a broad overhead slash, but was surprised to see Nick easily counter it with Fatal Crest.

"You're wasting your time, Lexaeus," Nick taunted. "Now that I know your weakness, you don't stand a chance."

Nick took this moment to perform a horizontal cut with the Oathkeeper, sending the Silent Hero off balance and releasing his tomahawk.

"Got you now!" Nick shouted, performing a flying leap and grasping the tomahawk firmly in his hands. It actually felt very light, considering how huge the thing was.

Taking his chance, Nick dropped to the ground and rushed forward, aiming the tomahawk for its owner. Lexaeus, not to be discouraged, slammed his hands onto the ground, using the power of the element he controlled to send bunches of rocks flying towards Nick. To the Silent Hero's evident shock, Nick simply cut through the rocks with the tomahawk.

As Nick inched closer, he performed a beautiful somersaulting leap, spinning the tomahawk all the while. Once he was close enough to Lexaeus, he struck, performing an impressive Aerial Finish-style attack with the tomahawk. Once Nick finished the attack, everything flashed white for a few seconds.

Once the flash cleared, Lexaeus was standing there with his tomahawk again.

"You are very skilled, young warrior," Lexaeus explained. "That is why the Absent Silhouette exists."

"Meaning...?" Nick asked.

"You know as well as I do what Organization XIII exists for: the desire to become human again by collecting hearts. The Absent Silhouette was created and spread across the worlds as a call to the bearers of the keyblade. With each victory over a silhouette, their spirit is released into the soul of Kingdom Hearts, giving that member a chance to become human again."

"Wait a minute, that reminds me..." Nick wondered. "When my friends and I explored one of the worlds, we ran across someone who looked like Larxene, only she was wearing a silver robe. She was talking about something called the Thirteenth Order. Do you have any idea what that might be?"

"I do not know much about the Thirteenth Order," Lexaeus responded, "but I may as well tell you what I do know. The Thirteenth Order was created by a wicked soul named Lord Diablos. He plans to use the villains he's gathered for the Order to collect hearts and assimilate them into the door to darkness. Lord Diablos wishes to use the hearts he's collected to unlock the doorway to Kingdom Hearts, and use its immense power to enslave all worlds."

"In other words, he's the one who baited Will into the darkness!" Nick exclaimed.

"Yes. You must find Diablos before your friend is lost permanently to the darkness. And now, I leave you with this," Lexaeus stated, vanishing in a swirl of dark energy. In the Silent Hero's place lay a crystal with two small wings that shined very brightly.

As soon as he picked up the crystal, Nick was warped out of the Absent Silhouette arena.

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Haruka quickly spun around and swung her Sweet Crest keyblade, deflecting a powerful punch from a Fat Bandit, and just in time, too, as a group of Shadows quickly jumped her.

"Get off me, you heart-craving freaks!" Haruka tried to shake off the Shadows, but to no avail, as there were too many for her to count.

"Guess you may need my help," Nick's voice rang out from above. Suddenly, the closest Shadow to Haruka's field of vision was quickly met with the business end of the Oathkeeper keyblade.

Nick came out of his battle, the Oathkeeper held high. Nick helped Haruka up and brought his keyblade into a fighting stance. As Haruka did the same, the crowd that had gathered began cheering loudly.

Nick dashed forward and attended to the Shadows, while Haruka charged for the Fat Bandit she'd attacked earlier.

"Hey, Nick? You up for a co-op?" Haruka asked.

"I'd love to. GATHER!!" Nick shouted, scooping up the Shadows around him with a Magnera spell. Haruka took this as her cue, and charged for the Fat Bandit again, circling to its back at the last second and tossing her keyblade for the rogue Heartless, knocking it up into the air.

Nick then directed his Magnera spell towards the landing point of the Fat Bandit, causing the Shadows under his control to cluster at the Fat Bandit's landing spot. Soon enough, the rotund Heartless fell from the sky and landed directly on the Shadows, quickly obliterating them.

Nick came down from his position in the air and delivered a powerful slash straight through the Fat Bandit. Once the Heartless had evaporated, it was all over.

The spectators began cheering loudly. Soon enough, the tournament overseer rushed into the ring, holding a nicely-sized trophy made out of pure sapphire.

"That was an awesome finishing move, you two!" the overseer exclaimed.

"Thanks," Haruka replied, taking the Sapphire Cup Trophy into her hands. "Nick and I have been practicing the Magnet Splash for a while now."

Haruka held the Sapphire Cup in a victory pose, only causing the spectators to cheer even louder.

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"Thanks, you guys! That was so much fun!" Maylin exclaimed, waving goodbye to the Moogles of the synthesis shop as she walked out with the materials she'd created: the Heartguard for Nick, a Crystal Crown for Haruka, and a Three Stars for herself.

"Maylin! Over here!" Haruka shouted, waving to Maylin while carrying the Sapphire Cup.

"Awesome! You won the tournament?" Maylin asked.

"You mean we won," Nick responded, spinning the Oathkeeper in his hands. "I dropped in after my Absent Silhouette battle and helped Haruka dear finish the battle with our Magnet Splash tag-team."

"Speaking of which, I made some stuff for you guys at the Synthesis Shop. Here," Maylin stated, handing the Crystal Crown to Haruka.

"Wow! It's so pretty!" Haruka exclaimed, snapping the Crystal Crown around her wrist. Almost immediately, Haruka felt a power surge through her, coming from the Crystal Crown itself.

"I learned from the Moogles that the Crystal Crown boosts all kinds of elemental resistances, aside from looking really pretty," Maylin explained before walking over to Nick and handing him the Heartguard.

"Here, Nick. This is for you. The Heartguard will increase your darkness elemental resistance by at least thirty percent," Maylin explained, slipping the Heartguard onto Nick's wrist. "Plus, I thought it would remind you of Irma..."

"It's simply beautiful, Maylin," Nick replied, drawing Maylin into a hug. "Thank you so much..."

"Aw, it was nothing..." Maylin replied, returning the embrace. "You must really love her, huh?"

"Yeah..." Nick looked up into the sky, holding the Oathkeeper tightly. "I learned from that Absent Silhouette battle that someone named Lord Diablos is behind all of this. What's been happening to the worlds, the fact that Will betrayed us... Diablos is trying to open the door to Kingdom Hearts and enslave the worlds."

"Figures. I guess Maleficent found herself a protégé," Haruka noted.

"We have to keep sealing the worlds until we find out which world Lord Diablos is hiding on. We find Diablos, we'll find Will. And hopefully we can convince Will to come back to us."

Suddenly, a pulsing blue portal appeared in front of the party.

"GUYS!!" a completely out-of-breath Mina shouted, rushing up to the trio. "You weren't going to leave without me, were you?"

"Where were YOU all this time, Mina?" Nick asked.

"I was at the shop, getting some items and stuff for our next world. I have a feeling we may need it..."

"You showed up just in time, Mina. Let's get going," Nick stated. "The worlds are calling..."

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Next time:

Chapter 8: Trapped on a Collapsing Asteroid! Quickly, Jet Force Gemini!

Nick and the gang head to a new world, which turns out to be an asteroid that's hurtling for a nearby planet. Though all seems lost, Nick meets a duo that's ready to give their all for their mission...