Chapter 7: Players and Pieces, Part 1.

"I'm afraid your majesty, that the boy is lending me a helping hand." A cold, dark voice spoke from the stairs, the figure slowly descending into view. Large black boots clapped against each marble step. A long flowing black robe slid down the steps in the wake of the figure, purple tint lined the edges of the robes. A wooden staff came into view and clapped in time with each other footstep. Lengthy sleeves followed the staff; the ends of the sleeves looking rugged and worn at the end of the overly large sleeves. A pale green face soon entered the light, a straight feminine face with darkened eyes and yellow sclera accompanied dark purple lipstick. A pair of demonic looking horns attached to a hood kept any hair she had hidden from view. Her staff's orb glowed bright green as the woman came to a stop, flanked by a pair of soldier heartless.

"Maleficent." Riku growled. His Keyblade rose higher to the same height as the witch. He couldn't help but shoot a worried glance behind him to his friend and then quickly brought his gaze around to Maleficent. "What are you doing here?"

Maleficent shot a coy smile to the teen but remained on the spot. "I am in need of a castle. With Radiant Garden rebuilt and occupied by that abysmal restoration committee, it would be unwise to attempt to retake my home. Xehanort, despite my protests had also reclaimed the castle on that nobody world. However he has agreed to, assist in finding me a place to call home."

Riku's eyes narrowed, stepping in-front of Minnie protectively. "How's Sora?"

Minnie shook her head. "Whatever is going on, those thorns are negating the Cornerstone's defence towards darkness and somehow, Sora is contributing to it."

"Sora's not himself, not since the Mark of Mastery." Riku quickly explained to her. "We both know he wouldn't willingly do anything like this. Can you do anything about this barrier?"

Minnie shook her head. "Maleficent is too strong here. Her thorns are stopping my magic. It's all up to Sora to stop whatever is happening."

Riku nodded and returned his attention to Maleficent. "Okay, supposing that this plan of yours works. What do you stand to gain from this? Why collaborate with Xehanort?"

Maleficent smiled and waited to speak as a pure black crow flew into the room and landed on the orb. She put out a single thing digit and stroked the bird on its chest. "The power of the X blade is connected to that of Kingdom Hearts, which as you know is the ultimate power that exists within all worlds. With that, I can finally build my empire of darkness and rule all that is dark!" her smile turned into a smirk as she extended her skeletal like hand out to him. "You could have been by my side, Riku, a price of darkness."

Riku shivered at the thought of being under her influence again and gripped his Keyblade with renewed grip. "It should be obvious that I l walk the path of darkness no longer, nor one of light. I follow the twilight." He slid into his battle stance. "I am a Keyblade Master, and I protect the light!"

Maleficent clicked her tongue in anger. "Then you shall perish along with the light!" Green flames roared around her as her staff glowered brightly. The crow took off from the staff, flying high above and in circles.

"That's enough." A calm, but unknown voice spoke out, a large dark portal forming between the two combatants.

VVVV

Flynn groaned as he finally came too. Stabbing pains shot throughout his entire body, the deep wounds within his shoulder and side being particularly painful. He was vaguely aware of the small pool of blood that collected around him and thanked whatever divine god for being alive. He slowly rolled onto his stomach and pushed himself into an upright position. His vision was still blurred and unfocused but as he glanced around, he could tell that they were no longer in the dark confines of that world. Somehow, they had escaped.

They…wait Hikari! His mind raced as he remembered his companion and searched around for her as much as his body would let him. He soon found her nearby, resting soundly in what looked like an awkward position. Sweat lined her forehead, but she looked unharmed.

"Now then…" he muttered, attempting to push himself onto his feet. "Just where have we ended up?" His upper torso screamed in painful protest as it leaked small droplets of blood from the various wounds he had sustained in the combat with the unknown figure. Dizziness took him as he fell back onto one knee and pain shot through his leg. The pain however had the pleasant side effect of clearing up his eyesight. The pair of them was in a clearing of a bamboo forest, each tree extending high into the sky. Minus that, he couldn't find any landmarks that might shed light on their whereabouts. He slowly crawled over to Hikari, a thin line of blood following in his wake when a rustling nearby caused him to stop on the spot, His weakened senses making it hard to spot the source of the noise. He swayed as he stood back up, reaching for his pistols and grasped only air. He mentally cursed himself for his carelessness. He must have forgotten to retrieve his weapons after throwing them to the side to tackle the figure head on. He stood vigilant despite his blood-loss. Hikari had gotten them this far, it was now up to him to make sure she's safe; Even if he wanted to collapse from the lack of blood.

A loud human roar erupted from behind him as one charged at him, Followed by several others, each donning strange armour and lengthy swords. Some of their weapons had small blades on the end of staffs, others were using simplified version of swords. Their armour had a militaristic feel to each, a uniform of sorts, some of them having different coloured belts around their chests. At the end of the day it didn't matter too much to him. They had their weapons raised and threatened his partner. Their fates were decided.

He ducked under the first swipe and followed with an uppercut, knocking the first warrior onto his back, quickly disarming him of his sword and using it to block an incoming blow. Using a technique that Karin had taught him, he swiped the swords into a circle and forced his opponent to loosen his grip on his weapon. Flynn pushed forward hard, knocking the weapon out of the warriors hand and embedded in the nearby tree. He took the brief window of opportunity and bashed the weaponless soldier with the hilt of the weapon.

His entire body screamed in pain with the movements. He bore his teeth and whined when his sword arm seethed in pain. He wouldn't be able to keep this up for long. He spun around a clumsy vertical slash with one of the staff weapons and went to counter attack. His clumsy grip, contributed with weakness due to blood loss caused the Flynn's sword to fall out of his hands.

"Shit!" He growled as his legs were kicked out from underneath him, causing him to fall painfully onto his back. Blood spurted from a few of the deeper wounds. He quickly rolled onto his side, trying to ignore the pain in his body and stared down the length of a shiny sword. Several more were inches from his throat, restricting his movement. He shakily stood up slowly, hands raised in defeat and careful not to accidentally sway into one of the blades.

An important looking man rode into view ontop of a white horse. He had a muscular build with black hair tied up in a small ball at the back of his head. He wore the same uniformed armour as everyone else, the most noticeable exception of a red cloak tied around his neck. His armour also seemed more regal than the others. The man dismounted and slowly walked through the ground near Flynn, who was now hunched up a little from fatigue.

"What do we have here?" The man asked while started to size Flynn up, seeing if he was still a threat. "Who are you and what is your business here?"

Flynn sneaked a glance around him. No-one had seemed to notice Hikari just yet. He could possibly bluff his way out of the situation, but he also couldn't abandon Hikari in the forest. He looked at everyone around him for a moment. Maybe he could make a story work. "I am but a simple traveller, my lord. I was passing through when a number of bandits ambushed me and stripped me of my belongings. "

The general raised an eyebrow as his men looked towards their leader, doubt in their eyes. None of them had seen this man before, why should they believe him? "You're travelling a pathway highly prone to bandit attacks?"

Flynn smiled weakly and shrugged. "At the time of travel, I had not heard of such things. Even had I heard, sometimes, you have to do something that you may not want to." He coughed a little and groaned as his body continued to protest. "I would like to request medical aid before continuing my journey."

"And where were you headed before the ambush?" The general asked. "I find it hard to believe someone of your calibre would travel along and reduced to delivery duties with that skill."

Flynn laughed weakly, attempting to cover up the fact he didn't know the names of any places or towns in this world. "If you call that skill, you should see my sister. Her skill with a sword is nothing compared to mine." The silence felt uncomfortable to Flynn whose body now seemed to want to fight. Was he losing ground?

The general smiled, an eyebrow raised. "We'll escort you to the doctor. You can explain everything in full after treatment."

Flynn nodded. "Thank you kind ser. If I could also request help for my companion, I would be in your debt." He indicated over to Hikari lazily.

The men glanced over to Hikari, some of them muttering how they didn't spot her and then back at Flynn. "You said you were alone?" The general asked, curiosity lining in his tone.

Flynn shook his head, not wanting to outright correct the man who was holding his life in a careful balance. "I never said I was alone, you assumed I was. I'm surprised no-one had noticed her." The ring of swords closed in, seemingly annoyed at the response. "I wish only for medical attention and we'll be on our way."

The general paused in thought but eventually nodded. "Very well. We shall load the woman and what is left of your belongings onto a horse and will take you to the doctor to treat your wounds." He eyed Hikari for a moment before turning to someone nearby. "See to it that it's done."

VVVV

"What do you think, Mulan?" The man asked the woman nearby, placing his weapon onto a stand next to a door and untying his cloak from his shoulders. He had escorted the man and woman to the infirmary where the royal physicians were now doing what they could for the pair. Something however felt off from the moment he set his eyes on the man. He regarded the woman who was knelt down in-front of a table, writing a letter with a quill. Long black hair flowed down her back and over her pale green coloured tunic; a uniform of an off-duty soldier.

Mulan shrugged as she placed the inked quill to one side and placed a candle on the side of the parchment. She looked up to her husband with a warm smile. "Bandits have been getting bolder as of late despite the alliances the emperor has been making." She stood up and wrapped her arms around his waist. "You worry too much Shang. Sometimes things just, happen."

Shang chuckled and simply embraced his wife. Despite the recent trials they faced, he felt that their bond has never been stronger. "I worry because it's my job to worry."

Mulan smiled. "I know Captain, but sometimes you just have to let off some steam." She broke the embrace and walked over to the table. She pulled the letter from the table and scrolled it up and placed it in the tube. "How about, you take the rest of the day off," She firmly placed the tube into Shang's hands. "And give this to the messengers to deliver to Baba. I'll talk to these people you've found."

Shang smiled awkwardly. He couldn't exactly say no to her, and once she had made up her mind, it was impossible to stop her. "Alright, Mulan. I'll leave the rest to you. Send word when you find out anything."

Mulan smiled. "Well then, I got some talking to do. I'll report back to you when I finish." She left the room and Shang behind her, her mind focused on the task at hand with the same diligence she always carried with her duty.

VVVV

"Thundara!" Kairi yelled, swinging her Keyblade skywards. A rain of lightning heeded her call, striking hundreds of heartless that got caught up in the blast. She yelped as a handful Red Nocturnes flew overhead, forcing her to duck under them. The three heartless seemingly laughed at Kairi as they flew away, launching fire spells in odd directions.

Karin smiled as she ran up towards an overturned market stall and flipped both of her blades in an unorthodox reverse grip. She then propelled herself from the stall and flipped and spun through the air, slicing at the Nocturnes and landing besides Kairi in a crouch. She stood up, her body protesting with violent coughs that blood spat from her mouth.

"Are you all right?" Kairi asked in concern. She had been watching more than fighting in the battle. There was just something about Karin's fighting style that intrigued her. She placed her hands around Karin's shoulder and helped her up.

Karin nodded and sheathed both of her swords. "I'm fine. Just, really really tired." She stretched her back and let out a pleasant hum at the feeling before surveying their surroundings. They were the only two non-heartless beings in the town.

Kairi nodded. "We have to get to the Castle. Otherwise we won't be going anywhere." She placed a hand over one of Karin's wounds and started to apply a cure spell. The skin knitted itself together leaving no trace of any damage. "Can you still walk?"

Karin nodded and stepped forward and stabbed her swords into the ground and whirled her arms around, testing for any pain within them. She stretched out her legs and nodded to herself picking back up her weapons and placed them both in their sheaths. "I'll make it. But we need to make it soon; else we'll be left behind."

Kairi stepped up to the soldier woman and nodded. She wanted to see Sora again. She felt that something was deeply wrong at the moment and that it was linked to him. "No time like the present right?" She smiled warmly. Her grip tightened around her weapon as the pair walked over the wreckage and rubble. Please, wait for me Sora.

A few minutes later the two women were ontop of a half toppled building, overlooking a large dark sea of Heartless that was converging on the castle gates. Ocassionally you could see a Fat body heartless and Soldiers mixed in with the basic Shadows. The gates were still holding – a shining gold barrier preventing the heartless from touching the gate or the walls. All the while, thunder rained down on the darkened landscape.

Karin sat hunched up on the building, her hand in her chin as she surveyed the scene. "I don't think even a Keyblade Wielder and a soldier could cut through all of that." She glanced around to Kairi and noted to look of fear in her eyes. It was the first time Kairi had seen a horde. "Everything alright?"

Kairi didn't hear her. Her focus was on the horde in-front of her and the size of it overwhelmed her. The darkness that she felt within the pit of her stomach sickened her to the point of illness. Her head felt light and her stomach non-existence. She was expected to fight this feeling? Despair gripped her, but she remembered what Sora had told her and those words gave her strength. "So what's the plan?" Kairi asked, shaking off the ill feeling she had obtained.

Karin looked to the side. "We could attempt to backtrack the royal escape route within the city and take it back into the castle. I doubt the heartless are smart enough to know it's there." She glanced back to the gate. "But with you being a Keyblade Wielder. I thought we'd be spotted by now due to your light. They're probably fixated on something else and trying to force their way through the gate to get to it." She indicated for Kairi to follow and then jumped down, landing in a crouch and walked quickly behind another building. "We can use the distraction to get to the escape tunnel."

Kairi nodded. "It's a good idea. We have no other choice but to go with your plan. We have to reach the majesty as quickly as we can and get off world."

They eventually stopped at a line of shrubbery bushes in which Karin pushed aside to reveal a circular wooden hatch. "Here we go." She bent down and pulled it up. A gust of wind blew past them as they opened it and for a moment, all was quiet save for the whistling wind. "Let's go."

VVVV

Sora felt drained both physically and mentally. Every limb felt like heavy steel, refusing to obey any command he gave them. He was aware of the bright glass platform he was lying on, the bright light stinging his eyes. He also could feel the presence of someone nearby and worse, he felt like he knew the person.

"You know, I never thought this would be so easy." The figure sneered at Sora. Boot clapped against the glass as the figure move about Sora. "I don't understand why Xehanort is so interested in you." The footsteps continued to circle around him, getting closer. Then suddenly Sora's hair was pulled back painfully and forced himself to stifle a gasp when his eyes adjusted to from the burning light.

He felt like he was staring into a mirror, or at least a mirror that reversed colouring. Instead of his brown hair, the figure had jet black hair and menacing yellow eyes instead of bright blue. He remembered seeing the figure during the Mark of Mastery briefly. It was when he and Xehanort had spoken and had talked about his heart being a prison. "You're…Vanitas." Sora croaked out. Remembering the discussion he had with Yen Sid.

Vanitas smirked and dropped Sora's head which impacted loudly around them, echoing a little. "Well, you're not as stupid as you act." He sat down in front of Sora, crossed legged.

The whole thing unnerved Sora. He sat like he did, smirked like he did and even spoke in a similar tone, albeit slightly more darker. His thoughts were starting to become clearing, as were the events that had transpired. "I remember, touching the cornerstone." Sora muttered to himself. He forced his head up and propped his chin on the floor so he could eye Vanitas directly. Again, the wave of uneasiness washed over him as he looked at Vanitas, his "other" self.

Vanitas chuckled. "You have to hand it to the old bat. Maleficent knows what she is doing. It's not surprise that Xeahnort has still considered her to be an ally." Vanitas sneered at Sora. "Not that you would understand. I could indulge you, seeing as you won't be around for much longer."

Sora attempted to move his limbs once more, growling as they failed to heed his commands. Instead he managed a smirk and glared venom at Vanitas. "Try me."

Vanitas looked down at the kid, shrugged and smiled. "Maleficent's Vines couldn't inject the Darkness into the cornerstone. So we needed a conduit," He extended a hand towards Sora and then pointed a single digit at him. "You were perfect. The vines could amplify my small power to overwhelm the stone by corrupting it up close. It's only a matter of time before the stone is destroyed, along with your pathetic light."

Sora looked over to Vanitas. So Xehanort knew that Vanitas was trapped within his heart, possibly from the mark of mastery exam and the events that transpired. It didn't make complete sense. "What does Xehanort want with me? Why are you doing this?" He demanded, shouting at Vanitas.

He only smiled as he picked Sora up by his hair once more. "If you have to ask me that, you haven't been paying attention in class." Vanitas dropped him and walked back a few steps. "Besides, he doesn't want you…not entirely."

Sora was about to reply when a flash of light suddenly shone behind Vanitas, forcefully throwing him away from Sora and onto the floor. "You can't have him!" Someone shouted from the direction of the portal and came into view. All Sora could see was a pair of large, black trainers and the end of a silver weapon that oddly resembled his Kingdom Key.

Vanitas growled, regarding the newcomer with a look of pure venom. "So, you finally managed to track me down."

"You said it yourself, months ago. Sora's heart is a prison to many different hearts. Not all of us consider it one." The figure raised its blade, which (Sora assumed) was being pointed at Vanitas. "We consider it a home and protect it of our own free will."

Vanitas scoffed and turned to face the figure. "For a Nobody, you sure hold lofty ideals, not to mention a mouth that likes to talk a lot. You're a prisoner just like I am Roxas. You won't be free from here."

"And I don't want to." Roxas replied coolly. "While I'm 'trapped' I am content to being one with Sora. You have no clue as to the strength he possesses."

Vanitas chuckled and slowly walked over towards the edge of the platform. "We shall see if your faith in your counterpart is correctly placed. My work here is done." He extended his arms wide like an angel and tipped backwards over the edge, laughing menacingly as he did.

Sora felt a wave of warmth run over him as he quickly stood up, regarding his Nobody with a warm smile. "Thanks.

Roxas turned to face Sora with the same warm smile, his bright blue eyes regarding the brunette. He wore the Organisation's outfit, a black coat with the hood down behind his head. "Anytime, I swear you get yourself into binds all the time. I'm glad I could actually help you this time."

Sora crossed his arms. "You couldn't have helped during the mark of mastery?"

Roxas shook his head. "You had to take it on your own to show you had the strength and will of heart to stand on your own." He then shrugged and crossed his arms as well, "Although that changed when Xehanort got his scheme in motion. Couldn't do anything then; his darkness was too strong too ya know?" He placed a gloved hand on Sora's shoulder. "Listen. I don't know if I can do this again, but I feel…other presences other than Vanitas here. You're not as alone here as you think." He smirked. "Right now though, Riku needs you."

Sora nodded and placed a hand on Roxas' shoulder. "Keep me posted if you can. You're my Nobody after all. We could learn so much about your race from you."

Roxas smirked and nodded. "I'll see what I can do. Now get going!"

VVVV

Riku stepped back a little as the portal disappeared, leaving a tall figure standing in its wake. Dressed entirely in black, Riku identified the outfit quickly and clicked his tongue in frustration. Maleficent, he had a chance to take on and survive, albeit barely. But with him thrown into the mix, this was going to prove difficult. He couldn't leave Sora alone either. "What are you doing here?" Riku asked.

The figure's hood looked over to Riku and seemed to size up the teen before speaking. "Maleficent would be going too far if she destroyed you. You are instrumental to our master's plan." The figure then turned to Maleficent, who had banished the flames. The glowing light from the orb faded to a dim colour and her pet crow landed on top of it. "You were given orders, witch. Interfering with the plan and killing the warriors of light was not it."

Maleficent grimaced annoyingly at the figure. "Better to off the thorn in our side now before he interferes with your plan. You do not need the warriors to complete the blade!"

The figured bowed his head. "I understand your past history with the warriors witch. You may do whatever you deem necessary, but the warriors are to stay alive."

Maleficent glared daggers at the hooded figure, but eventually nodded her head, "fine. But only because we are allies in this endeavour!" She made to move past the figure, her staff clapping loudly against the floor. "Now leave, I must clean up the rabble from my castle."

The figure chuckled but said nothing else. He flung his hand out to one side, a portal of darkness forming close by and stepped through it. The hood moved to the side a little and Riku felt a pair of dark eyes settle on him before the portal dissipated from view.

Riku shook his head, trying to make sense of what just happened. He didn't think Maleficent would answer to anyone like that before. She had previously been the leader of a group of villains during their first adventure. He gripped his Keyblade tightly and moved to attack Maleficent when Minnie gasped behind him. He turned to look at her, looking in the same direction as the queen.

The Cornerstone had started to fracture with loud cracks. Thin lines formed around the sphere as the swirling energies inside started to bounce around wildly and then suddenly imploded, leaving nothing but a sphere. For a moment everyone apart from Maleficent looked at the orb, stunned at the scene but was suddenly taken aback when the entire stone shattered in a violent explosion. Shattering the barrier that Maleficent had formed around it. The explosion had shredded the thorns into nothingness and Sora's arm had multiple cuts from the glass.

"Protect!" Minnie screamed, quickly throwing her arms up as she stepped in-front of Riku. The glass bounced harmlessly off the magical protection but tears threatened to swell in her eyes when she realised she had failed her citizens of the realm. "We have to go, Riku." She looked up at the teen with saddened eyes.

Riku nodded. "Alright – I'll grab Sora."

VVVV

Sora's head pounded furiously when he came around for a second time. He felt the cold floor beneath him and then felt the intense heat in his hand and let out a quiet groan. He was also vaguely aware of multiple cuts along his arm, some blood running down his arm and staining his jacket. He glanced up to the Pedestal and felt his heart jump as he saw nothing sitting on top of it. In a panic he sat up straight to look at the empty area. His gloves lightly tapped some of the shattered glass on the floor.

"Steady Sora." Riku muttered, backing up to him with Minnie running up to the young brunette and healing some of the cuts on his arms with a quick spell. "Can you stand?" Riku shot a worried glance to Sora before staring back ahead of him.

Sora wearily leant to the side and saw Maleficent standing by the stairs. A large smile plastered upon her pale face. He slowly got to his feet (with some help from Minnie) and summoned his Keyblade. "Why do it Maleficent? You know he'll plunge the world into another Keyblade war. You'll have nothing to rule."

"You okay buddy?" Riku asked. His battle stance didn't falter. He was ready to strike at a moment's notice if the need arose.

Sora nodded and patted Riku on the back. "I'll explain later." Shakily, Sora slid into his own battle stance, trying to tighten his grip on his blade. His head was still pounding though. "We have to go. Without the Cornerstone to hold back the darkness, this world is going to be consumed by it."

Riku nodded in agreement. "I'll fill you in later as well, but right now, we have to protect the queen." He growled as a number of Shadows started to creep their way down the stairs, not satisfied with the soldiers they had just devoured. "Can you fight?"

Sora nodded, "Yeah, for a while at least but with this many heartless? I don't know." Sora replied. The only way out was through Maleficent and the Heartless. His legs were on the verge of buckling underneath him and his grip was loose. His vision was partially blurred and he couldn't focus his mind to conjure up a single spell. He wouldn't last for too long.

"Fira!" A female voice shouted above them all and a series of fireballs shot past Maleficent and into the group of Heartless, wiping out many of them in a large explosions. Riku stepped up to the plate and ran forward, thrusting his Keyblade forward into a Soldier as Sora decapitated another. A third fireball shot down towards Maleficent, who deftly deflected it with a quick swipe of her staff.

Sora glanced up and felt a smile tug across his face as he saw Kairi standing at the top of the stairs. Her Keyblade pointed at the witch and a fierce look in her eyes. "Come on! We have to go!" She shouted down to them.

Riku glanced over to Sora and nodded. He knelt down in front of Minnie. "Hop on your Majesty."

Minnie nodded, understanding what Riku intended to do and quickly hopped up. She placed her hands on his shoulders while he used his hands as a standing platform for her. The Queen glared at the dark witch as the two boys moved cautiously past her. "Know this Maleficent. You will not get away with this unpunished."

Maleficent only smiled and stepped to one side, seemingly content with letting them pass. "I shall welcome you to my new domain with open arms your Majesty." She jested and mockingly bowed as the group turned their backs to her and ran from the room. She waited a moment before walking down the rest of the stairs and stood in-front of the stone pillar, her feet pushing some of the shattered fragments of glass to the side. "Such a shame. It would have been a powerful artefact of darkness."

VVVV

"Thanks for the save Kairi." Sora said to the redhead as they ran through the castle as quickly as they could manage. Heartless swarmed around them, attempting to get to the strong hearts that remained within the walls. Sora felt useless. Riku had taken the lead of the group, slashing at any Heartless in-front of them and throwing Dark Fira spells at any Heartless that was out of reach while Kairi, brought up the rear.

Sweat dropped from the tip of her nose as she shot another fireball as another Shadow. Her legs wobbled underneath her as she ran. She knew that she had casted to many of the high tier spells in such a short period. Just a little further though. She slashed upwards at a Soldier that attempted to spin kick its way towards her. "Turn left here!" She shouted over to Riku.

Riku nodded in compliance and sprinted around the corner, being careful not to drop the queen as he did. He stopped briefly as he ran into the large hanger bay and took in the ship that was sitting in the middle of it.

The ship had a rectangular hull, with any edges being curved, resembling a flat cylinder. A number of large triangular wings branched from the hull with the backmost wings holding a number of powerful engines. On the back of the hull was also an engine that was twice as large as the others. A number of mean looking lasers sat on top and below the other wings and a pair of guns rested underneath the cockpit at the front of the ship. Roxy suddenly slid into view, opening a control panel on the underbelly of the hull and closed it up. Suddenly blue flames roared into existence in the engines before idling lazily.

"Roxy!" Riku ran up to the pilot and knelt down so that the queen could jump down. "Is the ship ready yet?"

"Just about!" I need to get the shield systems online though. They're not responding for some reason." Roxy replied, opening a second panel and pressing through the various buttons.

"We don't have time for that Roxy." Karin voiced from the doorway, limping into the hanger with a heavy left step. "The Heartless have begun to make their way here in a large swarm. If we wait any longer we won't be going anywhere." She put an arm around Karin's Shoulder as she stepped forward to help her. "Get us out of here Roxy." She smirked little as the pair walked up the landing ramp.

"Roger that Karin." Roxy smirked and followed after her. The others ran up the ramp after that pilot and found themselves inside a large cockpit. At the forward position, Roxy had thrown herself into a large chair and was busy pressing a number of buttons on the dashboard in-front of her. A number of chairs lined the other panels around the outside of the cockpit with a small seating area at the back next to the door that led to the hallway.

"This doesn't look like the ship we designed Roxy." Sora playfully complained as he sat into a chair nearby.

Roxy giggled, picking up on the comment. "Well, you try making a ship while under attack. I had to outfit a ship I was building on the side." She grimaced as one of the panels sparked next to her, "Although, not very well I must admit. Shields are still down."

"And we won't need them." Karin spoke up from the seating area, hissing when Kairi pressed a flannel against a deep leg wound. "You're the best pilot I know. You'll think of something."

Roxy looked over to the warrior for a moment and then slowly nodded turning back her control panel and let out a long sigh before flexing her fingers a little. The ship vibrated gently before rocking violently a little as the engines roared into life and the hanger doors opened. As soon as the doors opened wide enough – a wall of fireballs flew through the gap, impacting the ship, leaving small black scorch marks from the impacts.

"Hey hotshot, want to take them out?" Roxy asked, glancing over to Sora briefly and flashed a toothy grin at his direction, pressing a button with an exaggerated flourish.

The console nearby Sora suddenly came to life, the monitor showing the status of the weapon systems. A crosshair appeared on the main glass view, followed by an outline of the invading Nocturnes in front of the ship. Down the bottom of the screen, three other screens showed the left, right and back sections of the ship. "Oh yeah, I am all over this!" Sora exclaimed and turned his attention to the screen. He gripped the control sticks to the side and pressed down heavily on the triggers. Green lasers fired from each weapons, ripping through the Heartless with ease.

"Alright, time to make ourselves scares." The ship lurched forward as the engines fully powered up, propelling the ship forward and high above the destruction of Disney Castle. "Warp drive is still powering up." She glanced back to the others around the cockpit. "If I were you, I'd take a last look at this place. We may not be coming back here for a while." Regret lined her tone of voice heavily, the same weight placed upon on her heart.

Minnie shook her head, her hands tightening around each other as they rested on her legs." I'm aware of how the world looks, Miss Santangelo. I shall remember the place where happiness and joy prevailed." She smiled a little, for a moment her resolve had faltered when a tall pillar of flame gushed forth from a destroyed building. Seeing the destruction shook the Queen's heart to the core.

A pair of lasers and missiles shot past the front view of the ship as a pair of ships flew across after them. Each ship seemed more organic than mechanical but all were jet black with bright yellow windows, resembling heartless.

"I didn't know Heartless had ships of their own!" Roxy shouted in alarm and quickly pulled the ship into a nosedive. Her pursuers followed suit, launching their weapons at the ship. Roxy's ship shuddered violently as one of the lasers impacted one of the side engines, causing it to short circuit and gush smoke from it. "Hold on!" She rose the ship as it neared the ground in an expert flying manoeuvre, gently brushing against the surface of a river. Several of the ships behind her had plunged straight into the lake, not seeing it due to the smoke.

"They do. Everything revolved around Gumi Ship travel, even the Heartless had started to adapt to it. How do you think they go to each world? Ship travel was much more reliable than using a corridor of darkness, especially when you were a lesser Heartless." Riku started to explain.

"Save the history lesson!" Roxy shouted at him as the ship rolled over a bridge and narrowly under a second one, all the while avoiding the weapons from the Heartless ships. "If I don't get these damn ships off my back we won't be doing anywhere." She pulled the ship skyward, not trusting her instinct with the ship to stay alive in a restrictive area.

"Can you hold the ship steady?" Sora complained, frustration evident as his shots kept missing his targets.

"Sure, I'll just stop evading their shots and wait for you to line up a shot. That's if we're not shot out of the sky first!" She snapped at the Brunette. Covering her face as the console next to her sparked in protest as another shot impacted the back of the hull.

"Roxy!" Karin shouted at the pilot with a worried glance. "You can do this. You must have one of your crazy ideas or tricks up your sleeve"

Roxy looked over to Karin for a moment, knowing full well that the future was on her shoulders. She nodded to herself and quickly started pressing a number of buttons. "Sora, I need you to transfer all your power to the engines for me."

Sora looked over to Roxy for a moment, not sure on his companion's request. "Are you sure? We've only got one shot."

"I trust her Sora." Karin spoke up. "She's saved my life on a number of occasions with a number of weird plans. Do it." She reassured the brunette while never removing her gaze from Roxy.

Roxy nodded as Sora did what he was told. "You might want to strap in." She poked over to the Brunette turning her gaze to the power monitor infront of her, showing a steady climb of the power to the engines. Closing her eyes, she pressed one final button and hoped for the best. The ship lurched for a moment and remained still, falling as the engine died and for a sickening moment, Roxy thought her idea didn't work. Then the ship propelled itself forward at frightening speeds, high above the world and into space, no ships had managed to keep up with her. Roxy let out a sigh and leant back into her chair. "Well…that worked out better than I thought." The ship suddenly stopped moving and started to drift in space as the engines finally gave out. "Well I spoke too soon." Roxy added on, sitting forward and pressing a few buttons. "We're not stranded. The added stress on the engines just stalled them. It'll be a few minutes, but we'll get power back soon."

Karin let out a sigh and smiled. "What did you do now?"

Roxy shrugged. "Hey, not my fault I don't have the same powerful engines I'm used to. All I did was force the engines into over-drive with additional power and forced them to output all that energy in half the time. Like a warp drive but…on a smaller scale." She wheeled her chair around to face everyone. "Honestly I didn't think it would work."

Riku passed off the pilot's comments and turned to the others. "So what now? Discuss our next move while we make our way to Radiant Garden?"

Kairi quickly shot her hand up to make herself known. Her face was paler than a moon. She held a hand up to her mouth. "Where's the bathroom, please?"

"Second on the left." Roxy spoke up, pointing down the hallway with a jab of her thumb while not looking away from the viewing window.

Kairi nodded her thanks as she stood up right and very quickly moved to the indicated room. A few seconds passed before the faint sound of vomiting could be heard.

Riku chuckled and looked at the empty doorway for a moment. "Guess she's not used flying."

Sora nodded and stood up. "I'm going to see if she's all right." He walked past a silent Minnie and followed Kairi.

"Sickness medication is on the top shelf!" Roxy shouted after the brunette.

Kairi chuckled shook her head with a weak smile and turned back to Minnie. "Are you all right, your majesty?"

Minnie snapped out of her gaze and looked up to her. "I-I'm fine. I just can't help think of all the souls that didn't make it out. And this is only the start of something that'll change the universe."


Definitely not one of my better chapters, Alot of stuff's happened lately, so writing has been...difficult to say the least.

I'll try to get regular updates here but no promises!