"Pete failed in exterminating that accursed brat." The eloquent man's voice said smoothly.

"Yes but he found a very interesting new friend. One with the power and knowledge to destroy EVERYTHING!!!" the insane man's voice cackled.

"Silence! Now is not yet the time to rejoice in this victory." Maleficent declared.

"So when do we get to play our hand?" the deep bass man's voice asked.

"Soon enough. For now, you shall all return to your assigned worlds. When you see the boy and the girl, you know what must be done. Put an end to them, crush them, take their hearts, and secure our position as the rulers of the worlds." Maleficent instructed as there was a small chorus of grumbles from the villains in the shadows along with the shuffling of feet as they departed. Hades and Maleficent were the only ones left. Pete however entered close behind with a confused looking Xehanort close behind.

"Wow, talk about your small worlds. It's been quite a while since I've seen you." Hades chuckled sinisterly, earning an impatient look from Maleficent.

"Hades, show your respect." Maleficent said as Hades grinned and with a wave of his dark hand, created a lollypop shaped like a white skull.

"Aww I was just trying to make conversation with the sucker. In fact here's a sucker for the little sucker right? Here ya go-." "Do you take me for a total fool Hades?" Xehanort interrupted with a dark glare, snapping quickly out of his confusion. Hades recoiled as Maleficent smiled in a sweet yet clearly evil smile.

"Xehanort, it has been far too long. For all these years, you finally return to reclaim the worlds in the name of Darkness." Maleficent said as Xehanort glared darkly at her.

"I haven't the time or the patience for the envenomed blade of your flattery Maleficent. I expected upon my return to see the worlds enshrouded in darkness. But what do I see upon my return? NOTHING!" Xehanort yelled as he slammed his fist on the table before him. He then staggered back slightly, his voice shaky as he put a hand to his forehead.

"I have not been well lately. I must lie down for a moment. I will wish to speak with the loyal servants of Darkness later." Xehanort said as he staggered off and out of the room, leaving Maleficent, Hades, and Pete alone.

"Gosh, he sure seemed pretty upset." Pete said worriedly.

"Silence, you imbecile." Maleficent hissed as she turned to the sphere in the center of the room. With a wave of her hand the sphere shifted and in an instant it showed Sora and Aqua on their Keyblade Riders passing through the world barrier of Disney Castle.

"It would seem that they're heading straight for the land of the mouse." Maleficent said as Pete humphed.

"Typical." Pete said, earning a dark glare from Maleficent. Hades by now was just standing off in a random corner of the room with his arms crossed.


In the courtyard of Disney Castle…

Goofy lay slumbering on his back in the shade of the castle shaped hedge in his knight's armor. So he didn't notice two figures appear towering over him.

"Typical. The captain of the guard, asleep at his post." Aqua said crossing her arms.

"Well this place is well protected from bad guys like the Heartless after all. He's probably got it really easy." Sora said as Aqua shrugged.

"Yeah I suppose you're right. But still, don't you think it would be fair of us to wake him up?" Aqua asked as Sora nodded.

"Yeah I suppose so." Sora said as he started shaking Goofy slightly.

"Hey! Hey Goofy! Come on, wake up buddy!" Sora said as Goofy yawned and cracked his eye open slightly before closing it back.

"(Yawn) Five more minutes Sora." Goofy mumbled sleepily as he started dozing back off. Aqua looked at Sora with a concerned look.

"Ya think we should try something more noticeable? Like lightning?" Aqua asked as Sora motioned to wait with a wink. On cue Goofy's eyes shot open. He quickly sat up, looking straight at Sora. He rubbed his eyes once before he let out one of his trade mark "ah-hyucks."

"Sora! It is really you! How've ya been pal?!" Goofy exclaimed as he hugged the young Keybearer as Aqua watched with a smile and a suppressed giggle.

"I'm great Goofy. Where's Donald? And where's the King? We've got something to ask him." Sora said as Goofy paused.

"We?" He asked as Sora motioned to Aqua. Goofy looked at her curiously for a moment.

"This is Aqua. She's my Keyblade Master. Aqua, this is Goofy." Sora introduced.

"Hmm. I know I've seen ya around before ma'am but uh my memories ain't what they used to be." Goofy said as Aqua nodded knowingly.

"It's alright. I'm sure it'll come back to you." Aqua said as Goofy walked towards the doorway to exit the courtyard.

"Come on. I'll take ya to the King." Goofy said as Sora and Aqua followed along. As soon as Goofy rounded the corner of the doorway, Goofy let out a startled yelp followed by a crash as he tripped and fell…on Donald. Donald sat underneath him in his wizard's robes, rapping his fingers impatiently on the cobblestone ground as he waited for Goofy to get up off of his back.

"Goofy!" Donald grumbled as Goofy picked himself up.

"Gawrsh, you okay Donald?" Goofy asked as Sora and Aqua quietly picked the duck up off the floor. However Donald proceeded to go into one of his temper tantrums for a moment before suddenly freezing mid-rant and looking up at Sora, then at Aqua. He smiled sheepishly.

"WAAK! Sora! It's you!" Donald exclaimed as he hugged his friend.

"Good to see you too Donald. Let me introduce you to Aqua, my Keyblade Master." Sora said as Donald turned to Aqua.

"You look familiar." Donald said, scratching his head.

"I'd hope so. We've met before. You even helped me out a few times eleven years ago." Aqua answered as Donald pondered.

"Eleven years ago? Gawrsh that's a long time." Goofy said as Donald nodded.

"Yeah kinda like those people the King mentioned in his letter to Sora." Donald laughed as Aqua looked at them with her arms crossed.

"Yeah just like one of the people from the King's letter to Sora." Goofy laughed. The two both continued laughing, Aqua just tapping her foot patiently, until the two suddenly stopped laughing and turned towards her nervously.

"You were saying?" Aqua asked. The two almost instantly recognized her.

"WAAK!!! Aqua! One of Master Eraqus Apprentices!" Donald exclaimed.

"We're sorry we didn't recognize ya! It's just been so long!" Goofy added as Aqua endeavored to calm the two down.

"Guys-guys-guys! It's okay! It's okay! No harm done." Aqua said as the two finally settled down.

"So…wait you knew each other then?" Sora asked as Donald and Goofy nodded.

"Yeah, we knew her back when she traveled the worlds looking for the bad guys." Goofy said with a smile.

"And don't forget Ven…and Ter-." "Donald!" Aqua interrupted, gaining the wizard's attention.

"We're kinda in a hurry. Could we get an audience with the King?" Aqua asked as Donald and Goofy looked at each other then nodded.

"Sure. Just follow us." Goofy said as they led them to the throne room. They opened the two large doors, revealing the grand and glorious throne room. As the four entered the throne room they noticed King Mickey sitting on the throne with Queen Minnie sitting next to him at his side. Pluto sat comfortably on the floor to Mickey's right with Jiminy Cricket sitting at a small desk off to the side. Almost immediately the trumpets let out a fanfare.

"Presenting, Lord Sora, chosen wielder of the Keyblade! And Lady Aqua, Master of the Keyblade!" a voice introduced from out of nowhere. Sora and Aqua politely and respectively bowed and curtsied as they reached the throne.

"Your majesty." Sora said as Mickey hopped off his throne.

"Sora! You got my message!" Mickey said delightedly as Sora smiled.

"Yes sir. I've even found Aqua here trapped in the Realm of Darkness and freed her as well as help her regain her Keyblade and armor. She's now my Keyblade Master." Sora explained as Aqua blushed slightly.

"It's good to see you again your highness. I feel like it's only been a few days but I know it's been years for you." Aqua said as Mickey smiled up at her.

"Aw gosh. Aqua you don't have to call me your highness. Just plain old Mickey Mouse is fine enough. Same goes for you too Sora." Mickey said as Sora put his hands behind his head thoughtfully.

"I dunno if I can get used to that." Sora said.

"Well then just call me whatever makes you feel comfortable." Mickey said as Sora nodded.

"Alright then your highness." Sora replied causing Minnie to let out a quiet giggle.

"Oh goodness. I just knew that you would come, Sora. But Mickey and I never knew you would find one of the three lost people so quickly." Minnie said as she approached.

"Well I just kinda washed up on shore and there she was. Wait, there were three people?" Sora asked as Mickey and Minnie looked at each other curiously for a moment. Donald and Goofy did the same while Jiminy scratched his head. Aqua took a deep sigh.

"Well sure. How many did Aqua tell you were missing?" Mickey asked.

"Just Ven. Oh yeah that's right, Yen Sid said that there were three. Aqua, Ven…who's the third?" Sora asked as Mickey nodded and turned to Jiminy.

"Jiminy?" Mickey said as Jiminy picked up one of his journals but Aqua stopped him.

"Jiminy, wait." Aqua said as Sora turned curiously to Aqua.

"Master…who is it? What's his name?" Sora asked as Aqua sighed and nodded.

"His name was Terra. He was kinda like our Riku. The three of us were good friends. More than just friends…we were brothers and sister…all by bond, not by blood. Terra and I fought each other in the Master's Qualification Exam…but he didn't pass because of rather disheartening circumstances. Ven was too young to take the Exam but that didn't matter. Ven's and my friendship with Terra slowly started to crumble and darken. Things started looking up near the end though until…" Aqua said as she let her sentence drop off and she turned away slightly.

"Until…what? What happened to him Aqua?" Sora asked as he reached out to touch her shoulder but was stopped by Mickey's gloved hand. Sora looked over at the King who shook his head somberly. Sora then heard Aqua choke back a tear. He then realized what had happened as Aqua dropped to her knees, crying into her hands.

"Oh…Aqua…I'm so sorry. I didn't realize…I didn't mean to bring it up." Sora said apologetically as Aqua dried her eyes.

"It's okay Sora. I never meant to keep that a secret from you. You would have to find out eventually. It's just that…Terra's in a very dark place right now and we need to try and free him." Aqua said as Sora furrowed his brow.

"Free him? I thought he was dead." Sora said as Aqua's head jerked up slightly as if startled. She looked over her shoulder at him.

"Dead? I never said he was dead…Well…his body at least is still alive but…well. Perhaps that's something you'll just have to find out for another time…when you're ready." Aqua said as Sora lowered his head slightly and nodded.

"You're right. Maybe I'm not ready to know where he is. I need to become a Master first before freeing him from…uh wherever he is." Sora said with a determined smile. Aqua chuckled with a smile as she turned towards him, still kneeling on the floor.

"You're getting to be more and more like Ven the longer I know you." She said as she stood up and looked down at the King.

"But we didn't come here to rehash old times. We came here to ask if you wouldn't mind sending a gummy ship to the Destiny Islands to pick up Riku and Kairi and take them somewhere safe." Aqua said as Mickey smiled and nodded.

"Sure we can!" Mickey said before he turned to Donald and Goofy who immediately stood at attention.

"Donald! Goofy! Go down to the Gummy Ship garage and tell Chip and Dale to ready my gummy ship. We're going to the Destiny Islands." Mickey said as Donald and Goofy looked at each other curiously then back at the King.

"Uh your majesty, shouldn't we go with Sora?" Goofy asked as Mickey shook his head.

"Sorry fellas, not this time. Sora's got Aqua to travel with and he's got some things he's got to learn along the way. He's got to learn these things from a true Keyblade Master like Aqua here." Mickey said as the two nodded sadly.

"Hey don't worry guys. Maybe we can travel together on our next adventure. Though by the next time I'll be a true Keyblade Master." Sora said with a reassuring smile. Donald and Goofy both seemed to cheer up at that. They then turned and hurried towards the Gummy Garage. Sora and Aqua then turned back towards the King.

"If there's anything that the two of you need to do before you leave. Feel free to do it now. Pluto will show you two around if you need help." Mickey said as Pluto barked in agreement.

"Thanks your highness, but I don't think there's anything more we can do here. So I guess we'll just be going for now." Aqua said as Mickey nodded understandingly.

"It's okay. The darkness doesn't wait for the light, so why can't it be the other way around?" Mickey asked with a smile. Sora was about to say something but before they could they heard a loud crash come from outside.

"What was that?!" Minnie asked fearfully.

"It sounds like it came from the gardens!" Aqua said as she and Sora summoned their Keyblades. Mickey followed suit.

"Then let's hurry up and get outside to see what's going on!" Mickey said as the three charged towards and out the large double doors. As they reached the balcony they slid to a halt against the banister railings and their jaws dropped open at what they saw. It was a giant swirling blue portal hovering in midair over the castle hedge but inside the portal was what appeared to be a desolate desert landscape with towering stone mesas.

"What is that?" Sora asked in awe.

"It looks like…no it can't be…can it?" Aqua asked disbelief.

"Can't be what?" Sora asked.

"The…the Keyblade Graveyard?" Aqua whispered to herself. Just then they heard a strange sound on the winds. It sounded to the normal ear like a strange metallic hiss or a metallic resonance in the distance, but to Sora, Aqua, and Mickey, three Keyblade wielders they heard a voice…

"Aqua…Ven…"

The voice said as the world within the portal started swirling with a thick cloud of strong brown dust.

"What was that?" Sora asked but Aqua and Mickey remained silent as the voice spoke again.

"Aqua…Ven…I feel your hearts." The voice said with its metallic sounds.

"What do you think we should do?" Sora asked as Aqua stared on in awe, her heart pounding.

"We…we need to go inside." Aqua said as she leapt over the railing with Sora close behind.

"Mickey. Stay here in case we need you." Aqua said as she and Sora approached the portal. The voice spoke again.

"Aqua…Ven…I can feel your light."

"Sora…" Aqua gulped nervously, "…take my hand."

Sora complied silently as they stepped into the portal and instantly they found themselves in the middle of an empty and dry desert surrounded by the towering mesas that they saw in the portal…which was now mysteriously missing.

"Wha-?! Mickey! Mickey where did you go?!" Aqua asked as she noticed the portal was gone.

"Uh, Aq-ua." Sora said, his voice shaking. Aqua turned back around as a swirling brown wind appeared in front of them. Sora and Aqua shielded themselves from the wind and the sand, their eyes shut. They then felt the winds die down and fall still. They slowly opened their eyes and lowered their arms. Their eyes widened at what they saw before them. It was a suit of gold, black, and brownish red armor, not at all unlike Aqua and Sora's own, kneeling on one knee with a long flowing brown cape behind it. Standing straight up in the ground before the armor was a large and long brown Keyblade with gold lining and a blue guard around the hilt with the armor's hands on the top of the Keyblade. Sora and Aqua were stunned silent, Aqua recognized the armor instantly. Then they heard the metallic sounds of the strange voice.

"Aqua…Ven..." the voice said. Sora instinctively summoned his Keyblade and adopted a battle stance, completely unsure of what to do. Aqua didn't notice but the strange voice did as it said…

"Keyblade? Who are you?" The voice asked. Sora again too confused to speak. Aqua was too stunned to speak. The voice however spoke again…

"I can feel it…we have met before. It was when before…" The voice said. Sora stood still, still not sure what to do. It then felt as if there was something piercing straight through his chest to his heart and he had a suspicion that it was the armor suit kneeling before them. He became even more confused as the voice spoke again.

"No…it isn't you…It isn't you that I have chosen…" The voice said causing Aqua to finally notice Sora and her heart started pounding even harder.

"Sora…Uh…" she whispered nervously but the voice interrupted but the metallic tones seemed deeper and more menacing as if the voice was becoming angry.

"Why is it not him?" The voice asked in a deeper tone. Aqua froze solid as the voice spoke once more.

"Xe…ha…nort…is that you?" the voice asked in what sounded like an angered tone.

"Sora…that armor…" Aqua whispered, "I know whose it is."

"Whose?" Sora whispered but the voice interrupted and a metallic rattle was heard from the armor.

"Xeha…nort…" the voice said in an increasingly angry tone as the rattle from the armor turned out to be the armor itself starting to stand up on its own.

"That armor…" Aqua whispered as she summoned her Keyblade and dropped into her battle stance, "…belongs to-."

"Xehanort!" The voice, or rather the armor, said in great anger as it stood up fully, its chest plates moving somewhat rapidly as if someone was breathing heavily in anger from underneath and it's helmet pointed directly at Sora as if it were staring at him. It then grabbed the Keyblade in front of it by the handle and pulled it from the ground, taking a battle stance. The armor suddenly charged at them, leaving a trail of dust behind them as it flew. But the two Keyblade wielders were ready for battle as they charged right at it in response.


End Chapter 9.