Chapter 10: Vessels of Light and Darkness

{The World That Never Was: 2:13am}

A loud crash was heard amongst the group as Xemnas, leader of Organization Thirteen, launched an attack upon them. Riku felt a sickening crackle in his ribs as he was thrown against a wall, and felt his mind begin to race in hopes of grasping some form of a plan to defeat the man. Xemnas was no laughing matter, and while he was definitely a threat, Riku didn't want to believe that they couldn't defeat him. However, the current situation wasn't looking very good. Sora drew his Keyblade up, and jumped forward, attacking the man in an attempt to combat him - but he failed. Xemnas turned at the exact moment that Sora had tried to strike, and had caught the weapon in his hands. Shock filled sky-blue eyes, and Xemnas could only could smirk.

"Oh, you look remarkable young man...like someone else I used to know," he stated.

"Yea? Who? Soren?" a faint smile reached his features.

"Hmm...perhaps..." sky-blue eyes narrowed.

"What the hell do all of you want?" Xemnas laughed at the question.

"Isn't it obvious? We desire you..." Sora jumped back.

"What for?" Riku sat up, and started to get to his feet when another wave of whatever type of magic the man was using struck him, and the others, and they fell to their knees, near breathless, and in pain.

"You've become a nuisance, and I find your powers growing stronger are only causing my Organization more trouble..." Xemnas stepped forward, and Sora froze as panic laced through him.

The man reached out and placed a hand to his cheek as a chill went down his spine. Fear was the least of his worries, and that was because he knew the man's only emotion was pure malice. The touch sent all the emotions directly into his system and told him all he needed to know as he watched the man's smile become broader. Sora's heartbeat raced as he looked into amber-orange irises in anxiety. Riku looked the man over with a glare in his cyan eyes as he tried to stand, and failed as the magical pressure increased. The second it did, Sora felt his entire world flip and his legs give out. Xemnas smirked.

"You're sensitive to magical pressures, and because of that, you and your comrades are unable to fight," he stated.

"Damn you...I'm not bowing to you..." the man smirked again.

"I do not intend for you to..."

Xemnas crouched and caught the boy's chin as he looked into his eyes with his cold expression. As he did, something within Sora tremored in pain and sorrow, but he couldn't place it. As he contemplated what was happening, and his vision began to swim between clarity and darkness, Xemnas stood and looked at the other members of the Organization.

"We're leaving. Luxord, finish them off."

The shadows swelled around the group, and Xemnas grabbed Sora by his hair and jerked him up to the point he was nearly on his feet, before smirking as he opened a corridor of darkness, and tossed him into the portal, before stepping in himself as it vanished. Riku shot to his feet, and as the last few tendrils remained, he jumped for it, hoping that some of his dark power from his time possessed by Ansem, Seeker of Darkness would let him open the corridor again: it didn't. The sound of cards being shuffled resounded in everyone's ears as Luxord chuckled.

"That boy is as good as dead. Xemnas has orders from Master Xehanort to not let the boy live," he mentioned in a careless tone.

"Do you honestly think Sora will just let himself be killed?" Luxord raised an eyebrow.

"No, but he doesn't stand a chance against what Xemnas will do to him," he told them.

"Sora won't give up, and he won't let someone like Xemnas win...I don't know who you think you are...but Sora has twice as much valor than any of you half-beings do..."

All eyes turned to Yui, who was forcing himself to his feet, holding his sword as he took in a few deep breaths. Luxord laughed as he looked the boy over and observed his stance. He was weak and shaky, which meant he would be easy to deal with. However, he was a bit surprised by the boy's statement.

"Half-beings?" sharp, electric-green eyes with slitted pupils locked onto him.

"Yes, half-beings...you're Nobodies...you are the shadow of a person who had a strong heart...don't kid yourself into thinking you're doing something brave and honest, you aren't...you're a fucking idiot if you think you're even remotely in the right," he stated.

"Who are you? Hmm? Boy?" electric-green eyes narrowed.

"Why not just show you?"

The boy stood straight, and a shock of magic formed around him as a gust of emerald fire and black wind spiraled around him, before the sound of something moving caught their attention. Yui let out a breath of air that displayed sharp fangs as he looked to Luxord as the others stared onward in shock and faint fear as he smirked at the man. The black-haired boy lifted his right hand to his lips as he pulled off his gloves and threw them aside, before large black wings opened behind him, displaying sharp looking metallic green tips upon them. Luxord felt panic lace through him as the boy smiled in a manner that revealed his fangs again, and a faint laugh left him.

"Go against me, and see if the wrath of God isn't brought down upon your head," Yui stated.

"An Angel...impressive..." the boy crouched.

"Get out of here. I'll take care of this bastard, and I'll meet up with you guys after I kill him..." he said.

"Are you..." the boy's nails turned black and lengthened before he shifted a bit.

"I can take him..." Luxord smirked.

"Okay, we'll leave him to you..." the others raced away at top speed and prepared for whatever battles would come their way as they wished their comrade the best.

"What can you do? This world doesn't even really exist," he said. Yui smiled in a menacing manner.

"You need to brush up on your Biblical details...because I am no angel..." emerald fire flushed around his wings, and Yui jumped forward and slashed Luxord clean across the face as a horrible scream left the man, as the claws left not only deep gashes on his left cheek, but horrible burns.

"I'm a Seraphim..."

{The Castle That Never Was: 2:50am}

Xemnas looked to Sora, who struggled against the chains that held him in place, tied with his hands strapped to the arm rests of the white throne he was on. He had been tied down to prevent him from summoning a Keyblade, but he wasn't sure what would happen to him at this point. Sky-blue eyes locked onto the leader of Organization Thirteen, and Xemnas gave him an unimpressed look. Whatever the boy was planning would fail, and even if his servants fell in battle, the group would still fail in defeating them, ultimately.

"You are quite an interesting specimen," he stated.

"I'm a human being, not a lab experiment." Xemnas smiled.

"Really? Are you sure you're even really human to begin with?" he stepped forward, and placed his fingers at the boy's chin before looking him in the eyes.

"All your other lackeys tried that shit with me, and it didn't work..." amber-orange eyes narrowed.

"It's not senseless...that much is certain. I don't see you, as much as I do Soren when I look at you. However, you, Sora, are a special case...a truly strange being. You're a Keyblade wielder, self-taught, chosen to kill Xehanort, and yet..." he looked into sharp, sky-blue eyes.

"Your heart is pure. Maybe that has to do with the Silver Kingdom Key choosing you, or maybe it's because you're the Hikari. Or...it could mean you're one of those rare Prince of Heart people. There is that possibility, and the chance that it's truly because of how you were born..." Sora looked him over.

"I don't know about any of that! I don't know what you even mean! Hell! I don't know what a Hikari is or..." Sora felt the strange pain from within again.

"Your middle name is Hikari...you know, your name is completely light-based. Sora means Sky, Seiren means pure, and Hikari..." blue eyes narrowed.

"I know what my name means..." another smirk.

"Oh? Are you sure Seiren is even your last name? Look at you, boy, you're the outcast and the underdog in this situation..." Sora laughed.

"God help the outcasts, then..." Xemnas looked unimpressed.

"You're a foolish boy..." Sora gritted his teeth as a sharp pain filled him again.

"What are you going to do to me?" Xemnas sighed faintly.

"Simple, you may not be able to be killed...but you most certainly can be disabled..." a dark purple-black mist appeared around his left hand.

"Disabled?" Xemnas reached his hand forward.

"Shattering the heart and mind can have interesting...results..."

Xemnas reached forward further, his black-gloved hand's fingers touching the center of Sora's chest, preparing to send the pulse of energy that would take care of shattering the boy's heart, and resolve a decent portion of the Organization's problems, and then, something unexpected happened. A portal opened, and a Dream Eater jumped out: the wolf. Sora looked up, and struggled against the chains as Balis darted forward, and bit down on Xemnas's arm. The man shook the beast off as it slid in front of Sora, and glared at him with its teeth bared.

"It's loyalty will undo it..." the man came forward as Balis lunged, and Sora moved forward in a vain attempt to stop the Dream Eater, as Xemnas plunged his left hand into its chest, and the sound of breaking glass met Sora's ears as the wolf whined in pain and was thrown to his feet.

Balis looked up at him in dismay before whining again, as Sora felt the pain in his body intensify as the Dream Eater looked to him as if it was apologizing, and soon stilled. The wolf shattered into stain-glass particles right before him in a gentle array of colors, before vanishing completely.

"Foolish creature, if it had chosen better, maybe it would be alive still," Xemnas said.

"You deserve your place in this world...Xemnas...you befit the sterile white and empty abyss...you're heartless, and are thus, King of them..." amber-orange eyes looked the boy over.

"I am a Nobody, not a Heartless, you ignorant boy..." the man's hand was renewed with the strange dark-colored mist.

All the while, Sora was hoping and praying someone would be able to heal his heart if Xemnas got away with what he was about to do.

"No...no...NO!"

Sky-blue looked up into amber-orange eyes as they turned surprisingly lighter. Maya-blue eyes looked up to him, and Xemnas stopped dead in his tracks. A lone tear trailed down the boy's cheek as he stared upward at the man, and his eyes grew wide.

"Terra...don't do this..." the boy spoke to him, but his voice sounded faintly different.

"You're..." Sora struggled against the chains as tears started falling.

"Please...Terra...don't do this...you promised you'd keep him safe...you swore..."

"Silence, you're just a heart hiding inside with the rest," Xemnas said.

"No...I was taken in, I'm not hiding...I'm healing...please...you promised Soren you'd help...you took an oath under King Valens!" the man paused.

"I don't know who you..."

"DON'T YOU TOUCH HIM!"

The man looked him over as sharp pains filled his body, and Sora watched in fear as the man's eyes momentarily changed to viridian before shifting back to amber. Xemnas snarled as he reared his hand back, and a sudden sharp pain raced through Sora as the sound of shattering glass reached his ears, as a pulse of dark energy washed over him. Sora slumped in his seat, eyes half-open, his breath faint, and his eyes hollow. While Xemnas appeared triumphant, inside his mind, someone was screaming in rage.

"You will pay..." the boy's lips moved in a spoken whisper as Xemnas looked to him.

"We'll see...Ventus Alveria...we shall see..."

{Border of The Castle That Never Was: 3:00am}

An electric crackle resounded in the ears of the group as they looked to the scene of another Organization member standing in their path. While they were nowhere near Yui and Luxord, they could still hear the clash behind them, and now, the electricity before them as Larxene stood in place to prevent them from getting any closer. She smiled in a vicious manner, her kunai gleaning in the dull neon lights, and sparking with her power. Riku narrowed his eyes as his mind considered the sense of dread he had been feeling for the last bit, and as he did, he took note that Kairi was trembling. He placed a hand to her shoulder, and the girl steadied herself with a deep breath as she tightened her grip upon Destiny's Embrace.

"You won't be getting to Master Xemnas, or that boy," she said.

"We won't let you get in the way of helping our friends!" she laughed.

"Please, that boy? Your friend? He's a freak of nature...completely worthless," Larxene stated as she raised her Kunai.

"You take that back!" Riku looked to Kairi, who appeared to be prepared to deal with the woman herself, if not for Riku keeping her in place.

"Awh! Is he precious to you, Princess? Do you love him? Does your heart long for him? Tough! He's as good as dead," the blonde snapped.

"We're getting through, so you better just save your breath, and let us pass." she giggled.

"Oh? Well, I guess I'd better make quick work of this, then..."

An electrified Kunai was tossed into the group, and as it nearly hit, Kairi was thrown back by a blast of ice. Larxene stared as Jack jumped in front of Kairi, and narrowed his eyes as his staff gleamed with ice and magic. The savage nymph smiled broadly, and threw another Kunai that was swiftly deflected by the Winter King as he turned mid step, and froze one of the woman's feet in place. The others stared onward as Jack prepared to fight the woman. Without question, he knew that Yui wasn't wasting time by keeping what he was hidden, and that gave him a great advantage, but he also knew that revealing what else he could do was within the bounds of questioning later by the others.

"Jack, if something happens...don't hold it in...you're twice as powerful as you let on, and you need to use that to your advantage. Organization Thirteen will not hold back, and if it means keeping your oaths, you must. Sora will need all the help he and the others can possibly get."

He remembered the words that Yuki said to him, and took that into account as he prepared to face off against Larxene. Taking a moment to collect himself, Jack devised a plan against her as he looked to the others. Cloud, Squall, and Tifa got the hint and blocked the others as they ran around Larxene and took off towards the castle. Jack smiled at the thought that he could do something to help get the others to Sora quicker than they could have done fighting everyone else along the way. Azure eyes turned back to Larxene, who growled. Jack smirked as he turned his staff in his grip, before the blonde woman watched as it transformed into a scythe covered with frost, and lined in glowing blue. The Winter King looked her over, and gave a smile as Larxene glared, while Jack touched back down on the ground.

His attire had changed from his normal blue hoodie to a dark teal tunic that was tattered at the end of the hem and the sleeves. A torn black cloak that only covered his shoulders appeared, and his brown pants were replaced with tattered black ones. Larxene looked at him in faint confusion as Jack spun his scythe in his hand.

"What's with the costume change, kid?" she asked.

"This isn't a costume change...this is a level up...I am known as Jack Frost, but I am also known for something else..." pale azure eyes turned timber-wolf silver, and snowy hair turned ashen with streaks of raven black.

"Are you..." Jack smiled.

"Oh? Do you know my story? Child?" Larxene felt panic rise within her as the Winter King crouched in preparation for the fight that was about to come.

"The Hunter of Dark Spirits...."

{Bridge of The Castle That Never Was: 3:13am}

"KEEP GOING!" Tifa swung her leg down on a few small shadow Heartless as Cloud and Squall helped to clear the way from behind. Riku, Kairi, King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy appeared as if they were split between staying to help fight, or going to save Sora.

"We can't just up, and leave the three of you to..." a sound of metal unsheathing caught their attention, as Cloud turned at the right moment to block the weapon that had been thrown at them.

"Xaldin? How is he still standing?" asked Riku as he looked at the one-armed spear wielder.

"Who knows, just get a move on! We can trust Cloud, Squall, and Tifa to take care of this." the group of five glanced momentarily back to their three allies, before racing across the bridge as they went towards the castle.

At this point, the only concern the five of them had was getting to Sora and hopefully saving him. Kairi felt her mind race through the information she had read in Master Yen Sid's office, and what she had to do in case they were too late. Xemnas wouldn't waste any time, and because he wouldn't, that mean Sora was more than likely already in bad shape, and she would have to do all she could to help him. Kairi took a deep breath as she started racing with the others, preparing for the worst, hoping for the best, and easing herself into the truth that she and the others would have to fight.

"Sora, he's going to be okay, right?" asked Goofy as he ran in place with the others.

"I don't know, Goofy, but we better be prepared for whatever happens at this point..." Donald frowned.

"Why did they want Sora in the first place? Wouldn't Riku or Kairi be just as important?" he questioned.

"No, Master Yen Sid explained that Riku is immune to Darkness, and Kairi, though she is a Princess of Heart, isn't of any use to them as a Keyblade Wielder. Sora is different, from both of them. He's pure of heart, but not completely devoid of Darkness. Sora is a Keyblade wielder, chosen to kill Xehanort Erebus, but he's still a child. Sora is many things, and because of that...he's dangerous to them." Kairi frowned as she looked at them.

"Can we save Sora?" she asked as her run slowed into a walk, until she stopped completely.

"Kairi, listen, don't give up on him! You're the one who, despite, everything refused to give up on him. Sora's everything to you isn't he?" Riku put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes with a strong set determination in his own.

"No, I'm not giving up on Sora...I can't..."

"Then let's go...so we can save him. We've let him save us several times, and now it's our turn," Riku told her with a firm look in his eyes as he smiled to the girl, who wiped her eyes and took in a deep breath as she nodded her head.

"Okay...let's go."

{...}

These city walls ain't got no love for me...

{...}

Author's Note: Yep, you read all of that correctly. Sora did have his heart shattered, Ventus did try to speak to Terra, and everyone else is fighting with all they have.

We're about 15 chapters shy of the completion of this story. Look for the title of the next part of this story in the last chapter.

Preview:

"Where is Sora?"

"Sora belongs to the Darkness now."

"GIVE HIM BACK!"

"Sora...please...wake up."

Chapter 11: Fire Below