Hiii. I'm sorry for the wait again! I was writing and writing and writing and writing and then I realized I was over 40 pages in and still not done… which is just way too long for one chapter. So, um, I'm splitting it in half so that I can update today lol. I REALLY wanted this to be the last Dream Drop chapter but gosh darn it, there's just too much info to cram in here. So we've got ONE more after this.

The good news is that the next one is almost entirely written! So I can post that in two weeks and then WE CAN FINALLY MOVE ON TO KH3!

Dream Drop is the most confusing mess of information and I almost died trying to get it all to make sense on paper. So um… yeah. I did my best. I hate time travel.

Also, so sorry that it took me forever to reply to reviews and PMs! I'll be better for this chapter! This month has been crazy busy.

FANART! Deadlyfatguy has shared this awesome speed drawing video of a drawing of Aila being created, and I love it! Follow this link to watch: youtu. be /vvSlpM5-ARY

You can also see the finished piece here! deviantart (dotcom) /thedeadlyfatguy/art/Allia-794435783

You all know the drill, remove spaces and parentheses and put dots in the right spots, so on and so forth. THANK YOU for the art, Deadly! You rock!

And now, here we go!

"There were dragons, in his dreams, as though some part of him knew the trials were not yet over, that there were battles yet to be fought. He slept fitfully, fidgeting, tossing and turning, groaning and crying out in his sleep."

― Barry Lyga, Lucky Day

Chapter 10: Thirteen

Aila had never felt so fidgety in her whole life.

She was making a point of darting to the opening of every alleyway and using her glowing eye trick to thoroughly check down each one, just in case Sora (or someone less friendly than Sora) happened to be hiding in some dark corner. So far, though, she was finding a whole lot of nothing.

A groan escaped her after yet another alleyway came up empty. It took a good amount of energy to resist slamming her head against the cement wall; that probably wouldn't do anyone any good.

"We'll find him," Riku assured yet again, tapping a door with his Keyblade and quickly checking inside. He, too, apparently found nothing, his brow furrowed as he shut the door again. "…You know where he probably is."

Aila groaned again and ran both hands through her bangs in exasperation. "That's where they'll WANT us to go; it's totally a trap."

"I know. But it's looking like we're gonna have to just… walk into it."

"I was really hoping they'd actually hid Sora somewhere else and we'd outsmart them by finding him without going to the castle…"

"Yeah, me too. But this place isn't that big, and we're out of options."

Aila sighed and stared gloomily down at her hands, still clad in the shiny, marigold Dream Eater gloves. "If we're astral projecting, why does everything feel like normal? Like I can feel all the walls and everything…" A light breeze tickled the exposed skin of her arms and she shivered lightly. "And I'm cold now. So we're definitely not dreaming anymore, but we're also not… here? But we are here?"

Riku dismissed his Keyblade and placed his own hand on a wall, seemingly feeling its texture beneath his fingers. "I don't know. I think we should act like we're in our real bodies - treat everything as real now. We can feel temperatures again, and probably everything else."

"Do you think our bodies will get hurt if we get hurt…?"

"I dunno… let's try not to test that too much."

There was a moment of silence before both teens glanced in the direction they knew they needed to go - toward The Castle That Never Was.

"Well," Riku sighed, "no time like the present."

"Speaking of present," Aila said, falling in step with Riku as he set off down the street. "Did you know that that guy with the white hair was from the past?"

Riku quirked a brow at her. "What? You saw him again?"

Aila nodded, chewing the inside of her cheek nervously before continuing. "He says… he says he's Xehanort. From the past."

Riku's eyes widened. "What?"

"Yeah, I guess the fake Ansem went and got him by time traveling or… something? And now he's here to be one of the Thirteen Seekers of Darkness? So… so there are TWO Xehanorts we have to deal with. Or… is that fake Ansem really around again too? Because then there's three… And I… I thought I saw Sora fighting Xemnas, do you think there's a way he's back outside of the dreams, too? If they're able to time travel then I don't see why not, so, that's four…"

Riku pinched the bridge of his nose. "Great…"

Aila blinked up at the starless night sky. "We were worried about just fighting one…"

She felt a hand on her shoulder and met Riku's gaze. "It doesn't matter how many copies of himself he gathers. We'll be able to beat him - no matter what he has planned."

Aila smiled tightly. "That's very optimistic…"

Riku smirked. "Just… trying to channel Sora a little. You know he'd want us to stay positive."

"That is his signature trait. Well, that and making friends like some sort of… friend wizard. He'd make friends with a rock if it looked lonely."

"Ha, actually, he did that once - when we were eight. Drew a face on it and everything. It's probably still in his room somewhere."

The two of them laughed, Aila feeling a little less anxious with Riku there to keep her calm.

Her vacation from anxiety was short lived unfortunately, her worries flooding back into her twofold as they turned the corner and found that the city quite literally came to an abrupt end before the castle, which floated ominously a ways out in the distance.

"Ugh," Aila grumbled, eyeing the jagged edge of the street with annoyance. The entire world just kind of… dropped off here, like the city was just a piece of another world that had been lifted away and placed somewhere else. Which, actually, now that she thought about it, might have been what it actually was… She'd never bothered to think much about that during her previous time here. "There was a path here before," she sighed, gesturing distastefully at the vast gap that separated them from the castle. "I thought this whole 'floating castle' thing was an in-game-only detail, but I guess not… It's like someone broke the part that used to connect it to the city away."

"So then, end of the road, huh?" Riku mused aloud, examining the edge with a tight frown. He glanced up at the castle again. "Maybe they don't want us going in there after all…"

"So what now?" Aila asked.

Riku thought for a second before promptly turning around and walking the other way.

Aila reached out a hand. "Uh! Wait! We're not giving up, right?"

"Just testing something," Riku assured, making a beeline for the wall of the closest building. He stopped in front of it for just a moment before abruptly leaping onto the side of it. It took a breath longer than before, but then the pink light of Flowmotion engulfed him, allowing him to push off the wall with more speed and power than usual.

Aila gasped and rushed over to where he'd landed. "We can still do that?!"

"Guess so," Riku replied, straightening up and gazing up at the castle once again. "I know we're back in the real world, but we still have our Dream Eater powers. Which means… he still hasn't woken up." He put a hand over his heart and bowed his head, his voice dropping to just above a whisper. "Where are you… Sora?"

Aila dropped her gaze to the floor, her fists balling in worry and frustration. They didn't even know for sure that Sora was in the castle… if they wasted a really long time trying to figure out how to get up there, would that be a huge mistake? What if they had missed him somewhere else…?

A far off noise somewhere between a squeak and a whine caught Aila's attention, her eyes darting up from the floor in search of the new noise. It seemed Riku had heard it too, his expression puzzled as he took a cursory glance at their surroundings. Aila caught his eye, and they both frowned.

"What was that?" Aila asked quietly.

"I'm not sure…" Riku cupped a hand around his ear and they both held their breath, listening hard for the sound once again. It took a few seconds, but then… there it was again! This time it definitely sounded like… the whine of a puppy? Both Aila and Riku looked hurriedly toward the castle, squinting to try and see if something was there. On the edge of the castle's entrance there was a bit of movement, and Aila heart jumped with hope as she finally realized what it was.

"A Dream Eater!" Riku exclaimed just as Aila let out a happy laugh. There, rolling happily back and forth, was the type of Dream Eater Yen Sid had shown them before Sora and Riku had begun their test - the light blue one that looked like something between a cat and a dog.

"Sora must be there!" Aila said excitedly, grinning at Riku.

Riku nodded, glancing hurriedly around the area again. "How do we get across…?"

A puff of pink hearts over Riku's shoulder startled the teens, Aila falling into a defensive stance on instinct only to relax a second later. "Woobat!" she gushed.

Woobat landed on Riku's shoulder and trilled happily, nuzzling his face into Riku's with gusto. "You found me again," Riku laughed, reaching up to pet the bat affectionately.

Aila glanced to her side just in time to see Buneary barreling toward her, the little bunny leaping into her arms and chattering frantically. "Whoa, hey, slow down!" Aila said, wrapping her arms around Buneary's tiny form and petting one of its long ears. Buneary looked up at her, its heart eyes watery and filled with concern. Aila's own eyes widened as she realized that the last time she and the Dream Eaters had parted, they'd all kind of been under attack. "Were you worried about me?" As an answer, Buneary just buried its face into Aila's chest. "I'm sorry I worried you - I'm okay! I'm glad you're okay, too. Where's…?"

Another circle of pink hearts appeared and Teddi stepped out, looking slightly dazed as it glanced around at its new surroundings. A smile spread across its face as soon as it spotted Aila and Riku and it lifted one big paw in greeting.

"I'm surprised you guys could follow us out here," Riku said, looking between the three Dream Eaters with slight confusion. He looked at Aila and shrugged. "Though, I guess technically, you and I are Dream Eaters right now too, and we made it out…"

Woobat left Riku's shoulder and hovered before him, chattering away about something neither teen could understand. Aila and Riku exchanged a glance. Woobat seemed to sigh, and then closed its eyes, its body blinking in and out of existence a few times.

Riku reached out, slightly alarmed. "Whoa! Are you… okay?"

Woobat smiled assuringly and nodded. Buneary leapt out of Aila's arms, both it and Teddi joining Woobat. All three of them started blinking in and out of existence, seemingly on purpose, before returning to their solid states and smiling expectantly at the teens.

"I… think they're trying to tell us something…" Aila said uncertainly.

Riku crossed his arms. "Hm… maybe… they can only stay here for a short time…?" All three Dream Eaters cheered, encircling Riku and giving him happy hugs. Riku laughed. "I'll take that as a confirmation?"

"How the heck did you decipher that," Aila deadpanned, baffled as she watched them all.

Riku shrugged. "Lucky guess?"

Another whine caught everyone's attention and the three Dream Eaters immediately looked toward the castle, cheering some more as they spotted the little dog cat thing.

"Yeah, we're trying to get up there," Riku explained to the three animals, who all looked at him. "You guys don't have any ideas, do you…?"

Woobat, Buneary, and Teddi exchanged a look, Buneary squeaking a few times before smiles spread across all three of their faces. Woobat rushed up to Riku, nuzzled him one more time, and then shot toward the edge of the city, Buneary and Teddi right behind it. Before Riku or Aila could stop them, all three of the Dream Eaters barreled right over the edge without any hint of hesitation.

Aila took a few hurried steps toward the edge, instinctively wanting to try and catch them before the fell. But a bright flash made her stop, her arm covering her eyes as she tried to blink any spots away. A gasp escaped her once she was able to look again. Now, where nothing but air had been before, a long strip of glowing Dream Eater symbols stretched out across the space between the city and the castle, directly to the castle's entrance.

"A path!" Aila gasped, a smile spreading across her face. But her smile quickly fell again. "Wait, where'd they go…?" There was no sign of the Dream Eaters, leaving just her and Riku alone again.

Riku stepped toward the strip of symbols. "I think they're using their power to make this for us."

Aila stepped up to his side. The strip was about the width of a balance beam and angled at a slight incline - not to mention the castle was pretty freaking far away. She gulped nervously. "So… we're supposed to walk all the way up there… on this?"

"Not walk," Riku said with a shake of his head. He glanced her way. "We still have our Dream Eater powers, remember?" He held a hand out to her.

Aila pressed her lips into a thin line, her brow knitted with heavy skepticism. Very tentatively, she took his hand. "This seems way scarier now that it's not in a dream anymore…"

The heat of Riku's fingers closing around hers was almost startling - she hadn't been able to feel his warmth in the dream. He smiled softly, his teal eyes kind and confident. "I won't let you fall. Promise."

Maybe it was the warmth of his hand, or maybe it was the warmth of his words, but suddenly, Aila didn't feel as scared anymore.

…Well, mostly.

They jumped onto the strip and, after a few terrifying heartbeats where Aila pleaded with whatever entity might be listening not to let them just fall through the translucent symbols to their untimely deaths, Flowmotion kicked in and they went rocketing toward the castle. 'Don't look down, don't look down, don't look down,' Aila chanted internally, instead trying to keep her eyes focused solely on Riku. He was facing away from her, leading the pair, but he seemed so calm and confident even from behind that it managed to keep her from freaking out. She squeezed his hand a little anyway. He squeezed hers back. That helped.

And then, impossibly fast, they were at the castle, the trail of symbols ending at the very edge of the castle's outer entryway. Riku and Aila stumbled to a stop, Aila's body taking a couple of seconds to loosen up enough to allow her to breathe again. She took a deep, shuddering breath in and exhaled with a shaky laugh.

She smiled at Riku. "T-totally easy!"

Riku smirked back. "You weren't scared at all?"

"N-nope! N-not even a l-little!"

Riku held up their still intertwined hands, his knuckles white from how hard Aila was squeezing his fingers. He quirked a brow. "Really…"

Aila hurriedly let go and laced her hands behind her back, feeling her cheeks burn ever so slightly. "…Sorry."

Riku shook out his hand, seeming more amused than hurt. "Don't be. We both made it in one piece - that's what matters."

A flickering caught the teens attention and they both turned to see the strip of symbols they'd just used disappearing into nothing. Aila waited a moment, expectant, but frowned when nothing else happened. Were the Dream Eaters not coming back? "Where are…?"

Riku frowned thoughtfully. "Maybe they used up all their power making that for us. They indicated they could only be in the real world for a short amount of time, right?"

Aila chewed on her lower lip a little. "I hope they're okay…"

"I'm sure they are."

Pattering little footsteps clicked across the marble floor behind them, a smile alighting on Aila's face as she turned to find the dog-cat Dream Eater they'd spotted before. She immediately knelt down and held out her hands toward the light blue thing. "Hi! Oh my gosh you're even cuter full size."

The Dream Eater, which was about the size of a corgi, immediately waddled up to her, wiggling happily from head to tail. Aila gave it a few affectionate pets, mildly surprise to find that it was fuzzy like an animal but squishy like a balloon; she had to fight a very strong urge to squeeze the adorable thing.

Instead, she took its face in her hands and looked seriously into its button eyes. "I'm going to call you Waffles."

Riku snorted. "Why?"

Aila shrugged. "I can't think of a Pokemon correlation, and also I think I'm hungry." Waffles let out a happy little 'yap'.

Riku knelt down next to Waffles as well. "Are you Sora's Dream Eater?" Waffles wiggled even more and yapped a few more times. Seemed like a yes. "Is he here? Can you take us to him?"

Immediately Waffles bolted toward the interior of the castle, turning to 'arf!' only once to make sure the teens were following. Riku and Aila took off after it, following Waffles down hallway after hallway that, both thankfully and unsettlingly, seemed much more familiar to the two of them this time around. They weren't in Sora's dream anymore - this was the real deal.

At last Waffles slowed, a cold sense of déjà vu running up Aila's spine as she realized where they were. The door before them led to the Organization's circular meeting room, the one she'd been forced to pledge her (fake) allegiance in last year.

Waffles whined, its ears pressed flat against its head as it pawed at the closed door. It bowed its head, and then, with a sigh, vanished.

"Waffles?!" Aila gasped, taking a hurried step forward.

"I think its time was up in the real world," Riku said. "Sora must be in here - I'll bet that was the reason Waffles was able to appear here: to show us the way to him."

Aila took a steadying breath and nodded, staring at the door. Somehow, she knew - Sora was definitely through there.

But who else might be waiting there with him…?

Riku pushed the door open as quietly as he could, glancing briefly around like he was worried about being watched. Aila took a nervous glance over her shoulder as well - did the Organization know they were here? Was this a trap? It was so quiet that so far, had it not been for Waffles, she would have thought that this castle was completely abandoned…

They hurried into the room, shutting the door silently behind them. The impossibly high chairs arranged around the room's edges loomed over them, Aila very aware of every echoing step she and Riku took as they approached the center of the room. They climbed up onto the center, circular platform and scanned the room, Aila searching every high up chair for any sign of her friend.

"Sora!"

Riku's call startled Aila. She turned to see him jumping off the platform and rushing toward the only chair that was at floor level, and that, subsequently, Aila hadn't seen at first. Her heart thudded with relief as she realized that this chair wasn't empty - Sora was sitting in it! He seemed asleep, and still in his Dream World form, but he was definitely breathing.

A portal of Darkness appeared next to the chair right as Riku reached it, Young Xehanort stepping out of the shadows. Riku stopped in alarm but, before he could even summon his Keyblade, Young Xehanort raised a hand and somehow, perhaps with some wordless spell, sent Riku flying back up onto the platform.

Aila yelped as Riku collided with her, the two of them tumbling back a few feet across the platform.

"Hands off my new vessel."

Aila groaned as she sat up, shaking stars from her eyes.

"Vessel?" Riku repeated as he sat up as well, sounding a little winded himself.

Young Xehanort smiled, his body levitating easily onto the platform across from the two teens, blocking Sora from them. He could fly?! Aila felt her whole body tense — this guy was way more powerful than she'd been hoping he was.

"Yes," Young Xehanort replied in answer to Riku's question, his yellow eyes settling on the boy. "We originally had our sights set on you. But, you developed a certain… resistance to darkness. So we did what the Keyblade did, and moved down the list."

Aila glared and forced herself to her feet, Riku doing the same a few feet in front of her.

"Roxas…" Young Xehanort continued, somewhat forlornly. "Now there was a worthy candidate. But, unfortunately, he became too aware of himself, and returned to Sora."

This guy had been around for that long…? A cold feeling settled in Aila's stomach — if that were the case, then had Young Xehanort been… watching them? All last year? She really didn't like the idea of that at all.

"Organization XIII's true goal is to divide Xehanort's heart among thirteen vessels."

Aila felt her eyes widen a fraction. Wait… Xehanort wanted to split his heart into thirteen pieces…? What… did that mean? What would that do? Would it just create like, cloned versions of himself, or… She glanced over at Sora. Did Xehanort plan on taking existing people and… turning them into himself? Had that been Xemnas's plan with the Organization…? Had… had the previous members known about that?

Young Xehanort continued, still fixated on Riku. "Thanks to you and Sora, we learned not all our candidates were fit for the task. But, we managed to make up the difference." Aila felt her fingers twitch involuntarily as she tried to reign in her panic. Was he implying that they had already replaced every single member of the Organization that they'd defeated before? No way… it had only been a handful of weeks since then! "And now, Sora, the thirteenth vessel, is within our grasp."

"Thirteen… Xehanorts?" Riku breathed slowly. Aila balled her fists to disguise her hands shaking. How could they defeat thirteen versions of Xehanort all at once?! The sound of Darkness pooling made both teens look up with a start, their eyes widening as they watched almost every chair above them fill with hooded figures. "What is—?!" Riku gasped.

"The real Organization XIII," Young Xehanort replied.

"The Organization?!" Riku breathed, his shoulders tensing as he looked at Young Xehanort once again. Aila took a step closer to him, her eyes darting from one hooded face to another. She couldn't make out anyone's details - were these all people she'd never met? Her skin prickled with the unsettling sense that at least a few of these hooded people were watching her in particular. She noticed three of the chairs were empty still - one was probably for Young Xehanort, but what about the other two? The highest one, which used to belong to Xemnas, still had Darkness pooling atop it, but no one had appeared. Yet.

"I am Xehanort from the most distant past," Young Xehanort was declaring.

Aila squared her shoulders, adrenaline pumping through her and making her feel more than a little on edge. "Yeah, I told him already! Time travel, blah blah blah!"

For the first time since they'd arrived in this room, Young Xehanort finally looked directly at Aila. His lips thinned in what seemed like mild annoyance. "Of course you did. Such a loyal thing you are. Always loyal… to your last breath."

Riku shifted slightly so that he was angled a bit more in front of Aila. "Is that a threat?" he breathed, his voice soft but dangerous.

Young Xehanort returned his gaze to Riku. His lips twitched into a smile. "More like a warning. But I digress." He gestured casually up at the now filled chairs around the room. "My future self gave me a task — to visit the splintered versions of myself in many worlds, and ensure they gathered here today. There are restrictions to movement through time. First, you must leave your body behind to do it. Then, there must be a version of you waiting at the destination. Upon arrival, you can only move forward, as per the laws of time. And you cannot rewrite the events that are destined to happen."

"What have you done?" Riku asked, his shoulders shaking ever so slightly, though with fear or anger Aila couldn't be sure.

"My most future self will arrive soon," Young Xehanort said, gesturing to the highest chair. Aila's eyes widened — so the Darkness pooling there… that was for Master Xehanort himself?! Young Xehanort continued easily, "Then, time for all of us will return to normal, and I will go back to my era to live the life fate has in store. He can vouch for that."

Aila took an involuntary step away from the chair Master Xehanort would be appearing on. There… there was no way she and Riku could beat him right now, not along with everyone else here! But they couldn't just leave Sora! So what…?!

A light sparkled against the white ceiling, followed by a beam rocketing down toward the platform. Aila and Riku braced themselves for a potential blowback as the beam touched down, but it seemed the only one affected was Young Xehanort, who was blown backwards with a yell of surprise.

"Stopza!" a high pitched voice shouted, and Aila felt the rush of powerful magic encircling them all. She blinked a few times before finally registering King Mickey, his Keyblade raised above his head as the time spell he cast did its work. Young Xehanort was frozen in midair, still being blown back by Mickey's landing when the magic had caught him. Aila hurriedly looked up to all the chairs — every one of the hooded figures appeared to be frozen too, along with the Darkness pooling in Master Xehanort's chair. She smiled, relief flooding through her.

Mickey turned to face the teens, smiling as well. "I'm glad I'm not too late."

"Mickey!" Riku replied, sounding all kinds of relieved.

"Just grab Sora so we can go!" Mickey insisted, glancing worriedly down at Sora. "I can't stop them for long."

Riku nodded. "Okay."

Aila was three steps ahead of them. Now that Young Xehanort wasn't in the way, she was halfway across the platform on her way to Sora, desperate to confirm that he was only sleeping, that he was okay. A cry from behind her made her skid to a stop, her eyes wide as she turned back to see Mickey flying off the platform, his Keyblade having been knocked from his hand.

"Mickey!" Riku shouted in alarm.

Young Xehanort, who by all accounts should have still been frozen in midair, caught in the time magic, was now standing directly behind the place Mickey had just been, very much not frozen anymore.

He seemed pissed.

His yellow eyes shifted to Aila, her blood running cold as their gazes locked. Wordlessly he lifted a hand and an invisible energy collided with her, sending her flying through the air and off the platform as well. Her body hit the cold white floor a little ways away from a slightly dazed Mickey and she, rather painfully, rolled to a stop. Ow…

"I said hands off!" Young Xehanort bellowed.

"How can you be moving?!" Aila heard Riku ask, though her vision was a little too blurry from being magically pelted across the room to see him.

Mickey pushed himself to his knees and looked up toward the pedestal, alarmed. "Oh no. Are you…?!"

"Begone!" Young Xehanort spat.

Aila struggled to sit up, shaking her head a few times before looking up toward the platform as well. Her breath caught as her eyes landed on a large bubble of Darkness that took up almost the entire platform, obscuring Riku and Young Xehanort entirely from view. Had Young Xehanort done that?!

Mickey was already on his feet, scrambling up the edge of the platform and balancing on the small strip of white not covered by the bubble. He placed a hand on the Darkness and immediately yelped, pulling back like he'd been stung. He glanced Aila's way, his brow furrowed. "I can't get in, not while I'm trying to hold Stopza…"

The hooded figures on all the chairs were still frozen in place, along with the Darkness meant to aid Master Xehanort's arrival. That was probably a really good thing, so it wasn't like Mickey could just stop his spell. It meant Sora was safe, at least for the moment, since no one else in here could move. But now what if Riku was the one in trouble? Aila stood and hesitated, not sure what to do. "Should I try going in…?"

Mickey immediately shook his head. "That's way too dangerous." He seemed to catch himself and rubbed his arm a little sheepishly. "…Sorry Aila, I don't mean to say you're not capable or anything. I've gotta stop doing that… But I really don't think anyone should try to break through this without some kinda protection."

Aila snapped her fingers, an idea coming to her. "The Organization coats protect against Darkness! What if I put one of those on?!"

Mickey still looked skeptical. "Well…"

Something caught Aila's eye. Movement? She looked up at one of the lower chairs, a hooded person sitting there as still as a statue. She must have imagined any movement. But anyway, that chair would probably be one of the easiest to get to. It was pretty high up though, even with it being lower than the others…

Nodding to herself, Aila scurried over to the chair next to the one she was aiming for and placed a hand on the smooth marble of its base, trying to psych herself up.

"What're you doing?" Mickey asked.

"Flowmotion…ing," Aila replied, backing up a few steps and taking a deep breath. She could do this. One big jump, and she'd reach that chair. She ran forward and leapt into the second chair's base, trying to will the feeling of Flowmotion to overtake her. For a second she thought it wasn't going to work, the effect taking longer to kick in now that she was in the real world. But at the last second that now-familiar pink glow overtook her, and she pushed off of the chair with nearly twice as much strength as she would have normally had. Her eyes stayed locked onto her destination, her body just barely clearing the distance necessary. She grabbed hastily at the back of the chair and pulled herself all the way up onto the armrest, balancing precariously as the pink glow faded from around her. A shaky breath escaped her. She did it. She was getting better at that!

Suddenly nervous, she very carefully reached out toward the hooded person still sitting perfectly still before her. Maybe she could just slide the coat off…

Unfortunately, she had failed to consider who she might find hiding underneath it.

Her hand pushed the hood down, revealing a familiar face that made her blood run cold.

Xigbar.

He looked just like she remembered him, his hair slicked back into a long ponytail, an eyepatch over his right eye. But what made every muscle in Aila's body freeze with panic was the ear splitting smile plastered on his face…

And the fact that his left, yellow eye was staring directly at her.

She drew back in surprise, nearly slipping on the armrest. One of Xigbar's gloved hands shot out and locked around her wrist, pulling her so she wouldn't fall, fingers digging too deep into her arm. Still smiling, Xigbar turned to face her more fully. "Careful… You might hurt yourself." His expression darkened. "And that's my job."

With a panicked cry Aila lifted her free hand and shot a ball of Light at Xigbar's chest, the man teleporting away before he could be hit and reappearing in a crouch atop the back of the chair, twin guns drawn. Aila attempted to flee just as Xigbar fired, a bullet piercing her right shoulder as she fell.

She managed to summon her staff and cast a weak Aero at the floor, the resulting gust of wind slowing her decent just enough to keep her crash landing injury free, though it still wasn't pleasant. She clutched at her shoulder, hissing in pain. This was… exactly where he'd hit her the first time he'd shot her last year. Had he done that on purpose?! She looked up to see him still grinning wickedly down at her, looking very triumphant. The shot definitely seemed intentional. What. A. Jerk.

Mickey was in front of Aila in an instant, Keyblade held defensively before him. "You! How are you moving around?!"

Xigbar laughed. "I wasn't in here when you cast your spell — I thought there might be some kind of sneaky business going on, so I hung back when the rest of the party arrived." Aila cast a hurried Cure on herself to ease the intense sting in her shoulder, her mouth running dry as she realized her mistake. That chair he was in… it had been one of the three empty ones from before! She had seen movement, but had just assumed she'd imagined it because of the spell! Ahh, she was so stupid…!

Xigbar's gaze flickered to Sora, and so, therefore, did Mickey's and Aila's. There was a moment of pause before all three of them started rushing toward the boy, Aila summoning Light to her heels to help boost her speed. She was nearly to him first, but Xigbar used his teleportation trick to appear right in her way, firing bullets at her to stop her approach.

"Defend!" she shouted as she skidded to a hasty stop, a Reflect shield surrounding her and protecting her from the attack. Mickey ran past her, trying to rush Xigbar from the side. But Xigbar's reaction time was too fast, and, using his second gun, he managed to fire enough bullets at the King to keep him at bay as well.

Xigbar grinned as Aila's shield dissipated. "Nuh-uh, no take backs! We won this vessel fair and square. You think we'd just let you take him away now? As if!"

Aila growled and raised her staff, getting ready to shoot a Fira at the man before her.

"Hold it! I wouldn't do that if I were you." Xigbar shrugged cockily. "If you fire any attacks at me, I might just teleport away, and your dear pal here behind me will take the hit instead. Do you really want to do that to him when he's so defenseless?" Aila hesitated. Xigbar chuckled. "That's right. Be a good girl and put that weapon of yours down." When Aila didn't lower her staff, Xigbar angled one of his guns at the sleeping Sora, as an added threat. "I'm not here to play games, girly. Don't test me."

"You need Sora," Mickey challenged. "You won't hurt him."

Xigbar snorted. "That's Plan A. But if the choices are between you idiots stealing him away or me taking him out of the picture? Well…" He moved his finger to the trigger of the gun pointed at Sora. "Which do you think I'll choose?"

Aila's heart thudded fearfully, and immediately she dismissed her staff. Even if Xigbar was lying, she couldn't risk the chance. She saw Mickey lower his Keyblade, but not dismiss it. He probably couldn't without ending his spell.

Xigbar smiled toothily again, focused on Aila. "There we go. I like you better when you do as you're told." He pointed his second gun at Aila. "Now, I think you and I have some unfinished business…"

"Xigbar, stop!" Mickey demanded, a glare set deep on his brow. "We heard from Lea — you should have woken up with your heart back, in Radiant Garden! So why are you even here?"

Xigbar glanced at the King. "Sure, I did. But hearts just get in the way — so I gave mine up again."

Aila and Mickey both gasped. "You what?!" Aila asked.

Xigbar returned his gaze to her and smirked. "Why wouldn't I? Hearts are a nuisance — I have bigger things to focus on."

"But… but Xehanort's plan…! He wants to make every member a version of himself! Did he tell you that?"

"Sure did."

Aila's jaw dropped. "And you still joined him… again?! By choice?!"

Xigbar's eye gleamed mirthfully. "It wasn't exactly an uncommon decision…"

What…? Did that mean… other former members rejoined as well?! Aila resisted the urge to look up at the other hooded figures again, trying to keep her focus on Xigbar despite her sudden intense urge to try and see if she could pick out anyone's silhouettes…

She balled her fists. "He's going to erase you, and make you another version of himself! You can't really be okay with that!"

Xigbar laughed. "Like I told your friend here before we put him into his deepest sleep…" His yellow eye widened. "I'm already half Xehanort."

Aila's mouth felt dry, the similarities between Xigbar's yellow eye and Young Xehanort's yellow eyes hitting her like a truck. "What…?"

"Hey, it's got its perks," Xigbar replied with a shrug. His eye narrowed as his grin widened once again. "Besides, should you really be giving any lectures about being taken over by someone else…?"

Aila balled her fists. "Celina doesn't do that unless I say it's okay. It's totally different."

Xigbar snorted out a laugh. "I'd almost find your naïvety cute, if you weren't so pathetic." His smile darkened. "Now then… I think I made a promise to ruin you, right before you and your little friends killed me. Am I remembering that right?" Aila took a hesitant step back.

The bubble of Darkness on the platform flickered and began to fade, getting the attention of the room's non-frozen or asleep occupants.

Xigbar's smile fell and he shrugged. "Aw, shoot. First things first, I guess…"

When the Darkness fully receded, Riku was left standing in the center of the platform, Keyblade raised and breathing hard, like he'd just been in the middle of a battle. He blinked and lowered his weapon, seeming a bit dazed. Young Xehanort, Aila noted, was nowhere in sight. They must have fought, and it seemed like Riku had won. Some strange, dull ache pulled at the very edge of her heart. She frowned and internally pushed whatever that sensation was away — she must have just been worried about Riku.

"Are you okay, Riku?" Mickey called.

"Yeah," Riku breathed, turning to face his friends. His breath hitched when he realized that they weren't alone, and he immediately fell back into a fighting stance. "You…!"

Xigbar kept his guns trained on Sora and Aila, but smirked in greeting. "Hey there. Congrats on the win." His words were dripping with sarcasm that put Aila very on edge. Xigbar glanced at the frozen figures around the room. "Let's see, His Majesty here cast Stopza, right? I'd say time'll be up on that riiiight about… now."

Not a moment later, Aila felt a shift in the air around them all, the time magic holding this room in suspension fading away. Mickey gripped his Keyblade a little tighter in frustration, but it seemed he couldn't hold the magic any longer. Aila inhaled shakily, her eyes glued to Xigbar. Had Young Xehanort only fought Riku for as long as he had needed to, to waste the King's spell? And Xigbar… he'd just been distracting them this whole time, hadn't he. They should have just immediately grabbed Sora and made a run for it…!

The sound of Darkness settling high above them made everyone look up, a satisfied sneer on Xigbar's face. Aila felt the blood drain from her face — the highest chair was filled. The old man she'd only so far seen in the secret ending of Kingdom Hearts II, and in the projection on Yen Sid's desk, was sitting very casually upon his throne, grinning down at all of them in a way that made Aila want to run and hide. All of the other people around the room seemed unfrozen now as well, every one of them looking dutifully to their leader, waiting for his instructions. Young Xehanort, too, had taken his seat, appearing out of nowhere like he hadn't just fought a harrowing battle against Riku. That wasn't good.

"Master Xehanort!" Mickey called, a deep glare set on his brow. "We were right about you!"

Master Xehanort seemed very pleased. "All of this was decided." His gravelly voice gave Aila chills. "My twelve selves would welcome me here on this day, when I would return a complete person. It is the future which lies beyond my sight."

"Why are you doing this?!" Mickey demanded.

Master Xehanort's gaze seemed to shift to Aila. Her lungs felt frozen, like she'd suddenly forgotten how to breathe. He smirked, before addressing the whole room again. "In ancient times, people believed that light was a gift from an unseen land by the name of Kingdom Hearts. But Kingdom Hearts was safeguarded by its counterpart, the Key-blade."

'X-blade,' Aila thought to herself, sure that was what Master Xehanort must be referring to. This wouldn't be about any old regular Keyblade.

"Warriors vied for that precious light, thus beginning the 'Keyblade War.' The violent clash shattered the Key-blade into twenty pieces— seven of light, and thirteen of darkness. And the only real Kingdom Hearts was swallowed by the darkness, never to surface again." Master Xehanort crossed one leg over the other and casually rested his chin on his right fist. His calmness somehow made Aila's anxiety spike even more in contrast. "I once tried to create my own pure light and darkness to forge the Key-blade, but the attempt ended in failure. In my eagerness, I had lost sight of the correct way to achieve my goal. I acted rashly. I can admit that now."

Something about this seemed to set Mickey off, the King shaking in anger. "What you did back then — your mistakes — changed the destinies of three of my friends!"

Aila frowned. The three Keybladers from Mickey's letter…

Master Xehanort seemed unperturbed. "Ah, but destiny is never left to chance. I merely guided them to their proper places. The broken boy who failed to be the blade… the misguided master who sacrificed herself for a friend… and the feckless youth who became my new vessel."

Again, some dull something tugged at Aila's heart, like a buried sadness she'd long forgotten.

Mickey, too, looked very sad. "I couldn't find a way to save 'em…" He clenched his fists, his anger returning. "But I wanted to believe that their sacrifice stopped you for good." He looked at the floor, his anger seeming to turn inward. "Why? How was I so blind? I should have seen it, as soon as Maleficent started gathering the seven Princesses of Heart."

"Yes," Master Xehanort chuckled. "They were all my doing. I used the evil fairy to find seven pure lights for me, just as I prepared thirteen vessels to fill with pure darkness."

"But you failed," Riku said, stepping forward confidently. "Sora stopped you in your tracks on both counts."

"Yes, he did. That dull, ordinary boy— a Keyblade wielder so unlike any I have ever seen."

Xigbar snickered, and Aila grit her teeth, feeling defensive of her friend.

Master Xehanort sat up a little straighter. "However, I have not abandoned my ambitions— the seven guardians of light and the thirteen seekers of darkness."

"Seven guardians of light?" Mickey repeated, quirking a brow. "Well, for Keyblade wielders, there's me and Riku and Sora. And my three missing friends, that's six. Then the seventh would be…" He glanced Aila's way, and she nodded as confidently as she could. She'd fight with them, even without a Keyblade. Mickey nodded back before gasping and looking around the room. "That means… the thirteen seekers of darkness…"

"Yes, little king. Perceptive. But Sora and another on your list belong to me now. And that puts you three guardians short."

Aila cocked her head. "Three…?"

Master Xehanort looked directly at her again, and once again she felt a coldness wash through her. "You cannot fill that role, and neither can your brother or sister. Surely you know that, Celina."

Aila's veins buzzed with panic. Should she know what he was talking about? Ahh, pretending she did know things was already proving much harder than pretending she didn't… "U-um, well…"

Master Xehanort cocked his head. "Oh? What's this? You seem confused…"

Aila shook her head defiantly. "I'm not! I just… Celina is a Spirit of Light, so obviously…!"

"So obviously you must remain neutral," Master Xehanort interrupted. "Spirits were created to maintain balance — nothing more, nothing less. They may have an affinity that leans more toward either light or shadow, but that does not change their purpose. Unless you're looking for further punishment, I'd advise you to stay out of things." He shrugged. "Although, if you insist on inserting yourself into the matter, you could allow me to bypass this fight, and create the Key-blade for me yourself. It is rumored that Spirits may have that ability — a Spirit of Light combined with my cultivated Darkness… My Nobody self offered this option to you already, did he not?"

Aila felt herself pale at the memory of Xemnas's "offer" he'd made during his final stand…

Riku stepped forward again. "Aila's not interested."

Master Xehanort sneered down at him. "No, it seems Aila isn't. A pity. Imagine the time it would have saved me, and the suffering it would have saved all of you. But worry not. All of the pieces are destined to appear. Your seven lights just like my thirteen darknesses, whose final clash will beget the prize I seek…"

Both he and the King finished the thought at the same time. "The Key-blade!"

Master Xehanort stood up on his chair. A Keyblade came to his right hand, a jagged, dark silver weapon with what looked almost like a devil's face carved into its center and a single, wide blue eye with a catlike pupil inlaid in its end. A blue crystal glistened from the dangling keychain, set like the center of a dark flower, surrounded by jagged metal petals.

He placed his left hand calmly behind his back, surveying the room as he continued. "But first, the thirteen darknesses shall be united. All the seats have been filled. And now, the last vessel shall bear my heart…" He raised his left hand and gestured purposefully toward Sora. "…like the rest!"

With a terrible rumble, Sora's chair began to rise, lifting him up toward Master Xehanort.

"No!" Mickey shouted, just as Riku called, "Sora!"

Aila felt a wave of fresh panic wash through her and immediately she started running, her eyes glued to her friend as he was lifted further and further away. Xigbar fired at her a few times in rapid succession and she dodged, but before she could even take a breath he had teleported right to her and was ramming into her, forcing her to the ground and pinning her on her back.

He chuckled, one gun pressed to her temple while his other fist held her shoulder firmly in place. "Give it up, kid. You lose."

Mickey and Riku had attempted to make a dash for Sora as well, but two of the hooded figures intercepted them, their hoods falling back in the scuffle. Xemnas had caught Mickey around the throat, while the fake Ansem had Riku pinned face down on the platform. The fact that not only the fake Ansem, but Xemnas really was back was only a passing horror for Aila at the moment, her wide, terrified eyes locked onto Sora's sleeping form that was now so high above her. His chair had slowed to a stop, level with Master Xehanort's.

Master Xehanort let out a low laugh, his left hand glowing with some kind of red magic that he cast on his own Keyblade. With purpose, he lifted his blade high above his head, his eyes closed as he focused on whatever power he was summoning forth for it to use. A reddish-yellow ball of light shot out of the Keyblade as he thrust it forward, the light hurtling through the air and making a beeline for the defenseless boy.

Aila felt like time slowed right before the magic hit Sora. She thought maybe she was screaming his name, but it was like her ears had stopped processing sound, her heart stopping as she realized what was about to happen.

That light was a piece of Xehanort's heart.

Sora was about to become…!

An explosion of flames and smoke suddenly erupted as the light collided with something. Something that, somehow, by some miracle, Aila didn't think had been Sora.

Something had blocked him, just in time.

"He made it!" Mickey cheered, and as the smoke cleared Aila began to make out the silhouette of someone holding Sora, one chakram still flaming after its collision with Master Xehanort's magic. Aila let out a watery laugh, relief washing over her.

"You!" Xemnas shouted angrily.

"Axel!" Xigbar called, seeming taken aback by this development.

Lea grinned. "Axel? Please. The name's Lea. Got it memorized?"

"You're not supposed to be here!" Xigbar growled, his grip on Aila tightening in his anger. Aila grabbed at his wrist, glaring up at him.

"Promises to keep," Lea replied. His gaze flickered from Xigbar to Aila. "I'll always be there to get my friends back." Aila stopped glaring at Xigbar to instead smile up at Lea. She'd never been so happy to see anyone in her whole life! Lea shifted his attention to Master Xehanort. "What, bad timing? You had your perfect little script, but you kinda forgot to write the sequel. Now, let's find out what happens!"

Frustrated, Xigbar slammed his gun on the floor mere centimeters from Aila's head, making her jump. With gritted teeth, he looked up at Master Xehanort. "What now, you old coot? Our time is up!"

Master Xehanort merely smiled and glanced at one of the hooded people sitting a few chairs to his left. The hooded person quickly stood and, in the blink of an eye, leapt toward Lea, a weapon forming in their right hand. Lea lifted his chakram and blocked the weapon being swung at his head, his body shuddering slightly from the impact, but he managed to keep hold of Sora and hold his ground. Aila felt the color drain from her face as she got a better look at the weapon the mystery person had just summoned - a large, blue and silver claymore.

She knew that weapon.

The person's hood fell back, blue hair spilling out and confirming Aila's fears. "Saïx," she breathed, her mouth feeling suddenly very dry.

This caught Xigbar's attention, the Nobody grinning cruelly down at her. "What's wrong? Didn't you see this coming…?"

With a frustrated yell, Aila thrust one hand toward Xigbar's face and summoned a ball of Light, recalling how defensive the Nobody always got about Light near his eye. He recoiled immediately and raised one arm to cover his face before grabbing Aila's wrist aggressively with his other hand. Okay, that hurt, but she could use it to her advantage. Aila swung her arm sharply to the side, pulling a distracted Xigbar off balance and giving her enough leverage to push him all the way off. With another sharp pull she freed her wrist and then summoned her staff, slashing out at Xigbar. He teleported away before her hit could land and Aila hurried to her feet, breathing hard and fast as she glanced frantically around the room.

Lea had managed to push Saïx back and leap down to the room's center platform, and Riku and Mickey had just managed to free themselves from the fake Ansem and Xemnas. That was good — they all were on equal footing again. Aila scurried up onto the platform and rushed to Lea, who was still holding Sora securely in one arm while holding his chakram defensively out with the other.

"Hey kid," he breathed when she reached him, his green eyes a little wider than usual as they darted around the room, his body tensed for an attack from any one of the villains surrounding them all. "You good?"

"Not great," Aila breathed, trying very hard not to look at Sora's unresponsive body for too long. "But not hurt either. You?"

"Same."

Riku and Mickey had fallen into fighting stances on the platform before Aila and Lea, also preparing for an attack. Riku glanced over his shoulder at them, confused and curious. "Why are you here, Axel?"

Lea fell out of his defensive stance for a moment. "No, I told you my name's— Agh, whatever, Axel, fine. Now let's get outta here!"

Mickey looked back and nodded. "Right!"

Unfortunately, it looked like they weren't going to get out of this room without a fight. The fake Ansem growled and summoned the power of Darkness, calling forth a massive, inky black shadow of a creature with deep blue veins and a heart shaped hole in its chest. Dirty white bandages wrapped around its chest above the hole, as well as around its head and mouth, almost like some kind of gag holding the monster's jaws shut. Even with that restriction, it let out a room shaking roar through clenched, pointed teeth, the long tendrils of Darkness flowing off of its head shuddering with the sound before the creature shot up toward the ceiling. It had no legs, but rather a tail that reminded Aila of Genie, and seemed capable of flying at crazy speeds. It was so fast, in fact, that Aila hardly even realized what was happening before it had made a beeline for the platform and scooped up both Riku and Mickey, one caught in each of the creature's massive hands.

"No!" Aila gasped, making to rush forward and help, only to hear the unmistakeable click of a gun being cocked near her left temple.

She froze, her eyes darting to meet Xigbar's, the Nobody smirking triumphantly. "Not another step."

Aila heard Lea gasp and she hurriedly glanced his way, her heart skipping a few beats at the sight of Xemnas holding one of his red, glowing sword-like weapons up to her friend's throat. "Traitor…" Xemnas growled. "Hand over the boy."

Lea shifted so he was holding Sora a little more behind his back, trying to block the Keyblader with his own body. "Not gonna happen."

Xemnas's eyes narrowed. "So be it."

Distant screaming made everyone look up in confusion or alarm, Aila's eyes widening as she almost immediately recognized the voices. Donald and Goofy?! A streak of blue magic was zigzagging haphazardly down from the impossibly high white ceiling, and as it approached the platform Aila realized that both Donald and Goofy were being carried with it. With another scream they slammed into the dark creature holding Riku and Mickey, their momentum continuing to carry them forward as they bounced off of the monster's head. Goofy crashed into Xigbar, while Donald collided with Xemnas, both Nobodies sent tumbling off the platform while Donald and Goofy skidded to a stop in their places. A blue stone clattered to the floor of the platform as well. Understanding blossomed within Aila at the sight of it — a Star Shard!

Fake Ansem's dark creature shuddered and then faded away in a fog of Darkness, apparently having been significantly injured by two full sized bodies slamming into its neck at full speed. Riku and Mickey landed easily on the platform again once released, both of them looking rather bemused by the turn of events.

"Donald! Goofy!" Aila cried, dropping to Goofy's side and glancing between him and Donald. "Are you guys okay?"

Donald groaned in reply, his eyes looking very unfocused. "Were we supposed to do that…?"

Goofy winced, lying flat on his back, and then blinked a few times up at the ceiling. "I think so…?" Aila hurriedly cast two Cure spells for them and they both sighed in unison. Goofy smiled up at her. "Gwarsh, thanks Aila. I like your outfit!"

Aila let out a sound somewhere between a sigh and a laugh. She'd nearly forgotten about her current weird color palate. "Ha, thanks, Goofy…"

"Goofy, Donald, you saved us!" Mickey said, rushing to Donald to help him sit up while Aila offered Goofy a hand, which he gladly accepted.

"We did?" Donald asked. He puffed out his chest proudly. "I mean, we did!" Riku and Lea both breathed out a chuckle.

Movement caught Aila's eye and she looked up to see that everyone else in the room seemed to be… fading away?

"We are out of time," Master Xehanort sighed, his graveled voice sending another shiver through Aila. He was standing on his throne, surveying everything that played out before him with hardly any inkling of disappointment, left hand behind his back, right hand still casually holding his Keyblade at his side. "Neither the union of light nor darkness has been achieved, and we must all return whence we came."

Aila quickly glanced over the edge of the platform to see Xigbar and Xemnas fading away as well, both of them looking pretty nonplussed about it. Xigbar smirked at her, and she glared back.

"But," Master Xehanort continued, "the gathering of the seven and thirteen is nigh."

Satisfied that he wasn't about to try some last minute attack, Aila tore her gaze away from Xigbar to cast one more look around the room. Young Xehanort was looking a little frustrated, but said nothing. Saïx was staring directly at Lea, the redhead seeming very tense as he stared right back. Most of the people in the room had never removed their hoods at all — Aila looked hard at each of them, trying to search for any clues as to who they might be. Maybe they were all just other versions of Xehanort… maybe Xigbar and Saïx were the only non-versions of him here… She, somewhat selfishly, really, really hoped that was the case, but it was impossible to say. They were all too high up to get a good look at.

Master Xehanort smiled. "Let us finish this at the fated place, once your lights and my darknesses have joined together!"

And then he was gone, along with everyone else on his side.

For now.

KHKHKHKH

Yeah okay that ending is weak. I had to find a moment to split the chapter and… this was the best I could figure out.

I don't know if it's just me? But this doesn't feel like 24 pages? But it totally is? So… I'm sorry if it kinda felt like not much happened, but I just couldn't post a 50-plus page chapter lol. I hope this was enjoyable! And like I said, this means the next part is almost all done, so the wait won't be as long this time. Let's shoot for 2 weeks again!

Please let me know what you think, I absolutely LOVE reading every review you guys leave. Thank you for giving this story so much love! I spend a TON of time writing these chapters, and it makes me so happy to know people are enjoying the work I put into them.

WE ARE ALMOST DONE WITH THIS SET UP ARC THANK THE HEAVENS!

Thank you all so much for reading! Until next time!

~Fade