Search Party

By Kikofreako

Summary:

Sora's whereabouts are unknown, Kairi has some strange power, and what's up with this Blonde Haired Kid that's carrying around a set of Keyblades? Everything's spinning out of control as Donald, Goofy, the Destiny Islands crew and the FF crew are jammed together in efforts to find a certain brunette. SoraXKairi Some: Squiffie and SelphieXTidus.

Disclaimer:

If I owned Kingdom Hearts, there would be much more about waffles and penguins and less Disney. But I don't. (I mumble an apology to the Ebil Tuxedo Penguins of d00m)

The Random Quote of d00m:

"I do not care about any one of your pitiful lives. You may die. It means nothing, nothing to me." -Vexen

XxX

Wakka heaved a bookcase over the wooden door of the library, perspiration soaking his body. He mumbled something under his breath about how Heartless were almost as annoying as a certain brunette, then closed his eyes and shoved against the oaken case as hard as he could. "C-come on...you stupid thing..."

Namine just stood, her eyes glazed over as she stared nothing particular, unmoving, unblinking. Tears streaked her face, but no more came- she had no more left to give. The blonde stayed silent.

BANG. BANG. BANG.

"LET US IN!" a voice shrieked.

"Give me one good freakin' reason!" Wakka shouted back, leaning against the volumes of books.

"LET US IN OR TYSON IS GONNA CHOP YOUR HEAD OFF!"

"Oh, sorry Donald."

Mumbling strained through the door. "Wakka? Is Kairi in there?"

"Nuh uh, man. I thought she was with you."

Tyson cursed audibly, kicking the door. "Why must the Queen be such a..." He decided not to voice the rest of the sentence.

Staring at the bookcase, Wakka sighed and started to push the case the opposite way. It almost broke his heart to see all of the sweat go to waste. Finally, the path was clear. He threw open the door as the three tumbled in, Tyson on the bottom, then Donald sandwiched between Goofy and the Keyblade Master. "Gettoff meeeee!"

"Chillax, we're moving."

"Glad to see we're all doing so well," an all-too-familiar voice said sarcastically. Vexen diffused through the floor, a large ice shield showing a few pockmarks and scratches where a Heartless' claws had been. In a flash, Tyson had him pinned against the wall, holding his black coat by the lapels.

"You're a liar. You lured us here." he growled. "Give me one good reason not to kill you."

Vexen's face creased into a frown. With a flick of his wrist, he bent Tyson's arm behind his own back with a sickening crack, driving him to the floor. "Are you mad?" he snarled. "Why would I want to get into a full-frontal attack with the Heartless?" Tyson's face was beaded with sweat as his arm was pushed further and further into a position it wasn't supposed to be pushed, but he refused to utter a peep. "Let me make one thing very clear," he said, releasing his wrist. Tyson rose, bent halfway down as he grasped his arm, panting slightly as he eyed Vexen coldly. "I do not care about any one of your pitiful lives. You may die. It means nothing, nothing to me. I am here for one reason and for one reason alone. I am here to make sure Axel dies a violent, painful death, writhing on the floor beneath me while he breathes his last breath." His eyes glittered, hot hate sparking from every fiber of his being. "And I will take down anyone who tries to stop me."

The room was silent as everyone stared, absolutely amazed by this display. Finally, Donald strode up right to him. "You're heartless." he declared.

Vexen shrugged. "Call it whatever you wish. But I warn you- anyone who stands between me and that bloodsucking louse will be destroyed. Do we understand each other?"

There was another pause. "I know your demands, Vexen." Tyson said softly, "but I will never understand you."

"Fine." He turned and noticed for the first time Namine. She sat on the floor, rocking back and forth slowly, humming what seemed to be a random melody. "What has happened here?"

"If you care," Wakka said drily, "she tried to look into a Heartless' memories."

Vexen stared. "She attempted to what?"

"You heard me."

"Don't get cheeky with me boy, I will only caution you once." He leaned over and stared at the blonde, who returned his gaze with a dead-fish look, staring straight through him at some vision only she could see. "She's in shock," he stated, rising. "The Heartless' violence was so appalling to her that her brain ordered shutdown, to speak in slang terms. I believe she will come out of her torpor in approximately twenty minutes."

"Twenty minutes?" Tyson nearly exploded. "You're kidding!" He kicked the leg of an oak table.

"Do you really think I joke?"

The Dual Wielder let out a long breath, his eyes shut. "Think. Think. Think." He stayed silent for a moment before speaking again. "Number One priority is to stay alive here. The library seems to be a haven for now. We are missing Selphie, Tidus, Kairi, Yuffie, and Leon. Second priority is to find them and bring them here. Third priority is the riddle." He took the piece of paper out of his pocket. "Namine and Leon are the only ones who understand this at the moment. Leon isn't here. Namine is a bit tied up at the moment. So that's on hold." He smoothed out the paper, then set it on a book-laden desk. "Fourth priority is to establish contact with Cid, Aerith, and Cloud. If my message came through, we should have help arriving. But they have no idea what they are coming into, other than it is bad."

Vexen nodded. "We should have one person hidden on the left side of the Rising Falls. That's where they'll dock."

"You seem awfully caring now," Donald spat.

"It's elementary. Axel will not be able to call for help if the help is already occupied by your party."

"How convenient."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"Push me one step further and I'll-"

"You'll what, big bad Organization member? Gonna hit us with a slab of frozen water?"

"STOP IT!" The room fell into a stunned silence. Goofy crossed his arms and locked eyes with each and every one of them, his gaze panning around the room. "This isn't helpin' at all. If we're gonna to do somethin', we'd better do it, and now." Wakka was the first one to nod in agreement.

"He's right. Sitting here and pointing fingers isn't going to do anything. We're here to act." He hefted his Blitzball. "I'll keep watch for Aerith and co. on the Falls."

"Right," Tyson said. "Vexen, will you-" he paused, "...could you see if you could get Namine back in action again? We need this riddle solved, and now. It might be the key to our survival."

Donald summoned Vioetta. "Me n' Goofy will board up the windows and the doors."

"Okay, let's go!"

XxX

A shrill shriek pierced the air. Selphie fell onto the ice hard, feeling a loud crack as something shattered- she wasn't sure if it was her or the ice. Her feet slid on the ice crazily as she tried to push herself to her feet, fans slipping in sweat-covered hands. She mumbled something inaudible and slashed blindly at the overwhelming darkness around her. I'm gonna die. Selphie's train of sanity was derailing, and she felt sorry for the passengers. A roaring filled her ears and she tasted blood on her lip. Then, a voice cut through the fog. "Great. I'm probably in a coma. Cause now I'm hearing voices!" It replied with another inaudible message. In a rage, Selphie belted a scream back at it. "ARE YOU SOME KIND OF FREAKIN' DEATH HEARTLESS? OR MAYBE THE GRIM REAPER OR SOMETHING! I'VE ABOUT HAD IT-"

"Selphie!" The voice, now clearly a boy's, strained through the melee. "Look up!"

She obliged and saw what was a vision of heaven. Tidus was balanced on an overhanging balcony, waving frantically. "Come on! It's a way out! Go around the back. I'll clear the way for you!"

Selphie stared in shock, her mouth falling open comically. "Y-you're... I'm..." Then, finally giving into the fatigue, her knees buckled and she crumpled to the ground in a full-blown swoon. Tidus cursed, and jumped down, hosting her limp form over his shoulder and hacking his way through the wall of skittering, hissing darkness. Girls are such drama queens.

XxX

Aeirth's fingers dug into the upholstery as the ship careened through the stars. "Cid...could you slow down a little bit?"

"No good. We'll be roadkill for these Heartless." A light started flashing, although you could hardly tell among the wailing sirens or the other blinking red buttons. "We're gettin' real close!" Cid yelled. "Get ready, 'cause this ain't gonna be a smooth landin'!"

"So we've gathered." Cloud mumbled.

The ship lurched suddenly as they scraped a meteor, or a Heartless ship. Cid wasn't exactly sure.

Alarms wailed and red lights washed the cockpit in an eerie crimson filter. Sparks shot from the dash, spraying Cid's arm as he let out an unprintable profanity and slapped it as hard as he could, then gave up the cause and braced himself. The noise grew to a crescendo. Screaming sirens, the acid taste of smoke, lights blending and melting into each other. Through the corner of her eye, Aerith saw Cloud's leather harness snap and Cloud himself thrown forward violently and the breath was driven from his lungs. Her arm snaked out and snatched his red collar in a vicelike grip.

"Get ready!" Cid's voice strained through the hellish compartment. "We're coming in!"

There was a high, keening screech and the sound of metal hitting concrete. More sparks danced along the portholes in a merry jig as the ship slid halfway onto its side, balancing precariously on starboard until it crashed right-side up onto the platform. The party stood still for a moment. The lights flickered on, off, on, before the power gave its last and the electricity fizzled out, a sad alarm being the last to go with an off-pitch moan. Aerith released Cloud's scarf.

"Uh oh." Comically, three pairs of eyes followed a lone Yellow Opera as it peered through the window, spotting the group who were wearing the expressions of a deer caught in headlights. Then, it buzzed loudly. Sounding the alarm.

XxX

Wakka slid down the banister expertly, dodging the masses of Heartless that flocked towards him like ants to a picnic. His heart pounded as he watched the small gummi slide to a halt. The thought of reinforcements was painfully tantalizing. Then, he watched that accursed Opera start hissing madly, barely able to contain its excitement as it bobbed in the air frantically and sent its little black cap spinning. Charging through the ranks of Heartless, he threw his Blitzball with such force that it shattered the portside window, glass shards flying everywhere. A blonde man leaped out, brandishing a gargantuan sword, ropes entwined around the blade. He crouched, eyes flickering here and there as his two companions crawled through the window, a middle-aged man with his hair spiked up, and a fragile-looking woman with a long braid weaving its way down her back. Wakka waved frantically.

"Yo, man! Are you Cid?" he yelled, kicking out at a Heartless. "Cloud? Aerith?"

"Hey, kid. Cid speaking." He chewed the toothpick in his mouth, then spat it out onto the head of the nearest Heartless, who hissed madly but dared not advance on his aggressive companion with the huge sword. "You know Sora?"

"Grew up with the little punk."

"Little punk is right. You seen the stuff he's done to my gummi?"

"I hate to interrupt this conversation," Cloud said, not really sounding sorry at all, "but we have a problem."

'The Problem' showed itself in less than ten seconds. 'The Problem' was big, shiny, and yellow. 'The Problem' was coming toward them in big, clanking, pounding steps. 'The Problem' had huge scimitar-like blades sprouting from its body. 'The Problem' was none other than Kurt Ziza.

"Crap," Wakka mumbled. He felt the Heartless' cruel smirks burning holes in his skin. "Okay, all of you, everyone's in da library. Dere's no Heartless there, for the moment. Ready to run?"

Wordlessly, they all nodded. "Ready…go!"

XxX

Falling...falling into darkness.

Tied to the darkness, soon to be completely eclipsed.

Namine choked. Ansem's yellow eyes stared straight at her. The breath froze in her throat and she fell to her knees. Her consciousness knew it: the dimension her scarred mind had created, the one she lived in now, a world completely devoid of light. It was what she was living in now.

But her consciousness had drifted away long ago.

What's happening to me?

Namine felt her breath coming in ragged gasps. Ansem continued to stare, his voice echoing through the room without him speaking. "Look as hard as you are able. You will not find even the smallest glimmer of light."

Dark tendrils snaked along the fringes of her vision. Whirling around, Namine clawed at the air frantically. "No! No! I won't, I can't...you..." Her sentence trailed off as the thoughts in her head blurred together into a mesh of screaming, whirling chaos.

"Don't resist, little girl. Did you think you were strong? Did you think you could assist a hopeless cause?" Namine's pupils dilated until they were mere black dots. She could feel the darkness taking hold of her heart. "You are a mere speck, less than a speck. You have no hope. Don't make it painful."

Namine opened her mouth, but no sound came. She put a hand to her chest and felt tears soaking her skin. Everything, devoured by the darkness...it was filling every crevice of her body, her soul, her heart. It filled the cavity, and she could feel herself drowning in it, drowning in the screeching black shadows, drowning in her own weakness, drowning in the golden yellow eyes of the man before her in the abyss.

Then, warmth.

The darkness faded and she became aware of the slight aroma of salty ocean air. Opening her eyes, she found herself in Riku's warm embrace. He pulled back and started straight at her, cerulean eyes casting a spell over the helpless girl in his arms. She stared, finding herself lost completely in the sea of his eyes.

"Don't give up," he said gently, a hand on her face. "No matter what happens, I'm always with you. There's always a light, even in the darkest of nights."

Then, everything vanished.

XxX

"Namine?"

"Helloooo..."

She opened her eyes to Wakka waving his hand in front of her face. Jerking up far too quickly, Namine almost tipped over the chair she had been sitting. Grasping her head in her hands, she tried to sort out the past events.

Tyson knelt in front of her, brushing hair out of her face. "Namine, what happened? You weren't there for the longest time, Vexen said you were in shock, Sora--" He stopped as Namine shook her head slowly.

"I wasn't in shock. I don't know where I was."

Motioning to Tyson, Cloud pulled the flummoxed Keyblade Wielder aside. "Give her a few moments. I believe she's been to a place not many of us would wish to journey."

Nodding slowly, Tyson sank down into a chair and stared at the piece of paper before him. The first stanza was solved, three remained. They taunted him mercilessly. Angrily, he picked up a pencil and was prepared to stab multiple holes in the stupid paper before he remembered exactly what he was doing. Sighing, he half-heartedly threw the pencil back in its little pot, not bothering to retrieve it when it missed the rim and went rolling off the desk and onto the floor. He buried his face in his arms and closed his eyes momentarily, letting waves of fatigue wash over him. Sora, where are you? Are you tired now too? And Kairi, Leon, Yuffie... He glanced over at Tidus, who was sprawled out on a chair and the passed-out Selphie on the one next to him. We're a bunch of stinkin' kids. Teenagers who are supposed to save the world. Wait, strike that. Worlds. He blew out a long breath. He needed no miracle, no angel to come down and smite the wicked. He needed a nap. But like many things, such as large amounts of money or a bowl of chocolate ice cream, that was something he could not have at the moment and most likely not have in the near future.

He panned his gaze until he reached Namine's crouched figure on the leather armchair, her eyes tired and knees pulled up to her chest protectively. A pang of sorrow lanced into his heart as he looked at her: haunted. And what of Cloud, Cid, Aerith? Would any of them leave this place the same as they found it?

The cynical side of him answered that rhetorical question.

XxX

Grunting, Leon pulled Yuffie next to him and propped her up the crumbled rock. Taking a position next to her, he aimed and fired at the Heartless approaching their hiding spot on the Great Crest.

Bam. Bam. Bam.

He heard a soft moan and turned. Yuffie stirred slightly, her eyes flickering open as she clutched her stomach. Coughing, a trickle of blood trickled out from the corner of her lip. "Don't move. You might open up the cut." Leon said.

Nodding, she leaned back slowly and winced, screwing up her eyes tightly and her fists balled so tightly her knuckles were white. "What happened?" she croaked.

Turning away, Leon grimaced not in physical pain, but emotional. "The Beamoth blind-sided you," he said, straining to keep the flat monotone in his voice, "and gave you that." He motioned to the makeshift tourniquet, the leather stained with a dark crimson blot. Yuffie felt her head swim as she looked down and wobbled unsteadily, then put out a hand and caught herself.

"I'm sorry," she said in a raspy whisper, so faint Leon barely heard. "I was stupid. And now we're going to die because of it." She bit her lip and hugged her arms to her chest, closing her eyes tightly. Then, she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Leon gazing into her eyes reassuringly.

"I said that I wouldn't have people talking about me in the past tense. And I don't plan to change that anytime soon."

As quickly as it had come, the moment was gone. Leon turned back to the Heartless swarming their location, fiery blasts erupting again and again from the muzzle of the Gunblade. His mouth was set in a line, grim determination in his eyes. But there was a sadness, a tinge of sorrow in his eyes that hadn't been in Squall Lionheart's. Leaning back against the stone again, she ran her finger along the serrated blade of a throwing star absentmindedly and wondered if it would ever leave.

XxX

I just finished this chapter today- please forgive me for the extra-long peroid of...uh... non-updating. Geh. Okay, reviewer responses will be done as soon as possible, but I will from now on only reply to the reviews asking specific questions of me or new reviewers that have just started reading. I'm not trying to distriminate: I rejoice every time I see bot fanfiction in my inbox. But I have an extremely busy schedule, including school, swim team, dance and colorguard tryouts, and my brother's basketball games. Once again, I will try to get as many of you in as possible. I luff you all.

The next chapter will be the last, and super-long- about twice as long as a normal chapter (because there is no good way to break it up). The climax, and wonderful, wonderful FLUFF abounding! (At least three parings). This story will finish on February 6th if I have anything to say about it, but if it is a bit late I am sorry for reasons I already listed above. Heh.

Push that wonderful purple button and make me happy! Can we top 90 reviews for this story? Please?

Akiko