Kingdom Hearts: The Winter War
A/N: Here we are, the Twelfth chapter. This is the chapter some of you were waiting for and where things begin to heat up for the young Keyblade Wielder. I hope you'll enjoy it. Remember, I don't own Bleach and Kingdom Hearts.
(Cue opening)
Ep. 12: "Aizen's True Goal! The Alliance is Off!"
In the dark sky of Hueco Mundo, a Garganta opened, eight people jumping out and crash landed on the white sands.
"Man!" Lea said rubbing his back. "That was a rough landing. Good thing it wasn't any higher."
"Let's be happy we made it here at all." Aqua said, stretching her arms.
Mickey wiped the sand off his clothes before seeing Goofy helping Donald up. "Are you two alright?"
"We're fine your majesty." Goofy replied while Donald took off his hat to shake off the sand.
Terra helped Ven up as he looked around "Looks like everyone's here."
"Seems like it." Riku said as he looked all over their surroundings. "So, is this Hueco Mundo?"
Aqua looked to see nothing but white sand, black sky and absolutely no sign of life anywhere. "I can't tell. Master Yen Sid didn't really give us a description of this place."
"Didn't those Soul Reapers tell you anything." Ven asked the King.
"Well, there wasn't really much time. All Mr. Urahara did say was that portal will take us to where we needed to go." Mickey said stepping forward.
"So, looks like we're clueless about this world." Lea said shaking his head. "That's just great."
"It's not like we've traveled blindly through worlds before." Xion pointed out, remembering the missions they took when they were in the Organization.
Roxas nodded. "We're just gonna have to ad-lib everything from here."
Goofy then recalled something. "Didn't Master Yen Sid tell us a bit about this world and the people here." He remembered.
"That's right." Xion agreed. "The creatures that live here are called Hollows and Arrancar."
"Don't forget that three Soul Reapers that defected." Aqua said. "What was their leader's name again?"
Riku narrowed his eyes. "Aizen." He didn't know who this guy is but after hearing of what he was planning and possibly tricking Sora, he already started to hate him.
Mickey looked at everyone. "Let's go fellas, we should start looking for Sora and Kairi. They could be anywhere out here."
"You mean like there." Lea pointed what he saw in front. Everyone followed his gaze and gasped when they saw a fortress so big that calling it enormous would be an understatement.
"That's convenient." Ven said, wide-eyed.
"Looks like we know where to go." Riku declared.
"Are you sure we should go there?" Donald asked, feeling cautious.
"It's not like we had anywhere else to go to begin with." Terra pointed out. "Besides, the longer we wait, the more danger Sora and Kairi may be facing."
"Then we better go." Aqua said. "Remember to stay alert. In an unknown world, we'll never know what could happen."
"Then let's get moving." Terra said. Everyone nodded and began moving. However, the three Keyblade Masters sensed several presence heading towards them. "Everyone, watch out!" Riku warned, causing everyone to jump out of the way at the last second. From the white sands emerged two dozen Hollows, all arriving here after sensing their presence.
"Look what we have here!" One Hollow exclaimed. "Fresh meat!"
"Not one, or two, but ten! It's like an entrée!"
"Looks like we hit the jackpot!"
"What are these things!?" Goofy yelped.
"These must be the Hollows we've heard of." Xion assured
"There're like twenty-something of those things." Lea looked on.
"Not feeling scared, are you?" Roxas sassed.
Lea shook his head. "Nah, I can take em."
Riku got into a fighting position. "I've faced bigger Heartless then these guys."
Aqua joined him. "You're not the only one?"
Donald made a determined face. "We can get 'em."
"Let's just take care of them so we can go save our friends." Terra said as everyone summoned their Keyblades while Donald and Goofy summoned their staff and shield respectively. With a battle cry, they charged forward at the Hollows.
Meanwhile, Sora was seen walking towards the door at the end of the hall. Since his encounter with the Soul Reapers, he has begun questioning Aizen's own actions and wondering if he truly plans to bring good change to the Soul Society. That last scuffle he had with Baraggan at the throne room didn't make anything better.
In fact, ever since he came here, he saw that these people did absolutely nothing to go out of there why and make friends, even though they were supposed to be comrades. And the sense of comradeship was surely lacking, as Nnoitra would purposely go so far as to attack his own allies just because he felt they were too weak. That kind of action disgusted him to no end. They were certainly worse than Organization XIII.
However, during his time here, he at least met six people here that were sane. Starrk, despite being lazy and nonchalant was pretty cool and would even go out of his way to help him when he was in a bind. Lilynette, though hotheaded and mischievous, was also very kind and has become a bit nicer, (whenever she was with him at least). He was happy to call them Brother and Sister figures.
Halibel, while at times stone faced, proved to also be kind, caring, and loyal, as she would go far to attack an Espada for hurting her Fracciónes, whom she cared for. She would later do the same with him. He never told her this but he started to see her as a motherly figure. Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun, while they weren't all that fond of men, they had started to see him as a best friend and even laughed at some of the things he did.
There was also Nel, Pesche, Dondochakka. Those three were the friendliest Arrancars he ever met. Tōsen was like a mentor to him, as he trained him and offered good advice when he really needed it.
But that still didn't shake off the nagging suspicion he was starting to have of Aizen. He needed to find out what he was really up to. So, he decided to find the answers for himself.
(Flashback)
"You want me to stay here and…rest." Sora said, incredulously.
Starrk sighed. "That's right. Tomorrow, we go to war with the Soul Society. Lord Aizen wants us all to be ready. So, rest up till then."
Sora looked down. So, tomorrow was the big battle with the Soul Reapers. The one battle he had been training for over a month and now it was drawing near.
"You'll kick ass, Sora. Don't worry." Lilynette smiled. Sora smiled back at her consideration but that still didn't shake off the feeling he was having.
Lilynette was the one to notice and decided to ask. "Are you okay?"
Sora nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just got a lot on my mind I guess."
"It's about Lord Aizen." Starrk surmised.
Sora was shocked that he could tell but nodded. Lilynette looked at him. "What about Lord Aizen? Are you saying you don't trust him?"
"It's not that I don't trust him…" Sora explained. "When I first came here, I had no memory of who I was. So, I thought that by joining him, I'd find my memories. I also couldn't stand by after hearing those things about the Soul Reapers. But now-"
"After that last scuffle with the Soul Reapers and your little scene with Baraggan, you're starting to doubt Lord Aizen." Starrk finished.
"That's basically it." He nodded. "I thought, I was doing the right thing, helping Aizen get rid of the bad people, but now I'm not so sure. Seeing what he did to Grimmjow didn't make it any better. Part of me feels that…I might end up making a huge mistake and help the wrong person."
Starrk listened carefully. "So, do you regret joining Lord Aizen?"
Sora looked down unsure. "I…don't know."
"How can you say that!?" Lilynette asked, fiercely. "Lord Aizen has done so much for you! And he's taken care of all of us since we became Arrancar!"
Sora sighed. "Yeah, maybe your right." He said. "I'm just being careful."
"Well, I won't blame you." Starrk said, walking up. "A lot of Arrancar here are cautious about Lord Aizen. Some have even tried to turn against him."
Sora looked up at the First Espada and asked. "Why did you join Aizen?"
Starrk and Lilynette looked at each other for a moment before the former replied. "To repay a debt."
Sora raised an eyebrow. A debt? What kind of debt?
"Anyways. Like I said, we'll need to rest up for tomorrow." Starrk said. "So, good night."
With that, Starrk went to sleep. Lilynette glared for a moment before she followed his lead. Seeing everyone turning in, Sora decided to get some rest. He closed his eyes and drifted off into a peaceful slumber.
(Dream sequence)
Sora opened his eyes and saw that he was in a large void where white obscured his whole surroundings. Looking down, he could see that he was levitating, as if he was flying throughout the area. Sora blinked. Was he having a dream.
"Where am I? What's going on!?" Sora cried.
"You've taken you eye off the ball." A voice said. Sora turned immediately to see the person speaking to him was the cloaked woman he met twice before. Once during his second battle with Nnoitra, the other during his fight with Hitsugaya.
"Who are you?" Sora asked.
"You will never find answers by wasting time." The cloaked figure explained. "You must go search for them for yourself."
"What do you mean?" Sora asked. "Where am I supposed to go? Am I supposed to spy on Aizen."
She shook her head. "Not exactly. If you wish to find all the answers, go to the west hall by the throne room. There will be a door at the end of the hall."
"Will I really find what I'm looking for if I go there?" Sora asked.
The cloaked figure nodded. "I'm certain. But the choice is yours."
Sora pondered for a moment. While spying on Aizen's goals would be beneficial, if he got caught then it'd be over. Regardless, he needed to know now!
"I'll do it." Sora said determinedly. "If I can't find answers by asking, I'll find it on my own."
The woman smiled, agreeing with his choice. "Then go. Go to your destiny." Sora nodded and wanted to ask more questions. However, everything around him became transparent. Soon, the entire are began to rumble until the area ripped apart and turned black. The mysterious woman faded away. Sora tried to reach out but soon he began fall, screaming as he plummeted to the endless abyss.
(Dream sequence end)
Sora shot out of the floor, breathing heavily. He looked around to see that he was back in Starrk's chambers. He remembered that he had gone to sleep, still feeling exhausted from his last battle. He looked around and saw Starrk sleeping in his usual spot and Lilynette sleeping beside him. He couldn't help but smile, seeing them so relax together.
Then he remembered the words that cloaked woman had told him. It was time that he find answers on his own. He got up and tiptoed to the door and opened it. He looked back to see them still asleep. Sighing, he quickly but quietly closed the door.
(Flashback end)
Sora had followed the directions to the room the woman told him. It took him a while but he was able to reach the room's entrance. He looked at the door, questionable.
"So." Sora thought. "Inside this room, are the answers I've been looking for."
Sora looked around to see that no one was in sight. He sighed and grabbed the door handle.
"Well, it's now or never." He muttered. With that, he opened the door. Sora entered a room and looked all around to see no one was there. Looking closely, he could see that this room looked more like a filing room in his opinion. There were over dozens of drawers with hundreds of files.
Sora sighed. "There's no way I'm gonna be able to go through all these." Seeing no one in sight, Sora went to the first drawer he saw and opened it.
"Well, guess I better start looking." He said, going through all the records.
Outside Las Noches, the eight Keyblade wielders and two friends defeated all the Hollows that stood in their way. Since they've faced powerful opponents, facing down monsters was pretty easy. Aqua decided it would be a good idea to leave one of the Hollows alive to talk. Fortunately for them, the world they were in was Hueco Mundo and the gigantic fort straight ahead was called Las Noches. The Hollow then began to laugh saying that they were dead men walking, as Las Noches was filled with beings more powerful then him. Regardless, the team continued their journey to Las Noches.
The team had been walking across the white desert for over thirty minutes. So far, it looked like they weren't even halfway there to their destination. After several more minutes of running, the team stopped to catch a quick breather.
"Man!" Ven moaned. "This is taking forever."
"No matter how long we run it doesn't look like we're getting any closer." Xion pointed out
"Gawrsh, that castle must be really far away." Goofy said.
"How long do we have to keep running?" Donald squawked, getting irritated.
Lea wiped his forehead. "I agree. Is that place even there? It's starting to look like a mirage to me."
Roxas looked at him curiously. "How can you see a mirage if we're seeing the same thing?"
"Hey, I read that being in the desert causes people to hallucinate." Lea said.
Aqua shook her head. "Actually, a mirage is an optical illusion caused be atmospheric conditions." She said in a matter of fact tone. "Usually caused by intense light, which this world seems to lack."
"Alright I get it." Lea said, annoyed.
"Guys." They turned to Riku. "Maybe we should spend less time wondering if we're seeing thing and more time on finding out how are we going to get that fortress."
"I don't think it's that simple." Terra said. "I've realized now that the more we run, the more it seems we're not getting closer. This makes me realize that this fortress must be bigger than we thought."
Mickey sighed. "Gosh, if that's true then it's gonna take even longer to get there."
Xion looked over to their destination. "How long do think it'll take for us...to..." She suddenly started trailing off from her question. Everyone looked and saw her staring out in the distance.
"Xion are you okay?" Roxas asked.
"What's wrong?" Lea asked as the others walked over to her. They followed her gaze to see the area see was staring at had a large wind, causing the sand to fly up.
"It's only the wind." Riku said.
"No." Xion responded. Aqua looked and her eyes widened when she noticed the wind was blowing harder, causing the sand to rotate faster. This created a sandstorm.
"Oh no!" Mickey gasped.
"A sandstorm!" Lea exclaimed.
"It's a tornado." Goofy shouted.
"Who cares what it is!" Terra shouted. "Everyone, run!" He said as everyone dashed forward, trying to stay ahead of that tornado.
"How is this happening!" Donald yelled. "Is this one of their traps!?"
"I don't think so!" Terra said. "This could just be a natural phenomena!" Much to their horror, the sandstorm was gaining up on them.
"Oh no!" Mickey yelled. "I don't think we're gonna make!"
Riku gritted his teeth as he tried to think of a way out of this one. Suddenly, an idea came to mind. "Everyone, release your Keyblades and try to create a barrier!" He ordered. "We can use it ride out the sandstorm!"
The eight Keyblade Wielders nodded and summoned their Keyblades. Without a second delay, they all casted a reflect spell that formed a large sphere around them. Then, the sand tornado came and swept up the ball of energy. Everyone had their eyes closed, hoping this plan would work. Luckily it did and they were inside the tornado, safe and unharmed.
Ven sighed in relief. "That was a close call."
"Yep." Goofy agreed. "That's was some great thinking Riku."
"Thanks." Riku said. "I'm just glad it worked."
"Who knows, with how fast this tornado moves, we should arrive at that Las Noches place a lot faster." Roxas said.
"Let's just hope this barrier holds up." Aqua said. However, no sooner when she said that, the barrier began cracking.
"Crap, it's starting to break!" Lea yelled.
"Donald, you gotta fix it!" Mickey yelled. More cracks began appearing.
"I don't know how!" Donald said, worriedly.
Riku looked and to his horror, the barrier slowly breaking by the second. He knew that there wasn't a way to fix the shield. So, that left one other option. "Everyone! Quick, grab hold of somebody!" It was too late, as the barrier broke apart, with everyone about to be launched into different directions.
"Damn it! It's started!" Terra cursed.
Riku saw that Mickey was the closest to him. He reached out and grabbed his hand, much to his relief.
Everyone searched frantically to find someone next to them. Lea spotted Xion and grabbed her under his arm. "Wah!" She said in surprise.
"Guys!" The two saw Roxas, who dived down until Lea grabbed his hand with his free one.
"Ven, I got you!" Aqua said, grabbing her friend with her arms.
"Terra, NO!" He yelled, seeing Terra on his own.
"Your Majesty!" Donald and Goofy yelled, as they were being pulled away. Riku and Aqua both knew there was no time to get to either of them. So, with all their strength, Riku threw Mickey over to his best friends while Aqua tossed Ven over at Terra. Both of them landed at them safely however, to their horror, Riku and Aqua were being sent away.
"Riku!" Mickey yelled.
"Aqua!" Terra and Ven screamed. Suddenly, the tornado broke apart and out came five lights. Two larger ones were sent flying directly at the north of Las Noches while two smaller ones were sent on the far east side. One large light however, was sent flying straight toward the Forest of Menos.
Back in Las Noches, all the drawers in the filing room were disorganized as each drawer were opened to the point they were pulled out of the selves. Papers were thrown all over the place and some drawers were even knocked over. Sora sighed in frustration, "That's just great. All the things I found were stuff I already know."
However, Sora discovered the last filing cabinet. Each of the drawers there were marked with dates. So, Sora thought it'd be best to find the one with the closest date to when he first got here.
Searching through each of the drawers, he found one that was dated about a day before his arrival in Hueco Mundo. Opening it, he examined several files until he noticed one that was labeled "Lifeform: White."
"White?" Sora asked questionably. He opened the folder and saw the image of a creature that looked greatly like a Hollow. It was a large creature, mainly black with the exception of its face. It also has two long, forward-pointing horns protruding from the sides of it's heads, and it's Hollow hoe was located on it's upper chest, which was filled in. There were also two blades in place of it's forearms.
There was something about this creature that caught Sora's attention. Without a second thought, he continued reading, going the analysis chart.
"White: created from the souls of many Soul Reaper as an experimental Hollow. Results: Failure. Status: Destroyed.
"White: An ironic name for one with an interior of whiteness, while it's exterior was completely encased in black. While it succeeded in eliminating many Soul Reapers, it unfortunately met it's demise at the hands of Captain Isshin Shiba. Yet, despite it's failure, the results were very...interesting. It will be very intriguing to see how these events will further unfold."
White? Experiments? Sora didn't know what all this meant, but why would he make such a thing to begin with. And what were these events that Aizen was waiting for. Sora shook his head, deciding to find more information on Aizen's plans.
Finding another file, Sora pulled it out and saw it was labeled "The Hōgyoku!"
The Hōgyoku. Why did that sound familiar? Sora remembered that Gantenbainne once mentioned the Hōgyoku. Curious, Sora took out the file and opened its content and started reading.
"The Hōgyoku was supposedly said to have possessed the capabilities of dissolving the boundaries between Soul Reapers and Hollow, allowing one race to attain the powers of the other. Through experimentation, I discovered that it could cause Soul Reapers to undergo Hollowfication, as I witnessed a hundred years ago. After merging my Hōgyoku with Kisuke Urahara's, I managed to force the Hollows to undergo Arrancarification, thus the process proved to have favorable results, as it led to the creation of the Arrancar. However, there was one thing that Kisuke Urahara failed to learn. That the Hōgyoku's true power was never to dissolve the boundaries of Soul Reapers and Hollows. Its true power lies in its ability to sense the hearts of those around it and materialize their deepest desire.
Sora raised an eyebrow. Truth be told, he hardly understood any of that. But it certainly explained how Aizen was able to turn the Hollows into Arrancars. And Soul Reapers gaining Hollow powers. That sounded interesting. And Kisuke Urahara. He took him a few seconds to remember that hat-and-clog wearing man he saw in Karakura Town had introduced himself as Kisuke Urahara. So, he invented another Hōgyoku?
All this information was interesting but this hardly told him anything about Aizen's motives. As he closed the folder, he came across another file that caught his interest. It was labeled "The Ōken". Sora opened the folder and looked through all the contents. His eyes widened when he discovered some shocking information.
"Now the pieces have come into play. With the Hōgyoku nearing completion, I am finally ready to advance to the next phase of my plan; becoming the Soul King. The enriched spirit zone has been found in Karakura Town. All that's left now is to wait for the Hōgyoku to awaken. And then, when it is finally does, I will proceed with my plans, TO DESTROY KARAKURA TOWN. Once I have sacrificed the necessary hundred thousand souls to create the Ōken, I will then move on to destroy the Soul Society and kill the Soul King. Then, I will finally earn my place at the top."
That last one made Sora so mad, not just mad, completely furious. He dropped to his knees, causing all the papers to be scattered across the floor. Several feelings filled; anger, hurt, and betrayal. He knew Aizen was a mysterious guy, but his plan was just pure evil. He was willing to slaughter all those people. And for WHAT!? Just to create some key!
Before Sora could react, he found one more file that was dated recently. Curious, he grabbed it and began reading all of it.
"The events of the Second Keyblade War between the 7 Guardians of Light and the 13 Seekers of Darkness played out very interestingly. Master Xehanort certainly had all the pieces he needed and prepared every possible outcome. The most interesting one was the boy Sora, who proved to be as excellent as I had expected. As the one who defeated Xehanort and closed Kingdom Hearts, he will be the perfect pawn needed for my plans. As to lure him to Hueco Mundo, it will not be a challenge, as long as I hold the heart of the one he holds dear. The maiden of pure light will guide him to me."
"AHHHH!" With a great roar, Sora knocked the filing cabinet, knocking all the contents over the floor. So, that was it. Aizen was responsible for this. It wasn't bad enough that he planned to destroy the entire town, but he brought him into it.
So, everything he had done. Everything was for nothing. He had been helping a mad man achieve his goals. Aizen…had lied to him. He used him. Sora was angry that he hadn't figured it all out sooner. But another question filled Sora's mind. Starrk, Lilynette, Halibel, Apacci, Mila Rose, Sung-Sun, did they know about this? Did they know about Aizen's true plan and had kept him in the dark? Regardless, Sora got up and took the papers and made his way to turn when…
The door slammed shut.
"It's not polite to spy on other people, Sora." Sora's eyes widen when he saw Aizen, stepping out of the shadow. "It seems you've been spending a lot of time with Gin."
Sora's eyes quickly shifted to anger. "YOU! You brought me here!"
"Now Sora, let's not start pointing fingers shall we." Aizen said, though by the tone of his voice, he wasn't denying his accusation.
Sora gritted his teeth in disgust. "Aizen…I know everything."
"Then what's there to discuss." He said.
"Plenty!" He roared, throwing the file that read "The Ōken" at him, which he dodged effortlessly. "I know that thing I read about in your file was the same thing that I fought! I know you're planning to destroy Karakura Town! And I know about that…Hō-gyu-ku…thing!"
"Ah, I see now." Aizen smirked. "So, your more intelligent than I gave you credit for."
The Keyblade wielder looked at the leader of Las Noches before saying. "Tell me, everything you told me about the Soul Society…was a lie?"
Aizen shook his head. "I never lied when I told you about the Soul Society's corruption."
"But I thought you were going to make the world a better place!?" Sora said.
"And that is exactly what I am doing." Aizen stated. "When I become the victor in this war, I will be able to determine how the fate of the worlds should be. One ruled by the right hands."
Sora looked at him in disgust. Yeah, he was going to make the world a better place…for HIMSELF! Aizen smiled as he walked forward. "Why are you so upset Sora? You wanted to know the truth and I gave it to you."
Sora got into a fighting position. "You didn't tell me everything. Why did you bring me here? What could you gain from this!? And why are you telling me all this now when you could've just try to deny all of it!"
Aizen smirked. "Because, I realized that it would be tedious from this point on to prevent you from learning the truth. To be completely honest, you, being here in this room, was entirely my doing"
Sora blinked in confusion. "What do you mean by that."
"I mean, I wanted you to know the truth. And I was right not to count on Starrk to watch over you." Aizen explained. "I knew that after that last encounter in the throne room that you were determined to search for answers. I've tried for so long to keep the truth from you that it was beginning to grow tiresome. Fortunately, my little 'side project' just finished earlier today. So, I have no reason to continue manipulating you anymore."
Sora glared harder at Aizen and asked. "But why did you bring me here in the first place? How did you bring me here!? You didn't answer that."
"I believe you've read that part in the file." Aizen stated. Sora thought about what he read. Aizen said he guided him here through the person he holds dear. Maiden of pure light. Of...pure...
Sora's eyes widened at this revelation. "Kairi!"
Aizen grinned him satisfaction. "You are correct."
"So...Kairi's…" Gritting his Sora, he yelled as he summoned his Keyblade, charging towards Aizen. "AIZEN!"
Sora leaped in the air, prepared to attack him. Rather than make an effort, Aizen merely raised two fingers, stopping the blade. "Now, now, let's not act rashly." He lightly scolded.
Feeling an immense pressure, Sora's eyes snapped wide as he jumped back. Still glaring at him, Sora asked. "Where is she!?"
"She is safe." He merely stated. "I must admit though, bringing her here would have been very difficult. That is...had Master Xehanort not opened Kingdom Hearts."
"Xehanort!?" What did Ansem's apprentice have to do with this? And Kingdom Hearts.
"Unfortunately, you're lack of memories makes this difficult for you to understand." Aizen said. Sora was really getting fed up about this whole mind reading thing. 'But, what you need to know is you made the choice to recklessly use the Power of Waking to find her and that is what led you here. Even your memory loss made everything simple."
Growing more confused, Sora asked. "What do you want from me?! What do you want!?"
Chuckling at this, Aizen just said. "For all the hard work that you have done over the past month, I believe you deserve an explanation. The truth is…I need your Keyblade, Sora."
"You want my Keyblade?" Sora said.
Aizen nodded. "The truth is Sora, I've known about the Keyblade long before I ever became captain. Even before becoming a Soul Reaper. You see Sora, all the worlds you've traveled to, while all have their different rules, they all share one thing in common; death. Another job that the Soul King has is to regulate the amount of Souls that enter and leave the Soul Society. Since there are too many Souls, he chose to focus more time on them and gave all power to Central 46."
"However, the only world that the Soul King can affect is the Human World. Which leads to wonder what will happen to the state of the other worlds. Tell me Sora, ever since you've gained your Keyblade you have fought for the security of the other worlds."
"Well…yeah." Sora admitted.
"And yet, there are people out there like your enemies who have made several attempts to try and destroy the peace you have been trying to achieve." Aizen stated.
Sora didn't say nothing. To be honest, he was right. People like Maleficent, Pete, Ansem, the Organization. It seemed that everywhere he went, there were always people of darkness who tried and disturb the safety of the worlds.
"That all must frustrate you correct?" Aizen asked, not that he needed to hear Sora's reply to know how he felt. "So, that is why I decided that after I become the Soul King, I want you to provide me passage to the other worlds."
Sora's eyes widen in shock. He wanted him to use the Keyblade to take him to other worlds.
"Call it a partnership of sorts." Aizen went on. "You guide me to other worlds and in return, I will silence all those who try to destroy the worlds and who oppose our rule."
Sora looked at him, questionably. "Rule? You mean you want to conquer the worlds."
Aizen chuckled. "I merely wish to guide them to how they should be, not with how they currently operate. Master Xehanort's ambition to return the universe to its original state was admirable. Unfortunately, his consciousness got the better of him and abandoned all of his plans. His will was too weak, unlike mine. I am prepared to do everything to achieve my desires."
"And that's by ruling the worlds through fear. What if those people don't want you to rule them? Would you kill them to?" The Keyblade wielder asked angrily.
"Death is necessary at times." Aizen said in a calm voice, much to Sora's disgust.
"How can you take that so lightly!?" Sora yelled as he started to back away. But Aizen raised his hand.
"There is no escape." Aizen said. Then, a smirk appeared on his face as he said. "Think about my proposal before you make any reckless decisions. Sora, you do not yet realize your importance. You have only begun to discover your power. The one that has laid dormant within you for so long."
"Dormant inside me?" Sora thought. "Could he mean…her?"
"Join me, Sora." Aizen said. "Think of all we can accomplish. With our combined strength, we can rule all the worlds and end all this destructive conflict. No one will stand in our way." With that, Aizen reached out with his left hand towards Sora. The Keyblade Wielder narrowed at his eyes as he tightened his hands.
"This is your only chance to become a true ally of mine. I will ask you this, Sora…will you join me in ruling the worlds together? Aizen offered.
Sora looked down as he tried to think of an answer. His bangs covered his eyes as he turned his attention to the leader of Las Noches and said. "It's true that there will always be conflict in each world."
Aizen raised his eyebrow in question. "And it's true that there will always be people who try to undo the peace I've been fighting for. But still…" Sora looked up at Aizen, his eyes narrowed in determination. "Even in the darkest times, there will always be a light that shines. Through all those times, I've made friends that really care about me. and I care about them as well. It was thanks to them that I made it this far. I'd be nothing without them. I care about those people and I'm not gonna let you hurt them! So, as for your offer, Aizen…You can go to hell!"
With that said, Sora looked determined. "I'm gonna find Kairi. Then, we're gonna get out of here.."
Listening to that, Aizen kept smiling as he closed his eyes and lifted his hand down. He opened his eyes once again and said. "I expected you to say that…but it's still somewhat a shame to hear. Now that I know how you truly feel, it would seem that our alliance…is over."
All of a sudden, the lights in the room turned on and shined brightly. Sora was caught off guard by the light that he was soon attacked by several people. When his eyes finally adjusted, he glanced around and saw several men wearing the typical Arrancar uniform. Only difference is that their heads were covered completely by human shaped skulls.
"Sora, I would like for you to meet the Exequias. A unit that specializes in executing." Aizen said. "I had anticipated your answers and ordered them to wait accordingly."
They were waiting for him. Sora realized that he was trapped. He raised his hand to summon his Keyblade but suddenly Sora collapsed to the ground, as if the gravity had increased. He looked up and saw Aizen releasing his spiritual pressure. Despite his efforts, Sora could not get up. Aizen smiled at Sora's helplessness and cued one of the Exequias to press a red button on the wall.
The Arrancar did so and the wall began to open up. Inside, there was a capsule, with several wires connect to a large computer. The computer showed a picture of Sora's DNA signature.
"What's going on?!" Sora asked. Aizen kept smiling as he answered. "Now that I know that you won't join me willingly, I'm afraid that I am left with no choice but to use force." Then, Aizen released his spiritual pressure to push Sora straight into the device. Sora tried to get off, but was soon strapped down on the machine. He gritted his teeth as he couldn't escape.
"What are you gonna do me!?" Sora said struggling.
"What you are currently in right now is a special device I had Szayelaporro work on for months." Aizen explained. "The machine has locked on to your DNA signature and when it begins, it will trigger the small cluster of neurons that will force you to recall all your memories, even the ones that haven't resurfaced. Then, after it has examined all of your brain cells, it will begin removing those neurons. When the machine has neared its completion…
"You will lose all of your memory!"
Sora's eyes widened in fright. Lose all his memories. But what's going to happen then?
"When your memories are destroyed you will be reduced to an empty puppet." Aizen went on. "A mere shell of your former self. Free to do whatever I please. A puppet who's only purpose will be to serve me. Mindless but obedient."
Sora struggled harder. "No! You can't do that!"
"I can and will." Aizen replied as the capsules door began to close. "You should have accepted my offer when I had asked nicely. But no need to worry, it will all be over soon enough."
The door closed. From the small window, a still struggling Sora saw Aizen walk over to the computer, reaching for the button to turn on the machine.
"Wait! Stop! NO! NO! NOOOOOOOO!"
Aizen pressed the button.
In Kairi's prison cell, the red-haired girl perked up as she looked around. She didn't why, but she felt something omnibus was happening now. Feeling her anxiety, Naminé's heart began resonating from her heart.
"Kairi! What's wrong!?" Naminé's voice asked.
Kairi remained silent for a moment. Then, she said. "I...I think Sora...is in trouble."
"Oh no!" The blonde cried. "Something must have happened between him and this Aizen person."
Kairi began to grow worried. "What are we going to do?"
"I'm not sure if there's anything we can do?" Naminé said, regretfully. Kairi looked at her cuffs, the ones that prevented her from summoning her Keyblade and escape herself. Now, her best friend was in danger and she couldn't do anything about.
Letting out a gasp, Kairi realized she was doing it again. Lamenting on her being powerless instead of focusing on what to do now. She couldn't just give up now with her friend so close to her. She had to do something.
At that moment, Kairi's resolve shot up. "I have to do something. I have to save Sora."
"What do you plan to do?" She asked. "You can't summon your Keyblade with those handcuff on."
"Then I'll just have to take them off by force." Kairi said. "Aizen may have prevented me from summoning my Keyblade but he didn't take away my power of my pure light."
"Will that be enough?" Naminé asked.
"I have to try." The red-haired girl merely said. "All this time I've been blaming myself for being weak that I nearly gave up. But it's time I step up and keep my promise to protect Sora."
Smiling at her newfound resolve, Naminé said. "Then don't let anything stop you." With that, her light faded once more.
Kairi stepped back as she began channeling all the power she could, hoping it will be enough to shatter these cuff so she can escape and make her way to save Sora.
Inside Las Noches, Aqua was lying face down on the sand. Her body began to stir as she slowly regained consciousness, then groaned as she got to her hands and knees. After standing up, Aqua searched her surroundings. It looked like she was still in Hueco Mundo, due to the desolate landscape, but was shocked her was that it was morning.
"Where am I?" She asked herself. "Am I still in Hueco Mundo? I wasn't expecting it to be morning already. Could I have been unconscious for that long?" Her eyes widened as she just remembered the incident that separated her from the others.
"That's right! Everyone's missing! Terra! Ven! Riku! Everyone!" Aqua shouted out. No one answered. "Looks like we all got separated." She surmised. Aqua then scouted the area, looking for any nearby buildings. "They should be here somewhere. I better take a look around." With that, Aqua ran off into the desert, searching for her comrades.
Meanwhile, Riku had woken up in another area of Las Noches. He had been walking around the area hoping to run into the others.
"This is taking too long." Riku sighed. "I've been calling to everyone for a couple of minutes now but nothing. I wish I knew where to go."
Suddenly, Riku spotted a few buildings in the distance. One of those buildings had a bridge that connected to a tall structure with a large green rooftop.
"Looks like a good place to start." Riku said before making his way to the buildings.
During that moment, Terra and Ven had woken up at another location of Las Noches. Terra was looking off into the distance.
"I didn't think this world even had mornings?" He mused.
Ven rubbed his head. "Are you sure we're still in Hueco Mundo?"
Terra looked unsure. "I can't really tell. But I'm certain that the landscape does match the one we were in last time."
"I hope Aqua and the others are alright. Ven asked, worried about his friends safety.
The brown-hair man also shared his friend's worries but knew their was no time for it. He placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled. "Don't worry. We'll figure out where we're at. And I'm sure we'll find the others." He assured, causing Ven to smile.
With that settle Terra looked ahead. "Come. We better start moving if we want answers."
The blonde boy nodded. "Yeah, we won't learn anything standing around here." Scouring the area, Ven pointed at an area where numerous red pillars were sticking out of. "How 'bout that way."
Terra looked at that direction. "I guess that a good place to start. Come on Ven. We better move now!"
With that, Terra and Ven dashed toward that direction.
At the same time, Roxas, Xion, and Lea were walking around the area searching for everyone else. They had ended up separating from their friends and were now lost as well.
"Do you have any idea where the others are at?" Roxas asked.
"Hmm, no clue." Lea answered. "Probably got swept away by that tornado. They could've ended up anywhere here in this dump."
Xion sighed. "So, it looks like we're on our own from this point. As if it wasn't enough to lose Sora and now everyone else is lost."
"We'll figure something out." Roxas assured. "I'm sure we'll find the others. Besides, they can take care of themselves."
"He's right. And get this memorized; just stick with Lea and everything will be a-okay." Lea stated.
"I'll try to remember that." Xion giggled. The Sea-Salt Trio continued to walk through the desert, hoping to come upon anybody.
Meanwhile, deep within the Forest of Menos, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy where walking through the giant forest, looking cautious.
"I don't like the looks of this place." Goofy said.
"Just keep moving, it will be better than staying here." Donald said, though he was slightly creeped out.
"Donald's right. This forest could be filled with all kinds of monsters." Mickey said. "It's better we try to find a way outta here."
Goofy nodded. "You're right. Hopefully we'll…" Suddenly, Goofy yelped as he fell on the ground.
"Goofy, are you okay?" Donald asked, as Goofy rose up.
"I'm fine Donald." Goofy said, getting up. "Must've tripped on something."
Looking at where last walked, Mickey noticed a pile of sand from where he had tripped.
"What's wrong your majesty?" Donald asked.
The King looked at the sand for a moment before realizing. "This sand looks dug up. I think there's something buried underneath it."
"Really?" Goofy asked before noticing the sand's disposition. "Your right!"
"What do you think it is?" The duck asked.
"I don't know." Mickey asked before saying. "C'mon fellas, help me get em out."
The two nodded and the Disney Trio dug through the sand. After a minute, they came across a body of red-haired man. He wore black robes that were torn up and his body was covered in numerous bruises and he was bleeding.
"Hey, are you alright?" Donald asked, shaking the body. The body began to stir as the man regained a bit of consciousness. He looked up and saw Kairi and Mickey.
"W-who…are y-you?" He asked, weakly.
Mickey smiled, relived he was okay. "My name's Mickey and these are my pals Donald and Goofy."
The two said there hellos. "We're here to help ya." Goofy said.
"Can you tell us your name?" Mickey asked. The man thought about it for a moment before replying.
"Ashido…Kanō."
Sora opened his eyes. He shot up and realized that he was laying down on his bed. Looking around, he can see that he was back in his bedroom. Opening his window, he saw that the sun had risen, shining brightly at the other houses and made the sea sparkle. He couldn't help but feel confused. What was going on? It felt like he had woken up from an intense dream. Come to think of it, what was he dreaming about?
"Sora! Breakfast is ready! Come on down!" Someone called.
Sora shook his head and smiled. "Coming mom!" Sora decided to deal with that later and started getting dressed. He wore a white, short-sleeved shirt, with the collar opened. He had a loose, blue tie on and wore navy blue khaki pants and brown shoes. He grabbed a black satchel and went downstairs.
Entering the kitchen, he saw his mother setting the table. She was a young, beautiful woman with brown hair that reached her shoulders and blue eyes like Sora. She wore a white dress blouse with the sleeves rolled to her elbows. He had on a blue dress that reached her knees with brown stockings around her legs and sandals. She also wore a pink apron.
She looked and noticed her son walking in. "Morning mom."
"Wow, you actually got out of bed." She remarked. "And here I thought I'd have to drag you out like last time."
"C'mon, mom." Sora teased. "You know me. I'm a new person." His mom happily sighed and the two sat down and enjoyed a nice breakfast of bacon and eggs.
"Do you have any plans after school?" His mom asked while slicing eggs.
"Nothing, really." Sora replied. "I might just come home after class is done. Is something wrong?"
His mom shook her head. "No. It's just that I'm working an extra shift tonight. So, I'll be home really late."
"Don't worry." He reassured. "I'll be fine on my own tonight. It's not like I'm gonna burn the house down."
"That's what worries me." She said. "Anyways, there are some leftovers in the fridge that you can reheat. And make sure you do your homework and go to bed."
"Yeah, I will." Sora said.
His mom then smiled warmly. "You know son…you've really grown up."
"Where that come from?" He said taking a bite out of his bacon.
"I mean you've really matured." His mother said. "You've been becoming more responsible lately that I'm glad you did so without stopping being the same boy I raised."
"You're exaggerating." Sora lightly joked.
"Well, you can't help that I'm right." She said. "I'm sure your father would be proud of you."
Sora stopped for a bit before giving a sad smile. "Yeah…I'm sure he would."
Sora soon stepped out of the house, seeing the rest of the kids his age running down the straight wearing the same uniform as his. It was the school rush hour.
"I gotta go, bye mom!" Sora shouted as he ran off.
"Bye, Sora!" She shouted back, seeing her son running off.
Sora was running as fast as he could, seeing the school from the distance. As he ran, his mind drifted back to that strange feeling he was having. It was like something was happening to him. Something very bad. But he couldn't put his finger on what it was. The more he tried to ignore it, the more it started nagging on him.
"Hey, Sora!" Called out someone. He turned to see two people behind him. One of them was a boy with disheveled blond hair with spiky layers and blue eyes. He had an x-shaped scar on his right cheek. He had on the same uniform Sora has but the shirt was left opened, showing the top of his bare chest.
The second one was another male. He was tall and muscled, with tan skin, brown eyes, and long reddish-orange hair styled into a coif and girted with blue headscarf. He also had on the same uniform but the pants were baggier and closed up halfway down his lower legs. He also wore a fish necklace over his tie.
"Morning, Tidus. Wakka." He said to them respectively.
"What's up, man." Wakka said, wrapping his arm around Sora's shoulder in a buddy manner. "You look kinda dazed there, brudda." Wakka told Sora, "But then again, you always spacing out where ever ya are."
"I've been told that." Sora said. "Guess I must've slept late again."
"Better be careful. Otherwise you might end up falling asleep in history class!" Tidus said. He then pulled out a wooden sword. "By the way, you ready for another round after class?"
Sora shook his head. "Can't today. Promised my mom I'd look after the house while she was working late tonight."
"Besides, he'd probably kick your butt again anyways." Said someone. They looked to see two girls standing before them. One of the had brown, impractical hair and green eyes. She wore the same uniform, but instead had a blue plaid skirt, with navy blue socks that reach her knees and black shoes
The other girl looked more intimidating. She had red eyes and her hair was braided in cornrows that lead into a bun and long braids tied into a knot with four ornamented pins, except for her long forelock. Her school uniform had been modified. She wore a black collar around her neck, a spike wristband on her left arm and a black arm warmer on right arm that reached her elbow. She wore a loose black belt with a silver buckle and a chain that connect to it. She had black stockings reached her thighs and also had on large knee-high boots with two straps on the top. All in all, she had a punk girl appearance.
"Who asked you, Selphie?" Tidus snapped. "Lulu, you're not gonna let her say that!?"
"Why should I when you know she's right." She impassively joked. "Try to pick opponents you know you can beat."
"Wakka, back me up here?" He asked his friend. He noticed that he wasn't paying attention. Instead the only thing he was focusing on was Lulu.
Tidus noticed that and smiled mischievously. "So…Wakka ol'buddy. Tell me, how's the view. I'm sure many images just flashed into your head right now." He said, slyly.
Wakka snapped out of his thoughts and glared at Tidus. Next thing he knew, he was put into a choke hold by Wakka, who was choking the life out of him.
"Hey, come on guys!" Selphie cried. "Knock it off."
Lulu shook her head. "Idiots."
Sora just chuckled. It was nice to have friends like them.
Soon, class had started. It was the middle of the day and Sora was seated at the very end of the class, next to the window. He was currently taking notes as he listened to the teacher giving the class another lecture on history. Of course, all Sora could hear was blah, blah, blah.
He sighed, bored out of his mind and looked out the window. He was having some trouble concentrating anyways. He had looked around the classroom and noticed two empty seats; one in front of him and the other next to the right. And yet, nobody really noticed. He couldn't help but think that something was off today. Like something was missing and it made him feel incomplete.
"Sora?" Said a voice called. Sora flinched and turned to see the teacher looking at him, sternly. He realized that he hadn't been paying attention to what was being said in class at all. "Since you have time to daydream in my class, then you must've already covered the current passage?" The teacher said, sarcastically.
"W-well…I wouldn't say I covered it but…I did…uhh!" Sora said sheepishly. "I got nothing."
"Pay attention to what's happening during class or you'll be spending the next break going through remedial classes." The teacher informed him.
"Yes, sir." Sora replied, the class laughing at him. Sora resumed writing, figuring he should think about this stuff later.
School was finally let out. All the students quickly dashed out of the building and began either going home or hanging out with their friends. Tidus and Wakka went off to play some Blitzball. Selphie and Lulu had invited Sora to come with them to this new café but he declined, saying he had to look after the house.
Now, Sora had just come back to his house, with plenty of homework to work on. Obviously, the house was empty. He did see a note on the fridge, reminding him to clean up the living room and take out the trash. Sora put the note down and decided to get to it after he did his homework. As he went to the stairs, he saw an old picture frame. Three people could be seen. In the middle was a younger Sora, four-years-old, smiling widely. To the left was his mother, though her hair was longer back then. And the man in the right looked like a grown version of Sora. He had the similar hairstyle he had, though he had a mullet that reached his shoulders and a five o'clock shadow. He was none other than Sora's father.
Sora recalled somethings about his father. He was a fisherman who often aspired to go out to sea and explore new places. On days he wasn't working, he would often take Sora to the island next to their's and play pirates with him. He even taught him how to row his boat. Then, one day when he was five, his father went on another fishing trip with his friends but their ship had been caught in a terrible storm and hit by a rogue wave. The rescue team the mayor sent came back and reported no survivors. That was the last he saw his dad.
Sora had already retreated to his room, where he went to his desk and leaned back on his chair. He was so young when his dad died, he hardly knew anything about him. Most of those things he heard were from people at the docks that knew him. His mother also shared some things about him. Sora could tell that she really loved him. He often caught her crying but see denied it, saying there was something in her eyes.
He had started working on his homework, but for some reason, he was having a hard time concentrating. He kept thinking about his father and what he had dreamed for him. He once told him to go out and see the world when he was older and build stronger connections. Sora couldn't help but admire that goal and it was thanks to a friend that he was able to do it.
A friend? Sora's eyes widened in confusion as he placed his hand on his chest. What friend was that? For some reason, he was feeling like something wasn't there for some reason. But what could he have been missing? He pondered that question for a moment when suddenly…
Back in Las Noches, Aizen observed the machine as he watched an Arrancar monitored Sora's vitals.
"What is the status?" Aizen asked him.
"98% completion." The Arrancar responded. "In just a few moments, the machine will have begun the de-memorization process."
Aizen smiled wickedly. "Excellent." He walked over to the capsule and faced the unconscious Sora inside. "You've certainly proven to be more trouble then I originally gave you credit for. Starrk and Halibel have certainly changed because of you. But in the end, they will come to see that no amount of friendship you have given them will replace their loyalties."
Aizen soon turned to walk back. "Feel grateful that I choose you out of a handful of Keyblade Wielders. After all, you are a special one." Aizen smirked. "You hold a soul very dear to me. One you had sheltered long before Master Xehanort's failed apprentice came to you. The soul of my…"
However, before Aizen could finish, within Sora's capsule, something started to shine. "What?!" Aizen gasped, seeing the light. The light shined so brightly that he and the others were forced to shield their eyes.
"What's happening?!" Aizen yelled.
"I don't know Lord Aizen!" the Arrancar exclaimed. "It's as if something from within the subject is damaging the machine!"
Aizen gritted his teeth and stared at the capsule. Could it be?
Sora put his hands on her head, getting an intense headache. One that felt to familiar. He looked around and saw his whole room rumble, like a sort of earthquake. Then, to his horror, his whole room stated coming apart, and he was surrounded by a white vortex. He looked down to see a lone floor-board he was standing on.
"What's going on?!" The Keyblade Wielder cried in surprise, "What's happening to my room?!" He tried backing away but realized he had nowhere to go. Suddenly, the floor-board from beneath finally broke apart, and Sora screamed as he fell into the endless abyss.
Sora had his eyes closed. Too afraid to open them. However, the moment he did, he found himself standing in a shining platform. The platform was light blue, with a picture of his younger self, sleeping on the right side of the platform. The pattern that circled the platform were crown pictures that looked like his pendant. Underneath was a picture of his own world, the Destiny Islands. Next to Sora, were four faces; Riku, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy.
"Where am I?" He said, looking around. "This place. And these people. Why do they look familiar?" Suddenly, a flurry of images rushed to his head. Sora grabbed his head and fell to his knees, the pain being more intense than anything he had felt. After a minute, the headache subsided and Sora eye's widened, as if he had just remembered something. "Riku…Kairi…Donald…Goofy. My friends."
Sora looked around. He remembered this place. One he had went to a year ago. Dive to the heart. His Station of Awakening. "What just happened? Why was I dreaming being in my world? And why did I forget my best friends?" Sora thought out loud until he remembered his confrontation with Aizen. How he learned the truth of his plans and refused to join. That's when Aizen placed him into this machine that will erase all his memories and turn him into a mindless puppet.
"Aizen's machine." Sora narrowed his eyes. "It must have put me into some kind of illusion while it took away my memories. I almost forgot who I was." Sora then looked around. "But, how did I even end up here?"
"It's because I called for you here." Said a voice. Sora turned to see the same hooded figure standing before him.
"You!" He called out. "I've seen you before. You're that girl from my visions."
The cloaked girl giggled. "Well, I guess this is the first time we've met face to face. Am I right…Sora."
Sora's eyes widened. "How do you know my name? Actually, who are you?"
The girl didn't say anything as she grabbed her hood. "Who am I, you ask. Well I good answer would be…" The girl removed her hood that revealed her appearance. The girl's face looked similar to Sora, although it was more feminine. She had chestnut blonde hair, that appeared to be shoulder length, though she had it tied with a white ribbon to the right side of her head in a corkscrew ponytail style. Judging by her appearance, she looked no older than Sora. "…I am you."
That answer only served to confuse Sora further. "You are me? What's that supposed to mean?"
The girl let out a small laugh as she said. "Well, to put it simply I'm like a conscious of sorts. You could call me your guardian angel."
"My…guardian…angel." Sora was still confused but decided to ask. "Well, do you have a name?"
The girl nodded. "You can call me…Kalgara."
"Kalgara." Sora parroted. He then smiled. "Okay then, it's nice to meet you."
"Likewise." She said.
"So, why did you call me here?" He asked, causing Kalgara's expression to become serious. "You're here because I can sense that you're troubled. Whenever you're facing severe physical stress or mental stress, it's my job to point you to the right direction."
"Like a conscious, right?" Sora guessed, she nodded.
"Yes." Kalgara said. "I could since you were in great peril from Sōsuke's device. It put you into a dream world while it worked on destroying your memories. So, that's when I decided to act accordingly and saved you. I brought you to your own station of awakening to protect you."
"So, you've been inside me this whole time?" Sora asked. "But, why is it that were only meeting now?"
"Because you didn't need me at the time." Kalgara replied. "You had the help of plenty of hearts that you welcomed into your own."
Sora paused for a moment before several images passed into his head. "You mean…Ventus…Roxas…and Xion."
"And more." Kalgara said. "Your friend, Kairi used her heart to prevent you from feeding away the first time.
Sora remembered that Kairi was the one who held on to him, which was how he ended up in the Final World.
"You had so many hearts protecting you that I had decided it wasn't the right time for us to meet. I'm sure you must have questions…"
"I don't." Sora blankly replied.
Kalgara did a double take. "I'm sorry. What did you say?"
"I said I don't have any questions." Sora said. "At first, I did. But after a while, I felt that if you must have important reason for not meeting me until now. Reasons that I'm probably not ready to hear." Sora placed his hands behind his head and smiled. "So, I'll wait until you can tell me all about yourself."
Kalgara said nothing for a moment but then chuckled in amusement. "It seems you learned to become more patient. You have certainly matured more than I could have expected."
Sora chuckled. "Yeah, maybe a little." He smiled for a moment before asking something else. "Tell me. What's gonna happen now?"
"In a few minutes, you will wake up back in Hueco Mundo with all your memories intact." Kalgara explained. "What you choose to do afterwards is your decision."
Sora though about something. "Well, when I wake up. The first thing I'm gonna do is fight Aizen…"
"You can't." Kalgara interrupted Sora. "Sōsuke is at a league higher than even yours. To fight him on your own will lead to death."
"But…I have to do something!" Sora claimed. "Aizen plans to wipe out an entire town! If I don't stop him, thousands of people are going to die!"
"I'm not saying you shouldn't Sōsuke at all." Kalgara continued. "I'm saying you shouldn't fight him alone. If you truly wish to stop him, you'll need to gather allies and challenge Sōsuke in numbers."
"Allies?" Sora wondered until something came to mind. "You mean the Soul Reapers."
"Yes." She agreed. "Go to Karakura Town and offer your allegiance. I'm positive they'll accept your help."
Sora looked down as another thought came to mind. "But if I fight with the Soul Reapers then…" It didn't take a second for Kalgara to find out what he was thinking of. "I see. Part of you thinking about the friends you made ever since joining Sōsuke's side."
Sora smiled slightly. "Yeah. Those guys…it was thanks to them that I started having fun memories of this place. Those guys are my friends and I promised we would be together. But, if go and fight for the Soul Reapers, then I'm afraid…"
"Because of their loyalty to Sōsuke, you are afraid of having to fight the people you called your friends." Kalgara once again finished his thoughts.
"Exactly." Sora agreed. "I can fight Aizen and the other Espada, no problem. But I can't bring myself to ever fight Starrk, Halibel, Lilynette, Apacci, Mila-Rose, and Sung-Sun."
"Tell me Sora. What was the promise you made to Aqua?" Kalgara asked. Sora looked at her curiously.
"The promise?" He asked until he remembered. "That's right. The promise was that if my friends ever fell to darkness then I would…
"Bring them out of it." Kalgara finished. "If you feel that your friends are being manipulated by Sōsuke, then it's your job to bring them back."
"But Starrk said that he feels that he owes Aizen a debt. And Halibel said she's grateful because Aizen saved her life. Sora said. "I don't think Aizen was ever manipulating them."
"If that is true then the only solution will be to fight them with everything you have." Kalgara said, causing Sora to turn to her.
"But, they're my friends." Sora told her.
"And they're being mislead by Sōsuke." Kalgara told him. "To free your friends, you'll have to fight them with all your power. But remember, what is it that you still have?"
"My…" Sora pondered for a moment before seeing Kalgara point to her chest. "My heart."
"Exactly." She nodded. "I read in a book once that people are able to understand one another by fighting each other. With the strength of your heart, you'll surely be able to reach out to theirs and establish a connection."
Sora looked up into the sky. He began remembering everything from his journeys ever since he first gained the Keyblade. From battling Riku, Maleficent, Ansem, Organization XIII, Xemnas, Young Xehanort, the true Organization XIII and Master Xehanort.
Then he remembered all the friends he made. Riku, Kairi, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Aqua, Ven, Terra, Lea, Roxas, Xion, Naminé, and all the people from the worlds he saved.
Then he remembered his adventures in Hueco Mundo. Meeting Aizen, Gin, Kaname, and the Espada. The times he spent with Starrk, Lilynette, Halibel, Apacci, Mila Rose, and Sung-Sun. Then to Meeting Ashidō and fighting alongside him. Meeting Nel, Pesche, and Dondochakka. Teaming up with Gantenbainne. And his mission to Karakura Town.
Everything he had been through had led up to this moment. Now, Sora knew the decision he had to make.
"Your right." Sora said. "I made a mistake by joining Aizen. But I got to make some great friends because of it. I'm going to fight Aizen and if they don't feel like helping." Sora summoned his Keyblade. "I'll make them come to their senses."
Kalgara smiled. "Now, that's the decision I was hoping you'd say."
Soon, the area around them was beginning to rumble. Sora looked to see the stain-glass was beginning to crack. Sora looked and saw Kalgara becoming transparent.
"What the!" Sora looked around frantically. "What's going on!?"
"I told you that you will have to wake." Kalgara informed. "The time has now come and as a result, this station is vanishing. You will soon wake up in the Las Noches."
"But you can't go now!" Sora cried. "What if I have more questions! How will I talk to you!?"
"Remember what I said." Kalgara reminded. "I am you. If you need to see me, you'll find a way." Kalgara closed her eyes and could see that in the waking world, Aizen and the Exequias were standing in front of the machine. The Exequias had their swords out, ready to attack. "It looks like they're not planning on letting you leave without a fight."
"Then what do we do?" Sora asked.
Kalgara looked at Sora and smirked. "I have an idea."
Back in the machine room, Aizen and the Exequias were still staring at the machine, still giving off a bright glow. The intense light was causing the machine to vibrate and produce sparks. The monitor was also going off the charts.
"Lord Aizen!" The Arrancar cried. "The Machines overloading! It can't sustain the power anymore!" Suddenly, the monitor exploded, sending the Arrancar flying. Aizen looked to see the wires breaking of and the machine falling in one itself.
"Impossible!" Aizen gasped. "How could he have overcome the machine!?" Unless…
Then, the machine's door flew off. Smoke was coming out from the inside that made it difficult to see Sora. Aizen signaled the Exequias to stand back, wanting to confront Sora. However, when the smoke cleared, Aizen's eyes widened as all color drained from his face. He had always been smug, aloof, master manipulator, master tactician that even if there were any unforeseen contents to his plans, he learned to adapt and never lost his composer.
But there was no way he could ever compose himself after what he was seeing. "It can't be…" He breathed.
Standing before everyone was none other than Kalgara. However, she wasn't wearing her cloak anymore. Instead, she had on a white collar sleeveless shirt, with a short red tie, two separate white sleeves with two blue straps on each upper arm. She wore black tight shorts, a brown belt with pouches, long black socks the reached her thighs, and brown military boots with white straps going down each leg.
She looked up and gave a small smile at the stunned Aizen. "It's been a long time, Sōsuke."
Aizen snapped out of his stupor and glared at her. "How are you here. You're supposed to be dead." He said on edge.
She shook her head. "It's sad to see what you have become. To think you would go to such extreme lengths."
Aizen narrowed his eyes. "The worlds haven't changed since you've been gone. Even with the passing millennium, Soul Reapers and Keyblade Wielders have strived for peace, yet die with their hopes for a better future dashed."
"And their will, will be passed on to another." Kalgara countered.
"Only for the same results to happen." Aizen retorted. "I wish to alter that realty when I become Soul King."
Kalgara sighed disappointingly. "You still don't understand. Looking back, I can't help wonder where I went wrong. What lesson didn't you learn. I had hoped for you to have been brought up differently. My…"
Aizen snapped. "KILL HER!"
All the Exequias lunged towards Kalgara with their swords raised. Kalgara however, stood firm and raised her hand, which began glowing. Aizen's eyes widened as he immediately realized what she was planning to do. He raised his hands. "Bakudo #73!"
Suddenly, Kalgara released an enormous beam of light that destroyed all the Exequias stationed there. The attack was so immense that Aizen's shield couldn't hold up and he was repelled back. He slid across the floor, his bangs falling on his face. Looking up, he saw the room was partially destroyed. Kalgara was standing in front of a large gaping hole in the back. She turned back as he glared in ire.
"It seems there has been a hindrance to your plans." She said. "Rest assured, you will see Sora again. Only he will see that your plans will be thwarted. Make no mistake of that." With that, Kalgara leaped into the hole.
Meanwhile, Aizen had been complicating on this recent turn of events. "Sora…you truly are her…" He had known of Sora potential but even he wasn't expecting his connection to be that strong. Of course, with his machine damaged and Sora running off, there was now a good chance that he will meet Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends and join forces with them. He couldn't let that happen.
"My, my, my…" Aizen didn't even need to turn to see Gin standing by the door. "That was a splendid performance."
"Gin." Aizen said. "How long were you standing there?"
"Just got here." Gin replied. "Heard that big explosion and rushed right over here." Another question came to mind. "So, it looks like Sora-boy has turned against us."
Aizen nodded. "It would appear so."
"What are you gonna do?" Gin asked curiously. Before Aizen could answer, Tōsen came running.
"Lord Aizen! What happened!?" He asked, having heard the explosion.
Aizen said nothing at first. He moved his bangs with his hand, returning his hair to his original style. Then he turned to Tōsen and calmly asked. "Kaname…activate Tenteikūra."
Tōsen nodded. "Yes sir. But why?"
"Because…I have a message to deliver, to the Espada." Aizen replied.
To Be Continued…
A/N: That's another chapter finished. This was the chapter where Sora discovered everything and I will say that due to Aizen's machine, Sora has regained all of his memories. Also, I will just point out that now Sora is capable of using his Second Form powers in his base form, so he does not need to change into it anymore. However, he still needs to use Synch Blade to access Formchange. He also now has access to all Fourth tier magic attacks.
You probably have some questions about what is Aizen's connection to Kalgara, the same with Sora. Well, I'm gonna be frank; the answer to that question won't be found in this story. I said that I have intentions of making a sequel taking place during the 1000 Year War arc. I plan to reveal that connection there along with other things.
Next Time: The Espada receive word of Sora's defection and some are left troubled. Sora races off to Orihime, stumbles upon Nel and finally meets a certain Substitute Soul Reaper. Please review.