As promised, this is the BIG CHAPTER WHERE SOMEONE DIES. So obviously, there's also gonna be a gihuzic battle where they're UP TO THEIR EYEBALLS IN HEARTLESS! Thanks to everyone for your guesses so far; now watch the drama unfold!

"Prepare yourself for something very dreadful."—Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet, Pride and Prejudice

Chapter 14: The Procession
Pretty soon the passengers and crew of the Gummi Ship were organized in the following manner…

King Mickey was at the head of the outer circle with Donald behind his left and Naminé on his right. Sora was behind Donald and Roxas was behind Naminé (naturally). Behind the twins and making the very back of the circle were Riku (behind Sora) and Ame (behind Roxas).

The Princesses made an inner circle with Mulan at its front, prepared to bravely defend her new sisters of pure heart, and Prince Daniel the former Beast in its back. Belle was in front of him on the left, Sally on the right, and Alice was dead center with Christopher Robin in hand.

"Listen carefully, Christopher," Ame had said earlier, "We're going to take all of you to safety, but you have to do exactly as you're told. Do you understand?" When he nodded yes, she continued, "We're going to make a safety circle. I'm gonna help with the fighting, so I want you to stay with Alice. As long as you stay in the circle with her and the other princesses, no Heartless will get you." His little lip trembled and he hugged her fiercely; she hugged him back and kissed his forehead before handing him off to Alice.

Now they were all in their circles and ranks, ready to take on the army of Heartless.

"Princesses ready?" asked King Mickey.

"Ready," they chorused.

"Warriors ready?" he asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" shouted the Keyblade warriors.

"All right," he said grimly, "Ame, Naminé! Magic Maidens move! I want the most powerful protective shield you can create!"

They both nodded; Naminé threw yellow light magic over their heads in a perfect arc that spread down in a circle while Ame sent blue celestial magic to surround their lower half. The combined power turned white and disappeared, leaving behind an invisible spell of protection that would serve as a second line of defense after the fierce weapons of the outer circle.

"Good work, girls," said the king as he summoned his golden Keyblade, "All right, everybody! Move out! On to Merlin's!"

They had to go single file through the Crystal Fissure but once they were out and back in formation, Donald started bringing down the thunder while Naminé blasted away with her light magic; Ame didn't have enough water for an octopus form attack, but she did make a water whip that kept away the Heartless from her side. Any that came from the other side, front, or behind were punished by a Keyblade. Once in a while, the bolder ones would try an aerial attack to the inner circle that was cut off swiftly, abruptly, and literally by Mulan or Daniel. Poor Christopher Robin was terrified of so many Heartless in one setting and every time they attempted an assault, his delicate heart jumped into overdrive. Knowing about his heart problem, Alice became worried and told him to keep his eyes closed. He did and kept his arm around her waist and held her apron with his other hand.

"Dragon of Fire," Mulan breathed and jumped straight up. She spun around, releasing a ring of fire that incinerated five or six Heartless; she landed right back in her place. She was one of the most disciplined warriors Ame had ever met. She decided to try a trick of her own. She closed her eyes and opened her arms downward at the sides, still walking.

"Go forth, my spirit shadows of the eagle and the serpent," she intoned, "Be swift of wing and scale, sure of eye and sharp of claw and fang. Descend without mercy on the enemies assailing and leave none alive!"

An eagle and a snake issued from her chest in a light blue glow; the eagle unfurled its wings when it burst forth and the snake slithered quickly. They gave a cry and a hiss as they flew and slid into the fray. Ame did nothing to control them; they knew what they were supposed to do and they did it the way they were commanded: Swiftly and without mercy.

Team Hunt continued in this fashion, trying to keep as close together as possible. None of the outer circle spoke because they were all in battle mode; the only need they felt was to kill Heartless and keep moving. None of the inner circle spoke because they didn't want to disturb the warriors.

They soon met up with Goofy, Leon, and Aerith in The Great Maw. Leon spoke to King Mickey, then ran up to Aerith, who nodded and went with him to Sora.

"Hey, kid!" Leon greeted, "Why don't you switch with me and spread some damage around?"

They were still moving; Sora quickly looked around for an opening, but Leon grabbed his shirt, spun around with him, and filled his spot. He saw Aerith switch with Ame, too. He watched her draw out all her thermos water with a smile, turn slowly in the air, and sweep through the Heartless with long streams on her arms, slashing them like a couple of scythes. Any Heartless that weren't destroyed on contact were knocked left and right. She looked like she was having fun! Sora decided to have some of his own; heaven knows there was plenty to go around.

They were halfway through The Great Maw when the tragedy struck.

Ame was a ways ahead of the rest, fighting with Goofy. They were trying to thin out the thicket for the king's group when suddenly a dark vapor appeared around Ame's feet that quickly sucked her in and popped her back out on the cliff path over one of the banks of the Maw. Standing before her was another person she knew only from Sora's stories…

Sephiroth, the One-Winged Angel.

She showed no emotion because she felt no emotion, only confusion. She stared at him with the wind blowing her cape to the side, covering her completely, and her hood covered half her face like the Beatles. Sephiroth's hair did the same to him.

'I suppose I should feel awkward,' she thought practically, 'He's not my enemy. Why would he single me out like this?'

"How do you do?" she finally greeted with a straight face, "My name's Ame." She had to say something. He smiled—not cruelly or anything, more amused.

"How do you do," he responded, "I am Sephiroth. (…) You're not afraid of me."

"You're not my enemy," she said calmly, "I see no reason to fear you…not yet, anyway. But I am curious as to why you felt the need to bring me here alone." Without missing a beat, she threw her arm out with a long icicle on her hand and stabbed a Heartless dead.

"I saw a new face among the followers of the Keyblade," he answered as he skewered another Heartless, "I wanted to introduce myself." He pointed his long weapon at her; it almost touched her heart, but she didn't move a muscle.

"You have a beautiful sword," she said, "Katana, the straight sword of the samurai." He half-smiled and sheathed his sword.

"You know your weapons," he said appreciatively. The ground suddenly gave beneath him and he slid down the bank. Ame went to the spot and looked down with the wind still whipping her cloak.

"Including that one!" she called before sliding down on her feet to him.

"Now that we know each other, I have a battle to rejoin," she said, "Farewell." She ran as fast as she could back to Team Hunt, leaving vapors of darkness in her wake. Her heart rate was close to an attack; that sword had to be ten feet long! She had to protect them from it!

Where was Sora?

No. Where was Cloud?

As a matter of fact, he was searching for his old foe while fighting Heartless.

Time began to slow down: Riku saw his beautiful fiancé running frantically toward them with unadulterated terror in her face. He saw Sora run past her to try and stall Sephiroth. He heard her yell, "NO, SORA!" Something was happening in the inner circle—another onslaught of Heartless that was being taken care of by Mulan and Leon.

Then he saw his sword come flying towards them.

His heart stopped. His eyes flew. The sword passed Ame and Sora by a mile and Riku realized that Sephiroth wasn't aiming for either of them!

Daniel saw it coming, too; he pushed Alice and Sally forward, roaring like he was the Beast again, but his brave act left him only a second to throw his arms around Belle in an attempt to shield her.

Sora's eyes mooned out and Ame's expression turned to anguish as the blade of Sephiroth's katana passed through the Prince's back and came out through Belle's. All the world seemed to gasp in shock. Sora couldn't even hear himself screaming her name or Christopher Robin shrieking in fear; he could only hear the rush of blood in his ears.

For a moment, Belle and her prince stood shakily in each other's arms and stared in each other's eyes.

"My…savior…in life," whispered the prince, "And now…my angel…in death. I…love you." Belle managed to smile.

"I love you," she gasped. He cupped her head and kissed her deeply; then they dropped to their knees and fell on their sides in the eternal embrace of true love. The sword disappeared, its wicked task complete.

"BELLE!" Sora's ears worked again. "PRINCE!" He ran to them and fell to his knees beside them. They were still holding each other fondly, their eyes closed in sweet love.

"No," he whispered, "No! Belle! Beast!"

Belle's pure heart appeared above her body the same way it looked in the first game; everyone watched as it slowly rose into the air.

"No!" Sora cried, "Belle, don't go! Come back! BELLE!" His face was turned up, his hand reaching for the heart that had disappeared and was on its way to a new protector. Sora's eyes closed painfully but the tears fell anyway. When they opened again, they held nothing but unmitigated gall and the overwhelming desire to kill the One-Winged Angel. He didn't care that only Cloud could kill him; for the murder of Belle and the Prince, and before he would face Cloud again, Sephiroth would suffer the full wrath of the Key Master!

"SEPHIROTH!" he screamed as he ran at him and whopped him with everything he had, not noticing Cloud joining him. Ame moved to help, but Mickey grabbed her hand.

"Best leave him to it, Ame!" he said, "I've got a job for ya! Take the rest of the inner circle and blast your way through to Merlin's House! We're breaking ranks here!"

"But what about…?" she started to ask, but her throat constricted.

"Leave that to me," he said gently, "Now hop to it and report back!"

"Yes, Your Majesty," she choked and swallowed. He was right; they were still under attack and their protective magic had been compromised. They had to work fast (again). She ran back to the remaining princesses and slid to her knees in front of Christopher Robin with her back to him.

"Climb on my back, Christopher," she said as she took his hands around her neck from behind, "We're running for it." She moved her cape over him, hooked her arms under his legs, and stood to face the princesses.

"Sally, Alice! You're coming with me!" she told them, "Hold hands and stay close! Mulan, cover the rear! Follow me!"

Riku sadly looked down at the bodies of Belle and her prince.

"I think we just became a funeral procession," he said to himself.

The girls took off at a quick dash; Sally and Alice held hands and kept up as best they could while Mulan protected them with sword and fire and Ame used her eagle and snake to guard them up front. Christopher Robin kept his face down.

Eventually they made it up to the Ravine Trail where Ame had met Sephiroth; there were Heartless running straight at them! Alice screamed; Ame narrowed her eyes and stomped her foot hard once. The cliff the Heartless were on immediately slanted down to the side like the rest of the slope. They fell down the bank, where a burst of blue power boomed up and destroyed them. That was also Ame's doing. The path returned to normal and they ran along it until they reached the Borough where they were under constant attack, especially on the staircase. A bunch of Neo Shadows jumped from above, but a huge gust of wind blew them away before they could touch the girls. It accidentally knocked them to the wall, but Ame quickly moved Christopher Robin so that she was holding him, shielding him against the wall while holding arms with Mulan across Sally and Alice.

"Ame," said Mulan, "Look!" Ame cautiously looked behind them and followed her gaze up to the opposite wall. Howl was standing there in his bird/beast form, his feathers fluttering in the breeze.

"Howl-san!" she exclaimed as he swooped down to them.

"Are you girls all right?" he asked with concern, "I sensed your approach and thought you could use an escort."

"Yes, thank you," Ame nodded, "Are there any more Heartless between us and Merlin's house?"

"No," he answered, "A divine little friend of yours took care of that." She raised an eyebrow.

"Huh?" she said, "Oh!" A light breeze touched her and she smiled.

'Thank you, Shitaro,' she thought fondly. In her mind she saw the small child in his white toga-like outfit with his fluffy white hair and little angel wings. His back was to her but he had his head turned to her with a finger to his lips and he was winking.

'Shh,' he said, 'Don't tell on me!'

Howl flew in front of them the rest of the way until they finally reached the magic shield around Merlin's cottage that covered the small porch in front of it, too. Ame and the princesses were able to pass through easily, followed by Howl. Only then did Ame put Christopher Robin back on his feet and take his hand. Howl opened the door for them and stayed close behind.

"Ame!" cried Kairi, "You're back! You're safe!"

The two friends went to each other and hugged; Ame buried her head in Kairi's shoulder, radiant with relief that she didn't have to be in the battle.

"I can't stay and talk, Kairi," she said, "I have to get back outside and help. I brought some friends over!" While Kairi had a reunion/introduction with the other princesses, Ame knelt to her small friend.

"I have to go back and help the others, Christopher Robin," she said gently, "I want you to stay here with Kairi and Sophie, okay? They'll keep you safe."

"No!" he cried, throwing his arms around her neck, "Please don't go, Miss Water! It's scary out there!"

"I'll be all right, Christopher," she smiled, "Please, I don't have much time. Will you do as I ask?" He nodded.

"There's a good boy." She brushed his bangs, hugged him one more time, and stood up.

"I've gotta go, Kairi," she said, "We'll all be back soon."

"Be careful!" Kairi called as Ame left with Howl.

"What's the matter, Christopher Robin?" asked Alice. He was crying again.

"I'm s-scared," he wept into her lap, "That tall man…What if he kills Miss Water, too?"

"Too?" Kairi repeated, "What do you mean?" Mulan gently touched the boy's head and looked at Kairi.

"You are Kairi, the Seventh Princess of Heart?" she asked. Kairi nodded somewhat fearfully. Mulan bowed to her on one knee with her hand on her heart.

"Sweet princess," she said, "I am Li Mulan, a warrior and a Princess of Heart, like yourself. I fear I have grave news."

Kairi's eyes mooned out like Sora's had and she fell to her knees.

Author's Review:
Okay, before y'all start sharpening pitchforks and lighting torches, I know: I KILLED BELLE AND THE BEAST. But at least they went together! Actually, their death was inspired by Takuto and Mitsuki in the 7th issue of "Full Moon," when Takuto desperately tries to save Mitsuki from the Death Master's scythe, but they both get skewered…except Takuto and Mitsuki came back to life.

I'm sorry, okay? Blame the inner muse! She makes me do weird and sometimes horrible things in fan fiction! Try reading my Jimmy Neutron stories!

Let's see, other references…I'm not sure if it was Ben Franklin who said that "mice and men" phrase or not, so if anyone knows, please share.

Okay, horror story about Riku's "funeral procession" line: Believe it or not, that was the hardest line to fit into the chapter! See, at the end of the last chapter, Mickey said "I think it's time for a royal procession." So I wanted to transpose that line in this one, and at first I wasn't even sure who was going to say it. Then I thought, 'Eh, Riku's always got cool lines anyway,' so he won. You wouldn't think it would be that hard, but it was. I have a bajillion scratched out lines in the handwritten version of this chapter. It's quite sad, really. That line was floating around more than a butterfly! I just hope it fits where it is. It even has the same number of words! (Count 'em!)

Leave reviews, but PLEASE don't hurt me about Belle!