Road Trip of the Heart

by ultima-owner

A unforgettable journey of crazy times, at least for the person doing it. It's a SIOC fic so if you don't like those, please don't flame.

14. SCARECROW

Welcome to the next chapter! There will be a mini 'tournament arc' of sorts. Basically, Zane will be doing a series of tests to get access to an artifact because of the laws of the world it's on. There will be spoilers for Hunter X Hunter. After that, He'll be traveling to a couple other worlds. There will be spoilers for the shows those worlds are based on.

Disclaimer: I only own what's mine. Everything else is someone else's.

Chapter 14: SCARECROW

Seven years ADX (After the defeat of Xehanort)

World of Nen

Underground tunnel

Zane was listening the conversations around him as the applicants prepared themselves for the Hunter's Exam. He heard his number being mentioned by, #16, Tonpa 'the rookie crusher'. "The armored guy over there is, #1, Bird of the Hearth. I don't know much about him. He tried the exam eight years ago but was disqualified after an Examiner said some choice words about his family. The Examiner's face was caved in and he's permanently drinking all his food and drink through a straw. To add Insult to injury, he was backlisted from being an examiner ever again." Tonpa said shrugging. "What do you mean he was blacklisted?" A lanky older looking teen with glasses, #403, yelled.

"Turns out, the ex-examiner was breaking some rules, fixing the odds, taking bribes, things like that. Armored birdy over there exposed him then the fool said something he'd soon regret. The next you know, he was embedded a foot into the ground in his own personal crater. The Bird was standing over him with a bloody fist and an aura of doom like you wouldn't believe." Tonpa said shivering.

A blonde kid holding tonfas, #404, gripped them harder. "There is a very good reason for that, I am sure. What else can you tell us?" Tonpa said nothing for a moment then in a cold voice he said, "He was holding back with that punch." Spikey haired kid wearing green and carried a fishing rod, #405, nodded "He understood that killing him was unnecessary. Maybe I should talk to him." #404 and #403 griped his shoulders. "Gon! Didn't you hear what he did? If you piss him off, he'll turn you into paste!" #403 said panicked.

"Gon, Leorio may be overreacting but is it worth the risk to approach him?" #404 said carefully. Gon shook his head "Kurapika, he's not that kind of person. Trust me." Gon says smiling as he shrugged off their hands and approached Zane.

Extending his hand, Gon said "Hello there. My name is Gon Freecess. What's yours?" Zane looked at the hand then Gon's face. He was smiling warmly, like he was greeting a friend. "Zane Laskaris." Zane says shaking Gon's hand. "Wow. Your armor looks amazing did you make it?" Gon asks curiously "I helped make it stronger but most of the work was done by master craftsmen." Zane answers.

A ring tune (final fantasy victory fanfare) interrupted the conversion. Zane takes out his GummiPhone, "Hello. This is Zane speaking." He answers. Josuke was on the other line. "Zane! Don't come back! Kira's father wants you dead!" He said before the call was cut short. Zane put the GummiPhone away. "What was that about?" Gon asked.

"Nothing you need to worry about." Zane answers. The Examiner of the first phase Satotz, who seemed to be mouthless, told them to follow him to the second phase of the exam.

An unknown length of time later

Outside of the tunnel

"Welcome to Milsy Wetlands. It's also called Swindler's Swamp as you will soon understand why." Satotz says as the ones who passed phase one caught their breath. Someone stumbled near them dragging a creature. "Don't listen to him! He's a man faced ape! They disguise themselves as humans to trick you into following them to your death." He throws the 'corpse' he was carrying to show them it was an ape with a human face. The people started to mutter believing what he said.

Satotz said nothing as they questioned who they should believe. Zane walked up to Satotz and inspected his face. He pulled on Satotz cheeks then nodded to himself. He walked over to the newcomer and the people questioned what he was doing. When he was a few feet from the man and the 'corpse' he punched him hard. The man was uppercut and sent flying into the swamp. The 'corpse' ran away, revealing it wasn't dead.

"Was there a point to pulling my face?" Satotz asked. "No. but it made the beast sweat." Zane answered amused. Satotz snorted "Very well. This way." He leads them into the swamp. Zane had no trouble with any of the inhabitants. They were not a problem, or they were too afraid to mess with him.

In about five minutes He reached the sight of the second phase. There was cooking stations and the examiners were seated in front of the mansion. "Your ahead of the others." The giant sumo of a man, Buhara, said. The normal sized in comparison examiner, Menchi scrutinized him. "Weren't you the one that caved in someone's face?" She asked. Zane raised an unseen eyebrow at the five braids hair style she had going. "I'm not apologizing." He said flatly.

Menchi shrugged. "Doesn't matter anyways. I hope your cooking is up to my standards." She grinned.

Forty minutes later

Zane was hunting Great Stomp, the only source of pork in the area. The challenge was to make a pork dish with what was available in the swamp. He spotted the giant pig as it crunched bones. The rest of the herd was ten meters away. Stealth kill was the best choice. Zane jumped above the pig and drove his Kopis into the beast's head killing it instantly. Hefting the pig, he walked back to cook it.

20 minutes later

He was doing the finishing touches on his creamy ranch pork chops on rice. People were just roosting the pig without caring about the taste. Zane shook his head and brought his food to be judged. "tell us about your dish." Menchi says inspecting the dish with her eyes and nose first. "What you have is a creamy ranch pork chop cooked medium rare. The rice was cooked in the pork broth and seasoned with some herbs and spices. Enjoy." Zane says.

Buhara eats it all in one go. "You pass. Try it Menchi, it's got feeling." Buhara says. Menchi skeptical takes a bite and freezes. "You pass. It tastes like home." She says sighing contently. "Thank you. It's a family recipe." Zane says walking away.

When he got to his station, Buhara announced he was full. Those who didn't pass complained. Things were getting tense was the Chairman, Netero, literally dropped in off an airship. Those that didn't pass got a second chance, all they had to do is get a Spider Eagle egg. Not an ease task, but most of them passed.

On board the airship

On route to the third phase

Zane was walking through the halls when he witnessed #99, a white-haired kid, kill two people. "Well. You seem to be in a bad mood, Killua." Zane said calmly. "Oh, it's you. It's been years." Killua said. "You know how it is. Hunt down the artifact, judge if it's dangerous then deal with it accordingly." Zane says from memory. "How's Alluka doing? Still doing her thing?" Killua nodded. "She misses you, Nanika does too."

"Makes sense. Maybe I should come by for a visit. Is Zeno and Silva still alive? I know that Silva is more than likely alive, but you never can tell with the assassination business." Zane asked. Killua looked almost offended "Like they'd let anyone kill them. Grandfather is interested in arranging a meeting with you."

"I'll contact him after the exams are over." Zane says. "Anything interesting happened to you lately?" Killua asked as they walked down the hall. "Took a page out of your family's book and ripped someone's heart out. There was a lot of blood, but the heart was perfectly intact." Zane said. "Not bad for a beginner." Killua comments. Behind them, #301 Gittarackur was watching them from the shadows as his pin covered head rattled.

Later

Trick Tower

Zane leaned against the wall as his teammates. He ended up in a team challenge route down the Trick Tower. It was called 'Decision by Majority'. It started out with choosing to open a door or not, then left or right. Luckily Zane know this group, it consisted of Gon, Leorio, Kurapika, and Killua.

The next challenge was to face prisoners in combat of their choice. A man with a scared scalp stepped up first. His name was Bendot, sentenced to 199 years for robbery and murder. "I'll go first." Zane said walking across the telescoping bridge to the 'arena'.

Bendot stood before him with crossed arms. "The combat will be to the death, is that alright with you?" He said confident. Zane asked "Would you feel slighted if I remove my armor? It seems unfair for you?" Bendot laughed. "Do what you want." Zane dismissed his armor completely and threw armor piece to Gon. "Keep it safe" Zane ordered as they tried to figure out how he did that. He was wearing just a tank top and jeans.

"You are brave man. I hope you chose wisely." Bendot yelled as he charged Zane. Zane met him half way and an intense CQC (close quarters combat) fight began.

On the sidelines both sides watched interested. "How strong is he?" Leorio said gapping at the craters from the punches and kicks. "He's enjoying himself." Gon says pointing out the matching grins on the combatants. "He's a monster when he needs to be." KIllua said tracking every move of the fight.

Zane's shirt got torn, revealing a thin scar on his abdomen and a matching scar on his back just left of his spine. "With the scars where they are, he'd have to been impaled. Even with onsite treatment he'd be dead!" Leorio said pulling at his hair. Kurapika agreed with that assessment but there was something that told him he was missing a piece of the puzzle. He couldn't explain how the armor worked but he was sure it was connected.

"It's over." Kurapika said noticing Bendot's slowing attacks. He was favoring his left side and blood dripped from his mouth. Zane delivered a punishing strike to the right shoulder and they heard the bones shatter loudly.

"You fought well. How do you want your funeral?" Zane asked as Bendot struggled to breath, coughing up blood. Bendot grinned proudly. "Give me a sendoff to remember." He said as his heart gave out. Zane closed his unseeing eyes. "I know your watching! May I fulfill his last request?" Zane asked the examiner of this phase.

In the control room, Lippo adjusted his glasses. This was an interesting development. He activated the intercom. "Go ahead. You may cremate him if you have the means to do so." This would tell him more about Applicant #1's abilities. His eyes shined as Zane created flames that burned the body to ashes. Zane was muttering a prayer.

"Very interesting. The Chairman will want to hear about this."

An hour later

Trick tower

Zane stood before two doors. "I say we do the long way. We've got sixty hours and it takes forty-five hours. You guys agree?" Gon nodded. "Hang on! You still didn't answer my question! How does your armor work? How did you make that fire? How are you alive?" Leorio demanded getting in Zane's face. Zane had reactivated his armor after the fight and refused to answer their questions. Only Leorio was still hounding him for answers.

"Later now choose a door." Zane said. They voted and took the long path.

45 hours later

Zane's group had finally got to the bottom of the tower. "I'm glad that's over. I couldn't have run much longer." Leorio said sitting down drained of energy. "Who puts a flaming boulder in a downward hallway?" He complained. "It wasn't that bad. I seen better death traps in my travels." Zane says offhand. "How the hell are you so calm? You shrugged off all the traps like they were child's play. Just to reiterate, we faced murderers, a room of switches that required five people to pull five switches simultaneously, and a downhill maze with flaming boulders chasing us. And that was the tip of the iceberg!" Leorio said completely fed up with Zane.

"I suppose I can fill you in on the broad strokes." Zane said. "You could call me a 'treasure reclaimer' among other things. The boss lady points out a treasure and a get it back. Normally I wouldn't be doing the exam, but I need to get in a restricted place." Kurapika got what he was alluding to "You need a Hunter's license to get in. Why did you wait eight years to try again?"

"Things…happened." Zane said vaguely as he could. "The armor and fire are some of the abilities I've got up my sleeve. If you pass the exam, you should look into it."

A week later

Site of the final phase

Zane was watching the tournament battles progress. Spending days on an island with the goal of hunting for a specific badge was a breeze. His target was #301, the pinhead who set off alarm bells that put Zane on edge. Speak of the devil, that was who Zane was fighting next.

He strolled in to the ring. "You aren't angry about the badge, are you?" Zane asked amused. The pinhead said nothing and started to remove the pins. His face wrapped and changed into a face Zane knew. "Illumi, I should have known it was you! You here because you can't complete a job? Or are you here for little old me?" Zane said chuckling and catching the needles that were thrown at him. Illumi Zoldyck was Killua's brother.

"You are a danger to the family." Illumi said flatly. "Of course, I am. It's my job to insure things don't fall in the wrong hands. So, I stormed your home, survived your grandfather and father, then escaped alive. What's the big deal? No one was hurt too badly." Zane had fifty needles at his feet. Illumi's unchanging face was starting to show his displeasure.

"I surrender." He says flatly. "Pleasure doing business with you." Zane mocks pocketing the needles. Zane walks over to Killua and pokes him in the forehead "You'll thank me later." Zane says.

A few days later

Chairman's office

Netero sat looking at Zane, who had deactivated his armor on the chairman's request. "You are an odd one. You antagonize a member of the Zoldyck family, handicap yourself so a convict can die a warrior's death, and finally you asked to spar with me at full power. You have my attention." Netero says stroking his beard with a gleam in his eyes.

"You lost in said spar quite quickly. But you took five blows and fought on. Not many can claim that. The question is why?" Netero said with a hint of steel. "I needed to know where I stand. There are unspeakable horrors out there just waiting for the chance to devour all life." Zane said, "And you can't tell me about the details." Netero states. "I expected that. I'll call you when I need to cash in the favor you owe me."

Zane stood up and nodding as he left.

Six months later

"What do you mean I'm promoted to a triple-star Hunter?" Zane asked confused. He had just got back from the Dark Continent, when he was given a package. It had his new triple-star hunter license in it. He called Netero at three in the morning for answers. "You don't think we missed the hunter you mentored six years ago? You've been making waves and the chairmen feel the need to keep tabs on you. They pulled a few strings and based on your achievements, awarded you this position. You fit all the required points." Netreo explained.

"What about having a job in the Hunter Association? Last I checked, I don't have one." Zane points out. Netreo chuckles. "You are the head of the History Protection Division. Missions that are protecting and/or finding artifacts of any kind is basically what they expect of you."

"They just made that up so they can give me a job." Zane said annoyed "You're half right. It was an idea that was thrown around at the meetings. No one wanted to deal with paperwork to set it up without someone to take the helm as the Head of the division. Then you show up and it was the golden opportunity. Have fun." Netreo hung up with a click then diel tone. Zane puts his phone away, grumbling about meddlesome governments.

"spending four months on Dark Continent and they 'reward' me with a means to keep a closer eye on me. Maybe with underlings helping me, I have more free time for family." Zane mused. The phone rings again. "Hello?" Zane said as he answered the call. "You're Zane Laskaris, right? I've contacted some people interested in working in your division." A male voice, that reminded him of Gon, said on the other end. "What kind of people?" Zane asked. "Ruins hunters, Paleograph hunters, Stone hunters, Treasure hunters, Jackpot hunters, Music hunters, and Sea hunters to name a few."

Zane was floored. "How long did this take to put together? And who are you?" Zane questioned. "Two months. Call me Ging. I hear that trouble is brewing in NGL." Click. Zane breathed in. "That had to be Gon's father. A great Hunter but bad at interacting with humans."

Zane found a shady place and booted up his laptop. Entering the URL for the Hunter's Tavern and his license code, he accessed the hunter's website. "Let's see, NGL, an isolated nation where no tech is allowed, and drugs are rumored to be manufactured." Zane rubbed his chin noting the stubble he had. "I need a shave." Zane mused.

A week later

Doli City, Republic of Rokario

Zane was walking through the city when he heard some guy with a pompadour yelling for someone to come and face him. "Sir. Are you aware that you are disturbing the peace?" Zane asked loud enough to be heard. The man stopped his yelling and said "I know you. You're the rising star that Morel was interested in." Zane shushes him. "I'm trying to blend in right now. If I wanted to be known I would be walking around in my armor. Please give me your name and why you are yelling." Zane said softly.

"I'm Knuckle Bine. I'm here to challenge and defeat the person holding the other half of this." He holds up half a shogi piece. "Right. I don't think yelling will get them to fight you. Besides the police over there look ready to arrest you." Zane nods to the left. Knuckle notices the cops.

"Thanks, but I got it covered." Knuckle says and goes back to yelling. Zane shakes his head and walks away. Hunters are crazy, himself included.

Later that day.

"hello Gon, KIllua. I was in the area so, I thought I'd see how you're doing." Zane said not fazed by the aura of doom Palm was expelling as she glared at him. He was calmly looking at the profiles of the hunters that Ging sent him. "What do you know about Chimera Ants?" Gon asks with a hard edge to his voice. Zane looked at them sharply, "You aren't asking about the garden variety, are you?"

"Have you ever heard of ones that are human sized? Roughly two meters in height." KIllua says making Zane set the paperwork down. "There is only one place that kind of ants come from and it's above your paygrade. Start explaining what exactly is going on in the NGL."

They explained what they knew and left nothing out. "Gon I have good news and bad news. Bad news is that Kite is dead." Zane said then stopped them from saying anything as he continued. "The good news is that he will very likely retain his memories and personality when he reincarnates as an ant. Sounds weird but I've seen similar cases."

Gon looked crestfallen but hopeful. KIllua was skeptical "How does it work?" The question was hard to explain but Zane tried his best to answer. "Basically, the ants take the best parts on the prey they eat, including skills and memories. If the preys Will is strong enough, they can break free of the queen's control. It's up to Kite to survive and break free without being discovered. Focus on getting strong enough to prevent the ants from killing off humanity."

"Well said, boss." A woman's voice said. "Bisky?" Gon and Killua said. Zane searched the profiles and found the one he was looking for. "Biscuit Krueger. Prefers to be call 'Bisky'. A double star Stone hunter. Your skills are noted and useful to my division." Zane says. "What do you mean 'boss'?" Killua asked on edge. "Your looking at the newest triple star hunter. He's young but he's got the right stuff for the job." Bisky says.

The creepy lady, Palm stopped glaring and asked, "What kind of hunter are you?" Zane shrugged "History hunter. I made it my life mission to keep things that happened from 'disappearing'" Zane did air quotes as he said this. "This also includes hunting down artifacts. Yes, you can keep some of the gems you find if they are not dangerous or important." Zane answers Bisky's question before she even said it.

Gon beamed. "With you Kite will be saved for sure!" With that they throw themselves into training whole heartedly.

Six weeks later

NGL

Chimera Ant Nest

Zane walked up to the dying queen. His gaze was not of pity or hate. It was just sadness. "We meet again your majesty." The Queen ant stared at him in shock. One of the squadron leaders, Octopus, was shocked at this, but was even more shocked when Zane understood the queen who didn't speak human tongue. "You are the flaming one who aided me in battle that day. You are odd." She said

"You have no desire to live." Zane stated knowing she had made up her mind. "Is Meruem, my son, strong?" She asks clinging to life. "your son is making his mark on history." Zane says as she dies relieved. Zane sensed something still living. He extracted a tiny baby ant. She clung to life with a will of steel. Colt another of the squadron leaders rushed over and wept tears of sadness and joy for the queen was dead yet there was a chance to protect his sister again even if it wasn't the same person.

"What's the call, Zane?" Morel asks shouldering his oversized pipe. "the ants here don't need to die. I don't know about the splinter groups or the king's group, but they have a chance to live peacefully. I'm willing to stake my life on it." Zane says making the ant look at him shocked.

"Colt I'm trusting you to care for her." Zane says as he walks away. "I have a wannabe queen to hunt down." The hunters watch him unsure of what to do. "Let him go." Netreo said "Removing the hostile splinter groups is paramount."

A week later

Meteor city

Zane was in the entry hall of the webbed-up castle when he was stopped by a group of people. "Hey you! What are you doing?" The man that spoke was a tall guy with blonde hair, Phinks. "Hello spiders. I am here to get rid of a pest that has outlive her welcome. You're welcome to help." Zane looks at the youngest member of the group. "Well if it it's mommy boy Kalluto. I see that you're still mad at me for what I did three years ago." Zane says grinning at Kalluto Zoldyck's restrained angry response.

"It's interesting to see you again." The ten-year-old killer said with gritted teeth. "It was nice chatting with you, but It looks like we've got a welcoming committee." Humans turned into monsters by the wannabe queen ant came from the shadows.

"You guys sit back and let Margret show her stuff." Zane says referring to his guitar. He starts out the massacre with a few flame geysers followed by a dozen burning rollers. The enemies that didn't die scattered then tried attacking from behind. As one got a few feet away Zane swung Margret shattering it's face and knocking over a dozen more like bowling pins.

"Come on! Is that all you got? I thought the people of Meteor City were tougher than this?" Zane taunted. He leaned back as claws passed over him. "That's more like it. Fight to the death!"

The Phantom Troupe watched the fight with interest. "He's a show off." Feitan said in his halting speech pattern. It was slightly muffed by the collar was covered half his face. "This will make it easier to find the queen. Anyone want to bet on how long it'll take to finish this fight?" The other blonde, Shalnark, asked.

They bet on anywhere from 5 minutes to 20 minutes. Ten minutes later, Zane did a pyrotechnic finisher as the enemies around him exploded via the flaming hands holding them in place. "That was a party. How long did it take?" Zane asked. "14 minutes and 5 seconds. Bonolenov was the closest so he gets a minute head start finding the queen." Shalnark said as the mummy looking boxer runs off into the hallway.

"Did you enjoy the show?" Zane asked. The woman with oversized glasses, Shizuku, pushed them up and said, "It was nice. Why Margret?" Zane stroked the spine of his guitar and answered, "Because she's as deadly and beautiful as my mother who had that name."

Later

Zane watched as the other members ran when Feitan dawned a red coat and was talking in a different language. The wannabe queen ant, Zazan, was speechless as the webbing and her was burned alive from the miniature sun Feitan created. Feitan laughed like a manic and commented on how it was her fault her death was so slow. He looks at Zane who held up a sign with an '8' on it. "Cool attack but I docked points for the almost friendly fire." He said.

"You are not burnt?" Feitan said. "Fire immunity. Very useful." Zane pointed out. "I see." Was all Feitan said.

A month later

The moon of Scrooge Mcdock's home world

Zane was passing by the moon on his way to visit Scrooge's manor in the gummiship he built to take Space Kid to the moon. The kid wanted to go to the moon and Zane was not going to fake one. Donald was living there with his nephews. "Father! There's something red on the moon!" Sakura said pointing out a window.

"Well little sparrow. Let's go check it out." Zane said referring to the fact she looked like an anthropomorphic sparrow in this world and he looked like a fire bird of the same style. Zane landed by the red thing and says to his daughter, stay inside. Zane approached the wreak of a spaceship with Margert in hand. On the side of the ship it said, 'Spear of Selene'.

"It took you long enough to find me!" Della Duck said chewing gum exiting the wreak. "Scrooge sent you, right?" She asked hopeful. "Kind of. He hasn't told me about you, and I gleamed bits and pieces of info from Daisy and some other people." Zane said looking away. "He can live with it! I want off this rock." A giant bug surfaced and started to break down the ship. "You can have it! You Moon Mite!" She yelled shouldering a bag of things she was keeping.

"They prefer gold." Zane pointed out as the broken ship was dragged underground. "Shall we go?" Zane asked as he got on the gummiship. Della spat the gum out and followed him. "Did you know I was chewing that same stick of oxy-chew for years and the taste never faded?" Zane looked at her and said, "That's just crazy."

Back in the cockpit, Zane started lift off procedure. "Introductions are in order. I'm Zane Laskaris and this little sparrow is Sakura, my daughter. The hooded dog is Anubis, her bodyguard. The doll is Amber. The dragon is Aria. Everyone, meet Della Duck." Zane listed as the engine started and the gummiship left the moon. "In about an hour, we should reach Duckburg. Hopefully Scrooge won't blow his top. The last time I helped without him asking he lectured me about paying attention to my surroundings before I jump in feet first."

"That sounds like him. You set off a trap?" Della asked "got stuck in one of his magic traps he was planning to use for his other vault. He didn't tell me he had anti magic traps that make you feel like a bad trip." Zane grumbled. "Oh! that one. He was testing you. He throws curveballs like that to keep your skills sharp." She said fondly.

Alarms blared as Zane prepared for combat. "Anubis, status report." Zane barked at Anubis. "Large object inbound. Detecting a giant cluster of space junk moving on its own." He brought up a screen of said object. It was a bunch of space junk moving towards them. "I'll try to move out of the projected path it's taking." Zane said changing course.

Five minutes later.

"Is it just me or is it following us?" Della asked staring at the screen. "It's not just you. It changed course the same time we did. Something is in that space junk directing it." Zane said as the thing was nearing firing range. Zane activated the weapon system as he turned to face the thing. "eta until we can fire?" He asked. "fifteen seconds, Lord Zane." Anubis replied.

As soon at it was in range Zane fired. Missiles flew and exploded on contact. From the hole that was opened in the space junk, an eye glared back at them. "It seems to be angry." Della said dryly "Maybe you shouldn't have shot it." The space junk was shifted about to optimize its defense. "so it is you. We meet again Junk Dealer. It's a creature that is mostly harmless, but it gets more dangerous more junk it accumulates." (This is a creature I made up. So, don't steal it.)

"Time to give it a trim." Zane said aiming the laser cannons. Zane takes evasive action when Junk Dealer shot at them. "It just had to find functioning weapons." Anubis took control of the weapons so Zane could focus on not getting hit.

As more space junk was destroyed, the true form of Junk Dealer was revealed. It looked like an urchin with multiple ethereal tendrils branching off the main body, gripping and shifting the debris around it. In the center of it was a moss green eye that glaring at them. "Interesting looking, isn't it? I've been dealing with that thing for a decade." Zane said as he blasted the last of the junk off Junk Dealer. It shrieked and sped away. "It acts like it's a tough guy but it's a spineless coward without its 'armor'." Zane explained as he collected the nicer pieces of junk.

"Sweet! Cid will be willing to pay a good price for these." Zane said as the computer analyzed the parts. "How do you act like it's not a problem? That thing is like a cockroach that can blow up spaceships." Della asked waving her arms to emphasize her point. "Junk Dealer has the mentality of a child trying to impress it's parents. To be far, it is my fault that it came into being." Zane said somberly.

"This I have to hear." Della said with crossed arms. "I had gone to a scientist in hopes of getting my friend a new body. Unfortunately, He couldn't help." Zane said remembering that day ten years ago.

Flashback

Ten years ago

Halloween Town

"I'm sorry young man, but the technology you need is still only on paper. Give me a few years and I may get a breakthrough." Dr. Finklestein said apologetically. Zane walked out with a blank expression but the flames licking around him betrayed the anger he felt. There were melting foot prints where he stepped leading all the way from the lab through the town square and out into the forest.

"I do hope he calms down before he starts a forest fire." Dr. Finklestein mused as Jack Skellington looked worried. "Doctor, isn't there another way to new him?" Jack asked "There is one way but that requires time travel. And you don't mess with time travel." The doctor warns.

Later at the forest of doors

Zane was punching the ground raging about things as Death appeared before him. "You lied to me!" He yelled at Death. "I did not lie. You aren't looking at the right angle. Give it time." Death said fading from view. Darkness flowed from him and vanished into the night sky. Zane fall into the tree door drained.

An hour later

Santa's workshop

Christmas Town

"I see your awake." Zane heard a kindly voice say. He opened his eyes and surveyed the room. It was homey and very Christmas theme. "Santa?" Zane asked looking at the man in the red suit. Santa was looking at a list and drinking eggnog. "Hello Zane. You gave my elves quite a fright when you rolled down the hill. Tell me what happened." Santa said. And Zane did.

"I see. I have good news for Terra. You can get his original body back if his method of colleting the thirteen darkness works like how I think it does. You said a young version of him was present at the same time as the old version, right?" Santa asked. Zane nodded confused. "He plans on bringing different instances of himself to the current time. This may include Terra's body from before it was lost to darkness."

Zane shot up. "If Terra tries to take back that body, he has a chance of reclaiming it because it's his body from not long after it was originally stolen!" Zane grinned "Thank you Death!" he shouted. Santa coughed, "There is one more thing, your negative feelings spawned a creature not too long ago. You must judge if it's got the right to live. It is your feelings manifected."

End of flashback

"…And that's why it's following me around like a lost puppy." Zane finished "So, you created a monster, who's hobby is collecting junk and following you. Why don't you just accept it?" Della said. "I'm not ready yet. Until I can deal with some loose ends it won't stop." Zane sighed. They were close to Duckburg by now. The Money Bin was visible in the distance.

"ETA two minutes" Anubis said as Zane slowed down the ship. "Hold boys, I'm coming home." Della said gazing at the photo in her hand.

A few minutes later

At McDuck Manor

"And a perfect landing." Zane said as he walked up to the door. Snow crunching under his feet. It was late December, past Christmas but before New Year's. He knocked loudly but politely. The maid, Mrs. Beakley answered the door. "Who is it?" She was shocked when she saw Della Duck and asked, "Is that you?" Della grinned "Not even a crash-landing stops Della Duck. Are my boys home?"

"They are with Scrooge on the search for some treasure. Would you like some tea?" She says smiling warmly and guiding them inside.

Mcduck Manor

Sitting room

"It's been 14 years since that day. How are you still alive?" Mrs. Beakley asks. "That horrible oxy-chew Gyro Gearloose invented, believe it or not. Chewing the same stick of black licorice gum for the whole time and the flavor never faded. I'm not sure if I'll punch him or thank him." Della said before saying "I'll do both." Chucking Mrs. Beckley said. "If you didn't it wouldn't be you. What happened to your leg?" Della shows off her metal prosthetic leg. "The crash trapped my leg, so I removed it. I'm going to make it into a rocket leg or something." Mrs. Beckley looked her in the eye and said, "No rockets in the house." "Roger that."

An hour later.

"Mrs. Beckley! We have returned!" Donald Duck said entering the room with arms full of stuff, but trips on a table leg and topples sending bags and vase into the air. Zane catches the bags with his arms and balances the vase with his foot. He puts the vase back on the table and sets bags down. "You are a klutz sometimes, court wizard." Zane says amused. Donald jumped up angerly "What's the big idea… Zane?" Zane grinned "In the feathers. Heard you retired after the war."

Donald nodded "The king said that I needed a break." Zane laughed. "You worked yourself to death. Retiring is the least you can do." Della cut in "You died? You're too solid to be ghost." She says poking him. "Della? You're alive!" Donald hugs his sister tightly. "You can thank the monster maker. Without him I'd be on the moon longer."

"Donald, I hope you didn't break anything… Della?" Scrooge says stopping abruptly. the four kids run into him. "Mom!" The triplets say shocked as Webby was speechless. "Merry Christmas" Zane says smiling.

"Boys!" Della says as they rush to each other and hug for the first time. "How did you do it?" Scrooge asked Zane. "By pure chance. It's been a crazy time since we last met, six years?" Zane said as Scrooge corrected "five years, eleven months, two weeks, and 3 days to the day." Zane looked at him then laughed, handing over some cash. "I lost the bet after all. Your memory is as sharp as ever."

Aria peered at Scrooge before hissing lightly. "He's not going to steal your hoard. He's got a sizable one already." Aria hissed one last time before going back to sleep. "You've got interesting companions. A young Mist Dragon, a spirit, a living doll, and a young sparrow that seems to look up to you." Scrooge says knowingly.

"This young sparrow is my adopted daughter Sakura. She might not look like much, but she can roar when she chooses to." Sakura blushes at his praise and hides her face by hugging him. "So, I hear you don't like the names I gave you. What's wrong with Dewford, Hubert, and Llewelyn?" Della asked her sons. Zane starts to laugh. "That's what their names are? No wonder they want to be called Dewey, Huey, and Louie." She throws her metal leg and nails him in the head.

"Those are perfectly respectable names. I bet you can't even name your weapons right." Della said annoyed. Donald guided the kids away from the argument. "It's best you stay out of this." He warns them. "My sweetheart here is Margert." Zane showed Della his guitar. "So, you got one good name. Show me another." She challenged.

Zane shows her his kopis. "This masterpiece of a sword is Callisthenes. A deadly beauty I made myself." Zane said proud of himself. "Please! I could make a better sword in my sleep." Della says dismissively. "Prove it." Zane said. He had trained under the smith god Hephaestus for a total of three years over the course of the decade. "Gladly." Della says reattaching her leg. They left the room, heading for the nearest forge.

"She hasn't changed much." Scrooge said shaking his head. "Our mom is so cool." Dewey said amazed. "You mean a risk-taker. If you don't follow protocol in the forge, you could get injured or killed" Huey corrected his brother. "Don't worry so much. If she survived this long, then she's made of tougher stuff." Louise says. "And the Crashing Star survived some crazy things too." He points out calling Zane by the nickname they gave him from the dozens of crashes as Cid trained him to fly gummiships properly.

"You know the legendary treasure hunter? He's rumored to have a hoard of priceless treasure that make scrooge's collection look like a stamp collection." Webby said showing them a whole book dedicated to Zane and 'mysteries' surrounding him. Huey grabs the book and starts reading. "Whoever wrote this book knows barely anything. Most of it is just speculation dressed up to look probable. Like right here." He indicates a passage. "It says here that he was, and I quote, 'raised by the legendary Phoenix.' The author backs up this claim by saying 'His ability to walk through a raging inferno without breaking a sweat is a sure sign he is the child of the Phoenix'. That's a load of crock." He says annoyed.

"'Raised by the Phoenix?' Nonsense. It's the other way around. Zane babysat the Phoenix for a few months after it was reborn. It's defenseless for the first three to four months after rebirth. Zane is the Lord of the Skies." Scrooge says correcting them.

"What! The phoenix is real? And what do you mean Lord of the Skies?" Huey asked looking through the Junior Woodchuck Guide book for answers. "It's quite real. It lives in very remote regions and you only find it when it wants to be found. Lord of the Skies on the other hand is a title given to a very select few. Zane is the first mortal to earn it. He's tightlipped about the details." Scrooge said confidently.

"Knowing Della, she's not likely let Zane win without a fight. Be ready for a week of challenges between the two of them." Scrooge tells Mrs. Beakley. "Right away, sir." She says smiling to herself.

The next day

Scrooge inspected the blades they had created. Della's was a simple double-edged long sword with a nice balance and cutting power. Zane one the other hand made a Flamberge, a wavy bladed sword measuring almost five feet long with a foot-long hilt. "Both these blades are very nice. They do their job and are battlefield ready. I rule this contest a tie." Scrooge says.

An hour later

"you can make a passable sword, but can you handle the inferno that is Extremely Spicy Mapo Tofu?" Zane says placing a bowl of food on the table in front of her. The Mapo Tofu was so hot in spice and heat that it looked like the inside an active volcano.

"Bring it on!" Della said and down the contents of the bowl in one go. She started to sweat and gripped the table to prevent herself from grabbing the glass of milk Zane set out for her. "You just need to last ten minutes without milk and you win this round." Zane says mockingly eating a super-sized bowl of the Extremely Spicy Mapo Tofu. "Just enough kick to it. Don't you agree?" He asks savoring each bite. Della's face turned red from both anger and the burning spiciness of the Mapo Tofu she ate.

Nine minutes later

Della passed out just short of the ten minutes mark. "I guess the spice was too much for her. How should we rule this?" Zane asks Scrooge who was wearing a gasmask. Scrooge holds up a card that says 'tie', "Fine by me." Zane says shrugging.

Six days and many challenges later

"winner takes all." Della declares. "Sure. Name your challenge." Zane answers competitively. "Show me something that is impossible." She challenged. Zane stilled "Are you sure? Because if that what you want then here you go." Zane said and set a clear sphere filled with a kaleidoscopic something on the table.

"What is it?" Della asked. "It is an impossibility. Chaos in its raw unused form. By that I mean the stuff that existed before the universe came into being." Zane explained. "How is it impossible?" She asked. "Because this Chaos, that used to be the only thing in existence, is what was used as building blocks to make the universe. As in, one moment there was just Chaos, then it changed into new things. You can't even go near the stuff if you somehow find it. It's like how anti-matter and matter don't play nice."

Della got the picture. "Dare I ask it but, how did you get it then, and is it safe?" Zane rolled the sphere around. "It's not glass keeping it contained. It's the idea of 'containment' give physical form. The Fae have a way of making things that embody ideas. Titania gave me this 'trinket', as she called it, on a whim." Zane's explanation just gave Della a headache.

"Fine you win. Anything from the Fae fits 'impossible' easily." Della conceded and marked on a chalkboard the final tally. Final score was 'Della 99' and 'Zane 100'. "This was a crazy week but a fun one." Zane said laughing. Zane pulls out a puzzle made of gold and started tinkered with it.

"What's you got there?" Della asked intrigued. "one of the five puzzle boxes I found it after I got thrown into the Realm of Darkness a second time. I give it one star, don't recommend it to a friend." Zane joked "The view is interesting but the hospitality leaves much to be desired."

The puzzle box clicks and shifts into an odd shape. Zane tried to move the parts, but it didn't move. "Just like the other four. They aren't solved yet I can't get any farther." Zane says scratching his head. "Show me the other puzzles." Della says with a gleam in her eyes. He pulls out the four puzzle boxes. There was a blue wooden one, a white metal one, a dark red one, and a blackish blue one.

"as you can see, they are 'solved' yet they aren't finished. It's been bugging me for years." Zane said frustrated. Della looks them over. "interesting. Are you aware that the red one is volcanic glass? The blackish blue one is a kind of never melt ice." Della points out.

"I wonder." Zane mutters to himself as he sets the puzzles like a compass. The blue to the east. The red to the south. The white to the west. The black to the north and the gold in the center. The boxes broke apart and reassembled as a pate sized disc. It depicted the five elemental beasts.

"would you look at that. Azure Dragon of the East representing the element of wood and Spring. The Vermilion Bird of the South representing the element of fire and Summer. The White Tiger of the West representing the element of Metal and Autumn. The Black Turtle of the North representing the element of water and Winter."

Zane points out each one of the beasts as he listed them. "You forgot one. Who's the gold dragon in the middle?" She asked. "That is the Yellow Dragon of the Center representing the element of Earth and the changing of seasons. He's the one that keeps the other beasts in check." Zane explained. As he inspected every inch of the disc. The underside of the disc depicted a monk sealing a door set in a mountain. There was almost unseen lettering in this side of the disc.

"So, a monk sealed a door. Any bets to what's past the door?" Zane asks grinning. "It's a sucker's bet. It's clearly very dangerous. Maybe some kind of spirit, object, or secret. The door has sealing tags on it. The monk looks to be from a hidden sect." She points out.

"How so?" Zane inquires. "The robes don't look like any sect I've seen and if the puzzle boxes were hidden away it's not a normal monk sect." she reasons. "Good eye. I put this project on the back burner for now." Zane says putting the disc away.

A few days later

Duckburg Billionaires Club HQ

"So, you're the newest member of the club. How do you make your riches?" Flintheart Glomgold, Scrooge's rival, said condescendingly. "I sell quality ice cream for an affordable price." Zane answered not even phased. "Ice cream! How did you get so rich selling ice cream? You're yanking my chain! No one yanks Glomgold's chain!" Glomgold yelled angrily. "Oh, stuff it, Glomgold. Zane started from the bottom and worked his way up. In fact, if he's richer than both of us combined. He's the richest Greek in Duckburg." Scrooge says amused.

Glomgold's face was volcanic red with rage. "All I care about is being better than you, Scrooge McDuck! That twat could a Greek god and he wouldn't matter to my plans!" He bellowed. "That's fine. Getting rich was an unintended result." Zane said with a shrug. "When's the next event?" "no idea. They will let us know when it comes closer." Was the answer he got.

"Scrooge have a look that this." Zane show them the disc. "Where did you find that?" Glomgold said shocked "A dangerous place. What do you know about it?" Zane pressed. "That is the Mystic Beast Map." As Glomgold said the name the disc projected a map. The doted line zoomed across the projected representation of the cosmos. "Do you know what's at the end of the trail?" Zane asked hopefully. "Something so old that history has forgotten it. Mark my words and mark them well. Don't let the spirits trick you. They tempted me to hunt for it, but Glomgold doesn't fall for cheap tricks like that. I'll send you the scroll later." Glomgold said shivering.

Zane deactivated the map and put it away. "I will keep Sakura safe for you. This is a mission too dangerous for a child." Scrooge said, "Thank you Scrooge." Zane said wholeheartedly.

That evening

"Be good while I'm away. I've got something that needs to be dealt with before the worst happens. I will return, my little sparrow." Zane says kissing Sakura's head and stepped on the gummiship named 'Endbringer'. A gummiship built for one thing, War. It had the best armor weapons and speed parts he could find. For him to bring it out met that he was taking no chances.

As Zane takes off, Scrooge guided Sakura back inside. "He'll survive, as sure as the sun will rise."

On another world

Wu Earth (Based on Xiaolin Showdown)

Xiaolin temple

Later in the night

Dojo the dragon felt a chill he dreaded. He shot past the monks, completely terrified. He spotted Master Fung, the head monk of the temple. Dojo gripped the front of his robes and yelled "We're doomed!" The four dragon warriors come to see what the commotion was. Omi, the short bald dragon of water, was calm. "Dojo, what troubles you?" His voice hinted at his excitement at the chance of finding another Shen Gong Wu. Kimiko, the Japanese girl who was the dragon of fire, was texting on her phone.

Clay, the Texan dragon of earth, pushed up his hat and said, "You look jumpier than a cat trapped in a dog pound." Raimundo, the Brazilian dragon of the wind, chuckled at that. "Sounds right. So, what Wu activated?" Master Fung brought the Ancient Scroll of the Shen Gong Wu out and dojo franticly opened it.

"This is most distressing news. The Mystic Beast Map has been found. It is a Shen Gong Wu that will lead you to a hidden vault. That vault must never be opened." Master Fung explained gravely. "What's the big deal about it being found then?" Raimundo asked not getting it. "It was broken into five parts and left in the deepest depths of the Realm of Darkness. You don't just walk into that place like it's a stroll in the park! Even Dashi would be killed finding them. Now someone collected them and assembled it! We must find the key before they do!" Dojo ranted shaking like a leaf in the wind.

"Calm down little buddy." Clay said then asking, "What is the Realm of Darkness and what is in the vault?" Dojo rushed to a wall panel and entered an extremely complex code. The panel opened, letting Dojo reach in and pull out a sealed scroll. Dojo broken the seal and unraveled it. He took out reading glasses and searched for the important parts. "here we are. 'In event that the Mystic Beast Map is found, don't panic. If the black scroll and key haven't fallen into the hands of that person, the vault is unopenable.' Black scroll?" Dojo searched the Wu scroll again. "'The Spirit Scroll allows one to contain that which can not be caged.' Makes sense but what about the key?"

As Dojo franticly searched for any information about the key, Kimiko noticed that the back of the scroll had glowing writing where the moonlight hit it. "Dojo. Hold it up in the moonlight." He does so and Kimiko reads it. "'The answer lies in in the shadow of the reflection. When the darkness is turned to light the path to victory will open.' It's rather cryptic but it's a lead." She said. Just outside the window a crow watches them intently.

later

Elsewhere on the same world

Chase Young listened to the crow, who turned into a jungle cat, told him of what it heard. Wuya, the reborn Heyin witch, was white as her ghost form. "That vault must not open! Dashi and I worked together just that once to seal that 'thing' away!" She said terrified. "And what pray tell is the 'thing'?" Chase Young asked arching a brow.

"An unspeakable ancient force. It was dormant when we sealed it away. Only a moron would try to awaken it, not even that bean would try that. It could bring about the end of everything." She explained believing every word she said. "Then where is the Spirit Scroll?" Chase Young asks. "Hidden somewhere in the depths of space. We robbed the 'thing' of its mind and left its body sealed in the vault. The key was hidden by Dashi and I hid the parts, almost died doing it." She comments.

"Yet someone found them. Clearly they are too stubborn to die that easily." Chase says intrigued.

A week later

Wu Earth

Remote island in the Arctic circle

Dojo landed and returned to his small form after the monks jumped off his back. "The Alice Gate is hidden somewhere around here. The problem is that the storm is interfering with my senses." Dojo yelled over the raging winds. "This will be like finding a stick in a pile of straw." Omi yells butchering the expression. "It's 'a needle in a hay stack', Omi." Raimundo corrects just as loud. "That makes no sense. Just use a magnet and the needle will be found easily." Oni asks not getting it. "Look over there. We've got boogies to the left." Clay points out figures walking in the distance.

They follow them and find a cave opening. "They must have gone in here." Kimiko whispers as each sound echoes into the depths. "Um, guys. Where's the exit?" Raimundo asks looking behind them. "It is right behind us?" Dojo trails off looking at a smooth icy wall that wasn't there when they entered. "Oh right! I almost forgot. Dashi left a maze trap around this Shen Gong Wu. I don't remember why he did it, strange." Dojo said scratching his chin.

The monks glare at him annoyed. "Anything else you forgot to mention?" Kimiko asked tapping her foot. "All I remember is Dashi getting my attention then nothing. Like the memory was erased or something." Dojo said defensively. "Hang on. You're saying that Grand Master Dashi erased your memory? How is that possible?" Clay drawled "You'd be surprised by the number of times he had to use that skill. No one else has figured out how to do it and it's not written down as far as I know. He might have eased that memory too." Dojo said absentmindedly.

"We must solve this maze before the figures we saw do it first!" Omi says.

later

At the center of the maze

The monks reach the center of the maze and found a room of mirrors. All of them were the same size but each looked different in varying degrees. "This complicates things." Raimundo says staring. "Indeed, it does monks." Chase young says as he inspects the mirrors. Wuya was doing the same. "Chase Young! You will not get the Alice Gate." Omi declares. "Everyone covers their ears as the echoes bounce around the cavernous room. "You will find yelling in this room a bad idea." Wuya says dryly. "You're here, Xiaolin Dorks? I'm going to get that Wu or I'm not Jack Spicer evil kid genius!" The pasty white kid villain said almost too loudly. "Oh, shut up you brat. The sooner we find the right mirror, the sooner we can get out of this place." Wuya says annoyed.

They see an armored figure reaching for an old bronze mirror. Chase Young, Omi and Jack Spicer jump and grabs the mirror at the same time. It starts to glow. "I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown. I wager my Sapphire Dragon vs. What Wu do you have?" Chase said. "I wager my Jetbootsu" Jack says. "And I wager my Golden Tiger Claws." Omi says. "I wager my Silk Spitter." The figure said. "The challenge will be Last Stand Survival. Last man standing wins."

"XIAOLIN SHOWDOWN!" They say as one and the area shifted. Ledges, pillars and openings appeared as the completers were standing ready for what was coming. It was a jungle of ice stone and metal; the spectators were in in a view room with walls showing what's happening at different angles.

"Gong Yi Tan Pai!" they yell, and Mirror Mimics melt out of the openings by the hundreds. Each foe was a featureless humanoid metallic of average height being holding a verity of weapons.

*Play Kingdom hearts Ost Vim and Vigor*

"This is easy." Jack says as he flies using his jetbootsu. His good mood was ruined when he gets dog piled from above then pummeled into submission by the Mirror Mimics. He was removed to the spectator room, signaling his loss.

"Great job Jack. You managed to get mobbed by a bunch of faceless goons." Wuya said mockingly. Jack just wheezed as his bruised body stopped him from commenting. "Look that the armored dude. He literally making them hit themselves." Raimundo said chuckling as Zane, they didn't know who he was yet, used the Silk Spitter to grab and smash the Mirror Mimics together, smashing them apart.

Chase Young used the Sapphire Dragon to make them fight each other while he took out any of them that got too close to him with brutal strikes. "interesting. He's hiding what he capable of." He said a Zane swung by spiderman style.

Omi was popping in and out of portals, confident he would win. Out of nowhere he got bound in silk and lost the showdown because of the weapons ready to slice him open. After he got teleported out, he bowed his head in shame. "My friends I have lost." He said. "Don't worry little buddy. You can always win next time." Clay said "Look on the bright side. The only reason you lost was because you got webbed by the armored dude. Any idea who he is?" Raimundo adds.

"He's a thief. I've got proof he broke into my house and took the Silk Spitter and some other Wu. He had funky looking mask to hide from the cameras." Jack wheezed softly. Dojo filled them in on what Wu that was. "The Mask of Rio lets the user blend in with their surroundings like a chameleon does. It's not true invisibility but it's quite handy."

"WHAT?" Wuya yelled watching Zane subdue the Sapphire Dragon with a blast of white-hot flames. The pillars and enemies melted under the onslaught of flames. "Well, that is a nice trick. Care to show me some more?" Chase said coolly. "Maybe, maybe not." Zane says mysteriously as they started attacking each other with their bodies and weapons they 'liberated' from the Mirror Mimics.

"Things are escalating a lot." Dojo says as Chase Young turns into his dragon from and Zane respond by turning into his fire bird form. The spectators were speechless. The battle turned into a savage bloody battle as scale, blood, and feather flew. The two stopped fighting as pillars came crashing down. Zane just avoided being crushed under the pillars like Chase Young was.

*End song*

In a flash of light, they found themselves back outside the cave. The storm had stopped at some point so they could see the damage the two warriors sustained. Zane looked like he was fine, but he walked away shakily. Clearly the battle took its toll on him. Chase Young was bleeding from talon and beak slashes. His armor needed to be repaired and he didn't even care about that. "Tell me your name Warrior!" He called out. "Zane." Zane yelled before he was out of sight.

Later

Xiaolin temple

"most troubling news. This 'Zane' is a wild card and a powerful one at that." Master Fung said after they explained why they didn't get Alice Gate. "I fear that we may not be skilled enough defeat Zane." Omi said unsure. "That may be true, but you can change that. Train hard and find what you need to improve." Master Fung advised.

"Guys! I have a lead on where the 'answer' is." Kimiko said typing away at her laptop. "The shadow of the reflection might mean the moon. It reflects the light of the sun." She explained. "That's nice and all but what in tarnation is the shadow of the moon?" Clay asked, "A Solar eclipse." Master Fung answers. "The Alice Gate let's the user enter a 'space that isn't a space' or as some people call it, an Imaginary Numbers space."

"you don't think Dashi hide the key in one of those spaces, do you?" Kimiko asked. "If that true then Zane just needs to use the Wu during a solar eclipse and the key is his!" Raimundo says worrying. "That would be true in most cases, but you must be at the right location to enter the right space. And the next eclipse is months away." Master Fung said.

"Didn't we lose the Lunar Locket to Jack Spicer a few weeks ago?" Clay asked. "Yeah, why do you ask?" Raimundo said. "Zane broke into Jack Spicer's house and stole Wu. What are the chances he didn't take that one?" Clay pointed out. "We need to pay Jack a visit."

The next day

Jack Spicer's house

Wu Earth

"Great just what I need, another bunch of intruders busting a hole in my house." Jack whined "Jackbots! Get back to work repairing those walls!" The monks looked at the opposite wall and saw that there was a burnt doorway cut out of it. "Was that before or after Zane broke in to your house?" Clay asked thinking. "That's the second time he's stolen Wu from me. The first time he stole a bunch of Wu I don't use much. You know, the ones with weird effects that aren't that useful." Jack says gesturing.

"Jack Spicer was the Lunar Locket among the stolen Wu?" Omi demanded. "No, it wasn't. Haven't checked what was taken this time yet. It happened a few hours ago. Give me a few minutes and I'll get back to you." Jack says and walks away.

They take a closer look at the cut wall. "That cut is cleaner than a perfect circle." Clay says whistling. "I don't think a welding torch did this." Kimiko said looked at the pile of ash. "Zane must have burnt the section of wall to ash with his mastery of fire." Omi said nodding to himself. "Bad news Xiaolin losers, the Lunar Locket and Ninja Sash is missing." Jack says annoyed. "Then it is time to take steps to prevent the worst-case scenario." Chase Young says walking with Wuya through the hole the monks made.

"Chase Young, what are you doing here?" Omi demanded as the monks readied for combat. "We're here because we don't want that 'thing' being unleashed as much as you do." Wuya spat. The monks relaxed but stayed on guard. "we will use the Fountain of Hui and Eagle Scope to figure out what really going on." Chase Young said.

"So, we use the Wu and get the full picture? Will that even help?" Jack asked, "Why not just track down Zane and stop him before he even starts his endgame?" The answer he got was patronizing. "Because brat if we do that then we don't know where to even start looking for him. He evaded all attempts to find him."

"My network will find him easy!" Jack boasted only to eat his words when it failed. "He has to be underwater or something to not be detected!" Jack yelled and slammed the controls. One of the cameras tilted upward towards the sky. "Can you enhance that?" Kimiko says pointing at a dot on screen. "Give me a moment." Jack says. They peer take the screen as he zooms in. "Is that a UFO?" Raimundo asked not believing his eyes.

"No that is a spaceship made for war. It's got enough weapons and armor to survive a nuclear warhead at least. There's a name on the side of it. 'Endbringer', that proves my point." Jack explained as the computer showed a 3d model of the ship.

"Raimundo was right! Aliens have come to eat our brains!" Omi shouted panicking as Kimiko glares at Raimundo who looked sheepish. "Why was I supposed to know this would happen?" Raimudo defended himself. "We will meet that a neutral spot tomorrow." Chase Young said calmly.

The next day

A few miles from Stonehenge

"So, what's going on?" Raimundo asks Clay, Chase Young and Wuya, who had used the two Wu. "For one that snake in the grass has been spying on us for weeks. He's got critters whispering things they see and hear to him." Clay says annoyed at that fact. "Zane Laskaris is not evil. In fact, he has the best intentions. He spied on us with pipe foxes to ensure that he could deal with a problem he feels responsible for." Chase Young explained.

"What problem would require him unleashing the 'thing' as you called it?" Raimundo asked. "The 'thing' is a Gashadokuro born of a grudge from almost thirty millennia ago." Chase Young said but Jack butted in asking "A what?" Sighing Wuya said "A skeleton creature at least the size of a small skyscraper. This one is about the height of Mt. Everest. It rattles loud enough to be heard as it nears you. You might not want to hear how it's formed."

"Tell us. It is vital to know everything about the enemy." Omi pressed. "It was born of the countless dead when the earth was destroyed. Not this earth, the earth 30,000 years ago. The negativity of the fallen souls lingered and festered. It blames anyone connected to that earth and it wishes to end all life because it can." Chase Young delivered in a no-nonsense voice.

"He hasn't told you the craziest part yet. Zane is older than the varmint. Time travel shenanigans are involved that I don't get. Bottom line is that Zane plans to slay the varmint before it breaks free. The evil bean has captured so he won't be a problem." Clay explained the best he could.

"Yes, Hanabel Roy Bean is in an unbreakable hamster ball with the Moby Morpher and any other Wu he had, taken from him. The fool was planning on teaming up with the beast." Wuya said grinning sadistically. "What about the key?" Omi asked, "Zane is the key. The key was a person born from that age. Dashi was crafty when he used that as the key. He hoped the beast would be sealed forever." Wuya said "I'd say that the seal would last a few more years at best."

"Where's the vault located then? Stonehenge?" Raimundo joked pointing behind him at place just out of site. They looked at him. "It is? I was joking." He says. The sky darkens as the moon starts to cover the sun. "This will be quite the show." A man in a black coat says as he sits on the grass. "Don't mind me. I'm just here for the show. You may call me the Master of masters." He said in a lighthearted voice.

"Just little nudge and the surprise will bloom beautifully!" The Master of masters said popping a bag of popcorn with magic. "What surprise?" Dojo asked. "Just a birthday gift I helped a little sparrow make. She doesn't even know what she gave him. One of my best works yet, if do says so myself." The Master of masters said proudly.

A screen appears above a box like device the Master of masters had set down. The inside of the vault was dark and oppressive with green orbs as the only light source. They saw Zane being smacked around by a massive skeleton with a foul aura dripping off it. In its chest cavity was a pulsing black heart, with the heartless emblem on it, spreading the aura outward. Countless voices of despair called for his death, cursing the fact he survived when they did not.

"How is that him winning?" Jack Spicer asked "He's not hurt but he can't kill the heartless. But don't worry, help is on the way." The Master of masters said knowingly. Dots of light started to appear in the vault. Voices people encouraging him to fight on rose above the din. The beast flinched and tried to drown out the new voices.

With Zane

In the Vault outside of time and space

Zane was on his last legs when the lightshow started. He saw the Alice Gate glow as the darkness of the vault turned to light and silence fell. A glowing figure of a young girl hugged Zane and said "You saved me Father. Maybe, just maybe this prayer will save you." The 'replica' keyblade Sakura gave him for his thirtieth birthday floated before him as Sakura's 'ghost' vanished into it then changed. Gone was the fake looking weapon and in its place was a completely different keyblade.

The guard was a red wing and blue wing wrapping around the handle. The shaft looked a branch with cherry blossom in full bloom along its length. The teeth looked like crystalized flames and the key chain was three feathers braided together, one red, one blue, and one brown. Zane grasped it and noted it had long reach. The weight of it indicated it was more of a smashing weapon than a magic weapon. The beast recoiled at sight of it. "You luck has run out, Despair. The real battle starts here." Zane said with his new weapon ready. Leaping, he slashed at the joints of the bones and cut through the foul aura protecting it. With a thunder the bones came crashing down. Foot, knee, hip and so on. With each joint he slashed the pile of bones grew and the beast lost height.

Once the head was low enough, Zane disconnected it from the spine. The light left its eyes as the heart floated out of the bone puppet. Darkness swirled around it and its true form was revealed. A rotted corpse wearing rusted armor and a twisted jagged great sword rested in its hands. The heartless emblem was on its chest plate.

"You will not win. We will return the world to the way it should be." Its voice was a dusty wheeze. "The past is the past. You can't do a thing about it. Instead of moving on, you tried to kill everything to feed your delusions. Your time is down, let the next generation live their lives." Zane tried to reason with Despair.

The Heartless scoffed at that. "Your words are meaningless. Just die already you traitor." Zane swung the keyblade and cleaved through both sword and body. Despair faded away, glaring at Zane as it died. Zane looked at the keyblade and said. "I'll name you 'Bonded Blossom'."

A few minutes later

With the spectators

"Ok, where did that weird weapon come from and why did it work against Despair?" Raimundo asked. "It's a keyblade, works great against heartless. Where it came from? Well I've been interested in him after I was informed that Zane held the Xblade without it disappearing. Imagine my surprise when I noticed the echoes of a keyblade sleeping in his heart. It was buried under so much emotional baggage that it couldn't properly awaken yet." The Master of masters explained gesturing.

"So, I did the sensible thing and gave his a blank keyblade for when it awakened. It just needed the unshakable faith of his daughter to finish the job. I can't believe it took years for it to happen. I guess the emotional baggage was harder to deal with than expected." the Master of masters said shrugging. Out of nowhere, Zane slugged him in the face. "That was for starting the Keyblade War you moron!" Zane yelled. Zane then dusted himself off and said, "I've been waiting to do that for years."

"Was that necessary? I mean he did help you beat the varmint." Clay asked confused. "This moron had the grand idea to see into the future and tell his apprentices what he saw. And what do you think happened when they are told a war was coming? They try to stop it not realizing that they made it worse! Flashforward to the last few decades, one of his apprentices, who survived the ages by body hopping, recreated the war with a willing scapegoat who didn't know he was being used." Zane ranted.

"Oh, come on. If I didn't do what I did you wouldn't have met your wife. The wedding was wonderful, by the way." The Master of masters said hurt. "You are the most annoying keyblade master I have ever met. Your poor apprentices must have suffered greatly dealing with your antics." Zane deadpanned. "Nonsense, they flourished under my tutelage." The Master of masters said.

"Hold up. How did the light show help you win the fight? After the lightshow happened, it was like mowing the lawn." Raimundo asked "My daughter, Sakura, has a particular skill. It's called 'imaginary numbers', her faith was so absolute she hijacked the space and set new 'rules'. Makes sense?" Zane said skillfully twirling and tossing his new keyblade like a baton. "So, you're saying that your daughter has the same power as Alice Gate?" Kimiko asked with an arched brow. "No, her skill is broader than the Shen Gong Wu's. Alice Gate only lets you enter the spaces. Sakura's skill is the creation and rule setting of those kind of spaces. That includes usurping a preexisting space and changing the rules of that space. I don't know the details, but she's got strange teachers who explained it better." Zane caught his keyblade behind the back and rested on the grass.

"Noticed something interesting, are you aware that a bunch of mushrooms, gumball machines, floating pots, and giant flan creatures have named you their king?" Chase Young asked smirking. Zane put his face in his hands. "Yes, I'm aware. I gave them a safe heaven outside of the Realm of Darkness to repay the debt I owed them, and they have not left be alone sense. I needed workers for my ice cream factory, and they were willing to help. Next thing I know, they carry me to a throne and put a velvet cape, crown on me and hand me a specter to complete the set! They are a mostly passive bunch, but they don't take no for answer at times." Zane said exasperated. "That's not even covering the statue they plan to make or the similar treatment they gave to my wife and daughter."

"What was the debt you owed them?" Wuya asked interested. "While I was in the Realm of darkness, I kind of almost went insane and played music to stay sane. There are three kinds of reactions from the denizens of that place. They leave you alone, they attack you, or they enjoy it and ask for an encore." Zane listed. "One of my jam sessions had a crowd of the peaceful mushrooms but some music haters crashed the show and tried kill both of us. I beat them back but passed out afterwards. I woke up to the mushrooms tending to my wounds."

"I am most grateful for those mushrooms' kind act. Without them, the world would be doom." Omi said. Zane heard his ring tune go off and answered it. "What's up?" He said. "Honey, do you remember what next week is?" Aqua asked on the other side of the call. Zane scrambled to check his calendar. "Our 5th anniversary?" He answered carefully. "Oh, good you remembered. Be sure to get something special together for the occasion." Aqua said then ended the call.

"That was a close one. She's not one to get angry with me, but I've gotten lectured by her plenty of times." Zane said as his phone vibrated. "'Cyberattack on the factory mainframe. Did not breach firewall.'" Zane read the text he got. "ugh! If it's another attempt to steal my secret recipes I will unleash a counter attack on them. Let's see how they like someone rooting around their computers."

"Corporate espionage is a dangerous business. I find it easy to step on toes unintendedly." Jack Spicer said speaking from experience. "you better not try anything." Zane said glaring at Jack who wilted under the glare. "I hate to break up your intimidation but look up." Clay said pointing at a portal opening above them.

A brutal looking double-bladed bone battle axe dropped into Zane's waiting hand. The shaft of the axe was four feet long and looked like a spinel column with a glaring human skull on the top of it. The blades of the axe were made of the same bone-like material and the edge looked extremely sharp. Zane dropped a blade of grass on the edge. It was split perfectly and cleanly. "I guess I got my own Devil Arm. Dante will love to see this." Zane grinned and did a few test swings. Purples droplets flick off the bone white axe and the ground discolored then sizzles. "corrosive poison, interesting. 'Bite of Agony' will be a fitting for you."

"Zane, that weapon looks cool and all but why does it have an aura of death coming off of it?" Raimundo asked edging away from the weapon. "This beauty is a Devil Arm, a weapon forged from the soul of a defeated demon. The being that defeats the demon must be powerful enough to make the demon submit." Zane said.

"It's been fun, but I've got places to be." Zane says tossing a bag of Wu to the monks "I'm keeping a few of the Wu, but here's the rest of them."

A week later

Twilight Town

Le Grand Bistro

"Thank you for letting me use the kitchen. It worked out as good as I could have hoped." Zane said thanking Remy, a rat who was quite a chef. "No problem. Your cooking skills need some polish but not bad overall. Question, how do you understand me? Most of the people I've met don't understand a word I say." Remy asked intrigued. "It's a gift and at times a curse. Sometimes you don't want to hear what some critters are thinking." Zane says shuddering.

"I know, right? There are critters out there without finesse. Your daughter has something special for you." Remy says shooing Zane out of the kitchen.

Zane sat at the table across from Aqua. "You really pulled out all the stops. So, honey, what's the next course?" Aqua asked smiling lovingly at Zane who was loosening his bow tie. "I can't stand tuxedoes. At least you pull off the formal dress code better than I do." Zane compliments Aqua's simple yet elegant dress complimented her beauty perfectly. Sakura wearing an apron and chef's hat pushes a cart to the table. "Mother, Father, dessert is served." Sakura says unveiling an amateurish looking cake.

"It's a death by chocolate cake. Devil's food layer cake frosted with whipped dark chocolate cream cheese frosty and coated with chocolate shavings. I hope you like it." She says looking nervous. The cake looked like it was frosted by a shaky hand and the shavings were in uneven clumps. "I'm sure it tastes better than it looks." Aqua says cutting a slice. When she took a bite, her eyes lit up in delight. "It's wonderful. Honey, try some."

Zane tries his own slice. He does say anything for a moment the says "A little on the heavy side. It needs some freshness, maybe cherry or strawberry. Otherwise, it's easily a noteworthy dish. I rate it 4 stars." Zane critics. Sakura nodded rapidly beaming.

"So, what is the surprise you wanted to show me?" Aqua asked Zane. "Tada!" Zane shows her Bonded Blossom. Aqua laughed "you said if you got a keyblade it'd look 'cool'. Yet, what you got is beautiful." Zane hugs Sakura close "I wouldn't trade it for even the 'coolest' keyblade. Bonded Blossom is a gift from my daughter. What kind of parent would I be if I just traded it away?"

Two months later

Land of departure

"The plan is to see what happens when I use Alice Gate at the same time Sakura uses her magic with a specific location in mind. You guys are here in case things go badly, again." Zane explained to Terra and Aqua. "We're ready when you are." Terra says holding the chains tried to Zane and Sakura's waists.

"3,2, 1 Alice Gate!" Zane says as the test begins. Sakura's magic resonates with the magic of the Shen Gong Wu, creating a tesseract (a shortcut portal across time and space). "it worked, I think." Zane uses equipment to analyze it. "this should lead to the lotion I was thinking of." The tesseract started to spark the exploded in a flash of light. When they could see again, Zane, Aqua, and Sakura were gone. Terra checked the chains and found them undamaged. "The end of the chain is fine. It's like it was never wrapped around them." Terra said unsure of how it happened. "I'm sure their still alive."

The screen on the equipment crackled to life. "Troubling news. Young Zane's experiment landed them in a place that unreachable by normal means. I have the feeling that they were 'invited'." Terra sighed in relief. "That would explain why I'm still here. I'm not on the guest list. You'd think they'd send invitations in the mail instead of teleporting them straight to the event without warning." Terra points out crossing his arms. "The phoenix does not invite you for trivial reasons. Zane has a history with it, so they are in good hands." Ansem reassures him.

Elsewhere

Sky Haven

Zane, Aqua, and Sakura landed in a tanged heap of wings and tail feathers. "Zane, I hope you have an explanation why we are in our bird forms." Aqua said as they untangled and fixed any out of place feathers. "Oh. We're in Sky Haven, home of the legendary Phoenix. It's also a place where birds of all kinds can enjoy yearly festivals, if they are invited that is. We are currently on the outermost area. The palace is in the heart of this place." Zane explained making a sweeping gesture to the network of trees before them. Birds of all kinds were rushing about.

A burrowing owl hopped up to them. The tiny owl greeted them and bowed "Greetings Lord Zane, Lady Aqua. who's this little sparrow?" The owl tilled his head. "This is my daughter, Sakura. May I ask your name?" Zane said startling the owl. "Where my manners? I am Rock Feather, the newest member of her Majesty's spy unit." He does a wing salute. "Lady Sakura will be welcomed with open wings." Rock Feather said as Sakura peered around them. "Your Presence is requested by her Majesty post haste. Please fly swiftly to the palace." Rock Feather says then returns to his post.

"We can't keep her waiting." Zane says as the take off. As they fly to the palace, they hear the birds pausing and start whispering to each other about them. Sakura could feel them judging her. "Don't worry about their words. They will gossip about anything." Zane said then continued to explain about the places they passed.

Ten minutes later

They landed near the palace. It was an ancient tree that was hollowed out and decorated with the history of the birds on its bark. There were openings of varying sizes at different heights. A pair of guards were at each one. A pair of Gryphons armed to the teeth block their path. "Halt!" Guard #1 said towering over them. "State your name and reason for visit!" Guard #2 said. "Hello Bob and Bob." Zane said grinning. The Guards' cold façade broke as they groaned. "Damn it, Lord Zane. Just because we're not allowed to tell you our names, doesn't mean you can call all the royal guards 'Bob'!" Guard #1 said.

"Even her Majesty started to do it. We blame you for starting it." Guard #2 whined "Deal with it. Her Majesty finds it amusing, right Sakura?" Zane nudged Sakura who was giggling softly. Even Aqua was smiling behind her wing. "Just go in. She's expecting you." Guard #2 says letting them enter the palace.

In the throne room

It wasn't that fancy of a room. The light source was glowing crystals set in the wall. The 'throne' was woven nest of sticks, thread, cinnamon and other materials. A well-loved teddy bear sat in the nest. There were a few banners with the symbol of the phoenix on it.

The Phoenix was asleep on her 'throne'. She looked like Zane, but her beauty was more. It was like she was what a god first imagined a fire bird would look like with Zane being the scaled down version. "Aurora, you're napping on the job again?" Zane asked amusing as the Phoenix woke up, stretching. In a voice smoother than even the finest silk, she said "Hello Zane. I just had to meet your family." She settles into a comfortable position. "You still kept the teddy bear I gave seven years ago?" Zane asked softly. "Of course, I did. You were the first to give me something meaningful during the 'babysitting' period. Everyone gives me books, jewels, and things like that." Aurora, the Phoenix, said. "Dear, come closer." She beckons Sakura over.

Aurora looked to be six feet tall and Sakura was in awe. Aurora looked her over. "Your light shines brightly. Would you like to know a secret?" Sakura nods as Aurora leans in close, whispering "Zane gave me his old teddy bear. He got it when he was born." Sakura looked at the teddy bear noticed how stitched and patched it was. To think that this bear lasted for so long.

"Oh, come on! I told you not to tell anyone!" Zane squawked "Good thing that was that only secret I told you." He turned up his beak at her as they giggle at how childish he was being. "I do have a job for you, Zane." Aurora says dropping a scroll at his feet. Zane skillfully opens the scroll and reads the image-based language of the Cat Kingdom. "'Queen Aurora, the eternal avian ruler of the bird kingdom, is cordially invited to meet the Cat King and his son Prince Lune to negotiate a peace treaty between the animal kingdoms. If you cannot attend give send a response stating so or send a trusted representative in your stead. Best wishes, The Cat King'" Zane reads out loud then rolls it back up. "I get that you can't go to the meeting because of the constant problems you deal with here. But why did you pick me?"

"You are perfect for the job. You can deal with politics enough to make things at least somewhat even for both parties. You know what I'd want out of the treaty. You are charismatic enough to look the part. And finally, you won't let any of his nonsense fly for even a second." She listed confidently. "Fine. I'll go meet the king. When is the peace meeting?" Zane sighed resigned. "In two weeks! I've got all the notes you need right here." She chirps dropping a large thick scroll in front of him. "Before you go to the Cat Kingdom could you swing by the Cat Bureau? The directions to get there are in the green scroll and the red scroll attached to the package is to be delivered to Baron Humbert von Gikkingen. You'll know him when you see him." She sets a thin green scroll and a long package wrapped in packing paper with a red scroll sealed with her mark tied to it.

"Honey, you can stay here and explore the bird kingdom and I will be back as soon as I can." Zane says hugging his wife and daughter. He puts the scrolls and package away, then flies off. "Time for the greatest challenge of my life!" Zane shouted as he despaired from sight.

A few days later

Somewhere in Japan

Animal Kingdom Earth

Zane was perched on someone's house reading the green scroll. "Let's see, I went to the right city. The next step is 'find the lazy cow at the crossroads and peck him until he takes you to the Bureau.' What kind of directions are these?" Zane said bewildered. "Did you say you were looking for the Cat Bureau?" a voice said as the window below him was opened. Zane squawked in alarm as the scroll fell into the waiting hand of the human young adult who leaned out her window to look at him.

She looked to be in her late teens and, based on the state of her bedhead brown hair and plaid pjs, she just woke up. "That depends on if you are in the know. I can't blab this information to just anyone." Zane said vaguely. "My name is Haru Yoshioka. I think I know who the 'lazy cow' is. Muta is a rather large white cat who led me to the Cat Bureau about a week ago." Haru said extending an arm that Zane perched on.

As she brought him into her room, he noticed how messy it was. "You should really clean this mess up before you get lost in it." Zane pointed out as he perched on the back of the swivel chair. "It's a work in progress. I must admit you look quite majestic." She commented. "why are you looking for the Cat Bureau?" She was looked at him expecting an answer. "I don't trust you yet, but I have a package for a 'Baron Humbert von Gikkingen'. What a mouthful of a name." Zane said muttering the last bit.

Haru's eyes lit up. "I'll take you there later. It's a little past seven in the morning and I must eat breakfast. Care to join me?" She offered. Zane left her room and waited for her to get dressed. He perched on her arm as she walked to the kitchen downstairs.

Her mother was in the kitchen and almost dropped the frying pan she was using. "Haru! Where did you find that bird?" She yelled startled. "Don't worry he means no harm. He was on the roof looking lost, so I offered to help him." Haru answered bringing Zane to the kitchen table. "Thank you Haru." He thanks her then turns to the mother and asks with a bow "May I know the name of the poor mother that had to deal with the dreaded teenage years?" He asks jesting lightly. "She wasn't that bad. My name is Naoko Yoshioka." Naoko says laughing and adjusts her glasses. "A lovely name. I am Lord Zane Laskaris, Bird of the Hearth, Lord of the Skies, and other titles that I really like using." Zane introduces himself.

Naoko thinks for moment. "That sounds Greek. You aren't a normal bird, are you?" Zane looks at her "What gave it way? Was it my majestic feathers or maybe my educated vocabulary?" She laughed. "you are by far the smartest bird I've even met, and you don't look like any known breed that can talk. So logically speaking, you are magical or some unknown breed of bird." She says amused. "You got me. I am a magical bird who serves Lady Hestia, my goddess. She makes the best home cooking." Zane sighs contently.

Late afternoon

The Crossroads

"Haru! Where did you find that beautiful bird?" Haru's friend, Hiromi, said running up to her. "Hey Hiromi. I'm just watching him for the day." Haru says as Zane sat in a bird cage she carried. "Cool. I'll see you tomorrow." Hiromi waves walking past her to her own destination. "Are we there yet? I can't stand this cage much longer." Zane ground out.

Soon as we get to the Cat Bureau you can get out. We need to a low profile." She whispers. They approach a café with outdoor seating. She pokes a heavy-set white cat sleeping on one of the chairs. "Muta, wake up. I need you to take us to Baron." She says prompting the cat to look at her. He got up grumbling that she follows him.

Later

The Cat Bureau

"we're here." She says letting Zane out of the cage. "Finally! I can't stand being caged." The fat cat scoffs "Too bad you aren't cat. We don't get put in cages to keep a low profile." The fat cat stood up on two legs and sat in a chair reading the newspaper "What bring you here this time? Saved another royalty and given an unwanted reward again?" The sun started to set as the light seem to focus on one of the small houses with a cat figurine standing in the window. "Cut it out!" Muta said covering his face.

The last light of the sun faded as night fell. The lights in the house turned on and the door opened. "Welcome again, Miss Haru, to the Cat Bureau. How may we help you?" the cat figurine said in a fond and polite voice. "Hello Baron. Zane here has a package for you." Haru said smiling brightly. Zane brought out the package and stood it up. It was a little taller than Baron. Zane cleared his throat then in a formal tune said, "Baron Humbert von Gikkingen, Queen Aurora has charged me to deliver this to you as swiftly as possible." Baron opens the scroll and reads it. His eyes widen then removes the packing paper.

Toto the living crow statue flies down next to Zane. "Long time no see; last time I saw you was when you babysat Queen Aurora, six years ago I think." Toto says. "I've been very busy since then. You wouldn't believe some of things I did." By now Baron had opened the package, inside lay a white cat figurine in a red dress. She stepped out of the box smiling "Hello Baron." She takes the hand he offers, and they walk into the house to talk.

"Who's the new face?" Muta asked "I believe that's Luisa, the Baroness. She and the Baron are a part of a set. Separated by war and finally reunited after decades." Haru said smiling sadly. "So, she's an old flame?" Muta asks. "Sounds about right. You ok there, kid?" Zane asks. "I'm fine." She said. "You had a little crush on him, didn't you?" She nods. "Makes sense. He's got that mysterious vibe about him. You've got your whole life ahead of you. I know you find someone that is a better match in the long run." Zane advised.

"what makes you the life couch, you feather duster?" Muta mocks. "Tubby, this is not a bird you should mock." Toto cautioned "What is he going to do? Peck me?" Muta said sarcastically then yowls with a burning tail. "I'll do that." Zane says flatly then puts out the flames. Muta looks at his singed tail then bristled angry. "What the big idea!" Muta demanded "your fur is fine. A little black and sooty, but other than that it's fine." Zane points out. "you had it coming with all the insults you were muttering about me on the way here. Yes, I heard you." Muta harrumphed then went back to his newspaper.

"Who is Queen Aurora? And why did you need to babysit her?" Haru asked curious. "You explain it, Toto." Zane said. Toto nodded "Queen Aurora is the ruler of the Bird Kingdom." "Like the Cat king." Haru guessed. "yes, like the Cat King. Unlike that ruler, Queen Aurora has no heir for she is the eternal ruler. She is the mighty Phoenix who is born anew every 500 to 1000 years. She is somewhat vulnerable during the first six months after her rebirth. To counter this, a protector is secretly selected to keep her safe and happy during that time. Additionally, the exact date of the next rebirth is left unknown." Toto explained. "Then how did you know Zane was chosen?" Haru asked confused. "After the protector's duty is completed a grand feast in their honor is organized. It's a grand time, concluding with their name being engraved on a secret stone. That reminds me, do you still call the royal guards 'Bob'?" Zane just nodded as they shared a laugh.

"That is enlightening." Baron said then bowed "Thank you for what you did." Lusia walks besides him and curtsies "You have our gratitude. Do you have time for tea and cake?" She asks kindly. "The Cat King should be sending a guide to pick me up in about an hour, so I've got time." Zane says.

20 minutes later

In Baron's house

The house was a tiny bit cramped with everyone in it. "What does the Cat Kingdom want with you?" Muta asks with his mouth full of cake. "I have the feeling it's about what happened with Haru. The King might want to clear the air before the Peace Summit happens. I am dreading that meeting so much. Send me to fight monsters and I'll do it in heartbeat. Send me to deal with politics, well it's not my strong suit." Zane says sipping the tea.

"This is just asking for troublemakers to attack. What other leaders will be at the Summit?" Baron said. "The Dog Kingdom, the Mouse Kingdom, the Reptile Kingdom, the Forest kingdoms are sending one being to represent all of them, and I'm representing the birds and the Prize Kingdom with their Moogle allies. There's another one but I don't know which one it is." Zane listed.

"Mushroom Kingdom? I've heard of those pompom-headed merchants before, but I've never heard of the Prize Kingdom." Muta says rudely. "It's a new kingdom, only two years old at most." Zane said then changed the subject. "this tea is wonderfully blended." There was a knock on the door. Toto checks out the window saying, "There's a white mushroom creature at the door." Zane opens the door and the White Mushroom Heartless bows deeply to him and gives him a scroll. "Thank you." Zane says as the Heartless poofs away.

"'Dear King Zane, we are please to inform you that we've increased yearly sale profits by 2% with the new ice cream flavor. Sincerely, your loyal subjects. P.S: The Statues will be finished by next year.' They are lucky they are great workers." Zane groans. "King Zane? You gained a few titles from the last six years?" Toto asked amused.

"Yes, I'm the king of the Prize Kingdom. The kingdom practical runs itself without my input regarding day to day issues." Zane huffed annoyed. "Then why are you the king?" Toto asked interested. "Because they are persistent at 'rewarding' me for helping them." Zane said as there was another knock. Zane opens the door and sees a brown cat with smile that seemed to be his preferred expression. "King Zane, it is a pleasure to meet you at last." He bows then waves at Haru. "Hello again Miss. Haru. Prince Lune and Yuki send happy greetings." Haru smiled politely "Thank you Natoru. Let them know I said hello." She said ready for another kidnapping.

"King Zane, are you ready to go? We must not be late." Natoru asked as Zane finished his cake and tea. "I must be off Baron. Thank you again for your hospitality." Zane says as he leaves the house setting a box with Haru's name on it down. Cats carry Natoru and Zane away to the Cat Kingdom rather smoothly. "I wonder what he let me." Haru said looking at the small box. She finds a note and a leather-bound book. "'Dear Haru. I think this will be of use to you. Zane.'" She checks the inside cover to find a hand-written title. 'Tips and tricks to keep a pleasant house: Magic and Mundane edition By Zane Laskaris' She flipped through the book and found that all of it was hand written and there were more pages than there should be possible. "I didn't know he wrote books." She said to herself. "My room isn't that messy!" She said annoyed when she saw one of the spells entitled 'crypt cleaner. A simple spell that can clean and organize even the messiest dump off spot.'

Cat Kingdom

The Palace

"Welcome to the Cat Kingdom." the king's adviser, Natori, said bowing. "We are happy you came so swiftly. His Majesty has much to tell you." His blue fur looked frazzled and his robes looked slightly wrinkled. He adjusted his glasses. "This way. The King will explain more." Zane followed him to a hidden meeting room.

The King's fur looked like he shaved half of it off and it was just growing back. He was lazing about as his son Prince Lune looked more like a ruler than his father did. A snow-white cat sat next to Lune holding his front leg worried. This was his to be wife, Yuki. "What has your advisor so frazzled?" Zane asked. "it's just an empty threat. I've gotten plenty of them." The king says nonchalantly.

"Father. This is not a threat to your life. It is threat to kill all the rulers of the kingdoms if they try to make peace. We must take this seriously. A few days ago, this letter was found on a house just outside of the range of the surveillance. No one saw anything out of ordinary before or after the letter being found." Lune pushes a typed letter to Zane. It said just as he said. If the rulers made peace they would be killed, and their kingdoms would be destroyed. That was no trances or names on it.

"This might be a problem. On one claw, it's an empty threat, but on the other, the sender has the means and man power to follow through with it. I'll need a plan to make sure they don't get their way." Zane said texting someone. A portal opens letting a moogle float in. "Hello honored customer." The moogle says then looks the letter at every angle. "I have identified the ink and paper's origin. these are products we sell. I will track the batches they came from to narrow down who bought them." The moogle said leaving via the same portal that closed behind it.

"How did you get them to come so quickly? Those poof heads are so stringy when I order stuff from them." The Cat King asked sitting up. "It helps when you are business partners with them and give interesting requests now and then." Zane said with a shrug. "I'm sending agents to search for suspects of European nationality based the spelling of some of the words. It might be a false trail but it's a lead." Zane rapidly texts to several contacts.

"Have you dealt with something like this before?" Prince Lune asks "a couple dozen times. They have tried to get my secret recipes or my cash for themselves or because they were hired to. I run a very successful ice cream 'empire' as they call it. As my business grew so did the desire to steal my secrets." Zane explained quickly.

The Cat King nods "That's life. As you raise in power so does the number of enemies after your throat. I can tell you attempted to use your family against you, your wife or perhaps your child?" The temperature rose as he said those words. "They tried and they burned for daring to harm Sakura just like the scum who dared to used her to prolong his own life." Zane eyes blazed as he ground out the words. "When I saved her, then adopted her, I promised that I'd never let her hope fall to despair again." The temperature returned to normal as he calmed down. "Sorry about that just some bad memories." Zane apologized "My temper got the best of me there."

"It's alright. When Lune was catnapped as a kitten, I ripped the fools to bloody shreds. I'm much too old to do it nowadays but I was as deadly as a jungle cat in my prime. That reminds me, I'm thinking of retiring by next year. Prince Lune is ready to take the throne from me, just need to make the transition a clean one." The Cat King said as his bones creaked, showing his age.

"Father you were lucky that Miss. Haru didn't take too much offence to what you did a few weeks ago." Prince Lune reminded him. "So that's what Muta was talking about." Zane mused out loud. "You met Renaldo Moon?" Yuki asked hopefully "Did you run into Haru by chance?" Zane tried to remember where he heard that name before. "She says 'hello'. That's why Muta was familiar. He's got a debt with the moogles. I foot him the bill for the purchase to fix the damage his crime caused." Zane and the Cat King laugh at this.

A few days later

Cat Kingdom Castle

Surveillance room

"Rewind that a little." Zane said as they looked at the surveillance footage. "Right there." He pauses it and Natori looked confused as he pushed up his glasses. "What are we looking at?" Zane points out a distortion in the air. "That's someone invisible slinking about near the castle around the day that the King was writing the invitation to Queen Aurora. We need to go through the footage with a fine toothcomb." Zane pointed out.

An hour later

The spy had been watching for a mouth. The spying ended after the letter was found but it was long enough. "This is worse than expected. The spy has more than enough dirt on the Cat Kingdom to make the Peace Summit a lot harder. They just need to let it slip at the right time and it's ruined." Natori says defeated. Zane got a brilliant idea. "We can make this work in our favor. The Cat King is retiring, so we can use the black mail to enforce the idea that the King knows his wrong doing and is stepping down. Then his more than capable son takes the helm promising to be a better king than his father." Zane states.

Natori thinks it over. "That might work. The King will be retiring earlier than planned but it might be just what we need to solve this issue. What if they catch on?" Zane shock his head "They didn't use means of listen in on conversions remotely and they haven't come back after posting the letter. I'm going to inspect the areas where the spy was."

Three hours later

Castle Dining room

"The spy is a gecko. There's a second of wall that isn't as sun-bleached as the rest. Based on the shape and lack of footholds, it's a gecko. They can climb walls that are almost completely smooth. They were using a devise to blend in so seamlessly." Zane said as they had dinner, seasoned raw fish. "That's good to hear. Any leads on where they do the tech?" Yuki asked. "The moogles. By cross-referencing the two purchases, we've narrowed down the suspects to about 38 that lived in Europe for a long period of time." Zane said between bites.

"any of them geckos?" The Cat King asked. "None. But it doesn't mean it's a dead end. The gecko spy was likely a hired mercenary provided with the tech by the client. It's easier to hire a mercenary to do the dirty work for you." "So, we're dealing with someone with cash and a grudge against the Cat Kingdom?" Prince Lune guessed. "That right. I contacted the other kingdoms and none of them got a letter like you did. When were you going to tell me that King Asgore was coming to the Peace Summit?" Zane asked flatly.

"Must have slipped my mind. You know the Monsters?" The Cat King said without a care. "My daughter and I landed in the Underground after magical mishap. It was a strange week in the Underground." Zane said shaking his head. "How about you tell us tomorrow? It will keep our minds off the gloomy mood." The Cat King suggested.

Author's Note: We'll get to that tale next chapter. I lot happened in this one and it's gotten quite long. Zane getting a Keyblade was in the works from the beginning. The only reason I waited this long because a Keyblade chooses a strong heart and Zane's was weighed down too much to awaken his yet. How will the Peace Summit work out with someone looking to discredit the Cat Kingdom? Tune in next time to find out!