A/N: New chapter for LoHH, after my muse abandoned me :( Also, review responses!

kingdommast: Thanks for catching my mispelling error! I've got it fixed!

Prometheus: Wow! That's a lot to respond to O.o Here we go: Firstly, go right ahead and advertise this story if you want. Secondly, I know Clayton technically isn't evil in the games, but I'm calling Author's authority to change him since this is a fanfic. Third, go right ahead. I may check it out myself. Fourth, it always feels good to beat a game for the first time. Unfortunately for you, I've recently replayed OoT and Master Quest, so I'm caught up. Besides, there's also the wiki. Fourth, you don't know what the fourth wall is!? Just look it up on Google.

As usual, I do not own the characters used in the story. LoZ is Nintendo's, and KH is Square Enix's. I only own the storyline.

Table of Fonts:

Standard Text: Regular Dialogue/Storytelling

Italics: Emphasis, Sound Effects, Thoughts

Bold: Maleficent Speech, Boss Name

Bold Underline:Special Attacks (this is cried out)

Bold Italic: Mysterious Voice

CAPS: Yelling

Underline: Flashback/History, name of location

Italic Underline: Dream

Chapter 18: Sora's Purpose! Seal the Keyholes!

The group arrived safely in Traverse Town... well, relatively. The group crawled out of the Gummi Ship, which was pitch black. They themselved looked like they'd seen better days. All had some sort of burn or other, and Sora's hair looked like an afro.

"I can't believe you wrecked the ship..." Link muttered, trying to stifle a laugh. Donald, on the other hand, didn't find it so funny. The duck was jumping up and down, steam practically pouring out of his ears.

"That's why I don't let anyone fly the ship! You could've gotten us all killed!" the duck yelled. The group then ran into Yuffie. The ninja turned around and saw the four.

"Omigosh! What happened?" she asked. Link pointed at Sora.

"Well, Sora here made a mistake on the scale of a Goron trying to swim." Link said. Yuffie stared at Link with a confused look. Link then realized that he'd used a Hyrulean metaphor. "Basically, Sora wanted to fly the ship and crashed it into a meteor..." Link told her. Yuffie nodded, still slightly confused.

"I... see..." she replied. Link shook his head.

"Nevermind that. We need to talk to Leon. Any clue where he is?" Link asked. Yuffie nodded.

"Yeah. He's in the sewers training. You can get there from the Second District." Yuffie told them. Link nodded, and the four headed toward the Second District. Yuffie stared at the retreating figures, hoping that this was a temporary lapse into insanity.

After fighting a few Heartless, the group found themselves at the entrance to the sewers. After following the sounds of fighting, they see Leon training with his gunblade. Leon heard them and turned around.

"What's up?" he asked. Sora and the others walked over and sat down on some of the rocks. Leon sat with them, leaning the gunblade against a wall.

"Well, we went to another world. There, we had to fight another Heartless. However, after we beat it, the Keyblade... it locked something... there was a click... It looked like a keyhole..." Sora said. Leon nodded.

"So, you found the Keyhole of the world, eh?" he asked. Sora stared at him.

"What? Keyhole?" he asked. Leon nodded.

"Yeah. Every world has a Keyhole. Even those from different dimensions. The Keyholes lead ot the hearts of the worlds." Leon explained.

"Yes, and the Keyholes need to be sealed, according to the report." Aerith's voice came. The group turned and saw here carrying a tray of drinks. She handed a drink to the group and Leon, leaving one for herself.

"What report?" Link asked, taking a sip of the lemonade. It tasted good, and he took another drink.

"Well, the leader of our world was a man named Ansem. He was a wise philosopher, and he studied the Heartless." Aerith replied.

"Yeah, and one thing he mentioned was the Keyholes. This town must have a Keyhole too..." Leon added on. That reminded Sora of something.

"Hey, Leon! When we sealed the Keyhole, this Gummi came out. It's not like any normal Gummi, so we thought you might know what it's for." Sora said. Leon looked at it, then shook his head.

"You're better off asking Cid something like that." Leon told them. The four nodded and finished off their lemonade. "Hey, Link!" Leon called out as they group was leaving. The Kokiri turned around. "You and me, sometime. One on one. Sound good?" he asked. Link nodded, and the group left.

They made their way to Cid's accessory shop in the first district, encountering a little more Heartless than on their trip to the sewers. At the shop, they saw Cid dealing with a customer. After the customer left, Cid saw the four.

"Hey, guys! What's going on?" he asked. He pulled some chairs from behind the counter, and the group sat down.

"Well, we came to see if you knew about this Gummi we found." Donald told him, handing him the Gummi. Cid looked at it, then looked at the four with a look that asked if they were being serious.

"Are you kidding me?" he asked. The group shook their heads. "You guys're flying a Gummi Ship and you don't even know about Navigation Gummis!? Bunch of pinheads... Interspace ain't no playground..." he muttered. Link spoke up.

"It's not our fault. There's still quite a bit we don't know about this whole situation. How else do you expect us to travel around?" Link asked. Cid nodded.

"Yeah, you're right. I guess I shoulda thought of that. No hard feelings, okay? I'll help ya guys." Cid replied. Link nodded.

"Thank you." he said. Cid then held up the Gummi.

"Basically, Navigation Gummis help you get to new places. It's sorta like an extension on your map. Now, you want it on your ship?" Cid replied, jerking his thumb toward where their Gummi Ship was parked. Donald nodded his head.

"Alright. I'll install it for ya. While you're waiting, you guys can do me a favor." Cid said, getting up and going behind the counter.

"What kinda favor, a-hyuck?" Goofy asked. Cid held up a book.

"Could you guys deliver this book to the old house past the Third District. Ya can't miss it." Link nodded, accepting the book and putting it in his pouch. When Cid saw the size of it, he had to ask a question. "Hey, Link?" Link looked up.

"Yeah, Cid?" Link replied.

"I was told by Leon that you pulled a bomb outta there." Cid started. Link merely nodded. "Well, how much space do you got in that pouch of yours?" he asked. Link shook his head.

"Never really tested it... I've always had room for things." Link replied. The group then left. Cid watched them go, scratching his head.

"Well, I guess you can't make up the crazy stuff..." he muttered.

In the Third District, the Heartless had grown to numbers worse than even when they had fought Guard Armor.

"Anyone finding this increase in Heartless a little irritating?" Donald asked, destroying a Soldier. Sora nodded.

"Yeah... almost like there's another leader..." he muttered, sending a few Shadow Heartless scurrying. Link shook his head.

"Almost like Guard Armor was... a distraction? I hope not..." he muttered, rushing at the last few Heartless in their way. The group then saw an old cottage.

"This must be it..." Sora muttered. The four tried the door, and found it unlocked. As they stepped in, Sora swore he heard a voice.

"Hey! Doesn't this remind you of our secret spot?" Sora turned and saw... Kairi?

"Is that you, Kairi?" he muttered, rubbing his eyes. However, the image was gone. The four then heard someone coughing, and saw an old man wearing a blue robe apporach them. He had a long white beard, and wore a blue pointed hat.

"Aah! You've arrived earlier than I expected! Welcome!" he said. The four stared at him.

"Uh... who're you?" Link asked. The man chuckled.

"I am sorry, Hero. I am Merlin. I'm a magician." he said. Link stared at him.

"We have something for you..." Link said, pulling the book out and tossing it at him. The book merely floated into a bag beside Merlin.

"Are... you a Heartless?" Sora asked. Donald shook his head.

"Doesn't look like one..." he muttered. Merlin nodded.

"Quite right. Rather, your King asked me to help you." Merlin said. Goofy and Donald perked up at that.

"Gawrsh! Do ya know where he is?" Donald asked. Merlin shook his head.

"I'm afraid not, but he asked me to help you all on your quest... especially you, Sora." Merlin said, pointing at the Keyblade wielder.

"Me?" Sora asked. Merlin nodded.

"You've been using the Keyblade's power instinctively. I'm here to help teach you otherwise... now, are you ready to learn some magic?" he asked. Sora nodded. Merlin taught Sora how to utilize magic, and how to focus it through the Keyblade. He then taught Sora the spells of Fire, Thunder, Blizzard, Cure, Gravity, Stop, and Aero. After Sora had mastered the spells, Merlin turned to Link. "I have some things for you too, Hero of Time." Merlin told him. Link nodded.

"Like what?" he asked. Merlin reached into a bag, and pulled out five objects. He first handed Link two spheres, one glowing red and the other a light blue.

"These are to be used with a certain projectile that you'll find back in Hyrule." Merlin said. Link nodded, putting the spheres in a bag. Merlin then dug into his bag, and pulled out three medal discs. "May I see your Master Sword?" he asked. Link nodded, withdrawing the blade and handing it to the magician. Merlin held the discs to the Master Sword, which absorbed the discs. "There! Now, you can utilize those three Magic Medallions." Merlin said. "The Bombos Medallion will create a ring of fire followed by a series of small explosions. The Ether Medallion will cause an atmospheric disruption to freeze your enemies. And the Quake Medallion will cause an earthquake." Merlin told him. Link nodded, taking the Master Sword back and re-sheathing it. The group then left. As they were walking along, they saw Yuffie running up to them.

"Hey! Are you done with that errand for Cid?" she asked. The four nodded. "Great! Follow me, then!" she shouted, taking off. The four followed her to an empty house in the Third District. When they entered, they saw Aerith, Cid, and Leon had already gathered. Yuffie strode into the room. "Yuffie has arrived!" she said. The others followed quietly.

"Hey, you guys. Did you hear that Maleficent's in town?" Aerith asked. Leon looked down. Yuffie's look of happiness changed to a distant look devoid of emotion. Cid was muttering something under his breath.

"Male-who?" Sora asked. Yuffie turned around, tears gathering in her eyes.

"She's a witch, man! A witch! She's in control of the Heartless! She attacked our home years ago and destroyed it." Yuffie told him, holding back the tears. Cid stepped forward.

"One day, the Heartless just showed up. Luckily, I managed to get outta here with these three." Cid informed them.

"She's the reason that the Heartless are everywhere." Leon added. "She's been using them for years. She must've discovered them after Ansem did."

Link turned to Leon. "You keep mentioning this 'Ansem'. Who was he, exaclty?" Link asked.

"Like I told you guys before, Ansem was the leader of our world. He studied the Heartless, and knew many things about them. He wrote up a report on them. If we can find it, it may tell us how to get rid of the Heartless." Leon explained. "If we don't, they'll destroy the worlds."

"How?" Link asked.

"Well, the Heartless enter the heart of the world via the Keyhole. After that... it's gone." Leon replied. "That's why the Keyblade is so important. If the Keyholes are sealed, then the Heartless can't destroy the world."

"Where is the report?" Sora asked. Leon shrugged his shoulders.

"It's scattered all around. Maleficent probably has most of them." Leon muttered. The meeting broke up shortly after a bell rang. Cid caught up to the group.

"Hey, guys! I hear you delivered that book. Thanks! I got that Navigation Gummi put on your ship. If you find anymore, bring 'em to me and I'll install 'em!" Cid said. The bell rang again.

"That's getting kinda annoying..." Sora said. Cid nodded.

"Legend says that we're supposed ot have a monster-sized Heartless on our hands if that bell in the Second District is rung three times." Cid said. "You four oughta check it out." With that, Cid headed off toward the First District. The group made their way the the Second District. There, they saw a clock tower. They climbed up, fighting Heartless along the way. At the top, Sora struck the bell three times with his Keyblade. The group looked down, and saw a Keyhole emerge from a painting behind the fountain.

"Hey! It's a Keyhole!" Link said. The group quickly climbed down the stairway and to the fountain. However, Link stopped them. "Something's... off." he muttered. An armored foot fell down, followed by another. Soon, the group was facing another Guard Armor. However, before they could attack, it re-arranged itself. Its hands and feet switched places, the body turned upside down, and the helmet on the head opened up.

Beware, for your newest enemy is an upgraded version of the Guard Armor. Meet

Possessed Armor, Opposite Armor

The group went to work. Link pulled out a bomb, warping onto the Opposite Armor's back. However, he was kicked off by a foot, and the bomb blew up before Link could get it positioned. Link was sent flying, hitting the water of the fountain hard. Sora rushed in, but was deterred by the spinning hands of the giant Heartless. The Opposite Armor floated away from the group. Link warped again, except he warped to a point where he could throw his bomb at it. The resulting explosion managed to destroy a hand. However, Link was struck in midair by the Heartless, and hit the ground hard. Sora aimed his Keyblade at Opposite Armor.

Fire!

A fireball flew at Opposite Armor's head, exploding on contact. The Heartless reared back, and Link, who was wobbly, took the opportunity. He thrust the Master Sword into the air.

"LET'S TRY THIS OUT!" he shouted, stabbing the ground with the Master Sword.

Quake Medallion!

The ground rumbled, and Opposite Armor lost its balance, falling down. The group rushed in. Link made it first, and held the Master Sword up.

Bombos Medallion!

Multiple pillars of fire shout out in a ring, followed by several explosions. When it was all said and done, there was nothing left of Opposite Armor other than a floating heart. Sora then sealed the Keyhole. The group made their way to the Gummi Ship, and their next destination.

Notes on the Chapter:

1. Yes, Sora's afro is from the TokyoPop manga.

2. Keyhole explanation. Not really much to say here.

3. My favorite line is still when Cid says "Bunch of pinheads... Interspace ain't no playground!" I had to add that in here!

4. Yes, I know that Link doesn't have his arrows yet, but this is how he gets Fire and Ice arrows.

5. I've always like the Medallions from A Link to the Past, so I figured I'd add them into LoHH.

6. Yeah, I'm not too happy with Opposite Armor's Boss Title either, but it's better than nothing.