Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy or Tron. No money has or will exchange hands. All original storylines do belong to me.

Author Note: More action this time around and there will be more and more as the chapters go on from this point onwards, though there will still be lots of character heavy stuffs too. If you do like this story please do comment and let me know what you think. Thank you to those who do and who've added this to favourites and updates.

Chapter 25

"There is just one thing I don't understand," Aqua said. They had gone over almost everything else there was to talk about. They all agreed that somehow Xehanort had possessed Terra because everything fit when you looked at the bigger picture. They had given up on even trying to understand how Sora and Ventus were connected but they all agreed they were. Aqua had met Kairi, Sora and Riku after all. Ven meeting Sora wasn't too far fetched.

Terra was another question they were still no closer to answering.

"What?" Roxas asked kindly, he was still worried - as was Axel - that this was all taking much deeper toll on Aqua than she was showing them.

"It's not possible for someone without a Heart to use a Keyblade, the memory of having one wouldn't be enough. You must always have had at least part of one to wield a Keyblade."

"Yeah." He had thought about this. "Xemnas met me in Twilight Town and gave me the name Roxas, I think he always knew I had one but because I had no memories and was nothing but a blank slate it was easy to convince me and coerce me into working for the Organisation."

Aqua nodded but anything else any of them would have said was cut off by an alert from the computer console in the corner.

"EMERGENCY ON THE GRID, REQUESTING ASSISTANCE. EMERGENCY ON GRID, REQUESTING ASSISTANCE."

Axel stood up in a flash and was at the console, tapping furiously on the Keyboard.

"Tron says that MCP is trying to take over the system and they need our help."

Roxas sent Aqua an apologetic look. "Tell him we'll be there as soon as we can."

"Already on it!" Axel called back.

"I'm sorry Aqua but we have to go and help them."

She shook her head. "It's fine, I understand. Can I help at all?"

"You could but if it gets bad we're going to need someone to alert the town if we can't stop the MCP in time."

Aqua stood. "Then you should go, do I need to wait here?"

Axel turned around and shook his head. "No." He threw something at her, a small handheld object that had been attached to the console. "This will vibrate if we need you to alert the town," he explained, Roxas had no idea that was even possible but Axel was pretty convinced. "Tron says he and Yori can hold them off for about the next half hour or so which will give us enough time to get back to the other console. If we leave now." They both looked to Aqua to see what she wanted to do.

"I might use the time to explore the rest of the Castle," Aqua said and stood with them.

They left the secret area and Roxas went to lock it down with his Keyblade. "Aqua," he said turning to her. "Hold up your Keyblade."

"Okay." In a flash it was in her hand.

"You ready?" She nodded and together they locked everything away. "It means either of us can open it now, just in case." There was something in her eyes as she looked at him then and Roxas studied her more carefully. When he realised why he was quick to add, "We're coming back. It's just that we don't know how long this will take and I don't want to lock you out."

Relief seemed to wash over her and she dismissed her Keyblade.

"Thank you."

"No problem."

Aqua followed them out and through the maze of the Castle until they reached the terminal they had used to enter Space Paranoids last time. She left them at the door and promised that if they weren't back by sunset then she would see them tomorrow. They thanked her then typed the commands into the terminal.

"See you on the other side," Roxas said and pressed the enter key, Axel smiled at him then the world went white as they were transported onto the Grid.

Kairi woke to Sora's soft snoring and a gentle breeze blowing through the curtains of their room at the Inn.

They had walked back in a daze amongst the crowds and headed straight for the Lantern inn. A Blonde woman and a man with a purple and white headscarf had greeted them with a smile once they'd introduced themselves and showed them to their room. Kairi couldn't remember much past getting undressed and crawling into bed with Sora, they must have been asleep pretty quickly.

When she closed her eyes again she could feel the world's light shining from within. No Heartless existed here, in it's own way this world had struck a balance and the outcome was a peaceful haven. It wasn't the kind of eery calm before an Island storm - at least not for the world its self - but it was, she thought, the only rest bite she and Sora would be getting until this was all over.

That was probably why they had found it in the first place… or maybe they were supposed to meet Rin? Either way Kairi was glad they had found it, not least because of what had happened between her and Sora the night before.

"Kairi?" Sora mumbled into his pillow.

"Sora?" she replied, giggling when he raised his head off of the pillow and looked at her with unfocused eyes. His brown spikes were recovering from a night being mushed into the pillow and he looked adorable. Then he smiled that big, warm, happy smile and Kairi felt as though she was melting.

"Do you think Rin would let us take the mattress if we paid for it?" he asked.

"It won't fit in the Gummy ship."

"We can make a bigger one."

Kairi laughed and ruffled his hair. "Sora, if we make a bigger ship I'm putting the rest of the laser guns and weaponry on it and then I'm going to paint it pink - with glitter."

Sora looked horrified. "Kairi-"

"No," Kairi cut him off. "Just because something is pink it doesn't mean it can't fight as well or be as strong." Her eyes held a challenge - it wasn't like Sora was any good at designing or making Gummy ships - and he sighed.

"Kairi, I know you're an awesome fighter - I've seen you and you've saved me more than once."

"Oh," she said, realising how that must have sounded. "I wasn't talking about me - I really was just talking about the ship and the colour pink." Kairi hadn't ever been overly confident in her abilities to start with but she'd never allowed herself to feel inadequate either. She had been annoyed that she hadn't been able to fight along side Sora and Riku last time and so she had relished the chance to leave with Axel this time around. Kairi had no regrets over her decision - especially since she'd started using her Keyblade. This was where she was meant to be - she could feel it.

"Oh, good." Sora sounded relieved. "Why glitter?"

"Because I like it and it'll distract the Heartless and Nobody armies in space, they'll be distracted and therefore easier to destroy."

Sora smiled and flopped back down onto the bed, nuzzling the pillow with a blissed out expression on his face.

"If I let you do that - can we convince Rin to sell us the mattress?"

Kairi rolled over until she was eye to eye with Sora, shoulders pressed together under the comforter and fingers intertwined.

"We can ask her if they have any that will fit in our bunks."

Sora sighed and the breath brushed her cheek.

"Close enough."

The moment they arrived in the Grid they were fighting, Axel swarmed the rapidly growing Heartless with Flare and Firaga whilst Roxas ran through the hoards with his Keyblades criss crossing in front of him.

There wasn't even time to see where Tron and Yori were, all they could do was destroy the Heartless surrounding them and then find their friends.

"Axel!" Roxas called. "Stop the massive ones before they start firing!" He then ducked underneath one of them, sliced his Keyblades along the undercarriage before jumping up and over, slamming both of his weapons down and backing off as it exploded.

Axel concentrated and pulled the fire in then focussed it at the centre of another of the large Heartless and watched as his Flare spell set it alight. There was nothing left in it's place when it was over.

Roxas approached him, Oathkeeper and Bond of Flame taking out Heartless along the way.

"I can take the rest of them out," Roxas said, eyes bright with energy from the fight. His circuitry was glowing brighter too. "But I need you to close your eyes."

"Why?"

"Aqua taught me something and I want to try it out but I don't want to blind you - even momentarily - if this doesn't work."

Axel shrugged. "Fair enough."

"Stay close though," Roxas added with a smile. It was almost as though he was shimmering with light and when Axel closed his eyes he could still feel it radiating from him.

"Light!" Roxas called and pillars of light exploded around him, moving outwards and destroying the remaining Heartless. More pillars shot up a moment later when he called out again and afterwards the room was empty, silent with the lack of Heartless around them. When he looked upwards he could see the pink hearts they held rise upwards, though who's hearts they were he didn't know.

Aqua had been right, his power could be channelled to work like that. He couldn't help but wonder if she knew because Ventus had been able to do the same things. Though, he reminded himself, Ventus used his Keyblade as a back handed weapon and when Roxas had tried it it had been nothing short of painful and uncomfortable. Besides, he'd always fought with light on his side, maybe Ventus and him had that in common - Kairi too, though that was only his suspicion.

"Impressive!" Axel exclaimed afterwards. "Next time I want to watch."

"Okay." They started moving forwards and along the corridor. "Where are they?" Roxas asked. The Heartless were all gone (for now) but their friends weren't in sight.

"Follow the corridor," Tron's voice said from above and around them. "We had to seal ourselves off but we've granted you access."

"We'll be right there!" Roxas called out and gave Axel a perplexed look.

"Yeah, I didn't know they could do that either."

When they neared what looked to be a dead end a doorway appeared on the right and they both slipped through.

Yori looked up from her console and smiled at them briefly before getting back to whatever it was she was working on. It was Tron that walked towards them and greeted them.

"Axel, Roxas, it's good to see you again. I just wish it was under better circumstances." He looked exhausted and his circuits weren't glowing as brightly as they had been the last time they had seen him.

"No problem," Axel said. "We told you we'd be here for you if you needed us; what can we do to help?"

"The MCP has been able to access certain parts of the system and has taken over a program that creates Heartless. At the moment he's only able to make more of them within the Grid but he's using them to break through into the wider system and if he gets any further he'll be able to manufacture them in the town." Tron explained, walking them over to Yori as he did so.

She looked up from her console and continued to explain. "There is a large Heartless manufacturing site connected to this system and if we don't act soon he'll be able to override the protocols currently rendering it inactive." She typed furiously for a few more seconds then looked up at them. "I've written an upgrade for Tron that will stop him and give us the power to shut him down permanently but we need to act soon."

"What do we need to do?" Roxas asked, looking at Yori and how fast she was working. It was strange, Axel thought, watching a program - who was really a person - write an upgrade to another program but he realised it was just like learning a new spell or fighting technique. It didn't seem so odd anymore when he thought that way.

"You've already done most of it already. You stopped the Heartless in this part of the system and the MCP won't be able to send anymore until after I've finished this. By that time we'll need to leave and get to the Solar Sailor and head to the MCP and destroy him."

"Sounds fine by me," Axel said, Roxas nodded his agreement as well.

"Tron?" Yori looked up. "It's finished, I just need your disk."

Axel and Roxas watched as he detached his light disk (that so far they had assumed was just his weapon) and handed it over. Yori placed it over the console she was working on and it hovered in place, light shining from underneath it in pulses until it spun for a few moments then steadied.

"This is why I was captured," Yori explained. "Though this is a little outside of my programming, the MCP didn't want me free with this kind of power. You see, this was part of Tron's original programming and even though your friends helped us restore most it it - this was missing."

"Does the MCP know you escaped?" Axel asked, worried for his friend.

"I don't think so but he may not have looked yet. Though if this had gotten much worse or I wasn't here we'd have needed help from the users in the town." Yori pressed a few more keys on her console then studied Tron's light disk. She seemed happy with it and the light from underneath went out. "Here." She passed it back to Tron who equipped it again.

For a few moments he didn't move and his eyes were closed. When he opened them again light flowed brighter through his circuits and he looked much better.

"It's perfect," he told Yori, neither Axel or Roxas missed the note of affection in his voice.

"Good. We should leave now, the Heartless will be back soon." Yori shut down the console and looked at the door ahead of them. "Ready?"

"Lead the way." Axel gestured with his hand as he and Roxas flanked her, Tron taking up the rear of their group as they headed back into the corridor and towards the Solar Sailor (whatever that was).

Aqua was careful as she descended the Castle, Axel and Roxas had given her a map and marked the dead ends they had found on it as well as the riskier routes. She'd used her glider to get past a particularly steep ledge and was now in the lower sections of the Castle.

The large circular platform was called the Postern on the map and it looked as though it was well used, the disrepair along some of the walkways wasn't present. It even looked as though it parts of it had been repaired.

"It must lead to the town then," she said to herself.

The map was so detailed that she was surprised to find a huge hole in the wall near the large yellow pipe. It looked new though and there was rubble on the floor in front of it. When she approached it she could feel the darkness inside of it but it felt dormant. Like it was waiting for someone to explore it.

Now was not the time though, she could always come back later - after whatever fight she was now in the middle of. She did mark it on the map though, so that Axel and Roxas would know it was there. She considered putting up a ward across the entrance but the feeling of danger was strong enough that she didn't bother. Anyone who came up here would know to stay away.

Aqua continued down and along the path until she came to an entrance leading deeper into the castle. The map showed her what should have been there but no other notes had been added. She could understand that thought - if people from the town did use this pathway then her friends would have deliberately avoided it.

So she headed inside, unsurprised by the Heartless she found inside, though it took longer to defeat them on her own. It was strange for her to think that way, even before - when she had travelled the worlds - she had rarely had anyone to fight along side her. Yet one morning with Roxas and Axel and she already missed their company.

Aqua didn't think it was just because she missed Ventus either. They had been nothing but welcoming to her and were genuine in their offers of help. Somewhere in the back of her mind she wondered if they would agree to train with her - or let her train them here - when things settled down. She wondered if Kairi, Sora and Riku would want to join them - she couldn't help but feel that she owed them for not being here when she should have been - even if she had had no other choice at the time.

So carefully and dispatching Heartless as she went, Aqua navigated the tunnels, editing the differences on the map as she went.

The corridors lead to an office - one that had seen better days - it looked destroyed, shards of glass littered the floor, furniture was over turned and books that had been scattered around lay in odd piles. All of this she noticed but what drew a sharp breath was the portrait propped up against the wall.

She had seen it before - from the history book in the library - but this close… she realised this had to be the office Xehanort had used after stealing Terra's body.

A cold shiver ran through her, Aqua forced it off and stepped further inside.

Ever since she had started her decent she had felt as though something was pulling at her, now she knew what it was and it wasn't who's office this was or even what this room held.

Aqua could feel the pull of her Keyblade calling to her from somewhere below and she knew now that she would follow it until she found it. The only reason she would turn back was if the small device Axel had given to her signalled that her friends were in danger.

The dust on the floor of the office had the look of being recently disturbed and as she walked she could see a range of other footprints. Others had been here recently, though it was deserted at the moment.

The room opened out onto an open walkway and she stopped to look at the rising walls of pods on either side of a vast cavern. Whatever it was, it didn't look good. Not after the room she had just seen. The next room held a large computer terminal but she only glanced at it for a moment before continuing through the door on the other side. The walkway was long and lead to a large platform at the bottom of the huge chamber. It looked like a dead end but she knew it wasn't; the pull was stronger now, she just had to find an entrance.

Aqua felt the Master Key form under her fingers and raised it. It had done this a few times since she had found it - always leading her somewhere safe or where she needed to go. She wondered if maybe, maybe it meant that Master Eraqus was still with her in a way, guiding her when she needed it.

It sung in her hand and soon she could see the outline on the floor, the centre started to pull open and slowly a walkway sloped in front of her.

"Thank you," she whispered - as she had done every time and stepped forwards.

"Light!" Roxas shouted at the same time he heard Axel call out "Flare!" Fire and light erupted all around them, bolting up and out of the floor. Roxas jumped up and threw his ams open as he twirled through the air, his Keyblades slicing through any resistance they came across. Then he was on the floor again, he and Axel crossing each others paths as the ran outwards, Chakrams and fire, light and Keyblades laying waste to the hoards that swarmed them.

They could hear Tron and Yori fighting behind them - capable of holding their own now that all of their attention was on the fighting.

Roxas ducked under two of the larger Heartless and shot Blizzard spells from his Keyblade before launching Bond of Flame though the air at them, he didn't have time to watch them shatter then dissipate even if he had wanted to. Defending with Oathkeeper he used the momentum to propel himself into the air again and as Bond of Flame returned to him he slashed out with both Keyblades in rapid criss crossing blows.

Almost, they were almost there…

Axel sent him a quick look across the room and Roxas nodded in understanding, he channeled ice thorough Oathkeeper, Blizzaga spells landed on all moving targets. For a moment everything was silent, only the crackle of ice could be heard as the Heartless tried to break free. Then Axel sent a wave of fire through them all and they fizzled into nothing the moment the flames hit.

Axel, though out of breath, looked exhilarated when he returned to Roxas' side.

"Nice one Roxas," he commented, throwing him an ether before downing one himself.

"That was very impressive," Tron told them. "Yori told me that you fought well but I'm glad I'm getting to see it for my self."

"Right back at you," Axel said, looking at Tron and then Yori.

"We're not too far away now," She explained. "The solar sailor is just through here."

Aqua had been walking down a spiralling slope for the past ten minutes. The walkway entrance had stayed open the whole time and she didn't expect it to close anytime soon. Whoever had made this place - and she was already sure who - clearly hadn't expected anyone else to gain access.

But her Keyblade's call was hard to ignore.

The fact that it was stored here - somewhere - might have meant it was a trap but it didn't feel that way, she had already bypassed the security after all. And unless her still silent alarm went off she wasn't leaving until Stormfall was back in her hands.

At the time Aqua had believed leaving it with Terra was the right thing to do, after all she had watched the darkness that possessed him fall away. Why was it that Xehanort had still won? She knew she may never be able to understand but it wouldn't stop her fighting to get Terra back.

She made her way through a set of doors and shuddered as the air turned colder. The chill ran deep here, the cells on either side of her were silent and unoccupied but despite their clinical appearance she could feel darkness in the air. Whatever had happened here, whatever they were used for had left a mark of darkness and a stain on the heart of the world.

Master Key came to life in her hands again as she neared a door at the end of the corridor. As it opened in front of her she took a deep breath and stepped inside.

Master Key fell away and Stormfall surged in her hand, she felt it pull her fingers tight against the hilt and reaffirm its connection to her. Aqua closed her eyes and let it resonate, felt her magic flow and reconnect. She dropped to her knees with the sensation and took the keychain in her other hand. Sparks danced across her skin and Aqua breathed a sign of relief.

Home, it felt like being home.

After a while she stood - Stormfall still in her hand - and looked around. Her old armour lay in pieces on the floor but she felt nothing but a faint connection to it now. Her new set was working just as well as the old and had none of the scars and damage from that final battle all those years ago.

Some one had kept her Keyblade and armour here, someone who visited often and sat on the large chair she saw at her side. Terra, Terra, Terra. She thought, his name almost on repeat in her mind. Could it really be possible that part of him was holding onto his memory of her for all this time? She felt only sorrow and loss echoing from the walls, was this the same part of her friend who looked for Ventus within Castle Oblivion? Part of Aqua hoped so because it meant Terra really was still out there but a larger part of her doubted it. It could be Master Xehanort using her friends memories and mind to take what he thinks is his.

Her Keyblade was untouched by any of his dark magic, it felt like it always had done - like it belonged to her through.

Aqua considered leaving a note or a warning of her own but she knew that reclaiming Stormfall was enough of a message - both to Terra and Xehanort.

"Terra, if I can I will find you and bring you home." She took a deep shaking breath. "But if I can't… if there is nothing more I can do then I promise to help destroy the one who took you from us and make sure he can't hurt anyone else again." Ven's Wayfinder felt warm against her leg as she spoke, relaying their joint message to their friend.

She turned and left much faster than she had arrived, never looking back and gliding back up the slopes for a faster exit. It wasn't until she reached the top that she stopped for breath. Stormfall was still in her hand and she raised it to see if she could close the entrance with it, to her surprise she could. Though whether it was because she was a Keyblade Master herself or the fact that she still had Master Key she didn't know.

As she made her way out she noticed that the sun was still high in the sky so she headed back up to the library where she locked herself away within the secret area again and took out the reports and letters Ventus had had - their content might be important.