It was sullen on the mesa where the keybearers sat in stunned silence.

Ventus was the first to speak, "Does anyone know what the heck that was?"

"No clue," Mickey shook his head sadly, "I hope Kairi's okay."

"She's fine," a wicked sounding boy's voice said from below. All turned to see Sora and Larxene leap up onto the ledge. "At least, she's not dead," he clarified in a very flat tone.

"You," Ven narrowed his eyes, readying his keyblade for a fight.

"Oh put that away," Sora dismissed him out of hand.

"Sora…" Mickey's expression somehow grew sadder.

"We aren't here to cause problems. We all appear to be short of where we were hoping to be this morning," he explained, holding his hands up defensively. The golden-eyed keybearer casts his glance quickly at Riku, who still hadn't gotten up, looking rather dumbfounded by the course of events.

"What happened to Kairi?" Mickey asked like a stern parent.

Sora sighed, "I had to get her heart away from Xehanort...but it seems she had other plans."

"'Other plans'?" Ven parroted him.

"I had hoped to seal Kairi's heart...but when I took it from her body, she seems to have absorbed the other Princesses on instinct. Fascinating," he folded his arms in thought, "Nothing Xehanort or Ansem dug up suggested this at all."

"You can fix her though, right?" Ven asked cautiously.

"I'll have to think on that," Sora pointed to the spot where one of Xehanort's clones had been vaporized effortlessly, "the smallest mistake and we'll all find ourselves 'purified' in the name of Light."

Aqua, who had been quite silent to this point, looming over the prone form of Ienzo, now turned with a menacing scowl, "You did this. This is all your fault. All of it!" she screamed towards the end, almost growing panicked, pulling out her keyblade and rushing towards Sora.

Larxene was at her master's side, though, and rather simply blocked the blow by entangling the tip of Aqua's Master Keeper blade in her kunai, trying to hold her steady, "Easy there, princess. We told you, no one's here to start a fight."

"So what do we do?!" Aqua yelled at her blonde adversary, "Why does everyone have to die, to disappear?" she began crying through gritted teeth.

Sora kept his hands elevated to show the blue haired Master that he wasn't a threat, taking first one slow step, then another, before gingerly tip-toeing over to Ienzo's prone body. Kneeling, Sora took out his Oblivion blade, seemingly using it as some sort of scanner or probe, "Fascinating...he's dead...but more…" he furrowed his brow in thought. "It's like she killed only the dark parts. There's still some remnants of him inside...faint, but fading."

"So," Ven tried to sound diplomatically optimistic, "you can help him, right?"

"Maybe. if I cared," Sora casually snubbed the idea.

"Please," Aqua lowered her keyblade, averting her eyes, her voice wavered uncertainly, "he's my friend…"

"We have more important worries than expending a lot of energy crafting his entire heart from scratch."

"Sora," the spiky haired boy turned to see Larxene giving him a downright treacherous look.

The dark keybearer sighed, "Fine. If it means I can get you to stop attacking me every time we meet." He turned his attention back to the body, driving his keyblade into the chest.

Sora's first task was anchoring all the fragmenting corners of Light inside his body together before they drifted too far apart so that he'd be beyond even Sora's help. Managing to complete this, he turned his attention to crafting the emptiness between those points, what he surmised was Darkness before, and stitching them all together until the Heart was complete once more.

It must have been some minutes of deep concentration, for when Sora looked around he noticed Aqua kneeling by his side, observing, though he hadn't the faintest idea when she'd gotten there. It was difficult to pattern the Darkness based only on the fragments of Light. He'd attempt to weave a pattern but then that pattern would run smack dab into one of the weaves coming from a different direction, and he'd have to begin again until they all matched up perfectly. No small feat for a Heart now broken into two dozen scattered pieces.

But eventually, he felt he'd completed it, and warily, let loose his anchors, hoping the heart wouldn't dissipate. It was definitely straining. Looking into the future, Sora knew this was a temporary reprieve. Whatever Kairi had done to him, it was persistent. He had only bought time. Days, months or years, he couldn't say. But the makeshift Heart would fail. He'd find some convenient time to explain it to Ienzo away from Aqua, who seemed to need only slight provocations to attack him.

For now he contented himself to draw his keyblade out, and await Ienzo's pending resurrection. The master of illusions opened his eyes again.

"Ienzo!" Aqua cheered, hugging him, "you're alive!"

"Master Aqua…" the cloaked young man seemed rather confused, patting the affectionate keybearer on the back awkwardly. He looked at the other nearby figure, "Sora," he acknowledged his presence with a guarded measure.

"Well you're alive. Somehow. For now," the golden eyed boy shrugged.

"So it would seem," Ienzo patted down his chest, as if he might see an open wound.

A stillness came over the group. All eyes, save for those of Larxene and the boy himself, were on Sora. None dared speak to ask, to seek clarification, lest their inquiries legitimize somehow the image of the Keyblade's Chosen One as a Dark user.

A dark portal interrupted the silence, Maleficent stepping out and onto the mesa. "The Heartless have retreated," she reported, casting down to the battlefield with her sceptre, "we were fortunate to have no casualties."

"No," Mickey sighed, "one casualty."

Maleficent raised an eyebrow curious, looking about until she noticed, "Where is Kairi?"

"Gone," Sora answered simply. "But thanks for showing up when you did, Maleficent. This was a great distraction."

Maleficent bowed, "I can't take the credit. It was the King's idea."

Sora seemed amused at the thought, "So, you worked with her, too."

Mickey only answered in silence.

"Sora," Ienzo began cautiously, "What was that...procedure, you performed?"

"If I had to guess," Sora thought, folding his arms and tapping a foot, "When I removed Kairi's Heart, it somehow resonated with the other six that Xehanort was keeping in suspension. They became...anti-Heartless, I think."

"Anti-Heartless…" Ienzo pondered the term, "but they turned into-"

"Keyblades," Riku finished. "If a Heartless is a Heart made of Darkness, then its opposite is a heart made entirely of Light. A keyblade."

"Yes," Sora seemed more fascinated by the implications than the consequences of having done it to his dearest companion, "I assumed there had to be a relationship between the Heartless and the Keyblades. Though for it to be so literal...that seemed too easy."

Ienzo looked around the graveyard, seeing the dark fields of decrepit blades over the desert, "So this place...the Keyblade War...was when an overflow of Light consumed the worlds? Like the Heartless did, do you think?"

"That makes a twisted kind of sense," Sora nodded his approval, "It would explain why the Princesses transformed here naturally without any provocation, or why Xehanort needed to create the X-Blade here."

"So," Riku began, sounding nervous and ambivalent, "did we just unleash anti-Heartless on the universe?"

Sora smiled, chuckling, "I suppose so," he mused, sounding off in his own thoughts.

"Not 'we', 'you'," Aqua growled, though she didn't seem ready to attack just yet. "Kairi's going to hurt people, isn't she?"

"That's not Kairi," Sora said simply, starting to sound irritated. He then seemed to stumble onto a thought, "Oh, yes," he said, opening his palm as a dark portal opened in the floor in front of him. From it rose the unconscious form of Kara, still bound in dark tendrils like rope. "If anything is Kairi, it's her." He snapped a finger and the dark bonds evaporated, "you can have her now. She won't do me any good."

"Kara…" Riku glared at Sora, "Why did you take her?"

Sora shrugged, "I was going to merge her with Kairi again. Corrupt her heart back into Light and Darkness. Make her grey like the rest of us. That would ruin Xehanort's plans to have seven Hearts of pure Light."

Ienzo seemed shocked, "That...might have killed her. Killed all of them if you did it during the ritual!"

"Maybe."

"Unbelievable," Ienzo glowered, "you wanted it to kill them."

Sora felt their righteous indignation closing in on him, though from Mickey and Riku it was probably just the shock of hearing it that kept them from staring too harshly, "If I had just merged Kairi back, Xehanort would have simply retreated into the shadows until the seventh true princess could be found. This way, it might ruin his plans forever." He rolled his eyes at the accusatory looks, "I'm only saying if she did corrupt them all and die we still would have won. That's what was important."

There was a pause, until Riku spoke, his voice a defeated whisper, "You really aren't Sora anymore."

"Just because my priorities are straight now doesn't mean I'm not me. But nevermind that," he looked over the group that had assembled here, "right now we should focus on Kairi. What's done is done."

"He is right about that," Mickey conceded, but if only, it seemed, to not have to think about it anymore.

Ven spoke up, "Kairi said something about 'seven orders', what do you think she meant?"

Mickey's brow furrowed, "Hmm, like, keyblade orders? Like the Knights, and the Wizards?" he suggested, gesturing first to Ven and Aqua, then to the Masters trained by Yen Sid.

"That seems logical," Aqua conceded, "Master Eraqus was always adamant about our duty to guard the realm of Light...like Kairi is now."

"So there's five other orders out there who could lend us a hand?" Donald asked hopefully.

"No," Riku said definitively, "with the universe as chaotic as it has been the past ten years, I think we would have run into them by now."

"Agreed," Sora lent his voice to the opinion, "the universe is a small place, they should have encountered Xehanort during one of his schemes, and we'd have met them actively fighting him. More likely, they've all died out, like the Knights almost did ten years ago."

"Seven orders, worn down to two after so long…" Mickey sighed despondently.

Aqua's voice was quiet, "What do you think ended them all?"

Sora folded his arms, "People like Xehanort," he surmised, "For all we know, he's just the latest in a long line of madmen who have tried to bring about Darkness through the whole of creation. But when there were seven orders it was easy to guard against them. It's only now, with so few of us left, he even has a shot at winning." He shrugged at this, "at least, as far as we know," he repeated his disclaimer.

"So it's up to us," Ven reaffirmed their commitment.

"Indeed," Sora smirked.

Riku stepped to the unconscious form of Kara laying in the middle of the group, "So what do we do about her?"

"Bring her with us," Ven chimed in. "I'm sure she would be our friend if she understood the situation."

"She does seem rather obsessed with finding Kairi," Sora observed nonchalantly, "so we do have the same goal."

"We still have to destroy Xehanort," Aqua said, if only to oppose Sora's position.

"No," Ienzo countered, "Master Xehanort retreated. He is clearly no longer the greater threat. At least for now."

"He'll find a way to capture her again," Larxene spat, "count on it."

"I'll go after Xehanort," Aqua said.

"No," Mickey stopped her, "you're needed fighting that...shadow. That ghost of Eraqus." He looked around at the assembled key bearers, "Gosh, of everyone here I'm the most experienced at fighting Xehanort from the shadows." He almost thought Riku would chide him playfully, but no such reaction came. The king swallowed and went on, "Maleficent and I will make ourselves a huge pain in the butt for Xehanort."

"I will join you," Ienzo offered, "I am clearly of little use against Kairi." He turned to the other former member of the Organization, "Larxene?"

The Savage Nymph looked uncomfortable, peering nervously around the group. Sora stepped in to save her, "Larxene needs to be near me. There are...things I need to keep an eye on."

Donald and Goofy looked to each other, then to their king, "Your Majesty," Donald spoke up, saluting smartly, "permission to join you?"

Mickey looked from Donald to Sora. For a moment, he seemed like he might suggest something. But his eyes drooped, saddened as his thoughts caught up to his surroundings. He only nodded quietly to his loyal retainers curtly, unable to make eye contact with Sora.

"Then that decides it," Sora smiled, spreading his arms wide. "We will pursue Kairi."

The three remaining Keybearers looked uncertain, but seeing little alternative, agreed.

Maleficent and Mickey gathered their allies, returning the Army of Light to their respective worlds. Their departure left the four keybearers and Larxene alone on the mesa, awaiting Kara's awakening.

Aqua had kept her glare on Sora for some time. He was far too much like Vanitas now. She remembered his eyes, his glee at knowing he'd "killed" Ven. She had learned the hard way dealing with Master Xehanort the price of turning your back on a foe to help a friend. She was determined not to make the mistake again.

Riku sat with his legs draped over the ledge, however. If Sora's transformation bothered him he wasn't showing it very well. Ventus was the only one to take note of his quiet demeanor. Not that Riku wasn't already quiet to begin with, but this bordered on abandoning his responsibilities. The blonde haired boy sat down next to him, "Did something happen?" he asked quietly.

Riku looked at Ven, but didn't answer, opting to gaze over the graveyard instead of making eye contact. A long pause passed, enough for a sandy gust to blow against the spire and dissipate. Finally, Riku spoke, "Ven...what would you…" he began, but shook his head, "If I was...if I wasn't who you thought I was, what would you think?"

"About you?" Ven asked. Riku nodded. "Well, gee, I can't see how that would happen," Ven pondered on the circumstance. "I know you."

"I don't think that's true," Riku grumbled.

"I have my opinion of you," Ven explained, "and it's only based on you. I know you're strong. I know you're kind," he cast a sideways glance at the silver haired boy, "I know you're lonely," he said quickly. He swung his legs energetically to distract from his last sentence, "I know you're my friend. I don't think there's anything about you that would change those things."

Riku stared out silently, biting his lip. Eventually, he came clean, "I think I'm a Nobody."

Ven almost laughed, "What?"

Riku didn't share his amusement, "The Xehanort I fought. It was me."

His companion considered, "Well, doesn't that mean he's the Nobody?"

Riku shook his head, unsure, "I dunno," he admitted, "the things he said...they were too...accurate. Too convenient. It made too much sense...I'm a Nobody."

"But you have a Heart," Ventus insisted.

"Maybe," Riku shrugged, "but Ansem told me once that Nobodies can grow Hearts on their own given enough time. Maybe that happened to me."

Ven leaned forward until he knew he was in Riku's line of sight, "You're still my friend," he said confidently.

Riku cracked a sheepish smile, but it faded in only a moment before he looked back at the array of dead blades on the surfce below.

Before long, Kara began to stir, her limbs starting to move, dragging through the dirt with a groan.

Sora walked over to her, arms folded over his chest with a grin on his features, "Ah, you're awake, princess," he smiled, stepping a foot on her wrist.

This woke Kara up enough to look up and glare at him, but she was immediately aware of the other presences looking about from Aqua to Riku and Ven, who were both rising and coming towards her.

Kara struggled to move her arm from under Sora's weight, but she was far too weak, "What do you all want with me?" she growled.

Aqua knelt down, her ice blue eyes looking into the girl's, "We're going to find Kairi. We were hoping you'd come along with us."

"Kairi…" the silver haired girl focused on the name with her own voice. "My sister…"

"Xehanort will just use you," Riku said. "But if you come with us, I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for."

Kara seemed lost in thought as she pondered their offer. Eventually, she looked up scowling at Sora.

The keybearer laughed, lifting his foot from her wrist, "If you don't cause trouble we can get along, princess."

The shadow of Kairi stood up, dusting her red dress off and looking between the four keybearers, completely ignoring Larxene to the latter's irritation. She suddenly threw her arm out, as if to summon a weapon, but none came.

Sora did a poor job hiding his amusement, "No more Princesses, no more Heart Blade," he clearly enjoyed breaking the news to her.

Ven stepped forward, offering his hand, "We don't want to hurt you," he said in a gentle voice, "we just want to be your friends."

"But you should pick up a weapon. While we're here," Sora suggested. Kara gave him a confused look. The spiky haired boy laughed, "Look around you," he said, indicating the fields of abandoned keys, "one will certainly strike your fancy. You're still part princess, after all."

Kara walked to the edge of the platform. The lonely wind of this place sang in her ears. Death, loneliness, and sorrow were the winds here. She felt the emptiness of the gale sweep through her, passing through her body. This place...she was one with it, truly.

Aqua was concerned she might try to jump off, but instead she closed her eyes, and reached out. She felt her inner eye wandering over the blades, most of them dead, empty, and cold feeling. They felt spread thin, like water over pavement that had started to dry up in spots. A few were heavier, though, and she focused on those. Eventually, one caught her eye. This one had a solid core, comparatively. It was like a bottle in a sandy river, half filled to one side with sand. The light reinforced part of the blade, collected like dew. This blade...it was truly hers. It was broken, split in half from the majority of its power. It felt familiar. Tarnished, but no weapon that suited her could be pristine.

It felt right.

She called to the keyblade, and it formed in her hand. The shaft was dark, and transparent, in a way. It crackled occasionally in blue lightning, perhaps a feature of its design, or a sign of the weapon being damaged she couldn't say. But she held it in her hand, swinging a few times. It was hers. She was certain of that.

She looked back to the group, devoking her blade, where Sora was holding his hand up, extending towards her, inviting her own hand into it.

Kara began to reach out, but she hesitated, pulling it back fearfully. Swallowing hard, she let out a sigh, and took a hold of the peace offering before her