NU: Birth of the Seekers

by 26-Lord-Pain

AU, MASS-X-OVER, DARK/Naruto! NaruX?. World lost to darkness, his heart fell as well. Now as he struggles to live in a new land, soon he finds a new life to live... one much darker than even that of a ninja... WARNING KH-BBS Spoilers...

36. Revalations Pt2

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing within, save a couple ideas and possible OC's, but there's to freaking much to name so just go with that…

NU: Birth of the Seekers…

Chapter 35: Revelations Pt. 2…

Normal Speech: "Yo…"

Normal Thoughts: 'Curiouser and Curiouser…'

Demon Speech: "Pathetic Ningen…"

Demon Thoughts: 'I hate this cage…'

Seeker Speech: [Time to Die…]

(Temen ni gru…)

Naruto and Xion walked down many of the corridors of the grand tower, the blond frowning as he saw shadows start to slink and slither in front of them. 'Just great even more demons…' The blond haired teen thought to himself with a scowl as red eyes and silver scythes slowly became visible in the slinking mass of shadows. "Xion, stay behind me no matter what happens…" Naruto ordered while pulling Gloria and his silver short-sword out and twisting open the collapsible blade. Blinking but doing as told, Xion then widened her eyes as she saw the mass of shadows and scythes flow towards them, burning red eyes glowing brilliantly within its shadowy mass.

Smirking slightly, Naruto lunged forward and then swung both of his weapons, following his senses and cutting through the many strange demons. He saw as some appeared in their true forms for but the briefest of moments, before vanishing and leaving only their scythes behind as he continued to slice and slash through the oncoming mass of Demons. Ducking and avoiding their weapons while keeping himself as a shield to protect Xion, Naruto then swung both of his blades in a wide arc, slicing through more of the creatures when a large mass of black shadows came at him with an enormous scythe and single glowing blue eye.

What sounded like the wicked laughter of a women echoed out as the large demon came forward like a wave, swinging its scythe down on top of him. Crossing Gloria and his short-sword, the blond grunted as they barely managed to hold the demon back before pushing it back and knocking the demon off balance. Moving quickly, Naruto sliced upward with his short-sword, cleaving through the demon before swinging Gloria in a wide arc, taking its head off with a single swing. The shadowy demon gave off a strange wail as it fell back, Naruto falling into a crouch before groaning as he saw another mass of demons ahead of them.

"Xion, you better keep up if you want to stay alive." Naruto advised and the dark haired girl slowly nodded while the blond haired teen lunged forward with surprising speed, followed by the slower and younger dark haired girl. Swinging both of his normal blades through the demons, Naruto felt a strange sense of familiarity start to take hold before shaking it off as a trick. Flipping forward while still extending both of his blades, the blond then came out cutting another of the demons in half, landing in a low crouch while more demons lunged at him.

'This is… fun?' The blond noted as a smirk crossed his lips while blocking the next attack with his short-sword and then swiped Gloria through that demon's throat. Stopping the next attack with one of the blades in his boots, Naruto then twisted around swinging his legs into a double kick to his sides, the blades in his boots slicing through two more demons as he then came down and blocked two more scythes with his weapons. 'Really fun!' The blond haired teen noted inwardly while grinning, his golden yellow eyes nearly glowing as he knocked back both demons and then swung his two blades, slicing them apart like those before it.

'I love this!' Naruto thought to himself as even more of the strange shadowy creature lunged towards him. Twirling Gloria in his hand Naruto swung the weapon while twirling it, slicing through demon after demon before finishing off by swinging his short-sword, slicing cleanly through a demon. 'I'm absolutely crazy about it!' The blond haired teen inwardly declared while twirling Gloria in hand before tossing it forward, the small blade ripping through demon after demon before embedding itself into the far wall. Switching his Short-Sword to a reverse grip, the blond haired youth then lunged forward, swinging the blade through demon after demon and finishing by flipping into a kick, digging the blades in his boots into a demon's chest and kicking off of it.

Flipping back and landing in a low crouch, Naruto smirked while retracting the blades in his boots. Standing up and sheathing his short-sword, the blond then looked to a shocked Xion before grinning. "What's with the look? I am a trained Shinobi after all, this kind of stuff comes naturally to me." Naruto told the girl while walking over to Gloria, then flipped the blade back into its closed state before slipping it inside of his coat, Xion merely blinking as she stared at him.

"Shinobi?" She questioned with a raised brow and Naruto muttered something under his breath before pinching his nose with a frown.

"Yeah… maybe you'd know of it by the name "Ninja" then…" Naruto offered and saw a look of realization cross over Xion's features, making the blond inwardly sigh. 'I have to wonder, why wouldn't she know that as well? I mean, she has a Spellbinder of Knowledge like I do after all…' The blond wondered to himself for a moment before turning and opening a door, walking into a large room with treasure all around the room.

"Master, where exactly are we going?" Xion asked the blond haired teen and he looked at her for a moment before crossing his arms behind his back.

"I'm going to make certain that I avenge, The Shade's death." Naruto replied with a slight frown and Xion blinked for a moment while looking at him strangely.

"The Shade?" Xion questioned, having never seen the creature herself, and the blond haired teen nodded his head with a frown.

"A symbiotic being, it was bonded to me and killed in a fight against a powerful demon…" Naruto replied before sniffing the air and narrowing his eyes when he smelled something that didn't seem to belong. "And just when exactly were you going to show yourself?" Naruto questioned while looking up with a frown on his face, causing Xion to look up as well and see a woman sitting on a platform above them.

"I honestly didn't plan too at all." She replied plainly and then pushed herself off of the platform and landed on her feet from the impressive height. The woman was tall with pale skin and an athletic physique, her nails are painted black, while her eyes are a chilling blue color, and her long slicked back hair is a pale blond color. The woman was wearing something similar to a leather corset with a lightning bolt shape down the front and a zipper, a large wrist band on her left forearm, a pair of tight black leather pants with a belt synched around her waist, two guns holstered at the back of her waist, and knee length black leather boots.

"Jeez, it's official, every woman in the realm of Darkness, and on this world specifically, are probably hot." Naruto noted with a shake of his head, gaining a look from Xion while the woman rolled her eyes.

"Now then, I have a few questions and you're going to answer them." The woman then stated and got a look from Naruto in response.

"And just how do you plan on making me?" He asked with an amused grin and the woman swung her arm to the side, forming a massive crescent shaped sword that resembled soul-edge… "Good answer…" Naruto admitted with a blink while the blond haired woman leaned the massive sword along her shoulders.

"First of all, why were you talking to Gilver?" The woman questioned and Naruto considered his options, frowning as he felt the demonic power rolling off of the woman.

"He was giving me some information on the demon that killed The Shade…" Naruto replied and slowly looked at Xion before nudging her and motioning for her to get out of the way. Nodding silently, the dark haired girl moved to the side of the room while Naruto kept his eyes locked onto the blond woman.

"I see, then I suppose you're working with him then?" She questioned while circling around the blond haired teen, Naruto slowly pulling his silver-short-sword from the back of his waist and twisted it into a reverse grip.

"Not really, but he did tell me tell me where the guy I'm looking for might be…" Naruto replied in an offhand way, the blond woman frowning as he did and shot a pointed look at him.

"Really now, so that's how it is then…" The woman mused before pulling one of her guns out and taking a shot at Naruto, the blond swinging his short sword to deflect the bullet and catching the woman's immediate attention. 'I've only seen one other person deflect a shot like that… Gilver.' She noted before narrowing her eyes as darkness started to crawl along Naruto's body.

"Oi, looks like it's going to be another troublesome day…" Naruto mused before pulling Gloria from his coat and flicking it open, twirling it in hand while the blond haired woman narrowed her eyes for a moment. 'Gloria… why would he have that with him?' The blond haired woman wondered to herself before letting out a huff as lightning started to arch along her arms and body, catching Naruto's attention. She then twirled her gun in hand before firing off a bolt of lightning at the blond, Naruto mentally cursing while lunging out of the way. Smirking to herself then woman swung the enormous sword she was carrying, causing it to extend and change into a scythe before she hurled it at and then lunged towards the younger blond.

Widening his eyes in shock, Naruto rolled under the large scythe blade once and then ducked to the side as it moved like a boomerang, returning to the blond haired woman's grip. Swinging her weapon at the blond as she approached she smirked slightly as he rolled out of the way and formed a ball of dark-fire into his left hand. Swinging his arm and sending the ball of fire at the woman, Naruto then frowned as she merely blocked with the blade of the enormous sword. 'There's something really suspicious about that sword…' Naruto couldn't help but think to himself and then widened his eyes while focusing on the Demonic-Aura's in the room.

The woman, oddly enough, had a brilliant golden colored demonic aura, the feeling it gave off being like any other, a sense of fear and foreboding. However, the blade she was handling so roughly had an entirely separate aura from her own! And if that wasn't strange enough, it was even stronger than the woman's formidable aura as well! The aura of the blade was a deep purple color, specks of black and red flowing through it, the sense it gave off being one of sheer terror, not a sense of fear, but rather it gave off one of a completely terrifying being of darkness, one that had the power to drown all life in blackness.

'I don't know where she got that sword, but I know for a fact that no demon should ever have it.' Naruto thought to himself with a shiver as he gazed at the blade for a moment longer, then ducked as the blond woman nearly took his head off. 'Jeez, look at her sword later, concentrate on surviving now!' Naruto mentally shouted at himself while lunging at the woman and swinging both of his weapons at her mid-section, only for her to vanish in a flash of golden light and reappear behind him. Turning around to face her quickly, Naruto then moved out of the way as the woman lunged at him, her blade extending into a lance as she did so.

'Seriously! What kind of sword is that?' Naruto had to wonder as it made him think more and more of Soul-Edge, though the Shape-Shifting sword wasn't quite as powerful as the one held in the woman's grip. However before he could think on the matter more, the woman slung the blade onto her back while pulling her second gun out and began to fire both at the blond haired teen with a smirk. Cursing under his breath, Naruto ducked and dodged around several bullets empowered with lightning before idly checking to see that Xion was all right. The said girl was currently hiding behind a pile of gold, though seemed unharmed, so the blond returned to his current predicament.

'Maybe if I can get that sword away from her, I can actually get close enough to take her down…' Naruto thought to himself while the woman then twirled her handguns before holstering them and running towards Naruto. Ducking down, then woman then raised her leg up into a kick to his midsection before flipping back to knock him further up into the air. Grunting as she did, Naruto kept an eye on her as she pulled the massive sword from her back. 'Now!' He inwardly exclaimed while throwing his short-sword and knocked the enormous sword out of her hand and into the air. The weapon twirled in midair for a moment, before then embedding itself in the ground away from the two.

"Ha! Now lets see how tough you are without that sword!" Naruto exclaimed as he righted himself in midair and landed on his feet, and then lunged at the woman with Gloria. Seeing the younger blond coming right for her, the blond haired woman then grabbed his wrist as he approached and threw him into the air before bringing her leg down on his midsection and pinning him to the ground with her heeled boots. "Still pretty damn tough…" Naruto muttered with a light groan and the blond haired woman narrowed her eyes on him before looking to the side and pulling both of her guns from the back of her waist.

Following her gaze, Naruto cursed when he saw Nelo-Angelo appear in a flash before lunging for the massive sword the woman had been wielding. Cursing at the thought of the creature wielding the powerful weapon, Naruto quickly used a Dark-Corridor and came at Nelo from above, kicking him in the face. However the demon merely growled while swinging his sword into Naruto, knocking the blond away as he quickly approached the sword. The blond woman then took that moment to open fire on the demon, however he merely twirled his blade around in a circle to deflect the bullets before throwing it into the air.

Reaching his hand out to take hold of the massive sword, the demon was stopped by a boot to the chest from the blond woman. She then quickly yanked the blade out of the ground and swung it, knocking Nelo back while Naruto came from behind and stabbed Gloria through the back of his armor, more than a little surprised when the weapon actually managed to piece the hard as rock armor. Roaring out in pain, Nelo then reached back and grabbed Naruto by his hair, then twisted around and threw him into the blond haired woman causing them both to be knocked back.

Reaching up a hand, Nelo then caught his own falling sword before growling as he vanished in a flash of fire. Groaning lightly, Naruto then grunted as a now very annoyed blond haired woman quickly shoved him to the side. "What the hell was that for?" Naruto asked weakly while pushing himself up, grimacing when he felt the new jagged slice through his midsection, curtsey of Nelo-Angelo's serrated sword. Not answering Naruto for a moment, the blond haired woman looked to her sword for a moment before placing it on her back with a sigh.

"So, he's after the power of Sparda again… it figures, without Mundus to control him he'd go back to his old ways." The woman mused before looking at Naruto and tilting her head when she saw pure Darkness flow out of the jagged gash around his midsection, slowly mending the massive wound that would've killed any normal human. "So then, I take it your not working with Nelo." The woman mused aloud and Naruto shot the woman an annoyed look in response.

"Of course not! He's the one that killed The Shade!" Naruto replied and the woman frowned for a moment before rubbing her chin.

"I see… then I suppose I should apologize for starting that fight. When I saw you talking to Gilver, I figured you were in league with him against Dante… in any case, my name is Trish." The woman offered while holding out a hand to her fellow blond, Naruto warily taking the offered hand and giving a light shake. "Now then, where'd you get Gloria from?" Trish then questioned while pointing at the knife as Naruto collapsed it and stuck it back into his coat.

"A woman named Lady gave it to me cause my keyblades don't seem to have any affect on Demons here." Naruto replied and the woman blinked before frowning deeply at that tidbit of information.

"I see… so that's what Gilver was so interested in…" She mused aloud, and thus also gaining a confused look from the blond haired youth. "Never mind, lets just say you shouldn't trust Gilver. While he's more honorable than most Demon's you'll meet, he's still a devil at heart." Trish warned and Naruto slowly nodded his head in agreement with the woman, aware of how demons and devils like to turn on those that helped them. "In any case, I'm going to go look for Dante and Lady, and since I know Lady is alive, I'll look for her first." Trish decided while walking away and causing a confused look to cross Naruto's features.

"Why not look for this "Dante" guy first?" Naruto questioned and a sly smirk crossed the blond haired woman's lips.

"Because knowing Dante, he's not only alive, but having a blast killing demons and devils left and right… and Lady is my best friend, so that doesn't hurt any either." The blond haired woman replied before walking off and vanishing into a bright golden flash of light, Naruto rubbing the back of his neck as she went.

"Master!" Xion cried out while running over to Naruto the blond smirking as she slid to a halt before him. "Are you okay!" She demanded while looking to the still healing gash through his mid-section with wide eyes. "How are you still breathing?" The girl then demanded while Naruto looked down to the hole in his mid-section with a bored expression, then rolled his eyes.

"It's called the Spellbinder of Regeneration, it allows me to heal from pretty much any kind of physical damage." Naruto explained to the dark haired girl while Xion merely continued to stare at him for a moment before letting out an annoyed huff.

"Why do I even bother worrying?" She wondered aloud to herself while Naruto rolled his eyes and stretched out his arms over his head. Looking around for a moment, the blond then motioned for Xion to follow him as he made his way out of the room and looked around. Frowning to himself, the blond then headed towards the nearest staircase so he could begin climbing up towards the "Seal-Chamber" as Gilver had called it…

(?)

A clock ticks slowly, the echoing tick tock never ending for even a second, numerous keys and pendants swinging slowly in a large dark room… "Come now, Alice its only a dream…" A calm collected voice echoes out endlessly while a familiar girl sits in a chair, her eyes blinking only slightly.

"It's not a dream, it's a… memory." Alice replies while sitting across from a large green skinned man, holding a knife, which she keeps hidden under the table. "And it makes me sick!" Alice declared as the man and her both raise a cup in greeting, only for the man across from her to discreetly pull lever, activating a saw blade behind her.

"Focus, wait… you're floating again." The man's voice echoed out once more, causing the scene to vanish into smoke. "Weightless…" He continued, as a small ocean seemed to form and pass, followed by numerous playing cards. "A cipher…" The voice continued to drone on in its ever-calm collected tone. "Relax." The voice advised only for the scene to change, showing a war, Card-Guard fighting and a vision of the Queen of Hearts sitting upon her throne.

"Here… I… I'm in hell!" Alice declared while the scene of the queen of hearts was surrounded by fire while approaching her. Alice suddenly feeling weightless as she seems to fly into The Queen of Hearts mouth, where the face of the Mad Hatter awaits her and opens up as well…

"Forget it! Abandon that memory, its unproductive." The man ordered calmly while Alice watched as her own face appeared and fell down its open mouth. "Go to Wonderland Alice." The man ordered as Alice felt her mind try to do as ordered to by the calm kind voice.

"I… I can't." Alice replied as she felt her mind slip back to horrible memories, herself at a tender seven and a half years old, watching as her home was burned away. "I'm trapped… in my past." The girl explained to the voice as she found herself walking down a familiar street, only her vision was blurred, people from her past appearing before her eyes…

"My god this girl is badly burned!" One voice cried out.

"Call for a doctor!" Another came frantically while she continued to march forward, clasping tightly to an old rabbit doll in her arms.

"Will she be alright?" A final voice questioned while Alice could swear she saw a watch and a bull headed man appear before her…

"No Alice! Discard that delusion! Forget it! Go to Wonderland." The calm kind voice ordered once more, and Alice found herself slowly walking through her wonderland once more.

"I'd rather not, my wonderland is shattered… its dead to me." Alice replied while hugging herself as she walked through the familiar terrain in Wonderland.

"Your preference doesn't signify girl." The man replied in a no nonsense tone, Alice's body swirling into a flash of feathers as he did. "Now Alice, where are you?" The man questioned of her once more and Alice slowly opened her eyes and found herself sitting on a large lily pad, The White Rabbit sitting across from her, a tea-set set out between them.

"I'm sailing… with a friend!" Alice suddenly declared happily while looking to Rabbit and smiling fondly to herself. "Hmmm… it's different somehow, things have changed." Alice noted while picking up a cup of tea and taking a sniff of the calming scent of the warm cup of tea.

"Change is good. It's the first link in the chain of forgetting." The man's voice came out once more while Alice looked to Rabbit and noticed something was off about him almost instantly.

"What's happening… are you mad?" Alice questioned of both Rabbit and the man who was talking to her.

"I'm not mad." The voice replied in clear confusion while Alice reached out for Rabbit, who was bleeding from his mouth.

"Rabbit?" Alice questioned with clear concern in her voice.

"That's not right… what's he doing?" The voice wondered aloud while Alice looked at Rabbit with wide eyes as the blood continued to flow from his mouth.

"There's something wrong." Alice declared while backing away from Rabbit as one of his eyes popped out and his head started to bend backwards.

"There's… something… wrong…" A demonic voice echoed out from Rabbit as blood started to spurt out like a fountain, completely covering Alice.

"N-not that!" Alice whispered with wide fearful emerald green eyes, as the small stream she'd been in before quickly became an ocean of blood.

"Don't struggle Alice, let the new Wonderland immerge." The calm voice from before echoed out while Alice found herself sitting on the lily pad in the middle of the vast ocean of blood, drenched from head to toe in blood herself.

"Pollution… corruption… it's killing me! Wonderland is destroyed! My mind is in ruins!" The girl declared while hugging herself as numerous hands started to reach out of the bloody waves for her.

"Forget it Alice, block that dream, awaken at the sound of…" The man started to say even as hands reached out of the blood and pulled Alice into its depths, their fingers feeling as if they were digging into her flesh as they dragged her screaming into the bloody waves below…

Alice felt her eyes suddenly bolt open while sitting up and then backpedaled while looking every which way for the bloody hands that had been grasping at her before. "N-Naruto?" She asked while looking for her friend, whom she also seemed to turn to whenever she was feeling scared or frightened recently. "A-are you here?" The dark auburn haired girl questioned while looking around herself, stopping when she noticed the strange world she was in. It was a simple field, flowers nearby and what looked like a house with rabbit ears nearby…

"Wonderland?" She wondered to herself before hearing a hum and slowly picked herself up, only to look around warily. She was insane, she knew this much, but she had almost instantly realized this wasn't HER Wonderland… which meant one of two things, A, she had somehow entered into the realm of light and found the Wonderland from that side, as Xion had mentioned it to her. Or B, she had somehow landed on a separate Wonderland in the worlds of Darkness, which was much more unlikely in her own personal opinion.

Walking towards where she heard the humming, the dark-auburn haired girl instantly noted that while her Wonderland looked "Mad" and this one matched her childhood memories, it also seemed somehow… brighter. She also noticed that it was a lot emptier than the Wonderland she had visited as a child, with less colorful characters around to pester her or cause her untold grief. She also noticed it seemed a slight bit less mad than the world she had visited, but only slightly, as the feeling of madness was still hovering in the very air around her.

"If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense, nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't, and contrariwise, what it is it wouldn't be, and what it wouldn't be, it would." A small accented voice noted mused aloud before giggling softly, Alice twitching at the sheer madness of the statement. 'If I had a world of my own, eh? Humph. Well I do have a world of my own, but I wouldn't want it to be anything like that. No, not at all! It is like that, but not cause I want it to be!' The dark auburn haired girl thought to herself as she walked into a field of flowers and saw a young girl lying in the flowers with a soft smile on her lips.

The girl was "Cute" by definition, with shoulder length blond hair that was the same shade as Naruto's hair, a youthful body, looking barely in her teens, and as she opened her eyes, Alice noted they were a brilliant azure blue, again, exactly like Naruto's. She was wearing a familiar blue dress with a white pinafore over it, the ribbon holding the pinafore on being fairly large; she also wears white stockings, black mary-janes, and a black hair band that made a bow on the top of her head. "Then again, I suppose I got my wish, but it's not at all like I thought it'd be…" The girl mused while continuing to stare at the clouds and Alice's nose crinkled up before crossing her arms.

"It'd be nothing but utter and complete nonsense." Alice stated and caught the girl's attention, causing her to sit up and blink before smiling.

"Oh… excuse me miss, but who might you be?" The girl questioned and Alice twitched slightly at the "Rude" question from the younger girl.

"I believe it is proper to first introduce oneself before asking another their name." Alice replied and the blond girl blinked before slowly nodding her head in agreement as she pushed herself up and brushed off the back of her dress.

"Yes I suppose you are right, do excuse my rudeness miss." The girl pleaded and Alice had the strangest feeling she'd heard someone say something similar. "Anyways, my name is Alice, it's a pleasure to meet you." The girl then supplied with a curtsy and Alice widened her eyes for a moment before staring at the blond.

"My name is also Alice…" She offered quietly while looking as the blond smiled brightly and walked over to her.

"Really? Oh how strange, though I don't suppose it should be so surprising, I can't be the only Alice in the world, now can I?" The blond girl mused aloud while circling around the older Alice, said girl looking at her with a noticeable twitch. "Oh, and I positively adore this lovely red dress of yours." The younger Alice then said while holding the fabric of her dress, causing the older girl to blink.

"Wait… red?" She questioned before looking at herself and widening her eyes in shock at what she was seeing. Her new dress had an extremely intricate design that included various shades of reds, blacks, and whites, with various hearts, diamonds, and even a checker board pattern designed into it, a golden necklace around her neck ending in an omega shaped pendant, an apron around her waist with a black heart and astronomical symbols on it held on by a black ribbon tied into a large bow and held down by a heart shaped skull, her hands and arms are covered by black gloves with red around her forearms, black and white striped stockings, and her familiar black boots with buckled bands up their length.

"Wait… where did this dress come from?" The dark auburn haired girl wondered before twirling in place as she continued to look over her new dress. Frowning, as she couldn't think of where it came from, though shivered, as it resembled the one worn by the Soulless form of The Queen, Alice then crossed her arms with a frown. "No, I don't like this at all. I don't know where this dress came from, nor do I know why I'm wearing it, if I had a choice I wouldn't…" She stated with a nod of her head while the younger Alice blinked while looking at the older girl strangely.

"Are you mad? You talk very much like one of the Mad." She questioned of the older girl warily and Alice silently crossed her arms and smirked.

"We're all mad here." Alice replied seriously and saw the blond shiver before pouting somewhat cutely.

"Don't talk like Cheshire puss, please…" The younger Alice pleaded, surprising the dark auburn haired girl once more. "Then again, I don't suppose you know Cheshire Puss, he's so annoying vanishing as he does at the most inopportune time." The younger Alice noted with a sigh and the dark-auburn haired girl growled low in her throat.

"Cheshire puss is a wise cat who knows when and when not, to stick his neck out." The Older Alice stated darkly and the young blond blinked before shaking her head and stretching out her arms with a yawn.

"Well I prefer my dear Dina, she's a much better listener for one." The younger Alice started to say while walking off and continuing in a semi-rant, the older Alice following slowly and only half listening to her as her mind went to work. 'She's an Alice, as am I, but she's blond like from dear mister Carrol's book… how strange. Wait a tic, Naruto mentioned his "Other" a brown haired boy named Sora in the world of Light… if he's Naruto's Other, then would this girl be my…' Alice started to inwardly question before feeling a sudden weight on her shoulders, thus looked to see her Cheshire-Cat standing on her shoulders and narrowing its eyes onto the younger Alice, still grinning as always as it did…

"It's time to put your blade to work…" The Cheshire-Cat uttered sinisterly and Alice felt a cruel smirk cross her lips as she slowly reached back and pulled out The Vorpal Blade from her ribbon. The girl looked at her reflection in the blade for a moment before running a finger along it's length, drawing a low metallic sound out as she stalked towards her "Lighter" counterpart from behind with it…

(Temen-ni-gru…)

Naruto and Xion had been wandering around the massive tower for what was starting to feel like forever. Not only that but the constant walking and occasional traps / puzzles they had been encountering were starting to annoy them both. Even the few times that Demon's would show up didn't really amuse Naruto anymore. As they continued to walk through the tower, Naruto saw a large pair of doors and frowned when he noticed that they were both left partially open. "Stay out here." Naruto whispered to Xion and the girl slowly nodded her head as she stopped at the door of the room. The said room as large with numerous grooves in the floor leading to a large circular hole in the center.

However standing at the center of the room with his back turned to Naruto was none other than the green clad swordsman, Gilver. "You finally make it… I was starting to wonder if you'd be able to find this place without more help…" Gilver noted while not turning to face Naruto, the blond frowning towards Gilver's back.

"Gilver, I was wondering when we'd run into you again." Naruto noted while forming No-Heart into one hand, and then walked forward while pulling Gloria from his pocket and twirling it around in hand. "So care to explain why you called yourself Nelo-Angelo earlier?" Naruto questioned with a frown and Gilver turned around and his glowing red eyes gazed out towards him with clear amusement.

"So, when did you figure it out?" Gilver questioned of the blond while tilting his head to one side, Naruto frowning as he looked at the man.

"Your sword has the same energy lines as Nelo-Angelo for one, for another, you both have red eyes, you both appear and disappear in a burst of Dark-Fire, Trish seemed to know you and was surprised I was hunting Nelo-Angelo when she saw that I talked to you, and finally… you just told me." Naruto replied before grinning at the end and making Gilver twitch before placing his hand onto his sword. "So, what's with all the deception?" Naruto questioned with an even tone, Gilver merely closing his eyes as the blond haired youth glared at him angrily.

"Quite simple really, I couldn't draw out Trish on my own, she knows me and is more than wary of me, she'd instantly seek out Dante for assistance against me. As such and unable to much more, I figured you would encounter her on your way to find me, and somehow remove my father's sword from her grip, at which point, I would claim it as my own. I knew you'd at least survive long enough to do so after I battled you earlier, you're just too damn stubborn to die." Gilver explained in a monotone with a wave of one arm, Naruto scowling as he gripped No-Heart's hilt tightly.

"So then I'm a means to an end for you. You know what… that really pisses me off." Naruto noted while glaring at the bandaged demon and Gilver chuckled under his breath. Dark energy then began to form around Gilver as he unsheathed his blade and held it out at his side with a smirk. As he did, Naruto felt The Darkness crawl up his legs and then over his entire body, soon obscuring the majority of his form from view.

"No, you're not even that much to me, all you are to me, is a mere pawn." Gilver replied before throwing his swords sheath to the side and gripping the hilt of his blade with both hands. "Now then… seeing as you know the truth, I should give you some new incentive to bring me my fathers sword." Gilver decided as with a flash of purple energy an array of seals formed a dome around his body, and Nelo-Angelo burst his way out a second later with a roar and chuckled while Naruto's Dark-Armor solidified over his form and The Red-Seeker twirled Gloria and No-Heart.

"I'll show you a fucking pawn!" Naruto roared out as he lunged at Nelo-Angelo and swung No-Heart, Nelo blocking the attack the attack with his own blade. Growling Naruto then twisted around and stabbed Gloria through the back of his armor and held on as Nelo thrashed about for a moment before grabbing and throwing him off of his back. Landing on his back Naruto looked up and rolled out of the way as Nelo brought his blade down where he had been a mere second before. Flipping to his feet Naruto dismissed No-Heart and swung his arm with a roar, his eyes widening as his Dark-Armor slithered out into a black tendril with a large red spike that slammed into Nelo's side.

"Whoa, that's new…" Naruto whispered as the tendril shrank back down into his suit before a grin stretched across his features. "But I think I can get used to it!" He declared while swinging both arms out, both shifting into large black tendrils with crimson red spikes jutting from them. However Nelo saw them coming and easily evaded both before grabbing them with one hand. Laughing to himself, Nelo then lifted Naruto and slammed him down into the ground by the tendrils. However Nelo then grunted as one slithered out from Naruto's shoulder and slammed into his face, causing him to release the blond who twisted into a spin, sweeping him off his feet as he did.

Pushing himself into a jump, Naruto landed on his feet before roaring out as he swung both arms outwards, causing them to form massive ax heads on their ends. 'Wow, I really need to figure out what all my powers over Darkness let me do sometime…' Naruto decided as he brought both axes towards Nelo only for him to raise his arms and block the attack with his forearms. Chuckling once more, several ethereal blue swords then formed around Nelo and made Naruto widen his eyes. "Oh shit…" He muttered as Nelo sent the blades flying towards him, the blond retracting his arms in order to dodge the Summoned-Swords.

However as soon as he did, Nelo lunged forward, lashing out at Naruto with his massive sword, the blond barely dodging the attacks before blocking with No-Heart. Gritting his teeth against the raw strength of the demon he was fighting Naruto felt his arms bulk out of their own accord before shoving back on No-Heart, knocking Nelo off balance. The brief opening was all Naruto needed as he lunged forward with a swing of No-Heart. However Nelo scoffed as a ring of Summoned-Swords appeared around his waist and blocked Naruto's attack before the blond flipped back and landed in a slight crouch, Nelo chuckling darkly as he did.

"C'mon!" Nelo's voice echoed out darkly with a wave of one arm and Naruto twirled No-Heart in hand before it formed onto his foot. Smirking beneath his helm, Naruto then lunged forward and jumped into a kick with the weapon to Nelo's own helmeted head. Grunting only slightly, Nelo stumbled back while Naruto stabbed Gloria into his chest-plate. However Nelo only chuckled once more and slapped the blond away, unaffected by what should have been a fatal blow. Skidding across the ground after the attack, Naruto flipped himself back onto his feet before falling back into a Dark-Corridor and appearing above Nelo with No-Heart at the ready.

Swinging his weapon down at Nelo, Naruto wasn't surprised in the least when the demon evaded his swing. However the blond took that moment to grab Gloria and kick off of his chest, ripping the blade out of Nelo with a spurt of blood. Stumbling forward for a moment, Nelo then snapped his fingers and a ring of Summoned-Swords appeared around Naruto before all flowing inwards on the blond, slicing into and through his entire midriff. Grunting as he fell to the ground, Naruto widened his eyes seeing his entire lower section removed from his body before he felt his powers twist and the Darkness pulled his severed pieces back together again.

Grunting once he was back in one piece, Naruto pushed himself back to his feet and turned to Nelo. However the massive demon grabbed him a second later before slamming him into the ground. Gritting his teeth in pain, Naruto managed to kick Nelo, No-Heart changing into a single grieve as he did so, yet the beast only chuckled as it then gripped his chest with one hand. Placing a foot down on Naruto as he did, Gilver then twisted his wrist and ripped Naruto's Dark-Armor off of his body forcibly. As soon as he did the blond gave a shriek of pain before being kicked away by the demon. Grunting in pain, Naruto managed to use Dark-Heart as leverage and push himself up to his feet.

Looking to Nelo he saw it chuckle darkly before crouching down and lunging forward with a backhand to the face. Nelo then grabbed Naruto by his ankle before swinging him back first into the wall, then twisted around and slammed him into the ground. Flipping back, Nelo then formed a dozen Summoned-Swords, one set above Naruto one set below him, and all of them then sliced into the blond haired youth. Spitting up blood, Naruto briefly wondered how much his Spellbinder of Regeneration could heal him before it just stopped when Nelo then started to fire individual Summoned-Swords at him.

Rolling out of the way of the blades, Naruto then managed to come out in a crouch as Nelo leaned his sword against his shoulders, his form shifting back into that of Gilver as he did so. "So is this really the best you can do?" Gilver questioned while walking towards Naruto and the blond glared at him furiously. "A pity, I was actually hoping for something of a challenge." Gilver mused before smirking as he caught Xion coming at him with her Keyblade from behind.

"Xion no!" Naruto gritted out before grimacing in pain as Gilver looked from Xion to Naruto for a moment and then chuckled.

"Bring me my father's sword, and you can have this back. Until then, I'll be on the roof…" Gilver offered before vanishing with Xion in a quick burst of Dark-Fire, while Naruto was forced to look on. Groaning under his breath, Naruto dug the tip of No-Heart into the ground and pushed himself up to his feet with panting breaths. As he did, Naruto heard footsteps and quickly looked to the side only for his eyes to widen as Void-Gear was suddenly lodged into his chest.

"Well what do you know, I come here to get my heart back, and someone goes and weakens you for me." Vanitas noted to himself before grabbing Naruto by his throat and lifting him up into the air. Looking down with one eye, Naruto then watched on as Vanitas' helmet slowly melted away to reveal someone who looked like Sora, only with black hair, yellow eyes, and a noticeable taint of darkness.

"S-Sora?" He questioned and Vanitas laughed for a moment a memory pricking the back of Naruto's brain yet still not forming when he did.

"No way am I that loser!" Vanitas replied with a grin before rearing his arm back and ripping a heart out of Naruto while also dropping the blond when he did. "My name is, Vanitas." The Black Haired Unversed stated while reaching out to grip the heart he'd removed from Naruto in his bare hand. "And I'm here to take back what's rightfully mine." Vanitas stated while placing the heart into his chest, and then smirked as the white portions of his suit suddenly exploded and formed a bright crimson red, his half-skirt changing to black with red trim along with them.

"W-Why… did you…" Naruto tried to ask however he felt his mind start to go hazy, while Vanitas smirked and knelt down before him.

"Nothing personal, I just want my heart back. Oh… and Gears of Madness too." Vanitas added as he reached towards Naruto, the said keyblade forming into his hand as he twirled it around for a moment and then smirked down at the injured blond. "Here, you can keep this lame knockoff." Vanitas offered while tossing Void-Gear at the blond, then leaned the crimson and black blade into his shoulders. "Yeah, I got my ass kicked and I was getting sick of not being able to regenerate my power as quickly so I figured I'd take back my heart." Vanitas explained while Darkness started to rise up and wrap around Naruto from all sides.

"N-No I… I have to save Xion…" Naruto whispered and Vanitas shook his head while standing up and watching on silently as the blond began to fade away.

"Pal, where you're going, that's the least of your problems." Vanitas stated as Naruto felt his eyelids grow heavy, Vanitas turning his back on the blond and looking up for a moment. "Now then, I should probably go and pay Sora a visit to get Ven's heart back… and then kick Aqua's cute little ass for last time." Vanitas mused to himself while Naruto completely fell into The Darkness, nothing but blackness as far as he could see…

(?)

Naruto found himself floating down through the darkness, his eyes cloudy as memories of his life started to fade away. Memories of his time as a Ninja vanished first, and then even Ventus's memories began to fade away soon after. The blond soon landed back first on a circular platform, his eyelids heavy and the darkness rising up to consume him from all sides… "What can I do to help him…" He heard a woman's voice question urgently even as he felt his eyes slowly seal shut.

"What are you willing to give up in order to save him from, The Darkness?" A man's voice questioned as the tendrils of darkness began to wrap around his body started to pull him down into its depths.

"Anything! I'll do anything, I'll give anything, just please don't let this happen!" The woman's voice came once more and the blond felt a pair of clawed hands reach into The Darkness and grip his biceps, halting his decent.

"Would you even give up your heart for this boy? Your soul, you're very being itself? Would you abandon any and all hope of becoming a Somebody, or even an Other again?" The man's voice questioned of the woman as Naruto was pulled out of The Darkness by the owner of the clawed hands and brought into a gentle hug against what felt like a woman's body…

"Y-Yes… to save him from this fate… to save my Sochi from The Darkness… then I'd even give up my heart and soul to The Darkness! 'tebane!" The woman's voice declared loudly while Naruto himself slowly opened his eyes to see a black female creature holding him, one that vaguely resembled The Shade…

"I see, and I admire your conviction. And it seems what they say is true, that a mother's love, is truly more powerful than even The Darkness…" The man's voice echoed out endlessly while Naruto felt his fingers twitch and looked up, the feminine creature that resembled The Shade vanishing as he did so. Looking around for a moment, Naruto found himself back within The Awakening he'd entered so long ago, however a massive chunk of the stained-glass tower had been ripped away…

"So… this is, my heart?" Naruto wondered while looking at the missing chunk of his heart and closed his eye when he saw that it was breaking apart even now, slowly fading away from him. "I see… Vanitas and I, are one and the same, but if that's true… then who am I now?" Naruto wondered to himself as he gazed into the endless abyss that surrounded The Awakening on all sides. "What do I do now…?" Naruto wondered while suddenly looking up into the heavens with a blank look on his face.

"Perhaps, you could listen to your heart." A familiar old voice commented and Naruto turned to see the familiar face of Master-Xehanort standing behind him, wearing a Black-Coat much like Naruto's own…

"M-Master?" Naruto questioned while pushing himself up to his feet and then stumbled for a moment before Xehanort caught him and shook his head.

"Don't be so over eager m'boy I'm not going anywhere, and you've taken quite a trouncing today." Master-Xehanort said pleasantly and then helped Naruto sit down next to him, before they both stared out into the endless abyss around The Awakening.

"Why… are you here?" Naruto questioned softly, his eyes dark and empty looking to the aging master's eyes. Letting out a sigh, the aging master then leaned back and gazed upwards for a long while, before looking to Naruto with a sad smile.

"To correct my mistakes." He replied and then placed a hand onto Naruto's head and chuckled lightly as he saw a brief flash of doing so to Ventus. "I never really realized it myself, but Ventus, he was my legacy, someone that would carry on my teachings and knowledge, he was even… like a grandson to me, though I never had a family of my own…" Master-Xehanort noted aloud while looking out into the abyss and then chuckled with a shake of his head. "You go out as a Keyblade Master for so long, you forget to leave behind something so simple… a family, friends, people to carry on your memory forward forever… what a fool I was." Master-Xehanort explained before closing his eyes and bowing his head, Naruto looking at him dully.

"As such, you should not be so surprised that I left a small piece of myself, within Vanitas shell… one, that would help partially balance out the endless darkness and anger within him, and also to leave a piece of myself to go on should I have died in those days." Master-Xehanort explained before shaking his head for a moment. "Proportionally, it was a tiny piece of me, with no possibility of ever truly balancing out the Darkness within, Vanitas. That tiny little speck I left behind, was all that remained of my light… that tiny speck… that insignificant little part of me, is what you see now." Master-Xehanort explained before patting Naruto's shoulders the blond blinking his eyes up dully and gazing towards the old man silently.

"What's going to happen now?" Naruto questioned of the old man and Master-Xehanort rubbed his chin while closing his eyes silently. Thinking for only a short while, the old man then smiled down at Naruto with the oddest look on his face.

"Now you live, you move forward, you go on and save your friend… while I finally fade away into The Darkness of Kingdom Hearts, as I should have done a long time ago." Master-Xehanort started to say and then placed a hand onto Naruto's head before ruffling up his hair. "But, can you forgive an old fool, for what he did to you?" The aging master questioned of the blond and Naruto slowly nodded his head, Xehanort letting out a sigh of relief as he did. "Thank you, Ventus." He whispered while a glow started to surround his body, before he changed into a small sphere of light that then flowed into Naruto's chest where his heart would be.

As the sphere vanished, Naruto placed his hands to his chest and blinked at the sudden warmth as a familiar light came back to the blond's bright azure blue eyes. Blinking for a moment, Naruto then looked down to see a white portion form in his heart, a bit of light… just like the bit of Darkness within Sora's heart. Slowly pushing himself up to his feet, the blond then stared up into the darkness when a memory suddenly assaulted his mind, yet it was not one of Ventus' this time…

(Past…)

A young man was walking around a plain, fairly Spartan room, which save for the enormous amount of books and training equipment, was devoid of almost anything save for a large comfortable bed. The said young man turned his chocolate brown eyes around the room for a moment before letting out a breath and using a hand to sweep his hair back from his brow. When he did he also caused it to arrange itself into backwards spikes, with a couple of stray bangs hanging forward over his forehead. Walking over to his closet, the young man pulled out a fairly normal outfit before quickly slipping it on and stretching out his arms into the air with a grunt.

"I wonder what Master has for us to do to day?" The silver haired youth wondered aloud before holding out his right hand and forming a Keyblade in a brilliant flash of light. "While protecting the worlds is truly a worthwhile endeavor, I can't help but wonder if there is something… more, out there." The young man mumbled to himself before shaking his head and dismissing the weapon as he walked out of his room. Making his way down the many halls of The Land of Departures Castle, which he personally thought needed a name of its own, the silver haired youth soon walked into the throne room where his fellow pupil and master were training together.

Watching for a moment, the youth smirked while crossing his arms behind his back and slowly walking into the room without a sound. Watching as the two combated one another, the youth saw that his fellow disciple had yet to even notice his presence. 'Fool, in a real battle one needs to keep a close watch on his surroundings.' The youth mused to himself before forming his own Keyblade once more, the vaguely angelic looking weapon pulsing slightly with power. Their master instantly noticed him, turning his eyes only slightly towards him before returning to training with the other, dark haired youth instead of acknowledging his presence.

Their master flipped back to avoid a swing from his fellow disciple and then threw his arm forward, dozens of chains made of light shooting from the tip of his Keyblade and wrapping around his fellow disciple. Walking towards the battle as quietly as possible, he also watched on, as his fellow disciple broke free and lunged at their master once more. Walking up behind him as their master caught his blade with his own, the youth then slipped his arm around the other disciple with a smirk, his keyblade's edge inches away from his throat.

"You should really watch your surroundings better… Erauqs." He warned darkly and his fellow disciple slowly held up his arms while their master let out a sigh. His fellow pupil is a deeply tanned skinned man with shoulder length spiky black in a short ponytail at the back of his head, bright brown eyes, and hold a lean build much like the silver haired youth's own. He wears a pair of beige hakama-esque pants with black / gold armored shoes, in place of a belt he wears blue and pale blue armor with a Keybearers symbol at the center, a sleeveless blue shirt with white bands overtop it, and a long white coat with a pale red interior and edges.

"Indeed you should Eraqus, you show great skill with your key, and even greater heart for protecting the worlds… but you still lack the wisdom to be a truly great keyblade master." The old master stated with a shake of his head, Eraqus wincing as the old man was honestly like a grandfather to him. Rolling his own eyes, the youth pulled his arm back and dismissed his keyblade, Eraqus letting out a relieved sigh as he did so. Kneeling down, the youth then bowed his head to his master before looking up to him with a raised brow.

"For what did you need to see us, Master?" The youth questioned, Eraqus kneeling down next to him silently, while their elderly master turned and walked over to sit on a throne, resting on it heavily as he did, the clear signs of his age not surprising either of them.

"It is time for the two of you to finally obtain, your Keyblade armor." The man then admitted and Eraqus grinned towards the aging man while his fellow disciple frowned deeply.

"Truly master? Does this mean we'll finally be allowed to go out and explore the other worlds as well?" Eraqus questioned with excitement in his tone, yet his fellow Disciple choose to remain silent as a different thought and question came to mind…

"Perhaps… but for the moment, obtaining your keyblade armor and learning how to use it is merely the next step in your training to become Keyblade Masters. Normally, it is the first step after obtaining your key, as Keyblade armor is able to adapt to its user and his key on a intimate level, both increasing your abilities, as well as protecting you from the Darkness in the Lanes Between." Their master explained and the youth sent him a pointed look in response to the answer.

"If that's true master, then why is it only now that we obtain our armor?" Xehanort questioned and their master reached up to slowly rub his bearded chin before smiling at them both.

"Unlike many past Keyblade Masters, Eraqus, you have family on your world, and I have little doubt you would've tried to go visit them had I not kept Keyblade Armor from you… but… as for you…" Their master explained to Eraqus first and then turned to look at the expectant young apprentice.

"Wait a minute!" Eraqus stated, stopping their master from continuing and annoying the silver haired disciple greatly. "Why aren't I allowed to see my family? I thought Keyblade Masters were encouraged to care for people!" The dark haired youth demanded and their aging master sighed while stroking his beard tiredly.

"That is true Eraqus, however you were just a child when I found your potential. I brought you to this world in hopes to make you a great Keyblade Master. But in your early stages, you were… distant. You missed your family too much, allowing you to go back there might have meant you wouldn't return to complete your training. I did not want you to end up yourself or others with your key, without knowing exactly what you could do with it and its powers." Their master explained and Eraqus frowned before slowly nodding his head as he saw the old mans point.

"Thank you master, I… I don't know what I'd do if I hurt someone I cared about even by accident." Eraqus admitted while bowing his head deeply, his master's face softening while his old eyes crinkled closed.

"Think nothing of it Eraqus, I know how difficult it has been these past years. But soon you'll be able to see your family again. Now, as for your fellow Discilple." Their master started while looking to the silver haired youth for a moment. "You unlike Eraqus, are an orphan with no family, and only your original world to return too, I thought it best for you to wait to obtain your armor so that Eraqus would not feel left out in his training, besides, I've been able to train each of you more in magic and styles as a result, thus readying you both for this day fully." The aging master explained and the silver haired youth considered his master's point for a moment.

"I… see. Yes, in your position I don't doubt that I would do the same. Thank you for your honesty master." The silver haired youth said with a slight incline of his head, Eraqus rolling his eyes as he did.

"Kiss up." Eraqus whispered and got an elbow to his ribs for his troubles, courtesy of his fellow disciple.

"Enough Eraqus. And you are very much welcome, Xehanort." Their master stated while Eraqus and Xehanort still gave one another a look before bowing their heads to their master. "Now we begin, in order to obtain your Keyblade Armor, you must search deep inside for the protecting armor that you hold within your heart and soul. Do not be discouraged by failure, it does not mean you have no armor, but rather, that it hasn't yet formed within your heart and soul yet." The old man explained and Eraqus and Xehanort looked to one another for a moment before nodding their heads. Eraqus sat in a lotus style position with his hands resting on his knees, while Xehanort crossed his arms and legs, both closing their eyes to seek the armor within themselves as their master had explained.

Xehanort soon found himself within a strange world, darkness seemed to swirl and twirl within it light was there as well, but seemed slightly less abundant than the darkness. "So this is my heart? Or, is it my soul?" The silver haired youth wondered to himself before frowning as he walked through the endless expanse of black and white within the strange realm he'd found himself. As he walked he brought a hand to his head when he heard a strange whisper and quickly turned, only to see that absolutely nothing was even there.

"I'm getting too jumpy…" He mumbled before turning on his heel and making his way further and further into the strange realm. Soon enough, Xehanort raised a brow as he came to a throne sitting within this strange realm. Oddly enough however, the throne was mostly situated on the side of Darkness, just the barest of bits actually even touching the side of light. "That probably means something… I'll research it later." The silver haired youth decided while walking forward and then turning to sit within the old ivory throne, his eyes slowly closing as he did so.

As he did, Darkness and Light began to crawl up and around his body, his features never changing even when he was completely covered in darkness. 'Now, how do I find my protecting armor?' Xehanort wondered of himself, as he had no family, Eraqus was his only friend, and he wasn't even sure if he wanted to protect his home world. 'I wish Master would have explained this better. Find The Protecting Armor within your Heart and Soul is too vague for my tastes. But, maybe he means to look for that which makes us feel safe?' Xehanort wondered to himself before that single word seemed to echo out in his mind almost endlessly. He'd been alone all his life, he'd had nothing, but… he wanted for something of him to last forever.

'What is it, what is it that has kept me safe? I never had a family, so it was never anything like that… it wasn't my world, nor was it my friends, as I'm the one always protecting Eraqus. Wait… yes, Knowledge, to learn, that has always been what has helped me all these years, from learning to build to learning the arts of The keyblade, to learn is my protecting armor!' The silver haired youth thought to himself as his eyes suddenly snapped open, no both being a familiar amber gold color as the Darkness and Light flowed away and his armor fully formed over his body. Xehanort remained seated even when it did and then smirked to himself as he pushed himself up from his seat and crossed his arms over his chest.

"What has made me feel safe… it's so simple. I feel safe, because I have learned enough to survive! My armor isn't a sword to attack, or a shield to defend, my armor is much more, it is a weapon to avoid my enemies all together. My armor, that which protects me, is none other than my mind." Xehanort declared with his arms into the air, even as the Darkness and Light swirled before he was expelled from the strange realm. Xehanort, found himself back in the Land of Deaparture, Eraqus was wearing a strange suit of armor that vaguely reminded of a samurai, but both he and their master were looking at him.

Looking down, Xehanort saw his armor and then formed his Keyblade before tossing it forward, causing it to shift into a mirror. The armor had upside versions of the Keyblade wielder crest on his chest, knees, and feet, two white belts are synched around his waist over a pair of black pants, his hands are covered by talon like armor, with oblong armor covering his forearms, the pauldrons of his armor were large with fur on his right pauldron and a yellow crown on the left, the collar of his chest plate came up high, with a string of jewels connecting the two pieces of his chest plate, other than the upside down crests, his shoes were black with long armor over his lower legs.

His helmet is stranger still, having a gold piece at the chin like some kind of goatee, a beak shaped piece forming off of the front with two "Wing" like shapes flowing back off of the helm, a jagged chin guard forming around most of the helm, a large golden crown overtop the helm, and black glass barely visible forming into the rest of the helm. Looking on in wonder, Xehanort raised an arm and touched the armor for a moment before forming his Keyblade and swinging the weapon, an arc of light flying from the blade and slicing a chunk of the floor away. "Incredible…" Xehanort whispered almost reverently as he looked upon himself, clad in his new keyblade armor.

"Whoa nice armor, Xehanort." Eraqus stated while walking over to his friend, still clad in his own armor and both turned to look at their master. "Master, umm… do you think we could go visit our home worlds now that we have our armor?" Eraqus questioned and their master blinked for a moment before considering as he looked at Xehanort's new armor warily.

"I… suppose that would be alright. But, don't be long, now your real training can begin. And remember, your armor also augments your Keyblades, allowing them to transform into many new shapes and forms." Their Master offered before forming his own key and holding it forward, a beam of light shooting from the tip between Xehanort and Eraqus and creating a portal at the end of the room. Smirking to himself, Eraqus threw his key forward, the weapon instantly forming into something vaguely reminiscent of a motorcycle, which he quickly hopped onto before gunning it and then flying into the portal on his own.

Shaking his head, Xehanort threw his Key into the air, only for it to change and become something else as it attached to his back, now making it appear as if he had four wings. Flapping them for only a moment, Xehanort then took a step back before flying forward as well and made his way into the portal. Flying into The Lanes Between, Xehanort closed his eyes and allowed his heart to find the light of his original home world before smirking as a sense of familiarity finally overtook his body, and with a brilliant flash of light he was home…

Xehanort appeared on a beach on a small island in the middle of a vast ocean, a tree with star-shaped fruit resting upon an even tinier island to the side. "This place never changes…" He whispered to himself with a shake of his head, even as he saw the many palm trees and familiar scenery of his island home. Walking around for a short while, the silver haired youth then turned and made his way down the beach. His footprints in the sand forming beneath his boots as he soon slowed to a stop before looking out at the ocean silently, his shadow falling behind him…

"This world… is just too small."

Snapping his eyes open, Naruto then fell to his knees as his hair turned dark Silver and The Shade formed behind him, looking down with what appeared to be worry on its face… 'Am I… am I becoming Master Xehanort?' Naruto wondered to himself before gritting his teeth and falling onto his side as yet another memory from the loss of Vanitas' Heart and the gaining of a piece of Master-Xehanort's heart flowed to the surface of his thoughts. Darkness gathered around the youth as he did, and then suddenly shot upwards, flowing into the sky of the realm that was his broken heart and soul… soon completely covering everything in an inky blackness from which their would be no escape…

(Past…)

Master Xehanort looked behind him as Ventus sat down outside of The Archive they had found under The Broken Kingdom. 'It's just as well, such knowledge is not meant for, Ventus.' Master Xehanort decided before turning on his heel, arms folded behind his back and walked towards a large obelisk of some kind. "So, this is it, the legendary Archive, a compendium of all the worlds lost knowledge." Master Xehanort whispered before reaching up to stroke his Goatee and smirked to himself.

Striding forward confidently, the aging Keyblade Master then held his own Keyblade towards The Archive. Concentrating on his weapon intently, the bald man then smirked as a beam of light flew from the tip of his weapon and into The Archive. "Yes, now I shall finally have the knowledge I have sought after for so very long." Xehanort whispered even as a sphere of light exited from The Archive, within it he could see something, yet, he could not properly describe it as it seemed to shift and change every few seconds.

Slowly reaching out a hand, the wizened man held it towards the sphere and it slowly zipped over to his palm where he held it up. "So much knowledge in the palm of my hand." He whispered to himself while looking at the ever shifting and changing view within the tiny orb. Licking his lips, as they suddenly felt too dry, the old man then looked back towards the door to The Archive for but a moment. Pleased that Ventus was not watching him, Master Xehanort then slammed the sphere of light and knowledge into his chest, his eyes widening as it soon began to merge with his heart.

Feeling his body spasm, Master Xehanort fell to his knees, then onto his hands as shaky breaths came out. His body shook, his heart beat faster and faster, blood seemed to be pumping all over his body. He became intimately aware of everything around him, and soon enough, the knowledge, the memories, all that he had sought for seemed to flow into his mind. And then, just as a state of euphoria began to wash over him, Master-Xehanort fell forward; passed out on the ground, completely limp.

Master-Xehanort felt as he was shook, the cold stone floor beneath him only a second realization. "Master!" A word echoed in the recesses of his mind, or perhaps someone spoke, he couldn't tell, his mind was hazy, his body weak, feeble… a sneer marred his features. His body wasn't a body, it was becoming naught but a worthless vessel, hampering his continued pursuit of knowledge. "Master!" The voice was more urgent this time, and Master-Xehanort groaned lowly while opening a pair of bright yellow eyes to see his apprentice looking at him worriedly.

"Ventus?" He questioned tiredly and the blond haired youth picked one of his arms up and helped him to his feet. Though he decided not to comment or frighten the boy, this displeased him greatly. In his youth, he had been someone to be respected; he had been strong, more powerful than anyone else. Though he was passed over for the position of Master of Land of Departure in favor of his fellow pupil Eraqus, he was always the more powerful between them… to need help getting up from a boy, even his own apprentice, only reasserted how feeble he was now.

"Master, I know you told me not to come in but I… I thought something happened when I heard you fall and…" Ventus said in a frantic tizzy and Master Xehanort felt his right brow twitch before placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. He liked Ventus, he had such potential, but his heart was too frail… he couldn't truly or even properly train the boy because of it. If he could, he'd teach Ventus the ways of Darkness, show him the untold powers that it had too offer… yet he was just too weak.

"Nonsense my boy, I'm just fine." Master Xehanort reassured and Ventus smiled towards his master visibly relieved that he was okay.

"So where do we go from here then Master?" Ventus questioned and Master Xehanort crossed his arms behind his back and turned away from Ventus. That was a good question, one he hadn't contemplated before. Looking down to his hand, he couldn't help but sneer once more, feeling how his joints ached and his body slouched down in a noticeable bent fashion… what had happened to him? He had once stood perfectly straight, his shoulders once strong enough to bear any burdens, his muscles capable of performing any feat he needed! Now…

Now all he had left was his mind that was all that had remained strong, and seemed to grow ever stronger. But his body, it was weak, feeble… worthless. He needed a new body, one that could stand the test of time. And, as he thought of this, he also realized he had another task, The X-Blade, it was mentioned in The Archives, a weapon of great power. A scowl crossed his lips at that thought, Eraqus must have known of it, it was after all, a Key to Kingdom Hearts, and as Guardian of The Balance, it was his fellow pupils duty to guard such a thing…

"We're going out to train my boy. I have something that I need to do." Master Xehanort replied simply while Ventus grinned and walked beside of his master as he led him through a Corridor, a dark look crossing his features as they did…

Naruto felt the final memory fade away and slowly opened his amber gold eyes before pushing himself up to his feet and smirked. "Vanitas, if you truly believe that I'll let you take my heart, then you're sadly mistaken." The youth whispered while slowly rising up to his feet, No-Heart forming into one hand, another much less familiar key forming into his other. Twirling both Keyblades at his sides however, the youth then sent a mass of chains of darkness shooting up into the air, before they then reached out into the darkness and back out into the Temen-ni-gru. As they did they shot at Vanitas quickly wrapping themselves around the Dark-Armor wearing Unversed.

"What the hell?" He demanded before he was dragged into the Darkness and then left on the ground. Grunting for a moment, Vanitas pushed himself up and saw Naruto staring at him intently, his hair a familiar dark silver color, and his eyes an even more familiar amber gold. "Great its you…. But how are you even still alive?" Vanitas questioned with a chuckle while Naruto held out the new keyblade that had formed into his hand, giving Vanitas reason to pause.

The Keyblade overall is an ivory color in varied shades, excluding only the small dash of deep red in the teeth and the Keychain, and the black in the handle and hilt. The shaft begins in two from a small heart shape on the end connecting to the handle, much like Oathkeeper, joining halfway down and ending in a fleur-de-lis. The handle bears the design of fully outstretched, upward-pointing angel wings. The Keychain repeats the design of the teeth, which consist of a crimson heart with a portion broken off as if something were missing from it. Around it stretches an angel wing on the right side, opposite the broken side of the heart, on which side is a slightly darker-colored flowing crest. The Keychain resembles the teeth as a winged heart. (KH BBS: Lost Memory…)

"That key…" Vanitas whispered while Naruto smirked darkly and moved forward with blinding speed, appearing directly before s shocked and surprised Vanitas.

"Welcome home, Vanitas. Welcome back to my heart… you have something of mine, and I want it back." Naruto stated in an eerily calm voice and Vanitas took a swing at him with Gears of Madness, only for his eyes to widen as Naruto caught the attack with Lost-Memory and then twirled No-Heart before plunging it into his chest. Kicking Vanitas back as he physically ripped out the Unversed's heart from his body, Naruto then chuckled darkly while holding the darkness empowered at the end of his key, then looked to see Vanitas was still standing.

"So, you're a Sentiment, that explains why your more powerful than the original Vanitas… since your naught but emotion, you cannot hold anything back, you're putting your entire being into your blade and into everything you do with it." Naruto noted calmly before looking at the heart he'd removed from Vanitas and then dismissed Lost-Memory. Gripping No-Heart with both hands he then plunged it into his own chest, forcing Vanitas's heart into his own, and allowing darkness to spread out of his body and knock Vanitas back.

"Big fucking deal! I'll just grab my heart back… and kick your sorry ass for ever messing with me!" Vanitas declared only to widen his eyes in a mix of shock and fear as something started to form from the void of black.

"Don't be so foolish, Vanitas, even if you were to defeat me, you could never truly reclaim your heart. It belongs to me now, not you." Naruto said with a shake of his head as The Darkness started to wrap and weave itself around his body, soon leaning nothing uncovered. "I on the other hand, have great need for my heart, it makes me who I am, and it is mine. I will not allow you to take it from me!" Naruto declared furiously as the Darkness spread out and a pair of arms and even the body of a new version of The Shade slowly formed before it placed a hand onto Naruto's concealed shoulder while he began to float up into the air, Vanitas taking several steps back, its tail wrapping around his right while its free opened and a pair of brilliant yellow eyes narrowed.

Soon Naruto reached his own hands out of the darkness, only now a completely new Suit of Dark Armor covered them. This new suit was a seemingly organic suit like the one he'd worn before, only now the muscles looked black, with white formed over his chest and abs, a black X over his chest, white had formed over his forearms and knees, and white boots with black soles had also formed, however he now had metal talons covering his fingers, metal V shaped plates covered his biceps, with a black silver lined heart shaped pauldron over each shoulder, a metal plate curving over each shoulder, and segmented heart shaped plates down his spine, he also wore a new Half-Skirt like thing.

It started off with two white belts around his waist with two large pouches at the back, two white straps falling from the upper belt and under the lower one attached to the edges of the cloth, the cloth of the half-skirt being white with a black lining, two more white straps formed a cross between the two sections of the half-skirt, with a silver Keyblade Wielder Crest stationed overtop them both. His helm was made of black glass once more, the Chin-Guard however formed into a point at his chin and the back of his jaw, and a crown shaped section also formed overtop it this time, coming down into a point between where his eyes would be.

Behind the now White-Seeker however is a new Shade, this one being female unlike the last, with nine trailing tendrils coming off of its head like hair, a pair of bright yellow eyes, red trailing on her "Bangs", and a jagged pumpkin grin, its body is slender and feminine, with a heart shaped hole cut out of its stomach below its breasts, two bent lines seemed to arch off of its hips which flowed down into a long tail wrapped around Naruto's right leg with a bit of red formed at the end of its tail, and its arms are also slender, red markings flowing over its forearms, a collar with a chain the only other thing on it slipped around its neck…

"What the hell!" Vanitas demanded while backing up as Naruto then formed No-Heart into his right hand, and Lost-Memory into his left hand. 'Shit, its like he's got his own versions of Oathkeeper and Oblivion now!' Vanitas noted as Naruto flipped Lost-Memory into a reverse grip while The Shade formed a ball of darkness into its open hand.

"Now… come forward, and drown in eternal Darkness!" Naruto roared out while swinging No-Heart to the side, the darkness suddenly shooting outwards, away from his Station of Awakening to reveal the new depiction upon its surface. It showed Naruto in the center with a new outfit, his hair swept back in a familiar style, in four spheres surrounding him were a young Xehanort, Vanitas, Ventus, and oddly enough even Aqua. Around them and behind Naruto seemed to be a stylized view of The Broken Kingdom, and surrounding the outmost edge was what appeared to be Keyblade, Heartless, Unversed, and even Nobody Crests, with simple hearts stationed between them…

Shaking his head of that, Vanitas took a stance with Gears of Madness, even as The Unversed Symbol reformed upon his mask. Lunging forward, Vanitas took a swing at Naruto only for The Shade to catch it and snarl.

"BACK OFF!" It roared before slamming him down into the ground and tossing him back almost effortlessly. Smirking to himself, Naruto then spun No-Heart in hand and tossed it into the causing it to fly back down and form into the wing-glider on his back that he remembered Master-Xehanort used in his youth.

"Can't you see… this is where you belong… become a part of my heart!" Naruto whispered out darkly even as he raised his right hand to form a third-Keyblade, namely Vanitas's Void-Gear.

"What the hell!" Vanitas demanded only for Naruto to fly straight for him, swinging both Void-Gear and Lost-Memory at the masked Unversed as he did. Quickly dodging the strike, Vanitas then formed a ball of ice in his hand before flinging it at Naruto with a flick of his wrist. However The Shade batted it away with a snarl before detaching itself from the white-seeker and ducked into the ground. Vanitas widened his eyes as The Shade started to rapidly shoot out of the ground, the Unversed quickly running out of the way.

However as The Shade did that, Naruto twisted in place, a swirling mass of darkness spinning around him as he did so. Seeing Vanitas was in range at one point, Naruto then dropped down sending out a trailing energy of Darkess. Widening his eyes, Vanitas cursed while jumping up over the darkness, only for The Shade to grab him by his right leg and slam him into the ground.

"Submit!" It ordered angrily before Naruto swung Void-Gear in hand and raised it up into the air.

"Damnation!" The blond declared while a dozen columns formed and then spread outwards while spinning away from Naruto. The Shade simply flowed back into the ground while the attack slammed into Vanitas, knocking him back as Naruto made a "C'mon" gesture, causing The Shade to reform behind him. Watching as Vanitas grunted while pushing himself back to his feet, Naruto then threw both arms to his sides and formed his "Anti-Wing-Blade", causing a dozen swords to form behind him, his two Keyblades replaced by two sword shaped blades of darkness.

Lunging at Vanitas, Naruto swung his right arm, causing the twelve blades behind him to flow with the swing and slice into Vanitas as well. The Unversed gritted his teeth as Naruto then followed that up with a swing of his left arm, the twelve swords following his arm once more. The blond then twisted into a spin in midair, swinging both blades down on Vanitas with the twelve blades following his arms once more. Lunging forward, Naruto released the two blades in his hands, and all fourteen blades began to spin around him, one set going horizontally, the other vertically as he ripped through Vantias before the blades switched to two diagonal rows and continuing their attack.

Quickly catching two of the blades once he was finished, Naruto then watched as the Unversed seemed to vanish into Darkness and grunted. "He escaped… but I have retrieved my heart from him… that is enough." Naruto noted before dismissing Void Gear and lowering himself to the ground where No-Heart vanished from his back and reformed itself into his hand. Looking at No-Heart and Lost-Memory for a moment, the blond haired youth then watched as a Dark-Corridor opened up. "And now, I'll stop Gilver and save Xion." He declared while The Shade nodded it's head as he walked into the corridor and returned to the waking world at long last…

TBC…

AN: Okay I have a bit of a surprise for this chapter, I've actually drawn Naruto's new Armor and the "Neo-Shade" from this chapter and put them onto my DeviantArt account. Go to: 26lordpain .deviantart .com /#/d39ezmw, in order to see it, remove the spaces when you type it out…

Naruto's Keyblade's…

Dark-Heart…

Soul-Blade…

Void-Gear…

Vorpal-Key…

One-Winged-Angel…

No-Heart…

Void-Gear…

Lost-Memory…