Kingdom Hearts III Keyblades Of Destiny

by PinkHeartKH

Excited for KH3? This is my version of a KH3 Story based on all the details we know so far. The worlds are in danger by the darkness again. Sora and friends must do all they can to keep the Light safe. But can they put a stop to the cunning Master Xehanort and his Organization, or will the creation of the X-blade trigger the Keyblade Wars yet again? Read on to find out. KH3 in 2019

37. Chapter 37

Hi, guys! So, most of my notes here were written way back from last summer and onward. Every time I'd get an inspiration, or they showed off a trailer I had thing I wanted to touch base with. What you'll be reading below will be very old notes I wrote just after seeing all the previous trailers and news, leading up to the current date. You'll know around the time it was added when you read it. I decided I'd just leave them. That way any of the readers who actually don't mind reading this stuff will be happy. (laughs) Because I like how Nomura-San rolls.

I, as the looney fan that I am, had loads to express about after the KH news train came along. Some of this stuff is old, but I'm always there for ya if you'd like to discuss it in PMs.

WARNING ((Only read further through the contributor's notes if you're interested in reality. Otherwise, just feel free to skip along to the story.))

I'm finally back with the next chapter! This one I've been trying to work on but in the past caught a case, you might say of writer's block. I wasn't very happy how this world was going, I felt like it dragged in some areas a lot. But, I am pleased to say the new KH III trailer shown at D23 2017 has filled me with that inspiration that was long overdue. It's really hard to stay super into something sometimes when there isn't anything new to keep the KH mind active and excited, which is the main part I need to finish up on my KH lore. So I do apologize for making you all wait again.

But the new trailer has got me super ready again! The world! The graphics! And of course the long awaited Release DATE! YES! That was seriously the best event ever! Now we know it'll be at our houses soon, just next year! Can you just imagine? It feels like I've waited all my childhood for this to be finished now, don't know about you guys. (laughs) I still have a deadline to make. When I started this, I said I hoped to have it finished by the release of the real thing, remember? I may have to stretch things a little because you couldn't imagine all the stuff I have planned! I'll have to really work hard if I want to achieve this goal.

Okay, so I have a whole list of worlds I've selected that's been here since I first started this story, with additions of the new releases in Disney since then, but Pixar...I was under the impression that it would be impossible for Square to work with films from that area so naturally I tried to keep out of that collection even though some of my top choices were coming from there. But now... BOOM! It has just been proved wrong, Pixar is now in collaboration with this series! As we now can expect to see the fun filled world of Toy Story! Yes, I am very excited about this, and adore these new transformations they've given our heroes! I can't wait and you can plan on seeing that soon in this fic! I can't wait to write it. It's so great! And when it comes to writing a Disney film based world and choosing whether to keep it like the movie or make an original KH plot line, that is a hard decision to make. I like the idea of both. But what should you choose to use when it comes up? That gets tricky.

Well, it sounds like Toy Story will be given an original KH story line, between the 2nd and 3rd movie. So that will be the direction I'll be going. But what about the others? So, planning there...

The game play shown off last week was awe amazing! But, I feel all those flashy moves, shiny attacks, transformations and stuff, that's really cool when you get to watch it for yourself, but reading it... I'm not sure that wouldn't get boring after a while. But, maybe not. (laughs) Hopefully NOT. So where I'm going with this is I still plan to add that into my battle areas some, but certainly not as frequently as the actual thing will, I'm sure. Because we are talking about a RP video game here, as downgrading as that sounds for something like the KH series. I just don't even have time to write that much fighting Heartless parts I'm afraid, and my biggest fear would be to make it seem too long or boring. I mean you can only picture and imagine so much of that in your minds, it's not as though there are any pictures or clips to look at while reading this. (laughs) So, my primary focus is probably going to be on the main story and character dialogue, which you all have noticed is my style for writing this book. If only you guys knew how much further I still wanted to take this story...and how much more I planned to add, if given the right amount of time.

The Tangled world for me has been a lot of fun! Mostly writing for the main characters and giving them their original personalities. That is a blast! My main plans are to come back to some of the world's later on. For what I've got planned, I think it's going to have to end soon, probably not where you were all expecting.

Okay! Never mind about all that about coming back junk... Nomura just confirmed today that even though he liked going back to the Disney worlds in KH II, (which I loved too) they will be taking it in a different direction. A whole new flow. Now I guess that scraps that since I want this as close to the real thing. Seriously, I feared this might happen as time went on and now I wish I could start another one, so I could get it on the track it's supposed to go on. But I wrote it 3 years ago so how would I have known?! It sounds like I'll have to use less Disney films too after hearing Nomura-San reveal there being a little less of them in KH III than KH II. So we may be looking at 10? And the team is going to focus on newer titles as candidates for their worlds. So...I'll have to keep that in mind. That part isn't too much of a problem for me. (laughs) Currently making adjustments for change of story pace and world selections... Ack!

Something I've definitely started to take notice of is that when it comes to KH III we should expect the unexpected! Crazy turns suddenly and bunches of surprises! I am going to try and not make my chapter for the worlds too predictable so I can keep it interesting, because I feel that is a big part in the KH world that we all have come to really look forward to. I saw that it's been said by the director that we will be shown all the worlds they plan to use in KH III before it launches in 2018. That worries me a little.

Obviously I won't be able to stay that far ahead and I hate to scratch off my choice of films before I even get to add them. I promised this would stay as close to the original game as possible and I plan to keep that part of it true. Maybe I'll get lucky and not be too far off track with the worlds I've chosen. But there's no denying, Pixar's Toy Story did a real throwback on me, did not see that coming! *growling* Would have loved for it to be of course, but that was a REAL surprise I think to everyone! But, all I can do is try my best and see how it comes out. Maybe I won't have to scrap all my ideas completely, who knows! (laughs)

Okay, I feel like I've taken enough of your time here, (laughs) Basically I just wanted to get it out there that I'll still be sticking as close to the real thing as I can, I won't be adding in as much of the colorful and explosive battle schematics that we'll be seeing in to actual game due to not wanting to make it drag or boring to read. My world's may vary over time. Main focus is the plot and character dialogue and I am hoping to get this done by the release of KH III in 2018. Phew! That is a lot to live up to and crazy pressure! *sweating already*

So, did you all feel my frustrations there? (laughs) I'm serious though! Wanted you guys to see what I've been going through. And that's besides school and work! I'm hanging though. *thumbs up*

So, anyway, without further ado, (or insanely long and borish writer's notes, laughs, which I had almost a year's time if adding things to) here is chapter 37! Please enjoy the ride, everyone! May see some areas seen in the recent trailers too! ^^

A previous reminder:

Sora and co. made it to the world where they met the adventurous and kindhearted Rapunzel and the notorious and daring thief Flynn Rider/aka: Eugene Phitzherbert. Together, they've been helping them make it through the forest and challenges presented along the way as they head toward the royal kingdom of Corona. Where they hope to help a sweet girl's dreams come true, without knowing they are being tracked by various others like, Rapunzel's adopted mother, Gotham. The Heartless. The palace guards. Two very ruthless twin brothers. Marluxia, and of course, the whole Organization. After a narrow escape past the guards seeking the capture of the well known thief Flynn Rider, Sora, Donald and Goofy continue on with Rapunzel. As guides to ensure their protection on the way to the kingdom.

XxxxxxxxxxxxX

Chapter 37.

Corona Kingdom: The Light Show

~Working Together plays (KH II OST)~

"Hey, Goofy! Watch out!" Eugene warned his ally about the Heartless coming to attack him.

"I see them!" Goofy called back. With his shield he spun rapidly into the enemies surrounding him. "Thanks!"

"I'll take care of these guys." Rapunzel said while carrying her hair and running over to a group of the dandelion seedling Heartless. With part of her long hair wrapped around her arm for slack, she used the end of it like a whip and lashed out at her targets, hitting them back.

The group hadn't got far before the Heartless showed up in their path again. But this party of five had become really good at working together. Making the Heartless no match for them. Rapunzel and Eugene were proving to be a lot of help in battle, too, with Rapunzel becoming better at combat by only using her long to fight with. She was picking up all kinds of new moves as she gained more experience and grew stronger. Eugene was able to pull off quite a few moves as well, using whatever he had around him at the time in the battle.

While they'd been fighting the many enemies that turned up, Sora's Keyblade had even taken on a new form from that world. He had been learning new abilities while fighting with it ever since. Now he was fighting a group of turquoise enemies which had the resembling appearances of Emerald Blue Heartless. These seemed to specialize in combat with aerial magic while floating about the field. Sora had about seven around him, each taking turns casting their spiraling wind attacks. He was about to perform an aerial attack of his own when his weapon started to glow.

"Here we go!" He said with his Keyblade held straight up. A swirling magical light surrounded his weapon, transforming it into what appeared as a magician's staff. A static of light surrounded his feet, allowing him to move faster. His run had been replaced by a swift glide over the battlefield. He could slide through the grass as if on skates. He spun his staff-keyblade around in his fingers while he glided about.

Sora's Mirage Staff let off a bright glow. He quickly leaped into the air at the enemies. That's when magic emitted from his staff and purple orbs appeared around the targets. Once they had the area surrounded, the lights let off a zap and beams of light shot off each of them. The move finished once the purple lights exploded, destroying all the surrounding foes.

The Heartless were about finished up when Sora's weapon, still bearing the form of a staff, lit up. He quickly took the staff and drove it straight into the ground, unsure of what would happen. He only had to stand back and wait for a second before it magically transformed again and shot up under him in the appearance of a tall building structure. Light spiraled all the way up the tower as it continued to grow!

"Yeaaaah!" He exclaimed while riding on top of it as it continued to rise. It had grown into a tall tower when a brilliantly lit, enormous ball of light formed above him. He lifted his Key to help give the light energy some more power. As he did, there appeared two mirroring clones of himself, shaped by forms of light. The light energy over the tower had become massive as powerful rays of light spilled from it. From within a blinding blast, every enemy on sight was vanquished! Once all the Heartless there were gone the tower form disappeared, leaving Sora to drop back to the ground. His weapon switched back into it's regular form.

While Rapunzel was running by some of her new allies, she decided to help them out by singing part of the incantation that made her hair light up with its healing powers. "Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine..." Her unique ability helped Donald and Goofy to recover their strength as she passed them.

"Hey, thanks, Rapunzel!" Goofy called to her appreciatively. "I feel as good as new!"

"Yeah! Now I can really go on!" Donald thanked her for the recharge. Rapunzel's magic hair was turning out to be a ton of help on the battlefield the more she kept learning new ways to utilize it.

"Let's get 'em, Donald. Whaddya say?" Goofy asked the duck.

"You said it, Goofy! Waaaak!" Donald charged into a nearby group of Heartless with his staff in the air.

"Eugene!" Rapunzel quickly shouted out. Once she had his attention from where he was fighting she threw him her iron skillet.

He caught it, then grasped it with both hands in a fighting position. "Come and get it." He told the fluffy topped Heartless around him before swinging the pan into them.

"Thunder!" Donald used his favorite spell to cast at the Shadows swarming the grassy plane. Bolts of lighting were released upon his targets and zapped them right off the ground. While Goofy was nearby he charged in to assist his friend.

"Here I come!" Goofy jumped high and twirled like a tornado into the foes while they were knocked into the air, sending them in all different directions.

"That's showing them, Goofy!" Donald called to him.

"Yeah!" Goofy returned excitedly.

"Hah! Time for some real fun!" Rapunzel ran up to a big tree and threw the end of her hair at a branch. Once it caught, she began using her hair like a rope and swung herself around the base of tree. She quickly cleared the area of any nearby Heartless as she went around and around the tree, sweeping them away. "Best day EVER!"

While Sora was battling some enemies near a lilly pond, he missed an attack and got knocked into the water. He swam through it until he could get up on a big rock in the midst of it. Once he'd climbed on, his Keyblade started to vibrate in his hands, catching him off guard. It started to spray water out of it! Drops of water were forming around him. His heart told him what to do from there... He placed his hand over his chest to help summon a friend with his new link ability.

Sora released the Keyblade as it emerged and turned into a swirling whirlpool of water.

A shimmering light appeared in the wall of water around him as it came towards him. As it got closer, Sora could see the magical illusion of a mermaid. Ariel, who he knew from Atlantica, was swimming to his side to aid him in her mermaid form in battle. Her whole form was made of sparkling water.

"I'm coming, Sora!" The mermaid called while swimming closer. She swam around him through the glistening water to join him, then gracefully spun herself and sprang up from the water.

"Ariel! They're all yours!" Sora said while he watched in awe as the water illusion of Ariel flipped over him. He held his hands out to catch some of the drops of water while motioning along with her. When she hit the water again, it burst with a giant splash and washed over the whole area.

The beautiful mermaid danced with her tail swishing through the air until she disappeared with a flash of light. All the enemies around the water were destroyed.

~Working Together ends~

After the battle seemed over, the hero was running back to his friends when Eugene came rolling by on a barrel. He rolled right past him, over the last group of small Heartless remaining. "Coming through!" The guy sarcastically warned them. Sora helped him out where he was with his Key, swatting at them, back and forth. There wasn't an enemy left to be seen.

"Well, that sure took care of them." Eugene remarked after rejoining the others. He playfully spun Rapunzel's frying pan in his hands while grinning like a showoff. "I think I could really get used to having something like this around."

"I told you!" Rapunzel laughed. "And I never realized just how useful my hair could be! Heheheh! Did you see how I was taking on those guys back there? Who knew my hair could be used as a dangerous weapon to fight with? Whoo-hoo!" The teenage girl expressed her excitement.

"Yeah, you two were great out there!" Donald commented the two excited friends.

"Yup! We all make a really good team." Goofy added, smiling.

"Sure do!" Sora joined in. "And Master Yen Sid was right. I had no idea of all the things my keyblade could do!"

"You must still have a lot to learn, Sora." Donald stated, teasing the boy.

"Hey! I'm doing the best I can, you know! This stuff isn't easy." He said in his defense.

"You just need to keep on battling so you can learn of bunch of new tricks, Sora. We know you can do it." Goofy said while patting the boy on the back. "Just take all the time you need."

"Yeah, just don't take too long. We need to get you ready, if you ever want to be a master like Riku."

"Don't you think I already know that! I'm nowhere near where he's at... But I will be. Just wait and see!"

Donald gave him a funny look. "Yeah. We'll see..."

"Aw, we know ya will, Sora. You and Riku are both super strong keyblade wielders. You both just have your own ways of getting there. I'm sure you and he will always be different. You'll each know how to do things that the other doesn't. Because you have your own ways for training and getting stronger, and Riku's got his. And that means you're both special at what you do. I can tell that for sure!" Goofy said thoughtfully.

Sora thought on this for a minute. "We're not the same... You're right, Goofy. We do have our own ways. I just never thought about it like that before."

"Well, gawrsh... Me and Donald are great buddies, but we don't do things the same way, do we? I became a royal guard, while he became a court magician. He knows how to do things with magic that I could never do. And he's got his own pace and I've got mine."

"Yeah. That's for sure!" Donald agreed with Goofy. Goofy looked at him. "Well, I definitely wouldn't know how to handle a shield right if someone gave me one."

"You know, you're probably right about that." Goofy returned with a sure look. Rapunzel and Eugene looked at each other.

"Hey, I don't think anyone could get anymore creative than you with all that hair, blondie." The man admitted, gesturing at her hair.

"Ahmhm, thanks." The girl giggled. "I guess everyone's just got to stick with the things they know best. I grew up with this hair. I've learned so many ways to use it over those years. Ahaha, I guess you could say it's kind of grown on me." She joked with a shrug.

Sora grinned at her. "I guess you're all right. Huh... But I wonder, is it the same way with the light and dark? Or is it possible for me to..." He uttered quietly.

"Hey, Sora. Did you say something?" Donald asked the boy who appeared to be talking to himself.

"Uh, n-nothing." Sora replied a little nervously. Although, he was still curious about those differences between he and his older friend.

"Well, it looks like the coast is clear now. We should probably get moving again, don't ya think?" Goofy spoke up after checking the area for Heartless.

"Yes! Tomorrow is the big day after all. I can't wait until we get there!" Rapunzel replied excitedly. The others agreed and turned their eyes back in the direction they were heading.

Sora, Donald and Goofy followed next to their new friends in the forest to continue on their way. The sky was becoming dark as the day was coming to a close. They had been walking for a while it seemed. It was getting difficult to see where they were even headed in the shadowy woods. Eugene slowed down to look back at the others. "I think we should take a break from here. We'll just end up getting lost at this point." He advised everyone.

"It's fine with us." Sora smiled at him.

"Yeah, me too." Rapunzel agreed.

"We'll stop here then." Eugene showed them the spot to rest in a small clearing. "I'll get some wood to make a fire."

"We can help ya." Goofy volunteered.

"Sure." Sora concurred with Goofy, then he looked back at the girl. "If you just stay here you should be safe." The boy said as he turned her way.

The girl nodded, "Of course. I'll be fine right here."

"Okay then, let's go." Donald said, walking towards the thicker side of the woods. The other two went with him, leaving the young girl on her own.

Rapunzel smiled to herself after they'd gone, thinking how happy she was that she'd made some good friends since her venture out of the tower. While she stood there waiting he thought she heard a branch crack behind her! She looked back and she couldn't believe her eyes.

"Well! I thought they'd never leave." Mother Gothel said as she walked out from the shadows to join the girl she thought of as a daughter.

"Mother?" Rapunzel caught her breath while she was almost at a loss for words when she saw the women standing there.

"Hello, dear."

"H-how...d-did you find me?" The girl asked as the women with her hood back embraced her in her arms.

"Oh, it was easy, really... I just listened for the sound of complete and utter betrayal and followed that."

"Mother..."

"We're going home, Rapunzel, now!" Gothel said as she took her by the hand and started to head off with her.

"No... But, Mother—you don't understand! I've been on this incredible adventure and I've seen and learned so much! I've made some really nice friends, and they've all been helping me. They're so kind and..."

"Yes... The wanted thief and a group of clowns. I'm so proud of you." Gothel returned, still insisting she come back with her.

"Mother, wait!" Rapunzel tried to stop her. "I told them the secret about my hair and you were wrong! They don't even care about its power, they like me for who I am. I had no idea there were people out there like that. They seem to really care about me, Mother... And...I think...he likes me." She said while thinking of Eugene.

"Likes you? Please, Rapunzel, that's demented!" Her mother scoffed.

"But, mother I..."

"This is why you never should've left. Dear, this whole romance that you've invented just proves you're too naive to be here." Gothel stated. "Why would he like you? Now, come on, really... I'm sure they're just trying to get to you. This whole notion of friendship you think they've shown you is just pretend! Leave while you can. Come back home with me and leave all this behind, before it's too late. Trust me, dear, Mother knows bes—!"

"No!" Rapunzel strongly refused her. Gothel turned back at her with an annoyed look in her eyes.

~Villains of a Sort plays (KH II OST)~

"No?" She returned with a sneer. At that instant a dark aura emitted from her. "Oh... So that's how it is. Rapunzel knows best now? Hmhmhm, well, if you're so sure then why not give him...THIS!" Gothel then brought out the same crown from Eugene's satchel and held it out at the very surprised girl.

"H-how did you...?"

"This is why he is here. Don't let him deceive you! Just give it to him... Put him to the test and you'll see."

"I will!" Rapunzel returned as she took it from her mother.

"After he has back what he wants he'll leave you...(snap,)" Gothel said as she snapped her fingers to demonstrate. "Just like that! The others will, too, more than likely. Once they've seen there's no point in sticking around with you anymore. It's obvious they're all in this little scheme together and if you can't see that, well then...I'm sure you will."

"You're wrong!" Rapunzel argued after having the brown satchel given to her.

"Fine then, see for yourself! But don't come crying to me after you've learned the truth and seen them for what they truly are. I won't say I told you so." Gothel said as she left her and headed back into the woods, darkness still emanating around her while her dark heart plotted against the young girl.

~Villains of a Sort ends~

Rapunzel was alone again. She squeezed the rim of the crown as she held it close to her, feeling scared about what her mother telling her turning out to be true. She never had any friends before leaving the tower and she feared of losing what she thought she had finally found. She looked down while having misgiving feelings about her choice.

While she stood there in thought she didn't notice the others were coming back with the wood they'd found.

Eugene had been carrying on with the others, but stopped when he saw Rapunzel standing there. When he saw how distracted she seemed by something he felt concerned. "Hey, you all right?"

It took the girl a while to come out of her troubled thoughts, but soon she turned back around to face them. "Oh, yes... Just lost in thought, I guess." She answered, trying to sound like her normal self the best she could.

"No Heartless showed up while we were gone, did they?" Donald asked while looking around for any sign of danger.

"No...no. It's just me." The girl grinned awkwardly at them while telling them a lie.

"That's good." Sora admitted after hearing everything was okay, then he turned toward the others with a grin. "See? And you guys were worried."

"Well, you can't be too careful." Eugene pointed out while setting the branches they had gathered into a pile to make a fire. To give them some light while they waited for daylight to return so they could continue on their way. "Alright then, we'll just wait here until morning. No sense in traveling in the dark to only run into trouble again. Right?"

The trio had no problem with taking a rest while they waited the night out. They made their way over to the large tree standing over their little camp and set themselves down against it. As soon as Donald and Goofy leaned their heads back they fell asleep, tired after their long day. Sora brought his hands up with a yawn and stretched a little before resting them behind his head while he sat leaned up against the trunk. As he stared out ahead his lids started to feel heavy and soon they closed as he went to sleep also.

After everyone had nearly slept through the still night, there came a rustling noise near some bushes, then a twig snapped. But no one heard it. Someone creeping in the blackened forest was watching them and had decided to swiftly step towards them. The figure came to a halt while still at a safe distance from where they slept. He began calling out the name of one of them in a haunting tone.

Young Xehanort: "Sora..." When he got no response he smirked and tried again. A little louder as he backed further into the woods. "Sora..."

Sora's head nodded when he thought he heard something and he slowly started to wake up. "Mm... Wha—" He opened his eyes for a second to make sure nothing was there then closed his eyes again.

Young Xehanort: "Sora." The mysterious person called out again, this time successfully getting the boys attention.

"Huh?!" Sora gasped as his head popped up. "Who's there?!" He sat up straighter and looked around feeling startled. He glanced back at his two friends to find them both still asleep, then he looked toward Rapunzel and Eugene, who were both sound asleep in the grass around where their small fire once burned. While he knew that wasn't nothing he had heard, Sora stood up and began to walk away from the others, looking around cautiously while he moved quietly from where his friends slept. Once he made it far enough from the others he looked back to see if any of them had woken up but he found them still the same as before. Without having a clue what was going on he crept quietly down the path for a better look.

Young Xehanort: "Yes... Sora." The same voice whispered loudly into the night.

~Xehanort-The Early Years plays (KH DDD OST)~

"Ah! Alright. Who's out there?!" Sora demanded when he heard his name again. He knew he hadn't mistaken anything now! He continued heading down the dark path, faster. Unafraid of whoever was calling him. The idea that him running off into the forest at night alone could be dangerous hadn't even occurred to him as he was set on finding out who it was calling his name. "(Huff...huff...) What do you want?!"

Sora slowed down to look around again when there came no answer, then he heard a rustling sound coming behind him and quickly turned around! As he looked ahead in the darkness he saw a pair of gold eyes staring right at him! The hero made an angry glare at the figure while in his defensive stance. It didn't take him long to realize who the unhooded man was. The sky was starting to grow lighter as the sun was beginning to rise and illuminate the darkness around it, creating a pale orange mist to form through the air. From what little light shown against the boy, Xehanort watched him from where he stood in the shadows.

"You came alone I see. It appears the darkness of Xehanort hasn't driven away all your bravery. But still, one would hope you'd become a little wiser about chasing after your enemies through the dark. Will you always be so reckless?" The younger version of Xehanort said with a shaking head. But Sora said nothing while he stood glaring up at him. "My associates informed me you might be coming here. You and your pathetic friends. I suppose you're all here to try and keep the Heartless at bay?"

"The real question is why are you here?" Sora returned, ignoring him.

"Even after traveling through the vast reaches of time and gathering oneself from the scattered timelines... After undergoing a transformation. The flow of time cannot be changed. Take the one who began it all—the oldest of all the Xehanorts. To be brought back to this time as his true self he must remain the same as from the time he came." Young Xehanort answered.

"But what has any of that got to do with it?" Sora glared at him, feeling annoyed by his answer.

"It means that this world holds a secret, one which may give one the power to change events from the past. A power Xehanort would like to have for himself and be very interested to discover exists." He revealed. When he saw the boy's surprised reaction he wondered if he knew about it and decided to question him on it. "Perhaps you've heard of something with the influence which can reverse the passage of time?"

Sora thought for a minute before it came to him. He had seen something like that happen with Rapunzel's magical hair. He tried to hide his reaction by remaining still, afraid of Xehanort learning the truth and going after the friend he'd just made. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Well, that's unfortunate. But, I suppose expected. It seems there have been tales about an ancient power that was once found somewhere in this very kingdom and was used to turn back the clock to make someone well. I've overheard quite a few people talking about it... But evidently, it has been years since anything like it was last seen. I suppose I'll just have to see where my search leads me, and then like you, I will move on. But keep this in mind, we always find what we seek, Sora. No matter what lengths it might take to find it."

"Just what are you guys trying to do?"

"We have our own reasons. But just like you we are growing stronger and there soon will be thirteen of us. So...hmhmhm." He laughed at the thought. "But, in any case, the organization is moving closer toward its goals with each passing day. What about you, Sora? How is the gathering of your seven lights coming along?"

Sora looked down, not sure how to answer. "...Mmm... "

"Oh. I guess that means it isn't. It sounds like the so-called defenders of light are not living up to their role very well. I trust you are aware what will happen if you don't find all your guardians?"

Sora heard him and looked down, feeling angry when the dreaded thought came to his mind. "That's never gonna happen!"

"Don't you wish you could be certain of that though? What little power you have alone is not going to stop 'his' plans this time. It's time you realize this, Sora. You can't help everyone."

"And you should know that we haven't given up yet. There's still time to—"

"We have only one darkness left to make up the thirteen seekers of Darkness, which means there is little time for you. Once the thirteen have gathered we will be ready and Xehanort will not hesitate on making his move. He is a Keyblade Master who knows many things. Like in a game of chess... He discovers the quickest move that leads to victory. He knows exactly where to lay all his pieces out, you can be sure of that." Sora gave him a blank look. "I just hope for your sake that you and your friends are as ready as you say you are, or this battle between the light and dark will be made a short match." Xehanort watched as the daylight shown down through the trees and washed over the boy's face through the light mist in the air. It shed just enough light on him to give a half light and dark effect over the boy. Xehanort smiled to himself in a mysterious manner.

"Rrrgh..." Sora glared at his enemy.

"I'm sure it won't be long before your friends are missing you, better not keep them waiting, Sora. I'm sure we'll meet again soon. Remember, as you travel across the worlds we too will not be far. Like you, we also have our reasons for seeing the other worlds. Careful you don't stay too long in one place though. I hear that darkness can spread quickly. As for this world, I get the feeling there is still a darkness threatneing it that has yet to be stopped. Hmhm. Good luck with that, keybearer." At those words Xehanort began to back away into what little shadows were left in the forest.

"H-hey!" Sora yelled with a reached out arm when he saw him going. He looked hard into the dark bushes where the young man had been standing, but saw no one there.

~Xehanort-The Early Years ends~

Feeling frustrated after his meeting with him Sora looked down, remembering the words Xehanort had said about the worlds. "Man, when is the organization not in a world we go to? I'll bet he was up to something. Guess we'll find out soon. Looks like he was right about one thing..." He said while he looked up toward the sky where the sun had just finished rising. "The others will be waking up. I'd better get back before they find me missing." At that, Sora was about to head back through the woods to where they had camped for the night when he heard a familiar man's voice suddenly let out a loud cry!

"Ah! Something's up!" Sora made haste back to his friends.

~Rowdy Rumble plays (KH II OST)~

"Aah! No! No! Nooo! Put me down!" Sora made it back just in time to see Eugene being dragged away by the same white horse they'd run into before, yelling at it to release him!

"Eugene!" Rapunzel cried frantically after having been woken up by the startling capture. "No! Put him down! Please!" She chased after them.

"What could've got into him?" Goofy wondered about the angry horse where he stood next to Donald.

Donald shook his head and frowned. "I'm not sure. But Eugene did tell us he was a theif, remember? He must've done some really bad things for so many people to be after him. C'mon!" They were about to run in to help when Donald noticed Sora watching from the other side. "Look, there's Sora! Where's he been?"

Goofy looked over. "Oh, good! Now we can all three slow that old horse down."

Rapunzel had managed to grab hold of Eugene hands enough to pull back and fight the palace horse for the him. "Stop, please! (Rrrrgh...) I need him!"

"Let me go!" The man demanded helplessly while feeling himself being stretched too far.

When Rapunzel nearly fell forward when the horse pulled back harder, Sora jumped in and caught her with his hands around her waist. "Hold on—I got you! (Rrrgh!)" He helped her tug back on their friend while the determined horse gripped onto the theif's foot with his strong jaws. It wasn't long until Donald and Goofy were in there too, trying to help the two.

"Wak! Let go!" Donald yelled while pulling back as hard as he could with Eugene's other hand.

"(Hmmph!)" Goofy used all his strength too. Finally, their friend slipped out of the horse's mouth, except for one of his boots.

The angry steed was already charging again to recapture his target. Sora and his friends ran in to try and stop him, but instead wound up getting knocked into and thrown back when the strong animal would not yeild. "(Daah!)" Sora cried as he fell back to the ground.

~Rowdy Rumble ends~

Eugene grimaced when he saw the horse charging straight for him, snarling at the end of his long nose. Just before he could nab him again, the girl with long golden hair stepped in between them, forcing the wild horse into an immediate halt. Eugene looked up amazed as Rapunzel firmly calmed the aggressive horse. "What?"

"Whoa, boy. Easy..." She waved her hands in a down gesture to settle the white horse palace horse down.

"Gawrsh, look..." Goofy pointed up to the others from where he sat on the ground after getting rammed into.

"Whoa!" Sora awed at the sight while lifting his head up from the dirt.

Donald was startled when he saw it. "Rapunzel, you got to be careful! That horse is dangerous!"

Rapunzel ignored the warning and kept trying to calm the horse, with a little help from her chameleon, who sat on top of her head glaring across at him the whole time. "Oh, it's okay. Now, drop the boot. Drop it..." Though stubborn about it, the horse eventually did as she told him. "That's it!" She smiled and went on. "Now, sit. Sit."

"Oh, c'mon!" Eugene griped when he saw the horse obey her from where he watched them. "He's a bad horse!" Sora and the others were getting back on their feet, smiling at the sight of the girl making friends with horse.

"Oh, he's nothing but a big sweetheart, aren't you..." she paused while trying to read the name engraved on the gold crest around the horse's neck, "Maximus?" She smiled at him before cuddling it's head in her arms.

"You've got to be kidding me..." Eugene huffed while crossing his arms. Sora, Donald and Goofy were coming back to join them just as Rapunzel was about finished talking Maximus into holding off his capture of Flynn Rider. At least long enough for him to help her make it to see the lights, and it took a lot of persuading.

"Okay. It's all settled." The girl said before turning around to see the kingdom not too far ahead. "We're almost there!"

The six of them, some more willing than others, made it to the stretching brick paved bridge, arched over the water below them. What they were soon sighted with when they'd almost crossed to the other side had them in awe... Looking passed a large archway into the kingdom gave them an amazing view of a bustling, festive town! Villagers were scattered all over in the streets, children and adults alike. They were going in and out of the shops and visiting the wagon stands. Some were putting out more decorations while hanging wreathes full of flowers along the tops of the houses. Joyous music could be heard through the air, too. Sora, Donald and Goofy immediately felt all the excitement come over them as they walked in and they were very anxious to go exploring.

"Wow..." Sora and Donald mused at the lively and colorful town.

"Look at that." Goofy commented with them.

Before they went in any further the trio waited for their friends behind them. When Eugene noticed the girl slowing down he looked back, past the agitated big white horse who was watching him very closely. He could see Rapunzel's face lighting up. The way she was smiling completely awe-struck let him know she had never seen anything like it before. He watched as she excitedly broke out into a run toward the kingdom of Corona to get a better look. Totally distracted by the view of the busy town. Sora and the others smiled as she passed right by where they stood, without glancing back.

Rapunzel stopped once she was inside. Her heart was beating so fast she had trouble catching her breath. "I can't believe it! Ahaha, I'm finally here!"

Ready to take a look around, she started to run into the busy streets. She was quickly stopped though when a large rolling cart passed in front of her! She had to jump back to keep from being hit! When she stumbled back, she nearly stepped on a flock of geese behind her. After catching her balance again she felt her hair being tugged back. The villagers walking around her were tripping through her long gold hair which stretched across the whole pathway. Winding all over the town and making everyone off balance. "Oh!" She gasped when she felt another tug.

Eugene quickly ran over to her to help, gathering up as much of the long hair he could in his hands in bundles along the way. "We're really going to have to do something about your hair, blondie. Can't just leave it like this..."

"Anything we can do to help?" Sora asked after he and the others ran over to them.

"We need to figure out a way to keep her hair wound up. Try looking around town and see what you can find." Eugene suggested.

"We're on it!" Sora agreed, then he and his friends split up through town to look. Wanting to try asking someone for some advice Sora thought he'd try at the nearest vendor's shop first, where it looked like a delicious spread of baked goods were being sold. He went right up to the stout man wearing a fluffy chef's hat and apron watching the stand.

"Hello there! Can I interest you in some fine cakes or buns today?" The chef quickly replied, trying to sell him something. "We've got all best baked goods you can find to eat right here."

Sora shook his head, "Er...no thanks, I was actually wondering if you might know-"

"Ack! The baguettes! Where did my sack of baguettes get off to?!" The man suddenly busted out in a panic.

"Huh?"

"They were right here on my cart with all the other things... A fresh batch, too. Could they have fallen off on my way over here this morning? Oh dear..."

Sora could tell the man was upset about losing some of his stock. "Um...maybe it just got left behind somewhere on the road then..."

"Oh! If you find them will you please bring them back for me? I would really appreciate it, my boy! I'm far too busy to leave my stand now, but you must be free, I'm sure."

"Er, actually..."

"That's fine! It'll be doing me a big favor! Just watch out for a large brown sack and bring it straight back here, and thank you for your help!" The chef finished.

"Uh, sure..." Sora sighed. After not having much luck there and only getting another task to do, he thought he'd try the stand selling flowers behind him.

"Why, hello there, young man. Is there anything I can help you with today? Are you looking for a pretty flower to give a special pretty girl, perhaps?" The lady selling flowers and wreaths asked when she saw him. Sora was taken back a little at what she said and turned a little red.

"Wha—! N-no, I... I've got a friend back there with a problem and I'm trying to..."

"Oh, dear... Now where can they be?" The lady interrupted Sora as she found herself with a problem of her own.

"Something wrong?" He politely asked.

"Oh, yes. These flowers here should be blue, not yellow..." She gestured to the brush of yellow flowers draped over the side of the cart beside the pink and white ones. "I think we must've gotten our assortments mixed. You see, my sister and I take care of the flower booths, I'm here on the south end, while she's selling hers over on the north side. Her stand is supposed to feature the kingdom's traditional colors, that's why she's on the end closer to the castle. But without these beautiful yellow flowers her stand just won't look right..."

"I'll probably be heading that way soon. Maybe I could drop them off for you?" Sora made a dreaded face at the thought of adding something else to his list, but he couldn't stand to not offer his help.

"Oh! Would you?! That would be wonderful!" The lady picked up the assortment of golden flowers to hand over to Sora. "Here, just take these with you then. I know she'll be so happy to get them back! And maybe, if it isn't too much trouble for you, you could bring my blue ones back for me?"

"It shouldn't be any problem, ma'am." Sora replied, unintentionally taking on yet another assignment.

"Thank you, you're such a fine boy." She smiled thanking him.

"(Sigh...) Well, better keep looking." Sora decided.

He continued on his search through the festive kingdom, passing by all the men and women in the busy crowd, even having to dodge some kids that would run by him. While he was looking around there was moment when he though he heard something behind him that made his heart jump, for he thought it sounded like darkness approaching. He knew that sound better than anything, but when he looked back he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. He pressed on until he came across an interesting stand in front of a row of houses. It looked like there were stacks of purple cloth squares spread over the cart, where a young women and little girl stood watching it. Sora thought he'd give the attraction a try, seeing no harm in asking. He walked passed Donald as he made his way over.

"Hey, Sora. Any luck?" The duck asked.

"No, not so far." Sora shook his head down at him.

"There sure are a lot of people out in this side of town. I nearly got ran over, twice!" Donald complained.

"Ahahah!" Sora couldn't help laughing. Donald made a face up at him and left, starting in the other direction to continue helping with the search. Sora crossed the paved road at his usual pace and made his way over to the next vendor's cart.

"Hey there." Sora greeted them.

"How do you do?" The kind women nodded. "Need one of our kingdom's flags for the festival today? No better way to show our love for the kingdom on such a special day of remembrance."

"Hm, no thanks, I've sort of got my hands full with other stuff right now."

"You mean you won't take a flag with you?" The little girl, who Sora guessed was the lady's daughter asked him with a small frown.

"Oh, uh... Well..." Sora hesitated to answer.

~Peaceful Hearts plays (KH BBS OST)~

"It's all right. dear. This young man probably has other things to do at the moment, like he said. The girl with a scarf around her red hair looked up at Sora, beginning to look amused after studying him for a while. "I do wish you'd stop trying to help me and run off and find the other children to play with. This is such a fun day and I hate for you to miss it..." Her mother told her.

"But... I haven't seen them. I don't know where they are..." The little girl returned, still frowning.

"Well... I have to run the stand. I can't just leave it, dear." The mother said.

Sora looked down at the sad child and began to feel for her. She kind of reminded him of Kairi when they were both young, and he'd always offer to help her with her problems, just to try and make her happy again. He slowly walked over and knelt down by the girl... "Hey, if you want you could come with me. I'll help you find your friends! I'm looking for something too, aheh, but I have no idea what it is... If we go together, maybe we'll both find what we're for." The girl's face lit up after he offered to help her, asking Sora smile, too.

"Okay!" She said excitedly, clapping her hands while jumping up and down.

"Well, aren't you kind. Thank you so much!" The women smiled fondly at the boy with gratitude.

"Sure!" Sora replied with a nod. He couldn't believe all the stuff he'd let himself get stuck with doing just after arriving, but he did like helping people, that seemed to be something he did best. "Let's try this way." He suggested to his little companion.

"Yeah!" She agreed, and the two of them made their way back into the busy crowd.

~Peaceful Hearts ends~

Goofy had just got done checking by a nearby band providing a festive beat throughout the village for the big celebration. Over them hung strings of purple flags with a yellow sun design on them, exactly like the ones Sora had seen a lady giving out, and coming from that same direction, Goofy could see his friend heading up the path with the little girl. "Hey, Sora!"

When the hero saw Goofy he ran over to him. "Goofy. Did you find something to help the others?" He was eager to ask.

"Nope... I haven't found nothin'." Goofy returned with his head shaking. "Say, who's your friend here, Sora?"

"He's helping me find my friends." The little red haired girl told him smiling.

"Gawrsh..." Goofy uttered. "Well, that sure is nice of him!"

"Mhm!" The girl nodded happily, her eyes twinkling up at Sora.

Sora scratched behind his head. "Er... Well, I guess we'd better keep looking. Let us know if you find anything we can use, Goof. And if you run into any..." He sees the girl staring up at him, "Uh, you know..."

"Right. I'd be surprised if we don't run into something while we're here, what with all the people around. They'd have to be drawn to a town this big." Goofy admitted.

"Yeah, that's just what I thought. We'll just have to keep an eye out."

"Yup. I think I'll go see if I can find where Donald went. Maybe with the two of us looking together we'll find something." Goofy told the boy.

"Mm! Sounds like a good idea." Sora grinned, then he looked down at the girl. "You ready?"

"Uh-huh!" She replied.

The girl and Sora continued walking, going passed more all the shops, busy carts and people going from here to there. While they were passing by a group of houses where between them was a darker space in a narrow passage Sora thought he heard the the unmistakable sound of Darkness emerging. He quickly looked where the noise came from to catch a glimpse of a dark corridor before it vanished like smoke!

~Drops of Poison plays (KH BBS OST)~

"Huh!" He glared where the darkness had appeared and quickly became alert for danger, then he looked down and remembered the tiny girl beside him and worried about her safety. Out of instinct, he took her by the shoulder and pushed her close behind him. "Quick, get behind me!"

The girl became frightened by his sudden move and peaked over beside him scared. "W-what is it?" She asked shaking, but Sora didn't answer her right away, instead he kept a steady watch on the dark passage and remained quiet, holding the same glare in his eyes. "Is s-something there?"

"Hmm..." Sora thought for a minute, then he slowly turned back to the girl who he had frightened. "No, I guess not... It looks okay."

~Drops of Poison ends~

"But what was it?" She went on to ask.

"Er... N-nothing." He tried to cover it up. He knelt down to her level in hopes of cheering her up. "I'm sorry for scaring you like that... I was just wanting to make you were safe, but it's okay now."

~Peaceful Hearts plays~

"Yehah! Because you scared away whatever was hiding back there, right? You're just like a hero, aren't you? That's why you protected me! Wasn't it? I know it was!"

"I'll keep you safe." Sora casually reassured her.

"Right! Because you're my hero!" She cheered.

"Hm." Sora smiled when he heard her call him her hero. "Don't worry, I'll watch out for you."

"Heehee! Okay!" She giggled, then the two of them turned to leave, but there on Sora knew he'd better keep his guard up.

The two of them were making their way to this little square, where Sora thought he could here children laughing as they got closer. When they made it around the corner they saw a fountain, completely surrounded by little girls who were playing around it, all of them looking to be the same age as the one following Sora. The spiky haired boy was about to asked the little girl if those were the friends they were looking for, but when he saw the way she was smiling it was easy to tell she knew them.

"There they are! We found them!" She rang out excitedly, pointing them out to him, Sora grinned at her.

"What are you waiting for then?" He teased. The girl started to laugh, then hurried over to join them. Sora followed her.

One of the taller girls saw her running over to them and called out, "Hey! Where've you been?"

"Yeah, we've been waiting for you," another said.

"Come on! Let's do each other's hair!" The one with braided pigtails added. Sora tilted his head when he heard her mention the word 'hair.'

"Okay! Hold on!" The tiny girl called back as she waited for Sora.

"I'm glad you found your friends." Sora told her after stopping beside her, smiling.

"Yes! And thank you for helping me find them." She went up to him, holding out a purple cloth like the flags he'd seen before. "Here, this is for you. I want you to have it, for being my hero!"

Sora accepted the flag from her and looked down at it while he held it in his hands. It was a square purple cloth with the picture of a yellow sun on it. "Hey, thanks!"

"Come over here! I do your hair for you!" One of the girls sitting by the fountain called to her while she was tying one of her friend's hair up.

"Okay!" The girl near Sora returned excitedly, giggling. Before she ran off she looked up at Sora again. "We could do your hair, too, if you want. It's so spiky, but I'm sure we could do something!"

"Er, no thanks. I think I'm okay..." Sora replied a bit embarrassed, then he had a thought. "Hey—but I think I know someone who could use some help!" All the girls were smiling at him, eager to meet this person and get their hands on some more hair.

It wasn't long before Sora had come back with Rapunzel, with Eugene still close behind her carrying bundles of her hair in his arms, starting to look exhausted. The young girls quickly took the maiden with long gold hair into their group and began wrapping it around itself in a playful manner. It wasn't long until they were finished! Sora and his friends, and Eugene, all looked to see the girl with her hair all stacked and braided up in colorful flowers, with the bottom of it just dangling a few inches from the ground where the hem of her skirt met. Rapunzel spun herself around all excited while Eugene watched her, unable to help be impressed and attracted with her new look.

"Ah... Thank you!" Rapunzel thanked the children, feeling lighter and more able to move about than she ever had. And with her hair no longer being a worry to her she was more than ready to have a look around the village!

~Peaceful Hearts ends~

Eugene turned to the trio as he joined Rapunzel. "I think we're going to go get a better look of the place. It's a little while before the lanterns are lit up. Think you boys can find something to keep you busy until then?

"Oh... I'm sure we'll find something." Sora grinned back at him, remembering all the favors he still had left to do for some of the people in town. Donald and Goofy looked at their friend, both understanding their Sora enough to know what that meant.

"We shouldn't have any trouble at all." Donald added, trying to hold back a snicker.

"Why, sure. You two just go on ahead, we can catch up with you later." Goofy told them, rubbing under his nose.

The man looked back for Rapunzel but found her walking the other away as her attention was drawn over to the big mural on the stone wall. It looked to be the artwork of the King and Queen of Corona. Rapunzel focused her eyes on the infant girl the queen had cradled in her arms. She looked down when she heard voices. A mother and her two children were knelt down beneath the mural where many flowers had been left. She watched as the small girl put her flowers with the others displayed at the base.

"It's for the lost princess." She heard the girl say. Rapunzel looked up again but did not recognize the child in the portrait. Eugene, followed by Sora and his friends walked over to her to get a look. None of them knew they were staring at a younger image of the girl with healing hair. Rapunzel spun around to the others, her green eyes beaming with excitement when she saw them.

"Aheeheehee! Come on!" Rapunzel said as she grabbed Eugene by the arm and took off with him.

"Whoa! I-I'm coming!" The thief returned a bit off guard. The trio grinned at the two.

"We'll see you boys later!" Rapunzel called back to them.

After they had gone, Donald and Goofy both looked back at Sora, giving him a funny look. "What's with you guys?" He asked with a blank expression.

~A Walk in Andante plays (KH II OST)~

"You just can't help yourself, can you?" Donald replied.

"What?" Sora acted confused.

"Awe! We know you well enough to know when you're fixin' to go off helping people, Sora. I'll bet you've already been talking to the townsfolk here, haven't ya?"

"He's probably already started meddling, and without us, too."

"I-it's not like that! I, uh... See—there was this, um..." While he tried to explain the others just started laughing. "You guys! Aww... What's the use? I mean—I may have talked to a few people. Sure!"

"Oh, it's all right, Sora. We know ya can't help it... Being there for people is something you do best." Goofy said.

"Yeah, but just maybe once in while you could let us know before you do. We have got a ton of other things to do, you know." Donald reminded him.

"I know..." Sora returned sheepishly.

"Well, you better not keep them waiting." Goofy gestured to Sora.

"Right." With a nod the hero took off down the street.

~A Walk in Andante ends~

Sora had finally finished all his tasks. He'd switched out the two different colors of flowers. Retrieved the sack for the Baker, while along the way, ended up helping out some of the other villagers. He and his friends even got stuck joining in a couple dances in the town's music festivities, which Rapunzel had led. By now the sun was starting to go down. They knew it wouldn't be much longer until the show of lights started. Already they could see some of the townsfolk bringing out their lanterns. The trio even had one of their own to let go when the time came. They had received it from one of the villager's stands, after helping the family watching over it recover their two cats. It had turned out to be a busy day for the heroes.

The three friends had started their search for Rapunzel and Eugene. "Wonder where they could be..." Donald said while looking for their friends.

"There!" Sora pointed out when he found them floating on the water below the docks. "In that boat!"

"Aww, just look at them." Goofy smiled at the two sitting together.

"Well, what do we do now?" Donald asked while slumped over.

"'Guess we'll just watch from here." Sora shrugged with a grin.

As Eugene was rowing their boat further out, Rapunzel looked back at him confused, asking, "Where are we going?"

The man gave her a smile as he kept rowing. "Well, best day of your life. I figured you should have a decent seat." He took Rapunzel's little pet Pascal who had been sitting on his shoulder and let him crawl out onto the boat to watch.

The two of them made it further out on the water just as the sun finished going down. Knowing it wouldn't be long, they sat together in the boat while they waited for the light show to begin. One of them waiting a little more anxiously than the other for it to start. Rapunzel was staring out at the water when she surprisingly let out a sigh.

"You okay?" The man asked, a bit concerned when he heard her.

"I'm terrified." The girl answered, sounding worried.

"Why?"

The girl acted a little hesitant. "I've been looking out a window for eighteen years, dreaming about what it might feel like when those lights rise in the sky. What if it's not everything I dreamed it would be?"

"It will be."

"Ahmm. And what if it is? What do I do then?"

"Well, that's the good part, I guess. You get to go find a new dream." He smiled fondly at the girl.

"Hm." She smiled up at him, beginning to feel something she'd never felt before. He

From up on a balcony on the castle, the king and queen stepped out from two large doors together. They both looked at each other with grieving faces. The king was on the verge of tears. The queen took him by the hand to comfort him. They smiled at each other, then walked outside. Together, they took hold of a single lantern burning brightly in front of them and lifted it from a table. They held it near the edge to have it ready to release. Remembering the precious child they lost so many years ago, they let the lantern go. With heavy hearts they watched as their lantern floated up into the night sky, both longing for a day when they might see their missing princess again. To keep the memory of the princess alive in the kingdom, the rest of the village's lanterns were released into the night air. The warm glowing lights all drifted away, following the King and queen's into the sky.

"Ah! Look over there!" Sora told his friends when he saw the lanterns starting to light up through the dark town. The kingdom was lit up with a soft orange glow from all the lanterns. Sora and his friends looked up and around them as they passed over them, completely awed by the sight ascending lights. They looked out over the water as the countless lanterns floating by reflected on it.

Back on the water, Rapunzel was sitting at the edge of the boat, looking up at all the beautiful lights passing over them. It was unlike anything she could've imagined. Her dream had finally coming true! So many thoughts went through her mind as she started to realize she'd fulfilled her big dream to see the lights. It started to trouble her now, as she wondered about what her new dream would be. She turned back at Eugene for some help, but was met with a surprise when she saw him holding out two round burning lanterns in his hands. They looked a bit like glowing marshmallows. She hurried back and seated herself in front of him, feeling excited all over again.

"I have something for you, too." She said as she reached behind her. The girl pulled out his brown satchel with the stolen crown in it she'd been secretly carrying with her. Rapunzel brought it up for him to see. Eugene looked surprised when he saw it. "I should've given it to you before, but I was just scared. And the thing is...I'm not scared anymore. You know what I mean?"

Instead of taking his satchel back, Eugene lowered it with his hand, showing no care for it anymore. "I'm starting to." He replied smiling. The two each swept a hand under each lantern and sent them up together. The lights drifted in front of them as they were carried into the sky.

"Wow!" Donald awed at the floating lanterns.

"Look at them all!" Sora grinned while staring up at the night sky. The lights looked so colorful from up there. It looked like almost everyone in the kingdom had sent their lanterns off.

"So..." Goofy spoke up from where they stood near the dock. "What are we gonna do with this?" Sora and Donald saw him holding a lantern. It was the one given to them by the grateful family they'd helped out earlier.

~Friends in my Heart plays (KH II OST)~

"Oh boy, oh boy!" Donald beamed. "Now we can let one go, too!"

"Yeah!" Sora felt the excitement as he went over to Goofy. "Let's do it together."

"On three, fellers." Goofy said. Sora and Donald placed a hand under it and got ready.

"One..." Sora began their count. The yellow light from the lantern reflected in his eyes while he stared at it.

"Two..." Donald added. Their excitement was growing!

"Three!" They all yelled out. With a shove, they hoisted the lantern into the sky. The trio leaned their heads back to watch it as it floated up to join the rest.

"There it goes." Sora grinned at the sight, getting a warm feeling inside.

"It sure is pretty, don't ya think?" Goofy commented.

"It sure is!" Donald agreed!

"It's awesome!" Sora added. He started to think of all his friends. But one in particular was on his mind the most. "Wish Kairi was here to see this. She would..." He stopped when he felt his face getting hot. He really was wishing she could be there with him. Though, the way he was feeling now was a new one to him, that he didn't quite understand.

"Sora?" Donald called to their distracted friend. "

Goofy noticed something had come over the boy as well. "Hey, uh... What's making your face look all red like that?"

"Aww! Are you thinking about someone again, Sora?" Donald teased. He and Goofy started to laugh.

"What?!" Sora shook his head to come out of it. His hands clapped over his face. "I— uh... Not sure what you're talkin' about."

"You can't fool us!" Donald returned.

"A-hyuck! You're not too good at hiding it, either." Goofy laughed.

"I'm not, er...hiding anything." Sora insisted, very badly.

"We know... Whahahahak!" The duck made fun of him.

"Don't worry, Sora. We know how sensitive you are." Goofy put in.

"Sensitive?!" Sora acted surprised. "Can't you guys just give me a break already? Ugh..." He was feeling really embarrassed now.

"Alright, Sora." Donald gave in.

"That's better." The boy said.

~Friends in my Heart ends~

"And I think you're right. Kairi would've loved getting to see something like this! Especially with you." Goofy added in. Sora's head jerked up at his last remark. He looked at Goofy with a stunned expression on his face. He couldn't believe he said that.

"Hmph." Sora just gave him a sarcastic look and furrowed his brows at him. "Well, anyway..." He glanced back up at the thousands of lanterns burning brightly in the night sky. While they were all looking up at the sky again, a strange lightning suddenly hit through the clouds in the midst of the floating lights! "Huh!"

"Is a storm coming?" Goofy wondered after they saw it. Again, the sky lit up with the same purple lightning!

"Where's it coming from?" Donald questioned.

"This doesn't look good..." Sora said as he got a bad feeling.

Rapunzel and Eugene were still sitting in a boat on the water. Both of them were looking intently into the other's eyes. As they came close to even kissing, Eugene stopped when he caught sight of a murky green light on the other side of the lake. It was hard to see in the dark, but after he'd studied it harder he thought he could see the familiar figure of a stout man. It was one of the Stabbington brothers, staring across the water at him. Eugene was startled by this but decided to hide it, the best he could. He glanced down at the bag with the crown in it. He realized what he needed to do. He began rowing the boat toward the shore, bringing a confused Rapunzel along with him.

Once their boat touched shore the man climbed out. "I'm sorry... Everything's fine." He tried to assure the frightened girl while pulling the boat out of the water. "There's just something I have to take care of."

"...Okay." Rapunzel replied, trying to convince herself that it really was. She was looking at the satchel in Eugene's arms.

"I'll be right back." He told her. Rapunzel watched as he headed off into the dark. She waited with the chameleon by the boat, hoping with all her heart that Eugene would stay true to his word and return to her.

Back in town, things were beginning to look bad. Several bolts of purple lightning struck in the sky, destroying a lot of the lanterns. The villagers were shaken up by all the commotion. "Ah!" They all gasped at the sight. Sora, Donald and Goofy were watching the sky closely when it looked like something big moved in the mist of clouds.

~Apprehension plays (KH II OST)~

Donald jumped. "Uh-oh! Was that—!?" As if to answer him, a very large figure of a winged monster flew out of the darkness and let out a great roar! More purple lightning bolts were released through the sky as it did. Lightning generated and shot straight towards the kingdom, but luckily stopped at the edge of it.

"A Heartless!" Sora exclaimed. He bravely motioned to his friends to help him go after it. His Keyblade already in hand. "Let's go!"

Sora and his friends rushed to the docks with their weapons. They looked up to see the giant Heartless with big wings and swooping tail diving through the air towards the town. They needed to get its attention on them. "Fire!" Sora shot a blazing sphere at the enemy with his blade.

The fiery blast was sent straight at the Heartless. With a tail of flames following it, the Firaga spell shot right past the flying enemy's head, illuminating the side of its face as the smoldering blast just missed it. The Heartless stopped in midair. It began looking down with rage for its attackers. When it saw the heroes standing ready for it below it let out a loud screeching cry, then dived straight for them. When the villagers saw the monster coming down they were in a panic.

"Aaaaah!" The townspeople screamed in terror.

"Here it comes!" Goofy exclaimed while pointing up.

"Nothing too crazy this time. Okay, Sora?" Donald warned the boy.

"Oh, c'mon. When have I ever done that?" Sora returned with a small smirk.

The Heartless was closing in. Just before it reached them, Sora leaped to meet it head on. He could almost see Donald shaking his head at him below, but he didn't let it stop him. When the boss enemy looked like it was about to attack Sora swung his weapon across its face. He swung down. Then hit it with a diagonal swing, finishing with a forceful downward cut. The last blow pushed the boy back, sending him down to the docks. While Sora was falling in the air, the Heartless cast out its thunder blast, making lightning streaks rain over him. The lightning zapped through a string of the lights floating around it and burned them into sparkling ashes. Sora deflected as many shots as he could with his Key while falling, only missing a few attacks. After he landed with his allies, the enemy lowered itself, hovering over the water in front of them. With it being closer now, the trio were able to get a better view of their target. It was large with a silver and dark blue body and head. It's appearance matched up with that of a mixture between the Tailbunker and Wavecrest Emblem Heartless. And obviously had command over the thunder element.

It's body positioned itself upward and the Heartless let out another roar. It sounded like thunder. This was used to create another blast of lightning, but this time it hit the sky around it with blinding rays of purple lightning pillars. The water splashed up as the rays hit the top of it.

"This one looks powerful! Got anymore ideas?" Donald said looking toward Sora.

"No. But I think this guy's got a few. Watch out!" Sora returned when he could see the Heartless boss getting ready to hit them with far range attacks.

The enemy by the name of Thundrawing had its head directed at them. With the three heroes in its sight, it drew back and opened its jaws. A purple energy lit up and formed in its mouth, then a massive ray blasted from it. Right at the heroes! Goofy brought up his shield to block the attack best he could, while Donald jumped out of the way of fire. Sora dodge rolled under the purple beam and slid to the opposite side to avoid getting singed. The monster's beam was coming back to the other side. Goofy did his best to hold his shield against the powerful force to protect the town, following it as it moved.

"No, ya don't! Mmph!" He said while trying to force it back with his shield.

Sora ran and did a high flip over the Heartless' attack. "(Hngh!)" As he did the tip of his Keyblade ran through the lightning energy. After he made it past the ray his weapon was glowing with a purple light. It seemed it had absorbed some of the enemy's fire power and was trying to transform. Sora waved his Key into the air and magical lights surrounded it. Soon, his Keyblade had switched into the Mirage Staff again. He twirled it in his fingers as he prepared to attack.

Thundrawing's lightning ray had ended, but it was getting ready for another attack. Lifting its big wings until they made a 'V' shape, four purple spheres appeared in front if it. They were emitting lightning around them to draw in power. It made a slight motion with its head toward the three battling to keep the kingdom protected. One by one, the spheres shot towards them! As one left its place, another took form. With three coming at him, Sora held his staff in his hand and flipped to the side to dodge one. Then he quickly side rolled to miss the next attack while the electric static barely missing his foot. Goofy stopped one of them with his shield and bounced it back.

"Fire!" Donald tried shooting at their target with his Duck Flare.

After flipping over another attack, Sora's weapon started to spark at the point. All at once, he was surrounded by a magical mist and when he came out, his clothes had changed. Going from red and black to blue and black, with white stars around his pants and jacket. While in this mirage form, which was something like his old wisdom form, his shoes were lifted off the surface with magic, allowing him to glide across it, just like before. After Thundrawing's attacks missed it began flying around toward another side of the town. Sora and his friends chased after it when they saw where it was heading.

Once the Heartless had stopped in town, over some of the buildings, it cast lighting over them. Still gliding in his other form, Sora jumped and headed up to the rooftops to stop it. Some of the townspeople could still be heard screaming. Sora hopped up and spun over the roof, with his staff pointed at the winged beast. "Hey, you! Over here!"

The Heartless let out a cry as the lightning was released over the houses again. Sora waved his Mirage Staff in the air, creating stars around it. He then lifted off the ground to unleash his special attack. Purple lights formed around him and the enemy after he swung his weapon forward. "Get ready!" He warned before a mystical force shot out. Like a shooting star, it bounced off every sphere of light that had been conjured. The Heartless was in a daze of confusion through the blinding attack. It was completely overwhelmed!

When Sora's attack came to its exploding finish he descended back to the surface, while the Heartless flew higher to escape. Donald tried to stop it with an ice shard attack but already the enemy was flying off in the other direction, across the water. The heroes watched as it made its way toward the other side, wondering how they would catch up to it. "We can't let that thing get away!" Donald told them. They all looked around for a way to follow after it when Sora spotted a way to get across, back down at the docks.

"The boats!" The boy pointed out.

"We'd better hurry!" Goofy hastened them.

Donald was already running to the side of the roof. "Come on!"

~Apprehension ends~

Meanwhile...

"Here, the crown is all yours." Eugene got done saying after dropping his satchel at one of his tall former partner's feet. The crown slid out on the ground when the flap fell open. Eugene turned to leave. "I'll miss ya, but I think it's for the...best." He stopped when he found the other tough looking man, who was now standing in his path.

"Holding out on us again, eh, Rider?" One of the twins said from behind him in a gruff voice.

~Hesitation plays (KH II OST)~

Eugene was taken back by this. "What?"

"We heard ya found sometin'. Somethin'...much more valuable than a crown." The man went on, stepping right across the priceless headpiece as he walked over. Eugene still looked confused. "We want her instead." He finished after stopping in front of him, along with some Shadows and Heartless they'd battled in that world, loyally waiting at the brother's side. Eugene's eyes grew wide when he saw what they were planning. Then, everything went dark.

Rapunzel was still waiting in the dark by the boat for Eugene. Her purple dress looked like it was glowing in the moonlight. Suddenly breaking the silence, she thought she could hear footsteps coming. She looked ahead in the direction where she'd seen her friend go in. When she could see the shadowy figure of a man stepping into the mist of light near the shore she felt so relieved. Believing it to be Eugene she let out a heavy sigh. "Ah... I was starting to think you ran off with the crown and left me."

Two figures then became visible, startling the girl. "He did." One of the Stabbington twins carrying a big sword on his back answered her.

"What? No... He wouldn't!" She refused to believe it.

The man gestured toward the water for her to look. "See for yourself."

~Hesitation ends~

Still unwilling to believe a word he was saying, Rapunzel did as he said and shifted her gaze to where the guy was pointing. She looked out and saw the silhouette of a small ship in the distance, moving toward the kingdom. "Eugene...?" Through squinted her eyes, she watched the vessel sailing in the dark, trying her best to make out who was in it. She couldn't believe her eyes when she discovered it was Eugene in the boat, steering through the water with his hands at the helm. "Eugene!" She cried.

The brothers were about to move in on the girl when Sora and his friends arrived at the scene. "Rapunzel!" Sora called when he saw the girl after just making it on the coastline. He and his two friends caught a glimpse of the same ship they'd seen Rapunzel calling out to when they got there. They were confused after hearing the boat was supposedly being sailed off by Eugene, but they didn't have time for questions.

"Sora!" Rapunzel looked surprised to see them, as did the two men.

"So... You came back, did ya?" One of the Stabbington twins sneered when he saw the three. But everyone ignored him.

"You have to get away from here! Quick!" Donald warned the girl.

"A big Heartless is on its way over!" Sora informed everyone there, barely noticing the two guys who were going after his friend.

"What's this?" The other twin spoke up. At that moment a flash of lightning hit the water in front of them.

"There it is!" Goofy pointed to the night sky.

"Huh?!" Rapunzel gasped.

~The Encounter plays (KH II OST)~

Overhead, the Thundrawing boss came soaring towards them, leaving a trail of lightning behind it. The Heartless hoisted higher into the air and let out a huge roar. It then directed its attention on the shore where everyone was, twirling itself through the sky in a downward position. Sora, Donald and Goofy got their weapons ready.

"Hey, what's goin' on?" The other brother wondered after seeing the flying Heartless.

"Doesn't matter. It won't stop us any." His twin replied angrily.

"So, here we go again, huh?" Sora said with his eyes locked on the flying target. Realizing this would be a far range battle turn out he switched his current Keyblade form for the one Master Yen Sid gave him, then went into his attack stance while he waited for the Heartless to come down where he could reach it. Already, the enemy was diving towards him in midair. The heroes were far too distracted by the giant Heartless to notice Rapunzel was in danger behind them.

The Heartless came barreling through the night air toward the surface. Once low enough, it hovered over the sand at the other side from the others. Its wings were spread out long as it rushed at the heroes to cut them down. Sora saw this coming and quickly went low to slide under its body. Donald and Goofy through themselves on the ground in opposite ways to duck for cover until it passed over them. As the Heartless flew over him, Sora turned and pointed his Key at its underside to fired a spell.

"Fire!" A blast of orange flames burst from his weapon and made a direct hit on the target. The boy shielded his eyes when the blast made contact to avoid the glare as the brilliant flames rebounded at him. The Heartless lifted up into the sky again. Sora shot three more Firaga spells at it, hoping to help trigger something.

"Goofy!" Donald called while running to him.

"I've gotcha!" Goofy replied with his shield held over his head in a crouched position. When close enough, Donald jumped onto his shield with a bound while Goofy lunged upward, causing the duck to bounce off.

While still in midair, Donald waved his staff at the Heartless to conjure up some rockets. "Take that!" They all blasted off in scattered directions, spiraling through the sky toward the enemy. They homed in on the Heartless and exploded all around it.

"Good goin', Donald!" Goofy cheered.

Sora had almost used up all his MP when his Keyblade started to light up. In a burst of light his weapon split in two and transformed into a pair of hand guns. Rocket missiles were magically loaded into it. "Yeaaah!" Sora took his stance and aimed up at the Thundrawing. Missiles of light released from his weapons as they fired into it, landing countless hits. It looked like blue fireworks exploding in the sky! The enemy roared with rage. "Take this!" Sora exclaimed when his weapons were glowing brightly, about to change form again.

~The Encounter ends~

The Stabbington Brothers couldn't care less about what Sora and the others were doing. All they wanted was the girl standing in front of them. Over all the commotion the man with the sword on his back started towards Rapunzel, wanting to finish what they came for. He did a quick glance back in the direction Eugene was headed in. "Fair trade... A crown for the girl with the magic hair." While the girl was too stunned to move the man reached over with his hand and touched her hair. Rapunzel was startled by this. "How much do ya think someone would pay to stay young and healthy forever?"

~Apprehension plays (KH II OST)~

When Rapunzel saw the two big men coming toward her it made her heart start thumping in her chest! Their motives were now clear. They were planning to kidnap her to use the power of her hair for themselves. Feeling frightened, she looked back where her three friends were battling the monster, long enough to see they couldn't get away anytime to help her. When her eyes went back to the men she gasped at the pair of big hands in front of her, reaching to grab her! "N-no... Please!" She uttered while stepping back. "No!"

Sora's Keyblade-dual guns had just finished growing into the bazooka cannon now. "Come on!" He leaped into the air with the cannon, locked onto his target and shot out a big blast which became raining missiles. The thunder blasted all around the Heartless, putting it into a total state on confusion in the great explosion. It let out another loud cry, appearing to have weakened it quite a bit. Sora's feet met the ground just after his weapon returned to its common appearance. But he looked away from the Heartless when he heard Rapunzel scream. He looked over and saw where the twins were trying to capture the girl. "Ah! Rapunzel!" He gasped, then took off running in her direction, calling to alert his friends on the way. "Guys—hurry! She's in trouble!"

"Huh?!" The two gasped together.

"No!" Rapunzel cried while trying to get away from the two red headed creeps. She hurried around some brush to escape.

The unfinished Heartless, who was growing tired of being ignored, flew in lower on the scene. Sparks emanated around it while it charged up. Unaware Thundrawing was getting ready to attack, Sora chased after the evil twins to help his friend. He was coming up behind them just as the Heartless was swooping in. From the other end of shore, Donald and Goofy were standing by each other in shock after finding Rapunzel in danger. They wanted to help too. "Let's go, Goofy—"

"Umph!" Donald stopped when Goofy made a muffled sound, followed by a hard thud. He looked to find his friend laying on the ground, out cold!

"Goofy!" He gasped, worried for his friend. Before he could go to him he heard a noise behind him. He quickly turned to look as a black haired lady was swinging a club-like stick at him. "Wha—! Whaack!" Before he had time to react to the sneak attack he fell over, seeing stars after taking a direct hit in the face.

Gothel: "Hmph."

Sora was catching up with the two strong looking guys. "Hey! Leave her alone!" He yelled with his Key firmly grasped in his hands.

Rapunzel's pursuers turned his way with a halt. "Better stop right there if ya know what's good for ya." The one carrying the sword warned the hero as he reached back for his blade. Sora could see darkness emitting around the two men.

"Yer askin' for it this time, kid." The other taunted with a mean look.

"Oh yeah? I'll take you both on!" Sora returned, undaunted by them. He went into a battle stance as he got ready to face off with them. At that moment, six Shadows appeared where the twins were standing. Along with a few creatures Sora did not recognize, bearing a different kind of emblem on them. One he'd never seen before. "Ah!"

"Looks like we've got ou'selves a bit of help now." The twin without a weapon remarked. He started banging his fists together with an evil smile.

"Rrrgh..." Sora glared at them.

The twin with the sword let out a laugh then lunged at him. Sora quickly brought his Keyblade up to intercept his attack. The two had their blades locked together, pushing hard against the other. "Why don't you go back where you came from, boy?"

"Hnnngh...!' Sora held his ground. Glaring up at his stalwart opponent with his teeth clenched together. He looked down to see the horde of Shadows were crawling towards him.

"Hey, while I hold him off, you go snatch up the girl." The one fighting Sora told his brother.

"Right." The other replied, turning to go after Rapunzel.

"Uh! No!" Sora said when he heard them. He pushed back harder!

"Ha ha! Wha'd are you gonna do about it, eh?" His opponent mocked.

"Grrr..." Sora kicked off the ground with his foot and forced his big enemy back. Arrrrgh!" Their blades released from each other as the man was pushed off.

Sora was about to run in when Thundrawing suddenly flew overhead, carrying in a lot of lightning energy. With a thunderous quake, purple streaks formed in the air around them. They struck all across the coastline. Lightning rained down on them with devastating blasts, taking them all by surprise! It hit the boat Rapunzel and Eugene had come on, shattering it into pieces! The two brothers' eyes grew wide when they saw it was coming towards them. They took off the other way to get out of there, no longer caring about the boy with the Key. As it struck the ground next to Sora it made a big explosion, causing the ground to break up and send him falling back. "Gnaagh!"

The lighting streaks carried through and hit right where the Stabbington Twins were running. Wincing after getting knocked off his feet, Sora lifted himself up enough to watch just as the twins were both caught in the blast field when the bolts violently exploded and were thrown off the ground! "Aaagh!" They cried during the attack. Sora saw them both left laying on the ground after the lightning had seemingly stopped, appearing to be knocked out after the blast. The hero looked up to the sky, glaring at the Heartless.

Sora then remembered of his friends, making him get up quickly. He looked back for them but was soon met with a shocking sight. "(Gasp!) Donald! Goofy!" His two best friends were laying on the ground, motionless!

While his back was turned he'd totally forgotten about the smaller Heartless on the field. The enemies were just closing in on him to attack. But before they could, someone who'd been watching Sora from the other side lashed out at them with long gold hair, knocking them away. Sora heard this and quickly looked behind him to find the remaining Heartless wrapped up in Rapunzel's hair. The girl nodded at Sora from where she stood when he looked her way, letting the hero know she would keep the creatures off of him. Concerned for his friends, he rushed over to check on them. Forgetting all about the big Heartless still covering the sky.

While he was running, he looked over beside him where more lightning had begun to hit. But he didn't let it slow him down. He knew while his friends were unable to move they needed him there to protect them. With Donald and Goofy in his sights, he was about to make it to their side. Yet, as Sora was about to reach one of them he was too late to see a big purple/blue streak hit the ground in front of him! The lightning moved in before he had time to think, making direct contact with a big blast! The shockwave sent him flying backwards. "Daaagh!"

"(Gasp!)" Rapunzel gasped when she saw him hit the ground.

~Apprehension ends~

"Nnngh..." Sora tried to get up, but couldn't. That lightning had totally caught him off guard. As it turned out though, instead of finishing the fight, the worn down Thundrawing Heartless created a warp path to retreat and flee the area. Sora lifted his head from the sand and looked up just in time to see the boss disappear into the darkness. "...Great. Ungh..." He groaned. Too weak after the close range attack, Sora's head dropped facedown on the ground, just a couple feet from the others. His Keyblade dismissed itself.

While Rapunzel was shuddering at the sight of her fallen friends, someone who had been close by ever since things started came out of the shadows... "Rapunzel!" Gothel called behind her.

"Mother?" The girl turned around surprised.

Gothel embraced the girl after she ran into her arms. "Are you all right, dear? I was worried, so I followed you. But I came as soon as I saw those men were after you."

"You were right, Mother." Rapunzel told her with an aching heart.

"I know. But it's all right. I'm here. Now, let's go, before they come to." Gothel started to lead her away.

"Mother, wait..." Rapunzel stopped her, her eyes still on Sora and the rest. "I should help them first!"

As she was about to go to them Gothel grabbed her. "No, dear. You don't need to do anything for them. We need to go. It's not safe for you here."

"But, you don't understand... They're my friends. I have to—"

~Villains of a Sort plays (KH II OST)~

"Hahahaha! Your friends? Dear, haven't you learned? They only pretended to be so they could get to you. They were all in it together. It was all just part of their scheme, nothing more." Gothel made her way over to Sora, who was still listening to them while he managed to stay awake. "What a pathetic looking sight. But... These boys had it coming. They've gotten exactly what they deserved."

Sora was upset by what she was saying, but still too weak to get up. He tightened his fist while struggling to lift his head. "Mmph... Gngh..."

"Yes..." Gothel gave the struggling hero a cold look out of the corner of her eye. "I'm sure, they were nothing but accomplices all along. They were just using you!"

Though it was all he could do to keep from losing consciousness by now, Sora couldn't stand what the women was saying about them. "...N-no." He tried to say in their defense. "That's...not... Ngh..."

Rapunzel couldn't stand by watching helplessly any longer. She wanted to help the three of them, even while starting to question in her mind if their friendship was real or not. She didn't want to just leave them. "Please! They were just trying to help me. I know... Just let me—"

"Rapunzel! Forget them." Gothel ordered the determined girl. At that moment, a dark aura emanated from her. She forcefully put her hands around the girls arms to keep her from moving. "They are your enemies now. You can't trust them! Just like...that thief who you thought you could trust." Rapunzel became silent after her mother brought up Eugene. Her green eyes began to well up with tears. "Oh, dear... I tried to warn you. The world is dark, and selfish and cruel. If it finds even the slightest ray of sunshine—it destroys it."

"Hnngh..." Sora stirred for only a second before letting his head drop again. Things were starting to look distorted through his eyes.

"I'm only doing this for your own." Gothel could see the girl was starting to believe what she was telling her now, but she could still sense her determination and knew she wouldn't cooperate. She would have to take matters into her own hands. As darkness continued to emit from her, something from the dark appeared in the shadows. There was a rustling noise in the trees. Rapunzel was scared. "It's time for us to go home, Rapunzel. Now!"

Rapunzel looked confused. "What? But...I—" Before she could finish, arm-like vines came out of the darkness! They wrapped around the girl tightly! "Aah! What?!" She gasped as she was lifted off the ground.

"As I said, dear; I'm doing this for your own good. We can't have you out here when they wake up. I can only take care of so many of them at a time." Rapunzel's eyes grew wide when she heard this, making her wonder what she meant by it, while at the same time, got the idea she'd had something to do with some of it.

"Rrgh! No!" Rapunzel struggled while forcefully being carried away. "What are you doing?! Ngh! Put me down! Aagh!"

Sora heard her screaming and slowly looked up with a blurry vision to see the girl being taken away by what looked like some kind of Heartless. He stretched his hand toward the helpless girl, wishing he could reach her as he watched the monster carry her off, while things were starting to get darker and darker... He made one last attempt to get on his feet as he tried to get into a crawling position, but he just couldn't hold himself up anymore. "N-no...! ...Ugh..." As his arms gave in the exhausted hero fell back on the sand and everything went black.

~Villains of a Sort ends~

After some time had passed, Sora was starting to come to. When he slowly opened his eyes, he saw that it was still dark out. Finding himself somehow on his back now, he moved his head to look up. His vision was getting clearer... He couldn't tell for sure, but he thought he could see a black figure leaning over him. He blinked a few times, then squinted his eyes. There was no mistaking it now... There was a hooded member from the organization looking down on him!

"Ah!" Sora was immediately startled by this. What was going on? He watched as the hooded figure said nothing where he stood staring down at him, still unable to react after just regaining consciousness. Sora felt very confused but certainly wasn't thrilled about one of Xehanort's dark vessels hovering so close over him. However, he was only there for a few seconds longer before he backed away. Too quick for the boy to stop whoever it was. "Hey—!" Sora quickly shot up and began looking around for the hooded figure in the black coat, but after looking he found no trace of him. "What...?" He wondered what all had just happened while his mind finished clearing.

"Ooh..." Donald groaned behind him. Sora looked back when he heard it, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Donald!" He exclaimed, relieved to see he was all right.

"Mmm..." Goofy was starting to wake up too.

"...What happened?" Donald asked after sitting up.

"How come my head hurts? Oooh..." Goofy wondered as he got up shortly after the duck.

Sora stood up and went over to check on them. "Are you guys okay?"

"I guess so." The duck answered while looking around. "Where did everybody go?"

"I think you two musta got hit by that Heartless. I helped Rapunzel get away from those guys, and after that...I found the two of you laying here. While the Heartless was still attacking I tried to get to you, but I didn't make it... I was hit by a surprise attack. Probably like you were. And then..." Sora started to think back. "(Gasp!) Rapunzel! She was in trouble!"

"What?!" The two gasped.

"Just before I blacked out—I saw her get carried off by something—then there was this lady...I think Rapunzel called her mom. But something was strange about her... I think she could even control the Heartless. Something definitely wasn't right. Rapunzel wanted to stay and help us, but she wouldn't let her. She even tried to convince Rapunzel that we were her enemies... But, I don't think Rapunzel ever believed it was true."

"Did you say a lady?! Did she have black hair?" Donald asked after remembering something.

"Yeah, I think she did." Sora answered after thinking for a second, not able to say for sure after the state he was in before.

"That's the lady that hit me!" The duck told them excitedly. "I think she got you, too, Goofy."

"I don't remember seeing anybody there..." Goofy said while rubbing the back of his head where it still hurt. "But what reason would she have to do that, ya think?"

"Maybe she just didn't like us." Donald said while folding his wing-arms.

"Guys, I think there's a lot more going on we don't know. Like; that strange lady, Eugene running off and...those two—!" When Sora recalled the Stabbington twins he looked where he saw them get attacked, only to find them missing. "They're gone! Guess they must've woke up before us and took off."

"Good! Those guys were nothing but trouble anyways. One less problem for us to worry about." Donald remarked.

"But what about Eugene?" Goofy wondered about their friend.

"Maybe he turned out to just be one of them and was really a thief all along. Ooh, that's makes me so mad! I trusted him!" Donald admitted angrily.

"He even fought beside us. He didn't have to help us, when ya think about it. Hmm... What do you think, Sora?" Goofy turned to him with a worried face.

Sora didn't answer right away. He wasn't sure what to think about the whole thing, but he couldn't see any good excuse Eugene had for leaving them like he did, either. It was making him feel upset to think he and his friends might've been betrayed by him. Things started out rough with him at first, but after all they had been through he'd really started to believe in him. Was all that for nothing? "It doesn't matter now." He finally said.

Donald and Goofy looked at each other surprised. "Sora..." Goofy frowned at the boy.

"I could never leave a friend when they needed help. No matter how dangerous it was." Sora said, feeling disgusted about Eugene's possible betrayal. "There's no way he was really our friend. A true friend wouldn't have done what he did. I guess all he really cared about was that crown... It could be why he stuck around all this time." Sora concluded, turning back to his friends. "And I don't care."

"What do ya mean?" Goofy asked, looking concerned, while Donald seemed to be agreeing with Sora.

"We've got a friend out there who needs us right now." Sora sounded determined.

"Um...Sora? I'm pretty sure we've got a lot of friends out there that need our help..." Donald dryly stated.

"I know that!" He looked annoyed at the duck. "But I get the feeling the one here is in some kind of trouble... We've gotta find her! I mean—we're her friends, aren't we? I just know...something wasn't right... Especially now that the Heartless are involved!"

"So, what are we still standing here for?" Donald returned.

"Gawrsh, you sure don't have to convince us, Sora. We're on your side. Rapunzel has been as good a friend to us as anybody."

"If she is mixed up in some kind of danger then we're going to go find her. Come on!" Donald said with a wave.

"Mph." Sora nodded, and the three of them headed back into the dark forest together.

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Okay, so that's it for this part. It actually became a lot heftier than I originally planned so I split it into two separate chapters, hoping it to be less confusing and longer to scroll through. Let me know what you think of the different style of typing I used. I want to use whatever is easiest for you guys to follow. Stay tuned, you wonderful readers are in for a little surprise, COMING SOONER THAN YOU EXPECT!

Hope that this chapter kept you enthralled up to the end. Let me know how you like it and which parts were your favorite! I love getting input from you guys, it helps me out. I think you'll be even more enticed at what's coming up. Basically, if I kept this chapter strung together it would've been too large to use, so hopefully that'll let you see how BIG it really is!

However, I am still feeling some of the frustration on how long it took! This may be one of the most difficult worlds I've ever written a plot for... I had so much trouble figuring it all out, where to take it and how I wanted it to play out. My head is still spinning! I don't know why... Maybe it has a big thing to with all that Nomura-San has revealed up to this point. Especially the fact where he mentioned KH3 not returning to any of the worlds for a 2nd storyline like in KH2. That was something I had intended on doing all along, but...I guess I won't be featuring those extra snippets in this story—not if I still want to keep it rolling like the real thing. Euughhhh! Anyone else feeling my frustrations there? No?! (laughs) Nobody feels my pain...

All I do is try to make it as elite as I can. That's my hardest focus!

Anyway, hope to hear from you in the comments or PM inboxes. Whatever works best on you. I WANNA HEAR FROM YOU GUYS! Let me know your thoughts so far. Still can't believe it's been this long. Hate this aging stuff... So much more to work around now. Make the best of your spare time while it lasts everyone! However you like it!

Thanks for reading and staying with me all these years! See you again SOON!

(Briefly edited. Will be fully edited afterwards)