Authors Note: So here we go again. Half way through the operation chapters… I hope they've been interesting… Because they've been a pain to write… But at the same time they haven't been boring, just a little more challenging… I don't know what it is really. :/ But, forget that. This chapter is against Total Darkness, on… Hawaii. :P :D We've been here what, two times since the start? I hope the third visit is interesting then. :D (P.s. I like how threatening all these chapter names have been. xD :P )

Chapter 38: Operation Hawaii

The team dropped down onto the beach. Quite literally dropping, from a good deal upwards too. Landing the Gummi ship was dangerous and drew too much attention and unfortunately, like Disney Castle, this too would take a more stealthy approach. For some reason, Hawaii was crawling with the Knights. As far as everyone was aware there was not even anything that would attract them to such a place. Of course, not everything needs a reason, something's just are the way they are.

There was an army defending the General. So the wielders needed an army of their own.

Riku was first to reach the soft sand, landing rather safely after a few shots of darkness to slow himself down he shot off running. Thankfully, Hawaii was constantly dark. As you'd expect from the Knights of course.

Next came Roxas, not so elegantly touching down, but hitting the ground safely at least. Then Namine, showing Roxas up of course with a soft landing after a little bit of Aeroga magic. (Everyone who may have been behind was given a basic teaching of magic). Then Repliku touched down, coating himself in darkness as he fell, appearing on the ground seconds later.

"Okay…" Riku began, looking around. "We've reached the ground, where are we going?" He continued asking through the telepathic network.

"Get off the beach, follow the roads uphill. There's a secluded house, there's something you need to receive." Ansem replied.

"You heard him, let's get going." Riku ordered quietly.

xXx

Back in The World That Never Was, Ray walked into the main computer room. Ansem sat there, watching as things went on down on Hawaii.

"I didn't think the council would approve this decision…" Ray began.

"The greater good, unfortunately my friend." Ansem replied, not turning away from the computer.

"No good will come from this, if we rely on the help of others outside of this group here, all that will come from it is pain and suffering."

"You refuse to see innocent people hurt, don't you?"

"It's my duty, is it not?" Ray asked.

"Your duty is to protect the worlds, not us. Isn't that what you told me, when you talked to me about the flame that must never go out. Where Chaos took you?"

"From that point on… I changed my duty."

Ansem didn't quite know what to reply to that. He remained quiet for a moment. Ray just stood across from him, equal in the silence.

Ansem finally spoke. "Why didn't they go the keyhole?"

"I believe we were confused as to why exactly the heats of a world's inhabitants were kept safe in the keyhole… I think it is dependent on where a heart came from. The hearts of the Experiments, as they call them on that world, came from elsewhere. They were created in Deep Space, but are now at Hawaii. But the key hole knew what it was doing… It protected them, by reverting them back to their safer state. A dehydrated form."

"I guess that makes some kind of sense…"

"I can explain again, another time perhaps?" Ray asked.

"I would appreciate it." Ansem paused. "What happens if we free them then?"

"They'll be free to run amok. They may even protect the world, and I'm hoping should they find themselves in danger, the world will return them to their dehydrated state. After all they will be protecting it."

"I hope you're right."

Ray nodded and turned to leave the room. "Wish them luck."

xXx

"Here" Riku called out as they passed a patrol, pointing towards a ditch in which they could hide in.

"I'm all for this stealthy approach, but it's painful seeing groups walk past that we could take…" Repliku whispered.

Roxas nodded. Even Namine seemed to agree.

Riku just sat there silently watching the group go by.

"Come on". He finally said, as they had passed.

The group ran up the roads, hoping they were heading in the right direction.

"How are we doing?" Riku asked Ansem.

"You're heading in the right direction. I'll tell you should you be going the wrong way."

"Great, thanks." Riku replied, moving his attention to the surrounding area. It seemed clear, but that was just odd. If this world was supposedly crawling with the Knights, where were they all?

The team continued onwards, walking up a secluded road that led off from the empty town. They reached. A house on a stilted base sat at the top. A green jeep like car remained underneath, just left there, after everyone had disappeared into the key hole. Thankfully the war had barely touched the house, if it had; the team may have had a harder time finding what they needed.

"Okay you're there…" Ansem pointed out as the team began their accent up the stairs to the house. "I'm picking up no Knights heading your way, so you should be safe to find the experiments."

"Any idea where they are though?" Roxas asked.

"The Knights or the Experiments?" Ansem returned.

"Both…" Riku answered before Roxas could.

"I'm picking up a large concentration at the volcano… and a few groups around the town. I'm taking a guess the Generals are aware we're taking them out; they're pulling out all the stops to defend themselves."

"And that's why we're getting help?" Namine asked, even though it was more of a statement.

"Correct." Ansem replied. "As for the Experiments, I had no clue where they'd be hidden. An intelligent guess would be that they'd be in the possession of the scientist, Jumba Jookiba. However the Experiments before we sealed everyone away in the Keyhole would have been just out and about. So, my guess is that the containment device may have been thrown aside."

"Let's get looking then… I don't think this place would hold as much of a battleground." Repliku pointed out, rather worriedly.

xXx

"I give up!" Roxas shouted as he threw a box of files across the room.

Namine turned to him. "We'll find it." She tried to comfort him.

"Every moment we waste searching for it, the closer they get to us…"

"How can you be sure?" She asked. "I'm sure they have no idea we're even here. We haven't had to fight anyone yet. They have no idea."

"I'm sure they can feel the in-balance, just as much as I can." Riku said as he walked through the door way.

"Exactly." Roxas said.

Namine looked around worriedly.

"So it's not in the house…" Repliku pointed out, joining the rest of the group, standing just behind Riku.

"Ansem?" Riku asked through the telepathic link.

"No luck?" He answered.

"Indeed." Riku replied.

"Okay… Next stop. There's a clearing in the woods, a ship crashed there, that's the only other place it could be." Ansem explained.

The faces around the room were filled with annoyance, almost anger. It was too dangerous to just be waltzing around the world searching for something that may not even work the way they wanted.

"Let's go then." Riku ordered, turning around and moving past his replica.

"Hold on!" Repliku shouted, grabbing Riku by the collar.

"What?" He asked angrily.

"Listen." Repliku exclaimed.

Riku did as he was told, closing his eyes to let the rest of his senses take over.

"We have company." Riku finally replied.

"Where are they?" Roxas asked.

"Inside." Both Riku and his replica replied, at the same time. They looked at each other almost with annoyance at that fact.

"So... Are we fighting them head on?" Namine asked.

"No, stay quiet. We still need to find these experiments." Riku replied.

Everyone summoned their keyblades. Riku covered himself in darkness, disappearing into the wall in shadow, the faint red light of his necklace moving across the wall as he moved. Repliku pulled out a few boxes from the scientists room in the house and threw them into the hall, pilling them up to block the Knight's view.

Roxas and Namine quickly moved to find a position that would help them both fight and remain hidden. There was a large cupboard, filled with towels and other such things. The pair pulled them out and left them on the floor, and jumped inside.

It was only a few seconds after that that the Knights arrived. They began to climb the stairs when the team first saw them.

"The General says we need to hold this point?" One asked another.

"Correct."

"Why? This house is not a strong defensive position."

"It has some worth."

Whoever was answering the questions clearly had some sort of power in this patrol.

"Number 493, take the downstairs rooms, check them for anything odd."

The Knight nodded, or moved in a way that would suggest such a thing, since they were just beings of darkness, they didn't really have a head to nod with.

Riku moved along the wall to cut off the Knight when he arrived downstairs. Pulling himself from the wall, he quickly brought his keyblade into him, splitting him in two in one strike.

"He's down." Riku said through the telepathic network, talking to his team over Ansem.

Next Roxas and Namine had their turns. The group just passed the cupboard they were hidden in, so they as silently as possible opened the doors and slipped out.

"One…" Roxas began on the network.

They both targeted the two at the back of the group. There were only four of them left, so if they could deal with these quickly, and Repliku did his part, this may just be an alert-less fight.

"Two." He continued, raising his blade. Namine did the same thing merely a second later.

"Three." They both brought their blades down on the back two Knights, taking them out without making a noise. That was the benefit of bodiless beings.

"Hold it!" The Knight in charge ordered. "742, 409, where are you? I did not order you to move."

The Knight did not even turn around; it just knew when the Knights were missing.

Roxas opened a dark portal behind him, regardless of the damage it may do to his heart, this was far more important.

The Knight in charge turned around.

"Nothing… Wait."

The Knight beside him turned around also.

"Sir?" He asked.

"A dark corridor was opened here." He explained. "Our allies fell due to the Wielders."

He turned to look around the room. "They are close." He explained. "Master…" he continued talking to the General rather than Eclipse. "They have arrived."

Repliku jumped out from the boxes he was hidden behind, landing his metal winged key blade straight through the Knight to the side of the leader of this expedition before shooting off a Dark Firaga towards the leader. And without a second more, Riku appeared from its tip, landing a life ending combo on him, before he could even touch the ground again.

"Okay, where's this clearing?" Riku asked as he dispelled his keyblade.

xXx

Thankfully (for now at least) all Knights had moved to the volcano where the General was hiding. This meant the Wielders had a clear run to the space ship.

"So what are we looking for? A Gummi Ship?" Namine asked.

"I'm not sure…" Riku answered. "Ansem?"

"It's not a Gummi Ship. It's made from something else. The world it originates from is far more advanced than most others. It is however not as strong as Gummi ships and would probably have a hard time reaching some worlds."

"Okay then…" Namine replied, her question made a lot more complicated than it was needed. She was still interested however.

"So hold on… How do Gummi ships have every world open to them?"

Ansem took a moment to reply.

"I'm told that when the One World broke apart, all that time ago, it created a barrier that sealed the shattered 'Worlds' we now have, from the other worlds that once surrounded the One World."

"So there are many other worlds out there, not just the ones that belonged to the one world when it was whole?" Riku asked.

"Precisely."

Ansem continued. "Anyway, it is believed that a world far different from the one world was cut in half when the barrier formed. The half of it crumbled and in its death it filled the lifeless state of its own shell with the power to traverse the space inside the barrier. The King then found these rocks, as they rained down many many years later. And you know the rest…"

Once Ansem's story had finished, the team had just reached the edge of the clearing.

"You're right." Repliku pointed out. "That is very different from a Gummi Ship".

It wasn't much of a clearing; it was more of a crash site. The ship had cut through the jungle, leaving a trail behind it where trees had begun to regrow over the years, but the scar was still there. The ship, very large, and very red, sat at the end of the trail.

"So, now… Where's the entrance?" Riku asked.

The team walked over to its side to see a doorway, wide open, marked with a sign above it. 'Jumba and Pleakly's Bed and Not Breakfast' it read.

"Well… That's just odd." Namine said, being the first to read the sign.

"Indeed…" Was the carried response.

xXx

Inside the ship the team had to once again search everything.

Whilst they felt they could ignore most of the ship as it was laid out to be this 'Bed and Not Breakfast', they still had a good deal of it to explore. But finally, they found it.

Hidden in a small alcove of the ship, the device, a medium sized metallic object, a sphere attached to a cone base, would have gone almost unnoticed by all. Unless of course they were looking at it.

"So now what?" Repliku asked.

"Water." Ansem replied. "They will reactivate with water."

"So just throw the device in?" Riku asked.

"Not quite. First you must retrieve the Experiment that would be of use, and will not just get hurt. Experiments Five hundred through Six Hundred will give you those tied to the elements and those prepped for battle."

"Makes sense…" Roxas answered, summoning his key blade and pointing it at the device.

With a quick beam of light it jumped into life, revealing a hologram interface. Riku walked over and requested the Experiments that Ansem had told them too, and orbs began to shoot out from the device. Small sphere, no bigger than your fist, each numbered.

"No we've just got to pick them all up…" Riku sighed.

"how about…" Repliku began, before summoning his keyblade and casting Aeroga. The winds began to pick up the orbs, and pull them all together into a mini tornado.

"That'll work."

xXx

After a quick trip to the river behind the ship's crash site, the wielders were surrounded in one hundred and twenty eight experiments.

Some of which were controlled. They were confused, so just wandered around aimlessly, trying to figure out what exactly was going on. Some however, we a little more destructive in their confusion.

One tried to be destructive, but seemed to have no apparent abilities. Until he opened a miniature black hole, opening his mouth, and sucking in a tree that he was close to, before closing it again, realising that a world inside of a black hole wasn't really a world he was safe on.

"That's 606… If you can control him, he's probably the second, if not strongest asset you have." Ansem explained.

"Who's in competition with him?" Repliku asked with a fun tone in his voice. Something people didn't have often.

"Well there's two, 607, an experiment that can quite literally bend time and space around, or 611, an experiment that can make the entire universe implode at will. But that requires a passcode, that I can't find… Not that that's useful anyway. But other than that, he's a shape shifter, create clones of himself, make himself and others stronger."

"Okay I vote for this 611." Riku said.

"Wait… Has anyone seen a 626? I remember Sora mentioning him…" Roxas asked.

"626, or Stitch, is not here. He actually felt like he belonged here. So the Keyhole took him in, these experiments, did not. This outing may change that however."

"Okay…" Roxas replied rather disappointed.

Everyone paused for a moment, thinking about the desperation of this situation.

Until one experiment stood up in front of the group.

"I disagree with your friend." He said perfectly. "We all feel like we do belong. It's just… Stitch felt like he belonged to someone. And someone felt like Stitch belonged. That's why this… thing… this keyhole? That's why it took him, because he was connected to the world through Lilo."

Everyone's attention turned to this experiment.

"The name's Reuben" he continued. "and I think you need help controlling this lot…"

xXx

Reuben did just as he had promised. The small yellow experiment looked as if he had never seen a fight in his life, but at the same time, Ansem had told him he was just as strong as Stitch, plus he could speak perfectly so that was a plus.

Anyway, thankfully there was also an experiment that could literally turn everyone invisible. The poor guy was exhausted after doing so however, so Repliku offered to carry him. So the big scary looking fifteen year old boy (should he have been seen) was carrying a pink and cream rabbit thing.

The miniature army made their way up the volcano then, trying to be as stealthy as possible for as long as possible. Reuben continued to lead the experiments, whilst the wielders continued forwards surrounded by them.

Unfortunately, they couldn't remain invisible forever.

Repliku set 604 down, in the capable hands of some of his 'cousins' as Rueben had explained Stitch called them all, and they had to continue completely visible. Not that that was a problem of course.

The wielders tried to remain as unseen as possible. In doing so they could try and get to the General without much fighting beforehand.

Things never seemed to work out that kind of way however.

The waves of experiments hit the Knights hard. All kinds of balls of energy shot around. Fire, plasma, ice, electricity, even blasts of sonic.

Not to mention the waves of 611's charging forwards the front line, then becoming huge and crushing about three hundred Knights just from their one attack.

"Definitely 611". Riku repeated after watching this.

Until of course he watched one call a comet down from the sky. Until 611 decided to crush another wave of Knights.

"Still 611?" Repliku asked him.

Riku just nodded, laughing to himself slightly.

The experiments continued to fight, but that was when it went badly. The Knights began to gain ground. They began to fight back truly. And the experiments began to get hurt.

"We can't just leave them…" Roxas pointed out.

Riku nodded disappointedly. If they fought now they'd be too tired to deal with the General. But Roxas was right.

"Help them then!" Riku ordered, running into the fray from the shadows.

xXx

Roxas dove out of the shadows to save one of the experiments from an attack. Three of the Knights had readied themselves to take one down. They were charging, but Roxas had thankfully just had time to get in between them and block their blows with both of his keyblades.

He quickly ended them, before they could threaten another.

Roxas looked down on the experiment he had saved, not realising that it was 607. The experiment that was able to bend time. So really, he could have just saved himself.

He moved on without a second look, aiming to help anyone else.

The fight continued like that for too long, and eventually, even the General became bored, so he descended onto the battlefield.

"Wielders of the Keyblade!" he welcomed coldly. "Please, do not hide behind these foul creatures any longer! Face me!"

Riku and Repliku looked up towards him, they had made it to almost the edge of the volcano. Fighting here was no easy challenge.

The pair charged forward at the General, blades raised, ready to strike.

The General raised two blades of his own, blocking their blows, and revaluating his foot work, holding down his position far better in his new stance.

The pair attacked again, but to no avail, this General was a master of defence.

The General continued with a blast of darkness from the tip of each of his blades, knocking Riku and Repliku away slightly.

"Is that all you've got?" he asked.

xXx

Roxas looked around at the battlefield before him. So many of the experiments were getting hurt, or worse. He couldn't be everywhere at once. Namine was trying her best too, running amongst the battles, trying to help where she could. But Roxas was beginning to lose hope. There wasn't much of a chance to save them all.

Why had they done this? He felt ashamed that he had relied on these living creatures as fodder just to get hurt or worse so they could reach their target. What had they become? Was all he could think.

Until, being stuck in his thoughts, he was caught off guard.

Roxas turned to look at Namine, who had shouted his name, but the sound was muffled and almost nothing to Roxas. He saw her rush towards him, and then felt as a cold blade reached his skin, and seconds later, everything went black.

xXx

Namine ran through the crowds of enemies, bringing a good deal down in her anger, she was aiming for one Knight in particular however, to really burn out this hatred she had found.

She looked at Roxas, who lay on the floor, lifeless, in a state that she dared not look too closely at. The Knights blade in one sweep however had left Roxas in pieces.

"No!" She shouted as she got close. She looked up for help, but Riku and Repliku were busy fighting their own battle. She was on her own.

She ran to Roxas' side, ready to fight his killer, but before she reached a rock flew towards his head, killing him swiftly. Nothing Namine felt he deserved. She looked over to the source to see Reuben. She just nodded in thanks, he eyes welling up. She wiped her eyes and tried to cast a Curaga. But it did nothing. They were already past the point of no return.

"Namine…" Ansem began through the network.

"He's not!" She shouted aloud.

"Be careful!" Ansem shouted. "We won't lose another too."

Namine remained quiet.

"Think!" Ansem prodded. "Do what you can to fight here and now!"

Namine looked over to 606, he wasn't far away, but he wasn't really doing much, just walking around, sucking in one or two Knights now and again.

"Ray improved my abilities… I didn't want to but…" she said to herself, before she poured her mind inside of 606's, and for a second inside of everyone else's.

"Push them towards the volcano!" She shouted inside their minds.

Controlling 606 she got him to run towards the volcano and jump inside, having not have fallen too far she immediately turned into a black hole and returned to her own body. 606 wouldn't turn back whilst being over a volcano, now all she had to do was help push them.

She looked down at Roxas, but continued onwards.

xXx

"What?" The General asked aloud, confused as to what had just happened.

And that gave Riku and Repliku the perfect moment to strike.

"It's over!" They shouted in unison, knocking the General into the black hole that now took up the volcano. It was somewhat controlled however, only sucking in living beings at the moment. Soon however there was no doubt it would just suck up all matter. Living or not.

"We did it…" Riku said.

"Indeed…" Repliku replied, looking down on the scene below as the Knights were being pushed towards them.

"Ready to go again?" Riku asked.

Repliku laughed to himself.

"Of course."

With an almighty blast of darkness behind them the pair went about a dark aura, attacking always from the same direction, forcing wave upon wave in their previous direction. The experiments did the same, and soon, there were very few left.

Namine did her bit also. Controlling those experiments that would make the push even greater when she could. She attacked on her own at other times, but she personally had to get to 606, so he could turn back, before it was too late.

She gave up with the push comfortable that Riku and Repliku had it along with the experiments. She continued to run up hill, almost ignoring all fights now.

"Oh how things have changed." She said to herself, diving over the edge, casting Blizzaga below her, along with an Aeroga to slow down her decent. The ice turned to water and that water into rock on hitting the lava. She landed on it safely thanks to the Aeroga, and it too protected her from the heat, as the platform began to melt below her.

"Blizzaga!" She shouted again, keeping the platform sustained.

Then some water began to shoot down from the side of the volcano. One of the experiments was helping her, keeping the lava cool enough just for now.

"I'm here, turn back 606!" She shouted.

There was nothing.

"What are you called?" She whispered under her breath, reaching inside of his mind once again.

"Holio, turn back. You're safe now!"

With that, after a few seconds, the experiment did just that, and Namine cast an Aeroga around him to slow his fall. She caught him in her arms and held him tight.

"You're safe." She said aloud. "Thank you."

She looked around, not really knowing what to do now.

She watched as Knights began to fall into the lava around her. At least something was working out okay.

Until a corridor opened up around her and Holio through, and someone pulled her through.

xXx

A few minutes before, one 607, rushed to one dead man's side, to repay a favour. And he cheated death once again.

A long time ago it was said that Sora, Ventus or Roxas must die. What this what was meant? Was this all that would come from it.

As, for now, Roxas was very much alive. Time bent around the spot in which he now stood, the spot in which had just died on.

He stood there, and felt as time rewound, as time bent around him. He quickly brought his blade into the Knight that would have stabbed him, and looked around. The only thing that had changed was that he and the Knight had returned to life. And in killing the Knight, he was no longer to die.

"Your girlfriend just jumped off the side of a volcano to save the day…" Repliku said as he came out of the Dark aura besides Roxas.

"What?" He asked worriedly.

"Well she saved the little experiment that saved the day. Either way… she probably needs help."

Roxas looked around for some way to help her but just decided on what he knew how to do best. As all of the Organisation once did.

He opened up a dark corridor around his fingertips once again not caring at all what it did to his heart, and rushed through it, pulling Namine and 606 from their stone platform and back to safety.

"I got you." He said.

Namine looked up at him and embraced him quickly. Holio rushed away, dreading being caught there, chuckling to himself.

"You're alive!" She said overcome with joy.

"Barely." He said smugly.

"Anyway, we're done here…" Riku explained as he rushed over.

Everyone looked around seeing an empty battlefield.

"They either died or fled." Riku continued. "So it's our time to leave."

"And the experiments?" Repliku asked.

"Leave us to defend our home. Like I said, we'll build a connection to this world." Reuben said as he rushed over. "And hurry up with saving the day too, we want everyone else back…"

Everyone nodded. "Of course." Riku replied.

The team began to make their way towards the ship, before Namine turned around.

"We could take 607 with us…" she began. "No one would need to die again."

"We shouldn't play with time…" Riku said. "If we change how things are meant to be, Chaos could easily fall."

"What makes you say that?" Roxas asked.

"I have an unfortunate hunch."

xXx

Ray shuddered as he sat alone in his room. Time had been tampered with. And for that split second moment he was in an immense pain. To play with time was to hurt the worlds you stood on. And Ray was connected to the worlds.

His grandfather could travel through time, but that never hurt him. So what did that mean? Ray couldn't figure it out. Was Ray's grandfather's presence needed for the Universe to be as it was? It was seem that way. He had so many questions.

"What's next?" he asked himself through clenched teeth as another wave of pain shot through him. "Time… it's so fragile."

With that Ray disappeared, appearing outside his own room no time afterwards.

"Time… it's so fragile." He heard himself say from inside.

Ray stood there shocked, unable to move before regaining his breath and stepping back inside his room, to only watch himself disappear.

"I just… Myself. I saw myself. Did I just…?"

xXx

Authors Note: So that's that. A long chapter, my apologies, I had a few extra things I wanted to squeeze in too. It seemed to fit well here instead of later on when I had it planned. So that's another operation down anyway. :D I do hope you've enjoyed. And as you can all tell I've relived my childhood with this chapter… It was fun to right, as I was always a big fan of that Lilo and Stitch television show. Anyway, that's all from me. So I'll see you next time. :D