Riku, Kairi, Xion, Roxas, Lea, Namine, Aqua, Ventus, Terra, and Sora's lingering will were the first to make it to the castle, or at least get close to it. The castle was floating on an island floating in the middle of what seemed to be an endless pit of purple darkness, being far away from them.

"Well this could be a problem," Lea said as he looked over the side of the pit, seeing that it really did look endless.

"We can just ride our keyblade gliders over there," Terra suggested, but before he could summon it, Riku stopped him.

"Yeah, but then how is everyone else going to get across once they make it through the heartless?" he said, "There has to be another way."

Before any of the keybladers could do any brainstorming, Sora's lingering will stepped out in front of Riku, who paid attention immediately. The will then brought out his hand, as if he was about to summon his keyblade, but didn't. Riku squinted his eyes at this, but got the memo Sora was trying to get across.

So with that, Riku summoned his keyblade, holding it in his hands before looking over at Sora, who then pointed to the castle. Swallowing hard, Riku pointed his keyblade at the castle, and the blade suddenly shot out a laser of light at the castle. As soon as the light faded, a huge glowing bridge appeared, connecting the castle and the platform the keybladers were on now.

"Well that was easy enough," Namine commented.

Riku lowered his keyblade and unsummoned it. "We still have a huge battle on our hands, so don't think it is easy yet." He said before he lead the group, walking up the bridge to the castle.

When the group finally made it inside the castle, they looked around; searching for any signs of the Organization, but the place was quiet. "So what do you want us to do Riku?" Aqua asked.

Riku took a breath in and out. "I know it might not be a great idea, but we need to spilt up, try and find the other lingering wills and take them down or get to the top and stop Xehanort. Either way, they both need to be done eventually, and splitting up is the best way to do it."

"So you just want us to spilt up, take out the wills if we see them and try to get to the top?" Roxas reassured, Riku nodding in response.

"I'll head up towards the top on my own," Xion said, "I can fly up there a lot fast than you guys can, I'll see what Xehanort's up to."

"Alright, just don't engage him in any battle yet, we are going to need all of us to defeat Xehanort," Riku told her.

"Wait," Lea said to Xion, "If we need to take down one of the wills, I need you to give me a ride."

"Why?" Xion questioned.

"Cause I know where one of 'em is hiding," he said, "Used to live here, remember?"

Xion laughed. "Well hold on then twinkle toes," Xion said as she grabbed Lea by his waist and the two flew off into the sky.

As soon as they left, Aqua spoke up saying, "I'll head higher up the castle too, I have some unfinished business with Xemnas."

"Yeah well get in line," Terra said, only remembering the time when the leader of Organization took his body, "I'm going with you."

Aqua smiled, "Only if you don't slow me down," she joked as she and Terra ran into a hallway to the left. Once they were gone, Kairi spoke up.

"I'm going to head up to the top on my own," she said, "I remember the lay out of the castle a little bit since Xehanort took me hostage here, I should be able to get to the top quicker."

"You sure you're okay to go alone?" Riku asked.

"Yeah," she paused, "I'm a big girl Riku, I can handle myself."

Right after she said that, Kairi ran off into a hallway opposite of the one Terra and Aqua went into. However, as soon as she left, Sora's will stepped out in front of Riku and pointed his fingers towards the hallway she vanished into. Riku only laughed, "I knew you wouldn't be able to let her go alone Sora."

The will only moved his hand rapidly as if saying so-so, before he vanished into the hallway Kairi went to.

"Baby, Marluxia was the one that made you do all those things you didn't want to do in Castle Oblivion, right?" Roxas asked Namine, crossing his arms.

"Yeah," Namine replied.

Roxas laughed, "Well then he is my target. Thankfully, being close in numbers of the Organization and all, I should know where he is."

"You mean his room? Didn't you and Axel put troll faces all over his room when he didn't come back from Castle Oblivion?" Namine asked.

Roxas laughed again, "Yup, but that's not where I was thinking, he would probably be in the training room." When Roxas began to walk into the hallway were the training rooms were, he turned around to look at Namine. "You coming to help me take him down too?"

Namine smiled, "Yeah, I would love to give him a few beatings for what he did to me." The two former nobodies then ran off into the hallway, leaving Riku and Ven alone.

"You know where you're heading Ven?" Riku asked.

"Yeah," he replied, "I still have a grudge against Braig from all those years ago, so I' definitely going for him, you?"

"Just going to focus on getting to the top, Xehanort is not in a very good position right now for hurting two of my best friends." Riku answered.

"Hey remember, it's not just two of your best friends, it's all of ours." Ven continued.

"Well if that's the case then Xehanort better have an army up there." Riku joked as Ven smiled.

Ven then began to walk into a different hallway before he said, "See you when it's all over, alright?"

"You got it," Riku nodded as Ven left and Riku went into another hallway himself, ready for the war they were about to face.

Vanitas walked through the corridor of darkness that lead to the very top of the castle where Xehanort was, shaking his head as he did so. They had one job, make sure the keybladers don't get in the castle, but they somehow managed to fail miserably at that. And of course, having the luck he did, he was the one that had to tell Xehanort the bad news.

When Vanitas finally made it to the top, he looked to see Xehanort, still in Sora's body, looking up at the sky. Frankly, Vanitas was shocked that he had not summoned the Door to Darkness yet, but he figured that it had to be a right time to do it or something.

"Master Xehanort," Vanitas said. The leader then turned around to face Vanitas, his eyes glowing with that scary yellow that looked deep into your soul. "The keybladers have made their way into the castle."

Xehanort-Sora growled at this. "I can't say I wasn't expecting it," he started, "Are any of our wills down?"

"Not yet sir," Vanitas answered.

Xehanort-Sora sighed. "Shame, I was hoping that we could at least keep some of them alive so when Chaos rules the worlds with me he could have some salves. Well, looks like we'll have to get some new ones for him instead."

Vanitas clenched his fist together. Sure, he agreed that some of the members of the Organization were down right annoying, but giving them basically as sacrifices to Chaos? Who would be so cruel as to do such a thing? Oh right, Xehanort.

It was then when Vanitas made the realization. "That's why you kidnapped Kairi," he said. It all made sense now, Xehanort didn't just kidnap Kairi to lure Sora into his trap, he knew that from the beginning but he couldn't figure out why else Xehanort wanted with the princess. "You were going to let Chaos torture her."

Xehanort-Sora laughed. "When Chaos made us into lingering wills, he told me that he had never had the opportunity to meet a Princess of Heart, let alone torture her, so I offered one to him."

Vanitas couldn't believe what he was hearing. Did Xehanort really think that Kairi didn't go through enough torture already? If Chaos got a hold on her, she would be as good as dead.

"So that was your big idea, to take Kairi and just give her to Chaos as if she was some kind precious relic? And then you were just going to let him do whatever the hell he wanted to her even after everything she has been though?" Vanitas didn't try to sound upset, but some words did slip out like that.

"That was the plan," Xehanort told him, "But it wasn't just Kairi I was going to offer to him."

"Who else then?" Vanitas was ready to go all out on Xehanort.

"Anyone who survives the war, I just figured he would like Kairi the most." Xehanort explained, "I mean some of them I know I can't offer to Chaos, like Sora, Ventus, Riku of course since I believe you still have unfinished business with him."

Vanitas didn't speak.

"But I am sure Chaos would like some of the other young maddens such as Aqua, Kairi's nobody," Xehanort paused, "Xion."

Vanitas looked up at Xehanort immediately. "What, did you just say?"

"Come now Vanitas, she doesn't want to be with you, so what is the point of keeping dead weight?" Xehanort asked.

"She is not dead weight," Vanitas was furious now, "and you cannot just give her to Chaos! I won't sit by and watch her be tortured by that—"

"Please Vanitas; I don't have time to talk about this," Xehanort cut him off.

"No, we will talk about this!" He was yelling now, "I am not going to let you give her to Chaos just to be torture to death or even worse! I will not let you lay a hand on her if you know what's good for you!"

"Well if you don't want her to be tortured with the rest then we will just have to kill her." Xehanort's words gabbed into Vanitas like a sword. "Now leave, I must prepare to release Chaos."

Vanitas was ready to punch something; he was ready to kill Xehanort with his own keyblade, to push him off the side of the castle to his doom. But he didn't, killing him wouldn't do any good.

As Vanitas opened a corridor of darkness and walked through it. He was not going to let Xehanort just give Xion, let alone anyone, to Chaos just to be tortured. The god of discord got his name for a reason, and Vanitas knew that anyone given to him would be tortured so bad they would break emotionally, or die. Either way, Vanitas was not going to let that happen.

But what could Vanitas do? He didn't just want to kill Xehanort, especially when he was in Sora's body. No, he had to make sure that Xehanort would die knowing that he was going to lose this battle so that the old man could fear and panic before finally dying. Vanitas wanted Xehanort to fear just as bad as Kairi did when he was tortured by his and Arlene's hands.

Vanitas knew that he was not going to come out of this battle alive, whether he died by the hands of the keybladers or by Xehanort and his lackeys, he did not know. But he had to make sure that when he took his last dying breath that he knew Xehanort would be dead in a matter of minutes. But there was only way to make sure that Xehanort would die fearing for his own death,

And that was to officially shift over to neutral and beyond.


Sorry if the beginning of the chapter was a bit of a filler, but it had to happen. But if this chapter did seem like a filler, it is not one! This chapter is pretty important actually.

I am sorry it took a while to get this chapter out. I didn't really know what to do with this chapter at first, but then I came up with an idea. That, and I have been trying to find out who Lorans is in TerraKH story... But thankfully, I think the Sherlock Holmes in me managed to figure out who it is...

So has anyone played the Last of Us? I mean, those kind of shooting games really aren't my style, but the game looks amazing. I am tempted to get it for myself... Any opinions on the game?

Please R&R and look out for the next chapter!