Here's chapter fifty. Thank you Bookworm Gal, Koko, Antex-The Legendary Zoroark, scrawlx1012, and caitlinkeitorin for reviewing last chapter!

Oh, and forgot to mention this last week: Phoenix Wings is now officially one year old!

Chapter Fifty: Second Sleep

The spectral form of Gillick stared down at the unconscious one of Lea. He looked at his hand, turning it over. Well, I suppose it's useful that I gained the ability to lock away memories, after all. Lea, thankfully, would never remember that he'd battled with him. Lea's words troubled him, but he pushed them out of his mind temporarily. At the moment, there was the more pressing matter of making sure Lea made it to the realm between times.

That brought up the question: why were they here in the first place? Bits and pieces made sense to him; if he himself were to be dragged here, then most likely the original destination would've been the realm between times. However, the 'other' him - the one that currently existed outside of time - was there, and two forms of the same person weren't traditionally allowed to exist on the same plane of existence at once, thus leading him to be transported to somewhere else. Lea could've been drawn here because of the influx the knight had caused by the transition. Why it was only Lea could've been chance and the bad timing of going to the realm between times at the wrong moment. But that still didn't answer the question of why he, Gillick the Knight, had been brought to this place.

Light shrouded Lea, causing him to jump. Bahamut's voice rumbled through the air in answer to his silent question:

-I will take him back to the place he belongs. But unfortunately, there's nothing I can do for you.

The knight looked away.

-Of course. That doesn't surprise me.

As Lea's form disappeared, the knight realized that Bahamut had left behind Ifrit's crystal. He walked forward and bent to pick it up, realizing the moment he did that he shouldn't have been able to. Interesting. Did the old dragon know about this? And is there some reason I'm still here?

Left alone now, all he could do was ponder what Lea had given him to think about. If it's fate, there's already nothing I can do, huh? He laughed silently. I guess I'm quite the contradiction, aren't I?

Gillick clenched his fists, anger flaring through him. He stared at the place where Zylen and Xehanort had been, wishing he'd been a moment quicker. Now there could be even more trouble. Great. Just great. Someone who could end up destroying the timeline just got a Time Racer.

He realized belatedly that he had yet to investigate what the initial disturbance in the temporal area was, and decided to vent his frustrations out on them when he felt another ripple pass across the space. His wings snapped open, and he soared across the invisible ground, letting his instincts guide him towards his intended target.

It wasn't long before four shapes came into view, two blue, one red, and one green. They turned towards him and seemed to react in alarm. He was about to unleash an attack when he realized that the four had been surrounding an unconscious person. The sight was enough to bring him up short, his wings braking and his feet slamming into the ground. He stumbled as he nearly lost his balance, righting himself quickly and staring at the unconscious man - a red-head wearing a black coat - before turning his attention to the other four: an old man in a blue robe, and three women with wings and old-fashioned dresses. "Who are you? And what are you doing here?"

"Oh dear, we didn't expect anyone else to be here," the woman dressed in green commented.

"I'm the only one who's supposed to be here."

"And what makes you say that?" the woman dressed in blue huffed.

"You wouldn't understand." He glared at them, brandishing his Keyblade. "Now leave."

The eyes of the woman in red widened. "Is that a Keyblade?"

He stiffened in surprise at the words. "You know what a Keyblade is?"

The old man stepped forward. "My boy, we know several Keyblade wielders. I had no idea there were more."

His first instinct was to feel angry at the mention of 'knowing several Keyblade wielders'; however, this was tempered by the addition of the second sentence. "What do you mean? How many Keybladers are there from the time you come from?"

All four looked confused at this comment. "Well, there are four that I can think of, along with one former, and I suppose one who's not so good," the old man responded, stopping to think for a few moments. "I suppose there's also Roxas, though since he's Sora's Nobody-"

"Roxas?"

The man suddenly looked as if he'd said something he shouldn't have. Gillick, however, was focused on the realization. "I see. So the number of Keybladers really has declined." He smirked, but was surprised to find there was some part of him that was remorseful.

"Maybe it would help if we had more," the woman in red ventured.

Gillick's mind was filled with half-formed images of a battle between two large numbers of Keybladers. "No. The fewer, the better."

"W-well…"

"You know Roxas, then?"

His sudden question seemed to catch them off guard. "Yes," the old man replied. "I do, at least. Why?"

"Because I met him here. I leant him my armor and Keyblade." While the four digested that information, Gillick turned his eyes towards the unconscious man. "I may choose to trust you, so long as your business here doesn't involve messing with time. I've had enough of that shit from Xehanort and Zylen."

"Xehanort?" the old man exclaimed in surprise. "He was here?"

"Yeah."

"Well, this man," he gestured to the unconscious red-head, "is Lea. He came here to learn how to wield the Keyblade in order to help defeat Xehanort."

Gillick stared at him in surprise for a few moments, then turned his amber eyes to Lea. A broad smirk crossed his face. "I see. Then maybe I can help you out a bit."

Angel's eyes shifted towards Braig. "Have you received word from Xehanort yet?"

"Getting antsy, are we, kiddo?" Braig grinned. "Don't worry; I don't think it'll be too much longer."

Angel looked at the Time Racers assembled behind him. They were tense, but seemed relatively calm. They'd been given Organization cloaks - whether for theatrics or their own protection, Angel wasn't sure.

They'd been over the plan countless times; when Xehanort contacted them, they'd prepare to travel to the world Sora was on and force them all back to a point in the past. The task would prove tricky, since they had to do it without Sora realizing they were doing it. He hoped that touching Sora briefly while they took him to the past would be enough.

He was jerked out of his thoughts by the sound of a Corridor of Darkness opening. Xehanort stepped out, amber eyes gleaming. "He's ready."

"Good." Braig grinned wickedly.

"He should still be on Symphony of Sorcery."

Braig nodded, opening a Corridor of Darkness and leading the way inside. Xehanort, Angel, and the Time Racers followed. They stepped out of it into a place with cream-colored walls and a large staircase. Braig shot an inquiring look towards Xehanort. "Where is he?" Xehanort pointed wordlessly up the stairs, where the sound of footsteps could just be heard. They immediately hid in the shadows of the staircase, Angel nearest to the edge. I need to time this right. It was his job to bring Sora to the past; the other Time Racers would be responsible for getting Braig and Xehanort there, as well as making sure the two of them got to The World That Never Was. Angel was responsible for bringing Sora there.

The boy appeared at the bottom of the steps a few moments later. Angel tensed, hand twitching. When he starts to leave; to wake up. That's when I need to go.

A faint light shrouded Sora. Now! Angel's hand shot out, his fingers brushing Sora's sleeve. In the same instant, he activated his time powers. Mist swirled up around them, forcing them into the past and preventing Sora from waking up.

He knew exactly the place to bring Sora; just outside The World That Never was. He pulled his hand away from Sora as the boy was put into position; he seemed to be un affected by the effects of the Time Portal, more than likely believing it was just another part of traveling between worlds in the Realm of Sleep. Satisfied his job was done, Angel wrapped himself in another Time Portal, returning briefly to the present before opening a portal to the past again.

Just as planned, he found himself in the same vision as Braig, Xehanort, and the other Time Racers were. The next part, he knew, involved the Time Racers and Xehanort being hidden in an illusion until the time was right in order to surround Sora. Then Xehanort would put Sora into a second sleep; at that point, the Time Racers would bring them all back out of the past.

So many things could go wrong. Angel decided it was best not to take Shadow's approach and not think about it.

Braig jerked his head. "Get into position."

Angel resisted the urge to roll his eyes and instead moved to an area out of the way. The Time Racers and Xehanort followed, while Braig hurried to a position where he could see most of the area.

It seemed only a few moments later that a shape glided in towards the ground. Sora. He landed, looking around. "Wait, isn't this…" Angel nodded. Now. Go. He walked forward, trusting that Braig's illusion would hold.

Apparently it did, as Sora seemed oblivious to the approaching Time Racers. Sora took a few steps forward, forcing them to re-arrange their positions. "Is the Organization's world sleeping too?" He stopped, looking around. "No, it can't be." Angel got into a position behind Sora as he began to count off on his fingers. "I know I definitely found the seven keyholes already. So, I've got to be awake again, and in the real world." Sora rubbed the back of his head as the other Time Racers got into position, with Xehanort taking up the place directly in front of Sora. "But why here?"

"Aw, what's the matter, sleepyhead?"

Sora got into a fighting position as Braig's voice floated down to him, causing those surrounding him to tense in case they needed to move. "Who's there? Show yourself!"

"We jumped through a lot of hoops to get you here. But it looks as if it's going to pay off."

Braig shot an arrow, forcing him neatly into the center of their circle. Sora faced him as he appeared on top of a building. Angel tensed. Almost time.

Braig jumped off the building, hovering above the ground before landing neatly and dismissing his weapons, smirking with a faint laugh. Sora seemed shocked. "You're a part of this?"

"Hey. Let's hit these plot points in order, Sora…Roxas." Angel's fists clenched. "First, you must be wondering about your revised itinerary. 'Why am I here, not back home?' The answer's simple. We brought you to this place! Hijacked your little slumber party before it started. And ever since, we've been both your companions and your constant guides." But you didn't realize you'd need help, did you? Angel questioned silently. And you still don't realize that this will doom you.

"Before it started?" Sora suddenly seemed to come to a realization. "The man in the robe! And so the guy in the black coat, and Xemnas…"

"Bingo." Braig was getting far too much amusement out of the situation. "You were able to go back in time to just before your home became a Sleeping World, only because a past version of you already existed there." Angel's frustration at Braig's delay was momentarily overshadowed by his unnerve at the apparently already-existing ability to travel back in time. That's something I'll have to look into later. Focus on the present.

Braig had broken through their ranks to taunt Sora, a wicked grin on his face. "And I can see, in the past, you already met Mr. Robe Guy. Yep, he was there then to make sure you ended up here now."

"That's ridiculous!" Angel had to agree with Sora, but he knew now wasn't the time to confront his 'ally' about it.

Braig continued walking, his eyes focused on Angel. "It sure is. It's too perfect. Who'd ever believe it? Which is why you idiots never saw it coming." He grinned knowingly at the metal-haired boy. "You thought you were off doing some kind of test, right? Well, test this - how come you're wearing the same clothes if you're already back home?" Xehanort caught Angel's attention, and signaled him to move as Braig continued. "You're not going to wake up, okay? Look - there's no real verses dreams anymore." Xehanort rolled his eyes, signaling that he, too, was growing annoyed with Braig's theatrics. "There's just you, us, and this."

"I see. Fair enough." The Kingdom Key appeared in Sora's hand. "So what? At least I know who to blame for it!" He settled into a fighting stance.

At this point, Angel and Xehanort had switched positions, so that Xehanort was again in front of Sora and Angel was behind. Xehanort nudged his comrade. Braig glanced over his shoulder, looking amused. "Ooh, I see you've still got that angry look down. But here's where I tag out. I got just a few more hoops I got to jump through."

And with that, he seemed to vanish.

Angel was almost as surprised as Sora, but recovered quickly enough when he realized Braig was hovering above the Keyblader. The Time Racers and Xehanort tightened their circle. Several energy bullets fired from Braig's arrow-guns; fortunately, these were simply the catalysts to dispel the illusions around the Time Racers. They hit each person in turn, the illusions falling away and revealing the hooded figures and the young Xehanort. Xehanort extended a hand towards Sora. "Come with me."

Though it didn't sound like a spell, Angel could tell one had been cast by Sora's sudden stumbling. "What?" The Keyblader looked towards Braig, appearing as if he was hardly staying conscious.

Braig grinned. "Pleasant dreams, kiddo."

Then Sora fell into unconsciousness.

Braig barked out a laugh. "It worked! Take us back to the present, Angel."

Angel nodded in understanding, reaching down a hand to touch Sora. Roxas, I've done what you asked. The rest is up to you.

Then they were shrouded in mist.


That's the end of chapter fifty. I think I'm really beginning to dislike this 'second sleep' idea; I re-wrote that scene a ridiculous amount of times and still am not entirely happy with it. And most of it's cut scenes from the actual game. Oh, well. Review, please?