Lines of cirrus clouds crossed the powder blue sky. Perhaps angels plant fields and occasionally mortals can glance their plots from below. The great island mountain looked up at these clouds. Perhaps if it were but a little taller it could be kissed by those ivory puffs. Sea birds coasted mere feet above the waves searching for food. Much more colorful birds lazily grazed on ripe fruits in the lush jungle. Tiny lizards darted away from the sounds of wild boar shuffling for a morsel in the undergrowth.

Barely a sound was to be heard other than the symphony of island life. That is, however, apart from the massive tremors that sent colorful birds to the skies in a startled panic. An observer would have been forgiven for thinking it was an earthquake or the mountain was a volcano getting restless. While the mountain was indeed partially hollow, the tremors were from no disaster of nature.

Deep inside the mountains heart the tunnel walls shook. Pebbles and dust fell from the ceiling. With each impact the rock wall surrendered to the playfully adorned Keyblade, Showtime. But these balloons meant business.

"You're almost through, I can feel it!" Kairi encouraged.

She sat back, catching her breath, while watching Bryan John-Henry the crap out of the wall.

Bryan had come up with their plan of escape. Years ago he and his sister had fought a rock Heartless, the Mountainside and did a great damage by hitting it hard with Fire attacks followed up with Ice to rapidly cool the rock and make it brittle. Bryan and Kairi were applying the same method to the rock wall they'd suspected was at one point the mouth of a tunnel. Kairi poured her magic into heating the wall then rapidly freezing it. Arihana must not have been around or hadn't considered their noise-making a threat because it would have been impossible not to notice the echoing snaps and craks! as the rock separated. Once the stones were brittle Bryan took his turn.

"This is the right spot," Bryan confirmed through gritted teeth. "I can feel it give when I hit it. The rocks are being pushed out somewhere."

Kairi just let him hammer away. Though the way the wall had been destroyed layer by layer she doubted she'd be waiting long. Still she was glad. Whatever damage had been sustained to the Music in his Heart had been revitalized by the song in hers. A determined flame flickered furiously in his dark eyes.

Finally with one last mighty swing the battered wall gave way. The heroes had to step back so not to be directly in the cloud of dust. Shards of broken stone clattered to the ground like spilled scrabble tiles. The clearing dust revealed a larger tunnel connecting to the one they were in.

"We did it! Well, mostly you did it but you get it."

"Yeah. Congratulate me later. Let's bail!"

The long tunnel opened into a dimly lit central cavern. Bryan commented this room was much brighter when he and Xhosar had spoken before. Even in the low light Kairi could see the simple furnished center of the cavern. It was an odd contrast for the setting.

"Where exactly are we?" Kairi asked quietly.

"Well, inside a mountain is the best I can give for an answer." Bryan said. "I remember this tunnel wasn't the only one. But I never had a chance to explore the others."

"Then we just check every one. Quickly of course," Kairi said. "Here. I've got an idea."

The princess called her Keyblade. A beat of white-hot fire danced at its tip. With this intense heat she made an X on the stone to mark where they'd been.

"Nice."

"Thanks. Let's go."

The bead of flame stopped flickering as it faded into a gently glowing orb to guide them through the dim light. The first tunnel was hardly a tunnel at all. Only about five steps in could they see it was a dead end. Together they inspected and felt along the wall for any hidden levers or anything to indicate this was only a false dead end. Kairi marked the entrance before following Bryan down the next one. Surprisingly the next tunnel brought them to a curtain of clear crystal-like beads hanging from the ceiling and nearly sweeping the floor.

"What is this for?" Bryan asked.

"It's a type of room decoration to replace a door. I've got one similar at my house for my closet. Do guys really not know anything about interior design?"

"I'm not very trendy. But what's something like this doing in a cave?"

"Probably the same reason as the rug and chairs back in the main cavern; homey touches."

"Why would a Nobody need anything like door beads?"

"They're heartless, not animals." Kairi pulled the curtain back as quietly as she could and slipped through, holding it for Bryan. "I mean, yeah, their intentions are evil but they're still people and have to live as people do."

"After what I've seen and experienced personally you'll have to forgive me if I have a hard time empathizing."

Not far down the tunnel opened into another cavern. This was the room where the princesses slept. Seven differently themed beds were spread out across the cavern. One hung from the ceiling by the series of roots and vines. Another was just a ledge covered in cushions about eight feet up.

"Not much here for those homey touches." Bryan commented.

It was true. Very little furniture, pictures, or knick-knacks existed to reflect the personal tastes of the occupants.

"Maybe they planned on waiting to discover themselves after the master plan succeeded. Oh, that reminds me. I learned something important but I can't tell you until we've left this place in the dust."

"Okay. Hey, what's that?"

Bryan pointed to the seventh bed. All the beds (except for the one with cushions) were neatly made. The last one was different. A very large sheet had been carefully laid across it entirely. It looked like how a homeowner might keep furniture free of dust or chimney dust. But another detail revealed the intention behind the peculiar arrangement.

Clustered in the center were seven pristine red apples. Each one had a single bit taken out of it.

"Ludwig said our future selves took out the Snow White Nobody, right?" Bryan asked.

"He did," Kairi confirmed, looking over the bed-turned-shrine. "We should…we should probably go. There isn't a way out through here or any useful clues."

Bryan nodded and they retreated down the tunnel and onto the next one. This tunnels' ceiling was only tall enough for Bryan to get through without ducking. There were no adornments or side chambers from what they could tell either. In fact, this one looked the most untouched and natural of all the ones they'd seen so far.

"Dead end," Kairi said as the tunnel came to a wall. She and Bryan wasted no time tapping and searching for any secret panels again. "Though, now that I think about it, why have any secret passages at all if they can open the dark corridors at will?"

"Fair point. Worth a shot."

"You haven't Heard any of them return, have you?"

"Trust me, the second after I know, you will. I wonder though," Bryan said thoughtfully. He held his hands flat against the stone. "Maybe if I focus on the Song of the land I can get an idea of how close to the edge this tunnel is. We might be able to just smash our way out."

"You can do that?"

"I can try. If it takes too long without results we'll keep moving."

Kairi backtracked up the tunnel to keep a lookout while he focused. Keyblade still in hand she watched the area just beyond the reach of her bead of light. After of moment or three of silence,

"Are you freakin' kid-!?"

Kairi jumped at his outburst and whipped around. "What? What! Is some-?"

"Shhh!"

The young Master pressed his whole body against the wall, ear flat to it. Kairi, still startled and confused barely dared move.

"Lea."

"What?"

"And…Sora."

"Sora's here!? Where are-?"

"Shh. I think…I think that's the song of Donald and Goofy. Darn it!" Bryan hit his fist against the wall.

"What? What's wrong? Are they okay?"

"They're gone."

"Huh?"

"They were here; maybe just a day ago. I caught just a trace of familiar Heart Songs. I don't have time to figure out the whole story but the island has a verse of their arrival, story and departure."

"But if they left that probably means they're okay. No, I know it does. Hey, if we get to the surface, could you figure out which direction they left from?"

"Getting that specific usually takes time but I could try."

"If we could find that out we might be able to catch up to them."

"Worth a shot. C'mon. The faster we-."

Bryan turned and froze mid-gesture to Kairi to get going.

"Bryan?" She asked slowly and quietly.

"Arihana's back."

Kairi stiffened. "Is she alone?"

The young Master paused. "So far, yes." He whispered back.

"So how are we going to-?"

A distant, disgusted shout could be heard even from at the end of the long tunnel.

"Great. She went to the cells first. Now she knows we escaped and will be actively looking."

"We can still try. But realistically expect to have to fight our way out."

Bryan called his Keyblade and took Kairi's hand. Stepping as quietly as they could the heroes darted back up the tunnel. Just as they could see the dim light of the entrance it blackened as a dark door appeared. As quickly as it appeared, it vanished, leaving Arihana behind. Bryan and Kairi skidded to a stop. The Nobody princess glared at them with the seething yet controlled anger of a mother catching her child in front of a broken window with a baseball bat but no ball to be found anywhere.

"So," She said darkly. "Our hospitality really isn't good enough for you? Neither of you have been very courteous guests. That being said, thank you for marking the tunnels you searched. It saved me the trouble of looking down every one."

"Get out of our way," Bryan demanded coldly.

"Oh, that will never happen. The Keyhole is lost to us. Your friend claims to have done the deed herself? And you are looking much more spry than when I left. How curious." She drew herself up and took a battle stance. "I know you will not go quietly back to your cells like good children. So I will just have to teach you a lesson."

Arihana smashed her fists together. The metal studs of her leather knuckle guards lit up blue, yellow and red.

So she is a melee fighter. Kairi thought. But judging by the way those knuckles are glowing I'll bet they can let off blasts of Ice, Lightning and Fire.

"We're under strict orders to have you sent back to your proper time unspoiled. But I would be remise, if I came capable of such a thing, if I did not leave you with a taste of your mission's futility."

Bryan let go of Kairi's hand and stepped forward protectively in front of her.

"Leave this to me," He said quietly

"I can help. I want to help."

"Please. I don't know how to explain it but there's a special beauty and focus about the song of combat. It helped me clear my head after Hearing Xehanort up close again. I need that now. Besides, I really don't like her."

Kairi paused. "Okay. But I'm jumping in the second things get hairy."

"Fine by me."

Bryan stepped forward.

"You mean to challenge me alone? Foolish. I know what Xhosar has done to you. While I do not fully understand how you can be standing now I sincerely doubt you have regained enough strength to hold your own against me for long."

Bryan continued to close the distance. He firmly hit the wall with Showtime. A patch of rock crumbled to powder. If he meant it as an intimidating display Arihana merely smirked. Then the Keyblade sparkled and flashed as it switched to the Bass Blade.

"I think this will be ironically fitting," Bryan said, looking down at his Keyblade. The Bass Blade hummed as if to respond. "Xhosar wanted to know about my gift. I wouldn't tell him much, so he stole a piece of it. You probably have no interest in it but I will gladly give you a demonstration I'm sure Xhosar would have been thrilled to see. The theft of my gift will be avenged, starting with you. I am going to crush you with it."

Arihana laughed. "As flattering as that sounds I believe you are forgetting a very important detail: magic cannot touch me. No matter its form magic will never damage me the way its wielder would hope. And thanks to my talisman," She lightly touched the black enamel feather clip in her hair. "Your gift will never find purchase. I believe you are overestimating yourself against my talisman. But please, try. I would never say no to being entertained."

"Maybe, maybe," Bryan nodded, taking his battle stance. The Bass Blade continued to hum. "I won't question or challenge the power of your talisman. Even if I was as skilled at magic as my sister I doubt I'd be so full of myself to think I'd have what it took to bring you down that way. I'm not underestimating you, but I think you're underestimating me due to one single detail."

A concussive blast radiated from Bryan's body. He smirked at Arihana.

"Music isn't magic."

Title Translation: Ready to Play?