If Our Hearts Unite
Chapter 2: With All My Heart ❤
Sora walked the rocky path they'd descended on, her brow raised as she looked around for anything familiar. She didn't see the tall gates of the colosseum or the dark corridors of the underworld. She didn't even hear the familiar blaring trumpets that always seemed to greet them when they entered Herc's world.
"No fanfare?" Sora looked to Donald and pretended to toot through her fingers.
"Huh…" Donald strained his ears but shook his head. "Nuh uh."
"Looks like we missed the colosseum." Goofy declared straining his eyes out at the unfamiliar horizon. Still the feel of the world was the same so they couldn't be far off.
"Sora! You opened the gate." Donald waved a disapproving finger and had her flushing with embarrassment.
"Whoops, guess I was a little off, sorry."She rubbed the back of her head. "Don't worry, we'll find them." She looked around and started up the mountain path. "Let's go this way!"
"Huh? Up the mountain?!" Donald questioned looking exasperated.
"Well yeah, up IS the usual direction right?" She grinned over her shoulder at him.
"Well never hurts to have your head in the clouds."
"Exactly." She brushed her braid over her shoulder and pointed up. "Come on!" She hurried ahead, her eyes going wide as they entered a clearing with a towering statue. "Whoa…"
"Heartless!" Donald screamed, catching her attention. Sora looked up startled and saw the shadowy figures come up out of the ground like sand golems. Immediately she brought out her keyblade. Taking aim, she fired a stream of water launching it right into the face of the oncoming heartless.
"Whoa, Sora…" Goofy ran up beside her, holding his shield out for protection. "Since when can you use water magic?"
"Uh…." She rubbed the back of her head laughing. "To be honest I was going for a freeze attack… but I guess I couldn't get it cold enough."
"Well it's a good idea!" Donald exclaimed aiming a water spell of his own at another. "These heartless are made of sand, it really seems to affect them."
"Okay, water magic it is then!" Sora beamed and she slammed her blade into an oncoming enemy, then unleashed another barrage of streaming water. She had to admit the spell was fun, and handy. Still it just made it more clear that her powers were weaker than before. Her strength, her speed, her use of magic… all of it was far less impressive.
She had to find a solution to this problem… and Master Yen Sid believed Hercules may have the answer. Determined to find him she blew through the enemies quick and eyed the wall. In the dream realm she could scale them no problems but...
"I opened up a path between our hearts. As you get stronger I'll be able to lend you some of my strength too."
"I wonder…" Sora murmured and closed her eyes imagining Joshua, Neku, and the others in teh dream realm. She held her heart, sensing the connection there, and just followed it. She ran forward, leaped up and as if running down a path, scaled the wall.
"WHOA!" Donald looked up in amazement, "I didn't know you could do that Sora."
"Honestly…" Sora grinned as she reached the top, "Neither did I."
~Meanwhile~
Everything was going according to plan. Hades had spent 18 years building up his army to cause an epic coup against his brother, Zeus. With the help of the aligned stars he was able to release all of the titans at once, instead of the measly one or two like before. Their combined strength would be more than enough to catch the other gods off guard and allow him to make his move.
The only possible hitch in his plan was Zeus' sunspot offspring that had resisted death for the past 18 years through his inherited strength and the help of an annoying teenage girl and her keyblade. Thankfully he'd laid siege against Thebes with an army of heartless which would keep the hero occupied, and the annoying girl had gone off world.
Everything was in place.
"HERCULES! HEY HERCULES!"
"You have got to be kidding me!" Hades visibly flinched at the sound of the name, and he sneered waving a hand in the air. "Hold the ascend boys, let's deal with the hitch first."
He turned to a cloud of smoke, descending in the direction of the voice. As he appeared he let out a long aggravated sigh.
"Okay, I know I dotted my i's, crossed my t's, zeroed the hero. So what gives? Who could possibly be trying to give me a migraine by yodeling that yutz's name?" He rubbed his temples and frowned at the lanky female keyblade wielder. "Ugh, it's just you. Oy vey."
"It's just us? Even for you that's cold?" Sora shot back placing a sassy hand on her hip.
"Remember I can always TURN UP THE HEAT!" He stepped up to her, his body bursting in flames as he stare the girl down. Immediately he noticed something… her body language, her energy, and even the little nodes in her voice seemed weaker, and far less annoying. Seemed to him that she'd lost a great deal of strength since he'd last seen her… and immediately he found his calm. "Ah you know what… I don't care. Wonder boy will be out of my hair soon enough, and so will you."
"So you're up to no good again, huh?" Sora unleashed her keyblade glaring at him.
"Hey, hey, hey what is this, Sparta? I don't have time for you, or to throw around the old fire and brimstone." He waved her off and turned his back to her. "The whole cosmos is waiting for me to, you know, conquer it." His plan was coming together once again. He didn't have to deal with the insects personally. In their current state of power he knew some of his new friends could handle them no problem.
"Where are my Titans? Show me your power!" He summoned forth the Titans from the sky, their mixed elemental strength causing an explosive mix of natural disasters that made him giddy with confidence.
Sora squeaked as the ground beneath her feet began to shake, and she looked up and around trying to find the source.
"Why do I have a sudden case of Deja Vu?"
"Wha… ACK!" Donald braced up against Sora as a rushing icy wind started to push them back. "Hold on!"
"Ah, love the breeze." Hades waved his arms around and glanced back, smirking as Sora and her friends struggled to remain on their feet. One last rushing burst of wind sent them soaring off the cliff and out into the distance.
"KYAAA!"
"QUACK!"
"YAHOOHOOEEY"
"Heh heh heh," Hades chuckled laying a hand over his eyes and watching them soar. "That sure sent them flying."
~Thebes~
Hercules dusted his hands off after finishing off another enemy. The town was still in shambles, and there were people that needed his help, but the danger wasn't as extreme as it was before. The worst of it was over, all that was left was to-"
"LOOK OUT BELOW!" Sora screamed catching his attention. Hercules whirled around catching sight of the three as they fell through the sky. Hercules leapt up, catching Sora Princess Style, but missing Goofy and Donald who luckily were caught on the hooks of a statue and hung by their clothes. "Whoa…" Sora blushed and laughed. "My hero. Glad I found yah."
"Nice of you to drop in," He sent her a charming smile.
Meg, Sora thought, with a slightly dreamy expression you're one lucky girl.
"HEY GET ME DOWN!" Donald squawked.
Hercules glanced up at Goofy and Donald with an apologetic look.
"Sorry about that. Just a second." He set Sora on her feet and rescued the other two from their precarious positions. "Sora, Donald, and Goofy, it's nice to see you guys again."
"You too, and thanks again for the save." She smiled back and then took in their surroundings. "What's going on around here?"
"Take a guess," Herc said with an exasperated sigh. "Starts with an H"
"Ah," Sora placed a hand on her hip and cocked it. "I get the picture. Actually we bumped into the H-ster on the way here."
"Yeah," Goofy nodded. "He mentioned something about conquering the whole cosmos."
"All of it huh?" Herc chuckled. "Nice of him to show a little restraint." He smirked and puffed up his chest. "Don't you worry though, I'll send him flying back across the Styx."
"That's our Herc!" Sora laughed and pumped up her first and walked with him back into the city. "We'll do our best to help in any way we can."
"I appreciate that… is that the reason you're here?"
"Oh, right!" She blushed. "I almost forgot. I came here so I could ask you something." Sora turned to him. "The last time we were together, you were feeling down and out, and I was wondering how you managed to get your strength back. You know, when you jumped in to save Meg."
"Huh… that's tough." Herc rubbed his chin. "All I knew was that she was in trouble, suddenly I wanted to save her with all my heart, but it's not like I could tell you how."
"Oh man…" Sora sighed and pouted.
"What's wrong?" He knelt down so that they were at eye level.
"It's just… I lost all of my strength too, so I was hoping you'd have some kind of solution." She explained looking bummed that her hint to finding her strength was a flop. She felt his hand on her shoulder and she lifted teary eyes up to him.
"I'm sorry, Sora." He apologized, looking completely apathetic. He thought there was something different about her.
"It's okay, it's not your fault." She forced a smile and wiped a tear away.
"Awww…" Donald sighed, feeling bad for his friend. He caught a glimmer of red light in the distance, and suddenly shouted when he saw what it was. "QUACK! HEARTLESS!"
The fiery heartless rained down, causing more destruction and spreading fire throughout the city. Sora watched people run and take cover, and her instinct to fight and defend screamed at her.
"Let's talk later." Hercules got to his feet and pumped his fists.
"Right, after we deal with these guys!" Sora agreed and leapt straight into battle. She targeted two heartless with a water spell, dousing their flames and allowing her to cut through them quickly. While Goofy and Donald handled a group behind her, Sora stayed focused on sticking close to Herc and guarding his back against attacks.
As she cut through another enemy, she failed to see the attack from the side and took a fireball to the head.
"Kya! Hot! Hot!" She danced around beating the fire off her skin and choked as Donald soaks her with a water spell to put it out. She spit out water like a fountain and grunted. "Thanks Donald."
"Don't mention it." He held back a snicker at the wet look. All of them look down at a clink sound. Sora sees her dual star charm and gasps.
"Oh no!" She quickly picked it up and cradled it in her palms. She ran fingers through her hair, the length choppy and much shorter. Her eyes went hard and she flexed out her free hand clutching her stars to her chest. "THAT DOES IT!" She turned to the remaining heartless looking pissed off. " NO ONE MESSES WITH RIKU OR MY HAIR!"
The surge was short, but the build up and blast of water was much larger this time. It spread and caught the remaining bulk of fire heartless, puffing out their fire power and leaving them open for attack. She sliced through them like cake, eliminating her opponents with ease.
"Whoa…" Donald and Goofy blinked in amazement. "That was incredible, Sora."
"Yeah, nice job." Hercules agreed and took scope of her. "You okay? You got burned pretty badly."
"Other than my hair, I'm fine." She held out her charm, her expression saddening. "But Riku gave me this charm… I've had it with me since the very start of my journey and it's never been damaged before."
"Any of the magic or protection that was put into it must have been dispelled somehow. It probably happened the same time you lost all your powers." Goofy deduced and had Sora tearing up. "It's gonna be okay, Sora. I'm sure Master Yen Sid, or the good fairies can fix it for you."
"I hope so…" She clutched the stars to her chest in a praying gesture. "I've already lost most of my strength… I can't lose anymore." She spoke it aloud and earned curious looks from Goofy and Donald. They didn't know, or didn't understand that most of her power came from other people. Her connections to Riku, Kairi, and the rest of her friends is what made her strong in the first place.
"Hercules!" Megara called from the skies and turned their attentions up to the flying pegasus carrying two passengers. Meg dismounted with Phil right behind her. "You're alright!"
"Meg!" Herc ran up to her, relieved that she didn't get caught up in the disaster.
"Oof, that didn't look so fun." She commented, taking stock of the damage.
"Yeah, but thankfully our friends showed up just in the nick of time." He motioned to Sora who waved at her.
"Well, whaddya know." Meg smiled at Sora, raising a brow at the hair but held back any commentary. "Sora, Donald, Goofy, guess I owe yah a big thank you."
"Nice to see yah, rookies." Phil commented and took a few stumpy steps up to Sora and them. "What's with the downer faces?"
"It's nice to see you too, Phil." Sora put a smile back on her face for the hero trainer. "I'm glad you're all safe."
"Safe is hardly the word for it. I know for a fact there's a ton of people still in town and the fire has them trapped. Let's put you Rookies to work." He wagged a finger at her, and made her laugh and salute.
"Yes Sir!"
"Atta Girl!" He looked her up and down. "Sora… how old are you again?"
"Huh?" Sora blinked. "Um… 16, why?"
"Eh that's what I thought. Some see me again in a couple of years." He waved his hand in front of his face as if to wipe away any dark thoughts. "Come on Toots." Phil motioned Meg away from Hercules. "Let these guys handle the dangerous stuff while you and I circle the perimeter to check for anymore trouble."
"Call me that again, and I'll shove my sandal up your nose, mutton man." Meg warned but mounted Pegasus with Phil behind her.
"We'll rescue the townsfolk. Keep an eye out in the sky for anyone who might need our help." Hercules pet Pegasus along his mane and then stepped back so they could fly off again. "I'm counting on you guys."
Sora watched them fly off, and put her charm safely in her pocket for now. She tossed back her choppy locks. Her hair and personal problems could wait. For right now there were people who needed their help, and she couldn't get distracted.
"Let's go, you guys!"
~Meanwhile in Hallow Bastion~
Ienzo was glad he had reached out to the Hallow Bastion Restoration Committee. He'd known Leon and the others briefly when they were children, and had explained the situation to them. After a long talk, and some info sharing, he was able to get in contact with others, including a pair called Chip and Dale who were working on cracking his Master's Code.
"Thank you for giving me the opportunity to assist you in your endeavors." Ienzo spoke through the communication device he'd been given. "Leon and the others are continuing restoration of the town, and I was able to upload the remaining data on the city itself to assist them. Still when they told me you'd been working on some data of my master's that was hidden inside Sora, naturally I was curious."
"We weren't sure whether to trust you, but after Axel saved Queen Minnie we've decided to give you guys the benefit of the doubt." Chip explained.
"Understandably, and I promise I won't give you cause for distrust." Ienzo assured.
"Well fresh eyes couldn't hurt. Chip and I have been working non-stop since we were given the data, but we haven't got a clue how to even begin cracking Ansem's code." Dale said with some frustration.
"My Master did like to script his work to keep it from being stolen. Still I've worked with the man before, and I understand the process to a degree. Still it's been sometime so my memory is a little vague in that area. I'll decipher what I can, but Even would've been a better candidate. Unfortunately he's disappeared."
"Well that's certainly not a good sign." Chip sighed. "Alright, we'll send you what data we have. If you can give us some kind of direction to follow, I'm sure we can work together to crack it."
"Sounds promising. Let me open up a link for us to share." He pressed some keys on the panel and looked up when teh door opened. He said Dilan and Aeleus standing at the door, both with grim faces. They shook their heads and had him sighing heavily.
"Even… where are you?"
~The World of Darkness~
The empty puppet seemed to float mid air, and tinged black as Vanita sunk into it. Her heart and memories melded together with the form and for the first time in years Vanita truly felt like herself again. She stood up tossing her black hair back and circling around.
"Finally, I'm me again."
"Ah, Success…" Even nodded his head in approval and turned to Saix. "With this test complete I shall begin work on the last remaining vessel needed to fill our ranks. Unfortunately this one will be a bit more difficult as my research shows that its memories and heart were falsified and stolen. I will need to conduct more research to ensure its success for the final battle."
"Not to worry, Master Xehanort has already prepared a back up plan for just such emergencies."
"You're referring to that dolt, Demyx? Xehanort must surely be desperate if he's calling in his help." Vanita snorted and placed a hand on her hip. She admired the organization cloak… not really her style, but she felt the difference in protection.
"You've no right to judge." Vexen told her with a scowl. "You may appear to be back to normal, but your heart is still incomplete. If you don't stabilize your heart then my invention will not be able to contain you."
"I know exactly what I need to become complete, but I refuse to share my heart with that girl ever again." She sneered at him, her eyes glowing bright gold through the darkness. "I'm my own person, and I will find complete my heart, MY way."
She opened the darkn cooridoor and stepped through it. Vexen sighed and shrugged it off.
"Such a vengeful wench."
"Leave her be. She may seem rageful and incompetent but it was her idea to looki nto your research for the final vessel. If she's right, and this puppet has ties to Sora, then they will be able to wield a keyblade, and give us the edge we truly need."
"Mmhmmm, are you sure you want to do this, Saix?"
"I'm not sure what you mean. I'm doing as I've been instructed, and you should do the same." He looked over his shoulder smirking. "Unless of course… you've decided NOT to join us."
"Hmmm," Vexen coolly smiled and pulled his hood up. "I know where my loyalties lie."
~Olympus~
"Someone help!" A young woman crouched atop a pillar looking down at the heartless. "Where did all these monsters come from? Hercules! Where are you!"
" Oh no!" Sora rushed down the steps with Goofy and Donald right behind her.
"Help is on the way!" Goofy called out, trying to calm her. The woman in question looked up as the three came up.
"Huh? Who are you three? Where is Hercules?" The woman said in obvious judgement. Sora stopped mid run and she could feel her temple throbbed with annoyance.
"Would she prefer we just left her up there?" She muttered.
"Now Sora…" Goofy scolded her and made Sora sigh.
"Yeah, I know. We should always help others even if they don't WANT our help." She flipped her keyblade around and slashed into the first heartless that came her way. Now that she gathered their attention, it was easy enough to pick off the heartless one by one and eliminate the danger.
Once the heartless were gone the woman climbed down, and a smile had replaced the look of judgement.
"Thank you, you're so kind."
Trying now to be smug Sora returned the smile.
"Don't mention it."
"Keep training and I know you'll be great heroes just like Hercules." She waved and ran off, not noticing Sora's look of insult.
"Keep training?" She crossed her arms and stomped her foot. "First VIncent and Patty, and now a total stranger? Is it seriously that obvious?"
"Just for you," Donald snickered and earned a glare.
"Hey!"
"I think we all have a ways to go." Goofy commented to prevent an argument. "We'll get there together."
"Yeah, you're right. We will." Sora agreed cheering up some. Even if she did need training, at least she knew she wouldn't be taking that journey alone. Donald and Goofy had her back… and somewhere out there Riku, the King, Axel, and Kairi were all doing what they could to improve and get stronger. They were all in this together.
With that positive attitude, the three heroes finished the sweep up in Thebes. They met up with Hercules, saving a small family from a crumbling building before it collapsed. Sora showed concern when Hercules wound up underneath the rubble, but let out a sigh of relief when he came out brushing off the feat and debris like it was nothing.
"Hercules!" She ran up smiling. "Thank goodness! You scared us."
"That was nothing, that's what these are for." He pumped up his muscles and had her giggling.
"Very nice, full marks." Xigbar walked out of a dark corridor clapping his hands.
"Go away!" Donald shouted.
"No Organization!" Goofy agreed and both instinctively stood in front of Sora. They wouldn't let these guys take Sora for a vessel again.
"Awww, all this altruism is giving me the warm and fuzzies." He laughed, keeping his focus on Sora. He watched her stand up straight and lift her chin. The girl continued to have moxy, and he really liked that about her. "So then, does having a heart of light come with having a real good insurance policy?"
"Insurance policy?" Sora questioned but then grit her teeth. "Would you just say what you mean!"
"Oh but I did though. No good will ever come of putting others first." He waved a hand, brushing off the very idea.
"I was able to save Meg's life because I was ready to risk my own." Hercules pointed out.
"Because you have friends in high places you mean." Xigbar corrected looking annoyed at the hero for butting in. "Tricks like that don't fly for your average joe."
"What do you know? You weren't even there. If you were, you'd admire Herc's courage." Sora shot back but Xigbar scoffed it off.
"I don't admire anyone leaping into danger if it means someone might have to save them." He turns toward her. "Ring any bells, Doll Face?"
"Tch…" Sora clicked her tongue.
"You're all just lining up to lose out." Xigbar continued turning fully to face her again. "Forcing others to take the fall with you."
"Hearts are-" Sora started to object.
"Spare me your usual party line. Yes hearts are strong when they're connected. However, if you put too much of that power into one place, some of those hearts might end up breaking." He walked towards her, Goofy and Donald ushering her back again to keep a barrier around her. "Still Sora, that doesn't mean that you should change. Find the hearts joined to yours."
"Like hell I'll listen to anything you say." She snapped back.
"As if!" He laughed and turned away again. "You don't have a choice but to follow this tasty trail of breadcrumbs. At the end, you might finally realize what destiny has in store for you. In fact your reward might be right around the corner, you're so close!"
"Wait!" She pushed away from Donald and Goofy, clenching her teeth when he vanished in the dark. "Dang it!"
"Ignore him, Sora." Goofy suggested. "Anything the organization says is just nonsense."
"You're right, but-" She lowered her head and held her chest. She couldn't help but feel that there was a hidden meaning in those words. Hearts breaking? Whose hearts?
"Sora…" Hercules placed a hand on her shoulder and turned her to face him. "Don't let him bother you. He's just trying to get under your skin because he thinks he can. We'll show him differently. We'll show him that our sacrifices haven't been in vain."
"Mmmm" She smiled and nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Herc."
"Good, now come on. There might still be people who need our help." He stepped back and lead the way out. Donald and Goofy followed closely behind, but Sora lingered looking back at the spot where Xigbar disappeared.
"What Reward?"
That was all the time Sora allotted herself to think of what Xigbar said. Once they returned to the square they took down a colossus of heartless, and saved the remaining people in Thebes. From there they journeyed up the mountain again to face Hades… but the God of the Underworld wasn't conquering the cosmos alone.
Between fighting the Heartless, and the massive Titans, it was a wonder that Sora had any energy left at all to face against Hades. Luckily they weren't alone. With them, Hercules, and the other Gods of Mt. Olympus Hades was sent back to the underworld like a three headed dog with its tail between its legs.
Climbing down the steps of Olympus, Sora watched Hercules' back, and had to stop as something occurred to her.
"Hercules… are you sure you want to leave all this behind?"
"Yeah isn't Mount Olympus your home?" Goofy agreed.
"And your family…" Donald added with a voice filled with sympathy.
Hercules turned to look at all of them, then up at the gates. It was true there was a pang in his chest from not being able to stay with his family, but…
"I can see my family anytime I want." He told them. "If I stay, I'd be separated from the person I care about most, and that life would be empty."
He heard footsteps and glanced back. He saw Megara standing at the base of the steps waiting for him, and his smile broke out big and wide.
"I finally know where I belong."
Sora watched the two lovers embrace, the feeling of warmth and light just beaming out. There was strength there… powerful and pure, and Sora finally understood what she was meant to do.
"Something to fight for with all my heart," she smiles and cocked a hip. "Guess Herc had the answer after all."
~Ask Briry~
Briry: Yay another chapter done! Sorry if I rushed it a bit there at the end, but after reviewing what I wrote I realized a lot of it was copy paste to the original so I cut it out. I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless.
Next Chapter: A New Style, A New Quest