Chapter Twenty Seven: Returns and Confrontations
A/N: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It is the joint property of Square Enix and Walt Disney Studios. Nor do I own Mickey Mouse or any of the other Disney characters. This is a creative project that I do not profit on.
Also, while up till now I have primarily gone on the base of KH3 as inspiration for this fic, as this was started months before Re:Mind was released, the details therein are now going to become increasingly plot-relevant. It's only fair that I mention this to you all now.
The ship had stopped spinning and Roxas and Xion had stopped duplicating themselves, so Lea realized it was time to go see King Mickey. As they docked their Gummi Ship properly, Lea noted that Xion was still holding her arm. Poor kiddo. Now that they were back in Disney Castle, where the decorum was considerably less formal than the Land of Dragons had been, at least where royalty was concerned, Lea didn't hesitate to wrap an arm around her shoulders. Xion leaned against him as they descended from their ship to the garage.
"Back again?" The mechanic—what was his name again…Horace! That was it! Horace smiled at them all. "King Mickey's in the library, gotta whole bunch of other guests there today too."
Other guests? Ah, Ansem the Wise was probably back again. Most likely discussing royal stuff with King Mickey and Master Yen Sid. Lea grunted under his breath. Their mission to the Land of Dragons had been a success for the most part—they had taken out the evil bad guys, and only a couple of buildings in the village had burned. The Emperor had been rescued, and nobody else had gotten hurt too badly. Even the little girl the Huns had kidnapped to use as a bargaining chip had turned out alright in the end.
But…they still didn't really know what they were dealing with. Sure, it seemed wrong that the lines between life and death were being crossed, but that still didn't answer why Maleficent and her goons were taking steps the way they were. What was to be gained from dealing with this stuff? It couldn't just be pursuing power, could it? Seemed awfully extra complicated to handle it this way, instead of just using Heartless.
And riskier too, considering Xion had taken out all the Huns at once, by taking out the weirdo with the evil spellbook, would Maleficent change her tactics? Like, make sure the guy who is controlling the spell isn't somewhere he can get blown to bits by a half-pint with a cannon. Maybe it was one of those weird "must be within a hundred feet or the spell wears off sort of deal."
Whatever it was, Lea figured it would come up when they saw the King. Odds were he had done some investigating of his own—they'd been gone for, what, three days? Four if they counted the initial flight to Land of Dragons in the first place.
They had been to this castle so frequently that getting around wasn't an issue anymore. Lea chuckled to himself on how he didn't once get lost, even though some of the portraits looked like they had been switched. Four turns, and then they were at the same familiar set of doors. Lea could hear chatter through them—huh, that was new.
Horace had been right—it was a lot more crowded in King Mickey's library. The King and Queen were there, and Master Yen Sid. Ansem the Wise and…huh, this time it was Dilan. That was odd. Lea would have thought Ienzo would have come along again. And Donald and Goofy were there too, and that duck in the purple gown who Lea was pretty sure was Donald's girlfriend. And then in the corner, deep in conversation wth one another, were…three of the other Keybearers: Terra, Aqua and Ventus. Wait a second, what were they doing here? King Mickey had specifically said he wasn't getting them involved.
"Your Majesty," Xion slid out of Lea's grip and bowed deeply. As she did so, Lea saw her wince in pain, but she didn't cry out. Roxas joined her in a bow a moment later. Isa bowed as well, though not quite as deeply.
"You're back!" King Mickey said, "I knew ya could do it!"
"Wasn't that hard, either!" Roxas said.
"Hello, you three—oh, four! I didn't see you there, Isa," Master Aqua smiled as Isa shifted shyly to the side. He wouldn't meet her eye—or maybe it was Terra whose gaze Isa wouldn't quite match. Lea frowned. They hadn't spent a whole lot of time with Ven and his friends, but surely Isa of all people would understand that Terra was not Xemnas, even if the old Superior been running around in Terra's body.
Master Yen Sid stroked his beard thoughtfully, and stepped in front of them. Lea felt a twinge of irritation—he never had apologized to Xion for snapping at her. At least not properly. Admitting he should have used a softer tone when you snapped at a little girl and made her cry was not the same thing as apologizing.
"If you could, please elaborate on the events that have occurred since our last meeting," Master Yen Sid said, "I believe there is much to be gained in that."
Roxas and Xion glanced at each other and shrugged, and then began telling everything that had happened. Donald and Goofy—and Ven, too, for that matter—seemed to especially enjoy it. Roxas and Xion were good story-tellers though, explaining how the Huns had been brought back to life through the strange magic of the book. How Maleficent and Pete had formed an alliance with Shan Yu in order to slay the Emperor and bring the kingdom to its knees. How they had raced across the kingdom to warn the Emperor, and then had to travel to Mulan's village to ensure her own family's safety. And how Shan Yu had followed them along, eventually engaging them in combat.
"You say that these men were able to withstand injuries that would have otherwise incapacitated them?" Master Yen Sid asked, stroking his beard thoughtfully.
"Yes Master," Roxas said. "They were even able to reattach their hands and arms when they were cut off. It was…well, not the strangest thing I've seen, but it's close to it."
"And all of the injuries they would have gotten happened all at once," Xion said. "As soon as the spell-caster died."
"Hmm…" Master Yen Sid said. "And what became of the spell-caster's grimnoire?"
"His what?" Roxas asked.
"Is that another word for book?"
"Yes…" Master Yen Sid said slowly, and Lea was fairly sure he could hear a trace of irritation in his voice. Oh, come on—sure Roxas and Xion could be clueless, but "grimnoire" was not your average word that normal teenagers would know. And Zexion had called his stupid spell book a "lexicon."
"Er…I don't remember," Xion said. She began to rub her arm again, wincing. "I ran towards the archer…and he sent a green bolt at me and Shan Yu tried to grab me and then I…replicated…one of those funny dragon cannons and it went off and the archer…well, I was kind of out of it for a while after that."
In other words, Xion didn't really want to dwell on the fact that the necromancer had been killed, with a gigantic burn in his torso. Not that there had actually been much of the bastard left by the time Lea had gotten her away from there…and Xion had been a little loopy, though still eager to help fight, at the time.
"I see…" Master Yen Sid said quietly. He stared hard at Xion, as if he were trying to see whether or not she was lying. "This is not ideal."
"I think the book probably caught on fire from the cannon," Roxas said quickly, putting a hand on Xion's shoulder. "I bet it's totally destroyed."
"Sorry…" Xion murmured. Lea grit his teeth—he was getting sick of Xion always apologizing for things that weren't really her fault.
"It is unfortunate that you were not able to confirm the destruction of the grimnoire, or else seize it," Master Yen Sid said. "It is possible, if it survived, that Maleficent, or perhaps another foe with nefarious schemes, may be able to manipulate it for their own ends. This could prove to be very dire for us in the future."
Xion visibly wilted and Lea ground his teeth so hard, he could almost hear them crack. Roxas stiffened and tightened his grip on Xion's shoulder.
"With that said," Master Yen Sid continued, "it took a great deal of courage to take such direct action. Your decisions very well may have saved other lives."
Well…that's a start at least. Lea gave a sharp exhale of breath he had been holding. Okay…a compliment. And a nice one. Xion certainly seemed to take it to heart, but the way she held her shoulders…it still looked like she was about to start crying.
"Is that how you hurt your arm?" Ven asked. Xion blushed deeply. Lea bit back a chuckle, as Mater Yen Sid exchanged a look with King Mickey and Ansem the Wise.
"Just a moment, ya said there were how many figures with Maleficent? Two?" King Mickey asked. "I know ya said ya saw Pete, but did you get a good look at anyone else?"
"No…sorry, your Majesty," Roxas shook his head. "I didn't get a good look. If Xion and I had been more decisive, we might have been able to stop them."
"Or Maleficent could have used her magic and the close quarters of the chamber to her own advantage and possibly have captured you," Terra said in his deep, solemn voice. "I understand you're frustrated that you didn't take action, but you mustn't let the question of what might have happened overshadow what did happen."
Thank you, Terra. Lea gave a small smile. That really was the only thing Roxas and Xion could do—they'd go nuts if they kept thinking about how they might have done things differently.
"There's something else you should know…" Roxas said, stealing a glance at Xion. "Xion and I…we were in the garden at the Fa family's home and we met one of their guardians, Mushu."
Donald and Goofy both began to giggle, while Yen Sid raised an eyebrow. In the corner, Lea could see Ven scratching his head, as if he was trying to remember something. Maybe he had traveled to the Land of Dragons himself? Or maybe it was one of the "stuck inside Sora's heart" things.
"And Mushu…he can wake up his family's ancestors…and…" Roxas took a deep breath, as if he was steadying himself. "He helped us talk to Sora."
Wait, what?! That was what Roxas and Xion had been doing after Mulan had taken them outside so he and Isa could state plainly just what they thought of that pencil-neck Chi Fu? They had somehow reached out to Sora?!
"Are ya sure?" Goofy asked. "That it was the real Sora?"
"I…think so, I think it had to have been," Roxas said. "I know that…before, I saw him, and then he vanished, but this was different!"
"I saw him too!" Xion said, and the earnestness in her voice hit Lea as if he'd been punched in the gut. "I felt that it was him. He was wonderful and warm…and he was all see-through…but he wasn't a ghost, really."
"Was there anything else?" Master Yen Sid asked sharply. "Everything that you can recall!"
"He could hear us…but he couldn't talk," Roxas said. "And when I asked whether he was stuck on any of the worlds he had been to before, he said no."
"But he's alive! He's alive! He's alive," Goofy began to bounce with excitement. "This is the most we've heard from ol' Sora in ages!"
"I'll double the search through my library," Ansem the Wise said firmly. "Surely, there must be something that can be learned from this information. The nature of his revival is curious indeed. Roxas, Xion, this may well be the most critical clue we need to find Sora."
Lea knew that Ansem the Wise, under the guise of DiZ, had been, frankly, a colossal asshole to Roxas and Naminé and though nobody remembered at the time, Xion. Praise like that practically made Xion glow with delight and the look that flashed through Roxas's eyes was one Lea had never seen before. On the one hand, it was great, but on the other…it really wasn't that much more to go on. But Lea knew better than to say that in front of the kiddos.
"If there's nothing else," Master Yen Sid said, "Then you two are excused. You as well Ventus. Lea, Isa, stay a while longer…there are things we must discuss."
Hoo boy…
oooo
Ven frowned as he and Roxas and Xion left Mickey's library. Er, King Mickey's library—he still hadn't gotten used to Mickey being a King. It didn't make sense to have only the three of them leave, especially since Lea was definitely going to tell Roxas and Xion everything anyway. And besides, after everything that had happened—Xehanort and Vanitas and Sora and the battle for Kingdom Hearts and getting Chirithy back—Ven was very tired of not being told what was going on!
"So…do you think we should go back and wait by the ship?" Xion asked. She blinked her big blue eyes and she looked really worried. That made Ven frown harder. Why would she be worried? She hadn't done anything wrong. Ven's frown turned into a grimace—it was no fun feeling like you'd done something wrong.
The thought of finding a secret passage to sneak into, and see if they might be able to eavesdrop on the conversation the grown-ups were having, crossed Ven's mind. Such a thought was tempting—Lea was probably going to tell Roxas and Xion everything anyway, and keeping secrets had been catastrophic for him and his friends all that time ago. But betraying trust would be worse. Ven did not want to imagine how disappointed Aqua and Terra would be, if he and Roxas and Xion were caught somewhere they shouldn't be.
There had to be something else they could do. Something they could all do together. Even though it'd been a couple of months since they'd won the Keyblade War, they had only gotten together two or three times. That really didn't seem fair to Ven. They had won a war together, and the three of them had all been inside Sora's heart. But they didn't spend much time together…and frankly, they should.
Ven looked around the hallway. This was the first time he'd ever actually been to Disney Castle. He'd been to Disney Town before though, and he'd made friends there in the past. A grin spread across Ven's face. Now that could be a great way to kill some time until Terra and Aqua caught up with them again.
"Maybe we can go into town—there's some really fun games to play, and who knows how long the grown-ups will be talking!"
"Games?" Roxas and Xion asked in unison.
"There's all sorts of games," Ven said. Had they never been to Disney Town before? "There's Fruitball and and Ice Cream Beat!"
"Ice cream?"
xxxx
Disney Town was bustling as always. Ven grinned as they walked down one of the streets. Turns out, they had been to Disney Town before, or at least the parts that were freely open to the public, without a pass. Musical courtyards and fountains and all sorts of perfomers. These sections were relatively new—they certainly hadn't been there the last time that Ven had been here.
Three little pigs were playing a snappy tune in one courtyard. There was a pig with a fiddle, one with a flute and a third playing a piano.
"Who's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf, Big Bad Wolf, Big Bad Wolf? Who's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? Certainly not I!"
Ven hadn't eaten lunch before he and Terra and Aqua had left the Land of Departure, and Roxas and Xion were hungry too, so it seemed best to find something to eat, especially since it was almost dinnertime here.
Roxas and Xion walked up to a stand where a large goose was selling pipping hot food. They looked somewhat like sausages, but a bit longer. And was that garlic? And onions? Mmmm!
"Three hot dog meals, please," Xion said, pulling out her money pouch. "Ven, what toppings do you want?"
"Er…" Ven said. "Garlic, I guess and…what's ketchup?"
"I think it's like tomato sauce," Roxas said. "Not really sure. Isa doesn't like it when we eat this kind of stuff."
"I think the cheese and bacon sound good," Xion said. "I guess I'm hungrier than i thought. We didn't really get breakfast either. And Axel always burns the bacon at home."
For a moment, Ven couldn't remember who Xion was talking about, but that was right, Axel was Lea's name. Or his Nobody name. Ven was still a little confused where that was concerned. Shouldn't Lea just go by one or the other?
"I think I like mustard," Roxas said, running a hand through his hair. "Not sure why."
Xion paid for the meals and the three of them walked over to a nearby wooden table. At least, Ven thought it was wooden. Ven considered the possibility that it could be plastic. It was blue with yellow stripes.
"Honk! Honk!" The chef waddled over with three little red, plastic baskets. There were the three hot dogs, to their specifications, and lots of crispy fried potatoes.
As they all began to dig into their meal, Ven was surprised to see tears begin to form in Xion's eyes. He couldn't understand why she'd be crying. Wasn't her dinner tasty?
"They're talking about me…aren't they? Our Masters?" Xion asked, but Ven could tell it wasn't really a question. He wasn't sure why the grown-ups would have to talk about Xion in particular.
"How do you figure that?" Ven asked. Xion didn't meet his eye and Roxas patted her lightly on the back.
"I guess…call it a hunch," Xion said. "I just have a feeling…"
"If this is about you not making sure the spell book was destroyed," Ven said, "I don't think you should be too hard on yourself. Like Roxas said, you did really great."
"Yeah…but I've made more mistakes than just that," Xion shook her head weakly. "You weren't here Ven, but when we went to Olympus…Hades had this awful sword made out of a metal called mordite."
"Mordite," Ven said. "I think Master Eraqus mentioned that a few times. Something about…old legends. Old weapons that were the opposite of life. Only used by the most wicked of foes."
"Yeah…that sounds about right," Xion muttered. "I was so stupid. See, Hades was gonna kill Axel…Lea…whatever…and I stopped it…but…"
"You copied his sword?" Ven didn't really know how it worked, but Xion could copy other weapons. He wasn't sure, but he thought it might be kind of like the tricks Terra could do with his Keyblade, and make it into different shapes.
"Master Yen Sid was so angry," Xion shook her head. "I thought…i thought he was going to hurt me."
Ven almost choked on his hot dog. One of the worst memories he had came rushing back. When he had spoken to Master Eraqus about the connection between him and Vanitas. Where, in an attempt to prevent Master Xehanort's Keyblade War from ever occurring…
"Forgive me…but you must exist no more."
Ven shook his head rapidly, swallowing his hot dog with a uncomfortable gulp. Xion was staring at him, her eyes wide with concern.
"Ven? Are you alright?"
Ven took a large bite of the crispy fries to keep from answering. He wasn't sure whether or not Roxas and Xion knew that Master Eraqus had once raised his Keyblade against him, and he wasn't going to tell them. Not yet. Maybe not ever. Xion reached across the table and squeezed Ven's fingers.
"What happens now?" Roxas asked. "When we first got King Mickey's letter about all this stuff…we thought you guys weren't getting involved."
"I'm honestly not sure," Ven admitted. "I think that's what they might be discussing. King Mickey said something about the lines between life and death being blurred?"
"Yeah, I don't really understand it either," Roxas said. "But the bad guys aren't really using Heartless this time. I guess I don't see why it has to be people with Keyblades. Hercules did alright against the monsters in Olympus."
"I'm not sure that really matters," Xion said. "My job is to light the darkness and make people happy…whatever the bad guys are doing…wrong is still wrong."
"I think that's a good way to look at it," Ven said. "I didn't fight Heartless until the War. I mostly fought Unversed on my adventures. And monsters are monsters
Ven finished his hot dog and began to think. Lines between life and death…huh, he should have thought to ask Chirthy. Good ol' Chirithy had been in the Final World for ages. And the Final World was the…final stop for people whose "hearts and bodies" died at the same time. Ven glanced at his hand.
He couldn't really remember—it was kind of fuzzy. But when they had actually fought the Keyblade War…something bad had happened. Ven had been distracted with getting Terra back, but he remembered the man called Xigbar saying something about how the heroes couldn't cope with losing, so they cheated to get another chance.
That was the cause of this new conflict, right? But what did it all mean? He looked back at Roxas. He and Roxas were absolutely identical. The same hair, the same face, the same eyes. It was funny in a way, looking at someone who looked exactly like you. People said that Xion looked like Kairi and Naminé, but her hair was very different. Xion had been made from Sora's memories of Kairi—Ven still had no idea how that worked, or for that matter, where Xion got her shiny black hair from.
Ven's thoughts began to wander further back. Back to the days in the Land of Departure, when Master Eraqus was still alive. That had been so many years ago—over ten! But because of the way hearts worked, he had not aged.
Was that what it might be like for Sora, if they managed to bring him home? What if it took them a long, long time, and by the time Sora got home, everyone he knew was old? Ven shuddered at the thought. He and Aqua and Terra had been apart from each other for years, but his own heart had been so injured, he had barely noticed time had passed at all.
"Oh!"
Ven broke out of his self-reflection to see that Xion had been knocked to the ground by…a large yellow dog. Who was pawing at her shoulders and licking her face. Xion began laughing. Ven locked eyes with Roxas, who was smiling wider than Ven had ever seen.
"Haha, yes, Pluto, I missed you too—haha!"
"I didn't know you had a dog," Ven said. Xion didn't reply. Pluto was nuzzling her and bumping his head against hers. Xion squirmed under the dog's grip.
"He's not mine. He's King Mickey's," Xion gasped. "I'm just his friend-haha! Pluto, cut it out!"
The dog barked and began running around in circles. Xion got to her feet and began brushing herself off—the yellow fur stood out against her black robe, even with its ruined sleeve. The goose that had sold them the hot dogs tossed a chunk of hot dog to Pluto who gobbled it up and began running around more. Pluto raced around the corner and came back a moment later with a leash in his mouth.
"He wants us to take him for a walk?" Ven asked. "Is that allowed?"
"Oh, yes!" Xion crouched down to hook the leash onto Pluto's collar. "You might want to brace yourself, Pluto can run very fast!"
Pluto tore off down the path and Xion yelped as she was dragged after him. Roxas ran after her, roaring with laughter. Ven blinked in surprise for a moment, and then followed.
oooo
Mickey watched as Roxas, Xion, and Ven walked out of his library. None of them looked happy. Not even Ven.
"Ya know, I'm getting really tired of you always shooing the kids away whenever there's something icky you don't want them to hear."
Mickey turned to Axel. He had a point, and as a general rule, Mickey didn't like keepin' secrets from people. It felt wrong, like lying. But at the same time…well, sometimes it was better to keep somethin' secret for a little while until you were better prepared to explain it. That was why Mickey hadn't told Sora and Riku about Master Aqua and how she'd been lost in the Realm of Darkness. The hurt had been too much at the time, and Mickey hadn't had really known how to help her.
He still felt real guilty about it. Even though they cleared things up at that party at Destiny Islands and Master Aqua had said she hadn't blamed him for anything, Mickey still felt bad at how alone she must have felt. And that even though it hadn't been too long for her—there was no time in the Realm of Darkness—it had been an awful long time for him.
"It's not that I want this to be a secret, Axel," King Mickey said. "But this stuff is kind of complicated…and I don't wanna hurt Roxas and Xion's feelings."
Axel's eyes narrowed, and woo-boy, Mickey could see why he had been the Organization's assassin. He looked even angrier than he had when Master Yen Sid had shouted at Xion for summoning that mordite blade the other day.
"It's like this…I'm worried about them," Mickey said. And that was certainly the truth. He was worried about Roxas and Xion.
"About what? Roxas and Xion did just fine in the Land of Dragons. Better than fine," Axel curled his hands into fists. "What were they supposed to do, not kill the bad guys?"
"It's nothing like that!" Mickey said. "Please, don't misunderstand me, Axel."
"They fought just as hard as anyone else did, against Xehanort's replicas, and they did just as well," Aqua said. "And from what I saw, they both seem to have an affinity for light-based magic that Master Eraqus would be quite pleased by. What exactly are your concerns?"
"Well…part of it," Mickey said. "Part of it is that we still don't really know what we're facing."
"Excuse me?" Axel crossed his arms, and his eyebrows got more narrow. He looked ready to throw something.
"Do not direct your anger at Mickey, Lea. It is I who has the concerns," Master Yen Sid said. "I must admit I have reservations. Neither of the children has learned quite as much as I would have hoped about the nature of this threat."
"All that means is this time, the bad guys are actually good at keeping secrets," Axel shook his head. "I don't really see how that's really a problem. Or at least, we'd have that problem anyway. How is that their fault?"
"In truth, it isn't a shortcoming on their character, though I cannot help but wonder whether Sora would have discovered at least a clue by now. He certainly had a talent for obtaining information, even if he didn't understand it at the time. But of a more immediate concern, Xion was also one of the Seekers of Darkness," Master Yen Sid said. "And given her ability to copy such weapons of evil as blades of mordite, I cannot help but wonder…whether a piece of his heart still lingers within hers."
Forget throwing something, Axel looked ready to burn down his entire library.
"She said she was sorry. She meant no harm! You know this! How could you even think of such a thing?!"
"I have no doubts that her own intentions are for the good of us all, but she may well still be susceptible to darkness, moreso than any of us!" Master Yen Sid said sharply. "Do not misinterpret my caution for animosity, Lea."
Mickey chewed his lip. Master Yen Sid hadn't mentioned to him that he thought that Xion could still harbor a piece of Xehanort's heart. Was such a thing possible?
It definitely could be…Mickey thought back to the darker days. When Sora was asleep and Riku was grappling with the last remnants of Ansem, Seeker of Darknees, who remained in the deepest regions of Riku's heart. For so long, Riku fought against Ansem, held back the darkness, only to have to submit himself to it in order to subdue Roxas and awaken Sora.
And when Xehanort had shattered Kairi, he had stuck a piece of her heart inside of Mickey. And inside of Riku too. Sora had had to extract it in order to restore Kairi. But Mickey had felt…well, something. He hadn't realized it was Kairi at the time, even if he had figured out that Xehanort had shattered her…and Riku had said he could still feel Ansem's scent, however faint it was, after the battles in Castle Oblivion.
If Master Xehanort had truly left a piece of his heart inside Xion's heart, then Xion would have known it. And she hadn't said anything at all about that sort of thing. Roxas had said things were fine in Twilight Town. So then…there probably wasn't any trace of Xehanort still in Xion's heart.
"Master, if I may speak, while your concern is understandable, it's not possible," Terra said. "I had my own heart held captive by Xehanort. I know what how it felt to have to struggle for control of my body. There are undeniable traces, and I have no seen such things where she is concerned. Whether Xion has natural inclinations towards darkness is not for me to say—"
Axel looked like he wanted to object, but Isa put a hand on his shoulder. Axel exhaled sharply, and for a moment, Mickey thought he could see steam coming out of his nose. Behind him, Isa tightened his grip.
"What else needs to be done?" Isa asked. "What is the next mission you have for us, your Majesty?"
"Um…well, at the moment, there really isn't one," Mickey said. "We're still figurin' things out, and I guess…well, I guess you can get ready to go home. We'll call ya when we need ya."
Axel's shoulders slackened and Isa let him go. Mickey could see Donald and Goofy lookin' at each other and then back at him and then to the door where Roxas and Xion and Ven had left. Ansem the Wise and his guard Dilan both looked really uncomfortable.
"Yeah…alright," Axel said. "I'm gonna go…find the kids."
"Mickey," Ansem the Wise said. "If I may have a word…"
xxxx
"It's been quite a long time, hasn't it Mickey?" Ansem said, as they walked along the ramparts of Disney Castle. "And yet, it seems like only yesterday that you first came into my chambers to discuss the fates of the worlds."
"It's been almost eleven years, Ansem," Mickey said. "And for what it's worth, you don't look any older."
"Unfortunately, I'm quite a bit older than I look," Ansem chuckled. "Such is the nature of age. Some do it gracefully and others age far too quickly. Goodness knows I ruined things for little Ienzo."
"But somethin' tells me that ya brought me here for different reasons than just to think about the old days."
"Indeed…I don't pretend to know everything Mickey, and the more I learn, the more I realize just how little I know…" Ansem said. "But I do have to say that I think that your master was mistaken about the children."
"I didn't know he was going to say what he said," Mickey said. "I really didn't. Master Yen Sid knew Xehanort though, before either of us met him. They grew up together with Master Eraqus, who trained Terra and Aqua and Ven."
"And if there were any who would have the most to fear about Xehanort, and the most haunting memories related to his own efforts in the struggle, it is fair that it would be the one who knew him longest," Ansem said. "But my concern is more that you are not discussing this with the children directly."
"I didn't want to confront them in the library though. I didn't want to put them on the spot," Mickey said. "But maybe I could have handled things better…"
"If I may, Mickey, how well do you know Roxas and Xion?"
"Er…well…to be honest, not well at all," Mickey admitted. "We've really only fought side-by-side once. But I'd like to get to know 'em better. Sora and Riku are really great friends."
Ansem gestured towards one of the courtyards, where the statue of Sora had been put up not long after the Keyblade War. Mickey could see Axel was talking to Roxas and Xion and Ven. Pluto was there too, nuzzling Xion's cheek.
"It'd be best to speak to them now," Ansem said. "Before the rift gets too large to mend."
Mickey nodded at Ansem and walked down the rampart. A few minutes later, he was at the courtyard where the Sora statue stood. Xion had pressed herself to Axel's chest.
"Roxas? Xion? Do ya have a minute? There's something I think I should talk to ya about…"
oooo
In a dark corner of the world where the runty King Mickey ruled, a half dozen gathered in secret, at Pete's request. Some were like him, and had once called this realm home, others were strangers to it. But all had conquest in their hearts. They'd been pushed around and pushed to the side, by runts who didn't deserve the power they had.
"Things are gettin' complicated," Pete said, looking to the people he had summoned one at a time. "The Keybrats is a lot tougher than they look. And now there's more of them gettin' involved. We need to re-stragerize."
"Just give me another chance, and I'll get 'em," the Big Bad Wolf snarled. "Never fought no-one with a Keyblade before, but I knows better now. I want my pound of flesh."
"The old Organization runts know you though, and that other runt is good at wind magic," Pete shook his head. "We probably oughta hold ya back till later."
"Fine…just get me the chance when it comes. I got a cookbook with them brats' names on it. Roasted and filleted and fried…"
Pete shook his head as Big Bad Wolf went on about how he wanted to cook the brats. Pete was no stranger to beatin' runts up and showin' 'em who was boss. But cookin' and eatin' was too much for him.
"That arrow trick of yours almost worked back in Olympus," Pete said, turning to one of the figures. "Can't ya do it again? And this time, do it to one of them Keybrats?"
"Unfortunately," Eris said in a clipped tone, "My magic is quite different here. I do not know how effective my powers are, compared to my own world. My strength is still considered super-human, but there is still much I need to test. What's more, those…replicates, was it? They know my tactics."
"Sounds to me like you're just a big chicken!" The Big Bad Wolf said. "And this world's full of 'em, so you're gonna fit right in!"
"I will not be spoken to like that!" Eris snapped. "You were too busy nursing injuries children gave you to be aware of this, but with Hades's imprisonment, I am now the one best able to control the Heartless among the gods of Olympus! And it is I who will summon them to this world!"
"You're not gonna be able to do anything with that stupid Cornerstone being around!" Pete said, putting his hands on his hips. He shuffled his weight around. "Now what about you, ol' timer? You feelin' stronger yet?"
"But of course," the hooded figure said. "I was able to take the strength of the Huns for myself as they fell. So too did I gain the power of many of those who fell in Olympus."
"Oh, really?" Pete said. "Well, that might be something against the mousey king. He's tougher than he looks though."
"I have a greater history with the Mouse than you realize," The hooded figure said coldly. "Further back than most."
Pete didn't say anything to that. He already knew exactly who the hooded figure was, and he also knew that he boasted magic better than anyone other than Maleficent. That could come in handy when the time came.
"What happens now, anyway?" The Big Bad Wolf asked. "Maly-ficent said we were to stand down."
Before Pete could answer, one of them Dark Corridors opened up. And Maleficent stepped out of it, tall and proud and scary-looking.
"You are to operate from the shadows," Maleficent said. "The lines between those who would oppose us are present, but the bonds are strong."
Yeah, tell Pete something he didn't already know. Them Keybearers who had been taught the old ways from a long time ago were a team, and them other Keybearers from the Organization were a team. The old-fashioned ones really weren't friends with the others though, 'cept the runt. Runts always seemed to make friends with each other.
"Might be too strong," Pete said. "That could count against 'em."
"How do ya figure that?" The Big Bad Wolf asked. "Stronger is better."
"Strength is not to be undervalued," Maleficent said, "But true power comes from knowledge. And it is with knowledge that we shall be victorious. These Replicas…they are not of the natural order."
"No kidding," Pete said. "But what does that mean for us? They're still just as tough."
"They were brought into existence by the shattering of natural law. And who better to help us understand that than another?"
"You don't mean?" Pete said.
"Yes Pete…contact the Doctor."
A/N: And with that, another chapter is complete, my dear, dear readers. I apologize for the delay it took in getting this out. I had a lot of trouble with the confrontation scenes. I want to make very clear that I am still very fond of Master Yen Sid. But conflict is necessary for story-telling and this seemed a natural turn of events.
It might be a while before the next chapter is written. There are some one-shots I want to experiment with, and I want to consider my own original creative works as well.
Thank you for reading my dear readers! Leave a comment if you please! I appreciate each and every one of you!