So, how bout that TGS stuff!? I can't wait for the demo for MoM!

Also, I may not be able to update next week… maybe. Not sure yet. We will see.

But yeah, enjoy the chapter…

Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!

My OCs © to me!

Other OCs © to their respective owners!

Chapter 27: Rift Part 1

Kairi rubbed her eyes before downing a cup of coffee.

"You're downing coffee this morning like Phinehas downs martinis after a meeting." Aegis moved the cup away from her hands. "Wanna talk about it?"

"Bad dream."

"You seem to have a lot of those lately."

"Yeah, things aren't really going well…" Kairi sighed. "I don't know what to do."

"Same."

Kairi reached for her coffee cup, but Aegis pushed a water cup into her hand instead. "Hey!"

"Too much coffee will not only dehydrate you, but you can become addicted to the caffeine. No more coffee today, and no energy drinks."

With a pout, Kairi drank the water in her cup, glaring over the top at him. "I saw Yozora last night. He was in the training room, tearing up the dummies."

"He does that when he's mad. I saw him go to his room this morning, probably to crash."

"Probably."

They sat there, silently, before Aegis stood up. "Let's go on patrol."

"You hate patrol."

"Yes, but it will get us off base and distract us. You coming?"

"Sure."

The two walked out of base, side-by-side. Kairi glanced over at him. At least one good thing had come. Aegis now considered her a friend, and she him.

They turned out the front door and down the street. "So, Aegis, other than the thing you made us swear not to talk about, I don't really know much about you."

"Because I don't talk about myself. I'm not the mushy, feely type."

"Alright, then why don't you tell me about what Fitz called you. Arithmo- something."

"Arithmomaniac." The young man adjusted his glasses. "Do you know what OCD is?"

She nodded. "My mom has it."

"Arithmomania is a branch of it. I have a compulsive desire to count things. I learned to do it in my head when I was a kid, but it does slip into conversation many times."

Kairi slowly nodded. He did count things a lot, so it made sense. "So, you're counting things right now?"

"I've counted how many steps we've taken since we left the base. I try to focus on one thing at a time when I'm talking. Helps me focus."

"How many steps then?"

"Sixty and counting."

Kairi giggled. "It's kinda cool that you can do that. I lose track of counting all the time, and I just generally suck at math."

"You're trying to turn this into a mushy 'spill your life story' conversation, aren't you?"

Dangit!

"Yeah…"

He smirked. "If you want that, you'll have to try a lot harder."

"I guess I wi-"

BOOM!

Just as the two rounded the corner of the first city block, a shockwave knocked them to their knees. They turned as smoke began billowing out of the base.

"What now!?

"Are you sure that's what you saw?"

"I'm sure, Mickey." Isa grunted as he screwed on a new door hinge. "He had Xehanort's Keyblade."

Ven looked up at Aqua. "Do you think-?"

"No. If it was Xehanort, we'd know by now. And anyways, I think he's gone for good."

Xion wrapped her arms around herself. "Who could it have been then?"

"Don't know, but they wanted to get rid of the data on the computer. They don't want us saving Sora and getting Kairi home."

Riku glanced over at Naminé. She'd been avoiding their gaze since their earlier conversation. She glanced over at him before averting her eyes again. What was up with her?

"Done." Isa stepped back, admiring the door. "Everything is back to normal, house-wise."

"This house is really your baby." Axel laughed as he walked in with a tray of coffee cups.

"You better believe it. Kosho and this house. And that guy last night messed with both… no one tries to kill my dog though. If I see that guy again, I'm pounding his head in."

Roxas reached over, rubbing Kosho between the ears. "He seems alright now."

"Not the point," Xion wrapped her arms around the dog, letting him lick her chin, "the fact that anyone would try to hurt this beautiful baby boy means they must pay!"

Axel glanced over at Isa, who sipped his coffee. "You're rubbing off on her."

"Good. Maybe then we'll have two braincells in this house instead of one."

"HEY!"

The others laughed.

Things felt tense, but this made everything lighten.

Riku's eyes stared at the front door, every part of him just wanting to run out and search for that guy in black, but if the guy wanted the computer so badly, he'd be back. Leaving would just leave the computer unprotected.

Then-

The door creaked open, red fingers curling around it.

"Guys!" He summoned his Keyblade as the Darkling poked a head in.

Hello

Hello

It twitched as it giggled.

But it didn't enter.

Still here

Still here

Even while it burns

All burns

To ashes

Ashes

"Burns?"

"What's burning!?"

The Darkling giggled and slipped back out the door. Riku and Goofy charged out the door first.

No sign of the Heartless.

But…

"Smoke!" Goofy pointed.

A massive cloud of smoke rose from over the town.

"The town!" Roxas bolted for the gate into town.

"Roxas wait!" Axel followed after him.

Terra glanced around. "We need to hurry, but one should stay behind."

"I will," Naminé piped up, "I wouldn't be much help. I'll wait here and watch the computer."

"If the mansion starts to burn, get out fast."

"I will."

Isa turned to his dog. "Kosho, stay!" Then he too ran toward the town.

They all ran as fast as they could, ducking under the door to town, to find festival décor in flames. Flame core Heartless bounced around, spewing flames at anything and everything.

"Evacuate everyone to the station! And put out that fire!"

"Got it!"

Roxas and Axel, way ahead, could be seen pounding every Heartless in sight, their eyes mad with fury. No one trashed their home!

"Axel!" Zell ran over from amid the smoke, "What are these things!?"

"Heartless! Leave them to us! Get everyone out."

"Got it!"

People, heads ducked low, ran by, avoiding the Heartless and the flames as best they could.

Aqua, Donald, Mickey, and Xion focused their magic on putting out the fires. The others smashed the Heartless.

"Guys!" Hayner ran over, a struggle bat clenched in his fist. "Let us help!"

"You can help by getting people out of danger." Isa called.

"But-"

Roxas rounded on his friend. "I know you want to help, but you can't. These things will kill you! Go!"

Hayner stepped back at the fury in his friend's eyes. "A-alright. But don't you guys die on us either."

"We won't!"

Riku looked around as the boy ran off. Smoke blackened the sky, making it look redder than usual. Blood red.

Flames leapt from buildings.

It seemed like most people were outside at the time due to the festival.

Killing people was not the intent.

But what was?

His gummi phone rang.

Bad timing.

He pulled it out, to glance at the ID. "Beck?"

"Riku!" The program called. "The person from last night is trying to delete the data again!"

That was it!

Riku turned, bolting back toward the mansion. He wouldn't let them cut off that link!

He wouldn't let anyone keep his friends away from him again.

"Look out!" Someone slammed into him, knocking him to the ground.

Riku looked up. Part of a flaming banner lay where he'd just been. "Thanks!"

"No problem." A boy with white hair and spiky black bangs helped him up. "The monsters are the other way you know."

"Not all of them. Thanks for the help, but you need to get to safety. Go!"

He took off again, ducking through the woods, now thick with smoke.

For a moment, he thought he could hear the giggling of the Darklings as he burst through the mansion door and ran downstairs.

Aegis and Kairi dashed back to base as some of the building office staff poured out.

They saw a blurry figure shoot something at the balcony in the middle of the room, shattering it.

The figure landed.

"I-it can't be…"

"Yozora! What are you doing!?"

Yozora turned around. Kairi just now noticed his hair looked longer, scruffier. And when he looked her in the eyes, she gasped.

Both red eyes.

"Frode."

Yozora, or now Frode, held up a modified crossbow.

"We need to snap him out of it!"

"Yeah!"

Aegis drew his blade, rushing forward. Yozora/Frode turned around, blocking the oncoming attack. "So, you're these friends he cares for so much."

Kairi slipped under Aegis' sword, coming up with her own strike.

As she did, a crossbow bolt hit her square in the chest.

She gasped, tumbling backwards.

"Kairi!"

"One down." Aegies managed to jump back before another crossbow bolt fired.

"Kairi!" Lucky ran from her supply room, shotgun in hand. "Are you-"

The princess groaned. "I'm fine… that just hurt."

"Yozora! What are you doing!?"

Aiko and Cid came out of the hanger doors. Alexis, Stella, and Vallis from upstairs. Cat and Atlas from the medical bay.

"And here they all come." Yozora/Frode huffed. "I hoped to finish this quickly, but no matter. All of you dying will give him little to fight back for."

"Frode!? What have you done to Yozora!?" Aiko pointed her gun at the man.

"I did? He gave up. So, I gave him resolve! I gave him a purpose. To force open those doors and kill my own creation. The gigas are no longer under my control, so they must perish."

"And then you take over the world instead?"

"Yes. And you can help me." Yozora/Frode held up his blade. "Help me or die."

Alexis hefted up her weapon. "I've got no plans tomorrow, so might as well die here today."

"That's right!"

Kairi stood up, pulling away from Lucky. "I guess we're doing this."

"Guess so." Lucky pumped her shotgun.

Frode glanced around. "Fine then." Digital particles sprouted from the crossbow, becoming gigas. "Die."

Kairi rolled away from a giga as Lucky unloaded her shotgun into it. "Get to Yozora! You guys have to snap him out of it!"

The girl ran toward her old friend, seeing Aegis do the same.

"Yozora! Snap out of it! You're hurting your friends!"

Kairi held up her Keyblade in time to block another shot from the crossbow. Yozora/Frode warped away, leaving small orbs in his wake.

"Get back!"

Lasers erupted from the orbs.

Aegis grunted as Yozora/Frode appeared beside him.

Kairi cast Thundra, shorting out the laser orbs, before running to her friend's aid.

"Yozora! Come back!"

"He's not coming back. So, be quiet and die."

"You know," a new voice called, "I'd like my friend back."

Yozora/Frode turned as ice jutted up around him.

"Now return Yozora."

"Magia!?"

The red-haired young man, dressed in prison clothes, walked toward them, rapiers in hand. "Thank the general. Now, what's say the three of us cut this guy down to size for Yozora?"

"Sounds like a plan to me."

Yozora/Frode warped out of the ice, firing lasers at the three of them.

"Behind me!"

Aegis held up his blade, a shield forming over him as the two leapt behind him.

"Kairi," Magia smiled warmly, "I have an idea. I can get you behind him."

She looked into his eyes. "Tell me."

Yozora/Frode transformed his small sword into a mirror version of Aegis' before slamming down onto the shield.

Aegis' shield broke apart, the two swordsmen clashing.

Magia leapt to the right, one rapier pointed at Yozora/Frode as flames blossomed from it.

Yozora/Frode jumped back, just noticing a track of ice to his left before Kairi slammed into him from behind. "Yozora! Come back!"

The man rolled over, swiping Kairi's legs out from under her. "You. I know what you are."

"Don't touch her!"

Magia appeared behind Yozora/Frode, ready to stab, but a giga materialized, grabbing both him and Aegis.

"That should keep them occupied."

Kairi pushed herself up. "What do you mean?"

"You're from another worldline, like me. But I came through the door. You didn't. All for this boy of yours."

Kairi grit her teeth. "You know nothing!"

"I know your Keyblade is on the verge of breaking." He glanced at it, eyes scouring the cracks. "Just like your heart. And yet you fight on. I like that."

"Huh!?"

He lunged forward, slamming into her. "Do you know how I conquered my own worldline? I implanted chips in people, controlling their every thought and action. Didn't have time to do that here last time."

Kairi shoved him back, slashing at him.

"But now, I have the time." Yozora/Frode warped, appearing beside her.

Kairi blocked.

"You'll be my first servant. My second in command."

"No!" Kairi cast Fira at him, forcing him to warp once more.

"I'll control everyone eventually. So, sooner or later you'll fall. Might as well get it over with sooner than later. You'll never see that Sora boy again, but you won't care anymore anyway-"

"You're wrong!" The girl snapped. "I'll always care about him!"

Yozora/Frode raised an eyebrow. "Shall we test that then?"

The red blade vanished, replaced with a fake Keyblade.

Sora's.

"Now, let's see this resolve of yours in action."

Kairi grit her teeth, tightening her grip on her Keyblade till her knuckles turned white.

She charged.

Riku charged down the stairs.

"Nami!"

The blonde girl lay on the ground, wrapped around Kosho. They both seemed unconscious, but mostly unharmed.

Riku paused, wanting nothing more to help Naminé back up. He cast Curza. Before running past. A man in a black coat stood over the computer, arms crossed in annoyance.

He looked over as Riku ran in.

"Get away from there!"

The man seemed to sigh, his shoulders drooping before he held out his hand. A Keyblade, Xehanort's Keyblade, appearing in his grasp.

Riku lunged forward as the man pointed the Keyblade forward.

Lightning crackled across the dark blade, arching through the air.

Not at Riku.

At the computer.

"NO!"

The lightning struck the computer.

The screen fizzled and flashed. Smoke poured from the machine.

"You lose." The figure whispered before warping away.

"No!" Riku ran to the computer, trying his hardest to do something. Anything. "NO! NO! NO!"

"Is that the last of them?"

"I think so."

Xion looked around. Buildings looked singed, some blackened from the flames. "The festival is ruined this year…"

"Yeah…"

"Don't worry about it." Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge walked toward them. "We were able to get everyone out. No one was seriously hurt."

"Buildings can be fixed."

"And we were planning on staying up all night tonight anyway for the last night of the festival. We can all help fix things all night!"

Roxas looked away. "Axel, do you think this was our fault?"

"I don't. I do think this was planned, but not by us. And we couldn't have known this would happen, so blaming ourselves would just make things worse on our end."

Terra looked around. "Where's Riku?"

"Not sure."

"The mansion." Out of the smoke walked a boy with white hair and black bangs. His green eyes glinted in the warm light. "If you're talking about the guy with silver hair, he went to the mansion. Seemed to be in a hurry too."

Isa narrowed his eyes. "The computer."

"Then, this whole fire was a distraction-"

"To get us away from the computer."

Mickey clenched his fists. "Isa, why don't you, Terra, and I go back and check on Riku. The rest of you can help here."

"Sounds good."

Terra nodded. "And thanks for the ti-" He turned, but the boy who'd given them the information was gone. "Tip… Where'd he go?"

"Don't know." Wedge shrugged.

Biggs scratched his head. "I've never seen that kid before though."

"Who was he then…?"

"Riku?" Naminé walked into the room, gasping at the ruined computer.

Riku sat, hunched over, staring at his gummi phone.

"I'm on my way right now!" Was that Ienzo's voice?

"Thanks…" He looked up. "Nami? What happened?"

The girl walked over to him. "I came down here with Kosho to watch the computer. You hadn't been gone long and he just appeared. I tried to protect Kosho. What did he do?"

"He fried the computer."

"He what!?" Terra, Isa, and Mickey stood in the doorway.

"Don't worry." A cloud poofed into existence, revealing Ienzo and Merlin. "Sorry if we startled you, but I figured this was faster than the gummi ship. Thank you, Merlin."

"No problem, my boy."

The wizard vanished as Ienzo inspected the computer. "We backed up all the files multiple times, and in multiple places. Master Ansem believed in having backup plans." He walked over to a wall and pressed in a button. "Hence why he not only built a backup computer here, but also had an extra server, not connected to the other one physically."

The wall slid open to reveal a smaller computer, completely functioning.

"Wh-what!?"

"We had a feeling someone might try and stop us. Well, Master Ansem did. He's very paranoid about his work you know."

"Yeah, we know."

Ienzo booted up the new computer. "Everything should be in working order already."

Riku let out a long sigh. For once, Ansem's paranoia managed to work in their favor. "Should we test it?"

"I think so. We can quickly check up on Kairi just to make sure it's all working. Nami, you'll have to tell us if it's safe to watch."

"Ok."

The boys all turned away as Naminé started up the program. "I think it's… Kairi!"

Riku turned around, eyes fixing on the screen.

All eyes on the screen.

As it happened.

"No…!"

"Kairi!"

Is that an unnecessary cliffhanger I spy!?

Yes!

Enjoy the wait for the next one!