AN: Guess who's back, back again. Shiloh and Shadow, tell a friend. Guess who's back, guess who's back, guess who's back...


-Roxas, Beacon Academy-

The mug was warm as he brought it to his lips, quietly sipping the hot coco as his eyes stared intently at the television before them. The channel was set to the news, the broadcast detailing the events of just a handful of hours earlier as 'breaking news'. Sirens flashed behind a youthful reporter with a pretty face as she began to speak. Police had filled the entire compound, many escorting White Fang members one after another to the numerous squad cars and paddy wagons in the background.

The reporter addressed the camera, wearing a serious expression as she did. "From what has been uncovered, it appears that within this very warehouse holds the answer to the many accounts of Dust robbery committed by the White Fang in the recent months. Our experts are looking inside now, but from what they have been able to tell in these early hours we can determine that the several hundreds of pounds of Dust stolen had been rigged into explosive devices. What these bombs were planned for is currently unknown, although authorities assure us that through the dozens of White Fang members currently in custody, they will know the answer soon."

"Well, obviously they were gonna blow something up, duh." Nora said only a few paces away. The group had decided to gather within team Rainbow's dorm room, pulling chairs and blankets from neighboring rooms before huddling around the television to wait for the news report. Each member of teams PRJR and RNBY as well as Weiss, Namine, Neptune and Sun had blankets wrapped around them and hot drinks in their hands. All was there except for Qrow, who had decided to retire to his own room within Vale—or at least that's the excuse he'd given shortly after recovering.

"I believe she means that they don't know where the bombs were going to blow up, Nora." Ren answered calmly, sitting just next to the red-head as he lifted his cup of tea to his lips.

"There was so much…" Ruby muttered, taking a sip from her own hot cocoa. "I can't imagine what they could have done with that much Dust."

"Nothing good, that's for sure." Roxas answered with an arm wrapped around her. Ruby had decided to share Roxas' blanket, wrapping it around them both before leaning on the young man. Roxas didn't particularly mind the added body heat as Ruby rested a head on his shoulder, eyes still intent on the screen.

The news report continued. "Experts say that the amount of destructive force currently being confiscated within the warehouse was enough to level even the Vytal festival stadium, as well as much, much more had these criminals not been caught in time. There is no telling what damage could have been done to the Vale had some not so likely heroes stepped in."

"Ohhh! Here we come!" Sun said excitedly, bouncing in his chair with an eager smile on his face.

"We managed to get an interview with several participants of this sting operation, although, some decided they wanted to remain anonymous in their involvements during these events."

The scene changed to one with Yang staring into the camera with a confident grin plastered on her face.

The reporter stood next to her and asked, "Yang Xiao Long, you are the leader of team Rainbow still currently attending Beacon academy. Is that correct?"

Yang leaned in to speak into the mic. "Sure am."

"Now, why don't you tell us what transpired here today?"

"Oh, it was awesome." Without asking, she took the mic from the reporter who looked surprised as she did. "So, first what happened…" Yang's charisma was infectious as she recounted the events that occurred just outside the compound, retelling just how many members of the White Fang were involved and how her team as well as some members of team Purger had been forced to take them all down.

The scene shifted so that Neptune and Sun's faces were now on the screen.

"Hey!" Neptune exclaimed, pointing. "There's us!" Both he and Sun bounced excitedly in their seats as the interviewer asked a few questions before rapidly cutting away to a new face.

Sun frowned. "Awe, they cut out the part where I described that awesome front flip kick I did that made that one guy spiral into the air. I can't believe that cut that out!"

"And our segment was so short!" Neptune pouted.

The group silently watched on.

"Roxas, if I'm not mistaken, you are a key member involved in a previous sting operation against the White Fang a handful of months back, is that correct?"

"Yeah." he answered flatly, looking uncomfortable as the camera focused on him.

"Would you care to share your involvement in this matter?"

"Not really." he answered truthfully.

Ruby let out a giggle. "Way to be super charismatic there, Roxas." She teased, poking him in the side as she did.

Roxas flashed an embarrassed smile. "I don't like interviews."

The reporter appeared bewildered by his answer, stammering as she attempted to recover. "Um...other members of your teams have reported that you were a crucial part of the success of this mission. Would you please tell us what you did as a Huntsman in training?"'

The blond shrugged uncomfortably. "I fought a lot of people for a real long time. That's it, really."

The reporter's mic remained at Roxas' mouth for a moment longer, expecting more to his answer before flashing an annoyed look and returning it to her lips. "Well, thank you for your efforts during this operation. I'm certain that the nation of Vale thanks you."

"No problem." He responded flatly before walking away. The reporter lifted a hand as if to call out that she wasn't done with the interview, but Roxas had already walked off screen.

Pyrrha let out a polite laugh. "Wow. I never thought of just walking away during an interview. I should have tried that during some of mine."

"It works, clearly." Wiess commented, taking a sip of her coffee.

The interviews continued one by one as each of their faces appeared on screen. The reporter made sure to thank each and every one of them for their brave efforts at stopping what could have been the White Fangs' most devastating attack on Vale yet. Each face appeared on screen except Blake and Ren, who'd decided not to give an interview. Qrow's face had also failed to appear on screen, but that had been due to the Huntsman's decision to leave before the police had arrived. Something about not wanting to steal the spotlight, if Roxas remembered correctly.

Finally, Ozpin's face appeared on screen, having arrived shortly after at the compound.

"Headmaster Ozpin, thank you for deciding to take the time to share an interview with us on such short notice. I'm sure the people of Vale would love to know your involvement in this matter considering many of the students involved currently attend Beacon."

"No problem at all. And, as for my involvement in this operation, I had none. My students acted completely outside of my control. Had I known, I would have certainly tasked several of my best Huntsman and Huntresses to deal with the matter, as well as informed the proper authorities before initiating such a dangerous operation."

The reporter raised a curious eyebrow at the comment. "In that case, what are your thoughts in regards to the students who decided to take it upon themselves to stop such a dangerous organization?"

Ozpin's calm, almost cheerful demeanor hardened. "I think it was blatantly irresponsible, and that such plans should have been reported to me before taking place. While this sting was successful, they are very much still Huntsmen and Huntresses in training. Such matters should be handled by proper authorities as well as fully trained Huntsmen and Huntresses."

Blake scoffed. "If we'd gone to the police, the White Fang would have gotten out of that warehouse before a sting could have even been planned. I know they had a rat. There's no way that would have worked." The Faunus crossed her arms, annoyed.

"Does that mean you are not proud of their efforts tonight?" the reporter continued.

Ozpin's harsh expression eased. "Not at all. I'm incredibly proud to know that so many of my students were capable enough to ensure such a difficult task was handled correctly. That is not to say I condone these actions, but I am proud to say that I am their headmaster."

The news report continued just as a knock pulled their eyes to the door. They each shot one another considering looks before Yang rose to answer the door. When she did, the entire room froze. Cups rising to thirsty lips halted and quiet whispered conversations died as Headmaster Ozpin stepped into the room.

"Hello, students." he said as his eyes scanned the room, taking them all in as he did. A second later, Qrow stepped into the room beside the man, shutting the door as he did.

"I guess that clears up the mystery of where he went." Xion murmured coldly within Roxas' mind.

Both Namine and Weiss rose to their feet, prompting others to do the same before Ozpin's hand lifted in a gesture for them to stop. "Please, take a seat. I know it's been a long night for all of you. Rest, this won't be long."

Nervous glances were shared amongst the group as the few who'd risen took to their seats again. Their eyes all asked the same question. If Ozpin had expressed his distaste for their acting outside of his knowledge, then what would he be here to tell them now?

It was only Roxas who didn't share this discomfort.

"Wait, he's not going to punish us, is he?" Xion asked, confused, "I mean, didn't you go ahead of time and tell him about what was going on?"

Roxas blinked, surprised. "Wait," He responded with a frown. "You were there for that?"

"...Yes."

"Just how long have you been here?"

"I don't think we should be focusing on that now. Let's hear what the Headmaster has to say." Xion responded sheepishly, clearly wanting to change the topic.

Roxas let out a sigh, mentally noting to ask Xion about the matter later as he addressed Ozpin again.

"First things first, " the headmaster began in a calm voice. "I'd like to congratulate you all on your success in last night's raid. From what reports say, it must have been a harrowing ordeal."

"Y-yeah." Jaune responded, doing his best to—and failing to—keep the anxiety out of his voice. "It did get pretty hairy out there…"

"So I can imagine." Ozpin smiled at Jaune, causing the teen to relax slightly in his chair. "That being said, I must address some issues that I cannot ignore." Roxas watched as the entire room tensed, their eyes widening slightly as Ozpin's lips curled into a frown.

The headmaster's eyes flickered to the tv screen still playing the news report before continuing. "I can see that you're all already watching the news regarding this event. As I said in my interview, I feel it irresponsible to let such a dangerous task fall to students, and as such I am required to discipline your group for your brass actions."

Blake suddenly rose, furious. "If we'd gone to the police then the White Fang would have already been gone by the time someone got there! They have a rat! I know it."

Ozpin's eyebrows rose slightly as his eyes fell on Blake. Despite his calm, authoritative stare focusing on her solely now, Blake's determined expression didn't waver.

"That may be the case, Ms. Belladonna. There has been much speculation on whether or not the local police force currently have an informant within their ranks. That being said, I still wish your group would have felt comfortable enough to tell me at the very least."

Blakes sharp gaze pulled away with shame. Many of the other students bore similar expressions.

"But wait, we did tell him, didn't we?" Xion asked, clearly confused.

"Yeah, but the rest of them don't know that, so shush!"

"It's not like any of them could hear me anyway!" Roxas could picture the girl huffing, her hands on her hips in an annoyed fashion.

"Moving forward, I would like all of you to know that information passed through me will not necessarily be information passed to the authorities." Eyes shot up, staring curiously at the Headmaster now. "I have been a Huntsman for quite some time now, and I understand that not all situations can be handled through the proper channels. All I ask is that in the future when a situation like this comes up, to come to me before making any rash decisions."

"...But, you're still gonna punish us?" Yang asked in a flat tone, her arms crossed as she leaned against the wall beside the door.

Ozpin's smile faltered. "Yes, unfortunately, it would look bad on my part if I did not assign some sort of punishment for your lack of transparency over the last few days."

There was a collected groan across the room.

"B-but!" Ruby stammered, raising a finger as she did. "We did something good, didn't we? Wouldn't it have been bad if we didn't find out what the White Fang was up to sooner?"

Ozpin's smile returned. "Indeed, Ms. Rose. From the Dust bombs collected, there isn't a single doubt in my mind that something catastrophic may have occurred had it not been for your collective efforts."

"Then why are you punishing us?" Namine demanded as she rose to her feet with a stomp. Surprised eyes all found hers as she continued, seemingly unaware of the newfound attention. "We stopped a major attack! Some of us—no—all of use could have died in that attack! It's not fair that we get punished on top of all that!"

The Headmaster lifted a hand, signalling for the blonde to stop. "Perhaps, Namine, you would be willing to allow me to finish before you come to any conclusions."

Namine's mouth opened to continue before she stopped herself, nodding that she understood and falling back to her seat.

"You're collective punishment for operating outside of the authorities or my own consent will be a suspension of one week's time."

The room filled with groans and bitter comments, as well as several 'come ons!'.

"In addition," Ozpin continued with a curious, knowing smile that made Roxas' eyes narrow on the man. "I have let your teachers all know that any assignment handed out during this time is to be excused completely, and that any assignments due during this week will be graded at full marks for your absence."

There was a collective look of confusion across the room as heads turned to make sure they were all hearing the same thing.

"What?" Weiss finally asked.

"That will be your punishment." Ozpin stated simply. "And as for Sun and Neptune, I'll let the teachers on your end know of my request. I'm certain that they'll be willing to allow such a punishment."

The Headmaster turned as he finished his statement, walking towards the door as Qrow opened it. Before he exited, he waved a hand back at them. "And please, do get some rest. It seems that you all have some time to sleep in this morning." He swiftly exited the door just as Qrow made to do the same.

Before he cleared the threshold, he turned to regard the group with a smile. "Good job, kiddos. You're gonna make some of the best Huntsmen and Huntresses the world has ever seen." Without another word, the door closed.

"...What just happened?" Nora questioned.

"I think," Pyrrha answered with brows furrowed. "That Professor Ozpin just gave us all a week of school off."

"But, that doesn't sound like a 'punishment', right?" Xion asked, confused.

Roxas merely smiled. "Yeah, I think that's the point."

"He's rewarding us in his 'headmaster' way." Weiss said simply, calmly raising her cup of coffee to her lips. "He couldn't outright give us a reward, not with the press all over this story. So, this was what he could do for us."

"Oh...that makes sense." Namine nodded along, before smiling and looking to the rest of the group. "So, week-long vacation?"

The group gave a collective cheer as Roxas' head lowered, his lips pulling into a subtle frown.

Ruby leaned over, giving the teen a squeeze. "You okay?"

He nodded, forcing a smile to his face. "Just fine. A week-long vacation sounds great."

"You haven't told them…" Xion remarked with a cautious tone.

Just as the group began to talk about what they would be doing during this vacation, some deciding to go to the beach, other's remarking about how ice-skating might be fun, a ringing sound began to fill the room.

Heads looked all around before Weiss pulled out a ringing scroll from her pocket, shooting the device a raised eyebrow as she did. Her icy blue eyes regarded the screen for a moment before her face went pale.

Weiss leaned over. "Something wrong?"

"I-it's…" Weiss began slowly as the scroll continued to vibrate in her hand. "My dad."

The entire group fell quiet, their eyes all sharing nervous glances as they did.

"I guess...I have to answer, huh?" Weiss' nervous gaze found Namine's. She nodded. After a deep breath, Weiss brought the scroll to her face. "Hello, father. I hope this morning finds you well."

There was a long pause as Weiss listened to the voice on the other end. Roxas could hear a male voice speaking to her, but couldn't make out any of the words. The entire group remained silent as they awaited the call to end, with Weiss inputting a 'yes, sir.' or a 'that is correct.' every now and again.

"I hope she's not in too much trouble…" Ruby whispered alongside him.

Finally, the scroll fell from Weiss' ear, the teen's eyes wide with shock.

"What'd he say?" Namine asked in a nervous whisper.

"He said…" Weiss began in a numb tone, her expression blank. "That he was proud of me. He told me that this event couldn't have looked better for the Schnee Dust Company, having their heiress to the company being a part of recovering so much Dust stolen from them." she swallowed, still appearing dumbstruck. "He even said that—after finding out that our team hasn't been completely filled out, that there is a surplus of applicants flooding in from Atlas looking to join us." Weiss' eyes found Namine's a moment later before she added, "Is this real life? Or a dream?"

Namine grinned wickedly before reaching out and pinching the Schnee in white. "Ow! Hey!"

"Seems pretty real to me!" Namine beamed before the entire room erupted in cheer once more with many congratulating Weiss on her good fortune. Before long, the conversation transitioned back to talk of what exactly they all planned to do over the break. Roxas remained sitting where he was, his mind on other matters as the group continued their discussion. Eventually, Ruby broke away to talk to Yang about something, leaving Roxas to stare hard at the floor between his feet.

"You need to tell them."

"I can't. It would endanger everyone."

"You can't win this fight on your own!" Xion demand.

"You don't know that. I'm stronger than I've ever been. If I get everyone involved, then they might not make it!"

"Roxas!" He could picture Xion stomping her foot within his mind. "Going off and getting yourself killed won't help anything, either!"

"I wont get myself killed!"

"Didn't you decide you weren't going to keep secrets from your friends?" She asked in an accusatory tone.

Roxas blinked, surprised by the comment. "This...this isn't a secret. I'm just...not letting them know is all."

"That's like, the textbook definition of what a secret is!"

"I'll tell them about it afterwards!"

A ding from his scroll pulled the young blond away from his thoughts. He pulled out the scroll only to be met with a message from someone sitting no more than a few strides away. Roxas lifted his head, regarding Weiss with a curious look as she stared seriously at him.

He read the message.

'Are you going to tell them, or should I?'

Roxas felt panic rise in his chest. Immediately, his fingers went to work for a return message.

'Don't you dare. This doesn't involve them.'

Roxas shot Weiss a glare as he sent the message. The Schnee casually looked down at her scroll and rolled her eyes as she read it. Before Roxas could respond, the girl in white was to her feet.

"Excuse me everyone, I have something I need to announce."

Roxas was to his feet a second later, pointing a dangerous finger her way. "Don't. You. Dare."

Weiss shot him a flat look before regarding the rest of the group who was looking between the two of them with confused expressions.

"So, where to begin." She started simply, clapping her hands together. "For one, I believe that it's only fair to let everyone know that Roxas here," She gestured out towards the furious looking boy. "Has plans to leave as soon as possible."

All heads turned to regard Roxas, staring at him with questions in their eyes.

"You're leaving again, Roxas?" Ruby asked in a hurt tone that made his heart twist in pain.

Roxas stammered, "W-well, yes, but-"

"And that's not all." Weiss continued in her frank tone. "From my understanding, he plans to leave to confront his old boss on his own as well."

The room fell silent. Roxas let out a slow, defeated sigh as he regarded all of his friends staring at him with puzzlement. Some, he knew, were staring at him out of ignorance. Others...were staring because they knew the gravity of what Weiss had just told them.

"Xemnas…" Yang finally said, breaking the silence.

Weiss gave a nod, the two girls recalling their experience back at the Castle That Never Was.

Roxas' mouth felt dry as he stood there under all of their scrutiny. He felt he should say something, anything, but didn't know what.

"I'm glad someone had the sense to tell them." Xion commented snidely within his mind.

Roxas scowled, thinking back, "I don't want to hear it."

It was Yang's voice that continued the conversation. Rising from her seat and stretching one arm, she proclaimed, "So, when are we heading out?"

Roxas startled, his eyes blinking rapidly as he turned to address the blonde. "Yang, this is going to be dangerous—even more dangerous than Demyx was!"

"So?" She grinned, returning Roxas' stare with an excited look. "I can't be letting my sister's boy-toy die on his own. She'd never stop crying, and I really don't want to hear that."

Ruby, standing next to her sister now, shot the blonde an annoyed look before her eyes turned back to Roxas. "I'm coming too." she said firmly.

Roxas felt a cold chill run down his spine. His mind rapidly visualized an image of Ruby, crumbled and unmoving on the ground as a countless number of Heartless descend on her. He could not let that happen. "Ruby, please listen to reason. I know we've been in some seriously dangerous situations, but this one completely blows those out of the water. Xemnas is the most powerful person I know-"

"All the more reason you need backup, right?" Namine grinned, stepping forward so that she was standing next to a smiling Weiss now.

Roxas' blue eyes stared towards the blonde, dumbstruck just as Nora hopped forward in an excited gesture. "Sounds like fun! So I'm gonna get to hit Roxas' boss with my big hammer? Awesome!"

Ren sighed as he calmly rose from his chair, moving until he too had joined the group surrounding Roxas. "I suppose it's my turn to volunteer now." he said begrudgingly.

"Well, you're not counting us out!" Jaune exclaimed as he too rose and stepped forward alongside a grinning Pyrrha.

"What kind of team mates would we be if we let two of ours run off into danger without us?" The redhead said as she rested hands on hips.

"So, wait. This 'Xemnas' guy, is he the one who gave you that coat you always like to wear?" Neptune asked.

"Pretty sure that Demyx guy was wearing one too." Sun commented.

Roxas, still blinking rapidly at the rapidly amassing group turned to regard the two considering boys.

"It's the mark of Organization XIII. Each one of us wears one."

Neptune's face lit up. "Ah, cool! So, you're saying after we've already busted one of the Organization's members, we get to take on the boss too!"

Sun turned to the blue haired boy with an exuberant demeanor. "How cool would it look on our resumes if we wrote 'took down an evil organization' on it?!"

"I was thinking the exact same thing!"

Soon, the two boys had risen too, joining the group.

Then, all heads turned back to the chairs where a lone figure now sat.

Blake let out a slow sigh, before begrudgingly rising to her feet. "Fine. He did help me with the White Fang. It's only fair that I help him with his organization problem."

Roxas regarded all of his friends, staring out at them with concern. Finally, he said, "You guys don't understand! It's going to be way too dangerous for any of you! Please! It's not too late to back out now and-"

"Save it, numbskull." Yang interrupted before approaching and casually resting an elbow on Roxas' shoulder. "We're friends, man. We're not gonna let one of our own runoff by himself when we could all be having your back. C'mon, I thought you knew that already."

"Got it memorized?" Xion snickered. "She reminds me of Axel, sorta. Do you ever get that feeling?"

Roxas ignored the mention of his old time friend, instead deciding to focus on the people all around him. Yang was right, they were his friends...and that was the reason he realized he didn't want to risk any of them. He'd already lost his friends before, he didn't want to do it again. Despite this, he could tell that none of them would be stepping down from this challenge despite his protests.

"...You're all sure about this?" He asked, timidly.

There was a cacophony of 'yup!'s and 'You know it's!' as well as several nods from the group.

Roxas stared at all of them, his eyes searching their faces one by one and seeing a determined resolve on all of their expressions.

"So," Pyrhha began, "When do we head out?"

Roxas' gaze affixed to the floor for a couple seconds before looking back, having decided. "Tomorrow."


The group had decided to use this day to rest up, recovering stamina and whatever else hadn't been restored from the numerous 'cure' spells Roxas and Namine had managed to cast on the group shortly after the raid. Knowing that the following day was to be when they initiated their attack of Xemnas, many had decided to spend the day relaxing. Others, namely Weiss, Yang, and Ruby, had all decided to train, most likely due to knowing what threat was lying in wait.

Roxas,instead, had decided to spend his day within the deep shrouded woods of the Emerald Forest. If any had been there to watch the young man walking about the quiet sounds of a cool breeze and rustling leaves, they would have likely thought Roxas to be doing no more than wandering aimlessly. In reality, the teen was engrossed in an engaging conversation.

"It's pretty here." Xion commented. "I like it. Thanks for taking me here."

Roxas smiled in response. "When you told me you missed the woods in Twilight Town, I knew this place was where we should go."

"It's a lot bigger though."

"All the more to enjoy, right?"

He heard a giggle within his thoughts which made the teen grin wider. It had been far too long since he'd been able to just hang out with Xion again.

His smile faltered some when he realized that this wasn't just a time for hanging out. He needed answers, answers that only Xion could provide.

"So, Xion, I have some questions."

"Go ahead." She responded with the same chipper attitude as before.

"...It's about the Organization."

The happy tone immediately fell away. "...Oh."

"Sorry...but I have to know what there is to know before we go. Anything could happen tomorrow."

"No, no, I get it. What do you need to know?" Despite her comment, Roxas could still tell that she was disappointed that they weren't just hanging out.

"Do you know who else will be there? Saix or any of them."

"No. It should only be Xemnas—I think. Sora and his friends...took care of everyone else."

Roxas nodded, taking note of her reluctance to say what exactly happened to the remaining members of Organization XIII. Even if they were bad people, and their enemy, at one point they'd all been allies. Even if they were all Nobodies without hearts to feel, the Organization had very much been their home for a time, and the Organization members were family in a sense—if albeit evil ones.

"That's good to know."

The two continued in silence for a time, traversing the green and earthy terrain as they did. Roxas casually leapt over a fallen tree before finding a riverbank up ahead. Quietly he approached the water before removing his boots and sticking his feet in.

"Aww, that feels nice." Xion remarked.

Roxas blinked, surprised. "Wait, you can feel that?" he'd chosen to speak aloud, knowing that no one was around to hear him.

"I can feel everything you can...well, sorta. I can choose to not be connected to your senses sometimes—but then you and I can't talk."

Roxas considered this new piece of knowledge, mulling it over. It made sense, and explained how Xion seemed so aware in the fight against Demyx. She had his senses—when she wanted them, at least. It made Roxas happy to a degree, knowing that his friend could still enjoy life—even if it was only through him. She could enjoy a bowl of ice cream, as long as it was he who was eating it—as well as many other things. It was also a concerning thought, if Roxas was being honest with himself. He wondered if that meant that Xion would be having to experience him and Ruby kissing on occasion. He frowned, realizing that she likely had been there during some of his and his girlfriend's more intimate moments. That realization bothered him more than he'd like to admit. He idly wondered what Ruby would think when he eventually told her. Would it make her uncomfortable knowing that Xion was always there in the back of his mind, possibly watching them together? A part of him questioned if this was just the way it was going to be from now on, Xion with him, forever. He was happy that she was back, and that far overwhelmed the pressure of knowing he was now living a life for two people, but that dread was still there all the same. He knew he'd be thinking about it the next time he and Ruby kissed, and that it would bother him.

Rather than decide to press the matter and find out if Xion really had been present during his make-out sessions with Ruby, he decided to change the topic entirely.

"So, are there other drive forms that you could teach me? Anything else I might be able to use against Xemnas?"

Xion paused, clearly thinking. "Maybe? I don't know. I taught that to your light, and now he's merged back into you, so I don't know how teaching you would work now. Plus, it took me ages to just teach that form to you, so I doubt you could learn anything else before tomorrow."

"That makes sense." He let out a sigh. "So much for getting some awesome new forms to fight Xemnas with. Valor form is pretty cool though, right? It's one of the better ones?"

"Umm…" Xion trailed off, nervously.

"What?"

"...It's the first form Sora learned…" Xion timidly whispered into his thoughts.

Roxas blinked, registering the revelation before groaning and lowering his face into his palm. "So, I'm going into this fight using the most basic of the drive forms Sora had?"

"Yeah…"

"Against an opponent who took on Sora with all of his drive forms, I'm assuming?"

"That's pretty much the gist of it, yep."

Roxas groaned a second time. After taking a few seconds to mull over the information, he decided to press on.

"I've been meaning to ask you something."

"What's that?"

"Did you and Sora talk like this?" Roxas had been imagining Xion in Sora's head as well, giving him little tips and ideas as well as helping out in battle where she could.

"No, we never spoke. I doubt he even knows I exist."

Roxas raised a curious eyebrow. "Why not?"

"I think it's because I'm meant to be a part of him. When I rejoined Sora, I could still see, sorta, but it was also like I was locked into place within his heart. Like a cog to a clock, I just sorta...was put back where I was supposed to be originally. For Sora, it was as if nothing changed."

"So, what's different about me?"

"Well, for one, you're not Sora. You're kinda like me, another missing piece of him that was always meant to go back."

Roxas winced at her words, the guilt of discovering Sora's demise weeks ago flooding back to him all at once. He still blamed himself for what happened. He didn't know how exactly he knew, but something within told him that had he been with the boy then, Xemnas would be no more.

Xion continued. "When Sora fell, I suddenly awoke. Then, I felt it. The darkness creeping into his heart, surrounding me as it consumed everything that was there. I didn't know what to do. I wanted to help Sora, to somehow beat back the darkness consuming him, but...I didn't know how." Roxas could detect a quiver to her voice, as if recalling the experience was a challenge in and of itself. She continued in a somber tone. "I accepted that I, too, would fall with Sora, as the last piece of his heart, just when I noticed something else. It was like a thin string of light, no thicker than a hair that I had never seen until now. It was as if before, it was hidden within Sora's heart, but with nothing but darkness all around, it showed like a lighthouse. Despite all the darkness, that single thread leading into Sora's heart remained bright and strong, defying the darkness all around it. I decided to grab it, not sure what would happen when I did. At first...nothing happened, then I felt something wash over me, as if something within the light recognized me, and suddenly I was being pulled out of the darkness, yanked away by this thread of light. And then...well, I found you." Roxas could hear her smile as she continued. "I was ecstatic to finally be back with you, Roxas. I thought you and I would be just like me and Sora...but, we weren't. There was no place in your heart I could return to because I was never a part of you, Roxas. That's why I think I can talk to you know. I can't integrate into you like I did with Sora, and because of that, I remain."

"Huh," Roxas uttered, titling his head to the side. "Well, I guess that makes sense. I'm glad you're actually here and didn't just fade off into my heart or something."

"Yeah, me too." Roxas could hear a sigh escape her sentence as she breathed the last word.

"Is something the matter?"

"...I've just been trapped for so long, Roxas. Without a body, forced to live within another person's heart. A part of me wishes I really could just fade into your heart like Sora's. At least, when I was there, I was Sora. A part of his heart, and a part of him. That's how I was able to see his adventure, and learn his techniques, because I was him. I didn't know that I was only one peice of him, because I was whole. Or, well, as whole as I could be without you there. Even if I was only a tiny piece of him...at least I could pretend I wasn't." She let out another sigh. "I guess I'm just saying that I miss having a body is all."

Roxas frowned, his head bowing as he considered his friend's words. He wondered what it would be like in her position. It had been more than half a year now since Xion passed, and in all that time she'd been restricted to live in the hearts of other people. He couldn't imagine what that was like, having no way to interact with the outside world, forced to be a passenger for the remainder of your existence. Roxas couldn't help but feel that to be a cruel, and unfortunate fate. A guilt suddenly plagued him as he'd been previously complaining about how this situation affected him, without ever considering how troubling it would be for Xion within.

Immediately, Roxas was to his feet, rapidly drying each foot before pulling his socks and boots back on.

"What are you doing?"

"We're going out, you and me, and we're gonna do whatever you want to for the entire rest of the day."

Xion stammered, "W-what? Why?"

"Because you deserve it. Now, where to first?"

Xion was quiet for a time. "...I've been really missing some Sea-salt Ice Cream if I'm being honest…"

Roxas smiled. "Twilight Town, here we come."


The end of the day came sooner than Roxas had wished it to with the setting sun marking the end of the day he'd spent with Xion. The pair had gone first to sit at the clock tower where Roxas had devoured two Sea-salt Ice creams—one for each of them. They'd then chosen to visit the Destiny Islands, appreciating the coarse sand in between their toes as Roxas stood along the shore. He'd then taken her to a few places within Remnant out of the curiosity Xion had about the world he'd lived in for so long. They'd gone to a movie together, drawing strange looks from people curious why Roxas would go to see a film alone—even if he wasn't. The film hadn't been a particularly good one—in Roxas' opinion—but Xion had expressed an endearing delight and wonder at the massive screen and the story being told on it. Afterwards, Xion had revealed that she'd never been to a movie theatre before, or even seen a movie before.

Roxas had wished they could go back to see another, but the day was coming to a close, and he knew that they would need to be back with the group to better prepare for tomorrow.

Roxas had found much of the group within the training halls of Beacon. Yang and Sun had taken to sparring together, pushing each other to their natural limits before taking a break and doing it all again once they'd caught their breath. Roxas could see that Ruby, curiously, was darting all around the arena, blurring in and out of sight in bright, crimson bursts of speed. Nora and Ren were there as well, with the former eagerly chasing her friend with her mighty hammer raised overhead as Ren did his best to evade her wild swings. Weiss was off to the side of the arena talking with-

Roxas sucked in a sharp breath of air.

Weiss was talking to someone from the Organization. The figure stood wearing the Organization's signature coat, the jet black clothing hanging all the way down to their feet. He could not see which of the Organization members it was, as their hood was up and shrouding their face in darkness, but that didn't stop Roxas' heart to begin thundering in his chest.

"I thought you said all of the Organization was gone!" he thought to Xion as his feet quickly transitioned into a run, heading straight towards the pair.

"I thought they were!" she reassured. "Why are they even here?!"

A good question. Roxas' speed increased as he closed the gap between him and the shrouded individual, his hand opening to summon his Oblivion as he did. His eyes darted to the sides, regarding his other friends still going about their training. Why were none of them doing anything about such an obvious threat? And why was Weiss talking to them so calmly? It didn't make any sense!

As he drew close to his friend and the stranger, the two—having noticed his approach— turned to regard him.

Weiss raised a curious eyebrow, asking, "Is something the matter? Why are you running?"

"Hi, Roxas!" said a cheerful, feminine voice from beneath the hood. A voice he very much recognized.

Roxas stumbled as he came to an awkward stop, glad he hadn't summoned his Keyblade just yet.

"Namine?" He asked, staring at the cloaked figure incredulously.

She pulled the hood back, revealing her smiling face and ocean blue eyes. "Yup. Who'd you think it was?"

"I-I don't…" He trailed off before shaking his head. "I don't know. Anyway, why are you in an Organization cloak?"

"She wanted to practice forming a Corridor of darkness. I know you told us that going from place to place within a world isn't as dangerous, but given Namine's inexperience, I thought it would be best for her to be protected while practicing." Weiss said simply, her arms crossed. "Fortunately, I have a surplus of these coats I made some time ago, so I decided to give her one."

Roxas blinked, staring at Weiss with surprise. "Wait, you made this?" He gestured out towards Namine's coat. He recalled the time Weiss had managed to produce two coats for her and Yang to pass through to the World that Never Was, but he hadn't known she'd personally made them.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "I had them made. I paid someone to do it, obviously."

"Oh." Roxas responded, dumbly.

"You know, you're kinda dense sometimes."

He frowned. "Is this the thanks I get for paying to take you to the movies?"

"Oh, whatever. You only had to pay for yourself." She scoffed.

"I still had to pay!"

"Anyway," Weiss began, "Did you have something to see us about?"

Roxas blinked before slowly forming his answer. "Uh, well, I wanted to see if anyone wanted to talk about tomorrow. You know, plan it out and stuff."

"Oh!" Namine exclaimed. "Jaune is already taking care of that stuff. I think he's back in your dorm doing that."

"He's creating some combat maneuvers he thinks might help in the upcoming fight." Weiss explained. "Since we don't really know what we're up against, it's all we can really do. Me and Yang already told him everything we know. It might help if you go up there and tell him what you know as well. I imagine you're likely far more experienced in these matters than Yang or I."

He nodded. "Makes sense."

"Roxas!" called out a voice that made Roxas smile. His head turned towards the call just as Ruby materialized from a stream of rose petals, colliding into the young blond as she threw her arms around him.

Ruby gave him a hug which he returned, before pulling away and asking, "Where have you been? I tried calling you, but it was like your scroll was off or something."

Roxas cocked his head to the side, considering. It made sense that a scroll call wouldn't be able to reach other worlds.

"I'm sorry about that. I had some things I needed to take care of."

She raised a curious eyebrow, but nodded, giving his hand a squeeze as she took hold of it. Out of the corner of his eye, Roxas caught a look from Weiss. Her eyes had flickered to where Ruby was grasping Roxas' hand, a wistful, hurting expression lingering in the back of her eyes. The rest of her face masked the emotion, but those pale blue eyes betrayed the disconcerted demeanor she was trying to portray.

In that moment, Roxas felt bad for hugging Ruby right in front of the girl. Although emotions were still a tricky concept for Roxas sometimes, he had gotten used to them enough to understand some things. He knew that strongly felt emotions didn't just go away. Losing Axel and Xion had told him that much, and he imagined that seeing the person who rejected you with another person could be painful to watch. Guilt swelled in Roxas' chest as he acknowledged that very simple fact.

Much to his surprise, Ruby soon released his hand after his realization. Looking to her, he could see a poorly masked sympathetic look in her eyes as she regarded Weiss, seeming to have made the same connection he had. It seemed almost as if she wanted to apologize, although Roxas imagined that might make the situation even more awkward.

"Ugh. Why are relationships so complicated?" he thought to himself.

"Probably because you're new and awkward at them right now." Xion answered nonchalantly.

Roxas frowned. "I wasn't asking you."

"Really?" she sounded confused. "It sure sounded like you were."

"Either way," Weiss began, pointedly turning away to face Namine. "We're going to start practicing now. If you'll excuse us." Without another world, she turned, taking Namine by the arm as she did, before leading them off towards another section of the room.

"Talk to you later guys!" Namine exclaimed cheerfully as she was dragged off.

Ruby and Roxas' eyes trailed them as they did. "Well," she said, "That was awkward."

Roxas let out a sigh, before nodding.


After spending some time talking with Ruby and ignoring most of Xion's off-handed comments teasing him, Roxas eventually found his way to their team's dorm room, leaving Ruby to experiment further with her semblance. When he arrived, he heard a conversation going on, accompanied by giggling and laughing inside.

Roxas raised an eyebrow. From what Weiss had told him, he'd thought Jaune to be alone while making his plans. Had someone come to join him?

The blond gingerly opened the door, stepping into the room quietly as he was curious to see who else was there.

Just as Weiss had said, Jaune was there, papers and plans sprawled out on his desk with complicated drawings made across them. Sitting beside him, however, was Pyrrha. Normally, seeing his other two team members working alongside each other wouldn't have surprised the young teen, except for the fact that he'd noticed them holding hands—before quickly breaking away upon noticing his entrance.

"O-oh, Roxas! It's you." Pyrrha stammered, trying to conceal a blush on her face.

Jaune's face was burning a similar bright red, although his voice was much calmer than his teammate beside him. "Hey, Roxas. Did you need something?"

"Did we just walk in on something?" Xion asked, curiously.

"I think so..." Roxas admitted. Were Jaune and Pyrrha…?

Deciding he should give an answer, Roxas gave up on that line of thinking. He would question that later. "Weiss told me you were coming up with plans about tomorrow. She suggested I should come up to help since I know more about the Organization than anyone else on the team."

Jaune nodded, the red in his cheeks beginning to slowly disappear. "Makes sense. Want to come over and see what I have down so far? Me and Pyrrha have been going over some stuff that we think might help."

Roxas pulled up a seat, and soon, the setting sun disappeared over the horizon, revealing the stars overhead as they worked into the night. Roxas recalled what he could about the layout of the castle, as well as what he could remember about the different types of Heartless and Nobodies they were likely to encounter while there. Xion chimed in whenever she remembered something Roxas didn't, and together they gave what Roxas considered a fairly detailed explanation of what tomorrow's fight would contain. Jaune took in this new information with vigor, asking questions where the young man failed to give detail, and writing out interesting attack strategies that Roxas would never have thought of in regards to the strange Heartless and Nobodies they'd be encountering. Pyrrha also did her best to add to the conversation, but after a time she told them she was going to round up the gang before leaving the dorm room.

After a short time, she returned with Ruby, Yang, and everyone else who planned to accompany them into the mission the following day. Roxas noticed Weiss walk in pulling behind her a large, rolling suitcase as she did.

Roxas shot a curious gaze across the room as he scanned it. Why was everyone here? Weren't they planning to go tomorrow?

Once everyone had situated themselves comfortably around the room, some sitting on the beds, others pulling chairs from the desks, Jaune stepped forward to speak. "Alright, now that everyone is here, I have some things I'd like to go over about tomorrow's operation."

Curious glances shot from every direction as they regarded Jaune's statement.

"Yesterday went well, in the sense that we succeeded overall—but I think that it could have gone better if we'd planned ahead a little more."

"What do you mean?" Neptune complained. "We set up an entry point, a retreat, and a distraction. Hell, we even had some people go in before the rest of us to scout ahead. I don't see what else we could have done."
"A good point." Jaune nodded, courteously. "But, once that plan fell apart, we were all scrambling to figure out what next. I think that was because we're all still green. We didn't come up with a backup plan, or even consider what to do if our scouts were taken down. If it weren't for Ruby's quick thinking at the time, things might have ended far worse for two of our members."

Ren and Blake looked away, shame written on their features as they did. It was clear to Roxas that the pair felt guilty for having gone down so early in the fight. He knew they shouldn't, though. Roxas had fought Cinder himself, and without his powers, she'd been too much for even him by himself. The fact that they'd managed to hold her off at all was a testament to their skills, even if they likely didn't see it.

"So, what, you want to come up with a plan-B for this next one coming up?" Yang asked.

"That," Jaune pointed a finger in her direction. "And, I want us to start using some planned battle maneuvers when we get into combat. That last fight taught me that a lot of things can happen in a battle, and there won't always be time to create a unique and complicated battle strategy to deal with surprises. In that case...I think it would help if we all had some maneuvers to fall back on that may fit any situation. It would give a situation where we don't really have any plan some pre-planning no matter what."

There was a wave of cocked eyebrows and nodding heads as the group regarded Jaune's comment.

Pyrrha stepped forward, holding a stack of papers in her hands as she did.

"Here are some battle tactics I think might work for the teams." Jaune began as Pyrrha began to pass out the papers. "I tried to keep the tactics so that they all fall within each of our specific teams, although where I noted a particularly unique combo, I added that too. I figured that it would be easier that way so in the future when we're working separately from one another, you can still use these."

Roxas got his paper a few seconds later, and Ruby hers shortly after. The pair stared down at the sheet just as the rest of the other teams did, looking at the names listed and what each maneuver detailed. They were surprisingly detailed, leaving Roxas with the exact imagery for how each battle tactic would work in practice.

"Look! Look! Our's is called the 'Rose of Light!' Aw, isn't that sweet?" Ruby beamed as she leaned on his shoulder, pointing a finger down at the page. Roxas smiled as he regarded the exercise, and then his eyes widened as he read it. Jaune really had put some thought into these maneuvers!

When he looked up, he could see faces smiling down at their sheets, most likely excited to put their routine into practice come the time. It appeared that everyone, even Ren who had always appeared at most melancholy during almost all of their time together, lit up in slight eagerness. It seemed that everyone had drank in the new maneuvers with the eager anticipation of teens who'd just had their first grand victory, and were thirsty for more.

"And as for the plan-B?" Weiss asked, crossing her arms. Roxas could see a flicker of annoyance in her demeanor now.

Jaune sighed. "From what Roxas has told me, there isn't much we can plan for. We're going into a foreign environment against an opponent that even Roxas has no experience fighting. The best plan-B I can think of is to be prepared to escape via the Corridor of Darkness if things get hairy." He shrugged with a melancholy expression. "Sorry."

Sun scoffed. "Pfft, what? We won't be running away! We got this in the bag! Right, guys?"

He looked around the room, searching for affirmation, only to be met with concerned faces.

Yang spoke. "Things might go bad, Sun. Me and Weiss had to fight one of these guys before, and even together we weren't enough to stop him. If this Xemnas guy is really as bad as Roxas says...then I don't know what is going to happen."

Yang's words did little to comfort the nervous faces surrounding Roxas. His eyes scanned the room, acknowledging his friend's worry before stepping forward.

"What Yang says is true." He began as all eyes shifted to him. "It's why I wanted to go on this mission by myself in the first place. I don't know what is going to happen. Even I haven't fought Xemnas myself. All I know is, he's powerful, powerful enough that the entire Organization followed him without question. It's possible that, even with all our preparation, that many of us won't come back." He let silence fill the room before his head bowed, his eyes affixed to the ground. He couldn't look at his friends as he said, "Or maybe, none of us."

Roxas waited for a time, letting that information sink in for everyone to know. It was the truth. If Xemnas had been enough to overpower both Sora and Riku—the latter of which had defeated himself before he'd arrived in Remnant—then who's to say they could win? Even with all of them together, Roxas still didn't know if it would be enough.

"This is your second chance to get out." He began once more. "If knowing this changes your mind about things, then please reconsider. I won't take it personally if you decide that this mission is too dangerous—because it is." His gaze moved about the room, taking in the nervous glances he was receiving from all his classmates. "If you feel you need to step away, then this is your chance."

Roxas regarded the group with a serious stare, only to find no one stepping forward. His mouth fell agape with shock. Hadn't they heard him?! Each and every one of them might die on this mission. Didn't they see that? Roxas felt anger blooming in the pit of his stomach, his fingers curled into fists as he shouted. "Don't you get it?! You're all risking your lives if you come with me! Why aren't any of you backing out?!"
"Because...that's what it means to be a Huntress." Pyrrha began slowly, rubbing one arm uncomfortably.

Roxas' attention snapped to her, his brow furrowed in a confused expression.

"This is what we've been training for, Roxas." Ruby said timidly, stepping up and slipping her fingers into his.

He turned to her with the same surprised expression. "What? No, it isn't. You guys have been training to-"

"We've been training to risk our lives, Roxas." Yang suddenly cut in, crossing her arms as she shot Roxas a bemused smile. "We're not just here to beat up Grimm, we're training at Beacon to one day protect the world. We all knew the risks before we joined up. Every Huntsman and Huntress does, but that's why we do it, because we know that someone has to. Someone has to step up to be the hero, otherwise what will happen to everyone else? I know that someday, I'll probably not come back from a mission. There's a reason a lot of Huntresses and Huntsmen don't die of old age, but that just comes with the job description."

"I think what Yang is trying to say" Weiss began, "Is that we're all ready to risk our lives. We expect it, really. We wouldn't be good Huntresses and Huntsmen if we didn't."

Roxas looked between the two girls, before his eyes turned to regard Ruby at his side, her head nodding slowly. His gaze flickered back to the rest of his friends.

"Do...you all feel that way?"

Slowly, their heads all began to nod.

"We knew the risks."

"No one lives forever."

"Like Yang said: part of the job description."

Roxas' mouth felt dry as he heard the cascade of statements confirming what Weiss and Yang had explained.

"Face it." Namine said with a smile as she took a step forward and rested a hand on his shoulder. "You're stuck with us."

His eyes met hers before turning once more to regard the rest of the group. Staring into each of their eyes, he could see that none of them were backing down.

He let out a slow sigh, his head bowing and his shoulders slumping in defeat. After a few seconds, his head lifted again, a thin smile resting on his lips. "Well then, I guess it's time to get ready."

"Good, and now that that nonsense is done with..." Weiss said in a matter-of-fact way as she stepped forward so that she was standing in the center of them. She motioned to the case she'd entered with. "Let's make sure that these fit."


-The Next Day-

Their group decided to meet in the Emerald Forest before they left, far away from any watchful eyes. True to her word, Weiss had prepared coats matching those Roxas was all too familiar with. It was a strange sight to see, watching all of his companions wear the signature coat of Organization XIII.

"Nine, ten, eleven…" Xion began.

Roxas raised an eyebrow. "What are you counting?"

"How many of us there are. It looks like we have our own little Organization XIII." She said cheerfully.

Surprised, Roxas counted himself before frowning. "I only count twelve…"

"I count too, don't I?!" Xion demanded, angrily.

Roxas tilted his head. Did Xion count?

He decided it would be best to simply agree with her. "Ah, right. Sorry, I forgot."

"Figured you did." Despite his agreement, Roxas could detect a slight hilt in her voice that told him she didn't fully believe his lie.

Around him, other conversations were going on amongst his allies.

"But, shouldn't we tell Ozpin?" Namine asked nervously, her head looked side to side for affirmation. "He did ask us to come to him before doing anything dangerous like this again."

"Pfft, what would he do?" Yang answered, "We're going to an entirely new world, 's no way he'd let us go if he knew. Besides, even if he wanted to help, he couldn't. Weiss only made enough coats for how many we have."

"I had two extra, actually." Weiss said off handedly, inspecting her rapier as she did. "I had only planned on our three teams going, but made backups just in case. Sun and Neptune's involvement meant those backups had to go to use."

"You know it!" Sun beamed. "So, how exactly are we getting there? Is there a spaceship or something? And what's the deal with these coats? Why do we have to wear them again?"

Blake turned and shot Roxas a look. He nodded, understanding, before raising a hand towards an empty space in the field. A few moments later, wisps of dark flame began to sprout from the grass before all at once a void of darkness erupted from the ground, swirling and withering as it awaited its occupants.

"Whoa!" Neptune shouted, his eyes wide as he took a timid step towards the Corridor of Darkness. "We're going through that? Is it like a portal or something?"

Roxas nodded. "It is. It's also the reason you need those coats. Travelling from world to world can be dangerous without protection."

"D-dangerous?" Neptune asked, casting a nervous glance towards the blond. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, the darkness can enter your heart if you don't wear this clothing." Namine said, frankly. "You can become this thing called a 'Heartless', or maybe a 'Nobody' if the conditions are right. I'm not sure exactly, but it's probably best we don't find out."

Roxas watched as Neptune and Sun pointedly zipped their jackets up tighter at Namine's comment.

"So," Yang began, clapping her hands together as she did. "We all ready to go?"

Roxas stole one last, long look at the world all around them. Remnant, the place he'd fled to, the place he'd discovered new friends to care for, the place he'd discovered a new life for himself.

"This might be the last time I ever see this place…"

"...Maybe, but let's make sure it isn't."

Roxas nodded, both to Yang, and to Xion before being the first to step into the Darkness.


-The World That Never Was-

They emerged one by one on the other side of the swirling vortex. Roxas had chosen a familiar alleyway deep within the concealing walls of the city to be their entry point, knowing it would be obscure and out of the way from anyone who might be looking for them. The moment Roxas stepped onto the cold hard cement, surrounded by familiar skyscrapers and neon lights—he knew something was wrong.

The teen remembered this place all too well. It had been his home for a majority of his life after all, and it had never been this bright. Looking towards the normally shadowed covered walls of the concrete skyscrapers lit only by the dim lights of neon signs, Roxas could see that this was no longer the case. The world seemed to be illuminated by a bright, white light which made the neon glows of the buildings seem dim by comparison.

Roxas frowned as he heard the sounds of the rest of his friends stepping out through the portal behind him.

"Bright, isn't it?" Sun commented off handedly, pulling back his hood as he did.

Weiss stepped up beside Roxas, mirroring his frown. "It wasn't like this the last time we were here...was it?"

He shook his head slowly, his brow furrowed.

Yang moved so that she was on his other side. "Did we come at night last time or something?"

"There is no night or day here." Roxas answered simply, his feet slowly beginning to move as he approached the road ahead, the rest of his vision blocked on either side by walls. The others slowly followed, many wearing nervous expressions as they entered this world for the first time.

Stepping out onto the street, Roxas' head turned to slowly scan the city, acknowledging that here too was just as bright as within the alleyway.

"What's going on?"

"Roxas...what's that in the sky?" Xion asked, cautiously.

The teen's eyes quickly shifted upward, only for them to immediately widen in shock. He took a stunned step back, nearly colliding with Ruby as he did.

"Is that…" Xion trailed off as she too watched with wonder.

"Kingdom Hearts?" Roxas exclaimed, his mouth slack jaw. The rest of his friends all looked up one by one, before their eyes widened too at what they saw.

Resting high above the city amidst a sea of clouds and fog in a sky normally black as ink, was the massive form of Kingdom Hearts. It's shape still retained that of a heart with an ominous blue aura that seemed to outline its borders, but now it was larger than Roxas had ever seen it before. Its size had stretched so much that it consumed nearly all of the sky, no longer resembling a distant moon and instead appearing as if a looming planet hovering dangerously close to the city's surface.

"It's huge!" Nora shouted, astonishment and wonder flashing across her features. "What is it? Is it made of cheese?"

"I guess we know where the light came from…" Yang mumbled, clearly troubled.

Pyrrha stepped up next to Roxas who still stared dumbfounded by the sight, his gaze never shifting. Her expression was far more reserved than the others, instead regarding the moon with a determined expression. "Was it not this big before?"

He slowly shook his head, his eyes unwilling to pull away from the troublesome sight.

"Is that bad?"

Roxas' mouth felt dry as he slowly nodded.

"How bad?"

"Very bad." Roxas swallowed, the anxiety he'd felt before only magnified by this new revelation.

The girl with hair the color of flame took one final glance at the massive, looming form of Kingdom Hearts before affixing Roxas with a serious look. "Then there's no time to waste, is there?"

"She's right, Roxas. We need to go, now."

The teen breathed out a shaky breath before forcing himself to look away. He blinked a few times, shaking himself out of his stupor before nodding. He turned back to the group, casting a serious look that drew their attention.

He raised a single, gloved hand, pointing out to the distant shape of a castle, arranged in an impossible formation of misaligned rooms and strangely shaped towers. "We need to go there. That's where Organization XIII is, and that's where we'll find Xemnas."

Slowly, the group nodded affirmation before steeling themselves with determined looks that told Roxas they were ready to move out. The blond turned on his heel, regarding The Castle That Never Was with a deep, resentful glare.

"We're coming for you, Xemnas."

Their feet took off in a jog, moving swiftly and efficiently as they made their way towards the castle.

"Why don't we just use a Dark Corridor to get in?" Blake asked with a curious look.

"Xemnas would know." Roxas answered simply. "He's the one who taught us how to use them in the first place. I don't want him knowing we're here until it's too late. Considering how things are looking…" he spared a nervous glance towards the shape of Kingdom Hearts overhead. "I think we're going to need every advantage we can get."

The answer seemed to satisfy the Faunus as she nodded and returned her attention to running. Roxas tried to do the same, trying, and failing to focus on the rapidly approaching shape of The Castle That Never Was. His mind kept returning to the massive form of Kingdom Hearts resting overhead. He had never known exactly what Kingdom Hearts was meant to do once it was complete. Xemnas had told all of Organization XIII that once finished, Kingdom Hearts would restore their hearts, complete them, and let them feel real again.

Now that he knew that was all a lie...he didn't know what to expect. The uncertainty, the not knowing what came next, terrified him.

"Can you tell me anything about what you saw when you were with Sora? Anything about Kingdom Hearts?"

"..."

"Xion?"

"...It's not good, Roxas."

He felt a shiver run down his spine.

"What do you know?"

"It…" She sounded reluctant to answer.

"We need to know what we're going into, Xion!"

"Fine! Fine, you're right." He listened as she released a sigh, before continuing. "...He absorbed it in his fight against Sora and Riku."

Roxas blinked. He'd absorbed it? What did that mean? Did she mean to say he'd taken the power of Kingdom Hearts for himself in his battle against Sora? Just how much stronger did that make him? And did they even have a chance against him anymore?

"Then why is it still there in the sky if he already absorbed it?" He asked, frantically. It didn't make sense. How was it still there if he'd consumed it in his fight against Sora?

"I'm not sure…" Xion sounded just as troubled as he was. "I think I remember him mentioning it not being complete before the battle. It might be that Sora got to him before Kingdom Hearts was finished, and Xemnas was forced to use it before it was ready."

Roxas' eyes flickered back to the massive moon in the sky. If it hadn't been complete before, he was willing to bet that it was nearly finished now, or maybe even more than complete. Was that even possible? He knew that the hearts collected with the Keyblade would come to Kingdom Hearts, but didn't know much past that fact. How many Heartless needed to be slain before Kingdom Hearts was considered 'complete'? And if more hearts were collected after that point...what happened then? Would it continue to grow? Roxas didn't know the answer, and that unnerved him.

He felt a hand slip into his.

Roxas blinked, startled for a moment before looking over his shoulder and finding Ruby running alongside him, a concerned look written clear as day as she regarded him.

"You okay?" She gave his hand a squeeze.

Roxas fell into pace with her, still holding her hand. "Just… nervous." he answered truthfully.

"It's gonna be okay. I promise." He watched as her lips pulled into a reassuring smile, but the glint in her eyes betrayed that reassurance. He could tell that she was just as scared as he was, perhaps even more so, but was doing her best to put on a strong face, for him.

Immediately, Roxas felt guilty. His eyes flickered to the rest of his friends, and he could easily tell that all of them were just as anxious about the fight ahead as Ruby and he were. They were all in an alien land, up against an opponent they had no idea how to face. Meanwhile, here he was, the most educated about this place, lost in his own world and doing nothing to help them with their own fears. If anything, he'd made their fears worse by trying to convince them not to come with the day before. A part of Roxas still couldn't believe any of them were here. He tried to imagine coming into this world after being told by the strongest fighter within your group that even he didn't have confidence that they would make it back alive. He didn't know if he would have been able to make the same choice had he been in their shoes. Roxas felt white hot shame in his chest as he acknowledged this.

His jaw set as he forced his anxiety to retreat. He decided he couldn't be afraid, not now, not when they were all relying on him to lead them into this battle. He knew the most about this situation, and because of that, it meant he needed to be there for them when things got dangerous. He needed to be strong, strong enough that they felt they could win this fight...even if deep down he didn't know if they could.

His lips curled into a wide, confident smile, and immediately he saw some of the tension in Ruby's eyes bleed away. He let out a laugh he hoped sounded genuine, noticing several nervous eyes glancing at him with strange looks, as if saying 'how can you be laughing at a time like this?'.

"I don't think Xemnas has a chance against us, guys." He lied, wearing a grin as he did. He glanced around, making sure that all of his friends were looking at him as he spoke.

"What?" Weiss frowned in confusion. "But you were telling us before that he was-"

"That was before I thought about it." He felt bad for cutting Weiss off, but knew it would be best that she not reinforce the terror he'd likely already instilled in all his friends back at Beacon.

"We've got twelve-"

"Thirteen." Xion corrected.

"-of the most impressive Huntsmen and Huntresses Remnant has ever seen. We're all still students, and we single handedly took down a giant, super-dangerous criminal organization yesterday. Sure, Xemnas is strong, but there's no way he'll be able to take us all on at once. As long as we're very, very careful, and plan our attacks—which with Jaune's plans shouldn't be hard to do—I don't think this will be as tough as I thought."

"What are you doing?" Xion asked, confused. "Don't lie to them!"

"I'm not lying!" He hissed back within his mind. "I'm building up their confidence!"

There was a pause in their conversation as it seemed Xion began to notice the same change in sight he had. The grim, serious frowns each of his friends had been wearing appeared to shift, the gloom of their expressions lightening and some even wearing the slightest of smiles now as they continued to make their way towards the castle.

"Ohhhhh," Xion exclaimed, finally understanding.

Roxas scanned their group, noticing everyone's uplifted faces. He hadn't realized just how heavily his words had weighed on them, although, thinking about it, he realized it made perfect sense. He was the only one who had any real experience with the Organization. If he said that they were likely to fail, then that was all they had to believe. A part of him still felt conflicted for lying to them despite their generally happier demeanor. He knew that on a battlefield, especially a fight of life and death, confidence in your own abilities was critical. He knew that if they went into this fight thinking they were going to lose, then they had no chance at all. Maybe he'd given them a false hope...but at least that was better than feeling they were running towards their doom...wasn't it?

"Good job." Ruby whispered, smiling brightly as she gave his hand another squeeze. "I think they needed to hear that."

Roxas flashed her a smile back. "It's the truth. You're right. It's all going to be okay."

"I know it is. We've got you." Roxas briefly felt her lips press against his cheek. "And I know you'll keep us safe."

He stifled the anxiety of knowing that so much of this fight relied on himself. Instead, he made his smile wider. "And, I've got my crimson guardian angel if things get hairy."

She grinned wide before shooting him a wink. "You know it."

The two broke apart after a short time, continuing their jog as his eyes continued through their group until they landed on Namine. Despite his short speech having worked on seemingly all of his other friends, she still wore a worried expression as she glanced back and forth nervously.

He moved through the group until he was running alongside her.

"You okay?" He could tell that they were drawing close now. There was only a street or two they had to pass before they would be at the castle's entrance.

She flashed him a nervous looked before her eyes continued to dart all around them. "There's no Heartless, or even Nobody's for that matter, Roxas. Shouldn't we have run into some by now? Something feels...off."

Roxas blinked, his eyes growing wide as suddenly he too began to look about in the same manner Namine had. The streets were utterly empty, devoid of all signs of life, Heartless or other. Namine was right, something did feel wrong.

"...Maybe…" He answered truthfully, lowering his voice to a whisper so as to not worry the others. Still wanting to squash the panic his friend was feeling, he continued, "But, it's also possible we're just getting lucky. I've been on missions when I hardly even run into a Heartless. They don't always appear."

He watched as Namine breathed out a slow sigh and nodded. "That could be true. It's just making me nervous is all."

He nodded, reaching out and giving her shoulder a squeeze. "It's gonna be okay. I promise." The words had been stolen from Ruby, but they'd worked for him, hadn't they? Who's to say they wouldn't work for Namine as well?

He watched as her face relaxed some before she nodded. "Thanks, I needed to hear that."

"Guys?" Ren's solemn voice suddenly said, his legs slowing until he'd come to a stop which the others mirrored. "Do you hear that?"

The group went quiet, several cocking their heads to the side as they tried to listen to what the ninja had seemingly heard.

Roxas frowned as he too tried to pick out what Ren was hearing, before his eyes widened. .

It seemed like the sounds of combat.

"Is there a fight going on?" Yang asked, concerned.

"Do you think someone else came to challenge Xemnas, perhaps?" Weiss speculated, her eyes narrowed, puzzled.

"It's possible…" Jaune answered, trailing off as he cupped his chin in thought.

The sounds were faint, but definitely there. There was the swish of a weapon splitting the air, the heavy sounds of feet trampling the ground in frantic, urgent movements, and the hard crunch of attacks landing against their target.

"Whatever it is," Blake began, taking a step towards the commotion. "We should check it out. If it is another force challenging Xemnas, then we need to help them as fast as possible."

"Agreed." Pyrrha stated firmly. "We need to push any advantage we might have—even those we don't predict."

"The more the merrier!" Nora cheered as she thrusted a fist into the air.

Roxas wasn't so sure. For what reason would the fight against Xemnas be taking place down here when he so typically remained within the walls of the Castle That Never Was? Roxas couldn't find a reason. Despite his doubt, he nodded in agreement.

There was a collection of nods before the group turned, moving far faster than they had been a moment earlier. Soon, their entire group was going at a full sprint towards the approaching sounds of combat.

They rounded the corner, Roxas leading their charge as he felt a knot of anxiety forming in the pit of his stomach. He didn't know how he felt about this strange encounter, and while he understood the group's reasoning to go and check it out, he worried that this might be something else entirely.

Something worse.

"I feel...strange, Roxas." Xion murmured nervously within his thoughts.
"Why? What's wrong?" Roxas asked, his concern rising as well.

"I don't know. I've never felt this before...but, it's somehow familiar, and getting stronger the closer we get towards this fight."

Roxas didn't know what to make of that comment. What exactly were they getting themselves into? Roxas frowned as they continued before realizing that he too was feeling something. A strange...pull towards whatever was waiting for them up ahead. Was this a side effect of Xion now being a part of him? Or was this something else entirely? For some reason, Roxas felt that the sensation was tugging on him specifically, and that this wasn't just a byproduct of Xion's presence. He didn't know what it could mean if both of them were having this same sensation. Was it just restricted to them, though?

"Are any of you feeling...strange?" He asked, looking around at the group and trying to distinguish if any of his friend's faces revealed a similar discomfort.

"I'm a little nervous." Ruby admitted, her lips flashing a sheepish grin as she did.

"Same." said Jaune.
"I think we're all feeling that right now, at least a little bit." Pyrrha answered, a worried look in her eyes.

Roxas frowned. What he was feeling was definitely not nervousness. The fact that none of the others mentioned anything else only served to grow the worried sensation he was experiencing. Why were he and Xion feeling this, but not others? His eyes turned away from the group, but as they did, he caught a look from Namine, and paused. Their eyes locked, and he could tell by the concerned look in her stare that she too could sense it too.

"She feels it, too."

"What does it mean?" Xion asked, unable to keep her worryment from bleeding into her tone.

"I don't know...but I think we're about to find out."

The street lamps passed overhead in a blur as they moved at a speed only possible by years of strenuous and laborious training. Soon, Roxas knew where they're destination would be by how close the sounds of battle were. It seemed like the conflict was just down the street now.

They were returning to the location which had served to be his battleground against the fake Organization member, the man he'd lost to, and had only barely escaped from with his life. It was the place he'd summoned a Dark Corridor in a panicked, defeated craze which had sent him tumbling into the world of Remnant, battered, and weak.

In a sense, he felt he was returning to the place that had started it all.

Finally, the group exploded out from the street into a more open space where the road extended out on all sides. Before them was a building which seemed to stretch on forever in the dark, but under the bright light of Kingdom Hearts, the top of the massive, looming tower which might have been a hotel had this world had a population, was clearly visible. The structure was pleasing to the eye, with two staircases winding in a circular shape to connect the double doors into the hotel back to the road.

Despite its intimidating stature, the building was not what pulled the group's attention.

Before them was what seemed like a sea of Heartless, all crowded into the large stretch of road situated just before the hotel, creating a shape like a sphere which held no space within it aside from the Heartless.

Except...that wasn't entirely true.

The Heartless seemed to ignore their group as they came to a grinding halt. The Heartless had their backs turned to face their group as their attention was directed towards the center of this massive army of darkness.

Roxas' eyes narrowed as he peered towards what seemed to be two lone figures fighting with their backs to each other, slashing and tearing through the seemingly never ending waves of Heartless in what appeared to be a helpless battle.

Roxas could tell immediately that the weapons in their hands were Keyblades. Not only that, but he realized that he actually recognized the duo currently battling the Heartless.

Namine sucked in a sharp breath of air as she too recognized the two figures. "Sora! Riku!"

Sun turned to look to her with a confused expression. "You know those guys?"

"We both do." Roxas stated firmly, a frown now engraved on his face. "They were the first to try and take down Xemnas."

"We have to help them!" Yang shouted, her fingers curling into fists as she began to charge towards the army of Heartless.

"Wait!" Jaune called out, halting her advance. "We need to go into this with a strategy. Otherwise, we're just gonna get surrounded, and then we'll be in just as bad a situation as they are. I don't really know how dangerous these things are, but if you haven't noticed, there are probably hundreds of them right now."

Roxas didn't need to count to know Jaune was right. Heartless were everywhere, even in the air as varieties with wings clouded the night sky, obscuring the sight of Kingdom Hearts like ink drops spilled onto a blank white canvas.

"Well, hurry then!" Yang urged, gritting her teeth as she did. "I don't think those two can hold out forever!"

Despite her words, Roxas had noticed that neither combatant seemed particularly worried in their fight against the seemingly endless creatures of the night. Neither had even noticed their arrival yet, or if they had, they made no gesture to show it.

Roxas' head tilted to the side, confused. Something felt off about this entire situation. Why were Sora and Riku here at all? How had they found themselves in this situation? And what's more, why hadn't the pair made any effort to escape yet? He knew from his dreams that Sora now possessed skills that certainly rivaled his own, and that Riku was a powerful combatant in his own right from the battle he and Roxas had engaged in; a fight in which the youthful blond had lost. The most damning piece of evidence was the fact that he was certain that Riku was able to generate a Corridor of Darkness; something that should have provided the perfect method for escape. All they'd need to do was clear a large enough space—be that with magic or other abilities that Roxas didn't know of—to create a Dark Corridor, and then leave. There was also the fact that none of the Heartless seemed to pay any attention to their arrival. Sure, they had stopped roughly thirty or so feet away from the ranks of the Heartless, but it wasn't as if they were making any effort to hide themselves. For whatever reason, the Heartless were wholly focused on Riku and Sora, and Roxas couldn't understand why. Typically, the actions of the fiends of darkness were savage and feral, but predictable. If they saw a target, they would attack, simple as that. He could not believe that not even one of the Heartless within this massive amalgamation of them hadn't managed to even catch a glimpse of their presence. He knew that once one had noticed them and initiated the charge to attack, many more would follow. Despite this, not one of the dark creatures have even turned their heads to acknowledge them. Everything about this situation made absolutely no sense!
"Something is wrong. This doesn't make any sense." Xion noted in a grave tone. It was good to have someone reaffirm his own suspicions.

"Agreed. I thought these two were supposed to have fallen to Xemnas, so how is it that they are here and now, fighting?"

"I don't know. I was certain that Sora and Riku had perished at the top of the Castle. Maybe they escaped somehow?"

"Maybe…" Roxas was skeptical about that possibility. He felt he would have had some sort of confirmation had something like that happened, or at least a dream to let him know that Sora was still okay. And, if that was the case, then why had he been sent that vision of Sora as a child, sitting within what he could only describe as an ocean of darkness?

Something was definitely, seriously wrong about what was happening here.

Roxas was so lost in thought that he didn't even notice Weiss creeping up next to him until she was standing just next to him.

Her eyes were on Sora, narrowed with a suspicious gaze. "I thought you said that Sora was dead."

"I thought he was. He should be. I don't know what is going on."

"Hmm…" She raised a finger to her chin, studying the situation as she grew quiet.

Ruby, who had been standing alongside Roxas, raised a curious brow. "Wait, what does that mean? Sora isn't supposed to be here?"

Roxas gave her a serious look and slowly shook his head. He watched as she turned away, squinting as she studied Sora more thoroughly.

He looked out towards Namine, who—despite her earlier concern—was wearing an expression that told him that she too was puzzled at what they were witnessing.

"Hurry it up, Jaune!" Yang urged at the team leader's side, growing increasingly frustrated as she was being forced to wait. Roxas could see the others having different reactions to their first exposure to the Heartless.

Sun, Nora, and Neptune had formed a small group to the side and were studying the Heartless with an upbeat curiosity.

"So, that's a Heartless, huh? Most of them look kinda goofy, don'cha think? " Sun remarked as he crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow, skeptical.

"There are a lot of them, Sun. Don't let your guard down." Neptune remarked, taking a more responsible approach to the situation before adding, "But yeah, they do look pretty goofy. Bet'cha a Grimm could rip one of those things apart, no problem."

"You think they're edible?" Nora asked, her head tilted to the side as she examined the creatures with a strange look. A hungry look.

Both Neptune and Sun snapped their heads towards Nora, disgusted expressions on their faces.

"What?" Nora said, sounding almost offended by their recoil. "Everyone knows you can't eat a Grimm. They just get all dusty and stuff."

The two continued to stare at her with horrified stares.

She shrugged. "Just a question."

"Ignore her." Ren said as he approached, shaking his head in disapproval as he did. "She didn't eat before we left, despite my insistence that she should."

Nora grinned defiantly. "I'm the most dangerous when I'm hangry, obviously." She paused, smacking her lips before adding, "But, did any of you happen to pack any snacks or something by chance…?"

"Oh!" Pyrrha exclaimed as she reached around and into a small pack at her hip. "I think I might have actually brought some jerky. I didn't know how long this would take so-"

"Can everyone just be quiet for two seconds!" Jaune demanded, his frustration clear as day. "I'm trying to think here!"

The others silenced themselves immediately, wide, nervous eyes all staring at a Jaune as he crossed his arms and frowned at the ground in thought.

"Okay, I think I got it."

"Finally!" Yang exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air impatiently.

Jaune ignored her, turned towards where Roxas and Ruby were standing. "I need you two to clear a way in. Team up and use the Rose Petal Barrage technique. Do you remember it?"

Ruby smiled brightly, clearly excited at the prospect of getting to use her and her boyfriend's team attack first. "Yes, sir!" She said with a cheerful expression, saluting as she did.

Roxas nodded alongside her, a more serious expression on his face.

Jaune nodded. "Good. Now, Yang and Nora, I need you two to-"

"Wait." Roxas said, gesturing with a hand. "Something's wrong here."

Jaune shot him a curious look. "What do you mean?"

Roxas' eyes turned back to where the two Keyblade wielders were fighting, their expressions calm, as if this weren't a life and death combat against a sea of Heartless.
"Those two shouldn't be here. They could have gotten out of that fight at any time. Somethings up, but I don't know what."

Jaune's eyes narrowed before turning to study the two teens as well. Yang's impatience finally subsided as she frowned, a considerate look spreading across her face.

"So...should we still help them?" Ruby asked, appearing conflicted at the prospect of leaving the two in what appeared to be a hopeless battle.

Roxas paused, considering. No matter how he looked at the pair, the two were undoubtedly Sora and Riku. A part of him wanted to leave them, but he knew that was a selfish desire born of the uncertainty he felt about this entire engagement. He already felt responsible for Sora's defeat once, he decidedly did not want to be the one responsible for it again. Whatever was happening; they would deal with it. All that mattered now was that they saved Sora and Riku.

"We should still help." He finally decided. "I just think we should proceed with caution. There may be something we're not seeing. Just be careful."

The group nodded, their expressions bearing hints of suspicion now.

"Alright then, we'll proceed as planned." Jaune said, before turning to Yang and Nora. "We're going to need to pull some of the Heartless' attention off of them to make sure this works. Do you remember 'Burning Comet'?"
Nora's face lit up with a bright smile as Yang's shoulders slumped.

"Is this payback for me yelling at you?" The leader of team Rainbow groaned.

Jaune stifled a grin before shaking his head. "No. We need a loud bang to get their attention. You're good at being loud, right?" A coy grin now spread from his lips.
Yang rolled her eyes before moving over to an eager Nora, grumbling, "Fine." as she did.

"Good." Jaune continued. "So, Ruby, Roxas, after you use the 'Rose Petal Barrage' to get yourselves in, Yang and Nora will perform a 'Burning Comet' to draw the Heartless' attention and give Roxas just enough time to make a Corridor of Darkness and get those two out. While that's happening, I imagine that we're gonna have a pretty big fight on our hands. The rest of you spread out and form a wall. Try and hold them back as long as possible, and make certain not to get surrounded. If that's about to happen, fall back. We don't want this rescue mission needing a second rescue mission because someone else got trapped."

"What about a Dust Vortex?" Wiess offered. "I imagine me and Namine could draw some attention if we do that."

Jaune blinked. "I...didn't think of that. Yeah, you guys do a 'Dust Vortex', too. That should definitely get their attention."

Wiess nodded as a nervous look crossed Namine's features.

"Once we see that Roxas has gotten Sora and Riku out, that's our cue to retreat. We're not trying to fight all of these Heartless. We're only trying to rescue the pair." He turned to Namine. "You can form a Corridor of Darkness, too, right?"

Namine gulped anxiously, before nodding. "Y-yeah. I'm not as good at it as Roxas is but…I can do it."

"Good. Once you see Roxas is out, make one to where we were just before we heard the fight; you too, Roxas. If anyone gets cut off from the portal, that will be our meet point. Understood?"

"Understood!" Called out the rest of their group in unison.

"Good. Let's do this!"

Roxas and Ruby took this as their cue to begin. Ruby wrapped the young teen in her arms before, suddenly, the pair were shooting backwards down the road they'd come from and away from the fight. The world passed as a blur as they moved, and Roxas questioned just how Ruby didn't suffer from motion sickness every time she activated her semblance.

A second later, they came to an abrupt halt which caused Roxas to stumble as the world returned to normal. They were now a couple blocks away, their friends looking back towards them expectantly.

"Here we go." Ruby said in a more serious tone than Roxas was used to, her gaze focused as she stared back towards the way they'd come. She stretched out a hand to him once he'd recovered his footing. "Ready?"

He answered by taking her hand and nodding. Before he knew it, the strange sensation of watching the world smear together as they reached speeds Roxas still couldn't fathom being possible was upon him again. Roxas readied himself as they moved like a bullet towards the hoard of Heartless, pushing the nauseating feeling of moving at such high speed down as he prepared to summon his Keyblades.

He felt Ruby's grip on him release a moment later, summoning the Oathkeeper and Oblivion in the same breath as he rocketed towards the unsuspecting Heartless. He twisted his body as he continued to fly forward, riding the momentum provided by Ruby's semblance before launching himself into a spin, his body positioned parallel to the road below.

When he'd read the description of the 'Rose Petal Barrage' he'd felt the name rather strange for what the tactic actually did. Shouldn't it be called the 'Spinning Bullet Barrage', or something like that? He supposed it didn't matter. Jaune probably just wanted to do something that combined two of their signature traits, he supposed.
Ruby was the rose petal, and he was the barrage.

Just as he reached the edge of the massive hoard, he engulfed himself in light, feeling the warm sensation wash over him just as his Keyblades were each coated in the same luminescent energy which extended far past their tips, providing each with several more feet of range as a result. Ruby's aim had been perfect, launching him so that he soared just above the heads of the sea of Heartless before he began spin, slashing down and above in a rapid, fluent motion that cut down those above and below alike as he continued his path towards where Sora and Riku were still fighting.

It was then that he decided to initiate the barrage.

"Ohhh! Here comes the best part!" Xion chimed excitedly within his mind, as if like a child bouncing up and down in anticipation of their favorite part of a movie.

He pushed out his light to the tips of his Keyblades, developing them into little beads of light which expanded greatly before becoming what his friends had affectionately called 'Light Bombs'. He let out a powerful roar as he unleashed the first set of beads, resulting in massive explosions of light which completely enveloped the Heartless unfortunate enough to be too close to Roxas as he continued forward. He repeated this process rapidly, pushing out light bomb after light bomb in the seconds it took him to cross over the ocean of beady yellow eyes and jet black bodies each surging towards the circle's center. He had to reorient himself as he spun, seeing that he was drawing near to where Sora and Riku had been fighting, but were now standing still, their faces turned to look at his advance.

Before he reached the small circle they'd formed by cutting down countless Heartless, he managed to stop the momentum of his spin with a well placed 'aero' spell, before flipping once and raising both Keyblades above his head.

The teen landed just behind the two Keyblade wielders, bringing down his weapons in a missive crash as he unleashed a surge of pure white light, carefully making sure not to catch Sora and Riku in its blast. The resulting explosion of light eviscerated the Heartless immediately surrounding them, creating a large space clear of the creatures of darkness.

He turned, looking over his shoulder and seeing Ruby appear next to him a heartbeat later, her body materializing out of the swirling vortex of red and black that she so often became whenever she utilized her semblance. He could see a trail of rose petals slowly falling down to the asphalt along the pathway he'd carved through the Heartless—which he soon realized was already closing. However, he could see that the Heartless' attention seemed divided, and, looking past Ruby, Roxas could see why.

"Wow! That looks so cool!" Xion commented, awestruck at the sight before them. It appeared that Weiss and Namine had already initiated their 'Dust Vortex', as they'd called it. Roxas hadn't bothered to look at the team abilities Jaune had written for the members of their group that weren't a part of team Purger. He'd decided that, with everything he already had to remember involving the team attacks including himself, it would make it that much more difficult to remember those which didn't involve him.

Now that he saw what Namine and Weiss were doing, he wished he'd read up more on their tactics.

Back towards where his allies were now engaging the Heartless, he could see Namine and Weiss standing side by side, their rapiers inches away from each other as their faces each reflected a deep focus. He could see why. He didn't know how, but somehow the pair had managed to create an enormous tornado of dust. The bright, vibrant colors of flame dust intertwined with the cold, frigid color of ice dust, the two shades swirled together and formed a massive vortex that stretched so high that Roxas was certain that it rivaled some of Beacon's tallest pillars. The vortex pulled in the unsuspecting Heartless as those who saw the vortex before it was upon them and tried to flee, only to be sucked and suffer what Roxas could only consider a most painful fate. It seemed that the ice dust would freeze any unfortunate Heartless who made contact, only for the flame dust to cause the now frozen solid victim to explode in a fiery display, launching jagad shards of frozen Heartless in all directions, impaling further victims.

"Whoa." Xion said in amazement. "And I thought you and Ruby's team attack was cool."

Roxas had been having the same thought.

Meanwhile, Yang and Nora were initiating their own team tactic. Roxas had briefly glanced over that part of the document Jaune had given them, but hadn't read it completely, only reading enough to know that it involved utilizing Yang's semblance somehow.

He watched as a grumpy looking Yang stood some fifteen feet away from the massive hoard of Heartless now turning to address his friends. Nora was five feet behind her, and running up with her Magnhild prepared to swing in an upward arc, like a golfer preparing to send their ball far and high. Just before she reached her team leader, Yang hopped up into the air, pulling her knees to her chest as she made herself as close to a ball as possible. Roxas thought the position to be strange, having expected to see Yang plant her feet against the surface of her teammate's hammer and be launched into the sea of Heartless that way, only to watch in shock as the hammer struck directly against Yang's lower back, or rather, her butt? Roxas couldn't say, they were too far away to know for certain. Roxas watched as Yang's face winced, her eyes clenched shut in pain as it was clear that Nora's hammer had definitely hurt upon impact, and suddenly Roxas was left wondering if something had gone wrong in performing the tactic. This was after all the first time they were trying them. It made sense if some things took some practice.

It wasn't until Yang's eyes opened that he realized that Nora's actions had been no mistake. Her eyes burned with a fiery crimson rage that was only rivaled by her golden hair as it trailed behind her, now appearing as if it too had been set aflame.

"She's the one who gets really strong when she gets hit, right?" Xion questioned.

Roxas nodded as he watched the dramatic display. Yang flipped once as she soared high into the air, eclipsing the height of the Dust Vortex before righting herself midair, utilizing a single blast of her shot-gauntlets to do so. She shifted so that her gauntlets were now pointed towards the night sky before firing blast after blast, further propelling herself towards the ground like a meteorite just before it struck the ground.

Roxas could now understand Jaune's naming process.

She pulled back a single fist as she drew close, letting out a furious roar that made Roxas' earlier one sound childish by comparison. Finally, the burning shape of Yang collided with the surface of the road, her fist rushing forward and slamming down onto the asphalt with such a fourosity that Roxas could feel the entire road tremble from where he was standing. The road crumpled, unable to withstand the intensity of Yang's collision as a fiery wave rippled through the Heartless surrounding her, burning them to nothing as spikes from the now decimated road lurched up in all directions, launching the unfortunate Heartless surrounding the thoroughly pissed Yang Xiao Long straight into the air in what Roxas had to assume was at least a twenty foot radius. Those who were unfortunate enough to survive the jagged, impaling spikes of the broken road were instead launched into the sky where the swirling winds of Namine and Weiss' Dust Vortex brought their lives to an end.

Yang's head snapped back towards Nora a heartbeat later, her eyes still raging with a scarlet fury. "That hurt way too much! We're changing that attack when we get back!"

"But it worked!" Nora complained as she moved alongside Ren and the others to engage the army of Heartless, finally aware of their presence.

"What a dramatic display..." came the calm sound of Riku's voice.

Roxas turned his head back to the duo, realizing he'd been distracted for a handful of moments by the incredible display of his friends' talents.

"Roxas!" Ruby urged. "The corridor!"

"Right!" He nodded before raising a hand and forging a swirling mass of dark flame just next to them. He turned back to the two Keyblade wielders. "Hurry! This way! Get in before the Heartless swarm us again!"

The pair's eyebrows lifted, but their feet remained planted where they stood, making no gesture that they were interested in stepping through Roxas' portal. Roxas frowned. Why weren't they-?

Sora let out a dark chuckle that interrupted his thoughts, sounding distinctly unlike what Roxas remembered Sora's laugh to sound like. "So, this is meant to be a little rescue attempt, is it? How amusing."

"Oh no…" Xion's voice said in a sorrowful tone, as if the girl was covering her mouth in despair within his thoughts.

"What? What is it?"

"Roxas, look at their eyes!"

Immediately, the teen's gaze flickered to focus the pair's eyes, before letting out a startled noise of alarm. In the midst of all the combat, he'd failed to spot such a significant detail, but now that Xion had brought it to his attention, the difference was clear as day.

Looking between Sora and Riku, Roxas could see that both were staring back with eyes that radiated with a chilling amber glow. As he stared into them, Roxas realized he knew those eyes. They were the same eyes he'd come to fear during his time in the Organization, despite being told that none of them could even experience fear. He'd still always felt nervous whenever that cold gaze had rested on him.

They were the eyes of Xemnas.

Immediately, Roxas shifted, clutching his weapons tightly as he dropped into his battle stance, gritting his teeth as he regarded the pair of Keyblade wielders.

Ruby's face reflected shock, and then confusion. "Roxas? What's going on? Are you about to fight them?" She drew nearer to him, casting a weary stare towards where Riku and Sora were calmly standing, each wearing a confident grin as they regarded them.

"He's merely figured out what is going on. What we truly are." Riku commented in a voice that sounded much too mature to be his own.

"What?" Ruby asked, confused. Despite her uncertainty, the girl fell into a battle stance at Roxas' side, seeming to trust his judgement despite not understanding the situation.

"I really like her, Roxas. She puts so much trust in you."

Roxas smiled at the comment, feeling a warmful pride at his girlfriend's quick decision to join him.

"Xemnas has taken control of them...somehow." Roxas' mind raced back to the dream he had of Sora within that sea of darkness, finally beginning to understand what the vision had meant. It had been Sora's desperate plea for help, trapped inside a body that was no longer his to control. His mind flickered back to the conversation he had with Xion, about the cruel existence of being trapped within another's heart, or in this case, your own. As he stared upon the confident smiles of two people that had once been allies to his cause, he questioned if Riku and Sora were still in there somewhere, watching these events unfold much like how Xion had been able to, or if they had been denied even that small kindness.

Roxas still held so many questions within his mind as he studied the pair. He hadn't even known that Xemnas could take control of a person's heart, let alone how. What's more, if they were now a part of Xemnas' forces, then why were they here? Fighting a seemingly never ending battle against the Heartless? Did Xemnas not have some sort of control over the Heartless? And if so, did that mean that this was just some sort of petty revenge on behalf of the leader of Organization XIII? Deciding to order his former enemies to exhaust themselves slaying an army of Heartless that would go on forever?

His eyes narrowed to slits as the small space he'd created began to close as the Heartless came surging towards them, swarming them just as he'd feared. His eyes shifted to where his Corridor of Darkness lingered, but knew they'd hesitated too long. A second later, the ocean of Heartless crashed through his portal, causing it to collapse as they rushed forward.

Without having to say a word, Ruby and Roxas shifted so that their backs were to each other, prepared to engage in battle against a force too numerous for any hope of victory.

"Stay close!" Roxas commanded, shouting over the sounds of the Heartless' shuffling feet as they came charging. "We only need to clear enough space to escape!" Roxas trusted Ruby to understand that 'escape' meant them forming a Corridor of Darkness to flee into.

"Oh," Sora began in a deep, condescending voice. "That won't be necessary." Out of the corner of his eye, Roxas watched as Sora's hand lifted, opening his palm out towards the rushing wave of Heartless.

Immediately, the dark, mangled shapes of the Heartless came to a halt. Sora made a 'shooing' gesture, and slowly the creatures of the night shambled back until they'd formed a ring around the ground once more.

Roxas felt his mouth fall open in shock, his brows furrowed in astonishment. He'd been counting on the Heartless to engage them, soothed, if only slightly, in the knowledge that a fight between him and Ruby against Sora and Riku would be nearly impossible given the ruthless nature of the Heartless surrounding them. He'd been certain that both parties would have their hands full trying to fend off the vicious attacks of the Heartless, let alone each other.

Now that he knew that wasn't going to be, Roxas felt a nervous knot forming in the pit of his stomach.

"This is really, really bad, Roxas!" Xion said in a trembling voice, clearly having come to the same conclusions he had.

Looking towards Sora and Riku, Roxas could see a hungry, hateful look in their eyes. It was clear to him that they were looking for a fight. He could even predict that, if Xemnas had been able to corrupt their hearts so completely that they were now under his control, what was stopping him from doing the same to him?

No...he won't just stop at me…

His eyes flickered to where he could see his friends still fighting against the surging sea of Heartless. It was clear that Sora's influence hadn't stretched out towards these Heartless, as they continued to lash out at his friends in their typical ruthless nature. Thankfully, their years of training proved more than a match against the onslaught of darkness' children, holding their ground and pushing back the wave of Heartless—for now.

Roxas' gaze shifted in quick glances to each and every one of his friends, watching their concentrated expressions as they expertly took down Heartless after Heartless, only for another to take the place of its fallen brethren.

"Xemnas...he'll take them all...won't he?" Xion's voice was laced with a concern that Roxas felt within himself as well. Riku had even commented on his friend's talents on the battlefield. Before, he'd thought it was simply a matter of being impressed by his friends' efforts, but now that he knew what Xemnas could do, he felt the comment held within it a deeper, darker message. His mind harkened back to Xion's comment before they'd stepped through the Corridor of Darkness, making mention of just how many members of their gang were coming along on this mission. Thirteen, to be exact.

"I've brought him a whole new Organization XIII…"

The realization sent a horrifying understanding through Roxas of just how much danger he'd put his friends in. He'd already contemplated the dark torment of being trapped within one's own heart, forever existing, but at the very same time forever being denied the light of the outside world. He couldn't help but imagine each and every one of his friends trapped in the same horrible place he'd found Sora in during the vision he'd been sent. He could picture each of them, screaming to be released, but Xemnas' grips on their hearts being too tight for any of them to break free. If Xemnas was powerful enough to take control of Sora, then Roxas had no doubt that they would all be trapped forever if they were to suffer a similar fate.

He could picture Yang angrily thrashing through the ocean of darkness in a desperate attempt to break free, all the while knowing deep within herself that she could not. He could envision Weiss trying her best to remain calm and calculated as she attempted to understand her situation and try time after time to fruitlessly break out, only to fail after each and every attempt. He could picture each of them trying in their own way to fight back against the invasion of darkness within their hearts, their will to fight back the darkness weakening with each and every attempt until they were left much like Sora was. Nothing more than a crying child, reaching out for help that they felt deep down inside would not come.

Hopelessness.

His eyes flickered to Ruby, envisioning her suffering such a fate. He could picture the bright, cheerful girl he'd fallen in love with, doing her best to cope with her situation. Trying to find any type of light within a place that was devoid of it. He could picture her breaking down, crying, terrified, and hurt that this had been her fate instead of fulfilling her dream of one day becoming a world renown Huntress.

The mental image made Roxas snarl.

His grip tightened around his Keyblades until his knuckles were white beneath his gloves. He would not let any of his friends suffer such a cruel and twisted fate. He didn't care what it took. He didn't care if it meant that he had to fall to ensure their safety. He would make sure they made it out of this place still themselves.

Still, something about this situation didn't make sense, and Roxas was determined to know why.

"Why are you here?!" he demanded, his words seething with hatred. "If you control the Heartless, then why are you two fighting them now?!"

Sora let go of a soft chuckle, shaking his head. "Is it not obvious, Thirteen?" His hand gestured up towards the looming shape of Kingdom Hearts above them. Roxas' eyes flickered upward for only a moment, unwilling to let the duo out of his sights for even a second, before understanding began to fill him.

No…

Riku decided to explain further, the Way To Dawn resting casually on one shoulder. "When Sora and I foolishly decided to challenge Xemnas before, he was forced to absorb what was, at the time, an incomplete form of Kingdom Hearts. The power was incredible, but Xemnas knew that it wasn't nearly what it should be when considering the incredible power that resides within one's heart." His hand gestured out towards the Heartless surrounding them, still patiently waiting where they stood. "Once he claimed our hearts, he understood that Kingdom Hearts would need to be reforged once more, and that he was now in the possession of two powerful Keyblade wielders more than capable of doing so." His grin widened, his smile sinister as he regarded Roxas with eyes that bore a hateful stare. "We've since been tasked to collect as many hearts as possible from the Heartless attracted by two powerful Keyblade wielders. Despite our control of these savage creatures, it appears that not even they will willingly submit to their deaths without putting up a fight, which meant that we needed to fight in turn."

Sora began then, speaking as if he were continuing Riku's statement, as if the two were one and the same. "Xemnas was rather fascinated when he discovered that, upon reaching what he'd previously considered a 'complete' Kingdom Hearts, that more hearts were still able to be collected as Riku and I continued to slay Heartless after Heartless. It appears that Kingdom Hearts has no true final stage. It can consume as many hearts as we are able to fill it with. To what end, even we do not know."

Roxas gritted his teeth as he took in the new information. So, Xemnas planned to absorb as many hearts as possible? Benefiting off of those who suffered such a cruel fate as to lose their hearts to the Heartless that plagued so many worlds? Roxas couldn't help but feel that revelation as disgusting in its nature. What corrupt fiend would feel the desire to benefit off of so many people suffering? He couldn't stand it.

"I hope the two of you know that all of this is coming to an end now." He stated firmly, growling as he regarded the duo.

"Oh, is that what you think?" Sora remarked snidely as he lowered his stance, gripping his Keyblade in two hands, a weapon that no longer resembled the strange shape he'd seen within his dreams, but rather took the form of Sora's original, steel and brass Keyblade.

"I assure you," Riku began as he stance shifted, adjusting his weapon so that it was now raised overhead, pointed to face towards them as his other hand pushed itself out forward. "That even with all the allies you've surrounded yourselves with, you'll find yourselves more than outmatched."

"It looks like things are about to heat up…" Ruby mumbled, having shifted so that she too was facing towards the dangerous duo once more.

Roxas felt worry building within him, but made sure not to show it as he prepared himself for the fight ahead. He nodded. "Get ready, Ruby. Things have just gone from bad, to worse."


-Jaune-

The leader of team Purger surveyed the battlefield as he took a brief break from the battle, having called out to Pyrrha to cover his flank as he took a step back. It appeared that their teams were doing well against the oncoming onslaught. He could see Sun and Neptune off to the side, the former having engaged his semblance and summoning a trio of replicas of himself to engage the enemy, each seemingly having adopted Sun's battle style upon their creation before striking out against the sea of Heartless in a flurry of expertly placed strikes that struck down Heartless after Heartless. Neptune appeared to have decided to forgo the gun variant of his weapon, choosing instead to move in close against his opponents and begin slicing through each and every child of darkness that leapt towards him in their desperate attempts to land a lucky shot. The rest were faring just as well, with Nora flattening opponent after opponent into the ground with each swing. Ren was just beside her, rapidly transitioning between tearing through Heartless that grew too close before pointing the barrels of his Stormflower outward to spread a rapid barrage of gunfire into the cluster of Heartless.

Jaune briefly acknowledged the rest of their group, seeing that the Dust Vortex was beginning to dwindle in its furocity, but the concentrated expressions on both Namine and Wiess told him that they still had a decent amount of time before that benefit of the battle washed away. He decided to look past them, knowing that enough time had gone by for Roxas and Ruby to have since made it to where Sora and Riku had been fighting.

His eyebrows furrowed as he stared towards the center of the Heartless. Immediately, he could tell that something was seriously wrong. For whatever reason, it appeared that the Heartless surrounding them had decided to stop, waiting patiently as the four spoke to one another, with Roxas and Ruby quickly shifting into battle stances as they confronted the two they'd previously determined they needed to rescue. He wished he could hear the conversation being spoken so that he could further understand the situation, but the roar of battle all around him prevented him such a luxury. Despite this, he knew immediately that their initial plan would no longer be viable in the conflict ahead. Whatever was happening over there, it was definitely not what they'd been expecting.

That meant that he needed a new plan, and fast.

Alright, Jaune. It's time to think.

Before he knew it, Roxas had leapt forward, slashing out in a vicious swing against the two figures they'd initially sought to rescue. Jaune immediately knew then that Roxas' previous concerns had been true, and that this situation had become far more dire because of it. Ruby was moving just beside her boyfriend, slashing out with the Crescent Rose in deliberate and precise strikes that Sora and Riku appeared more than capable of avoiding.

Jaune felt a stab of fear in his chest. His friends were surrounded by enemies, facing against opponents of unknown capabilities, isolated. It didn't take a genius to know just how much trouble they were in.

"Fall back!" he called out immediately, trying to sound strong in his command, but the lingering fear of what was happening with Roxas and Ruby slipped into his words. He could see curious glances from those who had not noticed the conflict ahead, too busy confronting the wave of Heartless still attacking them even as they headed Jaune's command.

"New plan!" he called out, rapidly forming a new engagement strategy. He knew that Roxas and Ruby would need support now that they were in the thick of it. He watched as Roxas spun, slashing out in a motion that was so fast that Jaune could barely track the swing, only for the attack to be blocked at the last second by Sora's weapon, and for Riku's Keyblade to come crashing down on top of the blond, driving down and connected against Roxas' torso, driving him back.

Roxas and Ruby needed their support.

And he planned to give it.


-Roxas-

The young teen stifled a cry of pain as he felt The Way To Dawn drive into his chest, knocking him back and nearly to the edge of the ring of Heartless eagerly awaiting the command to engage them.

"We can't go into this without a plan!" Xion shouted urgently within his mind. "Sora and Riku can't be beaten with brute force! We need to think!"

Roxas felt a pang of shame that he'd acted so recklessly in their initial clash and suffered a chest wound because of it, although his aura had protected him from the brunt of it. Ruby had darted in, her body moving as if to the sounds of music as she danced around the spinning scepter that was her scythe, engaging Riku for a time as the teen appeared momentarily puzzled by the elaborate slashes meant to break through his defenses. A moment later, Riku seemed to understand her attack strategy, dipping narrowly underneath a slash and rising with his Keyblade that culminated in an attack that nearly connected with Ruby's throat had it not been for her instincts engaging her semblance just in time, launching her away and back to where Roxas stood.

Ruby was breathing heavily, having clearly been giving it her all in her fight against Riku. "They're really strong." she grumbled, worry laced within her words.

Roxas merely nodded, his hardened gaze still focused on the two individuals now regarding them with confident smirks. They made no effort to push an engagement, seemingly understanding the advantage they had against them. Roxas knew from the dreams he'd been sent that Sora was more than a match for himself, able to tap into the many drive forms Xion had mentioned earlier. Ruby, while a talented fighter in her own right, was certainly no match for the formidable force that was Riku, a fighter who at one point bested Roxas in one on one combat.

Roxas felt a nervous knot forming within his chest. This situation was bad, and he doubted either of the opponents before him would allow them enough time to escape through a Corridor of Darkness.

He rapidly went through plans in his head. Should he order Ruby to try and stall one of them? Hoping that her efforts would give him enough time to bring down one, and then assist her with the other? Of course, that was dependent on the belief that he would be able to defeat one of them in a solo confrontation. He already knew that Sora's abilities likely overshadowed even his own. That meant that leaving Ruby to face Sora was definitely out of the question, leaving her to challenge Riku for a time—who likely had his own repritar of unknown abilities to contend with. Regardless of that worrying thought, was it even possible that he would be able to beat Sora as he was now if the two were left to combat each other?

What if she falls before you finish one off? What if these two are able to take control of her heart like Xemnas does? What then?

Roxas felt a panic consuming him at the idea. He didn't know enough about how Xemnas managed to corrupt a person's heart so that he could then control them. If he could do it, then what was preventing Sora or Riku from doing the same?

"We don't have many options here, Roxas." Xion admitted within his mind. "We can't expect to win this like any other fight. We need to go all out. We'll need everything if we want to bring them down."

Roxas knew her words to be true. After running through several strategies through his mind, the only plan that seemed to have even the slightest possibility of succeeding was to blitz them and score a lucky shot that they weren't expecting, bringing down one of them so that the other was left at a disadvantage.

"What's the plan?" Ruby asked, a tremor of nervousness within her voice, but overshadowed by a defiant determination that Roxas found he admired in the woman standing beside him, facing a threat she likely knew was far past her own capabilities, but all the same deciding she wanted to challenge it with him.

Despite this, Roxas couldn't risk the likelihood of her falling in this fight. Despite Ruby's best effort earlier, he knew that if she were to go into the fight one too many times, she would likely suffer a lucky strike from one of the powerful Keyblade wielders. He imagined each of their swings rivaling his own in power, and didn't know if Ruby's aura would be enough to protect her from such an outcome. He determined there and then that he couldn't risk such an outcome. He could not lose Ruby. He would not.

"Hang back." he commanded. "Fire supporting shots. I'm going in."

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Ruby's face contort into one of bafflement. "But, it's two against one, what do you mean you're going in?"

"Not the time, Ruby!" He commanded as he rushed forward, not giving his girlfriend the time to protest as he readied the Oblivion and Oathkeeper on either side of him. He reached within himself and summoned his light to burn all around him, enhancing his abilities in a vibrant explosion of colorless light as he drew near. Immediately afterwards, he searched out for the gift Xion had granted him, concentrating on the Valor form until it too consumed him, its power washing over him as it combined with his light, forging the new form he'd tested against Demyx only a day earlier.

Valor's Light.

His speed and strength magnified in less than a second, so much so that it was as if his body was moving faster than his mind could command the actions. He lashed out, driving his Oblivion with such force that Riku was only just barely able to raise his Way to Dawn in preparation to defend before the two weapons collided. Riku hadn't been unprepared to take the crushing force of Roxas' swing, causing the teen to be knocked back as the attack sent him flying away, sailing through the air with an astonished expression before he fell into the waves of Heartless surrounding them.

Roxas turned his attention to Sora next, dipping below a wild swing of the Kingdom Key before rushing in with the Oathkeeper, aiming his blade to connect with Sora's chin. Sora backpedaled at just the right moment, narrowly avoiding Roxas' feral swipe before the blond spun, lashing out with the Oblivion once more. Sora let out a startled cry as the attack moved to connect with his ribs before his Kingdom Key was there a second later.

Sora appeared to have understood the power behind Roxas' strikes after seeing his ally be knocked away, his feet digging into the asphalt below them as he skidded back, but was not knocked away.

A loud bang split the air as suddenly Sora's head snapped to the side, his face wincing in a sharp pain as Roxas realized a well placed bullet had managed to plant itself squarely at his temple. Roxas could see that the bullet hadn't managed to penetrate the skin, a shimmer along Sora's skin telling Roxas that his aura had managed to take the blunt of the blow. The teen stumbled, processing the pain and Roxas knew that it was Ruby behind him, aiding him. He knew not to waste this opportunity.

Roxas closed the distance between them a heartbeat later, bringing both the Oblivion and Oathkeeper down, performing an axe handle swing in an attempt to crash them into Sora's skull, hopefully knocking the teen out before he knew what was going on. Sora's glowing yellow eyes snapped open an instant later, his Kingdom Key rising just in time as he gripped it with both hands, crashing the weapon into Roxas' attack. The force of the two Keyblades brought Sora to a knee, but failed to connect as Roxas had hoped.

"Clever. I didn't think you'd be able to access Sora's drive forms." The teen spoke as if he was not himself, instead acknowledging Sora as a different person entirely. "But, I hope you know that you are not the only one who can perform such a trick."

Before he knew what was going on, Roxas watched with wide eyes as Sora's form flashed with a bright light so intense that it blinded the young blond for a split second. When his vision returned to him, he could see that Sora's clothes had adopted a new form, appearing dominatingly white with shades of black lining his shorts and sleeves. His Kingdom Key was no longer clutched in his hands, instead floating as if supported by the air itself as it continued to push back against the combined strength of both of Roxas' weapons. Darting lights of pure white flew about Sora as he now floated above the ground, as if gravity no longer had an effect on the teen. Roxas' mouth fell open as he noticed yet another change to the transformation his opponent had undergone. Floating just behind Sora, rested a second Keyblade. It's shape was entirely foreign to anything Roxas had ever seen before. It's hilt appeared to spike towards the frown drawing towards the rest of the weapon, completely protecting Sora's hand from any attack that might land there. Following the weapon upward, he could see that it's shaft was far thicker than either of his own weapons, with the shape of a heart engraved at it's base with colors of both a deep blue and as well as a subdued gold to outline it. Moving up the rest of its shaft, its engravings seemed to crisscross in a format that only served to further support the weapon's durability, transitioning in color from a shade of golden white until it was blue as Roxas' gaze moved to the weapon's tip. There, he could see a simple golden crown resting at its tip where an extension of three sharp silver spikes jutted out adjacent to the weapon's length. The only word Roxas could use to describe it within his own thoughts was immaculate, and he knew that only meant that it was all the more powerful for it.

"The Ultima weapon…" Xion whispered within his mind, a tremor of fear bleeding into her words as she regarded the new Keyblade. Her fear only served to reinforce the nervousness Roxas had been feeling as he examined the new weapon for the split second that it remained floating behind Sora, before the teen swung it forward, commanding the floating Keyblade with a swipe of his hand to come rushing forward in a slash so swift that Roxas only barely had enough time to position his Keyblades to form a proper defense.

He hadn't expected the enormous force behind the weapon's swing.

Despite positioning both the Oblivion and Oathkeeper to meet the new Keyblade's attack, Roxas found his feet skidding beneath him as he was driven back, nearly toppling over into the ring of Heartless surrounding them before finally coming to a halt.

A confident smirk marked Sora's face as the two Keyblades idly swirled around him, his hands never needing to come in contact with the weapons, his feet never touching the ground.

Sora raised a single hand, his eyes trailing the Keyblades as they wrapped about him, seeming to trail a white light as they did. "I do believe that this is what Sora called his 'Final Form' if I'm not mistaken." His gaze shifted so that both of his amber pupils were regarding Roxas with a hardened stare. "Your transformation was impressive. I will give you credit in that regard. However, now I will show you the true power that can be unlocked behind these forms."

Roxas felt his stomach sink, a new terror washing over him as he gripped his Keyblades tightly.

His blitz had failed. Sora was now floating before him as if a god of this realm, too powerful to even be plagued by the nuisance of even touching the ground anymore.

Roxas knew almost for certain that he was in for the fight of his life.


-Author's Note-

Roxashadow:

That's right, me and Shiloh are back, baby!(Sorta)

So, I bet a lot of you are wondering why you guys are getting an update at all considering that I mentioned in my previous chapter that I was going to bootcamp so soon after, huh? Well, the truth is, I was fed some false information. I'd been told that my 'predicted' ship date was what I told all of you, but then learned soon after that I had a couple months before my actual ship date. That led to me realizing that I had a little bit of time to write yet another installment of this story for you guys to all to enjoy. That being said, my actual ship date is quite literally in only a couple of days from right now (I'm not kidding when I say that I only just finished this most recent installment hours ago), so I am still going to be on a hiatus for some time (Sorry).

Now that I've explained that much, allow me some time to talk about the chapter. First and foremost, I went into a writing craze writing this chapter as a whole. There was literally a time where I'd been at it for roughly 5 or 6 straight hours and I could no longer feel the rest of my body. It was during this night that I literally managed to produce roughly 25 straight pages worth of chapter, much to (I imagine) my fabulous editor's chagrin when they awoke in the morning and saw all the work that had to be done. Of course, I imagine that many of you are now questioning why it took me two months to produce only 41 pages worth of content (what a pathetically small update, amiright?) Well, this is the part where I reveal to you all that, much like the previous installment of the story, this chapter was originally twice as long as I decided to release it as. In fact, the 25 page craze of me writing wasn't even in this section, but the next. That's right, part two of this conflict will be released sometime tomorrow, as I really don't have all that much time to release these considering how soon I'm about to be taken away. As always, I obliged you to drop a review for both me and my wonderful editor, Shiloh, who proved to be invaluable in this effort to release these two chapters at such a pace. There were quite literally nights where we were both up to the early hours of the morning with her just behind me cleaning up my sleep deprived mistakes in a diligent effort to ensure that these chapters would come out as clean as absolutely possible.

Not much else to say about this chapter except that it was an absolute blast to write and that I had even more fun writing the next section. I hope you all enjoyed it!

Until next time!

...Tomorrow...lol.

Shiloh Aldwin:

Hey guys! Shiloh here! I hope you enjoyed part one of the finale for this arc. I was surprised that RoxaShadow was still home and not at bootcamp, but I was also happy that he didn't leave for bootcamp yet since it gave me an opportunity to help him make this chapter come out before his departure. I hope all of you are okay and staying strong during the pandemic we're all still currently living under. I know that things are still hard and want things to go back to normal. While RoxaShadow and I can't do much to speed up the process, I do hope that this masterpiece we both created is somewhat helping you all cope. I gotta say, though, that this was a super long chapter to edit. My brain sort of fried and turned to pudding a couple times from having to read and reread it :P But, it was worth it in the end. Did you all like the surprise RoxaShadow had for you on what happened to Sora and Riku? I know I did XD Crazy, isn't it, how this could be possible of actually happening if Roxas had fled and somehow remained as himself in canon. Sort of a cruel fate the universe has between those boys and Xion, isn't it? But, that's Kingdom Hearts for ya. Always finding a way to twist a knife in our hearts and ask ourselves, "Why?" :P Anyway, sorry this chapter took a while for me and RoxaShadow to post. Besides his case, mine was mainly due to school, which is sort of draining me at the moment. Still hanging on, though. Well, I think I've chatted all of your ears enough. Hope you're all excited to see more real soon! :D

Until Next Time!