Chapter 66: Sinister Siblings

A/N: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It is the property of Square Enix and the Walt Disney Company. I do not own The Dresden Files, which is the property of Jim Butcher.

This is a creative project that I do not profit off of in any way, shape or form.

Hello everybody! We're going to be giving some attention to the Wayfinder Trio now. While this is largely a Sea-Salt fic, I want to give a little attention to the other Keybearers.

Here we go, my dear readers!

oooo

The mansion stands far apart from the rest of Twilight Town, deep in the woods. You've been here a few times on missions, but you've never gone inside until today. But this is where Riku told you to go. You have to find Naminé. She's going to help you return to Sora. Give back what you've stolen. Start doing what's right…the first good thing you've ever done. The last thing you'll ever do…

It's for the good of everyone. This is how it has to be.

The inside of the mansion is almost as orange as anything else in Twilight Town. In a way, it's comforting, in a way. But there's something wrong about it all the same. It's not like the Beast's Castle, which had the living candelabra and the living clock and the Beast and the Princess. And it's not like the Castle That Never Was…where there was Demyx trying to sing a song on his sitar and Luxord offering a game of cards. This is too still. Too quiet.

"In here."

The voice is very gentle, though it sounds quite a bit like your own. You turn your head. Up a flight of stairs and around a corner is a girl, peaking out from the door. You walk up to her and she ushers you inside. You take the steps very slowly. Your legs feel very heavy and it takes a lot longer than it should to reach the room. When you open the door, it hurts your eyes: the room is strikingly white. White walls, white floor, white ceiling. White furniture—the candelabra is white. Even the vase with flowers is white. It's whiter and brighter than even the worst rooms in the Castle That Never Was. The only bits of color come from the drawings taped to the wall. One drawing…of three figures in black coats. One has red hair, one has yellow hair, one has black hair…

"It's nice to meet you…Xion."

You look at Naminé. She looks strikingly like you. You have the same face. Is Naminé connected to Sora like you are? Or maybe she's connected to the girl on the island—Kairi. Her name is Kairi—that's what Riku told you.

" Naminé, are you able…to see my face?"

"Yes."

It's strange. Naminé doesn't seem the least bit surprised that she can see your face. Everyone else—even Axel—saw you as a hooded puppet when they first met you. Roxas didn't see your face at first either…but then again, neither did you.

"Then what do you think I should do?"

You don't know why you're asking this. You've already made your decision. And Riku's told you already what has to happen. But Naminé is different. Maybe she can explain it in a nicer way that Riku did.

"What do you want to do?"

The question is simple enough. But it's still strange. You're not usually one who gets asked questions. Especially ones like this. You think before you answer.

"At first, I just wanted to be with Roxas and Axel. But then I started that my memories…Well, these aren't really even mine, are they?"

"You're not Sora, and you're not Roxas," Naminé explains. "You're Kairi as Sora remembers her."

Kairi…you're connected to Kairi too? That makes sense…Kairi's the one Sora cares about the most. So it makes sense that those memories are the ones that shape you. But that doesn't make you feel any better.

"As I remember more of my past, the more I feel the need to go back where I came from. What should I do…to go back?"

"So you're going back to Sora?" Naminé asks. She stiffens and . "If you return your memories to him, then you will disappear. In exchange for not having your own memory, you're connected through others' memories. So when you disappear, no one will remember you. There won't be any "you" to remember. For all the powers I possess, I can't keep even one piece of the memory called "you" connected."

"I know. I'm ready," You say. And you're surprised by just how certain you sound. You are ready after all. "Otherwise I wouldn't be here."

You're doing the right thing. You're helping Sora. Helping everyone. But that's the thing…it's not going to be enough to make Sora wake up.

"I also know that Roxas should be going back with me. But…I don't think he would understand. Not yet."

"I know," Naminé agrees. "Roxas can't feel Sora just yet…"

Can't feel Sora…yeah, that's a good way of putting it. You can feel Sora. You've been able to do so for a long time. Could Roxas have been able to feel Sora if it weren't for you? Is that something else you've stolen? Oh, Roxas…

" Naminé, will you please watch over Roxas once I'm gone?" You ask. You duck your head down slightly before continuing. "You won't be alone. I asked someone else, too. There just isn't anything else I can do."

"All right."

"Thank you…"

"Well, if you're ready," Naminé sighs. There's no reason for her to be upset. This is what's right. "Let's go see Sora."

Before you can say another word, a Dark Corridor appears and out of it emerges a man wrapped in a scarlet robe and bandages. He glowers at Naminé.

" Naminé, it's them! The Organization has found us! They're almost here!" He spits out the words in disgust and then glares at you. "This blasted puppet has led them right to our doorstep! See what you get for trusting it?"

It. It. It. You're not an it. You're not an it…you're Kairi as Sora remembers her. It's not much but it's still more than an "it."

But you still screwed things up. You led the Organization here. They could hurt Sora. They could hurt Naminé. This can't be allowed to happen.

"I can handle this!"

You leap to your feet and run as fast as your legs can carry you. You're at the door before you even realize it and as you run, you hear Naminé's voice echoing in your ears.

"Wait! Xion…"

xxxx

Ven woke up, his fingers clutching at his head. Another dream about Xion. Or to be more accurate, a dream from Xion's memories. That made seven dreams now. Seven dreams from Xion's memories. Eight dreams from Roxas's memories. Ven pinched the bridge of his nose. He was tired. These dreams were going to drive him insane. He'd never realized what it'd been like for them. He'd been too deep into sleep when he had been in Sora's heart. And now the dreams…they weren't nightmares.

"Sorry," Chirithy piped up. "It's not something I can fix. These dreams are memories. They're what happened to your friends."

"It's alright, Chirithy," Ven said. "It's not your fault. And besides, I shouldn't rely on you to get rid of my nightmares."

"That's my job…" Chirithy said. "And you're my friend…"

"You're my friend too," Ven said. "Watching out for you is my job…I should take care of you…I should have done better for Roxas and Xion…"

They'd been back at the Land of Departure for a night. Aqua had insisted on it after everything that had gone down at Disney Castle…Disney Town…Ven groaned. Things were tense between them. Tense in a way that was way too close to the way they'd been right before Master Xehanort and Vanitas had ruined everything. That'd been so long ago…and yet, it really hadn't been.

He was back in his old bedroom now. The same room he'd always had here. The room that Master Eraqus had made special for him. It was simple, really. Ven didn't mind the simplicity. If he concentrated, he could remember bits of Roxas's room and Sora's room, and they—Sora, especially—had loads of stuff that they didn't use. Ven was pretty sure Roxas had some fancy tissue dispenser that was shaped like a head…which was really weird. Oh, and Xion had a collection of seashells.

Ven didn't have a tissue dispenser or a collection of seashells. He didn't even have his old toy Keyblade that Terra had carved for him. He had his bed and his desk and his journal, but not much more than that. He had books—plenty of books. Books filled with the lore of Keybearers in the past and some other books about history and science. A telescope in the corner. Ven inhaled slowly.

Chirithy peered up at Ven, his little blue eyes narrowing in concern. Ven inhaled slowly. He wasn't angry anymore…or was he? It still wasn't fair, what had been happening to Roxas and Xion. Everything they'd done for the worlds and they were both so tired—Ven could see in their eyes. They were both having way worse nightmares than the memories that Ven kept reliving.

And Xion had gotten her Keyblade taken away. Ven grit his teeth. He was still angry. Xion had cried and sobbed and said she was sorry, but Master Yen Sid and Aqua had taken away her Keyblade anyway. It wasn't fair…

"Ven?"

Aqua was peering in his doorway. She was already dressed in her regular clothes. Ven turned his head away and he heard Aqua close the door behind her. She stepped across his room, her bare feet nearly soundless against his floor. Ven bit the inside of his cheek. He didn't like being angry with Aqua. She was one of his best friends. She'd always been his best friend, ever since he'd arrived at the Land of Departure. But she'd sided with Master Yen Sid in taking away Xion's Keyblade. And she'd help do it.

He closed his eyes and felt Aqua place a hand against his hair.

"Come on," Aqua said. "We're heading out to see Cinderella and the others. We're needed."

"Right," Ven said. "Okay…I'll be down in a few minutes."

He felt Aqua scratch her fingers against his scalp and then rise slowly. She turned and walked out of the room. Ven exhaled slowly, tears brimming at his eyes.

Please, let us still be friends. Please, please, please…

oooo

The Lanes Between…it was strange, in some ways. Terra had spent quite some time traveling between worlds and the Gummi Ships that King Mickey and his friends used were strikingly different than the means Master Eraqus had taught them how to use, so long ago. Terra smiled at Aqua gently and she returned it, but her smile didn't reach her face. It wasn't surprising. Since following Master Yen Sid's decree, and Ven's outburst against Riku, Aqua had been very quiet. Terra didn't like it, but he also wasn't sure what should be said, for fear of further complicating the situation.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes," Aqua nodded as she finished tying one of the straps on her shoes. "And Ven will be down in just a few—oh, here he is now!"

Ven was walking down the steps, Chirithy perched on his shoulder. The little cat-creature hopped down and lifted its little arms.

"Be safe now," Chirithy said. "I'll stay here and make sure the castle stays neat and tidy!"

Given that they would't be here to dirty it in any way, and even when they weren't here, they each tended to take care of their own cleaning, Terra doubted that was going to be necessary for the little creature. But it was still very touching how willing Chirithy was to take care of his home.

"We'll be a few days," Ven said. "But no matter what, we're going to be together. And if you need me, I'll be here."

"Yes, yes, yes," Chirithy said, clapping his hands…er, paws, together. "Go forth, Ventus, to where you're needed."

"Right," Ven said. "Where I'm needed…"

Ven straightened up and pressed his hand to the pad of armor on his shoulder. His Keyblade Armor appeared in a brilliant flash of light. His Armor was silver and olive-green. Ten gripped Wayward Wind tightly in his right hand, in his reverse grip. Aqua nodded and a moment later, summoned her own Keyblade Armor, steel-y purple and grey. Terra inhaled slowly before pressing his own Armor forward. Red and gold with a long cape. The Armor would provide protection from the corroding effects of darkness while they were in the Lanes Between.

With a final wave to Chirithy, they were off. The Lanes Between were what connected the worlds, or to be more precise, the space between the worlds. The darkness was strong there. Terra winced, though nobody would have noticed it from behind his helmet. The darkness was powerful…alluring. But in the darkness, there twinkled light, and within that light was a world. A world where lived a maiden with a pure heart.

Traveling through the Lanes Between using Keyblade Armor and forming his Keyblade into a vehicle was very different from using a Gummi Ship. The darkness was a lot closer, with only his Armor to protect him. Terra could still feel it. In a Gummi Ship, from his admittedly limited experience with them, the darkness could not be felt. Gummi Ships were made of the pieces of the barriers that had once separated the worlds. In a way, they were almost like barriers themselves. Complete shields from the darkness. But the expediency of his Keyblade Armor could not be overlooked. What could take a full day in a Gummi Ship could take mere hours in Keyblade Armor.

Beside him, Terra could see Aqua and Ven. They were both looking straight ahead, which was probably for the best all things considered. While things had been icy between them for the last day or two, and there may have been tension that Terra hadn't paid full attention to before. It plagued at his heart. Master Eraqus had asked him to take care of them, and he hadn't done a very good job at that. He had to do better. He had to be better.

The light calling them grew stronger and stronger and the Lanes Between led the three of them to a world that Terra had not seen in more than a decade. The Castle of Dreams. Terra saw an image of a city and at the center of it was a tremendous, ornate castle. And then…he saw trees and a cobblestone path and then the light grew so strong and so bright, he couldn't see anything at all.

And then the next thing that Terra knew, he was standing in a clearing. It looked to be farmlands, or perhaps the border of farmlands and more developed regions. Aqua was looking around, her expression pensive but becoming more and more frantic. Something had happened…something bad.

"Terra, where's Ven?" Aqua asked. "I can't find him. But that's not possible…he was right here with us. We weren't attacked by anything! What could have happened to him?"

"Calm down," Terra said gently, taking Aqua's shoulders in his hands. "We're going to find him. Come on, Aqua, he couldn't have gotten far."

"I didn't go anywhere at all!"

"Ven?" Aqua called. "Are you hurt?"

"No, not exactly…I can't believe this happened again…"

"What happened again?" Terra shouted. "Come on out, Ven! This isn't funny!"

"I'm not trying to be funny, Terra! I'm…gah! Stop! You're gonna squish me!"

Squish him? What on earth did Ven mean by squishing him? Terra crouched down and pushed away some grass. Ven was peering up at him, maybe four inches tall.

"What on earth?!" Terra said, picking up Ven with two fingers. "What on earth happened to you?"

"I guess I still haven't gotten the hang of traveling between the worlds," Ven said. "It was an accident?"

"Ven," Aqua shook her head. "This isn't good at all…you're teeny."

"Eh," Terra chuckled. "I'm not so sure about that Aqua. He's not that much smaller than normal, if you think about it."

"It was an accident!" Ven insisted. "I didn't mean to…hey!"

"Hasn't this happened to you before?" Aqua asked. "I think somebody mentioned that you shrank the last time you visited this world."

"Um…" Ven said, rubbing the back of his head. "I don't remember?"

That was obviously a lie, but Terra didn't mind too much. It was actually rather amusing. As much as Ven had grown, there was something charming in there being so much more to learn.

"Oh, Ven…" Aqua shook her head. "How are we going to change you back?"

oooo

Aqua pressed two fingers to the bridge of her nose. Ven had gotten himself shrunk. Something quite similar had happened to her when she had visited this world—the Fairy Godmother had shrunk her down to a minute size in order to assist a mouse named Jaq bring a key to free Cinderella.

Given that they had come to this world to speak to Cinderella and the Fairy Godmother, it was almost a good thing that Ven had gotten stuck like this. It made their mission that much more direct.

"Come on," Aqua said. "We'll need to find the Fairy Godmother. And I suppose that means we will need to find Cinderella. Isn't this farmland near her family's estate?"

Aqua hadn't visited this world in over a decade, but given that it had fallen to darkness at some point, and had only been restored when Sora had defeated that awful Ansem at Kingdom Hearts. That hadn't even been two years ago, but how much time had passed here, Aqua had no idea. The building that Cinderella's family had lived in had fallen into great disrepair, but whether that was a side effect of the world's destruction or something else sinister, Aqua had no way of knowing. The thought of something sinister happening to the pure-hearted Cinderella sparked fire in Aqua's stomach. Wrong things should not be allowed to happen to good people.

"What should we do?" Terra asked. "This sort of thing requires magic far more precise than I'm familiar with."

"I would think that once we leave this world, Ven should regain his proper form. In the meantime, I think the thing to do is to seek council from the royals," Aqua said, turning her head towards the castle. "If nothing else, they would know where Cinderella would be. I hate to think of what might have happened…but we need answers. And if they know where Cinderella would be, then we can ask her where the Fairy Godmother is. She'd be able to restore Ven's body…and she may be able to make it so that you don't keep doing this, Ven."

Ven didn't say anything as they set off. The castle was huge in comparison to the rest of the city's buildings. It reminded Aqua of Radiant Garden, though these streets weren't nearly as well-kept. The buildings were smaller, most of them made of wood rather than stone. The streets were cobblestone, allowing travelers on foot and by horse-drawn carriage.

The streets were bustling, but nobody seemed to give them much mind. Merchants were setting out their wares for the day. One seller in particular, a broad-shouldered man wearing a green shirt and white apron set up a tray of loaves of bread, still steaming. They smelled wonderful and the man's face radiated kindness. He nodded politely at them as they walked by and Aqua made a note to pick up one of the loaves of bread for their supper after they visited the royal family and got Ven restored. Another merchant produced large wheels of cheese and began slicing them with a long knife. A third was handling large sheets of paper, muttering to himself about having enough pamphlets to go around.

They walked on and after about an hour-though Aqua suspected it wouldn't have taken half that long had the streets not been so crowded—they reached the castle gates. The gates were curiously not closed. Any passerby would have been able to approach the castle and it certainly didn't appear that there was a ball going on today.

"Pardon me," Terra said to one of the guards. "Could you please point us towards his Majesty, the King? There's something we need to speak with him about, as quickly as possible."

"The King?" The guard asked. "What sort of business do you have with him? He does not normally speak to strangers off the street…you don't look like you're from around here."

"We're from another kingdom," Terra said. "We've had a long journey and our master sent us here so that we could negotiate new diplomatic terms. You're an excellent guard, by the way. You serve your kingdom well."

Aqua paused. Deceit had never come easily to her, but Terra had just provided a rather plausible backstory while at the same time not actually lying—they were from another kingdom and Master Yen Sid had sent them here. Master Eraqus had always forbidden them from telling others of the existence of other worlds…there would be more than just the castle and the city and the farmlands to this particular world. Whether they as outsiders would be able to reach those particular regions was another matter entirely.

"Very well," The guard said. "The King and Prince Charming should be sparring. They have an indoor court specifically for this…that lower building past the kitchens, but before the stables."

"Thank you, sir," Terra said. "Let's go, Aqua."

Aqua smiled at the guard—he was young, barely older than she, if that. The guard's eyes widened and he gave a rather flustered smile in return. A second guard, a few years older, closer to Lea's age, gave a more knowing smirk as they walked by.

They walked along the courtyard—Aqua noted that there were several servants tending to splendid white stallions, but also an older looking grey horse. There was also a large brown hound dog—it was a pity that Xion was not with them. She would have most likely been quite taken with the King's pet.

They turned a corner and…oh! A young woman with golden-red hair and twinkling blue eyes was standing before them. She was beautiful, wearing a finely made, if relatively simple, brown dress. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw them.

"Cinderella!" Ven piped up. "That was easy!"

"Ven? Terra?" Cinderella asked. "Oh my goodness, Aqua! You're here? The three of you…I didn't realize, when on earth did you get here? Where have you been all this time?"

"Mmm…around," Ven said. "Here and there…"

"Keyblade business, I presume?" Cinderella asked, lowering her voice to a whisper. "I understand that you wouldn't be able to elaborate. You wouldn't happen to know a boy named Sora would you? Or his friends Donald and Goofy?"

Terra stiffened slightly and Aqua glanced at him. That's right…he would be most concerned where those three would be involved. That wretched Heartless that had been brought forth from Xehanort's heart had manipulated events that had led to Cinderella's world falling to darkness.

"Yes," Aqua said. "We knew Sora, Donald and Goofy…he helped us a great deal. Helped all of us, when we were unable to help ourselves."

"You knew Sora?" Cinderella said. "But then…oh. My goodness, I am so sorry. I did not realize…"

"An apology is not necessary, Cinderella. We were separated from him," Aqua said. "But we do believe that we will be reunited with Sora one day. He always has had a tenancy to return to those who love him."

"Yes," Cinderella agreed. "I heard much the same from Fairy Godmother. And I remember that Sora had to release his heart to restore Kairi's…and the rest of ours, as it happens."

Terra stiffened all the more—that particular act of self-sacrifice on Sora's part had led to the creation of Roxas. And actions taken by Xemnas shortly thereafter had led, at least in part, to Xion's creation.

None of that was Terra's fault. He had had no control over his actions at the time. He had no business feeling that sort of sorrow. Aqua paused. How could she make Terra see that truth herself?

"Cinderella," Terra said. "You wouldn't happen to know where the Fairy Godmother is, do you? We need her to help restore Ven. He's…well, he's shrunken down so that he's only a few inches tall."

"Ven…shrunk?" Cinderella said. "Oh my goodness, you mean he's a friend of yours…oh my goodness…"

"I forgot to mention," Ven said. "The last time I was here and was this small, Cinderella thought I was a mouse. I made friends with Jaq, though!"

"You wouldn't have been the first," Cinderella said. "Jaq's always had a talent for making friends with new mice and keeping the peace between them. As for Fairy Godmother…well, she's somewhere around here. Let's see if we can find her."

Cinderella led them back to the castle proper and up the many stairs. This was the same place that Aqua had first seen Cinderella. She'd been dressed in a far grander gown then. But Cinderella seemed far more comfortable in her plainer dress.

"I must say, I am surprised," Aqua said. "I didn't realize you had started to live at the castle."

"It's been many months since we've seen one another," Cinderella said. "I am not surprised that you are surprised. Prince Charming and I were wed…my goodness, it has to be over a year now."

"Married?! A year?!" Aqua felt more than a little flustered. Cinderella and Prince Charming married…it wasn't as jarring as Sora and Riku and Kairi growing from little children into young men and a young woman. But this world had fallen. How far along would Charming and Cinderella be in their lives had the world not fallen? Would they have children of their own?

"I believe Fairy Godmother should be in the library," Cinderella said. "It's right along this way."

They walked along and Aqua took note of the many windows that had their curtains drawn back. There were several servants polishing either the windows or the suits of armor. They appeared to be under the supervision of a thin woman wearing a long, dark dress. She did not look friendly, but at the same time, she hardly seemed hostile.

"Good morning, Prudence," Cinderella said politely. "Isn't it a lovely day?"

"Indeed it is," The thin woman agreed. "All the more reason for the windows to be polished, so that all may appreciate the view."

Cinderella smiled and led Aqua and the others further down the hallway. They climbed up another flight of stairs and down another corridor, before finally arriving at a door that faced no windows. Cinderella knocked three times, paused for a moment, knocked thrice more, paused a second time and then knocked once.

"Come in, my child, come in!"

"Good morning, Fairy Godmother!" Cinderella said as she opened the door. "We have something of a surprise for you today."

"A surprise?" Fairy Godmother called out. "I do so love surprises….oh my goodness! Terra, Aqua, Ventus! How wonderful to see you."

Fairy Godmother was sitting in a finely upholstered chair, a large book held loosely in her hands. Several small mice were sitting on a small cushion. One of them, dressed in a little red coat and hat, began waving.

"It's Ven-ven and Aqua-y! Hi, Ven-ven! Hi, Aqua-y! Fairy Godmother's reading Cinder-elly's story to us, zut-zut!"

"Ven? Aqua?" Terra asked. "…that must be Jaq. I…I am surprised that I am surprised by this."

"Oh, Ven-ven! This be the friend you were looking for! And you is finding him, oh yes!" Jaq pipped up. "I be finding new friends too—Gus Gus is my bestest friend."

A stout little mouse with a yellow sweater and green hat waved and then clapped his little hands. Aqua smiled. He was awfully cute.

"Oh, Ventus," Fairy Godmother said. "I'll set you right. Set him down on the ground, there's a good dear."

"Wait a second," Ven said. "How did you even know my name?"

"Oh, I'm the Fairy Godmother," Fairy Godmother chortled. "I know just about everything where dreams are concerned. And goodness knows, you Keybearers have more than your share of dreams. Now, hold still dear and I'll set you back to sorts. Bippity boppity boo!"

Nothing happened. At all. Ven looked left and right and then up to Terra and Aqua. He looked confused and alarmed. Jaq and some of the other mice began to laugh and even Cinderella looked amused.

"Oh bother," Fairy Godmother tutted. "I've lost my wand, haven't I? Let's see…not up this sleeve, nor this one. Oh, bother it all! Where could it have gotten to? Oh, wait a moment…that's right! I put it away!"

Fairy Godmother reached a hand out into thin air and pulled a long, thin, pure white wand into existence. She flourished it and as she did so and sparks flew out of its tip.

"Ah, that's better," Fairy Godmother said. "Hold still, dear boy. And a one and a two! Bippity boppity boo!"

There was a great flash of light and Ven was back to his full size…though still a small teenager. Aqua wouldn't have it any other way though. Ven looked at his hands and grinned.

"Ah, that's better, isn't it?" Fairy Godmother nodded. "Now, I suspect you have quite a few questions for me, and for dear Cinderella. I have questions of my own, mind you."

"We'll answer what we can," Aqua said. "There's quite a bit we might not be able to answer, to tell you the truth."

"Well, I have answers," Fairy Godmother chuckled. "And I do think that…oh, my!"

"Cinderella? Fairy Godmother? Oh, there you are! I've been looking all over for you."

Aqua turned her head and her blood turned to ice in her veins. There, standing in the doorway, was a vile young woman. She had hair the color of an overripe pumpkin and a long face. Aqua began to shake. What was that thing doing here?

"Oh!" Anastasia said. "We have company…you look familiar. You're a friend of Cinderella's, right?"

"Yes," Aqua said in a clipped voice. "I am a friend of Cinderella's…and a protector. Don't think I've forgotten…how on earth did you even survive?"

Anastasia had been one of Cinderella's wicked family members. Blinded by the light of Cinderella's pure heart, turned to jealousy. She had helped her foul mother summon a tremendously powerful Unversed. Aqua had destroyed it…and she had thought Anastasia destroyed as well.

"I know I did many bad things," Anastasia said. "I know that you have every reason to be angry…"

"My anger is righteous," Aqua said. "How dare you come here? How dare you threaten Cinderella?"

"I…I would never," Anastasia shook her head. "I…the last thing I would ever want…she's…she's my family."

"The same family you tried to destroy, with your jealousy and spite," Aqua spat. "How dare you…"

"Aqua, calm down!" Ven said. "You're not being fair."

Aqua summoned her Keyblade. She raised it, slowly, until it was pointed at Anastasia's chest.

"You need to leave," Aqua said. "Right now. You must leave and never come back."

"Really dear, remember what I told you about how an excess of light can be dangerous too?" Fairy Godmother said. "This is one of those times!"

"Listen, I know that she's done many bad things," Cinderella said. "But if you give her a chance to explain what's happened…"

The way Master Eraqus showed mercy to Xehanort? The way that Ansem the Wise was deceived by his apprentices, some of whom showed no remorse for their actions. How many lives have been ruined? How many innocents have suffered because those who used and abused darkness were given a second chance?

"I don't want to hurt you," Aqua said. "Truly, I do not wish harm upon anyone, not even you. But I cannot abide your past abuses. Leave now, and you won't be hurt."

Anastasia trembled and fell to her knees, but she did not move beyond that. She looked…quite pathetic, really. But if she would only listen, then all would be well. Cinderella and Fairy Godmother would not be in any more danger because of Anastasia.

Aqua tightened her grip onto Stormlight and grit her teeth. What was so complicated about all of this? How much clearer could she make her point?

Clang!

A Keyblade was pressing Stormlight down to the floor. A Keyblade with a unique, reverse-grip. Wayward Wind…Ven…her best friend. Who was glowering at her as fiercely as Aqua had ever seen him.

"You're gonna have get through me to get to her!"

oooo

A/N: It's been a while since I left you guys on a cliffhanger like this, hasn't it? Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!

Cinderella was a favorite of mine when I was growing up-though to be honest, I usually preferred Jaq Jaq and Gus Gus to Cinderella herself. Gus Gus was not adapted into the events of Birth By Sleep, so I sought to rectify that.

And I must admit, I loved Cinderella 3: A Twist In Time more than I would have thought imaginable when I first heard about it. It's really one of the best Disneytoon sequels.

Thank you for reading, my dearest readers. Please leave a comment if you're so inclined! I appreciate each and every one of you!