Breaking blade

A request filtered from the front desk. Belle summarized the lengthy message to a few bullet points and Lockhart's wine-dark eyes skimmed the letter over and over again. The sheet lights pumped in vivid, spring time sunshine, startling everyone entering the chambers. Tifa ferried her personal articles into the chief's office and left Balamb Garden on the dividing curtain, immortalized in tints of beige and cobalt.

Clavius summoned Xemnas to court and Tifa flexed her calloused fingers, the beginnings of a smile pinching her cheeks. The timid King vehemently made his intentions clear in the letter and she brainstormed ideas to tease the higher nobody out of his nest in Castle Oblivion.

Storming the castle required too much effort and time. Pre-planning too. Scrapping the idea, she tossed a paper ball in the bin and cheered when it hit the bottom. Other options included using a High-tier member to infiltrate the Castle. Isa was the perfect candidate for such an operation however...

She touched a framed photograph on her desk, Isa, a teenager, hugged embarrassedly at her chest. A smile lit his eyes.

A knuckle duster gleamed dully under a stack of papers waiting for approval. The meeting with the digital micro-world, Tron, remained indefinitely suspended. Land of the Dragon residents relocated to other planets, Mulan offered her services to the Los Angles KBWA, but kept diving into other worlds to help integration. While the remaining orphans from Destiny Islands settled into a daily routine, the sandy haired Tidus kept embroiling in mischief.

Two weeks ago, he smashed a classmate's face with a volley ball and obstinately refused to return to school.

Rescuing her weapon, Tifa slipped it over her knuckles, touching its spiked edges for comfort. A trip to Castle Oblivion wouldn't take too much time, theoretically speaking. She smoothed her leather skirt and hunted the table drawers for potions and elixirs. If Xemnas needed persuading, who better than the chief of the Keyblade Wielder's Association?

Snapping her belt on and double checking her items, Tifa fired last minute correspondences to the therapist and receptionist. She typed a memo to the irresponsible vice-chief, who currently munched burgers who knew where; and unbuckled her flat sandals for a pair of sensible heels.

Wheels creaked behind her.

"Where are you going?" Leon rasped, right arm frantically working on a stressball. "You're not..." the scar slashing his face contorted in struggle, "allowed to leave." He wheeled his chair closer, glaring at her from underneath his eyelashes.

"You're not the chief anymore Squall." Tifa laced her hands behind her back. "I make the decisions now. Clavius wants Xehanort in court and I will bring him in at all costs." She attempted a smile. "You are the one who taught me to be impersonal in the work place," she gathered her hair in a high ponytail, "you're going soft." She squeezed his shoulder comfortingly and passed. "Don't worry, no one will know I'm there."

A vicious grip bruised her forearm, nails digging into fair skin. "The executive decision..."

"Rests with me," Lockhart interrupted, barely flinching when Leon held her tighter. An analogue clock ticked in the room, intricate hands pointing to one o'clock. Outside, two moons drifted between sheets of clouds; the heart shaped one shedding bright, cyan light. "Let go of me, please. I have a job only I can do. I'm not..." she inhaled to compose herself, "I'm not like you. I can't bear to send Isa off on this mission. Or Lea. He's only starting, have you seen him?" The hold on her arm eased. "He bursts into tears easily, overwhelmed by emotion. How long ago do you think he felt any real joy... or pain... or anything?"

The ex-chief's pale blue irises glittered rebelliously. "Send some," he gasped, "someone else..."

"You went to rescue Vanitas," Tifa reasoned, "when you had no right to." The clock ticked, a grave accompaniment to their solemn conversation. "Are you going to tell me you made a mistake?"

The stressball fell from Leon's hand and rolled under the desk. Irritated by the sunlight, he dimmed the lights and night swamped the office. "Yes," Leon confessed and Tifa stiffened in outrage, the lines around her mouth tight. "Yes. I went alone." He frowned, replaying the events in his mind a hundred times, the images haunted his dreams. He trusted Xemnas. "My mistake."

An insistent part of him wanted to make contact with Vanitas, but rules were rules.

"I requested his majesty... King Mickey," he let Tifa's arm go and she sunk into a chair opposite him, "the Grey Knight will retrieve Xemnas... by any means necessary." The words hung in the air for a long, harrowing second. "The KBWA needs your guidance," a pins and needles sensation tingled his toes and he shifted his legs uselessly, "don't deprive them of yourself."

She nodded, expression grimly determined.

Loosing feeling in both arms, Leon wheeled to the laptop and groaned at the vice-chief's pending work. Maya Fey stoutly refused to attend anything more than obligatory meetings. Flowers in a crystal vase softened the strictly formal atmosphere of the chief's office.

He reached for the jasmine flowers and Tifa nudged the vase closer. Velvet soft, the fragrance reminded him of home. "Will you..." Leon craved water, these days, his throat dried like sandpaper. "Come with me to visit her grave this weekend?" he asked. "These flowers... she will like them."

The chief nodded and searched her desk for a coffee mug. She found one, cold and possibly stale. Smiling sweetly, she passed the mug to Leon. His reflection swirled in the dark liquid and shrugging, he tossed it back in a few gulps.

09:45 a.m.

District court

Courtroom no. 8

The audience in the viewing gallery furtively glanced at the accused. Long black coat defining his tall, broad stature, Xemnas invited admiring gossip. Silver bangs framed his handsome face and the Judge banged his gavel for silence.

Spooked by the rapacious, golden eyes, the Judge nervously twirled his beard. "Court will now resume for the trial of Vanitas Clavius. Yesterday's proceedings took an interesting turn." The ceiling lights bathed the chamber in a harsh, unnatural glow. "Mr. Wright, I have said this before," he stated, "but you and your agency never ceases to amaze me."

The prosecutor delivered the opening statement amidst a solo track. "Things did take an interessant turn Herr Judge. The defendant named this man," a ringed finger pointed to the impassive Xemnas, "as the murderer after Fluffy scared him half to death." Both attorneys bristled when Klavier flashed his pearly whites. "Hmm... perhaps I should call you Herr Spiky?" he chuckled at his off handed joke. "Achtung baby! Let's see what the accused has to say. Herr Clavius," the prosecutor warned, "let me kindly remind you, you have insubstantial evidence at your disposal."

I wonder, the attorney in question grinned like a shark.

Seething at the cloaked figure of King Mickey disappearing into the shadows, Xemnas clutched the witness stand, knuckles white. "Xemnas Terra-Xehanort," he bit a reply to the prosecutor's question. "I used to be the CEO of Organization XIII. Now, with its dissolution, I manage only a handful of assets and managers who stay with me at an undisclosed," his hawk-sharp gaze raked across Riku, "location."

Nodding, Klavier spread his hands. "Please testify what you did on the night of the crime."

Twitching at the flamboyant prosecutor, Xemnas searched the viewing gallery for Leon. Hmph, the man will be hard pressed to attend this trial. Only the King's pawn could do whatever he wished. "On the night of the crime," Xehanort said and pulled out a familiar tablet and a stylus, "I called a board meeting with my managers after signing a new arms deal with the government."

Several important, bow tie wearing officials in the seating area feigned indifference, Phoenix blinked knowingly when a bunch of crimson Psyche-locks crossed both the witness, and the not gentleman sitting next to him.

"Clavius joined us recently." A smirk warped the edge of Xemnas' mouth when he sensed the Black Saint's darkness thrash. "Being an unwanted addition, I restricted his access of our headquarters-"

"This being Castle Oblivion?" Sora interjected.

Launching into an air-guitaring sequence, Klavier slammed his hand on the bench. "Herr Judge, I believe a penalty is in order," he implored, shaking his head tersely when Clavius stuttered an apology. "Fluffy," Gavin frowned, "reserve your comments for the cross-examination."

Meekly hiding behind a dove grey scarf, Sora stammered another apology and a thanks for the relatively small penalty, he motioned for Xemnas to resume.

"-because of his capability of extreme violence." Xemnas tapped his tablet, letting the gallery twitter and refocus their suspicion on the boy with a reflective helmet permanently welded to his neck. "Did he testify how he wrecked our research facilities? The brat is a nuisance." Venom crept in his tone and Xehanort wrestled his emotions in check. "After the conference," a hoarseness smothered his normally husky voice, "I had a consultation with Kristoph Gavin and went to him using unorthodox methods." He brushed an invisible speck of lint off his coat. "Right before I arrived, Kristoph ended a meeting. One concerning," Xemnas grinned slyly when a stray nobody materialized at Wright's feet, "a troublesome friend."

Hands shaking, Phoenix dropped the magatama into his pocket and anxiously ran a hand through his hair. He tilted his head to Trucy and brushed her fringe behind her ear. She beamed at him, quashing the paranoid butterflies butting furiously against his stomach.

Satisfied with scaring the blue suited attorney, Xehanort continued laconically, "I left after the meeting, only to realize the boy... Vanitas escaped."

The Judge blinked, a thousand questions on the tip of his tongue. He banged the gavel. "Mr. Clavius, you may begin the cross-examination. Do... err... speak up. Hmm," he mused good naturedly, "I suppose I did not need to remind you with Mr. Justice right next to you."

Where to start with a testimony riddled with lies? "Xemnas," Sora boldly stated, faltering when the accused humored him with a boa constrictor's smile. "How is Vanitas an unwanted addition? How did he get to your headquarters in the first place?" Apollo slid a sheet of probable questions and fisting them, Sora rattled off the next one, "If he indeed proved to be a huge problem, why not inform the KBWA who is responsible for Vanitas?" Resentment for the Association still brewed thickly in his chest, but whoa, the KBWA delivered in record time, not even Roxas did such an excellent job! "Why go through the trouble of lock-"

"Wait," Klavier cut in. "Let's slow down a bit, don't you agree Herr Justice?" Hesitating, Apollo agreed, muttering mutinously under his breath. "I can hear you little forehead," Gavin announced. "First, can you inform us about the situation with Clavius, ja?"

The witness let the question hang before tactfully replying, "Organization XIII forcibly recruited Clavius because of his unique, weapon testing abilities." A fleeting simper crossed Xemnas's lips. "If you remember, he once landed in court due to false accusations of murder, when in fact he helped eliminate a collection of faulty, organic drones which escaped our laboratory. Since the KBWA did not want to be generous, I took matters in my own hands."

"You kidnapped him!"

"After his recruitment," Xehanort smoothly ignored the vehement interjection from the frazzled attorney, "Clavius was a source of interesting research and a mishap." The man in question shuddered irritably. "He refuses to behave within parameters." Xemnas raised a hand when Sora opened his mouth for a counterargument. "As for why I did not contact the Keyblade Wielder's Association, my trust in them shattered irrevocably. Also, Clavius is not as important to them as he believed."

Throat going dry at the last, poisonous statement, Sora trawled through his wobbly mind for a comeback. Nothing. Checking the list of questions against the new statements, he searched for a loophole. The tiled floor underneath Xemnas churned like a tide pool of darkness and a dozen nobodies reared their heads, only to sink in the fluid surface. Two sorcerer nobodies flanked the silver haired man and mutely studied the audience.

Tugging his muffler, Sora drank a sip of water before resuming his cross-examination, "Why did you have a meeting with-"

"Personal matters Mr. Attorney," Xemnas, interjected much to Sora's mounting wrath. "It has nothing to do with this case."

It has everything to do with this case! Sora furiously pulled his tie, much to the co-counsel's concern. You lying, thieving, freaking old man!

"Your honor," Sora desperately pounced on the Judge, "the defense requests to cross-examine the witness in accords with his relationship to Kristoph Gavin. It is a crucial part in proving Vanitas' innocence."

Emotion swirled in the young man's blue irises and the Judge relented. "Order in the court," he professed. "Prosecutor Gavin, your thoughts?"

Mulling, the prosecutor gave his consent, "I'm afraid your right to remain silent does not hold here, Herr Xehanort." He pounded the wood paneled wall behind him. "Please testify the nature of your relationship to the deceased. I am also curious as to how you got there." Klavier winked, his placid manner a direct contrast to Xemnas' spiking rage.

Attention glued to his glossy stylus, Xemnas testified, "Kristoph and I trade information. This information became more valuable once I left the vicinity of Los Angeles. He normally keeps me informed about current events." The more he spoke, the more he raised shocked eyebrows in the viewing gallery. "Notably, about the KBWA... the Wright and Co. Law agency," he grinned predatorily at Trucy, protectively going for the golden cane stuck in her waist-belt, "he often talks about you, Klavier."

The prosecutor collapsed and shook his head, as if obstinate denial will erase Kristoph's memories and sins. He snatched his short hair, pulling fistfuls of platinum blonde strands.

"Kristoph is particularly fond of the roses you gift him," Xemnas continued callously. "Our exchanges are oral. He said he's proud of you-"

A hand slammed the bench. "Objection!" Sora belatedly announced. "Stop... stop pestering prosecutor Gavin," he commanded. "He doesn't need the approval of a murderer like Kristoph to live his life." Apollo uneasily rotated the bangle biting his wrist and gratefully squeezed Sora's upper arm. "You said Mr. Gavin and you trade information orally." The attorney presented evidence and a sheet of lyrical poems flashed on the dual monitors. "What about this poetry?"

The witness subtly squeezed the stylus between his index and middle fingers, the action lost to everyone but Apollo. "It's simply poetry," Xehanort nonchalantly proposed. "What could poetry-"

"Hold it!" Sora butted in again. "The poetry is very suggestive and I don't mean... mean lewd," he whispered cheeks tinting pink. "The poetry is the information he hands to you."

The gallery twittered. Several audience members exited the court, unable to handle the sizzling heat and tension.

"It seems Mr. Prosecutor," the accused droned after a long pause, "you are not doing a very admirable job of defending me." His husky voice did nothing to prompt Klavier into action. "Do you have evidence attorney," Xemnas spat, "of Kristoph giving this information to me?"

Magnifying the pale yellow envelope in which he found the poetry, Sora pointed to a date stamp. "This is dated on the day the victim died," he stated the obvious. "The same... the same," he stammered and maneuvered the evidence exhibited on the screens, "date is also stamped on the pages. Why would Mr. Gavin date his poetry?"

"How should I know this?"

Pointing a quivering index finger at the unflappable ex-CEO, Sora declared, "Because he keeps track of the information he sends you. Who dates poetry? If you argue Kristoph likes writing poems, why didn't he compile a book?"

Boom.

A muffled sound from the prosecutor's bench, and the delicate hairs on Sora's nape stood on end. In a way, Klavier, with his easy demeanor and friendly smiles, was a worse adversary than Mr. Edgeworth. At least the magenta reaper did not hide his hostility. "Fluffy," the prosecutor grinned boyishly and Sora traced an interesting pattern on the desk, "poetry is fine and all, but what about the wounds on the victim's body? Herr Herzen testified Clavius holding his Keyblade and if I recall, you did not contradict him. Are you going to tell me Terra-Xehanort is a Keyblade wielder as well?" Klavier leaned on his elbows, cupping his chin. "I checked, Herr Xemnas uses ethereal blades of energy, which cuts like a laser." The autopsy report replaced the image on the courtroom's monitors. "This does not appear to be the work of laser-blades, ja?"

How to convince the court that Xehanort uses a Keyblade?

I have no evidence of this!

"Besides," Gavin added, "you did not prove to us if Xemnas was in the cell on the night of the murder. The witness testified, but, he could be lying."

Nodding, Sora complimented, "You have platinum blonde hair, Mr. Gavin. The color suits you."

Handsomely angling his face to the gallery, Klavier blinked warmly. "Unlike little Forehead's hair over there," Gavin scathingly acknowledged. "Danke Herr Fluffy. I can give you tips on dyeing your hair."

"He doesn't need tips," Apollo growled. "And you, keep your focus on the trial at hand," he snapped at Sora.

Wow, someone's fringe is sharp. "A single strand of your hair can be mistaken for the color white... or silver." The prosecutor's sunglasses slid down his nose and he jerked back in astonishment. "I did a DNA test with the forensic detective," the sounds of vigorous munching floated from the seats, "and this strand of hair I found in the cell belongs to Mr. Xemnas."

The witness remained unfazed.

"...Right. I uh... established without a doubt, Terra-Xehanort's presence in the cell. As for his weapons... his weapons, it's true he uses ethereal blades..." Sora dissolved into mumbling and the Judge banged the gavel, ordering him to raise his voice. "Vanitas." The attorney glanced at the accused, anger and anxiety whirl-pooling at his twin for not removing the helmet. He bumbled on, "Vanitas' suit did not have blood. The luminol reactions returned negative."

Clucking his tongue sympathetically, Klavier shook his head, blue eyes demanding Sora cough up the evidence to end the trial. "We do not know what the accused might have done to conceal the evidence," he coolly absorbed the attorney's acrid glowers. "No evidence and your brother is guilty."

The last statement rang like a death knell in Sora's ears.

Guilty...

A loud ditty shattered the thoughts clouding his mind and mindful of the stabbing gazes, he pulled out his phone, stammered a thousand apologies and scratched the back of his head, cursing the KBWA for sending a message at an inconvenient... time?

A photograph of a wicked Keyblade, named the Gazing Eye.

Ding! Another tune announced a second message and sheepishly grinning at the Judge's disapproving frown, Sora downloaded the pictures.

"The prosecution wants evidence." He squared his shoulders and loosened his muffler; no more afraid. "I received vital information from the KBWA, with the help of Detective Gumshoe."

Xemnas stopped typing to listen. An image of a familiar weapon beamed on the monitor. His irises narrowed resentfully.

"This is a Keyblade-"

"We know," Klavier dismissively waved his hand, "please get to the informative part, baby."

"This is a Keyblade," Sora rebelliously repeated, "and it does not belong to Vanitas." Void Gear and Gazing Eye lay side by side, identical, yet not quite. "According to the Keyblade Wielder's Association, the group, which if I may remind everyone, is responsible for regulating such weapons; the Gazing Eye, as this weapon is called, is registered to Xemnas." The Judge stroked his magnificent beard, wizened eyes crinkling in realization. "Here, they helpfully showed a virtual image of the signature slash strokes of each Keyblade.

"Void Gear, which belongs to my... err - Vanitas, has blunt teeth and the slash marks are wider." The Keyblade, scarlet like the rays of the setting sun slanting through the windows, evoked a comforting familiarity. Funny, the first time Vanitas summoned it, it scared the crap out of me. "The Gazing Eye has hooked teeth. A careful analysis of the autopsy photograph reveals jagged little tears on the wounds, particularly on the clothes. Void Gear..." Sora swallowed and put away the KBWA cues. "Void Gear cannot make such ragged tears, it could only be done by the Gazing Eye.

"Mr. Xehanort's other weapon."

Deafening silence met Sora's conclusion. He timidly latched on Apollo, who patted him fondly. Across the courtroom, Klavier clapped softly on a job well done.

"Ha... hahahaha!" Xemnas guffawed. "You are fascinating!" he bellowed, wrinkles forming around his chin, his voice echoing with an old man's rasp. "I am guilty," he announced to the court and dismayed, the Judge quickly banged for order. "Kings intrigue me," Xehanort gnarled. "The title belonged to the memory keeper." A sharp ache in his chest surfaced and he refused to display any weakness before these powerless, ignorant masses. "If I kill you, will it go back to him?"

Bang! Bang!

The ring of wood on wood added to the swelling cacophony in the courtroom.

Gathering his court records, Sora raised his chin defiantly. "Both Ven and Vanitas will remove your head from your shoulders before you lay a finger on me." A fleeting, confident smirk. "The... the verdict your honor?"

Agitated by the way the tall, dark and handsome man stood in the witness stand, the Judge raised his gavel and calmly restored order. "I now pronounce the defendant," he paused for dramatic effect, "Not Guilty!"

Rip.

The courtroom roof tore apart while a cloud of colorful confetti rained from above.

Pandemonium sunk its claws into the terrified crowd.

Vaulting over the raised, varnished railings of the dock, Vanitas shoved the panicking people aside and wrapped his arms around Sora. He pushed down a gaping Apollo.

The sky split apart. A giant seam in the middle.

Out of it poured a torrent of darkness.

When the old fart cackled wildly, it sent Vanitas' intuition into hyperdrive. Barely stupefied when the roof ripped off, he vaulted over the waist high rails, fought past the crowd stampeding for the exit and threw himself over his brother and Apollo. The senior uttered a strangled gasp of surprise before hitting the floor. Papers drifted like snow. At the head of the room, the Judge scrambled out of his throne-esque chair and Riku helped him to safety.

Opposite the defense's bench, Klavier sought cover under the protective surface of his desk.

The court record met the floor with a heavy thump and Sora squirmed in his brother's strong grip. "Go up," he urgently said, "to Mr. Wright and the others. I'll be fine." He shrugged out of the suit jacket, summoned his Keyblade and hunted for his scarf, lost among the mayhem.

Delicately stepping over his brother and the shell-shocked senior attorney, Vanitas leapt for the stands. He automatically bounced off an invisible shield and like a rocket, hit the wall. Phoenix protectively drew Trucy closer to him and shielded Athena, who see-sawed between excitement and fear.

Pearl clapped her hands to her mouth. "I'm so sorry!" she squeaked an apology. Vanitas peeled off the wall and lithely hit the floor. "I put a barrier around us." Hordes of lesser heartless fell through the roof, diced into pieces and degrading into puffs of smoke. Magenta, crystalized hearts of emblem monsters spun to a twilight sky; smearing everything into the crimson color of blood. "I'll handle evacuation." Pearl rolled her kimono sleeves and Vanitas flashed a thumbs up. "You... please deal with those!" She directed a trembling Athena to the edge of the seating gallery. The lawyer's open mouth hinted confusion at the invisible monsters hounding the court.

"How did the roof tear apart?" Athena quizzed. She climbed down the stairs and helped Pearl in evacuating. "Is this seconde sight stuff?" she glared at a wayward man trying to wedge himself forward. "Will we be alright?"

"I'll make sure we will be okay!" Pearl declared vehemently and raised a fist. "This way please!" her shrill voice rang out and she dipped her head respectfully when Nox brought the Judge to join the procession. "No pushing. No pushing please!"

Pieces of concrete flew into the courtroom, smashing against the paneled walls. The lamps flickered and collectively burst, showing fine fragments of glass everywhere. Holding the lapels of her father's blazer, Trucy craned her neck for Apollo. "Daddy," she firmed her tremulous voice. "I want to help."

Her father blinked, as if registering her words. "Trucy, darling," he exhaled and grabbed her wrist like a life-line, "now is not the time. We should focus on - look out!" He pulled her out of the way when a piece of the slanting roof descended. "Are you hurt?" he demanded, wiping a trickle of blood seeping across his daughter's forehead. "Trucy?"

She pressed a gash on Wright's cheek, "I'm fine," she assured. "Will Polly be okay? And Sora? And Vanitas?" Phoenix tugged her along. "It's not the end of the world is it?"

Void Gear in a one handed grip, Vanitas severed a mid-level heartless who gnawed past the barrier engulfing the court. In a whirl of silver hair and yellow jacket, Riku appeared next to him. "The KBWA put up a defensive measure for situations like this," he grimly stated and blasted rapid fire chunks of ice. "We should help Clavius." He nodded to Sora, who fought a small army of unversed by himself. "Be his rear and vanguard respectively."

Don't tell me what to do.

The side of the court crumbled, rods stuck out of the concrete like a steel skeleton. Trailing thunder, Vanitas cut the prosecutor's bench apart, strung the defenseless Klavier and threw him at Apollo, who ducked instead of catching him.

"Herr Clavius..." Gavin moaned, sunglasses askew and broken, "please be a little more gentle next time." He rubbed his waist. "Forehead, let's leave." Ditching his ruined, designer glasses, he yanked Apollo backwards, eyes surreptitiously following the three Keyblades. "Move, we need to give them space," Klavier urgently said. "They need to fight without worrying about our safety!"

Bracelet wringing the blood out of his veins, Justice snagged Sora's suit jacket off the floor. "Be careful!" he hollered to his junior; searching for the invisible enemies swarming the courtroom. "Don't do anything stupid and don't take risks!" Apollo shouted as Gavin lugged him backwards.

"What is he, your dad?" Vanitas bemusedly retorted and assumed a guarded stance in front of Sora. The courthouse crumbled completely into splinters of wood, chunks of concrete and bricks. The glint of glass. "Riku, stay behind, if my brother gets a scratch, I'll wrench your pretty hair off your head," he threatened while the Grey Knight exhaled exasperatedly. "You won't have any chicks to fawn over you."

The invisible barrier around the building collapsed, threads of magic skittered to the ground.

Plumes of twisting fire engulfed the heartless reaching in with their wicked claws. Screams rent the air. Flash freezing a gigantic heartless, Sora swerved to the left and Nox streaked past. Not wanting to be outdone, Vanitas enclosed Sora in a mine barrier and switching blades, tore after the air pirates and fat bandits. Nobodies joined the fray. Dusks seeped through the cracks and launching dark firagas, Vanitas cleared the front and emerged, his helmet scratched.

Large and colorful emblem heartless bulldozed the remains of the court. The crowds huddled in frightened groups and stepping out of the protective guard of mines, Sora froze the vicinity. He gritted his teeth at a shriek of pain and prepared for Faith. Twin figures blurred past him and joined his brother.

Donald raised a gem topped staff and a jet stream of brilliant flames fired into an opening dark corridor.

Xigbar teleported away from the carmine flames, the hem of this coat singed. He hefted his venom purple guns and began blasting. More dark corridors lacerated the air and out stepped the higher nobodies. Xaldin, bringing a whirlwind of winds and lances. Zexion, rolling an illusion, raising magma from the sluggish veins running through the earth. Larxene, roaring madly and throwing her foudre, impaling an evacuating citizen on the spot.

A tomahawk swatted Vanitas out of the air and Sora squeezed his eyes shut, praying for his brother to be alright. Goofy threw his shield and the anthropomorphic dog dissolved.

Brandishing twin Keyblades, joined by a thin thread of scarlet lightning, Vanitas whaled on the servant nobodies surrounding the stalwart man and Donald backed him up.

"Bout time you showed up, stupid duck!" he grinned. "Can you handle the small fry? Because I want the big one."

"Keep close to the King," Donald advised. "He needs the support." He blasted a creeping horde of heartless with a powerful, emerald bladed aeroga. "His majesty needs to power up his spells since he isn't good with melee combat."

His majesty, pfft, Vanitas scoffed and roundhouse kicked a sniper nobody. He bared his teeth at Xigbar, surrounded by a contingent of Mid-tier of operatives and remembered the smoky glass obscuring his face. KBWA members swarmed the scene and pulled out an assortment of weapons. Staves, custom swords, katanas and energy guns. Stupid, egotistical Joshua with his button phone, stalked towards Xaldin. Shiki and Sakuraba teamed together to keep Xemnas at bay with psyche-sword slashes and a stuffed doll.

Where is Leon?

Searching for the elusive boss, Vanitas squashed the tiny bubble of resentment building in his chest and sliced through a couple of plant monsters to get to Sora. His brother bled from a cut to the shoulder and cast Salvation. Spears of light incinerated the immediate enemies and left him in glowing health. An opportunistic fleet of air pirates veered for him and met a gruesome end at Vanitas' two keyblades. Behind them came Larxene and Riku met her foudre with Braveheart.

"First one to lop off the King's head gets an exclusive prize!" she sang and kicked Riku.

He snagged her arm and slammed her to the ground, turquoise irises blazing. As if on cue, Vanitas stabbed her shoulder and cut outwards. Striking him with a pall of thunder, she escaped, her arm limp.

Elsewhere, the magatama on Maya's chest glowed brightly. She fanned paper charms around a group of hysterical people. Some of them developed instantaneous second sight and fainted on the spot while others reached peak mania, shrieking, foaming at the mouth and pleading the KBWA to do something. Putting up several, simultaneous barriers around the fearful masses, Maya groaned in pain when a gigas shadow raked her.

Snapping open her paper fan, she glared at the hulking monster and cut it. The shadow puffed into nonexistence and revealed several fungus monsters advancing in a straight line.

Tossing her fan away, she clasped her hands together and channeled. Her eyes glowed sapphire and bewildered, Zack glanced at his petite, feminine hands and searched for a weapon. He uprooted a pipe from a nearby broken fence and hurled himself at the fungoid wall. Clouds of spores choked his nose and stung his throat as he hacked them apart. Fire ignited them one by one and the squeals of monsters added to the mayhem.

Sweat gathering on her brow, Pearl joined the individual barriers to create a giant dome. Inside, Klavier and Trucy offered water and electrolyte drinks from the vending machines to the crowds while Phoenix and Apollo gathered the scattered clusters together. Ema offered first aid treatment, along with several KBWA nurses in pale green uniforms. Athena assessed the general mood and calmed the most frenetic with soothing words and gestures.

Dark clouds gathered overhead and Pearl mopped her forehead with a sleeve. She squeaked in fear. Suddenly, her legs did not want to bear her weight anymore.

Clouds did not cover the sky. Whirling pools of shadows, dark corridors, studded the heavens and vomited enemies. A regiment of flaming, sword bearing heartless emerged and the world tilted beneath Pearl's feet.

"Please," she prayed, her entire body trembling with the effort of maintain the barriers. "Please don't let this world come to an end." She searched for mystic Maya and tumbled backwards when a wet splat smeared her cheek.

She flicked a piece of brain away and heaved. The head of a young, sandy haired boy rolled to a stop next to her, his pale blue eyes staring at nothing.

Protect

Evening

Los Angeles

Blood, sweat and tears mingled on the battlefield. Screens of dust, tongues of flame, desperate cries and particles of ice danced on the ruined asphalt. Vanitas bit his tongue when he suffered a whiplash, dodging a projectile out of nowhere.

Ordinary people hunkered on the outskirts, cars piled in the streets; Vanitas launched in the air, to better grasp the situation. He trained for this, to protect everyone, to keep them smiling and happy. A child stopped sobbing to peek at him, before burying his face in his mother's chest.

I vowed to protect. I fight to safeguard.

He dodge-rolled several strikes of thunder, leaving the rear guard to Nox. Vanitas wanted to tease the deep frown off Riku's face, his chest ached to bring a smile on those lawyer buddies. He tasted copper and swallowed. As much as he wanted to cocoon his brother in swathes of protective darkness and take him anywhere but this screaming, bloody scene of carnage, Vanitas knew he had a responsibility.

To everyone.

So he fought, Void Gear slick with blood. Two become One's spiked edges blunted as he sheared through enemies. He fought, for the semblance of peace, keeping his gaze locked on Xemnas in the same way he watched the bullies smack his brother around.

Will things return to normal after this? Vanitas wondered and cut down anything standing in his way.

He licked his lips, savoring the tang of blood.

A/N: I wonder if Vanitas ever got his wish of becoming whole and merging with Ventus since they are the same person. Or did Nomura turn him into a new, redeemed character? So many questions; so little answers.

Once again, please read and review!