Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep

by TheLoneStar6

Terra, Ventus, and Aqua must unravel the mystery between a new force called the Unversed while traversing some most unusual worlds. First in my "Another Side, Another Story" series.

19. The Love of a Mother

Aqua flew through The Lanes Between, still unsure if she should go back to The Land of Departure to get help. She would let her heart be her guiding key, but she still felt a bit torn. Though, she also knew it was too late to turn back. She had to keep moving forward. The young woman shook these thoughts away as she came across a new world. This one was rather ordinary looking, a healthy mix of biomes apparent from a distance.

As Aqua got closer, she started to feel a bit unusual, though, as though she were being watched. A massive mountain with a white cloud over it was a prominent feature of the area she was approaching. It felt somehow ominous to look at, for reasons she couldn't entirely explain.

The Keyblade Master felt as though she were being watched. It wasn't like the start of her journey where she felt the distant gaze of gods. No, whatever was watching her was much smaller, but much closer as well. She felt it had to do with that unusual mountain, but there was no way to know for sure without investigating it.

That being said, Aqua didn't want to just land on the mountain itself straight away. She had no idea what to expect there. Anything was possible in these worlds, so for all she knew, there could be something beyond her power there. She decided to land in the city nearby, a dingy looking place, and investigate a bit more.

Taking her glider outside of the city, Aqua dismissed it and her armor before entering the area proper. Just as it seemed from above, the city wasn't exactly pleasant. The air smelled of pollution, a lot of the buildings looked like they were in rough shape, and the young woman only had to walk for a few minutes before seeing several people that were surely homeless.

Honestly, she wasn't sure she wanted to do investigation here…

Well, she didn't want to fly elsewhere. If anyone knew anything odd about the mountain, it'd surely be the people living closest to it. She also had to make sure if Vanitas or the Unversed were in this world.

Approaching a bus stop, Aqua spotted a man in a business suit that seemed somewhat friendly, so she went up to him. "Excuse me…sir? I'm a bit new around here, can I ask you something?"

The man gave Aqua a puzzled look. "Why would you ever want to come to Ellay of all places?" He asked, as if the Keyblade Master had made some grave mistake. "But alright, I've got time…"

"That mountain there…" Aqua said, pointing to the towering structure. "…what's the story behind it? It seems a bit strange, right?"

"Mt. Itoi?" The man replied, frowning a bit. "Well, it's just an ordinary mountain. Though…lately…people have complained about feeling weird when they look at it…" He stared the mountain for a few seconds, as if entranced. After a bit, he shook his head slightly as he looked back at Aqua.

So, there was something weird going on! "I'm glad it's not just in my head. I'm guessing no one knows the cause."

"Nope." The man said with the shake of his head. "It just started a few weeks ago. All sorts of weird things have been going on. A lot of adults in Youngtown have been reported missing, strange lights in the sky…my cousin in Podunk even said poltergeists were causing havoc!"

This was beginning to seem way more serious than Aqua thought! What was going on in this world? Didn't sound like Unversed at all. "Oh…yeah, I heard about some of that." She decided to lie, thinking it'd seem odd if she had no idea about apparent widespread phenomena. "Just one more thing. Have you spotted anyone suspicious here? A boy in a mask?"

"What? The B.B. Gang? Yeah, they're all over. Steer clear of them, young lady, they're nothing but trouble." The man replied, his voice having some concern in it.

Well, that wasn't good. If there were hooligans all over with masks, Vanitas would fit right in if he was lurking around. Feeling she had all the information she'd get from this man; she gave him an appreciative nod. "Thank you, sir. You've been very helpful."

As the strange waved her off, Aqua walked through Ellay a bit more, wondering what she should do. Should she just go straight to Mt. Itoi? She wasn't even sure what was going on in this world, but something told her that it was tied to that mountain. She doubted it was the Unversed, but since it was so close…surely she had to at least try to help.

While walking, Aqua spotted some unruly looking guys hanging near alleyways. They wore what seemed like ski masks as they looked about and chatted amongst each other. The B.B. Gang, no doubt, so the young woman just avoided them. As Aqua continued to ponder what to do, a car letting out a lot of exhaust went by her, causing her to cough. It was awful! Without any sort of technology like that in her homeworld, she never experienced car exhaust before, so it really caught her off guard!

When she coughed the disgustingness out of her, Aqua noticed someone else seemed to be having a lot more trouble catching his breath. Down the sidewalk was a kid in a baseball cap with a strange badge on his shirt coughing up a lung. With him was a blonde girl in a pink dress and hat, patting his back. There was also an older guy, easily in his late teens or twenties. He was a rough looking guy with a red shirt, red pointed glasses, and black hair that was spiked up.

"Ninten, are you alright?" The girl asked, frowning lightly in worry.

"Y…Yeah…I'm…fine…!" The boy, Ninten, replied as he reached into his pocket. He got out his inhaler and took a few puffs, not that Aqua recognized the technology.

Still feeling concerned, the young woman approached the trio. "Hey…are you alright? That sounded pretty bad…"

Taking a few deep breaths, Ninten looked up at Aqua and gave a nod. "I'm fine, thanks…just my asthma acting up."

"You sure you're gonna be alright, kid?" The older man asked. "Mt. Itoi isn't an easy climb, you know…"

That caught Aqua's attention right away. "You three are going to climb the mountain? Mt. Itoi?" She asked, wondering if this was a lucky coincidence…

"Hm? Yeah, what's it to ya?" The man asked, apparently not one for manners. "Who are you anyway?"

"My name is Aqua. I'm new to these parts and I couldn't help but notice how unusual that mountain felt. I was thinking of investigating it myself, actually…" The young woman replied, choosing to ignore the man's rudeness.

The girl looked up at the Keyblade Master curiously. "Aqua…Hm…Do you know someone named Terra? Or Ventus?"

Eyes widening, Aqua nodded. "You ran into them? Terra and Ven? Are they here?" Really, the young woman wasn't that shocked. With the amount of times she ended up in a world her two friends were already in or had visited at some point, it was hardly a shock it happened yet again.

"No…they already left." The girl replied. "They helped us out, though. I had a dream last night that someone new would help us, a woman. I just assumed you knew Terra and Ven."

So, she had powers of some sort. Aqua wasn't too surprised. Anything could happen in these worlds, and a psychic child was hardly the strangest thing she came across. "Well, if you're friends of those two, then of course I'll stop and help you out." She was sure if Terra and Ventus stopped to aid these people, it had to be for something important.

"Are you sure you're good for this, lady?" The young man asked, rubbing his chin as he looked Aqua over. "We're gonna be climbing a mountain, you know. Mt. Itoi was dangerous even before all this stuff started happening."

Ninten looked up at the young man with a frown. "Teddy, don't! You already chased Lloyd off! If Ana's dreams told us about Aqua, she's got to be strong!"

Once more, Aqua decided to brush off Teddy's attitude. She wasn't one to let a bit of rudeness rile her up. "Lloyd? Who's Lloyd?"

"Another friend of ours." Ninten explained, looking back to Aqua. "Teddy here make him leave and go back home."

"Why would you do that?" Aqua asked, her tone growing annoyed with the young man. "That's pretty awful…"

Teddy raised his hands in defense, though not seeming too guilty. "Hey! I was doing him a favor! Kid's a wimp, and Mt. Itoi is no place for him! I probably saved his life!"

Aqua sighed but decided that the deed was done, and Teddy seemed to at least have decent intentions. "Alright, I…guess. So, what are you three going up there for anyway?"

"We're going to investigate this odd feeling people have about it." Ninten explained. "Every time we go somewhere where weird things happen, we come another step closer to finishing our journey."

"And what's the goal, here?" The Keyblade Master asked, wondering what sort of important journey two, formally three, kids could have embarked on.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Ninten let out a small sigh. "Guess I gotta explain again. Come on, let's walk and talk!"

And so, they did. Aqua followed the three as they slowly made their way out of Ellay and towards Mt. Itoi. Along the way, Ninten explained the poltergeist attacking his home and how his sister's doll played an odd tune. He went on to explain getting a second tune before meeting Terra, and all the things they did including going to Magicant. Finally, he went over Ventus' arrival and how after he left and the Youngtown situation was helped, the trio of kids went to Ellay. There, Ninten got into a squabble with Teddy, who joined the quest after making Lloyd leave.

By the time the story was done, the quartet was out of Ellay and nearing Mt. Itoi. With every step that they took, Aqua felt a growing sense of unease build in her, and that feeling of being watched only grew…

"Sounds like quite the adventure. I had no idea it was this serious…" Aqua remarked as Ninten finished his story. When they mentioned a journey, she thought it'd be far simpler given how young Ninten and Ana were.

"Yeah, I didn't believe it at first either." Teddy remarked with a chuckle. "These kids are nuts!"

They certainly had strong hearts, that much Aqua could tell. By this point, they reached the base of the mountain, a large and ominous cave entrance meeting them. "I guess this is the way in…" The Keyblade Master murmured, getting Rainfell ready.

"This place was always kind of dangerous, so it's probably a lot worse now." Teddy said, getting a large knife from his pocket. At the same time, Ninten took the baseball bat from his back and Ana pulled out a frying pan from her bag.

Slowly, the quartet went inside, not sure of what they would encounter. Despite being in a cave, it was oddly well lit inside. An eerie orange glow was present, allowing the four to see where they were going.

"What usually makes this place so dangerous anyway?" Ninten asked Teddy. "Scary animals?"

"Basically, yeah. There are even some buffalo that hang around the base of the mountain, really big ones too." The young man replied. "Don't want to get on their bad side…"

No sooner did Teddy reply did a group of Unversed appear before the group! Half a dozen Wild Bruisers, all thumping their chests aggressively! Before they had a chance to attack, however, laser beams came from the darkness behind them and destroyed the Unversed in a matter of seconds! Hovering into the light was a trio of unusual looking humanoids, their hands on their hips and grey in color.

"Starmen…" Ninten murmured. "Terra and I fought one of these before, but these ones are bigger!"

"Human life detected." One of the Starmen said, its voice rather robotic and lacking in emotion, as it looked about the group. "Intruders."

"Intruders." The other two chimed in at the same time, still in that flat robotic voice. After that, the visors on their faces started to glow, and a volley of lasers shot out towards the quartet.

Teddy was struck right away, getting knocked onto his back as Ana hid behind a rocky outcrop of the cave. Aqua raised a barrier, surprised at how the protection cracked lightly when one of the lasers hit it. Ninten, finally and surprisingly, simply stood in place as the lasers came at him.

"Ninten! Come on, move!" Aqua yelled, unable to go and help as several more lasers shot out and struck at her barrier. To her shock, however, Ninten kept still and even jutted his chest out at a laser heading for him.

When the attack hit the boy, it struck the badge on his shirt, instantly deflecting back and striking one of the Starmen. It went straight through the being's chest, smoke billowing out of the hole as it collapsed to the ground.

"Deflecting device detected." One of the remaining Starmen said, still speaking in a robotic and emotionless tone. "Caution is advised."

Aqua's eyes widened at the display, Ninten having skimmed over the nature of the encounter with the Starman Jr. with Terra. So, the badge was somehow able to reflect the lasers? They Keyblade Master used this chance to strike at the Starmen. Lowering her barrier, she leapt towards the nearest one, slashing at its chest with Rainfell.

Unfortunately, it was able to react too quickly. In fact, it simply vanished before Aqua's Keyblade could even make contact! Whipping her head around, she saw the Starman was to the side of her, charging a laser. The attack was too fast and too close to Aqua for her to properly dodge, the blast knocking her into the wall.

By this point, Ana and Teddy entered the fray. The girl came from behind the rock and shot out fire at the remaining Starmen, who kept teleporting around and firing off frequent laser attacks. Teddy charged at one, swiping at it with his knife. It had just teleported away from one of Ana's fireballs, so the young man actually managed to slash it across the back.

The Starman turned to Teddy, readying its laser. At the last second, however, Ninten sprinted towards the encounter and jumped between the two. The Starman's laser struck the boy's badge and the attack deflected, piercing the opponent's chest, and causing it to collapse.

Aqua was dealing with the last Starman, the opponent teleporting around her Keyblade swipes. She never had to deal with something that could dodge this way, so she wasn't sure how to handle it. It didn't have much of a pattern, appearing anywhere around the Keyblade Master before firing off a laser. Some of these attacks she was able to dodge or deflect, but a few struck her, sending her sprawling before she recovered.

As the young woman went on fighting, her opponent suddenly started to slow down. Frost and ice started to appear on its body, and its teleporting stopped. "Temperature…dropping…" The Starman announced, its voice still monotone though becoming a bit distorted.

Looking about, Aqua saw that this development came from Ana, who was using Blizzard powers to halt the Starman's movement. Taking advantage of the situation, Aqua slashed the alien creature across the chest, practically shattering it as it had nearly frozen over.

Panting lightly, the quartet looked about the passageway at the destroyed foes. "Those things are still a pain!" Ninten exclaimed. "Everyone alright?"

"Yeah, I'll live. It'll take more than that to take me down!" Teddy said with a cocky tone.

"I'll be okay, no worries." Aqua added on, wincing a bit from the laser impacts. Those things were strong! She wasn't even able to tell if these Starmen things were robots or creatures in a mechanical suit…

Ninten prodded one of the fallen Starmen with his bat, the defeated opponent not moving at all. "Haven't seen these things since the zoo. I wonder what that means…"

"If they really are aliens…maybe this is where their base is." Teddy pointed out. "Mt. Itoi has been giving off some weird vibes lately, around the time all the madness in the surrounding areas started. Can't be a coincidence, right?"

"This is like a comic book or something…the alien leader must be on top of Mt. Itoi, right?" Ninten asked, seeming a bit nervous.

Ana seemed hesitant as well. "These Starmen are scary…so the leader must be worse…"

"Hey, now…" Aqua started, sensing how tense things were starting to get, the doubt in the air. "I listened to your adventures, and you two kids are a lot stronger than you give yourselves credit for. If you made it this far, this last stretch is easily doable. Of course, Teddy and I will be right there with you."

Pointing an almost accusatory finger at Ninten, Teddy piped up. "Chick's right! You fought me to a standstill, so I'm not gonna let you act all scared now. Come on, we'll kick this alien leader's butt!"

That did perk up Ninten and Ana a bit, the latter especially having been more hesitant. The boy grinned a bit. "Yeah, I guess if I can fight the Mighty Teddy, anything is possible!" He lightly joked.

Chuckling, Teddy nodded. "Darn right! Now come on, let's get going! Don't wanna linger too much around here…"

Aqua was surprised at how Teddy was able to actually settle Ninten and Ana down. She had sensed a lot of darkness in his heart when they met, but it wasn't a heart that had been entirely consumed by it. The Keyblade Master didn't want to judge him or dismiss him as a villainous figure because…Terra was the same way with his own heart…

Shaking those thoughts away, Aqua led the quartet as they went up the mountain. As Teddy had said, the area was pretty dangerous. The group ran into more Starmen as well as other robotic creatures. There were even unusual warriors that looked like massive suits of armor. It was a pretty intense trip, the four of them having to give it their all as they went up the tall mountain. Ana and Aqua had to make sure the group was properly in good health along the way.

It was when the group was about halfway up the mountain that they saw something unusual. There, sitting nice and cozy on a flat and grassy part of Mt. Itoi, was a house. The home was relatively small, only a single floor and probably only having half a dozen rooms in it.

"A house all the way up here…?" Ana remarked. "Maybe we should go in and rest. I'm so tired…"

"I can't imagine the owner's still there, so let's take a look." Teddy agreed as the quartet approached.

It was Aqua who knocked on the door, in case there really was someone there. To the group's collective surprise, the door was opened by a man. He seemed somewhat elderly with a bushy grey mustache with a nearly bald head and was wearing all black. The man squinted at the four.

"…Yes? Hello? What are you young folk doing up here? It's dangerous!" The man motioned for them to enter. "Come in! Before something attacks!"

Quickly, the four entered the home. The entry room was also the living room, a cozy area with some chairs and a couch. One odd piece of decoration was a sheathed katana on a display over the fireplace.

After looking about, it was Aqua who spoke up. "We're just as surprised to see you, actually." She said as the man closed the door behind them. "What are you doing here, sir?"

"Well, I live here, young lady!" The man replied, as though that was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I think she means because Mt. Itoi is so dangerous, sir." Ana clarified.

His brows raising, the man nodded. "Oh! I see! Well…I've lived here since I was young. I used to be a doctor, you know. And…well…I just refuse to go. Things have been dangerous, but this is my home. I dart about to get supplies I need, then get back inside."

"That takes a lot of guts." Teddy remarked, seeming genuinely impressed. "And they don't attack you?"

"Not when I'm inside, no…" The doctor replied with a light shrug. "Maybe they just can't be bothered with a frail old man such as myself…"

"That's pretty lucky…I can't believe you've been okay all this time!" Ninten remarked, also seeming impressed with the elderly gentleman.

Aqua was certainly surprised. One thing she had noticed when climbing Mt. Itoi was the lack of anything that wasn't some sort of alien invader or a monster that was surely alien in origin as well. No wildlife bigger than a bug had made itself known and any time they saw Unversed, they were being attacked by the aliens, always losing. Why leave the old man alone?

"In any case, you youngsters are free to rest here. I won't pry into why you're on this mountain and I won't try to stop you." The old man went on with a small smile. "The company is reward enough." He gestured to the chairs and couch, prompting the quartet to sit. "I'll get some refreshments gathered while you four take a load off."

"We appreciate that, thank you." Aqua said, taking a seat and sighing contently while the doctor went off to the kitchen. Even though she did have a few periods of rest, it still felt like she had been moving nonstop since she left The Land of Departure. Really, she wasn't sure how much longer she could go without a proper, extended rest.

Ana went over to Ninten and half-whispered, speaking loudly enough by accident so the others could hear. "Can I talk to you in the other room?"

A bit surprised, Ninten silently nodded and the two went into the next room, prompting Teddy to laugh a bit once the door closed as he took a seat. "I guess they want a moment alone." The young man observed.

"Why's that? Something going on between them?" Aqua replied, glancing to the closed door.

"What? You couldn't tell? Kids are crushing on each other. I could tell that, and I had barely met them before you came along." Teddy replied with a shrug.

Honestly, Aqua hadn't noticed at all. She supposed she wasn't really paying attention to such things to begin with. It wasn't as though she were oblivious to such things entirely. She had realized a while ago that Ventus had feelings for her. It was just that she didn't have the heart to nip things at the bud, something that she felt cowardly for not doing. He, along with Terra, were very precious to her, though. These sorts of feelings weren't ones she observed often, back at her homeworld, the only romance she had personally seen was meeting potential suitors for political marriages. Not exactly pleasant…

As Aqua pondered, the doctor had come back in with some snacks to munch on, even some sweets. The Keyblade Master couldn't resist, eating a few small cupcakes the doctor had brought out while he and Teddy had a chat.

Minutes passed, and all of a sudden there was a loud thumping noise from outside, alerting the three. "What was that? I've never heard that before…" The old man said, frowning heavily.

"I think it might be something dangerous. Let's get the kids and investigate. You should hide, old man!" Teddy said, standing up and going to the other room, Aqua following behind as the elderly man ducked back into the kitchen. To the duo's amusement, they saw that Ninten and Ana were standing close to each other with red faces. They were even holding each other like they were dancing.

For their sake, Aqua just pretended she didn't see anything as the two separated. "Did you two hear that noise? I think something big is getting close!"

Before the kids could even respond, a loud crash rang out, the house itself seeming to shake. Bursting through the wall from outside was a massive blue, metallic hand. This prompted the quartet to jump back, drawing their weapons. Aqua even unleashed a powerful Fire spell at the hand, causing it to draw back.

"Not another one of these!" Ninten exclaimed as he and the other three peered outside.

Towering above the house was a massive blue robot. Aqua recognized its appearance because of Ninten telling her of his adventure. It was a good match for the one that was fought in the desert, a gigantic machine with a cylindrical body and stocky limbs. On its chest were numbers and letters, this one saying 'R7038' on it.

"How can we beat it without the tank?!" Ana shouted out, clearly scared as R7038 loomed over them, as if deciding the best way to squash the group flat.

Charging ahead, Teddy yelled out in aggression. "Heck if I care! I don't need a tank; this thing is going down!" He sprinted at R7038's legs, swiping at its ankle area with his knife. This did absolutely nothing, and the robot lifted its leg and brought its foot down on Teddy.

Horrified and furious, Aqua leapt high into the air, kicking off the house to get extra height, allowing the Keyblade Master to reach R7038's head. With a defiant cry, she pointed Rainfell right at the machine and cast a Mega Flare spell.

This resulted in a blinding flash as flame and heat burst forth and struck harshly against R7038's head. It was powerful enough that the robot staggered, its foot going off of poor Teddy, who groaned in pain as he got freed.

After Aqua landed, she was surprised by her own strength. Using Flare was tough enough for her before, now she was using Mega Flare?! She was growing far faster than she had realized!

Ana rushed over to heal Teddy while Ninten lingered by Aqua. "That was amazing! Can you do that again?!" The boy asked, pointing at R7038's head. The area around its cranium was melted and heavily scorched.

"N…No…" Aqua said as she panted. "That took so much out of me!" She had just been so angry at the robot for crushing Teddy like that! While she hadn't known the young man for long and how she had thought he was a jerk at first…her opinion of him had changed as they went on their adventure. She believed he really was looking out for Lloyd in his own way, and he fought hard against the creatures of Mt. Itoi.

And, of course, he was a person, so Aqua wouldn't let his potential death go without righteous anger!

"None of us can do anything like that…we had to use a tank last time!" Ninten said, seeming pretty worried as R7038 started to regain its balance.

As Aqua thought of a strategy, a rumbling came from behind them. She, Ana, and Ninten looked to the source, and their jaws dropped at the sight.

Rolling up to them was a tank! It had seen better days, but it was still an impressive sight! It came to a stop nearby them and the latch opened, out popping a boy with glasses and white hair. "Lloyd!" Ana and Ninten shouted in unison.

Lloyd had a grim expression, looking at Teddy as Ana slowly healed him. "Oh, no! I'm too late! I saw that thing coming up the mountain, but I wasn't fast enough! Ana! Ninten! Hurry and help me!"

Immediately knowing what Lloyd meant, clearly, the two kids ran to the tank and hopped inside as Aqua watched in amazement. Such technology didn't exist in her homeworld, so she saw it as a sight to behold. Whatever was going on in the vehicle, its gun shifted and aimed towards R7038.

After a moment, a deafening boom rang out, the shell hitting R7038 right near where Aqua's Mega Flare had hit it. Once more, it staggered backward from the impact. This time, however, it ran out of mountain. It fell down the mountainside, loud crashes following its disappearance as it stumbled down, down, down to the mountain base below.

Once more, the tank's latch opened, and the three kids came out, cheering as their robotic foe was defeated. An explosion was heard soon after they got back onto the ground, metallic scraps flying through the air. Once such chunk of metal slammed down onto the tank, busting it, but thankfully none of R7038's remnants hit anybody or the old man's house.

"Lloyd, that was amazing!" Ninten exclaimed as Ana rushed back over to Teddy to heal him. "You went back and got the tank?!"

"When Teddy had me leave, I almost just went home." Lloyd admitted, frowning a bit. "But I couldn't just let you guys do this alone, so I went to the desert and that veteran, and I fixed up the tank. I'm glad I did it, or I dunno what might've happened here…"

As he was being healed by Ana, Teddy sat up with a groan, his knife's blade snapped from the hilt. "I gotta admit, you really pulled through, kid. Guess I was wrong about you." The young man admitted. "You saved our hides, that's for sure."

"I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner…are you gonna be alright, Teddy?" Lloyd asked, not seeming too hurt about how the older man treated him previously.

Nodding, Teddy remained sitting as Ana continued to work on his wounds. "You still saved all of us, so don't sweat it. You sure proved me wrong, so I apologize." The young man said with complete sincerity. "I thought you couldn't handle this mountain, but I missed the mark…I really was trying to look out for you, if you can believe it."

Lloyd shook his head with a small smile. "I believe you. You were trying to help in your own way. I just had to prove myself, that's all."

As the two talked, the front door of the house opened, and the old man poked his head out. "What happened out here? What was all that?"

"Are you alright, sir?" Aqua asked, getting her breath back. The Mega Flare really took a lot out of her, but not as much as she expected. She could still move about fine, and still had some magic left in her to use. Nothing as large as a second Mega Flare, or even a regular Flare, of course. "A massive robot attacked…sorry about your wall."

The doctor stepped outside and looked at the destroyed wall, then at the destroyed tank, then at Teddy and Lloyd. "My…a lot of ruckus…and you weren't here before, were you?" He asked, looking to the white haired lad.

"No, sir. I just arrived with that tank…thank goodness I left when I did!" Lloyd replied, looking over to Aqua. "Hey, who are you? Do you live with this old man?"

Catching her breath properly, Aqua shook her head. "No, I'm a friend of Terra and Ven. I just arrived in Ellay in time to join your friends on their journey."

Lloyd looked pretty relieved. "Oh, that explains it! I saw that the robot was heavily damaged when I arrived, I'm guessing that was you? You must be as strong as your friends, then!"

"More or less, yes." Aqua said, momentarily pondering who amongst he friends was the strongest. Terra was in a pure physical sense…and just because Aqua was a Keyblade Master didn't automatically make her better than her two friends in combat. Well, that wasn't important…

"I'm not sure what's going on here…but I thank you all for helping take care of that robot." The doctor said, glancing at his destroyed wall. "Shame about the damage…"

"Sorry, by the time we realized what was going on, it was too late." Ninten remarked.

"Do you think the robot followed us? Maybe it was sent after us because we destroyed the other one." Ana suggested, sounding nervous.

Lloyd's eyes widened behind his glasses. "That could be! In that case, we should leave as soon as possible. Don't want any more attacks, especially near this house."

At that point, Teddy was healed enough to stand up and move, though Ana kept at it to ensure that her friend got back to his full strength. "That's a good idea." The young man said with a nod. "Sorry again, old timer."

"Mmm, well, it's not really your fault…" The doctor said. "And you did destroy the robot, so that sure makes up for it, I'd say. Good luck with whatever it is you're trying to do…"

Walking over to the house, Teddy looked inside at the katana over the fireplace. "Hey, old timer, that sword real?"

"Why, yes, it is. I bought it as a decorative piece. Why?" The old man asked, brows raised.

"I'm gonna need it. My knife broke when that thing stomped on me! Let me borrow that sword, alright?" Teddy semi-demanded.

The old man wasn't put off, at least not visibly, by Teddy's tone. "Yes, well…you do have a point. I suppose as long as you bring it back…" The generous doctor said, going over and fetching the sword and handing it over to the younger man.

Teddy took the blade from its sheathe, eyeing it with an impressed whistle. It was a finely made blade and sharp enough to do some serious damage. "Now that's more like it! Thanks, old timer!" He barked out joyfully, putting the blade back in its sheathe.

"It's the least I could do to thank you folk for saving my house! Now I should work on barricading the door to the room that robot damaged. If you'll excuse me…" With that, the doctor closed the door and locked it behind him.

"Do you even know how to use that?" Aqua asked, eyeing the sheathed katana. It looked like an impressive sword, but one that couldn't hold a candle to the Keyblade.

"Nope! Teddy admitted, not seeming bothered by this fact. "I'll just have to learn as I go!"

"We should get moving, and fast. Don't want to cause any more trouble for him." Ninten said, stating to move towards the path upwards as he spoke. The rest of the quintet followed, Ana still healing Teddy as he lagged behind.

While a fifth fighter was helpful, Lloyd using his laser gun to attack foes from afar, the trip up Mt. Itoi was still difficult. Even more Starmen appeared as well as unusual, winged creatures with horns on their foreheads that Teddy dubbed as being Gargoyles. With his katana, the young man was able to slice one of the terrifying creatures clean in two!

Aqua also managed to conserve her strength, only using her Keyblade in direct attacks rather than using magic. After all, the alien leader was surely far more powerful than anything else on the mountain, so she had to be able to use all the magic she could against him!

Eventually, the five arrived at a rather unusual sight. There on Mt. Itoi was a large lake! It even had grass surrounding it. The area was so unlike the rest of the rocky, dead mountain that it made the quintet feel like they were off Mt. Itoi entirely. The body of water was big enough that it cut off the path forward, acting as a barrier.

"There's a lake all the way up here? Not an impossibility, but I didn't expect it from this place." Lloyd remarked as the five walked towards it. "There's no other paths, either…not on this side of the lake."

"I totally forgot about this! I heard it mention before, but I've never climbed this far up this place." Teddy remarked. "There should be a…" He trailed off, scanning the edge of the lake before pointing at something. "…there! There it is!"

The other four looked to see a small dock that they had overlooked. Floating next to it was a motorboat just big enough to fit them all. "I don't suppose you read anything on handling boats?" Ninten asked, looking to Lloyd.

"I have...and of course boats are a lot easier to operate than tanks." The white haired boy said, leading the group to the boat. As they sat down, he looked the controls over, nodding to himself. "Should be simple. The key is in the ignition too. I wouldn't want to try and hotwire it…"

"What does that mean?" Aqua asked, never hearing such a term from Master Eraqus. After all, his teachings were the only introduction to vehicles that weren't operated by horses or the wind.

Teddy chuckled. "You really don't know? It's when you force a car, or a boat, into working without the key. Basically, stealing it."

Something told Aqua that Teddy had a lot of experience with hotwiring things…

As the two talked, Lloyd started the boat and started to slowly drive it across the lake. From the backseat, Ana grinned widely. "You're so talented, Lloyd! You can drive anything, can't you?"

Chuckling, Lloyd shrugged. "Well, I'm too short to drive a car, but…" Before he could go on, the boat started to slow down. "That's weird, the meter said there's gas…" He murmured. "Is there something wrong with the engine? But it's still going, I can hear it just fine…"

"Uh…Lloyd? Are we going backwards?" Ninten asked. Indeed, the boat was slowly starting to move backwards despite the engine running. Standing up, Ninten looked to see what was going on. "G…Guys! A whirlpool!"

The other four turned to look and saw that Ninten was right. Out of nowhere, a sizable whirlpool had formed behind them! It was spinning furiously, dragging the boat towards it, with only a few feet before the vehicle reached it!

"Lloyd, can't you make this go faster?!" Ana asked, terror in her voice as she clutched bag close to her.

"I can't! I was already going as fast as I could! This boat's top speed wasn't all that fast!" Lloyd shouted, looking about the controls as if something there may aid them.

Aqua summoned Rainfell but wasn't sure what to do. While it was something she had never tried, she felt if she were at full strength, she could freeze the lake, or at least deep enough for the five to walk to the other side. With all the fighting, and especially that Mega Flare, the Keyblade Master was too exhausted to try. She could jump from the boat to the shore from where the boat was, or at least very close, but she would have to make several trips to save everyone else, and that'd take too much time!

Before Aqua could make a decision on what to do, the boat reached the whirlpool. Instantly, it capsized, sending the quintet into the swirling waters instantly. They were dragged under the lake's surface, each of them having taken a deep breath just before their heads went under.

The force of the whirlpool kept the five spinning out of control as they were dragged further towards the lake's bottom. As they approached that point, however, they noticed something unusual. The whirlpool wasn't natural! A large metal hatch at the lake's bottom was somehow generating it! Without the ability to swim away, the quintet had no choice but to allow themselves to be sucked into the odd metal hatch.

There was a fall and lots of splashing and coughing.

The next thing the quintet knew, they were inside. Completely drenched, but at least no longer drowning. "Where…are we…?" Aqua asked, coughing heavily as she looked around. The room they were in was cold and metallic, with doors on either side leading elsewhere. There were no windows to look outside, but since the place was under the lakebed, that was expected. "Is everyone okay…?"

"Yeah…I'm fine…" Ninten replied, coughing a bit, and taking out his inhaler to take a puff. He still had all his belongings, his bat in one hand and the Badge on his shirt still in place.

"That was really scary…" Ana remarked, taking out a large leatherbound book from her bag. "At least this didn't get wet…"

"I've never heard of a manmade whirlpool like that!" Lloyd exclaimed, trying to dry off his glasses with his shirt…but since it was also soaking wet, it didn't accomplish much.

"Never heard of this place. Mt. Itoi was always odd, but not this odd…" Teddy murmured, looking about the room. He too had all his possessions in place.

Aqua nodded, having kept a grip on Rainfell. Not that it would've mattered if she lost it, she'd be able to summon it back anyway. "Well, we should look around, then…"

Slowly getting reoriented, the five approached one door and opened it up. Before them was a massive room with several floors, and lift systems to get between them rather than stairs. Getting on the lift in front of them, they went down a floor and explored the rooms cautiously. There were areas that looked like workstations, but also what seemed like living quarters…ones that didn't seem like they had been used in decades…

The quintet had their weapons ready just in case…yet nothing actually appeared to impede their progress. No robots, monsters, aliens, or anything of the sort. It seemed as though the five were all alone in the facility. Still, they kept their guard up, too on edge to even talk to each other.

Eventually, the five entered a room with a large tank of water in it, one that took up the entirety of a wall. Standing before it, though, was a massive robot that was as tall as R7038! The five prepared themselves…but nothing happened. The robot, a large red humanoid with long limbs and an oval shaped head and white glass eyes, stood still. It didn't seem to even be on at all.

"This is so weird…why is this all down here?" Teddy asked. "Place is abandoned, and there's this giant robot. Not like the one that attacked us, though…"

Ninten slowly walked up to the robot, a perplexed expression on his face. "This robot…I feel like it's…" He trailed off, placing his hand on its leg.

Before anyone could tell him that was probably a bad idea, the robot came to life! Its eyes lit up and a humming sound generated from it as it started up. It still stood in place but looked down at the five.

To their surprise, it spoke in a simulated woman's voice. "MY NAME IS EVE." It said, its voice booming and lacking emotion. "YOU ARE NINTEN. I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU." It went on, focusing its gaze on the boy.

"Me…? Why? Who made you?" Ninten asked, backing away in case EVE attacked.

EVE didn't attack, still standing in place. "MY CREATOR IS GEORGE. I HAVE BEEN BUILT TO PROTECT YOU. HE WAS TAKEN TO THE EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE AND BROUGHT BACK LATER."

"Wait, you mean my great-grandfather George?!" Ninten exclaimed, eyes widening. "He built this place? And you? I've never heard of this…"

"YES. YOUR GREAT-GRANDFATHER GEORGE IS MY CREATOR." EVE clarified. "HE WANTED THIS PLACE TO BE A SECRET."

"What do you mean he was taken to the edge of the Universe?" Aqua asked, surprised at the mention of traveling off of this world.

"THAT IS IIRELEVANT. I AM HERE TO PROTECT NINTEN." EVE replied, not even looking at Aqua.

Ninten frowned at that. "And my friends too, right? But you really won't tell me about my great-grandfather? Was he abducted by aliens?"

"IF YOU WISH ME TO PROTECT YOUR FRIENDS, I SHALL DO THAT TOO. GEORGE DID NOT TELL ME ALL THAT HAPPENED TO HIM. I DO NOT KNOW ALL THE DETAILS."

"Wow…I can't believe something like this exists! It's amazing!" Lloyd said, eyes wide as he looked EVE over. "She's brilliant!"

"You mean she's a girl robot?" Ana asked, giggling lightly.

Lloyd shrugged. "I mean her name is EVE, right?"

"IF THAT IS WHAT YOU WISH TO REFER TO ME AS, THAT IS FINE. AS LONG AS I FULFLL MY DUTY TO PROTECT NINTEN AND HIS FRIENDS, I DO NOT CARE WHAT YOU CALL ME."

"Well, that's just great, huh?" Teddy asked, a wide grin on his face. "We have a robot on our side now! So how do we get out of here anyway?"

"FOLLOW ME. I WILL LEAD YOU OUT." EVE replied, starting to move properly for the first time. Despite its size, it was able to move pretty fast, its footsteps echoing loudly throughout the facility.

As they went, Ninten looked up at EVE. "What was Great-grandpa George like, EVE? I never got to meet him."

"HE CREATED ME. HE WAS A SMART MAN." The robot said, looking forward as she led the quintet onward.

"But what was he like? As a person? My parents never talked about him that much." Ninten pressed, frowning a bit."

"I CANNOT SAY. I KNOW HE CREATED ME. I DID NOT KNOW HIM ON A MORE PERSONAL LEVEL."

Ninten's frown grew. "Oh…I see…"

Aqua frowned a bit too. It seemed EVE was a being without a heart, perhaps. That made sense to the Keyblade Master, after all. "No heart…no emotions or connections…" She said aloud.

"I guess that makes sense. Robots don't have real feelings." Lloyd said with a nod. "That's a big point of them."

"That's mean…but I guess it makes sense." Ana said with a small sigh. "I think it's kind of sad."

"IT IS NOT SAD. IT IS MY DESIGN."

None of the others replied to that, the conversations a bit awkward. Before too long, the sextet made it to a large room with a massive lift that even EVE could fit onto. Once they all boarded, the lift went up to a room that seemed to hold nothing but a large wall. Before anyone could comment on it, the wall opened up, revealing Mt. Itoi on the other side!

Exiting to the outside, the humans looked to see it was a secret entrance of sorts built into the mountain and that they were on the other side of the lake! "Well, I guess that solves that, huh? Shame about the boat, though…" Lloyd said.

"COME. WE MUST KEEP GOING. YOU WISH TO REACH THE PEAK, YES?" EVE said, looking up. The peak was not too far away, though still obscured partially by cloud. The feeling of being watched had only intensified since the trip started.

"That's right. You can get us there, right?" Ninten asked.

"IF THAT IS WHAT YOU WISH, YES. I SHALL PROTECT YOU. IT IS IN MY PROGRAMMING."

With that, EVE went forward, leading the others further up the mountain. As they went, the humans saw just how good at protecting EVE was. More Starmen and creatures came to attack the group, but they didn't fare well at all. The titanic robot swatted the foes away with ease or stomped them until they couldn't move. She even picked up one of the Gargoyles and threw it down the mountain.

"Jeez, your great-grandfather really knew his stuff!" Teddy remarked as he watched three Starmen blast lasers at EVE. They may as well have been throwing wads of paper at her for all the good it did.

"I had no idea he did this sort of stuff…I really don't know a lot about my great-grandparents." Ninten said, not sounding happy about it. "I wonder how Great-grandpa George knew what my name would be or how I'd need EVE…"

"So many mysteries…maybe once all this is settled, we'll know the truth." Lloyd said with a shrug.

"I'm sure that's it. Maybe Queen Mary knows." Aqua said, recalling Ninten mentioning Magicant and its ruler. The Keyblade Master was pretty curious about the numerous mysteries revolving around the quest as well…

Ninten nodded, not seeming too sure. Meanwhile, EVE dispatched the Starmen and kept going up the mountain. "WE ARE NEARLY THERE NOW. I AM PICKING UP UNUSUAL READINGS."

No sooner did EVE say this did the sextet round the corner and stop in their tracks. Blocking the one path forward was yet another robot! This one was like R7038, but colored red and had a green symbol on its torso with a large XX on it. R7038XX stirred when the group came into view, but didn't move, clearly awaiting them to make the first move.

"Another one?! How many of these are there?!" Teddy remarked, getting his katana ready by reflex before glancing at EVE. "That robot is even taller than her…"

"EVE, can you handle this? I'm not so sure…" Ninten said, frowning as he too looked over to EVE.

Aqua was nervous as well. If EVE couldn't win, the Keyblade Master wasn't sure if she could pull another Mega Flare. She had gotten a bit of rest when EVE took over the fighting, but she doubted it was enough to pull a spell of that caliber!

Without hesitation, EVE charged towards R7038XX, who prepared itself as its foe came charging. When EVE got close, the bigger robot swung its arm at her, EVE showing surprising agility as she ducked under the blow and slammed a fist into R7038XX's stomach area.

The blow did very little, but it did at least create a large dent within the opponent's outer frame. Reeling its leg back, R7038XX kicked at EVE and sent her crashing down to the ground with an impact that seemed to almost shake Mt. Itoi.

"Shouldn't we do something?!" Ana exclaimed, preparing an attack from afar as EVE got back to her feet.

"I don't think we should get close. If they're stomping around, we could get crushed. And trust me, that's not pleasant…" Teddy argued, watching as EVE sprinted at R7038XX and threw her entire weight at it, causing it to stagger.

Aqua knew she'd be nimble enough to stay out of harm's way. She was hesitant, though, because she knew she'd have to save her strength for when they reached the top of Mt. Itoi. If she didn't use magic, she wouldn't be able to hurt R7038XX enough to actually help at all…

"If EVE really needs us, we'll jump in." Ninten declared. "She's holding her own pretty well so far…"

Despite Ninten's words, Lloyd tried firing his laser gun at R7038XX while EVE slammed her arms into its frame. The shots all hit their target, but aside from light scorch marks, they did nothing. "Darn…I was hoping my gun would at least do a bit more…some long-distance aid…"

"I think without a tank, there's not much we can do." Ninten said, glancing at Aqua. "And you want to save your energy, right?"

The Keyblade Master somewhat felt bad at being called out, even if she thought it was the right way to go about it. It seemed Ninten realized she would be just fine fighting alongside EVE. "That's right. That one attack I did before…I can't do that again. Not so soon." She also felt guilty because she didn't feel a personal concern for EVE. She was a robot with no heart…so did she count as living? Aqua unknowingly had a similar mindset to Terra as he fought in his tournament.

As the five stood by helplessly, EVE kept attacking R7038XX. The fight wasn't going so well for her, though. She was able to get in a lot of hits on her opponent, but aside from denting the outside of its metal frame, these attacks did seemingly little. R7038XX's blows would always send EVE to the ground, while hers would make the larger robot momentarily stagger at the most.

Things took a worse turn as R7038XX picked up EVE with one hands and started to squeeze at the smaller robot. As much as George's creation struggled, she was simply too weak to break out of R7038XX's mighty grip. After a few moments, the massive robot threw EVE to the ground, one of her bending horribly from the impact.

That was what Ninten needed to act. Without hesitation, he ran at R7038XX and desperately swung his bat at its feet. Naturally, the blows did nothing except get the robot's attention. It looked down at the boy and raised its foot, ready to stomp him down to nothing.

Before the other humans could react, though they did run forward and prepare their attacks, a loud sound rang out that stopped them.

It was EVE, shouting. "NO! DO NOT HURT HIM!" Her voice rang out, her tone distraught and full of genuine emotion for once. She scrambled over to Ninten and knelt on her hands and knees over the boy, R7038XX's foot slamming into her back. Despite this, she did not give in, though her metallic limbs started to shake. "ARE YOU HURT, NINTEN?"

The boy was shocked at what happened, staring up at his great-grandfather's creation. "I'm okay, but what about you?! You…sounded worried…"

"I…I…I WAS. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT CAME OVER ME. WHEN I SAW YOU ABOUT TO GET HURT, SOMETHING…HAPPENED." EVE explained, sounding rather confused. "NINTEN, I HAVE TAKEN TOO MUCH DAMAGE. I CANNOT LAST ANY LONGER, SO YOU WILL NEED TO GET FAR AWAY SO I CAN TAKE THIS ROBOT WITH ME."

"What?! No, I can't just leave you to die, EVE!" Ninten retorted as Teddy ran forward and started to pull the boy away. "Hey! Teddy, let me go! She needs us!"

"You heard her, kid! She's gonna explode, that's what she's saying!" The young man shouted, picking up a struggling Ninten and carrying him back to the rest of the group. "Come on, we gotta clear out!" Ana and Lloyd hesitated, but they followed as Teddy carried Ninten around the mountain path, Aqua right behind him.

After the humans got to a safe distance, EVE sprang into action. She bucked her back up, causing R7038XX's leg to shoot back up long enough for her to turn her body around and latched onto its limb with her good arm. Summoning a desperate strength, she managed to pull at R7038XX until it fell to the ground with a thunderous crash.

Before R7038XX could get up, EVE crawled on top of it, forcing her hand into its side, piercing its metal frame in the process. "NIN…TEN…" She said to herself as her body erupted in an explosion.

Around the path, Ninten was still struggling against Teddy's grip, but stopped when a deafening explosion rang out. "No! EVE! Come on, Teddy! Let me go!"

As the scraps of metal soared through the air, Teddy finally relented and put Ninten down. The five rushed around the corner, but quickly stopped at the sight before them. R7038XX was reduced to scrap, and EVE herself was crawling from the wreckage. Most of her body was gone, and only one arm remained, which she used to crawl. She stopped when she was a good distance away, looking to the humans with her one working eye.

"NINTEN…YOU ARE…SAFE…" EVE's voice came out lightly distorted, with a buzzing sound crackling out.

"But you're…I mean…is there any way to fix you?" Ninten asked, looking EVE over in desperation.

"I…WILL SHUT…DOWN…SOON…" The robot replied. "I AM…SORRY…I CANNOT…ESCORT YOU…TO…THE…SUMMIT…"

"It's okay, EVE…don't beat yourself over it." Lloyd said, forcing a smile. "You fought really hard and saved us from that robot!"

Ana nodded, sniffling a bit. "And you wanted to protect Ninten. Because you wanted to…"

Aqua had noticed that too. "…It looks like you had a heart all along." The Keyblade Master pointed out. "That, or you developed one when you saw Ninten in trouble…"

Crossing his arms, Teddy nodded. "I think she's right. You were feeling something, that's for sure!"

"A…HEART…? ILLOGICAL…BUT…I DO FEEL…SOMETHING. I…LIKE IT…" EVE replied, seeming cautiously optimistic. "NINTEN…BEFORE…I GO…I HAVE ONE…LAST THING…TO SHARE…"

"What is it?" Ninten asked, sniffling along with Ana as he rubbed at his eyes with his arms.

EVE's eye dimmed and went out. Yet after that happened, a melodic beeping rang out from somewhere within her. It was a short, six note tune, but it carried a melancholy with it and ended abruptly which made it clear it was a fragment of an entire song. After the last note played, EVE stopped moving or emitting any sound.

Looking at EVE's face, Ninten started to cry, burying his eyes in his arm as his shoulders shook.

"Oh, Ninten…it's okay…I think she felt…fulfilled in the end…" Ana said, though she herself started to tear up.

"She felt in the end. I think that's more than what anyone could hope for. If we hadn't found her, she'd just stay in that one room, probably forever…" Aqua pointed out, feeling even worse at how she had viewed EVE earlier.

Teddy put his hands on Ninten and Ana's shoulders. "Hey, come on guys. I know you're sad, but we've gotta keep moving. We're so close! No crying until the end, alright? Once we kick that alien leader's butt, then you can cry!"

The young man's words worked, Ninten and Ana pulling themselves together, though sniffling heavily as they did so. "I…I guess you're right…" Ninten said. "EVE even left us the seventh part of the melody…"

"That's right…and we should get moving quickly. That explosion probably got the attention of unsavory things on the mountain." Lloyd pointed out.

With that said, the quintet moved on, Ninten giving EVE a last lingering look as they went. Their time together had been short, but he felt so attached to the robot. Maybe it was because she was built by his great-grandfather, and especially for his safety?

Either way, Lloyd was thankfully wrong. Nothing attacked the group as they neared the summit. Either EVE's rampage in protection the group scared the Starmen, robots, and other creatures off, or the explosion that occurred had done so.

As they went over a hill and onto a clearer part of the mountain, the group stopped as they saw something unusual. There, in the middle of the clearing, was a large stone. It looked like a grave, but rather than a name on it, there was a large XX on it instead.

"Like on the robot…" Aqua remarked, gripping Rainfell and looking around. Was the stone connected to R7038XX somehow…?

"Yeah…but…I feel like it's safe." Ninten said, approaching the stone, the others close behind him. He reached out and touched the odd monument. When he did so, a black gem appeared above their heads!

To the shock of the group, a voice resonated from the gem. It was a male's voice, gentle and kind. "Ninten…Welcome… I had believed that you would find your way here..."

His eyes widening, Ninten stared at the gem. "Wh…Who are you? How do you know my name?"

"I am George. Your great-grandfather." The voice said. "I do not have much time, so please listen to what I have to say."

"G…Great-grandpa George…?" Ninten echoed, awestruck. He didn't say anything more, and none of the group spoke up, doing as the gem asked.

"Your great-grandmother, Maria, her love was scatted. That is where these melodies originate from. I will teach you the final part, and then you must go back to Magicant." George's voice instructed. "After I teach it to you, I will vanish. My last duty will be fulfilled, so don't be sad. I'm so very proud…"

After he spoke, four notes rang out from the black gem. They too were sad in nature, the last note dragging for a few moments and acting as a distinct finale to a song. Then, as George said, the gemstone vanished in an instant.

"Amazing…so he spoke to us from…beyond…?" Lloyd asked, his eyes wide behind his glasses.

Ninten nodded. "…Is it weird I didn't feel sad? I'm happy I got to talk to him…even if it was so brief."

"I don't think it's weird at all." Aqua said, placing a hand on Ninten's shoulder. "He said we have to go to Magicant though, right? I think he meant right away."

"Hold on, but we're so close to the summit! Won't we have to climb all the way back up?!" Teddy pointed out.

"But he said we had to go to Queen Mary. She's connected…somehow." Ana pointed out. "What love did he mean…?'

Without a word, Ninten dug the Onyx Hook from his pocket. "Come on, I can teleport us back here if we need to. I'm going to do what my great-grandfather said…"

Despite his hesitation, Teddy placed a hand on Ninten's shoulder. Aqua kept her hand there, with Ana holding Aqua's free hand and Lloyd holding Teddy's. The quintet felt a lurching motion as the world went pink for a moment.

Next thing they knew, they were in Magicant. It was different than when it had been visited previously. Physically, it was the same. Bright pink, cloudy ground, gorgeous sky. Yet it was the atmosphere that was off. No one was out and about, the town seemingly deserted. There was also a cold, foreboding sensation in the air, like something awful was going to happen.

"It feels weird here…not like before at all…" Ana remarked, shivering a bit as she looked around.

"I was kind of suspicions if you were serious about this place but seeing it with my own eyes is something else." Teddy said, looking around at Magicant's beauty.

Aqua was in wonderment at the world she found herself in. Ninten had described it to her, but his words didn't do it justice. It was certainly the most alien world she had found herself in thus far. She agreed with Ana, though, it felt unpleasant, not serene like Ninten had described before. "What's wrong? Why would it feel like this?" She found it interesting that this world and the one they just came from seemed so connected. Master Eraqus had said that some worlds were closely tied to others, but this was the first time Aqua actually saw it herself.

"I remember one of the guards saying Queen Mary was feeling sick…maybe it's tied to that somehow. We should hurry to the palace!" Ninten declared, rushing forward with the rest of the group following.

As they went, they saw no one in the town at all, and the houses they walked by had an air of being totally empty. When they got to the palace, the trio of guards that had stood there during Terra's trip was gone, and the inside of the large building was quite cold. The hooded guards were still there but didn't even look at the group. In fact, the only movement the hooded guards made was the rise and fall of their chests as they breathed, the only sign they were even still alive.

With all of this in mind, it was a relief when the quintet got to the throne room and saw Queen Mary was sitting on her throne. As they got closer, they saw that she was visibly exhausted, but she still gave the group a solemn smile.

"Your Majesty…" Aqua said, minding her manners in front of royalty.

Shaking her head with that same, small smile, Queen Mary spoke. "Please…stand." After Aqua did as she said, she turned to Ninten. "Did you find all the melodies?"

"I did, Queen Mary. I just found the last one and came straight here." The boy replied, seeming uneasy about Magicant's atmosphere.

"That's wonderful…!" The monarch replied, enthusiastic yet still feeble. From her cloak, she pulled out a gorgeous Ocarina. "Here…play it for me on the Ocarina of Hope…"

Taking the instrument, Ninten shook his head lightly. "I've never…" He started.

Queen Mary shook her head in turn as she interrupted. "You can do it. It's no ordinary instrument. Please, try."

"Okay…I will…" Nodding, Ninten slowly raised the mouthpiece to his lips and played. As Queen Mary said, the music came out wonderfully and the boy's fingers moved as though he was an expert. The song he played was a beautiful, sad, yet melancholy tune that made the quintet feel a sense of tragic nostalgia.

Aqua in particular found herself thinking, oddly enough, of her mother. She hadn't given her own mother much thought since the Keyblade Master left her homeworld behind. Yet, somehow, this song, which seemed like a lullaby, brought such memories back and made Aqua's heart ache. Soon enough, the song ended, finishing off on the ten notes that Aqua herself had heard from EVE and George.

As the last note faded into the air, tears started to stream down Queen Mary's face as her eyes widened. An expression of understanding washed over her face. "Please…one more time…"

Ninten once more nodded. "Yes, Queen Mary…" He raised the mouthpiece to his lips again and played. This time, however, the monarch sang along with the music.

Take a melody

Simple as can be

Give it some words and

Sweet harmony

Raise your voices

All day long now

Love grows strong now

Sing a melody of

Love, oh love

As she finished, the Queen burst out into a full sob, her body shaking as she both smiled and cried to the group.

"A…Are you okay? Queen Mary? What's wrong?" Ana asked, frowning heavily.

"What's the song about? A lullaby?" Teddy added on.

Queen Mary calmed down enough to speak. "Oh! Giygas…!" She exclaimed, staring at the group, yet not seeming to see them. "I loved him…I loved him with all my heart, like my own child! "He was always wagging his tail, like a puppy. Always…except when I sang that song to him…"

As she spoke, the palace around the group grew darker and colder. To the point where they were only able to see each other and Queen Mary. "Wh…What's going on? What is this?" Lloyd asked, looking about.

"Who is Giygas? Queen Mary, are you okay?" Aqua asked, feeling nervous herself.

The Queen didn't seem to hear Lloyd or Aqua as she went on. "Oh, George…! It's me, Maria! Your wife! I'm coming to join you; my purpose is complete…!"

In an instant, Magicant changed around the six. The palace was gone, and they were outside. Yet instead of a land of pink clouds, they were in a very different place. There was nothing but dirt and ash for ground, with only a few pillars of the palace remaining. Every other building was gone, with only distant mountains breaking the flat, dead landscape.

"M…Maria? Great-grandma?!" Ninten exclaimed. "You're alive?!"

Maria's solemn smile came back as she looked to Ninten, seeing him this time. "Just my memory…my consciousness. That was all Magicant was…A mirage…" As soon as she spoke these words, a gust of wind blew, and the woman faded out of existence.

Once more, in an instant, the world around the group changed. They were back before the XX Stone on Mt. Itoi as if nothing had happened. The Ocarina of Hope was gone, as was the Onyx Hook.

"What just happened? Magicant is…gone?" Lloyd stammered out, looking around as if he'd somehow find an answer.

Aqua was bewildered at what just happened. An entire world just decayed and vanished before her very eyes. It may have just been a mirage, in Maria's own words, but a world was still a world. It had buildings and people…and it was just gone, surely forever. "Ninten, are you okay?" The young woman asked, looking to the boy.

For the most part, he simply seemed shocked. Ninten blinked a few times as he registered what happened. "Great-grandma…it was her the entire time…" He breathed, stunned.

"I don't know what's going on here." Teddy admitted. "She was…a ghost, right?"

Ninten slowly walked forward, towards Mt. Itoi's summit, as his friends followed. "Maybe. To be honest, this reminds me of some weird stories." The boy said, staring straight ahead. "Rumors about my great-grandparents I heard when I was real little. Apparently my great-grandparents just vanished one day…and no one ever figured out where they went, but only my great-grandfather came back. People came up with all sorts of stories, but nothing was proven…One day, Great-grandpa George went off to who knew where, and I guess it was here on this mountain…"

"Hold on." Lloyd piped up. "Remember what EVE said about George? She said he was taken to the edge of the Universe? Maybe…they were abducted by aliens. For some reason, only George got back…"

"That's right! She did say that!" Ana said, eyes widening. "Then…Giygas was an alien she looked after or something like that."

"One she loved like her own, with all her heart." Aqua added on. "A love so strong that she lingered on afterward, and her song was scattered." It was very sad, the young woman feeling terrible for the couple…

Ninten nodded. "I think that's right. I'm still so confused, but…I'm glad my Great-grandma Maria got to find some peace…"

As they discussed this, a cave opening caught the group's attention. It wasn't the cave itself that did this, after all that was pretty normal for a mountain, but it was the odd sounds that came from it. A series of electronic beepings and hums originated from the opening, causing the quintet to poke their heads in.

The cave stopped being natural only a few feet in, metal panels covering the floor, walls, and ceiling. Someone built some sort of facility within this cave. There were eerie green lights from the ceiling, and along the walls were glass tubed filled with liquid of some sort, all of them having control panels next to them. As the five walked in further and got a closer look, their blood went cold.

Within the tubes were people! Men, women, children, adults…no pattern or reasoning. Just humans within the liquid, their eyes closed, and it was unclear if the were alive or not.

"The abductions…like from Youngtown…" Lloyd breathed. "This is where they're keeping them all!"

"Mommy!" Ana's voice called, the other four looking to see the girl standing before a tube. Within it was a woman with the same color hair that Ana had. "I have to get her out! We have to get them all out!" She said, looking over the control panel.

Before Ana could press a single button, Aqua grabbed her shoulder and gently pulled her away. "Wait! You have no idea what those buttons do! For all we know, the wrong one could hurt her…"

"But…she's so close…" Ana said, staring at the tube, her voice wavering.

Ninten grabbed onto one of Ana's hand kindly, shaking his head. "Aqua's right. And…the mountain's so dangerous. They're probably safer in here until we defeat the alien leader."

"Kid's got a point. There's dozens of folks here." Teddy remarked, looking about. "It'd make it hard to protect them all if we tried herding them down the mountain. Let's kick that alien leader's butt and then come back."

Ana sniffled, but slowly nodded. "…You're right…" She smiled a bit at Ninten, her cheeks tinting red before turning back to her mom. "I'll come back, okay?" The girl said to the unconscious woman.

Before any sort of potential guards could arrive, the five quickly left the cave and went up the mountain once more. The path was oddly clear, the anticipation building with each step. Not long after leaving the cave, the quintet reached the top of Mt. Itoi. There didn't seem to be anything there, though. Clouds above them and a bit of thinner air. But the path just ended at a sheer drop…and that was it. No aliens or monsters or anything.

Slowly, Ninten went closer to the edge and peered down. He yelped and staggered backwards at what ever he saw. Everyone readied their weapons, but soon stopped to stare at what rose in front of them.

Coming from somewhere down below, a massive metal object ascended! It was a monumental creation, taller than a skyscraper and just as wide! The ship moved in a disturbingly silent manner despite its immense size, stopping its rise so a large orange electronic door was on level with the humans. Odd blue honeycomb panels jutted from the ship, it being a total mystery what their purpose even was.

"The Mother Ship…" Lloyd breathed, his knees shaking. "Don't be afraid…don't be afraid…don't be afraid…" He murmured to himself.

"Are we supposed to stop that thing? Even with that tank, or even EVE, there's no way!" Teddy pointed out, yet still keeping his katan poised.

Aqua was dumbfounded at the sight. Obviously, vehicles for traveling between worlds weren't anything knew to her. There were the Keyblade Gliders, after all. Yet they were the only such vehicles she had ever laid eyes on, so the massive ship before her really took her off guard. "I can't destroy this…not even if Terra and Ventus were with me." She declared, knowing the extent of the trio's abilities.

"We have to do something though. All those people are counting on us!" Ana said, her face going pale.

"But what…? Why did it just stop?" Ninten asked, keeping a straight face with his bat at the ready.

As if in response to Ninten's question, the orange door slid open. Out of it came a strange object. It was a floating pod of sorts, a large spherical object with a glass front. Strange red additions to the side were connected by vein-looking tubes and wires. Within the glass, within the pod itself, was a transparent liquid. Within this liquid was a being unlike any the quintet had seen.

The alien creature was slim in appearance and striking white in color. Its body and limbs were almost noodle-like, no part of its being any wider than the torso of the three children. Its arms and legs seemed to end in fleshy points, no hands, or feet visible at all. Floating behind it was a long tail, and above its blank black eyes were large, almost feline-type ears.

It seemed almost frail, in a way, yet it exuded a noticeable power. The five humans felt a strange ringing in their ears, the exact source unable to be determined.

For a few moments, the humans had no idea what to say as the pod drew closer before stopping mere feet away. It was Aqua that spoke up first. "You…you're the alien leader, right?"

The creature blinked twice before turning its attention to Ninten. It then spoke in a deep, male voice. The five heard this voice in their minds, the alien clearly using some form of telepathy to communicate. "Ninten…I am grateful to your family…"

It took the boy a few attempts to reply, clearly disturbed by the creature before him, even if he tried not to show it. "Who are you…? How do you know my name?"

"I know many things. Your minds are all open books, as small as they are." The alien responded. "As for your question…your great-grandparents raised me. George and Maria."

"You're Giygas!" Ninten blurted out, jaw dropping. "You're the one she loved!"

As soon as the words left Ninten's mouth, the quintet was hit with a sudden wave of pain that knocked them onto their rears. It was like an invisible force just struck them, intangible yet feeling like they were hit by a solid wall. "What was that…?" Aqua groaned out, never seeing an attack like that before. Or, rather, not seeing it…

"He's an alien, so he's got to have weird powers…" Lloyd said, rubbing his head.

"I didn't even see it coming!" Teddy complained, wincing heavily as his joints ached.

The alien's tail swished idly behind him, not moving much at all besides that. "Yes. I am Giygas. You have learned much. Did you know, however, that George stole vital information from our planet? Information that can be used to betray my people?!"

As the group got up again, they were hit with another wave of energy and knocked back down. Once more, they didn't see it coming at all. It was surely impossible to even block something like that. The form of Giygas' attack was inexplicable!

"I…I didn't know that…" Ninten replied, wincing from the pain. "I never met him…he never told anyone that I know of…"

"This isn't fair! The rest of the planet didn't do anything! Why are you invading?!" Ana demanded, eyes tearing up as she struggled to her feet.

Giygas ignored Ana, staring at Ninten. "It's true. He stole precious information. For that, this world must pay. And now you, his descendant, is stepping in to interfere with our plans. I must stop you myself! Go home, all of you, and die with your pitiful planet!"

That was it! Gritting her teeth, Aqua forced herself onto her feet. "You don't get to just torment worlds like this! I won't allow it!" It was her job as a Keyblade Master to protect worlds in trouble, and clearly Giygas and his minions were a far larger threat to this one than Vanitas or the Unversed.

With a cry, Aqua shot an intense pillar of fire at Giygas, whose pod remained still. Yet, as the fire reached the alien, something unusual happened. The flame spiraled into itself before dispersing harmlessly. Giygas didn't move an inch as this happened, as if it took no effort at all.

"Foolish one. You cannot harm me with such pitiful powers. Even with your Keyblade, you are but a lowly insect compared to me." Giygas remarked, Aqua suddenly being struck with another unseeable attack and being knocked onto her back.

Gasping out in pain, the young woman was stunned that Giygas knew about the Keyblade before recalling he mentioned being able to read minds. Just how much of her life had he gathered in this short time?

Teddy was the next to try attacking, Ninten close behind. They sprinted at Giygas and struck at his pod with their respective weapons. This did nothing, the impacts bouncing off violently, this recoil alone knocking the two onto their rears again.

Aqua followed closely behind, sprinting at the pod, and striking it hard with Rainfell…yet she suffered the same fate. Not even a scratch or dent or any sign of damage! "Even that won't work?!" Ninten exclaimed.

"…Ninten…" Giygas said, his tone softer than before. "You alone. I may save just you. Board the Mother Ship with me…and leave this world to perish."

"No! I'd never do that!" Ninten retorted, standing up. "I couldn't just abandon everyone!" He seemed to predict that Giygas would attack again and raised a barrier. To his shock, the protection shattered instantly, and he was knocked onto his back once more.

"Fine!" Giygas roared inside the quintet's head. "Then you will die along with everything and everyone you hold dear! Die with your ugly human brethren!"

This was followed by the largest wave yet, the humans sent tumbling backwards as sharp pain covered their entire body. Giygas barely moved as he attacked, it being rather clear that he wasn't even putting forth any effort.

Aqua found the offer Giygas put forward unusual. The alien had just said he was going to kill Ninten, then moments later offered a chance for him to save himself. Even as alien as their foe was, Aqua felt his heart. It was heavy, and full of darkness…but it wasn't just a heart of evil. There was rage, yes…but also a great sadness.

"Ninten…" Aqua murmured, panting from the stress of Giygas' attacks. "…I think…Giygas feels worse about this than…he lets on. You're Maria's family, after all…"

The boy stared at Aqua, wheels turning in his head as he seemed to realize something. Slowly, he stood up.

"You won't give up, will you?" Giygas observed, sounding almost disgusted.

At first, Ninten didn't say anything. He just stared at the alien before him. To everyone's shock, he dropped his baseball bat. Then, he opened his mouth…and began to sing. "Take a melody…Simple as can be-"

Once more, Ninten was struck down, Giygas' eyes widening. "Stop singing." He demanded, his voice curt and strict. There was something else in his tone. A sort of sadness and…almost fear.

Panting, Ana stood up as well, leaving her frying pan on the ground. Like Ninten, she too sang. "Take a melody…Simple as can be…Give-" Like Ninten, she was knocked down too, letting out a cry as Giygas' attack hit her.

"Stop singing!" Giygas shouted, his eyes widening further.

Aqua was right. As much as the alien tried to seem emotionless and cold, he still felt emotions like anyone else. He still cared for his adoptive mother…he felt some sort of compassion towards Ninten. Maria's love remained within Giygas' heart, even if he tried to snuff it with darkness.

Lloyd stood back next, dropping his laser gun as he cleared his throat. "Take a melody…Simple as can be…Give it some words and-" Like Ninten and Ana, he was knocked onto his back, the lenses of his glasses cracking.

"STOP!" The alien roared. "Stop that song!" He ordered, his body quivering, as if he were physically being attacked.

"I see it now…" Teddy said, standing tall. "Take a melody…Simple as can be…Give it some words and sweet harmony…" The young man cried out as he was knocked back so hard, he flipped in midair and landed face down on the ground.

"DIDN'T I TELL YOU TO STOP?! STOP THAT SONG!" Giygas screamed desperately into the humans' heads.

"We have…to sing it all…" Aqua said, getting up properly, dismissing Rainfell. Fighting wasn't going to work in this situation. The young woman took a breath and started to sing as well. "Take a melody…Simple as can be…Give it some words and sweet harmony…Raise your-" She was knocked back by another attack from Giygas. She noticed that it wasn't as strong as the previous ones were.

"You filthy human bugs! Shut up! Stop stinging!" Giygas screamed, the desperation in his voice becoming harsher.

Ninten recovered from his previous attack and stared directly into the alien's eyes. "Take a melody…Simple as can be…Give it some words and sweet harmony…Raise your voices-" He was hit by an invisible attack, this one only making him stagger back.

"That song…" Giygas murmured, his voice cracking lightly as his limbs writhed in his pod.

Ana took another try at it, panting heavily from the onslaught she and the others had been subject to. "Take a melody…Simple as can be…Give it some words and sweet harmony…Raise your voices all day long-" Like with Ninten, Giygas' attack on her wasn't strong at all, only enough to stagger the girl.

"Stop! Stop it now!" Giygas ordered once more. His voice was filled with a desperate rage and a bitter sadness.

"Just…a bit more…" Lloyd said, ignoring his damaged glasses as he stood up tall. "Take a melody…Simple as can be…Give it some words and sweet harmony…Raise your voices all day long now love grows strong now…" His glasses were knocked right off his face with the next attack, which knocked him to his rear.

This time, Giygas didn't even bother speaking. His tail spasmed behind him in what appeared to be agony, his eyes screwed shut.

Teddy tried again, almost smirking a bit at the alien before he sang. "Take a melody…Simple as can be…Give it some words and sweet harmony…Raise your voices all day long now love grows strong now…Sing a melody-" Like with Lloyd, his own glasses were knocked right off his face with the next attack.

"Please…Please stop…" Giygas was begging at this point, his eyes still shut tight, as if that would make all the pain in his heart go away.

Aqua almost felt bad, but she knew this was the only way. Giygas planned such awful things for this world, but she also realized that, surely, a hidden part of him wanted no part in it. "Take a melody…Simple as can be…Give it some words and sweet harmony…Raise your voices all day long now love grows strong now…Sing a melody of love-"

This time, rather than getting weaker, Giygas' powers erupted with the fury of a thunderclap. He roared out as the ground around his pod started to crack, and the quintet were all hit so hard by his attack that they were knocked several meters back, the wind knocked out of them. Even then, it was clear that the alien was holding himself back from unleashing his full power. His eyes opened, and tears floated in the pod's liquid as he stared at the humans before him.

For a few moments, none of the quintet could move. The attack was so strong, and they had been battered around so much by the alien leader. It was Ninten who struggled to his feet first, followed by Aqua, Teddy, Ana, and then Lloyd.

"T…Together…" Ninten murmured, standing up straight. He held onto Ana's hand, then reached with the other to grasp at Lloyd's. Lloyd held onto Aqua's, while Ana held onto Teddy's. The five stood in a line, staring down the alien before them and sang together.

Take a melody

Simple as can be

Give it some words and

Sweet harmony

Raise your voices

All day long now

Love grows strong now

Sing a melody of

Love, oh love

Giygas roared. Not in murderous fury, but in a sad and desperate howl. Tears streamed from his eyes, floating in the mysterious liquid he was submerged in. His body spasmed and he curled up like a child as a distinct sobbing noise erupted from him. There was no attack this time, just the ragged breathing from the mighty space invader.

"How…" Giygas croaked. "How could…I be defeated…by a song like that…?" He went on, misery unhidden in his tone. "How…?"

"The love in your heart." Aqua said as the five let go of each other's hands. "You may not want to admit it, but you still love Maria…and this isn't what you want to do to her world. I sense a darkness in your heart, but there's a light in there too. Trying to hide it won't make it go away."

"She loved you, Giygas." Ninten agreed, approaching the pod. Gently, he placed a hand on the glass. "We spoke to her…what was left of her…and she never stopped loving you."

Giygas stared directly back at Ninten, panting heavily. At first, he was silent, simply staring at the descendant of the woman he loved so dearly. "Ninten…" The alien growled. "We shall meet again…I swear it…"

Before Ninten, or anyone else, could respond, Giygas' prod floated back towards the Mother Ship, entering it through the same door as before. As soon as the door closed, the vessel started to rise.

Aqua's eyes widened as she realized Giygas didn't mean to surrender. He turned his back on the light and would embrace the darkness in his heart once more. She had to stop him! Yet before she could do a thing, the ship suddenly shot off to the stars above. It moved so fast that in a mere second, it was gone.

That ship was far, far too fast for her. Even if she left at that very second, she'd never catch up to it. "He'll…come back…" The young woman said, stunned. She had hoped that the song may make Giygas' emotions stop him from assaulting this world further, but it seemed she was wrong.

"It's okay…" Ninten said, picking up his bat. The other three humans picked up their things as well, Lloyd and Teddy donning their glasses again. "We'll be ready. We'll know how to reach him."

"There's nothing we can do about it now." Lloyd pointed out.

Ana sighed, putting her frying pan away. "I felt so bad for him, even after all he did." She sniffled a bit. "He was so sad…I'll pray for him…"

"I'll admit, I didn't think we had a chance for a second." Teddy breathed, sheathing his katana. "But we make a fine team, huh?"

Aqua wasn't as enthusiastic, but she supposed Lloyd was right. What could any of them do? Even she couldn't catch that ship. And suppose she did, what then? Giygas had dispersed her spell like it was nothing, so chances were that would be the case for anything she threw at him.

"Well…at least things are settled for now." The Keyblade Master said, turning to Ana. She took out Rainfell and cast a Curaga spell, having enough magic to do that much. The humans all sighed out as their wounds healed and the pain faded. "Come on, let's get your mom and the others. With Giygas gone, I'm sure the mountain is safe now."

That caused the girl to perk up. "That's right! I was so distracted, I…" Without another word, Ana started to sprint down towards the cave, the rest of the group following her.

To their dismay, they saw that nothing had changed in the cave since they were there. The poor kidnapped people were still in their tubes! "What do we do?" Lloyd asked, scratching the side of his head. "I have no idea how to work these control panels…"

"…I think I can do it." Aqua said, readying her Keyblade. "Just stand back, okay?" She raised Rainfell so it was pointing straight up. Keyblades could unlock virtually anything, so did electronic locks count? Only one way to find out!

A ball of light appeared at the tip of Rainfell before bursting out into many beams of light that struck the control panels. After the light faded, nothing happened for a moment. Then some loud beeping came from somewhere within the cave, and the pods started emptying! Grates opened at the bottoms and drained the liquid out, the people inside opening their eyes slowly as the glass containers lifted off to the ceiling.

Each pod had been opened, and all the abducted people were okay! "Mommy!" Ana cried out, rushing to her mom, and practically tackling her with a hug.

"Ana…?" The woman said, looking about. "Where are we? What happened…?"

"I'm so glad that worked! If it hadn't, I'd have no idea what to do…" Ninten breathed.

"I'm glad too. I wasn't sure if it would." Aqua admitted, smiling as she looked about as the kidnapped people slowly started to gain their senses. The reunion of Ana and her mother especially warmed her heart. It reminded her of Ventus and Terra…and also that she had to leave. "…I should go." She said suddenly.

That got Ninten's attention, the boy quickly turning to the Keyblade Master. "Already? Are you sure?"

"You just got here! And we just saved the world, we gotta celebrate!" Teddy remarked.

As lovely as a celebration sounded, Aqua knew she couldn't wait around in one world too long. "I'm sorry, but I can't. Ven and Terra…I need to make sure they're okay. I have a lot of things I have to do…" Stopping Vanitas, for one. Then there was the mysterious old man that Bowser had mentioned. Not to mention she hadn't seen that Mahjarrat creature in a while. She was hoping to run into him again so she could stop whatever plot he was cooking up.

"Oh…that makes sense…" Ninten said with a sigh.

"You're leaving already?" Ana said, approaching and gently leading her still-dazed mom with her.

Aqua kind of felt bad as Ninten, Ana, and Lloyd looked up at her sadly. "Sorry, but this is important. I wouldn't leave so soon otherwise."

"We get it, right guys?" Teddy said, crossing his arms. "You'd better visit, though. Stop by Ellay, and you can see me sing at The Live Show, okay? You heard me singing back there, so you know I'm good!"

That got a light chuckle out of Aqua. "Okay, I promise I will." A promise she hoped she could keep. It made her feel so bad when she made promises she wasn't sure she could follow up on. Going to worlds so casually wasn't something a Keyblade Wielder, especially a Master, was meant to do.

"Here, take this!" Ninten said, taking the Badge off of his shirt. "It's been pretty lucky for me, so maybe it'll be lucky for you too. I'm sure Pippi won't mind me regifting it."

Aqua remembered Ninten talking about Pippi, and gently took the Badge. "Thank you, Ninten, I appreciate it." She said, pinning the Badge to her shirt.

"I think that's called a Franklin Badge, looking at it closer…" Lloyd remarked. "It sure has odd properties, reflecting those lasers and all…"

"I hope we can see you again soon." Ana said with a small smile. "I'll be praying for you, just like with Giygas."

Lloyd nodded. "Yeah, I'll be rooting for you to find your friends again!"

"Good luck with everything, okay?" Ninten said with a toothy grin. "Thanks for helping us out, tell Ven and Terra that too!"

Aqua smiled at the quartet that she was leaving behind, hoping to run into them again one day. "Thanks, everyone. And I'll pass on that message, Ninten." With a few more farewells, the quartet waved the young woman off as she left the cave.

She sighed to herself, glad she was able to help save this world, but wishing she could have at least found a clue about Vanitas' location. Still, she knew she had to take what she could get. Aqua went back up to the peak of Mt. Itoi and summoned her Keyblade Glider and donned her armor.

As the Keyblade Master flew up and off to the next world, she pondered about Giygas. The alien that had felt so much pain in his heart, she wondered if he had even wanted to invade Ninten's world or if he was forced to by his race. She supposed she'd never know, but she hoped he would embrace the light in his heart rather than letting the darkness tear him apart. Unfortunately, hoping for such a thing was all she could do…

While Aqua went out of sight in the sky, she was unaware she was being watched.

Vanitas had been hiding on Mt. Itoi's peak and had witnessed the entire battle. He had been furious that some alien invader had muscled in on his Unversed, slaying them whenever possible. The masked boy had planned to slay their leader, but after seeing the display, he was disgusted with Giygas.

The alien had so much power, so much that even Vanitas had to admit he wasn't sure he could win. Yet he fell to the emotions within his own heart, all brought about by a song. It was pathetic! Shaking his head, Vanitas decided there was no point in sticking around in this world. Things would be falling into place soon, according to Master Xehanort.

With that, the masked boy vanished in a portal of darkness.

---

In ancient times, no such buffers kept the larger World divided; there were no walls of light enclosing each smaller world the way they do today. Nothing prevented one from physically interfering with the next.

At that time, the World was filled with light, and a great many Keyblade wielders. But without buffers, the worlds began to squabble over ownership of the light. You see, they learned of the Keyblade's true use. War broke out as each of the Keyblade Wielders struggled to lay claim to an almighty entity known as Kingdom Hearts.

Kingdom Hearts could be described as an aggregate of hearts. Worlds, too, have hearts, just like people; each world's heart is concealed from sight, beyond a hidden door. By gathering all the hearts of all the worlds in a single place, one may complete Kingdom Hearts.

---

A/N: Well, that took a lot longer than I wanted it to. But this was also about twice as long as my usual chapters, so...I guess it works out. I didn't want to split Aqua's visit into two chapters, so I just forced this chapter to be longer because of it.

I love the MOTHER franchise, so it was pretty nice getting to have the Wayfinder Trio cover most of it in this story. I thought the evil invader being thwarted by the emotions in his heart fit so very well with Kingdom Hearts. I almost didn't let Teddy go to the summit of Mt. Itoi, he would stay behind and fight off a bunch of attacking monsters and robots on his own, but I decided to cut him some slack. It actually is possible to let him participate in the final battle in the game, it just takes a lot of specific actions.

I also imagine that Giygas is the most powerful character in this story. More powerful than the main characters and even Master Xehanort. If, in this story, he used the usual sorts of spells present in Kingdom Hearts, he'd be able to cast -za spells casually, and maybe even use Zettaflare.