Chapter 48

Familiar Faces (Part 1)

"Do you know what 'happiness' is?"

"It's the bright sunbeams of May"

"It's a warm family"

"It's sunny side up eggs for breakfast"

"But Heaven has none of these things."

"It's having your name called by someone"

"It's calling someone's name."

"It's having someone think about you."

"The Goddess had none of these things."

This is such a nice day, Sora thought as he strolled through the woods. The sun was shining, yet it wasn't too hot. There was a cool breeze running through the forest. This was just the perfect weather.

It was a shame that he hadn't gotten more food from Little Chef. This would have been a perfect opportunity for a picnic. Though they had an objective, they weren't in much of a hurry, so why not enjoy the World? There was even a lake nearby that would have been the perfect spot to set up.

At least, it would help pass the time until Rapunzel came to terms with the world around her. At the moment she seemed to be rapidly oscillating between overwhelming joy and crushing despair. Which he supposed he could understand. Spending nearly eighteen years inside of that single tower, a rather small tower at that, barely knowing anything of the outside world, yet incredibly eager to see it. It had to be overwhelming.

His mind turned back to Riku. His best friend had chafed at his life, confined to the small chain of islands that made their home, growing increasingly unsatisfied with things there, wanting more. To see more, to do more, to experience more. And Riku had an entire chain of islands, Rapunzel was stuck in a tower her entire life.

Xehanort had preyed upon these desires, in the end granting his wish in the cruelest of ways, destroying their homeworld and scattering Sora, Riku, and Kairi across the stars. An innocent desire to learn more of the world turned Riku into Xehanort's pawn. Sora wouldn't let that happen to Rapunzel.

As he thought of Riku, his mind drifted back to home. Destiny Islands was restored, and Sora felt a bit of homesickness. As much as he loved traveling across the stars with Donald and Goofy, he wondered how everyone else was doing back home. Tidus, Wakka and Selphie had been there on the island with them. Honestly, he missed playing with them. And his parents. They were nothing but proud of their son, having saved the universe multiple times, and he had so many stories he wished to share with them.

Even after defeating Xemnas, there hadn't been much time to rest. Xehanort would be back, so there was so much to do to get ready. Tests and training, finding their missing allies, getting Roxas a body, gathering the Guardians of Light, making sure the Worlds were safe. Truly a Keyblade Wielder's work was never done.

Was it always like this? Keyblade Wielders had once been numerous. Were they always this busy? He'd have to ask Yen Sid about that at some point. In the end, he really didn't mind. He liked helping people, so it was well worth the cost.

Finally, Rapunzel had composed herself and was ready to depart. At least her journey into the outside world would be better than his or his friends. She had himself, his friends and Flynn Rider to help her out.

"She seems… interesting." Donald said.

"Yeah, her Heart's pullin' her all kindsa ways." Goofy added.

"The outside world must seem so big and scary. I know how she feels," Sora said, voicing his thoughts. "Lucky for me, you two came along at just the right time and the rest has been unforgettable."

"Aww..." Donald cooed.

"Unforgettable…" The opportunity was too perfect to pass up. "…like your face!"

"Wha-" Donald jumped up. Sora ran off, with the duck chasing him and Goofy chuckling as he walked after them.

Sora breathed a sigh of relief as his Fire spell connected, withering the Nobody. Its scythe dropped from its hands as its body dissipated, the weapon following soon after.

"Glad that's over," Sora said.

"But it's not," Donald said, an expression of worry on his face.

"Yeah…" Goofy said, realizing what his companion was getting at. "If there's Nobodies here, then that means…"

"The Organization!" All three said at once.

"But why would they be here?!" Donald asked.

"Hmm…" Goofy pondered

"Rapunzel?" Sora suggested.

"Perceptive as always," a feminine voice said. There was the sound of footsteps in the grass. Sora turned, a chill running through him as he saw a feminine figure in a black coat approaching. He immediately dropped into a fighting stance, resummoning Kingdom Key.

He didn't recognize this member, meaning that they could come at him with anything. Best to be on his guard.

"Who are you? You new?" Sora asked.

"In a sense, though that matters little," The Organization member said curtly.

"What do you want with Rapunzel?" He questioned.

"That doesn't concern you, though if it would put your Heart at ease, she will be in good hands. What's important is that you do not get involved. The consequences will be dire for you both should you interfere," She said.

"Oh yeah, like I'd believe you!" Sora shouted.

The figure paused, almost seeming as if they were hesitating. However, they soon clenched their fist.

"Fine, if you cannot be dissuaded, then you shall pay the price." A scimitar formed in her hands, which she then struck the ground with.

There was a sudden twisting in the world, and almost out of nowhere, spider-lilies bloomed out of the ground. The flowers shuddered and in an explosion of petals, out emerged strange soldiers, with bulky hats, purple skin, and spears.

The soldiers charged forwards without hesitation, forcing the trio to leap back from their spears. Their charge was unrelenting however, and the trio was forced to stand their ground.

Goofy's shield expanded, forming a bulwark against the charge. There was a loud metallic clang as the rush of spears met the shield.

"Forward!" Goofy shouted, and the trio dashed forwards, the shield smashing a path through the soldiers formation, splitting the squad in two.

Once they were broken up, Donald raised his staff. "Aero!"

A whirlwind formed, sucking up half of the soldiers, to which Sora added a Fire spell, the fireballs blasting apart the helpless soldiers.

He then turned towards the others, watching as they rose. He could have continued the attack, but… their uniform was familiar. Then it hit him.

"Homura?!"

Sora then spied a flash of movement and turned, raising his Keyblade just in time to intercept a swing aimed at him. However, this wasn't one of the tin soldiers, but a strange, doll-like creature in what could only be described as a funeral dress, her face in a perpetual eerie grin. In her hands, she wielded an oversized pin, which she attempted to thrust forwards. Sora knocked it aside, only for her to use the momentum to turn and kick him in the chest.

He rolled with the blow, flipping backwards, and then backpedaling, rapidly blocking as the doll kept thrusting at him. Sora ducked beneath a blow, and then struck upwards, smacking the doll under the chin, knocking her into the air.

Mid-air she switched ends, coming crashing down with the ball end of the pin like it was a mace. Sora rolled to the side as she struck, cracking the ground. She didn't stop there, changing her attacking style to broad, forceful, swings, keeping Sora at a distance.

Fine.

Sora switched Kingdom Key to Shooting Star, and then activated its Formchange. The Keyblade split apart, transforming into a pair of guns in his hands. When the doll attempted to swing again, Sora dashed back, firing arrows all the while.

The doll was caught by surprise, and several shots landed, striking it in the leg, the cheek, and the hip. The doll leaned forwards on it's pin before quickly pulling out the arrows. It then righted itself, undaunted.

Okay, this one would take longer to go down.

But he didn't have that time. He looked past her, to see that the figure in the coat was gone. Was that truly Homura?

"Dein Gegner bin ich!"

Sora rolled away from the doll's thrust, and then responded with a barrage of shots, only for the doll to spin it's pin needle, knocking away the arrows, before thrusting again.

Sora leaped into the air over the attack, and then channeled magic into his shots. "Thunder!"

The arrows streaked out super fast, slipping past the dolls guard, and shocking it, causing the creature to briefly seize up.

Sora landed near where Donald and Goofy were fighting, opening fire into the scattered mass of soldiers.

"You recognize them too?" Sora asked.

"Uh-huh."

"I want to go after her, can you handle this?"

Both his friends gave the thumbs up.

"You got this, Sora!"

"Alright, here I go!" Sora transformed his keyblade into Hero's Origin.

With Sora and his friends distracted, she was now free to pursue her goal, find and secure the princess. As she leaped through the swamp, Homura Akemi grit her teeth. Now was not the time to lose focus. Now was not the time to let her weakness consume her.

She alighted down on a large rock, scanning the area. Rapunzel and Flynn couldn't have gotten far. A part of this hated to do this to her, just as a part of her hated to do this to Sora, but it was for Madoka. Always for Madoka. She couldn't allow anything or anyone to stand in her way. It would all be for nothing otherwise.

Besides, it was better for Rapunzel this way. She was like Madoka, a Princess of Heart. She was better off in the custody of her mother, away from an unworthy world that would tear her apart. It was…

"Homura!"

She turned, briefly pausing in disbelief at the sight of Sora riding on a glowing chariot pulled by a pegasus. However, her instincts took over, and she formed the scimitar in her hand. With a swing, a wave of flame shot out from the blade, striking the chariot.

The magical construct dissipated, the energy transforming back into Sora's keyblade. The boy wasn't perturbed however, smoothly flipping in mid-air and landing softly on the swampy ground at the base of the rock.

"Homura?" He asked. "It's you, right?"

"You were warned to stay away," Homura replied icily, keeping her hood down as she pointed her scimitar at him. "This matter does not concern you."

"But…" Sora hesitated.

"Are you planning on getting in my way?" Homura said emotionlessly.

"Homura, you don't have to do this, I-"

"No, I do." Homura kept the blade pointed at Sora. But her hand began to shake, the weapon rattling. Homura grit her teeth, clenched her hands, and formed a second scimitar. She couldn't allow anything to stand in her way. Not even him. For Madoka, there could be nothing less.

"Fire!" She swung the scimitars, unleashing an 'X' shaped wave of flame. Sora immediately reacted, leaping out of the way. Homura wasn't letting up, however. No time to hesitate, no time for second thoughts, no time for weakness to creep in.

She leaped towards him, bringing down her weapons. Sora transformed his keyblade into a shield, intercepting the blow. Homura tried to push forwards, attempting to knock him off balance, only for a giant fist to emerge from the shield, slamming into her chest and sending her flying away.

Though she was caught off guard by the bizarre assault, her combat reflexes allowed her to flip, landing and skidding in the shallow swamp water. She then felt a chill in the air, and sidestepped as a shard of ice shot past her, trailing a frozen line behind it.

Sora came skidding down that line, firing more ice chunks as he did so. Homura deflected them with her blazing swords and then was prepared to unleash another wave of flame, only to find herself stuck. She looked down realizing that the water around her feet had been frozen, trapping her.

"Now, we can talk," Sora said.

Homura said nothing, instead igniting her blades and slamming them into the ice. The force and heat broke her free, and she then turned towards Sora, unleashing a wave of fire. He quickly leaped up, his glowing aura forming around him as he spun around a tree branch, and then launched himself down towards Homura.

She attempted to dodge the attack, but the energy he released knocked her off her feet, sending her skidding across the swamp, her scimitars flying out of her hands. She rose up on all fours, trying to get her bearings.

Just then, she heard Sora shout "Water!"

Before she could react, the water beneath her surged upwards into her face.

Sora's satisfaction was short-lived, as while he was glad that it worked, it only confirmed what he had suspected. The force of the water had knocked off the hood of her coat, revealing that it was indeed Homura.

Her expression remained even. She didn't try to don her hood again, instead slowly rising to her feet. She gracefully ran her hands through her hair, flicking out the water.

"I knew it, it is you!" Sora said.

Homura said nothing in reply, instead holding out her hands. There was a flash of fire, and the scimitars reappeared.

"Why are you with the Organization?!" Sora asked.

Homura glared at him. "You would never understand," she began before Sora interrupted her.

"Is it about Madoka?" He asked.

"What of it?"

"I have news about her!"

At that, Homura's composure broke, her eyes widening, her swords loosening in her grip.

"W-wha- you do?" She asked in a small voice.

"She was in Twilight Town! She met with Hayner, Pence and Olette! She's a Keyblade wielder! Why didn't you tell me?!"

"That wasn't for you to know. Where is she now? What happened to her?!" Homura demanded.

"She went off to see Yen Sid! A member of the Organization showed up to try and stop her, but she got away. Isn't that great news? Yen Sid's probably training her! She can join the fight!" Sora said joyously.

However, Homura's demeanor was anything but. Almost immediately, it darkened, her eyes narrowing, as she grit her teeth.

"Homura?"

Her grip tightened as she looked downwards. "Fight? No, no… Never… Never again…"

Homura looked back up, and then held out her hand. Four blue tentacles emerged from the sleeve of her coat, grabbing onto Sora and hurling him into a tree. He landed on his feet, and when his vision refocused, he saw Homura, sword raised, chanting.

"There are flood and drouth

Over the eyes and in the mouth,

Dead water and dead sand

Contending for the upper hand.

The parched eviscerate soil

Gapes at the vanity of toil,

Laughs without mirth.

This is the death of earth."

"What?" Sora said, only to see the ground between them begin to glow. The water swirled and blackened as a magic circle formed. He recognized what was happening. A Summoning!

There was a flash of brown light, and Sora suddenly felt uneasy, his skin tightening, his breath becoming short, his footing uneasy. The brown light then was enveloped in an aura of darkness before forming into vaguely humanoid shape. It took the form of a towering skeleton, at least twice Sora's height. The earth rose around the skeleton, forming into first a purple robe, and then a horned helmet. The eye sockets of the skeleton glowed with pinpricks of red light as it loomed over him.

Sora managed to tear his eyes away from the skeleton, searching for Homura, only to find that she had already vanished.

"Kekekekeke!" The skeleton cackled. "See only what lies before you, champion of the light!"

The stone around the area trembled, and Sora dropped back into a fighting stance as glowing streaks of energy swirled around the skeleton.

Kingdom of Corona

A rather unfortunate name for a kingdom in light of recent events.

~Dragonexx