Tenmei stared at the army before him. His arrival at Hollow Bastion was made easy on purpose, seeing as there was no resistance as he attempted to travel. The former prince saw the welcome committee waiting for him and only sighed.

Xao, no doubt, spied upon them, learning that he was going to come here alone. Either Shun was watching from a safe distance... or Xao himself had spied the happenings on Neverland. Needless to say, the amount of Heartless standing between him and the gate alone was staggering. Several Invincibles, Wyverns, Angels and more floated above them, while dozens of Knights and Large Bodies stood in his way, taking a blocky stance to force him to slow down. He even spied a Behemoth way ahead of him, staring him down with a predatory look in its yellow gaze.

Tenmei glared up, gripping his divided Guardian firmly. "Alright, Xao... you bastard", he murmured, the darkness radiating off of him as he took his first step forward. "Ready or not... I'm coming for you!"

With that declaration, the army descended upon him.

Several lightyears away, Hikari's hands were surrounded by pure light, the waves of energy being sent right into Ren's arms. The bones were mending instantly, but the scrapes and gashes were taking longer to heal, and finally when Hikari was done with her healing spell, the cuts were still there, clear as day and showing that something definitely happened to Ren. The keyblader opened his eyes slowly, groaning a little in pain. "H-Hikari... Y-Yumi... where are we?"

"We're on the ship", Yumi said, deciding to speak while Hikari rested a bit. "You... you passed out from the pain." She looked over at Ren's arms. "And... well, we can't get them fully healed yet. It might be a while before you can do anything with your arms."

Ren sighed, swinging his arms around a bit, before slowly standing up and summoning his keyblade, pretending to fight something for a moment in slowness before he nodded, dismissing the weapon. "Good enough... set a course to Hollow Bastion."

Yumi blinked, before standing up. "R-Ren, we can't! Tenmei literally one-shot you before taking a corridor there! You might be able to fight small fry, but-"

"Set a course for Hollow Bastion", Ren said defiantly. "He's going after Xao and Shun, and Light knows what he'll do if he finds either one of them. He needs backup, and I need to smack some sense into Shun."

Hikari sniffled, standing up after sobbing silently to herself a bit, "Ren... I understand Shun, but I think we need to focus on you first before we deal with him... plus, who knows if you can even fight Shun, let alone Xao and Tenmei right now."

Ren looked down at his arms for a moment before turning to the girls, a serious expression on his face. "I made a promise to Tenmei to stop him from letting his mind fall to darkness, and I do not break my promises. Plus, Shun needs our help as well. I'd rather not let Tenmei get to him first."

"And what are you going to do? Flail your arms at him and hope he gets annoyed enough to hear you out?" Yumi stated, exasperated. "If we go to Hollow Bastion, you're not going to make it out! We can't afford to lose you, too!"

Ren glared at them both, his anger at the situation finally getting to him a bit. "Fine... then we can just sit here and let Tenmei kill Shun then!"

At that, both girls were stunned silent. Hikari began shaking with anger, her own promise flaring up. But surprisingly, it wasn't her that spoke up next.

"He won't kill Shun."

They both turned to Yumi, who had lowered her head, her bangs covering her eyes a bit. "He won't do it... he would never. He... he made a promise to Grandpa..." She then grit her teeth. "That... that damn Darkness... why didn't I ask him not to use it... it's because of that stupid, useless Dark Surge..."

Ren sighed, instantly regretting what he said. "I know Tenmei won't really kill Shun... but as I told you before, I made my promise and I do not, do not, break a promise." At that, light energy began to surround him, his eyes turning the cerulean color that was signature to his Light Surge, his arms healing a bit more just as the exposure to his own light, and Hikari's light still within them. "Either way, I am going... if you girls want to come, then come... but I got a promise to keep... and a friend to smack some sense into, if you guys are in." With that, he left the bedroom, heading directly to the control panel to map a course to the next world.

"... don't trust him", came the broken voice from the blonde just then. She sat on the bed, still shaking from her rage and frustration at the entire situation, tears streaming down her face. "E-Even if you t-think it's just the darkness... I, we, can't trust him..."

Yumi stared her sister down. And for the first time ever, Hikari saw her sister stare at her defiantly, an angry scowl forming on her lips.

"That Darkness... is not Tenmei", Yumi said with finality. "Even if I have to face him myself... I'll bring him back. I promised him..." Tears began to well in her eyes. "We promised... to p-protect each other... h-he w-wouldn't..."

Finally, Yumi's emotions couldn't be contained. She ran over to her sister, and despite her anger at Hikari's words, she still held her tight, sobbing silently as the ship began to veer, indicating a change in course. In the other room, Ren sighed, watching as a destroyed world was plotted on the map, before turning to the training room and walking inside, knowing that if he was going to face Shun, Xao, and possibly Tenmei; then he was going to need to become stronger, and quickly.

Hours later, the ship descended onto the broken world, various broken pillars leading up to the castle where they all knew more darkness was just awaiting them. Just moments before, Sora had been here and lost his keyblade to Riku, and now Ren and the two girls stepped out on their own ship, landing on the opposite side of the world where Tenmei had been before.

"Let's go", Ren muttered, summoning his keyblade to his side, his green eyes focused on the castle. "Tenmei has a lead on us, and we need to get to Shun before he does."

However, Tenmei was struggling. Even in the hours he had been battling, he only had gotten halfway to where he knew Xao was waiting for him. It was here the Dark Surge started to hinder him more than help him. Sure, it made it difficult for the Heartless to actually hurt him, but that also made his skills weaker against them, since they could resist his attacks. He had to resort to using only physical attacks to take down the enemies, and even with his years of training as a Keyblade Warrior, a master he was not, and these forces were more advanced than most anything Xao had thrown at him.

He panted heavily, taking down his third Behemoth, before falling to his knees, using his keyblade to keep him supported. The moment of weakness was short, though, as he drew in more darkness from the world around him, and soon stood back up, staring towards the top of the castle. "Have... to keep going..." he muttered, readying his weapon once more.

This caused Ren and the girls, despite their thinking Tenmei was far ahead of him, to quickly catch up to where the lost prince was... at least on the other side of the world. Ren and company had ran into a library looking room, but the books were gone from the place, destroyed wooden planks and boards being the only thing that even hinted that this place once might have been a library. Ren attempted to ignore the room, proceeding towards the door on the other side, but suddenly the feeling that he was being watched caught his attention, and he looked up to see Shun standing on a balcony above him.

"And where do you think you are going?" Shun asked, glaring down at the trio with disdain. "I have strict orders from father... I need to hold you here as long as I can."

Ren stepped forward, a frown on his face. "Shun... come on. You don't really want to do this."

Shun grit his teeth, clenching his fist in rage. "I-I have to, Ren. You don't understand. I am him, therefore whatever he says goes. He is stronger than me, and if I even dare to disobey him he'll..." the voice trailed off, as if thinking about whatever Xao would do to him was too painful to say.

"We're your friends, Shun!" Hikari shouted up at him, but she still readied her staff at the same time. "We can help you combat the darkness! We can help you defeat Xao! Just trust us, please! Just trust me..."

A hint of regret and pain filled Shun's eyes for a moment, but he jumped down, readying his sword and ignoring what Hikari said. Realizing that words were pointless, Ren readied his own weapon, and after a short stand off, the two boys charged, despite the protests that came from the sisters behind Ren.

As for the prince, he gave a relieved sigh when he finally made it to the last door in his path. He grabbed a potion from his pocket, taking a big swig and draining it almost instantly before tossing the bottle aside, breathing in deeply as the darkness swelled around him. With amber eyes locked in determination, he forced the door open, walking in slowly as he looked around the room. It seemed to be a part of one of the towers, with damage to the roof letting the sunshine in. He readied his Twilight's Guardian immediately, looking around and preparing for an attack from any direction.

"So, you have arrived," Xao muttered from the other side of the room, sitting on a chair as if it was a throne. "Not surprising that you got here first, considering what you did to your 'friend' back then, huh, Tenmei?"

"You said that you would destroy him in front of me", Tenmei said simply, as if the logic was obvious. "If he can't fight, then he can't be here to face you. I may be many things, Xao, but I will not underestimate you again." His amber eyes locked onto the throne with a slow burning fury growing. "I've already paid for that before, and if what your replica said is true, then I can't risk Ren being here to face you with your new skills."

Xao smirked, standing up from his throne and holding out his hand, three fingers extended into the air with overconfidence. "Three, Tenmei... there are three things that you didn't take into account. The first, is that you underestimated the resolve of your friend Ren. In fact, if you count my replica and me as the same person... then he is already fighting me down below, so you failed on that part."

Tenmei let out a soft snort. "Shun is strong... but Ren has Hikari and Yumi to support him. He won't go down that easily."

"Two," Xao continued, as if Shun being defeated by Ren did not matter to him in the slightest. "You're still using darkness against me, so this shouldn't be a challenge for me should you continue to be stupid... and finally, three." At that, a swirl of darkness appeared, and what looked like a black, damaged version of the Ultima Weapon keyblade suddenly appeared, missing a keychain and some of the teeth of the blade. "You really underestimated how strong I would become... just like your spineless, worthless father."

At this, though, Tenmei spoke again, his voice laced with fury. "And you underestimate only one thing about me", he said, the darkness surging again. It continued to grow until Tenmei took the form he had used when he injured Ren on Neverland, his Guardian now wreathed in obsidian flames. "You underestimate how much I hate you for killing your best friend."

With a roar, Tenmei rushed forward, his keyblade clashing against Xao's weapon.

Down below, Shun was lying on the ground, defeated in combat. He groaned in agony, before beginning to vanish into a sea of darkness. Ren yelled out as he attempted to catch the hand of his friend, but it was in vain as the young boy vanished into darkness, into parts unknown to any of the three.

"W-what happened?" Hikari asked, concern in her voice.

Ren only remained silent for a moment, staring at where once Shun was, before looking up, as if sensing something above. "Shun will be fine, and we will find him in time... come on, Tenmei is above, and we need to go help him!"

As they traveled up, Tenmei was launched into a wall, his back hitting hard against the side of the tower. His body was much worse for wear, his clothes torn and tattered, his skin covered in scrapes and scratches. He let out a cough, feeling some blood coming up with the air as he fell to the ground, landing in a heap. His keyblade vanished as he tried to bring himself to his knees, barely able to support himself.

On the other hand, Xao was probably in worse shape than he expected to be. The fight was clearly one-sided, but Tenmei had definitely got in a few - or a dozen - good shots, leaving the older warrior battered and bruised, but still able to stand tall and proud.

"I must admit that I am impressed", Xao stated, staring down at Tenmei. "To think you got this far while lost in your darkness, losing your mind slowly to the abyss... but still, you have failed, Tenmei. Your people will not be avenged today, and my plan will come to pass."

Tenmei looked up slowly at Xao, gritting his teeth as he glared through his one good, now red eye. He spat at the ground, another defiant act. "Go... to... hell..." he wheezed out, still hating the man more than caring about his own well being.

"Ever the brat, even within your last moments", Xao smirked, raising his psuedo-keyblade up at Tenmei and pointing it at his heart. "Then you can just die, and become one with my blade." He raised his arm back, getting ready to stab, but suddenly he looked to the left, dodging suddenly as Ren flew in from out of nowhere, swinging Twilight's Balance at where Xao once stood, causing the man to leap back to avoid getting hit by the attack.

"Hands off my friend!" Ren shouted, glaring at Xao in defiance.

"R-Ren... n-no..." Tenmei croaked, his eyes wide as he stared at his back. "H-he's... too strong... run..."

Ren looked over his shoulder, a single glance showing his determination. "I told you, I will save you, and I am here to make good on that promise. I do not break my promises, Tenmei, so I can't run... not now."

Xao looked amused, smirking as he stood up and stared at the two. "Ah... so now we can go back to Plan A. I was afraid that Shun had dispatched you and your two friends, but alas... he was always doomed to fail from the start, an imperfect replica, as he was... though still useful in the end."

Ren grit his teeth, rage filling him from hearing Xao talk about his friend like that. "Shut up!" he shouted, flying at Xao once again. The two warriors clashed weapons, almost like they were in a dance, though to the experienced eye, it was clear that Xao was merely toying with the boy, who's swings and combos were predictable to the sudden master. Hikari and Yumi ran up to him, the latter of the two grabbing onto him and beginning to pull on his body, attempting to move him.

"Y-Yumi..." Tenmei wheezed out, looking over at her.

"Shut up, you idiot", she said, her eyes welling with unshed tears. "We're getting you out of here."

The prince then looked at Hikari, who was regarding him with hate, but he had to ignore that. "H-help... h-heal m-me.."

"Why?" the icy tone came, the hazel eyes locked onto his broken body with the same disdain she bore when facing any dark creature. "After you hurt Ren, after you told us you would 'deal with Shun'... after you relied on the Darkness for so long that it twisted your mind!? How can I trust that you won't betray us right now, you... you..."

"R-Ren... is g-going... to d-die", Tenmei pleaded, his eye starting to water. He shook with silent sobs, staring up at her. "P-please... let me... fight... w-with him... I'm... b-begging you..."

For a few seconds, nothing but the sounds of Ren's blade clashing with Xao's could be heard, then Hikari turned and raised her hands towards Tenmei. Yumi gasped, thinking she was about to destroy him, but a green burst of light shot forth from her hand as 'Curaga!' was screamed by the blonde. Tenmei's wounds were healed, though not to full capacity, but good enough for him to stand and fight. "Ren is my friend... and if you even think about doing anything to him, you'll have me to answer to, prince. You get one last chance."

Tenmei nodded, the swelling over his right eye fading as he looked towards Ren. He knew that her faith in him was lowered, and he realized his weakness before. The Dark Surge had played on his tunnel-vision, making him only focus on destroying Xao. But this time, he forced his focus to change, and this time, when he activated his surge, it wasn't to hunt Xao down to the ends of the earth.

It was to keep Ren alive, no matter what.

In an instant, he was back in the fight, vaulting off of the wall as he cleaved downward with Twilight's Guardian, the force of his swing knocking Xao off balance for an instant, giving the prince enough time to kick Xao away. But instead of following, this time he took a stance between them, glaring at Xao with both hands on his blade, waiting for the psycho to make his next move.

Xao stood, no longer cocky, no longer looking as if he was going to toy with them. He raised his weapon, and for a brief moment it looked as if he was going to charge at Tenmei again, but instead he darted to the right, attempting to get around him. Tenmei and Ren reacted instantly, anticipating his moves and countering him. The fight had now taken a bigger meaning, as Xao was no longer toying with his adversaries, and the two warriors were pushing him far more together then either one could have done so alone.

"Coming here was a mistake", Tenmei said to Ren. "We need to escape... now."

"Then we need to create an opening", Ren noted, looking over at the sisters briefly before he blocked a flank by Xao. "Get the girls out of here first, then we can follow!"

"I'm not leaving you behind again", Tenmei countered, looking back at Ren. "He wants your heart! If I leave you alone for a second, he'll overpower you!"

"Technically, I could have either of your hearts", Xao stated, blocking a blow from both of them. "...and technically, you've already made your last mistake, so it is too late." From the block, he swung upwards, causing both keyblades to fly up, and suddenly with a swift movement, so fast that no one even saw it happen until it was finished...

He had stabbed Ren right in the heart.