Cloud stared blankly ahead one hand out stretched frozen in a silent pose. He had been reaching out for Sora, but the boy was no longer around to take his hand. He had been too slow.

How could he of let them take Sora? It was so ironic that even with all his power, Cloud wasn't quick enough to reach the Key blade master. Wasn't quick enough even when it seemed like the world around him had slowed itself making those few seconds last like minuets. Before the black hordes rose up, before they over took the young boy, Cloud saw the fear in Sora's eyes.

It was so unfamiliar and alien to the boy's usual happy and determined demeanor.

Had he been mistaken all this time? Or had Sora been that good of an actor than he realized?

In any case, ten seconds or ten minuets ago, Cloud wasn't sure which, the Heartless had seized Sora. They seized the much sought after Key blade master and whisked him away to places unknown.

Again, once again, the darkness had taken away his hope. But it didn't hit him as hard as he thought it would. Cloud waited there for the waves of despair to hit him. He waited but they never came. Instead, he felt something over come him. It was like fire, only more alive. It was such a strange feeling, and it took him by surprise. Cloud looked, and found his body moving forward as if upon it's own accord.

He wasn't going to give up.

Before Cloud realized what was going on, he was standing in the back alleyways of the second district.

"Cloud! Where are you going?" The soldier turned upon hearing his name and saw that Squall had followed him. His cobalt-blue eyes burned fiercely as he readied his gunblade. "I know you had something to do with this, talk!! Where did they take Sora!?"

The gunblade was pointed directly at his chest, but Cloud did not flee. Instead he lowered his head, his eyes the only feature not covered by the red tattered scarf. After a moments thought the soldier raised his eyes to meet Squalls.

"They used me." He said darkly and with a bit of sorrow. "I should of never of used my dark power that was how they were able to find us. But they must of realized something."

Squall let out an audible snarl, lips curled, and gunblade shook as if he couldn't control the weapon any longer. Cloud didn't doubt that he could.

"Realized something? Like the fact that Sora wasn't able to call the Key Blade?"

So it seemed that Squall had noticed it too. That was why the heartless had strike when they did. Somehow they knew Sora could not call the key blade and they came in full force.

Cloud gave a solemn nod. "The question of why he wasn't able to isn't as important as the fact that now we have to get him back."

Squall didn't say anything at first, and Cloud seriously thought that the man was going to shoot him, but somehow, Squall was able to quell the anger and he lowered his gunblade seemingly against his own will.

"Fine. But how do we find him?"

The soldier's luminous gaze looked about for a moment before he turned back to his unwilling comrade.

"There is a passage here, a portal created by the heartless when the key hole to this town was sealed. I myself used these as means to travel to other worlds." The blond admitted shamelessly. "The heartless are either planning to take Sora's heart while they are here or they will commit the deed on home turf."

Squall closed his eyes shouldering his gunblade in deep thought. "So that means either way they could be headed to one of these so called portals. That doesn't help much, Sora could be gone by now."

Unexpectedly, this made Cloud smirk. "That could be true, but the heartless aren't as fast as you think. They still fear Sora's heart, and they handle him like a time bomb waiting to go off." Cloud's eyes began to glow then, it's pale light growing stronger. Squall, seeing this tensed, not believing what he was hearing or seeing.

"Cloud, how do you know all this?" He asked suspiciously. "Can you see him? Can you see Sora?"

The soldier had now gone into a trance, eyes staring lazily ahead. Cloud closed his eyes shaking his head slowly. "No. But I feel them. I can feel their dark energy so clearly." When he said this, Cloud began to rise off the ground as if being lifted by some unseen force. In a matter of moments, his dark wing had unfurled itself from his back and begun to carry him higher until he was above the building's roofline.

The dark cold wind played with his tattered scarf's tail, and caressed his fine features so gently. Below, Squall was shouting his name, but Cloud took little notice. Steadily he closed his eyes and held the sides of his head lightly as if to concentrate. He could feel the energy of the Heartless, but they were coming to him from all directions. Along with the energy, he thought he heard faint whispers upon the wind. They hissed and quietly spoke, some laughed, others jeered, and they were the unheard voices of the heartless. They spoke in multitudes, crying out for the hearts of the free.

It was worse than he thought, even with the key hole sealed they were still swarming in, in large numbers. They were taking over the town. But he was determined to find Sora.

*Key Blade master.*

Cloud's body turned suddenly upon hearing the soft whisper.

*Key Blade master.*

*Heart of Pure.*

The dark whispers seemed especially strong in that direction. Cloud strained to see if he could hear more to pin point a location.

In the depths of his mind a voice came, but it was not the heartless. And in a brief flash, Cloud saw Sora standing in front of a light fountain. The Key Blade master seemed to sense he was being watched and looked up, eyes of blue fire seemingly piercing Cloud's soul.

"CLOUD!" The voice of a child suddenly echoed out of the depths of his mind.

The soldier's eyes snapped open, his breath caught in his throat. "Sora?" His heart was racing and he realized Sora had called out to him somehow. Cloud placed a hand over his beating heart. "Sora is still here." He said quietly.

"Squall!! The heartless have taken Sora to the third district!!! We don't have much time!!"