KH2 Search of the Legendary Keyblades

by aer-seph4eva

33 PAGE UPDATE UPDATE! SoraRiku! AerisSeph! Has Riku managed to find a way out of Kingdom Hearts? Are Sephiroth's true plans beginning to surface? And how will Aeris cope after finding out her murderer is still alive?

6. Chapter 2 part B

KH2- Search of the Legendary Keyblades.

Chapter 2 part b The trial of the Epitaphs- Sephiroth's story (part 1)

By Aer_seph4eva

Disclaimer.......

Kingdom Hearts doesn't belong to me, no matter how hard I dream or wish. If it did, Riku would wear black leather trousers instead of his blue stocky ones and Cloud, Squall, Yuffie, Cid, Aerith and Sephiroth would have played on your team instead of Goofy and Donald.

Hiya everyone. Thanks yet again for the lovely reviews. I really appreciate them.

Oh! I managed to buy RIKU (with captain Hook) on Ebay yesterday, and it actually arrived. Not too bad considering it was only £10.00. and SEPHIROTH too! £37.00! Wark! Wark! Man I am in such a great mood. ^_^. I have also finished my English and Media exams so I haven't got any more worries till June. Life feels great and My birthday is on the 4th of February! ^_^. YAY!

I feel good!

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?????? CASTLE

The corridor had became deathly silent. All eyes were transfixed upon the door from which all the cries of pain were screeching from. And then with a final guttural cry, silence once again blossomed within the dismal setting of the lonely halls. This left the guards sighing in relief at the end of hearing such painful suffering. A door then suddenly drew itself open with such velocity that it was almost taken off its hinges. Then out stepped a figure clad in black cloths, glaring from underneath his hood at his courtiers who scrambled out of his way. His stance expressed a regal air, and with a quick swipe of his cape, the figure turned to his right and continued down the corridor. He muttered a small command to a nearby guard who quaked fearfully. The staff in his hand, trembling in his fingers as he tried to look everywhere but into the eyes of his ruler.

"Get someone to clean those specimens out of my quarters." He answered with a soft voice, yet still held an unyielding command within his tone.

The guard bowed in dutiful respect, black hair covering his features from view. "Yes Lord Ss-AGHH......." He slapped his mouth over his face in alarm of his fatal blunder, cursing himself ten times over in between his cries for an apology to his master, for even attempting to think about speaking the master's name aloud.

A dark shadow suddenly passed across the narrowed eyes, and before the guard knew what had happened, he felt the breath taken out of him in pain. Shock registering before him as he saw to his absolute horror, a blade jutting through his chest. "Don't you ever attempt to speak my name 'ever' again. You have no right......" And with that the dark warrior pulled back his weapon and slid it back into his sheath. He let out a deep shaky breath as the guard fell to the ground with a silent scream before falling unconscious from the pain.

His eyes flickered slightly at the sight he had made of the now bloodied tiles, and he turned his head slightly from behind to note the rest of his warriors standing at their posts but quaking with fear none the less. "Get him to the medic bay." The warrior commanded harshly seeing none of his armoured men move to his wishes. "Oh so you want him to die then?" His voice was clipped and unamused, which in effect caused his warriors to suddenly rush to the wounded male. He watched as the guards clumsily picked the wounded soldier up and carry his down the corridor and out of sight.

"They are getting more audacious." The Lord muttered to himself, eyeing the blood which spilled upon his hand, staring down at the crimson with such intensity before rising to his lips and tasting.

"Oh wasn't that a little harsh?"

His head whipped suddenly around at the sound of a dark chuckle and the sound of clipped shoes echoing from the end of the corridor.

"Then again, for someone like you, you could have done worse!" a mocking voice laughed, thin lips twirling into a smirk. He fisted his hands into his black cloak, its design exactly like that of the other male's attire.

"He'll live." The Lord grunted out, folding his arms indignantly, glaring from underneath of his hood at the figure which was slowly striding towards him.

"You're getting sloppy then. I remember when you used to kill men for less." The other figure answered with sadistic humour, pulling back his own hood, as a mass of blood red spikes revealed themselves under the dark uniform.

"Oh, so your Heartless experiment didn't go quite as planned eh?" The red head questioned, placing a hand on his hip while the other snorted refusing to reply.

"..................So why am I greeted with your unwanted presence?" The Lord questioned harshly after a moment, still remaining in his spot.

"So rude. Heh. Well I came to tell you that our 'so beloved and wise Master' wishes to see you. Said something about he had a delivery for you." the red haired countered, green eyes twinkling with personal amusement.

A slender eyebrow rose up in curiosity. "Oh really? What is this delivery?"

"Don't know. Wasn't allowed to know. I'm what the master says 'TOO Inferior' compared to you."

The Lord humphed with amusement, brushing a bang which had fallen in his vision.

"So what are you doing now, and what is that you have got there?" he questioned, eyeing for the first time a white box that was held within the red haired warrior's hand.

A Green eye twitched in irritation, obliviously to that of the Lord, who stood firmly at the smaller black cladded man who he had learnt to never trust in all of his life.

"Oh nothing. Nothing that you would be interested in. I'm just going to have a little ride on a train. That's all. I'm not up to anything, really." Green eyes twinkled in a way which caused the other male to have other thoughts.

The Lord was still not amused, eyes narrowing in distrust. "Where are you going with that item?"

"I'm just gonna traipse around town. Kill some Heartless that have managed to creep into our Kingdom. Kill some purebred humans."

The black clad warrior nodded his head somewhat reluctantly. "Fine. Go and have your meaningless bloodbath. Just don't kill ANY of the innocents. Nor any of our kind."

"But there is no fun in that." the redhead pouted causing the other to groan in distaste.

"Whatever. Just get out of my sight." The Lord commanded, disgusted with the conversation, storming down the hall and in the direction to where the Master's chambers were.

Green eyes stared smiling at the departing figure till the very last twirl of his black cape was out of sight. His sugary sweet smile then suddenly transformed into a dark frown of jealousy and vengeful malice.

"He thinks he gets all the shots around here. Just because he was the chosen one." The red head spat, cursing the Lord's name out loud, pausing as he felt the small box tremble in his hands. The red haired fighter chuckled evilly to himself, as he cradled the object in his hands, hearing the creature inside begin to awaken. Being unable to fight the temptation of not opening the box, the warrior opened the lid just slightly, starring in awe as two blurry yellow eyes peered up at him against white skin.

"Not yet my little creation......Not yet...." he all but purred, closing the lid and kissing the top of it carefully, hearing the quiet yet shrill screeches begin to rise from the confinements.

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"I hate him so much.." The Lord cursed, half stomping across the red carpet, his heavy boots making dirty imprints against the floor.

His sharpened gaze eyed the soldiers and maids walking down the hall, seeming oblivious to his stares. "I hate this situation.... I have to treat them all the same. Anyone of my men could be spies. Anyone of them would be willing to convert for a mere price. Ugh...These years of Change, have transformed me into a monster. I am beginning to hate myself....... "

He kept on walking for a few more minutes, turning around various corridors till a pitch black door made itself present at the end of his path. Its corners were crooked. Its imprints of demons were menacing, eerily unsettling. But nether the less, the hooded warrior rose a gloved palm, which he quickly removed before pressing his nude digits against the metal panel. It only took a moment. The sound of hissing and the door dematerialised, letting the smell of disinfectant and other unhealthy chemicals poison the air. If it weren't for years of suffering such a stench, the warrior would have fallen down to its unbearable odour.

Regardless, the Lord stepped through the portal and continued down a corridor which was sterile, bearing doors from both sides leading to portals to other areas. Nurses clad in uniform walked past him, only looking up at him for notification, scurrying on to perform there next test or experiment on the most recent findings. It felt almost like forever when the Lord reached the final door where 'he' waited. The Lord couldn't help but stop. He reached into his pocket to pull out a set of rattling keys, shifting through the variety before choosing one and plunging it into the lock. Then with a sharp twist and a satisfying click, the door had became unlocked. He couldn't even get himself to look through the crack, knowing that the first temptation would never be his last. And that he didn't have the heart to know how much 'he' must have suffered because of 'Master's' punishment for his failure of the experiment which lied inside the room. He could not take that first step into the room.

He walked down to the end of the corridor, unaware to the fact that he had forgotten to lock the door where his unfortunate prisoner laid unconscious inside.

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It was Squall who found Cloud, sobbing on his knees in the empty streets of Traverse Town. No words were exchanged. None were needed to as the blondes tearful eyes said everything which words could not even attempt to say. Squall didn't truly know what to say, and through the blonde's actions and his attention upon the Front gates, the brunette knew with certainty what had happened.

"She wasn't holding a Gummi block in her hand was she?" Squall questioned softly, causing Cloud to flick his attention away from the door, his eyes falling shut as he took in a shuddery breath.

"It happened again..." Cloud breathed, too quietly for even one such as Squall to hear.

"What?"

The blonde clenched his hands around the hilt of the blade, twisting and binding that it caused the very metal to crack. "Leon, why did it have to happen again?" Cloud then suddenly roared out in fury, drawing his blade up in a frantic swipe that if it weren't for Squall's reflex, he could have lost a limb. Squall however continued to watch as Cloud started a kata of despair, launched from his burning desire of depression. Squall saw his heart lurch for the blonde, holding the deepest sympathy as he watched his own life story replay itself in the body of another.

Squall although uncomfortable in his surroundings, remained to keep a straight face, irregardless of the feelings which threatened to rip his emotional barrier asunder. "What happened?"

The swordsman paused mid-step, breathing heavily from his spent energy. Then to the brunette's amazement, Cloud began to trace his fingers across the length of his blade, before suddenly raging out in anger and tearing the bandages from his sword, irregardless of the cuts he gained from manhandling the blade with such ferocity, and sheer ignorance of the danger.

"Strife?" Squall took a slow step forward, wary of his friend's mental stability.

"No!" Cloud shook his head, his hands tearing through all the bindings till the very last piece of fabric fell to the ground, leaving the Broad sword's blade exposed to the world. Squall's eyes dilated in fear as he saw Cloud rise the blade towards his shoulder and before he had a chance to call out the blonde's name in terror, Cloud had made a wide slash across his own shoulder. Then after a few silent seconds, the crimson cloak which the blonde wore around his shoulders, dropped to the ground in two pieces, leaving Cloud's shoulders bare to the world. Mako blue eyes crackled with an inner fire, that even Squall couldn't restrain the surprise on his face as Cloud suddenly advanced upon him, further adding the brunette's worry upon the mental stability of his friend. Cloud then seeing the odd look cross across the brunette's face, caused him to pause his actions, and stare down at his clenched palms and slow the rage in his heart with calm breaths. So when the blonde raised his head the second time, the glow had reduced to that of its regular hue.

"These bindings helped me hold my rage back." Cloud began slowly, his gaze moving across the tattered remains of cloth discarded around his feet. "They were markings for the end of the Old Cloud Strife. My past, wrapped, hidden away from view. But now...... I have realised that you can never put your past behind yourself. It always comes to catch up with up 'Squall'." The brunette's face winced in response but Cloud continued. "It is regardless if you are ready for it or not. We are not in control of our own fate..."

Cloud began to slowly pace. His heavy booted feet dirtying the bleeding red cloth on the ground, as he began to ramble out his thoughts, his nightmares which had plagued him all these many years.

"................ It was my punishment for not doing something sooner. For running away from my fears. Ignoring my past, and playing the denial card that he would never do such a thing again. That he was no longer interested in any of us, anymore....With his plans... I was wrong....He still wanted his revenge..... for my darkest sin.... I had forgotten him. What he meant to me...What he took from me....How we both had unfulfilled wishes............. I thought you had changed. Didn't your story end when Jenova died? Why did you have to interfere with mine?" Cloud whispered, that to onlookers, that it made the blonde seem more like a raving madman than that of his usual image of a stoic, cold hearted warrior.

Taking in Cloud's words, it didn't take Squall long to realise what had happened. Although he had never told anyone, he had always been curious about the blonde swordsman. His past had always been a mystery to him, and whenever such discussions crossed the food table, Cloud would become unnaturally still and silent. Then it would take Aeris to take the blonde's hand to bring him back to reality. But now Aeris was gone..."Who was it Cloud?" Squall said a little too callously for his own liking, but he too, couldn't help but be interested with the mystery wrapped within the blonde swordsman and at the same time, the need to know what happened to Aeris.

".................."

Cloud now seemed a shadow of himself, that it made Squall wonder even more who this evil figure was who claimed Aeris.

"My enemy. My darkness...."

"??????"

".............Why you bastard? Why her?" Cloud cursed out loud. His blood pumped in his veins at dangerously high levels that it caused the Mako of his eyes to flicker violet within glowing cerulean.

"SEPHIROTH!!"

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In the depths of darkness, there is no light. No hope. Only emptiness. But.... is eternal solitude such a evil thing....?

'There would be no evil.'

'Then there would be no good'

'There would be no despair.'

'Then there would be no hope.'

'..................'

'Or love........'

'Then why do we exist?"

'....................'

"Just to suffer?"

'.......................'

"Why do we suffer when we can easily give up?"

'...................'

Those were the questions a youthful brown hair warrior felt pounding against his skull, as he struggled to keep himself at balance. He pulled his body closer in a foetal position rocking backwards and forwards in fear. Discomfort and pain was clearly etched upon his features.

"Yes why do we suffer?" Sora whispered to himself, his eyes tightly closed so that he became oblivious to his surroundings, not caring anymore about what had happened, where he was, just why he was experiencing such pain?

'And what was that music?' His ear twitched as a rather haunting yet familiar tune rose to his ears. It sounded somewhat like a music box or perhaps a something else but Sora couldn't care less. He wouldn't even be surprised if some 'Darkside' Heartless out of nowhere sneaked up behind him and....

'Thinking of you wherever you are.

We pray for our sorrows to end

And hope that our hearts will blend...'

The brunette snorted but it seemed to come out more like a sniffle. "Yeah right. Praying doesn't do anything. If it did, then something would have been done by now. As for hope...." Sora mumbled between clenched teeth, refraining to move from his foetal position.

'Sora.....'

The brunette furrowed his eyebrows into a frown, cradling his knees to his chin, continuing to rock back and forth."...........I really don't care anymore. I failed. Where was my hope when Riku was possessed by Ansem? Where was hope when he got locked inside Kingdom Hearts? And where was this hope when the Heartless got to my island....Goofy...Donald....."

'Now 'you' will step forward and realise this wish'

"What wish? The end of sorrow? I can't do anything.....I couldn't even save my friends..." the teen moaned, his rocks become less frequent.

'And who knows?'

Sora snorted with disgust. "I do."

"Maybe starting a new journey may not be so hard..."

"Yeah right. The last journey I had, I lost everything and everyone dear to me....."

"Or maybe it has already begun....."

"Hah. What's that supposed to mean?" Sora exclaimed, opening his eyes before slamming them shut again. It wasn't like they could help in a place of total darkness.

"I used to be like that..." A voice softly whispered out into the darkness, and suddenly the music froze mid-key. The atmosphere felt cooler, although there was no form of wind causing the Keyblade Master to be on alert.

Sora blinked "Huh? Who's there?"

"Would it either matter who I was? Either way you have never met me before, yet at the same time you have." The voice uttered in dry humour, his voice a gentle baritone.

Sora frowned in annoyance, sitting himself up. His eyes wide as he searched for any figure within the pitch blackness. "Stop speaking in riddles and show yourself!"

"Hey! I like speaking in riddles." The voice answered with a soft chuckle as he began to move forward. Sora twisted his body around to the sound of footsteps coming towards him from his left.

"Stop playing with me. I am not in the mood for fun and games." Sora growled out, summoning the Keyblade to his hand with quick ease, his teal eyes glaring within the direction of the voice.

Silence.

"Just stop this okay. I don't know who you are. Heck, you could be a Heartless out to kill me or something....." Sora exclaimed, rising to his feet in irritation, his face rolled up with distaste.

".....................I come with information."

Sora raised a sceptical eyebrow. "Oh really? Are you Ansem? Or some other whacked out psycho that wants to ruin my life?"

"Don't you ever call me by 'his' name."

Sora couldn't help but freeze at the venom which was present in the male's voice. "I..."

"I understand what you must be thinking and feeling. You are so young after all. You understand so little."

"Don't patronise me!" Sora protested, his eyes widening slightly at the familiar words from a man that he hated beyond words.

"I didn't mean it in a negative way..."

The brunette sighed to himself, sensing no sarcasm within the voice's tone. "What is your name then huh?" he asked, squinting his eyes as if it would help him see beyond the thick darkness surrounding him.

"...........it would only further complicate things."

Sora frowned lightly in confusion. "Then what can I call you....?"

"Good point.........I know, if you agree to my wishes then I will help you."

"And if I refuse?" the teen protested, more in amusement than in protest.

"Lets just say that black will become your favourite decor."

It only took a moment for the brunette to register the meaning of the words as he scanned the lifeless colour around him. "You mean you'd leave me here!?!"

"It's up to you."

Sora's eyes narrowed in question. "What's the catch?"

"Why would there be a catch? Knowledge is free. Well, that's what I believe."

"Fine. Talk." Sora answered coolly, folding his arms in an almost intimidating pose, which may have proved effective if the other figure could see the Keyblade warrior's stance through the darkness.

"You've changed Sora."

The brunette blinked in bemusement of the words, feeling somewhat off guard. Sora then shrugged his shoulders, not truly understanding nor caring what this other person thought of him.

'How would he know if I had changed if he did not know me?'

"Heh, you said yourself that you are not a threat to me, so I'm going to give you a chance. What have I got to lose?" Sora answered boldly, straightening his posture with confidence.

"Sora. Can I give you some advice before I begin? Never ever say that again,"

Sora blinked. "What again?"

"That you have nothing to lose. As long as you have got breath in your body everything in life is vital."

"Oh...Thanks for the tip." Sora answered, surprised at the weight and truth of his words. It had been so long since he had spoken to anyone that had been outgoing enough to speak to the 'Kid' who saved all the worlds in. He smiled to himself at the tonal sincerity held within the other's voice. "Now I know for sure."

"What?"

"That you aren't out to hurt me. I don't think a bad person would be able to say something like that."

".............Thanks."

Sora felt his grin widen at the hesitant, if not bashful reply. "You're welcome."

"But lets get serious now..."

Sora nodded enthusiastically, feeling more reassured of his trust with the other presence. "Gotcha."

"And please don't interrupt what I am going to say. I don't really want to repeat myself as this is such a mouthful, and is rather complex. So please bear with me."

Sora nodded again in understanding, causing the other male's lips to twitch into a grin.

"Hmmn......There is no easy way to explain this....Sora, Kingdom Hearts is not what you truly think it is..... Its secret lies deeper than what is placed behind the double doors..... It not only serves as a barrier to the darkness and the light, but as a way to protect from another essence. .....You have faced losses within your life correct? Your first mission was just a mere test to see whether or not you were ready. Ansem wasn't a true villain. Just a researcher of the darkness and the light."

Sora could all but gape, his mind trying to scramble at the meaning of the words. "Test? Are you trying to say that my suffering was a mere game? What the?"

"I wouldn't say it that way..."

"But you just said..." Sora protested before falling silent with a sigh.

"Just listen. You probably are angry, and you have so many questions, but bear with me. This is my first time to explain this, so bear me out okay?"

'First time?' The teen frowned yet responded with a rigid nod."......Ok?"

"Thanks. As I said, your journey into the other words was like a taster of what's to come. You were given many choices of where to go. Which side to join. You found out what the darkness was, and how to fight it with your light. That was the beginning. You learnt that each action created a consequence regardless of whether it was right or wrong. Either way, whichever route you followed, it lead to the same ending. That was the purpose of your journey. When you first picked up the Keyblade, you had already decided your fate to be a 'Keyblade Master' vanquisher of the Darkness. But what will you do now? You have defeated the 'seeker of Darkness'? Destroyed his minions and saved so many worlds. You were..... no you are heralded as a hero Sora. Heroes never fade away regardless of the trouble and pain they encounter. Your trials and tribulations have not been forgotten............. Fate has already chosen the ending of the story. You merely write the chapters, and I must say that your story has not ended."

"Huh?...............What is that supposed to mean?" Sora asked, scratching the back of his head, half forgetting that he was in the middle of nowhere. In a place of absolute darkness.

"You still don't understand?

Let me explain it to you in another way."

Sora went suddenly alert after hearing a snap of fingers. Then suddenly, spirals of black tendrils blasted down from the ceiling towards the unsuspecting Sora. The brunette could only find the time to yelp as he was forced down by the dark gravity to the ground. His wrists and ankles was instantly roped down by the darkness.

"Gah....Damn it... let go!" Sora cried out in alarm cursing out in exasperation as he felt the darkness burning against his skin.

"H...Help me!" Sora cried out alarm as the bindings tightened so that he couldn't even move his limbs at all.

"Why do you struggle?"

"?"

"You were the one who tied yourself within the darkness. So why do you fight?"

Sora instantly froze, bewilderment crossing his youthful features.

"Excuse me?"

"Is the darkness hurting you?"

The question caused the warrior to think as he stared down at the bindings. He twisted his left hand in attempt to loosen the darkness, gaining a slight spike of pain in his wrist from his efforts.

"It feels....uncomfortable." Sora replied slowly, unsure how to explain how that the liquid like substance felt gooey in one moment then rigid as a rock the next.

"Then why don't you ask it to go away?"

"As if that is gonna work." Sora mentally groaned, but nevertheless he was amused at the thought. 'Please Mr Darkness, is it possible if you could let go of me?'

"Try."

"Fine. Darkness, untie me?" The brunette commanded, although he still was dubious that something as simple as that would work. Nothing happened, and Sora was about to shout out a protest to the voice, before suddenly he felt the darkness loosening around his form. Sora couldn't help but choke out a gasp in surprise as the bindings relented from his form, dropping down into a deep puddle on the floor, before disappearing from sight.

"?????" Sora's eyes flew back up when he heard the figure guffawing at the corner, that he couldn't help but feel annoyed, and even more confused with what was going on.

"See. Fighting is not the only path to victory."

"Who are you? Why are you doing all this?" Sora barked out, feeling oddly unsettled with what was exactly going on. It didn't help to have an unknown figure that he couldn't see laughing at him from one dark corner.

"You should know what you have to do already."

"Stop talking in riddles!" Sora cried out in exasperation, rubbing his eyes to relieve the oncoming of a headache from his brain.

"Oops, sorry?"

"'Oops?'" Sora felt instantly thrown yet again at the sudden change of the man's jargon that he wasn't sure whether or not to be wary or amused. Either way, Sora felt confused, and scratched the back of his head. "Ah forget about that, I just feel confused...."

"Turn around,"

"Wha?" The brunette paused before turning around to see yet more darkness. But to his amazement, he saw a shiny white object, glistening upon the ebony black ground.

"What is this?" Sora questioned to himself as he bent down and picked up what he registered as a white envelope which seemed to be emanating its own light. The brunette stared down at the blank front before turning it around, aware of the seal that had haunted his mind for the last three years. Sora's blue eyes rose up slowly and he was now aware that the beacon of light had caused the darkness to fade to a point where he could see a outline of the lone figure, adorned in black, a hood hiding his identity from view.

"I assume you have seen this?" The black clad figure responded smoothly, gesturing to the item held in the brunette's hand.

"It's King Mickey's letter." Sora responded, as he none to carefully tore away the envelope and pulled out the letter from inside. He pulled the message up close to his face and squinted. Even though the page was practically glowing, it served no help when he couldn't understand the characters which were littered across the page in a scrambled order, or perhaps in an entirely different language.

Sora tried to frown, but it came out, more like that of a pout. He stared down at the letter which he knew held all the secrets of what he needed to know to find his friends and the King. But he had no way of deciphering it, and he knew of no-one who was able to read it. Not even Merlin the wizard knew how to translate the letter.... "I can't read it," Sora said in brief annoyance, lifting his eyes from the paper and to the other male.

"Then look again."

Sora frowned in confusion. "But I can't...." The brunette's sentence was broken off instantly, when he saw to his horror a black smudge creep across the page. Then another letter followed, before all the words rearranged themselves from a jumbled mess to what was now clear symbols and characters. "Hey, the words they're changing!" Sora exclaimed out with surprise, staring down in awe at the spectacular sight. Sora then blinked and the words froze in place, leaving a totally new found language that the brunette had never seen before.

Sora's hope deflated slightly as he scanned the words, as he saw that he could still not decipher the words. "I still don't understand..."

"You don't need to understand why. Only of what you must do."

"You're speaking in riddles again." Sora warned teasingly, although he was rather confused at the purpose of the letter.

'What was the point of a letter if you can not read it? Then again, was the letter ever initially written for me or for someone else?'

"I could give you all the answers to your questions yet you will not understand."

"Can't you just speak without holding back information?"

"I will state it simply. Unlock the secret of the letter. The train will be your guide. Follow the black feathers to the black witch with golden eyes. She will be able to guide you to their castle where my voice will not be able to reach you."

Sora paused, digesting the information. "Black feathers. Black witch with gold eyes? Who is she?" the brunette questioned, trying to think whether or not he had came across a witch on his journey. The only mage he had ever seen was Merlin, and he did not fit the description. His blood instantly ran cold as the image of a black dragon ran through his mind. A pair of demonic horns and a evil glint of yellow eyes.

The brunette's face blanched. "Maleficent?!?"

"No."

Sora couldn't help but feel somewhat relieved to know that she wasn't the answer. He couldn't help but have the urge to kick himself when he remembered that Maleficent had been defeated when Riku tore out her heart and when he, Donald and Goofy destroyed her dragon form. The thoughts soon disappeared as he saw the figure begin to walk slowly towards him, still continuing his speech.

"When you reach the train, the clock will chime and you will be given your first ticket. Your first chain of tasks you will have to complete, and of memories of old and new friends that you will inevitably encounter."

Sora's ears perked up at the mention of the word friends. "What friends? Who do you mean?"

The dark clothed figure continued, oblivious to Sora's question. "The Door to the Darkness has awakened, but the barrier beyond the evil will soon be opened. It is my job that you will be ready when that time emerges. This is The Time of Change. When you next awaken, everything will be different. I shall return to you in 3 Days Sora. Look to the Sky when you need help. It will guide you. Keep your light shining bright and you will succeed....."

"But what about my friends?" Sora cried out in alarm, feeling the ground shift beneath him. "Donald and Goofy? Riku and Kairi?"

"'Your' Kairi is safe. Donald and Goofy will return after you complete your mission. Riku is alive and is on a mission similar to that of yours..."

"But!" Sora protested seeing the walls of darkness collapsing around him revealing three paths ahead before dematerialising and leaving one silver path ahead glistening within the darkness.

"..................I know you have grown up to fast........... I'm so sorry..." The figure answered hesitantly, his tone deep and apologetic.

"Huh?".

A deep sigh resounded in the air. "Life likes playing jokes with people who have got everything, don't they? You had everything didn't you Sora? A home. A family. Friends who'd do anything for you. And love........But please remember..... Although every story must inevitably come to an end, you are the one who chooses the chapters and the roles of the characters till the very end. You are the Keyblade Master of Light. The one who will open the door of the Light, and be the leader in the final battle of all worlds."

"Final Battle?" Sora breathed in question. "A leader?"

"Yes. That is the path you are now walking on. Keep on walking across it till you reach those doors which awaits your destiny."

"My destiny...?.......But...." Sora couldn't finish his speech as the voice continued on.

"What you need lies beyond here," A golden path glinted before the brunette's feet. ".......but in order to get it, you will lose something very dear to you. Something vital. The more vital it is, the deeper you keep it in your heart until eventually you forget it. That includes yourself."

"Myself too?" Sora thought upon what it would truly mean to forget yourself, remembering one of his journeys within a world that was trapped within a book. 'The Hundred Acre Wood? Winnie the Pooh.... I first met him when he was trying to say goodbye to himself.' Sora couldn't help but shiver at the remembrance of Hallow Bastion, where he lost his heart and for a deathly terrifying moment in his life, he became a Shadow Heartless.

"You will lose the light in the dark and even forget what you lost."

"The light in the dark.....?" The Keyblade master frowned, unable to decipher the cryptic meaning behind the words. "To forget the light?.......How do you know all this?" Sora called out to the figure who was standing no further than ten feet away, that Sora could even see the silver toggles glinting off the man's coat, and now that Sora could see him closer, he couldn't help but swear he had seen him somewhere else before.

"As I have seen it.... for I am........."

Sora's mind faded to darkness before he could hear the final words...

..........................................................................................................................................

The black cloaked figure sighed, sadly to himself, sweeping back brown locks away from his teal eyes as he stared down at the lifeless figure which had suddenly dropped down to the floor like that of a broken puppet with severed strings. His attention was broken at the sound of approaching footsteps causing the warrior to turn around and stare at the new presence moving towards him. Donned in a black coat, similar to that of his own, the brown haired warrior passed his eyes from Sora's dematerialising form to that of the other black cloaked figure. His lips cracked into a smile as he saw green eyes twinkling from beneath the shaded over coat.

"Good Job."

"It feels so hard to relive through this all again."

"It'll be alright. As long as I have you,"

"And I have you."

"We will be alright."

"How is yours going?"

"He is a little confused, but he will be strong enough when the time comes. From what I have seen, he is travelling with the Mouse King to his destiny."

"Hmm, to meet them.... What are you going to do now?"

"Probably stay a little while with you, then watch over Riku some more."

"Doesn't it feel odd.... saying 'Riku' ?"

"Kinda. I guess it is the same with you saying 'Sora' ."

"Sort of........I missed you. How much time have you got before you meet 'Sora' again?"

"He's going to Twilight town, the beginning of his true journey to see 'her'."

"Who?"

"Can't you remember. The black feathered witch of the dark arts. The one who had a crush on you........."

"Ugh, how could I forget?"

"I don't know, you both share the same fashion sense in hair colorant."

"Hey! Mine's natural,"

"I know. I just like teasing you..."

"Lets help Sora and Riku finish their story."

"But since we have a little time to ourselves... do you think we could...you know?"

"You've read my mind....."

..........................................................................................................................................

"So this is it?" Riku uttered softly to himself, his face bearing no expression, contrasting against the sparks of excitement fluttering within his stomach at the experience of such a place. Crystal hued water cascaded from an outcropping of rock splashing into a spring, where a few palm tree surrounded the beautiful area .The total image of a waterfall seemed so out of place with that of its dark surroundings, that Riku was even more shocked that he had never came across the spring before. The teen felt a twinge in his heart and he realised for the first time that he felt homesick. It was amazing really that after all of the time that he had been alone, that it merely took a image of a palm tree, which in one time of his life he had no care for, could spurn such emotive memories. He walked slowly towards the tree and lightly grazed his gloved fingers against the bark, reminiscing the feel of nature's nostalgia.

Green eyes stared openly at the dew dipped leaves swaying gently in the breeze that the teen couldn't stop the sudden urge to climb up the trunk to the top. A childish hobby he used to in the past, where he settled among the leaves and stared out at the sea from his Paopu Island. Where was oblivious to all the distractions of the world and the others below him. Where he could settle himself into a lonely yet peaceful atmosphere and view others from afar, and indulge in his ideas of creativity and logic as he trained himself to meditate.

He wasn't aware how long he was sitting on top of the palm tree until he felt the tree dip with a new weight and Riku was yet again aware that he was not alone, nor was he 'on his island' as a pair of black ears rose above the green leaves.

"Why are you up here Riku? Are you alright?" Mickey said softly, the tone of his voice thickened with concern as he crawled up to the top of the tree, sitting not to far away from Riku.

"I'm fine." the silver haired teen said coolly, his face losing its wistful look and appearing more stern and silent.

"Oh....okay then. It really is pretty up here." Mickey commented absently, kicking his legs out beneath him as they rocked to and fro. The mouse eyeing the waterfall from below and the mist which rose to greet his yellow booted feet.

"This is nothing compared to Destiny Islands," the silver haired teen muttered to himself, aquamarine eyes darkening to a forest green at the memories of 'his' island and the natural beauty with resonated within its desolated prison of water.

Mickey's ears perked up at the name, trying to think back to whether or not he had heard it before. "Destiny Islands?"

Riku's brain froze at the way his mouth had slowly slackened into a gentle smile due to his memories. Tightening his jaw into a tight lipped frown, the teen tore his eyes away from the waterfall and to the lone golden sand path below, which greatly contrasted with that of the purple and black swirls which surrounded the walls of darkness.

"............."

"What was it like there?" Mickey asked openly, unaware of the teen's change of demeanour.

Riku shook his head, trying to rid the thought of his home and his friends from his mind. ".............Forget it." he grunted none to kindly, and before Mickey knew it, Riku rose to his feet in one fluid motion and leapt of the tree, landing deftly on his feet. His head rose from his crouched position before he moved back into his tall height, not once turning back to register the mouse's surprise.

Mickey all the while was silent, as he decided to take a more careful route down the side of the tree, knowing that his limbs were not supple enough to jump ten feet to the ground like that of his partner. After feeling his boots touch the earth, Mickey strolled towards Riku noticing how the pale haired warrior had still not turned or moved from his stoic position.

"Riku?"

Mickey's ears dropped, when he heard no answer to his call. "Riku....Why don't you speak to me? D..Do you hate me...?"

It was then Riku sighed deeply to himself, moving a few steps away from the mouse so that he had his back against the bark of the tree, and he face wasn't within the King's sight.

" I never said I hated you....Mickey.....It's just that I am not really a people's person," Riku began with a light shrug. wringing his hands lightly, before realising that he was fidgeting, so he placed them down at his sides. "....... I can't just make friends with anyone. I'm not really that type of guy, but...." Riku bent his head low and started to twist the ends of his hair, a nervous habit he had never been able to break since he was young.

"....that doesn't mean I'm shy or anything. I guess I just don't trust people after ..........ah forget it." Riku finished, stuffing both of his hands into his pocket, feeling the scroll protruding from his left side.

Mickey nodded, taking a few steps forward yet pausing, still trying to comprehend the enigmatic pale haired boy and the proclaimed Keyblade Master. "I think I understand....It is hard to trust, when you fear those around you."

Riku frowned at the King's words. "I am not afraid!"

Mickey ignore the teens protested and moved to where the ground met the water.

".......Hey, you ready to see where I got this scroll. It is right beyond the waterfall."

"Fine."

"We can travel by using these stones. That way we don't have to get wet." Mickey announced proudly, pointing over to the multicoloured stones which glinted across the water across the spring to the end of the waterfall.

Rubbing his hands together in a way to build up courage, Mickey took one step back then another, before suddenly letting loose a rush of adrenaline as his body sprinted and leapt from the platform and landed upon a nearby grey stone. Mickey leapt up and down at his victory but he wasn't aware that the rock was shuddering, and before he knew it, the grey stone cracked, and pulled itself with the mouse down into the water

"Gah! The water's cold. That didn't happen to me last time."

Riku couldn't help but laugh out loud at the loud splash and the high pitched squeak which came from a very sodden black and white mouse who splashed and spluttered within the mists of the water.

The teenager pondered for a moment, eyeing the coloured stones which were littered across the water to the centre of the waterfall, where a final platform was there to greet the victor of the waterfall's challenge.

"There must be another way to cross...."

Suddenly a idea ran through the boy's mind as he turned to look at the drenched Mickey who was made it out of the water, to that of the palm tree behind him, and the hairy coconuts which hid behind the leaves. Not really being in the mood to climb up the tree again, Riku slammed a hard fist against the tree and was rewarded with two golden coconuts that landed safely into the palm of his hands. Testing their weight with his hands, Riku suddenly turned his waist and sent one of the coconuts with a powerful overthrow to another of the golden platform. The large stone trembled and quaked at the sudden jarring weight, but after a moment, the rock stood still. Nodding with approval to himself, Riku tossed the other coconut to one of the grey pillars that Mickey had stood upon, and was not surprised as it shattered upon impact.

Riku nodded his head in understanding. "You cannot cross the grey stones. You can cross the gold ones. But as for the other colours. I dunno. I guess I'll have to find out for myself." And with that, Riku made a mad dash from the tree and with a graceful leap, managing to pass over Mickey and land upon the gold platform with no difficulty.

"See. I was right!" Riku pointed out smugly, feeling some of his old charismatic charm rise back into his features, chuckling to himself with mirth as Mickey grumbled while shaking the water out of his shoes.

"Well it isn't like I haven't crossed it before." Mickey pouted, patting the side of his ears as water leaked out onto the floor.

Riku laughed louder, turning to give a large smirk over his shoulder. "Then that makes you all the more foolish. Come on Mickey!"

"Hey!" The mouse protested watching as Riku prepared and executed another run up and jump, landing successfully upon another golden platform.

Riku all the while couldn't help but feel elated at the mouse's struggling as he scampered to catch up with him. It was making him remind himself of the pleasant times when he was back on Destiny Islands when he used to race his friends. Oh how he missed those times. His mom, his home, his friends, Sora....

Shaking his head to rid himself of such thought, Riku continued on over the stones, successfully reaching the other side, with no encounters with the water. He could only imagine what Sora would be doing. He probably would have at least fallen into the water three times before realising that, there was a strategy upon crossing.

The silver haired warrior smiled to himself at the thought. 'He is so naive, that it's almost too cute.' Riku's did a face vault onto where his line of thoughts were talking him. 'Sora cute. I don't think I've ever used that word before. And definitely not to describe him.' Riku mused to himself, unaware to the fact that as he was thinking, Mickey had managed to catch up with him, panting all the while.

"Thanks for waiting Riku." Mickey said with a wide grin, his fur still dripping down the sides of his face that Riku couldn't help but nod and smile in reply.

"Lets try and solve what this scroll means then." The pale haired teen answered with pride as he strode through the veil of water to the secret which dwelt inside..

Riku blinked in confusion as he eyed the barren walls for any figure or person lurking within the dark corners. The only thing he could see was a dark black pedestal which was held within the centre of the room.

"See that empty pillar. That is where I took the scroll." Mickey said quietly, fearful that if he spoke any louder, he may awaken a dark and dangerous secret which was better left unknown. Riku took a few steps towards the monument, eyeing the engravings which apparently looked like trees surrounded by various foreign symbols, that he could not translate. His eyes then crossed am odd image of a crystal and Riku couldn't help but be tempted to touch it. Not seeing anything happen, Riku was about to believe nothing had happened, that was until he had a shrill cry from Mickey. He whipped his head around and almost faint in horror at the sudden image which had manifested itself from out of nothingness.

"Cool." Riku could only murmur at the sight which was displayed before him.

He wasn't expected to see the awe which was surrounding him at this moment. He was expecting some small area like that of the 'Secret Place'.

And at the front of it there was a gigantic oak tree, at least thirty foot tall. Riku took a step forward, and then another, in awe at the golden branches decorated with silver leaves.

"Wow..." Riku breathed hearing Mickey agree to his words.

"Amazing. There are markings upon the trunk." The teenager stated absently, tracing his fingers against what looked like two planets crashing against one another. And another picture of a yellow bird. The tree itself seemed like one masterpiece of many carved pieces of artwork. Although all the images were amazing to see, there was one which got Riku's attention the most of all. It looked like a flared orb, which glowed in the colours of black and luminous green.

"What is that picture of?" Mickey questioned trying to look over Riku's shoulder which was a difficult task when the flaxen haired teen was by far the taller one.

"It looks like a fiery ball. It maybe a comet or something." Riku replied, tracing his fingers against the printed symbol.

"Hey look! There's the Keyblade!" Mickey said in surprise, pointing to the image below the one Riku was recently looking at.

The silver haired teenager frowned in suspicion. "What is this place?" Riku questioned out loud to which Mickey shrugged, still interested with the images upon the tree and what they meant.

And then suddenly, the impossible happened. The room became suddenly cold, and Riku couldn't help but shiver as he felt a presence suddenly surround him. There was a faint whisper in the wind, and suddenly the room was blasted with light that Riku and Mickey both had to shield their eyes from fear of going blind. Riku cracked his eyes open and saw as a figure clothed within a white cloak leapt of the tree and landed upon the ground in one graceful motion.

"This is the Tree of Life. History is created through those pictures." A feminine voice spoke frostily, sweeping one delicate hand from the depths of her cloak towards the direction of the tree.

"These symbols guide the fate of all the worlds. It is what ties everyone together," the woman continued, her ice blue eyes glinting underneath the shadows of her hood.

"The branches represent the changes that each spirit is given within life. Whether it blossoms into love and success or whether it withers away into loss and failure is not known until the path is travelled. The tree is the link to the past. The present and the future. The question is Riku, which destiny do you belong in?"

Riku jerked back in confusion, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "You know my name?"

"Of course, we know everything." The cloaked woman answered with a smirk gesturing to the tree around her.

The teen raised an eyebrow in question. "We?"

"We are the guardians of the tree. We guide its spirit to all worlds as we provide the ability of Time compression." A new male voice boomed. Mickey and Riku simultaneously jumped in surprise, hearing a voice come from behind them. "Wha?" Mickey squeaked, craning his neck to see yet another unknown figure who was cloaked within a fiery red garb. Blood red eyes glowed beneath his hood.

"We exist in all worlds. And we have been known by all names, but only by one soul, one heart." The male all but growled, raising his hand, on what Riku saw from further observation was a paw over the figure's chest.

A clap of thunder resounded within the air and Riku craned his neck towards yet another figure swathed in white clothes, his face masked by the shadows. "We were but an experiment by our ancestors. Our duty is to protect this tree, from the darkness and the light."

A deep voice chuckled, full of melancholy as yet another figure stepped forth from the darkness, wrapped within a long black cloak. "Although one blossom may die, such a flower could never kill a root, but if all the blossoms shrivelled into non existence, then everything that you once knew would be forever taken beyond our hopes and dreams."

Riku turned around warily at the four cloaked figures who were flanking him from all four corners. "Who are you all?"

"I am known as 'Shiva.'" The ice goddess answered coolly, pulling down the hood of her cloak and revealing her hauntingly beautiful face to Mickey and Riku before tossing the fabric above her head and onto the ground. Her eyes looked as if they were made of azure jewels, that seemed to bear a frosted flame within its gaze. Riku after gaining his sight back, stared up and down at the woman who seemed to be in some form of tribal gear. But she looked far from human, when Riku eyed the ice crystals which were moulded against the deity's alluring half nude figure.

"I am the creator of fire, 'Ifrit'." The fire god all but roared, ripping his outfit to shreds, while the tattered pieces combusted below the feet of the demonic warrior.

"I am the thunder God Ramuh." the wise man responded softly, pulling down the hood of his cloak and revealing a long white beard and gleaming emerald eyes which glowed with their resounding wisdom.

Riku turned his head towards the dark clad figure who made no movement to reveal his attire. "I am the lord of Absolute Destruction. Lord Odin," he answered coolly, folding his arms above his chest, his stance signifying his power, which had the easy effect of intimidating Mickey. The mouse took a few steps closer towards his partner. Riku all the while stood strong and kept his face stern, trying to think past the fact that he was cornered and that he was outnumbered four to two. His thoughts were interrupted as the female known as Shiva, walked towards him in slow elegant strides. Each step she took, caused the ground beneath her feet to freeze over into icy crystals.

Shiva swept her long sapphire dreadlocks to the side of her face, "Our ruler is the King of Dragons, the mighty Bahamut, yet his whereabouts need not concern you humans."

Riku nodded, but still felt wary of the new strangers. "I am Riku," the teen answered, pointing at his chest for emphasis before cocking his head towards his smaller companion. "And this is Mickey," Shiva passed her eyes over the King for only a brief moment before placing her attention back towards the silver haired boy. Her iced blue lips moved in an attempt to speak before she was stopped by a dark shadow crossing her form, as Odin stepped in front of her.

"So it was you who stole the scroll of destiny." The dark knight commented in a passive tone, gesturing to the item which was held in Riku's hand.

"Err. eh heh...." Mickey suddenly felt like having a coughing fit, creeping ever closer to Riku who stood his ground, a dark scowl etched on his face.

"We knew this was to happen. The Keyblade Master will be the one to guide the darkness into the light." Ramuh replied from his corner, causing Riku and Mickey to take a sideway glance to the once silent figure.

"What is going on?" Riku answered back to Odin with as much darkness as he could muster, keeping his attention upon all of the elemental deity's, but more specifically on Odin who at the moment seemed to pose the most threat.

"How dare you speak to us in such a disrespectful manner, foul human?" Ifrit roared out in anger, slamming his mighty fists together with such power that it caused the very earth to tremble beneath Riku's feet.

Shiva frowned at the red furred demon in distaste. "Hush Ifrit. This boy is not like the others." The ice goddess, bit back, taking a few steps closer to Riku and Mickey who couldn't help but feel uncomfortable by all the stares surrounding them.

"But still he has no power, or authority to demand..." Ifrit started to protest before being paused by a pair of black soulless eyes starring at him with a look akin to mockery.

"This is a Keyblade Master. One who will change destiny." Odin answered quietly causing the fire demon's eyes to widen marginally, before snorting out his anger.

"..............."

Shiva all the while looked amused at her brother's foolish nature while Ramuh merely shook his head at the hot headed spirit. Her eyes rose once again to Riku's, staring deep into his passion aquamarine depths . She could clearly see the aura of power gleaming around the young silver haired warrior. Shiva clapped her hands to end the dispute going on with Ifrit and Odin, who were still pressing the matters of the silver haired child. Then once again, silence bloomed, and the only sound that was present was waterfall that was cascading down the cave's entrance.

Shiva moved her attention down to the scroll within Riku's hand, regarding its seal closely before meeting the boy's eyes. "I assume you have read the parchment. Then you must know what you have to do." the ice goddess began coolly as she took a few steps to the large tree, and leant her body against it, all the while, keeping her eyes upon the silver haired teen.

Riku stared down at the scroll, pulling it open once again to see whether or not the words would make any more sense. "I don't understand it..." Riku replied bluntly, placing a hand on his hip.

Shiva smirked knowingly. "But you do at the same time."

Riku made a face of protest at the answer.

Odin once again stepped forward. Each footfall causing a metallic scraping sound against the marble ground. "It is the 'Key' to getting joined with your friends, your counterpart, the Sky." The God spoke softly, turning around swiftly that it caused the ends of his cape to fly up into the air, revealing armour of gleaming silver to Riku and Mickey's awareness for the first time before the cloak fell back down to it's master's shoulders.

"Key? Sky? What do they mean?" Riku questioned, having a vague idea, but not really knowing whether or not his thoughts were even in the right direction.

Ifrit all the while frowned at Riku and Mickey, huffing with indignation at the naivety of the one known as the 'O so Great Keyblade Masters'. "Foolish Human. The one that you are searching for," Ifrit growled, strumming his long claws over his folded arms, while his fiery tail flicked out behind him.

Riku furrowed his eyebrows. "?"

Mickey felt the cogs in his head turn. "Hey, do you suppose they mean....?"

Odin nodded in affirmation. "The sora."

Riku's head whipped around to the direction of the dark warrior, unsure of whether or not he heard right. "Did you just say Sora?"

Odin nodded again. "Yes."

"What about him? Is he alright?" Riku asked out in alarm, walking closer to Odin, the remembrance of his child hood friend bringing hope into his heart.

'And for 'Odin' and these other guys to know of him. Does that mean that Sora has met them, or perhaps they know his whereabouts.'

"How do you know of him? Do you know where he is?"

"Silence child human," the fire warrior growled out, slamming one of his gigantic feet to the ground with inhuman strength. "you need not worry for your friend. He is travelling an arduous path, akin to the one you will be following too."

"Sora....what? he is?" Riku asked, gaping all the while. So at least he truly knew now that his friend was alive. "Then where is he? Is he close to here? Is there anyway that we can get to him?"

"Hush child, and give your poor jabbering mouth a rest." Ramuh joked lightly, causing Riku to freeze mid rant, and give the older man a sour look while the thunder god continued on. ".... the scroll in your hand is the secret upon finding the keys to escape Kingdom Hearts."

Riku and Mickey spontaneously jumped after hearing the last few words of Ramuh's speech. "Escape Kingdom Hearts? Just by using some Keys?" Riku exclaimed in surprise, an incredulous look etched upon his face. 'Would it be that easy? Just finding some keys that can send me out of this hell hole and back to my own world. Hey, could this link to that of the Keyblade?'

Ifrit scoffed at the boy's obvious lack of consideration towards the mythical legend. "Not regular keys boy. Spirits. Energies which bear absolute power."

"That scroll merely holds the secret of their whereabouts." Shiva added, taking a moment to flex her back with a soft moan, gaining the attention of all the males present.

Riku felt suspicious of the strangers. To him, the whole situation did not seem exactly right regardless of the fact that he could feel the icy cold temperature of the ice goddess Shiva who was emanating a freezing aura upon his left arm, while at his back, he could feel Ifrit's sweltering temperature from behind.

"This sounds awfully like that of a myth. This situation does in fact feel unreal." Riku commented, keeping his hand on his hip, taking one look at the mouse below him. Then at the gold tree, before staring at the fantasy creature's surrounding him.

"Heh heh heh, kids these days. They aren't willing to believe anything." Ramuh chuckled out in amusement while shaking his head. Riku and Mickey frowned at the patronising term, yet said nothing lest cause a greater dispute than needed.

"Do you know that in some worlds, people believe that we are mere myths, yet we stand here before you. To say that this legend would not to exist, would mean that none of us would exist either." Shiva explained to which the rest of the elemental guardian's nodded.

Riku nodded his head, somewhat understanding Shiva's logic. "..........There is still one thing I don't understand though." the teen pointed out. "Why are you just letting me have this scroll so easily? Don't you want it back?" Riku asked, drawing his hand out to give to the closest figure who was Odin.

Odin merely stared at it, before pushing the teen's hands away. "........ You're smart human. Although we have no use for the item, there is still a small catch to every deal," he responded taking a few steps away, and following Shiva's example, Odin leant against the tree beside her.

Riku's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What do you want?"

Odin rose his hands to the hood of his cloak, smiling slightly before he pulled the dark cloth and Riku for the first time saw the lord's face. Riku suddenly had the urge to gag, as he saw demonic face which returned his gaze. His face seemed to be consisted of only a skull which was charcoal black. Red stripes ran down the sides of his face like crimson tears. And adorned above his head were two spiked horns, that looked like they were crafted in shining silver.

He looked like he was from a nightmare, which was probably fitting since he was the god of death. No wonder he felt reluctant to keep his hood on. Riku caught Mickey's surprise, and would have laughed himself at the pitiful mouse if it weren't for that of his own shock of seeing the horrific face. Odin made the Heartless seem like cute little bunnies in appearance alone. Odin all the while stared with his coal black eyes in the direction of Riku, seeming oblivious to the horror upon Riku's and Mickey's features.

"You have to do something for us." Odin said slowly, untying the cords at the neck of his robe before loosening it and letting the dark material fall to the ground, revealing his highly polished armour for all to see. "You will have to change our destiny."

Riku and Mickey couldn't reply.

"Did you hear what I said mortals?" Odin asked, his voice raising a trifle higher than his usual morbid tone that it caused his onyx eyes to flare with darkness.

Mickey squealed out in alarm while Riku turned his head, clutching his hands to his sides.

"................"

"Why do you not respond?" Odin questioned fiercely, raising one of his gauntlets up in confusion eyeing Shiva for advice.

"Odin, you are scaring them." the ice goddess remarked, eyeing the dark soldier's gear and the remarkable lance which that was protruding from behind his back. Then the large sabre which was tied to the warrior's hip

"Cowardly fools." Ifrit muttered, smirking all the while as the slight shocked look which appeared on the dark swordsman's face.

"Put your helmet on Odin." Shiva said softly to the dark warrior with a gentle nudge to his side.

"Very well....." Odin grunted, sighing in irritation before he concentrated his energies to his hand. After a few moments, wisps of black energies drew itself into the warrior's hand before they manifested itself into a sheet of metal that flexed and stretched, transforming into a helmet within the style of a Shogun samurai. Odin placed his ceremonial piece upon his head, his horns sliding through the holes at the top of the black and silver helmet.

"Is this better mortals?" the dark lord questioned underneath his silver visor.

Mickey nodded, while Riku tried to appear non-fazed.

"As I was saying before, in order for you to escape, you have to find the three keys of power which are hidden within the three souls of death. The keys are that of the spiritual bodies from which death has manifested itself into. You need to gain the three keys if you want the power to escape Kingdom Hearts. However, as you take on your own path to your fated destiny, that still won't change the destiny of the rest of the worlds, and the inevitable war that the tree predicts will consume the light and darkness whole. If this war occurs, Kingdom Hearts would collect so much negative energy that even the tree wouldn't be able to absorb. Then through the absolute battle, every warrior would be sent off to war. Who would then defend the tree?"

Ramuh coughed lightly causing Odin to pause as he noticed the blank faces upon Mickey and Riku. "You see the tree usually works like a filter to draw out the negative energy from the earth. This reduces the balance of light and darkness to a minimum and thus serves to hold back the Heartless and the others who exist within this realm. This is known as 'The Balance'. If there was too much darkness within the world, it would draw the light to become even stronger and vice versa, to a point where the power of darkness and light would overpower one another and destroy their own existence."

Riku nodded in understanding. "I guess the light and the darkness are like rivals. When one gets stronger, the other tries to compete, so it is best to keep them both to a minimum correct?"

Ramuh nodded. "Exactly."

Mickey still didn't understand yet said nothing, hoping that Riku would tell what the wise man meant later on. Riku all the while rubbed his chin, before his eyes darkened into remembrance at another thought.

"Could you tell me one thing Ramuh?"

The thunder god raised a grey eyebrow. "Oh and what would that be young master?"

"What is 'The Time of the Change'?"

Ramuh was about to speak if it weren't for the shard of ice which zipped past his vision and smashed against the side of the wall. "It is not yet time for Riku to know." Shiva answered sternly causing Ramuh to give a reluctant nod.

"Hey? Why can't you tell me?" Riku argued, sending a glare towards Shiva who shrugged her shoulders.

"You Riku, will have to learn for yourself."

Riku couldn't help but frown at her words. "Can't you give me a clue or something?"

"You will know when you see it."

"Riku. Let me tell you something that you should already know, but perhaps not grasped the understanding."

Riku's head turned towards Odin who was flexing his clawed gloves.

Seeing that he had gained Riku's attention alongside with Mickey's caused the warrior to continue. "You have already understood there are many dimensions and worlds and you have been in many of the crucial kind. There is the 'Fantasy dimension'. The 'Heartless' dimension. The 'Kingdom Hearts dimension' that we are already within. The 'Unknown dimension'. The 'Reality dimension'. and many more. The others aren't important. Only those that I spoke of."

"What about the other dimensions. What purpose do they give me?" Riku questioned in curiosity, wanting to know more of what the death lord knew about the other worlds and how it could help his situation.

Odin smirked knowingly underneath his helmet. "When you complete your first task, I will tell you more. But first things first. I want you to acquire Death's form. By doing this, Death will be yet another player on our side in the war of the worlds. You will be powerless without him."

Riku nodded. There was still one more question which needed to be asked. "Where will I find him?"

Shiva stepped in front of Odin before, flamboyantly raising her arms to the sky and angling them so that they met the trunk of the tree. "Do you see the symbols on the tree which are lit up the most." Riku and Mickey nodded as the picture of the flaming ball greeted their eyes once again, and now that Riku saw it from a distance, the comet like image seemed like it was glowing more than that of the other images. "These images represent the key figures of destiny, The ones which glow are considered the ones who affect the balance. The darkness is increasing against the light, due to the these figures. These beings are imprisoned within the darkness."

"The balance is slowly becoming uneven." Riku murmured to himself, hearing Mickey give a slight grunt of approval to his thoughts.

"If you place your hand upon the symbols with the black glow, they will transport you to the realm where the kindred spirits are trapped within the spiral of darkness," Odin added, gliding his hand absently across the image of a silver unicorn, which gave him a nostalgic feeling of his own mighty steed.

"You can decide which glyph to press first." Shiva said gently, walking up to Riku and Mickey so that they she was no more than one foot away from the two.

"When you enter the arena. Press the Epitaph and read of the name which is written there."

Riku was about to nod his head in understanding before he paused remembering the foreign jargon held within the parchment. "What happens if I cannot understand it."

Shiva knelt half way down so that her eyes were at the same level as Riku. "Don't worry. You will." The ice deity brushed her lips against the boy's lips which caused him to shiver with the coldness yet at the same time, burn with embarrassment.

Mickey pouted with pseudo-jealousy when Shiva went past him and returned to her previous place beside the tree. "Lets go then Riku," Mickey said, tugging the silver haired boy's arm to move towards the tree. However to the Kings surprise, as Riku passed by Shiva and Odin, he was blocked by the two gods who stared down at him with impassive gazes.

Shiva did not relent her blocked position. "I'm sorry but only one may enter the chambers of darkness.. I can only let one pass." The ice goddess answered within a crisp tone which caused Mickey to become silent with surprise.

The King's ears drooped down. "Why?"

"Too much positive and negative energy within the chambers of the heart could very well destroy the spirits as well as yourself," Odin grimly answered causing Mickey to gulp and nod in understanding. Riku all the while had his attention more to that of the tree than that of the conversation eyeing the three resonating shapes which seemed out of place against all the other images.

"So I guess it will only be Riku then?" Mickey said reluctantly with a sigh, falling back defeated. Shiva and Odin then pulled back, bowing their heads in respect of the mouse's actions.

Riku turned his head to the King and gave a wry smile. "Sorry Mickey,"

Mickey shook his head. "No, you should go. After all, you are more strong willed compared to that of me."

Riku at that moment gave a true genuine smile. "Thanks." His gaze then turned to Odin and Shiva.

"I assume this is one of the glyphs then?" the silver haired warrior questioned, pointing over at the resonating green fire ball.

Shiva nodded while Odin looked on towards Ifrit and Ramuh who had been having their own conversation all the while. "The trial will begin after you press the glyph."

Riku's ears perked at the 't' word. "Trial? What trial?........... What exactly am I meant to do?" Realisation suddenly overwhelmed what he had to do.

'I have to find the spirits of death.'

There was only one question upon his mind. "Will there be hostility?"

Ifrit broke off his conversation with Ramuh to let out a guffaw. "Hostile? You are fighting against beings connected to 'death'. How can they not be hostile?" the fire demon laughed out loud in amusement causing Riku to throw a dirty look towards him, while the rest of the gods and goddesses frowned in disapproval at the red furred warrior.

Shiva stepped forth and pressed a chillingly cold hand against the boy's bare shoulder. "Riku, you can choose one weapon and three forms of magic to protect you." And then, as if by magic, the marbled floor glowed a shocking white and before Riku knew it, the once bare ground was littered with an array of weapons from a variety of cultures. Guns, knives, swords, axes, bows, staffs, sticks, nun-chaku..... The only thing Riku couldn't see was a Blitzball.

'I wonder what these guys would think if I chose a Blitzball as a weapon?' Riku thought in amusement as he stared down at a rather large katana which held an arched blade, then to a dual blade, to that of a mighty broad sword which he had a good feeling that he did not have the strength to wield.

After seeing the teen not move in an attempt to collect a weapon upon the ground, the ice goddess pulled her arm away from Riku and took a few steps back, being careful not to cut her bare feet against the weapons upon the ground. "Do you still wish to do this?" Shiva asked, folding her arms over her ample breasts.

"No one is forcing you to do this."

The teen's eye's twitched at the woman's words, yet refused to answer her question.

Riku stared down at the weapons which laid across the ground. It didn't take him long to decide what he had to do. One weapon shined brighter amongst all the artillery. He instantly reached for the Keyblade. Odin nodded to himself knowingly. He had already predicted the blade which the warrior would choose. He just wanted to see whether or not the boy would have noticed the weapon among the awe of the Imperial swords. "Are you sure, young warrior that this is the weapon you seek?" Odin questioned, knowing that he really didn't need to say so. Riku stared down at the blade. His eyes latched onto it first as it was the same weapon which Sora fought with on his journey. The Kingdom Keyblade.

"Yes." Riku nodded an affirmative.

Odin bowed him head in a respectable manner. "Very well. Choose your magic well. Just press your hand onto three of the coloured orbs,"

A pedestal suddenly appeared before Riku, where he eyed the arrangement of coloured orbs that were held within the shape of their elements. He assumed the black orb was the destructive gravity attack which had helped him in the past. Fire was always a good use of magic in more ways than one.

Riku rubbed his chin in thought before nodding his head. His decision made. "Fire will be most useful. Ice to counter it. And Gravity will be good too."

Odin actually rose an eyebrow at the boy's choices. After the variety he could have. He chose all offensive and not a balanced range of magical power. "You are choosing the path of the warrior?"

Riku nodded his head yet again. "Yes. Fire, Ice and Gravity."

Shiva gasped in disbelief. "Think before you decide boy. What use is absolute power if you have no way to heal or protect yourself?"

Riku thought upon his decision. "My enemies won't be able to hurt me if I get to them first," the teen responded with a smirk which caused Shiva to frown at the boys arrogant manner.

Ifrit gave a sharp toothed grin towards Riku towards the boy. "I like your fiery spirit human."

Shiva sighed in exasperation at her brother's words. "Don't be foolish. You are not fighting a mere mortal."

Riku tilted his head towards the ice goddess. "Then why are you asking me to fight when you could very well do it?"

Shiva sighed again. "If we all move away from the tree. It will die. We must sustain its life because it is what keeps the world in balance. It is our duty."

"If this tree were to die, life and death will end and the Unknown will take over." Odin pointed out sternly, leaning his arm against the trunk.

Riku blinked. "The Unknown?"

"....................Bring Death here and I will tell you more." Odin commanded, before drawing himself back into the shadows of the branches.

"Alright." Riku answered in an affirmative as he punched the symbol of fire followed by ice. However his hand hovered over gravity and he looked up, suddenly feeling unsure of his actions.

Ramuh gave a toothy smile towards the boy's hesitation. "Oh, and one final tip. Don't use gravity. It takes too long to administer. Choose a healing spell instead."

Riku frowned removing his hand from the black orb, before hovering it upon the emerald green leaf. "Fine, I'll choose Cure then." Pressing his palm upon the heal leaf, he saw the tablet suddenly turn bright and the orbs which he jut touched suddenly drew themselves up in the air. Riku and Mickey watched in awe as the orbs drew their energies into the Keyblade, solidifying into the spherical spaces which Riku wasn't aware of until he saw the red, blue and green orb merge into the once empty gaps.

'Wow. Strange magic.' Riku thought to himself, testing the swing of the blade. He didn't understand why, be he felt suddenly stronger, the blade feeling light and supple within his firm grip.

"Good luck warrior," Shiva said gently with a slight wave while Odin and Ramuh nodded towards the teen's direction. Ifrit turned his head, caring nothing for sentimental actions while Mickey leapt over the blades and grasped upon Riku's hand.

"Good luck Riku!" Mickey cried out causing Riku to grin slightly, although he still felt rather unsure with himself. He looked down at the Keyblade in his hand.

"I'll be fine. I'll be back for you Mickey," the silver haired teen promised with a curt nod of his head.

Riku recounted the mission in his mind. "So all I have to do is touch one of the glowing glyphs and then I'll have to touch a tombstone, uttering the name upon it?" the teen asked.

"Yes mortal. Choose the glyph of your choice and then your new journey shall begin." Shiva confirmed with a stern look. "Good luck. Keyblade master of light."

Mickey took a few steps back so that he gave Riku enough room to move past him and get closer to the tree trunk. Riku let himself feel no fear as he walked around the tree and eyed the three images with all the self control he possessed. He knew that he was strong enough to do the three tasks. He had no fears. No weaknesses. He was going to be strong. After all, what did he have to lose?

He had a choice of three glyphs. Which one to choose.

A comet.

A silver crystal.

A glyph of an strange eye with wings surrounding it.

Riku chewed his lip lightly in thought, his eyes unconsciously turning back to the comet which was the first glyph he saw at the very beginning before he even knew its purpose.

"Hmm. I guess I'll start with the comet then, since I saw that one first," Riku said more to himself than the others behind him.

He slowly raised his black gloved palm over the symbol, pausing for one moment to take a breath before slamming his hand down, hard against the tree trunk. Riku at once felt nothing, then slowly he felt a burning within his loins, which rose from his hand to that of his brain. A crackling jolt erupted within his mind and all he could see, hear and feel was the crackling heat of flames scorching his body. A pair of cat like eyes flashed into his vision and then he felt something jut through his stomach. He stared down in horror to see a silver blade protruding from his stomach. The light suddenly turned to darkness, and it was in that moment Riku screamed.

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Poor Riku. I bet he is wishing that he chose another glyph now. So it can only make you readers wonder which epitaph Riku is so obviously going to first.

I have once again revealed more to the plot of the story where I assume that a lot of you are still confused as you were before.

Sora's in limbo. And is on his proper journey to restore the worlds and search for Riku.

There is a castle which have characters who have yet to be identified. I am keeping them as the Unknown for now.

Riku's off on his own journey to the figure who is linked to the 'meteor glyph'. What villain could that be?

As for Aeris and Seph. You have to wait till next chapter.

As for the dark cloaked Riku. "..........................." I cannot say anything, although he will be present shortly.

I hope you guys liked this chapter. It is awfully long. Please don't forget to review!

Ja ne

Aer_seph4eva

Any questions and comments?

You can email them to.....

Aer_seph4eva@yahoo.co.uk