Kingdom Hearts, Spades, Clubs, and Diamonds

by Gema J. Gall

Sora wasn't the only one with a destiny. Three others start a journey to light through darkness. Features characters from anime, books, movies...

8. The Teams

Traverse Town....

Sora was still very out of it. A voice started talking to him, and it sounded just like Kairi, "Come on, lazy bum. Wake up."

Sora slowly started to open his eyes. They focused on Kairi, standing over him. The vision was a bit blurry, considering he wasn't fully conscious yet. But everything was becoming clearer by the second. He was laying in a bed in the corner of a room. The walls were plain white with no worthwhile decorations. A wooden shelf was on another wall. A table was in the middle of the floor, but that was still blurry.

"You okay?" Kairi asked him.

"I guess..." groaned Sora, rubbing his head through his spiky brown hair.

"Thos creatures that attacked you are after the Keyblade," Kairi continued. "But it's your heart they really want, because you wield the Keyblade."

Sora wasn't paying full attention to what she was saying, "I'm glad you're okay Kairi."

"Kairi?" she asked. "Who are you talking about? I'm the great ninja Yuffie."

Sora blinked again, and her face came into perfect focus. It wasn't Kairi, though they did look a bit alike. This girl had darker hair and wore clothing Kairi would never wear. But they both had deep eyes, though Yuffie's were brown unlike Kairi's, which were blue.

Yuffie turned to the person sitting at the table. "I think you might have overdone it Squall."

"That's Leon," the man answered. Sora jumped a bit as he spoke. Leon was the same one who had attacked him on the street for the Keyblade! Now the Keyblade was lying in front of him on the table.

"The Keyblade," continued Yuffie. "Yeah, we had to get it away from you to shake of those creatures. It turns out that's how they were tracking you."

Leon interrupted her, "It was the only way to conceal your heart from them. But it won't work for long." His tone changed and became more disdainful. "Still hard to believe that you of all people are the chosen one." He reached over and picked up the Keyblade. But it turned into smoke at his touch and reformed in Sora's hand.

"Well, I suppose beggars can't be choosers," muttered Leon.

Sora was getting fed up with his tone and no answers, "Why don't you start making sense! What's going on here?!"

The room next door, a virtually identical conversation was taking place between Donald and Goofy, and the lady in the pink dress, Aerith.

"Okay," started Aerith, "You know there are many other worlds out there besides your castle and this town right?"

"Yeah," agreed Donald.

"But they're supposed to be a secret," chimed Goofy.

"They've been secret because they've never been connected. Until now," explained Aerith. "When the Heartless came, everything changed."

"The Heartless?" asked Sora, still a bit baffled. Things were happening a bit too quickly for him to follow.

"The ones who attacked you, remember?" asked Yuffie.

"Those without hearts," added Leon. "The darkness in people's hearts—that's what attracts them. And there's darkness within every heart."

An idea hit Yuffie at that moment, "Hey, have you heard of someone named Ansem?"

"Ansem?" asked Goofy.

"He was studying the Heartless," explained Aerith. "He recorded all his findings in a very detailed report."

"Gawrsh, can we see it?" asked Goofy.

"Its pages are scattered everywhere," answered Aerith, sadly.

"Scattered?" asked Donald.

Aerith nodded, "To many worlds."

"Oh!" exclaimed Goofy. "Then maybe the king went to find 'em!"

"Yes, those were my thoughts exactly," agreed Aerith.

"We've gotta find him, quick!" exclaimed Goofy.

"Wait!" cautioned Donald. "First we need that 'key!'"

"That's right, the Keyblade," agreed Aerith.

"So...this is the key?" asked Sora, examining the weapon in his hand.

"Exactly!" answered Yuffie.

"The Heartless have great fear of the Keyblade," explained Leon. "That's why they'll keep coming after you no matter what."

"Well, I didn't ask for this," said Sora, not liking the idea about constantly being attacked.

"The Keyblade chooses its master," said Yuffie. "And it chose you."

"So tough luck," added Leon.

"How did all this happen?" Sora wondered, out loud. He was still trying to process the last few hours. "I remember being in my room...." His eyes went wide as a new idea hit him. "Wait a minute! What happened to my home?! My island?! Riku! Kairi!"

"You know what," answered Leon, "I really don't know." Sora's face fell. "Sooner or later the Heartless will find you. You'd best prepare yourself."

"Prepare myself?" asked Sora.

"To fight for your life," answered Leon. "Are you ready?"

Sora examined his face for a moment, and remembered the stakes, "I'm ready!"

Leon turned to Yuffie, "Yuffie, let's go join Aerith. She should be there by now with the other visitors."

There was a flash of blackness, however strange that may sound. A Heartless formed on the table in the middle of the room. It looked like the creatures from before, but someone or something had given this one armor. It wore a blue jumpsuit and a funnel shaped steel helmet. The gloves weren't true gloves, because the claws were weapons.

"Leon!" cried Yuffie in surprise.

"Yuffie, go!" ordered Leon.

Yuffie nodded and raced out one of the doors in the room. As she did, she threw Donald Duck, who was on the other side, into the wall, crushing him between the door and the wall. Yuffie was in such a hurry she didn't even notice. Aerith was surprised as well. She jumped to her feet.

"Yuffie?!" gasped Aerith. She hurried after the ninja. In the other room, Leon had his Gunblade out and aimed at the Heartless soldier. Sora was in a battle pose with his Keyblade. The three weren't moving, waiting to see what their enemy did.

"Sora, let's go!" exclaimed Leon, starting the attack.

The Heartless soldier jumped backwards, out the window. Glass showered the street below. From there it ran off into the darkness. Leon, however, was not willing to let it get away so easily. He, too, jumped out of the window, landing with all the prowlness of a cat, which came from all his experience as a captain. Sora wasn't about to attempt the same stunt, so he raced down the stairs and out the front door.

That left only two people in the rooms. Goofy walked over to the door and opened it. This allowed a pancake Donald Duck to slide to the ground with a slight moan.

Sora quickly raced to Leon. "Don't bother with the small fry!" ordered Leon. "Find the leader! Let's go!"

Sora nodded and took off, though he wasn't exactly sure what a Heartless leader would be. But his gut was telling him that whatever it was, it would stand out. He and Leon were getting further and further apart. But Sora's feet seemed to be showing him the way. Soon, he was standing in front of the doors that marked the second district.

He took a deep breath and pushed the doors open. It seemed quiet on the other side, but Sora knew from experience that Heartless could be in any shadow. The street above was still, no one was out. The courtyard a level down was empty as well. Sora entered the second district and started walking, Keyblade ready for an attack.

Sora didn't have a long wait. A squad of Heartless formed when he stepped onto the stairs to go into the lower courtyard of the second district. These ones were also wearing armor, much like the one that had appeared in the room a few minutes ago. There were six this time, and they all circled him, ready for an attack, their beady yellow eyes not leaving him for a moment.

Sora tightened his grip on the Keyblade and planted his feet firmly, waiting for an attack. The Heartless lunged forward in one solid wave. Sora swung the Keyblade in a figure eight, cutting down two of them and injuring another before they got close to him. But two others' claws found his flesh, and dug in deep with them. Sora gasped and swung again, but the Heartless dove out of the way and his attack missed. Sora backed up and turned to face them fully, the wall behind him now. This made it easier for him to defend himself. The three uninjured Heartless spaced themselves so they would all be able to attack him from different angles. The injured one hung back a bit, but it was merely biding its time.

The three in front again attacked Sora at the same time. The air became full of dark claws. Sora felt as they hit him and his blood began to flow. But he refused to quit. He swung his Keyblade again and sliced one Heartless soldier cleanly in half. The other two backed up for a second, paused, and charged again before Sora had time to take a full breath.

One jumped into the air and began to attack Sora from above, aiming at his face and shoulders. The other dove in low, tearing at his legs. Sora gasped in pain as more red lines formed on his skin. It was pure instinct how he raised the Keyblade and cut down the Heartless above him with a J- shaped stroke. He then circled the Keyblade around in a modified figure eight stroke and cut the Heartless off of his legs. It was amazing that he didn't hit himself in the process, though he came close.

"Gah!" gasped Sora as the injured one sunk its claws into his right side. Sora brought his elbow back and threw the Heartless off of him, before doing a half turn and cutting it down fully before it could recover.

With that Sora slid to the ground, breathing hard and bleeding freely. He then remembered the Hi Potions Kairi had given him. Sora checked his pockets; they were still there. He grabbed one and drank it, not caring at all about the taste. A few seconds later the bleeding stopped and Sora felt his energy coming back.

"Kairi, thank you," he muttered as he stood up.

Sora jogged to the doors of the third district. He managed to avoid one battle by jumping down a level. Other than that he made it there unscratched. Sora had no real idea what was on the other side of these doors. Last time he had entered through them, he had only lingered long enough to see that the district was filled with Heartless, before he turned and ran back to the safety of the first district. There would be no running back this time. Sora had a feeling that what he was looking for was on the other side. He stepped through, not looking back.

Donald and Goofy had already made it here. They were on a balcony overlooking the courtyard of the third district. Traverse Town liked balconies and courtyards, it seemed. Sora opened the doors and ran down the stairs right below them. But before either of the king's messengers could notice him, several Heartless soldiers formed around them, cornering them on the balcony.

"Gawrsh!" exclaimed Goofy. "Are these the Heartless guys?"

Donald tipped his hat forward and readied his wand, "Let's get 'em, Goofy!"

The Heartless charged forward as Donald cast a thunder spell. There was a loud explosion that sent Goofy and Donald flying through the air.

They came down hard in the middle of the courtyard. Luckily, Sora was there to break their fall. Sora ended up on the bottom of the heap, with Donald sandwiched between him and Goofy. Sora groaned, not knowing what had hit him.

Donald and Goofy gasped. The only thing that they saw was Sora's arm holding the Keyblade, considering the rest of him was under them.

"The key!" they both gasped.

Sora groaned beneath them.

But before further introductions could be made, huge concrete blocks cut off all the exits. The trio jumped to their feet and gasped. Small Heartless jumped out of the shadows, claws bared as they prepared to attack. But they were not the ones that held the group's attention. A larger creature lumbered into view.

It belonged with the Heartless, somehow they could all sense it. It looked like a violet robot. The torso was shaped like and hourglass with a spiky silver ball where the head would be. The red and black symbol of the Heartless was just above the narrowest section on the main body. The hands and feet were large than need be. But the strangest thing was that the hands and feet were not connected to the body, although they moved as if they were. The creature's name was Guard Armor, and it made the Heartless around it seem like marshmallows.

"Gawrsh! It's big!" exclaimed Goofy.

"So?" asked Donald, readying his wand.

"Whatever it is, let's beat it!" exclaimed Sora, raising the Keyblade.

The smaller Heartless attacked first, but the trio was ready. Goofy raised his shield and they bounced harmlessly off of it. Donald had already begun his thunder spell, and the Heartless it hit never got close enough to injure them. Sora sliced through anything that got within arm range. He looked over his shoulder at the two newcomers and smiled. It was definitely easier when you weren't alone.

"Now for that thing!" exclaimed Sora as he gestured to the Guard Armor with the Keyblade. Goofy and Donald nodded and the three moved in to attack.

The Guard Armor reached out with its large claw like hands to grab them. Sora ducked under them and jumped into the air. He then did a figure eight maneuver with the Keyblade across the torso, aiming for the Heartless symbol at the center. His follow through swing caught the left arm of the Guard Armor and caught Sora off guard. He was pushed backwards, away from the target.

Goofy had been pushed to the other side of the courtyard turned battlefield. Donald used this moment while Guard Armor was open to cast a thunder spell. It found its mark, but Guard Armor seemed not to be fazed at all. From the start Sora knew this would be a tough battle, and the lack of damage it was sustaining only proved it.

"Come on!" Sora yelled to the other two. "We are going to have to take it together!"

"Right!" Goofy and Donald exclaimed.

They all charged Guard Armor from three sides; left, right, and front. Sora hopped off of the left foot and into the air, swing the Keyblade in a figure eight motion again. It was a basic and effective stroke. He hit the torso, before he brought the swing around and connected with each left limb. Donald was beginning another spell. His thunder spell hit the right side of Guard Armor, just as Goofy was holding off the arm with his shield.

"Yeow!" Goofy gasped and jumped backed, narrowly missing being singed.

"Sorry..." apologized Donald, sheepishly.

Guard Armor was not going to let them attack like this. The legs pulled free of the torso, which somehow managed to remain hovering despite them being gone. The feet began to stomp around the field, trying to crush its three opponents. The trio all gasped in surprise, and quickly distanced themselves from the feet. Sora was taking mini-hops backwards, inches away from the left foot. Then, he put extra strength into his jump, raised the Keyblade over his head, and sliced at the left foot from top to bottom. Goofy and Donald were busy with the other foot. The right foot had stepped on Goofy's toes, and he again yelled in pain. Donald cast his thunder spell, and the right foot stopped its attack. The feet then returned to their place under Guard Armor.

"Gawrsh!" exclaimed Goofy.

"Be careful, it might try something like that again!" called Sora.

"Come on, let's get it!" Donald said, raising his wand again.

"Let's all focus on the feet!" Sora suggested. The other two nodded and took battle positions.

Sora charged forward, Keyblade raised near his head. His arm shot forward as he got within striking rage of the Guard Armor. He began a swift series of strokes that were a bit more complicated than the figure eight he had been using. Dents were forming in the metal as he continued. However, Sora wasn't watching as the arm was brought down on top of him.

"I gotcha!" exclaimed Goofy, standing between Sora and the first, shield raised.

"Thanks," Sora said, a bit breathless from battle.

Goofy smiled back. Then Guard Armor over powered him and sent him flying, tumbling on the blue cobblestones. He laid there, a bit dazed. Sora watched, stunned and hoping for the best.

Donald had the other foot practical under his control. The thunder spell he was using kept the foot twitching so it couldn't effectively attack.

BOOM! That foot exploded. Too bad for Donald he had been standing a bit close. The force sent him flying backwards into the concrete barrier that had appeared when Guard Armor did. He landed upside down and slid to the pavement, seeing stars momentarily.

BOOM! Sora's next stroke split the other leg of Guard Armor. Mechanical parts rolled across the courtyard.

That proved not to be enough to take down all of Guard Armor though. It still hovered in midair.

"No way!" gasped Sora.

Guard Armor swung a punch at him. Sora was slow in raising the Keyblade, and took the attack right in the gut. He doubled over in pain, the wind knocked out of him, and stumbled backwards a few steps where he fell into a sitting position.

The arms the disconnected from the torso and started aiming punches at the gasping trio. They all hurried to their feet as fast as they could. Sora thought he saw Donald discarding an empty Potion bottle, but before he could think about that, he was fighting off the right arm. He held the Keyblade sideways and put his other had on the flat of the blade. Then it became a matter of physical strength, him versus Guard Armor. For a moment neither of them budged, but then Guard Armor began to over power him. Sora felt his knees begin to give out on him.

Then, Sora felt extra strength coming to his aid. He looked over. Goofy was standing next to him, pushing along side him with his shield. Sora smiled and the two doubled their efforts.

"That's the way!" exclaimed Goofy. "We've spent too much time looking for you, key wielder, to lose you now."

"Huh?" asked Sora, but the question went unanswered.

BOOM! A bolt of lightning hit the right arm, blowing it to bits. Goofy and Sora were both thrown back and down hard. Donald stood, looking rather proud, with his wand slightly raised still. The left hand was already laying on the pavement, smoldering. Goofy and Sora glared at him, and Donald rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

The torso still remained standing, despite losing all of its limbs. Sora tightened his grip on the Keyblade and charged forward. When he got close he jumped into the air and sliced it from top to bottom. When his feet touched the pavement again he jerked the Keyblade at a 90-degree angle, slashing across the torso horizontally. It broke apart and its gears joined the others clogging the streets. A crystalline heart floated into the sky. A single part rolled to the feet of Sora. He bent down and picked it up. It looked like it could be used for a bracelet, so he slipped the Brave Warrior on his wrist where it fit snuggly.

He then turned to Donald and Goofy and smiled, while taking deep breaths of air to help recover. They smiled back, equally tired, but they were staring at the Keyblade.

"So..." started Sora. "You've been looking for me?"

"Uh huh," Goofy and Donald nodded.

The concrete barriers fell and Leon hurried over. He surveyed the damage, then the standing trio. "They, too, have been seeking the wielder of the Keyblade."

Goofy nodded and looked at Sora, "Hey, why don't you come with us? We can go to other worlds in our vessel..."

Sora looked around, a bit indecisive. "I wonder if I could find Riku and Kairi..." He paused, considering the options. In his heart he wanted nothing more at the moment then to find his friends.

"Of course," said Donald Duck.

"Are you sure?" Goofy asked him.

"Who knows?" said Donald quietly and with a shrug. "But we need him to help us find the king."

"Sora, go with them," suggested Leon. The group was walking back to the first district now. "Especially if you want to find your friends."

"Yeah, I guess," sighed Sora.

Donald gave him a stern look, "But you can't come along looking like that! Understand? No frowning. No sad faces. Okay?"

"Yeah, you gotta look funny, like us!" agreed Goofy. Goody gave him a dopey smile. Donald pushed him to the side.

"This boat runs on happy faces," explained Donald, referring to the Gummi Ship.

"Happy?" asked Sora, a bit unbelievingly. He shrugged, then put on a smile, about as dopey as Goofy's. It was a bit strained, but it helped Sora relax nonetheless.

"That's one funny face!" laughed Goofy.

Sora laughed too, "Okay, why not? I'll go with you guys."

"Donald Duck," introduced Donald, putting a hand (erm...wing?) forward.

"Name's Goofy," said Goofy, placing a hand (erm...paw?) on top of Donald's.

"I'm Sora," introduced Sora, adding his hand into the mix.

"All for one and one for all!" cheered Goofy.

Crossroads........

Verity was slipping in and out of consciousness. She was aware she was laying down and that people were talking, but beyond that everything was fuzzy.

"I know you were holding back, but you still might have been a bit too hard," came Sylvia's voice, sounding distant.

"I'll show you too hard!" snapped Sadia, who had tightened her grip on her spear.

"Ugh...." Verity groaned, a dull throb pulsing in her gut where Sadia's bear claw dagger had pierced.

"She's waking up! Finally!" exclaimed Sylvia. "Are you okay?"

"I...ugh...my head," moaned Verity. A drain in her magic energy turned into headaches, something she just learned.

She sat up slowly and let her eyes adjust to the lamplight. The walls were wooden with several shelves lined with books, jars, spices, or in one case, knives. A few handmade chairs sat around a hand made table in the center of the room, which Sylvia was sitting on. The far wall was brick, making Verity think that that was the chimney. Sadia was leaning on it, her weight supported on one leg, arms crossed, and a scowl directed at Verity and Sylvia. Saskia was in the room as well, sitting in the darkest corner as if she was trying to make herself a part of it.

Sadia snorted, "You attract shadows almost as well as Sylvia does."

"Oh, lay off for once in your life!" Sylvia exclaimed. Then she muttered something in Spanish and turned back to Verity. "Sadia does have a point, they'll keep attacking you because you hold the Divining Wand. But it your heart they are really after, because there is something inside of it that drew the Divining Wand to you."

"My heart?" asked Verity. "But...my heart is just an organ that pumps blood. I mean, I know its important and all, but its still just flesh."

"Great..." sighed Sylvia. "I don't have the patience for this. Why does Sasha have to be busy now?"

"Ummm...." stammered Verity, not sure how to answer her.

Sylvia sighed, "Okay, you like to think logically and scientifically...I can handle this. Okay, we both know that physically, the heart is just a pump. We know that it is the brain that controls everything, and triggers hormones and chemicals in the body which are physical manifestations of are emotions, right?"

"Right," agreed Verity.

"People are more than bags of flesh, blood, and bones," Sylvia continued. "The core, what people call the heart, of a person is more than the body. Its closer related to the soul than anything else. It is everything we are...our essence, in a way of speaking, but that's a very poor way of wording it...Dang! There's just no words for it in English..."

"Souls?" asked Verity. "Modern psychology teaches that there are no souls, that people are determined by their upbringing and circumstances."

"Interesting... 'psyche' is Greek for soul, and 'ology' is Greek for the study of. Interesting that the study of the soul teaches there is no soul," countered Sylvia.

"Well...um...good point," said Verity, turning the facts over in her mind. "I never did completely believe that one anyways."

"Don't give Sly that satisfaction of having someone admit she's right!" snapped Sadia, once again glaring at the two of them. "It will only fuel her oversized ego, and that's the last thing we need!" Sylvia responded to the glares with a pseudo-serene smile.

"You attacked me!" exclaimed Verity, jumping backwards and reaching around for the Divining Wand.

"Huff! As if I'd actually waste my energy on a weakling like you again," retorted Sadia.

"You tried to kill me!" exclaimed Verity.

"Actually, she didn't," said Sylvia. Verity looked at her like she was crazy. "If she wanted to kill you, you would be dead now, no doubt." Verity's eyes went wide. "Relax, the same could be said about any of us. But we don't want you dead."

"You are all insane then!" exclaimed Verity.

"We've known that for a while," replied Sylvia, in a perfectly calm tone. "Thank you for stating the obvious."

Verity gaped at her, in disbelief. She liked having control over a situation by knowing about it. This was slipping from her grasp too fast for her to even be remotely comfortable. None of the facts added up with the logic and science she had always known. Then there were these girls, who were unlike anyone she had ever known. Their very presence made Verity uneasy.

Verity sighed and spoke, although she intended to keep her comment quiet. "Why?"

"Sadia only attacked you to get the Divining Wand away from you," explained Sylvia, setting it on the table.

"Give it back," said Verity with wide eyes. Her tone wasn't demanding, because she knew that that would probably only agitate Sadia further.

"We wouldn't dream of keeping that thing," spat Sadia. "Some weapon..." She tightened her grip on her spear.

"It was the only way to get the creatures away from you," Sylvia said. "They were tracing its energy right back to you...But I don't think this little trick will work for long."

Sadia was muttering, "Of all weaklings in the world....How can you handle the tasks of the wand-holder?"

"You can't do everything Huntress," said Sylvia. "The wand chose her to do certain tasks. Likewise we have certain tasks which we must do." Sadia didn't respond.

"It chose me?" asked Verity. "But how? It's an inanimate object, it can't think!"

Sylvia turned and tossed the Divining Wand to Saskia. The quiet girl caught it, though she was a bit surprised. But as soon as her grip was secure, the Divining Wand turned to smoke and reformed in Verity's hand.

"Need any more proof?" asked Sylvia as Verity stood gaping at it.

"Erm...um....I...How come it didn't do that when you were holding it?" she asked.

"Magic is funny around me," answered Sylvia.

"Magic?!" gasped Verity.

"What else did you think was going on?" asked Sadia, sarcastically and giving Verity the "what-an-idiot" look. Verity felt this as a direct attack on her pride.

"It's not that bad," said Sylvia. "Just think of it as physics of an— "

"...another dimension," finished Verity. "That's what Scott said!"

Sylvia smiled. "The book you carry is an excellent resource."

Verity's eyes darted around until she spotted Our Other Worlds at the head of the bed she had been lying on. "You read it?"

"No, we have our own ways to get information," answered Sylvia. "And don't ask, because we can't tell you more."

"This still isn't making much sense," sighed Verity.

"Deal with it!" retorted Sadia. She and Sylvia exchanged vicious looks.

In the next room, Sonya and Sasha were sitting around a table with Kermit and Gonzo. Rizzo was in the corner, chowing down on an apple. He couldn't complain when his mouth was full of food, that the girls quickly learned. The room was set up very similarly to the room the rest of the group was in, except it was a mirror image.

"You guys have come here from another world seeking the truth-seeker?" Sonya confirmed what they had just been talking about.

"Yes," agreed Kermit. "Lady Piggy sent us to find him and stay with him to help keep the worlds from disappearing."

"Well, at least someone finally knows about other worlds," said Sasha. She gave the Muppets a once over. "Even if they aren't the most normal..."

Sonya interrupted her, "Yeah, you're one to talk Wolf."

"Save it, Blondie," sighed Sasha. Kermit and Gonzo looked at Sonya, a bit puzzled. Her hair was completely black, so "Blondie" didn't seem to fit.

"Well, people aren't supposed to know about other worlds," Kermit pointed- out.

"True," agreed Sonya. "But that's only because people didn't know other worlds existed."

Sasha picked up her train of thought, but with her own twist, "People can be so narrow sighted sometimes...But I guess they do have an excuse this time. The worlds were never connected."

"We can thank the Heartless for changing that," said Sonya, the two falling into twin-speak. They would have been doing triplet-speak if Sylvia was in the room with them.

"You mean those shadows that are destroying the worlds?" asked Gonzo. The girls nodded.

"Heartless?" repeated Verity in disbelief. "That....That's impossible. They can't live without a heart. A body cannot function, and therefore..."

"We aren't talking about the heart organ," sighed Sylvia, who looked like she was getting a bit of a headache. She didn't care for working with people, and she detested explaining things, considering she had spent her entire life doing just the opposite.

"Creatures of darkness, created from the abyss within everyone...the space in their core of being where there is absolute nothingness," said Sadia, a bit like she was talking to herself.

"There is darkness in everyone, as there is light," added Sylvia. "The darkness attracts them, but the light disgusts them."

"I'm sure you know exactly what that's like," retorted Sadia, returning to glaring at Sylvia.

Verity paused a moment for all of this to process. This line of thinking was completely new to her, and thus it required her to give up many of her old, comfortable theories. It was beginning to make a little sense, but it was so complicated that Verity knew it would take more time for her to process it all fully. But she also felt that she was missing many clues. Her eyes darted to Our Other Worlds.

"Is...Where can I find out more?" asked Verity.

"Ansem," said Saskia, surprising Verity by speaking up.

"Ansem?" asked the green-haired girl.

"He studied the Heartless extensively and recorded his findings in a very detailed account," explained Sylvia.

"Where can I find it?" asked Verity, eagerly. Her love of knowledge was once again surfacing.

Sadia half laughed. "You can't."

"What do you mean?"

"The report was destroyed and scattered as far as it could be scattered," explained Sylvia.

"I wonder..." said Kermit. "Could he have found the truth in those reports?"

"He might have," admitted Sonya.

"Or part of it. Truth can be overwhelming," added Sasha. "Especially for a closed mind."

"We should find those missing pages!" Kermit exclaimed.

"What about the truth-seeker?" asked Gonzo.

"I'd bet munny that the truth-seeker will search for the report too," said Sasha.

"You'd bet? Now you are starting to sound like Sylvia," chuckled Sonya.

"That's two things for us to find, the report and the truth-seeker," said Kermit.

"Cool! I wonder what weird places we'll end up in," said Gonzo, a bit dreamily.

"Focus, we came here to find him first," scolded the frog.

"The truth-seeker who carries a torch to light your paths, right?" asked Sasha.

"Right!" exclaimed Gonzo.

"How did you know?" asked Kermit.

The girls replied with smiles.

"...To light paths?" asked Verity, staring at the Divining Wand, wondering how something so small and plain could be so important. "It fits," said Sylvia. "You want truth, and the Divining Wand will help you do it."

Sadia chuckled, and it was unnerving. "Yeah, so you had better learn to fight, weakling. Because the Heartless won't leave you alone as long as you carry that. They love darkness and will never let you spread light."

"But...but...but," stammered Verity. "I never asked for this!"

"Tough luck," retorted Sadia. Then she smiled evilly. "We could save you the trouble and kill you now..."

Sylvia rolled her eyes as Verity gaped in horror. "Huntress, you've proven you're bad and tough and all that. You can quit posturing now." Sadia sneered at her.

"Ignore her," suggested Sylvia to Verity. "It's all just an act."

"Act?" retorted Sadia. "I'll show you an act!" She raised her spear.

"Even you aren't insane enough to attack me in the middle of the night," said Sylvia, calmly.

"Then you wait until noon!" snapped Sadia.

"Sure, its your head your risking by breaking the Rules, not mine," Sylvia answered calmly. Sadia growled.

"I feel like I'm missing something," sighed Verity.

"Don't ask," replied Sylvia in a very final tone.

"Then...what happened to my home, my friends, my mom?" asked Verity, a bit wary of the answer.

"Don't ask," Sadia and Sylvia answered her at the same time.

Verity felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped a bit. Somehow Saskia had circled behind her, unnoticed.

"Are you ready?" asked Saskia. Her haunted black eyes focused on Verity's ever curious brown ones. Verity felt her breath get caught in her throat.

"Y-yes," agreed Verity. She surprised herself by telling the truth.

The lighting in the room suddenly got dim for a moment. But it returned to normal fairly quickly. Verity turned around so she was facing the table. There, standing on it, was a Heartless like the ones that had been tormenting her. But this one was wearing a blue jumper with red gloves that made its claws seem more wicked. It wore a cone-shaped hat to protect its head.

"Get the others!" Sylvia said to Saskia. But when Verity glanced over her shoulder, the quiet girl was already gone.

FWAP! Verity jerked around again. Sadia's spear was embedded in the table, the Heartless returning to the shadows from which it came.

"There will be others!" Sadia snapped. She raced forward, pulled her spear out of the wood, and raced to the window. She jumped out of it and landed like a cat in the streets, ready to live up to her nickname.

"Come on Ver," said Sylvia. She was at the door, a dagger in each hand, ready to join the fight.

Verity nodded, shaking off her stunned feeling. She tightened her grip on the Divining Wand and ran for the door. She paused only once to reclaim Our Other Worlds then left too.

"They're here," Saskia told Sonya and Sasha in the next room.

"What?!" the sister gasped.

"How did you get here?" asked Gonzo. He glanced at the door, never hearing it open.

"Come on," urged Sonya. She was at the door in an instant, Sasha right behind her. Kermit and Gonzo exchanged a look, then followed them. Saskia was the next to exit the room.

Rizzo was still up to his rat eyes in apples. He finished one and looked around. "Where did everyone go? Hey! How dare you leave me alone!" He then scampered out of the room.

"Split up!" Sylvia exclaimed when she arrived into the street with Verity. "You're going to have to take care of the leader!"

"O-okay," agreed Verity. Sylvia then raced off and was gone in an instant.

Verity did a slow circle in the middle of the street, deciding what direction to go. The girls had already ran off, leaving Verity on her own to figure things out again. She decided to head back to the poor section of town, so she headed for the street she had taken before.

There symmetry made it easy for Verity to see quite a ways down them. But she didn't have too much time to look at the distance, because the Heartless were once again after her. She groaned as she saw the shadows mutating out of the corner of her eyes.

"Great..." she muttered. Then she stopped running and planted her feet firmly in the cobblestone. "Running will not solve this problem."

The Heartless approached her. These were soldiers too, wearing armor identical to the one that had appeared in the upper room. Verity did not move as they closed in. Then, in one sudden motion, she raised the Divining Wand straight in front of her. The Heartless all eyed it with their beady yellow eyes. Then they charged.

Verity aimed into the middle of the group and let lose the power of the Divining Wand. Two Heartless were vaporized before they got close to her. That still left five more than able to attack. Verity twisted the wand to the side and threw one off before it got close enough to use its claws on her. But the others all slashed at her.

Verity gasped in pain and jerked back, twisting, trying to get free of them. Somehow, she managed to get outside of the circle that they had formed around her. She raised the wand again, and once more summoned its inner strength. But she was getting tired, and the light waned a little. It only managed to destroy one Heartless.

The rest came in for another attack. They were relentless. Verity could feel blood trickling down her arms. It made it hard to hold the Divining Wand still. And when she was hurt, it was harder to pull out the strength of her weapon.

"Heart, soul, or no, I can't let these abominations win!" she gritted her teeth, trying to block out the pain.

The remaining four Heartless reformed their battle strategy and charged again like a Swiss army knife. Verity bit her lip and once more raised the Divining Wand. The Heartless soldiers momentarily paused their attack, wary of the Divining Wand. But that was only a moment. They split into two groups of two. Two Heartless charged Verity from the left, the other two from the right.

Verity did not hesitate, but selected the group approaching from her right and aimed her wand at them. Light once more illuminated the dark streets of Crossroads. Her two targets were gone when the light faded.

That was still only half of the remaining force. Four clawed hands tore into Verity's side once more. She groaned as one raked across her stomach, which was still sore from Sadia's attack there. Verity fell to one knee, tears forming in her eyes. But she bit her lip with resolve, glaring at the Heartless through lowered eyebrows.

The Heartless saw her kneeling as a sign of weakness. They charged in for an attack without a second thought. This was what Verity was waiting for. Her weapon was raised when they were a yard from her, when it was too late for them to stop even if they wanted too. Verity blew them apart at Point Blank range.

The street again fell silent, save for Verity's hard breathing. Using the Divining Wand took strength in a way she couldn't describe. It wasn't physical, and it wasn't mental. It came from somewhere inside of her, some part of her she didn't know existed. Verity wondered if this was what Sylvia meant by heart.

Verity knew she didn't have much time to waste. She pulled out the Hi- Potion Scott had given her as a joke. Ironically, he didn't know how serious things would be getting when he handed it to her. She drank it down and felt her energy returning. Her breathing slowed, too.

"Scott," she sighed. "I hope someone's taking good care of you too. You and Meg both." She pushed herself up and continued down the street at a fast pace. She came to a four-way intersection and paused, considering which way to turn.

Kermit and Gonzo had taken to the streets too. Kermit seemed very nervous. He kept looking over his shoulder for an enemy. Gonzo, however, hardly seemed to care. He was busy exploring the unusual corners of the new world. He wove from place to place very quickly, making it hard for Kermit to keep up.

"Gonzo, we must focus!" scolded Kermit. "We have things to do!"

"I know, and I'm doing them!" replied Gonzo as he peered into a barrel. "The truth-seeker might be hiding in here....OW!!!"

He jerked backwards, red welts on the tip of his nose. A Heartless soldier jumped out of the barrel, claws bared.

"That must be one of those Heartless!" exclaimed Kermit.

"Really?" asked Gonzo. "Cool!" He examined the Heartless with bright eyes.

"Um...Gonzo," called Kermit, alerting the blue Muppet to the fact that they were surrounded.

"Oh..." murmured Gonzo, a bit of the danger actually dawning on him. "Well, if they want to play, we can play." He raised his shield.

"I think a tactical retreat is the best course of action," said Kermit, holding a short sword in a feeble battle position.

"Why would we want to do that?" asked Gonzo. The Heartless charged, claws tearing into them.

The Heartless had numbers on their side. After a few moments, both Kermit and Gonzo were in full retreat.

CRASH! They rounded a corner and collided with someone who had been standing in the intersection. The three fell to a heap on the cobblestones. Verity groaned, wondering what had hit her.

The Heartless weren't too far behind Kermit and Gonzo. However, when they got close to the dog pile, they stopped. That was because the Divining Wand had begun to pulse as they got close. They kept their distance, eyeing the weapon warily.

Kermit and Gonzo leapt to their feet, but their attention was not on the Heartless soldiers. "The torch of truth!"

"Ugh..." groaned Verity.

THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD! The intersection sealed itself with high concrete walls across the streets. The trio was trapped with the small platoon of Heartless soldiers. They could have handle them fairly easily, however, if it wasn't for what happened next.

With another earth-shaking THUD a mechanical Heartless landed in the middle of the street, cracking the cobblestones. It was dark violet with a conical body. A spiky steel ball was its head. Wicked claws and large feet were disconnected from its body, but still hovered close. A black heart symbol with a red X was in the middle of the torso. The Heartless soldiers gathered around it.

"Oh my!" gasped Verity.

"Oh no!" exclaimed Kermit.

"Cool!" cried Gonzo.

Verity looked around, sizing up the situation, trying to come up with a strategy. "Looks like the only way out is to fight." She turned to the Muppets. "Can we do that?"

"Of course," agreed Gonzo, shield ready.

"We will fight, for the truth-seeker," said Kermit. He turned to Verity. "Because he...wait! You're not a he!"

"Thanks for noticing," muttered Verity.

"The truth-seeker is a girl?" asked Gonzo. "Cool!"

THUD! Guard Armor started to approach them.

"We have to deal with this thing first," stated Verity, raising the Divining Wand.

"Right!" they agreed.

"No matter how much darkness there is, it cannot extinguish a single candle," Verity murmured to herself. The tip of the Divining Wand began to pulse in response.

A bright beam of light shot from her wand to the center of Guard Armor. It stopped in its tracks. But as Verity eased off, the enemy was still standing, still in complete working order. She knew this Heartless would be harder to beat, but she could tell she underestimated it already.

"Let's go!" ordered Kermit. Gonzo nodded and they both charged Guard Armor. Kermit's sword made pinging noises each time it hit the mechanical Heartless, and Gonzo kept the limbs off of his friend's back with his shield.

"If I get closer, my attacks will be more powerful," thought Verity. With resolve, she pushed closer to Guard Armor, blasting two smaller Heartless that got in her way.

She ducked under the right arm and pointed her Divining Wand up at the torso before releasing its power once again. The flashback consumed everything within a ten-foot diameter. Verity shielded her eyes, but felt no damage from her weapon. After all, the Divining Wand would not hurt its bearer.

As the light once again faded, Verity looked up at her enemy, which was still standing and more than capable of fighting. WHAM! It caught her by surprise. Its left arm hit her directly in the stomach and caused her to tumble over the pavement rather painfully. She was glad at that moment she didn't have much fashion sense, because her solid jeans and long shirt saved her from skinned knees and elbows. She started to stand again, but a Heartless jumped onto her back and sunk its claws in deep. Verity cried out in pain and surprise.

FWISH! She heard something buzz over her head and the pain diminished. She looked up into Kermit's eyes. He had cut the Heartless right off of her back. She smiled her thanks and stood, ready to fight again. She wasn't too happy about having to fight in the first place, but she had enough sense to know there was no other way.

"Let's go, truth-seeker," said Kermit, mirroring her thoughts. He might have been cautious, but he also knew this was the time for action.

"Okay," agreed Verity. At the same instant they both charged forward, weapons raised. The tip of the Divining Wand pulsed as Verity got closer, as she summoned her courage and inner strength, her magic powers. They both attacked at the same instance, too. Kermit began to hack at the left foot while Verity aimed her powerful beam at the left arm.

"Look out!" Gonzo warned, but it was too late, Guard Armor had begun its counter attack. It held both of its arms out and began to spin around very quickly, like a top. This was rather easy for it to do, considering its feet weren't connected. The arms nailed Verity directly as they twirled. She was once again knocked across the pavement. Kermit was low enough that he avoided them, but he quickly distanced himself from Guard Armor for his own safety.

"There has to be a way," said Verity. "I just need to think this through and find a weakness." She stood, a bit slower this time, and sized up Guard Armor, analyzing it with her eyes. "If we all focus on one section, we should be able to disable it and slow it down."

"Right!" the Muppets agreed.

"Lets go for that arm," said Verity as she pointed with the wand. Her comrades nodded and prepared for an attack. Kermit and Verity lead the charge, with Gonzo behind, holding off the other three limbs.

Kermit cut the Guard Armor right across the palm, but it backhanded him into one of the walls that had formed right before the fight broke out. The feet were pushing Gonzo back. Verity knew it was now or never. She took a deep breath and let lose with the Divining Wand. The left arm exploded, showering her with parts and oil. Verity could feel her arm start to shake from weakness after the last blast. It had drained her significantly. She hurried away from the enemy so she could recover. As she did so she saw Kermit cut down the remaining smaller Heartless.

Without warning, the feet separated from the body and began to stamp around the field, trying to crush them. Verity gasped in surprise. That was way too weird for her. However, that was right up one of her new friend's alley.

"Did you see that?!" laughed Gonzo, just out of range of the stomping feet. "This is so cool!" What he didn't realize is that the legs were backing him into a corner.

That dawned on him when his back hit the wall. The feet came closer, ready to crush him.

"Leave him alone!" yelled Verity, raising her weapon without a second thought. The burst of light that came from it this time was one of the strongest she had created. There were two explosions, but none one could see them because they were busy shielding their eyes. When the light faded, the legs were gone. Nothing remained of them but smoldering gears and busted springs.

"We almost have this won!" exclaimed Kermit. Verity nodded, breathing hard. To her, it was like she had just finished a long race, except this time, the race wasn't over yet.

Kermit and Gonzo were doing a bit better. They went in, tag team. Kermit jumped up, slicing at the remaining arm from top to bottom. The fact that he was a frog gave him great advantage when it came to jumping to attack the enemy. Gonzo blocked the arm from swing. It hit his shield with a dull thud. Kermit then slashed at it again, and it split in two, sending parts rolling in the streets. All that left was the torso, hovering in midair.

Verity stood boldly, planting her feet firmly in the ground. She bit her lip to ignore her fatigue and pain and raised the Divining Wand. The tip began to pulse in beat with her own heart. Her eyes were serious. She was determined, but unlike her clubs counterpart, she was determined from responsibility, not the love to fight and win. The Divining Wand went off like a bolt of lightning, obliterating what remained of the Guard Armor. From the rubble a crystalline heart, like what Verity had seen before, floated up and disappeared.

Scattered parts lined the streets. The walls fell away as if they had never been there in the first place. Gonzo was digging through them, ever curious. He pulled out a still salvageable part, the Knowledge Crest, and examined it with big eyes. Kermit seemed a bit stunned from the battle. Verity slid to her knees, exhausted.

"Are you okay truth-seeker?" asked Kermit.

"Just winded," she answered.

"You'll get better as you learn to properly channel your magic abilities," said Sonya, walking up with Sylvia and Sasha. Saskia was in her favorite place, the darkest corner. Sadia sat on the edge of a roof, looking down at them.

"I must say, I am impressed," added Sasha. "I couldn't have done better myself."

"Don't lie sis," scolded Sylvia.

"Hey guys! Guess what!" exclaimed Gonzo, running over to them. "We found the truth-seeker!"

"Congratulations," said Sonya with false exuberance. Her older sisters were openly rolling their eyes.

"Why is everyone looking for me?" asked Verity, standing.

"Because you will find the truth," answered Sylvia. "And right now, that is like a lot of things..."

"...lost in shadows," finished Sasha, sinking into triplet-speak.

"My lady," said Kermit. "Will you please join us in finding the truth?"

Verity seemed a bit surprised. "I just wanted to find my friends."

"Like you're going to fool us by saying you don't want answers," said Sonya.

"Well..." Verity conceded.

"Join them," said the triplets in unison.

"We'll help you find your friends too," said Gonzo.

"Yes," agreed Kermit. "There is no telling where the search for the truth will lead us."

"And you can see all the weird stuff that's out there with our ship!" chimed Gonzo.

"O-okay," agreed Verity. "I'll come."

"Yes!" cheered Gonzo. "You'll love the Pipsy Ship, truth-seeker."

"My name is Verity," said Verity.

"Gonzo the Great!" exclaimed Gonzo.

"And I'm Kermit," introduced Kermit. "It's a pleasure to meet you." He shook Verity's hand, and Gonzo placed his in too, making it a three-way handshake. Verity smiled. They were weird, but they seemed genuine.

"Remember, the truth can be overwhelming," cautioned Sasha.

Midridge.........

"It's time to wake up," a voice was telling Lee. His head throbbed more as he started to regain consciousness. His arm was sore from holding the Guide Shield in place so long. He was sore in general, all over, from fighting so much. But the voice was comforting. It reminded him of Adeola.

"Huh?" groaned Lee. He opened his eyes a bit, enough to see a blurry outline of Adeola standing in front of him.

"It's time to wake up," Adeola was telling him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm better now," Lee said, smiling slightly. More of the surroundings came into focus, and he was aware of a well-built guy standing behind Adeola. Lee smiled even more, both of his friends were here. "I'm glad you're okay, Adeola. It feels good to be back with you and Devan. You won't believe what..."

"Who's Adeola?" asked the lady. Lee blinked, clearing his vision. The lady in front of him came into focus. She wore and elegant white robe with beaded jewelry. Here hair was pale white, not at all like Adeola's messy brown. She was also considerably older than his crush, although she did not look old. It was more of the way she carried herself. The man behind her also was not at all like Devan at Lee's second look. His hair was short, but not as short as his best friend's. The man had dark hair and wore a doctor's lab coat over a plain black shirt and slacks.

"He might have a concussion or something, let me see," said the doctor, walking over.

"I'm fine, really," said Lee, sitting up.

"You were attacked, I'd hardly call that fine," said the doctor.

"They want your heart," said the third person in the room. He looked a lot like the doctor, except his eyes were two completely different colors. He wore black leather and had an unmistakable aura about him. "That's because your heart drew the Guide Shield to it."

"My shield?" asked Lee, placing his right hand over his left, only to realize the Guide Shield was not strapped to it. "Where is it?!"

"We had to take it from you to get rid of those creatures and keep them from attacking you," said the lady, pointing to the Guide Shield which was sitting on the table behind the bench Lee had been laying on. Bookshelves lined the wall closest to the table. On the far wall was a long table line with various tools, most of them medical. Two large windows were on the remaining wall, with a trunk in between them.

"It's not the shadows I was worried about, it's that Robin Hood impersonator," muttered Lee.

"Are you sure you don't want me to check for a concussion?" asked the doctor.

"Trust me, Shuichiro, that won't be necessary," said the lady.

"I trust you, Hisui," said Dr. Shuichiro. "I'll go check on our other patient." He selected a few medical tools off of the table and left.

"Hard to believe that this thing is the only way to find the paths," sighed the other man, looking at the Guide Shield. He picked it up only to have it vanish out of his hands and reform on Lee's arm.

"Woah!" exclaimed Lee.

"It chose you, so you have quite the job to do," he said.

"Kokuyo," scolded Hisui, lightly.

"This thing can find paths?" asked Lee, a bit lost. "Can it help me find my friends too?"

"That's not its purpose," said Kokuyo. "The stakes are far higher than you realize."

"And I want to know if my friends are okay!" snapped Lee.

"There's no need to raise voices," said Hisui, calmly. There was something about her tone that made it almost impossible to disobey.

"Then will you please tell me what is going on?" asked Lee with an exasperated sigh.

"You seem no worse for wear," Dr. Shuichiro said the Link, who was sitting impatiently in the next room. He was ready for action and did not like being delayed here.

Link was sitting on a canopy bed on the wall farthest from the door. At the foot of the bed was a large trunk. A chest of drawers was on the wall by the head of the bed. In the middle of the room was a table. A chibi girl was sitting on it. She had blonde hair and wore a simple white robe. Her earrings were elaborate, though. Two tiny wings were pointing out of her back. A chibi boy sat on the light fixture, flickering thunder at the girl when she wasn't paying attention. He had red eyes and black hair. He wore black silk and had two tiny crow wings. Two black and white cats lounged under the table.

"Can I go now?" asked Link. "I have to find the pathfinder and save Zelda."

"You'll find it's worth your time to stay a bit longer," said Dr. Shuichiro.

"OW!" cried the girl. "KORYU!"

"Hahahaha!" laughed the boy. "Poor little Kohaku, poor little angel."

Shuichiro rolled his eyes and plucked Koryu out of the light fixture. "You're one to talk about being little."

"Just wait until the moon rises!" protested Koryu. Kohaku would only be full height under the sun, and Koryu under the moon. They were both chibis because it happened to be the time of day right after the sun set but right before the moon rose.

"Apparently these other worlds follow their own rules," said Link, sizing up the other three in the room.

"That's why you should stay a bit longer," said Shuichiro.

"No one is supposed to know about other worlds," Kohaku pointed out.

"No duh!" exclaimed Koryu, struggling out of Shuichiro's hands and landing on the table.

"Lay off!" sniffed Kohaku.

"No one knew about them because they were never connected," said Link, in a tone reserved for talking to children. Of course, that seemed to fit given their appearances.

"Then the stupid Heartless had to come and ruin that," muttered Koryu.

"Is that what those creatures are called?" asked Lee.

"Yes," said Hisui. Lee found himself looking away every time she looked at him. She was almost too much for him to take in.

"They are worse than demons," said Kokuyo. "Because they have no hearts. Even us demons have hearts."

"I know that love," said Hisui, placing a hand on his knee.

"Demon?!" gasped Lee, looking over Kokuyo stunned. Kokuyo nodded.

"Don't worry, he's on a diet," said Hisui.

"Too bad those Heartless aren't," said Kokuyo. "They'll eat the darkness right out of someone's heart. And there is darkness in every heart."

"But there is also light," reminded Hisui, looking into his eyes.

"You're my light love," he said, leaning over to kiss her.

"Do you two want me to leave you alone?" asked Lee, looking a bit uncomfortable.

"Sorry," apologized Hisui.

"Thanks for the help," said Lee. "But I need to find my friends before something happens to them." He rose and started walking towards the door.

"Does the name Ansem ring a bell?" asked Kokuyo, stopping Lee as he put his hand on the doorknob.

"Ansem?" asked Link, thoughtfully. "It sounds familiar."

"His report on the Heartless could be very useful to you. It is very detailed, probably the most complete thing out there about the Heartless," said Shuichiro.

"Yeah, too bad its scraps now," said Koryu.

"What?!" demanded Link.

"It got shredded," said Koryu. "And now it's all over the worlds."

"Who did that?!" demanded Link.

"We don't know," sighed Kohaku, who then jumped as Koryu zapped her. That earned him a death glare from the doctor.

"Well, I'm not going searching for papers, I have to find Zelda!" exclaimed Link.

"You're also looking for the pathfinder, right?" asked Kohaku.

"I'm a pathfinder?" asked Lee. "But what paths am I supposed to find? And how will that get me to my friends?"

"First, you're the pathfinder," said Kokuyo. "And that paths you are supposed to find are the paths between the worlds."

"Between the worlds?" asked Lee.

"Correct," agreed Hisui.

"And my friends?"

"You're starting to sound like a broken record," said Kokuyo.

"Well, I'm worried about them!"

"You need to be worried about yourself. Your friends won't have something like the Guide Shield drawing the Heartless to them left and right."

Lee looked at the shield that was strapped to his arm. "I'd rather have my friends than this thing."

"It chose you, so your stuck with it," said Kokuyo.

"Don't be so harsh," said Hisui.

"It's true, and being blunt about it is the fastest way to deal with things."

Lee slowly released his breath. "So, what do I do?"

"You have to be ready to fight, for your life even," said Kokuyo.

"Okay," agreed Lee.

Dr. Shuichiro returned at that moment. "Our other patient has recovered too."

"Don't tell me you left Koryu alone with Kohaku," groaned Kokuyo.

"Don't worry, he's just a practical joker," said Hisui.

"And if he gets carried away...?" asked Kokuyo.

The lights in the room flickered for a moment. Movement caught Lee's attention out of the corner of his eye. A Heartless had appeared in the room. But this one was clothed, unlike the others. It had a hat like the Tinman and wore a blue jumper a black and red symbol on the front. It also wore boots, but they looked so much like its regular feet it was hard to tell they were even there. Red gloves were on the hands, which merged with the claws. It glared at those in the room with its beady yellow eyes.

"A Heartless?!" gasped Hisui.

Kokuyo was ready to protect her in an instant. To the doctor he said, "Go get the others!" Shuichiro was gone in an instant.

The room went entirely still has those in it eyed up the enemy, waiting for the first move to be made.

The Heartless soldier raised its claws and charged the couple. The remaining three all reacted within the same instance. Kokuyo and Hisui both cast a spell, one of darkness and one of wind. Lee jumped in front of them, holding the Guide Shield up. The Heartless was destroyed by the spells before it got close to the shield.

"Thanks," said Hisui.

"These attacks are too coordinate for Heartless," said Kokuyo with narrow eyes. "Something is controlling them, planning their actions. We need to find out what!" He was running to the door as he finished speaking.

"I agree," said Lee, on his heels.

"You're not leaving me behind!" exclaimed Hisui, following them.

"I don't want you to get hurt love," said Kokuyo.

"I've mastered all my spells, I'll be fine," she replied.

"Okay, but I still want you to stay with me," he then turned to Lee. "Take down the leader, then we can stop them all."

"Right!" agreed Lee. Kokuyo opened the door to the meandering streets and they both went two different ways down them.

Dr. Shuichiro threw open the door to the next room. He was not prepared for what he saw. Two Heartless soldiers had found their way into here as well. Link was standing on the bed in a battle stance. Koryu was chuckling, thunder sparking from his finder tips. Kohaku was scared. She fluttered over to the doctor and he held her close in his arms. Ruri and Hari, the cats under the table, were hissing.

The Heartless attacked what was closest to them. One went after Link, the other after Koryu. Link raised his sword and in a series of swift but simple moves he reduced it to ribbons.

Koryu released his thunder spell. The Heartless was sent to the ground, hard. Then, there was a vortex of wind that formed around Koryu. He shot up five feet. His wings lengthened and golden jewelry appeared on his outfit.

"Hahahaha!" he laughed. "Now who wants to fight me?" He flicked a finger at the remaining Heartless to prove his point. There was a strong bolt of thunder. Nothing was left of the Heartless but a black circle.

"Oh great," groaned Kohaku.

Under the table, Ruri and Hari also transformed to their human forms, since the moon had just rose. Too bad the table was a bit too small for them both to be under it at the same time when they were their full size. They both looked like identical Chinese girls with their hair tied in buns. One wore a red kimono, the other blue.

"Meow!" Hari screeched. "Get off my hair!"

"Yeow! My leg!" cried Ruri.

"I'm ready to kick butt!" laughed Koryu. He jumped out of the window and flew over the darkening streets.

"Out of my way!" Link said to Shuichiro as he ran out the door.

Kohaku shuddered in the doctor's arms. He held her closer to calm her down.

Hari and Ruri had worked their way out from under the table and to the window Koryu flew out of.

"What a hunk!" they exclaimed. "We love you Koryu!"

Lee was once again trying to figure his way through the labyrinth that was Midridge. The tangle of streets only confounded him more though. He had no idea where he was going to find a Heartless leader at, whatever that was. Hisui and Kokuyo had ran off long ago to fight the Heartless their own way. Lee turned the corner of a three-way intersection as the shadows started to contort around him.

"Not this again," he groaned, bracing himself behind the Guide Shield. Six Heartless rose out of the shadows on the ground, forming a complete circle around him. Lee's dark eyes darted from one to the other, waiting for them to move.

The four on his sides all moved in at once. Lee twisted to his left and managed to cause one to run passed him. He blocked two this his Guide Shield. But the remaining one dug deep into his unprotected arm. He gasped in pain. The Guide Shield responded, disintegrating the two Heartless that were struggling against it. Lee slid to one knee, pulled free of his one attacker.

The two Heartless that had remained away came in for their first attacks. Lee only saw one of them coming though. He blocked it with his shield. His eyes went wide as the second Heartless landed on his back, claws slashing. The one he had thrown off early joined the one on his back and he screamed in pain. He couldn't move to remove them, because he had his hands full holding the third Heartless at bay with the Guide Shield. One more Heartless watched from a few feet with eyes that flickered in the dark.

"Get off of me!" he yelled, the shield destroying the one in front of it.

Lee then did a basic move everyone learns in kindergarten. He started to roll, like he was putting out a fire. The Heartless on his back jumped off and distanced themselves before they were crushed by his body weight. He rose to his feet, hurt, and looked at the three remaining Heartless, waiting for them to make a move

Lee didn't have long to wait. As if on command, the three charged him. Lee planted his feet firmly and met the first one with his shield braced. Using the moment from its attack, he threw it to the side, causing it to collide with the second closest Heartless. They both tumbled over the pavement.

The last Heartless slashed across Lee's shins, causing him to wince and wobble for a second. But he countered by raised his shield high and slamming it into the Heartless, crushing it. The two he had thrown were up by this time. They charged at him from the right. Lee turned and faced them with the Guide Shield. It activated, blowing them to atoms.

Lee slumped over, bracing his hands against his knees, breathing hard. The claw wounds on his arm and back throbbed in rhythm with his heartbeat. He knew that if he was in another fight with the Heartless, with injuries like this, there was a good chance he would lose to them. He also knew he could never allow that to happen. Too much was at stake. He needed to find Devan and Adeola, which meant beating the Heartless.

"That's it!" he exclaimed. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his section of the first aid kit he had compiled with his friends. He drank the Potion, not caring at all about the taste. His wounds coagulated and began to close as if by magic. He also felt new energy, as if he had caught a second wind. He didn't know what was in Potions, but he knew they worked.

"Adeola, Devan," he said to the wind. "I promise, I will find you." With that he started down the streets again, following Kokuyo's advice while keeping his eyes open for any sign of his friends.

"Curse those Heartless," muttered Link. "Where can the cowards be hiding at?" He was jogging through Midridge, sword drawn, looking for a fight. He had officially crossed the line of being angry, and was looking for any way to vent. Half of the fury stemmed from his concern about Princess Zelda.

He rounded the corner and came to a dead halt as he recognized someone coming his way on the same street. That person stopped too. They both stared in surprise at each other for a moment. "You again?!" exclaimed Link.

"I don't have time, okay!" replied Lee, not wanting to have to fight with Link again.

SCREEK! SCREEK! Before Link could respond, two walls slid into place, one behind Link, one behind Lee. This trapped them within a small stretch of the street. There was alleyways to turn down, no doors to go through.

"What's going on now?!" gasped Lee, looking frantically around, Guide Shield ready.

"Not now...." groaned Link.

THUD! A set of violet and black robotic feet landed between the two of them. THUD! A torso landed on top of the feet, but did not fully connect to them. It hovered about a foot away from the limbs. The torso was violet too with black edges. A heart symbol with a red X through it was in the center. CLANK! Two violet and black arms appeared with wicked claws, taking their place beside the torso. These, like the legs, did not connect either. Instead, they merely floated close to the main body, as if there was some kind of magnetic field keeping them in place.

"Cursed Heartless!" exclaimed Link.

"I'd bet munny, if I had any, that this is the leader," said Lee, his dark eyes narrowing. He started to cautiously move in a slow circle, trying to get himself in a better battle position. Link, however, had no budge a muscle. He was wound like a spring, ready to attack at a pin drop. The street went dead still for a lengthy moment.

That was broken when Guard Armor took one step forward. Link lunged, sword raised. He yelled a battle cry as he jumped into the air, striking the entire left side of the boss. His sword shook in his hand on impact, but he was used to this. Link could tell from his attack that this Heartless would not go down easy.

Guard Armor begun its counter attack the moment Link stopped his initial attack. With a loud grinding noise the arms pulled free of the torso. The claws balled up into fists, which began to punch at Link like airborne steel missiles. He tried to dodge them and counter with his sword, but he was being double-teamed. The right fist hit him in the stomach, and he slid to the pavement. The left was coming in to do some major damage.

CLANG! The left fist was stopped by the Guide Shield. Lee was now standing between Link and the Guard Armor, defending both of them. The fists continued to attack. Lee was pushing against them with his shield, but he was also being pushed back as well. However, Guard Armor was not landing any hits.

"What do you think you're doing!?" demanded Link.

"I've got your back," said Lee. "It's going to take both of us to bring this thing down. We can work out our own problems after that." He grunted as he restrained the arms of the Heartless.

Link glared at the back of Lee's head for a moment, then rose to his feet, sword ready again. Then, he lunged forward, around Lee, who was struggling against both arms at the same time. Link leapt into the air, sword raised over his head with both hands. He swung it down, ready to slice at the fists in front of Lee. But has he went to attack, the arms withdrew back to their place by Guard Armor. Link's sword hit the pavement.

Lee and Link both turn their glares on Guard Armor, trying to find an opening or a weakness. But the Heartless was mechanical and unreadable. It swung one leg out to better face them, its weight shaking the ground beneath them.

"Leave this to me, your little shield can't fight something like this," said Link, a bit disdainfully. Lee ignored him.

Link charged Guard Armor again, ducking under the nearest arm to start attacking the middle section. He was using a basic figure 8 stroke, which caught the left arm on one side of the turn. The right arm was not hindered however. It swung around at an angle that would have been impossible had it been connected. The claws were ready to shred Link.

Lee jumped up in an instant, not even thinking through the dangers. His instincts to protect people had taken over. He met the right arm directly. When the limb connected with the Guide Shield. There was a burst of light much like an explosion. The arm was sent flying around Guard Armor where it stopped in the middle of the back, again an impossible position had the arm been connected.

"What was that?!" demanded Link, confused by the light. Lee didn't answer; he was too preoccupied.

Guard Armor started to walk forward. The two fighters had to leap backwards to keep from being crushed beneath the massive feet. The earth rumbled slightly and the street cracked beneath the weight of the Heartless. Link and Lee pulled back to a safer distance.

However, they did not back up far enough. Guard Armor extended its arms straight out. Then, like Verity had faced, the arms began to circle the body at dizzying speeds, spinning around like a blender. Both fighters were unprepared for an attack like this. They were both hit hard and sent flying through the air. Lee tumbled head over heels on the street several times, bruises forming. Link was lifted off of his feet and slammed into the side of a building. He slid to the ground, seeing double.

Slowly, groaning slightly, Link and Lee stood again and attempted to get into a battle pose. They were both hurting, but their hearts would not let them give in. They both knew the stakes were high, and they both had loved ones on the line. That thought only further fired their determination. Link fingered his boomerang, but he knew it would not affect Guard Armor. Lee tightened his grip on the Guide Shield, knowing he'd have to draw out its true strength to win.

Link was the first to start attacking again. He raced forward and when he was close to Guard Armor, he jumped into the air to start an aerial combo. Lee jumped into the fray right behind Link, truly meaning it when he said he'd have Link's back.

Link managed to get past the arms again and began striking the main body, hitting every limb that got close on his back swings. Lee had planted himself solidly in front of the Heartless. The arms swung around, trying to hit both of them. But Lee braced himself and met the right arm. It quickly became a physical power struggle. Lee was using all the strength in both his arms to try to force the right arm of Guard Armor back. At the same time, Guard Armor was trying to send him sprawling.

Lee turned his focus inward, towards the true strength of his own heart. The Guide Shield began to glow from the crystal embedded in the center. Lee's eyes narrowed with determination and the light flared. The right arm exploded, parts flying in every direction. Link was so surprised he stopped swinging his sword for a moment

"That's for Adeola!" exclaimed Lee. Then he turned his attention to the other limb, which Link had been fighting. The left arm was dented, but still functional.

The left arm swung at Link. Lee was in front of him in a flash, holding the arm at bay. The Guide Shield was still pulsing with power and the left arm began to weaken.

"And this is for Devan!" growled Lee, pushing with all of his strength.

Link slash at the arm from lower left to upper right. The second arm split in two, sending metal parts rolling. They both pulled back from the destruction, breathing heavily. They thought they would have a moment to catch a free breath of air before Guard Armor could do anything. They thought they had significantly disabled it. They were wrong.

Guard Armor kicked Lee hard in the abdomen. Lee was not ready, and the Guide Shield was not in position. Lee was sent sprawling across the pavement, looking at the night sky thus seeing stars in more than one sense. The Guide Shield had flared when Guard Armor connected, but since it was not in position, it was in vain.

"What the heck is that thing?!" gasped Link, looking at the Guide Shield in disbelief. As the Guide Shield temporarily illuminated the dark sky, Link followed the beam of light upward with his eyes. A faint serpentine line showed in the sky when the light of the Guide Shield touched it. It was like the path of a laser being traceable because of dust or fog. It only lasted a minute as the Guide Shield dimmed, but Link saw all he needed to know.

"A path?!" he gasped. He whirled around and stared at Lee, who was still half out of it. "You?! The pathfinder?!"

He did not get the answer he expected. Link had dropped his guard by watching the Guide Shield. Guard Armor kicked him directly in the small of his back, sending him painfully face down into the street, not too far from where Lee was. Now it was Link's turn to see stars.

They both laid on the pavement, too stunned to move, as the massive feet of Guard Armor came closer, ready to crush them. The ground quaked and Lee shook his head, trying to clear it, but it only made him dizzier. Link groaned and weakly tried to push himself up, but his own strength gave out and he fell back to the ground. Guard Armor was dangerously close, its shadow falling across the two fallen figures.

FLASH! CRACK! BOOM! The boxed in street was suddenly filled with light as a huge thunderbolt fell. It struck Guard Armor directly. The Heartless lit up like a light bulb. Lee and Link were brought to their senses by the intensity of the light. It was so bright they both shielded their eyes. The loud boom came from Guard Armor when what remained of it exploded, sending smoldering parts everywhere. One part hit Lee right in the stomach as he tried to sit up. He almost discarded it, but something told him not too. The part, the Loyal Soldier, looked like a medallion, so he pocketed it. Before the light faded, a crystalline heart floated up and away. But no one saw this.

Link jumped to his feet. He wobbled for a moment, but regained his battle stance. Lee also rose, looking around in confusion. At the same instance they both spotted a figure standing on one of the walls that had appeared. The walls slowly slid back into the ground, lowering the person to the ground. This gave Lee and Link time to look him over.

He was on the short side, a few inches smaller than Link, which Lee thought was odd, because Link was short by Lee's standards. He wore a black cloak complete with hood which rippled freely in the gentle wind. The hood was down, which allowed them to see the newcomer's face. He had sky blue eyes and blonde hair cut short right behind the ears. The cloak was open, so they could see that he wore bark brown leggings with a sea blue tunic. His arms were crossed, and nestled between them was a wand. It wasn't too hard to conclude that he was the one who cast the thunder spell. He was breathing hard, because he had put most of his magic abilities into that one attack.

"Who are you?" asked Lee.

Before the stranger could answer, Kokuyo and Hisui approached from the right. Dr. Shuichiro wasn't too far behind them, cradling chibi Kohaku in his arms.

"Oh my," said Hisui, surveying the damage.

"Well done pathfinder," commented Kokuyo, looking rather impressed.

"You. The pathfinder," said Link, skeptically, looking Lee over in a new light.

"And what if I am?" asked Lee.

"He has been looking for you," said Hisui.

"You have?!" exclaimed Lee. Now he was the one looking Link over.

Link looked a bit sullen. "I was looking for the one who can find the paths so I can save Zelda."

"Who's Zelda?" asked Lee. Link didn't answer. "Well, I'm looking for my friends too."

"You two should go together then," said Dr. Shuichiro.

"I don't know about that..." muttered Lee.

"Go with him," encouraged Hisui.

"And how are we going to go anywhere?" asked Lee.

"In his ship," said Kokuyo.

"The Foxstar is designed for the ocean, not for travel between the worlds," said Link.

"We remodeled it," giggled Hisui.

"What?" asked Link.

"We used the gummi pieces that fell when you arrived to make prepare it to carry you between the worlds," exclaimed Kokuyo.

"As well as add a little magic of our own," added Hisui. Link looked at them in disbelief.

"I'm willing to go if it will help me find my friends," said Lee.

Link was still a bit baffled, but he said, "For Zelda..."

"What do we have here?" asked Koryu, rather loudly. He had just arrived. He was still flying, circling over the stranger who had been watching from the shadows.

"I never thanked you for helping us," said Lee as he walked over. "Thanks. My name is Lee."

"Hello," he replied looking Lee deep into the eyes as is he was examining his soul.

"Yeah, and what are you doing here?!" demanded Koryu.

"I too have been seeking the pathfinder," he answered, simply.

"Why do you want me?" asked Lee.

"I want to help," he replied. "I must help. The Heartless destroyed my world, and I will do anything to stop them."

"It's going to be dangerous," said Link, walking over. "And I'd prefer not to have a whole entourage with me."

"Why is that?" asked the stranger.

"I work best alone," he answered.

"Come on, he can help us. He saved us once already," Lee said. "You know magic, right?"

"Correct."

Koryu was steaming, "You still haven't answered my question! Who the heck are you?!"

"My name is Elzad," the stranger answered.

"Well, Elzad, I'd like to have your help. And I'm sure... would too" started Lee. He paused when he realized he had no idea what the name was off his fighting companion.

"The name's Link," answered Link, a bit gruffly. By this time the others had walked over.

"You three will do fine together," encourage Hisui. "It will take your combined efforts to bring down the Heartless."

"Sure we can trust him?" asked Koryu, looking the new comer over.

Kohaku fluttered over to Elzad and looked him in the eyes. "I trust him."

"If Kohaku says you're okay, then I trust you too," added Dr. Shuichiro. Kokuyo nodded in agreement.

"You saved us, and that's proof enough for me," said Lee. He extended his hand. "I'd be honored if you'd help us."

"Thank you," replied Elzad, shaking his hand. "I won't let you down. I know how much the Heartless need to be stopped, and what they did to my world is unforgivable. I will do everything in my power to stop them."

"I agree. They're evil," said Lee. "I just hope my friends are okay. I'm not going to give up until they're far from the Heartless." He turned to Link. "I know we got off on the wrong foot, but I would like to fight by your side again." Lee then extended his hand to Link.

"The Heartless will be no more than a memory when I get them for harming Zelda," said Link. He exhaled sharply as he paused and looked at Lee's hand. "Okay pathfinder, let's stop these menaces." He shook Lee's hand.

Ani-Intersection.........

Crysta groaned slightly, already feeling the headache even though she was not fully awake.

"Are you okay?" a gentle voice asked. Crysta drifted closer to consciousness.

"I think so," she said, her blurry vision stopping on the speaker. The long hair gave her ID away.

"If your okay, then get up," said another speaker.

"Faye? Tamsin?" asked Crysta.

"Huh? My name is Aya," asked the first speaker. Crysta refocused on her. She wasn't Tamsin like she thought. This girl had long blond hair which she wore down, unlike Tamsin who always had her navy blue hair tied in a ponytail. This girl also didn't wear glasses. The second speaker was also a stranger, not Faye. The trench and sunglass were gone, but his dark hair was what gave him away. Crysta placed him the moment her vision full cleared. He was the one who had fought her in the middle of the street.

Crysta was lying on a couch in the middle of one wall. On either side was an end table with a kerosene lamp on it. On the wall closest to her feet was a squat bookcase beside a trunk. The far wall was completely blank, save two more kerosene lamps that hung from the ceiling. The remaining wall had two windows that overlooked the streets below with a chest between them. A round table with four chairs was in the middle of the room, place on top of a blue rug.

"What the heck do you want?!" demanded Crysta, looking at the guy. As she spoke she jumped to her feet. But her blood drained to her toes and she felt dizzy, so she had to sit back down.

"Calm down, Toya isn't going to hurt you," said the blonde.

"Sorry for the misunderstanding," he said. "But the only way we could get the Heartless away from you was to separate you from the Compass Razor." He pointed to her weapon, which was laying on the table in front of him.

"Heartless?" asked Crysta. "And I want my weapon back!"

"The Heartless are the creatures that have been attacking you," answered Toya.

"The shadow things?" asked Crysta.

"Right," confirmed Aya. "They want the Compass Razor, but most of all, they want your heart."

"My heart?" asked Crysta, placing a hand across her chest.

Aya nodded, "The Heartless are creatures of darkness, and they want the darkness that dwells in each heart. That is why they fear the Compass Razor, because it is a weapon of light. They want to destroy both it and you."

"Those creatures don't know who they're messing with then," said Crysta, crossing her arms defiantly, enjoying the thought of more fights.

Toya rolled his eyes. "You have no idea how dangerous they can be." He paused before he continued. "But I have a feeling you'll find out soon enough. It won't be long before they find you again."

"I'm ready for them!" replied Crysta.

Aya and Toya shared a look that said can-you-believe-this-girl?

"It's not going to be that easy, not by a long shot," replied Toya.

"I've made my choice, I won't be afraid," Crysta said.

"Easier said than done," said Aya.

"Especially considering you have no idea what you have to do, and what you will be up against," added Toya.

"Huff!" replied Crysta. "Now give my weapon back!" With that she stood up again, ready to move to the Compass Razor.

Toya shrugged and picked it up. It vanished from his hands and reappeared in Crysta's.

"Woah!" gasped Crysta.

"That weapon chose you for a reason, though I have no idea what that reason might be. You seem too rash for the destiny of the guide," said Toya.

"Destiny does not control me! I control myself!" snapped Crysta. She tucked the razor under her arm.

"Calm down then!" protested Aya. "We're on your side after all!"

"Fine, okay," conceded Crysta.

"You seem ready enough, I guess we had better hope all the pieces will fall into place regardless," said Toya.

"What pieces?" asked Crysta. "And what exactly is going on here?"

Mario and Luigi were sitting on a couch in the next room over. It was one of three couches in the room. They were arranged like a C. In the middle was a coffee table. Two bookshelves were in the far corners. Sitting on the other couches were the two people who had found them. The first was a lovely lady was her long black hair tied in a bun. She wore a pink kimono with a darker pink flower pattern. Next to her was a younger boy. He had dark hair too, which he held in place with a headband. He wore a black jacket that was open to reveal a plain white shirt.

"You came from another world, correct?" asked the lady.

"Right, but no one is supposed to know about other worlds," said Luigi.

"I don't see why not," muttered the boy, crossing his arms.

"That's because the worlds were never connected before, Yuhi," explained the lady.

"If you say so Suzumi," replied Yuhi.

"Do you mean they are connected now?" asked Mario.

"They have to be connected enough for the Heartless to get to them," said Suzumi.

"And now the Heartless are out to destroy the worlds," added Yuhi.

"We know," sighed Luigi. "They destroyed ours."

"And they kidnapped Princess Peach!" exclaimed Mario. "We need to save her and stop the Heartless!"

"I'm supposed to stop the Heartless?" asked Crysta, examining her weapon closer.

"Right," said Aya.

"That's why it's important that you do not let your heart fall to the darkness," added Toya.

"I can..." started Crysta.

"That's not easy," interrupted Aya. "Because darkness exists within each heart."

"I make my own choices," said Crysta. "And I will not let darkness conquer me."

"I know so little and yet you are willing to charge head on in," groaned Toya.

"If I could learn more I would, but this is a time for action."

"You might be interested in Ansem then," said Aya, thoughtfully.

"Who's Ansem?" asked Mario and Luigi at the same time.

"He studied the Heartless extensively and wrote a very detailed book about them," explained Suzumi.

"That might help us figure out where they took Peach!" exclaimed Mario.

"Where can we find it?" asked Luigi, eagerly.

"You can find a bit here, a bit there..." started Yuhi, but Suzumi poked him in the stomach and cut him off.

"What do you mean?" asked Mario.

"Ansem's report was destroyed," sighed Suzumi.

"Oh no," groaned the brothers.

"Whoever did it wanted to make sure that no one would ever be able to read it," continued Yuhi. "They scattered it all across the different worlds."

"I guess we have to focus on finding the guide then," sighed Mario.

"It would sure be easier if we had that report to help us," agreed Luigi. "I don't even know where we should start looking for the guide. Peach knew, and now we have to save her as well."

"Me? A guide?" asked Crysta. "I don't understand."

"You're the only guide," said Aya.

Toya sighed, "What do you see in the middle of the Compass Razor."

"A compass, obviously," replied Crysta.

"That makes you the guide."

"But where and what am I guiding? Where do I go?" asked Crysta.

"So you're finally asking questions, it's about time you want to know what you're up against," replied Toya. The white-haired girl gave him a glare and he shrugged. "The role of the guide ties to the legend of the origins of the worlds."

"Legend? Is it anything like the star guardian?" asked Crysta. The other two in the room gave her a blank look. "Never mind..."

"The problem is we don't know that entire legend," sighed Aya. "We think it might be in that report..."

"Well, I'm ready for whatever comes my way," stated Crysta.

"Even a fight for your life?" asked Toya.

Crysta smiled dangerously. "Sounds like fun."

Aya raised her eyes. "You are definitely going to need help to curb that attitude of yours."

Before Crysta could reply the flames in the kerosene lamps flickered low, as if a strong wind whipped through the room, only there was no wind. Crysta watched as the shadows merged on the table, something she had seen all too often. A Heartless rose from the flat surface. But much to Crysta's surprise, this one had been dressed. It wore a royal blue jumpsuit that faded into red around the claws. There was a symbol on the chest, a black heart with a red X though it. This Heartless also wore a cone-shaped helmet. It's beady yellow eyes sizing up everyone in the room.

"They've found us!" exclaimed Toya.

"We must stop them!" added Aya. But her voice sounded different. Crysta's eyes flickered over to the teenage girl. Her blonde hair was now completely black. She carried herself differently. It was almost like she was an adult, although she looked young. She seemed to reverberate with power. The transformation was hard to describe. It went beyond the physical realm.

"We need to warn the others," said Toya with gritted teeth. His stiletto was already in his hand.

"You can do that Toya. I'm dealing with these demons."

"Ceres?!" gasped Toya, his eyes flickering over to the girl.

"You need me," Ceres answered simply.

Crysta was holding her Compass Razor, ready to throw it. But she wasn't sure how accurately she could use it in the narrow room. So she stood poised, ready to react in an instant, but waiting to see what would happen.

She did not have long to wait. The Heartless leapt into the air, did a 180, jumped two more steps, and leapt out of the window, showering the street with broken glass.

"Dang it all!" exclaimed Ceres. "You can sure bet it's going to go get its friends!"

"After it!" exclaimed Toya.

"It's about time for some action," agreed Crysta, smiling.

Suzumi ran in. "I heard a crash! What is going on?!"

"Heartless! Here!" exclaimed Toya as he and Ceres ran passed her into the street.

"Oh my!" Suzumi gasped. "I'll go warn Yuhi and the others." With that she turned and raced down the hall.

"Wait for me!" protested Crysta, heading for the streets too.

She was running at full speed and almost collided with Toya, who had stopped on the front doorstep. He and Ceres were talking.

"There has to be something controlling them," said Ceres. "Take it down and they'll fall into chaos."

"Agreed," said Toya. "We can't let them roam free like this to attack innocent people!"

"We are going to need to split up," added Ceres. "Crysta, look for the leader!" With that Ceres jumped into the sky and flew away, scanning Ani- Intersection from the skies.

"How did she do that?!" demanded Crysta, shocked. Ceres didn't even have wings!

"No time to worry! Find the leader!" ordered Toya as he raced into the streets.

"Fine by me," said Crysta as she gripped the Compass Razor and started running in the other direction.

"The Heartless are here!" Suzumi yelled as she ran into the room.

"What?!" gasped Yuhi.

"Toya and Ceres are trying to stop them," added Suzumi.

"Ceres is loose?!" gasped Yuhi. "I need to find her in case she gets out of control! She might put Aya in danger!"

"Wait!" protested Suzumi, but her brother-in-law was gone.

"We're going to help," said Mario. "Let's go Luigi!"

"Right!" agreed Luigi. They both hurried out the door too.

"It's not worth the effort," sighed Suzumi, who followed them. She knew someone would have to clean up after everyone.

Crysta had stopped running when she remembered how complicated Ani- Intersection was. The streets were laid out in a spiral, meaning it was about impossible to go directly from place to place. Luckily, she did know a bit about the lay out from exploring before. She started again, a bit more cautious, but still was walking at a rather fast pace.

She took the spiral counter clockwise this time. Her eyes darted in every dark corner, trying to find her enemy. She wasn't sure what the leader was or where it would be hiding, but she was determined to find it and beat it. The arrival of the Compass Razor had awoken a warrior within her, one that had always been asleep just beneath the surface.

Crysta didn't have too long to wait to prove herself. She had only gone around the spiral twice when the Heartless began to crawl out of the shadows again. They made it seem like the ground was alive and rippling. The Heartless soldiers circled around Crysta, claws bared. There was five of them and only one of her, but she smirked nonetheless and brought the Compass Razor into an attack position.

"You won't beat me," she said, although she doubted if they understood. She quickly eyed up their positions, determining what would be the best route to send her Compass Razor flying along.

Crysta and the Heartless attacked at the same instant. The five Heartless jumped forward, slashing her high and low. Crysta let the Compass Razor fly. Two of the Heartless that had jumped high into the air suddenly had to worry about holding themselves together. They disappeared back into the shadows that spawned them. But the other three began to slice Crysta. She bit her lip to keep from crying out in pain and tried to pull free of them.

Crysta jerked hard to her left, ducked, and managed to break free of the claws that had embedded themselves in her flesh. But it was only a temporary victory. The Heartless once more began to attack. Crysta didn't even have time to try to locate her weapon before she felt them on her again. A fire of anger flashed in her eyes. She turned hard to face her attackers, sending one flying off of her in the process. The other two were only a few feet away, looking at her with glowing yellow eyes.

They attacked again, claws reaching for her heart. Crysta was prepared this time. She punched the first one as soon as it got within range, sending it away from her for the moment. BUZZ! The Compass Razor returned, slicing the third Heartless at the waist as it was about to dig into her arm. Crysta easily reclaimed her weapon and started looking for her enemies, eager to throw it again as soon as possible.

The Heartless were more cautious now. They watched from the darkness like they were part of it, which they were. To Crysta the street looked like a solid shadow with two sets of eyes sizing her up like she was dinner. But her own pale blue eyes were flashing, her blood energized from the battle.

Crysta threw the Compass Razor at the eyes. But they were ready. The Heartless split, and the Compass Razor sailed harmlessly between them. They continued to come, charging Crysta. She instinctively threw her arms up in self-defense. She wasn't a moment too soon. Claws raked across her forearm, drawing blood.

Crysta swung her right arm out, sending one Heartless tumbling over the ground. She then whirled around, dislodging the second. She spotted her Compass Razor and started redirecting it. It turned at a sharp angle in mid air and began to return to her. The second Heartless charged again, only to put itself in the path of the weapon. It fell to the ground it two different pieces.

Crysta caught the Compass Razor as the remaining Heartless jumped on her right shoulder. She half turned, raising the Compass Razor to her attacker. As it swung its claws down to hurt her, it came in contact with her weapon. The Heartless fell to the ground, twitched once, and melted back into the shadows.

"My victory," smirked Crysta. She was breathing hard, but she had a smug satisfaction from winning.

She started down the street again, but she had barely taken two steps when her legs gave out. Her whole body throbbed. Caught up in the battle, Crysta hadn't realized how hurt she was. She sat on the pavement, trying not to let her pain show through. She pulled out the Hi Potion she had been given on her hike. It seemed like another lifetime ago.

Crysta looked down the street, hoping no one was watching. She was a bit embarrassed to let anyone know she had been hurt and needed to heal herself. She knew it was irrational, but she couldn't help it. Seeing that she was alone, Crysta drank the Hi Potion. She then sighed with relief as the pain dulled and the injuries healed. A few seconds later she was on her feet, ready to fight again.

Luigi and Mario were also trying to figure out Ani-Intersection. The slow spiral was frustrating them.

"We must hurry!" exclaimed Mario. "The dangers..."

He didn't have to finish that sentence, because the dangers manifested themselves. The Heartless rose out of the shadows on the ground, ready to attack the Italian plumbers.

"These must be the Heartless!" exclaimed Luigi.

"We will beat them! For Peach!" exclaimed Mario. He raised his shield. Luigi did the same, raising his plunger-wand.

The six Heartless attacked. Mario was doing his best to force them back, but there was too many of them. Luigi started to cast a thunder spell. Two Heartless lit up like the fourth of July before exploding to ashes. But the remaining four swarmed over the two brothers. Mario and Luigi were forced into a tactical retreat.

As Crysta came around a gradual corner she spotted two people being chased by the Heartless. Her Compass Razor was in the air a moment later. It circled around the two people, shredding the four Heartless. Then, with a loud THUNK, the Compass Razor embedded itself in the wall.

Mario and Luigi stopped in their tracks and looked around for the cause of their enemies' disappearance. The Compass Razor glittered in the low light, drawing both of their eyes to it.

"A compass?!" they gasped, examining it. They then shared a look, before looking up the street to Crysta. "The guide!"

SCREE! SCREE! The street closed itself up. Two huge concrete barriers rose, trapping the three inside. They all looked around, thoroughly confused. The walls were the least of their concerns.

THUD! A large set of feet landed in the middle of the boxed off street. They looked like dark violet boots with black trim. THUD! A torso landed above the feet, floating a bit above them. It was shaped like a smooth hourglass. It was made of the same violet metal as the feet. A symbol like the one the Heartless soldiers wore was on its chest. Above the conical torso was a spiky steel head. CLANK! CLANK! Two claws arms appeared, grinding to their place beside the main body.

"Mama-mia!" gasped Mai and Luigi.

"Woah..." muttered Crysta, impressed.

THUD! Guard Armor walked forward, ground shaking.

Crysta was ready for a fight in an instant. She reached out for her Compass Razor. It dislodged itself from the building and flew in a straight line right to her open hand. She caught it easily and smiled, her hands unhurt by the blades around the edges. She then got into a battle position, waiting for the right moment to release her weapon again.

"Let's go this together," said Mario.

Luigi nodded and started to cast a thunder spell. As if sensing the danger, Guard Armor went to attack Luigi. But Mario was by his brother's side in a moment, holding off the right arm with his shield. Crysta saw this as her moment to attack. She released her weapon, aiming at that same arm. The Compass Razor buzzed across it, causing Guard Armor to withdraw it. A large scratch was now across its wrist.

BOOM! Luigi released his thunder spell, doing significant damage to the right arm and torso of Guard Armor. But it was still functioning.

"This thing isn't going to go down easy," said Crysta with gritted teeth, catching her weapon.

"We will bring it down though, guide," said Mario. Crysta gave a faint nod in agreement, but all her attention was being focused on the battle.

Crysta sent the Compass Razor flying through the air again. At that moment Guard Armor had reached out for Mario and Luigi. Her weapon caught both arms, sparks flying to the ground below. But the Heartless kept coming. Mario held off the attack again from his brother, who was once again channeling magic.

Guard Armor stopped pushing against Mario and held its arms straight out. Crysta could feel a rock in the pit of her stomach. She didn't know what was going to happen, but she knew it couldn't be good.

"Get out of there!" she yelled.

Guard Armor began to spin its arms around at incredible high speeds, much like a tornado. It hit Mario and sent him flying backwards into Luigi. They hit the ground hard. Crysta was running towards them that same instant. She ducked low as she raced passed Guard Armor, arms open to received the Compass Razor. She caught it effortlessly and stood in front of the brothers, glaring at Guard Armor, ready to protect her new friends.

The arms stopped rotating around the body. Instead, they pulled free of the main torso and began to jab at Crysta. Crysta gasped in surprise. She moved her weapon from an attack position and held it horizontally, using it for a shield. She managed to deflect two attacks, but her weapon was slipping. It was not designed for this. Crysta winced as another blow painfully jarred her arms.

CRASH! The next attack did not even contact her. Crysta looked down, surprised. Mario was standing beside her, pushing one of the arms back, defending her like he defended his brother. Luigi rose and stood on the other side of Crysta, wand raised.

"Thanks," replied Crysta.

"We will help you guide," answered Mario.

"Let's attack it at once!" exclaimed Luigi. The other two nodded and reacted.

Crysta threw her Compass Razor, directing it at a near impossible angle to take out the still charging fists. Guard Armor pulled them back. If it was a living thing, one could say it was hurt. But its metallic face showed no emotions. Luigi released a thunder spell, hitting the left arm and leg. Guard Armor paused, stunned for a moment.

Crysta continued to guide her weapon, even though it was away from her body. She had it circle around, striking the left arm again. The Compass Razor then zoomed behind the Heartless, attacking other arm. She then dropped it low, where it sliced across both feet. The Compass Razor sailed passed Guard Armor then, but Crysta caused it to do a 180, aiming for the feet again.

However, her target moved. The feet pulled away from the main body much like the arms did. They began to stomp around the field, trying to crush the three fighters. They scattered. The feet chose their targets. The right came after Mario, the left after Crysta.

Mario raised his shield, again struggling against the loose limb. Luigi was charging up a thunder spell, looking for a moment to release it when his brother wouldn't be in the way. Crysta was not so lucky. Her weapon was still in the air and she had no defenses except dodging.

She was doing small leaps backwards, trying to stay just ahead of the enemy. But it was forcing her into a corner, and she knew it wouldn't be too long before she was trapped. Crysta frantically looked for her weapon, but she could not see it. She cursed herself for being so careless and for not finding a way to fight and defend herself while her weapon was gone. The ground shook badly as the left foot got closer to her.

BOOM! The left foot exploded, metal parts rolling across the ground. BUZZ! The Compass Razor returned to its owner. Crysta caught it and looked up. At the last moment Luigi had seen the danger she was in and released his thunder spell to help her. Crysta could see that trade off, and Mario was struggling. She took three big steps forward and released the Compass Razor, aiming for the right foot to help her two new teammates.

WHAM! Something hit her from behind, sending her sprawling across the pavement, disoriented. Crysta had put herself within Guard Armor's range during her last attack. It had slugged her in the back, nearly knocking her senseless. Because this broke her concentration, the Compass Razor overshot the arm she had been aiming for.

For a minute it seemed like everything was lost. Mario was weakening, losing his struggling against the left leg. Luigi was trying to release another thunder spell, but the long battle was tiring him as well. Crysta was trying to get up, but she was clearly hurting. Her weapon was nowhere near her.

However, the Compass Razor was close to something else. It was at the furthest arc of its course and turned back to return to its master. This time, it was on target for the left arm. It sliced straight through it, parts rolling freely in the street. This slowed Guard Armor down enough to allow Mario to shove the left leg back, which retreated to its place under Guard Armor.

Crysta caught the Compass Razor. This seemed to give her the motivation to rise to her feet again. She was breathing hard, but this only seemed to fuel the fire within her. She was now doubly determined to beat the monster in front of her. This down time also made it possible for Luigi to cast another spell. He targeted the already weakened right arm. It exploded, adding more rubble to the street.

"We almost have this won!" yelled Crysta, getting closer to her target.

She threw her weapon again, placing most of her weight behind it to give it more power. The Compass Razor nicked passed the torso, but Crysta was already willing it to circle back, to repeatedly damage Guard Armor on its flight. The remaining foot jerked out to kick Crysta, to stop her and her attack.

Mario was in front of her in a moment, once again in a physical struggle against the limb. He was sweating and grunting, his arms shaking showing how tired he was. But he was not going to give in either. Crysta looked down at him and nodded. She knew she had to hurry and beat the Heartless. She willed the Compass Razor to comeback in her direction, aiming to his Guard Armor in the middle of the back in the process.

She managed to do this, but the enemy was still functioning. Before the weapon returned to her hands, she urged it out and away, back on a collision course with the Heartless again. Luigi hurried over to the other fighters. He held out his wand, only about three feet from the remaining foot. He cast his thunder spell at Point Blank range. The foot exploded. Mario and Crysta were pushed back several feet, seeing spots.

The Compass Razor hit the Guard Armor again, denting it in the side. Crysta could hear it, but she could hardly see her weapon from the flashback. She bit her lip and guessed, holding her hands out to receive it again. The Compass Razor returned, cutting straight through the middle of the torso. It fell apart, parts littering the streets.

Crysta caught her weapon with a big smile. The enemy was defeated. As proof, a crystalline heart rose from the rubble and disappeared into the sky, almost like a reverse comet or something. She turned to talk to her friends, but she stepped on one of the pieces of Guard Armor. Crysta bent down and picked it up. She shrugged and pocked the Courage Medallion.

"Thanks," Crysta said to Mario and Luigi.

"It was our pleasure guide," said Mario.

"We have been looking for you," added Luigi.

"Why?"

"Because Princess Peach told us to. She said you are the guide for the path, and you will stop the Heartless from getting to the worlds," explained Mario.

"I'd like to meet her," said Crysta.

"You can't," sighed Luigi. "The Heartless have abducted her."

"Oh no!" gasped Crysta.

"I'm glad to see you have all found each other," said Ceres, landing between them.

"Aya?" asked Crysta.

"It's Ceres."

"You three certainly know how to make a mess," commented Toya, walking over. "I'll take that as a good sign, if you can do this to all the other enemies you meet."

"Of course!" chimed Crysta. Ceres and Toya rolled their eyes again.

"You three should make a good team," said Ceres. "You should be able to protect the worlds if you keep the light in your hearts strong."

"But how are we going to get to the other worlds?" asked Luigi.

"We can help there," said Suzumi, joining the group. "We found this abandoned wreck after the last meteor shower."

"We used the gummi pieces to rebuild it," said Ceres. "That means it is worthy to travel between the worlds."

"Abandoned wreck?" asked Mario.

"Yeah, this cubic vehicle that..." started Toya.

"That's our Box Mobile!" exclaimed Luigi.

"Good, you should be able to use it easily then," said Suzumi.

"If we can get to other worlds...We can find Peach!" exclaimed Mario.

"And Faye and Tamsin!" added Crysta. "I have a promise to keep with them."

"So its settled, you three will travel together," said Ceres.

"I'd like that," said Crysta.

"You are welcome to come, guide," added Mario.

"My name is Crysta," said Crysta, extending her free hand.

"I'm Mario."

"And I'm his brother Luigi," added Luigi, both of them shaking Crysta's hand at the same instant.

"Ceres!!!" yelled Yuhi, running to them.

"Hello Yuhi," replied Ceres, coolly.

"You had better not have done anything to Aya!"

"Nothing at all," smirked Ceres.

"GRRR! I don't believe you!"

"Calm down Yuhi!" scolded Suzumi.

"I want Aya back!" demanded Yuhi.

Ceres chuckled. Yuhi had had enough and he cut her off. He pulled her close and kissed her hard. Ceres' dark hair went blonde. Aya had returned. The school girl pulled away from Yuhi and looked him in the eyes.

SMACK! She slapped him directly across the face, fuming. "How dare you?!"

"Ow..." moaned Yuhi.

Aya turned and stormed off. Toya hurried up to her and took her hand. They walked away together, hand in hand.

"I told you to calm down," sighed Suzumi.

"Maybe we should let them solve their lovers' quarrels alone," Crysta said to Mario and Luigi.

"Agreed," they said.

AN/ This chappie marks page 100 of this fic! This is also my longest chappie ever!! Throw a party!!! :D