Part Five: The Power of Memories

Donald let out a furious growl. How had they managed to get themselves into this? Goofy was looking up at the ceiling, the crystal forms all around them reflected in his eyes.

"Are you listening to me?" Donald raged. Goofy looked at him and raised an eyebrow as if to say, 'why would I listen to you?' "humph" Donald said emphatically and turned his back.

Ansem had caught their ship leaving Hollow Bastion. He'd destroyed Highwind and thrown Donald and Goofy into their prison. What plans the king of Hollow Bastion had for them was uncertain to Donald and Goofy.

"Well we gotta get out of here somehow." Goofy said thoughtfully. Donald snapped as he'd just said that. He turned on Goofy raising his Mage's Staff and cast Blizagga at his partner.

Goofy dodged the spell. It hit one of the crystal devices, bounced off the ceiling and struck Donald. Freezing the duck into a large block of ice. Goofy stared slightly horrified at Donald.

"As amusing as that was," Ansem's voice roared through the room. "I cannot let you go knowing that you will just interfere again. Like those pathetic beings that used to call themselves my subjects."

"What have you done to them?" Goofy called back, not sure if Ansem would answer. Or if the madman could even hear him.

"Oh I have put them in safe keeping until I have need of them. Now prepare to meet your doom" The crystals began to dim, darkness bled out of them to wrap around Goofy and Donald in his icy prison. The darkness choked Goofy. Squeezing all the air from his lungs, he fell backward. Blacking out as he sank into eternal darkness.

Kairi and Riku were still sitting in the Endless Abyss. "So what do we do now?" Kairi asked, her voice shaking. Riku was staring into the darkness beyond the path, he didn't seem to hear her. "Riku?"

He started, "What? Oh well I think I've been going around in circles with this path." He said casting his gaze along the path's length. "But even if we do find a way out, Kairi I can't follow you."

She looked at him puzzled. "Why not?"

Riku sighed looking back out at the darkness. "Because I'm not really here. I was unable to take back my body. What you see is my heart."

She went to stand next to him. "I wondered why you didn't look older." She said quietly, "so where is your body?"

"Ansem still has it probably." He said with a shrug.

Kairi gazed at him for a moment then asked. "Do you want to help Sora?"

Riku gave her a startled look. "Of course I do! Why wouldn't I?"

"He told me what you said, about your heart being too strong to be overcome by Heartless. About being the true wielder of the keyblade, about what happened in Monstro."

Riku flushed and looked away. "I won't deny that I said those things. But Kairi Malefacent dripped poison in my ears, she turned me against him."

"But you went willingly Riku, why?" Kairi asked her eyes blazing.

Riku sighed again. "I have known for a long time that Sora has something I don't. I don't know what it is and I know he doesn't realize it. I just thought that now that he'd discovered the Keyblade he'd realize that power and look down on me. He's my closest friend Kairi to loose him is like loosing a part of my own heart."

"If you knew that why did you open your heart to darkness?" Kairi demanded.

"I suppose it was the old rivalry thing." He said indistinctly.

Kairi gazed speechlessly at him. "You might've killed him!"

"No!" Riku said angrily, "that was after Ansem took over my body that he tried to kill Sora. I tried Kairi I tried not to." He turned to her fury blazing in his eyes. Kairi took a step back from him. "Do you know what I had to do to keep him from taking your heart Kairi" Riku whispered his voice deadly soft. Kairi shook her head eyes wide. "I had to use my own life force to stop him and give you time to get out."

Kairi swallowed, tears filled her eyes. "I'm sorry" she said softly and looked away.

Riku looked back to the darkness and cried. "You helped me before. Tell us what do we do now?"

"You wait" Said a voice behind them. Kairi and Riku whirled around. The king of the Disney Castle was standing there. His white gloved hands shoved into the pockets of his full length black coat.

Cloud came to slowly, he opened his eyes and shut them instantly. He'd seen nothing but a bright crystal blue, it nearly blinded him. But Cloud opened his eyes again curious as to why he was floating. Cloud realized that he was suspended inside a crystal chamber held up by some liquid, that for some reason he could breath in. Cloud didn't ponder this, he was a warrior not a scientist.

Cloud pressed his hands flat against the crystal wall, he saw that there were other such cages around the room. He saw Leon, Aerith, and Yuffie. Cid must have escaped, Cloud hoped he had.

There were five other containers in the room, not counting the ones that held Cloud's friends. One held a silver haired youth, perhaps the same age as Sora, the others held adults. One had held a women her dark brown hair swirling around her head. Another a man with golden blond hair. Yet another held a man with dark black hair, a head band circled his forehead. The last container held Kevaul of all people. But his hair wasn't the fiery red it had been when he had confronted Sora. It was a brownish-blonde color, but the face was unmistakable though the features were slightly twisted.

Cloud shivered slightly wondering how he was going to get out. He could see his sword, Leon's Gunblade, and Yuffie's shuriken on a table at the other end of the room. There were also several other weapons there. Cloud sank to the bottom of his prison, leaning his face miserably against the barrier.

Something deep inside Cloud snapped. Some part of him that had been hidden all the time from when he had first come to Hollow Bastion. These were his friends, and those who obviously did not mean to be where they were. Cloud's fists clenched, scarlet lighting fizzled in the water. It roared behind Cloud's eyes as he looked up, the tattered black wing unfolded. Power reeled away from him churning and swarming inside the crystal prison. Cloud opened his mouth, as the power filled every inch of him. Roaring in his veins, beating with his heart. Cloud shouted a spell that was lost in the water, he felt his whole body retch, jerking against the wall of his cage.

The crystal shattered, Cloud flopped onto the tiled floor in a cascade of water. He coughed hard as his body expelled the strange liquid. The other containers had shattered as well, their inhabitants thrown ingloriously to the floor. Aerith rolled over and coughed too, she wrenched herself into a sitting position.

Cloud went over to her, "are you all right?" He asked concerned.

She nodded, "the others?" Cloud looked up neither Leon nor Yuffie had stirred. Nor had any of the others who had been locked into the containers. They were still breathing, but it seemed as if they'd all gone into a coma. Cloud helped Aerith to stand, she looked at the other eight people who had been imprisoned in this place.

"So why did we wake up?" she asked quietly not really speaking to anyone.

Cloud shook his head, "I don't know, but let's get them out of here." Aerith nodded. She and Cloud went to pick up the silver haired boy, who was closest. When they touched him, his body dissipated, sinking into the ground. Like the shadows of the heartless.