6H:Welcome back! This time around, the group finds the light portals that lead to the worlds they have already visited. Let's take a look, shall we?


Kingdom Hearts-Shattered Fragments

Fragment 71-Memory Trip II-Traverse Town to Hallow Bastion


The group made it to the bottom of the valley and proceeded to the next portal where they found themselves on a rock tower in the middle of nowhere. A bright light streamed in front of them. Several other such towers existed in this place, spaced hundreds of feet apart.

"Where are we now?" Ryu asked.

"I don't know. What's this light thing in front of us?" Aru asked.

"It could be a portal like the others. Should we try to go through?" Sora asked, taking a step forward.

"If we want to go on, we have to. It's the only choice." Ryu said.

"But it could dangerous!" Donald yelled. A deformed echo came back at them from all directions.

"This whole damn world is dangerous!" Ryu yelled back. "Besides, we have to be prepared for some danger. We've come this far, and I'm sure as hell not going to turn back." He looked to Sora who nodded and the two boys ran into the light. Aru went after them. Soon, Donald and Goofy were left alone.

"Gawrsh, what should we do, Donald?"

"Goofy, have you noticed anything strange about the rookie?" Donald asked. Goofy thought hard for a moment.

"Well, gawrsh, now that you mention it, she's a little on the short side." he said.

"Not that you fool!" Donald yelled. "Ever since we came to this place, she started getting that weird sickness. Ryu and Sora saw visions when they touched her in that condition. Not only that, but she gave off alot of power."

"Like that time at Hallow Bastion?"

"No, greater than that." The master mage anwsered back. "Much greater...like the whole universe could be blown apart by it."

"So what does that mean?"

"It means that she's not normal at all. No memories of her past, a master of such skilled magic at such a young age, and now a great power deep inside. I don't even think she's human."

"She's a demon you think?"

"Not even demon! It could be that Aru is one of them..."

"Them?"

"You're so dense! She could be one of the heartless! Or, better yet, one of Ansem's henchmen, sent here to keep an eye on his and give him information on how to defeat us!"

"No! That can't be right. Miss Aru's such a nice kid and all...well, I just don't think she's one of them. Gawrsh, she's saved us a few too many times to be on their side. Now drop all your silly theories and let's go help the others!"
And with that, Goofy ran into the light portal.

"Maybe he's right..."Donald thought aloud. "Maybe it's not that at all. But still..." He heard gentle laughter behind him.

"She's been getting ill because my spirit is stronger here." A woman's voice said to him.

"Who's there!" He demanded, turning this way and that to see who it was who spoke to him.

"But your theories are interesting enough. Do I bother you so much?" it asked.

"What's going on?" The voice didn't respond, but seemed gone all together. 'That voice...it sounded like the one at Hallow Bastion, that spoke to Sora and Ryu when they defeated that heartless guarding the keyhole!' he thought as he scurried into the portal.


"This can't be right..."Aru muttered, almost to herself than to the others. The group looked in awe at their surroundings. This couldn't be right, it was downright impossible.

They were back in Traverse Town.

"What is this?" Ryu asked, looking around, eyes darting everywhere.

"An illusion, maybe. Or some kind of reflection of our memory?" Sora supplied, not sure himself. Donald came in suddenly, eyes wide with terror.

"I heard a voice out there! A woman's voice!" he yelled.

"What'd'ya mean, Donald?" Goofy asked.

"There's a ghost outside! A woman! She sounded famillar, too! And she...she talked to me! She said someone's been getting ill because her spirt was strong or something!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ryu asked, annoyed.

"A ghost?" Aru asked, coming closer.

"No! You stay away! I don't trust you!" Donald yelled, pointing and accusing finger at her.

"Donald! Stop that! Aru's our friend!" Sora yelled.

"It's too supicious, Sora!" he yelled back, never taking his eyes off the magician. "No memory, Light magic, and now the sudden ill spells, where if she touches you you see a horrible memory. It's not adding up." he pasued, looking straight into her crimson eyes. "Who are you?" he demanded. Aru couldn't bring herself to say anything.

"No fighting." A voice said from the stairs. Everyone looked to see Aerith standing there. They all looked, shocked, as she walked down the stairs. "You must all learn to trust each other if you want to defeat Ansem..." She smirked, and suddenly, her skin and clothes tore away to reveal a nasty looking heartless that looked like a spider. "OR ME!"

"I should've known. I know that heartless-it's the same one that I encountered at Hallow Bastion. It took on the form of Cedeile." Ryu said, getting out his sword. "Let's fight it!" They all charged into battle, throwing attacks at it.


"How do you like facing your memories all over again?" the voice asked from the darkness. "It's fitting, as this will be the end of everything."
They stepped out of the light and found themselves on the other side of the stone platform they had been on before. Ryu crossed his arms, annoyed.

"We didn't make any progress at all! All we did was fight a bunch of damn heartless!" he complained.

"This must be Ansem's plan. To delay us-so he can get to the door of Rakuen." Aru said, the wind blowing through her robes and her hair. "We have to hurry, before it's too late."

"Let's go guys." Sora said, and it was off to the next platform, where the set up was similar. Into the light they went, and beyond was a nightime setting on the lawns on a huge castle. A huge moon hung behind the castle.

"Nightville." Ryu said, glaring. Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked around.

"This is one of the worlds you went to, right?" Donald asked.

"Yeah." Aru said. "It's-"

"Aru! You're back!" A famillar voice said. A figure came down from the sky and landed in front of them. Aru's eyes went wide. "Don't you remember me, Aru?"

"...Kai..." she and Ryu muttered.

"Hold on, Aru. It might be like Aerith." Ryu said.

"Sharp as ever, Ryosuke. Where's Cedeile, though? I was looking forward to seeing her again, too- to thank her for saving my world."

"Everyone, get back!" Sora yelled as a dark mist began swirling around Kai. When it cleared, the same giant spider heartless stood before them.

"Damn it!" Ryu yelled. "Damn it all to hell!"


And so it went. Through each light they went they found a world they had already seen beyond, and a friend they had to fight. In Wonderland, it was the Cheshire cat, in McFuzz Town it was Silver Eye, at Deep Jungle it was Jane, at the Colisiuem, it was Hercules, in Book City they fought a rather heartbreaking battled against a fake Tifa, in Agrabah, they fought Aladdin, in Monstro they fought Gepetto, in Atlantica it was Ariel, in the Ore Kingdom it was Risa, Halloween Town it was Jack, Neverland was Peter Pan, and then Oblivion Mountain hit them with another wave of heartless.

At last, they made it to the only world that was left-Hallow Bastion. They walked through the light, and found themselves in a long hallway. At the end, a huge, heartless symbol was painted in black and red. Sora looked around.

"Could it be the Hallow Bastion of seven years ago?" he asked.

"It could be. This doesn't really seem familar from when we were there." Goofy said. Suddenly, dark portals began to open around them. They expected heartless to appear, but instead, they were dragged into them.


Now by himself, Sora looked around the darkness he was concealed in. He heard laughter echoing off the sides, and thought it couldonly be one person-Ansem.

"Ansem! Come out and fight me! I'm not afraid to take you on right now! And when I defeat you, you'll free Cedeile and Riku!" The laughter faded out and a horrible, retching pain spread throughout his body, and it felt like he was being turned inside out. When he got spit back out into the hallway, he coughed out blood on the floor. Wipeing off his mouth, he stood up again to see new heartless around him and the others, who were also not in good shape. The were Invisibles, and they were ready to fight.

"FIRAGA SHOT!" Aru yelled, shooting at the two that ambushed her. They were hit, but attacked her twice as hard. She screamed out as she fell to the floor. Sora circled around one with his keyblade and attempted to attack from behind, but three others circled around him and struck at once, throwing him at the wall. Donald wasn't faring well either. The two he were fighting suddenly lived up to their names and vanished, using their speical attack on him. Goofy bashed a few with his shield, and forced them away, but they came back with a vengence on him and he went flying across the floor. Ryu was taking on five at one time, and was already covered in his own blood. He fell to the ground after one violent attack and waited for death. The huge cut across his forehead left half of his face covered in blood and was slowly turning the tips of his oak hair red. His left arm was twisted at an akward angle, and his cloak was in shreds, almost falling off his body.

Suddenly, from his pocket, the bottle with the fragments in it fell to the floor, slightly glowing in the darkness. His one navy eye went wide as he saw it.

"This way, we can keep them all together without any danger of losing them." He remembered that Cedeile had given him the bottle to put the fragments in. He looked back up at the Invisables, spitting out some blood on the floor at he did. He knew they wouldn't wait much longer for him. He grabbed the bottle, popped off the cork, and infused the fragments in his sword. It began to glow the same golden glow it had at the Ore Kingdom. The light engulfed the blood stained hall. Sora, laying on the floor near the wall, felt the keyblade pulsated again in his hand, stronger this time.

"What the...the keyblade is reacting to the fragments?" he asked softly to himself. Ryu felt the reaction as well as he struggled to stand. He leaned on his glowing sword, his blood dripping down it. From her place, Aru began to feel sick again.

"Fragments..." she murmered. Ryu slowly lifted his sword and sliced through the Invisable in front of him. It disentigrated in the light. Sora got up slowly and stood, shaking on his unsteady legs and went to help. He sliced through two other heartless before he collasped in exhaustion. Ryu threw his sword down the hall, sending it through th rest of the Invisables. At last, they had won. When he had defeated all of them, the fragments in the sword seperated again and a light washed over all of them. It didn't fully heal them, but it at least gave them some strength back. Blood smeared and nearly ripped to shreds, they all stood up again.

"Gawrsh, what was that attack?" Goofy asked him.

"The power of the fragments..." Ryu replied.

"Did you feel that too, Ryu? The keyblade reacted to the fragments!" Sora said. Before they could discuss this more, a pair of doors flew open, revealing a new room. They all walked in.


The new room was a labortory or some sort. Eletricity shot to two metal antennas on a huge, heart shaped glass orb, which within was darkness, bubbling up.

"What is this place?" Ryu asked. Sora stood in front of the heart and found a computer of some sort.

"Look over here, guys!" he said. They all crowded around him. "It has some sort of message in it."

"Well, don't leave us in suspense! Read it to us!" Ryu demanded.

"Okay, okay!" Sora said. He began to read."Ones born of the heart and darkness, devoid of hearts, ravage all worlds and bring desolation." Suddenly, Aru began to read along with him, although she was standing off behind them. He crimson eyes were glazed over. "Sieze all hearts and consumate the great heart. All hearts to be one, one heart to encompass all. Realize the destiny: The relem of Kingdom Hearts, the great darkness sealed within the great heart. Progeny of darkness, come back to eternal darkness. For the heart of light shall unseal the path. Seven hearts, one keyhole, one key to seal the door. The door of darkness tied by two keys. The door of darkness to seal the light. None shall pass but shadows, returning to darkness. One born of the heart and darkness, hunger for every heart until the dark door opens."

"Aru?" Ryu asked.

"What does that mean?" Sora asked. Suddenly, the darkness inside the glass became unstable, and seemed as if it were trying to burst from it's bonds. Aru grapsed her head in her hands and began to pale again. The whole place shook.

"What's going on?" Goofy asked over the rumbling as the room became unstable and began to shake more violently.

"It's the girl!" Donald yelled. "Could that inscription be the key-?"

"The key to Aru's memory!" Ryu shouted.


6H:Okay, okay, I know that I proboably should've gone into more detail with the battles, but as you can most likely see, I'm getting pretty tired of writting about all the small fights. THERE'S ONLY SO MANY DIFFERENT INJURIES I CAN INFLICT ON EACH PERSON!

Anaretsu: I know, what a shame.

6H: Hopefully, the next chapter will be good. HOPE-fully. Till then, pile reviews on me till I can't breathe!

Anaretsu: Alright!

6H:I didn't mean really.

Anaretsu: Damn.