Chapter 5 - Dyne

I still don't understand.

(The more important something is to you, the deeper in your heart you keep it until eventually it becomes forgotten.)

Is this the nature of the Darkness?

(This is the nature of all things.)

Why...? Why would you want to forget?

(Soon, you will answer that question for yourself.)

Leon set Yuffie's body down, not far from the world exit. He removed his leather jacket, rolled it up, and set it under her head. His gray eyes, like steel at any time but this, were filled with concern. She was still breathing, but comatose, unconscious. The ends of her clothing were charred, and her skin was a bright red from the first-degree burns incurred by her.

Sora had disappeared into the gummi docks, away from all the others. Kydran turned back to Pandora, emerald eyes bright despite the destruction about them.

"How can you smile at a time like this?" asked Pandora of the Heart Key wielder, her voice awed.

"We're alive. I expected us to die back there, I really did. I thought that that monster was going to destroy us all," he replied, his smile growing a little broader as he looked her over. Took her in. She still appeared worn, but was no worse for the wear.

Not far from them, Cloud had also placed the bodies of Auron and Hercules beside Yuffie's body. As Cloud had brought Auron, Leon's head had snapped up, as though Cloud were some sort of intruder, before his attention shifted back to Yuffie. Aerith moved up beside Cloud, her eyes sad, but her stature strong.

"Leon..."

The gunblader looked up to Aerith, who had addressed him.

"Aerith, is there anything you can do?"

The pink-clad sorceress nodded, and proceeded to cast her healing magics upon Yuffie. It would take time, they all knew, but eventually they would all pull through.

A cry from beneath a mound of rubble grasped Kydran's attention. He perked up; it sounded female, though it was muffled and hard to tell. Maybe he was hearing things. No, there it was again. He sprinted for a pile of broken marble, slid to a stop and leaned forward, placing his hands on the bricks for support.

"Hello? Where are you?"

"Under here! We're trapped, and the barrier won't hold for long!"

Pandora scrambled to his side, followed shortly by Cloud. Pandora's expression was rife with worry, and Cloud started work on moving the bricks, Kydran helping as much as possible despite the immense weight of the rubble.

Beneath the masses of bricks and debris were seven people, all but one of whom neither Kydran or Cloud or Pandora could recognize. Kydran looked to Pandora; she appeared saddened, suddenly. He made a mental note to ask her later what the matter was, but his attention shifted to the survivors.

"Are you guys hurt?" asked Kydran, reaching in to help the first of them out.

"I think we're okay," responded a young woman, apparently in her late teens, who was in the very back. Her voice must have been the one that got their attention. "I saw everything, it was terrible! Everything just fell apart... I managed to set up this barrier, so we wouldn't get crushed."

None of them, in fact, were injured by any means. The sorceress's barrier had kept them protected exceptionally well. She was the last to be extracted from beneath the wreckage, and as soon as she had left the confines of that rocky prison (excepting for a quick trip back to retrieve her small umbrella), the barrier faded and the bricks and boulders rolled in immediately to fill the gap. They would have crushed anything caught beneath them.

"You're Lilka Eleniak, right?" queried Pandora of the woman who was now brushing herself off and checking the umbrella for signs of damage.

"Yep. Lilka Eleniak, of Fargaia," she replied, with a charming smile. The smile faded immediately, and worry came across her features. "I tried my best to use my magic to protect every other living thing in the coliseum from that explosion. Are we... the only survivors?"

Kydran shrugged and his head shook. He moved up beside Pandora.

"We don't know. We're still trying to see what's going on, and we have a friend who's hurt seriously, but yeah, you guys are the only other people we've seen."

Lilka didn't look much encouraged.

Kydran looked the young woman over, mildly interested in her attire. She donned a red short skirt, and over her shoulders was draped a cape which fell over her back and split into two ends, each end tipped with a large jingle-bell-like ornament. She also wore a pair of strange-looking boots upon each foot. The fabric of her clothing was some manner of thick silk, incorporating reds and golds, and appeared rather expensive. Long tresses of auburn flowed about her head, tied in back into a pair of pigtails.

The six other survivors made their way past the world exit, to the gummi docks, trying to decide upon a plan of action.

Leon maintained his vigil over Yuffie.

Pandora watched Lilka silently, impressed at her ability to have saved both herself and those people. Kydran had stepped away, and began thinking. How were they to get off this world? Had Sora done so already? The young man decided to find out.

Kydran found Pandora engaged in conversation with Lilka Eleniak.

"You said you're from Fargaia? Was that place destroyed, too?" started Pandora, and Lilka shook her head.

"Nope. Thank goodness, too, everybody around else here seems to have had their homes destroyed."

"Then how'd you get to this coliseum?"

Lilka giggled, and shook her head again. "I, uh... I was trying to use a teleportation stone to get to the other side of Fargaia. It misfired, I guess, and I ended up way out here. I'm not even sure where Fargaia is." This was punctuated by a lighthearted laugh. "I thought maybe while I was at it, I'd compete, but I only lasted a couple rounds."

Pandora was looking at her oddly. Lilka asked for an explanation.

"I don't get it. You can set up a barrier to save everybody from being vaporized by an all-powerful monster, but you only lasted a couple rounds?"

To this, Lilka paused a moment, the memory of the beast that had beaten her flashing behind her eyes. Then, slowly, she offered a shrewd smile, and winked. "I'm a lover, not a fighter."

Kydran gave his love a light tap on the arm, to get her attention. She turned, and he addressed her.

"Have you seen Sora at all since the blast?"

"No, I haven't. We've been so busy trying to assess the damage and heal the wounded that-"

"I'm going to go find him," Kydran said, interrupting her, though she didn't mind. He seemed a little distant, and she knew his mind was tied up with Sora.

"Alright. Good luck," she said, nodding. She gave him a peck on the cheek, and turned back to Lilka. Kydran walked away.

"So, where did you meet him?" queried Lilka when the boy was out of earshot. "He's weird, but he's cute."

"And he's a lot stronger than he looks. I found him in an alley in Traverse Town," Pandora replied, and she was quiet for a moment. The pain was still very fresh. "Just yesterday."

"Wow. Talk about chemistry," the other girl grinned.

"No... it's not that," the black-haired girl replied, folding her arms, thinking. "I can't shake the feeling I've seen him somewhere before. I don't think he knows who he really is. It's like I already know how he acts, how to make him smile, that when he gets caught up in an idea he retreats into his own little world and ignores everything around him. And... I don't know if he realizes it, but he knows how to smile just the right way, to say just the right things..."

"Wow. Well, count yourself among the lucky. Try as I might, it's always just me."

"Well, if your fighting is any indication of your loving-"

"Hey! That's not fair!"

Pandora laughed, genuinely, and Lilka's peals of laughter soon joined hers.

"Would you ladies mind keeping it down a notch?" came Hercules' voice as he sat up, holding his head. "I've got a headache the size of Olympus."

"You're not alone on that one," muttered Auron, picking himself up. The girls watched as Herc clambered to his feet. Auron wobbled on his feet, and the girls stabilized him.

"Wow, you guys recovered quickly. I'm surprised," commented Pandora, and Hercules nodded.

"Well, I am the son of Zeus, and Auron here seems to be pretty durable, at least as far as the games are concerned."

"Are there any survivors?" asked Auron, straight to the point.

"A few. We've been busy enough trying to help the people we've found."

"I'm going to look."

"I'll go with you," stated Hercules. "You might need the help. Thank you ladies very much for your help."

"No problem," was their simultaneous response. Lilka and Pandora glanced to each other, then back to the other two men, but they were already walking off.

This occurred as Kydran returned from the World Exit, bearing an expression of icy-cold worry.

"Sora's gone. I can't find him anywhere. The people Lilka saved said they saw a ship taking off a minute ago."

This finally drew Leon's attention away from Yuffie. He glanced up at Kydran, cold gray eyes also brimming with concern. Aerith also turned away from her vigil, Cloud silent as ever.

"What are we going to do?" asked Kydran of the ex-residents of Hollow Bastion.

"We'll wait until Yuffie and Zidane wake up, then we'll put a gummi ship together and find Sora," answered Leon, who stood up. The Lion's gaze turned back to his fallen comrade. "Or you could start working on it now. I don't know..."

Aerith moved toward Kydran, smiling weakly. "I'll help. Let's get to it."

Cloud followed Aerith, and was soon tailed by Pandora and Lilka, who were still exchanging words. Kydran led the way out to the docks, where all the ships had fallen apart. Their work was long and arduous; building a gummi ship without a garage was tiring business. The blocks were heavy, and getting them to stick together required a large amount of pressure.

In time, Yuffie's eyes would peel open, a groan escaping her lips. She sat up, slowly, aided by Leon's strong hand. He fought the urge to smile; the situation was grim. Despite this, he couldn't help himself. The scarred warrior was beaming.

"Welcome back."

"Leon...! Where... what happened?" she asked, looking around. "This is the coliseum?"

"Yes. The Omega WEAPON destroyed everything. Lilka stopped it from killing us, and you, though.

"What are we going to do?"

"Sora's gone. He put a gummi ship together and left. The others are trying to build one, but it's slow work. And you and I are here, having a rather enjoyable chat."

Yuffie groaned, and lay back down. Things were not looking bright at all.

Still, just as fate bestows bad luck, she also brings good luck. Finally, fortune smiled upon the survivors of the massacre- in the form of Cid Highwind, piloting a gummi ship. The man, bearing a cigarette between his lips, stepped out of his ship and surveyed the area.

"What the $# happened here!" exclaimed the old pilot, already having claimed their attention with his landing. "Like some kinda &# massacre!"

Aerith had honestly never been so glad to see the stodgy shopkeeper. She grinned, so rare a sight regarding Aerith, and made toward the ship.

"Cid! The coliseum was wrecked by a super-monster. We, and those people there, are the only survivors."

Yuffie and Leon came through the gates toward them. Cid was speechless, for once, and blandly motioned toward his gummi ship. Kydran stopped, letting the others through, and spoke to Cid.

"The other survivors said they saw Sora's ship take off. Did you see a ship leaving here?"

"If that's what it was. Took off like a bat outta hell."

"Where did it go!" Kydran exclaimed, grabbing Cid's shoulders and shaking him furiously. Cid looked positively weirded, and swatted the boy's hands away.

"It was headed toward Halloween Town. Just simmer down, kid. Cool it, we'll get there."

"You know where it is?"

"Like hell I do! Let's get movin' already!" retorted Cid, shooing Kydran into the ship. The raven-haired boy followed and entered the ship, optimistic despite his anxiety. They had to find Sora; Kydran was realizing very quickly how important the Keyblade Master was.

Kydran was surprised, upon boarding, to find that Auron was already on the ship, somehow, and while he wasn't piloting, he had decided to come along for the ride.

Cid wasted no time in closing the hatches and igniting the engines. Within moments, they were in the air, on their way to Halloween Town.

It was strange, Kydran observed, how well Lilka and Pandora fell together. Pandora had even salvaged some of her confidence; being around a girl who was just as lost as she, and the knowledge that Kydran (though it was an unspoken promise, it was understood) would be there to help her if she needed him, made her feel much more comfortable. Kydran sat with them in the small lounge installed in the gummi ship.

"So you have a keyblade, too?" asked Lilka, not a little surprised.

At this, Kydran had been dragged out of his Sora-oriented reverie. "Huh?"

"You have a keyblade, right?"

"Oh, yeah. A keyblade that unlocks hearts."

Lilka's eyes became huge. "You mean you can just... open them up?"

"I think that's how it works. You just... stab them in the heart. Dangerous how easy it is. It worried Sora a lot. Think we'll get there soon?"

"Why do you worry about him so much? You act happy, but I can tell you're worried. What's up?" asked Pandora, who happened to be sitting in Kydran's lap. She had swiveled about to look at him; his arms were wrapped about her. She did have a point.

"I don't know. Habit, maybe? I just can't shake the feeling that I need to be with him, alongside him. He was in really bad shape when he went."

"We'll find him. Don't worry about it," reassured the black-haired girl. She turned back to Lilka and let Kydran back to his thinking. "So, Lilka. Where'd you learn how to use magic?"

"Fargaia. I'm a Crest Sorceress."

"...Crest Sorceress?"

"Yeah, it's tough stuff to explain but there's a wide range of spells I can use."

Pandora continued to ask questions of Lilka about magic. The rest of the journey was made in a few short lessons on magical theory and a short lesson in Crest Sorcery, until Cid had announced that they had made their arrival. Leon and Aerith made it very clear that they were to be as discreet and inconspicuous as possible. By merely arriving on the world, they were meddling, and meddling was bad. Kydran didn't really understand why this was so, but he obeyed their commands.

Kydran, Leon, and Pandora were the ones chosen to find Sora. Leon, as of recent times, had shown more concern for the welfare of people he had, prehaps, taken for granted recently. One such person was Sora. This being so, the three of them made their way through Guillotine Gate.

The world, this time, lacked the many Heartless that had populated the area during Sora's previous arrival. Despite this, Kydran had brought his crystal sword, and Pandora kept a tight grip on Kydran's arm, tight enough to make the black-clad boy wonder if she would cut off circulation to his hands. The sound of distant screams and chains clinking and 'boo's being cried set the atmosphere.

They meandered through Guillotine Square. As they did so, Kydran found himself less and less interested in the scenery and more and more interested in the sound his heart was making. It was not just one beat; he was feeling two.

"Sora...?"

Kydran received no response except for strange looks from both his companions. Shrugging, he continued forward and cried out in surprise. The Heart Key was summoned into his left hand; Pandora dropped behind Kydran, and Leon's gunblade sung as it was drawn from the belts at his waist.

Towering over them was an exceptionally thin skeleton donning a black suit and flashing a bony grin.

"Hello there! Welcome to Halloween Town!" exclaimed the skeleton exuberantly, first adjusting the bow-tie at his neck (which was actually a bat) before extending his skeletal hand to each of them in turn. Kydran felt the urge to whack him atop the head with the Heart Key. "No offense, but your costumes aren't very scary. They are very unusual, though!"

"You surprised the hell out of me," muttered Kydran, dispelling the Heart Key.

"That's great! I do hope you'll enjoy yourselves. We get so few visitors nowadays."

"Did you see another boy come here? His name's Sora, he's wearing a bright red-"

"Sora's here? I had no idea! You're welcome to go look for him, just stay into trouble!" interrupted the skeleton, as he began to move away. Kydran felt an odd sense of friendship with this one; despite his outlandishness, this skeleton was very jovial.

"Hey, what's your name?" the boy queried before the figure was out of earshot. The skeleton turned and offered a large, ghostly grin.

"I'm Jack, the Pumpkin King. Enjoy your stay here in my Town!" And with that, Jack was gone.

Pandora was absolutely pale.

"K-Kydran... a... huge skeleton just... talked to us..."

"Sure enough. Come on, I think I know where Sora is."

The three of them, with Kydran in the lead, cautiously traversed along the walls of Guillotine Square, before finding a small alleyway which led to a set of stairs. They scaled these rather large steps, and pushed through the wiry, rusted gate. They found themselves in a cemetery.

It was a narrow affair, dank and cold like the rest of the spooky world. Unnerving tombstones, each bearing a gargoyle statue atop them, gazed out at them as the three passed by. Kydran felt the second heartbeat growing stronger. The heartbeats did not sound off at once; there was one beat, followed perfectly by the other heartbeat, no mistakes in their intervals, alternating back and forth.

The raven-haired boy approached the large stone coffin at the end of the cemetery. He felt, steadily, his own happy, tranquil thoughts becoming less and less so. He came to the side of the coffin, and peered in. Kydran saw an image that would never leave him, but unnerved him terribly:

Sora lay in that coffin, sound asleep, as though dead.

(It's too late.)

What do you mean?

(You can't save him. He's lost. Lost in his own memories.)

How did that happen?

(It doesn't matter now. He can't come back.)

No! I'll bring him back! Sora!

(Don't bother. From where I'm going to send you, you won't even be able to save yourself.)

No...!

Kydran saw no more.

But his body continued to move, hair shifting from black to bright crimson.

The Heart Key manifested itself in his left hand; he reared the weapon back, and brought it at Sora tip-first, while he lay helpless in that coffin.

It was Pandora's cry that awoke the Keyblade Master; he shot up, stock-straight, as though awakened from a nightmare. Leon was caught nearly unawares, his attention having been focused on the massive moon in the sky.

Kydran's hair flashed to black.

The tip of the keyblade made a solid connection with Sora's chest, and Kydran leaned in to Sora as he sat upright, paralyzed in the coffin, blade protruding from his chest, and whispered something into his ear before he withdrew the blade and his hair shifted back to crimson.

The boy reared back to make two-handed, killing swing at the Keyblade Master, but the Heart Key was stopped abruptly.

Another keyblade, black in form, barred its path. Malicious emerald eyes followed the tip of the weapon, from the raven spine and bladed teeth, over the blade in which a black chain was embedded, down to the bat-wing handle and the right hand that held it. His eyes traveled along the arm, up to the body, to the boy clad in white and black. Light blonde hair, blue eyes, and a face that looked similar to Sora's own. Exactly the same, at a second glance. The blonde haired kid's eyes were narrowed, but Kydran paid no mind. Combat was imminent.

Kydran's new assailant bore another keyblade, one which Sora would recognize, shocked, before passing out. A shining silver keyblade, which emitted trails and arcs of bright orange power. Angel wings graced the hilt of the weapon, from which sprouted twin blades which terminated into a dark-steel heart. A number of spines extended from the tip, in a half-star pattern. The dual wielder bore both the Oblivion and the Oathkeeper.

The ebon-haired psychopath would find out very quickly how well this blonde haired kid knew how to use the weapons. He was forced back, held under a flurry of twin keyblades, before quickly gaining his footing and returning with a barrage of his own.

Pandora was absolutely stricken. Her jaw hung open and she backed up slowly against the stone coffin. She didn't want to believe it; Kydran, her Kydran, had just attacked Sora! She didn't want to believe it. He didn't look like the Kydran she knew anymore. A wild look had entered his eyes, a fiendish look, and now he was fighting two other individuals, for Leon had joined the fray.

The black-clad boy was ready; within an instant, the dual wielder found himself facing not only the Heart Key, but the diamond blade Kydran had brought with him. This evened the odds, for now Kydran had one blade to tie up each of the others.

The blonde-haired kid disengaged, leaping back and thrusting the Oathkeeper out. He cried out a word of power, and flame materialized at the tip of the white keyblade. From it burst a large globe of Fire: Firaga. And another. And another.

Kydran immediately turned his attention to Leon, and laughed a hollow laugh. Leon made a swing at the red-haired boy, trying fiercely to cut him down. It was to no avail; Kydran simply moved aside, faster than the warrior could keep track of. He would have flicked the gunblade back to parry an incoming blow, but the blow never came, and his wrist did not move.

Kydran had let the approaching blade to pass through the hilt of the Heart Key. With a twist of the hand, Leon's weapon was locked fast in between the handle and the crimson hilt. He was jerked off his feet suddenly, and braced up. His own grey eyes looked into Kydran's maddened, sadistic green eyes. Then the pain struck in full force.

The Firagas the dual wielder had intended for Kydran were instead striking Zidane, for Kydran had, cunningly, turned him into the path of the fireballs. Leon, too weak to fight anymore, went limp, and was dropped to the ground. Kydran reared the Heart Key back and hurled it at Zidane. It spun, disc-like, gathered energy, forcing the other to deflect with both of his keyblades. This had bought Kydran enough time. He called the weapon back in the middle of a downward thrust, and brought the tip of the Heart Key into Leon's back.

Darkness, of a purity and amount nearly unheard of, coursed from Kydran's gloved hand, through the Heart Key and into Leon's unlocked heart

(forget about it all struggle no more become a servant of that which you hate most)

and the Griever writhed. He fought to get up, froze, and then his entire body went limp. From the hole in his back, Darkness began to spill forth, engulfing his entire body in a neon-green haze.

But as he turned his head from the fallen Leon back to the blonde-haired foe, he saw not the dual wielder but instead a pair of keyblades headed straight his way.

Using both the diamond blade and the Heart Key to swat them aside, the red-haired young man laughed. Without a moment having passed, the crimson-haired Kydran dismissed and called the Heart Key back, extending his hand out and catching it as it reformed. He held it upside-down; the tip was pointed toward his chest.

Kydran drove the Heart Key into himself. With a wince, he withdrew the weapon, smiled faintly, and dropped to his knees, then onto the floor. His hair shifted to black.

The Oblivion and Oathkeeper sailed elegantly back to their wielder's hands, and he approached the fallen body with a resolve that would have made even the bravest men shrink back, so intent was he upon slaying Kydran right then and there.

Pandora threw herself between the Oblivion and the falled Kydran as it was brought down to deliver the killing blow. The girl shoved his weapon away, pushed aside a rebellious bang, and the dual wielder stepped back.

"No! I won't let you hurt him!"

The blonde-haired kid looked to the writhing mass of Darkness upon the ground that was once Leon's body, then glanced coolly back to Pandora.

"Get out of my way."

"I said no!"

"Fine, then I'll-"

The dual wielder's voice was cut off short as a mass of Darkness swatted him aside. An arm took hold of Pandora's weapon. She resisted, but felt her strength draining from her rapidly as she resisted. The form of the monster Leon was taking shape as had its purpose.

Leon's dark form burst with dark power, suddenly engulfing the area in a reverse flash- everything was pitch-black for a moment. Through the inky blackness, a blinding light was forming; a rip in the air. A rip from which Darkness began to spill.

The dark creature recoiled as the blonde-haired kid slammed both the Oblivion and Oathkeeper into it, and Pandora stumbled back against the stone coffin, dazed. She turned to the coffin and began dragging Sora out of it, but had no problem. The rift she had inadvertently created was beginning to pull everything possible into it. The black creature Dyne was forcing back leapt through the rift eagerly, and ran to Pandora, relieving her of Sora's weight.

Pandora immediately leapt for Kydran, the keyblade falling from her hand, being immediately sucked through the rift. She dropped to her knees, covering the fallen body of Kydran. She watched the blonde-haired kid struggle against the powerful vacuum, before disappearing through the cemetery gates.

Kydran's body began to slide toward the rift. She held on tightly to him, but soon the power of the rift was too strong to resist, and the both of them were swallowed by the Darkness.

The dual wielder, no longer bearing the two keyblades, leaned against the wall inside the gummi ship, his breath coming in heavy gasps. Both the panic of the moment and the physical strain left him out of breath. He slid down along the wall, curling into a sitting position. Yuffie and Cid approached immediately from the cockpit, Cid already blustering.

"What the hell-"

"You need to get the hell out of here! Now!" shouted the boy, leaping to his feet and running toward the cockpit. "This world's about to get swallowed!"

Indeed, it was true. Looking out a nearby window, he could see another tear in the very walls that separated the realm of the Kingdom from the realm of Darkness. Halloween Town was soon consumed, shrinking into the distance and into the rift. Cid wasted no time. Yuffie looked back down to the unconscious Sora, and squatted down beside him, shaking her head. What the hell had happened down there?

The blonde-haired kid approached, holding the Oathkeeper in one of his hands. He waved it through the air, muttering something, and healing green light engulfed the Keyblade Master. The unseen wound on his back sealed shut, the Curaga having done its work.

"Who are you? And how did you get that keyblade!" started Yuffie, infuriated with her lack of control over the situation. "And where is Leon, and Pandora!"

"I'm Dyne, I don't know how I got the keyblades, and your Heart Key-wielding friend turned Leon into a Heartless the likes of which I've only seen once and would never like to again."

The girl was stunned. She tried to speak, but the words had come like a shot to the head. The ninja reached out to find a wall, leaned against it, and sunk down. She was trying not to believe it.

She, unfortunately did not have time to think on it further, for both she and Dyne were thrown about the ship as it suffered an immense blow from outside. Dyne, immediately on his feet, tended to Sora, while Yuffie stumbled into the cockpit.

"Cid, what's going on?" she heard Aerith cry over the loud alarm indicating that they would not survive another blow.

"I'll tell ya! This big &#$ monster is after us!"

The ninja looked through the window, seeing what was tailing them.

It was the same beast, Kydran's 'Nemesis', that had destroyed Traverse Town. Swallowed it up. She felt her sanity bending.

"The mother &$ took out our navigation systems and power controls! We're flying at full power with no control!"

"Oh no! Yuffie, look!" cried Aerith, pointing ahead.

It was a sight all too familiar to her.

Hollow Bastion, their old home.

Cid put on every manner of brake he could think of. Within an instant, the gummi ship, moving at high speed, slammed into Hollow Bastion's ocean surface.