Soon the vision disappeared as someone nudged his shoulder. Sora woke up to see Marie kneeling by him. He groggily stared on, unsure of what to think. Before he could ask, she told him "You were having a nightmare, besides, you were sleeping in, we have to discuss where to go today, and who to recruit..."
Sora paused, nodding as she exited the room, her ear twitching as she heard him whisper "Riku..."

Sora made his way into the living room, joining Marie and Spirit on the couch.

"I know where we should go today." he said. The two looked at him inquisitively, a bit surprised by his serious tone of voice "It's a world called Hollow Bastion."

Marie suddenly looked as if she had seen a ghost.

"Marie, what's wrong?" Spirit asked, trying to snap her back into reality.

"Have you been there before?" Sora asked.

"Umm... No! But I heard the Heartless there are really strong. The world was lost when their sage betrayed the people to the darkness."

Sora now had an angry look on his face. "That man's name is Ansem. Through his sick experiments, he created the Heartless."

She shook her head "Never heard of him... but the heartless are getting stronger and stronger... would it be wise to go there?"
Spirit shook his head "I'll protect you, no matter what!"
"And besides" Sora said "If we work together, we can take down anything!"
She hesitantly nodded, Spirit knew she hid something, and begin to wonder "Marie, is there something you're not telling us?" he laid his hand on her shoulder as a comfort, as he said "Don't be afraid to be honest..."
She paused, letting out a sigh "Ansem... is a very bad man... long ago... I woke up on his planet, seeing him... how I got there or what happened before then was but a daze..." she continued "But I agreed to help him in his studies... he told me it would help the world... and he lied... thanks to me, he was able to control the darkness..."
She felt a knot in her throat, being nervous as every word was forced out "Because of me, so many worlds fell, so many tears shed, so many lost to the darkness..." she turned her back to Spirit in shame.

"Marie, it doesn't sound like that was your fault. He tricked you, and you had no idea that this would happen."

Sora nodded "You're not the last person he tricked, and you're probably not the first, either." Marie turned hesitantly around, still with a guilty look about her. Spirit used a finger to wipe a tear from under one of her eyes, giving her a slight feeling of joy "No matter what happens, I'll always love you."

The deity smiled at this, and wrapped her arms around him.

"You're so sweet!" she said gleefully. Sora didn't notice their display of affection; he was too busy thinking about the friend who he had lost.

"Okay! Just promise that you'll help me fight off Ansem if he comes?"

Spirit nodded "Anything for you!" he blushed slightly, as she nuzzled his cheek. Sora gave little notice, still lost in thought as he just noticed her opening a portal.
"Jump in, you two!"
They did so and she followed after into a great, dark castle. The atmosphere around it caused Marie to shiver slightly.

"Dang, there's a lot of dark creatures around... you can tell" she said "The air gets slightly damper and it gets a little colder..."
"Really?" Sora said "I never noticed..."

"I can feel it in my fur" she said "But I usually ignore it..."
She shivered again slightly, her nose twitching, as she shrugged it off "Meh... I'll get used ot it in time... darn these keen senses of mine..."

Suddenly, a swarm of super powerful Heartless appeared out of the shadows. Some were muscular in appearance, and had shields with canine-like heads on them. Others looked like skinny magicians, hovering in the air with their wands at the ready. The group was about to take on these new foes, but suddenly, they were all destroyed by a series of lightning fast attacks. A figure landed where the Heartless once stood, a dragon wing shaped sword in his hand.

"It's been a long time, Sora."

Marie's nose twitched, as she approached the stranger.

"You know Sora?" she asked, trying to pick up a scent as she walked around his body. He nodded.
"Looks like you've got some new friends?" he suggested, tilting his head towards Sora as he nodded, forcing a smile "Some new fuzzy fetish of yours?"
Sora muttered, hand to his forehead as his friend chuckled "Just kidding!"
He looked to Marie "The name's Riku, squirt!"
"Hey!" she said, exposing tiny kitten fangs as she spoke "I resent the short jokes!"

"I'm just joking again." Sora chuckled a bit, happy to see that his friend was okay. "One more thing..." Riku said as he moved toward his old friend. He then knocked Sora upside the head, shocking both Spirit and Marie.

"I told you to watch after Kairi!"

"Heh, suppose I deserved that." Sora said, rubbing the top of his head. Riku returned back to his more friendlier look, smiling as he brushed some of his long hair out of his face.

"We'll talk about that later... For now, it's just good to see you again."

"So... Sora... what did we come here for again?" Marie's mood changed to the one before as she shuddered "Manyo, I hate dark energy, it always messes me up somehow..."
She winced slightly as she suddenly sneezed "The air's so damp here... there must be water around..." she rubbed her furry chin "I could reenergize..."
"Hum?" Spirit turned his head towards her.
"My body is mostly composed of water magic, which I get by absorbing any water, as long as it's not tainted greatly..." she said "Any body of water can offer a great deal of energy for me, and that would be good in such a place like this..."
Riku pointed to some pipes at the side "I think water flows through those..."
She walked to it, placing her hand on the cool metal and searched for a leak. Water droplets condensed on the side, as a gentle aura surrounded her. Spirit gazed on curiously, wondering how long this could possibly take, but she was finished before he could even ask."So ermm... can we leave now?" she asked Sora.

"Not yet, there's someone here who I want you to meet." Riku said, pointing out the way to a large doorway.

"Who is it?" Sora asked cautiously.

"His name starts with an 'S'... He's really quiet, and I think he's from another world."

The Gaia looked to Marie, wary of her health.

"If this place upsets Marie, I don't want her to have to stay any longer."

She shook her head, saying "It's okay, we'll leave once we help out this guy."

Again she shivered, her body chilled by the darkness in the air. Spirit walked up to her and put his arms around her, blushing a bit as he did.

"It's okay, I'll keep you warm."

Riku looked to Sora, a devious grin on his face "Reminds me of you and Kairi."

Sora almost fell over from shock, blushing intensely. Meanwhile Marie snuggled against Spirit's fur, chuckling as her worries eased away "Kitty jacket!"
He smiled, as they held hands "We promised to protect one another, and I intend to keep that promise" he looked into her eyes "You do too, right?"
She eagerly nodded, as the three followed Riku down the corridors of the abandoned kingdom.
"This place... reminds me a bit of Hyuponia..." she said "Except even that place didn't look as dreary..."
"Hyuponia?"
"Its called the Kingdom of Sorrow in Lunatea..." she paused "The fifth kingdom, when it appeared, chaos spread all over the planet, and nearly drowned the world in sadness... It turned out though that the king only wanted help, to be remembered... sometimes we mustn't judge those because of their backgrounds..."
Spirit nodded, keeping her darker counterpart in mind "Sometimes they are misunderstood..."

They soon entered a large library, book cases organized in a maze-like fashion.

"He's probably still reading... I think he does it because of a memory he has." Riku explained. They all walked up a curving staircase, finally spotting a man in a black coat. He had long, silver colored hair that almost reached the floor, and what looked like a sword, tucked away under his coat flaps.

"It's you!" Sora exclaimed. The man turned around, revealing a pair of intense eyes. They were a mysterious shade of blue, and seemed to reflect a strange energy. His coat was open at the front, revealing a muscular physique.

"You two know eachother?" Riku asked.

"Yes... My name is Sephiroth; the One Winged Angel."

Sora nodded, calming down. He could tell that he wasn't here to fight, then explained "We once fought eachother in the colosseum in Olympus..." he scratched his head "Never thought I'd be seeing him soon..."
Marie gazed on at this man in a dream like state, wondering why he arrived. Seeing his silver hair sway with every moment nearly brought out her playful kitten side, but she resisted it, uttering "One winged angel? That sounds familiar..." she scratched her head, picking at distant memories but soon dismissed the thought.
Sephiroth looked at Spirit, almost peering into his very soul.

"So, you are the one I've been waiting for..." Spirit stared strangely at him, not having any clue what he meant.

"I was sent here to wait for you by the Gaia of light." Sephiroth explained.

"My mother! Is she here!" Spirit said joyously.

"No, she is elsewhere at this time. She sent me because this is my only chance to repent for my sins."

The Gaia's hopeful look diminished, a look of sadness was now upon him.

"Your sins?" Marie asked, going to Spirit to comfort him.

"I've done many horrible things in my life: Murder, attempted genocide, turning to the darkness... I'm surprised I was offered this second chance."

"Awww..." Marie nodded in understanding "Redemption's okay, I guess..."
Sora rubbed his chin "Well, Spirit, looks like you have a guardian one winged angel..."
Sephiroph glared slightly, approaching Spirit as Marie trailed behind, fighting off the urge to bat his hair around, when she realized.
"Eeeee, you're tall..." she tilted her head up at him, then ducked behind Spirit.

"That sword of yours, It's different than the Gaia Blade used by your father. Because of your unique heart, it has become a multi-weapon known as Gaia Ultima."

Spirit looked puzzled, and was confused by all this talk of his powers, but wondered more of someone else "Where is my mother? I... want to meet her."

Sephiroth sighed, as if he was about to reveal something he shouldn't.

"Lumina, your mother, currently dwells within Zarconia's heart..." Spirit wiped his eyes, feeling more hopeful.

"However, I've been ordered to forbid your going there." Sephiroth continued.

"What! Why!" Spirit protested, tears beginning to stream down his fur.

"I'm sorry... I can't answer that..."

Marie frowned at the sight, Spirit's sorrows. She walked up to him, wiping away tears as she suddenly hugged him, burying her face in his vest. He didn't know it, but she suddenly teared too, but only a little. She looked up to him with a forced smile, her cheeks slightly pink.
"Don't worry, Spirit..." her voice sounded different this time, having an emotional depth to it that he never noticed before, like as if she shared his feelings, thoughts and emotions "You'll see her someday, I just know it... for now, we just wait..." her eyes were slightly watering and she stared up to him in a pleading way "Okay? Just don't be sad..."

Spirit nodded, his blue eyes shimmering slightly.

"Spirit, your mother loves you very much: That's why she sent me." Sephiroth explained.

"Well, guess we should be getting out of here..." Sora said, a bored look on his face.

"Leave? Why you only just arrived a mysterious voice echoed. Riku was suddenly stricken with pain, his body surging with dark energy.

"It's him..."

"Riku!" Sora yelled. His friend rose to his feet, an evil smile on his face.

"I'm afraid your friend cannot hear you at the moment." he said, in a voice not his own.

"It can't be!" Sora exclaimed. A look of sheer horror befell him as he watched his friend's body vanish, another slowly taking its place. Marie clutched onto Spirit's vest, knowing well who this new entity was. It was a man with dark colored skin, a black and tan coat, and silver hair that dropped down to his back. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ansem: The Seeker of Darkness."

"No!" Marie said, clutching tighter to his vest. She closed her eyes, like as if to not witness who stood before her, and Spirit could tell that she really was scared. What could he have done to her in the past... to haunt her this much?, he thought to himself, materializing the ultima.
"Don't worry, Marie..." he patted her head to calm her down, as she glared towards the enemy "I'll stop him!"
A shadow puppet suddenly appeared in front of the two, grabbing Marie by an arm and leg as she clutched onto Spirit, until a sudden dark energy surged through her, only enough to make her lose grip. The creature appeared behind Ansem and the deity closed her eyes shut once again, praying this was only a nightmare.
"Well if it isn't my little researching partner" he deviously smirked as a taunt to Spirit "You may still be useful to me!"

"Let her go!" Spirit shouted.

"Or what? Your power pales in comparison to my dark mastery." Ansem laughed, his body hovering above the ground "Riku tried so hard to drive my presence from his heart, but it was all in vain."

Spirit's body started to illuminate, almost ready to transform into his Gaian form. "That power! Heart and light combined!" Ansem exclaimed. Spirit wanted to attack Ansem, but feared he'd hurt Marie.

"Spirit! The Gaia Ultima is a purifying weapon! It's only purpose is to destroy evil, and those with pure hearts are unaffected by it!" Sephiroth explained. Spirit nodded and jumped into the air, slicing the muscular heartless in two. The blade passed right through Marie's body, not hurting her in the least. He then turned around and caught her as she fell, resting her head against his chest. "It seems I have underestimated you." Ansem said, chuckling a bit.

He then deviously smirked, staring down at the Gaia in great interest, plotting "I'll just have to wait and see what happens..." he faded away in darkness, leaving Spirit with his love, just slowly shaking away the terror in her heart. He knew she needed to calm down, and decided to softly sing a song in her ear, adding onto the end "I love you, forever and always... my heart is yours, your heart is mine..."
She found herself falling asleep in his arms, as those last words echoed in her soul "We shall always protect eachother..."