FG: Chapter 7 of CC2 has arrived! WHOO! Just so you guys know, on Wednesday, I left for Starved Rock, then Champagne. That's why this chapter took so long.

Random talking snack machine: Yup!

FG: (smacks captioning) He's not random! He's the guest!

Everyone else: Oh.

FG: When I was nine, I had a dream that I was all alone in a swamp. I didn't have any friends…except for Chip, da Talking Snack Machine!

Chip: Um…yeah.

Robin: FG's gettin' weirder by the second. I mean, the new guest is a talkin' snack machine from her dreams.

Jake: I'm hungry. (pushes a dollar into Chip) Gimme Doritos, snack-man!

Chip: NO, THEY'RE MINE! (foams) Uh…I mean…out of order.

Jake: Riiiiight…animate!

Doritos: (fly out of Chip)

Jake: Doritos! (eats the Doritos)

Eclipse: Hey, didn't you say that you'd explain why CC2 is called 'A Dream Worth Keeping' in this chapter?

FG: Half of the explanation, anyway. Well, Chip, it's time to do the disclaimer!

Chip: Only if the little boy stops making free snacks come out me.

FG: Yeah, whatever. Just do it.

Chip: FG doesn't own anyone in CC2 except for Emma, Dia, Jake, Robin, Bernie, Coeur/Hart, Miaow, Eclipse, Taylor, Lyze, Silke, Kinzoku, and Alissa. Hmm. Big list.

FG: If I owned the KH guys, I'd be rich and famous. But I'm not; I'm just an insane middle-schooler in IL.

Sora: You'll never own me! (dives into garbage can)

FG: See? Well, on with Chapter 7.

… … … … … … … … …

Eclipse stepped out of the tree trunk, examining the Yami Sword. "I want my sister back…but I can't join the darkness. I'll turn her back by myself." He glared at it. "Besides, this sword is stupid. I can't hit Heartless with it, because it's made of darkness. So I don't need it, which means I don't have to fight Emma."

"Denial. You're simply in denial," Lyze decided. She pulled the hood of her cloak on, pressing her large, furry ears down. "I'm sure you'll come around soon enough." With a fizzing noise, she disappeared.

"Hmph." Eclipse stomped off. "Stupid Daimyo…"

"HEEEEEY, ECLIIIIIPSE!" Eclipse stopped and looked up. "HEEEEEY, ECLIIIIIPSE!" the voice repeated. Suddenly, Jake came barreling at Eclipse. "LOOK AT THIIIIIS, ECLIIIIIPSE! ECLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPSE!"

Jake pounced on the Nekoshu and sent both of them to the ground. "Look at what?" Eclipse grunted.

The little boy thrust the Winged Primate Keyblade into Eclipse's face. "Look at Sora's new Keyblade!"

"It's ugly." Eclipse teleported out from under Jake, then reappeared next to him. "Is that really his new Keyblade?"

Jake nodded happily. "He got it from Cabin 10!"

"The one with the goose poop?"

Jake nodded again. "Pooooooooop…" he echoed.

"Would you cut that out?" Eclipse looked like he was going to gag.

"Aw…okay…" The other Juu Senshi members and Miaow were walking towards them. "Hiya, guys! Eclipse likes your new Keyblade, Sora."

Sora stared blankly. "You do?"

"No. It's ugly." Eclipse shook his head. "But I found another keychain if you…" Sora automatically squealed and clung to Eclipse. "…want it. Get off me, please."

"Sorry." Sora grinned apologetically. "I was just hoping that I would have more than the Winged Primate Keyblade."

Eclipse took out a small keychain with a cat paw attached. "I'd hope so too, if that was my weapon."

Sora took off the hideous keychain he got from Haiiro and attached the new one. The new blade was coal-black with three smaller blades jutting out of the side, like claws. The handle was brown, with small curves, like paws. "Hmm…I'm going to call it the Tsume Keyblade."

"Where'd you get that, Eclipse?" Emma wondered.

"It was just on the ground."

Miaow patted the younger brother of her Other. "He can't go ten minutes without reading someone's mind," she announced affectionately.

Eclipse jerked away from Miaow, then teleported over to Coeur, who was on Bernie's shoulder. "Don't act like I'm your little brother! I'm Hart's brother! The only reason you exist is because of the Heartless! And when, not if, WHEN I restore Hart to her Nekoshu form, I won't need you!"

Donald rolled his eyes. "You're acting like a kid whose fighting with his baby-sitter, and Miaow is the baby-sitter. She just wants to take care of you, but you'll only accept kindness from your mom, or Coeur, as the case is."

"Myew, myew," Coeur agreed. "Myew."

"I'm sorry, Hart…" Eclipse sighed. "I just want to turn you back to normal."

Sora sheathed the Tsume Keyblade. "Well, where's our next stop?"

Haiiro materialized. "A place in Illinois called Starved Rock."

"Starved Rock?" Bernie smiled. "I've been there once."

"Then you know how dangerous it is."

Bernie nodded slowly. "There's a sign on one path…it basically says that the big sign is blocking a path with loose gravel…you could fall and die. There's an undertow. We don't have to go there…do we?"

"Well…" Haiiro frowned and sighed. "…you do." Everyone's eyes shot open. "I am getting signals that Heartless are planning to destroy Starved Rock. They are most likely coming with Daimyo Kinzoku."

Dia groaned. "We have to fight upgraded Heartless AND this Kinzoku guy?"

"We can take them," Eclipse decided.

Miaow shook her head. "It's too dangerous. You should stay here." She walked back over to Eclipse and grabbed his wrist. "I'm staying, so you should too."

Eclipse gritted his teeth. "I'm going with my sister. I'll be safer with her."

"You'll get hurt by the Heartless!"

"SHUT UP! What do you care about what the Heartless do to me? You were created by them! They took Hart's heart, and you're the shadow of it!"

Miaow sighed and got a tighter grip on Eclipse's wrist. "You must stay here."

"DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME WHAT TO DO! HYAH!" A black streak slashed Miaow, causing her to let go. Eclipse turned to the Juu Senshi. "I'll meet you at Starved Rock." He teleported away.

There was silence in the forest. "They need a family counselor," Donald announced. Emma kicked him.

… … …

Back in Chicago, Lyze was watching the hologram of the Juu Senshi. "Mr. Taylor, sir! Eclipse is using the Yami Sword!"

Taylor smirked. He was still wearing the Ansem costume, hood up. "And you remembered to place the spell on the sword?"

"Yessir, sir!" Lyze replied cheerfully. "The more he uses the sword, the more it'll affect him!"

Ansem's replacement chuckled darkly. "Can we expect the boy in the next month?"

"Yessir, Mr. Taylor, sir!"

Silke scoffed. "Do not place too much trust in Daimyo Rune. She is the weakest Daimyo. I, the strongest."

"I don't doubt your strength, Daimyo Sakura." Taylor shook his head. "But we needed a spell. You are good in your area, as is Daimyo Kinzoku. However, only Daimyo Rune can cast magic."

A new picture fizzed into the hologram. It was a man with flaming red hair. He was completely made out of metal, except for his head, although there was a plate over the left side of his face. "Shogun, I-"

"Shogun?" Silke interrupted. "More Japanese titles?"

Taylor glared. "The title was my idea."

"I like it, Mr. Shogun, sir!"

"Kiss-up." Kinzoku rolled his remaining eye. "Let me talk, Silk."

"My name is not Silk!" the blond Daimyo yelled. "It's Silke! Sill-kay! Not Silk!"

"I don't really care…SILL-KAY. Shogun, sir?" Taylor nodded. "I need to update the armor I gave the Heartless. The protective layer does not protect water. I require a day to do fix. It would normally take twelve hours, but I must update and recharge them, as well as myself.

Taylor shrugged. "That's fine. The trip from the reservation that the Juu Senshi are on to Starved Rock takes three hours. I'll keep them busy with Lyze's troops."

Silke dropped to her knees. "General Quinn…I mean, Shogun…why can I not send my troops instead? They'll clear the way for Daimyo Kinzoku's troops, and they're twice as tough as Daimyo Rune's!'

"They are?" Kinzoku's hologram raised an eyebrow. "Daimyo Sakura, how could you be stronger than a magician?"

Silke smirked. "You have never seen me fight."

… … …

"And even when you SEEEEEEEEEE the darkness come creepin', it's still a dream worth keepin'…don't let it fade…AWAAAAAAAAAAAY!"

Robin covered her ears and leaned into the minivan seat. "Whatcha doin', Quinn, tryin' ta make my ears bleed?"

Dia growled. "I'd beat you up if I wasn't driving."

"Ya couldn't beat me up, even if ya weren't!" Robin yelled.

"It's Jake's fault for getting that song stuck in my head!"

"You wanted to watch Ferngully!"

"Yeah, well we're never watching it again!"

"Myeh."

Goofy scratched his head. "What's Ferngully? And what were you singing?"

Dia sighed. "Ferngully: The Last Rainforest is a kiddy movie made by 20th Century Fox. Jake got the theme song stuck in my head, 'A Dream Worth Keeping'.

Eclipse, who had somehow found a way to fit in the van, spoke up. "Is it a good movie?"

"If you like sappy stuff and rapping fruit bats."

"Why is a fruit bat rapping?"

"I don't know. He just is, okay?"

Emma grabbed the seat in front of her and pulled herself up. "Hey, I just remembered something…we all had some weird dream."

"Huh?" Riku raised an eyebrow.

"Well, almost all of us. Robin, Bernie, and I all met Haiiro in a dream. Sora, you first saw the Heartless in your dream."

"How'd you know about that?" He asked. Emma didn't answer. "Oh, yeah. I live in a video game. So?"

Emma shrugged. "I don't know. The song just made me remember."

"That's stupid," Donald said. "Hey, I think we're here!"

A building that looked like a large, yellow mansion stood outside. A sign read, 'Welcome to the Starved Rock Lodge!' Sora stepped out of the car. "Wow…check out that totem pole!"

"It's so beautiful!" Kairi cooed.

Dia shut the door behind her. "Yeah, it's pretty nice. They have this DVD rental…I got to watch Rush Hour here." Jake's mouth opened. "Don't even think about singing WAR!"

"Rush Hour?" Riku hopped out. "Is that a movie?"

"Yeah, and it's a good one. If the Heartless aren't here yet, we can rent it."

Eclipse looked around. "This place is supposed to be popular for the surroundings, and you want to watch a movie?"

"Yes!" Jake squealed. "Let's go!"

… … …

The Juu Senshi walked into the lobby. Dia was holding a large pamphlet. "The dining hall is this way." She pointed to a small hallway, then turned to Emma. "I'm going to get Rush Hour. Can you take the map?"

Emma shrugged and took the pamphlet. "Sure."

Everyone except Dia walked down the hall. Both walls were covered in pictures. Most of them had a dog theme. One of them contained several black Labradors. They were either chewing or stepping on playing cards, all aces. Jake ran up to it. "The puppies are cute! Aw, they're eating aces! Cute little ace puppies! Why are they called aces? They should be called ones! But aces sounds cooler, so-"

Robin crossed her arms and glared. "If ya dun stop talkin' 'bout aces, I'm gonna shove that picture up YER ace."

It took Jake a few moments to process what the nineteen-year-old had implied. "Hey!" He placed both arms protectively over his rear end. Donald cracked up. Even Bernie, the maternal lover and guardian of all things little, laughed quietly.

Emma sighed. "Robin, leave Jake alone. We're at the dining room."

The dining room was a large, polished area made almost completely of wood. A waitress led them to a table, but not before asking, "So…I'm seating…all of you?"

"This place is nice," Kairi announced. "Is the food good?"

"Great," Emma answered. "They have…guys, look!"

Everyone's eyes turned to a woman at the next table. She seemed normal; casual clothes, bored expression. However, she had odd, slightly spiked, pastel green hair. Her olive bandanna stuck up in the front, like it was concealing something. Her skin was tan, but her fingertips were black and sharp at the end. When she looked up, her eyes widened. "The Juu Senshi!"

Everyone's mouth fell open. "D-d-daimyo R-rune!" Sora stammered. "What's she doing here?"

Lyze grabbed the bottom of her chair and scooted over. The Juu Senshi got their weapons out, and Eclipse held up his hands to ready himself for some psychic attack. Lyze laughed. "I'm not going to attack you. Mr. Shogun told me not to, so I'm not. I'm actually not even supposed to be here, but I'm hungry." She grinned. "Oh, you're here too?" she asked Eclipse, feigning innocence.

Eclipse squinted and directed a thought at Lyze. I'm not joining.

You'll have to, Lyze thought back. That sword will make you.

Riku cleared his throat. "Are you two having a staring contest?"

Lyze looked at Riku. "Very funny. I was told by Mr. Shogun not to attack you, like I said, but I'm considering grabbing a rapier."

"Is Mr. Shogun Daddy's new name?" Jake asked.

"Yes, Shogun Quinn. I call him Mr. Shogun," Lyze explained.

Robin scooted away from Lyze. "Can ya move? I feel a strong urge ta hit ya right now."

Lyze tapped the table impatiently with her elongated, curved fingers. "I'm warning you."

"Yeah, yeah, yer gonna attack us if we dun shut up."

"No. Well, yes, but no. I'm warning you about another Daimyo, Silke." She looked outside. "She's coming with her troops. Nobody knows what her area is, though. I have magic, and Kinzoku has metal. She has…to be honest, I don't know."

Emma put her chin in her hand. "Even if you ARE telling the truth, why are you siding with us? For the moment, anyway."

"I hate Silke. She thinks she's so perfect and powerful."

"Is she?" Goofy asked nervously.

"Stronger than me." Some metallic noises came from outside. "What the…Kinzoku shouldn't be here yet!"

Jake pressed his face on the glass. "Is Silke a blond?"

"Yes. Why?"

"She's outside."

Lyze stood up quickly, causing a few plates to clatter around. "I can't let her see me here. Mr. Shogun would fire me, and Ivalice would be destroyed!" She ran a few feet, then turned to Eclipse and winked. She ran again before she could see him clench his teeth.

With a loud bang, glass shards flew in every direction. Some tourists and waiters fled as Silke ran in. "Juu Senshi! I know you are here!"

The Juu Senshi and Eclipse ran forward. "Yeah, so?" Sora called.

"Prepare for your imminent defeat!" Silke yelled.

Sora snickered. "What? I don't see any weapons. Are you going to throw cherry blossoms at us?" Silke turned red as Sora started singing 'Sakura' in a falsetto. "Sa-ku-raaaaaaa, sa-ku-raaaaaaa, ima sakihokoru…"

"Enough!" the Daimyo hissed. She took out a long sword with sakura designs and ran at the Keyblade Master. She aimed for Sora's throat, but smashed the Tsume Keyblade instead. She smirked. "It is as you real-worlders say: close, but no cigar. I am Silke Sakura, Sword Daimyo! And if my specially designed Blade Heartless do not get you, I certainly will!"

… … … … … … … … …

FG: Okay, that was Chapter 7!

Chip: I liked it.

Jake: (hugs picture of dogs and aces) I like this picture.

Robin: Like I said…up yer ace.

Jake: (gulp)

Chip: Hey, isn't CC2 rated PG?

FG: Yeah, but I just make a few slightly inappropriate jokes now and then. In general, CC2 is PG.

Emma: (looks at script for next chapter) Oh, you can't be serious…

FG: (grins evilly) I'm serious.

Riku: (looks at script) Ugh…

Eclipse: Gimme that. (takes script) Oh, for Pete's sakes…

FG: I stopped saying that for a week after I watched A Goofy Movie and An Extremely Goofy Movie. When Kingdom Hearts 2 comes out, I'll stop for a year, probably.

Robin: We dun care.

FG: Well, stay tuned for Chapter 8 and the next Ultra-Author's Notes guest!

Emma: Why is the next chapter called 'The Short, Sappy Chapter O' Doom'?

FG: Because it iiiiiis… (grins) FG out, yo.