Chapter 3

Wish of the Two

As night clung over Arubi Island, just as everyone was going to bed, Shido suddenly found himself confronted by Kaguya and Yuzuru in his room, as they prepared to continue their seduction of him, much to his chagrin. Thankfully, Reine placed a sign on the door which told everyone else that there was to be no disturbing anyone in that room. The Twins were still doing everything they could to see if Shido could fall for either one of them. But of course, they still continued their quarrel. However, Tohka had her doubts, despite the shadow of envy slowly starting to take over, which would give Sephiroth an advantage, along with Origami.

"If I may, ladies. Both Yamai siblings want to get to know Shido a little better, which is why they want him to choose the one he acknowledges of his own accord," interjected Yohko.

Even though the Devil Hunter was right, Yuzuru felt that she needed to cuddle with Shido by placing herself upon him, which made Kaguya rather annoyed, but caused Shido to squirm. However, the other twin soon decided to do the same, resulting in another argument, which made the poor boy scream in fear.

"I think it's best if we leave him alone for a little while. Trust me on that. A catfight between the both of you would probably make Miss Okamine extremely disappointed," said Kiba.

"This young man is right, Tohka and Origami. I'd suggest you head to bed at once," added Miss Okamine.

"Yeah, our teacher's right about that. Staying out of someone's business is probably a good idea," agreed Ai.

However, Mathers was standing behind the corner of the corridors of the hotel.

"This is Adeptus 1. I can confirm that the target has entered the room," she said.

"Very good. However, I must advise you to be cautious for a little while longer. Do not attempt to unveil yourself when your prey's guard is down. For now, I will have three of our bandersnatch units on standby when you shall give us the go ahead.," replied Azrael, who spoke in his quiet slur.

Mathers nodded slowly, but as she was about to enter the room where the girls were, a pillow struck her face. At the same time, Shido struggled to break out of the grip of the twins, and ran for his life, right into Axel who was waiting outside.

"Seriously, kid, wear this so that you feel less exposed," he grumped, giving him a black coat to wear.

"Thanks, Axel," Shido sighed, and he put on the black coat.

He now felt more relieved, as he decided to take a little breather by walking off.

"Uh, what the what?" Kaguya asked in confusion.

"Agreement: Why are you standing outside, Axel?" Yuzuru asked as well.

Axel slowly turned around, then raised his hood to conceal his face.

"Just wanted to find out how you guys were bonding with each other," he said, and sauntered off.

The twins exchanged a confused glance with each other. Then finally, Yuzuru decided to put the sibling rivalry on hold by going to Sora, who was sitting on the roof of the hotel with his eyes closed. She jumped back when she saw his eyes snap open.

"Listen," he said.

He then jumped back into his room, with Yuzuru tailing behind him, and paced slowly about the room, holding a candle in his hand.

"Question. Why do we talk out loud when we know, puff, we're alone?" Sora asked Yuzuru.

"Conjecture: Because we know we're not," answered Yuzuru.

Taking a piece of chalk, Sora began writing on a black board that he had borrowed from the Doctor, the rogue Time Lord of Gallifrey.

"Evolution perfects survival skills. 1: There are perfect hunters. 2: There is perfect defense," continued the spiky brunette.

Then he turned back and faced Yuzuru.

"Question. Why is there no such thing as perfect hiding?" Sora inquired.

"Answer: How would you know? Logically, if evolution were to perfect a creature whose primary skill was to hide from view, how would you know it existed? It could be with us every second and we would never know. How would you detect it? Even sense it?" she replied.

"Except in those moments, when for no clear reason, you choose to speak aloud. What would such a creature want? What would it do? Well, what would you do?" Sora said.

"Bewilderment: I can't say for sure," Yuzuru remarked.

Then she took the chalk, erased what Sora had written, then wrote the word "Listen" on the blackboard.

"But the only course of action we'd have is to listen," she finished, and rolled it back to him.

Surprised, Sora picked up the chalk, then turned and looked at the word on the above Arubi Island, the DEM warship Arbatel, flanked by two Imperial light corvettes was now a safe distance away from where their agent on the ground was waiting. Azrael stood on the bridge, his eyes flaring with anticipation, but had a strong sense of patience that mirrored his mother's.

"Come in, Captain Paddington," he said.

"I thought you'd want to know, Admiral Izunia, that the scouts have now returned from their search of Scala Ad Caelum. Our wing commander will be ready for debriefing in a few minutes," said the Captain.

"And were they able to secure the old abandoned library of where Eraqus and Xehanort would visit in their youth?" Azrael asked.

"They managed to collect the books that were still intact. Ancient texts foretelling the end of the Realm of Light, with Darkness prevailing and Light expiring, as was discovered from the records of the missing page that was left behind. That was one of the many clues left by one of our former agents, Lyle Tiberius Rourke. Sadly, his greed became his undoing, when he perished at the hands of Milo Thatch and Sora. It is upsetting that he was one of our best allies, and would have given the Heart of Atlantis to us, had he killed them without hesitation. After all, we informed him that there were acceptable sacrifices, even though Sora and Sailor Moon say otherwise," explained James Paddington.

"Yes. Yes, I believe you're right. They don't believe in unnecessary losses, even though some casualties can affect them immensely, like my own mother, Salem, as well as Kurai's mother, Galaxia, even though he still believes that he did that deed in cold blood," the son of Ardyn and Salem said.

"Of course, sir. I've ordered sentry fighters onto yellow alert. Shall we go to red?" he asked.

"Patience, my friend. But do tell me one thing, Captain. Do you know anything about art?" replied Azrael.

"I don't believe I do," said James.

"Perhaps you should make the time. I've seen many artists create beautiful works of art, and Mother has told me to be very appreciative of it," he explained.

Suddenly an alarm sounded.

"Grand Admiral Izunia. Sir, we have incoming RGRO light carriers on an attack vector!" called the tactical officer.

Padding looked in shock, and saw the small strike fleet in the distance.

"I see, Lieutenant. Go to Red Alert and tell me what we have. Calmly if possible," oozed Azrael.

"Yes sir. We have four gummi assault frigates, probably salvaged from the remnants of the Atlas Armada following the destruction of both that Kingdom and Mantle, and a flotilla of Gummi fighters named after many different gods that are summoned to help when in a time of desperation," replied the lieutenant.

"Blast it. Have our engines be set to full burn and return us to Headquarters at once!" cried the captain.

"No. Belay that order, Lieutenant. Have our fighter crews report to stations. Raise our shields," overrode Azrael.

"What are you doing?" questioned James.

"First we'll look at what's before us on the tactical screen. Ah, so that's what we are dealing with. Flight control: order the nearest three sentry craft to attack," he said.

The pilots acknowledged the command, until one was blasted to dust by a Deathguise heavy assault fighter.

"Hmm… Interesting. Sentry fighters, return to your assigned ships," mused Azrael.

"Admiral, shouldn't we call for reinforcements? Another of our vessels, the Shadow Goblin, will be in no less than twenty minutes. Most of the others are in less than an hour," Captain Paddington said.

"Come now. The last thing that we'd want to do is bring in more of our ships, Captain. After all, there may be survivors. And we wouldn't want the RGRO learning about us, would we?" replied his superior.

He turned to the helm officer.

"Ensign, I want us flat to the invader's vector," Azrael commanded.

"Yes sir," replied the helmsman, but she was unsure why.

"You don't have to understand, ensign. Just obey," soothed the imperial warlord.

She nodded, then turned the ship to its side, making sure that its hanger was away from them.

"I'm afraid, I don't understand either," said the Captain.

"Just watch and learn, Captain," replied Azrael.

He activated the comlink.

"Imperial fighter squadrons launch when ready. Head directly away from the Arbatel for two kilometers, then sweep around in open cluster formation," he said to the squad leaders.

Dozens of imperial gummi fightercraft surged out of the hangers, then whooshed away from their flagship.

"Do you understand now, Captain?" asked Azrael.

"Turning our ship gives the fighters some exit cover, but the rest is nothing but a classic unorthodox closure maneuver. They'd never even think of falling for something like that," protested James.

"Au contraire, my friend. Not only will they fall for it, they'll be utterly obliterated by it. Now watch, Captain. And learn," remarked the admiral.

Soon the fighters swarmed out and around the flagship, and surged towards the fleet. They soon opened fire on them, and began to reduce them to scrap and debris that would float harmlessly in space.

"What in the blazes are they doing?" questioned the captain.

"Oh, they are trying the only defense they know of against our maneuvers, my friend. Or to put it more simply, the only defense they are psychologically capable of attempting," answered Azrael, as he watched the brutal carnage that was happening through the viewport.

The massacre seemed to have a sense of beauty in his eyes.

"You see, there is an inexperienced ex-Shinra officer commanding that force and he is truly unable to handle any unstructured attack profile of my own combat maneuvers," he explained.

"Of course. And you were only able to tell that this was from a former Shinra officer, along with some Atlassian survivors?" asked the captain.

"Learn about art, Captain. When you understand a person's art, you understand that person. Say for example, Vincent Van Gogh, or Leonardo Da Vinci," said Azrael.

Then he turned to his helm officer.

"Helm. Bring us to flank speed, and prepare to join the attack," he told the helmsman.

The Arbatel soon maneuvered and fired at the fleet, instantly destroying them. Once they were done, and Red Alert was disengaged, the pilots gave their report to their commanders.

"It appears that the Cardiff branch of D.E.M has gotten our report. We cannot spare the manpower needed to pacify another traitor," said Captain Paddington.

"For now, perhaps. But only for now," replied the warlord.

He activated the comlink..

"All stations, this is Grand Admiral Izunia. Bring us about and to the other side of Arubi Island. In other words, behind the crescent, but keep Agent Mathers' signal active," he said.

"Wait, the other side, sir?" questioned James.

"Yes. It's only the first piece of the puzzle, in order to take Tohka alive and have her brought to our ally, Chairman Westcott. The second piece lies within that girl, Origami Tobiichi of the AST," replied Azrael.

"May I ask what this puzzle is?" asked his subordinate.

"Why the only puzzle worth solving of course. We intend to have her test Kurumi's theory of who the real killer of her parents truly is, along with the people who were mercilessly slaughtered and turned to ashes, thanks to Efreet who unwillingly rained fire and brimstone upon those souls five years ago. Oh, and see to it that our bander snatch battalion is called back for now. I suggest we wait until the next night. In the meantime, Boadicea will join Mathers on the ground, so that if she is to fail, we eliminate these new players, and have Princess taken alive by brute force, so long as no one else even thinks of getting in our way," grinned the grand admiral.

The next day, as Shido sat down on the beach with all of his friends, Reine was now explaining her plan to have Berserk, Kaguya and Yuzuru Yamai, spend time with him in their free time, and that she had passed them some comlinks as well.

"Got it. So I just pretend that I don't know them and let me win them over?" he asked.

"Exactly. If you understand what it means to have you fall for them is to follow my directions, I'll be able to control their actions, at least to some extent. At least, that's the idea," replied Reine.

"In other words, as long as everything goes the way you think, it's possible to seal both of them at the same time," Shido said.

"Correct. Judging by the girls' current dynamic, you kiss one of them, there's no way how the other one will react. But the assumption is it won't be positive," she explained.

"And there's still the matter of Fraxinus not being there, since Reeve has already taken temporary command of the vessel. But be warned Shido. If neither of the Yamai siblings have their powers sealed, then a new hurricane will surely submerge Arubi Island by a massive Tsunami, and a violently unstable thunderstorm. The likes of which would leave both Usagi and Chibiusa too paralyzed to do anything. We must take that chance, regardless of the many risks that are part of this mission. Remember what you've learned, and it can save you in the long run," added Nanaki.

"I know what you mean. Kill the boy and let the man be born, but I'm scared that I may end up failing," Shido shuddered.

"You won't… Fear is your enemy, Shido Itsuka. You fight to ensure that no spirit shall ever be destroyed either by the A.S.T. or by their own hands. Be kind, Be respectful, give them praise when you feel it's necessary, and don't let yourself be held back by hesitation. All of us are with you, no matter where we are," assured the lion-like creature.

Shido nodded, then clicked off the transmitter, right as the twins arrived. He complimented their swimsuits, which did make Kaguya blush and nearly panic. Then they were told by Reine to follow her instructions to the letter, which they agreed to.

"Apologies, Kaguya and Yuzuru. I know that intruding isn't really my style, but I was wondering if I could help Shido out with applying sunblock on you," Riku said when he arrived.

On the Fraxinus, Reeve sat in the chair, with one leg over the other, despite being dressed in his usual clothes after becoming commissioner of the RGRO.

"Attention all personnel. This is Commissioner Tuesti of the RGRO. As you know, Commander Itsuka and Vice Commander Kannazuki have left me in charge of this vessel. Our mission is still the same as per the orders from Ratatoskr. Proceed to Arubi Island, and engage any and all enemy forces that would dare try to bring harm to any spirit or civilian. For now, we are to proceed to our destination, and assist Shido when necessary. Until then, continue with your duties. Tuesti out," Reeve said into the intercraft.

The whole crew was surprised by how Reeve was taking his posting very seriously, but back in the Itsuka residence, Marlene, Yoshino, and Team NORA were still holding down the fort. Back on the beach, Shido and Riku were now preparing to place sunblock on both Yamai twins, even though the other boy seemed hesitant to do so.

"Remember, Shido. Hesitation is your enemy," he whispered to him.

He then proceeded to give Yuzuru's back a friendly rub, with Shido doing the same on Kaguya's.

"How does it feel?" Shido asked Kaguya.

"It feels rather comforting," Kaguya sighed.

"What about you, Yuzuru? Are you doing okay with me?" Riku asked.

"Comfort: it's wonderful, Riku. I'm proud to have you with me, my friend," replied Yuzuru.

Riku nodded, despite keeping his true feelings in check. Behind him, Sunset, Sayaka, and Kyouka watched anxiously, but hearing the other mature looking Yamai twin call him friend made them feel a bit at ease.

"You know, I had a strong rivalry with Sora once, even though he and I were best friends. We dueled each other with toy swords for as long as we can remember. But then I began to grow envious of him, even began to hate him, no matter how many times we tried to one up each other. That was when I went to the door to darkness and opened it up to gain even greater power. But in doing so, I destroyed not just Destiny Islands, but the world we grew up in, even though Kairi was brought to our world by Xehanort's hands. It was 11 years after Terra came to me and bequeathed me the power to be a Keyblade Master. Thus, we were separated from each other, Sora, Kairi, and I. I asked her to stand by the door in the secret place and wait for him, so that I could find him my own way, but we had no idea that her heart would take refuge in Sora's. After that, I was brought to Radiant Garden, which became Hollow Bastion, through the Dark Corridors. There I was apprenticed to Maleficent, the dark fairy who lied to me about how Sora had turned his back on me, by taking advantage of my envy. She trained me, and in exchange for my cooperation, we would find the Seven Princess of Heart: Aurora, Jasmine, Snow White, Alice, Cinderella, and Belle. As for the seventh, I had no idea that Kairi was also a princess. With the Soul Eater, I was able to surprise Sora when we reunited with each other, but I left after I found out that he had the Keyblade. Maleficent continued to use my envy to control my heart, but during Sora and Aladdin's clash with Jafar, I used the advantage that he created to take Jasmine away. We met again in Monstro, where I planned on asking Pinocchio to give me the secret to save Kairi, but he was taken by a Heartless called the Parasite Cage. We formed a temporary truce, and then I took Pinocchio hostage again, right in front of his father, a wood carver called Geppetto. I wanted to offer Sora the chance to have him join me, but he refused, staying true to the light, and himself, believing that I was in the wrong. But, I was forced to retreat as the Heartless attacked again. When I found Kairi, she was comatose without her heart. Then, when Maleficent gave me the power to command the Heartless, I began to use it to try and have him killed, but he still persisted after I took Kairi away. That was when Maleficent gave me the power to surpass him in power, until I fought and defeated the Beast who came looking for Belle of his own volition, and through the strength of his heart. I defeated him, and stripped Sora of the power to use the Keyblade, which led to Donald and Goofy joining my side. But when they saw me about to kill him, they stopped my attack, as they knew that he was very important to them. Thanks to the strength of his heart, Sora took back the Keyblade, resulting in our first official clash as enemies. I lost. But as I escaped, Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness told me to open myself fully to darkness, and I became both the puppet and the temporary apprentice of the real mastermind, Xehanort, who you may not know. He fathered Cody when he met his mother, Fiona, but the details are a little bit too complicated to explain. Under Ansem's control, I gained the Keyblade to People's Hearts, which was forged from six of the hearts from the seven princesses. That's when I knew… Kairi was that princess. Ansem then used me to observe Maleficent from the shadows while she fought against Sora, Donald, Goofy, and the Beast, and he made his move, giving her even more power to try and kill them, but she was vanquished by them. Finally, the battle between us began, in which Ansem forced me to kill Sora and return Kairi's heart to its home, but I was defeated. In the process my heart was transported to the dark world, while he took over, after he did what the Dark Seeker made me do. In the end, after Ansem was destroyed, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Mickey, and I worked together to close the Door to Darkness, while Aqua fought off the Heartless that were inside, so that no more Heartless would swarm out and destroy everything. Thus began my journey of repentance, so that I could try and resist the darkness, but Ansem had managed to retreat into my heart, so that he could use me to kill again, just like before. That's when I ended up in Castle Oblivion, and went through the memory based worlds I visited in the past, but chose to defeat those who I was allied with. It was a struggle, until I saw a replica of myself created by Vexen, when he collected data from me. That's when I learned that I was responsible for the atrocities I commited, until Namine, under the guise of Kairi, told me to stop holding back, and use both light and darkness to defeat my enemies. That's when I learned from Zexion, Ienzo's nobody, that Sora had triumphed over Marluxia, but I managed to defeat him even after he showed me the truth. After that, I was able to use this new power to defeat the Replica, whom I later reunited with in the Realm of Darkness. But then I was met by Mickey's friend, DiZ, who was later revealed as Ansem the Wise, the true Ansem, and not the Heartless of Xehanort, while his body remained to become Xemnas. I fought Ansem and won, but I knew that he was not yet gone, as he was still in my heart. Thus, I chose to walk the path to dawn, the center road. During this journey, I met Xion, a replica who looked like Kairi, thanks to Sora's memories of her. I guided her as best I could, but she perished at the hands of Roxas, thus returning to him. After which, I fought with Roxas, and lost the first round. But then, I defeated him, and had him be transported to the simulated Twilight Town, but after I told Mickey to look after Sora, Donald, and Goofy after they woke up from their year long sleep, and guide them. Secretly, I smuggled Namine to safety, after Ansem told me to kill her after Sora's memories were restored. But then I began secretly helping him and his friends try and find Organization XIII's base of operations in the World That Never Was. After that my Soul Eater became my first true Keyblade, Way to the Dawn, which was eventually snapped in half later on. Our reunion was brief, but it was because of my shame that I was unable to face my best friend, believing that I didn't deserve to be at his side after all the things I'd done in the past, but still saved Kairi and Namine from Saix's wrath. Thus, we managed to defeat the last of the Organization, including Xemnas, but that meant the true Xehanort would return, following the defeat of both his Heartless and Nobody. I even told Sora the truth about Roxas, after Xion died. It was over. We'd won, and even returned home to the Destiny Islands that had now been restored. But it wasn't over yet. We needed to fight against Xehanort and defeat him, before he could use the power of Kingdom Hearts to become a god, after gathering Thirteen Warriors of Darkness to his side. It was when I became a Dream Eater to try and keep Sora safe from being destroyed by the nightmares that would come to overwhelm him, but I still held hope that he was still alive. That's when I met a younger Master Xehanort who wanted to make Sora be the final Warrior of Darkness, in the real Organization XIII, but that was thwarted by the arrival of his friends, who refused to lose him. This setback forced Xehanort to retreat, but he was still adamant in restarting the Keyblade War to remake the X-blade. After that, I was able to save Sora, this time for good, by destroying the nightmare that took hold of his heart, thanks to the true power of waking that was within my heart. You see, using such power recklessly could cost you your heart, and result in you paying a heavy price for abusing it, and Sora knew those consequences that got him banished to Quadratum, a sort of afterlife for those who have put too much strain on their hearts. Thankfully, I was able to attain the mantle of Master thanks to Yen Sid, and even bore witness to Axel, who's real name is Lea, summoning his own Keyblade by accident. As the new Keyblade Master, I was asked to bring Kairi to Master Yen Sid, and Mickey told me that she was both a princess and a Keyblade Wielder, when she touched Aqua's Keyblade. After Mickey told me about Terra, Aqua, and Ventus, I was furious, but my anger was quelled by Yen-Sid, who said that I would have to find Aqua with Mickey, after we got some new clothes to better shield us from the darkness, courtesy of Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather from Aurora's world, the Enchanted Dominion. During our mission, Mickey and I were ambushed by the Heartless in the Realm of Darkness, and we were beaten and humiliated. I left my first Keyblade behind so that my replica would take it up and restore it to its glory. We had to regroup and try and gain after getting some upgrades, but then Mickey told me to follow Aqua's old footsteps to the worlds she visited, while Sora, Donald, and Goofy went off to try and relearn the power of waking, while Kairi and Axel started bonding during training in a world beyond time and space so that they would improve. Finally, we saved Aqua, and Sora finally used the Power of Waking to return Ven's heart to him. Then came the final battle, but Sora told me that Xehanort cheated, and killed us all. After that, we tried again, but this time, Terra's armor, his lingering will, came to our rescue and drove off the part of Xehanort in his body within the true Terra, after Xehanort made him his vessel. Again we fought the Heartless, Nobodies, and Unversed, and were almost on the brink of defeat when Yen Sid came to us as well. Thus began the Keyblade War to reforge the X-blade, resulting in the defeat of the Warriors of Darkness, but it gained us some new allies in the form of the now reborn Terra, Roxas, and Xion, who joined forces with us. I even found closure with Ansem, despite knowing that he was my enemy, but Xehanort attacked Kairi and used her heart to remake that weapon, so that he'd use it to gain the full power of Kingdom Hearts for himself to become that god. While Sora, Donald, Goofy fought him, we held back the power of Kingdom Hearts, which resulted in thousands of Xehanort Replica's fighting us, but we were all saved and destroyed that Xehanort for good, while Sora defeated Xehanort within Kingdom Hearts. We came to him by tracing our connection to him, and saw Xehanort give him the X-blade, praising him for teaching him a real lesson in accepting defeat, and to rest in peace with his friend, Eraqus. After closing Kingdom Hearts with the X-blade, Sora still kept it at his side, but would use his own Keyblade to find Kairi. He succeeded, but the consequences soon became real. However, I began having dreams of a large city surrounded by tall buildings in a strange world called Quadratum, as I mentioned before. This meant that we had to find clues to Sora's whereabouts, and I asked the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee, now reformed as the Radiant Garden Regenesis Organization with Reeve Tuesti as Commissioner, after he convinced Ansem to start up his own military and police force to keep the city safe and protected from any Heartless that would dare attack the people of that world. After searching through the data to find clues to where Sora was in Cid's computer, we came up empty handed, but the Fairy Godmother asked me to explain my dream of where Sora was to her, while Kairi was asleep, searching through her own memories. That's when we came to the Nameless Star, after she awoke, as she came from the world of Quadratum. Thus, I set off to that afterworld to find him, but my journey wouldn't be easy after I created a tear between dimensions, which would have brought an overflow of all our past enemies to the world of the living. However, I was able to bring Sora back home, and we defeated the Lost Masters. They were the Master of Masters, an alternate version of Sora who had traveled back in time to ensure that history would forever repeat itself. Luxu, his apprentice who inherited the Gazing Eye, forged from that Sora's eye, which you may find disgusting, Ira, leader of the Unicornis Union, Aced, leader of the Ursus Union, Invi, Leader of the Anguis Union, Gula, leader of the Leopardus Union, and Ava, leader of the Vulpes Union. They were the ones who were responsible for the tragedy that occured, and for manipulating all events, as well as saying that Darkness winning was set in stone. Even though both the Seekers of Darkness and the Lost Masters were vanquished for good, Sora soon found other girls who either slowly fell in love with him, or started to have a crush on him, just as Kairi did. Twilight Sparkle, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long, Momo Yaoyorozu, Minako Aino, Kyrie Canaan, Yuna Yuki, Compa, Asuka, Yumi, Madoka Kaname, and now, Leafa. Of course, he still keeps in contact with the other Twilight from the Pony World, and even lets her know of what's going on through special letters that he'd send to her, and she greatly appreciates it. As for the three cats, Luna, Artemis, and Diana, their relationship with Sora is very complex, but they still like him, as well as be very supportive of him, whenever he admits his fears to them. But, he's also endured some losses that have hurt him, like Pyrrha Nikos, a huntress of remnant who chose to go down fighting, and Penny Polendina, an artificial lifeform created by Doctor Pietro Polendina, whom she saw as her own father, and even aspired to be something better than what she was. Her destruction did hurt him, but a piece of his heart was restored when he saw that she was back, only to perish at the hands of Cinder Fall, whom he hates with all his being. But there were other deaths that affected him, like Saphir, Demande, Nehelenia, Galaxia, and Homura Akemi. They made him become so hollow and empty that it made him become extremely immoral in his beliefs, such as when he tried to have a guy named Johnny killed, as Momo explained to me and everyone else. It made us worried about him, and the same could be said for another of his best friends, Usagi Tsukino, whom he knows as Sailor Moon, the Pretty Guardian of Love and Justice. Thanks to him, I was introduced to Sunset Shimmer, Chibiusa Tsukino, Kyouka Jirou, and Sayaka Miki. They've become my family, but my attitude towards Usagi and Mamoru's future daughter is more akin to that of an older sibling. As for Hotaru Tomoe, we became friends after we met her, and we learned that she was once a puppet of the Death Busters, a race of interdimensional beings from the now dead Tau Star System, but now she's part of the Warriors of Light as Sailor Saturn, the Pretty Guardian of Life, Death, and Renewal. And yet, throughout these many adventures, we've all become one big happy family, so that no evil can truly tear us apart, no matter how much they try to turn us against one another. I've learned that lesson from personal experience, and it's what shaped me into the man that I've become," Riku explained.

Once they had finished applying the sunblock, Kaguya and Yuzuru slowly stood up after placing their bikini tops back on.

"But I've said too much, and I feel it's best to leave you three alone for now," he added, and slowly began walking away.

"Wait," called Kaguya.

Riku stopped and looked back at her and Yuzuru.

"Your story is perhaps one of the greatest we've heard about you and your comrades, Riku. But, it's also made us see that you've truly earned our respect," she added.

"Acceptance: You're an embodiment of one who knows what dishonor can do to people who have nearly lost themselves to evil," added Yuzuru.

"I share their sentiment as well, Riku. Your story may have had some dark twists and turns, but you've truly found yourself, despite the fact that you're still feeling repentant of your actions, but none of this is your fault. You were deceived by Xehanort, Maleficent, and many more who sought to make you their pawn," agreed Shido.

Nodding slowly, Riku accepted their words, then returned to Sunset, Kyouka, and Sayaka. On the way, he noticed Tohka and Origami diving into the water, but began to sense that there was something wrong with Mathers, who quickly reported to her superiors. However, as she did, she soon fell into Ai, Mai, and Mii's sand trap, just as Kurai arrived.

"Very impressive, young ladies. I believe Miss Mathers should take this time to participate in the activities for now, as the task of keeping an eye on you and the rest of Miss Okamine's class can be… stressful," agreed Kurai, who arrived in a civilian disguise.

Despite her reluctance and annoyance, Mathers felt that she had no choice, as she was now buried from the neck up with Hiroto, who was still his annoying self, as Madoka explained what was going on after meeting the Yamai twins to both Tohka and Origami.

"I get it now. Thanks for clearing that up," she said.

"Hey, it's what friends do best, Tohka. We make sure to look after each other," replied Roxas.

"Oh yeah. But, I haven't even found myself another friend after meeting Shido," smirked Kaguya.

It turned out that both siblings had formed some strong friendships with them, as well as agreed to learn more about each other.

"Still, I should probably speak my mind and let you guys know what's up, but that can wait at a later time. Anyway, give us a shout if you need anything," said Sora.

"Then it's probably best to play beach volleyball right now," added Reine who showed up.

"Gonna have to agree with her, since plans have changed right now, boy. That's why you and the Yamai twins are gonna be workin' on the same team, now that you have two opponents who are still havin' that fierce rivalry, where one may have to oneup the other in this competition," grinned Barret.

"Oh, come on, Barret. There's no way Origami and I would think of trying to do that in front of Shido. Sure, she can be annoying at times, but at the same time, Sora told me, that the shadow of envy can make me do stupid things, or I'll be so blind by it, I'll end up becoming the monster that he fears most of all," countered Tohka.

Then the game was beginning, even though Shido had his doubts.

"Alrighty, people, I want you to play a nice clean game, and no slacking in teamwork, otherwise we might do some super intensive training," added Cid.

"Yeah! 'Cause it's Montage time!" cheered Pinkie Pie.

(Yeah, you heard Pinkie, 'cause it's time to play the song Montage from Team America, for this montage)

[Intro]

Ha!

[Verse 1]

The hour's approaching to give it your best

And you've got to reach your prime

That's when you need to put yourself to the test

And show us a passage of time

[Chorus]

We're gonna need a montage (Montage!)

Ooh, it takes a montage (Montage!)

[Verse 2]

Show a lot of things happening at once

Remind everyone of what's going on (What's going on)

And with every shot, show a little improvement

To show that it all would take too long

[Chorus]

That's called a montage (Montage!)

Ooh, we want a montage (Montage!)

In anything, if you want to go

From just a beginner to a pro

You need a montage (Montage!)

Even Rocky had a montage (Montage!)

[Instrumental Interlude]

(Montage!)

(Montage!)

[Chorus]

In anything, if you want to go

From just a beginner to a pro

You need a montage (Montage!)

Ooh, it takes a montage (Montage!)

[Outro]

Always fade out in a montage

If you fade out, it seems like more time has passed

In a montage

(Montage)

Despite having scored a point and celebrating, Kaguya and Yuzuru suddenly pulled back, and began throwing insults at each other, despite Shido having a serious injury from blocking the volleyball. Finally, the first twin decided to talk to him alone, just as Rainbow Dash arrived.

"Hey, you cool if Kaguya and I talk for a bit, Shido?" she asked.

"Sure, why not?" replied Shido, and he slowly walked off.

Once he was gone, the two girls decided to talk to each other.

"So, Rainbow, I know this is a bit crazy for you, but I have what you'd call Chuunibyou Syndrome, which always occurs whenever I start talking normally, and I just can't help it at all. Maybe I have a feeling that it'll probably lead to Shido saying that he dislikes Chuunibyous like me, Yuffie, and a whole lot of other people who have that kind of syndrome," Kaguya explained.

"Hey, don't worry about it too much, Kaguya. Chuunibyous are still cool. Take Yuffie for example. She was born in Wutai, and she likes making a big flashy entrance, even though she's a kunoichi from Wutai, which was reduced to nothing after Gaia went nova. Also, whether Shido chooses you or Yuzuru, is entirely up to him. Besides, it's really none of my business. But you never can expect what he'll do if he chooses something that seems a bit dumb in your own book. Trust me on that, cause choosing neither would pretty much mean your contest will never end. So who cares if one of you is better than the other? Sure you guys like to run with the wind, but, I never had someone other than Twilight, Sunset, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Sora, Rarity, Riku, Cody, and many others with us. But, something inside my hearts been telling me that if there was someone who could truly be loyal to the people around them, then we could talk about some of the things we like, as well as have a couple of friendly competitions with each other, like playing that game that Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang played before Beacon and Vale were turned to rubble by Salem and her thugs, along with all the other kingdoms of Remnant, which in turn gave birth to Grimmtopia," replied the speedster.

"I… To be honest, I guess I kind of felt the same way too, Rainbow. But, at the same time, I feel like Shido should be with Yuzuru more, since she's way more mature looking than I am," admitted the younger twin.

But at the same time, Yuzuru was talking to Fluttershy about being with her sister, which did make him confused.

"As near as I can tell, Yuzuru. You should know that Shido's decisions are his own. And yet, you've shown some forms of kindness with Kaguya when you celebrated your brief victory. But, what you should know is that a sibling rivalry that never ends, unless one destroys the other, could result in nothing but sadness, and the bonds of friendship. That's why forcing him to choose one of you, would only be too difficult for him. If one of you vanishes, then it will only serve to hurt his friend, Sora. That's why the both of you have a right to live, rather than have one of you fade away into what Death Phantom called the void, where all hearts go when someone becomes a traitor to both light and darkness, as Axel told us," Fluttershy explained.

Soon both Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy explained what they had told the Yamai twins, which made him become disturbed. He soon told Reine the horrible news, right as Boadicea appeared behind him.

"You seem troubled, Shido. That's something I can understand, even though I'm the daughter of Sephiroth and Quinella, the former administrator of Underworld. You see, I've been watching both siblings from the shadows, and have even taken note of their rivalry. So it goes without saying that the only way their battle can end is if they both vanish into nothingness, forevermore," she said.

"No, you're wrong. I refuse to let Kaguya and Yuzuru disappear from me. Both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash said that if I do nothing, it will not only hurt me, it will also hurt my best friend, Sora. I can't choose one over the other at all, because I will save them both from vanishing into the void," countered Shido.

But Boadicea laughed at him.

"Very well, if that's what you truly believe, then my brother, Nuno, will see to it that they do destroy each other, in a no holds barred winner take all match, where they both die by each other's hands," grinned the evil woman, and she vanished into the dark corridor.

That night, Shido was feeling uneasy, and he couldn't get to sleep.

"Excuse us, Shido," Compa said from behind, with Tohka at her side.

"Compa, Tohka," he said in surprise.

"Is something wrong? Compa told me that you seemed distant," said Tokha.

"No, it's nothing, guys. I'm okay," he tried to assure them.

'Shido, you know that it's not nice to lie to your friends, or Tohka for that matter. But, if it was alright with Tohka, maybe we can see the stars, even help you clear your conscience so that you can tell us what's bugging you," explained the young nurse.

"To be honest, a lot of us actually agree with Compa on this one. Besides, you shouldn't try and keep secrets from anyone, including your friends, which in my opinion, would only make us more suspicious," agreed Sora, who was joined by the rest of his family.

Meanwhile, on the bridge of Fraxinus, the communications officer was still trying hard to contact Reine so that she could give them a status update.

"Hey, Reeve, I have a feeling that there might be some kind of jamming that's preventing us from contacting Reine and Shido. I say we go to Red Alert for now," one of the RGRO ship captains said.

"I agree. All crews report to stations," replied Reeve.

While that was going on, Mathers soon began contacting the Arbatel of her status.

"Well done, General. As for Tobiichi, we shall leave her be for now, but should she interfere, we will dispose of her immediately for violating her suspension orders from Captain Kusakabe," replied Azrael, who was aboard the DEM airship.

He soon contacted the other ships.

"Send a strike force of advanced Magitek Soldiers along with the Bandersnatch units, and deploy our fighter squadrons. Princess will most certainly be ours. Oh, and alert my brother and Boadicea that the time will come to deploy heavy reinforcements for that matter, should Mathers fail in her assigned objectives," he grinned.

As Origami saw the fighting machine, Sora and the others were now watching the stars with Tohka and Shido, just as the moon hung overhead, casting its white light on the ocean.

"Um, Shido, I hope I don't make Tohka angry at me for talking to you, even though the two of you haven't gotten a chance to talk with each other. Also, if you're feeling annoyed at us for tagging along, then I guess it's better if we leave you alone for a bit," explained Madoka.

"No, Madoka, I could never be angry at you for talking to Shido, or hate you for that matter. You see, Sora telling me about the shadow of envy making me become immoral was one of the many harsh lessons I learned in my life. However, during dinner, I could tell that he was worried about something recently," assured Tohka.

"There is, Tohka. And even if it unleashes that dark shadow of envy from within, it's because both Rainbow and Fluttershy told us about the Yamai siblings, Kaguya and Yuzuru, and how they want to have their sibling rivalry end with one killing the other. That's why, I feel that it's something that neither he, Sora, nor Sailor Moon would want to have happen at all. But, he told us that he was visited by Boadicea, daughter of Sephiroth and Quinella. And, there's more. Seeing people die would lead to Vanitas breaking out of Sora's heart, so that he can have us all killed after that fact," explained MInako.

"Now that deployment has been completed, the time has come to make our move on Princess, and take her alive after Mathers confirms that she is the spirit we are looking for," Azrael said with a confident smile.

"Admiral, we have reports of another source trying to contact the Arubi Island sector," one of the science officers said.

"Oh, do we now? Then let's hear it," he commanded quietly.

As they did, Tohka was surprised by what Minako said.

"In all honesty, Sora told us a lot about Dante's sibling rivalry with Vergil, which would have resulted in them seriously wanting to kill each other, had Nero not stopped them and told them to put a stop to their madness. A future where only one can live while the other vanishes into nothingness is a really bad future, but at the same time, I feel like Fluttershy and Rainbow may be right about them destroying each other, but I think there's something much worse going on in the shadows,," said Ruby.

"Ruby's right. Had she and I had a sibling rivalry that would have resulted in one or both of us dying, or when Natsu and Gray tried to have each other killed despite Erza telling them that what they were doing was completely stupid, Sora stopped them in their tracks, and even put the Ice Maker in his place, just like he did with the Dragon Slayer of Fairy Tail. But, if something like that happened between you and Shido, then there's no way we'd forgive ourselves," added Yang.

"Not forgive yourselves?" Kaguya asked sharply, causing the wind to blow furiously.

Even Yuzuru had arrived as well, unaware that Nuno was waiting for his chance.

"Yes, Kaguya and Yuzuru, the time has come to let this sibling rivalry end with the both of you dying together, despite the hate you feel for each other," he grinned wickedly, then used the power of his mother, Nui, to mind stitch them to his will.

Despite being brainwashed by the son of the One-Winged Angel and the Grand Couturier reborn, both siblings marched towards each other with pure hatred in their eyes. Shido tried to quell their fury, but it was too late, they soon turned into their astral dresses in a gust of wind that formed a dust devil around them, obscuring them completely, then readied their angels, Raphael El Re'em, while Yuzuru's was called El Na'ash.

"Good girls. Now, thanks to what Ragyo showed my mother before she died a rather gruesome death, your demise will surely draw out my father's most perfect apprentice, Vanitas. So, let the killing begin," Nuno announced quietly from his hiding place, as his wing unfurled and he used the life fibers to create a platform below his feet so that he could watch from a safe distance unseen.

At the same time, the bandersnatch near the hotel was about to attack Origami, when Cloud suddenly came to her rescue, and told her to stand back.

"Alert! RGRO presence detected," the bandersnatch said to its masters.

"Impossible! The empire has been plotting an attack to take Tohka captive?" Reeve gasped in shock at the news.

He then punched in a command onto his chair's console.

"Battlestations! Deploy Yggdra Folium, and raise the shields to maximum! Damage control teams on stand by! Keep us running and use whatever components to ensure that we don't suffer a power failure!" he announced.

The crew acknowledged his commands, as Fraxinus decloaked and surged ahead with its weapons at full power. The rest of the strike fleet followed suit, as they deployed escort fighters to ensure that the ship was protected.

"Well played, Tuesti. Very well played. I believe we underestimated you, but it doesn't matter now. Soon the girl called Princess will be in our hands, and Sephiroth will make sure he has his apprentice," oozed Azrael.

He turned to Captain Paddington.

"Captain, have our fleet deploy the fighter squadrons and engage the enemy fleet. We will deal with the Fraxinus ourselves. Have all guns set to full power, and when that ship appears, obliterate it, and put the RGRO and Ratatoskr fleet out of commission. However, make sure we keep out of range of the twin spirits, Berserk," he said to him.

Back on the beach, Kaguya and Yuzuru were now demanding to know what this was all about, even though Shido was unsure why, but they soon decided that the time had come to end their sibling rivalry once and for all.

"Yes, that's it, Yamai twins. The only way your battle can end is if one or both of you die. It's time for the finale to begin," grinned Nuno, and he used his power to make them fight.

"No, they have to stop!" cried Shido.

"It's too late, Shido! I may not understand it, but somehow they've been taken over by another unknown presence," interjected Yuna.

"Then there's gotta be a way to break them free from whoever's controlling them," agreed Sora.

He quickly contacted Riku.

"Gather everyone and tell them to meet up with us! It looks like we got a sibling rivalry to end before Kaguya and Yuzuru seriously destroy each other!" he said to his friend.

"We're on our way, Sora!" replied Riku, then he contacted the other Warriors of Light.

"Everyone, prepare for battle! I think our enemies are already making their move!" he said.

"Roger!" replied the Warriors of Light, and they rushed to the rescue as Shido begged both Yamai siblings to stop their battle.