Chapter 3
"This is it. This room was originally built for eight soldiers of the Empire, so choose a bed, that is where you will be staying the rest of your life." The stormtrooper codenamed TK-44 said indifferently. The room was actually quite large, unlike most stormtrooper quarters where there was barely enough room to fit one man let alone eight(the standard room number).
It was large but still quite small, it looked as if it could fit a little less than the 6 people and nowhere close to eight. The room seemed to have been created for younger troops or maybe even some of the older ones. On the left side of the room a bunk bed leaned against the wall, on the opposite side were two small beds and one large bed. An entertainment system was hooked up but only included one channel(the Stormtrooper Station). The room also included a large bathroom with both a shower, a bath and spa, and had a door that entered into a large closet that already had many pairs of white armor, black Goth looking dress(possibly a previous owner) and brown raggedly old clothing. Very few stormtroopers ever lived in such a life of luxury, but the Empire needed raw blood from the galaxy and began making the incentives better. The Executor was both Darth Vader's personal transport and warship, but also a type of hotel for top imperial officials.
"So we really will never be able to return home. We're stuck here for the rest of our lives?" Selphie asked sadly.
"That is correct."
"So we'll never see our parents or friends ever again?" Tidus asked lying down on one of the small beds. The comforter was gray and a bit dull, adding to the feel that the room was a prison.
"Correct. Although Imperial officers who raise ranks often get some holiday time, so as long as one has guards you may eventually be able to return. Don't worry, this will soon become your home."
"Don't ya have a name?" Wakka asked climbing the ladder and sitting on the top bed of the bunk bed.
"My number is TK-44." The stormtrooper said and Selphie laughed. "Do you find something funny…babe?" Selphie began laughing harder.
"Oh…this…is so…funny!" Selphie said between giggles.
"Did I say something to exhibit the action of amusement or perhaps I said something offensive? I was unaware of what I was doing, I apologize." TK-44 said head bowed down.
"No! You don't need to apologize, it's just that people don't usually say 'babe' when speaking, especially not to a girl they hardly know."
"Ya, Tidus would know about that." Wakka said and was hit on the head by Tidus, TK-44 looked at them confused.
"They don't? Then this book I've been reading on human interactions has been incorrect?" TK-44 put up a book titled The Average Human Book 1: The Opposite Sex.
"Oh man, you really need to get some better reading material." Tidus said putting his fingers through his hair.
"Ya, like comics." Wakka said nodding, Selphie groaned.
"Don't let them corrupt you, nice normal books are much better, preferably ones on mechanics and flying." Selphie said excitedly.
"You mean this is not a good book? I bought the whole collection, Books 1 through 23. And what are comics?"
"You really need some help if ya don't know about comics."
"Wakka!" Selphie yelled at the orange-haired boy.
"What?" Wakka asked confused, Tidus was also looking confused not knowing why Selphie was acting the way she was.
"Oh never mind! Hey, TK, you ignored the question." Selphie said walking over and peering at TK-44's helmet.
"I am sorry. It was not intentional. I suppose I must have once had a name, I am not like the other stormtroopers. I am one of the few who is not a clone. I do not know my real name, I am just called TK-44."
"You don't know your name?" Tidus asked puzzled.
"No, when we join the Galactic Empire we erase everything of our pasts, in some ways it is like dehumanizing. I do not remember who I was before the Empire."
"That's not right! They shouldn't take away your name, a name tells who you are!" Selphie said angrily.
"Umm, they won't be doing that to us? Will they?" Wakka asked and immediately the others began to worry.
"I do not know. I suppose only time will tell. Come I must begin teaching you the fundamentals of the Empire, you must have it memorized… We will begin the start of your training at 0600 hours, let's begin." Selphie, Wakka, Tidus, and TK-44 continued to speak and teach one another despite a few arrangements and arguments about the room(Selphie was disgruntled since she was in a room of all boys, and because TK-44 would not remove any of his armor so she could see who or what the stormtrooper looked like). Besides that everything went relatively fine and despite a few awkward moments, everything went off without a hitch. Little did they know they were being watched.
……………
"Sora!" The gleeful form of a red-head slammed into the startled Keyblade Master and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Kairi! I'm so glad you're alright." Sora said and had just let go when he was slapped on the back by Riku.
"Hey, Sora, good to see you." Riku said but Sora managed to catch the hidden meaning 'we'll talk when tin can here leaves'.
"Riku, Kairi I was so worried I would lose you again." Sora said ignoring Vader for the time being, that of course was shortly lived.
"I said they would not be harmed. Now if you'll excuse me I have business elsewhere to attend to, if you can help it, do not leave this room. If you must do so, be cautious not everyone in the Empire wants this alliance to succeed…" Vader left the room with a swirl of his cape and left the three to talk amongst themselves…little did they too know they were being watched.
….
"How right you are Darth, how right you are…"
"Sir, the two you have called for have arrived, shall I tell the guards to allow them in?" A woman with long silky blond hair, pale clear blue eyes, and an exquisite figure dressed in an almost see through dark green suit. She was much more than she appeared however and anyone who had ever fought her would vouch that, of course they all would have to return from the dead to do so.
"Ah excellent. I have no doubts they are quite curious. Yes, let them in, escort them to the dining hall." The man or what looked like a man except for its green skin said the woman. He wore a simple blue, green, and black suit with his hair tied back in a ponytail. On the left side of his vest was a symbol of a black sun. He walked quickly down to the dining hall where his two guests would be waiting.
Upon entering the room he took in the sight of the two people in front of him. One of them had been killed many years earlier and he was quite surprised to see the person alive and kicking, the other was a mystery of its own, and far powerful enough to go about its business through its own devices.
The 1st of the two was neither man, beast, or machine and its reasons for joining with the green-skinned man were unknown. It looked to be male but none knew whether that was true. The entity wore a red robe with a triangle cloth hanging from the neck down to the feet, as well a two black and yellow bands on the forearm. The entity was a pale almost purple color, and out of its back were two large and black purple demonic-looking wings. The entity held with it immense power and between two demonic horns on the ninja-like cone wrappings that covered its entire face leaving only the eyes was a strange symbol. At first glance the symbol looked like the roman numeral six, but if one looked closely there were three of them. The person also had an insignia of a red dragon where its heart would be. Around the persons neck was a single black medallion with a white circle in the middle.
The 2nd of the two was a man thought dead, but apparently he had survived his ordeal to fight another day. Is against the Empire in its entirely as it is the Emperor and his pet Vader who caused his death in the first place. Apparently this man is of the vampire species, thus his death was ineffective, and he has been biding his time waiting for revenge. This man was dressed in dark brown robes, had white hair, and beard, as well as an old-looking face, at his side was a curved cylindrical object similar to that of Darth Vader's. Like the other entity this man also had a red dragon insignia across the area where the heart would be.
"Welcome gentlemen to the largest criminal organization in the Universe. I as you know am the leader of the organization." The man paused folding his reptilian hands in front of him.
"You're point would be? If it is about overtaking the Empire you can send us out now. I was once a pupil of the Emperor he is not quite so easy to kill. Overtaking the Empire would be a fruitless, I do not wish to reveal myself still alive unless I have good need to." The man in brown said sternly.
"Nothing so big. At least not yet…" The ruler of Black Sun said normally like something he would be speaking about over dinner.
"So Prince, what is it you plan?" The voice of the unknown entity spoke in a cold and almost ghostly voice, it was whispered but held the force of an army.
"Don't tell me. It's Kingdom Hearts isn't it?" The man in brown said showing his fanged teeth in his smile.
"Kingdom Hearts? No. Nothing as big, or nothing that big in the beginning. You've heard the tale of the seven princesses of heart, correct?"
"Of course. Maleficent's attempt at gaining control of Kingdom Hearts that ultimately failed. What does that have to do with us?" The man in brown the Count asked.
"Yes Maleficent's plan did indeed fail, yet her plan was brilliant."
"You wish for us to repeat a previous failure?" The entity said menacingly.
"No. Her plan was brilliant yet her way of going about it was entirely wrong. I for one do not wish for Kingdom Hearts, call me fool if you wish. I wish to create Nobodies of the seven princesses of heart. I've heard rumors about the power they have. The Nobody of the girl Kairi was able to erase and plant memories, imagine what the Nobodies of the rest of the princess's of heart would be able to accomplish?"
"What would this cause in the long run, able to change memories, that is all good and all, but it would be impossible to control these princess's of heart. They would destroy you." The Count said shaking his head at the young man's ignorance.
"Ah yes, that could be the case. But it won't be, the darkness is always balanced out by the light, and vice versa. Considering the fact Maleficent only attempted gaining access with seven of the princesses was also a mistake. To counterbalance the princesses of light and their nobodies, we must capture and gain control of the princes of darkness. We are one step ahead of the game as two of the princes are already with us. Show yourselves."
Two figures who had remained unseen by all occupants in the room stepped out from hiding.
The first was dressed entirely in dark blue and black desert clothing. He wore a turban on his head and a strange glove, otherwise he seemed quite normal. His eyes showed loathing and malice, his smile showed cunning, and if one looked deep into the eyes they could see a fiery passion for power.
"Allow me to introduce Mozenrath. Mozenrath is the dark prince of Agrabah. Jafar was as many know destroyed by the Keyblade bearer and Aladdin. With the destruction of his lamp he was defeated, Jafar though had a son. Mozenrath is that son."
"A pleasure. If any of you have heard of my father, I will tell you right now. I am not him. I did not get along that great with Jafar. You wouldn't either if you were abandoned to the desert by the man who helped create you."
"Interesting. The son of Jafar. Hopefully you will not meet the same end as your father." The entity said.
"Yes let us hope. I do not plan on meeting the same end." Mozenrath said flexing his fingers and twirling his gloved hand in the air.
"What is it you are here for then? If not to revenge your father?" The Count asked.
"Merely power. Nothing more, nothing less."
The second was a man dressed in blue armor and hunter's clothing. On the right side of the red shirt underneath the armor was the insignia of the head of a buck. On the man's back was strapped a bow and a arrow carrier, at his side in a sheath was a large broadsword. The man had handsome features and dark brown hair, like Mozenrath his eyes lusted for power.
"This is Gaston. He is the dark prince of the princess Belle's home world."
"Name's Gaston, you don't look like anything special. No idea why Prince Xizor would wish to bring you in on his plans. Frankly I could care less. I mainly want the Beast's head on a platter, everything else is just added benefits." Gaston pulled a mug of beer off the dining room table and drained it one gulp. "The hunt you know. It's always about the hunt."
"Indeed…" Xizor said bluntly, he caught the pale blue eyes of the woman in green as she gave him a signal. "Gentlemen if you will excuse me something important has come up, talk amongst yourselves and get to know one another, we can talk later. Farewell." Prince Xizor stood up and walked over to the woman who whispered in his ear and Xizor's eyes flared red and he swiftly left with the woman in tow behind him.
……………
The land was dark. The trees were barren and white and the sky was blood red. In the distance the sound of a large creature let out its roar of triumph. An owl hooted in the distance and the dark shadows from the trees began to move. It took only a moment before a single figure fell from the sky.
The figure was a girl. A recognizable girl if the Keyblade at her side was any help. The girl had red hair and held the power of the greatest Keyblade wielder in her heart, anything she wished he would do. The worst thing that could ever possibly happen is the princess of the heart turning to darkness.
The girl awoke with a stir hitting and dissolving away a large many-legged centipede that had been preparing to feast while she was out. As her eyes fluttered open they registered fear. She looked down and saw the Keyblade at her feet and realized what needed to be done. Snatching it up quickly she raised it to the surrounding forest of the dead.
"W-who's there?" Kairi whispered to the darkness. She shivered as a blast of cold air hit her from behind, the shadows began to move.
Soon at least a hundred heartless shadows converged upon her, she struck them with fierce fury. She was surprised to see that they vanished at the mere touch of the Keyblade. They aren't true heartless, true heartless wouldn't go down this easily. There would also be a lot more…
As if responding to her thoughts a bunch of Nobody Dusks appeared dancing and swaying in a haunting melody of death. Almost taunting her as the heartless and every now and then a dusk or two attacked her. Knowing the numbers were against her she fled, knocking any of the offending creatures out of her way.
She continued to run striking as many of the heartless and nobodies as she could along the way. She did not know where she was going, she only knew stopping would result in death. She attempted to organize her thoughts as she ran.
The last thing she had done before arriving in this nightmarish place was say goodnight to Sora and Riku. I wonder if they are in the same predicament. This was the last thing she thought before hearing a clicking noise and seeing as the gate behind her shut. Keeping the heartless and nobodies out by its dark glow, but keeping her inside. She had just run straight into a graveyard…she wasn't alone.
……………
As Kairi had been herded into the cemetery and running from the multitudes of heartless and nobodies, Riku was doing something similar. Instead of running from heartless or nobodies he was running away from a rather large nest of giant spiders.
All around him was a dark forest not dead and empty like the place Kairi was in but green and full of life. It was unfortunate that the life was eight-legged, eight-eyed, made scuttling screeching noises and were the size of a man or bigger. It was also unfortunate that it seemed dead set on killing him.
The giant spiders jumped from trees, attempted to create nets, popped out from underground, and simply ran after him all in an attempt to devour him. There was something strange about these giant spiders however it was almost like they weren't really there, if he struck one with his Keyblade the spider would disappear and another come to take its place. No horrible bloody death, no fading into nothing, no reuniting with shadows…nothing except simply vanish.
Riku had tried to tell himself they weren't real but when he thought that he could definitely feel the hair on the eight legs as it scurried back to the nest. Thankfully a mere touch of the Keyblade and it had vanished and allowed him to continue on his way.
Riku did not question how he had arrived where he did, nor did he care at the moment. He had bigger arachnids to slice and dice. He continued to head south, it was the place the voice had told him to go. Keep heading south, why? What is south?
So continuing to run he headed south, after a long while the spiders continued to hurry after him but less in number, eventually all of them just turned around. Riku became even more worried when this happened and with good reason as three figures is shabbily dressed robes stepped out from the safety and began circling him.
The men had no face only two yellow silted eyes, he shouldn't have been surprised when they began sprouting fur and growling at him swinging their fists, and yet he was.
"What the hell are you?" The three hairy men with wolf-like characteristics; both claws and jaws, stopped circling him and the leader spoke.
"This is merely a task. One I have no doubts you are perfectly capable of completing. When you have finished the task you will come upon a castle, enter. You will find me in the northernmost part. Look forward to seeing you." The voice disappeared and the wolf-men unfroze growling and snarling at him. He blocked a swipe by a claw from one of them with a Keyblade and continued to block and fight when the voice reappeared. "Oh, almost forgot. The creatures in front of you are altered werewolves, not real werewolves but just as deadly, do not get bitten."
"Oh sure now he tells me." Riku said in annoyance as a werewolf jumped him and wrestled him to the ground jaws snapping, he angrily tried to stick his Keyblade through it but to no avail. "What the hell!"
He hissed in pain as a claw managed to hit his lower back and spill blood. The werewolves were driven into a frenzy and began howling and drooling excitedly. The blood drew the attention of another creature besides the werewolves. "Cerberus!"
In front of him growling a challenge to the three werewolves was a large three-headed black furred and red eyed dog. It flashed it white teeth in warning to the werewolves. The werewolves should have listened. One of them attempted to gut the down and bit at it stomach, its teeth broke as it was torn to shreds. Without warning red ball of light fell from the sky smashing into the forest and burning it to a cinder.
"Riku! Change of plans with all haste hurry southward to the castle. I have had a breach in security, I will attempt to hold him off as long as possible."
"What? Who are you? Why should I listen to you? For all I know you could simply be another Maleficent. Why should I hasten, just let me go." Riku yelled angrily to the sky where the voice was resonating from. A burst of flame behind him made him turn around. He watched as a figure wreathed in flames(he did not know if the figure always looked like that or if it was because of the surrounding forest being incinerated. A large metallic sword was seen as it ripped effortlessly through the two remaining werewolves and quickly beheaded one head of the Cerberus.
"No time for that now. Hasten to the castle, all will be explained then. I will attempt to hold him off until then."
"Who? Who are you holding off, why, who the hell are you!" Riku yelled but received no answer spinning around an explosion rocketed a burst of flame his way, a giant spider took the brunt of the attack and as he began running away he glanced back to see a flash of silver before the figure began to be completely covered in giant spiders, strange man-horses, more werewolves, a large dragon similar to Maleficent, and many other creatures of all shapes and sizes. Seeing the dragon sliced in half made Riku run faster. Southwards to the voice and hopefully some answers.
……………
Sora awoke in a place he was very familiar with. It looked almost exactly the same except for one minor detail, it was cold. Deathly cold. Looking up he saw snow begin to fall from the sky, which clashed oddly with the pure darkness.
Looking down Sora saw the familiar faces of his friends and companions, this time though three new faces had been added. For the first time ever the faces of Roxas, Naminé, and the face of a man Sora was sure he had never met. He couldn't make out the total face because it was blurred, but he could tell the figure had silver hair and blue almost violet colored eyes.
The Station of Serenity. The place where Sora was given his Keyblade and all the powers that came with it. The last time he was there the three items he had to choose from were a shield, sword, and staff. This time however the items were a bit different.
Instead of the shield, sword, and staff there were three golden chests. Sora stepped towards the chests when a flash of light seared around him.
"You have yet to pass my test, Defender of Worlds. You may not be gifted with the power held within, until my test is over." A voice coming from all around him, cold and harsh said to him. The voice was surprisingly familiar.
Sora opened his mouth to speak but found that he couldn't. He brandished his Keyblade threateningly into the air where the voice was coming from. Slowly the platform fell, and continued to fall into the seemingly never ending abyss below. Sora tried to hold on and keep ahead of the circular disc but found he could not. He fell.
……………
Standing before her dressed in black cloth and wielding a large scythe was a skeletally thin person. Just standing among the graves it was a truly eerie sight.
Kairi looked at the figure cautiously. It didn't appear to move, not even breathe, for a moment she thought it was a statue, but then a wave of the scythe proved to her that the being before her was real. Deathly real. Slowly a figure began to form made of bone.
The skeletal figure was neither man nor beast, nor something in-between, it was just a hand. A glowing white hand, pale because of the moonlight. Beside it was another hand making two total, this one was black. The hands just hovered in the air waiting. The figure with the scythe had not finished however and with one third twirl of its scythe a humanoid-skeletal lizard standing upright on two clawed feet glared at her…the eyes were dull and lifeless.
A robed hand from the scythe wielding figure was raised and Kairi saw the truth of the figure. Its hand was completely skeletal no flesh or skin. It raised it hand and in it was a single hourglass filled with sand. He turned it over and the eyes of the lizard-creature in front of her filled with life.
Two giant hands came sweeping at her, she dodged and rolled behind a tombstone. She barely had time to take a breather before a hand came smashing down destroying the tombstone she was hiding behind. Summoning her Keyblade to her she weakly swung at the hand that came near herm, it shattered into a bunch of bones. The other hand same up and pointed a finger at her, she jumped to the side and began running just as a white blue light shot out from the tip of the finger. The light scorched the ground and left a hole three feet big.
"Wow… Good thing I moved." She turned to the remaining hand and brought her Keyblade up preparing to attack. She didn't have the experience that Sora did, but she had been practicing and getting better. Sora had been afraid of someone else coming for her and although a bit reluctant at first he eventually agreed to train her enough to protect herself incase someone came after them again. He had been attacked twice since his return to the Islands, and both times they were people who wanted revenge…
Breaking out of her thoughts, she looked up to see the skeletal hand prepare to come crushing down on her, she raised her Keyblade up awaiting the inevitable. It never came… She looked up to see a rather strange sight of a large black raven and a skeletal mouse. The figure with the scythe was also there and she could finally see what it looked like. She gasped in horror and jumped back.
The figure with the scythe wasn't just skeletal it was a skeleton, a skeleton in black robes. What was really strange however was that the figure was scythe fighting with a figure in front of it that looked exactly the same. The remains of the skeletal hand was scattered around the two.
"So, you got here in time after all. My boss noticed you entering and decided to find out why. He discovered your plans for the three. He sent me to make sure it never happened." One of the skeletal figures said, this one was different from the other only by the voice and red glow of its scythe, otherwise it was a carbon copy.
The other figure said nothing preferring to continue dueling with the scythe, although a skeletal hand did come up and pointed to her, the raven carrying the skeletal rat, flew over to her.
"So you think the rat and bird will get her to safety think again old friend." The skeletal figure with the glowing red scythe pointed a hand at the scattered remains bones and snapped his fingers. The bones all soon began to come together forming a large skeletal hand twice the size of the previous. "Unlike yourself, I use my powers freely and it is of my opinion that flesh is sometimes better than mere bone." The hand slowly began to form a skin covering and it soon evolved into a white glove, atop of it was a half man-half beast little imp.
"SQUEAK!" The skeleton rat squeaked at Kairi. Kairi just stared at the figure trying not to shudder.
"What?" Kairi asked the small rodent.
"SQUEAK!" The rat tried again and Kairi noticed that it too carried a small scythe.
"I'm sorry I can't understand you and frankly I don't know if I want to." Kairi said to it. The three of them were currently behind a tombstone as the hand was being created and coming to life.
"Ah, understandable. Not everyone can understand him, a bit of squeaker he is." The rat raised its scythe menacingly at the raven who had spoken, the raven ignored him. "He said to run towards the gravediggers house."
"You speak?"
"Of course I speak. Although recently I've become translator for this little horror." The raven said sitting on the tombstone and preening himself. "Oh yes I almost forgot, my name is Quoth the Raven. You dare to say the words 'nevermore' and I will get my relatives over at Alfred's to deal with you."
"Uh…nice to meet you Quoth. Who exactly are you two?" Kairi asked and the raven took flight and began flapping, rodent it talons, towards a large black house, Kairi followed.
"Well I am as I said Quoth the Raven, my companion here is simply Ratty." The rat in response tried to swipe its scythe at the raven, apparently that wasn't its real name. "Well I am currently unable to say his real name and you are correct in assuming Ratty is a false name, a real name you can call him by is Dor."
"Nice to meet you Dor. Quoth." The rat paused from its attempt at striking the bird and bowed its tiny head in respect. The three ran/flew towards the large black house the bird and rat answering questions as they could. Kairi learned that what she would need to escape the strange realm was in the house. They had just entered the house and shut the door when the sound of a pulsing heart echoed and resonated through the graveyard.
……………
Riku continued running the sounds of pain and terror behind him, he continued to run until he came upon a lake where he was met with a strange creature.
The creature was black and gangly, it looked like a horrid tortured version of him, its eyes glowed yellow and when it spoke it spoke in a voice that was painful to listen to.
"Sooo." The sound was drawn out like a snakes, and the figure coughed harshly spraying black saliva onto the ground near him. "You is Riku. I is Urik. I is taking you to Master of this Castle. Butss before that happens, you is to fights I." The figure gangly summoned out of nowhere a large ball and chain.
"Your Master wishes you to fight me? Your Master told me to hasten to the castle with all haste, do you hear what's in the forest? Something that frightens even your Master."
The figure of Urik hesitated for a moment before glaring nastily at Riku.
"Liesss all liess. You is trying to tricks I. I is not tricked. I is going to fightss you. Winss and passage across lakess is yours. Losess and I is taking Keyblade fromss you, but life is yours to keeps."
"You idiot! Can you not hear the cries in the forest! If you truly are a servant of your Master you shall let me pass!"
"Enoughss. Preparess to lose!" The creature with amazing agility even though it was carrying a ball and chain swung it around him expertly and dangerously, it often would stretch and shrink at will as it twirled around. Riku had to do his best not to be hit by it, he summoned his Keyblade.
"Ah, yesss. Pretty little bladess. I is soon to havess." The ball which was spiked came dangerously close to Riku's head he blocked it with his Keyblade. The ball and chain was soon wrapped around it.
"Let me pass you fool!" Riku shouted, the cries in the forest were beginning to lessen.
"Fool is I! I is no fool! I is Urik! I is no longer going to playss nice!" Urik yanked the chain and the Keyblade was flung from Riku's hand, and imbedded itself in a tree nearby.
"Is you surrendering? You is weaponless." Urik said sneering.
"Am I?" Riku said with a grin and the Keyblade suddenly appeared in his hand.
"What is thisss?" Urik cried doing a backwards summersault to avoid the blade of the Keyblade.
"This is the Keyblade don't tell me you didn't know."
"Is cheating it is! Fine if cheat is you, then cheat is I!" Suddenly the ball and chain vanished leaving a large spiked whip in its place. Urik grasped the handle of the whip and grinned nastily, the edge of the whip suddenly sprouted sharp metal thorns.
Urik struck out the whip and managed to nick Riku's leg, soon with a speed he had never seen before, Riku was feeling stings and burns throughout his whole body, Urik was a master with the whip though and he was never more than grazed by the whip yet he felt intense pain all the same, Riku had no doubt that the creature was toying with him. If Riku thought he was good with the ball and chain he was superior with the whip. The sounds in the forest had died down, only the occasional cry or fall of a tree now being heard.
"Urik did not wish to hurtss you so much. You left I with no choice. Surrender yetss?"
"N-never!" Riku managed to cry out as he struggled to move in the agony he was in.
"I is impressed. Those wounds could kill one of lesser strengthsss. Shame. If you can not beatss I, how can you hopesss to win the challengesss you shall soon face? Much work you needsss, if hopess to overcome enemies you wish." Urik said and raised the whip again this time the metal spikes began to spin.
"I seek answers. Let me through to your Master!" Riku screamed and with agility far unimaginable he was on his feet and charging Urik once more. Urik's face which was once amusement turned to one of horror as he looked at him. The sounds in the forest were no more, and it grew colder. Urik sidestepped Riku's attacked and pushed him into a boat which abruptly shot off to the other side of the lake. Riku turned around and watched as the creature Urik faced off with the same figure he had seen in the forest, he still was unable to make out a face and soon the two figures had disappeared entirely, in the fog of the lake, he could hear the fighting that was going on however.
As he reached the other side of the lake he crawled out of the boat and stumbled to the large door to the castle, the distant sounds of fighting had faded entirely and Riku was beginning to realize time was running out.
……………
Sora fell, and as he fell he relived his memories, mainly the memories of the Organization. He kept reliving the memories, over and over. Soon a purple light shown below and he hit ground.
Sora looked around it looked just as bad if not worse than where he had just come from. Surrounding him were shadows and the shadows glistened with a purple light. Figures began appearing in the darkness, soon he was encircled by many faceless figures. A white light randomly blazed to brilliance and he saw the figures of the forms.
Surrounding him were seven familiar faces of Organization XIII. Luxord, Saix, Xemnas, Demyx, Axel, Xaldin, and Xigbar. Quickly summoning his Keyblade to him he prepared to attack. How are they alive? I defeated them!
"That you did, Defender of Worlds, this is my test you will continue to face these members of Organization XIII, until I say otherwise. There is something that you must learn through these battles. The Organization is defeated, or at least these members of it are."
"Some of the other members survived? Who?"
"You do not remember it young one, but you already fought the other members. You fought them in Castle Oblivion, but your memory has been erased of that incident. As for the two that survived I do not know their identities. Someone or something has been keeping it from us."
"Us? There's more of you?" Sora asked surprised.
"Yes, now I leave you to my test, once you have solved it, we will talk again…" The light vanished and Sora was left to fight replicas of the Organization in pure darkness. He couldn't help but wonder who the survivors were and what there plan would be. The replicas came to life all at once and one by one stepped up to fight him. One-by-one…
A/N: I just realized the other day that I had not yet submitted a chapter, I've actually had this done for a while and just forgot to put it up….for that I apologize. This chapter actually goes better with the next chapter, which should be up soon(much sooner than this one did). Next chapter will be out by next Sunday though(unless internet or is down). If you want to see my comments about this chapter read my profile. Enjoy.