KKHKHKHKHKHKH

"He's here."

"Good boy Roxas. Now lure him to you and he shall be all mine!"

"NEVER! AAAARGH!" Roxas yeowled as dark lightning shot through his entire body. He had no choice. He closed his eyes and sent another, urgent call to the boy storming the castle. A call so urgent that Sora's heart hurt.

Malefiscent smiled wickedly. Her prey was almost in reach and she was ready to receive him with open talons.

"Here he comes Roxas. HARK! He comes pounding on the door!"

Sure enough Sora and Riku stormed through the dungeon door, eyes blazing. Riku's eyes flashed green for a millisecond and Roxas realized that the witch had forgotten about the Flurry of Dancing Flames. The hag laughed and said,

"Welcome home Sora. I trust you have come to save your pathetic Nobody. However, you are sadly mistaken my pet!"

Vines of green sprung out of nowhere, flinging Riku out the door and shutting him out with a SLAM. The silvehaiired boy franticly banged his entire weight on the door, screaming Sora's name until he knocked himself out. The vines curled around the Keyblade, wrenching it away from its wielder and sealing it away far from Sora's powers to summon it. Chains of emerald shackled the hero to the witch, and no matter how hard he struggled he could not get free.

The witch grabbed Sora by the throat and shook him violently before attatching a green collar to his neck and attatching a new chain to the collar, gleefully yanking him to his knees, then on all fours.

The voice of Maleficent dripped evil like venom as she spat loathingly at the boy.

"Sora, you owe me a castle but that debt has been paid. However the payment for meddling actions is to serve me! Refuse and your friends will suffer. Their agony will be so great that they will wish for death! So what will it be, hero? What is your answer?"

"Don't do it Sora! She'll—Mmmph!"

A tentical silenced the Nobody and Ursula cackled and drew up a magic contract and pen.

"Go ahead, sugar—sign on the line and all your friends get a ticket to safety. If you want them to suffer unimaginable agony, feel free to leave that dotted line blank! Hahaha!"

Roxas hung his head. It was over. Sora had one weakness and that was his heart. It was why he had been born in the first place. Sora cared too much for his friends and would do anything to keep them from harm. It was just the way he was and now, he was going to save them again.

"Do I have your word on this, Malefiscent?"

"But of course child. Your pathetic friends are of no use to me. They shall remain unharmed."

Sora took the pen, "I'll do it. If you're lyuing though….no contract will prevent me from bringing you down."

Maleficent pulled the paper away as the boy was about to sign his doom.

"Not with the pen."

Ursula was confused, "How is he supposed to seal the deal then, sister?"

Maleficent grinned evily

"The same way he seals everything else."

Sora reached out his hand, summoning the Keyblade. He aimed and fired, sealing his fate for the sake of his friends.

Malefiscent's triumphant cackle resenated throughout the castle ans she chained her prize to the wall next to hs Nobody and purred at him.

"Sleep now my pet. Tomorrow your work begins. AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

She left, and the prisoners were left nby themselves to ponder their fate. Roxas hung his head and sulked, chastising his idiotisc Other.

"I thought I warned you not to come, Sora. I told you to stay AWAY."

The Keybearer grinned slyly,

"Actually as I recall, it was YOU who summoned me here but we have no time to place blame. Riku and Axel and I have a plan to get you out of here. We just have to be patient and hope my heart holds up."

Roxas snorted,

"So this was planned…..all of it. But you forget Sora, you signed that contract with the Keyblade. Any attempts to escape will KILL you! How are we supposed tyo escape? How are we going to get out?"

Sora's voice was thick with resolve as he said darkly and seriously,

"WE won't."

"You don't mean—"

"I sealed my fate with the Keyblade. I'm not going anywhere. Even if we bring her down she always comes back and when she does…..my fate will be the same as it is now."

Roxas hung his head, "That's why she didn't want you to sign with the pen. I understand Sora, I'll take care of Kairi."

"Good. Well Roxas, my old adventure ends here, but a new one is just around the corner. Maleficent may take my voice, but she'll never have my heart. I'll be free…but…..trapped."

Sora's eyes closed, the strain on his body finally winning over his willpower, and he slumped against the wall, still fighting sleep. Roxas felt his chains melt away as his Somebody used the last ounce of strength he had to free him.

"Now…go Roxas. Axel and Riku…will take things from here."

Unable to stay awake a second longer, Sora slumped again, the chains holding his arms and head up as he slept.

Roxas looked at him and wondered how he could be so calm. Maleficent had told the Nobody her plans for Sora. The hero would be her pet, deprived of his speech and humanity—a being of instinct and a slave to her will. When he woke up, he would be destined to be enslaved, yet he slept with a smile on his face.

"He knows we can handle things from here." Riku's voice said from behind the Nobody. "Let's not let him down."

Roxas nodded and leaped through the portal Riku (with Axel's help) had made.

Riku reached towards his friend's shoulder and was not surprised when the LionHeart appeared in his hand. The older boy nodded in understanding. The Kingdom Key had rejected him because of the Darkness in his heart. Now Sora was trusting him with the LionHeart because his own heart was weak. The Kingdom key would stay with Sora. The swordlike blade would go with Riku.

The older boy knelt by his friend and patted his shoulder before standing and taking one last look at Sora sleeping peacefully, ever ready for a new adventure.

"Soon Sora….we will return soon. Malefiscent will pay for everything she puts you through. I swear it on my own heart!"

TBC