(Kirito speaking) On our journey in Sora's dimension, Asuna, Yui and I got to experience things no other person in our world could get to do IRL. We got to travel to different worlds, which at first seemed impossible to us, but we managed to do so. We've seen multiple eras and places, people and creatures with incredible powers, and the three of us, along with Sora, Donald, Goofy, Jiminy, and even Leafa and Recon, got to not only see this with our own eyes, but live it.

This was all thanks to that man, DiZ, who sent Asuna, Yui and I into this world, and to Naminé, who brought Leafa and Recon, as well. Why were we sent here? Because Sugou Nobuyuki, creator of the original ALO, and Asuna's ex-fiancé, was turned into a Nobody, dubbed the name 'Gouxus', and was in league with Organization XIII. A man of his wit and lust for control was needed to be dealt with, and DiZ figured who better to defeat him than people from our world. Specially-gifted people.

I was one of those people, and so were Asuna and Suguha. We were special in the fact that we had a hidden power: to wield the mystical Keyblade. It was this weapon that led us through this journey, helping all of us stop the forces of evil. I was really thankful that it was only the five of us that had to deal with this mess. We didn't want others from our world to be involved with this mess, and DiZ doesn't intend to, either. However, Gouxus was a different story, and wanted to punish me and my friends in the cruelest way possible. But is like people say; With every problem, there is a silver lining in everything.

Organization Stronghold, Computer Room.

Gouxus was typing away the complicated codes for his latest project. He stopped typing, examining all that which he had done, checking for errors. Ever since he discovered Kirito and Asuna had entered this dimension. He had discovered, after researching the work of Ansem the Wise, that it was possible to send things that are coded into this dimension, made real. However, Ansem the Wise wasn't able to teleport anything bigger than a grown man. Gouxus intended to surpass that, and bring something over to this dimension that no one could ever believe: Aincrad, Akihiko Kayaba's precious creation. Gouxus rectified any mistakes he made in his code. He looked up at his completed work, and smirked menacingly.

"Don't act like you are happy for your work." warned a voice from behind, "A Nobody doesn't have the heart to have such emotions." It was Saïx, entering the room to see Gouxus' progress.

"Oh, spare me that dribble." Gouxus retorted, "Besides, I'm not happy. I'm pleased at the completion of my work."

"So, you have finished creating this little 'side project'?"

"Yes, after countless days of research and data crunching, I have finally created something that surpasses even Ansem's work."

"And what is it that you have made, exactly?" Saïx asked, "Xemnas even questions your goals in this."

"It is aiding in your plans to bring about Kingdom Hearts, rest assured of that." Gouxus stated, "Only while you were concentrating your efforts on bringing about Sora's rage into defeating the Heartless by kidnapping that girl, I have developed a motive to enrage Kirito and Asuna."

"I see..." Saïx understood, "Then tell me, how will you draw out their rage?"

Gouxus smirked at this. "By bringing a place they love into danger." He answered, and with that, he pressed the enter button on the keyboard, activating the program. From above, a satellite dish-looking device started to charge up, then shot into the air in full blast. A portal opened up, sending the beam through, heading to the destination.

Aincrad: Floor 22 Forest Cabin

Klein, Liz and Silica were scattered about in the cabin. Silica was brushing Pina, waiting for news from Sinon and Agil, who were off searching for any information on Kirito, Asuna and the other's whereabouts. Klein and Liz were speculating with one another where the five missing characters might be.

"I can't believe it has been over a month since we last saw those guys." Liz stated, "First Kirito, Asuna and Yui disappeared the day after that whole craziness in Aincrad. Leafa and Recon went to search for them, and a week later, THEY vanished. Poof! Without a trace."

"All we know is that Kirito, Asuna and Yui all were going to try out that quest that appeared after all that data mysteriously entered Aincrad." Klein recalled, "The moment they took it, them and the data all vanished. Their disappearances even got on the news, calling it the 'Data Phantom' or the 'Curse of Aincrad'."

"Has anyone found out where the data came from anyway?" Silica asked, hearing their conversation.

"That's the thing; no one knows where the data came from in the first place." Liz answered, "It came without warning, and vanished just the same."

"Yeah, and people are speculating what might've happen." Klein stated, "Most say it was an extremely skilled hacker. Some say it was the result of Aincrad's revival, and that Akihiko Kayaba is still behind it. Some of the more weirder ones say it was the result of an alien experiment."

"Either way, it is not helping favoritism for VRMMO." Liz stated, "People are still recovering from the SAO incident, and more than 50% of the Players clearing Aincrad have left it. There're maybe 2,000 Players still braving Aincrad, right now, but there are rumors Aincrad might be removed from Alfheim Online."

"Even after everything that happened before, I don't want this place to disappear." Silica muttered, "I mean, we've lived here for so long, it's like a second home to us."

The trio paused for a moment, then the front door opened, and Sinon and Agil entered the room. "Hey, guys." Agil greeted them, "I see you're still racking your brains about the others."

"Did you find any new info?" Liz asked anxiously.

"Nothing that we don't already know." Sinon answered, "Although, we did get the name of the quest those guys were on."

"What was the name of the quest?" Silica asked, "It might help us figure out where they are."

"We thought the same thing." Agil answered, "See, the name of the quest was called 'Kingdom Hearts'. Although, we have no idea what that might refer too."

The five of them pondered for a second on what the name might refer to, then Klein suggested, "Maybe it's a kingdom filled with hearts or something?"

"Or maybe the hearts of a kingdom." Liz responded.

"Okay, but where might that be?" Sinon asked. Everyone else had no answer. Though they had good guesses, they weren't sure if they were actual hints on where their friends might be.

Just then, the area started to shake all about them. "What the heck?!" Klein demanded, bracing himself on the chair.

"An earthquake?" Sinon asked, trying to keep her footing, but ended up toppling over.

"Impossible! Unless this is the result of a quest starting up!" Agil stated, bracing himself at the door.

"Then what in Aincrad is going on?!" Liz demanded, holding onto Silica for dear life.

Outside of Aincrad, the Players of Alfheim looked up at the sight of something horrifying. A swirl of white, gray and black energy started pouring from a wormhole in the sky, surrounding itself around Aincrad. It bound and stuck to multiple parts of the floating castle, like hundreds of streamers that stuck at the end. When all were connected, Aincrad was pulled upwards into the wormhole, slowly but surely. After several seconds, the entirety of Aincrad disappeared, vanishing without a trace.

The supposed earthquake lasted for several minutes, and it got worse as Aincrad was sucked into the wormhole. The data around them started acting funny, including Pina, but Silica held her close to her body, making sure nothing would happen to her. However, just as suddenly as it started, it stopped. The five friends and Pina all looked about, wondering what happened.

"Is everyone okay?" Sinon asked.

"My head is still spinning, but otherwise, I'm good." Liz answered.

"What was that all about?" Silica asked, holding Pina in her arms, frightened.

"I don't know. Let me check…" Agil answered, and he stepped outside. The area outside did look slightly disheveled. It would be unusual, considering the environment of a VRMMO wouldn't be affected this badly by an earthquake unless that was suppose to happen. However, apart from that, the environment looked the same. "Doesn't look like anything is completely out of the ordinary." Agil told everyone, "The place is a mess, but otherwise, it's okay."

"Did a quest flag really cause all this?" Liz asked, looking about.

"What the crap?!" gasped Klein, and everyone turned to see him swiping his arm down continuously.

"What is it, Klein?" Liz asked.

"I can't seem to pull up the menu." Klein responded, swiping his hand in a more aggressive manner, "I just…can't…do it!"

"Jeez, if that's the case, then let me…" Liz started, swiping her hand to pull up her menu, but it didn't work. She tried it a couple more times, but nothing happened.

"What the…?" Liz asked in a confused manner, "I can't pull up my menu!" Agil, Silica and Sinon all tried as well, but they couldn't summon their menu screens either.

"None of us can do it." Sinon responded.

"What's going on?" Silica asked, with Pina chirping in confusion.

Just then, Shadow Heartless suddenly appeared behind Agil, who turned to see them. "Woah, what's this?!" Agil gasped, seeing the monsters. The others turned to see the black, insect-like creatures standing at their doorstep.

"Monsters?! But why are they at the house?!" Liz demanded, "Monsters don't usually get this close!"

Klein dashed forward, pulling out his katana, and taking a swipe at the monster. He knocked a pair of them away from the house, though it looked like it didn't do much. The third Shadow leapt up and slashed at Klein, who gasped in pain as he stumbled back, clutching his arm.

"Are you okay, Klein?" Silica asked.

"Jeez, what's with you?" Liz asked.

"It's not me!" Klein retorted, lifting his hand to see a cut on his arm, and it was bleeding slightly.

"Klein, you're bleeding!" Sinon gasped, surprising the girls.

"No way…" Klein muttered in shock, "These creatures are hurting us…like we were IRL!"

"But how is that possible?!" Liz demanded, "What the heck is going on here?!" Her voice seemed to echo throughout Aincrad, but she wasn't the only one demanding that question, either.

A few hours later, the heroes had returned back to the Gummi Ship, going to their individual seats. "Well, that's one more world taken care of." Kirito stated as Asuna sighed in relief when she sat

"That was one tough battle we had to deal with." Sora muttered, "But I'm glad Herc and everyone else is okay."

"So where to next?" Goofy asked as he and Donald watched Yui reach the computer.

She was just starting to type when Chip and Dale suddenly appeared on the screen of the computer. "Guys, I'm glad you made it back!" Chip squeaked, "We really need your help!"

"Why? What's going on?" Sora asked as Jiminy popped out of his clothing.

"We're not even sure, ourselves." Dale replied, "All of a sudden, we got reports of some weird energy fluctuations happening somewhere nearby your position."

"When we pinpointed the location where it came from, we stumbled upon this…" Chip finished, and he pulled up a picture on the screen of a place in the space they were in.

The place was far too familiar to Kirito, Asuna and Yui, who were in shock. "You gotta be kidding me!" Kirito cried out in shock.

"There's no way…" Yui muttered, to amazed for words.

"This…this is impossible!" Asuna gasped.

Donald, Goofy, Jiminy and Sora all looked to the trio, wondering what they were so panicked about. "You know that place?" Jiminy asked.

Kirito nodded, his expression changing from shock to seriousness. "We know that world far too well." he answered, "That world…no, that place. It's Aincrad, the floating castle from Sword Art Online."

"This doesn't make sense." Asuna muttered, walking up right next to Kirito, scared, "Why would Aincrad be in this dimension?!"

"So, that place came from the virtual world you were in before coming here?" Sora questioned.

"Yes, but none of us expected to it be here." Kirito explained.

"Maybe it was sent here the same way the three of us were." Yui suggested, "It's possible that maybe someone like DiZ brought Aincrad to this dimension."

"But that can't be right." Kirito retorted, "According to what we heard, DiZ only wanted me, Asuna and Suguha, because he thought we had the power to wield Keyblades. Yui and Recon only came here by our choice. If he wanted to bring everyone from our world here, wouldn't he have done that in the first place?"

"I guess that's true." Asuna understood.

"Then who d'ya think would bring that place into this dimension?" Goofy asked.

"There is one person that I have in mind." Kirito responded, glaring up at Aincrad, "He has the biggest reason to do this out of anyone who came from our dimension. He has a grudge on the creator of Aincrad, and has a vengeance against me and Asuna."

"Gouxus." Asuna understood, her eyes narrowing as she thought about that Nobody.

There was a pause as the heroes all looked at Aincrad, floating in space. If Gouxus was the one who did this, and sent Aincrad here, then his objective was clear; get the Heartless to this world and turning the Players in there into Heartless. This would no doubt enrage Kirito and Asuna into action, and give more hearts to the Organization to use to create Kingdom Hearts. It was just the same as them capturing Kairi to enrage Sora into fighting.

"We need to tell Leafa and Recon about this, Kirito." Asuna told him, who nodded in understanding.

"Yui, see if you can call the others at the computer in Merlin's house." he requested.

"I'm on it!" Yui answered.

"We'll help you from here, too!" Chip added as he and Dale started to work about their control center. It took a minute, but Yui and the chipmunks managed to succeed in accessing the computer, seeing Cid's face on the other end as he was at Merlin's computer.

"Hey, now!" he cried out in shock, "What is this?"

"Sorry about that." Goofy apologized.

"Well, if it ain't you guys." Cid greeted them, "You sure know how to pick a way to communicate with us."

"That sounded like Goofy." Aerith's voice spoke up off screen, "Is Sora and the others on the computer?"

"Sure seems that way." Cid called out.

Within a few seconds, Aerith, Leafa and Recon crowded the computer screen, shoving Cid behind them. "Kazuto!" Leafa called out, surprised at this sudden call.

"Sugu, Recon. You're just the people we called for." Kirito replied.

"Why, is something wrong?" Leafa asked.

"We have really bad news." Asuna started. "Aincrad is here, in this dimension." Kirito followed.

"Are you serious?!" Recon demanded as he and Leafa looked shocked.

"Why? How is this possible?!" Leafa demanded.

"We think it's Gouxus' fault." Asuna replied, "He set this up so the Heartless can prey on that world, and causing us to fight more of them in order to protect it!"

"That guy is seriously cruel!" Leafa snarled, furious that Gouxus would do such a thing.

"What can we do?" Recon asked.

"We need you guys to figure out a way to bring Aincrad back home." Kirito told them, "Maybe Ansem's computer has something."

"Leon's investigating the computer as we speak." Aerith explained, "I'll go on ahead to warn him." With that, Aerith left the view of the screen, replacing it with Cid as he raised himself off the ground, moaning from being tossed back.

"If you find anything out, call us, okay?" Kirito told them.

"Sure thing, Kazuto." Leafa responded, "We promise, we won't let Aincrad fall because of the Heartless."

"Let's hope we find something." Recon told her, "We haven't really found any ways of returning home, ourselves."

"Yeah, but we haven't had a reason to until now!" Leafa retorted, "Let's get moving!"

"We'll go to Aincrad to investigate." Kirito told her, "Let's shut down Gouxus' plan!"

"Right!" Leafa and Recon answered, and the computer screen went blank.

"Yui?" Asuna started.

"Chip and Dale sent the coordinates to the Gummi Ship's computer." Yui responded, "I'm locking them in." Sora came behind Kirito and Asuna, a look of seriousness expressed on his face.

"We'll save your home. Don't worry about it." Sora replied, then added, "Plus, I would like to see where you guys came from."

"We aren't there for sight-seeing, Sora." Kirito warned him, "Let's take care of the problem, then move on." With that, everyone went to their seats, and readied themselves as the Gummi Ship flew through space.

Within an hour of departure, the heroes finally discovered the floating castle, drifting in space like a space station. "There it is." Asuna muttered.

"Well, let's go in there." Donald decided, waddling to the transporter.

"I have access to the Town of Beginning on floor 1." Yui explained as she tapped away on the computer, "If anything, we might find some clues there."

"Do it." Kirito responded, "Okay, everyone. Let's move!" Everyone climbed into the transporter as Yui activated it, and flew over to them as the transporter teleported them down to Aincrad.

When they came out of teleportation, the six heroes found themselves in the main plaza of the Town of Beginnings, right beside the teleport gate. The area was quiet, despite how it not only was a huge city, but also a place Kirito and Asuna knew contained tons of people about, being the starting point and main access to Aincrad from Alfheim. This did not bode well, despite that being the only thing out of place.

"So this is what Aincrad looks like, huh?" Sora said in amazement as he, Donald and Goofy looked about.

"It's huge!" Donald gasped.

"The Town of Beginnings is the starting point to this area, but it covers about twenty percent of this floor." Yui explained, "And don't forget, this is just one of the hundred floors in Aincrad."

"That's a lot of ground!" Sora gasped, looking high into the sky, seeing the massive pillar in the center of Aincrad.

"Yui, do you have any access to this world?" Kirito asked.

"A little. But considering my current state, I only have minimal info to give about the area." Yui explained, "I can't access the Cardinal system of Aincrad in my realistic form."

"Can you at least tell us how many Players are in this world?" Asuna asked, hopefully.

"Let me see…" Yui replied, closing her eyes, and placing her hands on the sides of her head.

"There are a total of 2,174 Players currently in Aincrad." Yui analyzed, "Most of them are on the higher levels, mainly in groups."

"What about Cardinal?" Kirito asked.

"Most of its' programs were shut down when it was transferred here, including the ability to produce enemy monsters, NPCs, and even accessing the Player's menu." Yui explained, "Apart from that, it is still functioning."

"That does make sense." Kirito understood, "I mean, Players and AIs are able to sustain a form when transferring to real life because we have hearts. Still, that means Players can't access their weapons or gear if they didn't have them on prior to coming here."

"Which means they'll be vulnerable to the Heartless." Asuna finished his statement. The two looked worried.

"Well, I don't know about you, but standing about here isn't gonna help your world go back home." Sora stated, "Let's go and figure out where everyone is at."

"Right." Asuna responded as Kirito nodded in agreement.

They had just started to move when suddenly, Heartless appeared all about them. "Incoming, fellas!" Goofy warned them as they all produced their weapons.

"They didn't waste any time, did they?" Kirito growled, ready to take them out. The monsters consisted of Shadows and Lance Soldiers, who weren't to difficult to defeat, assuming they avoid its' weapon and even use it against them.

Once they cleared the area of Heartless, the heroes grouped together once more. "If the Heartless have already made it to Aincrad, we're in big trouble." Asuna said in a worried manner.

"I just hope none of our friends are in trouble because of this." Kirito muttered.

"I'm sure they're okay." Sora assured them as Yui landed on his shoulder.

"How do you know that?" the pixie asked.

"I don't." Sora replied, "But I believe in what I say is true, and if I believe in it hard enough, it'll becomes the truth!"

"Believe in it hard enough…until it becomes true, huh?" Kirito asked.

"Sure. It's better than worrying all the time." Sora responded. Kirito and Asuna turned to one another, seeing Sora's view. He was right. In a way, all they had to do was not give up hope, and things'll turn out okay for them.

Just then, the warp gate behind them activated, and they turned, ready to face what came out. However, what, or who, came out was a pair of people Kirito, Asuna and Yui knew well. It was Klein and Liz, both respectively in their Salamander and Leprechaun garments.

Klein was in a samurai-like uniform, looking half and half with one part short and dark blue, the other being long and red, with draped sleeves ending with fire marks. He wore brown-colored armor with a white sashed hanging outside and underneath it and around the waist, and he wore a black and yellow bandana on his head.

Liz's attire looked battle-ready, but also a well-enough look for a blacksmith like herself, consisting of a mainly red, white and yellow attire, with gauntlets and silver armor pieces on her chest, left shoulder and hips. She also wielded her mace and a small shield.

The two looked around the area for a second, then spotted the party nearby them. "Woah, it's Kirito!" gasped Klein.

"And Asuna! And Yui, too!" Liz added, surprised.

"Liz!" Asuna greeted happily.

"Klein!" Kirito gasped as the two raced off the warp gate. Liz pounced onto Asuna, pulling into a hug as Klein grabbed Kirito and pulled him into an uncomfortable one. Both Klein and Liz were saying mixed words of how glad they found them again simultaneously. Asuna was responding how grateful she was to see them as well, while Kirito was struggling to free himself of Klein's grip.

"Seriously, what the heck happened to you guys?" Klein asked as Kirito finally pushed himself away.

"Yeah, I mean, the three of you were gone for a long time after that bug entered Aincrad." Liz stated, "It's become such a big deal, that it has even hit the news! I know you guys like being together, but don't make us worry like that!"

Kirito and Asuna looked surprised that their disappearance had escalated. "I didn't expect it to be that big." Kirito pointed out.

"How long were we gone for?" Asuna asked.

"It's been over a month." Klein answered, "You guys, plus Leafa and that other guy, Recon, have been transferred to the hospital. Haven't you guys been tracking how long you've been out?" The two heroes looked to each other, worried. Over a month. To think that it has been that long since they left the virtual world, and entered Sora's dimension. They couldn't help but feel guilty about this.

"We're sorry for leaving you like that." Asuna apologized, "But we had a good reason why we couldn't get back home again."

"Yeah, but now's not the place to explain it." Kirito pointed out, "Are any of the others here?"

"Yeah. Sinon, Silica and Agil are camped out at your place on Floor 22." Klein pointed out.

"Good. Cause we've got a lot of explaining to do." Asuna stated.

"You'd better explain it to all of us!" Liz stated promptly, "Plus, I would like to know what's with those new clothes you guys are wearing, along with…" She looked behind to see Sora, Donald and Goofy standing there, who were silent all this time, "…who those guys are, and what's with those two's avatars?" She was speaking about Donald and Goofy, who looked to one another, confused.

"Hate to tell you this, but that's their IRL look." Kirito stated as he walked past Klein to the warp gate.

"Say what?!" Klein gasped.

"Like we said, we have a lot of explaining to do." Kirito repeated.

Liz watched Kirito, Asuna and Yui go to the gate with disbelief, then turned to see Sora, Donald and Goofy approach her. "Nice to meet you. I'm Sora." Sora greeted her, "These two are Donald and Goofy."

"Uh, hi." Liz replied in a dazed manner, "I'm Lisbeth. Call me Liz."

"And I'm Klein, one of Kirito's best buds." Klein followed abruptly, looking at them with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion.

"C'mon, you guys!" Asuna called to them, "We need to act quickly!"

"Right!" Sora responded.

"Let's go!" Donald squawked as he, Sora and Goofy passed Liz and Klein to the warp gate. The two SAO Players looked to one another, confused, then followed suit, climbing onto the platform.

"Teleport: Coral!" Asuna shouted, and the warp gate activated, sending the heroes away in a blue light.

They arrived at the edge of the town of Coral on floor 22, and they walked off it, with Sora, Donald and Goofy looking about the area with amazement. "How big is this place?" Sora asked, looking about.

"It's nine kilometers in diameter, but most of it is covered with lakes and forests." Yui explained.

"Our house is further in. Let's go." Kirito told the team, and they started walking along the gravel road.

"Tell us, has anything…strange happen, recently?" Asuna questioned Liz.

"You mean you haven't noticed?" Liz responded.

"Didn't you guys feel the earthquake that appeared on every freakin' floor?" Klein asked.

"Earthquake?" Kirito asked.

"Yeah, a huge one!" Klein responded, "People have been saying it happened everywhere in Aincrad."

"When it was over, lots of crazy things happened." Liz followed, "No one can pull up their menu screens, our Swords Skills and magic are no longer responding, and we can't even pull out our wings!"

"That explains why we are walking." Kirito stated.

"That's not even the worse of it." Klein continued, "There are also these weird monsters with yellow eyes that keep attacking us out of nowhere,and get this; they even attack us in safe zones."

"We can't seem to do much to them with our weapons, but for some reason, they can do damage to us!" Liz stated, "I mean, look at Klein's arm."\

Klein revealed the rip in his sleeve from the monster, with the rims of the rip stained in a thin amount of blood. "I managed to bandage it up, but those things hurt, man!" he pointed out, "It's almost as if…"

"Everything is IRL, right?" Kirito finished his statement.

"Yeah." Klein answered. Both he and Liz looked to Kirito and Asuna's worried faces.

"Something tells me you guys know more than what you're letting on." Liz stated suspiciously.

Suddenly, the heroes saw a bunch of Shadow and Lance Soldier Heartless appear, along with a Morning Star. "Not these things again!" Klein panicked, readying his katana.

"Leave it to us!" Sora declared as he, Donald and Goofy got in front, and produced their weapons before Liz and Klein's eyes, surprising them.

The trio went to work, unleashing all their attacks onto the Heartless as best as they could. Goofy almost got toppled by the Morning Star, but Sora slapshot it into the air, accidentally making it fall towards Liz and Klein. However, Kirito and Asuna summoned their Keyblades, leapt up, and slashed it on both sides, making it disappear in a dark vapor, sending a heart floating into the air. They landed onto the ground as Sora, Donald and Goofy cleaned up the last of the Heartless.

"Okay, what the hell was that?!" Klein demanded, racing up to Kirito and grabbing his shoulder.

"Which part?" Kirito asked.

"That!" Klein responded, pointing at the Keyblades and weapons of the heroes, "Those weapons! How did you summon them without pulling out your menu screen?"

"Yeah, I'd like a fair explanation on what the hell that was all about." Liz demanded to Asuna, making her back off slightly. She then swiped Asuna's Keyblade out of her hands, and held it in both of her hands, examining it. "I've never seen a weapon like this." Liz pointed out, "Is it suppose to be a sword?"

"Yeah. It's called a Keyblade." Asuna replied, "It's what we use to fight the Heartless."

"Heartless?" Liz questioned.

"Those monsters we were fighting? Those are Heartless." Kirito explained.

"Dude, you have to show us where you can get one of those key-blade thingies." Klein told Kirito.

"It's not really something you can get so easily." Sora warned them as Liz handed back Asuna's Keyblade back to her.

"Sora, mama and papa are the only ones who can wield them." Yui pointed out.

"We'll get into further details once we get back to the Forest House." Kirito told the two confused Players. With that, they continued on their way.

It took several minutes, mainly due to fighting Heartless that impeded in their path. However, the group found themselves at the log cabin in the middle of the forest. It was just the same as how they left it before. "Is this where you guys live?" Sora asked.

"It is, in-game." Kirito answered, "It's the place we lived in when we were married in SAO, and it was where we took care of Yui when we met her." Yui smiled as she remembered those days.

Kirito knocked on the front door as Klein and Asuna stood by him. "Who is it?" Silica's voice called on the other side.

"It's us." Klein answered, "We found something that'll surprise you."

Silica opened the door up a crack, seeing who it was, then opened it completely at the surprise. As a Cait Sith, she had brown cat ears and a tail that matched her hair color. Her battle garments were a blue coat with a metal chest plate, a black skirt underneath, and her dagger sheathed behind her back. Pina, her aqua-blue, small feathered dragon, was on top of her head. "Kirito! Asuna! And Yui!" Silica cried out happily as Pina cried in surprise.

Sinon and Agil, who were waiting with their weapons ready, saw the returned heroes, and looked surprised and relieved. Agil was an African-American man, muscular, wearing his Gnome garments, which was mainly an olive green color, with heavy armor pieces on his chest, left shoulder, and on his boots. Plus, he carried a two-handed axe in his hands. Sinon, like Silica, was a Cait Sith, but had light blue hair, ears and tail. She wore a green coat with a silver chest piece, black short-shorts, and held a bow in her hands while her quiver was behind her shoulder.

"Well, look who decided to show up!" Agil greeted them.

"Figures you would appear during a moment like this." Sinon huffed as she placed her bow away.

"Glad to see all of you are okay." Kirito sighed in relief as Silica hugged Asuna while Yui and Pina greeted one another.

Sora, Donald and Goofy entered the room, and the three who didn't know them looked at them, curiously. "Who are these guys?" Sinon questioned.

"These guys are our friends." Kirito introduced them, "It's thanks to them that we've survived this long."

"Hey there. I'm Sora." Sora greeted the trio.

"I'm Donald!" the duck followed.

"Howdy there. I'm Goofy." Goofy finished.

"Nice to meet you." Silica greeted them, "I'm Silica, and this is my best friend, Pina." Pina chirped in greeting them.

"Hey there, you guys. The name's Agil." Agil introduced himself.

"I'm Sinon. So, are those your two avatars?" Sinon questioned Donald and Goofy.

"This is what we really look like!" Donald squawked angrily.

"Easy, Donald." Asuna calmed him, "These guys don't understand what's going on."

"Yeah, mind telling us what's happening NOW?" Liz asked seriously.

Kirito cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention. "I think you guys need to sit down." he told the Players, "This might take some time to explain, even if I try shortening it."

Once the five Players sat down, Kirito, Asuna, Yui, and a little help from Jiminy, started to explain everything that happened to them, starting from the Kingdom Hearts quest, to how they appeared in Sora's dimension and why, to how they gained the Keyblades, then about the quest they were sent on with Sora and his friends, what was happening to Leafa and Recon, to the enemies they've faced, all the way up to Aincrad being sent to this dimension as well, and why. When they were done, the five Players were speechless.

"…So that's everything." Asuna finished. "If Gouxus' plan works out, then all the Players currently in Aincrad will be turned to Heartless, and we'll have no choice but to destroy them before they become bigger trouble."

"But if what you said is true, then that will help this Organization XIII group in gaining Kingdom Hearts." Silica pointed out.

"Exactly." Sora muttered, "Which is why we have to get you guys back home as soon as possible before we have to face more Heartless."

"Jeez, I've heard a lot of crazy things can happen in the virtual world. But this takes the cake." Liz muttered.

"Never thought Aincrad would become a reality, let alone become another death trap game, again." Agil stated.

Kirito looked down, sad. "Sorry, you guys." he apologized, "It's because of us that you guys are involved in all in all of this."

"Hey, it's no problem." Klein responded.

"Based on what you said, you guys had it a lot worse than us." Sinon stated, "I mean, what with fighting Heartless and this Organization, you've really have your work cut out for you. And if Aincrad is in a dimension with those kinds of problems, this does not bode well for any of us."

"That's why we're here." Asuna stated, "We need to return Aincrad back to the virtual world again, and fast."

There was a brief pause, then Klein stood up and said, "Well, if our lives are already on the line, we might as well pitch in and help save the Players here, all over again."

"Yep. No use standing around and moping about." Liz stated as she shouldered her mace, "We need to get moving and save our game."

"I'm willing to help any way I can!" Silica declared, though her expression showed some anxiety. Pina also chirped eagerly, ready to help.

"Count me in. Can't let you cats have all the fun." Agil stated.

"Looks like our votes are in." Sinon ended, smiling at the heroes, "We're all helping you guys out."

Kirito and Asuna didn't know whether to be grateful or worried about their friends helping them out. Then Sora placed his hands on their shoulders, and they turned to him, seeing the broad grin on his face. "You guys have some really nice friends." Sora stated, "I can see why you worry about them."

"Yeah, and why I'm even more worried about them, now." Kirito muttered as Asuna giggled at the difference in demeanor between Kirito and Sora.

"Still, we might need all the help we can get." Asuna pointed out to Kirito.

"I'm not rejecting their help. I'm just worried, that's all." Kirito corrected her.

The three Keyblade wielders turned to the crowd. "Okay, then." Kirito told the team, "I may not be totally comfortable about this, but we'll use all the support we can get. Leave most of the heavy fighting to Sora, Asuna and I. These Heartless rely mainly on instinct, so they don't have algorithmic patterns like normal monsters. Plus, they are drawn to those who wield the Keyblade, so we'll get a lot of attention."

"As if that's stop our cool crew, yet!" Klein stated with a grin.

"So what's the first task we need to do in order to get Aincrad back home?" Silica asked.

"Well…we're not sure." Kirito replied, "I mean, we figured something is holding Aincrad here, thanks to Gouxus, but we're not sure how."

"Maybe we should start searching about for the cause, then." Sinon suggested.

"That'll take too long." Asuna replied, "The more time we spend searching, the more Players get attacked by the Heartless."

"Why don't you try finding it, Yui?" Silica suggested.

"Yeah! Yui is suppose to be an AI in this world. She did tell us how many people are currently in Aincrad." Sora reminded himself.

"Yes, but I already told you; I don't have access to the full Cardinal system anymore. Not since I became a living being." Yui pointed out.

The crew thought for a moment about what they should do, then Asuna gasped, "Hold on! What if we use a GM Console? We might be able to find out the cause of the problem AND restore Yui's connection to the system, again."

"That might be able to work." Yui replied, "And I know just where to find one; underneath the Black Iron Palace, where I used it to save mama and papa."

"Then I guess it's back to floor 1, again." Asuna decided.

"Okay, everyone. Let's go save the Players of Aincrad!" Kirito declared.

"YEAH!" cheered everyone else.

After going through the warp back to where they started, the team made their way to the Black Iron Palace, and entered within. Kirito recalled where the entrance inside the area was, and led the team underneath the palace.

"I didn't know a place like this existed underneath the first floor." Agil pointed out.

"The last time we came here, it was to help Yulier save Thinker, the head of the Liberation Army." Asuna recalled, "It was during that rescue that we discovered who Yui really was, and Kirito saved her by transforming her into a game item." Yui hugged Kirito for that, while Kirito looked at Yui, grateful for his quick-thinking in saving her.

Meanwhile, Sora was looking curiously at Sinon and Silica's avatars, who turned at the presence of his gaze. "What are you staring at?" Sinon questioned suspiciously.

"Nothing! I just never saw anyone like you guys." Sora replied in a defensive manner.

"Yeah, we've seen all kinds of folk, but nothing like you." Goofy pointed out.

"Besides talking dragons, genies, wizards and Greek mythological characters, you've never seen a normal person with a cat tail and ears before?" Kirito questioned in an amused manner. Goofy rubbed his nose as Sora rubbed the back of his head, chuckling nervously on how he had seen stranger things than this.

Donald was right behind Silica, seeing her tail swish about. Then acting out of curiosity, the duck grabbed her tail. Like all Cait Sith Players, Silica reacted with a tense body and a scream. Sinon immediately reacted by hammering Donald on the head, slamming him to the ground. Pina pounced on top of him, chomping on his tail, making Donald squawk in pain. "I could cook you for that!" Sinon roared, while Silica held her tail, blushing.

Everyone else paused to look at the scene taking place, while Donald dazedly apologized. "As far as I know, Kirito was the only one who did that and walked away without injury." Klein stated, reminding himself of when Kirito pulled Sinon's tail some time ago.

"How Asuna and the others became friends with them is beyond me…" Liz muttered.

They continued further into the dungeon, where they discovered tons of Heartless that got in the way of the heroes and their destination. The five heroes went to work, demonstrating the skills and magic to the five Players. Asuna even demonstrated her Wisdom Drive Form to them, unleashing magic bullets and upgraded magic attacks onto the monsters, defeating them pretty quickly.

"Their new powers are something else." Sinon pointed out, watching Asuna leap over a charging Soldier Heartless and taking it out with an enhanced Fira spell.

"Despite how odd their weapons are, they're more effective at fighting the monsters than us." Agil stated, witnessing Sora and Donald working together by unleashing their Thunder and Thundara spells, taking out surrounding Heartless.

"What I want to know is where WE can get powers like those." Klein wondered jealously, while Kirito backed off whiled Goofy defended him against a Shadow.

"We pretty much got them from discovering areas and defeating powerful enemies." Kirito pointed out, unleashing a Blizzara spell to take out the Heartless.

It took a while to get to the lowest floor they could possibly go, finding themselves along a straight path to a door that led to a shining white room, along with a cubic stone slab. "That's the GM Console." Kirito pointed out.

"Come on, let's go!" Silica cheered, and she, Pina and Goofy raced ahead of the group.

"Wait, Silica! It's still too dangerous!" Kirito called to her.

Just as they got about halfway there, the trio was stopped by the sudden appearance of Guardian Nobodies. "More Nobodies!" Sora noticed as he, Kirito and Donald raced towards the trio.

"And the ones Gouxus is controlling!" Kirito growled, "I bet he knew what we were trying to do!"

Silica and Pina hid behind Goofy as he placed up his shield. Kirito bounded forward, taking out the first Nobody that got close to them. He started swinging at each of them, dodging their spear-like swords, retaliating with his Keyblade.

Suddenly, Kirito got struck a couple times by a pair of light arrows. He grimaced, then turned to see in the far back of the horde that there were Guardians with bows and arrows made of light. "Crap… They have the archer variant here, too!" Kirito told himself as he repelled the arrows as best as he could, while Asuna protected the rest of the party with a Reflera spell.

"Sora!" Donald squawked, "Let's get 'em together!"

"Right!" Sora responded, and the two unleashed their Limit Break 'Duck Flare'. Donald hopped onto Sora's back, and started summoning a multitude of firework rockets, which homed in on each Nobody. This gave Kirito and Goofy a chance to back Silica and Pina away from the two's onslaught as they unleashed all they could. The Nobodies couldn't even get close to them, and the arrows were repelled by the explosions. With one final assault of rockets, Donald and Sora managed to take out every Nobody in the corridor.

"That's…amazing!" gasped Agil.

"What the heck did they just do?!" Klein asked in amazement.

"That was a Limit Break." Asuna explained, "It's a powerful technique that requires at least two of us to perform together, and they each are different. However, they do drain our magic energy, so we can't use it continuously."

"Are you guys able to do it with anyone?" Silica asked Kirito.

"Not exactly." Kirito explained, "Asuna and I are still unable to unleash a Limit Break together, but we're able to do it with either Sora, Donald or Goofy." The two sword fighters looked at one another, wondering what they were missing in order to utilize their own Limit Break.

"Come on, guys! We gotta get Yui powered up!" Sora called out to the two.

"Oh, right." Kirito replied, shaking his head back into the mission at hand, and the team raced towards the GM Console.

As soon as Kirito and Yui reached the console, Yui activated the holographic keyboard, along with the screen. "The Cardinal system is still active, even while this world is a reality." Kirito stated.

"The GM Consoles are connected to the Cardinal system and all the data contained in its' memory, almost like a series of terminals connected to the mainframe computer system." Yui explained, "It's kind of the same as the consoles and systems in Tron's world."

"Who's world?" Klein asked. "Just a world inside of a computer." Kirito answered simply.

"But it is a lot more unusual from the VRMMOs we've played, and plenty more dangerous." Asuna added.

Kirito began working at the console while Yui sat on his shoulder and everyone surrounded them, waiting with baited breath. Sinon was the only one looking outside, making sure no enemies were coming. "Have you got whatever it is done, yet?" Sora asked after about twenty seconds.

"Be patient, Sora." Kirito responded, "This isn't as easy as hacking into Ansem's computer."

After a couple minutes, Kirito pulled up something on the screen of the computer, with much info, including the schematics containing Yui's data. "Found it!" Kirito stated.

"Alright!" cheered Donald, Asuna and Silica.

"However…" Kirito interrupted the cheers, "Finding the data was the easy part. Since Yui is no longer a full AI, I can't see any way of transferring the data into her."

"Don't ya have any ideas, Yui?" Goofy asked.

Yui looked back at the group, then at Kirito, who looked to her.

"Unfortunately, I don't." she finally admitted, "I have been contemplating on how to regain my data as we came here, but I hadn't found any sound solutions." The others looked upset that they didn't have an answer to Yui's problem.

Asuna was fingering her side pocket nervously, trying to also think of a way. She then felt something in her pocket. She placed her hand in and pulled out the Summoning Charm she used to summon Rapunzel before, the Lantern Charm.

"What is that?" Liz asked.

"It's a charm used to summon allies from far away to our side." Asuna explained, "They have come in handy in the past when faced with tough problems. I just wish we could…" Suddenly, Asuna's face went into a shock of realization.

"Asuna?" Liz questioned, seeing her expression.

"Of course…" Asuna muttered, "Why didn't we think of that?"

She approached Kirito, and said, "Kirito, I think we should think things outside the game." Kirito turned to her, seeing her show the charm in her hand. He paused for a few seconds, then his eyes mirrored Asuna's realization. He grinned as he nodded in understanding. He turned back to the console and begun working even more onto it.

"What do you plan on doing?" Agil asked.

"If I can't give Yui full access to the Cardinal system directly, then I'm just gonna have to use what we learned in this dimension, and improvise." Kirito answered. He dug into his pocket, pulling out his Summoning Charm, the Arcade Charm, and placed it on the console. With a few buttons, the console began scanning the charm, analyzing every detail of it. "It is able to replicate a charm, but it can't replicate the magic used to activate it." Kirito stated.

"We can do it!" Donald declared as he and Sora stepped to Kirito's other side. Sora nodded in agreement.

"Then let's all focus our magic, together." Asuna told the team.

Kirito, Asuna, Sora and Donald all focused themselves, gathering the magic energy they had inside of them. As one, they raced an open palm, focusing it into one spot on the console. Using their magic, they made their palms glow, creating a ball of energy in the center of the spot. The console started emanating blue circuitry as it focused to the same spot.

With their combined effort, a new Summoning Charm appeared right before their eyes, which had the emblem of what looked like Yui's Heart when she was a game item, in front of a flower. It floated in the air before them, then once they stopped using their magic, it landed onto the reached forward and picked it up, with Yui looking at the charm anxiously.

"So did it work?" Silica asked, with Pina also looking curiously at it.

"I think so." Kirito answered, "I called this the 'Heart Charm', and it is suppose to summon Yui in her original form to our side."

"Then let's give it a shot!" Sora decided.

Everyone gave Kirito and Yui a wide space as Kirito stood up and held the charm aloft. "Summon!" he chanted, and the charm shined. All at once, a portal opened up, and Yui flew through it. She became surrounded by several digital screens as she curled up into a ball. There was a bright light, and Yui suddenly appeared in her human form. She landed onto the ground, happily hugging Kirito and Asuna, then turned around, ready for action.

"Woah! That charm actually worked!" Klein gasped as the other four Players looked to Yui in amazement.

Yui looked at her hands, then said happily, "My connection to the Cardinal system has been fully restored. Plus, I think I'm capable of doing more thanks to the power of that charm."

"It may be a temporary form, but I'm glad to see you like this, Yui." Kirito stated as Asuna hugged her child.

"Yeah, me, too!" she cheered.

"So now that you're like this, can you find out how to bring this world back home?" Sora asked Yui.

"Hold on, give me a second." Yui stated, and Asuna backed off as she closed her eyes, focusing.

Finally, she said, "I'm detecting two separate anomalies in Aincrad right now. One is on the first floor, in one corner of the Town of Beginnings. The other is at floor 25, within a dungeon."

"Floor 25?" Kirito questioned, looking to Asuna, "Hold on, isn't that…"

"…The same floor we took on that quest that led us to this dimension." Asuna finished his statement. This was no mere coincidence.

"Incoming foes!" Sinon called out to the crew, and they turned to see a swarm of Heartless rampaging through the corridor towards them.

"There's no end to them!" Liz barked anxiously.

"We got this!" Asuna stated as she and Kirito stepped forward.

Yui squeezed herself in front of her parents, her face determined. "I'm going to help, too!" she declared, getting worried looks from her parents, "I said I have some added powers due to being a summoning, so I'll use them at this moment!"

"You show 'em, Yui!" Goofy cheered.

"I don't know if you should encourage her…" Kirito muttered back at him. Regardless, he decided to let Yui take her chance at battling this one time to see what the Summoning Charm did for her.

Kirito and Asuna dove in, slashing a pair of Soldier Heartless out of the way. Yui came running behind, and a Neoshadow Heartless leapt forward at her. "Yui, watch out!" Asuna shouted. Yui crossed her arms above her as the Heartless slashed at her, but a digital barrier formed above her, blocking the attack.

"How in the…?" Agil started to say.

"I'm an immortal object." Yui stated, "Heartless can't hurt me!"

"I forgot about that." Kirito sighed in relief.

The Neoshadow regained itself as Yui focused herself, and unleashed a static field around her, paralyzing the target. She then formed a ball of leftover data into her hand, and tossed it at the Heartless, sending it flying. "Nice one, Yui!" cheered Silica as Sora, Donald and Goofy cheered them on.

Meanwhile, Asuna unleashed several Thundara spells at once to take out several Heartless at once. She turned to see more Heartless charging at her, and she readied another spell. She then discovered, "Oh, no. I used to much magic at once!"

"Don't worry, mama!" Yui cried out, "Here!" She waved her hand to Asuna, and a stream of data shot out, hitting Asuna and making her glow.

"I restored your magic power." she informed her.

"Thanks, Yui!" Asuna thanked her, and she unleashed a Blizzara spell onto one of the Heartless Kirito was fending off. He eliminated the remainder before coming to Asuna's side, seeing the remaining force of Heartless.

"We need to take care of them, quickly!" Kirito told Asuna, who nodded in agreement.

"I can do that!" Yui stated, getting in front of her parents, "Activate my Limit Break!"

"Okay." Asuna responded. The two waved their Keyblades to Yui, and shot beams of light at her, making her glow. She rose into the air with flames surrounding her, and she summoned a long, powerful sword that she had used once before. She arced it over her head, then brought it down in front of her, sending a blast of energy that enveloped the Heartless. Within seconds, the blast deleted the Heartless from existence.

With the coast clear, Sora led the others out to the trio. "Dude, that was incredible!" Klein stated with amazement.

"You eliminated so many Heartless with one shot." Sinon pointed out, "I can see why you guys were able to hold out for so long in this dimension."

"Well, Sora, Donald and Goofy were a big asset to our survival, as well." Asuna stated, turning to them, "If it hadn't been for them, we'd probably not make it this far."

"That's high praise, comin' from you guys." Agil pointed out.

"Yeah, especially since most of us spent two years surviving in SAO." Klein added, "We would be a lot more helpful here, too, if we had our skills again."

"I believe I can do something about that." Yui stated, "Let's head back to the GM Console again."

Once they returned, Yui began typing away at the console keyboard. Since she knew the system better than anyone else, it didn't take very long for her to find what she was looking for. "Here it is." she stated, seeing the data on the holo-screen, "This contains the data configurations for Sword Skills and Magic Skills."

"That's great, but how will that help us?" Klein asked sarcastically.

Yui reached at the holo-screen, and with one scoop, she somehow gathered all of the data into a ball in her hand, surprising the others. She molded it with her hands, then showed it to the five Players. "Touch this." she told them, "Pina, you too." The five looked to one another, then Pina and the Players reached out and touched the orb. The data spread out to all of them, spiraling around their arms, then making their bodies glow as the data entered them. It took a few seconds, then their bodies stopped glowing.

Klein flexed his hands, then pulled out his katana and swished it about, suddenly making the blade glow brightly, unleashing a Sword Skill. "Awesome! I'm back to normal!" he cheered.

"Same here!" Silica answered.

"Looks like we all have our skills again." Agil pointed out.

"Yui, you are amazing." Sora stated. Sora's praise made Yui blush.

Suddenly, her body glowed, and she became a Navigation Pixie again. "Looks like the summoning power is used up." Kirito noticed.

"At least we know now where to go next." Asuna stated, "Let's head out of this dungeon to plan our next move…"

As the team left the GM Console, Kirito turned back to the holo-screen to see some more data on the screen. He looked to it, seeing it as MHCP data. Figuring it was just more info on Yui, he turned to leave. Little did he notice that the data contained more than he noticed; 'Project MHCP #2. Results: Program Stolen'. What they didn't realize was how much of an impact this missing notice would be for them in the future.

Outside the Black Iron Palace, the heroes gathered together to discuss their next plan of action. "So now we have our Skills again, and we now know where we might find the solution to bringing our world back home again." Klein stated, "Seems like we're on a roll! We'll be done with this in no time!"

"Not exactly, Klein." Sinon retorted, "Remember what Yui said; there are TWO anomalies to look for, one on this floor, and one on the 25th floor."

"I'm pretty sure the problem is on the 25th floor." Kirito stated, "However, just to be safe, let's split up into two groups to investigate each anomaly." He looked to Sora, Donald and Goofy as he pointed out, "Since you guys don't know the Town of Beginnings as well, and considering its' size, I'll let you guys handle the upper floor. I'll have Agil, Silica, Pina and Sinon go with you."

"Sure, that sounds fair." Sora agreed.

"That leaves Kirito, Klein, Liz, Yui and I to investigate what is happening on this floor." Asuna understood the plan.

"If either one of us discovers something, we'll contact one another." Kirito added.

"How will we do that?" Liz asked, "We can't just message them. We can't even pull up our menus."

"Oh, right." Kirito realized, "Well…we'll just have to figure it out when we get there."

"Your usual plan, right?" Asuna asked with an amused expression.

"That's so like you, Kirito." Sinon sighed.

"No worries." Sora stated, raising a fist to Kirito, "We'll work it out, somehow." Kirito smirked at Sora, and bumped his fist.

"Let's do it!" Donald squawked.

"Right!" Goofy agreed.

"Take care of yourself." Kirito stated as his and Asuna's party parted ways with Sora's team. With that, Sora and the rest of the team climbed aboard the Warp Gate, and departed for the 25th floor.

Hollow Bastion

Leafa and Recon were rushing over to Ansem's computer lab, hoping to find a way to bring Aincrad back home again. They had just reached the bailey when a black portal opened in front of them. The two immediately pulled out their weapons in response. Axel stepped out, seeing the two in front of him.

"Axel!" Leafa realized, lowering her fighter's stance.

"I see you guys are in a big rush." Axel noticed, "Guess you figured out your online world is in big trouble. What was it's name? Aincrad? Hate to break it to ya, but you won't be able to find anything where you're going."

"Are you trying to mock us?!" Leafa demanded in a harsh tone, "If you are, then you have another thing coming!"

"Hey, ease up a little bit!" Axel raised his hands in defense, "I actually came here with some info. I know how to bring your world back home." Leafa and Recon were surprised at this bit of info.

"How do you know this?" Recon asked, "We know you aren't part of the Organization's antics!"

"True, but I know my way around their stronghold." Axel corrected him, "I found the computer room, and how Gouxus even brought it here. It's all thanks to a dark orb of energy he planted within that world. It's also attracting the Heartless there as well. You better hurry up and destroy it."

"Where is this dark orb?" Leafa asked.

"Hell if I know." Axel replied, "But if I recall, the information did say something about being in a place where Kirito and Asuna left from."

"The dungeon on floor 25!" Recon recalled.

Leafa looked to Axel, wondering if his info, then asked, "How do we know you aren't just toying with us, or if this all some big trap for my brother?"

"All I have is my word." Axel answered, "Plus... I'm starting to take a liking to you and your friends."

Leafa looked a bit surprised at his admittance on liking them. Axel had shown no signs of liking them at all, and she certainly didn't enjoy his company. However, digging deep in her heart, she couldn't help but give his tip a chance. "Okay, we're counting on your information." Leafa told him, "But don't get the wrong idea. I'm still not 100% sure you can be trusted."

"Suit yourself." Axel replied, opening up a Corridor of Darkness, "I'll just drop you off over there so you can get the job done." Leafa and Recon watched as Axel walked into the portal. They looked to one another, then followed Axel into the portal as well.

Floor 25: Sora's Team

Agil slashed a Lancer Soldier in half with his axe, destroying it. Silica and Goofy were working together using their dagger and shield techniques, while Pina healed them from a distance and Donald unleashed magic alongside the dragon. Sora, in his Limit Form, unleashed a Strike Raid combo that knocked several Heartless away from the straggling Players in the field.

"Get moving!" Sora called out to the Players. They understood and took off towards the town. A Neoshadow Heartless appeared to attacked them, but were shot down by Sinon and her bow. Once the Players were gone, the team got rid of the last bit of Heartless, and grouped together again.

"That's one more group of Players saved by the Heartless." Silica stated as Pina landed on her shoulder.

"With you guys having yours skills with you, it's making fighting Heartless a lot easier." Sora stated, "You are all pretty strong."

"Right back at you." Agil agreed, raising a fist to Sora, who reacted by bumping his fist with him.

"Sora, there's something I was wondering." Sinon started.

"What is it?" Sora asked.

"How did Kirito and Asuna react when they were with you guys in other worlds?" Sinon questioned. Agil and Silica also looked to Sora, Donald and Goofy as they pondered about it.

"Well, they sure were determined to getting back home again, at first." Goofy started, "Those guy were really worried about leavin' ya."

"Yeah, but they also promised to help us fight against the Heartless and the Organization afterwards." Sora retorted, "Since they realized that the Organization could travel to your world, they didn't want you guys getting hurt by them."

"So Kirito, Asuna and Yui have continued in this world for our sake." Silica stated.

"And they just accepted this, even though it's reality?" Sinon asked.

"You bet!" Donald replied, "We've been helping them out all the way."

"You guys did?" Silica asked, amazed.

"Well, they were quick learners, and they did help us out several times." Sora added, looking at this world, "But considering what kind of place this is, I can understand where they got so strong."

"It's just like old times for Kirito and them, only he's with a lot of guys now." Agil stated amusingly.

"Yeah. He's usually setting his team up with mainly girls." Sinon recalled, "It always causes a lot of suspicion from everyone around him."

"How is that weird?" Sora asked in a confused manner, "You are his friends, right? So what difference does it make if there are more girls?"

Donald and Goofy looked at Sora, not sure how to give an answer. "You really are dense…" Sinon muttered, narrowing her eyes at him.

"But Sora is fun to be around." Silica answered, "Maybe that's what drew Kirito, Asuna and Yui to him."

"Who knows?" Agil replied, "But right now, we should keep going if we're to get everyone in Aincrad back to safety."

"Right!" Sora understood, "Lead the way."

Floor 1: Kirito's Team

Several Heartless came charging along the narrow street, but Asuna and Kirito unleashed a double Thundara that paralyzed them in their place. Klein and Liz used this to their advantage and started striking with their katana and mace, respectively, taking them out alongside Kirito and Asuna.

"There. That should be the last of the Heartless in this area…" Asuna stated.

"For now." Kirito retorted, "But who knows how many more will appear in their place. Hey, Yui. Do you know how far away our destination is?"

"At our current pace, we should be there in a few minutes." the little pixie answered.

"Then let's keep moving and take out more Heartless as we go." Kirito decided, and they continued onward.

"You guys really have gotten use to fighting off these things." Klein pointed out as they walked.

"It's just gotten to that point where it is natural for us to fight them." Asuna replied, "It's not fun, but it's something we have to do."

"Yeah, and I bet all those times in SAO, ALO, and GGO really helped you up to this point." Liz assumed.

"Well, it did help us in the combat area." Kirito agreed, "But as for everything else, I think you should thank Sora, Donald and Goofy for that."

"Yeah, I can see how strong and awesome of those guys are." Klein stated, holding his sheathed katana behind his neck, "Plus, that Sora guy has something else. I don't really know what it is, but he seems to make you feel like anything is possible."

"Despite on how childish they are, Sora and his friends do lighten the mood." Liz stated in an amused manner.

"That's just how Sora is." Asuna chuckled, "From the moment he met us, he not only believed in our story on how we got to this dimension, but he insisted on helping us get back home."

"Those guys taught us how to adapt to the worlds, and use the powers of the Keyblade, magic, and all other stuff." Kirito added, "Plus, when it gets down to it, they are really serious in a fight. They might just as well have been in the front lines in SAO."

"If you ask me, meeting Sora, Donald, Goofy, and everyone else has helped our emotional state greatly." Yui pointed out, "We were worried, at first. But they made things a whole lot better. I believed we might have changed, as well."

"You're right about that." Liz stated, "You guys are a little different. It's not much, but it has made you guys better."

"But that doesn't mean you should leave us behind like you did before." Klein stated, "Next time, bring your buddies along for the ride when you get sent to a different dimension."

"It's not like we knew that was gonna happen." Kirito stated firmly, "Still, I'd rather not let you guys get into danger. This much is already too much for me." Everyone looked to Kirito as they continued, seeing the seriousness in his expression. He was determined to get Aincrad home, and make sure the Players were safe.

When they reached a small open area, they saw a structure before them, and it startled Kirito. "I've never seen this building before." Liz stated.

"Neither have I." Asuna agreed.

"That's because this building wasn't here before." Kirito answered, "I have seen this building; back during the Beta Testing of SAO. It's the Room of Resurrection. It was where the beta testers were revived at when they were defeated. However, it was removed when SAO went live, turning it into the death game we remembered."

"I don't get it." Klein stated in a confused manner, "What's this building doing here after so long? Did it return in New Alfheim, and we just missed it?"

"It's possible." Kirito answered, "Although, it's not in the same place as it was before. Yui, you sure this is where the anomaly was at?"

"Yes." Yui answered, "It's coming from inside this building."

"We should head in cautiously." Asuna told the group, "We don't know what we might find in there." The team nodded in agreement, and with Kirito in the lead, they walked into the building, into the Room of Resurrection.

Sora's Team: Floor 25 Dungeon

Along a turning point in the dungeon, Sinon peaked around the corner to see if it was safe. "There are definitely some activity on the path ahead." she told the crew behind her. Sora peered around her. Sure enough, he saw an abundant amount of Heartless along the dark caves ahead. However, at the end of the area, he could see a large door with the symbol of the Heartless.

"Looks to me like the Heartless are drawn to this place." Goofy told Agil, Silica and Donald.

"Yeah. I mean, we're encountering more of those creatures as we get closer to this area." Agil pointed out.

"Could that mean that we found the source of the problem?" Silica asked.

"We won't know until we enter through the door ahead." Sora stated, "Let's take out the Heartless!"

The team charged in with their weapons at hand, unleashing a surprise attack onto the Heartless. It was really fortunate that Silica, Sinon and Agil were able to perform Sword Skills again, since it was beneficial to taking out the enemies quickly. Combining them with Sora, Donald and Goofy's otherworldly skills, and they were able to take out the enemies along the path in a couple minutes.

When they arrived at the door, Goofy and Agil attempted to push open the door, but it wasn't budging. "Looks like it's locked." Agil told the team.

"But then, how are we suppose to get inside?" Silica asked in a worried manner, with Pina cooing in a worried tone.

"Look!" cried Sinon, pointing at the symbol above. They could vaguely see a keyhole that seem to bar the door shut. "We need a key to open this door." Silica noticed.

"I heard there had been one needed for this dungeon." Agil recalled, "Problem is; no one's found it, so it's impossible to get to."

"You mean, we can't get inside?" Silica questioned.

"That's not gonna be a problem." Donald told the trio, who looked to him.

"Yeah. So long as Sora uses the Keyblade, we should get through this, no problem." Goofy added.

"I hate to tell you this, but even you can't bust down a door like this with that weapon." Sinon stated to Sora.

"I'm not gonna bust it down." Sora retorted, "I'm just gonna do this…" Sora waved his Keyblade to the keyhole above him. A beam of light shot out of the tip of his blade, connecting with the hole. Everyone could hear the sound of the door unlocking. Surprised, Agil walked up and attempted to push the door open again. This time, the door swung into the room, accessing the area ahead for the heroes.

"Amazing!" Silica gasped, as Pina expressed her own shock.

"If we had a weapon like that in the game, people would think we were cheating…" Sinon muttered, amusingly, "It would be a treasure hunter's dream."

"That's just how the Keyblade works." Goofy pointed out.

"Well, we got a way in, so lets go." Agil stated. Sora led the team into the dungeon, ready for anything.

When they entered within, they soon discovered what might've been the cause of the trouble. Floating in the center of the large room stood a dark purple orb, as big as Donald, swirling with energy within, which also shot out up into the ceiling above and the ground below. There was also a ring surrounding it, and on it was the Nobody's emblem, connecting around it like a chain.

"What is that thing?" Sinon asked.

"It's gotta be what causin' this world to stay here." Goofy guessed.

"Of course it has to be!" Donald squawked in agreement.

"Right, then." Sora stated, walking forward, his Keyblade at the ready.

"W-Wait up!" Silica called out as she and Pina raced up to his side.

Just then, something was falling from the sky, and Agil noticed it was gonna fall onto the three ahead. "Heads up!" he shouted to them. Sora, Silica and Pina all immediately looked up, and Sora grabbed Silica and pulled her away from the landing point as whatever fell crashed to the ground. They fell onto the floor with Pina flying above Sora as he cushioned Silica's fall by wrapping his arms around her body. The young Cait Sith had her eyes closed as the dust cloud formed from the impact, then she opened them, and saw Sora embracing her. She blushed and pushed him away in a flustered manner.

"Oh, sorry." Sora apologized, seeing Silica's face, though not sure what he did wrong.

"I-It's okay." Silica replied, still embarrassed, "You were just trying to save me." They stood up as the team gathered together, and they stared at the objects that fell from above; a collection of large armor pieces, which were red, yellow, blue, black, and white in color. In Sora, Donald and Goofy's eyes, the armor pieces were very familiar.

"Is that…armor?" Sinon questioned the obvious.

"It's too big to equip to any Player." Agil pointed out.

"That's not any ordinary armor." Sora warned them.

He was right. All of a sudden, the armor started to shake, and it rose into the air, the helmet flying the highest. The gauntlets, boots and armor floated into place, as the helmet landed on top, forming the familiar Heartless Sora's team knew too well.

"What is that?!" Sinon gasped, readying her bow.

"The Guard Armor!" Sora answered, taking his stance as he readied to fight the Heartless. A barrier surrounded the pillar of energy the dark orb in the middle of the room. The rest of the team got into combat position, ready to go.

The Guard Armor stomped towards them as the team split to either side of it; Donald, Agil and Goofy heading to left, while Sora, Silica and Pina went to the right. Sinon stood her ground as she fired an arrow at the helmet, causing an explosion of energy, making it stop in its' place.

Sora and Silica joined together to unleash a cross-slash from their blades, while Agil slashed with his axe on the other side. The Heartless retaliated by spinning its' claws about, causing Sora, Silica and Agil to back up, while Goofy protected Agil and Donald with his shield. Donald unleashed his Thunder spell, while Pina unleashed a bubble-breath attack. The combined attack caused the Guard Armor to falter, and its' armor pieces fell to the floor.

"Get 'em!" Sora declared, and everyone unleashed their series of attacks onto it. The Guard Armor recovered itself, making its' armor pieces float up again. The heroes backed off, waiting for it to attack again. However, Sora had a sense of deja vu. Why does this seem familiar? he thought to himself, then as the Heartless turned to see everyone around it, Sora realized something. This sensation was similar to when it was about to… "It's gonna transform." he muttered, causing Silica to look at him.

He was right. All of a sudden, the Heartless thrusted its' claw-like gauntlets into the ground, then the whole body flipped itself upside down, excluding the head.

"What's it doin' now?" Agil asked.

"It's changing…" Donald realized, "We're in trouble!" The toe and the heel of the boots, now in the arms position, folded inwards, becoming pincer-like. The gauntlets became clawed feet, and started floating in the air. The visor of the helmet folded down, revealing the yellow eyes within. The body floated around a little more loosely.

"Sora, what's happening?!" Silica asked in a worried manner, with Pina also worried.

"It transformed into it's alternate form." Sora answered, "It is more dangerous than before. The Opposite Armor!" Everyone prepared themselves, realizing that this was not gonna be as easy as it was before.

Due to it floating in midair, the Opposite Armor moved in to Sora, Silica and Pina's position quickly, pulling back its' arms, then thrusting them forward. Sora got in front of Silica and blocked the attack with his Keyblade. The attack sent him flying, carrying Silica with him as they crashed into the wall.

"Sora!" cried Goofy.

"Silica!" Sinon shouted as Pina cried out to its' master.

Donald and Agil charged in, unleashed magic and a hammer slash, respectively. The attack struck from behind, damaging it. The Heartless turned around, then unleashed a kick flip with its' clawed feet, striking each character with each foot, sending them flying. Goofy came rushing in with his shield up, but the Heartless did a flying tackle that caused Goofy to tumble onto his back.

Sinon kept up the attack, unleashing arrow after arrow, striking each part of the Opposite Armor randomly. Sora and Silica managed to recover, with some assistance from Pina's healing breath. Sora noticed Sinon's attack, then he shouted out, "Guys, don't strike randomly! Focus on one of its' arms and legs! They can be taken out individually!"

"Why didn't you tell us that BEFORE?!" demanded Sinon, noticing the arms of the Heartless leap out at her, and she jumped back.

Goofy recovered himself and he leapt forward, unleashing his tornado spin of an attack, striking one of the clawed legs. Sora, Silica and Pina joined in, with Sora unleashing a Blizzara spell at one of its' arms, and Pina unleashing a breath attack simultaneously. Silica used the attacks as cover in order to get momentum without trouble, and she unleashed a Rapid Bite Dagger Skill, striking with an upper slash with her dagger. She backed off as the Opposite Armor recovered itself, and it sent its' clawed feet together into a rotating strike. Silica backed off far enough to avoid the attack. Agil and Donald joined in with Goofy as they begun hitting the legs, making sure to avoid getting hit by the kick flips and rotating strikes. Donald charged in with a Fire spell as Agil unleashed a Lumber Jack Axe Skill, taking it out.

"Right! That's one down!" Donald cheered as Agil and Goofy backed off, still ready to go on.

The Opposite Armor then spun its' arms like spinning blades, sending them both at Sora, Silica and Pina. Fortunately, Sinon used her sniping skills to parry one of the attacks, while Pina's breath attack made sure to repel the other. Sora and Silica readied themselves, then felt an energy coming from between them. "What's this?" Silica asked.

"It feels like a Limit Break is coming on." Sora realized, "Let's use it to take it out!" Silica understood, and the two focused as Pina came close to them, unleashing their Limit Break, 'Feathered-Dragon Spirit'.

Silica magically produced a special fruit, tossing it high to Pina, who swallowed it whole. Pina suddenly glowed brightly, shining down on Sora and Silica, empowering them. They charged in, and begun to unleash a series of attacks, composed of both of them unleashing a V-shaped slash of energy with their blades, and bursts of water streams from the tips of their blades and Pina in a triangle formation. The continuously did this, even after taking out one of its' arms. Finally, when at their limit, Pina issued the order to Pina to attack, and she flew high above the Heartless, raining down large bubbles all around it. Sora and Silica then magically leapt all about the bubbles, setting each of them off as they landed on each, coming back together again with Pina when all bubbles were gone. The attack not only took out the first arm, but the second one, as well.

"Damn! Who knew that was gonna happen?!" Agil gasped as Donald and Goofy cheered for the damage done to the Heartless.

"So Sora even managed to pull off a Limit Break with Silica?" Sinon asked, incredulous at the sight she saw.

Silica looked up a Pina, amazed and gleeful. "That was amazing!" she gasped, with Pina agreeing with a chirp. "Told you we could do it!" Sora told Silica, "Now, let's get back into the battle!"

Donald, Goofy, Agil and Sinon wanted to end the final leg themselves, so they all charged in, with Goofy in front of Agil as he raised his axe, and Donald unleashed his Thunder spell onto it, electrifying the blade. The Heartless noticed them and swung its' leg at Agil, only to be blocked by Goofy.

As the leg ricochet back to the Heartless, Agil jumped up, hopping off of Goofy's shield for a better angle. Sinon charged up her bow, and unleashed an ice-element infused arrow at the leg, freezing it. With one swing of his axe, Agil slashed the ice and the leg with it, destroying it.

"That's all its' appendages down!" Sora cheered, "Now for the body!" Everyone charged in as the Opposite Armor turned to Sora's direction, flipping its' hollow body towards him. Sora knew what was coming, and he shouted, "Master!" Sora entered his Master Form, and leapt forward at the Heartless, who began to charge up an energy shot at him. It fired just as Sora came in close, but Sora used his Reflera spell just in time. The energy shot got absorbed into the barrier of magic, then Sora retaliated with a burst of light that damaged and stunned the Heartless.

"Hit it hard, you guys!" Sora shouted.

"Right!" Everyone responded, and they all unleashed a swarm of attacks; Silica's Fad Edge Dagger Skill, Pina's breath attack, Agil's Whirlwind Axe Skill, Sinon's Stardust Exa Bow Skill, Donald's Fire spell, and Goofy's Turbo attack. The combination of attacks was immense, and it caused an explosion of smoke as a result. The Opposite Armor appeared out of the smoke, roaring in fury, but weakened. Sora passed by Silica and Pina, charging at the Heartless. With both Keyblades at hand, he readied himself, and unleashed a large X-slash across the chest of the Heartless. Sora flipped over the helmet of the Opposite Armor as it crashed to the ground, landing right next to Agil, Donald and Goofy. Everyone watched as the Heartless started to disappear in a dark light, and a crystalized heart rose into the sky, disappearing towards wherever the Organization stronghold was. The barrier surrounding the orb vanished. The battle was won on their side.

"Phew…" sighed Silica, falling on her butt, "That was really exhausting."

"You okay, Silica?" Sinon asked, walking up to her. Silica nodded in response as Pina flew onto her shoulder. Sora reverted out of his Master Form as he, Agil, Donald and Goofy gathered together. He then lead everyone's gaze to the orb in the middle of the room.

"So…what do we do with that?" Sinon asked.

"We could just destroy it." Sora suggested.

"Yeah, but who knows what might happen if we do that." Sinon warned him.

"Easy. It'll bring Aincrad back to its' rightful place." said a familiar voice from the door. Everyone turned to see none other than Leafa and Recon there, entering in.

"Leafa!" Silica cried out.

"Hey, Recon." Sora greeted. Silica raced over to hug Leafa as the other walked over to them as well.

"So you found out a way to bring us back home?" Agil asked.

"Yeah, but we'll need to wait for Kirito and Asuna." Recon answered, "They're gonna need to know about this…"

Kirito's Team: Floor 1, Room of Resurrection

Kirito opened the doors, leading the team in. They examined the area as they entered, readying their weapons should they need to fight. The interior was large, rectangular, long-ways from the entrance. It was dark, with the only lights coming from a few glass windows, flames from the tall candelabras along the wall, and the glowing pads in the tube-like grooves.

"Is this the Room of Resurrection from the Closed Beta Tests?" Klein asked Kirito.

"Yeah." he answered, "This is exactly how I remember it. Those pads on the sides of the room were where Players that were defeated were revived at."

"From what I heard, when SAO went live, this place was replaced with the Monument of Life." Liz recalled.

"Yeah, and when Aincrad came to ALO, it was replaced again to the Monument of Swordsmen." Asuna added, "So how is this place still here after all that?"

"Hey, Yui. Do you have any clues?" Kirito asked, ushering Yui out of his pocket.

"I don't know…" Yui answered, "I only vaguely remember this place during the Beta Testing, when I was being tested on my MHCP settings, along with all the other programs."

There was a moment of silence between all of them, then Kirito said, "Well, we won't know why this is here, nor what the anomaly Yui sensed by standing around. Let's investigate this place."

"Right!" the others responded, and they split into teams; Liz and Asuna on one team, and Klein, Kirito and Yui on the other.

About a minute later, as Kirito was about to make it to the other side of the room, something appeared from the shadows. It was a bunch of Shadow and Neoshadow Heartless. "Crap!" Kirito gasped, ready to fight.

"They're coming here, too!" Klein shouted, indicating the Heartless appearing right by him.

"Kirito! Klein!" Asuna shouted, leading Liz to the boys. Before they got close, however, a bunch of Dusk Nobodies appeared, blocking their path.

"What the heck?!" Liz gasped.

"Nobodies!" Asuna noticed, ready to fight, "We have to clear them out, Liz!"

"You got it!" Liz responded, readying her mace.

The two sides started to engage in a full on battle between the heroes, the Heartless and the Nobodies. Asuna and Liz were unleashing all they could in order to reach the boys, but the Dusks were tricky, and they got help from above with Archer Guardian Nobodies. Meanwhile, Kirito and Klein were doing all they could to take out the Heartless about them, who seem to be more interested in what was behind them. It didn't make sense, since there was nothing behind them but the back of the room.

"These things are really annoying!" Liz moaned, whipping her mace at an oncoming Dusk, only for it to swerve around it, "Asuna, how are you hitting them so easily?"

"Kirito and I have to deal with these things more or less on a daily basis." she responded, "Regardless, let's work together and take them out so we can get to the guys!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Liz responded, readying to aid Asuna in the battle. The two began to focus as one, subconsciously activating their Limit Break, 'Lightning Blacksmith'.

Asuna called to Liz as she raised her Keyblade high, making a circle of light appear, and out came the legendary hammer, Mjölnir. It flew out to Liz, who placed her weapon away, and caught the hammer. The weight of the weapon made her spin about once, sending sparks of electricity everywhere. She gained a good grip on it as she and Asuna charged in. The two begun unleashing a series of attacks, from Asuna unleashing a lightning-induced arching thrust, to Liz's wide-ranged hammer spin. Both girls were taking down the Nobodies like crazy. With their final attack, Asuna tossed Liz into the air as she readied the godly hammer. She raised it above her head, roaring as she flew down. With one swing, she slammed the head of the Mjölnir into the ground, causing a high and wide electrical shockwave to be unleashed, making all remaining Nobodies disappear. The Mjölnir also disappeared as Liz leapt back to Asuna's side, rubbing the underside of her nose as she grinned, with Asuna looking at her with an embarrassed grin.

"How did we just do that?!" Liz demanded.

"That's just how the Limit Break works." Asuna responded, "Don't ask me how that happened, either."

Klein was speechless at the display he saw from the girls. "Dude, that was awesome!" he said, incredulously, then to Kirito, "Can't we do something like that?!"

"Maybe." Kirito answered, "Let's see if that cuts down the Heartless." Klein smirked as he readied his katana, focusing all he had to unleashing a cool move with Kirito like the girls did. Kirito focused himself with Klein, and the two unleashed their Limit Break, 'Flaming Samurai'.

Kirito and Klein became surrounded by a ring of flames, but they slashed through both sides of it, igniting the blades of their swords. "This is the samurai's code of honor!" Klein declared, leaping in front of Kirito as they charged in. The two went back and forth with two of the Katana Skill techniques; Kirito unleashing 'Kyūki', jumping up and unleashing five downward slashes, followed by an upper one, and Klein unleashing 'Zangetsu', sending a crescent-shaped, flaming shockwave that went a good distance.

In the final attack, Klein got in front of Kirito, grinning as he readied his blade. With lightning-fast speed, he past by the group of Heartless in front of them, unleashing a slash. He sheathed his blade as, for a second, it looked like he slashed even the fabric of their existence. Then the Heartless exploded into flames, destroyed. "Ladies, feel the heat!" Klein finished, giving a thumbs up and making a sparkle come from his teeth, while Kirito rubbed his hair, bemused by Klein's attempt to show off.

Liz looked at Klein with a 'are you kidding me?' kind of look, while Asuna ignored Klein, and raced onward. "Kirito, there are more Heartless behind you!" she warned him.

Kirito turned to see Heartless that have avoided the attack race towards the back of the room. "Oh, no you don't!" Kirito growled, racing alongside Asuna as they readied to catch up with them. Before they got even close to the Heartless, a hidden door on the floor ahead mechanically slid open. The pair of heroes had barely saw it before there was a white flash of energy, blinding everyone. This was followed by a sound of a sword slash, which destroyed all the Heartless at once. When the light died down, the heroes opened their eyes, and were shocked beyond belief as to the character that had just saved their life. There was no doubt who he was. The heavy-looking red and white-trimmed armor. The white cape on his back. The cross-like shield, and the longsword. And the face…Kirito, Asuna and Klein could never forget that face.

"Hello, Kirito." the man greeted, "Hello to you, too, Asuna."

"C-Commander Heathcliff…" Asuna gasped.

"Akihiko…Kayaba…" Kirito followed, addressing the IRL persona of the man before them.

"Dude, no way!" Klein gasped, "How is this guy here?"

"I recognize this guy." Liz noticed, the only one who wasn't around when he made his appearance on the 75th floor, "He's the head of the Knights of the Blood Oath, the same guild Asuna was in during SAO."

"How in the world are you here?" Kirito asked, hiding his shock behind a serious demeanor, "Last time we met, you disappeared into the internet after giving me the Seed."

"Yes, that did happen." Heathcliff answered, "However, that was part of my plan. You see, I expected most things that had happened so far to take place. I knew your attachment to Aincrad, my floating castle, and would revive it once more. When it came into being, I used the fragments I kept of the original SAO server to create the Room of Resurrection in this secluded area."

"You knew we were going to revive Aincrad again?" Kirito questioned.

"It's all about understanding your mindsets." Heathcliff answered, "You, like so many other Players from 'Sword Art Online', had attached to this world, since you've lived here for two years of your lives. You want to relive the world again, and climb your way to the top in a safer, more friendlier way. Even though this world is now made for fun, as you wanted, Aincrad is still my creation, and re-establishing myself again to the Cardinal System in this world was an easy effort." He stepped closer to Kirito and Asuna as he continued, "Of course, I would have never expected my own world to actually become IRL, let alone in a different dimension. I guess these drastic events add to the fun of VRMMOs, wouldn't you say?"

Kirito gritted his teeth, furious at these words. "Your 'world' is being attacked by the Heartless, no thanks to Sugou Nobuyuki's Nobody." he growled, "As we speak, many Players are turning into Heartless or worse. Aincrad is trapped in this dimension, with the Players unable to escape or fend for themselves properly, and you consider all of this amusing?!"

"You're right, the situation doesn't bode well for the Players in this world." Heathcliff responded, "This is not how I intended my world to be like, and it's all because of my colleague's jealousy to my work, not to mention his hatred to you, Kirito."

"If you understand all that, then why haven't you taken action?" Asuna demanded, "You did create Aincrad, so you should have a connection to the Cardinal system. You can at least do something to protect the Players."

"In its' current condition, I am unable to do anything with Cardinal to that extent." Heathcliff retorted, "However, you have arrived, and have already taken action. You've sent your friends to where that other anomaly is at." Kirito and Asuna were surprised. How did he know that they sent Sora and the others to investigate that area?

"If you think they are able to deal with the problem, then there is no point to interfere with the situation." Heathcliff finished, "Despite this, that is not the reason I returned and revealed myself to you."

"Then why did you show yourself?" Asuna asked sternly.

"Simple; I ask for a rematch." Heathcliff answered, locking eyes with Kirito, "You bested me, long ago, by overcoming the system, and you cleared SAO. However, it was something that I allowed to happen."

"What do you mean, you 'allowed' it?" Kirito questioned, "Are you saying you threw the duel?"

"Hardly." Heathcliff answered, "You showed me something that I have never saw before that day; an experience like no other from a VRMMO. You showed me how the will you carry can overcome the system. Now, I wish to see it again; your unmistakably powerful will, channeled through your blade."

(Cue SAO OST 'Confront Battle')

The crimson knight readied his sword and shield, ready to fight. Kirito readied his Keyblade, hoping to finish the battle. Just as he was repaired, Asuna's Oathkeeper appeared right next to him, held by the said swordwoman. Kirito looked to her, surprised. "Asuna?" he questioned.

"I won't let you fight this battle alone." she assured him, "We'll fight Kayaba, together, just like how we have always fought throughout this journey." Asuna glared at Heathcliff as she finished, "Is that alright with you, Commander?"

Heathcliff smiled at this request. "Very well, then." Kirito looked surprise that he would allow it.

"Don't leave us out of it!" Klein called out as he and Liz came rushing to their side.

"No, you guys." Kirito stopped them, then turning to Asuna, "This is OUR fight." Asuna nodded in response to this statement.

Kirito then pulled at his coat pocket, adding, "Yui, you should fall back to Klein and Liz. I don't want you getting hurt, here."

Yui popped out of Kirito's pocket, answering, "Okay, but be careful." Heathcliff watched the form Mental Health Counceling Program fly to the others as Kirito and Asuna prepared themselves. Their battle against the creator of SAO was about to begin.

(Cue SAO OST 'Luminous Sword')

Kirito leapt into the battle first, shouting, "Limit!" Kirito entered into his Limit Form, readying his Keyblades at the ready. He begun slashing with his blades like crazy at Heathcliff, who put his defense up, blocking all of Kirito's slashes as best as he could. He managed to place a slash across Heathcliff's face, surprising him.

"Now!" Kirito roared, and his Keyblades glowed brightly. Heathcliff immediately recognized the signal and was prepared. Kirito began to unleash the 'Starburst Stream' Dual-Wielding Skill, hoping to believe that his technique was able to overcome him. Unfortunately, Heathcliff's knowledge of the technique was so well versed, he easily blocked all sixteen slashes with his shield.

"Did you really think I lost my touch with knowing the Dual-Wielding Skills?" Heathcliff asked amusingly, "Surely, you would know better." Heathcliff shoved Kirito away from him, charging up his blade with a red aura.

As Kirito flew backwards, he saw Asuna get in between him and Heathcliff, a serious expression crossing her face. Asuna…no! Kirito thought, recalling the last time she got in between them. As Heathcliff brought down his blade, Asuna unleashed her Reflera spell, which not only blocked the attack, but sent the recoil damage in a blast of light that sent Heathcliff backwards. He skidded to a halt, amazed at the magic.

Kirito and Asuna skidded to a halt as well, with Kirito relieved by Asuna's safety. "Kirito, use another Drive Form than that." Asuna ordered, "He knows all the Sword Skills you can use, since he created them. Let's use everything we gained from this dimension, and throw it all at him."

Kirito nodded in response, reverting out of his Limit Form. It was just too nostalgic of a moment, that he felt he wanted to relive the experience. Now was not the time for such things. They needed to defeat Heathcliff. "I'll go in close if you back me up." Kirito told Asuna.

"Your might, with my magic." Asuna understood, "Gotcha. Wisdom!"

"Valor!" Kirito and Asuna both entered their respective Drive Forms, Kirito wielding two Keyblades once again, but readying a different style of combat. Asuna floated off the ground, poised and ready.

"Now this is an interesting twist." Heathcliff stated, "Let's see what these new powers of yours can do…"

Asuna raised her Keyblade and unleashed a barrage of magic bullets. Heathcliff placed up his shield, blocking the attack. Kirito used the moment to get in close, moving about Asuna's magic bullets. He leapt upwards, his jumping enhanced by the form. Heathcliff saw Kirito in the air, and saw him fall towards him. He raised his blade to block Kirito's attack, but the power of the attack nearly sent him to his knees. As Kirito ricocheted off of Heathcliff's sword, Asuna cast a pair of Thundara spells onto the Commander, shocking him heavily. She then started skating about the area with her form, firing a series of magic bullets from her Keyblade. Kirito came from the opposite end, backslashing Heathcliff, putting him in a defenseless state to be hit by Asuna's attack, which caused sparkling energy flying all about him. When the attack was over, Heathcliff slashed at Kirito, who leapt over him to avoid the attack, coming to Asuna's side.

"It would seem you've put me in the yellow." Heathcliff stated, recovering himself from the attack, "You did it much faster than I anticipated."

"You're not an immortal object here." Kirito stated, "The system can't save you, now."

"You're quite right." Heathcliff agreed, preparing to continue, "But there are other ways the system can aid me…" He pulled his sword back to the side, making it glow a bright yellow. Then with one swipe, he sent a crescent-shaped energy wave from his blade to the two. Kirito and Asuna were surprised by this new technique. They leapt to either side, barely avoiding the attack as it soared straight through where they stood. The attack left a gash along the wall behind them.

"That's a new one!" Kirito gasped, seeing the results of the damage done by the attack.

"I've never seen the Commander use an attack like that before." Asuna pointed out, "Is that part of the Divine Blade Skill?"

"As a matter of fact, it is." Heathcliff answered, drawing their attention, "I have saved this technique when I played the role of the final boss. Now, it is time to get serious."

Heathcliff charged forward, as Kirito and Asuna dashed into battle as well. Asuna unleashed her Blizzara spell, which Heathcliff parried with his sword. Kirito attempted to strike him, but Heathcliff lunged his shield forward, striking him in the stomach and knocking the wind out of him. Kirito fell back as Asuna started circling Heathcliff, unleashing Thundara one after another. Heathcliff raised his shield, enduring the attacks as they came raining down. He then lunged forward with his blade, much faster than before. Asuna barely blocked the attack with her Keyblade, but was sent flying back from the attack.

Kirito got to his feet again, seeing Asuna fall back, then glaring at Heathcliff. His reactions have improved greatly. he thought to himself, It's possible that this is part of the Divine Blade skill. Then again, this could be Heathcliff, going all out on us. Either way, I can't lose to him!

Kirito and Asuna engaged Heathcliff with everything they had. Heathcliff's improved attack speed and new technique were strong, not to mention that he already was powerful with his Divine Blade Skill. He would often put himself on the defense in order to charge up his Sword Skill, whether it would be his close-ranged slash, or his long-ranged sword beam. It barely gave the two heroes any time to go in with striking him down.

"Man, this is close!" Klein stated, amazed at the battle before them.

"This can go either way." Liz noticed, "I can't tell who's got the upper hand!"

"I know mama and papa can win!" Yui stated determinately, "Because they have something that he doesn't have."

"What's that?" Liz asked, both she and Klein looking at her.

"You'll see." Yui answered.

After a few minutes of combat, Kirito and Asuna stood aways from Heathcliff, out of their Drive Forms, panting from exhaustion. Heathcliff didn't show it, but he, too, was wearing down. Regardless, he smiled at the two fighters before him.

"I'm impressed." he told them, "You're new powers are very strong, and you have certainly improved since the last time we have fought." He raised his sword above his head, adding, "But it won't be enough to stop me entirely. You'll see through my strongest attack." Kirito and Asuna heard these words, and gripped their blades, ready for whatever was gonna come.

Heathcliff's blade shined a bright red color, and it seem to draw energy from all around it. Whatever was coming, the two knew it was gonna be powerful. With one downward slash, Heathcliff sent a massive wave of energy towards the two combatant, who were shocked by the power of the attack. They managed to dodge to either side to avoid the full impact, but the aftershocks were so powerful, they were sent flying into the wall behind them. The blast of energy caused the wall to give way, and even cause the ceiling above to collapse. The rubble fell on top of them, and there was a massive dust cloud in its' wake, covering the view of the heroes.

"Kirito!" Klein shouted.

"Asuna!" Liz called out at the same time. Yui gasped in shock of what happened to her parents.

When the dust cloud died down, Kirito and Asuna were underneath some of the rubble, unable to move from injuries. Kirito squinted through one eye as he looked up at Heathcliff, terrified by how powerful that attack was. Asuna was just as terrified at Kirito.

"There's no way…a move like that is legit in SAO." Klein muttered in complete shock.

"I wouldn't be a final boss if I hadn't had some sort of powerful technique to unleash." Heathcliff responded, hearing Klein's statement, then to Kirito and Asuna, "It is, however, a fair move, considering I can't use it unless my life bar is in the red. But even so, you realize that it is pointless to continue on. You've seen the true extent of my power. None of your powers can reach that level of strength. Surely, you realize that."

Kirito struggled to move the rubble off of him, but he was weakened by the attack he had just endured. One part of him believed Heathcliff's words to be true. However, there was another part of him that didn't wish to give up, just yet. Asuna was feeling the same way as Kirito, trying desperately to move out of the rubble.

"Come on, you guys!" Liz shouted, "You've told us how much you've struggled against those Heartless, Nobodies and all those other enemies. This guy should be next to nothing to beat!"

"Besides, you told us you were gonna save this world, and all the Players in it!" Klein added, "You can't throw in the towel just yet! I won't let you!"

"Mama, Papa, I believe you!" Yui cried out with all her heart, "And I know Sora, Donald, Goofy, and everyone else with them would believe you would win this, too!"

"…Believe…" Kirito muttered, hearing Yui's words ring in his ears.

"…Believe…" Asuna echoed, laying still in the rubble.

Heathcliff chuckled a bit as he responded, "Surely, you don't really think that it would be that simple. Belief can only do so much, but it is not possible for it to overcome me."

"You're wrong." Kirito responded, and Heathcliff heard the sound of rubble moving. He witnessed Kirito rising out of the rubble, followed quickly by Asuna. "Our friends belief are also our belief." Kirito stated, "Our hearts are connected to that one hope that will come true. That, in return, gives us strength."

"You don't decide on whether we should just fall down or not." Asuna stated, "Cause we believe that we will surpass anything you unleash, and defeat you!"

"If that really is the case, then show me what your belief can do!" Heathcliff stated, raising his blade up high, making it shine brightly. Asuna and Kirito came together, waiting for the moment to happen.

(Cue SAO OST 'Swordland')

Heathcliff brought down his blade, unleashing another blast of energy, sending it straight towards the two. Klein, Liz and Yui watched in horror as the two didn't make any movement of dodging it. Instead, they crossed their Keyblades together, and unleashed a united Reflera spell. The barrier stopped the attack, and it made the two skid backwards a bit by the sheer force of the move. However, they stood their ground, holding onto one another. Finally, with one unified roar, they whipped their Keyblades forward, causing the barrier to make the attack disintegrate. The burst of energy in retaliation from the Reflera spell was so bright, it blinded everyone in the room, including Heathcliff.

"Let us show you what our belief can bring out." Asuna called out to Heathcliff, the two warrior's silhouettes showing through the light, back to back, and their weapons glowing with white and black energy, extending their blade's length. Kirito and Asuna charged in at a lightning-fast pace. Kirito channeled his energy into Asuna as she unleashed a strong thrust with her shining white weapon. This was followed by Kirito diving under Asuna, and coming around with a black energy sword spin. The two were overwhelming Heathcliff as they continued this pattern, unleashing their Limit Break, 'Aincrad Resolve', onto him with unimaginable force.

"This attack is tight!" Klein stated with amazement.

"And it's because of the one thing they have that Heathcliff does not." Yui stated, watching the two engage their Limit Break. Asuna and Kirito sidestepped away from one another, and dashed at Heathcliff, striking him in a cross slash, which made a large, glowing X on the ground. "…Their friendship, and their hearts…" Yui continued, watching as the two sheathed their Keyblades as if they were their old swords, causing an explosion of digital energy, "…that power gives them the strength to overcome even the creator of Sword Art Online!"

Heathcliff flew a few meters into the air, getting the full impact of the finishing attack. He fell to the ground, tumbling onto his back, and laying motionless. The fight was over. Kirito and Asuna looked to one another, smiling at their achievement. "I guess we can use our Limit Break, now." Asuna stated.

"Yeah. We finally can." Kirito responded. Klein, Liz and Yui came rushing to the two, cheering at the victory the two achieved. Klein praised Kirito as Liz hugged Asuna, whiles Yui flew all about with glee.

All this time, Heathcliff laid on the floor, motionless, his eyes closed. Suddenly, his whole body started to glow bright blue. The team turned to see him shine, then the data scattered all around his body, revealing the man he once was. Dressed in a lab coat, with a white shirt, black tie and pants, and short, dark hair. He stood up without any sign of injury from the battle, and turned to the heroes, all of which were surprised. "Congratulations, Kirito, Asuna." Kayaba commended the two, "You have beaten me."

There was a short, hesitant pause between the two parties, then Kirito asked, "So that's it? You aren't upset we just defeated you?"

"I wanted to see that same strength of will used against me like how you did so before." Kayaba explained, "This battle showed me that and more. I cannot be any more satisfied with that."

"I've got a question; why did you return to Aincrad in the first place?" Klein asked, "I mean, I know you created SAO and this castle in the first place, but there's gotta be more to it."

"You are correct." Kayaba answered, "The answer is simple; I wished to see Kirito again, to fight him again, and be thoroughly defeated. Of course, I never expected my world to become a reality, let alone fight the two of you with all those new powers of yours. Regardless, my patience was well deserved. Now, I have one last task at hand to take care of." He turned towards the open floor aways from them, and walked towards it.

"What is it?" Liz asked.

"If you would follow me, you will find out." Kayaba answered, and he started walking down the stair. The team looked to one another, then followed him.

As they descended, Yui landed onto Kirito's shoulder, looking about. "Is something wrong, Yui?" Asuna asked.

"No, not really." Yui answered, "But for some reason, I feel some sort of…nostalgic feeling. It's like something good that was lost is down there." Kirito and Asuna looked to each other, wondering what she meant.

Kayaba stopped on the stairs, causing the others to halt. "MCPH #1…or rather, Yui, I would like to tell you something." he told the Navigation Pixie, "I would like to apologize for ordering Cardinal to shut you away from the Players. I know I almost destroyed you because of it."

"It's okay." Yui answered, "After all, if it wasn't for that, I probably would have never went to my mama and papa, and become their daughter. I am glad that things turned out the way they did."

Kayaba looked to Yui in a surprised manner, seeing the gleeful grin on her face as Kirito and Asuna looked to her with joy in their hearts. "It seems you might have evolved beyond your standard creation." he stated, "I guess that makes three individual that have exceeded my expectations."

"Kayaba, I would like to know why you ordered Cardinal to cut Yui away from the Players in the first place." Kirito questioned, "If she was created to counsel others in need, then why keep her away from them?"

"It wasn't just Yui that I did it to." Kayaba responded, "I ordered all of the MHCPs to not come in contact with the Players."

"There were others?" Asuna asked, surprised.

"Yes, but they were deleted when you cleared the game." Kayaba answered.

"So why did you do that in the first place?" Kirito asked more firmly. Kayaba paused, then as he continued to descend, he answered, "Because during the ends of the Beta Testing, something happened to one of the Counceling Programs. It was stolen."

The heroes were shocked at this. "Someone stole a Program from SAO?!" Asuna asked, "How is that possible?"

"Even I don't know how the culprit did it." Kayaba answered, "I don't even know who the culprit was. I tried tracing, but the person was clever enough to leave nothing behind. Regardless, I made safety measures to prevent the others from being stolen, so I made the order to put them in one of the most secure spots in SAO."

"I get it." Kirito understood, "You prevented them from meeting the Players, thinking that one of them might actually be the culprit, and would try to steal them, too."

"You were protecting them." Asuna also understood. Yui looked down, finally understanding why she had to deal with what she did before.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, the team looked about the area. The area was large, with walls lined with hundreds, maybe thousands of small tubes, filled with digital data. In the center of the area, the team could see a GM Console, the computer up, and at a standing level.

"What is this place?" Klein asked, "Looks like one of those power stations you find underneath buildings."

"Actually it is a storage facility." Kayaba corrected him, "Each of these tubes contain a specific kind of data. There are 3,853 sets of data in total."

'That's nearly four thousands sets of data.' Kirito thought to himself as the team moved forward and looked about the vicinity, 'What could be so special about this data, anyway?' Kirito examined the tubes along the wall, seeing each of them labeled with a name each. He then stopped at one tube, seeing a familiar name on it; 'Diabel'. Diabel? Kirito read, That was the name of that Beta Tester who lead the team in the first floor boss, but died.

"Kirito, come over here!" Asuna called out. Kirito raced over to her, asking, "What is it?"

"Look at this." Asuna pointed at a tube, and Kirito noticed the label on it; Corbatz. "Wasn't that the name of…" Kirito started.

"Yeah, the head of the ARMY group that attacked the Gleam Eyes." Asuna finished his statement, "Corbatz died during that battle. Why is his name here?"

"There was another name like that on the other wall." Kirito pointed out. The two looked to each other, an impossible theory forming in their heads.

"Hey, guys!" Liz shouted, looking at a pair of tubes, "I know these two names. They were Players that I use to work the weapons on. They were strong, but I heard they died in a Boss Raid."

"Same with some of these guys over here." Klein added, looking at the tubes, "Why are they here, anyway?"

Kirito suddenly gasped, and started examining the walls of tubes in the room. "Kirito?" Asuna asked, following him. Kirito didn't answer, but continued looking. He saw the name of Godfrey, who was killed by the traitorous Kuradeel, who was close to his name. There was another person named 'Yuna' close by, but he paid no mind to it. Kirito looked further and deeper into the tubes, until finally, he discovered the names he was searching for. There were five tubes containing names well known to Kirito; Keita, Tetsuo, Sasamaru, Ducker, and…

"Sachi." Kirito muttered, seeing the name.

"I believe you figured out what this room contains." Kayaba told Kirito and Asuna. Kirito turned to Kayaba, then to all of the tubes on the walls.

"These are…the deceased Players of SAO." he answered, "You've kept them. You've kept their data." Kayaba nodded in response.

"But why? I thought you said they weren't able to exist anymore." Asuna recalled.

"Technically, that's based on the world as it is." Kayaba answered, "There's no way of returning them back to their own world again. And it is near impossible to reassemble their data again in the virtual one. However, that doesn't mean they can be brought back here, in this dimension." Kirito and Asuna were shocked at these words.

"This is my final task to the two of you." Kayaba continued, "I'm going to hand you all of these Players' data, and it'll be your job to find a way to revive them."

"You're asking us to revive the deceased Players again?" Asuna asked, "But how do you expect us to do that?"

"That'll be your job to find out." Kayaba answered, "I believe this dimension might have the solution."

"And, you sure they will all turn back to normal if we do find a way?" Kirito asked.

"Not exactly." Kayaba answered, "There might even be some side effects, such as a loss of memory or such. Regardless, I have faith that you will see things through, and find a home for these Players. Or rather…" he smiled as he finished, "I believe the two of you will accomplish this task."

Hearing Kayaba saying that he had faith in them was quite unusual. He was regarded as a brilliant scientist and a powerful Player, yet he depended on them to see his work through. They didn't know if he was being kind, or he was just using them. "Okay, Kayaba. We'll do it." Kirito answered, "We're gonna find a way to bring them all back." Asuna nodded in agreement.

"Very well, then." Kayaba responded, and he walked over to the GM Console, and started typing away at it, "The next thing we need to do is stow all of the data into a single object."

"Right, like how we turned Yui into a game item before she was deleted." Kirito recalled.

"Exactly." Kayaba answered, "I shall set it up, dubbing it 'Aincrad's Soul'. They will all be stored into one object."

"And what about you?" Asuna asked, "What are you planning on doing?"

Kayaba paused, looking at the computer data. "I believe my life should come to a close after this." he answered, surprising the two, "I had done all that I can in this digital body, and have seen enough to be satisfied. Now, all that is left for me is to leave it to others to accomplish my tasks, and be at peace."

He completed the programing, and was about to hit the confirm button when Kirito said, "Wait." Kayaba stopped and turned to him. "You may think you are satisfied with this, but I'm not." Kirito stated, "It's true that you caused a lot of pain in the past, causing all of these Players to suffer and die. You played all of us, and used us for your own benefits, especially me. It sucks at times, but I can see the results of your manipulation, and it has helped. That being said, I think that stops here."

"Kirito…" Asuna muttered, wondering what he was getting at.

"And what do you plan on doing?" Kayaba stated, "Are you not going to revive these Players after all?"

"No, I will do that." Kirito answered, "I will find a way to do so. But even if I revive them again, I don't know if I'll be able to find them places to call home. We're talking about nearly four thousand Players here. I know it is not something I can do. However, I believe you can do that part. So here is my request to you; Place your own data into the Aincrad's Soul. When you awaken, I want you to help the Players find homes, repent for what you have done to them, and start a new life in this dimension. I'm not ordering you to do this, but I am asking this…as a friend."

Kayaba looked surprised at everything he was asking, especially what he called him afterwards. "I never said we were friends." he told Kirito.

"True, but it won't stop me from calling you one." Kirito responded with a smirk, "After all, you helped so many people by giving me the Seed, and you are saving the lives of all of these Players, even though you lied about them being gone forever. I can at least grow on that, and consider ourselves acquaintances. In time, I hope for us to become friends with one another."

"Same here." Asuna agreed, stepping into the conversation, "You may have been my Commander once before, but that's in the past. We are now at equal level, and I think we can start anew in this dimension, and we might possibly be friends with one another. Why don't you give it a shot?"

"Yeah. We can all become your friends." Yui agreed, flying onto the GM Console.

Kayaba looked to the three, surprised at their words, and seeing the serious grins on their faces. He then began to chuckle, which increased into a laugh that surprised the two Keyblade wielders. "What's so funny?" Kirito asked.

"It seems the three of you have truly changed." he answered, "I don't know if you are fooling with me, or you are being sincere."

"Oh, we are serious." Kirito answered, "You can say, our friend in the other team taught us to be more open to making friends." Asuna and Yui nodded in agreement.

"Is that so?" Kayaba asked, "Well, I would like to meet that friend of yours face to face again, and see how you were able to change because of him. That would be an amusing analyzation, to say the least." He turned to the GM Console, tapping away on it. "Very well then, you win." he told them, "I shall port my own data into the program." Yui watched Kayaba do it, and when he was finished, Yui nodded to Kirito, confirming the transaction. He walked over to one of the empty tubes in the room, raising a hand to it. "I do hope we meet again." he told the heroes.

"We will." Kirito answered without hesitation. Kayaba smiled at them, and as he closed his eyes, his body glowed, and he turned into data, which entered the tube, making it glow like the rest of the tubes on the wall.

Kirito walked over to the GM Console, analyzing the data. "You only have to confirm the setup." Yui told him, "He already did everything else."

"Okay. Here goes…" Kirito stated, and he activated the program.

Immediately, the data from all around the started to seep out, trailing all the way over to the GM Console. Klein and Liz, who were looking at the other tubes during the conversation, were amazed at the light show they were witnessing. Kirito, Asuna and Yui watched as the data all converged onto one spot, the ball of light growing bigger and bigger by the second. After a while, the data all entered in, and the glowing ended, revealing a chrysalis that was the size of a softball, and it was the exact shape of the Aincrad.

Klein and Liz joined the others as Kirito reached to the Aincrad's Soul. Just as he touched it, something appeared out of the gem. He retracted his hand as two objects fell out, laying themselves on the Console. They were keychains; one which had black chain links and a beta symbol medallion, and the other being silver chain links with a red and white-trimmed cross medallion, which was the symbol of the Knights of the Blood Oath.

"What are those?" Liz asked, "Little keychains?"

"No, they are Keyblade Keychains." Asuna answered, "Yui, can you tell what they are?"

Yui flew to them, analyzing each one. "From what I can see, these two are unique Keyblades, but my guess is that they are made based on mama and papa's weapons during 'Sword Art Online'." Yui explained.

"They are?" Kirito asked, amazed.

"Yes. The black one is the Keyblade form of the Elucidator, and the other is the Lambent Light." Yui explained, "Go ahead and try equipping them."

Kirito grabbed the Elucidator keychain, while Asuna took the Lambent Light keychain, and they both replaced them with the keychains on their Keyblades. In an instant, the weapons transformed.

Kirito's Keyblade was a lot like the Elucidator; short, but with slightly more weight than the average Keyblade. It was black and silver-rimmed, with the teeth being a half-circle with three spikes, and an emblem in the middle similar to that on the original Elucidator. Asuna's Keyblade had many similar resemblances to the Lambent Light rapier she once carried, including the main colors being aqua-green and silver, the handle and the rapier guard with the pair of blue gems embedded into it. In comparison to Kirito's weapon, Asuna's was long, and just as light as her weapon. The teeth was round like Kirito's, with a silver circle inside with rounded, aqua-green wings attached.

Kirito and Asuna looked at their weapons, feeling the connection to them. "They do feel a lot like our old weapons." Asuna noticed.

"They also look a lot like them." Klein added, "Despite the key-shaped look to them, they are pretty cool-looking."

Kirito swung his Keyblade about, feeling the movement. "It's perfect." he stated, "This Keyblade is just right for me. I'm glad I have it."

"Yeah, but why did these things suddenly appear?" Liz asked, looking at each weapon.

Kirito and Asuna looked to one another, then to the Aincrad's Soul. "I bet it was given to us by all those Players in there." Kirito answered, "Their hearts are yearning for us to find a way to save them."

Kirito reached out and took the Aincrad's Soul, storing it away in his clothing. "We should get going and find where Sora and the others are at." he told the group.

"That's gonna be difficult, since the place they are at is so far away from our position." Liz stated.

"Well, we won't make it there by standing around here." Kirito replied as Yui flew onto his shoulder, "Let's start making our way there."

"Eh?!" Klein and Liz cried out as Kirito made his way back to the stairs.

Just as he reached them, a Corridor of Darkness opened up in front of him. Kirito leapt back, readying his weapon. "Woah! What's that?!" Klein demanded. Asuna got serious as she prepared to fight whoever came out of the portal. However, the person that came out of it was none other than Naminé, the girl they met back in Twilight Town.

"It's Naminé!" Asuna realized.

"Who?" Liz asked.

"I don't know, but she looks cute." Klein noticed with a slight grin, causing Liz to look at him with irritation.

"Why are you here?" Kirito asked as Naminé stepped out.

"I brought Leafa and Recon to this place." Naminé answered, "They are currently with Sora and the others."

"Leafa and Recon are here?" Asuna asked, coming up next to Kirito. "Hold on, does that mean they figured out how to bring this world back home?"

Naminé nodded, then added, "But they had help, from someone you've met."

"Who?" Kirito asked.

She paused before answering, "Axel." Kirito and Asuna looked to each other, shocked. Axel? The same Nobody that they saw during the Heartless siege at Hollow Bastion, and the same guy who kidnapped Kairi? "I'll lead you to where the others are at." Naminé continued, turning to the Corridor of Darkness, "If you would follow me, please." She walked into the Corridor, with Kirito leading the others through it. The Corridor disappeared from the room.

When they reappeared, they found themselves in the cavern on the 25th floor, close to the entrance to the boss room. "Man, that was a weird area we just went through." Klein noticed, looking back at the Corridor.

"It felt really cold just going through that place." Liz muttered, "And not the natural cold, either."

Naminé stopped near it, with the others ahead of her. Kirito turned to her. "You not coming?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Now is not the time for Sora to see me." she replied, "I'll wait somewhere until Leafa and Recon are ready to go." She walked back into the Corridor of Darkness, and disappeared.

The team walked into the boss room, where everyone was gathered about the large orb of darkness that kept Aincrad in the dimension. They turned at their approach. "Hey, guys!" Sora greeted.

"You made it!" Leafa called out to them.

"Leafa! Recon!" Liz greeted the two Sylphs.

"Hey, Suguha." Kirito answered back.

"We heard you found a way to bring Aincrad back home." Asuna noted.

Recon nodded in response, and said, "We managed to figure out that much. It's all because of this thing." They all looked at the dark orb. "It's what's keeping the world in place, and it is attracting Heartless into this world. In order to stop it, we have to destroy it."

"That's all?" Klein asked.

"How quickly will the world return back."

"Within about ten minutes." Leafa answered, "That's how much time we have to go on our way."

"You guys are really leaving?" Silica asked, woefully.

"Why don't you guys just stay here, and get sent back home with us, again?" Sinon questioned.

"Because we have no choice." Asuna answered, "The Organization has already tried bringing Aincrad here, involving you guys in danger. Who's to stop them from doing it again?"

"You have a point, there." Agil agreed.

"And besides…" Kirito continued, patting the spot that he held the Aincrad Soul in, "We have other reasons for staying here. Important friends, and stuff." He grinned at Sora, who noticed it and grinned back. Donald and Goofy also smiled, as well.

"Well, we should get this over with." Leafa stated, walking over to the dark orb. Kirito, Asuna and Sora joined her, readying their Keyblades. They leapt up simultaneously, slashing at the orb at the same time. There was a brief pause, then the orb shattered, disappearing entirely, along with the dark energy it produced. The job was complete.

"Let's head into town." Kirito stated, "We can say our farewells, there." They agreed and left the room, closing the door behind them.

Floor 25 Town

Kirito, Asuna, Sora, Donald and Goofy all stood on the teleport gate, staring down at their Player friends. Leafa and Recon said their farewells, and left to a lone alleyway, where Naminé waited for them, bringing them back to Hollow Bastion. Leafa took one last look at Aincrad again, wondering why Axel would help them save it. She then turned away and entered the Corridor of Darkness, leaving the world behind.

"Well, I guess this is farewell, for now." Sora told the others.

"I hope we get to see each other again!" Silica told Sora, with Pina chirping in agreement.

"You guys better stay alive until all of this is over." Sinon warned Kirito and Asuna.

"Yeah, and get back home as soon as you can!" Liz added.

"We'll tell your parents you guys are still hangin' in there." Klein told them.

"I can't imagine what they would think if they knew what was going on." Asuna told Kirito, "My parents wouldn't believe it. Especially my mother."

"I have my doubts our parents will ever believe this story." Kirito agreed.

"Papa, it's almost time." Yui told Kirito and the others.

"Right." Kirito answered. He took one last look at his friends as they waved him and his team off, then Goofy called upon the Gummi Ship, and they disappeared.

When they arrived back on the bridge, Kirito and Asuna went to the window, where they saw Aincrad from a distance. They watched as a black portal formed above it, and it sucked in the entire floating castle, which glowed brightly. Within seconds, the world vanished before their eyes. Kirito tightened his hands on the window, somewhat regretting not going back home again. Asuna shed a few tears, missing her friends as they left.

Sora, Donald and Goofy watched them from a distance, then Sora asked, "You sure you didn't want to go? You could've made it back home by now, with your friends and family."

"True." Kirito agreed, "But we made this decision. We're going to stick with you until Gouxus and the entire Organization XIII is shut down for good." Asuna wiped the tears away, and nodded in agreement.

"Besides, DiZ is still out there, with the information on how to get back home." Kirito added, "I want to say a few things to him as well." He went to his seat, with Yui flying out to the control panel. "Let's get moving!" Kirito stated with a grin, "This ship doesn't work on frowns, you know." Sora smiled and nodded, and everyone got to their positions. They started up the Gummi Ship, and they took off into the endless space.

Kirito pulled out the Aincrad's Soul again, looking at it. I promise you. I will save all those that were lost. Kirito thought to himself, I will find a way!