Oy, well this took longer than I wanted it to. Either way I REALLY like how this one turned out, mostly since its a BUNCH of angst, which is, admittedly, my specialty! Though it also does a good job of foreshadowing, setting up some plotty stuff, so on so forth. So yeah, hopefully, you'll like it too! Lets get started!


Chapter 10: Destati

Let me face, let me face, let me face my fears

As it so often seems to do anymore, the Gummi Ship floats adrift in what feels, at least to its passengers, like a sea of indecision. The trio had taken their leave from Twilight Town quite some time ago, leaving what little efforts they have to show for Roxas' hopeful, eventual return in Hayner, Pence, and Olette's hands for now. Still, despite the first few, small, yet promising leads they'd uncovered, there's still a fair share of disappointment among the group as they set off for their next destination. Sora in particular finds himself steeped in that disappointment as he sits at the ship's helm, thinking of little else other than Roxas and the earnest promise he had made to him. A promise that, by all accounts, he doesn't know when or how he'll actually end up fulfilling.

It doesn't take very long for Donald and Goofy to pick up on their young companion's listlessness as they simply let him linger in that dissatisfied silence for quite some time. However, both of them are still mindful of their larger mission, a mission that they both mutually decide to remind Sora of as gently as they can.

"Uh… Sora?" Goofy ventured, leaning forward in his seat a bit. "Don'tcha think we should get goin'?"

"You know, to find the thirteen Keys?" Donald adds with a hint of further insistence in his tone. "You don't want the Organization to get their hands on them first, do you?"

"No, of course I don't," Sora frowns back at the pair. "It's just… I don't know, it feels like we didn't really do much of anything to help Roxas like we wanted to…"

"Aw, but we did!" Goofy reassures with an encouraging grin. "We got Hayner, Pence, and Olette to help us out, not to mention we have Ienzo lookin' into the other Twilight Town for us."

"Yeah, I know," Sora nods halfheartedly. "And it's not like I'm not grateful for their help, but… I was just hoping we'd be able to figure something out sooner. Roxas shouldn't have to wait any longer than he already has. He shouldn't have to wait on me."

Donald and Goofy share a concerned look at this, both of them knowing just how important this matter is to Sora. It's no secret to either of them that he often feels the need to take the weight of the worlds onto his shoulders, especially when it comes to helping those in need. And given just how personal the connection between Sora and his Nobody is, it only makes sense that he'd take his self-imposed mission to bring Roxas back so seriously. Even when none of them even have the slightest idea of how to push that mission forward.

For as much of a loss for comforting words as the captain and the magician are, fortunately someone else is the one to pipe up and offer Sora such encouragement instead. "You know, Sora," Jiminy begins, hopping up onto his shoulder. "Just because we didn't find that much out in Twilight Town doesn't mean we might not find any other clues somewhere else!"

"That's right," Goofy says as Donald nods his agreement. "We still got a whole bunch of worlds to explore while we look for the Keys."

"And maybe we'll find something that could help us help Roxas along the way too!" Donald adds just as fervently.

"Yeah, maybe…" Sora sighs, knowing that this isn't as clear-cut of a solution as he'd like it to be. Still, he knows just as well as the others that their mission to find the thirteen Keys is a high priority, so much so that the fate of all the worlds practically depends on it. Which means that as much as he hates to put it off any further than he already has, saving Roxas will just have to wait. Again. "Well, I guess we're not really getting any closer to those Keys by just sitting here, huh?" At this, he stands, summoning his Keyblade and aiming it forward, towards the vast expanse of open space ahead of them. "Look out worlds, here we come!"

Despite this bold proclamation, nothing ends up happening. The usual burst of light that usually converges around the Kingdom Key's tip is nowhere to be found; no shimmering gateways leading to any sort of uncharted world materialize among the many surrounding stars. All the same, Sora maintains his focus on his weapon for just a moment longer, hoping this is some sort of odd fluke, only for the lack of any response to remain a disappointing constant. "Aw, come on, seriously?" he huffs in annoyance, drawing his Keyblade back in so he can properly inspect it. "What's going on with this thing late…ly…?" Sora trails off, raising a confused eyebrow as he steals a second glance down at his Keyblade. Etched into its otherwise pristine silver surface is what appears to be a small, yet, dark crack, a marring mark of uneven damage he's sure he's never seen before. As far as he knows, there are few things in any world that are strong enough to damage a Keyblade in such a way, much less anything he'd encountered in battle recently. So what then, could have created a mark as clear and cutting as this?

And why does the mere sight of it unnerve him so very much?

"Er… what if you're having a hard time opening up a gate since none of us really know where to look first?" Goofy guesses, neither him nor Donald able to see the rather damming crack in Sora's Keyblade.

"Figures you wouldn't know where we're supposed to be going, as usual…" the magician remarks, sending Sora a critical glance as he crosses his arms.

"How am I supposed to in the first place?" Sora retorts. He quickly lets his Keyblade disappear in a meager attempt to distract himself from the troubling damage it's apparently sustained. And to keep Donald or Goofy from seeing that damage for themselves. "It wasn't like Master Yen Sid gave us a map and said 'go here, here, and here, and you'll find all of the Keys'! Honestly, I wish he had done that," he sighs, flopping back down into his seat. "It would have made our job way easier here."

"Well, if what I jotted down in the journal is right," Jiminy notes, scrolling through his records on their new home: the Gummiphone. "Master Yen Sid said that each of the Keys is connected to "the feelings of the heart". It is a clue, but then again, I suppose it's not a very clear one, is it?"

"You can say that again…" Sora shakes his head, thoroughly disgruntled. "These Keys could be anywhere and we don't know where to even start looking for them! Heck, for all we know, the Organization could already have half of them by now, maybe more!" He pauses for a moment, staring out at the seemingly endless array of stars before them, each of them a world that could very well contain just one of the mere thirteen Keys that they want, need to find before it's too late. "Everyone's counting on us to get those Keys," he continues much more solemnly. "So what are we going to do if we can't even find one of them to begin with?"

As much as neither Donald, Goofy, nor Jiminy alike want to admit it, what Sora's just proposed is indeed a very real possibility, and a very alarming one at that. There's every chance that, with their greater numbers as well as their exponential dark powers, the still relatively unknown members of the new Organization XIII could very well already be beating them to the punch in finding the Keys. And all the while, the four of them could just as well be leagues behind, with no leads, no hints, no hope of protecting the worlds and the very Keys to Kingdom Hearts itself as they'd been tasked to do.

It's a grim reality, to be sure. A reality that the three of them refuse to accept, a reality they refuse to let their young companion accept either, especially this early on into their fledgling quest.. "Aw, phooey!" Donald suddenly snaps. "Don't tell us you're giving up this soon, Sora!"

"What? I'm not giving up!" Sora protests, flustered by the very thought. "I'm just saying this whole thing is already turning out to be a lot harder than we thought it would be and-"

"And so what?" Goofy interrupts just as insistently. "We've done a lot of hard things before: deafeatin' the Heartless, savin' the worlds, the list goes on! How's finding a bunch of silly ol' Keys any worse than that?"

"I'm not saying it is!" Sora argues back, openly frustrated by this point. "But how are we supposed to find those Keys in the first place if I can't even do something as easy as summoning a gate to another world?!"

"Well…" Jiminy interjects somewhat hesitantly. "What if the reason why you seem to be having so much trouble has to do with you losin' your strength?"

Even this casual reminder of his lost strength is enough to bring Sora a small, yet familiar wave of frustration. Which is why, as he's gotten so used to doing, he does his best to steer the conversation away from that particular shortcoming, lest the disastrous events that happened in Olympus repeat themselves all over again. "But if that's true," Sora begins, coming up with a counterargument just in time. One that, coincidentally enough, has to do with Olympus. "Then how was I able to get us to Herc's world before?" He's half tempted to summon his Keyblade once more, speculating that perhaps the unexplainable damage done to it factors into this problem more than anything else. However, before he can even reach his hand out to do so, Goofy speaks up to propose an alternate theory instead.

"It could always be somethin' really simple," the captain suggests. "Like, just for example, ya could just be worn out from everything that's happened since we set out."

"…What?" Sora asks flatly, confused.

"Oh yeah!" Donald sends him a disapproving look. "Sora, when was the last time you actually rested up? You know, like you're supposed to?"

"Uh… w-well… there was the end of my exam when I was-"

"After that!" the magician fusses hotly.

"Um… I think it was… hm…." Sora trails off, unable to really recall the last time he'd taken a genuine break since they'd set out for Olympus. And given all of the harrowing happenings they'd been through both there and in Twilight Town, he can't deny that he does feel tired at least on some level, though nowhere near to the point that mere exhaustion alone could be hindering him this much. Or at least, that's what he thinks.

"That's it!" Donald concludes sharply. "This ship isn't going anywhere until you've gotten all the rest you need to get it moving again!"

"What?!" Sora exclaims, baffled as he meets the magician's stern glare. "Oh come on, Donald! You can't just tell me to go to bed like I'm some little kid!"

"Maybe I wouldn't have to if you'd stop acting like one!" Donald shoots back. "You need to start taking better care of yourself!"

"Hey, I take care of myself just fine!" Sora argues just as crossly. "Don't I, Goofy?"

"Uh… well, garwsh, Sora, you know I'd usually say yes, but…" Goofy frowns worriedly. "After everything that happened in Twilight Town and 'specially after what happened back in Olympus, it might not be such a bad idea for you to get a lil' shut-eye before we really get to looking for the Keys."

"Aw, really? You too?" Sora huffs, disappointed. "Well, you can both forget it. We need to find those Keys and we can't afford to waste time just because you guys think I need to rest. Besides, I'm not even ti-" He suddenly cuts himself off with a long, blatant yawn, one that he can't try to hide or suppress, as much as he might want to. A long beat of silence follows, with Donald and Goofy sending him equally knowing, expectant looks that are finally, inevitably enough to get Sora to cave. "Ugh, fine…" he grumbles, standing up. "I guess I'll go take a nap or something…"

"Aw, now Sora, don't be like that," Goofy chastises patiently as Sora begins trudging towards the lower deck door.

"You'll thank us later when you're well-rested and actually ready to explore the words," Donald concludes, crossing his arms with a satisfied smirk.

"Sure, I will…" Sora deadpans, both embarrassed and defeated as he leaves the cockpit. The Gummi Ship is already small and compact to begin with, yet surprisingly enough its lower sleeping quarters are rather spacious, complete with three comfy hammocks that the trio readily takes to after most of their more tiring escapades. Sora flops down into his usual spot with an annoyed scowl, not really bothering to settle in or get comfortable. Largely since he has no real intentions of sleeping to begin with.

"I don't know what they're so worried about…" he mutters to himself discontentedly as he positions his arms behind his head and stares up at the ceiling. "Just because I lost my strength doesn't mean they have to act like I can't do anything anymore." Sora pauses, his bitterness all too quickly fading into apprehension as he reaches a hand up to summon his Keyblade. "Then again…" he trails off, fixing his gaze on the solitary scar marring the Kingdom Key in such a foul, mysterious way. He trails a slow, light finger along the deep, jagged crack, still wondering where it had come from in the first place, and if it can possibly get any worse from here.

Of course, those are questions Sora has no answers to himself, but a part of him wonders if someone else might. He knows he can't really go to someone like Yen Sid or the king with something like this, but perhaps Riku could offer him some solid advice. Advice that, if he begs and pleads enough, he might be able to convince him to keep under wraps so that word of such distressing damage doesn't get out when it really doesn't have to.

So Sora quickly sits up, pulling the Gummiphone out of his pocket. While he's still getting used to how the device works, fortunately Jiminy had already taken the liberty of showing him how to use it to make calls just about anywhere among the worlds. It's a feature he hasn't really had much of a chance to use yet, but he figures that there's no one better to try it out on than Riku.

A few awkward, somewhat uncertain taps later and Sora instantly perks up the moment he hears ringing on the other end of the line. The thought of simply talking to Riku, even from a distance like this, is more than enough to excite him, even despite the worrisome topic he wants to ask him about. However, instead of receiving any such answer, or even a conversation in general, Sora is ultimately met with a simple, disappointing message from the Gummiphone instead: "Call failed."

"Aw, come on…" Sora sighs, lying back down in clear disappointment, until the phone chimes in with another brief instruction.

"Leave a message?"

"Wait, you can leave messages on this thing too!?" Sora darts upright, amazed as he looks at the phone once more. It's apparently recording him, likely for the sake of delivering a video to Riku himself sometime later on, Sora quickly, excitedly realizes. "Oh! Hi, Riku!" he starts with an eager, chipper smile. "I… guess you missed me? Probably 'cause you and the king are super busy trying to help Master Aqua, which—I know, I know, is really important and I shouldn't be distracting you from it, but…" Sora hesitates, glancing down at his Keyblade and the disconcerting scratch torn across it. Once again, that same sort of bizarre dread he'd felt when he and Riku had parted ways pangs upon his heart, dread that had kept him from telling the truth, that had prompted him to harbor a secret from his best friend, something he'd never done before. Dread that once again, some way or another, directs him away from the very reason he'd tried to make this call in the first place. "B-but… I just wanted to check in and see how you're doing, so… yeah. Call me back whenever you can, ok? I… I'll talk to you later." He stops short one final time, wanting to say so much more but simply not finding the words as he brings his message to its succinct, unsatisfying close. "Bye!"

The very moment he finally hangs the unsuccessful call up, Sora lets out a loud, frustrated groan, shielding his eyes with his arm as he lets the Gummiphone fall by the wayside and his Keyblade disappear. He knows, he knows he had promised Riku that he'd be the first to know if anything went wrong or awry, a promise that Sora wants to honor, one that he knows he'd do well to keep. Clearly, something is wrong here, his Keyblade alone is proof enough of that, and while he has no real idea how to address that anomaly with either Donald or Goofy, a strong part of him believes that Riku, more than anyone else really, will understand, will be able to do something to help. And yet, for whatever reason, it's as if the very thought of admitting to anyone, much less to Riku, of all people, that he's dealing with something that's beyond both his comprehension and control is far more difficult and daunting than any Heartless or Nobody he's ever had to face.

At the same time, Sora finds himself falling even deeper into his restless guilt upon realizing that, in his message he'd also failed to mention anything that had happened in Twilight Town. Between the onslaught of his Nobody's memories being thrust upon him and the discouraging words from both Ansem and Xemnas, there would have been plenty to tell Riku about for sure. And yet, the more Sora thinks on it, the better off he probably had been not speaking to that latter encounter in particular. After all, he figures, certainly the last thing Riku needs with all of the other pressures he's facing, is to worry over the very low likelihood that all of his hard work in saving him from Xehanort's schemes had been for nothing in the end.

A very low likelihood… but still a likelihood all the same.

Sora takes in a sharp breath at this, quickly shaking the troubling thought out of his mind. As he had told Donald and Goofy before, he's still confident that all of Ansem and Xemnas' talk of him being their thirteenth vessel had been nothing more than a part of the seemingly endless string of lies the Organization is infamous for. A crafty, perhaps even clever tactic to try and make him doubt both himself and his mission, but one that Sora refuses to let get the better of him. Certainly, there's no way in any of the worlds that such a thing could possibly be true, no chance something like that could ever happen to him. Because if it was true, he'd be able to feel it, he'd be able to sense that something's off, he'd know about it better than anyone else… wouldn't he?

But then there's that voice, the vicious pull against his heart pairing with it to captivate and control him against his will. The pall of darkness framed by the deepest of rage that had fallen over him in Olympus, darkness he had only barely stumbled his way out of. The dark, almost sinister crack running through the surface of his once strong, sturdy, and steady Keyblade, a place where such a horrendous mark should never be. Is there a chance that all of those things are connected somehow? Or worse yet, that there's a chance that they're all pointing towards the frightening possibility, however small, that it's all somehow true after all?

Sora lets out a deep, somewhat uneven sigh as he closes his eyes, trying his hardest to block out such a dark, downright horrifying notion out of his mind, only to—of course—think of nothing else. Ansem's ominous, almost threatening claim in particular practically seems to ring through his thoughts in a constant, chilling loop, one that he only wishes he could silence somehow:

"You can feel it, can't you?"

The problem is, he could feel it at that moment: that gripping, almost unbearable agony slicing through his heart, his body, his very being, like a flame-seared knife.

"Already the darkness has started to take a hold upon your heart."

Unfortunately, that's a fact he can't really argue against, if the horrific incident in Olympus is anything to go off of. Because never before had he gotten as close to the darkness as he'd been there, when his body, mind, and even his heart had been all but eclipsed by it.

"And through that darkness, soon you will find yourself helpless to resist the master's call to join our ranks as the vessel you are destined to be."

Destined. Pushed. Forced. Forced into something he wants no parts of, into something he's always done everything in his power to oppose and fight against with every ounce of strength he has. If those claims are somehow correct, then that's the future that awaits him, the fate that he'll be forcefully, mercilessly thrust into, whether he wants it or not. A fate in which he has to fight his friends and serve his foes, in which he stands for the shadows and shuns the light, something he'd vowed to never, ever do. Which is why every single fiber of his being hopes against the warning signs, resolves to look past whatever they might mean for the exact opposite: that his heart will remain his own and stay far out of the devastating, destructive reach of the twisted man who's already ruined so many lives. The man who still stands to ruin so many more.

Including his own.


Perfect sunsets were practically a constant on the Destiny Islands, and this one was no exception. The sun-kissed sands and shimmering sea were sights that Sora, Riku, and Kairi were all too used to by now. Yet as spectacularly beautiful as they always were, more often than not, the trio found themselves mutually longing to see what lay beyond their simple island home. To venture to other worlds, experience all they had to offer, to voyage anywhere and everywhere, together through it all. And with the near-completion of their humble raft, what had once only been a distant, daunting dream was soon about to at long last, become a reality.

"So, Kairi's home is out there somewhere, right?" Sora asked, going back to their unfinished conversation from earlier.

"Could be," Riku said, positioned against the paopu tree. "We'll never know by staying here."

"But how far could a raft take us?" Sora wondered, leaning forward slightly.

"Who knows? If we have to, we'll think of something else."

"So suppose you do get to another world," Kairi cut in, curious. "What would you do there?"

"Well, I haven't really thought about it." Riku kept his sights on the endless sea stretching before them as he spoke. "It's just… I've always wondered why we're here on this island. If there are any other worlds out there, why did we end up on this one? And suppose there are other worlds… Then ours is just a little piece of something much greater. So we could have just as easily ended up somewhere else, right?"

"I don't know," Sora concluded, casually reclining back on his spot on the tree.

"Exactly," Riku nodded, assured of his theory. "That's why we need to go out there and find out. Just sitting here won't change a thing. It's the same old stuff. So let's go."

A bout of long silence filled in between the trio after this, permeated only by the predictably-timed, gently-crashing surf as it washed onto the nearby shore. Indeed, there seemed to be so much more outside of the boundaries of the world they had always known, so much to do, so much to see, and so little time for it all. Still, the door to whatever might be out there stood large and looming before them. All they had to do was open it and find out what whatever might be waiting on the other side.

"This world…" Sore speaks up, moved by a sudden, compulsory thought. His tone is quiet, calm, yet laced with a strange sort of disdain as he sits up, the golden glow from the blazing sunset seeming to take over his eyes altogether as he speaks words that aren't really his own. "It's just… too small…"

He flinches in surprise the very moment this sentiment leaves his mouth. Never, ever before, had such a strange, almost alarming thought crossed his mind before, even regardless of their upcoming journey to leave that world behind. The Destiny Islands are his home, the place where everything and everyone he cares about and ever has cared about all reside. But for the briefest of moments, some bitter, unwelcome part of him feels trapped within them, as if they're a prison, a cage. And yet, for as foreign and downright frightening as that feeling had been, what's even more disconcerting yet is that both Riku and Kairi seem to agree with him.

"You're right…" Kairi says, her voice oddly hollow, lacking the usual bright warmth Sora always knows it to carry. He quickly glances over at her, her eyes concealed in shadows cast by the darkening sunset as a small, unreadable smile begins to creep across her lips. "It is…"

"It always has been…" Riku adds just as ominously, facing away from the pair beside him altogether just as the sun finally sinks below the horizon. "It's about time you finally realized that, Sora…"

"W-what?" Sora asks tightly, though he receives no response from either of his friends. Instead, their silence is quickly filled in as the gentle ocean breeze picks up into a gale force wind almost instantly. Sora half slips, half falls off the paopu tree as the once warm and rosy sky is tossed into inexplicable darkness, the sea taking on the same inky shade as the play island begins to split apart at the seams behind them. Against the sudden tumult of the world violently coming undone all around them, Sora naturally panics, something that neither Riku nor Kairi seem to share as they remain as still and strangely calm as ever.

"R-Riku!" he gasps, barely able to even hear himself amidst the whipping winds. "Something's wrong! We need to-" Sora stops short, shocked as he only barely skims Riku's arm in an attempt to grab it, only for his best friend to vanish away into the nothingness overtaking the islands as a whole, as if he'd never even been there at all.

Sora barely even has a chance to respond to this outside of a huge rush of unspoken grief as he quickly turns to Kairi, reaching to grab her hand to try and save her from the same horrific fate. "Kairi, I-I don't know what's-" He freezes, the first hints of tears starting to well up in his eyes the moment he feels Kairi's unmoving hand fade out of his. And sure enough, in seconds, just like Riku, just like everything else he knows and loves, she's gone.

He doesn't even notice as what little is left of the island follows suit. In fact, he barely even notices as the ground gives way underneath him, sending him into a free fall into the endless darkness that remains in its wake. Overwhelmed with anguish over his lost home, his lost friends as he is, the incredible pain that jars through every single part of his body barely even registers as he finally strikes some unknown glassy surface down below. And for what seems like ages, that's exactly where he stays, completely unmoving, his chest heaving with sobs that won't come over all everything that's been torn away from him in one single, devastating sweep. Over everything he's powerless to reclaim on his own.

"Giving up already? Come on, Sora, I thought you were stronger than that."

"R-Riku?!" Sora bolts upright, the brightest burst of hope breaking through the pounding pain as he searches the darkness surrounding him for any signs of life. The colorful glass beneath him had been broken by the impact of his landing, to the point that whatever design had been etched into its surface is all but unrecognizable thanks to the heavy cracks marring it. Still, none of that matters to Sora the moment he spots a single figure, clad in a familiar black cloak, standing out upon the scattered shards afar in the distance. "Riku!"

In an instant, Sora is back on his feet, running to bridge the gap between himself and who he assumes, who he desperately hopes is his seemingly lost friend. If it really is Riku, then there's no doubt that between the two of them, they'll be able to find Kairi and restore the islands. Together, they'll be able to put the ruined, broken pieces of their peaceful lives back together once and for all.

It almost sounds too good to be true. And of course, that's exactly what it is.

"Riku!" Sora can't suppress a relieved smile as he finally reaches the cloaked figure, not hesitating to reach a hand up towards him. "I can't believe I found-"

As soon as the cloaked figure even slightly turns to face him, Sora instantly draws his hand away from him, as if he'd touched the hottest of fires instead. And by all accounts, he might as well have, considering who really is standing before him now.

"Well? Go on," Young Xehanort says calmly, knowingly as Sora stumbles back with a frightened gasp. "I'd be very interested to know what exactly it is that you think you've found."

Sora's breath hitches at this, as he's eclipsed by the same sort of fear that he had known in the final moments of his last encounter with this sinister foe, right before he'd been lost to a cold, dark slumber that had been meant to condemn him to an equally cold, dark fate. Even so, the thought of someone like Young Xehanort seeing that sort of deep, unshakable fear is one that Sora refused to accept. Which is why he forces himself to snap into a state of determined resistance, a Keyblade appearing in his hands as he takes up a warning defensive stance against his enemy.

"That's none of your business," Sora retorts sharply, tightening his grip on his Keyblade. "Leave me alone already! I already told Ansem and Xemnas that whatever plans you have about me becoming your vessel aren't going to work, so get lost!"

The younger master smirks at this, as if amused by Sora's brazen, earnest show of defiance. "I have a better idea," he says, extending a hand out as darkness begins to converge around it. "Why don't you?"

As the burst of darkness escapes from Young Xehanort's reach, Sora can't help but instinctively flinch away from it, believing himself to be its target. However, that doesn't seem to be the case, for when he opens his eyes, he finds that the shattered stain glass and the inky blackness surrounding it is gone,, replaced by a vast, white, opulent chamber instead. He's somehow positioned in the center of this hall, Young Xehanort still standing apace from him, both of them surrounded by an unbroken circle of thirteen towering thrones of varying heights. The disconcerting setting rings familiar with Sora in a way he can't quite place, but even so, he keeps his guard up against his foe all the same, wary of any other odd tricks he might have up his sleeve.

"I see that there's still so little you actually understand," Young Xehanort begins, his tone as even and icy as ever. "But worry not. As soon as you come to take your rightful place among our ranks, everything will at last become perfectly clear."

"Like that's ever gonna happen," Sora counters with a relentless glare. "How many times do I have to tell you? I'll never be one of your vessels, no matter how much you think you can force me into it!"

Of all things, Young Xehanort lets out a small, almost mocking chuckle as he shakes his head. "Oh, Sora, I'm not forcing you into anything," he says condescendingly. "The hidden darkness residing in the depths of your own heart has always been there. All we're doing is tapping into that darkness to use it, and you, to our advantage. And if any sort of foolish doubts remain in your mind, then simply take a look at your Keyblade for a glimpse of the truth."

"My Keyblade?" Sora raises a confused eyebrow, having not paid his weapon any attention in this encounter until now. However, when he actually does spare a cursory glance down at it, he quickly wishes he hadn't. For instead of the Kingdom Key he's always used to seeing, the Keyblade in his hands now is of a dark, almost demonic design, sharp and twisted in just about every way, from its knife-like edges, to its bold, sinister etchings, to the chilling, singular blue eye embedded near its tip. Alarmed by its very appearance alone, Sora is quick to dismiss the weapon in the hopes of actually summoning his own this time, only for the very same black blade to show up in his grasp once again. "W-what is this?"

"Proof," Young Xehanort answers, disappearing only to reappear in one of the several surrounding high thrones. "Proof that you cannot escape your fate, regardless of how you might aspire to try. Slow and steady as your fall from the light may be, you will still fall all the same. And when you do, we'll all be waiting for you to join us, Sora. For you see, we're not complete without you..."

At this, almost all of the other thrones in the room fills up as well, each by a different member of Organization XIII. Each of their faces are concealed by the shadows of the dark hoods they're wearing, yet Sora still shudders when he feels their hidden gazes fall solely upon him. Young Xehanort disappears among their hooded number, yet one among them remains unhooded to smile down at Sora from his spot upon the tallest throne of them all.

Sora has never seen him face to face before; he's only encountered him through his Heartless, his Nobody, his younger iteration. And yet he knows exactly who this awful, evil man is upon an immediate glance alone. As well as from the overwhelming agony suddenly shooting its way through his heart like a flame-tipped arrow. The ominous Keyblade falls out of his grip as he falls to his hands and knees, unable to do much else, even let out the pressing cry of pain that's practically begging to be released from his throat. From his lofty throne, Xehanort simply smirks down at the display of suffering before him, sadistically satisfied with what he's seeing as he decides to smoothly speak to it.

"Sora, my thirteenth vessel…" he greets, a hand perched under his chin. His steady grin widens when Sora struggles to glare up at him with every ounce of wavering resistance he has left in him. "What a pleasure it is to see you again so soon after our last meeting."

"W-what?" Sora manages to weakly ask, his voice strained and ragged.

"Ah, that's right, you wouldn't remember our brief excursion to the graveyard," Xehanort says, and Sora still doesn't understand what he's talking about in the slightest. Doesn't remember where he'd been forced to go when he hadn't had control of himself in any way. "Fret not, my boy. I'll make sure that you'll remember this and every encounter we have after. The last thing I'd want is for you to forget to pay your master the proper respect."

Sora jolts at this, practically sickened by the mere idea of ever offering someone like Xehanort such respect, much less seeing him as his "master". He has no qualms about making that much clear to him either, at least as much as he can in his current condition. "N-no…" he chokes, pressing a hand against his aching heart as he forces his weak voice to be as loud as possible. "No, I… y-you won't… I… I can't be-"

"You are," the elderly master cuts him off, still smiling. "Deep down, you already know that you are, despite your pathetic attempts at convincing yourself of the contrary. There is no point in trying to delude yourself any further; accept what awaits you, embrace what you are, and in doing so, rid yourself of your unending sorrow once and for all."

Though he knows he's already treading on incredibly dangerous ground, Sora lets out a loud scoff at this, finally working up the energy and the nerve to begin pulling himself upright. "I-I… I can handle a little pain just fine, b-believe me."

"The 'pain' your own foolish resistance is bringing you wasn't what I meant," Xehanort shakes his head. "What I speak of, child, is the great burden you've been forced to bear through no choice of your own. The weight of the worlds on your shoulders, the fates of so many lost souls depending on your success alone…. All such momentous, cumbersome responsibilities for a boy as young and innocent as yourself, responsibilities that, by all accounts, shouldn't solely fall to you in the first place. Regardless of anything else, that's certainly something you can't deny, can you, Sora?"

Sora finally stills at this, his harsh expression dissolving away into several other emotions at once: confusion, worry, fear, and sadness, all as he realizes that no, he really can't deny any of that. From the very moment he had first been torn from his island and his friends, his once-normal life had become a rapid, aggressive whirlwind, one that never seems to stop and simply let him revel in his victories, however small they might sometimes be. And stuck in the middle of that whirlwind, there he is, tasked with—no, expected to dive headfirst into constant danger in the hopes of completing a mission so momentous and so important that the worlds themselves will fall into sure destruction and devastation if he fails. These are odds that he's faced before, but the stakes always seem to grow higher and heavier, to the point that he isn't sure how much longer he'll be able to struggle under the weight of it all before it crushes him completely.

"How tragic," Xehanort continues with an air of faux sympathy. "For so long you've been led to believe that your destiny lies in the garish glow of the light. But some small part of you knows that's never where you were never meant to stand. In time, I'm sure, you'll come to embrace the darkness that's been lying in wait within you from the day you were born. And once you have, once you submit to your proper role as my thirteenth vessel… then shall your heart finally, truly be set free."

Whatever small seeds of doubt the elderly master might have sowed are quickly ripped away when Sora hears this. Instead, his former resilience returns tenfold as he forces himself beyond the crippling agony, staggering to stand and stare Xehanort down with every ounce of defiance he has left to give. "Y-you really think that's what freedom is?" he challenges boldly. "Taking people's hearts away from them and using them as your own? Because if you ask me, that sounds like the exact opposite of freedom, and just in case you still haven't gotten the picture already, it's something I don't want any part of!"

Xehanort's near-constant smile finally falls into a disapproving scowl at this outburst, though even so, he hardly seems moved by it in the slightest. "I had a feeling you wouldn't make this easy for us, Sora," he begins, closing his eyes thoughtfully. "Then again, I suppose that's what will make this all the more… interesting. For as difficult as this lengthy process might be for us, it will be infinitely more agonizing for you."

The once-dulled pain comes rushing right back into Sora's heart at full force as the elderly master clenches his gloved hand tightly, immense darkness swirling around it all the while. This time, however, he isn't granted the luxury of being able to fall, but instead he's stuck standing, as if he's been frozen in place so he can be forced to listen to whatever Xehanort has to say next.

"You may say that you do not want to become a vessel for my heart," the elderly master suddenly vanishes from his towering throne, only to reappear on the platform below, directly in front of his unmoving victim. "But I'm afraid you have no choice. For you see, Sora… your heart already belongs to me."

Xehanort's almost mocking sneer returns in full force at this, especially as he points a finger out towards Sora, or more specifically, his heart. As frozen and stiff as he is, he can't see what becomes of him as the master's twisted power takes hold over him. A dark glow blooms over his heart, spreads to cover his hands and a good portion of his arms, painting them a sinister shadowy shade. The usual chestnut brown color his hair is quickly overtaken by a spotless snowy white, and his eyes, normally as blue as the depths of the oceans themselves, take on the same sort of haunting, hollow gold that fills Xehanort's own. But even if Sora is completely unaware of these horrific transformations, what he is aware of is the relentless, blinding, absolutely unbearable anguish essentially strangling his heart, splitting out from there to every other part of his body so intensely that he's genuinely shocked that he's still even conscious amidst it at all.

"Feel free to try and run and hide all you'd like," Xehanort says, walking forward slowly as he takes in the look of absolute agony and terror clearly showing on Sora's face with cool, calm confidence. "Continue to lie to your companions, your friends, even yourself that you're safe and sound and not slipping into the darkness you're already standing knee-deep in. But know that there is no world you can go to where you can escape from me. There is nothing, nothing you can do to free yourself from your final fate. You are my thirteenth vessel, Sora. There is no changing that fact, now or ever."

By now, tears have finally started to well up in Sora's now-yellow eyes, his heart and mind both begging for any sort of release, a plea that he isn't even permitted to voice aloud thanks to the unyielding hold the elderly master has over him. Try as he might to not show any sort of fear in front of his foe, he's largely unable to do anything else now. The mere thought of this wicked, merciless man ripping away all sense of autonomy and control away from him, forcing him to follow his treacherous, ruinous commands, tearing him and his heart away from everything he knows and loves and wants to protect, is so horrific and devastating that he can't even begin to bear it. In fact, the very notion, a notion that seems all too real here and now, is so awful and horrifying that he feels as though the sweeping tide of everything he stands to lose quickly starts to overwhelm him, drowning and suffocating him in a sea of endless darkness. And the worst part of it all, is that Xehanort is absolutely right; there is nothing he can do to stop it.

"What a great irony it is that the so-called 'hero' of the Keyblade who restored light to countless worlds time and time again will ultimately become the key that will send them all into everlasting darkness once and for all," Xehanort muses as he continues to approach his agonized vessel. "For when the time comes that you have fully succumbed to my power, then not only shall you be the one to deliver to me the thirteen Keys to the Kingdom, but through you, my thirteenth, I shall lay claim to the very heart of all worlds itself: Kingdom Hearts!"

Upon hearing the absolutely horrendous plans the elderly master has in store for him, Sora wants to scream, struggle, fight, do anything at all to save himself and literally everyone and everything else from such a gruesome fate. And yet, just as before, he can't move, he can't resist, he can't do a single thing to keep Xehanort from getting exactly what he wants. He's trapped, in so many different, terrible ways he couldn't even begin to list them all if he tried. And in being trapped, he's powerless to escape, both from what's about to happen to him, and the sheer, insurmountable fear every last part of it brings him.

"We've been waiting for you, Sora," eleven other indistinguishable voices echo from the surrounding thrones. Only now does Sora realize that aside from Xehanort's own recently-abandoned throne, the only other chair that's empty here is the shortest among them, the one positioned just a few short feet behind him. The throne meant for the Organization's thirteenth vessel, a throne meant for him, despite how much he desperately doesn't want it.

"We have been waiting for such a long time…" Xehanort concours as Sora feels yet another wave of searing anguish rip its way across his heart. "And since you're already here, I see no point in delaying the inevitable any further," The elderly master finally reaches his vessel, and slowly begins extending a hand towards him to finally claim his heart once and for all. "Take solace, child, for your pain is about to reach its end. The time is at hand for you to take your proper place, to begin your journey to where you truly belong…"

The most Sora can do is let out a small, strained, pleading sob, one that Xehanort clearly hears, but hardly cares for as he prepares to finish his sadistic approach. "Surrender your heart now to me, my thirteenth and final vessel, and open the door to the source of all light, darkness, and life itself!"

The elderly master's hand is within mere inches of skimming his heart now. And as it draws ever closer, Sora is overcome by so much raw, unbridled pain that he almost thinks it might end up killing him then and there. Which, all things considered, might just be a better fate for him than what Xehanort has in mind. He's just about ready to submit himself to just as despicable an end before something that's nothing short of a miracle happens.

Xehanort nearly makes direct contact with Sora's heart when the entire white room is suddenly flooded in bright, bold light. Its radiance is so intense that it banishes every speck of darkness in its path, including the observing, unknown members of Organization XIII sitting high upon their surrounding thrones. As the illusion of the white room is broken, the stained glass platform returns, its scattered shards slowly starting to mend themselves together into the image they're meant to make. As the light persists, Xehanort is thrown back, his dark Keyblade flashing into his hand as he glares fiercely at what now stands between him and his thirteenth vessel. Namely, the light, or the three silhouettes that start to form within its nearly blinding glow.

"So, you still persist in your useless efforts to try and shield him from me?" Xehanort asks them, his tone bitter and annoyed. At the same time, Sora feels control of his movements return to him in full force, finally allowing him to fall to his knees and try to recover from the finally fading pain pulling on his heart. He doesn't have the faintest idea as to what's going on, though he's aptly amazed upon taking a glance up at the mysterious trio that's suddenly come to his defense.

"You better believe we do," a voice rings out from one of the three. A voice that, despite only having heard a handful of times before, Sora recognizes instantly. "After all, we were here way before you ever came along, old man."

"R-Roxas?!" Sora gasps, absolutely stunned.

Sure enough, the vision of his Nobody becomes clear enough for him to make out, even if the other two figures accompanying him remain shrouded in mystery. "Hey, Sora," Roxas says with a warm, confident smile. It's all he has time for, however, as he swiftly turns to face Xehanort again, both of his contrasting Keyblades held tightly in his grip. "I thought we made it clear to you before," he says sternly. "If you're not leaving, then neither are we!"

Keyblades quickly appear in the hands of the other two unknown figures, both of them joining Roxas in his brazen stance against the elderly master. For a moment, Xehanort says nothing, only glancing past the trio to lock eyes with Sora instead. "Mark my words, boy, they won't be able to protect you from me forever," he says with a sinister smile that sends another bolt of burning fear bursting through Sora. "I have taken root within your heart every bit as much as each one of them has. It's only a matter of time before my power surpasses theirs, and before my heart eclipses yours completely. I can promise you that, my thirteenth."

Sora scarcely has enough time to even take in such a terrifying threat before the trio guarding him reacts to it first. The pair flanking Roxas extend their weapons, powerful light blooming over their tips that they don't hesitate to aim Xehanort's way. He says nothing to this attack, still keeping his sights set solely on Sora alone, still grinning knowingly, as if he's aware of something his vessel and his trio of protectors aren't. Those protectors still do their best to repel his encroaching shadows, even as the master blends into the twisted tendrils that try all they can to reach Sora. Only to be held back by the light striving to keep his sinking heart against them.

By now, the worst of the pain has subsided, to the point that the only thing Sora can really feel in its wake is a strange mix of relief and confusion. He speaks to both of those things as he watches Roxas and his mysterious companions continue their battle against the darkness, wondering how something like what he's seeing is even possible at all. "I-I… I don't understand," he shakes his head. As baffled as he is, he doesn't even notice his hair, eyes, and hands all returning to normal. Not that he'd noticed how they'd changed to begin with. "How… how are you… w-what are you doi-"

"It's ok," Roxas interjects, still calm even despite the swirling shadows behind him. "You don't have to understand. All you need to know is that you're safe. We're not about to let him take over, are we?"

By now, the other two figures alongside Roxas have cleared somewhat, though Sora still can't make out much of their features. What he can tell is that one of them appears to be a girl around their age, while the other looks conspicuously like his Nobody. They both smile and nod warmly in response to Roxas's question, and though he turned towards Sora for a similar answer, he's hard pressed to give one at a moment like this.

"Roxas, I-I… I'm sorry," Sora begins, going off on another tangent entirely. But a very necessary tangent all the same, given what had happened in Twilight Town. "I don't know what's going on, b-but I want you to—no, I need you to know that I'm gonna find a way to get you out of my heart. I-I don't care what I have to do, but I will do it. I promise."

Roxas' smile finally fades at this, concern and surprise washing over his features instead, almost as if he hadn't expected such an earnest, resolved vow from his other. He pauses, glancing back at the darkness he's helping to hold back, then to the two unknown figures beside him, before finally looking back to Sora with a solemn, serious sort of expression. "Sora…" Roxas says with a rather sad sigh. "I… Thank you, but… you don't have to do that."

"What are you talking about?" Sora asks, compelled by the recollection of all of the memories his Nobody had shared with him, directly or not. "Of course I do! You deserve to be free and with your friends and-"

"And so do you," Roxas counters, turning away. "Which is why, at least for now, I need to stay here. All three of us do."

"W-what…?" is all Sora can manage as inexplicable tears, tears that aren't entirely his own, start to well up in his eyes.

"You kept us safe, Sora," the dark-haired girl says with a smile, her eyes still largely concealed as she glances back at him.

"You gave us a second chance when we needed it most," the other boy adds, his voice sounding almost identical to Roxas' though they aren't quite the same.

"You protected our hearts inside of your own," Roxas finishes, his soft, thankful smile returning. He extends a hand out to Sora with the intent of helping him up, though the gesture seems to imply so much more. "Now let us return the favor. I know you'll find a way to save us someday, but right now, we're going to do everything we can to save you."

The distant darkness finally seems to wither and fade away at this proclamation, as if repulsed by such a powerful promise. Yet even despite this, Sora is far from satisfied by what it really means. By the sacrifice his Nobody wants to make for him. "B-but Roxas, I-I-"

"It's like I told you before, Sora," Roxas counters, his tone bittersweet as he once again implores his other to take his hand. "It has to be you. Which is why it's time for you to wake up. Are you ready?"

Instantly, Sora understands the many layers behind this question, knowing exactly what Roxas is asking if he's ready for: to begin his search for the thirteen Keys, to find a way to bring the guardians of light together, to face the darkness that has somehow found a way to pervade even his own heart. These are all great feats that, before, Sora hadn't felt entirely prepared for. But with his Nobody in his heart and his friends standing by his side, for perhaps the first time, he feels as though maybe, just maybe, he really can pull it all off after all.

"Y-yes," Sora says as firmly as he can, finally taking Roxas' hand. "I'm ready."

"Good," Roxas' smile grows at this and the two figures standing at his sides take on the same supportive look as light converges around all three of them once again. "Then I'll see you soon," The immense glow begins to overtake Sora as well, blinding him from everything but the warm, pure, healing warmth welling up inside his chest as both other and Nobody reaffirm their separate, solemn vow one final time.

"I promise."


Sora awakens with a start, darting up on his hammock so quickly that he almost falls out of it. His heart races, his breathing short and his brow covered in a cold sweat as he tries to regather his lost bearings. As frantic as his initial waking seconds are, he doesn't even notice that he's not alone until he steals a cursory glance to the space beside him. There, he finds Donald and Goofy, essentially toppled over on top of each other on the floor thanks to the scare their young companion's sudden awakening had given them. And yet, as caught up in recovering from everything he'd just been through as he is, Sora still doesn't pay either of them much mind until they quickly hop to their feet and lean in to check on him.

"Sora?" Donald begins first, his former frustration replaced with deep, genuine concern. "Are… are you ok?"

"Huh?" Sora draws in a sharp breath as he turns towards the pair. Briefly, he takes a look around, finally realizing that he's back in the Gummi Ship, no signs of Xehanort and the Organization, or Roxas and his two unknown companions in sight. "W-was…. Was all of that just… just a dream…?"

"Must've been a nightmare from the looks of it," Goofy notes with a fretful frown. "And a pretty bad one too. We came down here to check on you 'cause we heard ya yelling and kickin' around, even from all the way upstairs."

"And then when we made it down here, we couldn't get you to wake up!" Donald adds just as intently. He pauses for a beat, sighing before switching over to a rare sense of gentle earnesty. "Listen, Sora. We know you've had plenty of nightmares during our adventures before…."

"And you know we've never hounded ya to tell us about 'em unless you were good and ready to," Goofy added patiently.

"But this time, we need to know," the magician continues, his tone calm yet stern all the same. "What kind of nightmare did you just have that was so bad you woke up from it crying?"

"Crying?" Sora repeats, confused. "I'm not-" He stops short as he skims his fingers right below his eye, feeling the warm wetness of undeniably fresh fallen tears there. "Oh."

"So… what happened?" Goofy asks cautiously. "Is it anything we can help with?"

At first, Sora says nothing, still worn and overwhelmed by about a thousand different thoughts and feelings at once. His heart is completely free of the pain that had oppressed it in his dream, but even so, Xehanort's horrific threats still echo through it as loud and clear as ever. Before now, he'd been secure in his doubts about becoming the Organization's last missing vessel; but now, after everything he'd heard and seen and experienced, his doubts start to fall towards the exact opposite end of the spectrum instead. Is there indeed a chance that it's all true, that he really is starting the long fall into inescapable darkness, right into Xehanort's hands after all? The evidence pointing towards it—the incident in Olympus, the events in Twilight Town, the mysterious damage sustained to his Keyblade, even the ominous, alarming dream he'd just been pulled out of—certainly seem to be stacking up against his favor. The dream especially, had felt so real, so vivid, so frightening; he can scarcely remember any other dreams or nightmares for that matter that have shaken him as much as this one has. The master's words remain vivid in his mind, ringing his foretold doom like the clanging chime of a deafening bell: "You are my thirteenth vessel, Sora," Xehanort had said and Sora nearly chokes out a sob at the very thought. "There is no changing that fact, now or ever."

No changing it, no escaping it, no stopping it-if it's true. And yet, even if it is true—which he's starting to realize, it very well could be… that's a defeat he isn't quite ready to accept. Doing so would only let Xehanort gain an easy win, and after his brief, harrowing encounter with the elderly master—real or not—that's something Sora refuses to let happen.

"N-no, it wasn't that big of a deal," Sora finally responds to Goofy's question. It's a lie, he knows it is, but a convenient one, meant to mask something he can barely bear to think about, much less talk about. And besides, if this is a battle he really does have to fight after all, the last thing he wants is to drag any more of his friends into it with him. Roxas had already decided to take this immense struggle up for him, a fact that Sora reminds himself with a heavy pang of guilt against his growing dread. He can't afford to let anyone else get tangled up in a problem that should only really belong to him. "I-it was just…" he trails off, initially unsure of what to say to Donald and Goofy. In the end, however, he settles on something brief, yet believable. Something that can hopefully help him put any unwanted memories of that dream behind him too. "I guess I was still worried about what might happen if we don't find all of the Keys in time, so my dream—nightmare—was about… that."

Both the captain and the magician's expressions go tight with alarm upon hearing this, both of them sharing the same sort of unspoken worry about such a terrifying possibility as well. "Do… do you wanna… talk about it anymore?" Goofy asks apprehensively.

"Not really," Sora responds truthfully, letting out a long sigh as he runs a hand through his hair. "It was kind of… a lot, if you know what I mean."

Thankfully, both Donald and Goofy understand this implication, as neither of them press him any further on the matter. Sora realizes with another wave of palpable guilt that he might have fooled both of them too well, but it's a necessary deception-at least that's what he decides to tell himself. Even if he wanted to tell them about what he fears is starting to befall him, he has no idea where to even start, or how they might react. And besides, it isn't really like they have too much time to focus on what could still very well be an unfounded fear altogether. They still have a mission to set out on, a mission that Sora sees as far more important than anything that might be happening to his own insignificant heart.

"So are you finally rested up and ready to go?" Donald asks, eyeing Sora skeptically as he finally gets up out of his hammock.

"Yep," Sora affirms with a smile and a long stretch. That smile turns a touch more genuine as he recalls the much-needed encouragement that had capped off what had otherwise been a miserable nightmare. Encouragement from Roxas himself, and the question that once again, now prompts him to action: "Are you ready?" "Ready as I'll ever be," he says, to his companions, to Roxas, and to himself most of all.

"Good," Donald huffs impatiently while Goofy lets out a small chuckle, both of them following their young companion back upstairs to the cockpit. "Then let's actually start this mission for real this time!"

"I'm way ahead of you," Sora nods with a wide grin. Reaching a hand towards the stars outside, he summons his Keyblade, choosing to ignore the dark crack somewhere on its surface. Regardless of whatever sort of hold or power Xehanort and the Organization believe they have over him, Sora remains determined to not go down without the most intense fight he can possibly muster against them. With so much at stake—the Keys, the worlds, his friends most of all—he has plenty worth fighting for. And he's sure that, with all of those things he cares so much about combined to inspire him, to push him forward and keep his heart strong and secure, then there's no way he'd let himself fall.

"I'll see you soon," Roxas had said, a promise that Sora chooses to believe with all his heart. A promise brimming with hope and comfort that someday, everything will finally be as it should, that all of the wrongs caused by Xehanort and his followers will at long last, be set right. And as far as Sora is concerned, there's no better time to start righting those wrongs then right here and right now.

"Yeah," he whispers to himself, pointing his Keyblade forward. A bright, familiar light surrounds its tip this time, bursting out beyond the ship's cockpit and out into the vast expanse of space. There, it expands, growing and glowing as it creates exactly what the trio needs to move forward: a gate. Donald and Goofy cheer over this long-awaited progress, but Sora simply smiles as he takes the reins of the Gummi Ship, boldly, confidently steering it towards whatever world awaited them in the first step of the daunting, daring adventure before them. Toward whatever the future might hold on this new journey ahead of him. "See you soon."


And thus, a whole bunch of Disney worlds await! Which is honestly pretty exciting, I've been waiting to get to those in this fic and now that the "setup" chapters are all through, we can start things up in earnest, beginning in a similar way to how KH3 itself did it... with a toy sized adventure ;) Anyway, if you like what you see, feel free to drop me a REVIEW please! Until next time! :)