Time to see what the lights are up to! Tbh I have to admit this chapter is kind of just... ok compared to everything else that's been going on lately, but we have to get through it to get to the end of it (which is coming up much sooner than you might think), so here we are. Enjoy!


Chapter 67: Fragments of Light

Everything is just fine
But if you're gonna think twice
I don't wanna know, baby
I don't wanna know

They wait a day that feels like a week. They wait two days that feel like a month. They wait three days that feel like a year. And by the time the fourth day dawns, that's when they refuse to wait one second longer.

Master Yen Sid instructs them to be patient, that such a difficult situation must be dealt with carefully. But after going several days without hearing a single word from the lights that had bravely ventured to the graveyard, those who stayed behind are more than a little restless. Xion spends most of her time waiting by the tower steps for any signs of a returning ship, Axel pacing anxiously not too far away. Donald and Goofy are equally frantic, torn between making a mad dash to the graveyard themselves or rushing back to the islands to ensure Sora's safety. Terra, as the most experienced Keyblade wielder among them, stands as the de facto leader in Riku's absence, trying his best to simply hold such a stressed group together. Meanwhile, Naminé combs through whatever memories she can find, hoping to see what might have happened, though she recovers little, even as far as Sora's memories seem to go. By all accounts, it seems as though their friends have completely vanished without a trace, without so much as a hint as to what could have happened to them or how their divisive battle had gone. And given who they'd gone to face, they really can't help but fear the absolute worst.

The fourth morning is when they all finally reach a breaking point. After countless calls to so many seemingly dead Gummiphones, Terra at long last makes the motion they've all been waiting for. Yen Sid tentatively approves his decision, and without any further delay, the remaining lights pile onto a Gummi Ship and take to the stars. To the Keyblade Graveyard… and to whatever–or whoever–might await them there.

They expect to arrive in the middle of an all-out brawl, in the midst of a brutal and bloody war as both sides fight for essentially the same thing, the same exact boy. But what they find instead is something much more unsettling by far: deafening silence. Emptiness pairs eerily with that silence–there isn't a sign of any of their friends or even a single Organization member in sight. All they can see is the vast, desolate expanse of this utterly lifeless world, with thousands of decaying Keyblades breaking the otherwise lonesome landscape. But beyond that… It's as though no one has touched the place in centuries, much less within the past few days when a battle should have been here.

"Uh… are we at the right Keyblade Graveyard?" Axel breaks the silence, frowning as he glances around.

"We are," Terra replies, all too familiar with this horrible place. "But… where is everyone?"

"Gawrsh, do ya think something might've happened?" Goofy asks worriedly.

"Of course something did," Donald says. "And whatever it was, there's no doubt the Organization is behind it!"

"But… they wouldn't just… get rid of the others, would they?" Xion asks, puzzled. "They need seven Keyblade wielders so they can have the clash Xehanort wants, right?"

"That's right, but that doesn't mean they aren't in danger," Terra crosses his arms.

"Well, this can't be that hard to figure out," Axel says. "I mean, it's not like six people just disappear into thin air without any clues at all!"

"...Naminé?" Xion cuts through the conversation as she looks to the only one among them who hasn't said a single word since they arrived. For her part, Naminé has wandered a bit away from the group, kneeling down to the ground to inspect something. She only glances up when she hears Xion say her name, and when she does, tears are already streaming down her cheeks.

A stark silence falls over the group when they notice her distress. Xion is the first to hurry over to her, placing an arm around her shoulder as she helps her to her feet. "What's the matter? Did you find something?"

Naminé nods, wiping a tear or two away before she opens her hand to reveal what she'd spotted resting in the dirt: a simple, yet lovingly-made charm composed of five delicate sea shells. A treasure most of the others don't recognize, though Naminé knows its significance well, just as much as she knows it shouldn't be here. As much as she knows what it's presence here truly means.

"Uh… what is that?" Axel voices the question on everyone's minds.

"A good luck charm…" Naminé replies morosely. "Kairi made it for Sora a long time ago. He kept it with him, even through everything… And if it's here… then that means Sora was here too…"

"What?!" Donald and Goofy are the first to respond to such startling news.

"What do you mean he was here?!" the magician exclaims sharply, his anger already starting to spark. "He was supposed to stay back on the islands!"

"No, he… he didn't," Naminé places a hand against her head, practically leaning against Xion for support. "I can't make out much–I-I think something's wrong with my connection to his memories, but… what I can see is that he came here… He… he tried to sacrifice himself to save the others… but then… there was a huge wave of darkness. And after that… there's just… nothing. I can't see anything else… from any of them…"

"Seriously? He tried to give himself up to them?" Axel asks, appalled. "What is wrong with that kid?"

"What isn't wrong with him is the easier question to answer," Donald replies flatly.

"That sure does sound like something Sora would do…" Goofy frowns. "But if he's gone just like the rest of them are… then what does that mean?"

"It means… Xehanort got exactly what he wanted."

This new voice pushes a wave of alarm through the entire group. Immediately, everyone is on guard as they turn to find a lone figure approaching them. A figure that just about none of them are glad to see.

"Sora?!" Xion gasps, though as soon as she does, she can immediately tell something isn't right. Because "Sora's" hair isn't white or brown, it's black, his eyes aren't gold or blue, they're red. And, most telling of all, he walks toward them with a sullen scowl instead of a friendly smile.

"Wait, no," Axel interjects, narrowing his eyes at the strange boy before them. "I've seen this kid before; Kairi and I stopped him when he attacked Disney Castle awhile back. And I'm pretty sure he isn't Sora."

"No, he isn't!" Donald swiftly pulls out his wand. "That's Vanitas!"

"Wow, thanks for the stellar introduction," Vanitas rolls his eyes as he stops a good distance away from the lights. "Couldn't have done it any better myself."

"What are you doing here?" Terra hisses as he takes a large step forward, his Keyblade already held tight in his grip. "And why do you look like… that?"

"Good to see you're just as brainless as ever," Vanitas sizes the older boy up. "Newsflash, I've always looked like this thanks to everybody's favorite little light. Or I guess I should call him what he really is now: the newest seeker of darkness."

"What?" more than a few of the lights question. But their surprise goes unanswered as Naminé suddenly rushes forward.

"Vanitas!" she exclaims with a smile. She doesn't get far, however, before Terra holds up an arm to stop her.

"Stay back," he warns tensely. "Trust me, he's dangerous."

"Huh?" Naminé blinks, before remembering exactly how Terra and Vanitas even know each other. Remembering how they'd brutally battled upon these very grounds well over a decade ago, well before she spent any time with Vanitas, before she realized he's far more than the weapon he'd been made to be. "No, Terra, you don't understand. He's not-"

"I'm only going to ask you one more time," Terra cuts her off, fixing Vanitas with a fierce glare. "Why are you here?"

"Well, I was here to watch the show," Vanitas informs. "But that's been over for days now. Nice job showing up too late, by the way. You all missed one heck of a war–if it could even be called that for how one-sided it was."

"... A one-sided war?" Goofy questions, scratching his head.

"You wanna try making some sense instead of being a little smart-alek over there?" Axel huffs, annoyed.

"Hmph, are you lights usually this 'friendly'?" Vanitas turns his nose up at them.

"Vanitas," Naminé finally manages to slip past Terra to approach him. He's quick to look her way, his bitter expression softening ever so slightly the second their eyes meet. "If you saw what happened to our friends, you have to tell us. We just want to know where they are and that they're safe. Please."

Vanitas wavers as he meets her sincere, pleading gaze. He keeps his focus on her instead of the other lights, all but ignoring their piercing, demanding gazes as he tells her what he knows alone. "They're gone," he informs shortly, simply. He nearly savors the ripple of fear and despair that washes over the lights, until he sees it strike Naminé too. And the second he does, he shows no hesitation in trying to pull her out of it. "But… not gone for good."

"What are you talking about?" Terra asks harshly, brandishing his weapon. "I swear, if this is some kind of trick, or if any of them are hurt and you helped Xehanort do it, I'll-"

"I don't work with that old fool anymore," Vanitas snaps back just as viciously. "I haven't in a long time. I'd just as rather watch you morons beat him within an inch of his life before I finish the job and tear his shriveled-up heart out of his withered husk of a body once and for all!"

Stark, unnerved silence settles over the lights at such a violent threat. Still, it's one that not many of them can say they disagree with after everything Xehanort has done; as far as they're concerned, a gruesome fate like that is exactly what the wicked master deserves. "W-well… we all want the same thing then," Naminé says, trying her best to smooth the heavy tension. "So, Vanitas, if you tell us more about what happened to the other lights, then maybe we can all take down Xehanort together."

"...That's a big ask, sunshine," Vanitas mutters, scowling.

"I know, but… you're the only one we can look to for help right now," Naminé implores. Vanitas suddenly finds his stern stance shaken when she reaches for his hand, gripping it tightly as her ocean eyes bear into his crimson ones. "You don't have to do it for any of us, but… please, think about everyone–everything else. If Xehanort and the Organization win, then no one is making it out alive. They'll use Kingdom Hearts to destroy everyone, including you."

And including you, Vanitas nearly echoes back. Because really, in the grand scheme of things, his own life, as miserable and empty as it's always been, matters little to him. But if there's anything he does find worth preserving… it's the one good thing that's ever managed to find her way into his life. If there's one thing he's willing to do anything, even work alongside some of his most hated foes, to save… it's her.

Not that he'd ever admit that aloud, in front of such a large and awkward audience.

"Fine," he groans, forcing his sights away from her as he pulls his hand out of hers. As much as he wishes it could stay where it is. "Listen up, losers, because I'm only going to tell you what I saw once. Your friends tried making some kind of 'bargain' with the old man and the Organization, only for it to blow up in their faces the second my stupid twin showed up. As you've already figured out, he tried handing himself over to the old man, but Xehanort turned the tables on him and took the opportunity to finally drag his final vessel onto his side. So he put on a big show, throwing out as many Heartless as he could to make it look like the lights were all killed right in front of Sora. And let's just say that was more than enough to shatter whatever was left of his fragile little heart enough to fully shove him over the edge."

Most of the lights are quick to gather what he means by this, though not a single one of them wants to believe it. They exchange anxious looks, none of them daring to ask the question they're all dreading. A question that Vanitas offers a grim, yet honest answer for all the same. "He's accepted his place within the Organization's ranks. He's one of them now."

He's one of them. One of the seekers of darkness, one of Xehanort's vessels, one of Organization XIII's members, their final member to be exact. A fallen light lost to the shadows… one of their most beloved friends taken from them in perhaps the worst way possible.

It's something they've all been dreading, an awful possibility hanging over each of their heads since any of this began. But now… that possibility has become a bitter reality, a reality none of them had even been present to try and stop. And as the weight of that reality falls upon them, the grief and despair it all brings is more than enough to crush them all completely.

Donald and Goofy are the first to react, practically collapsing against each other as their tears come loudly, angrily, mournfully. Xion falls to pieces just as quickly, sobs overtaking her that Axel does his best to quell by pulling her into a comforting embrace. Terra's Keyblade falls out of his hand, shock swelling over his face as he's left speechless and still. But Vanitas only has eyes for Naminé as she begins to cry, holding the good luck charm tight and close to her chest. In the seconds where he thinks no one is watching, he begins to lift his hand, intent on drawing it to her face to wipe the heavy tears from her lovely face. But in the end, his hand falls before it can even come close as he tries to offer her a different kind of comfort in its stead.

"I… can't tell you if it's too late to save him," Vanitas admits, acting like he doesn't care. And he doesn't, not about Sora. At least that's what he intends to keep telling himself. "But, when it comes to the other guardians of light…" Naminé perks up upon hearing this, tears still resting in her eyes as she sets her sights back on him. His heart swells under her gaze in a way he still doesn't understand as he crosses his arms and looks away. "It might not be too late for you to save them."

The other lights respond in turn, the devastation dulling, though not diminishing completely. After what they just heard, it's unlikely it ever truly will. " What do you mean?" Terra asks carefully, distrustfully.

"What do you think I mean, genius?" Vanitas' usual haughty tone returns. "How many times do I have to say it? Your friends aren't dead. Xehanort may be stupid, but he's not that stupid. He needs seven living lights to kick off his Keyblade War. But for whatever reason, it looks like he's putting that war on hold. So he shelved the guardians of light for now, scattering them across the worlds to get them out of his way until he needs them."

"Wait, so he's just… stalling?" Axel asks, bewildered. "Well, what the heck is he waiting for then?"

"Who cares about that?!" Donald interjects on a beat of newfound excitement. "The others are ok!"

"If they're just missing, then searching the worlds to find 'em all should be a piece of cake," Goofy agrees with a small, yet growing smile. "And after we've found each 'em-"

"We can all work together to save Sora!" Xion finishes brightly, hopefully. That same hope proves to be infectious as it spreads across the other lights, the idea that it isn't too late after all. That what's been lost can still be found, that their torn team can still be whole again. That their friends, even Sora himself, aren't as far gone as they feared they'd be.

It's welcome news, to the point that it almost sounds almost too good to be true. Or at least, it is to Terra as he remembers exactly who brought them this news to begin with. "Hold on," he advises, not wanting the others to get their hopes too high just yet. "I don't know if it's such a good idea to just trust someone like… him so easily."

"...Terra," Naminé starts with a small sigh. Vanitas, however, is quick to jump in and defend himself in her stead.

"You know what? You're right; don't trust me," Vanitas shrugs as he turns away from the group. "I am the only one who was here to see it all go down who's actually willing to talk to you chumps for more than two seconds, but what do I know? I am just an 'empty abomination', after all." He echoes what he's heard his former master call him so many times in the past, what he knows the likes of Ventus and his friends have always believed him to be. What he's always seen himself as too, at least until…

"Vanitas," Naminé stops him, grabbing his hand once more. "You're not an abomination."

Simply hearing that is enough to shake Vanitas to his core; Naminé seems to be an expert at doing that without even having to try at all. "Sunshine…" he whispers, this time letting his hand linger in hers. It isn't lost on the lights this time either as they try to make sense of what they're seeing.

"Uh… is something going on between those two?" Axel asks, quirking an eyebrow.

"Looks like it," Goofy notes, aptly puzzled. "They do kinda make cute couple though–they're sorta like Sora and Kairi in a way."

"A really weird way," Donald mutters, crossing his arms.

"Alright," Terra speaks up as sternly as he can manage. "We need to get going. If the others really are scattered across the worlds, then we need to hurry and find them before things can get any worse."

"But where are we even supposed to start?" Xion wonders. "They could be anywhere! It could take days–even weeks to find them all. Sora might not have that kind of time!"

"...Any ideas, Vanitas?" Naminé asks, giving his hand the slightest pleading squeeze.

He turns to face her fully, his expression a stoic mask as he shakes his head. "Afraid not, sunshine. I've already told you everything I know."

"Good," Terra says staunchly, icily. "Then do us all a favor and leave us alone."

"Tch, gladly," Vanitas sneers as he turns to go. At least until Naminé anchors him back one more time.

"Vanitas, wait," she grips his arm tightly, her mere touch sending silent shockwaves through his body. "Come with us."

"Huh?!" Donald and Goofy balk in equal alarm. Xion and Axel share their surprise, but Terra is the one who's most openly, adamantly against such a risky idea.

"Naminé, listen," he takes a step forward, intent on getting the girl far away from someone with such a violent history. "He's not-"

"No, Terra, I need you–all of you–to listen to me," she pulls her arm away from him when he reaches for it. Despite her usually gentle demeanor, right now, her tone is filled with the same kind of steady authority that Aqua so often carries. Authority that even Terra finds himself compelled to heed. "You may not trust Vanitas–and you have every reason not to. But… I do."

Several stunned murmurs erupt at this. Even Terra winces back, completely bewildered by anyone, especially someone as soundly wise as Naminé, trusting someone as twisted as Vanitas. But she stands firm all the same, gripping his hand all the while, a hand he stares at with wide eyes as he tries to make sense of what she just said. Of the flood of unfamiliar feelings rapidly starting to rise up within him all over again. "Sunshine…" he whispers, unsure of what he's said or done to warrant such trust, such respect, such kindness at all.

But then he realizes… maybe it's not anything he's done. Maybe it's just who she is.

"Besides," Naminé continues briskly, firmly. "He's connected to Ventus, and Sora too. If we have any hope of saving them–or any of the others for that matter–then we have no choice but to ask him for help. So," she turns back to Vanitas, her steadfast tone softening as the slightest hint of fear edges into it. Fear that this won't work, that they'll be sent right back to square one, that her fledgling faith in him really is misplaced after all. But she still takes both of his hands, drawing his full attention toward her as she makes one last earnest plea. "Will you help us, Vanitas? Please?"

There had been a time not so long ago that his immediate answer to such a brazen question would have been a harsh, outright no. He would have let out a scornful laugh at the mere idea of lending even the most minor aid to anyone aligned with the light in any way. Even now, his stomach churns with disgust when he catches the expectant, yet still skeptical looks almost all of them are sending him. All of them… except Naminé. Instead, Naminé holds both his hands in hers, staring up at him with those doleful, beautiful blue eyes. Instead, Naminé waits patiently for his answer, giving him all the time he needs to reach a decision. Instead, Naminé offers him something he's still not quite used to having: a choice. A choice that's wholly, unquestionably, undeniably his own.

He can only hope that the choice he's about to make is one he won't regret.

"I'll help you, sunshine," he whispers, so quietly that only she can hear him.

"That means you're helping all of us," Naminé smiles, squeezing his hands slightly.

Vanitas can't suppress a smirk at this; looks like his sunshine is much more clever than he'd once thought. "You got me," he concedes, finally working up the nerve to squeeze her hands in return. "I guess it does."

Naminé's smile brightens, its radiance as warm and welcome as the sun itself. Vanitas once again finds himself awestruck by that warmth, left speechless as she steps away from him to regroup with the rest of the lights. A group that, like it or not, Vanitas abruptly, aggravatingly realizes he's now a part of.

"Well, if we're going to look for the others, we ought to get started," Terra begins, warily watching Vanitas out of the corner of his eye all the while. "There are a lot of worlds we'll need to search, so splitting up might be our best option to cover the most ground-"

"We volunteer to look for Sora!" Goofy readily exclaims as Donald nods his immediate agreement.

"Um… I don't know if we can-"

"Oh, you mean you volunteer to get yourselves killed then?" Vanitas interrupts, cutting Terra off. "Because that's exactly what the Organization will do to you if you try going after their 'crowning jewel'."

"Vanitas…" Naminé groans. She realizes she was probably hoping for too much in thinking that he'd actually be civil to any of the lights; the fact that he's even agreed to cooperate with them at all is already a miracle enough.

"What? It's true," Vanitas counters. "Even if you find all your friends, there's a good chance you won't be enough to stop them. Not now that they're a full set, now that they've got your golden boy securely on their side."

"Sora isn't on their side!" Donald snaps, infuriated. "Even if they have him, he won't fight for them! Not against us!"

"He'll do whatever his 'master' tells him to," Vanitas shrugs apathetically. "He's nothing more than a puppet now, tied up all nice and tight with strings you'll never be able to break."

"Puppet". "Puppet". It's a word that's haunted Xion relentlessly, ever since the day she was made. Even now, it rings painfully through her heart, prompting her into action to keep anyone, especially Sora from being simply passed off as something she'd been called so many times. A title she's only just been able to find freedom from. She suddenly steps forward, her hands curled in tight fists at her sides as she offers Vanitas a brutal glare. "Shut up," she hisses with a kind of severity none of the others, not even Axel, have ever heard from her before. "You may know the Organization, but you don't know the first thing about Sora, and you don't know anything about any of us. We'll do whatever it takes to bring him back from this, and we won't stop until we do. And if you think we can't… then get ready to be proven wrong."

Suffice to say, Vanitas isn't a fan of being talked to so crossly. As Xion walks away, he steps after her, violence flashing in his eyes, at least until Naminé throws a hand up to stop him. Axel, meanwhile, offers Xion a proud grin as she returns to his side, clapping a hand on her shoulder as he whispers "nice one" to ease her anger. And to his credit, it works. Mostly.

"Ugh, are we gonna find your stupid friends or are we just gonna keep on standing around here doing nothing?" Vanitas sneers, crossing his arms.

"We are going to find them," Naminé confirms with a confident smile. "The Organization may think they've won, but this isn't over yet. Not as long as the rest of us are still here to stop them."

The other lights are quick to share such sentiments as they start to set out, hope rising up in them that they can only silently send to their scattered friends from afar. Hope that they can only send Sora's way, even though they know there's bound to be so little to spare where he is now. Where they're determined not to let him stay any longer than he already has.


Despite their earlier resolve to search for Sora first, Donald and Goofy were quickly shut down. Terra's reasoning was sound in doing so–without the rest of the lights, they stand a slim chance against the full force of Organization XIII, just as Vanitas had said. And while it breaks the pair's heart to leave Sora, the boy they both easily see as a son after so much time spent together, in the hands of such wicked people… they really don't have much of a choice. Their aid is needed elsewhere for now, in searching for the other guardians of light so they can eventually come together to save Sora all the same.

Still, that doesn't mean they stop thinking about him during any step of that search.

What they'd hoped would only take a few hours quickly turns into days. The group had indeed split up, with Donald and Goofy teaming up to scour worlds they'd been to alongside Sora during their search for the Keys. They'd already checked Paradise Falls and the Great Ocean with little results to show for it. Now, they're left with the daunting task of combing through a world as vast and dense as the city of San Fransokyo. And needless to say that simply being here brings up a whole host of bittersweet memories for them both.

"Heh, remember how excited Sora was the first time we were here?" Goofy chuckles as they stroll along the city's iconic crimson bridge.

"Of course I do," Donald rolls his eyes. He still smiles all the same. "He couldn't stop taking pictures of everything. I was sure I was gonna have to snatch that silly phone away from him just to get him to focus on finding the Key."

Goofy laughs again, fondness brimming in his tone. "He could get a bit… distracted sometime, but we always managed to get him back on track," his smile slips as he sighs sadly. "How do you think he's doing now…?

"Probably not very well…" Donald replies just as fretfully. "It's hard to believe it all turned out like this. Just a few months ago, he was running around with us, the same old Sora he'd always been. But when he came back, he was so… different. And now… he's one of… h-he's with them…"

"...Do you ever wonder if this is our fault?" Goofy asks after a moment of mournful silence. "That if we'd just said somethin' to the others sooner, none of this would've happened?"

"Only all the time," Donald glances down guiltily. "I wish I'd never cast that glamor spell on him. I thought it would make him feel better, but all it did was make everything so much worse."

"Even before that though," Goofy counters. "Before any of this, all the way back to the very beginnin'. If we'd never dragged him along with us, heck, if we'd never even met him back in Traverse Town at all… then maybe he'd be safe…"

Though Donald wants to argue, he ultimately finds that he can't. Because that first meeting years ago had indeed set off a chain reaction, one that's ultimately led to where they are right now. One that pushed Sora into the spotlight, into the crosshairs of Organization XIII, and ultimately… right into Xehanort's hands. "You're right… Maybe he would be better off without us…"

But even that thought, as distressing and depressing as it is, isn't enough to stop the pair from seizing up in surprise when an all-too-familiar weapon crash-lands into the road straight ahead of them. It clatters to the ground loudly, the late-day sun blazing off its golden edge. But the shape of it alone is what catches Donald and Goofy's attention most, a Key they've seen so many times before. A Key they'd both recognize anywhere.

"Is that… Sora's Keyblade?!" Donald exclaims, rushing straight to it.

"Wait," Goofy approaches much more cautiously, narrowing his eyes at the fallen weapon. "That's not Sora's… that's-"

"The king's!" they shout in surprised unison, not hesitating to glance up to where the other Kingdom Key had fallen from. They're met with a startling sight unfolding high above from from the bridge's uppermost bearings. A writhing wave of Heartless surges through the dusky skies just above it. Fortunately, the bridge is already closed to traffic for construction, but someone is still in danger from the horde of monsters all the same: none other than Mickey himself.

Even without his Keyblade on hand, the king still deftly dodges the tide's attempts at striking him down. He leaps and swings from the bridge's bearings and wires, his skill and small size serving him well in fending his own. He throws his hand out as he lunges toward the Heartless horde, his Keyblade quickly returning to him as he lands a devastating strike that's more than enough to send several creatures flying. If only countless more didn't flood in from out of nowhere to take their place.

"Aw, c'mon…" Mickey mutters as he lands to catch his breath. "Just fall apart already, will ya?"

"Your majesty!"

"Huh?" Mickey glances down to the base of the bridge, shocked at the pair he sees waving to him from far below. "Donald? Goofy? Where did you-" He's cut off as the demon tide takes advantage of the distraction. It rushes in for him, slamming hard into his side with enough force to easily knock him off his precarious perch.

"Oh no!" Donald shouts as the king begins to plummet.

"Don't worry, I've got 'im!" Goofy holds his arms out wide as he rushes to get into position. Sure enough, he manages to catch Mickey just in time, though both of them end up tumbling to the ground in a messy pile.

"Gee, Goofy," Mickey chuckles as he sits up, fortunately not much worse for wear. "Great catch!"

"Aw, it was nothin', your majesty," Goofy grins as he helps the king stand. "We're just so glad to see ya! We have a ton to tell you about, and-"

"Maybe we could talk after we get rid of that?!" Donald cuts in, summoning his wand. The monstrous horde is already on its way down to the bridge, intent on viciously attacking not just the king, but his companions too.

"Gawrsh, what is that thing?" Goofy asks as he apprehensively pulls out his shield.

"It's a demon tide, just like the one that me and the others in the Keyblade Graveyard," Mickey informs, gripping his Keyblade tightly. "It swept me away from everyone else and somehow, I woke up here. Ever since then, it's been chasing me all around the city–and no matter how much I try to shake it or destroy it, it just won't let up!"

"You've been fighting this for days?" Donald asks, incredulously. "All by yourself?"

"Wow, your majesty, you sure are strong," Goofy says with longstanding admiration.

"Not enough to beat it on my own," Mickey shakes his head. "But now that you fellas are here, I have a feeling we're about to turn this tide for good. Let's go!"

On this command alone, the trio leaps into action, meeting the demon tide head-on. Goofy wards its initial strike off with his shield, allowing Mickey to leap in to land several heavy swings. Donald supplements that with a powerful ice spell to try and pin the horde down, though ultimately it shatters that ice in mere seconds. Knowing that they need to go for the core if they ever hope to defeat it, that's where Mickey aims as he uses Goofy's shield as a launch point, with the captain tossing him high up into the air. Though he manages to knock out plenty of Heartless along the way, the elusive core is still securely covered, keeping them from making any real progress, despite their best efforts.

"Yeesh, and I thought Heartless on their own were annoying enough," Donald huffs as he downs an elixir to replenish his magic. "Together, they're even more of a nuisance!"

"At least they've only been going after me," Mickey says, relieved. "In fact, it's like they haven't even noticed anyone who lives in the city at all–and they haven't noticed it either!"

"Ya mean they can't see it?" Goofy frowns, confused. "Then how come we can?"

"I'm not sure, but I'll bet anything Organization XIII is behind it," Mickey asserts, just shy of using his Keyblade to fire off a lightning spell.

"They're behind all of this!" Donald exclaims, knocking aside a Heartless tendril with some windy magic. "They scattered you and all the other lights who went to the graveyard to a bunch of different worlds, just so they could finally get their hands on Sora!"

"B-but… they didn't, did they?" Mickey asks, already dreading they answer when neither Donald or Goofy gives one right away. "Fellas?"

Goofy can only nod gravely as Donald looks away, forlorn. "Yes. They did…"

For the first time in this fight, Mickey stills, lowering his Keyblade as the terrible truth sets in. But for as awful as it is, as much as he doesn't even want to imagine one of their own, Sora no less, standing on the side of their foes… he doesn't let himself sink into despair too deeply. Not when there's still so much left to do to drive the source of that despair away once and for all. "Well then," he begins, steadying his stance as he offers his friends a small, encouraging smile. "We'd better finish this so we can hurry up and save him, dontcha think?"

"Yeah!" Goofy is the first to perk up as he raises his shield.

"Let's do it!" Donald adds, just as determined as the battle begins anew.

That battle rages on rapidly, with Mickey, Donald, and Goofy each putting their all into taking the demon tide down. Goofy throws his shield straight through the center of the horde, though it's quick to mend itself back together again, at least until Donald pelts it with a torrent of fire. Mickey fends off each wave of Heartless that dives in toward him, making good use of the nearby bridge to scale to a higher level. If he can just get to the core and land a solid hit on it, then this fight will reach a quick and easy end. Though given how little success he's seen in reaching that core after several tireless days of attacking it, Mickey knows that's a feat much easier said than done.

Still, he tries all the same, taking advantage of the distraction Donald and Goofy are providing as he leaps for the tide's densely covered core. He's set to cast a light spell to drive the darkness surrounding it away, but the tide manages to anticipate him well before he can even get close. It swings a tendril up at him, easily catching him by coiling tight around his body. From there, it throws him hard to the far end of the bridge, knocking his Keyblade out of his hand the second he slams hard into the pavement below. All in full view of his two most loyal companions.

"Your majesty!" Goofy cries, not hesitating to rush over to the fallen king. Donald, however, remains where he is, his back turned to the demon tide behind him. The magician already has an infamously short temper, but after all this, after everything else on top of it, it's quick to reach its boiling point. He glares back at the mindless storm of Heartless behind him, his grip on his scepter tight to the point that his hand shakes from it. In that moment, he doesn't see a mere demon tide; he sees Organization XIII and every last one of its members. Each of them harming their friends, scattering them far between the worlds with no help in sight. Each and every last one of them dedicated, determined to keep Sora, to their son away from where he really belongs: with them.

And in that moment… he refuses to let it go on any longer.

Donald plants his webbed feet firmly as he turns to face the torrential tide, raising his wand high into the air. Magic swirls around him, etching into a crimson circle on the ground beneath him as it slows the demon tide's movements to a crawl. From a distance, Goofy slowly helps Mickey sit up, mindful of his newfound injuries all the while. But both of them are quick to take notice of Donald as he squares off against the demon tide alone.

"W-what's he doing?" Mickey asks worriedly.

For a moment, Goofy doesn't answer, trying to make sense of what he's seeing. He's only ever heard about this kind of magic before, and from what Donald has told him, it's forbidden, downright dangerous to the point of being life-threatening to whoever casts it. Which is why Goofy is on his feet in seconds, desperate to stop him before it's too late, desperate not to lose another friend he cares so very deeply about.

"Donald!" he throws a hand forward, already knowing the distance between them is far too great. "Don't!"

But Donald doesn't listen. He stays the course, pouring every ounce of magic he has in him into what could very well be his last spell. And the second that magic stands fully at the ready, burning hot and bright at the tip of his wand, he doesn't hesitate to let it loose in full force.

"Zettaflare!"

Flames, brutal and blinding burst from his wand, searing the demon tide to the point that it tears most of the Heartless it's made of apart on contact. But it doesn't stop there. That incredibly powerful magic keeps going until it finally finds the core the king had been looking for. It makes quick work of what's keeping the demon tide together, resulting in a resounding explosion that rattles the bridge, as well as much of the city behind it. Everything unfolds in a mere matter of seconds that feel like ages to Goofy and Mickey as they watch on in a mix of horror and awe. The latter takes over them both however when that fire fades, when last of the Heartless vanish from sight. When Donald's wand falls unceremoniously to the ground… and the magician himself follows soon after.

"No!" Mickey shouts, forcing himself to his feet despite his own wounds. He reaches Donald mere seconds after Goofy does, and by then, the captain's already scooped his limp form into his arms. "Is… is he…?"

Goofy lowers an ear to Donald's chest, letting out a relieved sigh a moment later. "He's still breathin', but not much. That spell took everything outta him…"

"Heal!" Mickey abruptly casts, no questions asked. The spell washes over the unconscious magician, hopefully mending whatever internal damage he's sustained. But if it is, then he still shows no signs of waking all the same. "C'mon, Donald, you've gotta pull through!"

"Y-yeah," Goofy agrees, fighting back tears. "We're counting on ya. Sora's counting on ya."

Donald suddenly stirs at this, his eyes slowly open as he lets out a weak groan. "S-Sora…?"

Goofy and Mickey share an allayed laugh, glad to see that he's still with them, even as faint as he clearly is. "That's right," Goofy nods, smiling. "You've gotta make it for him. Who else is gonna yell at him for bein' so reckless once we get him back?"

"Y-you won't…" Donald deadpans, even despite his current state. "So I guess I'll have to stick around to give him what for instead…"

"That's the spirit!" Mickey exclaims, chuckling.

"Besides…" Donald heaves out a heavy breath as Goofy helps him sit up. "We've gotta make it up to him…"

"Make what up to him?" Mickey's smile fades into confusion.

"Everything that's happened to him…" Goofy explains where Donald can't. "If we hadn't dragged him into savin' the worlds with us, the Organization wouldn't have gotten ahold of him. Or if we'd done a better job at protecting him… then… maybe…"

"Maybe he'd be ok… if it wasn't for us…" Donald finishes in a mournful, labored mutter.

Mickey is quiet for a moment or two as he looks between his friends, equally worried for them both. "Aw… fellas…" he sighs as he draws an arm around both of their shoulders. "What's happened to Sora… it's not your fault. It's not anybody's fault–well, 'cept for Xehanort's I guess. But the point is… we can't keep thinkin' about what might've been if we'd done things differently. All we can do now… is keep moving forward."

The pair exchange a fretful glance at this advice, knowing it does little to chase all of their grief and guilt away. But they still take it all the same. Because now, there is no going back to try and undo their mistakes. Now, the only thing they can do is try to fix those mistakes where they can. Now, the only thing they can do is…

"Keep moving forward…" Donald begins, mostly back to his usual verve. Even so, he still leaves against Goofy for support that he's more than happy to give. "Until the Organization is gone for good. Until the worlds are finally safe."

"Keep movin' forward until all our friends are found!" Goofy repeats, resigned and resolved. "Until we won't have to worry about losing anyone else ever again."

"Keep moving forward," Mickey finishes with a daring, encouraging nod as he leads his friends onward. Into uncertainty, into the future, into a war they're not sure they'll win. A war they still have to win all the same. "Until Sora is finally safe and home and free."


The vast dunes of Agrabah are as dry and dusty as ever, though a stark chill rests over them beneath the cover of night. Xion shivers as she follows close alongside Axel, their hearts equally heavy as their search for any of their scattered friends goes into its first full week. Aside from Mickey, no real progress has been made in finding any of the other lights. Yen Sid, Merlin, Ienzo, and the Restoration Committee all pitching in to help in whatever ways they can. But even with that help, the worlds are still vast and numerous, and each one must be searched until every last lost light is finally found.

Including the lost light that's closest to Xion's aching heart.

"You're worried about him, aren't you?" Axel breaks through the quiet desert night as well as her thoughts.

"Huh?" she blinks, glancing up.

"Roxas," Axel looks over at her, frowning. "You haven't talked about him much since we found out what happened to everyone. Which is weird because normally I can't get you to shut up about him. So what's up? Afraid we won't find him or something?"

"No… I know we will…" Xion mutters, gripping her bare, cold arms tight. "It's just… the Organization was what brought us together… and what tore the three of us apart before. And now… now they've done it all over again. It's like every time we think we'll finally get to stay together, they always have to come in and ruin that for us. I know I owe my existence to them, that I wouldn't be standing here at all if they hadn't made me in the first place. But I really do hate them for what they've done to us, to all of us. To Sora most of all…"

"Hey, join the club," Axel slides his hands into his pockets. "I've hated those chumps for a long time now. Even as far back as when we were part of them."

Xion can't help but raise a confused eyebrow, surprised to hear something like this after all this time. "If you hated them then why did you stay so long?"

"Why do you think?" Axel replies with a small, wry smirk

"...For me and Roxas?"

He nods, though his smile fades fast. "And for… well… nevermind. It's not important."

He hopes that'll be enough to satiate Xion, but of course, it isn't. "Axel-"

"Hold it," he cuts her off, raising an arm to stop her in her tracks. As much as he's grateful for a timely distraction, that relief soon turns to alarm when he gets a better view of exactly what that distraction is. A black-coat clad shadow illuminated only by the light of the pale full moon. "Speak of the devil…"

"Which one was that?" Xion summons Keyblade as the unknown Organization member dives back below the sand dune before them.

"Dunno," Axel scowls as he steps forward. Only to be caught off guard when two more members leap high above the dune before descending back down. "More than one, eh? Good; maybe we can kill a few birds with one stone."

Xion nods, ready to do whatever it takes to cut the Organization's menacing number down. But then, something else rises over the desert: a sharp, pained shout. One that both her and Axel recognize the second they hear it.

"Roxas!"

Danger is the furthest thing from either of their minds as they run ahead, both of their weapons in hand by the time they arrive at the peak of the dune. What awaits them in the low valley beyond it, however, is a daunting sight to say the least.

A set of sand-covered ruins has become a battlefield. Not just one, not just two, but twelve Organization members, each well-concealed under their hoods appear and disappear throughout those ruins at random. And, in the middle of all of this rapid-fire chaos, sure enough, there's Roxas, fighting each attack they send his way with both of his Keyblades in hand. He looks exhausted, his clothes torn, his hair disheveled, his skin torn and burnt and bruised all over. Yet even still, he stands strong, refusing to let up as he holds his own, no matter how drastically outnumbered he might be. That's the only thing that doesn't surprise Xion and Axel. Even if everything about the bizarre sight before them easily does.

"Roxas!" Xion calls down to him first. Before he can even turn her way, she's sliding down the sandy hill toward him. She slips over the slope and clumsily crashes into Roxas, hugging him immediately. He's so caught off guard that he drops Oathkeeper and Oblivion, his eyes wide as he grabs her arms and stares between his two friends incredulously.

"X-Xion? Axel?" he balks before breaking into a huge, relieved grin. "Is it really you?"

"Who else could it be?" Axel hurries down to the pair below. "We'd love to catch up, but it looks like we've got a bit of company to deal with first…"

Roxas has no choice but to agree as he calls upon both of his Keyblades again. By now, they're surrounded by the full force of the Organization, each only recognizable by the diverse weapons they bear. "What are they all doing here?" Xion asks, gripping her Keyblade tight.

"They're not real," Roxas reports. "None of them are. I found out during the first day when I took one of them down and another one rose up out of the sand just a few seconds later. I've been fighting them non-stop ever since."

"For a whole week?" Axel asks, bewildered. "Roxas, you've gotta be kidding me. How have you not starved or bled out or dehydrated or something?"

"Beats me," Roxas shrugs, largely unconcerned with something so admittedly strange. Something he hasn't had much time to think about between just trying to survive. "It feels like I've been through all of those things several times over though. I guess now I know what it was like for Sora when he was on the run. It almost makes me wish I'd gone easier on him when he came back; almost,"

"Well, let's finish this so you won't have to go through any more," Xion says, resolved. Roxas and Axel nod, their weapons at the ready for when the fake Organization rushes in.

They're bombarded on all sides by their illusory foes, Keyblades clashing with shields and scythes and sitars and more. It doesn't take long for Roxas to knock the first one down, a figure who seems to be wielding Xigbar's crossbows. Axel takes out another two after that, phantoms meant to represent Larxene and Luxord. But just as Xion defeats Vexen's illusion, each of the ones who had fallen before suddenly reappear, throwing themselves right back into the fray without missing a beat.

"Ugh, we're getting nowhere like this!" Axel huffs, beyond annoyed. "How are we supposed to beat these guys if they keep coming back like this?"

"Why do you think I haven't been able to?" Roxas shoots back, equally frustrated. "They haven't let me have a minute's rest since I got here. I'm running out of ideas…"

"Well, we're not," Xion assures with a smile. "What if we try to take them all out at the same time?"

"I have tried that," Roxas retorts as he fends off Marluxia's double. "But… only on my own. With some help…"

"It just might be enough to wipe these coat-wearing creeps out for good," Axel finishes as he pushes both Ansem and Xemnas' phantoms back. "I say we give it a try."

Roxas and Xion agree as they raise their Keyblades, with Axel following suit. Roxas leads the charge, casting a powerful light spell that his friends mimic to create a bright, blinding swell of radiance upon the night-streaked sands. It's enough to wither away several of the fake Organization members, but not all of them. The rest are merely knocked back into the surrounding ruins, with the ones that had been ousted reviving themselves all over again in a matter of mere seconds.

"Seriously?" Axel groans, aptly disgruntled. "What's with these stupid ghosts anyway?"

"Ghosts…" Roxas repeats, gasping in realization. "Ghosts! I get it now!"

"Get what?" Xion asks, confused.

"I finally know what these things are," Roxas explains as he wards off a strike from Saïx's phantom. "These aren't just the ghosts of Organization XIII. They're the ghosts of our pasts."

"Uh… wanna elaborate on that?" Axel asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Even though we aren't with them anymore, the Organization is still trying to defeat us or destroy us or keep us apart," Roxas's tone is solemn, yet steady as he keeps his Keyblades raised for the ongoing brawl. "They made us think we were just a bunch of Nobodies. But we're so much more than that! And I think it's about time we proved that to them—and to ourselves–once and for all."

"Yeah!" Xion readily agrees. "To show them that we aren't just their puppets anymore. They can't control us-now, or ever again. We're our own people! We're free!"

"And together, we're leagues stronger than those chumps could ever hope to be," Axel finishes boldly as they each raise their Keyblades once more. "So one more time-"

"Together!" Roxas and Xion jump in as their rallying cry echoes over the desert. This time, their magic is unified, culminating to create a blast of light that burns each and every one of the phantoms around them into oblivion. Even as that light begins to fade, Roxas, Xion, and Axel's hearts all still brim strongly with it, with the freedom they all fought so hard to win, with the friends they're so glad they've finally get to keep.

"We did it!" Xion cheers, not hesitating to pull Axel and Roxas into a celebratory hug.

"I'd say that was just about the best practice we're ever gonna get for facing the real thing soon," Axel notes, letting his Keyblade disappear. "If only that had been the real thing; we would have been able to save Sora nice and easy."

"Save–no," Roxas cuts himself off, his smile immediately disappearing. "Don't tell me. T-they… he's not… they didn't-"

"Roxas…" Xion places a comforting hand on his arm. "I'm so sorry, but… Sora's… he's been-"

She doesn't even have to finish before Roxas collapses to his knees. He chokes out a sob he's powerless to hold back, grief etched into his expression as it all hits him at once. The one thought he'd barred from his mind ever since he'd been ousted from the graveyard, the one thing he couldn't bear to face. The crushing realization that he couldn't save the one person who gave so much to save him.

"I can't believe this…" he whispers. The haunting image of Sora in one of their coats, standing alongside any of them flashes through his mind. An image he can do nothing to banish, despite his best efforts. "Everything we did… everything we fought for… it was all for nothing!"

"I-it wasn't all for nothing," Xion tries to counter, kneeling down to his level. "If it wasn't for us, then this would have happened much sooner than it did. We gave Sora more time to-"

"Not nearly enough time to actually fix this!" Roxas argues hotly, tears still streaking down his face. "This never should have happened to him in the first place! He didn't do anything to deserve any of it! All Sora ever wanted to do was help people, and now… now he's…"

"...Now he's the one who needs our help," Axel interjects just before Roxas can fully fall to pieces. "Which means there's only one thing left for us to do."

"Save him," Xion takes Roxas' hands, offering him a hopeful smile. "Just like he saved us before."

Despite his lingering tears, Roxas lets out a small laugh as he starts to wipe a few of them away. "It's the least we can do…" he agrees, taking both of the hands his best friends offer to him. Their hands remain intertwined as they leave the dark night of the desert behind, as they head together toward the light of dawn. As they vow to fight their former Organization alongside their new friends, to save the one they've all so suddenly lost…

And perhaps, above all else, to banish the ghosts of their painful pasts and walk forward in hope to their future together.


"Sunshine owes me big time for this…" Vanitas mutters to himself. He stands high atop a bluff in a densely forested world, a place apparently called "Gravity Falls" if the signs he saw earlier are anything to go off of. Up until now, his search for the guardians of light has been a half-hearted one at best–unsurprising since he barely even knows most of them. But of the few of them he is familiar with, the last lost light he wanted to find just so happens to be the only one he's come across.

His own former other half.

Vanitas lets out an annoyed sigh as he watches Ventus' fruitless struggle against him in the woods below. He should have figured that the Organization would resort to such a tactic–creating phantoms to fight the scattered lights long enough to hold them at bay until they're needed again. He'd almost find it clever–if it wasn't the most obvious thing they could have done. He's hardly surprised that the lights would fall for a trick like this though, especially Ventus. Vanitas always figured he was the one who got all the intelligence when they were split, leaving Ventus with a pure heart and an empty mind. Empty enough to believe that the mask-wearing illusion he's embroiled in a brawl against is actually the real deal, that such a lifeless, empty husk could pass for the part of him he lost so long ago.

"Just give it up already, Vanitas!" Ventus shouts as their Keyblades clash, sparks bursting through the thick morning air. "I won't let you win!"

"From the looks of it, you already have."

"Huh?" Ven flinches, startled to the point that he doesn't even see the fake Vanitas taking a swipe at him. A swipe that's only stopped by the sharp spire of sheer light that suddenly bursts through the ground between them.

Vanitas jumps down from the bluff soon after, rolling his eyes the second he hears Ventus' shocked gasp. "Two of them?! As if one wasn't bad enough…"

"What was that?" Vanitas hisses, glaring daggers at him.

"Oh, and this one talks too. Great," Ven deadpans, more to himself than to Vanitas. "And here I thought you were just giving me the silent treatment."

"I'd be giving you much more than that if I wasn't here to help you, you miserable little worm," Vanitas retorts just as crossly.

"What?" Ven frowns, confused. "Help me? Since when have you ever-"

Vanitas doesn't bother explaining himself as he notices what Ventus doesn't. His doppelgänger comes in for a swift sneak attack, one that Vanitas uses his own Keyblade to block just in time. He supposes he should be unnerved by the mere notion of essentially fighting himself, but after multiple bloody brawls with Sora, it's something he's gotten strangely used to. Ventus, on the other hand, is taken aback at the sight of Vanitas, of all people, apparently defending him. He's even more bewildered when Vanitas shoves his phantom self back into the surrounding tree line, and doubly so when he doesn't turn around to fight him in its stead.

"What are you doing?" he asks warily.

"What's it look like, idiot?" Vanitas sneers, glancing over his shoulder at him. "I'm saving you. As much as I'd rather be doing literally anything else right now…"

"Uh… why?"

Vanitas' crimson glare deepens, though it only lingers on his other half for a moment before he catches his phantom rushing back in for another attack. "None of your business. Now shut up and fight!"

Vanitas blocks the phantom's approach again, but as he tries to steady his stance, he's caught off guard by a sudden strike from Ventus instead. His Keyblade connects hard with his side, and Vanitas lets loose a swear as he stumbles back, injured. He only has a moment to recover as Ventus uses a lightning spell to shock and stun the phantom, before he races toward him, intent on attacking all over again.

"W-what's the matter with you, you moron?!" Vanitas shouts, narrowly raising his Keyblade to block Ven's just in time. "I told you, I'm here to help you!"

"Do you really think I'm stupid enough to buy that?" Ventus shoots back, keeping tension tight against Vanitas' Keyblade.

"Oh, believe me, I know you're stupid, Ventus," Vanitas deadpans. "But if you ever wanna see any of your loser friends again, then you're just gonna have to trust me."

"Like I'd ever–wait… friends… y-you mean the lights?" Ventus asks incredulously. He finally pulls his Keyblade back a bit, and to his surprise, Vanitas doesn't try to retaliate. Not yet at least. "You know where the other lights are?!"

Vanitas pushes past him, just in time to call upon several more bright spikes to send the phantom flying. "Who do you think sent me to look for you in the first place?"

"You're… but… that doesn't make any sense," Ventus shakes his head, beyond puzzled by this point. "Why would you ever work with the lights?"

"I'm not; I hate them, just as much as I hate you," Vanitas replies shortly, crossly. Even so, he mutters something else under his breath a moment later, something that Ventus only barely manages to hear. "I'm doing this for Naminé…"

"Naminé? How do you even know-" Ventus cuts himself off as he takes another look at Vanitas. As he notices the faint rush of red filling his other half's face. "Whoa, hold on," he can't help but crack a smile as he starts to catch on. "Vanitas, do… do you like her?"

"I don't 'like' anybody," Vanitas scoffs, his face growing even hotter as he swiftly turns away. "I tolerate her. More than I do any of you other useless lights, that's for sure."

Despite his bitter tone, Ventus still hears a hint of faint fondness leaking into it all the same. It's enough to ease his initial distrust, enough to make him realize that this Vanitas is clearly different from whatever specter or phantom he's been fighting all this time. This Vanitas is, without a doubt, the real one. And this Vanitas… has changed. And though he doesn't quite know how it happened, or how Naminé somehow managed to reach someone who was once so unreachable… Ventus can't help but think that change might be for the better.

To keep their focus on the ongoing fight, they both fall into relative silence as they continue exchanging blows with the phantom, working together this time. It moves swiftly, rarely ever faltering, despite being faced with two opponents this time. Still, its attacks remain focused on Ventus, to the point that it all but bipasses Vanitas whenever possible. Not that he lets it slip by too often; he's quick to block its assaults with a myriad of spikes and heavy swings. Between the two of them, Ven and Vanitas manage to hold the specter off for what feels like hours, yet they never seem to get any closer to defeating it. A frustrating stalemate that Ventus has been dealing with ever since he awakened here on his own days ago. A stalemate that will either be broken… or end up breaking them both.

Ventus is the first to try and turn the tide, making good use of the fact that he's no longer alone in this fight. He puts his shock that he's fighting with and not against Vanitas aside long enough to go in for a swing from behind the phantom while it's distracted. Vanitas doesn't let up as soon as he notices what Ven is doing, making sure the specter keeps its sights set solely on him. But even then, that's not enough to keep the masked phantom from catching onto their unspoken plan. It spins around in an instant, not only blocking Ventus' strike, but countering it brutally. As a result, Ven is sent flying back into a nearby tree with enough force to knock the wind out of his chest and his Keyblade out of his hand. The phantom doesn't give him even a moment to recover before it appears before him, raising its Keyblade high for a devastating, deadly blow. Ventus can only weakly brace himself for the oncoming onslaught… one that never ends up coming.

Instead, when he glances up, he finds a bright white spike sticking straight out of the phantom's chest. It pierces its way through Vanitas' illusory form from behind, a spire of radiant light cast by the very one it was trying to replicate. For his part, Vanitas simply sneers as he sends another shock of light pulsing through that spike. That light finally destroys the already failing copy in a blinding instant, leaving not a single trace of its empty existence behind.

"The old man's losing his touch if he thought that pitiful excuse could even come close to being me," he turns his nose up as he lets his Keyblade disappear.

Ventus, however, can only stare up at him in shock, scarcely able to believe what just happened. "Vanitas… you… you saved me…" It sounds even stranger when he says it aloud.

Vanitas shoots him a sharp glare, crossing his arms as he turns away from his other half. "Tch, get over yourself. I just couldn't stand by watching someone other than me beat you within an inch of your life."

"...Thank you," Ventus says with a small, yet genuine smile.

Vanitas doesn't say a word, his back still turned as his already guarded posture becomes even moreso. At first, Ventus isn't sure what else to say in the sudden newfound calm of the forest. So he asks just one of the questions that's been standing on the forefront of his mind ever since he arrived.

"The other lights… are they… ok?"

"...They're alive," Vanitas replies simply, tersely.

Ventus allows himself a sigh of relief, but that relief is short-lived as he dares to ask what's weighing on his heart so heavily. "A-and Sora…? Is he…?"

He doesn't have to finish the thought before Vanitas nods apathetically. Surprisingly, Ventus doesn't really react much to such heart shattering news, at least not as much as Vanitas expected him to. Instead, he simply hangs his head, letting out a sorrowful sigh. His eyes fill with tears but they don't fall as he rests a hand against his heart, a heart that had, until so recently, rested inside of Sora's. Inside of a heart that's now fallen to darkness in all the worst ways imaginable, all because he wasn't strong enough to save him. He wasn't strong enough to stop any of this from the very start.

"You know, I always knew this could happen, but I still hoped…" he trails off as he lets out a bitter laugh. "I guess it doesn't matter what any of us hoped now… Hope wasn't enough to save him in the end… Nothing was…"

"...What's the point of hoping anyway?" Vanitas asks. "It doesn't do anything. Just because you hope or wish for something to happen, it doesn't mean it will. It's just a way to save your dumb feelings from getting hurt because you're too scared to face reality."

Ventus sighs again, this time out of frustration. "We weren't scared, we just wanted to-" he stops short, glaring at the ground. "Forget it. I don't know why I ever thought you would understand…"

"I understand more than you think I do," Vanitas counters, finally turning to face him again. "You owed him, Ventus; you owed him your heart, your very life. You wouldn't be standing here if it wasn't for Sora. You had a such a huge debt to repay to him… and in the end, you failed to even come close."

Ven draws in an unsteady breath, wishing he had it in him to argue such icy claims. But he knows he can't; every last one of them is absolutely true. "You're right… I couldn't save him…" His tone is resigned, and yet… there's something else in it too. Something that echoes with determination, with a sense of duty and a debt to repay as he looks to the sunlight spilling in through the trees. "But that doesn't mean I'm giving up on him yet."

"Leave it to you to be stubborn…" Vanitas groans, feigning annoyance.

"You're one to talk," Ven grins up at him. "Whatever happened to forging the X-Blade? Don't you still want to be whole?"

Vanitas doesn't reply as he looks away again, his expression sincere, thoughtful. It's all the answer Ventus needs as his smile turns a touch more genuine. "...You've finally realized you already are whole, just the way you are… haven't you?"

"Ugh, do you have to make it sound so sappy?" Vanitas rolls his eyes. "Oh, by the way, just before you go getting any ideas about us being 'friends' or whatever, I still hate your guts, you pathetic waste of space."

"And I still think you're the worst," Ventus chuckles, though his smile is quick to fade. "But… you're lucky. I think… I'm still looking for the final piece I need to be whole…"

Vanitas raises an eyebrow. "Aren't your stupid friends enough to do that?"

"Aqua and Terra helped me become who I am now, but… I feel like I'm missing whoever I was before I met them…" Ventus rests his hand over his heart once more. "Xehanort took something from me, something important: my past. And just like Sora, that's something I have to get back.. I'll do whatever it takes."

"...Then I guess we're after the same exact thing for a change," Vanitas smirks in spite of himself. While he holds no clues to his other half's past, he extends a hand to help him up all the same, one that comes with not just an offering for peace… but for a chance to change both of their futures. A chance to take down the man who tore them apart, who put them both through so much pain and strife, who took so much from them both in so many different ways. "So, what do you say we go put our old 'master' in his place?"

Ventus smiles as he takes Vanitas' hand, surprised by just how easy it is to rise and stand alongside someone he was once so scared of, someone who he thought reflected everything he hated about himself. Someone who only wanted the same thing he always did, to be whole, to be complete, to take back what has been stolen from them and to at long, long last put the thief who had taken it all to justice. "Gladly."


As much as he's embarrassed to admit it, Terra isn't used to saving others. In fact, for the past 12 years, he'd been the one in need of saving. But now, in a strange and sudden turn of fate, here he is, searching the worlds for his lost friends. Here he is, the temporary leader of a group fated to save those worlds, as fractured and fearful as that group might be. Here he is, only able to hope that he'll be able to rescue Aqua and Ventus from the same sort of darkness he succumbed to years ago. Only able to hope that they'll find their way back to each other after spending so much time apart.

He recognizes the newest world he's stumbled into from his time as the Lingering Will. This lush bayou was where he'd reunited with Aqua for the first time in over a decade. Even as bereft as he'd been of emotions while his mind had been stuck in his armored form, he still felt a strange sense of longing for her tied to to his memories. Longing that had always been there, that has only recently come to light for what it's really been all along. He has no doubts that longing, that love is what brought them back together, and perhaps… it'll be what will lead him back to her once more.

And as luck would have it, that's exactly what it does.

The bayou is calm and quiet under the cover of night, yet still alive with the lazy glow of fireflies and the constant hissing of distant cicadas. Despite the peaceful atmosphere, Terra keeps his guard up for any Organization members that might be lying in wait. The other lights haven't reported a single sign of any of Xehanort's followers since their search started, but they still can't be too careful. Especially not with someone like Vanitas potentially only posing as their newfound ally.

He nearly lets his mind wander into the usual distrustful theories about that thing's unknown motives before the sharp sound of clashing metal echoes from the nearby glen. At first, Terra thinks little of it, suspecting it might be from a boat on the river cutting through the swamp. Until a strained, angry shout rises up soon after it, in a voice that Terra knows the instant he hears it.

"Enough!"

"...Aqua?" he whispers, though when he hears her cry again, this time in pain, he doesn't waste another second. "Aqua!" He instantly breaks into a run, trudging through the marshy woods as he follows the sound of what's likely a battle. He expects to find her squaring off against monsters, or even against a member of the Organization. What he isn't expecting is to find Aqua fighting… herself.

He breaks through the treeline just in time to see their Keyblades clash. The difference between the two is immediately clear. One of them wears dark and tattered clothes, her hair white, her eyes blazing gold as she wields the Keyblade Aqua lost so long ago. Aqua herself keeps her master's old weapon steady, even despite the gaping gash torn across her shoulder. She's covered in other smaller injuries too, her hair a mess, her clothes dirty, her movements not as sharp and quick as they should be. She's exhausted, Terra can tell that much alone from a distance, and even more than that, she needs help badly. And though he hasn't the faintest clue about what's really happening here, that help is something he doesn't hesitate to give.

Aqua yells again when she's pushed back, the wound in her shoulder ringing in a wave of newfound agony. She staunches the bleeding the best she can with her free hand, but even then, she knows she won't last much longer like this. She's out of magic, out of options, out of time in a battle that's been brewing against herself ever since she woke up here. She hasn't had even a moment to gather her bearings, hasn't had a chance to figure out how she got here or how to leave. All she's been doing… is fighting. Fighting to survive, to stand strong, to return to her friends. Fighting the same exact war she'd spent 12 years waging in the Realm of Darkness. Fighting against the most dangerous foe she's ever had to face: herself.

But now… she no longer has to face that foe alone.

Just as her double rushes in for another brutal blow, its Keyblade clashes into another. Aqua gasps, her eyes wide in shock as Terra wedges himself firmly between them, pushing her dark copy back. He doesn't have any time to say a single word to her, much less glance back at her before the phantom charges at him with a fierce golden glare, intent on cutting down anything standing between it and its true target.

The phantom has no voice, doesn't say a word or make a single sound as it lunges forward. Terra expects to hear Aqua in lieu of her double's silence, but as he continues to fend it off, he hears nothing. Nothing except footsteps running deeper into the bayou behind him.

"Aqua?" he spares just a brief glance back, long enough to see Aqua fleeing as fast as she possibly can. "Aqua! Come back!" he tries going after her, though the phantom doesn't make it easy. It stops him by slashing its crimson claws brutally against his back, tearing wide, yet shallow cuts into his skin. He's quick to push past the pain to put an end to the problem at hand, a furious shout echoing through the marsh as he rams his Keyblade forward. The phantom isn't ready for such a direct and vicious attack as it falls back, damaged, but not fully defeated. Even so, Terra is far from finished with it yet.

It isn't like Aqua to run away from a fight, no matter how difficult that fight might be. She's usually the first to stand courageously before any foe she might face, to boldly take on any challenge in her way. This phantom that so callously bears her face must have unnerved her deeply to get that kind of reaction out of her, and Terra can't say he blames her for it. After all, he knows well just how truly terrifying it is to fight a twisted, tainted version of oneself. What it's like to fight himself in far more ways than one.

"Xehanort made you, didn't he?" he asks the phantom, who still doesn't respond outside of keeping its violent onslaught going. Terra tightens his grip on his Keyblade as he dodges out of the path of its next swing, not needing anymore evidence than that. "Whatever you are, I won't let you hurt her anymore. She's already spent enough time in the darkness; she deserves to live happy and free in the light. And I'm going to do everything I can to make sure she does!"

Terra lunges his Keyblade forward once more, though this time, magic suddenly swells around its tip. It's bright, beautifully vibrant to the point that it illuminates the entire glen, far outshining the fireflies around it. The moment that magic makes mere contact with the phantom, it burns straight through its darkness-borne body, dispersing it into nothing more than the mere shadows from whence it came. And as that light slowly fades, Terra finds himself in awe as he stares down at the remnants of it still glistening over his Keyblade.

He's never used light magic before, only other elemental magic, and of course, the same sort of darkness that had once made him a viable vessel in Xehanort's eyes. He has no idea where it could have come from, no idea why he was able to wield it now of all times… but if there's one thing he does know, it's that this power feels so warmly familiar. Like someone he hasn't seen in such a long time, someone he thought had been lost forever. Like a comforting hand resting upon his shoulder, like someone pulling him into a fond and fatherly embrace.

"...Master Eraqus?" he wonders quietly. Of course, he receives no response other than a light wind whistling through the trees. But his heart still feels full with that same kind of steadfast light he'd always associated with his beloved master. He still feels his presence, no matter how faint and far away it might be, all the same. "Thank you… Father…" he whispers, smiling. That smile doesn't stay long though as he turns in the direction Aqua had disappeared in, hoping that she isn't too far out of his reach like she always seems to be.

It takes him almost an hour to find her. She sits on the ground with her back against a tree, her knees pulled tight to her chest as she buries her face in her arms. He struggles to come up with something to say as he slowly approaches her, so instead he opts to settle into the space beside her. But before he can even so much as touch her, she's already a step ahead of him as she falls against him, clinging onto him for support as she sobs softly into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry…" she whispers morosely, not even looking up at him. "I-I should have never left you to fight that… thing on your own, I just… I couldn't stand the thought of you seeing me… l-like that…"

Terra frowns, confused by the sheer shame hanging so strongly on every last word she says. "Aqua… I know that wasn't you."

"It was me!" Aqua finally looks up, tears streaming down her cheeks. "When I was in the Realm of Darkness… I-I fell even deeper into the shadows. And when I did… that's what I looked like. The darkness–my own grief and loneliness–had complete control over me; i-it even forced me to attack Mickey and Riku! If it wasn't for Sora, I never would have… I-I'd still be-"

She cuts herself off with a sharp sob, her grip on Terra tightening as he runs a soothing hand down her back. He offers her what comfort he can in the form of a gentle kiss on her head, though even that does little to calm the storm within her heart. A storm that's been raging in silence far longer than it seems.

"Aqua…" is all he's able to get out before she breaks down again.

"I-I never wanted you to see that side of me…" she mutters miserably. "I hate who the darkness turned me into, I hate everything it made me do! I hate that even when I had a chance to take it down for good, I still couldn't. And I hate that I ran away, forcing you to fight that battle for me instead! No matter where I go, no matter what I do, I can't escape the darkness… I can't escape the worst of my own weak heart…"

Terra stays silent for a long time, simply giving her a shoulder to cry on and the time she so clearly needs to do exactly that. As he does, he realizes he can't help but consider himself lucky. For as much as part of his mind was aware for the past 12 years, at least he lacked much of anything resembling emotions. Aqua, on the other hand, felt the full brunt of such crushing loneliness, fear, and despair in a constant loop with no clear end in sight. It's really no wonder that, eventually, the darkness surrounding her on all sides had prayed upon that pain, using it to warp her body and heart to its own depraved ends. A fate that Terra is all too familiar with; after all, Xehanort had done the exact same thing to him.

"...I guess that makes us even then," he finally says, managing to crack a wavering smile.

"Huh?" Aqua frowns, confused.

"I saw the worst of you, but you saw the worst of me too when Xehanort was in control of me," he explains solemnly. "The only difference is… I fell so much faster than you did, for so much longer. Meanwhile, not only did you find your way back to the light, but you lit the way for me too. Don't you see, Aqua? You shine so much brighter than you think you do. You've always been my light in the darkness." He takes her hand and holds it tight, smiling at her with such kindness and adoration that it's more than enough to easily banish her tears altogether. "And if you'd let me, I hope you'll let me be yours."

Aqua can't help but laugh, a bright, lovely sound that only makes Terra fall for her even more. He holds her close, and she leans into his embrace, the gentle glow of the fireflies glittering all around them. "You already are…" she whispers blissfully as he wipes whatever's left of her tears away. "You and Ven were why I fought so hard and for so long… You were the reason why I did everything I could to not give up… Just the thought of getting to see you again… that hope was what kept me alive… You helped me be strong…"

"We help each other be strong…" Terra says, tenderly skimming the side of her face. "I promised you you'll never have to walk alone again, and I meant that. I'm here. We're here–together."

"We are," Aqua's smile widens. "And we always will be…"

All thoughts of her phantom, of darkness, of pain, slowly fade from her mind the moment Terra's lips touch hers. Their arms loosely lace around each other, the balmy atmosphere of the bayou filling in the newfound silence between them. They've shared a few other kisses since their first, but this one rises high above the rest. They mend themselves together perfectly, the love between them serving to fix what words and actions can't. It eases the sting of strife and sorrow, fills in the gaps that years of bitter loneliness had left behind, creates new hope for the future they have no doubts they'll share together. A future where they'll walk hand-in-hand every step of the way–in darkness, in light, and most of all… in love.

Three weeks. That's how long it's been since their search began, how long it's been since they set out to scour the worlds for their lost friends. How long Sora has been forced to suffer among the ranks of Organization XIII.


Naminé's been keeping count, perhaps even more than the other lights have. She can feel each passing day weigh heavy on each of their hearts, the precious time this lengthy search has cost them going by far too fast. There's no way of knowing how much time they really have left; how much time Xehanort is giving them to regather their scattered group. How much time he intends to take to tear the worlds and everyone in them apart.

She still can't see Sora's current or even recent memories. Ever since the Organization had taken him into their fold, her powers have been drawing a total blank. As a result, she has little intel as to where he could be now, much less how he might be faring in the grasp of their foes. Still, she hasn't lost all hope of finding him yet; because if there's anyone who can track Sora down where the others can't, it's someone who can feel his presence even worlds away, someone whose heart is connected to his on the deepest level there is. Someone… like Kairi.

Which is why that's exactly who Naminé is hoping to find.

It had been a bit difficult to convince the others to let her travel on her own. Her lack of a Keyblade was more than enough to be a cause for concern. But she held her own against their arguments, determined to seek her somebody out, determined to bring her home safe and sound, determined to finally get a proper lead on Sora's whereabouts.

To that end, she's traveled to a world she only recognizes from seeing it in Sora's memories, an admittedly beautiful kingdom called Corona. The sun has just started to set over the forest, the trees casting long shadows as sparse sunlight spills through the trees. Naminé moves at a brisk pace, desperately hoping that, after worlds without a single sign of Kairi, her search might finally come to an end here. And for the first time in weeks, it seems that luck is finally on her side.

She vaguely knows her way around this world thanks to Sora, vaguely knows about a tower hidden behind a curtain of vines. She doesn't know why she decides to check there, but that's where she finds herself going all the same. She doesn't expect to find much beyond the short cave, but as she emerges into the secluded meadow, the now-abandoned tower is far from the only thing she sees.

Sure enough Kairi is here, but she isn't alone. In the low light of the dying sun, Naminé can only barely make out the shadow she seems to be fighting, using her Keyblade to fend it off, but not actively fight it. It moves quickly, erratically, to the point that Naminé has trouble clearly making out its shape. But if its bright, empty golden eyes aren't enough to give it away, then Kairi's distraught shout rising through the meadow certainly does.

"Sora! You have to stop!" she practically screams as that shadow, as Sora lashes his claws out violently, striking her squarely in the leg. Naminé gasps when she hears her somebody's pained cry, and though she knows there's not much she can do to help her, she still races forward all the same.

"Kairi!" she yells, immediately catching the other girl's attention.

"Naminé?!" Kairi gasps, shocked. Unfortunately, it's enough of a distraction to allow Sora to strike her with his claws once again, this time in her arm. It adds onto the countless other scratches and tears she's sustained, some far more serious than others. She panics, casting a sudden wind spell to blow him back long enough to allow her to use a bit of healing magic, though that hardly chases away the fretful fatigue written over every inch of her filthy face. "H-how… where did you-"

Naminé has no chance to explain herself as Sora recovers from Kairi's attack far too quickly. This time, he rushes for them both on all fours, all but lost to his more monstrous instincts, despite Kairi's best attempts at reaching him.

"No!" she yells as a strong burst of light swirls around her hand. She doesn't mean to cast such powerful magic, doesn't mean to hurt him any way. But that light still strikes him squarely, throwing him back across the meadow with an immense amount of force.

"I-I'm sorry!" she shouts, not hesitating to run after him. At least until her Nobody grabs her arm to stop her.

"Kairi, don't!" Naminé pleads, though she has no chance to state her case.

"I know it's dangerous, but I don't care!" Kairi swiftly pulls her arm away. "He's been stuck like this for weeks! I have to get him back somehow! I have to save him!"

"B-but I don't think that's-"

Naminé's cut off as Kairi rushes forward, still gripping her Keyblade, but making no moves to swing it even as Sora starts charging at her all over again. In his monstrous form, he shows no restraint, slashing and swiping at her wildly in a mad attempt at landing as many brutal hits as he can. For her part, Kairi deftly dodges or defends against most of them, still making sure not to attack him in retaliation, desperate not to hurt him in any way. Naminé stands on the sidelines, watching worriedly and wishing she could do something to help. But even then, she can't help but keep her focus on Sora, can't help but notice something seems seriously… off about him. Can't help but realize that she can't even sense any trace of his heart at all.

At first, she thinks it's solely because of his current form. With his heart as buried under a veil of such heavy darkness, it makes sense that she wouldn't be able to break through it to see what truly lies beneath. And yet, there's still so much more about this that doesn't add up. Not when she remembers what apparently happened to Sora, where he should be right now instead of being here fighting Kairi. Not when she knows almost nothing about what's happening here makes any kind of sense.

Kairi, meanwhile, staggers as she trips over an uneven patch of earth, her injured body doing her no favors in keeping her steady. As a result, it doesn't take much for Sora to knock her over, keeping her pinned to the ground as he raises a clawed hand high for a strike straight to her heart. Though she struggles against him, there's ultimately little she can do against his immense strength as he brings his claws down…

Only for Naminé to stop him just in the nick of time.

Without a Keyblade to call her own, she makes use of the resources around her, namely a fallen tree branch, to use as a weapon. It's heavy enough to knock Sora off of Kairi, allowing Naminé to rush in and hoist her somebody back onto her feet. "Come on!" she shouts, pulling Kairi along after her. The tower stands tall ahead of them, a large opening surrounded by rocks at its base. Knowing they need a moment to figure things out, that Kairi needs time to simply just rest, Naminé runs toward it, slipping inside and practically tripping up the lengthy spiral staircase to the top. Kairi stumbles after her, but this time, she doesn't try to pull away, knowing just how badly she needs to recover, even just a little. She'll be of no use to Sora if she falls now; not that she's been much use to him anyway.

They make it to the top of the abandoned tower, a dismal place with dust only starting to settle over its darkened corners. Naminé slams the trap door into it shut, shoving a broom into the handles to keep Sora from prying it open and cornering them. Even if they're essentially still cornered up here all the same.

"Naminé, I-I… I can't-" Kairi stops short as pain wracks her body. Adrenaline fails her as she collapses to her knees, tears already brimming in her eyes by the time her Nobody makes it to her side.

"It's ok," Naminé assures as she begins to cast whatever healing spells she knows. "I'll get you out of here and back to the others-"

"No!" Kairi protests, glancing back at the trap door. By now, Sora's made it up the stairs too, and is already pouding brutally against it, intent on getting to the only two hearts within his range. "We can't leave yet! Not until Sora is back to normal!"

"How long have you been fighting him?"

"I haven't been fighting him," Kairi clarifies. "I can't risk hurting him. I don't know how much time has passed since I woke up here, but when I did, I found out he was here too, already like… that. I've been chasing him all over this world, trying everything I can to bring him back, but… nothing's worked… I'm usually able to reach his heart when he's like this, that connection has always been enough for me to help him drive the darkness away. But now, i-it's like… ike there's nothing there at all…"

Kairi lets out a bitter sigh as she grips her injured arm. As Naminé places a comforting hand over hers, her suspicions are all but confirmed that something about this entire situation isn't right. That something about the "Sora" just beyond that trapped door isn't all that he seems to be.

"Nothing there…" she repeats with a gasp of realization. "Kairi…" she begins with a steadying sigh. She already knows her somebody won't like what she's about to hear; still, she desperately needs to hear it anyway. "I… don't think that's really Sora out there."

"W-what?" Kairi asks in disbelief. "N-no, of course it's him! Who else could it be?"

"An illusion," Naminé replies, frowning. "Probably created by Xehanort. That's why we've been having such a hard time finding you and the others. They've been keeping you busy with phantoms like that to distract you from the truth… from the fact that Sora… h-he's with them. H-he's finally part of Organization XIII."

Kairi draws in an uneven breath, fresh tears already starting to surface in her eyes the second she hears the unthinkable. Unthinkable to the point that she outright refuses to let it root in her mind, outright refuses to believe it even when she knows she probably should. "N-no, he's… he's here. He's right outside that door, I just… I have to-"

"Kairi," Naminé grips her somebody's shoulder, staring her straight in the eyes. "That Sora isn't real. The real one is-"

"Don't," Kairi harshly pulls away. "Don't say it. It's not true!"

"But it is-"

"No, it's not!" Kairi shouts, her face hot as tears stream down it. "He's right outside, a-and once I bring him back to himself, then we'll find a way to save him once and for all! It's not too late, it can't be too late! I-I can't… he… I need him…"

Naminé can only watch as her somebody breaks down, swiftly slipping into insurmountable grief, grief that's laced with far too much denial, far too much doubt. And unfortunately, Naminé knows what she has to say next will only serve to destroy that denial, it'll only make her grief so much worse.

"I'm so sorry…" she pulls the good luck charm out, holding it out for Kairi to see. "But when we went to the graveyard… we found this… He left it behind when… w-when they took him away…"

Kairi's hand trembles when she reaches out to take the charm, but just as she skims the shells she built it from, the tower's trap door suddenly bursts open. The fake Sora leaps out from it, rearing low as it begins to creep toward the two girls near the window. Its glowing golden eyes flood the dark tower in an eerie light, yet it makes no sound, none of the snarls and growls Sora is usually known for while in this shadowy state. Naminé quickly pulls Kairi back to her feet, though it's clear they have nowhere to go. Which leaves them with only one other option.

"We have to get rid of this thing!" Naminé exclaims. "Kairi-"

"H-he's not gone…" Kairi whispers, all but lost in another world entirely as she stares down at the good luck charm in her hands. "I-I would know it if he was… I can still save him, I know I can! I have to try!"

"But I already told you," Naminé tries to hold her back, though Kairi still steps past her. "That's not-"

"Sora!" Kairi holds out a shaking hand out as she stares into his empty eyes. "You have to listen to me! I know you're still in there, I know I haven't lost you yet! Please… please… come back to me…"

"Sora" doesn't even seem to be listening though. Instead, it continues sulking forward, bearing its fangs as it prepares to pounce. Kairi forces a smile between her tears as she takes a step forward, torn between terror and despair and hope that's all too quickly starting to fade entirely. "E-everything will be ok… I promise…" she chokes out a sob, struggling to believe that promise. Struggling to believe much of anything she's saying as she continues holding the good luck charm like a vice. "The two of us will find Riku, a-and we'll be together again, just like we're supposed to be… Nothing will ever tear us apart again… Nothing… e-except…"

Except Organization XIII. Except Master Xehanort. Except fate itself and everything else in between.

Nothing can tear them apart now… because they've already been torn apart in every way imaginable. Nothing can tear them apart now… and nothing can bring them back together either.

Riku is gone. Sora is gone. And without them… Kairi knows her own heart is gone too.

It overwhelms her immediately, to the point that she can't pretend any longer. She lets out an anguished scream that echoes through the tower, yet even that isn't enough to keep the phantom at bay. It lunges for her, its claws poised to end her life in the most violent way possible. It only manages to get inches away from her before light explodes from the very depths of her shattering heart, pure and powerful as it pours through every inch of the tower. It's so blinding that Naminé has to shield her eyes away from it, unable to witness the moment it tears the shadowy phantom apart.

That light only fades when Kairi's scream finally dies out, her sobs falling into silence as she falls to the floor all over again. She holds the good luck charm tight, all but inconsolable as she realizes that she single handedly defeated what had indeed been nothing more than a flimsy fake. As she realizes she very well might be called upon to do the same thing to the real Sora too. She wouldn't, she won't, she'd never ever want to. And yet… now that he stands on the side of their foes… now that he's just about as lost as he could ever be…

She'd just as rather lose herself right along with him.

Naminé says nothing as she slowly approaches her somebody. She kneels down next to her, wrapping a consoling arm around her shoulder. They stay like that for quite some time, both of them mourning something so utterly unspeakable. Neither of them wants to talk about it, to think about what he's going through, to imagine how miserable his life must be now. Neither of them can bear the weight of being far too late to stop any of this, of never being enough to save him when he needed them most. Neither of them can even try to begin moving on in a world that he's not a part of…

But move on they must all the same.

"I knew that wasn't really him…" Kairi is surprisingly the one who speaks up first. Her voice is soft, sad, distant as her teary gaze remains locked on the good luck charm. "I knew from the very beginning… From the second I realized I couldn't feel his heart…"

Naminé frowns, confused. "Then… why did you keep chasing him?"

Kairi shakes her head as she lets out a solemn sigh. "I don't know, I just… I thought that maybe if I tried hard enough, I could…" she trails off, bowing her head in shame. "I don't know what I thought I could do. I was just lying to myself, just like I've been doing since any of this began. I really wanted to believe that we'd be able to save him from this… even though I knew we couldn't…"

Naminé isn't sure what to say, isn't sure how to bring her somebody back from the brink of such immense despair. Not when she's standing on the edge of it right alongside her. Not when the pain they both feel is so real, so deep, so powerful, so raw. Not when nothing either of them used to know will ever be the same again.

"But…" Kairi continues a moment or two later. She lifts her sights away from the good luck charm, to the light of the pale moon drifting in through the tower's window. "I also know that he's still out there. I know he's still alive, even if he's as far out of my reach as he's ever been… And…" She struggles to rise on her own, but manages to as soon as Naminé reaches in to help her, allowing them to stand together. Kairi finally smiles as she holds the charm against her heart, as she closes her eyes and pictures Sora doing the exact same thing. As she imagines a not-so far off future… where he'll stand by her side once more.

"I know… that if there's even just a chance, no matter how small it might be, of setting him free… then that's a chance I'm going to take."


As soon as she discovers that Riku is the only remaining light left to be found, Kairi wastes no time. She sends Naminé back to update the other lights before setting out to search for him on her own. It's a familiar feeling, in many ways, to be alone between worlds, desperately looking for a lost friend she hasn't seen in far too long. She's keenly aware that almost an entire month has passed since that awful day in the Keyblade Graveyard, an entire month that Sora has spent within the cruel clutches of Organization XIII. A month that's gone on for far too long, a month that she guiltily wasted on trying to save a deceptive illusion instead of the real thing.

Perhaps that guilt is what drives her to put her all into tracking Riku down. She uses light gates to bound across countless worlds, taking almost no time to recover from what she'd been through in Corona, almost no time to eat, almost no time to rest, no time to do anything other than search. No time to do anything other than try to bring back one of her best friends after failing the other so miserably.

She recognizes the dense woods surrounding Beast's Castle almost as soon as she emerges from her latest light gate. It's raining here, a cold torrential downpour that soaks her to the bone. As a result, Kairi makes her first priority finding cover from the storm. She runs between the trees, casting a small orb of light over her hand to illuminate the pitch black path ahead. Fortunately, it doesn't take her long to find a suitable place to wait the weather out: a small cave carved into the side of a cliff. She doesn't hesitate to run inside, breathing a sigh of relief as she starts wringing her skirt out. Only to stop stiff the second she hears a small, sudden shuffling near the far end of the shallow cave.

She turns to see a vague shadow lying on the stony ground, slowly rising up and down as if it's breathing. Unsure of what it might be, she calls upon her Keyblade, her guard raised for anything as she approaches it carefully. It's only as she allows more magic to flow into the light above her palm that she's able to make out a torn and tarnished gray jacket and a head of messy silver hair. It's only then that her heart leaps high in relief, that her voice echoes excitedly through the otherwise empty cave.

"Riku!" she cries, dropping her Keyblade as she hurries to bridge the gap between them. And yet… Riku doesn't move. He doesn't sit up, doesn't even turn to face her. Instead, he stays where he is, his back turned, his arms wrapped around himself, his voice soft and filled with unshakable despair when he finally says her name.

"Kairi…" he sighs, hugging himself even tighter. "I knew you'd find me…"

"What are you doing here?" she asks, kneeling down to his level as she places a hand on his shoulder. "When we were separated, the Organization kept the others busy by forcing them to fight phantoms in other worlds. Did… you already defeat the one they sent after you?"

"...No… I don't think I have…" is all he says. Kairi can't help but wonder if Riku is being haunted by a ghost of an entirely different kind.

"Riku…" she draws in a wavering breath. She doesn't want to tell him, doesn't want him to know, but he needs to. She can't do this without him; none of them can. "I… S-Sora… he's… he's been-"

"I know," Riku cuts her off, his voice barely audible. "They won. He's… he's gone…"

Rare is it that Riku ever cries, but he certainly is now. He lets out a broken sob, his face filthy, gaunt, and filled with agony untold. Kairi fights back tears of her own when she watches his fall, cutting streaks down the dirt caked onto his cheeks. "H-how… how do you know?" she asks, unsure of if she actually wants an answer.

Riku swallows hard. He closes his eyes, his expression still wrenched in sorrow. "I… was the only one left to protect him… I tried… I tried so hard to save him… I thought I could… but I failed. And now… he… he belongs to them…"

"No, he doesn't-" Kairi argues, but Riku is quick to counter.

"Yes, he does!" he suddenly sits up, his teal eyes sharp and rimmed red as he finally faces her. "Don't you get it, Kairi? Xehanort won… and we lost everything: the Keys, the worlds, each other…" he draws in a shuddering breath, covering his face with his hand as another hopeless sob escapes him. "And Sora… It's over…"

"It's not over!" Kairi retorts firmly. "We can still get him back if we-"

"If we what?" Riku hisses, his eyes cloudy, his voice like a low roar of thunder. "Work together? A lot of good that did us back in the graveyard. Just face it already; nothing we could have ever done would have saved him… The only thing that could have stopped this… was if I'd just done my job and kept him safe from the start."

"Since when is keeping Sora safe your job?" Kairi asks, raising a critical eyebrow.

"It always has been," Riku says, as though it's obvious. "Ever since we were little. I always wanted–the only thing I've ever wanted–is to protect you and Sora, to protect what matters most… I finally thought I was strong enough to do just that," he lets Braveheart flash into his hand, staring at his own disheveled reflection on its pure silver surface. "But… I'm not. I never was to begin with…" He throws his Keyblade aside, allowing it to hit the cave floor with a dull, metallic thud. "That's why I know… this is all my fault…" he mutters despondently, drawing his knees up to his chest.

For ages, Kairi has no idea what to say, no clue how to help him heal from the same kind of guilt she still feels so strongly. Maybe he's right; maybe if they had all been a little stronger, a little smarter, a little faster, then none of this would be happening. Maybe the Organization would be defeated, maybe the worlds would at long last be safe. Maybe Sora would still be here, whole and happy beside them where he's supposed to be instead of worlds away within the enemy's evil fold.

Maybe it really had been their fault all along.

"You should just leave me here," Riku says quietly, emptily. "I can't go on without him. I won't. He was the light that guided me out of the darkness… and now that his light's been burnt out… I might as well let mine burn out too…"

"You don't mean that," Kairi shakes her head. But the heartache lingering on every word he says is more than enough to prove her wrong.

"Yes, I do. Even if we do find a way to get him back, Xehanort will just take him from us all over again," he sighs, running a hand through his matted hair. He looks so much older, Kairi realizes in the low light her magic is creating. So exhausted, so broken, so sad. So many things he never was before the mantle of leader had been so suddenly thrust solely upon his shoulders. "I'm so tired of finding him only to lose him every last time. I can't keep fighting a battle I know we'll never be able to win…"

"B-but… the promise we made when we shared paoupus…" Kairi tries to protest, her own confidence starting to fall short. "We said we'd always be together-"

"How can we keep that promise now, Kairi?" he glances up at her, crestfallen. "No matter how much we fight, how much love each other, we never get to be together like we want! Maybe… maybe destiny doesn't want us together… So who are we to try and fight it?"

"I don't care what 'destiny' wants," Kairi lets out a bitter scoff. "I care about you and I care about Sora. And I care about the love the three of us have for each other enough to know, without a shadow of a doubt, that it's something worth fighting for with everything we have." A smile finds its way onto her face as she takes Riku's hands in hers, guiding his mournful gaze up toward her. "And I don't know about you, but I'm not done fighting for that love yet–I'm not done fighting for Sora yet. Not even close."

Riku stares at her for a long time, her smile never faltering. He marvels at her once more, wondering how she can have such unshakable faith, such boundless hope in the face of such incredible adversity. He wonders how she's come to know such strength, the kind of strength his weak and woeful heart could only dream of sharing. He wishes he could be more like her, more like Sora, more like all of their friends who have never stopped believing that something better still waits on the road ahead.

He wants to believe that too, so, so badly, more than anything in any world, but…

"Kairi…" he clings onto her hands, his voice trembling in a way she's never heard before. "I… I'm so… scared of what might happen next. Of losing him… forever…"

"I'm scared too," Kairi returns, knowing just how much strength Riku is showing by even admitting such a thing. Knowing just how much he needs to after being forced to stand strong on his own for so long. "To be honest, I can't bear to think too far ahead–it's just too much to take… But the next step ahead, the next right thing we need to do? That's never been more clear than it is now. You know what that is, don't you?"

Riku nods, letting her reach in to thumb a few of his tears away. "To set Sora free… no matter what it takes…"

"That's all I want, with all my heart…" She leans in against him as he opens his posture up to welcome her. He doesn't sob anymore as she rests her head against his chest, a comforting hand falling into place overtop his heart. "What about you?"

Riku doesn't answer right away, the pouring rain outside filling in the silence he leaves behind. He closes his eyes as he takes in Kairi's gentle warmth, and yet, there's something missing from it all the same. An aching kind of emptiness nestled deep within his heart, a heavy hole burrowed where something so essential used to be. This picture is incomplete, missing the one thing that ties them all together, the final third needed to make each of them truly whole. The love of someone they both long for, someone who's been so cruelly taken from them. Someone who they so desperately need to get back.

"I want both of you for a lifetime…" he finally says, not even needing to think twice. Not anymore. "And whatever comes after that…"

"Well, you have one of us," Kairi glances up at him. Her smile doesn't quite reach her eyes. "But you're still one short. Sora needs you, Riku, now more than ever. He needs us both."

"...He's brought both of us back home before," Riku finally smiles, a tide of warm memories washing over him. "I guess it's only fair that we finally return the favor."

Kairi can't help but let out a much-needed laugh. She slowly rises to stand, reaching a hand out toward him as a light gate bursts open behind her. "Then we'd better get started, don't you think?"

Riku nods, confidence rising in him as he takes her hand. He really hasn't left this cave since he stumbled upon it, refused to emerge from the dark depths of the earth in the hopes that they'd swallow him whole like he thought he deserved. But now… now he rises, venturing from that darkness hand in hand with Kairi to save the one they both love so much. Now, they walk out of the worst of this night, stumbling blindly toward the light with nothing but their hope to guide them both.

Now… they go together into the unknown… and whatever might await them beyond it.

To wherever Sora waits for them both.


Looks like the gang is all back together again! Now they just have to save their best boy. I wonder though how they're going to react when they find out about a certain recently revealed plot twist... hm... Anyway, we have one more chapter before the final battle begins! So keep an eye out for it and don't forget to REVIEW! Until next time ;3