Kingdom Hearts Keyblade Legion

by lyokoMARVELanime

Sequel to Dual Keys. Sora, Donald, Goofy return to the worlds after an event that caused them to have their memories modified, and they're off on a new adventure with Ven. But this time they've some new friends with them. Can Roxas and Xion help to save the worlds from this new evil group? Is there some deeper mystery surrounding the two siblings? Find out along with the new team.

9. Old Friends in the Bastion

[Opens to show a door with a lit-up sign above it that says "Rehearsal Room. Do Not Enter When Light is On". Minute later, the light goes off and everyone from Keyblades Unleashed Series starts piling out of the room]

AN: Okay, great job today everyone. Let's make sure we keep that up when we finally reach this series's version of KH3. Same time tomorrow, but we'll be running through the big battle at the Keyblade Graveyard, so I'll expect everyone who has a huge part to play in that last fight to be ready.

Riku: Don't worry. We've got it covered. [looks around trying to find something] Hey, did anyone see where Sora and Kairi went off to?

Ventus: Come to think of it, Xehanort's disappeared too. I mean, not that I really care about whether or not the guy's here, because the less time we have to spend in his presence outside of rehearsals and interviews, the better, but it is a little weird that he disappeared that fast.

AN: Well, that's actually a funny story. You see...

Roxas: Uh guys...Why does the Interview room's status currently read as active?

AN: Huh? [turns to a nearby screen that monitors various different features and statuses of the building to see Roxas is correct] Oh my god! We must've gone over the time! The newest chapter of Keyblade Legion is starting now and the readers are already here waiting for us!

Aqua: What?! We'll never make it to the interview room in time if that's the case! It's half way down the building from here.

AN: Not to worry! I've made sure we would be ready for this, and installed several secret passageways that lead right to the interview room! Just got to figure out which one we can use, and which is closest. Hm, let me think...Firemen's Poles behind the bookcase in the study? No, the study's too far from here...Ummm...The secret elevator in the arcade? Wait, that's being serviced right now...Oh! The secret slide in the library. No, that's just stupid and doesn't even lead directly into the interview room. It just leads into the simulator arena where you need to take another slide to get to the interview room. I've got it! The secret roller coaster passage in my dressing room!

Ventus: Wait, wait, wait! Hold on a minute! Why do you have a study, a library, and all that other stuff in this place?

AN: Hey, you build your fantasy studio the way you want, and I'll build mine the way I want. Now, to the secret roller coaster! [leads the way to dressing room, where everyone gathers by a statue of Optimus Prime, the arms of which are the levers] Pull the lever, Ven!

Ven: [pulls the lever, and causes a massive stone fist to slam down on top of AN's head] Heh, whoops.

AN: [groans in pain] Wrong lever.

Ven: [releases lever and watches with everyone else as author springs up and wobbles from side to side like a spring] You know, maybe you should consider labeling these things.

AN: [shakes out of state and pulls the correct lever, catapulting everyone into a roller coaster car]

Announcer: Welcome to the secret roller coaster ride to the Interview Room. Please keep your hands and arms inside the car at all times, and no flash photography.

Terra: [takes a picture just seconds before the flash photography warning, and causes everyone to give him a small look] Hehe.

[roller coaster starts with everyone hooping and hollering in excitement as it goes]

Announcer: Welcome to the studio of lyokoMARVELanime!

[coaster stops and catapults everyone into their respective seats]

AN: [Upon landing and popping up into a proper seating position] Hey readers, writers, reviewers, and more! And welcome back to another exciting chapter!

[audience applause]

Yeah, sorry we're a little late. Rehearsal for later scenes in both this story and the series itself ran into overtime a little bit, but we're back and ready to get into action once again, and that's especially so after spending the last few weeks playing through the newest, big game name to date: Kingdom Hearts 3!

Aqua: Speaking of which, what was your opinion on how good it was?

AN: Quite simple really...It was AWESOME! The worlds, the adventure, the wrap up to so many mysteries, and even the fact that they've unleashed some new mysteries for us is great! The only thing I have a problem with is...Uh, do you think I should add a spoiler warning for folks who haven't played through all of the game's main story before going on, or no?

Ventus: Better safe than sorry, but I'd just keep it vague for now if I were you.

AN: Good point. Anyways, there is one particular point of the game's story that I'm not too fond of, and I'm sure just about every Kingdom Hearts fan can guess what that is. If you can't, I'll just make it simple and say that it involves our favorite OTP of the Kingdom Hearts series.

With that said, allow me to take this time to confirm that when this series reaches that point of the story, even if Kingdom Hearts 4 has come out by that time, I will be making absolute sure that we will not, I repeat NOT be doing the same thing here! While Kingdom Hearts 3 did provide a decent outline for me to work from, there are still more than a few things that will be playing out differently, as if that wasn't already obvious given this series's status as an AU, but this will be especially true for that particular chapter.

Roxas: Just to be clear, you are talking about how things ended for Sora and Kairi by the end of the game, right? And how Xehanort pretty much turned Kairi into the Final Fantasy VII version of Aerith, causing Sora to disappear to parts unknown in order to make sure she could be brought back?

AN: Duh. Roxas, why'd you have to go and give that away? Sorry for the spoiler everyone who hasn't gotten that far in the game yet. But yeah, that's the part I'm not too fond of. I mean, I'm right there with everyone else in hating on how Kairi was being built up to have a huge role in this game only to get made into a damsel in distress again, but look on the bright side, at least we did get to fight alongside her in an actual battle, and not just a cutscene either. Sure, it was one battle, and it wasn't all the way to the end of said battle, but it's...something. Who knows, maybe next game we'll actually get to see Kairi as a playable character.

Namine: We should. Kairi deserves a real chance to show she's not just some damsel that needs to be rescued. What I want to know is why I only had one speaking part, and didn't even show up physically until the very end.

AN: That is also a good question. I get that Namine didn't really have too much to contribute, but come on! There had to be something she could do besides that one little, itty-bitty bit that was there and gone, and the small scenes at the end! Speaking of which, it looks like we've now got something closer to confirmation on certain pairings at last. Namely in regards to the question of Roxas&Xion vs Roxas&Namine and in regards to the question of Riku&Xion vs Riku&Namine. Now, while that does appear to be the case, I will go ahead and say right now that I will not be changing the pairings in this series to match the canon ones. That would require a great deal of rewriting that would change this story around completely, and basically make me have to start Keyblade Legion all over again from scratch, if not a few chapters in the previous story as well. So, Riku&Xion will still be a thing in this series, and so will Roxas&Namine. Maybe in another series I'll do something closer to canon with those four, but it won't be any of my currently active ones. Sorry for anyone who's probably disappointed by that. And yeah, Namine will have a more active role in my version of the Kingdom Hearts 3 story, so be ready for that. Or at least as much of a more active role as I can give her.

Now let's see, what else was I going to mention before we start the story?

Ventus: I think you had a small rant ready for anyone who was worried about Sora's fate after KH3.

AN: Right. Thanks Ven. Ahem, let me start off by telling all of you, that I believe, with the utmost confidence that our boy Sora is in fact still alive, well, and already in the midst of his adventure to get back home again. I don't know why so many people think that Sora's dead or somewhere deep in the darkness or something like that, but rest assured, Sora's fine. Tetsuya Nomura, one of the lead creators of Kingdom Hearts himself has said in a past interview, and I quote "Kingdom Hearts is Sora's story". Okay? Not Riku's, not Ventus's, not Mickey's, not Xehanort's. Sora's story! And considering how many things were unveiled in Kingdom Hearts 3, such as plot points that are as of yet unresolved like the matter of the Foretellers, Maleficent and Pete's little treasure hunt, and etc, of course we're going to get a Kingdom Hearts 4, so since the Kingdom Hearts series is Sora's story, there's no way they can continue it without him. Besides that, Nomura also said that this is only the end of the "Xehanort Saga", not Sora's adventure, so we're going to see Sora again really soon. All we gotta do is hope that it isn't another decade at minimum before we get another new Kingdom Hearts game or KH4. And I don't mean some HD Final Mix or HD Collection thing. I mean a legit, full on game. Maybe something that ties leads into the next story like Chain of Memories and Dread Drop Distance. Seriously guys, please don't make us wait for another decade before the next chapter of Sora's story is released. I get you might want a break or something, but I don't think many of us can wait that long after that ending. Again, I'm referring to the part involving Sora and Kairi specifically.

Also, I gotta ask, why do so many people assume that the Master of Masters is somehow Sora? Sure, he's playful and has a strange nature that's similar to Sora's, but that doesn't mean he is Sora. I mean, how could that even be possible? The guy was already an adult long before Sora was born, and nobody say something about time travel magic crap. Besides, we've already got one evil version of Sora in Vanitas. Do we really want another one?

Ventus: Asked the guy who made the ultimate villain of his first Kingdom Hearts story into a grown-up, evil version of Sora who could use the x-blade.

AN: Okay that was totally different, and you know it.

Aqua: What makes you so sure he's evil though? Or for that matter, why do you think the foretellers are evil, because I know you probably do.

AN: Well not all the foretellers. Ava's the exception, but let's look at the facts: their new leader, Luxu, has been revealed to be Xigbar AKA Braig, a guy who has been nothing but trouble since day one. They're also the ones who practically jump-started the Keyblade War, which led the worlds to be destroyed and all of that jazz. And of course, there's also the new game that we saw Young Eraqus and Xehanort start, which involved seven black pieces, some of which had symbols on them that matched up with the foretellers' respective animal mask, and we can guess that the other do too, and once Eraqus had lined them all up, he placed down the piece with Sora's crown emblem on it, which can only be a sure sign that Sora's going to fight these guys. Besides, even without all of that, there's just something about those guys that I don't trust.

Xion: Maybe we should answer some reviews before you go on another rant.

AN: Oooh...we would, but unfortunately, we are out of time for the beginning note, but maybe in the ending note, and if not there, then we definitely will answer those questions next chapter, assuming that today's chapter doesn't already do so. Now, onto the adventure, everyone!...

I do not own anything from Kingdom Hearts or any other franchise mentioned in this story.

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Chapter IX

Even though the gummi ship was traveling at a very fast pace, it was still going to be a few hours before the team arrived at the only world they could travel to from Twilight Town at the moment. With that in mind, Ventus decided to take some time in giving Sora and the twins a little crash-course in some Keyblade training, along with teaching them how to work the controls of the simulator deck. Learning that was not really all that hard, given that most of it was run by voice commands, with only a little need for actually typing something into a control panel, either outside the door onto the deck in a small archway inside of it, so most of the demonstration was really just showing off what they could use the simulator deck to for. Ventus had no problems cycling it through various locations from worlds that he and Sora had both visited, and got a little bit of a kick out of how the three kids would glance around them in wide-eyed awe, but he was especially happy to see how their faces lit up when he changed the settings so that the simulator deck was creating an exact replica of both Twilight Town and Destiny Islands. It was clear that there was a bit of sadness in their eyes, but there was also a great sparkle of happiness in them that showed Sora, Roxas, and Xion were happy being able to at least see their worlds from something other the data in the world map. Of course, that did not stop Ven from chuckling a little at how excited Xion and Roxas got when they saw the Destiny Islands program, or when they began begging for Sora to take them to visit the first chance they had.

After letting the kids enjoy the simulation of Destiny Islands for a few more minutes, Ventus finally switched the program over to a projection of the world he grew up on: the Land of Departure and Sora was once again left in awe of at the sight of the magnificent world. Sure, he had already seen an illusion of it once before, back during his first adventure, but the place was just so amazing that you could not help but feel overwhelmed at the sight of it every time. He figured that Ventus was not the same way because he had gotten used to it after growing up there for so many years, but he was a little relieved to see Roxas and Xion were marveling at the sight of the magnificent castle too. Otherwise, he was sure that he would have felt like a little kid visiting a famous amusement park for the first time.

"Now then, since we have some time to kill, I think we should get you all started on some proper magic training," Ventus announced, getting the kids' attention.

"But Xion can already do magic well enough on her own. Does she really need training for it," Roxas asked.

"While she has cast some spells very well so far, a little training can help so that she can do better at the art. Besides, like the old saying goes, you can never stop learning," Ventus informed his fellow blonde. "Besides, I'd like to know that when you and Xion use magic, you're drawing on the true source of magic energy inside you, as opposed to just drawing it from wherever when you cast the spells."

"Because if don't draw from that specific source to cast a spell, then you'll be drawing it from the energy you need to keep fighting, and that would be a lot more dangerous, right," Sora finished for his master.

"Exactly," Ventus smiled in approval, glad to see that Sora remembered a lesson from so early on in his training. "Though you are not too wrong in saying that Xion should not need too much help, Roxas. Since she's already cast a few spells several times now, it may not take long at all for her to reach that source of magical energy inside of her, but she's still going to be joining you in reaching for that source."

"Okay, so what do we have to do," Xion asked, not noticing that Sora was smirking at them in a way that was almost teasing and smug at the same time.

"Well, that's the part you two probably won't like as much. In order to truly connect with your inner source of magical energy, you're going to have to meditate," Ventus revealed, instantly showing both twins why Sora's expression was the way it was.

"Seriously," Roxas groaned while Xion could only let out a small whine of misery. Neither of them was too fond of just sitting still for very long, and that was a very basic part of meditating. "You mean we have to sit around for hours at a time with our eyes closed while going "Yohmmm."

"First off, it's not 'Yohm,' it's 'ohm,'" Ventus playfully corrected. When the twins just gave him flat looks in response, he got serious again and said, "Secondly, yeah for the most part, but I doubt it will take you hours at a time. It shouldn't be too hard, and if you keep a dedicated mind on it, it shouldn't take you as long to draw on that source for the first time as it did Sora. Or me for that matter. Just remember, in order to do this, you need to relax yourselves, steady your breathing, and quiet your minds as you look inside yourselves. Once you feel the magical energy inside of you, try to pull it to the surface."

The twins both nodded in response, seeing that there was no way around this, and immediately sat down on the large, open lawn that lay before the floating castle that was a near perfect copy of Ventus's former home. Upon nodding in satisfaction on the two following his instructions, the blonde finally turned to his first apprentice and said, "And you, wipe that smirk off your face. You're not getting out of this. Don't think I've forgotten how much your magic power has regressed after your little nap, so for your training, I want you to work on getting your magic powers back into their former fighting shape."

"You don't mean that I'm gonna have to…" Sora started to nervously ask, thinking that Ven was going to make him join in on the meditation session.

"Only if it's totally necessary," Ventus admitted. "For now, I just want you to practice casting the spells. Your goal will be to increase your power to the point where you can easily use spells like Fira, Blizzara, Thundara, and Cura without too much effort again. If you manage to get further than that with any other magic I taught you last year, then that's fine, but those are the four I want you to focus on the most. Oh, and practice with your Command Styles and Shotlocks as well, just to make sure you haven't lost your touch with either of them, or to help remind you of the feeling that both have when you are using them."

Sora nodded in response, and immediately moved to a different area of the simulated world, while Ventus was left to guide the newly apprenticed Keybearers in their meditation. It actually took Xion very little time to complete the exercise, likely because she had already figured out how to use magic on her own, but Roxas seemed to struggle a bit more with it. Clearly between the two twins, Roxas was the one who was not likely to be using magic all that much, or he just did not enjoy sitting still for a very long time, but Ventus was determined to help him learn at least a little bit of magic. Thankfully, Ventus had learned a great deal more patience from when Sora went through this exercise, and somehow managed to guide Roxas through to completion. While the two blondes were doing that, Xion actually went to train with Sora, both to get his magic back up to its original level, and so that she could improve her own.

Despite his earlier hesitancy, Sora actually did not have too much of a problem with teaching Xion the basics on how to use some spells, but the most he really did was give her a rundown on how to get a feel for and use lightning magic. Still, his instruction must have been pretty good, because by the time Ventus and Roxas had finished with their work, the girl was easily casting Thunder on the practice targets that were in the castle courtyard, while Sora was shooting out blasts of Fira and Blizzara left and right. Seeing this made Ventus smile a little, and even start to reconsider making Sora into Xion's teacher just a little, but he knew that his first kid had to worry about getting back up to snuff before he was even close to being ready to be an official teacher, so for now, he would have to settle for having Sora be just a bit of a tutor for the twins. He was actually about to let Sora have a go at teaching Roxas a spell or two when Donald's voice quacked out an announcement of their arrival via the ship's intercom.

All thoughts of further training were lost from the four Keybearers' minds, and Ventus quickly told the computer to end the simulation for now so that they could return to the bridge. Sora's first thought was that they were going there to get Donald and Goofy before heading for the ship's teleporter, but Ventus surprised him yet again when he told Sora to take the pilot's chair again, and bring them in for landing. Sora's confusion was understandable, as the only world that they were ever able to land on in their previous journey was Traverse Town, and this definitely did not seem like the refuge world that Sora had first met his master and traveling companions on. Still, Ventus insisted that it would be fine, due to the fact that the people of this world were very familiar with the fact that there were other worlds out there, so Sora decided to take his master's word for it and brought the ship down for a landing. Upon passing through the world barrier, they all saw a small town that rested at the base of a castle that was in a similar state of disrepair, and after a minute or two of staring at the castle, Sora, Donald, and Goofy instantly realized why this world looked so familiar, even at a distance.

"Hey, is this…" Donald started to ask.

"Yeah! It's Hollow Bastion," Sora cheered happily. He was a little surprised at himself over how happy he was to be back on the world that had once been the home base for the bad guys, and the source of so much misery for him and his friends, but then again, he also knew that this was the world that some of those friends were originally from, so maybe that had something to do with it.

Ventus had to admit, he was a little glad to see that this world was in much better shape now when compared to how it was the last time they were here, but he was still a little upset at how rundown everything looked, and could not help but hope that it would be returned to its former glory someday soon. He quickly shook it off though, as he instructed, "Try to set us down somewhere on the outskirts of the city, Sora. There should be something of a port for gummi ships somewhere around there."

"How do you know that," Roxas asked, honestly curious.

"Ansem the Wise, the ruler of this world had set it up shortly after Mickey and I first came here in a gummi ship, and after he and a few others began to do some of their own gummi block work as well," Ventus explained. When he saw a few nervous looks appear on the others' faces, he quickly assured them, "Not Ansem as in Xehanort's Heartless. The real Ansem."

"Oh, okay," everyone sighed in relief, and with that said, Sora brought the Kingdom-A into the port that Ventus had pointed out. They could see a couple of other ships docked there as well, but they were very different from the one that the team called their own, so it was no surprise that some of them stopped to admire the vessels before they moved to disembark from the ship. Upon doing so, they all quickly raced over to the market square that they had seen as they were flying overhead, and the four who had been here before could not help but notice even more changes to the world now that they were getting a much closer look.

"Gawrsh, it sure looks a lot different now," Goofy noted aloud for everyone.

"Well I should hope so, considering the last time we were here, the place was crawling with darkness," Ventus lightly joked, earning smiles from everyone.

"I remember seeing some of Sora's memories about this place from back then, and even in those dreams or visions, I got a few chills," Xion admitted.

"Yeah, I like the feel of this place a lot better as it is now compared to that," Roxas agreed.

The others had to nod in agreement with the twins, before Donald said, "I hope Leon and the gang are doing okay."

"Well, why don't we go and see. Then we can introduce them to Roxas and Xion while we're at it," Sora suggested, and he met no resistance to that idea. At least, not until Goofy spotted something up on the rooftops that was definitely worrisome.

"Uh-oh. Looks like we're gonna have to do some fightin'," the knight informed his friends, making them all turn to see a pair of Soldier Heartless dancing around on the rooftops before they vanished into the shadows that they normally came from.

"Why am I not surprised," Ventus muttered. He quickly shook his head though, and reached out with his senses in an attempt to measure how many Heartless were in their current area. After a few seconds though, he found himself happily reporting, "Well on the bright side, this area doesn't seem to have very many, or really any Heartless at all, so the people can go about their shopping without worry."

"And the bad news," Sora asked.

"We're going to run into more than a few of our old, shadowy friends once we get into the residential area," Ventus admitted.

"Well, at least we can make sure we've gotten stocked up on any items that we might need before we get there," Xion shrugged, hoping to help everyone look on the bright side of things, and judging by their smiles, she definitely succeeded.

Their spirits were lifted a little more after the group had moved further into the market, because they were quickly greeted by several local people who recognized Sora, Ven, Donald, and Goofy as the heroes who had freed their world from the Heartless. No doubt the four were so well-known due to some stories that their old friends had told, or because these people had encountered them once or twice in Traverse Town, but there were three particular individuals that recognized them for other reasons as well. Those three were a trio of brothers that you could only tell apart based on the colors of their shirts and hats, and they all lit up with excitement when they saw the four, and especially in the case of Donald.

"Hey Unca Donald," the red-clad Huey waved happily.

"Where ya been all this time," Dewey asked as he jumped out from behind the counter he was working.

"Yeah, we almost thought you had blown your last fuse and took Ven and the others with you," Louie added on as he rushed up to his brothers and uncle.

Donald could only grumble under his breath at his nephews' comments, while the others just barely managed to keep from laughing at his expense. Still, it did take a little effort to not at least chuckle a little, so it came as no surprise that Ventus still needed a minute before he stepped forward to answer in Donald's place. "We've just been a little…preoccupied with some other matters, but we're now back on the job, ready for another adventure, and with some new friends along for the ride too."

The triplets then took notice of Roxas and Xion, and quickly gave a small wave to them as they were all introduced to each other. The three boys actually seemed to open up to the twins pretty quickly, but the ducks also took a minute or two to study the twins before one of them had to make a comment on something about them. "Say, you look a lot like Kairi, Xion. Are you her sister or something," Dewey asked.

Xion probably should have seen that coming, but after the little discussion that was had at Yen Sid's tower regarding her relationship to both Sora and Kairi, she could not help but get a little flustered upon hearing the question. "Uh, no, I-I'm not related to Kairi," Xion informed him. "I'm actually…uh, I'm…"

"She's my sister," Sora filled in, surprising Xion when he did. "She and Roxas both are my younger, long-lost siblings that we just found a little while ago."

Upon hearing that, Roxas was quick to share in Xion's surprise, as neither of them had thought that Sora would be so quick to start telling people something like that. If anything, they figured he would be a little more hesitant to tell after learning about their real origins and relations to him, and yet here he was, informing Donald's nephews that they were in fact related to him. Sure, it was not an entirely accurate description of their relationship, but it was still surprising that Sora would go for that choice of description all the same, hence the reason why both were looking at Sora with wide, surprised eyes. Thankfully, the three young ducks did not seem to take notice, as they were obviously puzzling over something else.

"Wow, really," Huey asked. "Hmm…Now that you mention it, they do seem to share a few similarities to you, Sora, but I kinda figured that Roxas was related to Ven when we first saw him."

"Yeah, he even looks a lot like him, except without that silly beard that Ven now has," Louie mentioned.

"Seriously, is this really going to be a thing that everyone does," Ventus grumbled under his breath.

Roxas smirked at Ven's displeasure while the others just chuckled a bit, before he informed the three ducks, "Well, no, I'm not related to Ven, but I do get why you would think I was."

"Say, how'd you three get here from Traverse Town, anyway," Goofy asked, honestly curious about that, and the twins were actually pretty thankful that Goofy pulled the attention off of them for now. They did not want to really explain too much about themselves without having a solid story to tell others just yet, and they wanted to check with Sora to make absolutely sure that he was okay with him telling people that the three of them were related, beyond just the status of sibling disciples.

"Oh that's easy. We flew here with Unca Scrooge in his gummi ship," Huey informed him.

"Yeah, and believe it or not, he actually flew the ship himself instead of calling up Launchpad to do it," Dewey added on.

"It's probably a good thing that he did, if you ask me, because otherwise, we probably wouldn't have a ride home right now," Louie finished.

"Scrooge?! He's here too," Donald gasped, while Xion and Roxas just exchanged intrigued glances with each other, both clearly wondering the same thing at that moment.

"Yeah, who do you think owns most of the market around here at the moment," Dewey asked. "He's mainly leaving us in charge of it all so he can focus on a personal project of his that he claims is really important."

"He wouldn't tell us what it is though, so you'll have to ask him yourself," Louie advised, probably thinking that one of them was going to ask that question after hearing about that.

"We'll be sure to do that if we see him," Ventus nodded to the three, and with that, the team bade the three boys goodbye for the moment, and prepared to head off towards the residential area. Just when they were about to the exit of the market though, they came across a well-dressed duck in a top-hat, who was muttering under his breath in a Scottish accent, and Donald was the first to identify him. Though they all missed how Xion and Roxas seemed to freeze in their tracks and go wide-eyed at the sight of this same individual.

"Uncle Scrooge," Donald called out.

"Okay, who's this Scrooge person you guys keep mentioning," Sora finally asked, not noticing how Xion and Roxas had frozen up at all. Though that may have been mainly because they were standing just a short distance behind him.

"He's Donald's uncle; a business typhoon," Goofy explained. "Before the Heartless showed up, he traveled the worlds on a gummi ship with the King. He was helping to set up a traffic system."

"A transit system," Donald corrected.

"Guess this must have been a short time before I started training under Mickey," Ventus noted aloud, turning the attention to him. "I remember meeting him once, right here in this world actually, back during my very first journey through the worlds, and my first visit here. In fact, he gave me a few lifetime passes to Disney Town as thanks for saving him from a dangerous Unversed."

"You know, I don't think you ever really explained what an Unversed is to me," Sora recalled.

Before Ventus could answer, the duck that they were just talking about seemed to finally realize that they were all there, because he immediately called out, "What's all the racket?" The well-dressed duck then turned to face the team, allowing them to see that he did show signs of being pretty far up there in years, even without the glasses and cane, along with the popsicle in the hand that was not holding his cane, but his smile would make one think he was still a very young man with how bright it was. "Why, if it isn't Donald and Goofy! Hello, lads," Scrooge cheered. His eyes then settled on the blonde Keyblade master as he added, "And…hold on. Bless my bagpipes! Ventus, me lad, is that ye? I almost dinna recognize ye, seeing as yer all grown up, and sporting a rather bushy beard now, I see."

Ventus barely kept himself from rolling his eyes at someone else calling him out on the beard for the second time in barely more than five minutes, but still managed to keep smiling as he said, "Good to see you too, Mister McDuck."

"Now hold yer horses right there. I won't be having ye refer to me like that. After all, ye saved my life once and yer a friend of the King, Goofy, and me nephew, Donald. Ye can call me Scrooge or Uncle Scrooge, and that's all I'll accept," the adventurous duck insisted.

"Of course," Ven nodded in reply. He then motioned to his three apprentices so that he could introduce them, and said, "While we're getting names out there though, I'd like you to meet our friends, and my apprentices. This is Sora, my first apprentice, and…"

That was as far as Ventus got in his introductions, because right as he was about to introduce her and Roxas, Xion let out an excited, high-pitched squeal that made everyone jump nearly ten feet in the air. A minute later, the ravenette was talking a mile a minute as she cheered, "Ohmigosh, ohmigosh, ohmigosh! It's really him! It really is him!" Xion was then shaking Scrooge's hand so fast that they all could have sworn their arms were moving at super speed, all while she excitedly stuttered, "It is an honor to meet you, sir, Mister McDuck, sir! I'm a huge fan! Probably one of your biggest fans! My brother is too, but not as big as me!"

Anyone else probably would have been a little freaked out by this sudden display, but Scrooge had clearly been through this a few times in the past, because he managed to just laugh it off as he replied, "Well, aren't ye quite the spirited young lass." He then studied Xion closely, even as she was still shaking his hand, and then Roxas a minute later, before he asked, "Tell me, lass, are ye and yer brother from Twilight Town, by any chance?"

"Yeah," Roxas confirmed in surprise. "How'd you know?"

"Well, while I've been to many a worlds in me travels and adventures, Twilight Town is one the most memorable for me, and it's also been one of the few worlds I've been to that I was pleased as punch to be remembered in," Scrooge chuckled. "Why, I still remember when they asked me to tell them the stories of my past adventures so they could make that documentary series, and it does earn me a wee bit o' more gold in my fortune from the royalties, even to this day. Still, it also does me good to know that so many people follow my stories like this, and even more that they seem to follow in my footsteps because of it. I just hope you remember the lessons I learned in those adventures while yer out there traveling the worlds with these lads."

"Of course! After all, what better teacher for how to get through an adventure is there than the experiences of one of the best, right," Xion cheered, having finally let go of Scrooge's hand.

"Aye, that is true, but there's also the lessons ye learn from yer own experiences as well, lass," Scrooge informed her. After getting an eager nod in reply, Scrooge then chuckled, "Oh, but where are my manners? I canna be meetin' such an adoring fan without learning her name, now can I? So what do I call ye and yer brother, lass?"

"Oh! I-I'm Xion, and this is Roxas, sir," Xion replied, honestly surprised that her excitement did not cause her to get their names mixed up when she did, though that may have been because Roxas had stepped forward to place a calming hand on her shoulder as a silent reminder to breath.

"Charming, respectful, and well-mannered. I like ye more and more every minute, Xion," Scrooge chuckled. He then turned to Ventus as he said, "You know, she actually reminds me a little of yer friend, Aqua, and of when I first met her as well. Just without the same burst of excitement."

Ven could only smile at that thought, even if it did bring up a few less happy memories for him, but he quickly shook that sadness off in favor asking the big question he knew that they were all wondering about the richest duck in the worlds. "What brings you back to this world anyway, Uncle Scrooge?"

"Ah, well after I heard about what happened and how they were trying to rebuild this world after driving out the Heartless, I remembered how lovely this place was, and I felt it woulda been a poor waste for it to not be restored to its former glory as soon as possible, so I figured I'd come and lend whatever bit of me services I could," Scrooge explained.

"And it would also earn you a little extra money if you were to start up some new businesses here too, right," Donald guessed.

"Aye, ye know me too well, lad," Scrooge chuckled. His humor quickly died down though, as he admitted, "At least that was the plan. See, I was hoping to open a new ice cream parlor here; one that carried a unique flavor that I discovered on me very first visit to this world and felt needed to be shared with other worlds as well, but I canna seem to recreate the old-time recipe for the life of me. I'd make millions if I just got it right…" He then paused to do a quick taste test of the Popsicle he was currently holding, only to make a face as he spit off to the side in an attempt to get the taste out of his mouth as he said, "Terrible!"

"Unique flavor…Are you trying to make sea-salt ice cream, by any chance," Roxas asked with excitement now seeping into his own voice.

"Aye that I am, laddie. I suppose I shouldna be surprised that you guessed that so quickly. After all, Twilight Town became even more well-known for that flavor than even this world had ever been after I introduced the recipe to the locals that I hired to help set up me parlor there," Scrooge confirmed. He then seemed to think something over for a minute or two before he asked, "Say, ye know, I could probably use a few taste testers for when I finally remember the recipe and get it right, so what would ye say to ye and yer sister being the first ones to try it out?"

"Really?! You mean that," Roxas asked, clearly even more excited than before. He may not have been as big a fan of the DuckTales as Xion, but when it came to ice cream from McDuck's Tasty Treat Parlor, and especially sea-salt ice cream, he and his sister were definitely equally huge fans.

"Of course," Scrooge nodded in reply. "After all, I canna be sellin' something if I don't know for sure that it'll be as close to the best as it can get. And as an extra special treat, I'll even make each of yer first ones on the house. What do ye say?"

"We'd love to," Xion cheered with a grin that could not possibly get any brighter or wider even if she tried. "I mean, how many people in Twilight Town can say that they've actually had ice cream that was made by Scrooge McDuck himself these days? It'd be a huge honor."

"Splendid! Splendid," Scrooge heartily chuckled in response. He then turned to the other four and added, "And dinna you lot worry; I'll be sure to save a few helpings for ye as well, if ye'd like."

"Sure thing," Sora agreed, now very eager to try out the ice cream flavor. After all, Roxas and Xion were clearly making a big deal about it, even before they were offered a chance to try a variety that was made by Scrooge McDuck, so he could not help but feel just as excited at the prospect.

Ventus nodded along with his apprentice as well, as did Donald and Goofy, but the blonde master knew that they needed to stay on task, and the first part of doing so required certain information that he figured that Scrooge might know about. "Say Uncle Scrooge, you wouldn't happen to know if anyone by the name of Leon or anyone who knows him is somewhere around here, would you," Ventus asked.

"Ah indeed I do," Scrooge confirmed. "Leon and the others are all in the borough. They've set up shop in Merlin's house, so yer most likely to find them there or my name's not Scrooge McDuck, richest duck in all the worlds."

"Thanks. We'll let you get back to work then. Lots to do and likely not much time to do it in. You know how it is," Ventus bade in farewell.

Scrooge merely tipped his hat in return, and the team quickly started to depart, but not before Xion added a farewell of her own. "It was an honor meeting you, Mister McDuck."

"Ah, call me Uncle Scrooge, lass," Scrooge insisted once more. "That goes for ye and yer brothers."

Xion nodded in response as her expression brightened even further than it already had, and for the rest of the trip down to the borough, the others could have sworn she was floating through the air with how happy she was at that moment.

---

The walk from the market to the borough was not too terribly long, even if the team was not rushing there as fast as they could. Not that they really had too much of a reason to rush, other than an eagerness to introduce Roxas and Xion to all of the friends that the team had made on their last adventure, but still, there was just something about racing through the streets of Hollow Bastion now that made them feel a little more at ease. At least, that was the thought they all shared until a beam of light suddenly sprung up right in front of Sora. Naturally, the kid had jumped back a little when it appeared, and everyone was soon stopping to look around as more similar beams materialized around them before disappearing again a few short minutes later.

"Hey, what's going on," Donald demanded.

The others could only shrug in reply, not really knowing the answer either, but it turned out that none of them needed to know. Someone else was more than happy to fill them in, as proved when a new voice suddenly answered, "That's the town's defense mechanism."

"What? Who said that," Roxas asked as he and the others all started looking every way that they could to find the speaker. Of course, he and Xion were a little more on guard than the other four, but that was only because the other four had looks of recognition on each of their faces when they heard that voice.

It turned out that Sora was the one spotted the person in question, and he quickly pointed them out to the rest of his friends when he waved upwards to someone on the rooftops above them and called out, "Yuffie!"

Sure enough, there on the roof of a nearby building, and clad in a new, mostly black wardrobe was none other than the self-proclaimed Great Ninja Master herself, smiling like no tomorrow at the sight of her old friends, and offering up a wave in response to Sora's call. The others likely would have waved back in reply, but all thoughts of doing so were quickly forgotten when Yuffie's eyes suddenly widened in alarm, and she shouted, "Look out!"

Sora barely had enough time to turn to whatever it was that made Yuffie raise the alarm, but thankfully, Roxas was able to intervene just in time, and batted away the Dusk that was about to attack the wielder of Kingdom Key with Oathkeeper. He then quickly summoned Oblivion into his other hand, and parried a few strikes from another Dusk, and just like that, the others were all drawing their weapons and preparing for battle once more. "So much for leaving these guys behind for a little while," Roxas muttered as he held his battle stance.

"No kidding. I thought for sure we'd at least get a little break from them after leaving Twilight Town," Xion agreed.

"Less talking, more action, kids," Ventus ordered, and he punctuated his point by blasting a few Dusks away with a quickly burst of Aerora, sending his targets flying into the air via a small tornado.

The whirlwind Ven conjured did not disappear after its targets were struck though, and apparently, that was what Ven was aiming for, because he quickly jumped into the vortex, letting the winds send him rocketing into the air while his body gained a faint magenta aura. While he was airborne, Ven was quick to pull back his Keyblade, almost looking like he was charging up an attack, and he then plummeted to the ground again, striking Guardian Wind into the ground, and unleashing a powerful shockwave that blew away several Dusks at once when the blade hit. The Dusks were not the only things blown away though, but everyone else ended up blown away in a far less literal sense, as the other members of the team could only gawk in awe at Ven's very impressive attack. Even Sora, Donald, and Goofy were left speechless, because they did not remember Ven ever doing something like that on their last journey, and from the looks of things, that was not the only one, either, because a second later, Ventus had rolled into a nearby wall, and sprung off of it with the exact same glow surrounding him while he performed another new attack, and the process continued to repeat in various different ways.

They decided to file questions about Ven's new abilities for later though, as there was still a fight going on, as Xion proved when she blasted a Dusk away from Donald using a quick Blizzard. That was the others' cue to start attacking as well, as Goofy immediately started swinging his shield at anything that was not his friend while covering Donald so that the magician could cast several different spells at once. Roxas and Sora were also watching each other's back, as the two mainly stuck to slashing through enemies with their respective Keyblades, and one could easily be forgiven for thinking that it was like watching two of the same person fighting side-by-side with how well the two worked together. For the most part, they did not even need to so much as glance at one another, because they always seemed to have an instinctive sense of when to duck, dodge, or even lean in a certain way so that the other could have a clear shot at an opponent. It was not just that though, as there were also times when they were doing the same in order to help the set the other up for an attack or specific kind of strike. Roxas proved this after he slashed three Dusks into nothingness and then crossed his Keyblades together. A second later, he used the blades to boost Sora into the air, allowing him to gain a little more distance when he came down on three more Dusks from above. Sora was quick to return the favor by blasting some ice magic at the ground, tripping up a few Dusks just enough for Roxas to finish them off with a swing of each of his Keyblades.

Xion was not left out of the action though, as she was providing a great deal of support for everyone, using a quick blast of magic here and there when a Dusk drew too close to any of her friends, or even just simply slicing through them with her Keyblade. For most of the fight, though, she found herself working alongside Ventus, and she had to admit, it felt a little bit like fighting with Roxas as she did. This was not just because of the shared resemblance between the two blondes, or even just because a fragmented version of Ven's heart was inside of her. While those two facts may have had a small influence on that feeling, there was also a part of the girl that felt like she was receiving instructions on what the blonde master planned to do in her head, but only for a short time. Either way, she was not complaining, considering it helped her and Ventus to take down the last of the Dusks that had ambushed the team just now. A quick survey of the area helped to confirm that they were all clear, and with that, the team stood down and allowed their curiosity to finally come out.

"Hey Ven, how'd you do that," Sora asked.

"Do what," Ven questioned, not entirely sure what his first apprentice was referring to.

"You know, that move you used after jumping into the tornado you conjured up, and don't try to say it was a Command Style or special attack like Sonic Blade, because I'd have remembered if you ever used an ability like that before on our last journey."

"Or any ability that had you glowing like that," Goofy pointed out.

It did not take very long for the master to figure out what they were referring to, and Ventus could only smirk in response as he replied, "Just a little something I picked on while I was keeping an eye on all of you. You didn't think I spent all that time just sitting around and letting myself get rusty, did you?"

"So you've always been able to do that," Roxas asked, honestly surprised, because none of the memories he had seen from Sora ever showed even a hint of Ven being able to do that.

"No, just very recently," Ventus admitted. "I'm actually still learning how to use it. To be honest, that was the first time I've ever tried using a Flowmotion attack in an actual battle, and it was a little slow."

"That was a little slow," Xion exclaimed in disbelief. "And you've only just started learning how to do stuff like that?"

"Hey, I may be a master, but that doesn't mean I've learned every ability there is when it comes to wielding a Keyblade," Ventus shrugged. "Despite what some people say, you can in fact teach an old dog a few new tricks."

"Oh, so you're an old man now, huh," Sora teased, only to duck away from a retaliatory noogie in response.

"Hey, watch it, kid! And the same goes for the rest of you," Ventus playfully warned both Sora and the others while he continued to give the former a noogie for his "old man" comment. Not that anyone seemed particularly worried, given how they were all laughing at the scene before them.

"Hey, you guys," Yuffie suddenly called out again, interrupting any further banter between the team, and they all turned to see the ninja jumping down from her previous perch until she was standing right in front of them with a wide grin. It was at that point that the team saw that Yuffie had changed up her appearance since Sora, Ven, Donald, and Goofy had last seen her, because they certainly did not remember Yuffie wearing so much dark clothing. Her shorts were a darker shade, and her shirt was now all black with white floral designs, and she had also replaced her old metal headband with a regular black one. She also now wore a white wrist band on one arm while the other arm was covered by a black, fingerless glove. Rounding out Yuffie's new look was a pair of tan, knee-length sneaker boots, and a dark grey vest that most of the team could not help but notice was very similar to Xion's. To be perfectly honest though, they all felt that this look suited Yuffie a lot more than her old one did.

"It's been way too long, Yuffie," Ventus smiled in greeting as he accepted a hug from his old pranking partner. Not that he would ever admit to that, since they both swore one another to secrecy.

"I'll say. It's been way too boring without you around, Vennie-Boy," Yuffie grinned with a light punch to the Keyblade master's arm. She then turned her grin to the rest of her old friends and said, "And I see you're still in top form."

"What'd you expect," Sora asked while thumping his chest with pride. "Looks like you're doing okay."

"Well, what did YOU expect," Yuffie replied in kind.

"Probably for Cid to come from out of nowhere roaring angrily over whatever recent prank you pulled on him," Ventus teased.

That comment had earned him a playful shove from Yuffie, even though she was able to laugh it off with everyone, and at that point, she finally took better notice of the newest members of her old friends' group. "Hey, I saw you guys in action back there, and you're really good," Yuffie complimented to the twins. Her gaze then zeroed in on Roxas when she said, "Though I gotta ask: are you related to Ven in anyway? You look like you could be his brother or something."

"Uh, no. Ven and I aren't related. I'm actually…Sora's brother," Roxas hesitantly waved off.

"Seriously," Yuffie gasped in surprise. "I didn't even know you had a brother, Sora."

"Yeah, I only recently found out too, actually," Sora admitted with a sheepish look. Hoping to change the topic before they got too far into it, Sora decided that they should give Yuffie a proper introduction to the twins and said, "But, yeah, these two are my younger siblings: Roxas and his twin sister Xion."

"Nice to meetcha," Xion happily waved while Roxas just smiled with a nod.

"Same. Love your vest by the way," Yuffie complimented.

"Thanks. A good friend picked it out for me a while back," Xion nodded in return.

"So how are the others," Donald then asked.

"Great! We're all busy doing whatever we can to help people settle back in after our world was freed, but no one's really got too much to complain about," Yuffie revealed.

"Say, Yuffie. Have seen the King and Riku? Or maybe Master Aqua," Sora then asked, thinking it could not hurt to ask. After all, their old friends from their first adventure had proven to be quite in the know on a lot of different things before.

"Nope," Yuffie easily replied, clearly not knowing how disheartening that news would be until Sora's shoulders slumped in disappointment. "But I had a feeling I'd see you guys again."

"Well I should certainly hope so, since we did sort of promise to have a reunion someday," Ventus joked, while Sora perked up a bit.

That seemed to cheer everyone up a little more, and even made Roxas and Xion smile a little, seeing as they were not too fond of seeing Sora get down in the dumps, but they were quickly confused when Sora adopted a serious expression and deepened his voice a bit, clearly trying to imitate someone he knew. "We may never meet again, but we'll never forget each other," Sora quoted.

"Is that supposed to be Leon," Yuffie easily guessed, smirking a little more all the while.

Sora's sheepish grin and the chuckles from Donald and Goofy were all the confirmation anyone needed to know she had guessed right, and even through his chuckles, Ventus had to give the kid props. "That was actually very good," the blonde told Sora before he turned to Yuffie again. "So are the others around? Someone told us that the old gang was around here somewhere."

"Yeah! Everybody's working on stuff over at Merlin's house," Yuffie confirmed. She then waved for them to follow her as she dashed off while shouting, "C'mon! We can even introduce your new teammates to them while you're there."

"Right behind you, Yuffie," Ventus called back, and like that, everyone was chasing after Yuffie. For the ninja in question, it felt a little odd having people chase after her without any intention of getting her back for some stunt she had recently pulled, but she was definitely not complaining too much. She was just glad to be reunited with such good friends.

---

Ventus did not actually need Yuffie to lead the way to Merlin's, because as far as he could tell, despite the changes that had taken place on the once beautiful world, the path there had not changed too much since his last, pre-Heartless Invasion visit. Even so, he still let Yuffie take point, mainly for the sake of his other friends, and so he could gaze around and better take in the surroundings. It still felt like only yesterday that this world had been such a shinning paradise with barely any disrepair to speak of, back when it was called Radiant Garden, so to see it as it was now, with so many places and buildings so heavily damaged or looking liable to fall apart at any second made Ventus feel more than a little sad for all that had happened. Part of him felt like he might have been able to do a little more to prevent this somehow, but then again, he was still very focused on his training, and then there was also the last time he had rushed off into something before he was ready, so Ven was left more than a little torn on how he should feel about seeing this place the way it was now.

His confused feelings quickly went away though when they all finally arrived at Merlin's, which was probably one of the few places on this world that had not changed a bit, and upon stepping inside, they were all smiling a little wider at the sight of who was inside, hard at work. Although two of the people inside did not appear to have changed at all, or even that much, it was still easy to see that the lone woman of the group had switched up her appearance so that she wore a new dress, or three with one worn on top of the other, along with lighter colored boots. Even so, despite whatever changes may or may not have taken place in their friends, there was still no mistaking any of these three for the four friends who had met them in their previous adventure.

"Meet the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee," Yuffie announced as she seemed to reappear from out of nowhere between the team and their old friends.

"Wow. That's a mouthful, but it is a little better than Traverse Town Defenders in its own way," Ventus commented, getting the attention of the room's three occupants, along with smiles from all of them when they laid eyes on the Keyblade master and his companions.

"We missed you," Aerith cheered as she came over to give Sora and Donald a quick hug.

"Well, if you ain't in top shape," Cid praised while giving Ven a high-five and Goofy a slap on the back in friendly welcome.

"I knew it," Leon grinned, providing the one welcome that left Sora and the others a little confused.

"Knew what," Sora could not help but ask.

"A while back, everyone suddenly remembered you three, all at the same time," Leon explained, though it was clear he was mainly directing his attention to Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

While said three were a bit surprised by this new information, Ventus was not. He remembered Naminé and DiZ mentioning that while they were repairing the damage that had been done to Sora in Castle Oblivion, there was a real chance that everyone they had met on their previous adventure would lose their memories of the three. Thankfully, Naminé had assured him that all those memories would be restored once she was finished and Sora woke up again, and to be honest, Ventus could not help but mentally sigh in relief to see that the blonde sorceress was right. That did not mean he could not sympathize with the other three's shock and likely hurt feelings upon hearing this.

"Wait! Does that mean you forgot about us," Sora demanded, his own hurt feelings showing through in his voice.

"Thanks," Donald huffed with crossed arms.

"Hey, don't be so hard on them you guys. It was most likely a side-effect of what had happened to you after you fell into that trap at Castle Oblivion," Ventus reassured the two, making a mental note to better explain all of those details later.

Ven's hunch was good, as his comment on a trap had earned the three some concerned looks from Leon and the gang. Thankfully, he was able to return those looks with one that promised he would explain later, and they all managed to get the message from him, much to his relief. At least, that was what it seemed like when Yuffie asked, "So where've you guys been all this time?"

"We were sleepin'," Goofy replied.

"Where? In cold storage," Cid asked in a quick return of his usual dry wit.

"I'm pretty sure it was a little more complicated than that," Roxas hesitantly shrugged, unintentionally drawing the Hollow Bastion locals' attention to him and Xion when he spoke up.

"Who's the miniature Ven and the runt," Cid asked, not taking any consideration into how he worded the question.

"Hey! Who're you calling a runt, old man," Xion instantly snapped, all form of politeness and manners fleeing her mind the minute she heard what Cid called her.

"Seriously? First Sora and now this girl? Why does everyone think I'm an old man," Cid groaned under his breath, not knowing that Sora, Yuffie, Ven, and even Aerith were trying to suppress their laughter at hearing him when they overheard.

Roxas was quick to put a calming hand on Xion's shoulder when he saw her preparing to march over with fists ready to swing, and then said, "Sorry about her. My sister really doesn't like it when people call her things like short."

"Still doesn't answer the original question, Ven Junior," Cid pointed out, waving the apology off like it was no big deal either way.

"They're Sora's long lost younger siblings, apparently," Yuffie revealed before anyone on the team could say anything. Not that any of them were really planning on saying something different, especially since they had already told that to both Yuffie and a few other people now, but they were hoping to try and break the news in a little more slowly. Yuffie did not really seem to notice, as she carried on with mentioning, "And get this, they can use the Keyblade just like Ven and their big brother."

"Really," Leon asked as he stepped a little closer to the two, eyeing them up very carefully, and making it clear that he was silently testing the two.

While Roxas and Xion both remained calm under Leon's gaze, with the former returning the man's look with a fierce, determined one of his own, Ventus had discreetly motioned for everyone to step back a little, knowing what was likely going to come next. After all, Leon had done something similar the first time the two of them had met. Ven's hunch proved true, because the next thing anyone knew, he had pulled out his Gunblade and swung it at Roxas. Acting on instinct, Roxas immediately slid in front of Xion, summoned both Oblivion and Oathkeeper into his hands, and locked the Gunblade in between the two Keyblades after crossing them together. Seeing Leon attack Roxas out of nowhere had stunned Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Xion, while Ventus maintained a relatively neutral expression and posture, but the others were all more focused on Roxas and what he had done to react to the sudden surprise.

"Holy…Is that runt using two Keyblades, or have I finally smoked one too many cigarettes," Cid asked in awe.

"Nope, I'm seeing them too," Yuffie confirmed. "I mean, I thought I saw him using two Keyblades earlier, but I figured it was just my imagination."

"Incredible," was the only thing Aerith could whisper in response to all of this.

"Isn't it," Xion asked with excitement, all signs of her previous irritation gone in favor of boasting about her brother. Heaven knows he was not going to do so himself, so it was only natural for his little sister to do so for him. "Ventus even said that my twin brother is probably the first person in ages, if not ever, to possess a natural talent for wielding two Keyblades at once without any kind of special assistance or abilities."

The girl's statement definitely left an impression on everyone, because even Leon had to let a small smile slip onto his face before he finally stood down and gave Roxas an approving nod. "You've got good reflexes, and some impressive strength."

"Likewise," Roxas complimented in return while lowering his Keyblades.

"That from training with Ven, or something else," Leon asked.

"Uh…something else. I'd rather not talk about it too much though," Roxas muttered in hesitant reply.

That seemed to satisfy the Gunblade wielder, as he nodded and said, "All right. I'll leave it at that then." He then held out his free hand to the blonde and properly introduced himself, saying, "I'm Leon."

"Roxas," the blonde nodded in return while accepting the handshake after dismissing one the Keyblades.

"And my name's Xion," added the wielder of Two Become One. "Nice to meet you all."

"The pleasure's all ours," Aerith nodded in return before introducing herself and the gummi block engineer next to her. "I'm Aerith, and this is Cid. It's so nice to see that Sora and the others have some new members on their team."

"And even better, it looks like you're a bit more capable than Sora was when we first met him," Leon added on. While it may have been a dig against Sora, if one were to look closely enough, they could see a hint of a teasing smile gracing Leon's lips. Not that Sora seemed to notice.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean? I beat you, didn't I," Sora reminded the man, earning a new round of laughs from everyone, except Leon, who only looked away in what seemed like slight embarrassment.

When everyone had calmed down again, Sora decided to get right to the heart of the matter on why they were all here. "So listen, we're trying to find Riku, the King, and Master Aqua. Have you seen any of 'em?"

The entire Restoration Committee shook their heads in the negative, before Cid said, "We ain't seen any sign of the King or your old buddy, but it's a little hard to say if we've seen Master Aqua or not since we don't really know what she looks like."

"She's a little hard to miss," Ventus started explain, though making sure to keep his own personal bias out of his description as much as possible. "She's normally clad in an outfit that's mostly various shades of blue, with a pair of intersecting pink straps over her chest, and fastened together with a silver badge like the one I wear. She also has silver, segmented armor pieces on her upper arms and blue hair."

The Restoration Committee took a minute to think over all of that information before ultimately, they just shook their heads no once more, bringing a sad sigh from both Sora and Ventus. "Sorry," Aerith immediately apologized, hoping to cheer up her friends at least a little bit. "But let us know if there's anything we can do to help. Okay?"

"Okay," Ventus nodded in return. "Trust me, if we need anything, you guys will be some of the first people we call."

"Yeah. Thanks you guys," Sora added on with a grateful smile.

"Don't go thankin' us just yet," Cid abruptly warned as he suddenly drew closer to Sora.

"Hollow Bastion's got a problem. A big problem," Leon revealed.

"You mean besides the fact that you guys are still calling it 'Hollow Bastion' when you do know the town's real name," Ventus pointed out, and it was very clear what his actual question was when he said that.

"Hey, we would be calling it Radiant Garden, but aside from Merlin, we're the only ones who remember the town ever going by that name," Yuffie revealed. "Besides, given the state it's in, do you really think any of us can call it Radiant Garden when it looks anything but radiant?"

"…Eh, good point," Ventus shrugged, because it really was. There was just no way they could call Hollow Bastion by its true name so long as these four were the only ones who remembered it, even if it was only because of him, Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Maybe after the world was restored to the way it was, they would change the name back, but for now, he would have to accept that they were just not ready for it yet.

Wanting to get back on track, Roxas looked to Leon and questioned, "So what's this problem of yours? Is it anything like…like Nobodies? And Heartless?"

"That's right," Yuffie confirmed for her friend.

"Then it sounds like you could use our help just as much as we could use yours," Xion noted as Sora finally managed to step a safe distance away from Cid.

"Then let's cut to the chase," Leon decided, stepping into the middle of the group as he addressed the team directly, with the rest of the Restoration Committee gathering around the six as well. "Ven, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Roxas, and Xion. We were hoping the six of you might give us a hand around here."

The group's response was practically instant, as Sora casually thumped his chest and stated, "Like we're gonna say no?"

That earned him a short laugh from Leon before he smirked, "I forgot who I'm dealing with."

"Hey, what do you mean by that," Donald shrewdly questioned with a warning look.

"Just think of it as a sort of 'Leon compliment,'" Aerith explained.

Hearing that, Ventus could only smirk in return and had to give his own comment. "In other words, he's glad to see that we're all still so eager to help out our friends at the drop of a hat, even when we've got our own stuff going on, right?"

Leon did not confirm or deny that Ventus was right, but he did offer a small shrug and a knowing smile that the blonde took as confirmation of being very accurate in his guess, and they left it at that. At least until Xion gave her brother a knowing look and teased, "You know, I think you've given a few compliments like that as well, once or twice."

"Have not," Roxas retorted, though he did secretly wish he could have given compliments in a way that half as cool as Leon had.

Leon then moved to head out of the house, and told the team, "Follow me to the bailey. There's something you need to see."

The six adventurers all nodded in response, and were more than prepared to follow right after Leon the minute he left when a sudden burst of smoke and magic made them stop short. As it turned out, the smoke was the signaling of a new arrival, and the person turned out to be the owner of this very house, in his full, blue robed, bearded, and wand waving glory. "Oh! I thought it was you. Right on time," the wizard happily cheered.

"It's Merlin," Donald cheered as the team gathered around to say hello to the wizard who had helped Ventus with Sora's magic training a year ago.

"Good to see you," Sora nodded in greeting, receiving a happy nod in return.

"Sora, Ven, and the gang said they're gonna help out," Yuffie reported. "And not only that, but they've even got some new friends who want to lend a hand, too!"

"Splendid," Merlin happily cheered before approaching the two new faces. "Merlin the wizard, at your service. A pleasure to make the acquaintance of the newest wielders of the Keyblade."

"How'd you know we could wield the Keyblade," Xion asked in surprise.

"In the words of an old friend of mine, it's elementary, my dear. Any wizard worth their salt who has half of the experiences that I have could sense the power inside of your hearts," Merlin replied. He then pointed towards Roxas and said, "Also, your brother still has his Keyblade out. Well, one of them, anyway, and I must say, it is surprising to find someone who is able to wield two Keyblades as easily as he seems to be able to do."

At that point, Roxas glanced to his right hand and saw that he was indeed still holding Oathkeeper, and he quickly dismissed it while a sheepish smile reached both his and Xion's faces. Xion was able to shake it off though so that she could make one more introduction, and said, "It's nice to meet you, Merlin. I'm Xion, and this is Roxas."

Merlin nodded in return, smiling a little more at the girl's well-mannered and respectful tone, and said, "Well, you're in good hands if you're traveling with these four, so we'll count on all of you." He then perked up as if he just remembered something, and looked over to Aerith as he asked, "Did you give them the cards, dear?"

"Oh," Aerith gasped, clearly only just remembering this detail as well. She then reached into one of the pockets on her dress and presented four cards to Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Ventus. "Here…they're presents for you. Leon thought you might like to have them."

Each of the four took a card from the mage and took a moment to study the rather colorful designs before they each flipped them over to see their respective name written on the back, along with one other set of text. "Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee Honorary Member," Sora read aloud with a surprised gasp.

"Membership cards," Donald cheered, clearly feeling just as honored by this as his other friends seemed to be.

"Kinda cool, huh," Goofy asked in excited wonder.

"I'll say," Ventus agreed. "You guys really didn't have to do this for us."

"Yeah, but we all wanted too, and we kinda figured you were gonna help us out as much as you could when you heard about our situation here, so we figured why not make it official," Yuffie countered with a smile. "We even made one for Kairi in case she was with you guys when you finally showed up."

Aerith then turned an apologetic look to Roxas and Xion, as she said, "Sorry we don't have one for either of you yet, but we can make some cards for you as well, if you'd like them."

"Oh, you don't have to," Roxas tried to protest, but he was quickly interrupted.

"But it would be really cool if you did," Xion insisted. When Roxas gave her a small look for the interruption, she just shrugged and said, "What? Like you really don't want to have something like that as well?"

"Besides, any friends of these guys are friends of ours, especially if they're willing to help us out here," Aerith added on, and like that, the blonde boy knew he was beat, so he just sighed in resignation and accepted the offer.

"Say, if it wouldn't be too much trouble, do you guys think you could have one ready for Aqua as well," Ventus suddenly asked. When the others gave him various confused, questioning looks, the blonde master could only shrug and say, "I can't really explain it, but somehow, I feel like she's going to show up here sooner or later, and knowing Aqua, she'll want to do whatever she can to help out as well."

"Okay then, sure. We'll make sure we have one ready for her if she ever shows up," Aerith nodded in reply.

Sora could only grin a little more as his excitement grew with each passing second, and he turned to thank Leon when he finally remembered that the man in question was no longer there. "Oh no! Guys, we're supposed to be going to the bailey with Leon, remember," Sora reminded the others.

"Crap, he's right," Ven quickly recalled. "Come on, team. Let's get moving."

"Now just a moment there, you two," Merlin halted them before they could move more than two steps towards the door. "Might I inquire about the current status of your magic abilities? And while I'm thinking about, what about Roxas and Xion's magic?"

"Oh, right…" Sora muttered in slight dismay. "Well to be honest, I've kinda…regressed a little. I can still use all of my old magic, but it's a lot weaker than it used to be. I'm lucky I was able to get it back to the point where I can easily use spells like Fira, Blizzara, Thundara, Cura, and other stuff like that on the way over here."

Ventus patted Sora's shoulder reassuringly, hoping that it would serve to remind the kid that he would be back to his old self in no time if he kept practicing, before taking a chance to report on the status of both his own magic and that of Roxas and Xion's. "I've made sure to keep mine in good shape, while also practicing with a few new abilities. Xion's already learned how to use fire and ice magic, and I believe Sora's given her a pretty decent start on lightning magic as well," the Keyblade master reported. After pausing to glance to the raven haired girl and seeing her simply nod in confirmation of this, he then pressed on to say, "Roxas on the other hand is proving to be a bit of…a slow learner when it comes to magic, as he's only just recently managed to tap into his magic energies, but he hasn't started to learn any spells as of yet."

"Well, that's not too bad, but still far from perfect," Merlin noted. "Well, I suppose I can at least help give the young lad a little helping hand by granting him a shortcut on at least one or two spells so that he's not too far behind."

"Really? Thanks," Roxas grinned in response. He may not have really been planning to use magic all that much, but he did still appreciate the need for actually knowing at least one or two spells if it became necessary. After all, better to have something and not need it than to need it and not have it.

A minute later, Merlin had waved his wand over Roxas's form, and the boy felt a slight chilling feeling wash over his body, with a very hot, burning one following soon after. "There, I believe that a simple Blizzard and Fire spell should do nicely for your starters."

Roxas nodded in thanks once again, and with that, the team rushed out of Merlin's house and headed straight for the bailey, hoping they had not ended up making Leon wait for them for too long as they went. They were just lucky that the bailey is not too far from Merlin's house, so it was not long before they arrived there and met up with Leon, who was looking out a large window at something in the distance beforehand. Even as they were walking in, Sora and Ven knew that whatever it was Leon had to show them had to be important, but when they saw the extra edge of seriousness in his profile, they quickly became a little more concerned about just how it could reflect or even impact the current situation here in Hollow Bastion. Their concern only grew even more when Leon noticed their approach and turned to them with his expression hardening more than it already was, assuming such a feat was even possible.

"Look at that," Leon directed as he pointed to something out the large window, and what the team saw definitely qualified as a reason for Leon to be so on edge. There, in the middle of what looked like a massive, black sea, was a massive, menacing castle with the Heartless emblazoned on a few of the towers, while the main towers of the castle seemed to be built on top of the ruins of an old, long forgotten one. Looking closer to the black sea, Sora, Roxas, and Xion could not help but gasp in disbelief as they realized that it was not water surrounding the castle, but a massive, limitless-looking amount of Heartless. Even Ventus was a bit put off by this, having never seen so many Heartless gathered up like that before, at least not outside of a place like the End of the World, so it was no surprise that they were all more than a little concerned at how casual Leon seemed to be about the matter. It could be considered a testament to Leon's fortitude from the years he had spent in Traverse Town, or his warrior's resolve, or it could just be that he had grown a little so used to seeing so many Heartless in his home that it barely even affected him anymore. Either way did not sit too well with the team.

"We want to restore Hollow Bastion to what it used to be. Who knows; maybe even something better," Leon explained as he studied the Heartless ocean with a hard gaze, and the team quickly relaxed upon realizing that he was not so used to this to the point where he was numb to the fact. "There's still a lot to do, but I'm sure we can handle everything, except for that…" He then pointed to another area just a short distance from the Heartless ocean as he finished, "And that."

When the six looked to where Leon was pointing, they immediately spotted a few Dusks strolling along towards the Heartless and the castle they were surrounding. While it did confuse Sora, Donald, and Goofy a little to see the Nobodies moving along towards the Heartless like that, even after what they had learned from Yen Sid, they were not too concerned. After all, they were just another bunch of enemies that they had to stop in order to protect the worlds. Ventus, on the other hand, had a feeling that there was more to the story on that, but he did not want to say anything just yet. Not until he had some sure-fire proof that his suspicions were more than a gut feeling. Luckily, two people in this gathering were able to provide such proof.

"Scouts," Roxas muttered, with Xion muttering in agreement.

"What," Leon asked, having overheard what he said.

"Those Dusks are scouts. Probably determining just how good a hunting ground this place will be for their bosses," Roxas elaborated.

"Hunting ground," Sora questioned, not entirely sure what that was supposed to mean. At least until he remembered what the two had told them at Yen Sid's tower. "Have you remembered something about…?"

Roxas and Xion both knew that Sora left his question unfinished since Leon did not know the full truth about them, but they were still able to figure out what Sora was asking. "Only just now after seeing those Dusks," Roxas explained. "I remember how they would always send Dusks, be it basic or one of the other stronger ones to scout out a world to see if it had anything to offer for the Organization, and more often than not, it had something to do with the Heartless and how many there were, or how strong they were."

"Yeah, and afterwards, if they felt that they needed to, the Organization would assign one of its members a mission to do a more thorough investigation or for some other task in that world," Xion finished, having remembered that detail as well. "Although…how the Heartless tied into it, I still can't remember. I know that they were pretty important though."

"What're you guys talking about," Leon interrupted, reminding the group that he was still there. "Do you know what's really going on lately?"

"We've got a pretty good idea, at least on the basic level," Ventus informed Leon. "See, there's this guy, Pete, who's going around and plotting with the Heartless. We're pretty sure he's a big part of the reason why the Heartless still have something close to a sense of direction on other worlds, assuming they haven't already allied with someone else. The good news is that Pete's not too big of a threat, considering he's really just a bully who's not smart enough to tie his own shoes."

"If anything, we need to be more worried about the Nobodies and their bosses," Roxas added on.

"Yeah, those Organization XIII guys," Goofy clarified.

Leon was about to ask about just who Organization XIII was, and from the looks of things, Roxas and Xion were preparing themselves for an inevitable conversation that would expose them, when a deep voice suddenly echoed around them, saying, "You called?"

Everyone was instantly on guard as Ven and Sora led the way out the other side of the bailey, each drawing weapons as they went, but Roxas and Xion were a little slower in their charges, and from what Donald and Goofy could see, they had gone a little pale as well. Xion in particular turned almost as white as a sheet when a second voice commented, "You all seem to be doing well."

"Who's that," Sora demanded as he summoned forth his Keyblade, with the others following his lead just seconds later.

"This calls for a celebration," the first voice stated, and the next thing anyone knew, several Dusks were suddenly materializing all around the group, spinning their way through the air towards the way into town.

"Not good," Ventus muttered while Leon sent out the signal to close the gates. When he heard the gates shut with a faint clang, Ventus looked to the others and stated, "We can't risk letting these guys into the borough. Do whatever you can to stop them."

"Like you even had to ask," Xion pointed out as she charged in and took down two Dusks right away. "Just make sure you're careful around the Dusks. Their quick, but if you can be quicker and get behind them fast enough, you can easily leave them stunned."

"And what about those guys there," Goofy asked, pointing out the ones that had teardrop-shaped heads, long arms with flat hands, and a pair of small feet that seemed to just dangle uselessly from its body.

"What, the Creepers? They're easy to take down," Roxas waved off like it was no big deal. "I mean, sure they can mirror some of the Organization's weapons, but they can barely do that much more damage than a Dusk. They're only dangerous because they tend to come in packs, be it with other Creepers or other varieties of Nobodies. Hit them with a few wide-range attacks or spells, and or even just simply hit them hard and fast, and you're good."

At the sound of at least two or three more Nobodies appearing, Sora looked to see the newest arrivals looked like strange swordsmen with distinctive cylindrical heads, with six diagonal slits on the front. The grey suit that these new Nobodies wore also seemed to have bell sleeves with the Nobody emblem imprinted on them, leaving only its black, clawed hands visible. A pair of grey swords were held firmly in their hands, and if they were not in hand, they were floating very close them, either crossing behind their backs, or just resting at either side of their hips. "And what about these guys," Sora questioned.

When Roxas turned to face them, he was suddenly hit with a wave of unease that he could not quite explain or place. Something about these newest Nobodies made him a little more hesitant to attack them, despite knowing they were an enemy, but as he studied them, he could somehow feel that they were a bit reluctant to fight him as well. It just did not make sense to Roxas, and he likely would have stayed in his dazed state had he not heard Xion speak up with an explanation about them. "I think…They're called Samurais," the girl informed the group. "They tend to remain calm and poised for a while before attacking, and they don't do so spontaneously. They move slow but their movements are also really graceful, and while they aren't the strongest defenders, they are definitely some of the most powerful attackers. After all, those swords aren't there just for show."

"Got it," Ventus said. "Xion, you help Donald and Goofy keep them from getting too far into the bailey. Sora, Roxas, Leon, and I will stay close to the gate and keep any that slip by you from doing any or too much damage to it."

"Right," the others all nodded, and they all quickly set to work.

Donald and Goofy were no strangers to working alongside one another, but they were actually a little surprised at how easy it was to work with Xion. The girl was able to blast and slash away enemies while providing them with backup or support whenever they needed it so well, that they almost felt like she had been fighting with them for years. Then again, the girl was made using some of Sora's memories, so maybe they figured that had a little something to do with it. Either way they were not complaining, and even less so when she saved each of them from getting slashed in half by a Samurai or stomped on by a Creeper. Meanwhile, Xion was easily dancing around each enemy that tried to cross her, dodging attacks and then retaliating with a spell or a strike at every turn. It would have been like watching a beautiful performance had it not been for how awkward her movements sometimes appeared to be. Not that it was too noticeable most of the time, but one could still see that she was tripping over her feet here and there as she moved, and sometimes, she would even fall back in a way that made it seem like she was doing something that was unnatural for her. Luckily Donald and Goofy were able to cover her well enough to the point where it did not matter in the slightest, but Xion was still concerned about why she was having such troubles. Considering how much this had happened to her now, she probably would have been crazy to not be a little worried, but she elected to talk with Ventus or one of the others about it when they were not fighting to keep the Nobodies from getting into a town full of innocent people.

Meanwhile, the boys were all doing everything they could to keep the gates intact, and they were certainly proving to be a near unbeatable defense to break through. For the most part, Leon and Ventus kept the Nobodies at bay with their preferred long-range attacks, but when they did need to get in close, they made sure to show that they were not someone you should cross. Sora was taking a similar approach as well, by switching between both magic and regular attacks at varying intervals, and seeing how few Nobodies got past him because of this, he could not help but silently thank Ventus for convincing him to practice his magic skills a little before they had arrived at Hollow Bastion. Still, that did not mean that Sora was just sticking to just those abilities, because eventually, he did come around to unleashing an old power of his building up to the point of being ready to burst forth, and he could only grin as he channeled that power out around him and his Keyblade in order to unleash it in full.

"Command Style: Destiny Blaze," Sora shouted, and like that, the aura of his Unique Tier One Command Style had encompassed his body, and he was soon racing across the battlefield while slashing away at any Nobody that crossed him, both with his regular Keyblade and the Ghost-Keyblade that had appeared in his off-hand when he began to attack. The Dusks and Creepers were no longer able to keep up with him at all, and even the Samurais that had gotten past the other three were finding themselves being quickly cut down before they even knew what had happened because Sora's enhanced powers. All the while, Sora could only grin happily at being able to use his Unique Command Style in battle again, because to him, it felt like he was reunited with an old friend after being apart for ages.

As Sora's blazing rush of attacks continued, Roxas found he could not help but stare in awe. Sure, he had seen Ventus use one of his Command Styles before, and later on, Sora's Shotlocks, and yes, he did remember seeing one or two moments of Sora using it in the memory visions he and Xion had during their summer vacation, but actually seeing Sora use this power in person was a much different experience, and one that was no less spectacular than the last time it was used. His moment of awe had almost cost him though, as a few Dusks and Samurais had slipped past him to the gate while he was watching Sora, but Roxas quickly caught onto them and felled each of the Nobodies in a matter of seconds with one or both of his Keyblades. He then turned to find another Samurai was about to approach him, but just when he was about to attack, the sword-wielding Nobody paused for a minute and then turned to advance on Leon, who was already preparing to fire a blast from his Gunblade. If Roxas had been caught off guard by Sora's use of his Unique Command Style, then he was definitely thrown for a loop at seeing that. What's more, as he looked over the rest of the battlefield, he noticed that nearly all of the Samurais seemed to be avoiding him as much as possible, as they mainly went after the others, or just changed course after realizing that he was in their path. It was more than a little weird for Roxas, but he was not complaining too much. From what he could remember of his time with the Organization, the Samurais were indeed just as powerful as Xion had said, and they were very excellent swordsmen as well. To be honest, a part of Roxas was actually glad that he did not have to fight them, but for some reason, he could not help but feel that his relief was born from something other than not having to face a strong opponent unless it was necessary.

A few minutes later, the four Keybearers finally destroyed the last Dusks, and all seemed calm for the moment, so they quickly led the way back outside, hoping to catch a glimpse of the person who had just set the lower-tier Nobodies loose on them. Unfortunately, they could not see the ones responsible anywhere, but they could definitely hear them clear as day, as the voices from before were soon echoing out from somewhere close by once again. "The Keyblade…a truly marvelous weapon," the first voice from before commented. "Were they only in more…capable hands."

"In some cases more than others," the second voice seemed to sneer, and his statement was soon followed by a chorus of mocking, yet empty laughter.

"Show yourselves," Sora demanded, now a little ticked off at how these people were trying to make a mockery of him and his friends.

At that point, the team's attention was directed up to the top of a nearby, high wall, where a figure appeared from a dark portal. The most eye-catching thing about him though, aside from the fact that his face could not be seen, was the fact he was wearing a very familiar black coat. Upon seeing this man, Ventus and Sora were both overcome with a sense of familiarity, because whoever this person was, he was giving off the same vibe as the man they had faced on this very world after they had defeated the Behemoth Heartless that was guarding the Keyhole. They were not the only ones though, as Roxas and Xion both froze a little as they picked up on a sense of familiarity too, one that only grew stronger as the hooded man raised his arms up in a silent signal, and the twins did not need to guess who that signal was for. Their hunch was soon proven right, as five more black portals appeared around the man, and deposited another cloaked figure each, until a total of six men in matching black coats stood on the high wall, looking down at the team below.

"Organization XIII," Goofy cried out in worry, while Roxas and Xion instinctively backed away a little at seeing their old comrades suddenly appear before them.

When Sora suddenly turned back to the twins, he did not need to do much guessing to realize that they were afraid of what these guys would do to the two, so he did not hesitate to give them a quick smile and some comforting words. "Don't worry. They're not going to get anywhere near you two if we can help it," Sora reassured them. When he saw their faces regain a little color, he then turned back to the Organization with a glare as he declared, "If anything, we can settle this right here and now!"

"Easy Sora," Ventus cautioned. "Let's not do something rash. For all we know, taking action right now may be just what they want. I don't know about you guys, but I'm not planning on being a pawn in their little chess game."

"What a shame," the cloaked man at the front of the cloaked group sighed, his voice being a perfect match to the first one that had spoken earlier, and almost sounding as if he were disappointed, but they could all tell that it was all a façade. "And here I thought we could be friends."

Another round of laughter erupted from the members of the Organization as they all began to vanish into the portals they had come from, and seeing their enemies disappear like that prompted the team into moving once again, this time hoping to catch at least one member before they had all gotten away. Their rush was cut short when one of the Organization's members suddenly appeared in their path, barring the way forward and allowing all of the others to make a clean getaway, much to the team's irritation. Of course, it was only natural that Donald was the first to make his frustrations known as he glared heatedly at the Nobody in front of them, and demanded, "What's the big idea?!"

"Oopsy-daisy," the man sarcastically shrugged, and now it was Ventus who had to pause for a minute, as he could have sworn that he had heard that voice somewhere before.

Sora on the other hand had no problem maintaining his own composure, as he angrily shouted, "Move!"

"Now do you think that's polite, shutting me down like that," the man questioned.

"He said to beat it," Roxas shouted, raising Oblivion at the cloaked man.

At hearing Roxas's voice, the man in question had turned to him and then chuckled, "Kiddo! Gotta admit, it's actually kinda good to see you again. You're looking well, and it looks like the same could be said for Poppet too."

"Huh? Poppet," Roxas questioned, now more than a little confused, especially given how the guy was trying to come off as being friendly towards him. Last he had checked, Axel was the only friend he had in the Organization besides Xion, and Naminé had said as much as far he could remember, but then again, it was not like he really remembered everything about that much about his time in the Organization at the moment.

"I'm talking about Xion, kiddo," the man explained. He then let out a dry laugh as he added, "Anyone else here get déjà vu just now? Or here's a better question: can Nobodies have déjà vu? I kinda feel like I just did, since I'm sure we had this conversation before."

"Are you serious right now? You do remember who we are, right," Xion pointed out, thinking that calling this guy out on his weirdness might throw him off a bit.

Xion's tactic did not work as she had hoped, because the man just shrugged and said, "Hey, you two may be traitors, but that doesn't mean I can't reminisce about the good ol' days with you. Who knows, maybe your even doing something to help us out right now without even realizing it, Poppet. Wouldn't be the first time."

"Enough already! They're not doing anything to help you, intentionally or otherwise! Now get out of our way," Ventus snarled with a glare, having finally snapped out of his moment of silent contemplation.

"As if," the man scoffed. "You can talk all you want, but that won't change a thing."

"Then we're gonna MAKE you move," Donald determined, raising his staff for another attack while the others all prepared to enter another fight as well.

"See, that would work, if I were just any old dude," the man countered almost indifferently. His tone then turned a little more boastful as he finished, "'Cept I'm not. I'm with the Organization. Nothing 'any old' about me."

"Ha! Tough talk for someone who stood on the sidelines while his Nobody flunkeys did all the fighting," Sora barked in retort.

"Nothing new there. Assuming he's who I think he is, he does tend to do that a lot. Not as much as another guy in the group, but still just enough to be irritating," Roxas reasoned, though he did have to wonder how he suddenly started getting a suspicion about who this guy was when he had not even seen his face.

"Oh, dear, I think you got the wrong impression," the man muttered in mock despair.

"Oh, cry us a river," Xion snapped.

"As if! Why don't I remind you and tiger there how tough the crowd you're dealing with really is," the man offered, suddenly sounding a little more menacing. When Sora, Roxas, and Xion all just hardened their glares at him a little more in response though, all sense of menacing was dropped as he burst out laughing before he turned to the bearded blonde. "Well, look at that! They're giving me that same exact look you did all those years ago, and it looks like yours hasn't changed either despite how much time has passed. You've taught 'em well…Popsicle."

Hearing that comment made Ventus pause once again, but this time, his shock was due to the fact that he finally figured out why this guy sounded so familiar. "You…" Ventus gasped. "You're the one who attacked me and Aqua that time in the Keyblade Graveyard!"

"You remember me? Aw, I'm touched," the man mockingly cheered, and that only seemed to rile Ventus up a little more than he already had been. Seeing Ventus getting so angry and hearing that the blonde apparently recognized this person based on his voice alone also served as incentive for the others to brace themselves for anything, because from the sound of things, it was clear that the two were not friends. Not that they were likely to assume they were considering that Ven said this guy had attacked him and his friends once, but all the same, hearing such a fact was more than enough of a reason to prepare themselves for anything. What they did not expect was for the man to wave as he opened up another dark portal and say, "Be good boys and girls now!"

"Wait," Donald shouted, charging forward in an attempt to stop the Nobody from escaping like the rest of his comrades. All he really ended up accomplishing was a dive to land flat on his face right when the portal had disappeared with its passenger. "Nuts! He got away!"

"Let it go, Donald," Ventus advised as he and the others dismissed their weapons. That did not stop him from scowling a little though as he muttered, "Although I was hoping I'd never have the displeasure of running into him again."

"Did you really know that guy, Ven," Sora asked, honestly curious.

"Assuming I'm right, yeah, I did once. Or to be more accurate, I met him when he was still human," Ventus clarified. "He was an ally of Xehanort's that used to be one of the castle guards here on this world. I never ran into him on any of my visits here with Mickey though so I had always figured he hadn't managed to get away from the Keyblade Graveyard after that last battle my friends and I had with Xehanort. Either that or he just wasn't ever around anymore because he got a new job. Yet another mistake on my part."

"Hey, don't blame yourself, Ven. It's not like you could've known that the guy would become part of the Organization," Goofy reassured the Keyblade master.

"I know, but still…"

Hoping to change the subject before his master got too far down that road of self-blame, Sora looked to his sibling disciples and asked, "You know, he seemed to be acting pretty friendly to you guys, so do you think he was a friend you had in the Organization?"

"No, I doubt it," Roxas shook his head in denial. "I mean, I'm sure we had a few friends, but the only real friend I can remember us having was Axel, and I'm not even sure if he's still around."

"Same here and the vibes I got from him definitely did not make me think he and I were actually friends," Xion revealed. She then scowled a bit as she said, "If anything, the sound of his voice made me want to just hit him with everything I had."

"Well, did he at least stir up a few memories for you guys that could help us for when we run across him again," Sora prompted. He did not really want to stir up anything bad, but if there was a chance that it could help later, they did need to know as soon as possible.

"Not really," Roxas shrugged. He then paused to think for a moment before clarifying, "All I've got are some vague recollections of a guy with a similar voice hanging back a lot during fights to blast a bunch of stuff, and acting like he was in the know on more things than anyone else, including the guys who were in a position of high authority."

"Same here. Well, that and hearing someone giving out a bunch of stupid nicknames and saying 'As if!' almost all the time," Xion then said with an apologetic shrug.

"Well…at least it's something, right," Sora grinned in an attempt to cheer them up a little. It did not quite work the way he was hoping though, as they were soon reminded that someone else was there.

"Do one of you guys plan on telling me why those guys seemed to act like they knew your newest friends, and in a way that suggested they were more than passing acquaintances," Leon cut in, his tone suspicious and his gaze silently demanding answers.

Seeing that look from Leon instantly made Roxas and Xion cringe a little in both fright and concern, right to the point where they could barely say too much, let alone look at him. When one of them finally did get enough courage to speak, it was barely more than a small bit of muttering as Roxas kept his gaze locked on the ground. "It's complicated," the blonde had almost stuttered.

"Really, because it doesn't seem like that to me," Leon argued, crossing his arms in a silent message of how he was not going to accept any half-baked answers like that. "In fact, from where I'm standing and what I heard, it sounded like you and your sister were with this Organization."

"We're not with them," Xion practically snapped, her eyes practically blazing with indignant offense. That fire quickly died though while her voice dropped back down to a normal speaking level a minute later. "At least…not anymore."

"So you were members," Leon questioned, having caught what the girl had said. "And what about that stuff you said about being Sora's siblings? Was that even true?"

"Well…" was the most that either of the twins could manage, and Sora was no better as he was soon finding the ground beneath his feet very interesting.

"That's enough, Leon," Ventus cut in, unable to take too much more of his apprentices being interrogated like this. "Yes, Roxas and Xion were part of the Organization, but they also made the choice to leave on their own. They're with us now, and they don't plan on going back."

"How can you be so sure," Leon prompted. Clearly he was not too willing to take anything at face value here.

Ventus could not really blame Leon for being cautious like this. The man had already lost his home once to the Heartless, and it was pretty clear that the Organization was now just as much of a threat to that same home as the dwellers of darkness had once been, maybe even more of one. Still, in Ven's book, it was no excuse for Leon to just go jumping down the kids' throats, even if he did not know the full story behind why Roxas and Xion had left. That was about to change though. "Would you want to go back to a group that had tried to destroy you," Ventus questioned.

That broke Leon's guarded and suspicious visage, and in its place was one of what could most closely be described as horror. His gaze slowly turned to Roxas and Xion again, silently asking them if what Ven said was true, and when Xion just looked down in sorrow, he knew that it was. To be honest, he was a little surprised that Roxas even bothered to answer the silent question aloud. "We were tricked into joining the Organization because we didn't know anything about who we were, why we even existed, or really anything else besides the most basic of human functions, and they needed someone who could use the Keyblade for their goals. What that is, we can't remember now, because our memories of our time with them were erased in order to protect us from the Organization, but we do know that part of the reason why we ran away was because we started asking questions that they didn't want us to, and when we learned at least a few of the answers, they felt that we had learned too much. We wouldn't even be here now if it wasn't for Ven."

"…I see," Leon managed to whisper. He was at a loss on anything else to say, but he did still have one question that he wanted to know the answer to. "And what about that claim to being Sora's siblings?"

"Well, we are his sibling disciples, if that counts," Xion nervously shrugged. When no one else said anything, she went on to add, "And it's also because…Roxas and I wouldn't even exist without Sora, because…"

"Because I'm Sora's Nobody, and Xion was a Replica created from Sora's memories," Roxas finished when he realized that his sister could not bring herself to say it.

Once again, Leon had fallen silent, unable to really say anything after this revelation, but just when he was opening his mouth to do so, Sora stepped in and beat him to the punch. "None of that matters now, though," the spiky haired teen insisted. "They're not like other Nobodies, and they're not even Nobodies anymore. Roxas and Xion both have hearts and minds of their own, and they trusted their hearts enough to make the choice to join us on our new journey, and to become Ven's newest apprentices. They may not be my brother and sister in the typical sense, but to me, they are where it counts, and that's enough."

Hearing the passion in Sora's voice had surprised Roxas and Xion a little more than everyone else, but it also made them smile a little bit too. They were glad that Sora was already so eagerly thinking them like that, now more than they had before, and seeing him stand up for them, and to an old friend at that, made them feel like they really were his siblings in the conventional sense. Ventus was of a similar mindset, but at the same time, he was also reminded of the bond he shared with his friend Terra as he listened to Sora. He knew that the older brunette would have stood up for him in the same way if he had to, just like he once had for Terra every time he encountered someone that would say his big brother figure was going down a dark path eleven years ago. Of course, Sora did not really care too much about what the others thought. All that mattered to him was that he was getting his point across to Leon, and from the look on the Gunblade wielder's face, it seemed like he had.

"Well, I guess I can take that," Leon had sighed with the barest hint of a smile. He then looked to Roxas and Xion again and said, "Sorry about how I was acting towards you two, but after everything that happened to me and my friends, I can't help but get suspicious if there's a chance someone or something might be a threat to my home."

"Hey, we get it. Besides, we're the ones who weren't entirely honest about who we were, even though you and the others are good friends of Sora and Ven's," Xion tried to reassure him.

"But do you think you could keep that stuff about us quiet for now? I don't think we're ready for everyone to know about all of that just yet," Roxas requested.

"Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me," Leon promised. He then smiled as he stated, "Besides, you guys are part of much better groups now, and both are made up of people that will gladly watch your backs no matter what."

"Yeah, our little band of adventurers and Leon's gang will always be there if you need us," Goofy declared.

"Even if Sora is a little slow on a few things," Donald added in, taking a chance to rib his friend a little bit.

Sora just rolled his eyes a bit before pulling out the membership card that Aerith had given him to help make his point. "You may not have one of these yet, but you're still just much honorary members of the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee as…Huh?"

Sora had a good reason to stop short and gasp in surprise, because just when he was about to finish his sentence, his membership card suddenly began to glow brightly, and from the look on Leon's face, they could tell that it was not supposed to be doing that. A minute later, the Keyblades of each wielder present had popped into their hands, and were all glowing with a faint light at the tips. Seeing this instantly made the team think of what Master Yen Sid had said, and Goofy could not help but ask, "Gawrsh, ya think…?"

"Only one way to find out," Ventus answered as he held his Keyblade at the ready, with Sora and Xion doing the same a little after. Roxas was a bit slower because of a simple problem that some would probably consider a little silly.

"Uh…which one do I use," Roxas wondered as he looked between Oathkeeper and Oblivion.

"Just use both if you can't decide," Sora offered, and right when Roxas was holding both of his Keyblades against one another, strange energy seemed to surge around them.

When the energy surge finally passed, the four noticed from the corners of their eyes that their surroundings hand changed into a massive void that was made up of a cloudy, yet still bright sky, and the only other object there besides them was Sora's glowing membership card. That same card then suddenly shot a beam of light high into the air, and when the beam seemed to hit some kind of barrier, it immediately dispersed into the shape of a keyhole that seemed to lead to a passageway of some kind. Without even thinking about it, the four leapt back a short distance, aimed their Keyblades at the Keyhole that had appeared, and shot a beam of light straight into the Keyhole, with Roxas's appearing slightly bigger than the other three's due to the fact he was using both of his Keyblades. When the beams connected, a faint ringing sound reached their ears, beneath which they could have sworn that they head a lock being opened, just as their surroundings had returned to normal.

"Was that actually…" Roxas started to say, hardly believing his eyes in regards to what had just happened, despite being part of the experience himself.

"I think it was," Xion answered.

"Ohh…Now I get it," Sora whispered in realization. "That must've been one of the gates that Yen Sid talked about."

"Which means we've now got a new path to travel in our adventures," Ventus finished for the kid, smiling all the while as if to provide final confirmation on what they were all thinking.

"Oh boy," Donald cheered in excitement, while Goofy could only grin widely.

Ventus then turned back to Leon and gave a quick, apologetic bow as he said, "Sorry to battle and run, Leon, but duty calls, and other worlds with it."

Leon just nodded in understanding, having already known that the gang could not hang around forever, no matter how much they wanted to stay and help, but he also knew that they would be back the minute that he and his friends called or needed them. Still, he could not help but impart one last warning. "I know I probably don't need to tell you this since you've got some former members in your team now, but Organization XIII…They look tough. Be careful out there."

"I think that goes without saying, but then again, we do have a tendency to run into trouble. Some of us more than others," Ventus quipped with a pointed look towards Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

"You're just not gonna let the whole Castle Oblivion trap thing go, are you," Sora sighed in resignation.

"Not for a long time, kid. Or at the very least, not until I'm sure you've learned your lesson about charging off without thinking," Ventus smirked in reply.

The six then nodded to Leon before Sora gave a quick wave to say goodbye for now, while Roxas leveled Leon a quick challenging look. "Hey, next time we get the chance, what do you say to a little one-on-one," the blonde requested.

Leon smirked in reply before he said, "I suppose I could try and find the time. Who knows, it could be fun testing you."

Xion could only roll her eyes at her brother and Leon. One minute the two were wary of each other, and then the next they were acting like good buddies/rivals? Really, it was like watching how her brother acted around Hayner all over again. Knowing this, Xion could only draw up one conclusion. "I'll never understand boys," she muttered.

That was the last comment any of them made before Ventus remotely activated the Kingdom's teleporter, saying that they did not have any time to waste by just walking back to the port, and a few minutes later, one would have been able to look up into the sky and see their gummi ship blasting off through the world barrier, and onto the next stop in their adventure.

---

While the team of adventurers was setting out to continue their journey, the members of Organization XIII had chosen this time to gather together in their regular meeting area, known as the Round Room or Where Nothing Gathers, feeling that they needed to discuss a few matters after their recent encounter with the team. "Do my eyes deceive me," questioned Number III. "Does that boy really hold the power of the Keyblade, and have we really allowed two traitors to go off on their own without any repercussions? We should have destroyed them right where they stood."

"Hey, come on. Don't be like that," Number II chuckled, still sounding rather elated over his own personal talk with the Keybearers and their allies. "After all, they'd be of more use to us if we let them stick around right? Besides, with ol' Ventus watching out for 'em, they sure to be straight as an arrow, even if the kid already is all on his own. Those two are pure of heart, unlike all of us here."

"They had better be, or else they're as worthless as that broken puppet," Number VII cautioned, with a hint of a snarl at the end of his sentence when he came to the topic of Xion.

"Still can't believe that I'd been talking to a puppet all that time," Number IX muttered to himself at the memory of Xion. "I mean, she was so cool and fun to hang out with, I'd have never even guessed."

"I do truly hope they're all enjoying themselves on their adventure," Number X commented as he played with his magic cards. "Numbers XIII and XIV have certainly earned a little enjoyment after all the hard work they did for us. Though I do wonder if they would like a hand to determine their fates."

"Hey, as long as it works in our favor," Number IX then shrugged, now fully joining the conversation. "I mean, why didn't we just let Roxas and Xion do what they wanted for a while to begin with? They were just going to keep helping us anyway, and from the look of things, they don't even remember that they are helping us without meaning to. We can just jump in at any time if needed."

"Those are bold words coming from you. Are you saying you'll volunteer to take care of it if things go wrong? Huh," Number II questioned, his tone suggesting that he already knew the answer.

"What?! Me? No, you have the wrong guy. I'm not comfortable with that," Number IX immediately denied, all sense of his previous bravado now gone. "Besides, I haven't forgotten what Axel said he would do to us if we did anything to try and hurt those two."

"The words of another traitor should hardly matter now, and even without that, why act as though you have a conscience," Number III questioned. "When was the last time any one of us felt anything?"

"Truer words were never spoken," Number X agreed. "Well, I suppose the fun will have to wait."

There was a moment of silence among the group before Number VII asked, "Do you know what happens to those who lose their true purpose? Inevitably, they destroy themselves. I'm actually a little surprised that the puppet hasn't already. After all, instead of keeping Sora asleep and draining both him and Roxas of their powers, she's now helping them like she actually can exist as her own person."

"Sheesh, make it a little more obvious, why don't you," Number IX muttered, with nearly everyone else nodding in agreement with him.

Number VII was about to give a retort when their leader decided it was time to intervene. "Gentlemen," he called out in a quiet, even voice that still seemed to echo loudly through the room. "The heroes of the Keyblade have embarked on a new adventure. Make sure it is one they will remember. As for our traitors, do not act against Axel just yet. There may still be a chance that he could lead to something we need to recover."

"And Number XIII and the puppet," Number VII asked, clearly wanting to hear about what they should with those two more than anything else.

"Leave them be for now. Any who wield the Keyblade can be of benefit to our goals, but if they do step out of line…remind them of the power that they gave up when they left us. There's no point in ending their existence…for now," Number I replied. "Now go."

With that last command, the members of Organization XIII vanished from their meeting room to commence with their respective assignments, leaving a foreboding feeling in their wake that was only felt by an unknown observer that had somehow managed to slip in unnoticed. When he saw that everyone was taking their leave, Axel made sure to time the opening of his own Corridor of Darkness so that it would open and close at the same time as the others, and quickly slipped out, holding his breath the entire time as if it would help keep anyone from realizing he had slipped back into the stronghold. When he reappeared on the outskirts of Agrabah, Axel finally released the breath he was holding and turned to see Naminé sitting by the window, busily sketching an image of the city.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into that," the Flurry of Dancing Flames griped, letting the girl know he was back. "My job is supposed to be keeping you safe now, not risking my neck by sneaking back into my former boss's place so we could gather intel or whatever."

"I know, but if there's a chance it might help Roxas and the others, we have to do something," Naminé insisted, not once looking up from her sketchpad.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm just saying, and it's not that we've really learned too much, even from the last trip, aside from stuff we already know," Axel sighed.

Naminé would have to give him that, but she did not say anything as she finally put down her pencil and stood up again, letting Axel know she was ready to leave now. With a quick nod, Axel opened another Corridor of Darkness for them, and they quickly slipped away to another world, knowing that they could not stay in one place for too long, while hoping that they could get away without the Organization or anyone else ever knowing they were there.

---

Naminé's Diary Entry 2:

I can't believe it! He's here! He's actually here! The boy I've seen in my dreams so many times since I was created! I'm finally going to meet Sora. I should probably be feeling a lot happier about this, considering all that I've learned about him, but to be honest, I can't help but wish that he had never come. Yes, I want to get out of this place and away from Marluxia and the others (Larxene more than anyone else, the lousy witch), but not like this. I'm being forced to change Sora's memories one piece at a time, making him forget about his previous adventures, and placing myself into pictures that I'm not supposed to be in. What's worse is that they want me to slowly work things around to the point where I've even replaced Kairi in his mind. Excuse me a minute…Sorry, it's just that, every time I think of that particular detail, I can't help but feel a little sick. I mean, I'm interfering with such a strong, loving bond, and Sora does love Kairi more than anything. I don't want to get in between that, but if I don't, there's no telling what Marluxia and the others will do to me. I mean, I'm not too worried about Axel; he seems to be the only one who doesn't really torture me like the others do, but considering that he's just one person out of an entire castle of people that want to hurt me in any way they can, I can't help but be afraid.

Why couldn't Sora have come in with Master Ventus? Why did he have to be asleep when Marluxia had "extended an invitation" to Sora? Maybe if Ventus was here, he could have realized the truth about what was going on and found a way to stop things before it was too late. As it stands, I'm not sure if I can even do something now. That's not the worst part, though. Vexen found a way to create a working Replica, one that looks and acts just like Sora's friend Riku, and they've forced me to modify his memories so that he thinks he's the real Riku, and that he's doing so many horrible things to Sora in an effort to protect me. Isn't tampering with the memories in Sora's heart enough? Why did I have to hurt someone else like that too? I don't care what the others say. Doing all of these horrible things, against my will or otherwise…it just hurts so much. Please, Sora. You need to wake up and realize that what you're chasing isn't real, otherwise, you'll never be the real you again. What's worse, I'm not sure just how long I can bear with all of this before it finally gets to me.

---

AN: [seen standing next to an Inflatable Xehanort Punching Dummy] Well, well, well. You think you're so big and tough. "Oh look at me. I'm Master Xehanort, the greatest villain in all of darkness, and I'm gonna get me the power of the x-blade." Oh no you ain't! POW! [punches the dummy] Ooh! Right the scruffy beard! Ha, ha! Aw, what's the matter, Sidious Wannabe? Did mean old Voldemort take back his little scheme of putting pieces of himself inside of others from you? Say! I gotta message for you from Sephiroth. It goes like this: "This is for stealing my shtick, yo!" KAPOW! [punches dummy again] Yeah, that better have hurt! Be glad I just knocked you on your butt, Gramps! Cause Sephiroth wanted me to slice you up into little tiny bits like he would've with his sword! But why do that, when I can just keep doing this! WA-POW! [Hits the dummy again, this time with a spin kick] Yeah, that's right! Who's your Keyblade master!

Roxas: Uh...

AN: EEP! [looks around] Oh, is the chapter over already?

Ventus: ...Yeah.

AN: Wow...Hehe...Awkward.

Aqua: How long have you had that thing? [indicates the punching dummy]

AN: Oh you know, not too long. [Quickly tries shoving the inflatable dummy away with minimal success] Just...possibly, maybe since I saw a particular scene of Kingdom Hearts 3.

Terra: This scene wouldn't happen to be one that involves Sora and a certain red haired girl, would it?

AN:...It might.

Riku: I think the better question is whether or not he's worried that Xehanort will find out he has it and that he's been using it to get out his frustrations about that particular detail of the game's ending like this.

AN: Of course I'm not worried! Reasons being 1, if he tries to kill me, send me into darkness, or seriously injure me in any way, I cannot continue to work on this story. And 2...I think he's going to be a little preoccupied for a while.

Riku: And what about Sora and Kairi? Don't you think they'd want a shot?

AN: No, and believe me, I offered. They're much more satisfied wailing on the real thing.

Ventus: [exchanges worried looks with the others for a few minutes] lyoko, what did you do?

AN: Oh, just held down Xehanort long enough for Sora and Kairi to lock him in a room where they could beat the ever loving crap out of him for what he did to them in Kingdom Hearts 3. [points to an area off to the side, and the camera then pans to a door with a Do-Not-Disturb Sign on it, behind which, one can hear loud cries of pain and suffering, while Sora and Kairi are roaring in rage]

Xehanort: [from the other side of the door] No, please! It's not like I planned to-AAAAAAHHHHH!

Sora: THIS IS FOR PRACTICALLY KILLING MY GIRLFRIEND IN FRONT OF ME AND MAKING ME END UP SEPARATED FROM HER AND THE OTHERS AGAIN YOU OLD FART!

Kairi: NOT TO MENTION TURNING ME INTO A DAMN DAMSEL IN DISTRESS AGAIN! AND AFTER I MADE IT CLEAR THAT I WAS GOING TO KICK YOUR BUTT!

Xehanort: No! No, no, nonononono! That doesn't bend that way! THAT DOESN'T BEND THAT WAY! [hollers in pain]

AN: Hehehehe. So satisfying. Ahem, well while those two are getting even...I mean...No, that's exactly what I meant. They're getting even with Xehanort. Anyways, let's move on to more pressing matters, such as the details about this chapter. Yes, Sora's now introducing Roxas and Xion as his siblings, and it's a little surprising to them, but they're keeping the two's origins a secret for now, even from good friends like the Radiant Garden, sorry the Hollow Bastion gang. Not that it did much good with Leon by the end. To be honest, I feel like this chapter ended up only being long because of how much dialogue was in it, because, let's face it, the first trip to Hollow Bastion was incredibly short. But oh well. At least we got to see a few more Nobodies show up, and see that Roxas and Xion are starting to remember more and more about their former business associates with every passing moment. Plus, Sora's well on his way to get back to his previous strength level, and the other two are steadily catching up as well. Originally, I was going to have at least Xion use Valor Form in that big fight at the bailey, but it just didn't seem to fit in anywhere as I was writing. Maybe I'll find a way to work it in later on and go back to update this chapter when I do.

Xion: Not to mention we got to meet Donald's nephews and Uncle Scrooge while we were there.

Roxas: And Xion had a total fan-girl freak out.

Xion: Did not.

Roxas: Did too.

Xion: Did not.

Roxas: Did too.

Xion: Did not!

AN: Ahem, if I may be allowed to break this tie...She totally did. Well what did you think was going to happen when that meeting took place? For her to faint or something? Get real. This ain't a certain scene from A Spider's Focus. If you've read the story, you know what I'm talking about. It's the one that actually makes Lightning Farron laugh, and still does every time she thinks about it.

[Lightning Farron's laughter is heard from somewhere in the distance at that very moment]

See what I mean? Also, we got a little exposition on how the Organization is reacting to seeing Roxas and Xion working alongside Sora and the gang now. If you know who's who in terms of the Organization's numbers, then I'm sure you can figure out why they were reacting the way they were, but if not, just say so, and I'll break it down for you come next chapter. I'm gonna have that out as soon as possible. I promise. Because, guess what: as of right now, nearly all of my focus is going into this series, and the Kingdom Marvels series.

Riku: Kingdom Marvels?

AN: That's what I've decided to call the series that Hearts of Avengers is part of. Don't worry, I'll try to update one or two of the other stories when I can, but considering how motivated I am to prove that I'll be making my version of the Kingdom Hearts 3 story different, you can probably expect a lot of updates to this series in the near future for a long while to come.

Finally, the latest entry of Journals/Diary...Yeah, not much to say there. It was really just Naminé's thoughts as Sora was making his way through Castle Oblivion. I did say that most of hers would be covering the events of said story, so I guess you probably shouldn't expect too much of anything from there just yet. Though I will say that I'm doing my utmost best to make sure that I'm getting across her thoughts and feelings as that happened. Not that she really needed much help in the canon story, but all the same...well, you get my point.

Aqua: Don't you think we should answer some of the reviews from the last chapter, now? Or at least do something about...well, that before it gets ugly. [indicates the room in which Sora and Kairi are still beating up Xehanort]

AN: We could do something about that, but...Does anyone really want to?

Everyone else: [looks between each other for a minute] Nah.

AN: Thought so. As for reviews...I would, but...How're we doing on time for today's chapter?

Terra: Umm...[looks to the clock] Oh crap! Looks like we're out of it!

AN: What?! Aw man! Well, this is what happens when you spend too much time in rehearsal work. Sorry guys, but I promise, next chapter, we'll answer all the questions you posted in your previous reviews, and if there are any new questions added in this chapter's reviews, we'll answer those too, assuming the questions were not already answered by the events of the main story by then. All right, let's hurry along and wrap this up before we end up getting kicked off the air for going over the time limit. Onto the Preview!...

The team's off to another world, and barely more than a few minutes after arriving, they come across an old friend from their last adventure. Not only that, but they're roped into helping him and the young woman he's guardian for fool her country's army into thinking she's a boy. Needless to say, hearing that women aren't allowed to join the army gets to Xion more than anyone else, and the young girl is not about to let such an insult slide. Can our heroes really help bring honor to this young woman's family, and save her country from both its vile enemy and the Heartless? And just what is Xion going to do just to prove that she can stand tall and proud in the face of battle just any other man? These answers and a particular mystery regarding Xion will be unveiled, next time.

Please read and review, and see ya real soon!

Now, if you'll all excuse me. [Grabs Xehanort punching dummy] What? Like you guys don't wish you had one of these after seeing all of the main story of Kingdom Hearts 3. Besides, unlike Sora and Kairi, I can't actually beat up Xehanort. Though I do wish they weren't doing it so loudly!

Sora: Sorry lyokoMARVELanime! We'll try and tone it down a little.

Xehanort: No, no, NONONONONONONONO-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! THAT WAS RIGHT IN MY KEYCHAINS!

Kairi: Oh, did that hurt? Well guess what: IT'LL PALE IN COMPARISON TO WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO NEXT YOU LITTLE...

AN: Hey, hey! We're still recording some of this! Keep it PG13 at most!

Aqua:...Like the author said, see you all next time.