Beastly Problems

The foyer...

'Jeez, it's so dark in here.' Beiyue snapped her fingers to light up the foyer. 'Much better!'

'A little too bright?' Donald squirmed at the sudden brightness.

'Nah, it's normal!' Sora smiled. 'We better find Beast!'

'Beiyue, any Heartless here?' Riku asked her. 'Your turn to clean up. Mulan's world got you rusty.'

Beiyue's mood soured.

'Yeah. I hope the Emperor considers my suggestions, or I'm gonna be pissed!' Beiyue grumbled crossly. 'So boys, action's all mine and back off for at least, three worlds, OK?'

'K~!'

xxx

Dongling got an update dream.

"Miss must be adventuring again!" she thought. Beiyue made it clear that she went back to this 'high school' place since the outside worlds are restored.

(Beiyue didn't show her Castle Oblivion and their efforts in restoring Sora)

So what Dongling saw, was her traveling with Riku starting at Yen Sid's place, to Hollow Bastion...and first day in Mulan's world by the Bamboo Forests.

Since helping her rise in rank in strength, she was secretly EXTREMELY POWERFUL compared to the nobles in this city who aren't even worth a spit! Though as of now, Emperor, Princess Xihe, Prince Jing and Prince Zhanye overpowered her.

All she needs now, is to improve her skills and master them all. She relies on her princess to raise her skills to standards using memories. Master Yen Sid sure is a good teacher! She was honing her body's combat skills with her sword, and teaching her kids the same.

For now, she would collect dreams.

xxx

Zhanye made up his mind.

He too, would go out, adventuring.

Last he checked, he has no more enemies in court. All dead of course. The holes they left behind, everyone else now competed over.

He wanted a nice change in his life. He recently graduated Lingyang School and he wants a change. He had asked his father for permission and he was OK with it. He just asked that he be careful with his sister who's starting to trust family again and hopefully, she would someday go home to them. He had triple-checked the nobility and officials before he planned this trip.

And grandmother regained her life, all is well. She is also working with Jing, because of Beiyue's blessing to his son. Zhenji is also a victim of the Jing Faction as well, he is not at fault, he mustn't harbor hatred for a freaking infant who's almost two years old now...or he'll give birth to 'that thing' again because a Dark Fairy's blessing always has a nasty catch. Jing has a strong heart, but unfortunately, nurtured by hatred because he was betrayed by his own wife and family out of thirst for power with him and his own son as puppets.

He couldn't bear to look at Zhenji.

Because he loved Wanyi yet his love was betrayed and he was conceived by such a wench. So while Zhenji was still an infant, they have to do damage control.

Ensure that in the future, he will not resemble anyone from the Lin and Xue Families. Dongling and grandmother had a hand in that, erasing their genetics from the baby's body on Emperor's orders. So when he grows up, he solely has the blood of the Huang and Han Families. Han, being their grandmother's clan before she married royal grandfather as his Empress when she was the best lady in the Imperial Harem in his time.

Han Wende. That was their grandmother's surname. Thus they are all related to the Han Family as well. With the procedure done as early as being less than a year old, Zhenji thus will never resemble his maternal relatives, thus keeping him safe from his own father when he grows up with a different face. It was the only way to protect Zhenji. And right now, he resembles the Han side of the family.

Then using up his magic, went to where Beiyue is...and ended up in a foreign castle?

He'll have to remember that on this side, time here, is a year ahead than his homeworld! Its possible that as time passes by, Beiyue will be older than Dongling in no time...

'...now what's she doing here?' he wondered as he went in...before Heartless showed up. 'Oh hell...' he took out his sword. 'No rest for the wicked!'

xxx

East Wing...

'Alrighty, here's the thing guys.' said Beiyue. 'Some jackass led the Heartless to this world.' she told them. 'The barrier is clearly open and the darkness presence is enough to spawn these bugs.' she stated. 'Not enough to transform me though so once in a while, they'll spawn until you guys lock this world up again.'

'Noted.' Sora grinned.

They then heard a woman crying.

'Sniff...what am I going to do?'

'...Belle's crying?' Beiyue blinked as they heard the distressed former Princess of Heart.

'Something must have happened to the Beast.' said Sora as he timidly knocked into the door.

'W-who's there?'

'It's us, Belle!'

'Sora?' Belle opened the door and she was delighted. 'Donald! Goofy! Beiyue and Riku too!'

'We came to check on everyone but it seems there's trouble.' said Goofy as that got Belle gloomy.

'Beast has been acting strange lately...and we're not talking like we used to.' said Belle sadly. 'The only ones who may know, are locked up in the dungeon. I want to help them, but...'

'Who locked up the servants?' Sora asked her.

'It's Beast...he locked up the servants.' said Belle.

'Aaaand how do we get to the dungeons?' Riku asked her.

'Go to the Undercroft in the West Wing.' Belle instructed. 'You'll find them there.'

'Beast clearly has the prison keys...and as the boys are Keybladers, they can get the servants out.' Beiyue grinned in a thoughtful pose. 'Let's go!'

'Be careful!' Belle called out as the kids ran out.

xxx

'I'd say Belle got lucky when we chose to come here.' said Riku as they waited for Beiyue to finish dealing with Heartless in the hallway. She got really rusty, and that shows on the displeasure on her face.

'No kidding, someone's stirring trouble in this world through Beast.' Donald harrumphed. 'But with Beiyue's ability, fat chance of that ever happening when we get to the big lug!'

The boys paused.

Beiyue has the ability to cleanse excess darkness from a person's heart as long as it wasn't 'naturally there' but 'induced to be there'.

Good example being King Mickey, Riku and Aqua.

So Beiyue is very invaluable in this operation.

After cleaning up the Hallway, they got back to the stairway and what a surprise!

'Zhanye?' Beiyue went all question marks as they met Zhanye by the stairs. 'What're you doing here?'

Sora, Donald and Goofy saw an incredibly handsome young man as tall as Leon with incredibly long purple hair in a ponytail. He has a lean physique, and dressed stylishly.

'I just graduated from Lingyang School so I thought I'd go world travel as well.' said Zhanye. 'Using magic, I homed myself on you and ended up outside...and got swarmed by Heartless.'

'Graduating Lingyang School at 18 when graduating age is 22?' Beiyue asked in disbelief.

'Hey, I started at a young age you know.' Zhanye shrugged. 'I didn't start at 12 like everyone else...and when I got Kirin, I was able to advance at my own pace in learning skills and spells, so the annual Admissions Exams deemed me a graduate.'

'Heee...and does Yingye know you're here?' Beiyue inquired with a raised eyebrow.

'I didn't say a word, as she hasn't graduated yet.'

'...she's gonna kill you.'

Zhanye looked sheepish.

'So...what's with this castle with insanely-high ceilings? It's so impractical.' Zhanye wondered as they walked to the West Wing.

'It is.' Beiyue informed him. 'These insanely-high ceilings as you put it, keep away hot summer heat as hot air rises, while cool air stays below. So during summer, it's bearable.'

'Oh...'

'I once asked that very same question to my Master. And that's what he told me because the ceilings in his tower are high too.' Beiyue told him. 'Its not like these people know enchantments. Well, when Heartless show up, leave them to me. I got rusty though no fault of my own.'

'Rusty?'

'The previous world we were in, were extremely sexist bordering on misogynism. Its a rather primitive version of your world.' said Riku. 'That women have almost no rights, must always be submissive to men, inferior, and can only be property and wives. She was forced to blend in for three months while we figure out that world and she's not too happy...so for three worlds, she goes venting.'

'What?!' Zhanye was affronted by the very idea as in his world, being weak gets you killed or worse, enslaved! That means where they were before...! 'Oi...'

Well, they proceeded to the West Wing after more trouble...

'The entrance to the Undercroft should be here somewhere...' Sora mused as they looked around. 'I hate hidden passages and Castles always have them!' he complained as Beiyue cleaned up the whole West Wing of Heartless.

'Phew! That's a wrap!' Beiyue gasped out as with a wave of her hand, her sword vanished.

'Now that I notice it...why is your hair short?!' Zhanye cried, scandalized, seeing Beiyue's short hairstyle any teenager would wear. 'You didn't commit a crime or anything!'

'I certainly didn't, but short hair is normal in several worlds I can get away with it.' Beiyue pointed out with a shrug. 'And fashionable while in the previous world and our world, it's scandalous. It's in reverse as people will find long-haired men unusual but still acceptable.'

'B-but...but...' Zhanye shook, unable to come to terms that Beiyue cut her hair for no reason at all.

'Come on man, she lived with short hair for years.' said Sora, patting his back. 'Back home, its a trend for sisters or a group of girl friends to have matching hairstyles when we were children though that trend died out so now stylish things are trendy these days and universal trend is shoulder to back-length hair.'

'You've GOT to be kidding me...' Zhanye face-palmed, and he was shaken. Bad enough that the first few dreams Dongling has that she has short hair...

'Culture shock.' said Beiyue dismissively with a hand wave. 'I was like that six years ago.'

'You most certainly did.' Riku smirked, remembering how Beiyue was horrified until she was forced to cut her hair from heatstroke. 'Besides, short hair is more convenient for islanders like us anyway.' he snorted, putting an arm around her.

'Yue, how old is Riku?' Zhanye went 'papa wolf' on her.

'16, why?'

'Humm, not much age gap...' Riku choked at his words.

'How old do you think am I?!' Riku's eyes popped at him in disbelief, earning him snickers from the others.

'I thought you're 19...' and by the looks of him, he genuinely believes it. Due to Riku's mature looks and height as well as his physique...

'NO!' Riku looked absolutely flabbergasted. Now the other boys were openly laughing, that he threw them dirty looks.

'Either way, traveling worlds aside, I'm chaperoning as well.' said Zhanye, hands on his hips. 'To get to know the man Yue chose and let father deliberate on my reports when I go home.'

That, got Riku choking and Beiyue to sigh.

They eventually found the entrance to the Undercroft...but a dresser is in the way.

'A dresser? Here?' Beiyue scratched her head. Then Riku remembered something important...

'That's no ordinary dresser.' he warned. 'From Maleficent's tale, because Beast offended an Enchantress some years back when he was a prince with his attitude, she cursed him to become a beast, and all his servants as furniture.'

'What?!'

'He mellowed as of late if he was willing to fight Heartless AND Maleficent, but something's very wrong here.' Sora scratched his head. Zhanye caused the dresser to float away so they can get in.

'This must be it.' said Sora as they went forward.

However, the door came to life and it's a Heartless!

'Whoa!'

'This one's mine!' Beiyue took out a sword.

'Guess we'll be bored for a while.' said Sora with a grin as they watched Beiyue fight off three heartless until the door guardian remained, but Beiyue noticed something...when the keyhole was shimmering with darkness.

'Guys! I need a keyblade beam! Fire!' she cried as the boys lent her their power by shooting at the keyhole and the gate guardian is actually a small ball that floated out, and Beiyue finished it off.

'That seems to be a new breed.' Riku remarked. 'Looks troublesome.'

'Yeah, unlike Heartless we faced in the past, this one needed a particular condition to be defeated.' said Goofy. 'Looks like we're gonna have a hard time.'

They proceeded ahead and it was a room with three chairs and a crate as Beiyue conjured three light balls. There's a candelabra, a clock and a teapot and cracked cup.

'They must be the imprisoned servants.' said Beiyue.

'But still...turned into furniture? Really?' Zhanye's reality, is turned upside-down, literally.

'Hello!' Sora called out. 'Belle sent us to get you out! We better hurry!'

'Really?' the pieces suddenly sported eyes and mouths, making Zhanye do a double-take.

'That's right. Let's get out of here before Beast finds out.' said Riku. 'Belle mentioned he's acting strange.'

'Yes...it's as if he lost the ability to trust others.' said Lumiere sadly.

'I hope he wasn't turned into a Heartless.' Cogsworth sighed.

'All the more reason to hurry.' said Sora. 'Let's move out!'

'I know a shortcut messieurs and mademoiselle!' said Lumiere, jumping out of his chair. 'Follow me!'

xxx

On the balcony above the dungeon entrance, were two large armor blocking the door.

'It seems all statues in the castle have become hostile...be careful.' Lumiere warned them as Cogsworth commanded the armors, 'Allow our guests to pass!'

The statues moved aside, so they could go through the door.

'OK, where is this place?' Sora asked Lumiere.

'The door to the other side is blocked by some sort of contraption.' Lumiere informed them.

'What kind of contraption?'

Well, there's this lever that brings down four lanterns alight by black enchanted flames which they must put out using Light before Lumiere can light it up with his flames. So Zhanye offered to hold the lever, while the boys light up the lanterns with their keyblades drawing their light before opening the secret door.

It actually led to the stairway blocked by the statues and the entrance they used in the dungeon was just across! And dresser still there!

All of them were in utter deadpan. They took a long cut when there's a shorter way all along!

'...had we known this, we should've just forced our way through.' Zhanye grumbled as they proceeded ahead. Upon getting to the beast's chambers, a black cloaked person was talking to him, sowing distrust in his heart, saying Belle is just using him as a typical Gold Digger!

'It's time you dealt with Belle.' he said. 'She's scheming to take everything you have. This castle. Your precious rose. Your life. Trust no one. Feed your anger! Only anger will keep you strong.'

'...I've had enough of strength.' said Beast in a defeated voice. '...there's only one thing I want.'

'What?' came the derisive sneer. 'To love and be loved in return? Who could, ever love a beast?'

'Someone does~' cue several stabs in his body before man nor Beast can react.

'Gah!'

'Hello~' Beiyue smiled with an eerily unsettling smile on her face, shadows coming out of her own impaling him in places as she sat on Beast's wrecked bed like she owned it. She also has a tentacle behind Beast, draining his excess darkness away.

'Beiyue!' Beast sputtered.

'You...' the man gasped out in pain as he struggled in pain to look at the renowned Princess of Darkness. Beiyue fixed Beast's ruined bedroom with a snap of her fingers and lit the room up. 'Princess...but why...?'

'Belle called us to check in on you because you're acting strangely...this explains why.' said Beiyue, shaking her head as she subtly removed the Nobody's X-sigil and destroyed it. 'Organization XIII. An organization of Nobodies who collects Hearts through Heartless to build Kingdom Hearts. And the more powerful Heartless, the better...and with him sowing fear, distrust and hatred by exploiting your self-esteem, he's trying to make you one. To them, you're no more than a brick in building a castle.'

'Huh?!'

'And you're an idiot for listening to this guy, and you made Belle cry for months.' said Beiyue coolly as she killed the Nobody by slashing outward, making the man choke and disappear as he died. Her ruthlessness shocking even her friends and the servants. 'A Princess of Heart, is incapable of evil thoughts as well as evil deeds, unlike normal people such as us. They cannot even bring themselves to hurt others unlike us. You have known Belle for how long now?' she asked Beast coldly, rebuking him. 'And you trust the words of a heartless soul who's exploiting you, instead of the words of those who stood by you? I do hope you feel some shame if you still have the decency of a human being.'

Her words were so harsh despite how she talked that got the guys and one lady teapot wincing.

That got Beast gloomy, utterly ashamed of himself.

'I...'

'Its not us who you should speak to. Go.' Beast left his room and the boys made way for him.

'Wow Beiyue...' Sora croaked out, wide-eyed at her brutality. 'Talk about burn.'

'...sorry you had to see that.' said Beiyue softly, shaking her head gloomily. 'Given what I am...it's inevitable I'll be brutal once in a while.' she wasn't too happy about it, ashamed of herself as well. 'I grow stronger with darkness, but so are my negative emotions if I am close to such people. That's why I stay with people with powerful light to keep me in check so when I travel within darkness, I'm alright. Going back to my world amplified the negativity within me and Jing's hatred was so strong borne from betrayal it stuck on me for months, even if being with my friends shaved it off little by little.'

'So going to our world is a bad idea for you. It influences you in a bad way. Especially with how easy you transformed just because of one person.' Zhanye stated and his cousin nodded somberly. Riku went to get her and held her hand reassuringly.

'Don't get too stuck up in that, Beiyue.' he reassured her. 'We're here.' Beiyue smiled weakly and gently held his hand.

'...thank you.' Riku wrapped an arm around her shoulder for comfort and led her to the door.

'Let's check the castle for more surprises.' said Sora. 'I doubt this is the end of it.'

'Right!'

'Beiyue, are you really OK?' Zhanye asked her worriedly. 'I'll have to tell the family that our world, is a bad idea for you. It compromises you. At least, until Dongling raises her orphans to bring more light to our world as her lifelong dream.'

'I'll be alright. You boys have particularly strong light in your hearts, so I'm feeling better now...as a person, that is.' Beiyue reassured. 'I'll be OK soon.'

'...'

xxx

They got back to the foyer, but Beiyue reacted suddenly, kicking a door by the top of the stairs, nearly unhinging it.

Inside, is yet another powerful Heartless.

'It's a Possessor-Type again!' was the common consensus.

'Well, let her have it.' said Sora. 'Three months of doing absolutely nothing but womanly stuff made her really mad.'

Well, bad enough one possessed a dungeon door, this one possessed an entire BALLROOM...

It was good Beiyue can teleport around to chase the damn thing.

'Phew...having a whole room as your enemy...!' she gaped out after defeating it...and then it evolved into a bipedal monster. 'Oh, come on!' she complained, utterly annoyed.

And after much, much more difficulty later...

'Honestly...I've gotten really rusty.' Beiyue sighed. 'I wasn't this slow before. Master's gonna kill me...' she moped.

'Now now, you'll recover in two more worlds.' Sora reassured her. 'Let's check on Belle and the Beast! You cleaned up the castle real...' two keyblades appeared. 'Oh, Riku!'

'Yeah I'll do it. I have to have experience in sealing worlds, too.' said Riku as he prepared himself to seal the world.

'...I don't get it? Those keyblades appeared at the exact same time when you didn't even call it?' Zhanye looked perplexed.

'It happens when we solve a world's crisis and cleaned up its Heartless population.' Sora grinned. 'It's a sign that it's safe to seal up a world!'

'Oh...' and Zhanye watched how it was done.

'All done.'

xxx

East Wing...they found Beast with Belle and the servants.

'So was a reconciliation done?' Zhanye asked the group.

'Yes. Although it's a bit hard because Master tends to be overly harsh on himself.' said Cogsworth. 'But things will look up!' he said optimistically.

'I sure hope so.' said Sora. 'We cleaned up the Heartless and sealed this world, so it'll be peaceful from now on.'

'That would be wonderful.' Belle said happily. 'I hope things are OK in the other worlds, too.'

'We hope so.' said Sora. 'New worlds are born since we defeated Ansem, so we'll pay em' a visit!'

xxx

Back on the ship...

'Chip, Dale, what's next on the agenda?' Sora asked the chipmunks.

'Well, Beast's Castle has a road linking to Olympus!' said Chip. 'Wanna go there?'

'Oh! We'll see Hercules again!' Donald beamed.

'Yeah and we'll see Hades again!' Riku snarked as Beiyue scoffed.

'Oh yes...our former...colleague.' she remarked dryly. 'We should say hello as well~' Sora, Donald and Goofy sweatdropped at how she sounded. It's unsettlingly sinister and definitely promised pain.

'By what you mean hello...' Zhanye looked skeptical now, catching on to the atmosphere in dread with a gulp.

'We worked with him before to get Kairi back.' said Riku. 'But since we got what we wanted, we kept our distance and solely stuck with Maleficent, until Beiyue got wind Sora has extra hearts, so we ditched her and consulted Aqua.' yeah, Sora can remember that to free his 'extra passengers', he needed to stab himself...not a fun experience. He shuddered. 'We'll be ready to kick his butt.'

'Uhm guys? Maybe we should buy some supplies first.' said Dale awkwardly. 'Our food stocks are low and since the worlds are restored, there's a lot of relocation...that places are not where we know them are...'

'EHHHH?!'