This Leads to Kingdom Hearts
Mickey and Riku climbed back up the spiral stairway, returning back to Master Yen Sid's Study.
"Master Yen Sid, Sora just headed out." Mickey called out to his master.
"Hmm, no doubt to finish things he had left unfinished in the Sleeping Worlds." Master Yen Sid stated from his seat by behind his desk.
"He's more than likely seeing off all the friends he had made there." Riku commented, smirking at the thought. "That would be so like Sora."
"Mm, perhaps. Beside that, we have other things we must discuss." Master Yen Sid brought back the topic to something more serious. "Xehanort's plans may have been thwarted this time. However, he is more than likely planning other means to reach his goals. Xehanort is not one to stop his plans from one mere failure. He has already gathered many for his thirteen of darkness to create the X-blade and start another Keyblade War. We must gather up our forces to combat the coming darkness. Time is of the essence. Gathering up the seven Guardians of Light is our only chance of stopping Xehanort."
"But Master Yen Sid, so far there is only Sora, Riku, myself, and Lea. Ventus and Aqua are missing and Terra is now a vessel of Xehanort. And the last time I had seen Ventus his heart was missing."
"Yeah, about that..." Riku said, drawing the attention of everyone in the room as he reached in his back pocket for a bottle. "This is the data Ansem the Wise handed me when I was in Sora's Heart. Turns out he had hidden it inside Sora's heart during the time we were trying to wake Sora up again. He gave it to me, saying that it might help us find the hearts of those we have lost. Things were busy so I didn't have time to give to you earlier."
"This is the data from Ansem's Research?!" Mickey jumped in surprise, his eyes wide as saucers at the news. "This could be a huge help to us."
"Hmm, yes. This is very useful indeed." Master Yen Sid replied. Riku handed the bottle to him. Master Yen Sid looked over the bottle in his hands before looking back at the others. "This could be the key we need to finding a way to retrieve the hearts of the Keyblade wielders lost to us."
"We could get our friends back..." Mickey said in silent hope.
"Yes. However, with Ansem the Wise no longer with us, we have no one to decode this data. I highly doubt that any of the remaining disciples of Ansem the Wise, that haven't fallen to the Organization, will be able to help us." Master Yen Sid pointed out. But Mickey was not deterred.
"Not to worry, I have some fellas just for the job!" Mickey huffed in confidence in hero pose for a second before running out the door. "Hold on, I'll be right back!"
The door slammed behind him in his rush, leaving the two in the room awestruck.
"He sure is spirited right now." Riku commented, looking at the door Mickey had just ran out.
"His heart is strong, and most focused when it comes to his friends."
"Yeah...he's a good guy. And a great friend." Riku said, nodding in agreement to Master Yen Sid's comment. It wasn't too long after that Mickey came run back through the door.
"I'm back. Told ya I wouldn't be long. C'mon in, fellas!" Mickey held the door open, letting two chipmunks wearing aprons hop on in. "This is Chip and his brother Dale. They are the ones that helped make the Gummi Ships, and the best engineers and minds Disney Castle has to offer. If anyone can crack the codes, it's these two!"
"You seem to have high hopes in these two." Master Yen Sid commented to Mickey before looking down at Chip and Dale as they hoped onto his desk. "Can I trust you two to analyze this data and unlock what Ansem the Wise has hidden inside?"
"No problem at all!" "Leave it to us!" Chip and Dale said one after the other with a salute. Carrying the bottle together due to its size.
"Very well. I suggest you two seek the help of the one who has experience decoding Ansem's Reports before. Her knowledge may be of great assistance." Master Yen Sid said in guidance.
"Whom might that be?" Riku asked.
"Your mother."
"!" Riku's eyes widen at that, his head jolt over to Mickey at his answer.
"She's been the one decoding Ansem's Reports for us since the beginning. However, Cid is also good at this computer stuff..." Mickey said up to Riku before giving some thought on the matter. Coming to a conclusion he turned back to look at his Engineers. "You fellas should head on over to Radiant Garden and get started. See if Aeris and Cid can help you there."
"Aye Aye, Captain!" Both Chip and Dale shouted in confirmation. Running out the door, carrying the bottle between the two of them over their heads. No doubt taking a Gummi Ship to make the trip. Riku wanted to tag along.
"I'll go with you."
"Hold on, Riku. There is much more to discuss." Master Yen Sid ordered, stopping Riku from following after Chip and Dale.
"..."
"Master Yen Sid is right. We'll catch up with them later." Mickey reasoned with Riku, trying to make him feel better about missing out to go visit his mother and brothers. "Master, you wish to say more."
"Mm, I suppose you both have notice the weaken state of Sora." Master Yen Sid commented, addressing the silent elephant in the room.
"!" "!" They had noticed. But didn't want to say anything. It might have upset Sora after what had happened to him during the exam.
"Xehanort's attempt to make Sora into a vessel has made Sora lose all his strength and has weaken his powers. His interference has also cause Sora to fail gaining the one power he was suppose to master during the exam. Sora is back to where he started from. It isn't fair but it is our truth."
"This isn't fair." Riku said, his head down as he clinched his fists at his sides. "Sora had worked so hard to get where he is now. He shouldn't have to start all over again and again."
"I know..." Mickey agreed in comfort.
"Do not stress over this you two. It is a set back, however, a minor one." Master Yen Sid said, bringing back Riku and Mickey's attention. "I believe our greatest chance of stopping Xehanort's plan still lies with Sora. His connections to so many hearts might be our greatest weapon and even our greatest hope of finding the other guardians of light. If it is back at the start, then we'll have to help him regain all his strength back. It might be a long road to recovery but I believe he will manage. With the help of a friend."
"You have somebody in mind?" Riku asked.
"Yes. A true hero whom had lost his powers before and regained them back. He might be the one to point Sora in the right direction." Master Yen Sid replied. "I will discuss this with Sora later when he returns."
"But master, there's still one problem." Mickey pointed out. "There are only six guardians of the light right now. Even including Ventus and Aqua, we still need one more."
"You are correct." He nodded in acknowledgement. "There are things I must examine myself on this matter. Riku."
"Yeah?"
"I would like you to return to Destiny Islands to retrieve a "guest." You know her to be a dear friend. There are things that we need to discuss and something I wish to discern with my own eyes."
"All right. I'll be back in a bit." Riku nodded in slight confusion, heading out the door to take a Gummi Ship back. On his way out the tower he had bumped into Donald and Goofy still waiting at the entrance. "I'm going to be out for a bit. Master Yen Sid is sending me out on an errand. Can I borrow your ship?"
"Sure," Goofy easily complied. But Donald had some questions.
"An errand? What for?"
"Honestly, I don't know, myself." Riku shrugged, waving behind at them as he walked off. "It shouldn't take too long. I'll be back real quick."
"Aww..." Donald groaned behind him at being left in the dark again. Riku had felt back about it, but honestly he didn't know much either. Master Yen Sid wanted to see Kairi and Riku didn't know why. He was mulling over the answer in his head, but nothing was popping up.
"..." Riku started up the Gummi Ship and headed off to Destiny Island. He knew the way by heart so it gave him time to think about the answer some more. Maybe Master Yen Sid needed her help as a Princess of Heart. Maybe he needed her to help Sora regain his power back.
The darkness awakens.
"!" Riku heard to subtle voice of Destiny Islands' Heart calling out to him as he approached. The voice barely audible to his Heart as the countless rambles of voices from its Heart rang out.
The light in the darkness
leads to the last key
"..." What did that even mean? Was it trying to warn him of something? He would have to think about that later- perhaps his mother can help him find the answer. For now, he had to complete what he came here for. And lucky for him, Kairi wasn't too far. She had came to the main island beach as she heard him landing. It was early morning and most of the main island was still settled down from the night. Riku was greeted with a big smile from Kairi as he exited the Gummi Ship.
"You're back early. How did it go?"
"Good, bad, a mixture of both?" Riku answered, tilting his head around as he thought it over. Crossing his arms as he continued. "I'm officially a Keyblade Master now."
"Really?! Congratulations!" Kairi cheered giving him a big hug.
"Heh, thanks."
"Is Sora a master, too?" Kairi asked, looking around behind her to see if Sora was still on the ship. "Where is he?"
"No. He didn't pass." Riku sadly admitted. "Somethings came up."
"Oh. no. What happened? Is he okay? Where is he?" Kairi questioned in worry, demanding answers.
"Sora's fine. He's taking care of things somewhere else. I'll explain what happened along the way." Riku answered while moving to the side, suggesting for Kairi to come with him.
"Along the way? Where are we going?"
"To The Mysterious Tower. Master Yen Sid says he wants to talk with you."
"Master Yen Sid?! King Mickey's Keyblade teacher?!" Kairi was slightly intimidated.
"It's all right, Kairi. I'll be with you the whole way." Riku reassured her in comfort. Holding a hand out to her. With a little more confidence, Kairi took his hand and he helped her onto the ship. Starting it up again as they headed back to Master Yen Sid's tower. Kairi buckled into her seat. "To explain what happened in a abridged summary: A Keyblade Master by the name of Xehanort had been influencing what has been happening with the darkness and our adventures all this time. He has plans to bring together thirteen Keyblades of darkness and seven Keyblade of light to create the X-blade and restart the Keyblade Wars that had originally scattered the worlds. More than likely to get to Kingdom Hearts. Master Yen Sid wants us to stop Xehanort's plans and in order to do that we had to get stronger."
"And in order to get stronger you guys had to become Keyblade Masters." Kairi summed for herself.
"Right. Master Yen Sid had us take the Mark of Mastery exam in order to unlock a power we needed to be Keyblade Masters. We had to unlock seven Sleeping Keyholes of worlds that had once fallen into darkness. Things however didn't go as plan. Xehanort and his Organization XIII hijacked the exam in order to capture Sora."
"Organization XIII?! I thought we had defeated them."
"I thought that as well. Apparently we didn't defeat the "real" Organization, just the Nobody version. The real purpose of Organization XIII was not to find the Nobodies' Hearts, but in order to gather thirteen vessel to house the fragments of Xehanort's Heart. And Sora had become one of those candidates."
"Oh. No... Is Sora all right?!"
"He's fine. Mickey and I rescued him- along with the others- from the Organization. However there were consequences. Sora had failed the exam and the process of almost becoming a vessel had made him lose most of his powers. Sora will have to start from the beginning again."
"Tell me what can I do?! I want to help!" Kairi insisted from her seat.
"I don't know how you can help. But something tells me were both about to find out." Riku commented as he landed the Gummi Ship back on The Mysterious Tower. "We're here."
"..."
"Don't be nervous. You're going to be fine."
"Right..."
Riku had returned to Master Yen Sid's tower not too long after departing to fulfill his request. Walking up along the pathway to the tower with their new guest. Bumping into Goofy and Donald, waiting along the entrance steps.
"Sora's late. Do you think he's okay?" Goofy asked from his spot next to Donald, lying on his back as he looked up at the stars with legs crossed and his hands resting behind his head.
"Aw..." Donald sighed out in tired worry. Wondering what was taking Sora so long to come.
"Gawrsh, Lea sure hurried back to Radiant Garden, and now Master Yen Sid's sending Riku away, too, on some mystery errand."
"Aww..." Donald sighed out again, a little louder in his frustration at being left out of the loop.
"Ya think we'll ever get to do something important?"
"Huh?" Donald jumped up, finally noticing the two of them approaching the tower.
"Hm?" Goofy looked over at Donald's sudden action, leaning up a bit to notice someone approach. He recognized Riku first before even noticing the second person with him. "Oh! Welcome back, Riku! Hey, wait..."
"Huh?!" "(Goofy Gasp)!" Donald and Goofy gasped together as they moved over for the two of them to head up into the tower.
"Hey, guys. Did Sora come back yet?" Riku asked.
"Nah-ah," Donald shock his head in disappointment.
"He's been gone for a long time now." Goofy commented in worry.
"Yeah, I figured he would be late coming back." Riku groaned.
"(Angry Quack) When he gets back I'm gonna give him an earful for being so late!" Donald quacked, jumping up in his frustrations as steam came from his ears a little. It made Riku chuckle a bit.
"Give him an earful for me, too."
"Will do!" Donald nodded in confirmation as Riku and Kairi passed them to go into the tower.
The walk up the spiral stairway wasn't too difficult for Kairi. A little slower than Riku's usual pace but still manageable. They had made it up the door to Master Yen Sid's study, coming in at the end of Master Yen Sid's conversation with Mickey.
"!" Mickey turned at the opening of the door, greeting the first to come in. "Riku! You're back!"
"That right." Riku responded back at Mickey before turning over to Master Yen Sid. "Master Yen Sid, I brought you the "guest" you asked for but... you never said why."
Riku moved over to make way for their guest to enter. She was a little shy at first, and hesitated to enter the room and approach the old wizard at the desk. But the presence of familiar faces made it easier for her to be brave.
"Huh? Wow!" Mickey said aloud in shocked, not believing who he was seeing.
"I have come to learn that you, too, can wield a Keyblade. I am glad you are here." Master Yen Sid greeted Kairi.
"..." But more than the nervousness she felt, in her heart...she wanted to help her friends...and the power to do so.
"The great battle with Xehanort is almost upon us." Master Yen Sid began to explain to Kairi, giving her shorten version of what's been going on. Knowing that Riku had probably explained to her what has happened so far during their travel here. "As you know, we must take action to keep the seven pure lights safe, and thus we must hasten to assemble the seven guardians of light. It is time to return to our world the three Keyblade wielders we lost over a decade ago. Ventus, Terra, and Aqua must be saved from their sad end, for they have more to achieve.
"Following their first battle with Xehanort, Ventus's heart refused to awaken, and so Aqua found a safe location to conceal him. But when she set off in search of her other missing friend Terra, she fell to a place from which there is no return without outside help." Master Yen Sid looked to Mickey. Silently telling him that now was the time to reveal what they had hidden.
Riku and Kairi looked over at Mickey in slight confusion as he turned to them.
"I saw her. In the realm of darkness." Mickey finally confessed what he and his Keyblade Master had kept hidden from his friends for over two years. Telling them his story about his time in the realm of darkness...of that one moment he found his friend again...
Mickey had found a way into the realm of darkness. It was a small passage way whose entrance wasn't always open or in the same spot. But he had found a way in. Now all he had to do was find the Keyblade in the darkness and close the door to the realm of light with the Keyblade wielder on the other side of the door. But the realm of darkness was vast... he just hoped that he could find the Keyblade before the realm of darkness flooded all of the realm of light and consume the worlds.
The journey would be a dangerous and lonely one. Or so he thought.
He had expected to be the only one in this dark place. However, Mickey was not expecting to be drawn in by a familiar light. He didn't expect an old friend to float down from above.
Aqua...she was a little worse for wear- probably tired from the constant dangers she faced being in the dark realm for so long- but she looked the same as he remembered her. The same calming blue... In her hand she lost her grip of her Wayfinder Star, a keepsake she shared between her other two friends. Mickey caught it and placed it back in her hand as she came down to his level.
"Aqua, are you okay?"
"(Gasp)!" She was exhausted but still surprised to see him. There was doubt in her eyes that he was real or phantom made from her heart. But that doubt was squashed when his grip on her hand tightened and he flew them to steady ground. "Mickey, how did- (Gasp)! Terra! Ven!"
He wanted to give her time so they could catch up, but there was never a moments rest in the realm of darkness.
"No time to talk." Mickey warned as he summoned his Keyblade. They had company coming.
"Dwellers of darkness..." Aqua looked at the swarm of Shadows that clumped and acted together like a tendril hivemind, a Demon Tower. She had been fighting these strange creatures ever since she entered the darkness. They were something she had never encountered in the realm of light before. And she prayed that the realm of light would never have to face these creatures. Unfortunately her prayers were not answered.
"They're called Heartless!" He would have to explain more about them later. Now they had to fight, this thing was attracted by the light in their hearts and it was coming in fast.
Aqua's Magic was as beautiful as ever, and her Ice based spells were still amazing as they were powerful. What else could one expect from a Keyblade Master. She tore through the Heartless Demon Tower with her Keyblade with the skill of someone who has been doing it for years. Mickey had a Curaga on the ready for when she would get reckless with the fight, but he had her back all the way as they kept on the offense.
They took the Heartless down like a well-oil machine team. Charging at it together once it was at the end of its ropes. Mickey cutting it down from the base while Aqua finished it off by Aerial slashing down on it from above. The Heartless dissipated into specs of darkness... mostly. The rest had retreated the area. With the fight considered over Mickey put away his Keyblade. Aqua looked like she was ready to peruse. It would best to get rid of it while its weakened so it wouldn't come after them again later.
"We better not push our luck." Mickey advised. Who knows where it could be going, it mind even lead them somewhere more dangerous. Aqua took his advise and put away her Keyblade. Mickey approached her. "Gosh. I never thought I'd find ya in the realm of darkness, that's for sure. So, um, what happened?"
"Have you seen Terra or Ven?" She asked, worried about her friends in the realm of light.
"No, just you."
"..." She sighed in disappointment. Looks like their condition would still remain unknown to her. She knows she should be happy that they were still in the realm of light and not in this place with her; she should be happy to finally see the face of friend like Mickey after so long; but, she really missed them. It was getting hard to stay happy. But she didn't have to put so much of her sadness out on Mickey. "I'm sorry. The darkness in this place, it's getting to me."
"Oh. But, you'll be okay." Mickey tried to cheer her up. She had to stay positive in a place like this. And with him here she wouldn't be alone anymore. They'll find a way out together.
"Right." She nodded, knowing he was right. But it was hard to keep her head up after being in this place for so long.
"Say, we've been looking for ya a long time." Mickey said, bringing the light back in her eyes as she looked back at him. "How come you're in this place?"
"..." It was a long story... But before that, she needed to know... "First tell me: how long's it been in the realm of light?"
"About...ten years."
"Interesting." She looked up in the darkness at that news, lost in her reminiscing. She walked off a little and pulled out her Wayward Star to look at in the dark sky above. "After we last spoke, I took Ven somewhere safe, and then I went after Terra. But Terra was about to fall to darkness, so I had one choice. I stayed here in hopes of giving him a chance."
"I...didn't know." Mickey lowered his head in shame, making Aqua look back at him. He felt like he had failed his friends.
"How 'bout you?" Aqua asked, changing the subject for him as she took a knee to his level. She had also been curious, why was he down here? If he hadn't known she was here there must have been another reason. "What could've brought you here? Has something happened? In the realm of light?"
"It's the Heartless. They've been attacking worlds and taking their hearts." He replied with worry for his mission's success in this place. "And worlds with no hearts vanish into darkness. But if we can lock the door between the two realms- light and dark- from both sides, we can protect the other worlds. So ya see, I came here to find the key on this side."
"..." Aqua listened closely to his troubles. It looks like the worlds of light are in much more danger since when she was last in the realm of light.
"Turns out, it's not so easy getting into the realm of darkness. The points you can cross have become unstable. It's only when a world gets consumed, that an entrance appears in the realm between. So, I waited for my chance...to sneak in." Mickey explained how he got in to this place. It was a risky process, but he was glad that he found her in the end. Cupping her hand with her trinket in his hands, he tried to convey how glad he was to see her again and that he wasn't alone in this place. "But hey, when I got here, I felt a warm, familiar light. I followed it to find my way...to you."
Mickey let her hand go as the light from her Wayfinder Star began to shine in a soft glow.
"The charm." She brought it up close to her, smiling at the familiar warmth from its little light. "So they were helping. Terra and Ven brought you and I back together again."
"Yeah!"
"But, the worlds are still in danger." She cupped a hand to her chin, wondering what they should do. Looking back at Mickey, she still had more questions. "Terra-did he make it back to the realm of light?"
"We still haven't found him." Mickey answered crestfallen.
"I see."
"..."
"Well," Aqua spoke, drawing mickey's attention again. She held her Wayfinder Star close to her heart as she continued, "wherever he is, he's fighting. He'll beat his darkness. And I know he wants me to fight too."
"I think you're right. He'll be just fine." Mickey agreed with her, feeling a little better.
"Yes. But what about Ven? He won't wake up unless I'm there with him." Aqua got back on her feet again. "I have to go. I have to find a way back to the realm of light."
"Good! Then let's locate that key and go home together!"
"Does that mean you know an exit?" Hope returned to Aqua's voice.
"!- Well, uh, I was so busy finding a way in, that I didn't give a lot of thought to where there'd be a way out. But, together we're sure to find one!"
"(Soft Laughter)," Aqua couldn't help smiling, she knew the situation wasn't too good, but Mickey was still the same as she remember. "You haven't changed at all."
They both couldn't help but laugh. Sure things weren't the best. But with the two of them working together, anything was possible.
"May our hearts be our guiding key." Mickey said once their laughter calmed down. The road ahead of them would be a tough one.
"There's a phrase no one's used in ages."
"Keyblade wielders used to say those words to each other." Mickey reached out like for a distance memory, grabbing it. "And now, it's something I like to try and remember."
"..." Aqua looked as Mickey turned to her with an open hand.
"So. Ready?"
"Hm. Ready!" She answered, taking his hand and shaking it. Together, they delved deeper into the darkness.
The path ahead like a gloomy cavern, covered in patches of mineral deposits of concentrated darkness. Heartless confronting their path along the way. And together, they fought: to keep each other safe, and to find their way back to the light. There were a lot of battles. Each one harder than the last the further they delve into the darkness.
The darkness felt like it was surrounding them, closer and closer, until they found an opening like that of a cave leading out to a blinding light. There was sand on the ground and they could hear the sound of the ocean coming out from the cave opening. With a bit of caution they went through.
It lead out to a small island surround by the ocean. A blue sky with clouds above deceived one to believe they were back in the realm of light. But they were not.
Aqua knew this patch of world, she had been here before. To think that this world would be in the realm of darkness was heartbreaking.
"This is...where I met those children." Did they get consumed by the darkness, too? The question alone made her heart sting.
"So many worlds have been lost. And now they're trapped here in the dark." Mickey commented before he realized the meaning of what she had just said. "Wait- you know this place, Aqua?"
"Yes. I visited once and I met two boys I considered passing the Keyblade on to." Aqua said, remembering... She was starting to regret that she didn't give the other boy the Keyblade. Maybe...he could have fought back to stop his world from falling. Or save himself. "But because Terra had already given one of them the power, I didn't."
"Aqua. What were the boys' names?" Mickey had to know. Could they be the same ones he had sent Donald and Goofy to look for.
"They were...Sora and Riku." It took her a moment to think about it, it's been so long since she had to remember names.
"I see." So it was... If that were the case then this world was one of the more recent fallen worlds into darkness, that means they're getting closer to the door. Now wasn't the time to hesitate. Mickey focused. "We're getting warm."
"Huh?"
"Welp, it's Sora and Riku who've been helpin' me. We're tryin' to get that door shut for good."
"(Gasp). The same boys?" So they were all right.
"Aqua, if this is where my friends first got the Keyblade. It also must be where we'll find its counterpart." Mickey explained. For wherever there was light, there was darkness. The birth of a Keyblade of light would also give way to the birth of a Keyblade of darkness. "The Keyblade of darkness has gotta be here on the dark side of their world."
"..." And where would that be? The wooden walkways were in shambles- along with the playhouses- and darkness burst out in random areas. All that remained intacted was the wild, jungle plants and the small cave they barely concealed. Suddenly the world began to rumble with a quake. "(Gasp)!"
"We'll have to hurry. C'mon!" Mickey ran off ahead, leaving Aqua to follow. This world was falling further, they had to hurry.
The search lead them to the cave, covered by shadow and jungle. From the cave the Heartless Demon Tower from before came storming out at them, they jumped out of the way. It circled around back to them. Summoning their Keyblades they prepared for a long battle. In its path it kicked up sandstorms formed.
Aqua would Spell Weave through them as they came ramming in from the sky. Attacking and running out of the way as they would dig into the sand and burst out at random areas. The fight was a little harder for the two of them because the Heartless Demon Tower had recovered from their previous fight...and had gathered more Heartless Shadows into its tower.
Jumping on the Heartless tower, Mickey road the flying Tower as it was coming in to ram Aqua. Casting Holy on the head of the tower.
"Aqua. Now." Mickey also shot a Holy at Aqua as well, give her a boost of light.
"Bind." She cast a chain of light to Bind the Heartless into one giant ball, making them into a slow moving bigger target. One that was easier for them to attack.
Random Shadows would break off the Demon Tower at their attacks, melting away in the sand. The ball was getting smaller with each of their attacks. The fight was surely almost over.
"C-mon!" "Yah!" Mickey and Aqua joined together, rising their Keyblades together to cast a Holy Light on the ball doing enough damage that the Demon Tower broke off so much that it was able to escape Aqua's Bind.
The fight went on. Until the Heartless tower melted into the sand, only to reemerge as a tornado of furious Shadow storm, darkening the sky in red. It was hard to approach it, its movement was too fast with a ramming speed that caused a lot of damage. But in the center was the eye of the storm, the core of the Heartless. Once They found their way in, where the storm was most calm, they began their attack. But the damage breaking through was no joke, the two of them had to keep up with their Curaga in order not to go down. After such a long and trying fight, the Heartless Demon Tower finally went down. Returning the blue sky. The fight was over. Exhausted they put their Keyblades away.
"Let's keep goin'." Mickey insisted that they press forward. Who knows what else might come there way again.
"Hn," Aqua nodded in agreement. Mickey went into the cave first as Aqua followed after. What they found in the cave was a chamber with an air opening above a circular wall with drawings and one lone door without any knob or keyhole.
"I bet it's in here." Mickey was certain of it. He walked up, pushing the door open along with a helping hand from Aqua. Inside the room was pitch darkness as a lone floating golden Keyblade was the only light shining in the room.
"(Gasp)!" Aqua gasped in wonder.
"There!" Mickey and Aqua approached it.
"Is that what you're after?"
"Yep, it's just the key I was looking for. A Keyblade from the dark realm!" Mickey went up to the Keyblade, reaching out for it.
"A Keyblade of darkness." Aqua had never heard of such a thing.
"The door of darkness...tied by two keys. The door of darkness...to seal the light." Mickey took the Keyblade into his hands. It's light fading into itself, covering the room in darkness again. Mickey looked it over. "Welp, we've got the keys. Now, we find the ones to close the door."
"Sorry?"
"The door between the two realms- it won't let a heart with light pass through." Mickey tuned to look back as he explained to Aqua. "So only darkness keeps spilling out. We can lock the door by using the two Keyblades, but we need help on both sides to get the door shut."
"Well, then, since you'll be doing the locking, let me be the one to close the door." Aqua volunteered.
"Sorry, but the job's taken...by somebody else."
"Huh?"
The area around them began to quake again as a blinding light came over them. That blinding light turned out to be Riku heart, calling out in the darkness.
"Aw!" Mickey gasped in awe. It had brought them close to the door. Aqua looked over at the large French Doors in the distance. Its dim light shinning in the darkness, cracked open as darkness seeped out.
"Is that the one?"
"Yep, the door to Kingdom Hearts." Mickey answered before correcting himself. "Welp, it's not the Kingdom Hearts you know. Not exactly. But even though it's smaller, it's still the heart of many worlds. And even if it's not a complete Kingdom Hearts, we definitely can't leave it open like this, or darkness will escape and destroy the remaining worlds."
"..."
"It's time. With this key and Sora's in the realm of light, we're gonna close this door.' Mickey declared with the point of his Keyblade. "Now all we need is Riku."
"Sora, Riku."
"There!" Mickey's voice jolted Aqua into attention. They could see Riku running in the distance towards the door. They ran up to get a closer look in excitement. "That's everybody! Come on, Aqua-"
"(Gasp)!" Suddenly another Heartless Demon Tower raised up from the deeps...charging towards Riku.
"Oh, no!" Riku couldn't see the Heartless coming. He was in trouble!
Aqua charged ahead, summoning her Keyblade to intercept the Heartless.
"Back off!" She used Bind on the Heartless, trapping them in chains of light. Balled up they tried to fight their way through, forcing Aqua to hold on to the spell with her Keyblade as they rived around.
"Aqua!"
"Go without me!" Aqua commanded, she was struggling to hold them off and she wasn't sure how much longer she could hold them.
"No, I-!"
The Bind broke. The Heartless were let loose with a rage. Sweeping up Aqua and Mickey.
"Ahh!" "Wah!"
Mickey got loose, dropping to the ground as his armor was ripped off. But Aqua was still being pulled by the Heartless Tower.
"(Gasp)!" Mickey caught his breath, looking up as the Heartless dragged Aqua back through the door to the fallen Destiny Islands. "Aqua!"
The door shut behind them, closing off the passage way as it faded away in light shards of the darkness.
"Aqua..." The path to Aqua was gone... He would have to find her again. But with the passage cut off to them, who knows how long it'll take. The darkness was seeping out now, they had to get the door shut or else her sacrifice would be for nothing. She was lost to them for now. But they will find her again. Mickey promised himself that he will find her again... And form there the memory continue from where Riku and him shut the door from the other side with Sora in the realm of light... "Now, Sora! Let's close this door for good!"
"I thought...I heard her voice in the distance." Mickey finished telling his story, leaving the rest in the room to soak it all in.
"..." The news was hitting Riku the most. "She sacrificed herself to save me?"
His fists clenched and unclenched. He turned to look at Mickey, he was upset Mickey never told him back this.
"Why did you keep it from me for so long?" Riku demanded an answer.
"I had to respect her choice." Mickey answered as Kairi looked on between the two. She stayed out of it, knowing this was he fight but didn't want her friends to fight among themselves.
"What about us?" Riku still couldn't accept the choice that was taken. "You could've given us a choice. We could have gone and helped her."
"I know..." Mickey wanted to help her more than anything, she was his friend after all. But at the time the worlds were in danger and they needed to act quickly.
"Do not be rash, Riku." Master Yen Sid said, coming to Mickey's defense. "As Mickey told you clearly in his story, reaching the realm of darkness the first time was not a simple task. And even if we had found a way back in, regrettably none of us possessed the necessary means to get Aqua back out safely. So I forbade Mickey from telling you, let alone going after her."
"Why keep it secret?" Riku ask, wanting to know as he turned to Master Yen Sid.
"That much is obvious. If not you, then certainly Sora would have staged a reckless attempt at rescue."
"..." Riku couldn't counter that, he knew it to be true.
"But, now we can help Aqua." Mickey said with encouragement, turning to look at Riku. He had left his friend in the darkness once, he would not do so again. "You and I- we're gonna go find her!"
"Yeah! Count me in!"
"Yep!" Mickey nodded, the both of them getting pump. Kairi could hardly recognize them.
"Who's this new Riku and where's the old one?" Kairi teased at him.
"New me?"
"Yeah." She couldn't help but laugh a little. "You're more like Sora."
"Should I be flattered?" Riku barely held back the laughter in his voice at that notion. "I try too hard to be the role model. It's more fun to just listen to my heart. Which is Sora-esque."
"Well, we still like you." Kairi gave him a playful smile before turning back to Master Yen Sid in all seriousness. "Master, I came here because I wanted to help somehow. What can I do?"
"I have entrusted the wizard Merlin to oversee the training for our new Keyblade wielders, yourself and Lea." Master Yen Sid instructed.
"Lea?" Kairi had never heard that name before.
"He means Axel." Mickey explained, forgetting the fact that Axel was the guy that kidnapped her.
"What?!" Kairi jumped back at that.
"He's a regular person now. He even saved Sora for us." Mickey insisted that he was one of the good guys now. "You can trust him!"
"..." But Kairi had her doubts. Turning to Riku, she wanted to get his opinion in all of this. He had more dealings with this guy than her and she trusted Riku's judgement. But when Riku gave her his silent nod of approval, she decided to give Lea a chance.
"C'mon, Riku. It's time for us to go." Mickey headed out to get started, Riku and Kiari following after him. "First, we gotta find an entrance to the realm of darkness."
"Mickey, take these along with you." Master Yen Sid called out to them before they headed out the door. With a poof of magic from his hand two suitcases appeared on his desk. "The three good fairies asked that you be presented with them. They are new vestments which will shield the both of you from the darkness."
"Thank you, Master." Both Mickey and Riku bowed and thanked Master Yen Sid at the same time. Looking to each other as they gripped their new suitcases.
"Hn," Riku nodded he was ready, resting his suitcase over his shoulder.
"Okay, let's go!" Mickey dragged along his suitcase on the side, now finally heading out the door along with the others. For now they would take a Gummi Ship to drop Kairi off at Radiant Garden. Which was fine by Riku, he had some other business to take care of while he was there.
The trip to Radiant Garden was a short one. The Gummi Ship ride to Radiant Garden from The Mysterious Tower was just one world away. Mickey had landed his Gummi Ship by the front gates of Hollow Bastion Town. Entering Hollow Bastion Town's front gates into Marketplace. Merlin was there, waiting for them in front of the Moogle Shop, eager to meet his new Keyblade wielder apprentice. His other new apprentice waiting for them as well, a bit more uncomfortable about the whole thing as he leaned against the stone wall close by with his arms crossed.
"Ahh, you're finally here. It's so good to see you again, my dear." Merlin greeted the others and Kairi with a smile.
"It's nice to see you again, too." Kairi greeted with a light laugh, smile as she held her hands behind her back in her excitement. "So I'm told I'll be learning to wield a Keyblade from you from now on."
"Ha ha! Yes, that's right. I'll be sure to make you into a Keyblade Master yet."
"I'm looking forward to learning from you, Master Merlin."
"I'm looking forward to this as well." Merlin lightly chuckled. "I always loved molding young minds and teaching the next generation. I'll make a Spell Weaver out of you yet, my dear."
"That's sound great!" Kairi said in excitement. "I can't wait to get started."
"But you won't be alone. You'll be studying with another apprentice as well." Merlin informed her before turning to look over at the aloof red head trying to sink into the wall. "Well, come on then, Lea. Say hello to your fellow student."
"..." A little bit of the excitement left Kairi's face as it turned to stone.
"Uh, hey..." Lea awkwardly greeted, sitting up from leaning on the wall as he scratched the back of his head. "Listen...we're cool about that stuff that happen before, right?"
"Of course not." Kairi instantly answered.
"!" Lea flinched, not too surprised at her answer. His Nobody had kidnapped her after all.
"But that doesn't mean I don't want to give you a chance." Kairi continued, her face easing up but not fully softening. She still didn't fully trust Lea right now. But that's only because she doesn't really know him yet. She held out a hand for him to shake, letting him know that she was willing to give him a chance. "Let's work hard at becoming Keyblade wielders and getting to know each other better."
"Yeah..." Lea took her hand with a bit more confidence as they shook on it. "Right."
"Now that introductions are done. Let us head on back to Borough so we can begin your training." Merlin said to the two of them, clapping his hands to get their attention again. "My house is not too far away."
"Merlin. Is she there?" Riku asked as they all headed to Merlin's House, knowing that Merlin knew whom he was referring to.
"Yes, she is." Merlin replied, not knowing why Riku wished to conceal his relationship with Aeris from the others but respected his wishes. "Aeris is with Chip and Dale at the HBRC Headquarters trying to analyze the data with Cid."
"All right. I'm going to head off and have a word with Kadaj for a bit." Riku informed them as he broke off from the group to head home. Knowing that his brothers were most likely there without having to Sense for them.
"Who's Kadaj?" Kairi asked.
"I'll tell you later."
"Riku!" Kairi huffed, placing her hands on her hips in a pout, she didn't like being left out of the loop with her friends.
"Later, guys." Riku waved off from behind at them, continuing further into the Borough. Down the path off from the norm that he knew lead the way home. He had Sensed his brothers there, and they had probably Sensed him coming long after he landed on Radiant Garden. The garden around his home had become more vibrant and much larger, starting to spread out further from the yard since the last time he had visited. At the front door only one of his brothers had come out to greet him. Leaning against the side of the front door as he waited for him.
"Well, if it isn't my little brother. Coming home at last from his long nap." Kadaj teased at Riku with a boyish smirk. "How was your dream?"
"Long and dangerous." Riku groaned in all honesty, running an exhausted hand down his face. Composing himself, he addressed his brother again. "I'm a Keyblade Master now."
"Congratulations. Mother will be so proud of you." There was sarcasm in Kadaj's voice, but in the end he was still proud of his little brother. He had worked hard to master the Keyblade, and now his efforts bared fruit.
"Thanks." Riku nodded in gratitude. "Where are the others?"
"Training in the back with Yuffie and Leon. Want to join? I could use a sparing partner." Kadaj offered before chuckling. "Well, more like a punching bag."
"No thanks." Riku declined, he had come looking for his brother for other reasons. "I've got a question for you."
"I've got an answer." Kadaj responded back with shrug as he chuckled under his breath. Getting up from his spot leaning against the door and made his way inside, Riku following in behind him. They had made their way into the Livingroom were they both took a seat around the coffee table opposite of each other. Kadaj could Sense that Riku wanted to talk to him alone, so he took a seat in the chair while Riku took his on the couch. Getting comfy as he rest his arm on the armchair and his cheek on his knuckle. "So. What do you want to know?"
"Before I ask, you must know that I'm going to be gone for a while." Riku informed his brother, knowing he would have to inform the other two and his mother about this as well. Something told him that she would not take the news so well. She respected his choices, but was still prone to worry. "Mickey and I will be on a journey to find a way back into the realm of darkness. It might take us some time."
"What?!" Kadaj shot up at the news. "Why would you want to go there? The dark realm is a dangerous place."
"I know. But there is someone there that rescued me once while I was trapped there as well, at the cost of their own freedom. I'm going back there with Mickey to bring them back." Riku declared with determination.
"I see." Kadaj crossed his fingers together in front of him in thought as he rested his elbows on his legs. "So. Do you want to ask me about the passageways into the Dark Realm?"
"That would be a great start. But...there are other things I wish to ask first."
"Oh?"
"The person Mickey and I wish to rescue isn't the only one trapped in the Dark Realm." Riku stared at Kadaj with a knowing look in his eyes.
"?!"
"Father's location is unknown to us, and that can't be help. But the other person close to us is not."
"..."
"Kadaj… Where. Is. Our Grandmother?"
*** Author's Notes ***
Notes: Well, that's it for now. Thank you for waiting so long for the chapter updates and reading this far in. I really do appreciate your patience and I hope you enjoyed it. See everybody in Kingdom Hearts III.
Remember: This leads to Kingdom Hearts