Chains of Fate

by sakuraphoenix

After being separated from Riku, King Mickey, and Hikari, Sora, Lumen, Luz, Ankoku, Rita, Reina, Yukie, Donald, and Goofy have found themselves on a new world, but what secrets will be held within the walls of this new world? What does the Organization have to do with their presence within those walls? What secrets will be revealed in Castle Oblivion

2. Traverse Town Memory

Chapter 1: Traverse Town Memory

Hey everyone! It's me, sakuraphoenix, and I'm back with a new chapter! I know, what's the hold-up? Well, I've kinda been busy with some things in my personal life that I honestly didn't have the time to work on, pretty much anything until lately. But enough from me, but before I head over to the disclaimer, a little rant from me is in order. I do not like the game system for Chain of Memories. I mean, seriously? Cards? Really? In some games, it's okay, but for a well-known video game franchise like Kingdom Hearts, not so much. So if we get to any big time battles, be warned that I will write them as if I was writing in normal format instead of using card this, using card that, or using card whatever! Anyways, now that that's out of my system, it's time for the disclaimer.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. I also do not own Luz. She belongs to Keybladeauraofpie. I also do not own Rita, Reina, or Yukie. They belong to D.J. Scales.

Enjoy!

We ran head first through the gate, and we found that well, hang on a minute? Where did all the white go?

"This can't be right…" Sora said while trailing off

"You said it! We're in Traverse Town!" exclaimed Lumen

I could've sworn that I felt some kind of breeze behind us.

"What you see isn't real." Said a familiar voice

I turned around to try and find the source of the voice, only for the voice to disappear along with whoever said it.

"This town is an illusion created by your memories ingrained in that card." The voice said as we turned around

Him again?! Give us a break, will ya?!

"Our memories?" I asked

Jiminy then jumped off Sora's shoulder, and right in front of us, and started jumping like crazy!

"Forget about that you guys! We lost Donald and Goofy!" exclaimed Jiminy

"What?" asked Rita

"Donald?" Yukie called out

"Goofy?" Reina called out

"Guys, where are you?" asked Sora

"What did you do to them?!" Ankoku exclaimed as he turned to the guy in the hooded cloak

"They are at the mercy of the cards now. Master the cards, and their strength will be yours again. The laws of this castle require that your friends be transformed into cards. If you value your friends, you won't fail to pick them up. Cards you pick up are added to the top of your stack. Use them, and your friends will come to your aid. The cards you use vanish, but they will reappear to aid you time and time again. Cards are the hearts of your friends. Everything in this castle is ruled by cards. Whether an enemy or a door confronts you, cards are the only way to proceed. But you mustn't forget your own strength. First think for yourself. Move, then use the cards. You now know how to use your strength. But it would be of no use if you lose sight of your opponent. I wonder if you can catch me." Said the guy in the hooded cloak

"Oh yeah? I could catch you even with my eyes closed!" exclaimed Rita

Proving her point, she closed her eyes, and struck the guy in the hood with a Strike Raid, but it more or less locked onto him, striking him hard.

"Good. Every move you make causes a card to disappear. If you use up all your cards, you will be unable to act. But there is a solution. Keep using cards until you run out, and I will show you." Said the guy in the hooded cloak

We kept attacking him relentless until we couldn't anymore for some weird reason, but… why?

"You have no more cards, and without them, no power. If you want that power back, you must focus. Bid the cards to return to you, and they will. The strength of your heart brought back the lost cards. You can recall spent cards at any time. You need only wish it. But each time you do, the cards will take longer to return. The cards are by no means unlimited. Use them wisely. Anticipate the flow of battle, and choose the most effective cards. You may use any card in your deck. The four card types you use in battle are grouped into two wider categories. The first category includes attack cards, magic cards, and item cards. The second category consists entirely of enemy cards. Cards will empower you whether you are attacking or defending. But it is up to you to decide when to attack and when to defend. Do not forget that." The guy in the hooded cloak said

The moment he decided to shut his big mouth, we all heard footsteps behind us. We turned around to see Donald and Goofy running up to us.

"Are you two alright? Where have you been?" asked Sora

"You tell us! When we opened the door, we saw a strange light… and the rest is just… blank." Said Donald

"Gee, that doesn't help. Try to remember what happened. I have to keep my journal up to date." Said Jiminy

"Hey Donald, where'd I get the new clothes?" Goofy asked while looking over his outfit

"Wak?! Me too, Goofy! Somebody's been messing with our clothes!" exclaimed Donald

"Could it be the cards again?" Lumen asked while turning back to the hooded dude

"That is for you to ponder. Master the cards and make your way through the castle. But from here, you walk alone." Said the guy in the hooded cloak

"Alone?! We can't let them go alone!" exclaimed Goofy

"Yeah! They can't do anything without our help!" exclaimed Donald

"Thanks a lot Donald." I said while turning to them

"You sure you guys will be okay?" asked Goofy

"Of course!" exclaimed Rita

"You want us to go alone? Fine. We can take care of ourselves." Said Reina

"Hmph, the heroes speak boldly. Go, then. The rest of Castle Oblivion awaits. Walk the avenues of latent memory, and you shall meet someone dear to you." The guy in the hooded cloak said before disappearing

"I've got a bad feeling about this…" Jiminy said with a worried look on his face

"Relax Jiminy! I'm ready for any tricks he's got up his sleeve. How hard can it be to figure out these cards?" asked Sora

"You'll jinx us you know." I said while crossing my arms

"Sorry." Said Sora

"In any case, what are we supposed to do now? Use a card on that door?" Lumen asked while pointing to the door in front of us

"It can't be that easy." Said Rita

"Usually it never is." Agreed Reina

After some Heartless fighting, and some card using, we found ourselves in the place where we first fought the guard armor. To think that was only about a couple months ago.

"Hmm… fighting alone isn't as easy as I thought…" Sora thought to himself

The next thing I knew, Donald and Goofy suddenly appeared behind us, effectively scaring the daylights out of us!

"Aah! Don't pop out of nowhere like that!" exclaimed Yukie

"Hey, it's not our fault! We don't know what's going on!" exclaimed Donald

"A-hyuck?!" Goofy exclaimed in complete shock

"Pluto?!" Everyone minus Donald and Goofy exclaimed in unison

"Things keep getting stranger. What's Pluto doing here?" asked Donald

"There's nothing strange about that. We came to Traverse Town with him, didn't we?" asked Goofy

"Did we?" asked Donald

Are they getting long-term memory loss or something? Before I could ponder on it, Jiminy jumped off Sora's shoulder.

"No, wait! According to my journal, it was before you met Sora, Lumen, Hikari, and Luz that you came to town with Pluto!" exclaimed Jiminy

"Wak! He's right! We were chasing after Pluto, and that's how we ended up in Castle Oblivion!" exclaimed Donald

"But aren't we in Traverse Town?" asked Goofy

"Well, it's not really Traverse Town. I think the card created this Traverse Town inside Castle Oblivion!" exclaimed Jiminy

"Aaghh! Who cares about that?! It's way too confusing! My head's hurting." Rita said while griping her head

"I don't know where we are, but let's just keep moving forward defeating Heartless! We'll get somewhere!" exclaimed Sora

I just rolled my eyes at what Sora said. Typical of him.

"You better be careful, or it's the Heartless that are going to defeat you." A familiar male voice said

I… I don't believe it! It's Leon! He walked up to us the moment he confirmed that he had our attention.

"Leon, it's you! What are you doing in Castle Oblivion?" asked Lumen

"Castle Oblivion? What are you talking about? This is Traverse Town. And how do you know my name? Who are you?" asked Leon

Okay, this is either a card trick, no pun intended on my end, or Leon's the one with long-term memory loss now!

"I've never met the likes of you guys before." Said Leon

"Okay old lady! This is either your idea of a joke, or you have memory issues! You and these guys all fought against the Heartless together! You know that Squall." Rita said while smirking

"Two things, one, its Leon. Two, I don't know what you're talking about. I don't even know your names." Said Leon

"You don't?" Yukie asked with an upset look on her face

"…Sorry." Leon simply said after he turned his back towards us

"I can't believe it. Here they went, travelling around the worlds, battling Heartless and my parents, and here you go forgetting about them?!" exclaimed Ankoku

"I feel for you, but you've got the wrong guy. Happens all the time. Don't take it so personally Ankoku. At least you got Sora, Lumen, Luz, Rita, Reina, and Yukie looking after you." Said Leon

"Ah-ha! You do know our names!" exclaimed Ankoku

"Now, now hold on! Why do I know your names?" asked Leon

"You think Leon's just kidding around?" asked Goofy

"If he is, it's not funny. Everyone else is really upset." Said Donald

"Who's kidding around Goofy? You and Donald are the ones who…" started Leon

"Hey!" exclaimed Donald

"I don't get it… something's wrong with my memory. What's happening here?" Leon asked himself

"I dunno, Leon. Maybe Aerith was onto something after all." A familiar female voice said behind him

And in the flesh, it was Yuffie.

"She said she sensed some uncanny kind of power. And asked us to look into it. Well, this is as uncanny as it gets. Maybe you should take Sora, Lumen, Luz, Ankoku, Rita, Reina, and Yukie to see Aerith." Said Yuffie

"Yuffie! You know our names!" I exclaimed in shock

"Yep! Looks like you guys know mine, too." Said Yuffie

"You know them?" asked Leon

"Nope. Total strangers. But I definitely know their names. Strange, yes, but convenient! We can skip the introductions." Said Yuffie

"How is it that you can accept this situation so easily? I don't get you…" Leon said as he put his fingers over the bridge of his nose

"Well, I'm gonna run ahead and fill Aerith in. Leon, you give them the grand tour. See ya later!" Yuffie said before running off

Well… this was awkward…

"I guess it's no use pondering over it. Come on, follow me. But there are Heartless wandering around town. I'd better teach you how to protect yourself in battle." Said Leon

The moment Leon pulled out his gunblade, the cards that the hooded dude was talking about earlier, well, I couldn't exactly see them per-say, but some kind of lens just magically appeared over my left eye, and I could see the cards! Except, well, everyone who wasn't a Keyblade Master had the strange lens. I wonder why…

"See the numbers printed on your cards? They range from 0 to 9. Higher numbers means stronger cards. If you and your enemy play a card at the same time, the higher card wins. Go on. Try it out." Said Leon

I charged in first, after selecting a card that had a 9 as the number. I had to admit, he knew his stuff.

"See how it works? Playing a card higher than your opponent's and breaking through their defenses is called a 'card break'. Playing a lower card results in your attack being deflected. Even powerful cards can be deflected if the enemy's card is higher. Whoever is on the losing side of a break is left wide open to attacks. Don't let that person be you. Cards with 0 as their value are special. No matter what card the enemy plays, you can break it with a zero card. But if you play the zero card too soon, the enemy can break it with any card they play. In other words, it's the most powerful card if it comes last and useless if it comes first. Try to make the most of it. Card values also affect the cost of assembling a deck. Keep that in mind. Now it's time to teach you how to stock cards. You don't have to use battle cards one at a time. You can also assemble three cards and use them all at once. This is called 'stocking' cards. Stocking cards and using them in threes is much stronger than using cards individually. Go on, give it a try. Stock any three cards in your deck." Said Leon

Through the lens, I saw Lumen stocking three cards on top of each other, creating a new combo for him to use.

"The sum of your three stocked cards becomes the value you play. The value is usually high and hard to break, and the combo attack deals a lot of damage. Don't hold back. Show me what you can do." Said Leon

Lumen used his card combo, and made a grand slam against Leon! Or at least fake him, or whatever he was!

"Combo attacks aren't the only benefit of stocking cards. Choose your cards carefully and you can unleash special abilities called 'sleights'. Sleights come in all varieties, and each has its own unique card combination. You should try it out once you've collected more cards, and learned a sleight or two. But keep one thing in mind. Every time you use stocked cards, you lose the first card you picked. You can't reload it. The lost card won't return until the end of battle. Relying only on sleights will cause your cards to run out. That means trouble. Think you got the hang of it guys?" Leon asked as he walked up to us

"Yeah, more or less. I'll pick up the rest when I fight some real battles." Sora said while stretching

"Here, I found this lying around. You take it. Remember what I told you and make good use of it." Said Leon

Leon was about to hand it to Sora, but the card glided its way over to me. I grabbed it, and I saw that it was Simba! Awesome! Even though I don't have his summon gem anymore, he's still with me in spirit! Not only that, but I finally was able to see some kind of golden key card. Maybe these lenses are giving me, Rita, Reina, and Yukie the power to see what we normally cannot due to these stupid cards! I hope we can find some answers soon, because all of this walking around is giving me a headache and two sore feet! Soon enough, we found ourselves in the usual hideout for everyone, but well, we didn't exactly go through their front door, per say. It was almost like… this door opened for us because we had the right card.

"Aerith, have you forgotten us, too?" asked Lumen

"I don't know whether to say 'nice to meet you' or 'good to see you again'. I don't think I know you, but I still feel like you belong here." Said Aerith

"Yeah, exactly! Like we never met, but it still doesn't feel weird knowing your names." Said Yuffie

"But we're telling you, we have met. We took on the Heartless together. We were a team!" exclaimed Lumen

"It feels like you're right… but I can't remember." Said Leon

"Then I guess you won't remember what you told us. In Hollow Bastion, when we sealed the Keyhole: we may never meet again…" started Reina

"…but we'll never forget each other." Finished Leon

"See, you do remember!" exclaimed Sora

"He's right, Leon! I remember you saying that, too." Said Yuffie

"I guess I can't write it off as a coincidence, then." Said Leon

"I don't have any memory of it, but somehow I still remember. I think your hearts are doing the remembering for us." Said Aerith

"Our… hearts?" I wondered

"We don't know you, Sora, Lumen, Luz, Ankoku, Rita, Reina, and Yukie, but your hearts are full of memories of us together. Those memories must resonate in our hearts, too. Maybe they tell us things we couldn't otherwise know." Said Aerith

"So you're saying that their memories are affecting ours?" asked Leon

"Their memories do seem to have a certain power together." Said Aerith

"Maybe it has something to do with that hooded dude said. Uh, what did he say again?" Rita asked while sweat-dropping

"He said that this town is an illusion. Something our memories created." Said Reina

"And… there's someone special to you in this town?" asked Aerith

"How did you…?" I started

"Ah, I get it. Our memories are resonating with yours, telling you what's happened. Yeah, a friend of ours is somewhere in this town – I mean, Castle Oblivion." Said Sora

"Castle Oblivion? What's that? There aren't any castles in here." Said Yuffie

"That's not quite what he meant." Said Lumen

"You're still not sure what's going on yourselves. Right?" asked Aerith

"Right. We just got here, after all. We should probably take a better look around and find more clues." Said Ankoku

"You really are her sister." Said Rita

"Then why don't you have a walk around town? There are Heartless, but that's no problem for you." Said Leon

"So, you know we can fight?" Rita said with a smug look on her face

"I can't say I know, but I feel like believing you. Let's leave it at that." Said Leon

The moment we left, another golden card appeared in Sora's hands. Oh great, not another one! Can you just give us a freaking break already you stupid hooded idiot!

"This better be good. I'm getting sick of card this, card that, and card whatever." Said Lumen

You and me both Lumen. We just better find something good. Thankfully, after we used the new card, we found ourselves near, well… Cid.

"Well, whaddaya know. It's Sora, Lumen, Luz, Ankoku, Rita, Reina, and Yukie! Wait, what am I saying? I don't know you. But he does LOOK like a Sora, what with the spiky hair and baggy pants…" Cid said while trailing off

"It's okay, Cid. That's our names." Said Sora

"So! You've heard of me, eh? Well, I can't say as I'm surprised." Said Cid

"So, maybe you could help us out. A couple of friends of ours are supposed to be somewhere in this castle, I mean town." Reina said while quickly catching herself

"Got any ideas?" asked Ankoku

"Your friends, huh? Lately all this town sees is Heartless. Can't even take two steps without gettin' attacked. In fact, this plaza's the worst. Word is, jumbo-sized Heartless shows up when that bell rings. If you value your hide, you'll get outta here while the gettin's good." Cid said before walking away

"Gawrsh, maybe we should leave." Said Goofy

"And miss the Heartless? I bet all of my munny that the Heartless that shows up here is the Guard Armor we all faced the first time we came to this town." I said

"Oh yeah? I don't wanna see it!" exclaimed Donald

Suddenly, the bell started to ring. Oh boy, this is it.

"The bell!" Donald exclaimed in a panicky voice

"Be careful, guys!" exclaimed Goofy

When the Guard Armor did show up, we all gave a silent nod to each other to use the same strategy that we used the first time against it, but with the cards and the rules that we had to follow this time around, things just got more difficult than it was the last time we fought against it. Thankfully, the same strategy worked this time, but instead of Hikari doing the charging with her Light Charge spell, we girls dealt the final blow against the Guard Armor, and got some kind of card with it. Man, I miss her. When the Heartless was gone, Leon, Aerith, Yuffie, and Cid showed up in the plaza to greet us.

"So your friends weren't here?" asked Yuffie

"No, I don't think we'll find them in this town." Said Sora

"But they're somewhere in the castle. I just know it." Said Lumen

"Castle? Like this whole town's inside some humongous castle? Hoo, that's rich!" exclaimed Cid

"They're probably right, Cid. We may not understand what's going on, but they do. They can see that the reality is bigger than just this world." Said Aerith

"I wish we were that sure." I said

"You guys will be okay. No matter what shape reality takes, you can handle it. I may not remember you guys, but I know you in my heart." Said Leon

"Leon, you're not getting all sappy, are you?" Rita asked with a smug look on her face

"Hey!" exclaimed Leon

That got a good laugh from all of us.

"Take care you guys." Said Yuffie

"I'm a little lost… but best of luck anyway." Said Cid

We were about to leave the area, even though we all had no idea how to, when Aerith suddenly showed up behind us.

"What's up?" asked Sora

"I don't have all the answers, but I had to tell you something. Your memories created this town, right?" asked Aerith

"That's what the guy who gave us the card said." I said

"If that's true, then this town is just a figment of your minds… and so are we." Said Aerith

"But… you can't be a figment! You're standing right here! The town is here, too!" exclaimed Sora

"But I'm not really me. I don't remember the things I should. And I sense things I shouldn't. Sora, Lumen, Ankoku… I can sense that you three are the only ones truly affected by what you see around you, and that Luz, Rita, Reina, and Yukie are the guides who will help you through. Sora, Lumen, and Ankoku, beware your memories. In the journey to come, you'll be faced with more illusions. Sometimes the shadows of your memories will deceive you, try to lead you astray." Said Aerith

"So, uh… what exactly does that mean?" asked Sora

"I'm sorry. I'm just another illusion. The truth is out my reach." Said Aerith

"You really are hopeless, aren't you?" Rita asked in an annoyed tone

"Rita! I think I know the answer. In a more polite sense, the cards, this castle, and the illusions of the places we've been… they'll try to trick all three of you, and somehow we can't be affected by them. Remember what the guy said when we first came in? 'The moment you set foot in this castle, you forgot every spell and every ability you ever knew', except that Rita could still use Strike Raid. How did you, Lumen, Ankoku, Donald, and Goofy forget while we still remembered? I'm tempted to say that since we're Keyblade Masters, the castle is offering some kind of… in lack of a better word, protection. I'm not sure why, but I think this castle is somehow connected to the Keyblade." Said Reina

"Whoa." I said

"In any case, don't say stuff like that Aerith. It's depressing…" Sora said while trailing off

"Stay strong, everyone. Don't let the illusions distract you from what's truly important." Said Aerith

"…Okay." Lumen finally said

We then hit a moment of awkward silence.

"Sora! Lumen! Luz! Ankoku! Rita! Reina! Yukie!" Donald cried out

"Are you ready to go?" asked Goofy

"Yeah, be right there." Said Sora

"Well, we better get going." I said

But she disappeared!

"Aerith?" asked Ankoku

"Aerith!" exclaimed Yukie

"What about Aerith?" asked Donald

"Where did she go? We were just talking to her!" exclaimed Lumen

"Aerith left with Leon and the others, remember?" asked Goofy

"Huh?!" All seven of us exclaimed in unison

"You seven worried us. Just standing there by yourselves." Said Donald

"Is this what she meant…?" Sora wondered out loud

"I don't think so. I think what she meant is a lot worse than this." Reina said as we began leaving the illusion of Traverse Town

Done and done! Man, this one took me a while, but hey, I finally finished! Before I forget, check out my boyfriend, Detroid434's profile. I guarantee that you'll love what you see. Please review, and until next time, I'm sakuraphoenix, saying I heart you, signing off for now. Kan dao ni!