The Tides Go Out

by Regiss

Four months later, the war between Maleficent's Heartless and Braig's Nobodies threatens to consume all worlds. In the middle of the conflict, Sora, Xion, and their friends continue the search for Riku while also dealing with Vanitas, who will stop at nothing to get Ven's heart. Sequel to Remember the Tides.

66. No Turning Back

Chapter 66: No Turning Back

Colors merged together in a blur as the Highwind sped its way through space. But it wasn't the same red Gummi ship that they had come to know and love as before, oh no; in preparation for this battle, Cid, Chip, Dale, and a friend of Goliath's named Lexington had worked day in and day out on refurbishing the Highwind into something new and battle-ready. It kept its red and yellow color scheme, as well as the blue dome encasing the cockpit, but any similarities ended there. Far more sleekly designed, the Highwind V2, as it had been dubbed, now featured twice as many blasters and wings that extended nearly triple the length of the old ones.

From behind the Highwind V2 the almighty Shera, the pinnacle of Gummi engineering, came roaring up beside it. It looked even more impressive than it had during the last siege of Hollow Bastion, with the word "Hope!" emblazoned in bright red along the side by Tifa. Equipped with a multitude of Teeny Ships, countless guns all along its length, and propellers and stabilizers allowing it to hover indefinitely within a world's atmosphere, Cid's ultimate creation was less of a Gummi ship and more of a Gummi aircraft carrier. Befitting that status, it was absolutely filled to the brim with fighters, both volunteers from Traverse Town and professional soldiers from Disney Castle.

But for the time being, all that anyone aboard either ship could do was wait. Sora turned away from the Shera and back toward the rest of his restless group within the cockpit of the Highwind: Donald, Goofy, Xion, Riku, the King, Lea, and Aqua. They were the core group of this operation. While everyone else fought off the bulk of Xehanort's forces, the Highwind team would obtain Aqua's armor and proper Keyblade from the basement and then work their way to the top to save Kairi and combat Xehanort. Sora didn't like using the word 'distraction', but that was really what everybody aboard the Shera was.

Nervous and anxious, Sora adjusted his gloves as he tapped his shoes on the freshly-polished floor. The ship wasn't the only thing that was new, his clothes were as well. He left the black behind for dark blue, with red highlights along the new jacket and matching straps around his upper legs. At the top of the unzipped jacket, near his collar, it folded back to reveal a red and black checkerboard pattern on the inside. Sora's new gloves stretched further up his arm, partway to his elbow, and billowed outward. Sora unhooked Kairi's charm from his belt and squeezed it tightly between his fingers and up to his chest before placing it back where it belonged.

The new clothes had been a gift from Shiki just before setting off. After meeting the Shibuya gang at Mr. H's while Xion was asleep, Sora had offered them to come along for the fight. Beat had been ready and raring to go, but ultimately cooler heads prevailed: Neku and Rhyme reminded him that outside of the Underground and without their pins, they couldn't do much more than throw a punch. And privately, Joshua had told Sora that he doubted any of them could even exist outside of Traverse Town. The best they could do was offer luck to Sora and Xion both.

Speaking of Xion…

Sora looked over to her, sitting quietly in her chair and staring out the window with her chin resting in her hand. She seemed really distant and unfocused, had ever since Lea went to find her this morning. She'd been gone when Sora, Donald, and Goofy had woken up, too, and after everyone had freaked out at her falling unconscious near Ven. He had something of an idea of what the problem was, too. He wasn't stupid. And Sora wasn't about to let his friend stay like this, especially after Xion had helped him through his funk with Kairi.

Sora sat down beside her and attempted to strike up a conversation. "So, what do you think of Shiki's present? Since you weren't there when I got it, I mean." He adjusted his gloves once more. "Shiki said my old clothes' darker colors clashed with my personality too much."

Xion glanced at him, her gaze lingering on his new outfit for a few moments before a small smile crawled up the corner of her mouth. "It looks good on you. Shiki made a smart choice." Immediately after saying so, though, Xion crossed one leg over the other and turned back to the window.

So much for conversation. Sora frowned and tugged at the top of his jacket, where the checkerboard inside was showing. "So, uh, hey. I don't know if you noticed this or not, Xion, but it's something I kind of wanted you to know about." She turned back to him, and he gestured to the way he had folded back the jacket. "What I did with the collar, I mean. I had to when I saw the checkerboard pattern on the inside. It's…kind of a tribute, I guess. Isn't this how Rox—Xion? Hey, Xion!"

As Sora said his Nobody's name, Xion swiftly got up from her seat and walked off, leaving the cockpit without allowing him to finish. Sora stood halfway up to follow her, then sighed and fell back into his seat. Awkwardly, he fiddled with his collar. He had thought Xion would like that little tribute to her friend. "What was that about?"

"Girls sure are complicated, huh?" A hand clapped down on Sora's shoulder, causing him to jump in surprise. Whipping his head around, he saw Lea give an exaggerated sigh and plop on down next to him in Xion's old spot.

"That's…not really what I was thinking."

"Oh?" Lea chuckled and shrugged. "Well, don't worry about it. Xion's always had a bit of a temper. Just gotta be careful not to push her buttons."

"Buttons…?"

"Sure. The important thing to remember when dealing with girls is not to push the wrong buttons, and— Well, what am I doing going on about this right now?" Lea's hand was still on Sora's shoulder, but he took it off now. "For what it's worth, I like the collar."

Up at the ship's controls where Donald and Goofy sat, lights flashed and the radio began to crackle. "Shera to Highwind." Leon's voice called out to them from the larger ship. "We're approaching Hollow Bastion. You all set?"

Goofy dropped what he was doing and scrambled for the button to turn the on the microphone on their end. As he stretched over the board, pressing buttons and flipping switches to reach the one he needed, Donald groaned loudly and rushed to fix everything all at once. At his arm's limit Goofy flicked the switch he needed and pulled back, pushing them all once more and unknowingly undoing Donald's work. Donald slammed his face against the wall while Goofy spoke to the Shera.

"Uh, roger that, Leon, loud and clear! We're all set and ready to go!"

"Perfect. Then once Hollow Bastion is in range we'll create the distraction necessary for you to get to the castle, and from there—"

Cissnei's voice cut in on the transmission. "Leon! Heartless just took off from Hollow Bastion! They're headed right for us!"

"What?!" Leon cried. Aboard the Highwind, everyone jumped up from their seats and Xion sprinted back into the cockpit with her Keyblade already in her hand. Sora darted over to the front window and pressed his hands onto the glass as he leaned in close to examine Hollow Bastion in the distance. Just as Cissnei had said, massive Gummi-like Heartless were making their way toward the ships. Still connected via the radio, Leon was shouting orders to the crew of the Shera: "Everyone, battle positions! Man the guns and get the Teeny Ships flying! Donald, can you guys handle yourselves?"

Donald gave a thumbs-up, though Leon couldn't see it. "No problem, Leon! We'll break through their lines and bring the fight back to them!"

"I know I can count on you guys. Give them hell. Leon out."

As soon as the communications closed, Donald jumped up and stood on his chair. Reaching high for a big red button above their heads—and out of Goofy's reach—he slammed his hand down on it. The entire Highwind V2 rumbled, and Sora spun around to look out to the side. The ship's wings began to part, opening wide and the two pieces moving up and down until they became four x-shaped wings, a gun at the end of each.

The transition to the ship's new battle mode was completed just in time, too. The Heartless had arrived and already begun firing. Pirate Ships, Hunters, and Dragonflies swerved through space all around the Highwind and Shera in countless numbers. Crawlers and Reaper's Wheels leaped across the asteroids and other floating objects, firing at the ships out of reach. As Leon had ordered, dozens of hatches opened up along the length of the Shera and Teeny Ships poured out of them in a wave to meet the enemy, each one piloted by a Disney Castle musketeer.

Donald slammed his foot onto the gas and pulled back on the controls. "Hang on tight!"

As Heartless swarmed and charged at them, the Highwind did a barrel roll to dodge the attacks and tilted up nearly ninety degrees, flying straight upwards and causing Sora and Xion, who weren't seated, to fall against the back wall. While completely vertical Donald blasted a Dragonfly at point-blank range before spreading the ship's fire out over the area. Meanwhile, the musketeers' ships rolled and banked, lighting up space with explosions. The Heartless were dropping like flies.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Riku muttered. "It's too easy."

Aqua nodded, then lurched forward as Donald made a sudden turn to the right. She righted herself and brushed some hair out of her eyes. "The Heartless are more of a nuisance than anything right now, like something they just feel obligated to send at us."

"They want Xion," Lea pointed out. "She's kind of the entire cornerstone of their plan. They won't do anything to risk losing her; hurt her, sure, but not lose her."

Donald grinned and tightened his grip on the controls. "Then we got nothing to worry about. Full speed ahead!"

Yellow targeting icons fell over every Heartless in sight on the screen before Donald, and with the press of a button every last one of the Highwind's turrets opened fire. Streaks of blue and yellow flew through the sky, and Donald charged the ship forward as they did so, plowing through enemies and spinning out of the way of their own attacks. Within the cockpit the gang was knocked about and tossed around, but outside the ship Heartless continued to die. The Shera, meanwhile, continued ever forward with its guns firing but giving no other sign that it even paid attention to the battle going on around it.

With the Teeny Ships acting as their escort and guard, the Shera and Highwind V2 enter Hollow Bastion airspace. They dived through thick black and purple clouds, and as soon as the castle was visible out their window, Aqua let out a horrified gasp and jumped to her feet. She pressed one hand against the window and the other over her heart. "No…"

Of course, she hadn't seen Hollow Bastion before. But it was more than just that, it had gotten even worse. Besides the constant dark clouds hanging in the sky and cutting off all sunlight, the town was nothing more than a handful of scattered ruined houses, absolutely none of the Restoration Committee's hard work was recognizable any longer. Heartless, Nobodies, and Unversed prowled the area in a massive sea of mixing black, white, and blue, and the castle itself released an aura so vile, so oppressive, that it was visible and seemed to be warping the very architecture, twisting the spires into mockeries of themselves. Of everyone aboard, Lea looked most distressed; uncharacteristically, he stood right up and walked away, his head could only imagine how everyone aboard the Shera, especially Leon, felt.

The Teeny Ships cleared a space near the castle of aerial threats, allowing the Highwind to land and the Shera to pull up alongside it. As soon as the Shera came to a standstill several more hatches opened and out launched grappling hooks that soared through the air and attached to the enemy-ridden earth; immediately, musketeers and Traverse Town volunteers began rappelling down the ropes to begin the second phase of the attack. As they did so, the main door of the Shera opened to reveal Leon, Yuffie, and Cissnei, their hair blowing in the wind created by its propellers.

Yuffie held onto the edge of the door way and leaned forward, waving to the gang as they left the Highwind. Beside her, Leon looked back into the Shera's bridge. "Cid, don't hang out around here and risk yourself. Go back into orbit until we're done."

"I got it, I got it!" Cid called back. "Now enough waitin' around, kid! Get movin', take back our home!"

Leon, Cissnei, and Yuffie nodded, then jumped down to join everyone else. The Shera wasted no time and immediately pulled away, while Chip and Dale took remote control of the Highwind and brought it back into orbit as well. After watching them leave, Leon hefted his gunblade up over his shoulder and looked up at the towering castle before them. "Everyone, let's go."

x-x-x

But the battle around the bastion had not ended just because they went inside. The Teeny Ships continued their dogfight with aerial opponents (Nobodies and Unversed having since joined the Heartless), while Disney Castle's best and bravest, with Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and d'Artagnan leading the charge, locked swords with their foes on the ground and along the castle's walls. They musketeers were joined by volunteers gathered in Traverse Town, an army formed of refugees who were willing to put their lives on the line to stop the Heartless and see their worlds restored.

Just before the Shera pulled up into orbit, one final door opened to let the remainder of its forces out into battle. This one was much larger than the hatches from which Teeny Ships had flown before—it was the main door to the Shera's hangar. As the last of the ships flew out, several winged individuals prepared to leap off of the ship on their own. Hair blowing wildly in the wind, Will Vandom clutched tightly at the Heart of Kandrakar around her neck and turned to her companions. "You ready?"

"Ready." Goliath grinned and unfurled his wings, stretching them wide and flexing their muscles in preparation. Behind him, the fellow surviving gargoyles of the Manhattan Clan—Brooklyn, Lexington, and Broadway—did the same.

"If only Elisa was here to see this," Broadway mourned as the gargoyles approached the exit, bracing themselves in the wind.

"We will fight in her memory, as well as Hudson's, Bronx's, and all of the fallen across every world." Flexing his wings one last time, Goliath leaped into the open air and glided out over the battlefield, followed closely by his clansmen.

Not far behind them, Will took a deep breath and released her iron grip on the Heart. "For Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay Lin…" She, too, teetered on the edge of the Shera. "One last time: Guardians, unite!" In a flash of light, Will flew out to meet the Manhattan Clan while firing lightning bolts down on the battlefield.

Behind the Guardian and the gargoyles, the Shera began to close up the door to its hangar. Mechanical parts whirred and hissed as the gears turned, while simultaneously the ship began to raise higher and higher.

"Wait, wait! I'm not so old as to be left out of a fight, you know!"

An instant before the door closed on him, Merlin leaped out of the Shera with his hand firmly holding his pointy blue cap in place. Though in a free-fall over the battle and in the crossfire between Teeny Ships and the forces of darkness, he paid none of it any mind. No, he was preoccupied trying to recall a certain spell. "Now what was it? Bibbidi-Bobbidi…? No, no, that wasn't it. It was, hrm…"

Unfortunately, the sight of an old man hurtling through the sky at breakneck speeds caught the attention of an Unversed. Undulating aggressively, a Metamorphosis began to quickly speed its way through the air and Merlin, caught up in his thoughts, didn't notice a thing.

"Aha!" Merlin snapped his fingers. "That's right, I recall now!" A moment before the Metamorphosis attacked him, Merlin's body transformed. His skin grew blue and scaly, his size increased dramatically, and claws expanded from his limbs. Massive wings saved Merlin from falling to his death, and a tail smacked the Metamorphosis away. The bearded dragon that Merlin had become let out a mighty roar and released a wave of fire out over the enemy forces.

Of course, not all the volunteers had come from Traverse Town. Down below, fighting amidst the musketeer army, a red chicken screamed loudly, stunning his foes with sonic waves and then firing at them with his twin guns. But after Panchito stopped to take a breath, more forces of darkness simply came in to take their places. "¡Ay, caramba!" Panchito declared while spinning his guns on his fingers. "Look at all of these enemies!"

"What means, ¡ay, caramba!'?" José asked beside him. With a sweep of his hand, the parrot shrunk a large swath of enemies to a fraction of their previous size and then dealt with the crowd with a Gravity spell. When three Dusks tried to attack him from the sides and behind him, three more Josés simply popped up from out of nowhere to deal with the Nobodies.

Panchito grinned sheepishly at his friend. "Oh yes, I don't know."

Amidst the largest concentration of musketeers, Heartless, Nobodies, and Unversed, a blue bolt of light shot down from the heavens and illuminated the area, shaking the earth and casting the forces of darkness back. As the light faded, a tall, imposing man dressed in blue uncrossed his arms and slipped a star shard within his left sleeve. A bright flash of light erupted out from the right, forming into a blue and gold Keyblade marked with star designs. The forces of darkness recovered from the impact, but the newcomer simply slashed the Keyblade horizontally one time and a torrential downpour of water swept across the battlefield in an instant, forming into a wave and taking his foes with it.

Master Yen Sid, wielding Star Seeker for the first time in decades, stood tall and pointed his Keyblade forward, urging the musketeers onward.

x-x-x

As the battle was waged, a small group watched from atop the crumbled remnants of a wall that had once surrounded the city. Maleficent tapped her finger against the green orb on her staff as she stared down her nose at the clashing forces, a disgusted sneer coating her features. Garland stood at her left, one hand on the hilt of his massive broadsword which was plunged into the grey-blue stone on which he stood, his purple cape blowing in the wind. At her left was Pete, who flexed his fingers and pounded his fists together.

A caw echoed from above, and the trio looked up as Diablo descended from the black sky. Smoke billowed up and around the raven as he landed, and cleared as he climbed to his feet in human form. His dark eyes met Maleficent's own for a moment before he turned out toward the castle. "It's just as we suspected. The entirety of Xehanort's forces are in the battle around the castle, not within it. He's given Sora and his friends an open invitation into Hollow Bastion proper."

"Then…he wants 'em to come for him?" Pete asked.

Garland scoffed. "If this 'Xehanort' seeks a glorious battle, then I should be the one to give it to him! Not those children."

"Patience, Garland," Maleficent said with a hand raised toward him. Then she began to twirl her fingers above her staff, conjuring up an image within it of the Keybearer and his companions as they made their way along the outer walls of the castle. "If Xehanort wishes to fight Sora and his friends, we will allow him." When Garland seemed put off by this, she smirked. "However…those fools from this world seek to retake it as their home. We can't let them do that, now can we? This castle rightfully belongs to me!"

"As you say," Diablo agreed with a nod.

"…Very well." Garland drew his sword from the walls' remains, causing stones to tumble down the ruins. In his free hand he took Maleficent's staff and peered into the image of Traverse Town's heroes. "But I will battle this one, with the scar across his face. Clearly a wound obtained in combat, and a fine weapon at that! He will be a worthy challenge."

The staff was promptly torn from Garland's hands. Maleficent's bony fingers wrapped around the shaft and she gave him a hard look. "Watch yourself, Garland. You should know by now what is mine and what is yours."

Before Garland had a chance to respond, he was pounced by a great black cat and, caught off guard, knocked to the ground. The cat roared and shifted, expelling smoke from its body. Diablo sat atop the False Stalwart's armor, pinning him down by the shoulders. "Disrespect Maleficent again, Garland, and I will strike you down myself!"

"Ha!" Garland effortlessly broke free of Diablo's hold and smacked the man aside with a single backhand. Climbing up to his feet, Garland reclaimed his sword and dusted off his armor. "You know full well I am immortal, you rat with wings."

Diablo climbed up to his feet and rubbed the black eye forming. "You can still be locked up, all over again."

Garland leaned forward and held a gauntleted hand out. "I'd like to see you try, runt."

"You brutish—"

"Calm down, Diablo." Maleficent approached him and brought her hand to his face, brushing her fingers against his bruised eye. "Garland knows better than to anger me. Isn't that right?" With a glance over her shoulder, Garland dropped to his knee and placed a hand over his heart. "That's what I thought. Now then, my loyal servants…

"We march on Hollow Bastion."

x-x-x

"They have arrived."

Xehanort, Braig, and Vanitas stood in the old Grand Hall of Hollow Bastion, before an undulating, glowing gateway the color of sunset and rust that hovered above the remnants of the Final Keyhole. The rest of the hall could very well have been mistaken for the Realm of Darkness, as black fog hid the walls from sight, muffled noise, and softened colors. In Xehanort's outstretched palm hovered an ethereal golden χ which the trio had gathered around.

"Man, Xehanort, do you scare me like nobody's business!" Braig said as he leaned into the χ. Within it was an image of Xion, Sora, and their friends making their way through the castle. "The way you can watch everything going on with this crazy spell of yours."

Xehanort shook his head. "No, not everything. Only those marked by the Recusant's Sigil."

"Right, the Sigil! How could I forget, huh?" Braig looked into their scrying spell once again. "Seems our boy Sora has gone and replaced all the X markings on his clothes, though. Not sure I like the new outfit."

Vanitas rolled his eyes. Though his face wasn't visible beneath his mask, the way he crossed his arms and turned his head made his expression abundantly clear. "You know full well it works with names too, Braig. We're watching through Xion, not Sora."

Braig flashed a grin at him. "Right? That's why I never actually changed my name to Xigbar. I like my privacy, thank you very much!"

"Enough." Xehanort's single word pulled the attention of both of them back toward him and the Recusant's Sigil. A small smile worked its way up at the corner of Xehanort's lips. "Xion has come along nicely."

"Creepy," Braig chimed in.

Xehanort ignored him. "While this was not the original plan, I am confident that your plotting will forge the χ-blade regardless, Braig."

Braig bowed in an overdramatic fashion. "Well thank you, sir. Who needs seven lights and thirteen darknesses anyway, am I right? One of each is good enough, we just needed to take things slower." Peering into the χ again, Braig rubbed his neck. "Speaking of Ven though, is that him or Poppet walking with Sora?"

"Man, I wish I saw Xion as Ventus like you do," Vanitas muttered. "This doesn't feel like nearly enough comeuppance for everything he did."

"Trust me, it makes things all kinds of awkward. Half the time I was messing with Roxas and Xion I couldn't tell who was who!"

"I said 'enough'," Xehanort snapped. "Now then…it seems we have another guest to welcome to Hollow Bastion. A long-lost Master has returned at last."

"Heh. I was worried they'd never find her."

"Just remember that I'm the one who pointed them in her direction," Vanitas said.

"And good on you for that, kiddo." While Vanitas bristled at Braig's nickname, Braig turned to Xehanort. "They look like they're heading down to get her armor. Want us to intercept them?"

Xehanort shook his head. "No. Let Aqua get her armor, and her Keyblade as well. In the end, when she is at her full power and ready to save her friend…that is when she will be the most vulnerable to breaking. To seeing the face of Terra plunge the worlds into another Keyblade War."

"Gotcha. But uh, speaking of which. You aren't having any…problems with Terra, are you?"

Xehanort was silent. He stared at the Recusant's Sigil, at Aqua's figure within the image as she made her way through Hollow Bastion's dark halls. Curling his fingers into a fist, the sigil above it blew away like dust in the wind. Xehanort lowered his hand to his side and walked off, leaving Vanitas and Braig behind him. "No. No trouble at all."

x-x-x

Sora was worried, and he wasn't the only one. They hadn't run into a single enemy during their entire time climbing the castle, and everyone was starting to get nervous about it. Yuffie was even starting to complain about the lack of action. Of course they knew that Xehanort wanted Xion, but still, no resistance at all? It was bizarre.

Along the outer walls of the upper castle, with the battle raging in the sky around them and whipping up dreadful winds, Sora, Xion, Donald, Goofy, the King, Aqua, Lea, Riku, Leon, Cissnei, and Yuffie all treaded carefully with their weapons out. Climbing down to retrieve Aqua's armor and Keyblade had proven tougher than anyone anticipated, as the elevators were knocked out by the chaos. They had to take more…unconventional routes.

Near the Great Crest now, they continued to move while on guard, but considerably less so than before. That proved to be their undoing. As they passed under the large Heartless emblem that had been in the middle of being restored into a clock, an explosion of darkness and green fire erupted before them and rocked the castle, knocking the crew off of their feet. Before the smoke had cleared a massive, armored figure rushed out of the shroud and brought a gigantic broadsword don upon them, which was swiftly deflected by Leon and his gunblade.

"Hahaha! Marvelous! Finally, another who embraces the pleasure of combat!" A deep voice boomed with genuine excitement as the smoke cleared away, revealing an imposing knight stand beside…Pete and Diablo?

"Garland!" Riku and the King stepped up beside Leon immediately, their weapons at the ready.

"A pleasure, child, Your Majesty!" 'Garland' bowed his head in acknowledgment. "You, too, are worthy adversaries. But I have chosen my opponent." He swung his sword over his head and crashed it into the nearby wall, shaking the massive gears up above. "You, of the gunblade! We will see who fares best, do you agree?"

"Me?" Leon hefted his sword up over his shoulder. "Maleficent got a new crony? Fine then, you're on."

"You two know this guy?" Sora asked Riku and the King.

Riku nodded without looking away from Maleficent's trio of troublemakers. "We met him in Arendelle. Said his name was Garland."

"Garland… I know that name," Cissnei murmured. "He was created by Cid Lufaine, a brilliant scientist who lived in Radiant Garden a century ago. He was Radiant Garden's first and only super-soldier, created only for combat. Unable to die, he lives solely for the heat of the moment. He's the hero who single-handedly brought the War of the Magi to an end."

"No way!" Yuffie shouted. "You mean the War of the Magi?! The one with Ultima WEAPON?!"

"Ultima WEAPON and summons, yeah. That's the reason Materia even exists, so the garden's non-magical armies could fight them," Leon commented dryly. "Still…I've never heard of this Garland guy."

"He was considered highly dangerous and classified, even to Turks. I only know about him from when I was digging through Ansem the Wise's lab. I'd be surprised if even Even and Hojo had known about their predecessors' experiments."

Pete and Diablo eyed Garland with an apparently newfound interest, and Garland laughed. "You have done your homework! But tell me, woman: What about me was it that made me so dangerous, hm?"

Cissnei stepped forward and held her shuriken up aggressively in front of her, ready to throw it at a moment's notice. "You were the one who stopped Ultima WEAPON during the final battle of the War of the Magi, completely on your own. But more than that…you lived for combat. You reveled in it. And Cid Lufaine probably made some miscalculations, because you're insane, Garland."

Garland held a hand out. "Go on, tell the class!"

"Yeah, what did this guy do?" Aqua asked as she held out Master's Defender. "He sounds like a war hero, not someone who'd join Maleficent's side."

"For Garland, the war didn't end with Ultima WEAPON's destruction. He marched into the enemy and continued the carnage long after they surrendered. More than that…he slaughtered thousands, tens of thousands, of innocents across the world. Even Radiant Garden's own."

Blood drained from everyone's faces, and behind Garland Pete backed away slowly with sweat forming on his brow. Sora stared at the armored knight as he laughed loudly once again and hefted his segmented sword. "Mere sheep, and I the shepherd. I culled the weak from the world, so the strong may rise. This is the cycle of battle, and I have long since embraced it! All shall do the same!"

"He was imprisoned after that, and since he can't die it was an eternal confinement."

"Then what is he doing here?" asked Donald.

"We freed him to serve the lady Maleficent," Diablo said coolly. Unlike Pete, he did not seem scared by the news. Certainly he looked put off, but he hadn't practically run for the hills as their larger companion had.

"Indeed. I have sworn my allegiance to the sorceress so that I may achieve my ultimate goal, final fantasy. But enough talk!" Garland swung his sword out once more, and the upper segments detached. It flew forward, connected to the lower half by a chain, and pierced the wall behind Sora and his friends. Garland let out a mighty roar and pulled back on his sword, causing the wall to crumble as the weapon flew back and recombined. The way that they had come was cut off now, impassible.

"You really want to do this?" Leon asked, stepping up with his finger on the gunblade's trigger.

"Indeed, the three of us against you all." At Garland boast, Pete returned to the battlefield pounding his fists and Diablo crouched down while claws grew from his hands. "Let our blood boil in the thrill of battle. Let us roar until our voices grow hoarse. Let this be our finest hour!"

Sora stepped forward to join them, but was shoved back by—Yuffie? "What's the big idea."

"You fellas need to get goin and stop Xehanort!" Yuffie said as she slotted Materia into her shuriken. Beside her, Lea and Cissnei also stepped up to the plate.

"What?" Xion stared at the spiky redhead as he called on his chakrams. "Ax—Lea!"

Lea grinned back over his shoulder. "Xion, you know I'd be useless against anyone but these dorks. You're the one with the Keyblade, not me. I know you've got that memorized."

"He has a point, Xehanort is a bigger threat," Aqua said.

Sora shook his head. "But they're our friends!"

"Duh!" Yuffie laughed. "And you're ours, which is why we know you can handle Xehanort. Go on, we got Maleficent's cronies."

"I guess…okay." Sora motioned for all but Cissnei, Yuffie, and Leon to follow. "We'll go find Aqua's armor and stop Xehanort. But we'll come back for you!"

"Lea, be careful!"

As they ran down the path that wrapped around the castle, Pete's voice called out behind them. "You won't get far, pipsqueaks! Or didn't ya notice Maleficent wasn't with us?!"

x-x-x

They had.

Within Hollow Bastion's entrance hall, at the bottom of the staircase that wrapped around the fountain, the witch herself stood ready. "My, my, now this is a surprise. I never imagined I would be seeing you again, Aqua. The years have been quite kind to you."

Master's Defender flashed into Aqua's hand once more. "My new friends have told me everything that's happened. Maleficent, are you going to fight us too?"

"Now why would I do that?" Maleficent shrugged one shoulder and held her hand to her chest. "After all, far be it from me to stop the pest control. You are doing me a favor cleaning Xehanort out from my castle."

"You're still after this place even after you have the Organization's old castle?" Riku shrugged and crossed his arms.

"Perhaps a bit of sentimental nostalgia on my part," Maleficent mused. "On my word, I will not intervene if you promise that the castle will be mine upon Xehanort's destruction."

"No deal!" Xion and Sora exclaimed together, stepping up with their Keyblades ready. "Hollow Bastion needs to be Radiant Garden again. It belongs to the Restoration Committee and the people who call this world home!"

Maleficent snarled and raised her staff to the sky. Bolts of lightning shot from the surrounding air into the green orb and licks of fire erupted out of cracks forming in the ground beneath her. "Then you leave me no choice!"

"Blizzaga!"

"Hyup!"

A burst of ice and flying shield collided with Maleficent, interrupting her casting. All heads turned to the back of the group, where Donald and Goofy broke through the crowd and hurried to the front. Donald held his glowing staff close to his chest and Goofy's shield returned to him like a boomerang.

"Guys, what are ya doin'?!" King Mickey gasped.

"Your Majesty, leave this to us!" Donald said.

Goofy nodded and held his shield high. "Yup, we'll take care of Maleficent!"

Sora paled. "But guys, you don't—!"

"We don't what, know how to fight her?" Donald grinned back at Sora. "Sora, we've been on this journey for just as long as you. We know what we're doing."

Goofy looked back too. "Besides, you fellers need to go get Aqua's Keyblade and armor. Trust your friends, Sora. We can handle this witch!"

"You dare to speak of me like that?! Insolence!" Maleficent thrust her staff forward and shot a stream of fire out, but Donald shot back a Firaga of his own that met hers head on, canceling both flames out.

"Thake that!"

"You're not goin' anywhere or doin' anything while we're around!"

x-x-x

Was she alone?

Carefully, slowly—who knew if there was some camera or enchantment keeping an eye on her—she slid off the bedand onto the old carpeted floor. In all the time she had spent trapped within this room, the lingering, musky scent of someplace that hadn't been lived in for years had never gone away. Except for the bed, chair, and table, everything was still covered in dust. She had simply spent the entire period in here, doing nothing but drawing…and thinking. Thinking up a plan.

Recently, Braig and Vanitas's visits to her had ceased. At least one of them, sometimes both, had always come by once a day to taunt her. About a week ago, however, that all came to an abrupt end. And now, starting yesterday and continuing into today, not even the Dusks that had brought her meals had come by. She briefly stopped at the table and examined the dried, preserved fruit that had been brought two days ago, running it between her fingers and contemplating taking it before making her getaway. But no, she couldn't delay any longer, and she could eat when she was on the other side.

Naminé wasn't sure why she had been seemingly forgotten by Xehanort's forces, but whatever the reason was it probably wasn't a bad one. If something had happened to the others, then they wouldn't have hesitated and simply killed Naminé on the spot. They didn't need her or Kairi. Then again…perhaps the ceasing visits was to let her waste away slowly? No; Naminé shook her head, red hair swishing from side to side. If something had happened to Xion, Sora, and everyone else, then not only would they kill her but Braig wouldn't be able to resist bragging about it. That wasn't the reason she had been abandoned. It must have been because something was distracting them instead. And a distraction was just what Naminé needed right now.

Simply walking out the door wouldn't be possible because it was locked tight. Briefly Naminé lamented Kairi's lack of a Keyblade, but even if she could get it open the castle was sure to be crawling with Nobodies, Heartless, and Unversed. No, there was a safer path. Well, perhaps 'safer' wasn't the right word, but it was her only path at this point. The only way to get out of Hollow Bastion.

Taking a deep breath, Naminé held out her hand and closed her eyes. The temperature of the room plummeted and the shadows in the corners expanded, slowly stretching forward toward the space just before her. She shuddered but remained unwavering, even as she could feel the darkness reaching up to wrap around Kairi's heart. That was her concern, and the reason this wasn't exactly safe. A corridor of darkness as a Nobody was one thing, but she wasn't a Nobody right now. She was in Kairi's body. And Kairi wasn't even wearing a black coat for protection.

But something happened with the darkness. Though it wrapped its way around Kairi's body and Kairi's heart, it could not worm its way inside. Naminé could feel the chill, feel the goosebumps on her skin, but a warmth radiated from her chest—Kairi's chest—in a sensation that she had never felt anything even close to before. Opening her eyes a crack, Naminé sighed in relief. Of course. Kairi was a Princess of Heart, and the darkness couldn't do anything to her. A corridor would pose no risk to her heart at all.

The shadows sprang off the ground and merged together, forming into that familiar, undulating, purple and black hole in reality. It had been quite a long time since Naminé had seen one of these, and even knowing that Kairi wouldn't be harmed going into it she still had a moment's hesitation. Shaking her head and clenching her fists at her side, Naminé cast aside that hesitation and stepped into the corridor. The instant she was inside the darkness she closed the entry behind her. It wouldn't do to have someone find it now.

Inside was just as she remembered: cold, muffled, oppressive. But the truth was that Hollow Bastion had been that way as well, given the darkness radiated by Xehanort. Even though Naminé rubbed her exposed arms to try and keep herself warm, it wasn't a gesture that was really needed. The light inside Kairi's heart kept the darkness at bay, keeping a dull glow all around her and illuminating their path. Not that there was anything here for it to illuminate, mind you.

After traveling only a short time, much more quickly than Naminé had anticipated, a point of light appeared in the distance. She couldn't be sure she had seen it at first, not with the faint illumination surrounding her, but with every step she took forward the light grew brighter and brighter. There was no mistake: Naminé's exit was here. Lowering her arms to her side, Naminé let out a sigh of relief and then began to sprint toward the light, toward whatever world lay beyond it. It didn't matter which; she could recuperate on any of them, rest up and eat, and then find her way to Traverse Town or Disney Castle to reunite with the others.

Only…perhaps there was one world that would prove a problem for her. One that she hadn't anticipated ending up on after leaving the corridor of darkness. Or perhaps to be more precise, to still be on.

"No... No way…"

Naminé's hands fell limply to her side as the corridor of darkness vanished behind her. She swallowed, her mouth suddenly filled with cotton. Her eyes widened and her entire body shook in fear and a horrible, horrible realization. Shaking, Naminé wrapped her arms around her body and took several deep breaths.

She couldn't leave. Some way, somehow, Xehanort or Braig or somebody had blocked Naminé's corridor of darkness. She didn't dare open another one, because she knew it would be the same result. She was a prisoner. She may not be trapped in that old room, but she was still chained to Hollow Bastion nonetheless. And out here in the open, enemies could find her. They could be around every corner.

But so what? a little voice asked from the back of Naminé's thoughts. Kairi, or her own thoughts? Either way, it triggered something inside of her. "Get a hold of yourself," she whispered, stopping her shaking. She brushed some of Kairi's red hair from her eyes and slipped more of it behind her ear. So what indeed? She had made it this far, and Keyblade or no she had Kairi's spells. Corridors of darkness didn't work? Big deal. She had legs of her own! She'd get out of the castle the old fashioned way!

Turning on her heel, Naminé took off in a run down the dark halls of Hollow Bastion.