Authors Note
SURPRISE! Things have been so hectic, so just updating now. Sorry about that. Don't worry, I'm going to keep working on this fic through to completion and KH3 itself won't affect the storyline.
Also, shout out to Tara St Michel on Youtube. Your original songs for Kingdom Hearts are amazing.
Lastly, Face my Fears is EVERYTHING I needed!
"You!" Riku didn't hesitate, leaping across the space between himself and his sworn enemy.
Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness, shifted his body slightly to avoid the first slash from Way to the Dawn, his amused expression only growing. Riku growled, his negative emotions flaring back up with vengeance. Riku swung his weapon again towards Ansem's hip, his eyes narrowing in frustration as the Heartless summoned his own weapon. Ansem's weapon was a pole arm with two identical blades on each end, both of them similar to the design of Riku's old weapon Soul Eater. The Heartless spun his weapon rapidly in a circular motion, forcing Riku to take several steps backwards to save himself from a series of cuts.
"Xehanort will be pleased to have finally discovered the location of the failed vessel for the X-Blade." The Heartless chuckled, flourishing his weapon. "And that insolent little girl."
"You wont hurt Ven!" Aqua appeared at Riku's side, swinging the reclaimed Keyblade of Master Eraqus towards Ansem. The Heartless batted it away and Aqua fended off several retaliatory quick strikes from him. "Who are you!?
"I am the end of you." Ansem responded with overwhelming arrogance.
Riku snapped out of his brief daze, leaping into the fray. Together, the two Keyblade Masters from different generations assaulted Ansem as one, but they didn't appear to be making any progress. His defense was airtight, the blades of his weapon and their Keyblades little more than a blur of activity. Growing increasingly frustrated, Riku unleashed a sudden wave of Darkness that slammed into Ansems chest and send the Heartless flying backwards. Ansem crashed to the ground and let out a string of laughter, causing Riku's frustration to grow further.
"Good Riku. Use the Darkness that you have caged in your Heart for so long." The Heartless climbed back to his feet, twirling his weapon with his smirk still firmly in place. "It's the only way that you, well any of you, have any hope of defeating me."
"I disagree." Lauriam stated as both he and Mickey joined the others, the four Keyblade Wielders forming a solid line. "You're outnumbered."
"Am I?" Ansem ducked to the left suddenly and Xemnas dashed forward from behind him, the Nobodies presence surprising everybody.
His heart slamming in his chest, Riku tore towards Ansem, ignoring Xemnas as the former leader of Organization XIII locked his Etheral Blades against Lauriam and Mickeys Keyblades. Riku renewed his assault on Ansem, each strike growing stronger than the last as he allowed more and more Darkness to empower him.
"You hate me, don't you?" There was a twisted satisfaction in Ansem's tone as he fended Riku off. "For stealing your body, exposing it to the Darkness."
"Shut up!" Riku screamed, bringing his weapon down on Ansems with both hands. "If it wasn't for you, none of this would even be happening!"
"How right you are. With out me, both you and Sora would still be insignificant little children on a pathetic world playing with a raft." With a low chuckle, Ansem exploited a hole in Riku's defense, kicking him squarely in the chest to knock the boy back. "But you were the one who made the choice. You wanted the power, the freedom. And you were willing to give up anything to attain it."
"That's not how it went!" Riku sprang back to his feet, his body roaring with the power of Darkness. It wasn't overwhelming him though, but he could still feel the effects of using the power seeping into him slowly.
"Isn't it?" Ansem chuckled, pointing behind Riku to where the battle against Xemnas was taking place. "Just like the boy whose body my other half inhabits, you destroyed the lives of all those whom you loved, put all the worlds at risk, just for a taste of true power."
Riku looked over to the others. Mickey and Lauriam were fighting rapidly against the more powerful opponent before them, but Aqua was frozen in place. Riku focused on Xemnas himself, frowning. He'd never realized it before. How had he been so blind? His journey had been so similar to Terra's and Xemnas was obviously the end result of that journey. Was that his fate? To become another instrument of Xehanort?
"I..." Riku let out a slow breath, forcing the Darkness to retract slowly as he looked back to Ansem. "I won't let you manipulate me again. I'm not the same child that you tricked back then."
"Oh really? Then who are you?" Ansems glowing eyes hummed with amusement.
"I am Master Riku. And I am going to stop you!" Riku cried before leaping back into the fray with a renewed resolve
Kairi stood rooted to her spot, her eyes wide with fear. Maleficent, the woman who had been hunting her for years, was standing a few feet from her and eyeing her like a predator to prey. Both Lea and Phillip had summoned their weapons and taken positions between Kairi and the Dark Fairy, which she was relieved about. The way Maleficent stared at her made her skin crawl. However, Minnie and Daisy did not seem anywhere near as intimidated.
"Holy!" Minnie chanted, raising both hands towards Maleficent and sending a powerful blast of Light towards her.
"How quaint." Maleficent waved her free hand, redirecting the attack into the wall before tilting the jewel of her staff towards them slightly. "Here is my response, my dear." The jewel of her staff glowed and a stream of green flame poured out, clearly intended to engulf them all.
"Protega!" Daisy and Minnie chanted in unison, the both of them raising their hands this time. Maleficents stream of flames slammed into an invisible wall of magic, progressing no further.
"How intriguing." Maleficent muttered, allowing the flames to end. Her gaze slowly went from the Queen and her handmaiden, to the Cornerstone of Light and back again. "This relic empowers the two of you, doesn't it?"
"Yes. The Cornerstone of Light offers strength to all those with Light in their Heart." Minnie nodded, slowly clasping her hands in front of her. Daisy did the same. "Why are you here yet again Maleficent?"
"I am looking for something that your husband may possess." Maleficent replied simply.
"And what is that?" Daisy was the one to reply, her tone much more snappy than the Queens.
"The Book of Prophecies." Maleficent took a moment to judge every bodies reaction before rolling her eyes. "None of you even know what that is, clearly."
"We would not allow you to get your hands on it regardless, witch." Phillip spat.
"Careful little prince. The three idiots aren't here to help you now." Maleficent's tone was amused, but there was a clear sense of danger radiating off of her body.
"The five of us are more than enough to match you." Phillip replied confidently and Kairi finally felt herself unfreeze, summoning Destiny's Embrace and nodding.
"If you are going to threaten the worlds again, we will stop you." Kairi set her face with a stern expression, stepping forward to stand with Lea and Phillip.
"My, haven't you grown?" Maleficent smirked, tapping her fingers on her staff silently for a few moments before continuing. "Worry not child. I am not actually here to fight, not if you truly do not posses the Book of Prophecies."
"What else could you possibly want?" Kairis grip tightened on her Keyblade. She knew better than to trust Maleficent.
"I desire an alliance."
Riku grunted as he was knocked backwards by a sudden kick from Ansem. The young Keyblade master flipped in midair, managing to land on his feet. He brought up Way to the Dawn just in time to block a powerful strike from the Heartless, being pushed back further. Xemnas suddenly appeared beside Ansem, the two sides of the coin named Xehanort staring Riku down as Lauriam, Aqua and Mickey came to stand beside him.
"A-are you Terra?" Aqua's voice was unsteady and Riku understood why she had been frozen in place when he had last looked at her.
"..." Xemnas stared silently at Aqua, his expression unchanged. Riku did notice however, that the Nobodies fingers had clenched into lose fists. Was that irritation?
"Say something Terra!" Aqua was undetterred, even going so far as to take a step towards Xemnas. To every-bodies surprise, Xemnas actually flinched.
"He is not Terra." Ansem drew attention, the Heartless flashing a glare at his counterpart. "You're holding back. Why?"
"I am not holding back." Xemnas growled out, coolly glancing in his counterparts direction as he spoke.
Ansem didn't reply, his weapon disappearing in a haze of Darkness. Moments later, he let out a feral cry and a bestial, muscular Heartless burst forth from his chest and flew towards Aqua at top speed. Recognizing the Heartless due to his own use of it in the past, Riku leaped in front of Aqua and slammed his Keyblade into it's chest. The Heartless was barely fazed, backhanding Riku to send him flying into a wall across the room. Groaning as he slid down to the ground, Riku looked on as both Mickey and Lauriam engaged the Heartless protruding from Ansem's chest.
A flash of light caught Riku's attention and he looked towards the Roxas lookalike who had summoned a Keyblade Riku had never seen before. Ventus pointed the Keyblade at Ansem and a beam of light shot towards him. The Heartless broke off from battling Mickey and Lauriam, blocking the attacks trajectory and exploding into a violent blast that shook the entire room. Ansem looked on in shock, all eyes going to Ventus who had dismissed the Keyblade and become still once more.
"Ven..." Xemnas muttered slowly, as if recalling something he had long forgotten. His eyes widened slightly as his eyes went between Aqua and Ventus, before they narrowed and his mouth set into a frown. "I..."
"Enough." Ansem's voice was angered for the first time as he placed his hand on Xemna's shoulder, casting his amber gaze over the others. "Keep the vessel. It is useless without the Heart"
With that, Ansem and Xemnas both slowly faded back into the Darkness. Climbing to his feet, Riku hurried over to the others. Aqua looked particularly shaken by the events, her eyes staying on the place where Xemnas had been standing seconds before.
"Why would Terra do that?" She asked, looking down at Mickey.
"We have alota explaining to do." The King replied simply before diving into a quick retelling of the recent events.
Vanitas moved so quickly that Sora lost track of him, his body moving on instinct to block as strike to his left. Sora grunted, jumping backwards to try and put distance between them, but Vanitas was hot on his heels. The dark mirror of himself continued with a barrage of strikes mid air and Sora struggled to block each of them. As he landed on the ground, his feet were swept out from underneath him and the air left his lungs as his back hit the ground hard. As the white Keyblade fell from his grasp, Sora looked up at Vanitas with his heart beating fast in his chest, the white haired male pointing his own weapon down towards the boy.
"We really did drain all of your power away." Vanitas mused with a dark smirk. "Turns out we didn't even need you in the first place. What a waste of time."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sora asked in confusion.
"You were supposed to be the thirteenth vessel, but after your little friends interfered, we found a more suitable shell for Xehanorts Heart." Vantias raised his Keyblade above his head, his eyes shining with satisfaction. "Now you'll die and I'll claim the rest of MY Heart!"
Sora's body moved on its own, the Keyblade being summoned to his hand in a reverse grip. He swung it upwards to bat away Vanitas' intended death strike, jumping back to his feet as he did and adopting a foreign battle stance. His Keyblade was held in a reverse grip with his free hand by his side and he bounced on the balls of his feet. It felt so strange.
"Ventus!" Vanitas snarled before leaping forward.
This time, Sora's movements didn't feel like his own. He fended off Vanitas' assault with a mixture of reversed blocks and dodges, not remaining in the same place for more than a second. The two of them danced across the street, Vanitas' assault becoming more frantic with each strike that Sora parried. His chest felt warm and finally, he realized that Ventus must be helping him. Sora smiled, which only served to enrage Vanitas further.
"You think this is funny huh!?" Vanitas ended his assault suddenly, swaying slightly as he glared at Sora through glowing amber eyes.
"No. I'm just happy that I still have people who want to help me fight back the Darkness." Sora replied, dropping back into the foreign battle stance.
Ignis suddenly landed beside Sora, a look of obvious irritation on his face. He wasn't wearing his armor anymore and he had several cuts across his face and arms, but he didn't seem bothered by them. Vanitas eyed the two of them before snarling and gesturing his free hand to open up a Door to the Darkness behind him.
"I've got more important things to be doing than playing with two pieces that aren't on the board anymore." Vantis rolled his eyes, stepping backwards into the Darkness with a smirk. "Keep playing at being the heroes while you still can."
Sora and Ignis watched him leave and as he did, the world started to move around them again. As his adrenaline started to fade and he came down, Sora felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him and without warning, he fell forward and passed out.
"Sora!"
"I see." Aqua nodded, a thoughtful expression on her face.
Mickey and Riku had given the Keyblade Master an abridged version of the events of the past decade, with Lauriam adding in some things here and there. Terra losing his memory due to the fight over his Heart against Xehanort. Xehanorts apprenticeship to Ansem the Wise and eventual betrayal of everybody on Radiant Garden. Xehanorts Heartless and his bid to claim Kingdom Hearts by manipulating Maleficent and Riku. The Organization taking command of Castle Oblivion and their eventual downfall. Sora's comatose period and the rise of the Nobodies, including his own. The fight against the remainder of the Organization. Master Xehanorts return and his master plan. When it was all laid out, it really did seem like a lot and the three of them tried to not miss any important details.
"So that wasn't really Terra, just the remnant of his body possessed by the will of Xehanort?" Aqua asked.
"That's one way to describe it." Lauriam was the one to answer. "While Nobodies do inhabit the bodies of their former selves, they do largely recall their past lives and take on various attributes. For example, I recalled my desire to find Castle Oblivion as Marluxia and I knew that I wanted to use it against Xemnas, but I wasn't quite sure as to why. Things become... fragmented. However, I was still myself."
"So, you're saying that a part of Terra could exist within this Xemnas person?" Aqua's expression softened. "We could save him."
"It is possible, however unlikely." Lauriam stated. "Did any of you observe Xehanorts Heartless during the battle? What stood out to you about him?"
"He's just as depraved and horrible as he's always been." Riku growled, narrowing his eyes as the mans face entered his mind.
"I cannot speak on that. But the Heartless possesses something that the Nobody does not." Lauriam replied, waiting for somebody to speak.
"Oh!" Mickey's eyes widened. "The Guardian Heartless!"
"But, why would that be important?" Aqua asked.
"In all my time in the Organization, Xemnas never displayed an ability to conjure forth such a creature. In fact, I have never seen somebody summon forth a Heartless that was tethered to their very being." Lauriam began and Riku quickly guessed where the pink haired male was going with his train of thought.
"You can't seriously be suggesting that Terra is that 'guardian Heartless'." The silver haired boy shook his head in disbelief. "How would that even be possible?"
"I don't know." Lauriam conceded with a sigh. "But it is connected to Xehanorts Heartless and that cannot be a coincidence. You said earlier that this Terra person was possessed by Xehanort and that when he died, he did so in this state of possession. I believe that the Heartless of this possessed being would logically be unique, as the body died with two Hearts inside it."
"But I've fought that creature before, on Radiant Garden just before I was trapped in the Realm of Darkness and I fought Terra." Aqua interjected and all eyes went to her.
"After his possession?" Lauriam inquired and Aqua nodded. "And did Xehanort display this ability previously?"
"N-no." Aqua looked down before wandering over towards Ventus. "We can discuss this later. Right now, we need to get back to the Realm of Light."
Aqua summoned Eraqus' Keyblade and walked around the back of the throne Ventus was sleeping on, raising the weapon to point it at the center of the throne. Everybody looked on as a small beam of light was fired from the end of the Keyblade into the throne and after a loud click rang out, suddenly the whole room lit up with a blinding Light that caused everybody to close their eyes and raise a hand to shield them. After several moments, the Light died down and everybody looked around with wide eyes. The room was no longer white, but instead there was color everywhere. On top of that, a throne had suddenly appeared on either side of the one Ventus was on and light shone through several massive stained glass windows.
"The Land of Departure!?" Mickey exclaimed in surprise as Aqua walked out from behind the throne, placing a hand on Ventus' shoulder and nodding.
"The Master gave me instructions on how to hide this world in the Realm of Darkness if I needed to." A sad expression crossed her face as she looked down at the sleeping boy. "I just didn't know I would have to leave it like that for so long."
"An alliance!?" Minnie, Daisy and Phillip exclaimed in unison.
"You cant be serious." The Prince continued, raising his sword marginally. "We would never fight alongside you."
"I understand that I have opposed you all in the past to varying degree's." Maleficent smirked slightly. "However, there is a much greater threat than myself out there now and his name is Xehanort."
"What do you know about him?" Kairi asked with a frown.
"What do I know? I worked with him dear child." Maleficent chuckled. "I have something of an intimate relationship with the old master and his many doppelgangers. I now see that he was simply manipulating me to fulfill his own ends."
"How unfortunate." Lea spoke up, letting his Keyblade rest on his shoulder. "But ya see, we're not in the habit of letting the enemy of our enemy be our friend."
"Why not? I have provided assistance to you warriors of Light in the past." Maleficent paused, gauging every bodies reaction before speaking once more. "I saved Sora and the two fools from the blue haired berserker." Kairi noticed Lea tense up slightly at the mention of who she assumed was Isa. Daisy also reacted, likely due to the fact that her husband was one of the 'two fools'. "I held off the forces of the Organization while Sora, Riku and the King battled against Xehanorts remnant." This time it was Minnie who reacted at the mention of her beloved. "And I have recently granted Riku some much needed assistance."
"What did you do to him?" Kairi stepped forward, glaring into the cool gaze of the dark fairy.
"What I have always done, little princess. I gave him more power." Maleficent shook her head lightly. "We are wasting time. The longer we spend with this idle prattle, the more strength that Xehanort gains."
"Even if we were to agree, how do we know we can rely on you?" Minnie asked, the Queen's voice remaining stable despite the powerful presence of the demonic woman before her. "For all we know, you have Pete ransacking the library as we speak."
"I rid myself of that blundering fool." Was all Maleficent said in reply.
"What can you offer us?" Kairi asked, still frowning but speaking in a softer tone.
"All the powers of Hell." Maleficent stated dully before letting out a dramatic sigh. "I have acquired an army of Heartless that Xehanort simply cannot control, no matter how many times he replicates himself."
"And how did you manage to do that?" Minnie inquired with a raised eyebrow.
"I acquired some of the worlds created from the Data of a certain journal, then it was a simple matter of learning how to manipulate the Heartless from them." Maleficent replied coolly before waving her free hand dismissively. "We do not have the time to blabber needlessly. Xehanort's power grows with each passing moment. Do you accept my offer of an alliance or not?"
"We do." Kairi replied immediately, earning concerned looks from her friends. "We are going to need every possible advantage to take down Xehanort once and for all."
"A wise decision, little princess." Maleficent smirked, before raising an eyebrow. "Tell me something, is Yen Sid still occupying that tower of his?"
"Yes..." Kairi replied slowly, the question hanging in the air.
"Perhaps he will be the one to point me in the direction of the Book of Prophecies. You are based on Radiant Garden yes?" After a nod from Lea, Maleficent summoned a door to the Darkness behind her and stepped back into it. "I will rendezvous with you there shortly then."
Xemnas slowly stepped out of a Door to the Darkness into one of the many rooms of Castle Oblivion, his mouth drawn in a thin line and his eyes narrowed in thought. Behind him, his counterpart stormed out, the Heartless letting out a harsh growl before grabbing Xemnas' shoulder and forcing him to turn around.
"What was that!?" Ansem glared at Xemnas, his eyes glowing with rage.
"Are you perhaps referring to the fact that your guardian was vanquished by a single blow from a comatose child?" Xemnas' reply was slow, meticulous and calm. None of the emotions he was feeling showed through his tone or in his cool amber eyes.
Ansem's eyes widened in response and he summoned his weapon, swinging it towards Xemnas' neck in the blink of an eye. Xemnas caught the end of the weapon coolly, his hand flaring with electricity as he held the blade only inches from his neck. The two sides of the same Heart eyed one another in silence, Ansem's enraged glare contrasting severely against Xemnas' almost bored gaze. They both knew how this would end. While Ansem had inherited the wild power of Xehanorts Heart, Xemnas had inherited the strength of Terra's body and had built up his strength slowly over the years since the Apprentice Xehanort had killed himself. The Heartless was raw, untamed power while the Nobody was a refined blade. Together, they should have been unstoppable.
"What is this?" A voice drew both pairs of eyes to the youthful face of Terra marred by the features that marked a Xehanort possession, a smirk playing on his lips. "As entertaining as this confrontation might be in a few moments, I must advise against it. This will do nothing towards achieving our endgame."
Ansem sneered at the boy before letting his weapon disappear, folding his arms over his chest and refusing to look at Xemnas. Xemnas simply let his arm drop back to his side, slowly turning his head towards his younger incarnation, studying the boy. The resemblance between them was clear. The idea of time travel itself was intriguing enough, but to actually see the whole being that had split to become himself and Ansem standing right there was something else entirely.
"Was there some reason for that display?" The boy asked, his voice far deeper than one would suspect.
"Xemnas held back to a ridiculous degree against our enemies. He practically allowed them to defeat us." Ansem snapped.
"Oh?" The boy raised an eyebrow, his amused gaze falling on Xemnas. "Is that so?"
"Seeing the girl and sleeping boy merely caused this body to remember it's previous life." Xemnas drawled, narrowing his eyes slightly. "I became conflicted."
"Conflicted?" The boy's smirk fell into a frown and he stroke his chin thoughtfully. "I have struggled to retain control over this body since stepping away from my own timeline. Perhaps I once passed on that struggle to you and it lay dormant until now. Have you felt this way before?"
"When I laid eyes upon the boy Riku for the first time, I felt a sense of familiarity." Xemnas admitted. "The pull was not this strong however."
"Have you experienced these memories before?" Ansem was the next one to speak, his anger having dimmed somewhat to allow for a hint of curiosity.
"No." The lie came easily to Xemnas. His counterparts did not need to know about the times he had visited Aqua's armor to talk to the inanimate object, or how he had recruited Roxas into the organization largely because of his resemblance to Ventus, rather than solely because of the connection to Sora. "It will not happen again."
"I'm wouldn't be so certain about that." The boy shook his head. "Terra has always been difficult for me to keep under my control. A strong Heart, a powerful body and an indomitable will."
"It will not happen again." Xemnas repeated, a slight irritation slipping into his otherwise monotonous voice. With a gesture, he summoned a Door to the Darkness and headed for it.
"Where are you going?" Ansem demanded.
"..."
"H-how is this possible?" Riku asked, still studying the changed room in shock. The difference was astounding.
"This place was once known as the Land of Arrival and housed an academy for Keyblade wielders." Aqua explained, taking one of Ventus' hands in her own as she spoke. "During that time, it was one of the only bridges between the Realms of Light and Darkness and so, it has special properties."
"What's left here is actually a speck of what once was." Lauriam was the next to speak, his voice sounding awfully nostalgic as he stared up at the windows. "Most of the academy was wiped out about thirty years ago according to the Book of Prophecies."
"The Book of Prophecies? I thought that was just a myth?" Aqua's gaze finally left Ven's slumbering face, her blue eyes falling on Lauriam.
"Every myth begins with some truth." Lauriam shrugged. "We will need to relocate Ventus to a safer location. Xehanort knows of this place."
"Where do you think safe would be?" Riku asked with a frown.
"Surely you Guardians of Light have begun to amass your forces somewhere?" Lauriam's tone hummed with cynicism.
"Well yeah. Everyboy is headin to Radiant Garden." Mickey replied.
"Then Radiant Garden is the safest place for the boy." Lauriam raised a hand, summoning a Door to the Darkness. "Now that I know where a weakness in the veil between Realms is, I should be able to easily bring my allies through to assist in the battle against Xehanort."
"You're just leaving?" Riku glared at the pink haired male. "Why can't you get your allies after we arrive at Radiant Garden?"
"We don't have the time to argue about this." Lauriam stepped into the portal, the Darkness slowly enveloping him. "I will bring my allies to Radiant Garden as soon as possible."
The three remaining Keyblade Masters stared at the portal as it slowly faded before disappearing completely, glancing at one another in silence. They remained this way for several moments, each of them processing what had happened over the last few hours before Aqua broke the silence.
"How are we going to traverse the Realms?" She asked. "Things don't feel the same as they used to in the Realm of Light. I'm not sure that I could open a Door to the Light for us to pass through."
"And I don't have the Star Shard." Mickey added, before looking to Riku with bright eyes. "Do ya think ya could open a Door to the Darkness for us?"
"I'm... I'm not sure." Riku sighed. "I've been struggling to contain the Darkness in my Heart ever since we encountered Maleficent. She cast a spell on me later, stating that it would allow me to control myself better, but I think it's just made things worse."
"And you don't want to risk manipulating the Darkness in case it has adverse effects." Aqua finished for him, the blue haired female having a thoughtful expression appear on her face. "That does leave us in a bit of a bind."
"It's just so frustrating." Riku clenched his fists. "I thought I finally had power over the Darkness in my Heart, but I was wrong!"
"Gee, it's okay Riku." Mickey tried to comfort his friend. "We can find another way."
"But we shouldn't have to!" Riku snapped, glaring at his friend before he quickly sobered up. "I'm sorry Mickey, I didn't mean to do that."
"These problems you're having with the Darkness in your Heart, do they have something to do with your encounter with Xehanorts Heartless two years ago?" Aqua asked.
"Thats where they started." Riku nodded.
"My friend Terra had a similar experience." Sadness laced the girls voice. "He's also the one who passed on the ability to wield the Keyblade to you."
"I'd been wonderin' how Riku gained the ability." Mickey piped up.
"I think the best thing for you to do, is confront the Darkness head on." Aqua stated, stepping away from the throne Ven was resting on and crossing to the center of the room. "The fastest way to draw out the Darkness is for you to be put under a certain level of stress."
"What are you saying?" Riku questioned with confusion.
"We should duel. When Terra and I sat our Mark of Mastery Exams, I forced him onto his back foot and he summoned the Darkness out of instinct." Aqua explained, turning around to face Riku and summoning Eraqus' Keyblade. "Maybe if we do the same thing, you can use the opportunity to regain control of the Darkness within your Heart."
"I'm not so sure this is a good idea." Riku replied slowly, summoning Way to the Dawn after a few moments with a sigh. "But it's not like we have much choice."
"Alright then." Aqua said, dropping into a relaxed battle stance. "Mickey, could you do the honors?"
"Of course." Mickey stepped to the side of the room, well out of their path. "Begin!"
Sora opened his eyes to find five familiar faces looking back at him and smiled at Ventus warmly.
"Thanks for helping me just now."
"Thats okay Sora." Ventus replied with a smile of his own. "I couldn't just sit here and let him beat you around like that."
"Lets not pretend that you didn't only help him because our continued survival relies completely on him being able to go on breathing." Vanitas scoffed, rolling his amber eyes.
"That was you out there right Vanitas? You looked weird." Sora studied his dark mirror, noting that the Vanitas in his heart had black hair and darker skin.
"Thats probably because Xehanort has merged his Heart with what remained of mine inside my body after Ventus and Aqua destroyed our failed X-blade." Vanitas frowned. "It's unnerving to see your body acting outside of your control from a third person perspective."
"I'll bet." Sora agreed. "So you're saying that only a piece of your Heart is connected to mine?"
"Pretty much. This piece is connected to Ventus and therefore you, while the rest of it is now merged with the old man." Vanitas rolled his eyes again. "To be honest, I'd rather be connected to nobody."
"But, the connections to people who care about you is what gives you a reason to fight." Sora exclaimed, earning a bout of laughter from Vanitas.
"Wow, you're sickeningly naive Sora. You do realize that were it not for our connection, I would cut you down without a second thought right?" Something dangerous glowed in his amber eyes. "You'd better hope I never get the chance to take control of your body."
"We wouldn't let that happen." Ventus cut in, frowning at his other half.
"Thats what you said about me." Soras Darkness spoke next, his low voice drenched in amusement. He was sitting cross legged, his large circular eyes staring upwards into oblivion.
"The difference being that you're actually the Darkness within Sora's Heart. Vanitas is just a guest. Like the rest of us." Roxas chimed in, looking to Sora. "Things seem to be getting more intense out there."
"I'm worried about Riku and Kairi." Sora frowned, looking down.
"They will be fine." Xion offered a reassuring smile. "Riku is one of the strongest people I've ever met. And Kairi is with Axel. He'll make sure nothing happens to her."
"I hope so." Sora stared at his shoes, clearly unconvinced.
"Hey." Roxas moved to stand in front of Sora, placing a hand on his Somebodies shoulder and drawing the boys eyes up to meet his own. "Everythings going to work out. You guys have saved the world so many times already. This will be a piece of cake."
"I guess." Sora glanced at Ventus who gasped suddenly. "Are you okay!?"
"I-" Ventus raised a hand to his chest, glancing over to Vanitas who had narrowed his eyes. "I think something has happened to my body. I feel... different."
"Good different or bad different?" Sora inquired.
"Good? Lighter?" Ventus shook his head, a small smile on his face. "I feel happy, so it must be a good thing."
"Or maybe the old man finally found your body." Vanitas supplied with a dark smirk.
"It's useless without our Heart, you know that." Ventus sighed.
"I can dream, can't I?" Vanita chuckled, looking to Sora. "You'd better rest Sora. If the old man has found his body, then it's only a matter of time before I'm reunited with my own."
And just liked that, everything went black for Sora.
Riku's eyes widened as Aqua crossed the distance between them in a single leap, her Keyblade slamming against his own. Instead of entering a blade lock however, the female spun to his left and sent a strike towards his shoulder. Ducking low, Riku slashed upwards in a diagonal fashion, hitting nothing but air as Aqua cartwheeled backwards. The elder Keyblade Master pointed her weapon towards Riku and suddenly several fireballs appeared, speeding towards him. Without even thinking, Riku summoned the Darkness into his free hand and fired a fireball of his own, the explosion engulfing all of the blasts that Aqua had sent towards him. The coldness of the Darkness remained in his hand.
Before Riku could recover, Aqua was tearing through the smoke left behind by their brief magical exchange, her foot connecting with his face and sending him skidding along the ground. The silver haired boy rolled to his feet, lurching backwards as the end of his opponents Keyblade sailed through the air where his throat had just been exposed. Riku kicked his own foot up, sacrificing his balance to try and upset Aqua's momentum, but the female gracefully sidestepped and brought her weapon crashing down towards him. Rikus back hit the ground hard and he felt the air rush out of his lungs, barely bringing Way to the Dawn up in time to block the female's attack. With Aqua standing over him and pressing down, Riku gritted his teeth, the coldness from his hand having spread up his arm and into his chest.
"Don't try to repress it." Aqua instructed, pressing even harder. "You need to control it, not cage it."
"I-I can't!" Riku's eyes widened as his entire body cooled, his chest slamming as he felt the Darkness wrap around his Heart.
"You've done it before Riku!" Mickey called from somewhere. "You can do it again!"
With a cry, Riku pushed Aqua off of him with strength that only the Darkness could give him, snapping back to his feet. The female stumbled but regained herself quickly as Riku gasped for air. He'd almost forgotten how terrible it felt to have the Darkness clutching his Heart. When he had finally managed to control it, he'd thought this would never happen again. His head started to go light and he knew that something was about to go very wrong.
"I can't control it!" Riku held up his free hand in caution to Aqua and Mickey. Way to the Dawn disappeared and both hands went to his head, his eyes closing as he concentrated on pushing the Darkness back down, even though he knew such an action was futile at this point.
"You can!" Aqua leaped towards him again, Keyblade raised high.
"STAY BACK!" Riku roared, raising his hands defensively and sending a wave of Darkness towards Aqua. The female sliced through it, landing in front of him and swinging again. "Stop!" Darkness blasted out of Riku's hands, forming a shield that blocked Aqua's attack, before exploding, blasting the two apart violently.
"Tch..." Aqua grunted, climbing back to her feet and adopting her fighting post once more. "You CAN control this Riku."
"I can't!" Riku yelled, glaring at her from his position on the ground several meters away. "Stop forcing me to do this! I need to just push it back down before it's too late!"
Aqua leaped forward once more, flying high into the air before coming down towards Riku with an arcing slash of her Keyblade. Feeling something well up inside himself, Riku's eyes went wide and as if in slow motion, he thrust his arms out to his sides, a powerful wave of Darkness spinning out from his body in a savage hurricane of power as the boy screamed.
"AAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"
Sora came to, opening his eyes to find himself staring at the bottom of another bed. Rubbing his eyes, he slowly sat up and looked around. He was sitting in somebodies bedroom, one that had some pretty interesting looking things in it. Being there reminded him of his own bed and he felt a brief sadness wash over him as he thought about his parents. He'd disappeared on them for the better part of the last few years and Sora had no doubt they'd be extremely worried about him.
"Oh hi, you're awake!" Sora looked over to see a lean teen sitting on a stool, staring at him wide eyed. His voice felt familiar.
"You're that hero guy?" Sora raised an eyebrow as it clicked. "You're... younger than I thought you were."
"Hey, I'm fifteen." The boy narrowed his eyes and pouted. "Besides, you don't look much older than me."
"Yeah, but I'm a certified Hero." Sora replied cheekily, thumbing his chest.
"Says who?" The boy demanded.
"Hercules." Sora stated simply with a beaming smile following the word.
"... The Greek God?" The boy frowned at him before shaking his head. "Look whatever. We're both heroes. My names Peter by the way."
"Can you guys shut up?" Ignis voice came from the top bunk and the bed creaked as he shifted. "I had finally gotten to sleep."
"You've been out for three hours." Peter stated matter-o-factly. " Sora's been out for five."
"Wait, where are Donald and Goofy?" Sora asked.
"They went to check out the city. Went to find something called the Keyhole?" Peter replied with obvious confusion.
"What?" Ignis head poked over the edge, his green eyes staring down at Sora. "What do they know of the Keyholes?"
"It's a long story, but we went around sealing them a few times to keep Ansem and Xemnas from taking over the worlds." Sora threw his legs over the edge of the bed, scrunching his face up in thought. "I guess they thought it was a good idea to find it as a precaution since Vanitas is here."
"That guy with the mask?" Ignis jumped down from the top bunk, landing lightly and stretching. "He was really powerful. Plus, he really hated you."
"Masked guy?" Peter frowned. "Come to think of it, there was a masked guy there for a second. Then you were suddenly passing out Sora."
"He stopped time." Ignis informed the young Superhero, looking around the room. "This isn't really the place I'd expect for a Hero to hang out."
"Hey, not everybody can have big fancy labs like Mister Stark." Peter pouted. "Besides, I'm just a kid. This is the best I can do."
"Peter, did you put your colors in the washing machine with my whites again?." A female opened the door, eyes widening slightly at the two Keyblade wielders. "Oh hi. I didn't know Peter had friends over."
"Friends, right!" Peter jumped off his stool, his voice rising in obvious panic. "Uh this is Ignis and Sora. We're... working on a project together."
"Nice to meet you both. I'm May, Peters aunt." May smiled in a friendly way before settling a serious look on her nephew. "Once you and your friends are done with your project, you and I are going to talk about putting your red and blue T-shirts in with my white ones."
"R-right." Peter chuckled nervously. As May shut the door, he let out a sigh of relief before turning to the Keyblader wielders. "Look, now that you guys are awake, you can't stay here. She can't know about me being Spiderman and you guys really don't fit in."
"What do you mean?" Ignis raised an eyebrow.
"You're literally wearing armor. And you guys have really spiky hair." Peter glanced at his watch as it began to beep, pressing a button and looking at the face. "Huh, theres some kind of disturbance on a cruiser in the bay. Why don't you guys help me deal with this and then I'll help you with this uh... Keyhole thing."
"Alright then. Suit up kid." Ignis gestured and Peter rubbed the back of his head.
"Uh.. the suit is kinda skintight, so I need a little privacy." He gestured to the window. "Can you guys..."
"Sure!" Sora stood up, heading for the window. "I can't wait to see you in action again Peter."
Ienzo glared at the computer screens in the lab, slamming his fist down on the keyboard before looking over to Dilan who let out another moan of pain. Immediately, he was at his friends side, gently pouring a potion into his mouth and tilting his head slightly so the man would swallow it in his state of unconsciousness. Next Evan began to squirm and cried out, so Ienzo repeated the action to his other friend. As the two of them stabilized, he stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"How's it going?" Aeleus asked as he entered the room, Ienzo jumping in surprise. For a big guy, the red head could move rather quietly.
"Not well I'm afraid. I can't seem to find anything in Ansems database that hints at a solution to their problem, only that if we don't find it soon, they will be overcome with Darkness and lost forever." Ienzo turned, shaking his head. "As much as I hate to admit it, we could really use the old mans help right now."
"That's not possible. Yen Sid told Merlin that Ansem was killed on the World that Never Was." Aeleus frowned. "We're running out of time and options."
"The only thing that I can think of is contacting one of the members of Xehanorts Organization." Ienzo turned around and pulled up a series of bio's on the screens. Featured on them were bios on Xehanort, his Heartless who had taken the name Ansem, Xemnas, the Young version of Xehanort, Isa and Braig. There were also a separate group of bios centered around the remaining missing members of the original organization, being Elenar, Lauriam, Myde, Rould and Roxas. "Perhaps they would be sympathetic to Evan and Dilan's situation?"
"We already know that Xehanorts Heartless, Nobody and younger self will not help us. Braig was always loyal to Xemnas and Isa?" Aeleus paused before shaking his head. "The only person that might be able to get through to him is Lea, and Lea is busy."
"Elenar and Lauriam betrayed the original Organization, so it's doubtful that they are a part of Xehanorts new one. However, Marluxia did claim to have some book with knowledge that nobody, not even Xemnas, possessed. If we could find Lauriam..." Ienzo bit his lip. "Myde would help us in a heartbeat, if he's anything like Demyx. Then again, if he's anything like Demyx, Xehanort wouldn't consider him."
"I doubt Rould would help us. He was steadfastly loyal to Xemnas, one of the infamous inner circle." Aeleus raised an eyebrow. "Why is Roxas up there? We already know that he's merged with Sora."
"I've been thinking about that." Ienzo's fingers ran over the Keyboard, bringing up a file called 'Data Worlds'. "In this file, Ansem outlined creating Worlds from Data in order to hide his more... delicate research from prying eyes. We know for a fact that after our deaths in Castle Oblivion that Roxas rebelled and went missing for a time. It's possible that Ansem used one of these Data Worlds to hide him from Xemnas."
"How does that help us?" Aeleus asked, obviously confused.
"In his files, Ansem outlines the possibility that prolonged entrapment in these Data Worlds could result in the Data World becoming sentient and evolving." Ienzo turned to his friend, rolling his eyes as his point obviously didn't land. "Roxas being there for long enough would create a gap once he was taken out of the Data World. It's possible that the Data World could create a replacement in such an event, looking to fix the issue itself."
"You're saying that Roxas could still exist in this Data World?" Aeleus took a moment before continuing. "How does that help us?"
"Perhaps if we place Evan and Dilan in one of these Data Worlds, it could slow the progression of their condition or even fix it entirely. And if a version of Roxas really does exist in these Data Worlds, then perhaps we could use him to combat Xehanort." Ienzo smirked. "Everybody knew that Xemnas feared the potential that Roxas had."
"Alright then. What Data Worlds were there?" Aeleus stepped closer to the screen as Ienzo brought up a list.
"There were countless Data Worlds, apparently many of them predating Ansem himself. However, many of those became corrupted somehow and are no longer accessible." Ienzo worked silently for a few moments before bringing up a world on the screen. "This world, Twilight Town. There are blueprints here for a Data Counterpart."
"Didn't Axel and Roxas used to go to Twilight Town a lot when they thought nobody was looking?" Aeleus chuckled. "I remember that Demyx told me he once caught the two sitting together watching the sunset."
"It would make the perfect cover for Ansem to hide Roxas after his disappearance. It would feel familiar to him, but be completely out of Xemnas' reach." Ienzo looked back at his two unconscious friends. "As soon as we can, we need to send somebody to Twilight Town to investigate this."
Kairi, Lea and Phillip appeared in the Courtyard of the Castle at Radiant Garden, Lea pocketing the Star Shard as soon as it stopped shining. Kairi held a box in her hands that held a small piece of the Cornerstone of Light, granted to her by Minnie not long after Maleficent had left. She also carried letters from Minnie and Daisy to their husbands, expressing their love as well as a promise to help with the fight as soon as it began in full.
"I cannot believe that we willingly allied with that witch." Phillip grumbled.
"It can't be helped. We need all the help we can get, and Maleficent is a very powerful woman." Lea shrugged. "Besides, we can take her if we really have to. She tries anything, she's done. Boom. Easy."
"We should get this to Merlin." Kairi interrupted, eager to get the barrier up around Radiant Garden as quickly as possible.
"Right." The boys said.
As the group headed for the door, a Door to the Darkness opened behind them and the group spun to see Xemnas stepping out of it. As the portal faded away, Lea stepped in front of the other two, summoning his Chakrams and immediately adopted a battle ready position. Phillip also summoned his sword and shield, staying beside Kairia protectively, though he was unsure of who the man was.
"What are you doing here?" Lea demanded with a growl.
"Axel." Xemnas greeted in his monotonous voice. "I see you have recovered from your heroic sacrifice."
"Yeah, no thanks to you." Lea spun his Chakrams slowly, sparks of flame appearing on the edges.
"I am not here to fight." Xemnas turned his gaze on Kairi, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You. Summon your Keyblade."
"Why?" Lea interrupted, shifting from one foot to another. He was obviously worried.
"Do not question me." Xemnas snapped, breaking from his usual monotone and making everybody jump. He composed himself before speaking once more. "I wish to see if I am correct in an assumption of mine."
Kairi stared at the male silently before balancing the Cornerstone box in one hand and summoning her weapon, holding it length ways for the Superior of the Nobodies to examine it. Xemnas's eyebrows came together in a frown as he looked at the weapon before he nodded slowly.
"It seems that I am correct." His gaze went back to Lea. "Put away your weapons."
"No." Lea snapped back.
"Do you actually believe that if I was here for a fight, that you could hold me back?" Xemnas let out a soft, emotionless chuckle. "Do not delude yourself, Number Eight."
"Don't call me that!" Lea gritted his teeth.
"Then do not act like the Nobody you once were. So quick to anger, always ready for a fight." Xemnas eyes narrowed slightly in amusement. "That didn't help Roxas. Or Xion."
"X-Xion? Lea's eyes widened, as if something clicked in his mind and he took a step back as if he'd been struck. Memories flashed through his mind, memories of a small female wearing an Organization cloak with her hood up. "Wh-why did you say that name?"
"You have lost a piece of your memory. I can return it, if only you would allow me a small indulgence." Xemnas replied calmly.
"I..." Lea looked to Kairi and Kairi raised her eyebrows in surprise. The way that he was looking at her, it was almost like he was seeing a ghost. But why? "She..."
"Yes." Xemnas raised his arm to point to the castle behind the group. "Allow me to bring the Princess of Heart to a chamber within this castle and I shall release the block on your mind."