A/N: 6.9.09: Alrighty, so, I included a new part in this chapter! It features the new Keyblade wielders working under Maleficent. They'll come up quite a bit, but I don't think I'll be mentioning their names.
Old note: Pirates three is awesome, go see it. x3 My internet was down, so this chapter has taken a while to get up. I ish sorry.
Disclaimer- Naminé: Lollipop can only take credit for Keira, the plot, the new keyblades...
Riku: And Quince. -chokes-
Quince: Just because you love-
Riku: Shut up. -looks at readers innocently- Ignore him and read the story.
With a tight grip on both Oblivion and Bond of Flame, Roxas tried his hardest to stare down one of the more menacing members of Organization XIII. "So, Maleficent brought all of you back?" asked Riku, glaring at the lance wielder, momentarily resisting the urge to rip him limb from limb.
Xaldin nodded. "Oh, yes. You'd be surprised at how sweet revenge is. Or, at least, how sweet revenge will be," he mused, glaring at Sora and his Nobody. Roxas bent his back slightly and threw a glance at those behind him.
"Go, find Belle and Keira, and go tell the King." He ordered before looking back at Xaldin. "Naminé and I should be able to hold him off long enough." Naminé nodded as she confidently stepped beside Roxas.
Xaldin roared with laughter, "That timid little witch? What can she manage if she succumbed to even Marluxia's orders? Number Thirteen, you are a traitor and a fool." He raised his eyebrows. "But, by all means, go after the princesses in the wolf-invested forest. I wish you luck, for when you return, I'll be awaiting you all with the dead bodies of these two fools."
"Go now," snarled Roxas as he rushed at a high speed toward the Organization member. Naminé turned around to give the small group a reassuring nod before she turned back to help Roxas.
Sora and Kairi both seemed hesitant at the idea of leaving their friends behind to fight the beast of a man. Riku put a hand on both of their shoulders. "We need to go and call the others. And then we have to go find Belle and Keira. Roxas kicked my ass, so I'm sure that he can kick Xaldin's." His words seemed to be reassuring enough, for both Sora and Kairi perked up and followed the Beast out of the ballroom.
XxX
The pale white castle stood shining in the darkness as the heart-shaped moon shone down on the forgotten city like it always did. A girl casually leaned over the now opened window. Shattered glass lay below it and, outside, at the foot of the castle. For her casual manner, she was breathing awfully heavily and her eyes were wild. Her heart was pounding frantically in her chest as if it knew the danger that it was in.
She couldn't believe it, the other princesses were-
xxx
Keira awoke with a start. The stars were shining brightly in the night sky; she slowly sat up and found that she was laying on part of the castle and, directly below her, was a dark forest. Looking around, she also noticed the concrete and dust surrounding her body and, further above, the balcony was in ruin; half of it was gone.
Her head was buzzing as her thoughts momentarily returned to the strange dream. Though she had never seen such a castle or moon in her entire life, they both seemed awfully familiar. Why was that? Maybe, she decided, it was just a really elaborate dream. That did not explain the fear she still felt as she stood on wobbly her feet. Her brain did not accurately communicate with her body, and her feet slipped, causing her to hurl toward the forest.
XxxxxX
-Unknown world-
A boy with deep black and blue-tipped hair tapped his wrists and knuckles against a table in an annoyed rhythm. "When do we get to do something? Anything?"
Another man, appearing to be a few years older than the black-haired boy, chuckled. "When you prove that you're capable of doing shit on your own."
A girl with silver-white hair and brown eyes, an odd combination, thought the man, scowled. "Quince is obviously incapable of doing anything and everything, yet he gets to go out there."
Again, the man laughed. "Yes, but he is the perfect person to go after the two-sided princess; I believe I realize this far better than anyone else."
The silverette pressed her lips into a thin line. "Maleficent barely lets us do anything at all except harass the Nobodies and, rarely, go to other worlds."
A slow and obviously evil grin appeared on the man's face. "Yes, well, just remember that you listen to me and not her. Stick with me and you'll be fine."
XxxxxX
-Beast's Castle-
"How are you planning to reach them?" growled Beast as he and the keyblade wielders beamed back up to Highwind in order to call those at Radiant Garden. Needless to say, he was anxious about going into the forest to find Belle. Sora did not answer, considering the thought.
"They'll be back at Radiant Garden by now," stated Kairi, "Try sending a transmission to there?"
He nodded and pressed a few buttons. "It's the best we've got. Sora on Highwind to Radiant Garden. Can you read me? Over?"
XxX
Cloud was standing idly by, watching Marlene, Denzel, and Tifa standing on the lab's lower level. At least, he had been when Sora's voice called through the computer and Leon, who had been poking around the study, entered the computer room. He brushed past Cloud and pressed a few buttons. The screen illuminated with the images of Sora, Kairi, Riku with Beast in the background. "Leon here, over. What's up, guys?"
"We've got a few problems here, Leon," replied Sora. "If Maleficent hasn't revived all of the Organization members, she has gotten to at least one. Xaldin's here right now." Leon and Cloud exchanged significant looks before looking back at the screen.
"Where are the others, Sora?" asked Cloud. The snap of a door closing sounded to the right as Tifa, Marlene, and Denzel walked in.
Sora rubbed the back of his head. "That's the other part of the problem."
"What?" Both swordsmen asked in unison.
"Roxas and Naminé are fighting Xaldin as we speak," answered Riku, resulting in another rise of "What?"
Leon's voice was a little hesitant as he asked, "And Keira and Belle?"
"Xaldin destroyed half of the balcony," mumbled Kairi. "They were on the half that would send them into the forest." Leon and Cloud rubbed their foreheads.
Tifa's mind had been made up before Sora even answered, and she started out of the room. "Back up's on the way, guys."
"Wait just a sec!" shouted Sora; Tifa stopped instantly. "We need you guys to check around Radiant Garden for anything suspicious, including any signs of the Organization and Maleficent. Also see if Tron can tell you anything about the 'Princess of two hearts.' Can you?" The others nodded.
"Take care of yourselves," called Tifa.
"Kairi, be on your guard." Leon muttered. With a click, the screen blinked and became black. Marlene and Denzel rejoiced at the fact that Cloud and Tifa would not be leaving just yet, but the others were not so happy. The thoughts of another battle coming to Radiant Garden crossed Leon's mind.
Cloud glanced at Tifa, who still hadn't moved. "Tifa, can you go tell the others about what we just heard and tell them to keep a look out?"
Tifa nodded. "Let's go, Denzel, Marlene." She said before heading out of the computer room. Both children waved at Cloud.
"Bye, Cloud!" Marlene said, smiling before she also disappeared out of the lab. The corners of Cloud's mouth twisted upward a little as he gave a short wave to the kids.
Leon's fingers were moving a mile a second until he pressed enter. "Tron?" He called into the computer. A faraway and robotic voice replied.
"I was listening in to the conversation, naturally," promptly replied the MCP. "I've dug up one of Ansem the Wise's files; this one never even left the computer."
Leon nodded. "Hopefully Xemnas never saw it. Thanks, Tron."
"No problem, Leon. Send word when you need more assistance," replied Tron.
Again, Leon's fingers moved swiftly as he clicked to pull up a file. "Let's see here..."
'It seems that there are more than seven princesses after all, but this one is not of light. In fact, she is more of darkness. There is supposed to be a single princess who has a heart that looks much like the ones children draw to show a broken heart. Her heart is a battle ground of light and dark.
The heart is surrounded by black light, but she still remains mostly pure. However, if given the right circumstances... her heart can be turned completely black in which case she would be another princess that opens the door to Kingdom Hearts.
If her heart was used to open that door... terrible things could result. Not only that, but she would have a 0.3 chance of reclaiming her heart after that incident.
It would be very difficult to drag her back out of the darkness once she's been pulled in.
Incidentally, there is a world where one such girl resides. Her world lurks near Twilight Town and The World that Never Was. The people there have an alarming amount of darkness in their hearts. It's a wonder such a princess can reside in a dreary place as that.
But I digress. There has also been ample amount of Heartless discovered there. The people there can't really see; the Heartless lurk out of their sight. But there was recently a boy that went off with a horrid green witch. The two of them know something about a prophecy with this girl, Stefa, the seven princesses, and others. However, I know nothing of it. I can only hope that they do not know the true power of this girl's heart.
"Maleficent knows," Leon murmured, "this is bad."
On the other hand, Cloud shook his head. "She only knows about the prophecy, it seems," he corrected. "Maybe she doesn't know about the real power of Keira's heart?"
Leon shook his head. "Either way..." He tapped a few more buttons. "Tron, can you protect this file with a password?"
"Of course. What'll it be?" Leon and Cloud exchanged glances.
"Hm..."
XxxxxX
"I think we can beam down here, Sora; it looks like a forest," said Riku from his spot at the window. Said boy nodded and tapped a few more buttons before joining Kairi and Beast at the center of the ship, as did Riku.
"We have to be very careful," growled Beast as the light engulfed them and they were beamed down into the forest below. The woods were extremely dark and eerie. It was so quiet that it seemed like a horror movie, like some monster would appear any second and eat them. "There are more things in here than Heartless and Nobodies." Sora heard Beast say from somewhere behind him. This part of the forest wasn't so dark. Above them, the full moon was shining brightly and the wind was picking up so much that Kairi crossed her arms tightly and stared down at the ground.
There were many open paths around them. Riku moved to stand beside Sora. "Where do we start?"
"How do we even find them?" asked Kairi as she stood at Sora's other side.
"Our hearts will guide us." Both Sora and Beast murmured at the exact same time.
XxX
A woman was busying herself beside a lake covered in the moonlight. Beside her, a younger girl appeared to be sleeping. Both were dressed in ball gowns, looking like they had come from the same place. She took her hands out of the shimmering cold water and separated her hands over the girl's face so that the water fell. Keira's eyes fluttered opened and she choked; Belle gave her a hand to help her sit up, "Belle?" she choked. "How'd we get here?"
Belle smiled kindly and laughed a little. "It wasn't easy, especially with all of the Heartless running around." She collapsed on a log.
Keira quirked an eyebrow, "You're a princess who doesn't mind getting dirty, huh?" Belle giggled again and surveyed Keira with her brown eyes.
"Look at Kairi and yourself."
Keira inclined her head, laughing a little. "You got me there." She forced herself into a standing position as she glanced around. "It's pretty here," she paused, her eyes falling on the disturbing, dead trees. "Well... the woods look kind of creepy." Belle nodded in agreement while rubbing her arm. "We're both probably covered in cuts." With her hand outstretched, Shadow Heart appeared in a flash of light. "Cure."
Green tendrils appeared around the cuts on both princesses and healed them instantly. Keira looked apologetically at Belle. "It can only heal wounds, not exhaustion."
Belle shook her head. "I'm fine, don't worry."
"I guess we should head back to the castle," Keira thought for a minute as Belle stood. "Where is the castle anyway?"
Belle looked around. "Part of the forest leads to a gate to the bridge of the castle. If we could get on the right path, then we might make it before the wolves find us."
This news did nothing to ease Keira's worry, "Wolves, Heartless, and Nobodies. Can this night get any better?" A single sound of growling came from within the woods, and was joined by several more creatures.
XxX
Back in the Ballroom, Roxas and Naminé were still leading an assault on Xaldin, but it seemed to be useless. The third member of the Organization seemed invincible, making both of the 'ex-Nobodies' wonder how he had been resurrected exactly, or, maybe, if they were just that weak. Xaldin laughed at the pathetic pair before him, "Being one with Sora made you soft, Number Thirteen." He mocked before disappearing into thin air.
"Shit." Roxas murmured, throwing a glance at Naminé. She had a few scratches on her, but she didn't look too bad considering who they were up against. He wiped the sweat off of his brow with the back of his hand before heading toward Naminé. The "Key of Destiny" wasn't all that surprised when Xaldin appeared behind the witch, but at the same time, he was.
Xaldin smirked at the flabbergasted expression on Roxas's face as he summoned his lances. Naminé whirled around and held Chain of Memories in a defensive position. Granted, this probably wouldn't save her from being hit, although it might have protected her from the worst of the attack. The impact of the hit sent the frail blonde flying backwards and knocked Xaldin's balance off.
"That's it." Roxas muttered, running at the Organization member with a fierce look of hate in his eyes. He swung Oblivion at the lance wielder and then he used a mixture of fire magic while bringing down Bond of Flame. Needless to say, this damaged the Nobody very much. Xaldin glared, panting and doubled over.
"We're not done here, XIII. I'll be back." He promised, a black and purple portal appearing right behind him. Wincing, Xaldin lifted himself to his full height and scurried into the portal before it disappeared in the blink of an eye. Roxas nodded and smiled triumphantly.
"That's right." He said, hardheadedly. Oblivion disappeared and, remembering Naminé, Roxas turned around and ran toward his girlfriend. Considering the attack that she had taken, Naminé didn't look terrible. Her scratches were now cuts and many parts of her were bleeding-especially her stomach. Roxas held out Bond of Flame.
'Agh! I wish Sora was here. What do you feel to heal someone? Fire, power and flames... Water, tranquillity and waves... Thunder, rage and electricity... Cure...' Although Naminé could have been wounded worse, Roxas knew that she wouldn't last so long if he didn't think of something; He was out of potions, so there was no go there. And they were there all alone... Roxas felt tears well up in his eyes as he closed them and tried to think of something. He numbly hit the ground and cradled Naminé in his arms.
He cared about her so much... He loved her a helluva lot... The tip of Bond of Flame began to glow; Roxas opened up his eyes in realization. If you thought of someone that you loved, or if you really cared about that person, that was how cure could be cast. Of course! Roxas supported the blonde witch with one arm while he used the other to cast cure. A yellow flower appeared above Naminé and green tendrils grasped her wounds, healing them gently.
XxxxxX
"Roxas and Naminé are fighting Xaldin by themselves?" Yuffie repeated, tilting her head; Tifa had just finished delivering Sora's message. Though she not met him, she had heard enough about Xaldin to know that he was not exactly an easy enemy. She, Aerith, Tifa, and Axel were sitting in Merlin's house near the computer.
Tifa nodded, "Yeah. I think it sounds like they need help over there, but Sora doesn't want us to come. He wants us to check things out here." She shook her head, clearly not agreeing with the Keyblade Master.
"It's a good plan." Aerith piped up, "Sora doesn't want Radiant Garden to be attacked by an army of Heartless again."
"I just wish he'd let us help," mumbled Tifa in a sour voice. Axel, having heard enough, pushed off the wall he had been leaning against and headed for the door.
Aerith whirled around. "Axel, where are you going?"
"Naminé and Roxas don't stand a chance against Xaldin. That guy's always had it out for Roxas, even before he betrayed the Organization, and he just thinks that Naminé is a push over. Even if Roxas is strong, it would be too simple for Maleficent to revive any of the Organization members with their old strengths; they must be even stronger by now. Not to mention Roxas is out of practice."
Yuffie's jaw dropped open. "You're gonna go to the Castle?"
"But, Axel! Since you're no longer a Nobody... even if you can use the portals to go through the corridors of darkness, it's dangerous! The darkness can erode your heart!" pleaded Aerith.
Axel laughed. "I'm barely worried about myself. Got it memorized?" Was all he responded with before a portal appeared in front of him and he walked through it without another word.
Tifa put a hand on Aerith's shoulder and smiled. "He's doing what his new heart commands him to. We can't change that."
XxxxxX
In order to prove the luck that they had, two packs of wolves had found Keira and Belle. After surveying the creatures' eyes, it wasn't difficult to figure out that these wolves seemed to have been turned into Heartless. "Maleficent will stop at nothing to get an army of heartless." Belle muttered, shaking her head.
"It makes it easier for her to get her hands on us now, doesn't it?" The younger girl murmured, bending down into a low battle stance. "I'll take care of them." She rushed forward with Shadow Heart over her shoulder and slashed it in front of her at the wolves. At first, she felt triumphant when she knocked away three wolves, but that quickly changed. Sharp teeth sank into one of her arms, and it was then that she realized it was one against two full packs of Heartless wolves. It also dawned upon her that they would go after Belle.
Keira flipped her body backward and did several back-handsprings until she had reached Belle, who was wielding a large stick as her weapon. Once again, Keira swung Shadow Heart in front of her. "Will that really work?" She asked, gesturing to the stick.
Belle shrugged. "It's better than nothing." Keira had to admit that she was right. About several wolves leapt at the two of them in the same breath. She quickly put herself in front of Belle and held up Shadow Heart, holding onto the hilt so tightly that her knuckles turned white as she pushed off the Heartless. Before more wolves could repeat the attack, she held out Shadow Heart and cast a few blizzard spells. She regretted it a few minutes afterward, feeling drained from the use of magic.
Belle swung the large stick at a wolf that was charging them from the side. It worked surprisingly well, and she knocked the wolf into the lake. Keira smiled weakly, "Nice." She commented, slashing at another few wolves while a few more bit and scratched at her. She hit the ground hard. But then, something odd happened...
The ears of every single wolf perked up and every one of them stopped dead in their tracks in order to howl. After that, they snarled a few more times and retreated back into the forest. Keira stared at the retreating tails of the wolves in disbelief and found the same bewildered look on Belle's face. "That counts as a win for us!" proclaimed Keira with pride, smiling despite her pain. Her dress was somewhat shredded thanks to the abuse of the wolves and woods itself. Belle was better off, with only a few scratches, and her dress was even in mostly good condition.
"Why don't you heal yourself?"
Keira shook her head. "Like I said, magic can't heal exhaustion. In fact, it makes you more exhausted. Healing the two of us tired me out, and using more in the battle did, too. If I use cure again, I probably won't be getting back up." She sighed, "Magic is a fickle thing."
"We better try to get to the castle before the wolves return." Belle held out a hand, and Keira gladly used it to crawl out of the mud.
"Thanks," she paused, looking for a trace of the wolves, but there was none. "I wonder why those wolves left."
"I wonder why they acted the way they did before leaving," remarked Belle. Little did either of them realize that they were being closely followed by someone.
XxX
The sound of howling wolves finally reached Sora, Kairi, Beast, and Riku, and the promptly ran in the direction of it. A pack of gray/black wolves with amber and pupil-less eyes rushed past them, growling something fierce as they went. Sora glanced up at Riku, who nodded, as if answering a non-spoken question. "Maleficent probably made them Heartless."
Beast's concerns were elsewhere. He slashed at lower tree branches with his claws and growled, "Belle must be ahead."
Kairi placed a hand over her heart. "It's weird, but I can feel her. But she's moving away, toward the castle."
Beast growled as a shadow crossed his vision in the tree. "And they're being followed." The figure promptly disappeared into a purple and black vortex.
XxX
Another portal appeared inside of the castle's foyer and Axel stepped out, rubbing his head. "Maybe Aerith was right," he mumbled, walking up the staircase just as Roxas and Naminé burst out. Both looked a little worse for ware, but neither had any signs of serious physical injury. "Holy shit, I was right. Xaldin beat you two to a pulp, didn't he?"
Naminé smiled softly. "It's nice to see you too, Axel."
"Right, sorry." He sighed, "At least you two are alive. Where's Xaldin?"
Roxas shrugged. "Naminé thinks he might be on grounds still, near the forest."
Naminé nodded. "Yes. Let's head toward that bridge we saw from the ship."
XxX
Belle and Keira paused in front of the gate, panting. The Princess of Heart pulled on the handle, but to no avail. "It's locked?" Keira growled through gritted teeth. At her words, the tip of Shadow Heart began to glow. "Haha, a keyblade, that's right," she mumbled, red tingeing her cheeks as a light shot out from the tip of Shadow Heart and entered the lock.
Keira stroked her blade fondly as Belle tackled the normally unused gate. At the younger girl's questioning gaze, Belle's cheeks became red, too. "It gets stuck a lot; I would know." The bridge was not that long and when they reached the door to the courtyard, they were unsurprised to be faced with Heartless and two lines of Dusks.
"Tonight... is a bad night," mumbled Keira, rushing forward at the mini army. Belle nodded her agreement, she began to rush after her, but a hand covered her mouth while another seized her. For some reason, Keira felt a chill go down her spine and her blood ran cold and, uneasily, she turned around to find Xaldin holding Belle captive. "Belle!" Xaldin roared with laughter at her dumbfounded expression as a portal appeared beside him and a similarly dressed person stepped out.
The hood dropped off of his head to reveal blond hair with excited blue eyes and a kind face. "Demyx," sighed Xaldin, "Why were you, of all eleven members plus the keyblade wielders, sent here?"
Demyx smiled, revealing shiny white teeth before mock-pouting. "Aw, but Xaldy..." Demyx paused, his pout becoming quite real as he complained, "It doesn't work with your name, Xaldin; it works with everybody else's!"
An amused smile crossed Xaldin's face. "Xemy and Saïy?" Both men appeared to have momentarily forgotten Belle and Keira.
"I'll think of something later," He promised, shaking his head as his happy manner returned, "Anyway! I'm here to take the princesses for you!" Keira decided that he would be extremely cute had he not been working for the Organization.
Xaldin quirked an eyebrow, "Are you sure you can manage?" He asked, still amused.
Demyx nodded, "Definitely." He replied, his eyes finally settling on Keira for the first time. "Is she the other one?" Like a confused dog, he tilted his head at an angle. "She's a looker." Keira and Xaldin smacked their foreheads. (A/n: Lmao.)
"Yes, she is our special princess, almost like you are our very special Organization member." The amusement faded only a little as he said, "I'll take care of her. Take this one to Maleficent," he added, shoving Belle at Demyx.
Keira stared at the two of them, whispering, "Organization XIII, Maleficent and keyblade wielders?" She thought of Aurora, briefly, and remembered all of Belle's kindness toward her. 'I can't let them take Belle.' With that single thought in mind, she rushed forward with Shadow Heart raised. Xaldin and Demyx returned from their own world as he spotted the angry princess about ready to impale them.
Lances began to float around Xaldin. "Shit! Go, Nocturne, go!" He wasted no time in hurling the group of them at Keira with high-pressured air. Keira, unable to keep up with Xaldin's speed, heard a sickening squelching sound before she felt the pain of the lances stabbing her. The force of the attack alone knocked the wind out of her. She distantly heard Belle call her name.
Demyx began to drag the Princess of Heart into the portal. With a frown, he asked, "Aw, Xaldy, why do you have to kill a good-looking one?"
"Nocturne, I'm not allowed to kill her, remember?" The black gates in front of them burst open as Beast ran in, followed by Sora, Riku, and Kairi.
Beast snarled dangerously at Demyx, reaching out for Belle. "Belle!" He growled, reaching out. She reached out to him as well just as Demyx quickly ran into the portal, disappearing in an instant. Beast pounded the pavement and snarled so loud that all of the worlds were certain to hear his anguished cry. Sora gritted his teeth together and sent a death glare at Xaldin.
The white doors opposite of them were thrown open as Axel, Roxas, and Naminé entered the fray, swinging their weapons at the small army of Heartless and Dusks. Naminé gasped as the clouds of darkness, caused by the Shadows, disappeared. Keira had one lance stabbed into her leg, another was in her arm, and the last had barely gotten her stomach. Still, she was attempting to hold onto consciousness, enough to keep her standing, if only for the moment. Her hand reached out, just a little, in Riku's general direction. "Riku," she mumbled before her knees collapsed beneath her and she fell unconscious. Kairi immediately dropped besides her, placing her hand over the girl's heart; it was still beating strongly.
Axel and Roxas glared at Xaldin. "Two traitors for the price of one," sneered Xaldin, "Perfect." He raised his arms, and the lances hovered around him, as Roxas and Axel charged at him. A tall arena of flames surrounded the three of them, trapping them and keeping the others from interfering.
"I don't recommend flying, Xaldin." Axel smirked grimly. "Wind'll only upset the fire."
Xaldin roared with laughter, staring at the two ex-Organization members. "Thirteen and Eight; this must be a traitors' fight."
A/N: 6.9.09: I made Demyx quite the flirt. As I mentioned before, I will not be naming the Keyblade wielders that were talking about Quince. But I will be mentioning them quite a bit. :D
Old note: Woohoo, the chapter was long. Yay! Any notes I need to make? Hmm. Nope. For future reference, Sora can still use Valor, Wisdom, Master, and Final forms. See you next chapter, please read and review!