A/N: Well, ladies and gents, you'll be happy to hear that this fanfic is going to be a LOT shorter than I had first planned, thanks to my change in thoughts, plans, and visited worlds. Thank you, Lolli's head. Also, I just finished a book called Tithe by Holly Black and it is awesome. Mind you, I read Valiant and Ironside before it (Tithe is the first book in the series), so... Haha. Anyway, check it out, it's real good stuff.

The black faded back to blond as the darkness in Keira's heart dissipated. She did not make it too far away from the altar, leaning against the wall of its staircase as she tried to catch her breath. The panicked feeling hadn't left her just yet even though her heart felt lighter than it had been for a while; it was frightening to know that she had been manipulated so easily, and she made a mental note to work on her trust issues. The sounds of more footsteps took her out of her reverie as she summoned Dark Thorn, but its keychain promptly shattered and the blade was engulfed in light. "That's a good sign!" cried Elie as she and Quince joined her.

She carefully watched them. Elie was easily recognizable to her now, though Quince still looked the same with his black hair. Unsure of why they had followed her, she noted, "You two work for Maleficent, so why are you...?"

Quince cut her off. "Things have changed. We're here to help you."

"A little blunt, don't you think, dear cousin?" replied Elie with a wide grin. Keira relaxed a little at the sight of Elie acting like her usual self.

Quince raised an eyebrow at his cousin, Keira temporarily forgotten. "What would you like me to say?"

Images of Quince fighting her over and over again since she was first torn from Jewel's Grove flashed into her mind. "Prove to me that you're not going to hand over my heart at the first opportunity you get." Keira spoke so quickly that her words ran together, and the cousins redirected their attention to her. "Prove it." Elie giggled at Quince's obvious struggle to figure out how to prove anything.

His concentrated expression faded, and he relaxed. "I've got the perfect idea." Elie watched, still fighting a giggle, as he moved in on Keira until she pressed herself completely against the wall. Despite her obvious discomfort, he did not stop until his face was an inch from hers.

"What the hell are you-?" Quince cut her off once more though, this time, he did so by pressing his lips to hers. Her eyes widened so much that she thought they would bulge out of their sockets as her cheeks burned with a deep blush.

XxxxxX

Only two hearts floated away from the castle and descended near the skyscraper, disappearing into the chests of the unconscious girls lying there. Tifa pushed a wet strand of hair away from her face as she aimed a kick that knocked Larxene against the wall of a building; so enveloped in her fight that she was oblivious to the two princesses of heart. Goofy and Donald, however, were not. "Wak! Kairi! Naminé!" quacked Donald at the sight of the girls sitting up.

He and Goofy promptly joined them, and Kairi rubbed the back of her head. "I feel like I've been hit by a truck, what happened?"

"Well, uh, the two of ya lost yer hearts," informed Goofy. The girls appeared surprised and exchanged a glance before looking around.

"Where is everyone?" Naminé asked softly.

"Leon and Yuffie were fighting Pete, Tifa's fighting Larxene, and everyone else is inside the Castle." Kairi bit her lip as Donald relayed the news. She looked to Naminé with a simple glance, though they made it seem like they were silently communicating something. With no warning at all, their bodies became engulfed in light.

XxxxxX

"Ya won't be passing me!" A lightheaded Pete roared with the ferocity of a kitten. "N-not in m-my days..." Yuffie appeared in front of him, utilizing her ninja speed, and poked him in the stomach. For a minute, nothing happened, and then Pete's body was slowly fell backwards until he hit the pavement with a final boom.

Leon ruffled her hair. "Not bad, Yuffie." She gave him a playful shove.

"Thanks, Squall." She said with a wide smile and, for the first time that she remembered, he smiled instead of yelling at her..

He turned his attention to the distance as he shouldered his Gunblade. "We'd better catch up with the others."

XxxxxX

"Where's your moon now, Saïx?" asked Roxas as he blocked another strike from the Berserker's claymore. 'I've always wanted to say that.'

"I know." Sora replied to his Nobody's thought as he struck his keyblade at Xemnas' energy blades.

Riku rolled his eyes. "I wish the two of you would stop doing that." He moved to strike Xemnas in the side, but the Nobody disappeared in the blink of an eye. "Damn it."

The rain was coming down hard, and it felt like pins and needles on the boys' bare skin. "This is a violent storm," noted Roxas when the Altar began to shake and forced them to their feet, "A really violent storm."

"I don't know if that was the storm, Roxas." Sora stood and looked over the side of the tower. Something was going on below... Instead of the Heartless crawling up the sides of the castle, they were heading for a particular spot in the canyon.

"What could they be doing?" asked Riku as he joined Sora. The tower gave another great tremble, and they all nearly fell over again.

XxxxxX

"Ooh, hot stuff." Elie cooed, forcing Keira and Quince to separate and stare at her. "What? Can't a girl make a remark?" She smirked at the death glares on their faces, though Keira's heart was not in hers. "I hope you and Riku weren't official, Stef." Keira bit down on her lip.

Quince seemed to remember something. "Riku, Roxas, and Sora are still fighting Saïx and Xemnas, aren't they? Shit."

"And the two of you were busy lip-locking. Shame, shame," teased Elie before she and the other two were forced to their knees as the ground trembled.

Keira looked around. "What the hell is going on?" Before they could regain their balance, the greatest tremor by far nearly forced them off of the platform. Riku, Roxas, and Sora were running down the stairs and slid to a stop when they spotted the three on the ground.

"We have to go, now." Riku said in one of the most serious tones she had ever heard him use, and Keira scrambled back to her feet.

"What's going on?"

"Heartless were gathering below the castle, and they must've gotten a hold of Maleficent's heart... opening it to its true darkness," remarked Sora.

"Again," groaned Riku, and Keira nodded in her head in understanding, recalling the story about their first journey.

Elie, however, did not get it. "What does that mean?"

"Well, she's a revenge-bent dragon now, instead of a revenge-bent bitch. I mean, witch," amended Roxas.

"And I thought she was bad before," mumbled Quince.

Keira turned toward Riku. "She's hell-bent on destroying the castle, isn't she?"

Riku nodded. "Oh, yeah."

The group came to a very simply conclusion: "Run!" There was no time to have a decent reunion as their minds focused only on getting them out of the castle.

"How are we supposed to get out of here before she tears down this whole thing?" panted Elie.

Roxas had a decent suggestion, "Hope for the best and hope that nothing happens?"

"Ah, so that's our godsend, huh?"

XxxxxX

Donald, Goofy, and Tifa stared in wonder at what had just happened: Naminé and Kairi had clasped their hands together and combined their light to land a finishing move on Larxene. What's more, it actually worked. "What was it that you said in Castle Oblivion, Larxene?" Naminé, who was no longer glowing, asked the Nymph, whose hand was hovering over her heaving chest. "Something about me being weak?"

"And whiny," added Larxene with a weak smirk. "You might have won this round, but this won't be the last you see of me," she promised as she summoned a portal. "It's been a nice reunion, but you aren't out of the woods yet." Larxene nodded to the castle as she stood and waved. "See ya."

As she retreated into her portal, Yuffie and Leon joined them. "You're all okay!" Yuffie said in with Aerith-like relief.

Tifa cracked a smile. "Everyone has their hearts, and all seems well. Here, at least," she added before gazing at the Castle that Never Was. "There were some really strange tremors before. Did you guys feel them?"

"Yeah," answered Leon. "They were weak where we were, so it must be coming from the castle."

"Gawrsh, we better check 'em out," decided Goofy.

Yuffie nodded with determination. "Let's go!"

XxxxxX

Cloud watched as six Princesses of Heart ran ahead of him, careful to not be spotted by the dragon. After he had defeated Sephiroth, six hearts flew into the room and entered their rightful owners, after which he freed them from their encasements. After he spotted the large dragon lurking outside, he decided that he needed to lead the princesses to safety before doing anything else. He was strongly hoping that the others had already fled the castle as he met no one else on his way outside.

In the first alley outside of the castle, he and the others noticed Mickey and Axel heading in the direction of the skyscraper. "Your Majesty!" called Aurora; Cloud remembered her and her world, the one that had been falling apart. The King and Axel turned, smiles of relief on their faces.

"Princesses." Axel bowed his head at the women. "Cloud, where's everyone else?" Cloud ran a hand through his hair, a universal sign of concern.

"The skyscraper?" He suggested, though even he did not believe his words. They needn't return there, as Leon, Yuffie, Donald, Goofy, Tifa, Naminé, and Kairi joined them. All of their bodies were marred by battle, but no one seemed too injured.

Axel voiced the observation no one wanted to make. "Crap. The rest of 'em are still inside the castle"

XxX

Inside, Riku, Sora, Roxas, Quince, Keira, and Elie were finding it increasingly difficult to escape. Due to the constant tremors of Dragon Maleficent moving along with the damage she was causing on purpose, walls were caving in and exits were being blocked. Once they reached the Proof of Existence, they realized that all of the Organization members were still in existence. Since everyone had to reach the World that Never Was through Twilight Town, there was no way they could beam themselves up to the Gummi ship. "Just. Our. Luck," groaned Quince.

Elie hit her forehead. "Oh, we're so stupid! We can still use our portals!" She moved to the top of the room where they had more space and summoned a portal without a problem "Well, let's go boys, and Princess." She disappeared into it first with Roxas and Sora not too far behind, ecstatic to see Naminé and Kairi.

Riku glanced over at Keira and Quince as he began to enter the portal. "C'mon, let's get out of here." He turned and disappeared.

"Let's go, Quince, stop being an idiot." Keira chided her childhood friend as she stood beside him. "We have to go before that portal disappears."

"So, what are we going to do when we get back? What am I going to do?" mumbled Quince, not moving.

She sighed with exasperation, though she was secretly pleased that she was able to be exasperated and not furious with Quince. "Riku's been welcomed back into society with open arms; I highly doubt that you've got anything to worry about." She headed toward the portal.

"What about us?" She froze in her tracks at his words. 'What 'us'? I was unaware about an 'us' existing.' She thought, looking back at him as her cheeks flushed again.

"Stupid, can't we talk about this later?"

Quince scowled. "This isn't just a little more...?" He trailed off at the worried look on her face and held up two hands in surrender. "You're right, this isn't as important as leaving. Sorry." They began to head for the portal, but it was very quickly fading before them.

"Run!" She urged both herself and him, but, even as she stopped in front of the portal, the last speck faded away. "No, no, no!"

Quince cursed. "This is all my fault."

"Stop being such a pessimist," groaned Keira, though she was obviously disturbed by their lack of an exit.

"Oh? You've got a better idea of how to get out of here?" He asked, though, even as he spoke, he felt stupid.

Keira was grinning. "You can use a portal, too, can't you?"

He snapped. "Well... yeah. Che. Duh." He turned and ran a hand through his hair, sighing as the anxiety left him.

"Hey, Quince?"

"Yeah?"

"Your hair... looks like it used to. It's brown." His expression became worried once more as he thought, 'Not good.'

"The black in your hair has to do with your heart. The more darkness that fills your heart, the more black covers your hair; your eyes become less friendly, and your personality and heart both slip away. Keep that in mind." He had said that, hadn't he? At least, it was applicable to solely him and Stefa, as strange as that seemed. It was only just now dawning on him that the same thing that happened to her hair had happened to him. 'Maybe,' he thought, 'it's different for me.' Perhaps he should have come to realization when he betrayed his mentor and used his 'light' keyblade. Still, he held onto hope that he could save himself and his best friend.

Deciding not to worry her, he replied, "Who cares? I bet it doesn't mean anything, Stefa." He turned away from him as he attempted to summon a portal, missing the first smile she had graced him with for quite some time.

"Hm. Stefa. I could get used to hearing that again."

"Heh, even though I've been calling by it since the beginning of this journey," remarked Quince, though his words were more or less an attempt to keep the two of them calm.

And, knowing him oh-so well, she remarked, "You can't call that portal, can you?" He mustered the best grin he could managed as he faced her as fear overtook them both.

XxxxxX

As Cloud and the others returned to the castle, they found a roaring dragon as well as a miserable-looking Sora, Roxas, Riku, and Elie. The wielders did not acknowledge the presence of Kairi or the others as they stared at the crumbling castle. "You made it," remarked Axel with much relief as Naminé and Kairi threw themselves at their boyfriends.

"Kairi!" Sora embraced her tightly. "I was so worried about you, when you lost your heart..." He trailed off, summing up that he had thought the worse and kissed the top of her head.

Kairi's strong front crumbled a little as she whimpered, "I thought that I wouldn't see you again!" She felt weak from the light she and her other had used and, after everything that happened during the journey, all she wanted to do was breakdown.

"It's alright, Kairi." Sora held her a little more tightly as her weak body slumped against his. "You're okay now."

When Naminé and Roxas came close to each other, she literally collapsed in his arms. "You're alright, Nam. I've got you." Roxas muttered in a low voice that made her truly smile as she embraced him. Riku only distracted himself from the castle briefly to make sure Kairi was alright. Elie, however, could not tear her eyes away from it, her hands balling into fists.

"They didn't make it," guessed Leon as he joined her.

Elie was having a difficult time holding herself together. "My cousin's so stupid. He said he was coming, but he didn't. Neither did Keira."

Leon changed his line of vision to the dragon that continued to roar and attack the Castle. "We should at least try to get rid of her. All of the worlds that she destroyed or messed up should go back to normal if we defeat her."

"We're with ya, Leon." King Mickey assured the swordsman before said man jumped into the empty canyon below with the king close behind. Goofy and Donald stopped at the edge, removing their hats for a moment in honor of the duo trapped inside, before they also jumped.

Yuffie rested a hand on Riku's shoulder as he continued to stare at the castle. "If we defeat Maleficent, it's possible that we can save them. We can try to make things right." She assured him before disappearing into the depths of the canyon. Riku glanced backward and received confident looks from both Tifa and Cloud. He sighed, summoned Way to Dawn, and disappeared down below with Tifa and Cloud close behind. And, after some persuasion from Axel, Roxas, Sora, Kairi, and Naminé joined the others once the other princesses were in a safe place.

XxxxxX

Keira slid down before Roxas' stone as she stared at the opposite wall. "You know, I never quite pictured my death like this." Keira muttered.

Beside her, sitting before Larxene's stone, Quince laughed without humor. "You pictured what your death would look like?"

She nodded her head furiously, a serious expression on her face. "Oh, yes, many times. Like that time where I nearly drowned in Atlantica, twice," She emphasized to heighten the drama, a weak smile twitching at the corners of her lips. "When I thought Sephiroth was going to kill me... When that Kraken pulled me under... blah, blah, blah."

His laughter was much more humorous this time. "You're crazy, Stef."

"We're about to die and you're laughing?" She pretended to pout. "And, yes, I may be crazy, but you love me for it."

"Damn, you're right." They laughed again, and Keira wiped a tear from her eye. "So, we finally know what the world is really like, huh?"

"We always knew the world was horrible. Look at ours," she said, smirking. "At least you were with Elie. Guessing you didn't find your brother, though, huh? Strange, wasn't he supposed to be with Maleficent?" Quince simply did not answer, and she assumed she had hit a sore spot. "Elie will be alright, though, that's good. All of those jerks at our school will continue to exist... Life goes on." 'But not ours,' she thought.

They continued to talk about nothing in particular, which more or less relieved her because she did not want to get on the subject of what she and Quince were. What was the point, anyway, when they were about to die? After a few more moments, there was another tremor, but, this time it was followed by an impact on the walls. On either side of them, the walls began to shake gingerly and the stones along with them. Keira stared into her empty hands as everything trembled around them, and summoned Shadow Heart; she'd reattached they keychain with the decision that she would end her journey in the same way she began.

Then, without warning, she jumped to her feet and slammed the weapon against the wall as it began to cave in. "Stefa, what are you doing?" exclaimed Quince as he stood and stared at her.

She shook her head. "I've survived the oddest things. My life took a turn for the better and for the worse when I stepped outside of my house that night, and I, honestly, can't give all of that up. I have to fight for my life, and yours, too, even if you won't." She finished through clenched teeth as her feet began to slide from the pressure of the wall. She thought of Aerith and Riku and the others and knew, in her heart, that she could not simply surrender.

Quince watched her in wonder. 'She'll die before I do at this rate... I have to do something.' He pursed his lips together as he came to a realization. 'My life won't mean anything if she's not in it.' He knew it was the truth, and his heart couldn't deny it anymore. Even if she had fallen for Riku, and not him (his own fault, he supposed), she still needed to live her life to its fullest. As soon as he thought it, the wish was granted. His body became engulfed in a golden light that even she could see with her back to him.

"Q-Quince?" She stuttered, pushing harder against the wall still.

XxxxxX

The fight against the dragon Maleficent was difficult but, Sora decided, made easier than before with so many useful people assisting. Tifa leapt up the dragon's hind legs and ran against the violent wind and rain as she perched herself, awkwardly, on a bent front leg. Then, she held out a hand as Yuffie ran forward to grasp it. With all of her might, she threw the ninja toward Maleficent's head, and watched as she hurled her shuriken at the neck at the same time as Tifa sent a kick to the face.

Riku and Sora doubled over, panting, a ways away from the battle. They had Eternal Session and were more than a little tired, though the move had proven to be a godsend; they had landed some very necessary damage on the dragon. Roxas ran forward and, with Axel's help, flew upward, slashing away at the dragon's head with his duel keyblades. The dragon roared in protest and opened her mouth. The next thing he knew, green embers were pouring out of Maleficent's mouth, knocking him to the ground and leaving nasty burns on his skin.

Everyone else backed off, leaving Axel to fight for the moment as Maleficent breathed more green flames. Being completely and totally unaffected by the fire attack, Axel jumped upward and began to slash at the dragon's head, flames spurting out with every hit.

Naminé bent over Roxas. "Are you alright?" He moved part of his hair away from his face as he looked up at her.

Though his words should have been corny, they somehow weren't, coming from him. "Thanks to you, never been better." His hand brushed against her cheek, and she blushed before planting a kiss on his lips.

"Wak! Now's not the time for kisses," reminded Donald as he raised his staff and cast a thundara spell on Maleficent. The dragon closed her mouth, cutting off the flame supply, and stood on her hind legs.

Mickey recognized the move immediately. "Jump on three, fellas. One," The dragon was almost to the ground, "Two," nearly touching it, now. "Three!" Maleficent hit the ground, sending a shockwave outward. Everyone evaded the attack.

"She has too much health," growled Yuffie in what would have been a threatening voice for anyone else growled as Tifa hurled her up to the dragon's neck. With weapon in hand, she moved herself down to the back, holding out her arms to maintain her balance.

Kairi looked away from the battle for a moment to glance at the castle, her heart sensing some serious light in that direction. "What's that?" For a brief moment, everyone else followed her gaze.

A bright light was beginning to emit from part of the castle, but it was rapidly expanding farther and farther.

A/N: Yet another short chapter, but I love keeping people in suspense. See you next chapter.