Prologue Part IV: A Hollow Key
"She's adorable." Aerith smiled, 12 years old, curly hair hanging down around her shoulders, a small pink summer dress and combat boots, looking at the little girl before her.
"She's growing ever so fast." The old woman smiled holding the red headed toddler in her arms.
"How old is she now?" Tifa asked also cooing over the child. Now nine years old, she wore her hair down into a loose ponytail, and dressed in a white top and skirt with bracers, shoes and knee-length socks.
"Two years old tomorrow." The old woman replied.
"You are getting a big girl aren't you Kairi." Tifa beamed in the child's face.
"How would you like a flower?" Aerith asked plucking it from the ground and then proceeding to hand it to Kairi.
Kairi took it in her little hands and cuddled it close to her.
Kairi waited patiently in the train compartment smiling to herself. Another long lost memory returning to her.
"Ansem was - and has always been aware of nobodies existing before the keyblade choose yourself Sora, before the heartless devastation even began."
"Yen-""WHAT?""Are you kidding?""Gawsh."
Yen Sid raised he's hands to silence them.
"He was aware of the possibility, and the creation. He was in no way aware of the future of Xehanort becoming and then leading Organization XIII. If he was, he most likely would have invested he's time into discovering an elimination process. But as it stood, he saw them as a lost shell, posing no threat. Unfortunately he is no longer here to present any latest findings or pass this information on through himself. So I can only act upon what I believe he would have wanted."
"He said there was research left behind in he's lab we would need." Mickey explained, "But there is nothing before organization XIII, which he must have returned to place, nothing relating to the possibility of being un-eliminatable or-"
"You've simply been looking in all the wrong places. Looking for all the wrong information." Yen Sid told him, "I can't direct you to the beginning, I don't believe Ansem would have wanted it. But I will disclose what I believe to be necessary."
"We need to know everything, Organization XIII are going to be out there, planning their next move, knowing they are invincible. We're not, we need everything we can to destroy them." Riku demanded.
"I do not hold the answer to their destruction." Yen Sid told him sternly, "I only hold lost information."
"But is there any chance you hold the key to their destruction?" Sora asked.
Yen Sid looked at him, a moment of silence passing before smiling, "In truth, I'm afraid I may."
"You said-" Riku began.
"I said I do not hold the answer, but I may hold the key to unlocking it. They are two different things." Yen Sid informed him, "And there is no point in having a key if there is not yet a door to open."
"Let me go you stupid pirate!" Vicky yelled kicking and punching over Xigbar's shoulder.
"Pipe down sweetie." Xigbar grinned.
"I hope there's an explanation for this." Xemnas asked raising he's eyebrow.
"Xigbar demanded we abort the mission-" Vexen pleaded, "He wouldn't listen to me."
"Noble." Vicky muttered.
"Who said you had an opinion?" Xigbar asked dropping her to the floor.
"What's this all about?" Xemnas sighed.
"She knew we had returned, she couldn't just be wondering round with information like that." Xigbar explained.
"I don't even know you." Vicky demanded standing up only to be held in place by Xigbar.
"How badly did you fail?" Xemnas almost growled.
"We didn't even encounter her." Vexen explained.
"Axel did." Xigbar finished.
"What?" Xemnas questioned, a moment of silence past, "And you failed to apprehend him?"
"No need to- he's in hiding. With Roxas. They're trying to find Sora, but the message is never going to get to Sora because we have the messenger right here. And the only being who knows we're back." Xigbar announced smugly patting Vicky on the head, "I have a feeling she may be valuable later on."
Xemnas smirked, "Well, you better make our guest comfortable then."
"So Ansem's apprentice's - who later went onto become Organization XIII, stumbled across nobodies during their heart experiments?" Sora asked.
"But wouldn't that mean that-" Riku asked trailing off.
Yen Sid nodded, "Yes, which is why the information remains guarded and disclosed."
"What happened to them?" Goofy asked, "Well the nobody."
"That information is disclosed. You already know enough for one day." Yen Sid informed them more sternly.
"You've barely told us anything." Riku demanded.
"I'm sure I've given you enough to start looking in the right places." Yen Sid replied taking he's leave.
"I think things just got a whole lot more serious." Sora whispered.
"Let's get back to the lab." Mickey nodded, maybe it wasn't such a long shot after all.
"You're going to have to tell them." Flora told him softly as Yen shut the door behind himself.
Yen Sid breathed in and out heavily, "Not just yet."
"But what if you are preventing them from knowing what they need?" Fauna added, "We're all concerned for the best for-"
"Not just yet." Yen Sid repeated before leaving.
"The master has spoken." Merryweather pouted.
"She already knows and he knows that." Flora told her, "She's like a daughter to him. He just wants to protect her."
"What about us? She's like ours to, it's like Aurora all over again." Merryweather demanded sulking.
It was late by the time they're returned, Vicky had already taken off, and the others had decided to settle for the night.
Sora will need to know
Micky loaded up the main console again logging in, before clicking into the search,
Th- the poor child.
He's fingers nimbly tapped across the keys, 'The child.'
One result.
Mickey hovered over the result for a brief moment before entering the link.
Please enter password.
The only thing standing in he's way. He hovered over the nearby question mark for help, 'Name'
Either it was a decoy, or he just needed to figure out exactly who the subject was.
"What happened here Ansem?" Mickey sighed, "Why didn't you come to me?"
He was looking for a child he knew that. He knew there was a child apprentice and that was the first place to start.
Riku sighed sitting down in Ansem's office with a warm hot chocolate in he's hands looking at the documents Vicky had been looking at previously. 'Kelly-Anne Lockhart.' he read over the information before he's eyebrows furrowed.
"Sora?" Riku asked, upon no reply he looked up to find him snoring away in the chair opposite him he sighed before throwing a nearby book at him.
"H-heyyyy." Sora whined in he's half asleep state.
"Just out of curiosity why would a child relocate without the rest of her family?"
"Huh?"
Riku held up the document, "I think we may have found our missing child." He grabbed another nearby document and walked over presenting them both to Sora.
"Hey I recognise her- them!" Sora exclaimed, "She was looking for Cloud at the last organisation invasion, she disappeared off to find him again. But these two girls look pretty much the same."
"I think we need to track her down." Riku told him pointing to the record entitled 'Tifa Lockhart', "I think she'll be able to fill us in."
"We should tell Mickey!" Sora exclaimed before smiling, "We're back in business."
"Don't forget about the organization big guy, it's a ticking time bomb."
"Don't worry I have your back and you'll have mine, right?" Sora grinned.
Riku smiled offering he's hand to pull Sora up, "Yeah, let's get moving sidekick."
"Heyyyy! I'm the hero!" Sora demanded.