Part III: The Internal Battle
Once upon a time, a fair and beloved princess had lost her pure heart. In the process, it found refuge in another heart, one that belonged to the Keyblade wielder. His love for the princess caused him to give up his own heart to return her heart. He was supposed to be lost to darkness forever, but the light of the princess created something that would save him. His heart then rested, while his body and soul lived on in a different form, called a Nobody.
The powerful Superior, wanting nothing more than absolute power, finds the Nobody and recruits him into the Superior's Organization of thieves. The Evil Queen becomes knowledgeable of the Keyblader's new form while the Dark One watched from the shadows. As the Nobody finds out more and more about his mysterious past, he meets another Nobody; unknowingly the Princess'. Prompted by his questions, the Keyblader's body and soul finds the Dark One, who informs him of the Superior's lies and motives.
What the Superior didn't know was the fact that the Keyblader's Nobody fell for the Princess' Nobody. Wanting to be with his love, the body and soul found his original persona. The princess' body and soul finds him, and reveals her nature to him. They accept their fates and fade away, but they still lurk in the shadows of their hearts.
But what they don't know: that there was something out there, trapped in their own skin…
Regina opened her front door to get the Daily Mirror, as she usually does every morning. With Emma and Snow missing, Regina had to work twice as hard to earn back Henry's trust. And not using magic on Sora, Riku, and Roxas was difficult. They had something powerful or at least, the key to something powerful.
Lord Xemnas battled her for that power.
Mayor Regina Mills leaned down to grab the newspaper, but to her surprise, there was something under it. It was paint, magical paint, on the doormat. Regina's eyes widened at what the paint symbolized.
In four letters, it said the number thirteen.
Regina looked around for any onlookers. When she found no one was looking, she broke her vow, and wiped the magical paint from the doormat. She promised she would tell Henry later, when no one was listening. If word were to get out Organization XIII is still out there, no one would be safe in Storybrooke.
Once Upon A Time...
Three adults sat against a hill, watching the meteor shower leave trails across the sky. One had brown, neatly spiked hair, another had short blue hair, and the last one had messy blonde hair.
Today was the last day before their exam, and in a few short weeks, one of them was going to be a father.
The blue haired woman sighed at the sparkling night sky. "I can't believe you and I am going to take the Mark of Mastery Exam, Terra."
The brown haired man chuckled. "I can't believe Ventus is going to be a father. He's so young."
The blonde shook his head. "I'm twenty-three, unlike your twenty-five years, Terra."
The woman laughed as Terra turned red. "Aqua! Stop laughing at me! You're the same age as I am!"
"Terra, the clock is ticking; you might want to start finding someone special before you turn twenty-six!" Ven mocked. Aqua laughed harder.
"Ventus! Aqua!"
Once Aqua stopped laughing, she took out three star-shaped lucky charms. "Look guys, I made us lucky charms."
~Once Upon A Time...
Sora sat with Henry in Granny's, looking over the storybook filled with everyone's memories of their past life. The teen couldn't believe it when he read Roxas' side of the story. He had friends; he was in love with Naminé, which Sora immediately recognized as Kairi's Nobody. Roxas went through a lot of pain just to give Sora another chance. He felt quite sorry for the Nobody.
He turned the page of the book, to find three adults, two were fighting with Keyblades, and one, who looked very familiar, sat in the background observing. He wore a very familiar crown necklace.
"Henry, who are these people?"
Henry looked at the picture. He had never read this passage of the book yet. "I don't know Sora. I'd have to read it first."
Sora stared at the picture. Somehow, he just knew the one adult in the background, but how?
~Once Upon A Time…
Ventus watched his two friends participate in the Mark of Mastery in the Grand Mastery Hall. Eraqus observed his two top pupils from one of the Keyblade Thrones. The first test was to not get hit by orbs of light. That had gone well with Terra and Aqua, but now, they had to duel each other.
Ven felt a little faint for some reason, his heart of pure light seemed to be reacting to an unknown darkness in the large, spacious room. He shook it off and watched the ongoing battle.
Terra dodged a kick from Aqua, before barely missing a strike from her Keyblade. He felt like he wasn't powerful enough to face Aqua anymore, the confidence gone, but he pushed the thought from his head. The thought returned when a piece of darkness lingering in his heart slipped out into his hand. Terra looked at his hand, and then forced the darkness back.
Aqua didn't notice, but Ventus and Master Eraqus certainly did.
The test was soon over, and the two received the results.
"I have reached a conclusion, and you've both performed admirably, but" Eraqus stopped when Ventus ran out of the room. "What is it Ventus?"
He looked back. "It's coming, I just know it."
The baby.
.
Ven held his child in a small bundle of blankets outside the mother's room. Aqua gently pulled back the blanket to see a tiny little face, softly staring at something around Ven's neck.
"Can I hold it?" Aqua asked, secretly wanting children of her own one day. Ven smiled and handed Aqua the baby. She held the tiny life in her hands while Ven went inside the room.
Terra was asked to stay behind by Master Eraqus, and he was told the results. Aqua had passed and shown the Mark, but Terra had failed.
He wasn't powerful enough. He wasn't strong enough. Terra had the doubt stuck in his head as he walked towards Aqua holding the newborn.
How can he protect everyone if he didn't have the power to do it?
Terra was snapped out of his thoughts by soft crying. His thoughts of power still lingered, but he pushed them away as he looked at the newborn. The baby was not used to being held by someone else other than the father.
"Look how beautiful it is," Aqua said, gently cradling the child.
Terra managed a smile and wrapped an arm around Aqua and admired the kid. He had always wanted a family, but there was only one person he wanted a family with.
Aqua.
Ventus peeked out the opening in the door, seeing Aqua as a natural mother. Ven closed the door so not to sadden himself anymore. He quietly walked over to the bed, where a woman with raven hair and an engagement ring on her finger lay. He grasped her cold, motionless hand into his, and silently let tears run down his lean face.
His child would grow up without a mother.
~Once Upon A Time…
Mr. Gold walked out the door of his shop to take a usual early morning stroll as he always does. Belle was still sleeping peacefully. He quietly went past the shuttered window of his shop. A few steps away, he stopped, noticing something different. He went back to the window, to find magical paint with the letter I plastered over the glass.
Gold stared at the symbol, narrowed his eyes, and with a wave of his hand, removed the magical paint. He then went on with his business, unfazed by the return of Organization XIII.
He would have to put extra locks on the doors to protect Belle though.
~Once Upon A Time…
Terra continued training long and hard. Aqua didn't know about his failure, only that she passed the Mark. He needed strength, power, be more capable of protecting others. He never wanted Aqua to know that he failed.
He loved her so, he just couldn't bear the thought of seeing her disappointed face, or anger. Terra slammed the Keyblade down to the ground, breathing out heavily. The desperation in his heart grew. He was going to run out of will.
Ventus sat on a ledge, watching the elder warrior work himself to death. He didn't understand why he doesn't want Aqua to find out about his failure. Everyone should always be honest.
"You know she is going to find out one way or another," Ven said, disappointed in what his friend is doing.
Terra didn't even look at the blonde as he continued whacking away at the training dummy. "By the time she finds out, I'll already have shown the Mark." He set down his Keyblade to rest. "Where is Aqua anyways?"
"Inside with my kid," Ven got off the ledge and lifted up his hand to summon his own Keyblade, one which he held backhanded. "Terra, people have failed before, and they felt ashamed, yes, but they admitted their mistakes."
"You don't understand Ven; you've never let the one you love down, you've never seen the disappointment on their face," Terra responded, resuming his training.
"So, you're telling me that you love Aqua?" Ven smirked.
Terra froze on the spot. He had just admitted that he loves Aqua, out loud, in the main courtyard of the training ground of Departure. But he was not going to take it back; nor admit it to Aqua, ever.
"Yes, I did, and as long as I love her, she'll never know how weak I am,"
Ven shook his head. "You know, I used to look up to you as a brother, but now…" He walked away, looking at his Keyblade. He didn't even bother to let Terra know that Aqua was hiding, hearing everything they said. The newborn was napping inside the small castle.
Aqua remained hidden, her heart pounding in her chest, and a single tear of sadness slipped down her cheek. How could Terra lie to her out of that bittersweet emotion that they called love?
.
"Terra, why would you lie to me?" Aqua stood in the doorway of Terra's room, her arms crossed. Terra ignored her. "Why wouldn't you tell me that you failed the Mark?"
He kept his back to her, staring at his hands. "Because I was too weak, I don't have a strong enough heart to pass."
"That's not true and you know it," Aqua spoke sternly, walking over to Terra and turning him around. "You're strong Terra, but you let the darkness control you too easily. Promise me you'll control it more? For me?"
Terra stared into her ocean eyes. Trust, with a spark of something else swirled around in her irises. "Yes, I promise you Aqua."
Aqua smiled before pecking his lips swiftly, leaving the room with a devious grin on her face. "By the way, Terra, I love you too."
A dumbfounded Terra just stood there, gaping at the young woman's actions.
This is why he loves her.
.
He couldn't get the image of the child's smiling face out of his head. Even though he promised Aqua to stray from darkness, he still didn't have the strength to protect the future. He grew desperate.
Terra was training alone in the woods. Striking the Keyblade against the tree, the young man only fed the darkness in his heart.
"I love the sweet smell of desperation in the morning, don't you?" a giddy voice sang from behind Terra. He turned around to see a man with scaly skin sitting up in a tree.
"Who are you?" Terra asked.
"Rumpelstiltskin, at your service," the man bowed.
"Why are you here?"
"Well, when people are desperate, I happen to come along and make things all better, like magic," Rumpel smirked.
Terra looked at the man skeptically, "How do you help people?"
"Why, with magic of course. You see, I have power, capabilities that no one else has. I can help you with your little predicament," the Dark One proposed.
"I have no predic-" Terra was cut off.
"Oh yes you do, your desperate heart wants to prove to your love that you have what it takes to be worthy of the Mark, am I right?" Rumple sat down on a fallen tree. "Your dear true love-what's her name-Aqua thinks that you're weak, and will continue to think that way until you gain the Mark of Mastery."
"How do you know about the Mark of Mastery?" Terra questioned.
"Keyblades are extremely powerful, and I've taken into learning all about them on account of a mysterious prophecy," Rumple snapped his fingers, and a floating hologram of a Keyblade appeared over his hand. "Even though I can't use a Keyblade, they are still quite useful.
"I'm willing to offer you a deal; I'll give you strength beyond even Eraqus', if you do one simple task for me,"
The Keyblader looked at his weapon, and forgot all instincts, desperation holding a tight grip on his heart. "What is it you want me to do?"
Rumpelstiltskin grinned.
Once Upon A Time…
Regina walked into Mr. Gold's shop, a bit anxiously.
"Madam Mayor, what brings you here today?" He greeted the nervous woman.
"I found an Organization XIII symbol on my front doorstep this morning,"
"Well, that makes two of us," Rumple said. "As far as I'm concerned, they're only after Sora, the Key, and Roxas, the Traitor."
"How do you know that? They tried to bring us both down,"
"They were only removing us from the equation. Less obstacles, the better," Rumple said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Is it a warning then?" Regina queried, "Stay out of their way?"
"I believe it is. There's no more reason for you to let Henry know that you've broken your vow a second time," Rumple picked up a nearby crystal statue sitting on his desk. "Of course, ever since Emma killed our friend in the basement, Xemnas more than likely has grown desperate."
Regina glared at the Dark One, "How could he know about that?"
Rumpelstiltskin set down the crystal statue, "He was the only other person in the curse to have retained some of his memories. Not all, but enough to figure out where Maleficent went."
"Suppose Xemnas goes looking for new allies then. Who would he find?"
Rumple could only think of one person who wants a taste of the Door. "My best guess is your mother, Cora."
The name Cora ringed in Regina ears, and she left quickly, out of the shop and into her secret sanctum in the cemetery.
Once Upon A Time…
Terra walked along the forest trail, looking for Radiant Castle. Near there, was he to complete his task.
'There is a nobleman's house next to Radiant Castle. He has a son, about one year old. Starting to walk about. You will show the child your Keyblade, and the boy must touch the hilt,'
'Why?'
'I have my reasons,'
Terra couldn't question it any farther, as Rumplestiltskin had disappeared. The house was a large mansion, and a man and a woman were having dinner outside, while a tiny child was stumbling around in the grass. Terra recognized the two people as Serah and Snow, a couple of friends of Eraqus'.
"Hey, isn't that Terra, one of Eraqus' apprentices?" Serah, a pink haired woman pointed out towards the figure emerging from the trees.
Snow, a blonde and built man nodded, "Yeah. Hey Terra! Come and talk! We haven't seen you or the gang in a while."
Terra nodded and walled over to the small table, placing his Keyblade flat on the ground. It would only hurt forces that wish to bring harm, or to open any lock.
Snow and Serah interrogated Terra about the other apprentices, while Terra would take quick glances at the wobbling boy getting closer and closer to the lone Keyblade.
The boy sat down in the grass, observing the Keyblade curiously. It shined in the afternoon light, and something about the Key was drawing him in. The boy reached out with his tiny little hand and touched the hilt of the blade. It felt empowering, even though the kid was a little over a year old.
Terra didn't even notice what the boy had done. He was too invested in the conversation.
Rumplestiltskin however, was watching the entire time.
Once Upon A Time…
Prince Charming, or David as he is known in Storybrooke, was driving around town on his afternoon patrol, when he saw Riku walking along the sidewalk, staring at the ground. David pulled over and parked his car, getting out to chat with Riku.
"Anything wrong?" David asked. Riku shook his head.
"Just trying to figure out where Kairi went, and if Naminé came with her," the teen sighed. "And on top of that, Organization XIII is probably out there, waiting for us."
David felt the same way. "We'll find them, and you'll see them again."
Riku felt comfort at David's words, but he kept his head down, "Tell that to Sora. He's been getting desperate lately." He pointed towards the direction of Granny's. David made a mental note to check on Sora in a short while.
Once Upon A Time…
"Alright, did I fulfill my end of the deal? Dark One?" Terra called out into the woods, Keyblade in hand. It was late at night, and Terra could hardly see through the darkness. It took him hours to get away from the conversation with Serah and Snow. He was weary from the endless talking, but he was still ready. Ready to become stronger, ready to protect all he loves.
Rumpelstiltskin appeared on a sturdy tree branch in a pine tree, a satisfied grin on his face, "Well, well, you fulfilled your end of the bargain. Isn't this my lucky day?"
Terra looked at Rumpel oddly, "Just why did I have to get a mere child to touch my Keyblade? He's not old enough to have it yet."
Rumpel smirked, "I ran into a little problem with a prophecy. You see, the prophecy requires a new generation of Keybladers, and so far, there's only one alive. I had to find a suitable candidate, searching for a child worthy of the key, and that boy who just inherited your Keyblade is a pretty worthy soul, wouldn't you say?" Rumpel jumped down from the tree. "Now, you made a deal, you fulfilled your end of it, I keep my word," he raised his hand up to Terra. "Enjoy your power, which is determined by the corruption of your heart! Nyah!"
Dark and purple smoke appeared out of nowhere, slowly swirling around Terra from the ground up. Terra collapsed to his knees, clutching his heart, "W-What are you doing to me?"
Rumpel gave a malicious smile before disappearing, "Getting you and your friends out of the way."
The smoke swallowed Terra completely. The pain in his heart grew stronger and stronger, until it was unbearable. He screamed, removed his grip on his chest to grip at the ground, the darkness overtaking his easily corrupted heart. His Keyblade was now tainted, impure, and soon he'll lose the ability to use it. Once the pain faded, and the black smoke disappeared, Terra stood once again, now a completely different person: a monster with lust for power.
.
Eraqus was taking down the dummies outside in the courtyard for the day; the sun setting. Terra had been gone for over two days, and he was getting concerned for his apprentice's safety. Terra had a large amount of darkness, and that can cause him to be easily corruptible. Eraqus decided to go find him after he was done putting away the training gear. By the time he was done, the sun was completely gone, and the night was black, absent of stars mysteriously.
Eraqus grabbed his gear and began walking back inside the castle. He placed the gear in the closet in the Mastery Hall, where two thrones that the Masters before the Keyblade War would sit and judge their students day in and day out. Eraqus only sat in one of the thrones on extra special occasions, like the Mark of Mastery. Old traditions sometimes didn't die hard.
The Master heard footsteps behind him as he tidied up the Thrones before he did anything else. He felt an extremely large amount of darkness approaching. He summoned his Keyblade as he turned around to face the mysterious entity. Eraqus' eyes widened as he saw who it was.
"Terra," Eraqus muttered in disbelief, "What have you become?"
Terra remained the same in appearance, save for his white hair and golden colored eyes. He held his tainted Keyblade in his hand, a dark aura surround him. Terra only stared blankly at his master for a while before speaking.
"The name is no longer Terra, and I am not longer your student," he pointed his Keyblade at Eraqus and shot out a large orb of darkness. It hit Eraqus square in the chest and sent him flying backwards. "Call me Xehanort."
Eraqus got up shakily, not expecting his student to attack him so suddenly. He used his Keyblade to support himself. He raised his weapon in defense. "Terra, this was why you're not ready for the Mark. The darkness inside you corrupted you."
Something snapped in the now-Xehanort. Eraqus was the reason he wasn't strong enough for the Mark…No, he is strong enough; Eraqus just doesn't want him getting more powerful. "You…You won't let me have the Mark, because I was weak and pathetic in your eyes. The darkness is power, strength."
Eraqus shook his head, "No, darkness can make you do unspeakable things, Terra. I was trying to protect you."
"No, you didn't see my potential. You didn't!" Xehanort raised his Keyblade again and shot many dark fire missiles at his old master. Eraqus blocked the attacks as best he could, but even the darkness was too powerful for him. He kept his weapon up in a defensive position.
Xehanort kept throwing dark-versions of certain spells and attacks, "Why don't you fight me back, old man?!"
Eraqus was pushed back by an aero spell, being brought to his knees, "Terra, I've cared for you since you were young; an orphan with so much greatness inside him. You're like my son to me." Xehanort knocked the Keyblade out of Eraqus' hand. "I'll never raise my blade against my own son," he coughed.
The white-haired man let his master's words sink in, before raising his Keyblade again, "You've become too sentimental, old man," he slashed at Eraqus, sending him flying across the room, slamming into the wall. "You told Aqua something that you refused to indulge to me. Tell me old man and I may let you live."
Eraqus coughed, holding his side in pain. Blood soaked his armor, "I'll never speak." He groaned in pain, "I failed you Terra. It's all my fault for the darkness inside you."
Xehanort chuckled darkly, "You are a fool. You are no longer useful to me. Time's up for you Master Eraqus." And with that, he covered his Keyblade in flames and rammed Eraqus in the gut. Removing his weapon, Ansem turned around and walked out the Grand Master's Hall, leaving a dying Eraqus on the floor.
Aqua had felt a large amount of darkness nearby and went downstairs from her room to check on Eraqus and see if Terra was back. Something in her heart told her that something terrible had occurred.
"Please let them be alright," she whispered, summoning her Keyblade. When she reached the Gran Hall, a horrific sight greeted her. Master Eraqus was dying. "No, no, no, no, no!" she shook her head in disbelief, running swiftly to her teacher. She kneeled beside him, trying to figure out how to heal him. "Master, you'll be okay, you'll live, you have to live," Aqua spoke over and over until Eraqus stopped her by weakly grabbing her shoulder.
"Master Aqua, my time has come," Eraqus spoke quietly.
Aqua shook her head furiously, "No, Eraqus!"
"Listen to me, Aqua, Terra has fallen to darkness. He's no longer the Terra we once knew. He wants more power as we speak. You must know of the prophecy, Aqua. A short while ago, a wizard named Merlin had learned from the spirits of the Old Masters that the next generation of Keybladers will be born soon. The second child born with the potential to wield the Keyblade will be the one to open the power that Keybladers from eons ago waged war over: Kingdom Hearts," Eraqus coughed some more. "Terra or any other dark forces must never get their hands on it." He pointed to his Keyblade on the floor. "You have yet to pick an heir, Aqua. The new generation is young, so leave your Keyblade where your heir will touch it when they are ready in case something was to happen to you. Take my Keyblade with you to defend yourself."
Aqua nodded in understanding, "What about Ven? What about his child?"
"What I've been hiding from Ventus is that his child is the second one born who will take up the Keyblade. His destiny has already been determined from birth," Eraqus whispered. "Tell Ventus to take his child and run as far away as he can from the dark forces. Find somewhere safe for his kid to grow up and be safe until he comes of age."
Aqua's eyes widened in shock, "Ven would never accept that."
"He has to. One way or another," Eraqus' grasp was getting weaker. "You three are the best to have ever to teach and raise…" He took his last breath. His body was engulfed in light before turning into millions of light shards and fading away. Aqua silently sobbed before getting up from the floor. Her heavy heart decided to carry out Eraqus' last request. She had to get Ven and the baby out of the castle. She quickly went to Ven's room, where he had just put the baby to nap.
"Ven!" Aqua gasped, trying to catch her breath. Ven quickly got up from the chair he was sitting in.
"What is it Aqua? What has happened?" Ven asked in concern.
"M-Master…Master Eraqus has fallen," Aqua said solemnly. Ventus stared in shock.
"He is…gone? He can't be gone!"
"I'm…sorry Ven. Terra, he…Has given into the darkness. Terra had killed Eraqus, and now, he wants something that'll make him more powerful. Eraqus didn't want you to worry about the prophecy so he didn't tell you," Aqua began. "The prophecy says that the second child born of the Keyblade will be the one to unlock the door to Kingdom Hearts. Kingdom Hearts is the ultimate power. It grants immortality, ability to traverse the worlds, even time travel. No other power matches it. Ven, you need to take the baby and ran as far away as you can. Dark forces want your child, including Terra."
Ven could only gape at his friend at all this information. The dark forces want his kid to rule the universe? "No…no, no! I'll protect my child with my life! No one is going to use my own flesh and blood for their own personal agenda!" Ven wrapped up the baby in a blanket as they peacefully slept. "I'll find a new home for my kid if I must."
Aqua placed a hand on Ven's shoulder, "Ven, I need you to do me one more favor. A few days ago, a princess was born in Radia. Yesterday I went and saw the newborn, and she had the potential to be a part of the next Keyblade generation. Take my Keyblade and give it to the Queen, tell her that the Princess will inherit it when she is of age." She handed him her Keyblade Stormfall.
"But Aqua, how will you defend yourself?" Ven strapped the Keyblade to his back, grabbing a black cloak to conceal his identity.
"Master Eraqus left me Master Keeper. I'll be fine Ven. You need to protect your family. I need to go after Terra," Aqua showed him her lucky charm. "Our lucky charms give us an unbreakable connection."
Ven nodded in agreement, "Right," he looked down at his only family, still sleeping peacefully.
Once Upon A Time…
Aqua walked through the dark woods, letting Eraqus' Keyblade lead the way towards Terra. No matter what, Terra will still be alive somewhere, no matter how much the darkness has pushed him away. The man she loves is still out there somewhere.
"Terra? Terra where are you?" Aqua called out in the darkness. "Please, I still care for you Terra. You have to fight back the darkness!"
She felt a slash to her back come out of nowhere, knocking her to the ground. She winced in pain as she got up, facing a man who looks like Terra. He scowled down at her with his golden eyes. "Terra's heart has been extinguished... smothered by the darkness within him!" he leapt at her, ramming down his Keyblade. Aqua blocked him successfully.
"Terra, please!" she cried out, trying to knock some sense into him.
"There is no Terra now. The darkness that is Xehanort is here, alive, and willing to do anything it takes to get to Kingdom Hearts!" he rapidly attacked her, aggressively swinging his weapon powerfully, which Aqua barely managed to block.
"How…how do you know about Kingdom Hearts?!" she exclaimed, trying to fight back against him.
"I knew Eraqus would tell you everything while he fades away. He truly was a fool in the end," Xehanort lowered his Keyblade to grab Aqua by the stomach and singly-handedly tossed her against a tree. He then lifted her up by the collar of her armored-shirt. She gasped as she was being half-choked. "Where is that foolish Ventus taking the child?"
"Someplace where you'll never find them," Aqua croaked. She lifted up her hands to grasp his arm. "Terra, please come back to us. You don't have to do this. You don't need power. We need you, I need you."
"I need power to protect the ones I love!" he growled.
"Then how come you killed our master? He was like a father to us, to you," Aqua tried to coax a positive reaction out of him. It didn't work.
"He got in my way. Now tell me, where is Ventus?!"
"I'll never tell," Aqua spoke defiantly, still gasping for air.
"I'll find one way or another to make you talk, until then, I can't have you getting in my way," he tossed her to the ground. The Keyblade was far out of her reach. She was too weak to get it. He lifted up his hand to create an orb of dark energy. Aqua turned around to stare into his eyes with her own pleading eyes.
"Terra, I still love you," she said tearfully.
Her words stalled him for a moment, but it wasn't enough to spare Master Aqua from her fate. The orb of darkness left Xehanort's hand and engulfed Aqua. When the swirl of black and purple smoke was gone, all that was left is a small glass statue of Aqua. He picked it up and held it in his palm.
Rumpelstiltskin appeared out of nowhere to snap his fingers and the statue left Xehanort's hand.
"What?!" he shouted, looking for the thief. He found Rumpel in a tree, who only mockingly played with the statue in his hand.
"Well, Xehanort. I was only intending to get you out of the way so I could kill your master, but you seemed to do it for me. But," Rumpel's grin immediately went away. "There's no way I'm sharing the all-powerful Kingdom Hearts with you, or anyone else for that matter."
With that, Rumpelstiltskin disappeared, the Aqua statue in hand. Xehanort screamed into the woods with anger. His Keyblade faded from his hand, for the Keyblade could no longer be sustained by his dark heart.
Once Upon A Time…
Ventus ran through the woods, carrying a small bundle in one arm. He had to get to Radiant Castle immediately, before his child was found by the monster Terra had become, or by someone worse. The castle was bright, and the lights in the windows were shining bright through the dark, making it easier to navigate to the castle. Ventus never looked back, only looking down to the child in his arms. Nothing was going to take the only joy in his life away from him. His master is gone, his future wife is gone, and the only thing left in Ventus' life was his child. He had feeling that Aqua wasn't going to live if Terra had found her.
No one going to take the world's last hope away. He reached the front gates, hoping he could get in to see the Queen. The guards recognized the Keyblader, and let him in when they saw the desperation in his eyes.
The Duchess of Radiant Castle sat on the throne, yearning for a child of her own to hold. Her brother and his wife just had a baby girl just only a few days ago. The Duchess was cursed to never bare any children. But if her family is happy, then she is happy. The elder Queen placed a hand upon her shoulder in comfort, until the doors burst open, a cloaked man carrying a bundle. The Queen was alert, and knew from the symbol the man wore, he was one of Master Eraqus' apprentices.
"Your Majesty, you know my master, but I give you distressing news," Ventus spoke quickly. "Eraqus has fallen, and his two other apprentices are missing. My son, I can no longer keep him safe, please, I beg of you, if you could just take him in?" Ven pleaded to the Queen. The Duchess stood up, and walked over to the young man, taking the child from him.
"I'll take him. I'll care for him and protect as if he were my own," the Duchess smiled, happy to be able to raise a child of her own.
The baby cooed, already liking this kind woman. Ven looked at his son sadly, and took off his crown necklace, and placed it around the baby. "I'm giving you your best chance," he whispered. He walked over to the Queen, and handed her Stormfall. "Master Aqua wanted me to leave this here for the Princess. She must only touch it when she is ready."
Strangely, the Queen nodded in understanding. "My granddaughter has the potential, doesn't she?"
Ven nodded. "Yes." He began walking towards the entrance, taking one last look at his son in the Duchess' arms.
The Duchess looked at Ven, knowing deep inside, that he wasn't going to come back. "What is his name?"
Ven looked away, his heart sinking. He had to let him go, no matter how much it hurt. Walking away, he gave his answer, "His name is Sora."
He left the castle with a heavy heart, knowing he'll never see his son again. He summoned his Keyblade and began running towards the woods, trying to find Aqua and possibly help her. Unfortunately, he was tripped by Rumpelstiltskin. He recovered quickly, trying to get up, but was blasted back by extra powerful dark magic. Ventus fell to the ground in agony, fully at the mercy of Rumpelstiltskin.
The Dark One gritted his teeth, and spoke ever so slowly. "Where is the child?"
"Why do you care so much about a baby?" Ventus growled, struggling to get up again.
"Because of the prophecy. The second child born of the Keyblade will be the one to open the Door. Thanks to your now corrupted friend Terra, he passed on his Keyblade to another child who is older. Your son is destined to open the Door," he explained. "Lead me to your son."
"No, never. I'll withstand all the pain in the world to prevent you from getting to him," Ven raised his Keyblade and created a large windstorm which blew Rumpelstiltskin a few hundred feet away. He used his weapon to stand up, pointing the Keyblade at the sky. "I shall protect my son with my dying breath. No dark forces shall find him or come near him until he is ready to accept the duties of the Keyblade. You, Dark One, will never see him or find him until he comes of age. He will grow up happily, he'll live a carefree life until it is time, and I don't care if I can't ever see him again!" The Keyblade shot out a bright beam of light into the sky, cutting through the darkness of the light.
The Dark One recovered from the windstorm to see what Ventus has done. "You fool!" he growled. "How many of you Keybladers must interfere with my plans?!" In anger, he snapped his fingers, causing dark clouds to surround Ventus. He persisted through the evil curse though in order to complete his spell. He had finished a few seconds before he was engulfed by the curse.
"Be good, Sora," he whispered. The clouds dissipated, leaving a small glass statue of Ventus.
Once Upon A Time…
Roxas walked down the street of the darker side of Storybrooke, staring at the golden star lucky charm. When he and Sora had spilt apart a second time, the lucky charm was in his pocket. The star was innocent and pure, simple and clean like Naminé. He sighed. "One day Naminé, I will see you again." He walked past an alley way, something catching his eye. He walked back to the alley. At the end was graffiti roman numerals, on the brick in white paint.
VIII.
Roxas' eyes widened. He slowly started walking away backwards. "No, not them!" he gasped when he was knocked off his feet. He faced planted into the concrete, before being jerked back up by two men roughly gripping him by his arms. He looked up to see Saïx and Axel standing before him.
"What do you want me to do about the traitor, Saïx?" Axel asked. Something was not right about the red-head.
Saïx kept a stoic face as he delivered his answer, "Take him to the dungeons. Lord Xemnas will deal with him later, after Cora delivers her promise."
Roxas tried helplessly to break free. "Axel, Axel please, help me! I'm your friend!"
Axel only shook his head. "You are not my friend. You are a traitor."
The blonde was dragged away towards the Organization's base. Behind a nearby corner was a red-haired man in a suit who had witnessed the event. He pulled out his phone and called up his partner-in-crime. "Hey Rude? Can you come over to the ghetto side of town? I think my cousin has been doing things he's not supposed to. Yes, I'll call the Sherif's office."
.
Cora turned to Hook as the Jolly Roger sailed towards Storybrooke, "Make sure the captive below doesn't get away. I'd hate to keep Lord Xemnas waiting."
"I swear on Captain's Honor, Cora," Hook nodded. Cora smirked as she went down below deck. A fair red-haired princess sat behind bars under the main deck.
"Hello, Princess Kairi. I hope you'll be a good girl and stay where you belong, out of the way, and maybe we'll get along, hm?" Cora said calmly.
Kairi glared at the evil woman, "You are foolish to think I'll do as you say."
"Oh, I don't need you to follow commands. Your life being in danger is enough to get Sora to follow my commands though," Cora chuckled as she went up to the top deck. Kairi gripped the bars of her prison tightly.
"Sora is in trouble because of me…"
AN: This took forever. It's been a while since I updated this crossover. So a couple of notes:
I will not be putting in Xion, the real Master Xehanort, Ansem the Wise, or many other characters. (I'll sneak in mentions of King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy) I could not figure out a way to put in those characters without making the plot more complex, so we'll keep it as simple as we can.
Review and please tell me what you think. The next part is the last part.
