Part IV: The Reunion.
~Previously…
"I can't believe Ventus is going to be a father. He's so young."
"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."
"You know she is going to find out one way or another,"
"Terra, why would you lie to me?"
"I love the sweet smell of desperation in the morning, don't you?"
"I'm willing to offer you a deal; I'll give you strength beyond even Eraqus', if you do one simple task for me,"
"You will show the child your Keyblade, and the boy must touch the hilt,'
"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?"
Rumple gave a malicious smile before disappearing, "Getting you and your friends out of the way."
"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,"
"Be good, Sora," Ventus whispered.
...
Princess Kairi of Radia became lively again after Sora awoke from his yearlong sleep. The color was restored to her cheeks, she no longer sleeping until midday and actually left her room. Sora no longer was on Death's bed and he seemed to the normal, goofy Sora like he always was. Riku had taken in these observations, and came to the conclusion that the two were meant to be together. Riku had originally pined for Kairi's heart in the beginning, but after Sora was discovered to be the first Keyblade wielder in fourteen years, Riku had given up, knowing he could not compare.
But what luck he had, to confront a person who looked like Sora and carried two Keyblades, one in each hand. Riku was curious about the person, as after he let the person go to where Sora rested, the figure was never seen again. The confrontation allowed Riku to finally realize his potential, and unlock his ability to wield a Keyblade of his own.
The King was ecstatic to hear that instead of one Keyblader, he had two to protect his kingdom, and his precious daughter. He remembered perfectly the day his dear sister-in-law came to him with a baby in her arms.
"The Master's apprentice came and told us of his downfall, leaving behind this child. I vowed to take care of him as my own," the Duchess spoke. "The child's name is Sora, with his eyes blue like the sky."
That was what inspired the name for his beautiful newborn baby girl. A few minutes after she was born, his wife commented about how her eyes reflected the sea.
"My future Queen," the King spoke gently as his wife cradled the princess in her arms. "How about we name her Kairi? Like the sea."
The mother smiled, "Kairi. Perfect."
During this, two nobles sat at home, caring for their adopted child, who was unknowingly chosen for the next generation of Keybladers.
~Once Upon A Time...
Maleficent was far from pleased. First the boy manages to nearly kill her, and then Xemnas suddenly decided to call in a favor. She had hoped he forgot about their deal.
"I'm surprised the boy slipped from your hands, Lord Xemnas," Maleficent mocked, sitting down at a long, extravagant table with meaningless food, Xemnas sitting at the other end.
"That foolish Rumplestiltskin got in my way. I lost control. If I had also known about the girl's existence, I maybe would have been to keep my plan going," Xemnas answered with ease. "My momentary regaining of the Keyblade had made me lose control. Now, I'm stuck in this shell of a body, most my power numbed. I need his Keyblade, and so do you."
"That boy is incorruptible due to his special relationship with the princess. Are you sure the older one isn't the one we want?"
"No, he is of first born. The second one born of Keyblade will open the Door,"
"Obviously not going to happen unless we break up his connection to the princess. I heard the Dark One muttering something about 'true love', wasn't it?"
Xemnas smirked, "True love is the most powerful magic when at its strongest. It may have revived the boy from death, but there are no Nobodies to interfere this time. True love can only work if one knows where to direct their love towards. Say someone suffers amnesia, and then they don't remember the object of their love."
Maleficent brightened up at his plan, "Let's see if the chain of memories cannot be altered, shall we? I know just the spell."
~Once Upon A Time...
Storybrooke, Two Years Ago
A small black limousine entered the borders of Storybrooke in the middle of the night. A young man of twenty one years wore a black business suit. His messy brown hair stuck up at odd angles. He had small, faint stubble on his chin. Sitting next to him was a young woman with long, flowing platinum blonde hair. She wore an emerald dress and held a notepad in one hand and a pen the other.
"Where are we?" the woman asked, looking away from her notepad for a second to see the small town outside the window.
"Storybrooke, Maine," the man said simply. "Years of searching for this well hidden place is at an end. Now, we wait, until the time is right," he pointed to the white sapphire amulet she bore around her neck. "You must keep that amulet on every single moment of the day. Got it?"
"Yes sir," the woman nodded.
"And your name until then is Vinca,"
"Yes sir,"
"Must I tell you for the thousandth time not to address me like that in private?"
Vinca shook her head, "I'm sorry. I'm just…uneasy. We spend twenty seven years looking for this place and now that we found it, who knows what is inside?"
"Let's see, a man whose life hangs on power from a dagger, a possible witch who can turn into a dragon, a group of men in coats with questionable motives, a jealous and angry queen, I think I've got them all," he smirked. Vinca scribbled his words down on the notepad.
"Where is our first destination in this town?" Vinca questioned.
"Well, we have to build our house, where we will stay,"
"How long will we be here?"
"Until the Savior breaks the curse,"
The limo stopped in an open lot covered in shrubs and dead grass. The two stepped out of the limo to inspect the area. The empty space was in between a small house and a local business.
"But sir, what about our responsibilities to the rest of the universe?"
"I have left the others in charge. We shall take shifts. You are now capable of doing it on your own,"
"But what about the annual meeting between-"
"That I will take care of. We won't spend too long here, Vinca, so don't worry," the man opened up the trunk of the limo, grabbing a mysterious object. He closed the trunk and stood on the edge of the sidewalk, flexing his fingers. "Keep a look out for prying eyes; no one is to witness my magic,"
Vinca nodded, turning around to see the other businesses and houses across the street. She looked at her amulet curiously. Why is it she had to wear it at all times? She turned back around to ask him, but instead of an empty lot, it was now a large three story house. It was quaint with many Celtic details on the outside. A smoke stack was on the roof, smoke emitting from it.
"How did you…" she walked up to the elaborate house and placed a hand on the wooden door, only to recoil from the touch. It was unusually smooth for being wood. "Oh,"
"Do not be so disappointed. It took a lot of work to put this together," he placed the mysterious object back into the limo.
She shook her head a little, before admiring the house. He was always the same. "Well now, what is it I'm supposed to address you now?"
"My name is Robert as long as we stay in Storybrooke,"
Vinca looked at him, eyebrow raised, "Robert?"
"What? I thought it was simple enough,"
"Okay, whatever you say," Vinca scribbled the name Robert in her notepad.
Present Day Storybrooke
"Where in the name of Radia did Roxas go?" Sora exclaimed. "I can't even keep track of my Nobody, how am I going to find Kairi?" He mentally panicked and clutched his hair. He and Riku haven't seen Roxas for over three days. The two were in the Sheriff's station with the recently returned Emma Swan. David had to fill her in on the situation of Keyblades and the nature of Roxas' creation. Emma made a side comment on how she's heard of this before from a bunch of video game nerds.
"Kid, calm down. We need to figure out where the heck he went and take it from there," Emma told him. "What did he do last time you saw him?"
"He said he needed to get some air," Sora began. "He woke up sweating in the middle of the night, yelling for…Naminé. He stayed up all night so not to continue his nightmare and in the morning he said he needed to go for a walk, alone, and he hasn't returned since."
Emma pulled out her phone to call Ruby to come to the station.
Riku looked at Sora in concern, "He had a nightmare?"
Sora nodded, "And so have I, but Roxas' were more…intense. I saw in Henry's book how much he has suffered, more than I have."
The older teen became anxious, "I've been having nightmares as well. Perhaps it is just us."
David's eyes widened, "No, I've been getting them too. But I've been under the sleeping curse, it's a side effect."
Emma ended her call, having just heard this startling information, "All of you, have been getting nightmares lately? At the same time? That's…not normal."
Henry walked in, setting down his school bag. He clutched his book of Fairytales in his arm, noticing the two Keybladers and the startled Emma and David. "What is going on?" he asked.
"Roxas is missing," Riku simply explained.
"What? When? Where?" Henry started to become panicked.
Emma placed a hand on his shoulder in comfort, "Kid, it's okay, calm down."
"No, it won't be okay. According to the book, if a person is turned into a heartless and a nobody, the heartless must die first, and then the nobody will follow after, restoring the person to normal. But Sora retained his normal being, so if Roxas dies, so does Sora,"
Emma let the boy's words soak in, if he is right, then Sora's life is in serious danger.
Ruby arrived at that moment. "Okay, you needed my help?"
David nodded. "We need your tracking skills."
"Okay, do you have a sample of who we are looking for?"
Sora sighed and took off his jacket and handed it to Ruby, "We are the same, aren't we?" Ruby took one whiff, looked at Sora oddly, and then started on the trail, hoping to pick up the scent, wherever it may be. The group followed after her, armed with fists and guns.
Ruby followed the scent towards a more ghetto side of town. Some stores were closed down and boarded up. Some of them had broken windows, and no one walked these streets.
"Well, I'd expect Roxas to walk around a place where there's no one around," Riku commented.
Roby suddenly stopped next to an alley way, this was where the scent was at its peak. Emma and David took a look into the alley, only to see the letters VIII written in white paint.
"What is that? A sign for a gang?" Emma asked, taking pictures of the letters.
"Roxas did mention a group he used to work for…" Riku said.
"Organization XIII," Sora said. "But this says eight, not thirteen. I wonder why. It's not mentioned in the fairytale book."
"Because the Organization is very secret. Not many people know about them," Henry informed.
"Well, whoever these guys are, they are more than likely the reason why Roxas is missing," Emma commented. She looked into one of the broken windows of a long forgotten store, and saw a shadowed figure inside. She whipped out her gun and pointed it right the figure. "Put your hands up where I can see them."
The person panicked and made a break for it, and they were not alone. They had an acquaintance with them. Emma and David chased after them, guns and swords drawn. Luck was on their side, for the two mysterious people were not the best at running. The father and daughter tackled the two to the ground. Upon closer inspection, one had red hair tied into a ponytail, and the other wore sunglasses.
"Yo, what is the big deal?" exclaimed the red head.
"You're under arrest for running from a crime scene," Emma declared, handcuffing the red haired one. His friend looked at him, miffed. "I'm going to have to question why you are here."
"You didn't call the sheriff?"
"I was busy,"
~Once Upon a Time…
Sora opened his eyes to blinding sunshine. He rubbed his eyes as he grabbed his pocket watch from the table beside his bed. It read noon. He groaned and buried his face into his pillow. Riku was going to kill him for sleeping in so late.
He pulled himself out of bed, throwing on some of his casual clothes and dredged downstairs to the dining hall. He sat down at his usual place, staring into space.
Riku laughed as he walked into the room, noticing the over tired Sora. "Geeze Sora, I'm surprised Kairi has let you sleep in so long."
Sora raised an eyebrow, "Kairi? Who is Kairi?"
Riku froze up, was he joking? "Kairi is our best friend."
"Riku, as far as I know, you have been my only best friend,"
Kairi walked into the dining hall, dress primped and tiara placed perfectly on top of her head. She greeted Riku with a smile, "Good afternoon Riku." Her gaze turned to Sora. "Who is this? Is he one of your fellow knights?"
The elder teen stared in disbelief, "This is Sora, your best friend?"
The princess shook her head, "I've never seen him in my life. It was good to meet you Sir Sora, but I have duties to attend to." Just like that, she left, not even sparing Sora another thought.
Sora never spared the princess another thought as well, save for one. "That's the princess? She's beautiful." For a moment, Riku thought that maybe it was a prank being pulled on him. Never had he heard Sora say Kairi was beautiful, not once. "Whelp, we better go down to the training grounds." That moment was shattered.
Sora and Kairi have forgotten each other, and it is in Riku's hands to fix it.
~Once Upon a Time…
Roxas sat in a cell, his gaze glued to the wall. He refused to look his captors in the eye. His nightmares refused to stop. How long has it been since he was put in here? Two days? Three days? He wouldn't, he hasn't the light of day for a while.
"You brought this on yourself, you know," Saïx, a man with an x-shaped scar on his face said calmly in a monotone voice.
"Hmph, and explain to me how I brought this on myself? Go on, I love to hear what pathetic lies you are about to spew about my existence," the blonde spat.
"You abandoned your best friend, who lied to me about your…precious girl. You left, betrayed us. And for what? 'True love?' Something that doesn't exist? Now, you claim I'm spewing lies when they are simply truths? Truths you refuse to accept? You'll never escape your past, traitor, no matter how much you want to,"
Roxas kept his stare on the wall. He started to lose hope. His past was inescapable, and difficult to forget. He would be forgiven. His punishment is to never see his true best friend again, nor see the girl that changed everything. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, another nightmare awaiting him.
He stood in a dark room, his cloak in one hand, and a book in another. He opened the book slowly to a page.
This is your name:
Sora.
"No," he dropped the book. "No, no, I am Roxas. I am my own being."
"You'll never escape your past, traitor, no matter how much you want to," Saïx's voice echoed.
"I am not a traitor! Xemnas lied to me!"
"You are not my friend. You are a traitor," Axel voice echoed as well.
"I didn't betray you! I did what I had to do!" Roxas collapsed to his knees, his fists trying to rip the cloak that he once wore. "I did this to save us all! To prevent us from being puppets!"
"It's not your fault," a soft, gentle voice whispered to him. "It's not your fault everything is falling apart."
"It isn't?" Roxas released the cloak from his tight grip, letting it fall to the ground. He listened to the soothing voice. "What…Who are you?" He stood up properly, "Naminé?"
Naminé appeared in a small flash of light. She stood right in front of him, a slight smile gracing her lips, "You must understand why you are trapped within the Organization's grip. It is Axel."
"Tell me something I don't know,"
She giggled for a moment, and then continued explaining, "Axel's past is not a pleasant one. He is very susceptible to the darkness and corruption Xemnas carries. Saïx has him under his control."
Roxas' eyes widened, "So that's why Axel is not himself."
The girl nodded, "Yes, but you cannot lose hope. You are the embodiment of hope after all. You gave Sora and Kairi hope during their darkest hour. You were created due to the love Sora has for Kairi. Don't let that be all for naught." She took his hand into hers, "True love is the most powerful magic there is. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." She began to fade away. He was waking up.
"Naminé?" he called out to her, "Just…how come I keep getting nightmares?"
Her expression changed to a solemn one. "I don't know."
His eyes snapped open, his breathing harsh and uneven. How time had passed since he fell asleep, he didn't know. It was long enough, for Axel was making his rounds.
"Look at the traitor, finally awoken from his beauty sleep," Axel commented bitterly. Roxas noticed that his eyes were golden, like Saïx's. "Betray us for 'true love', something that ceases to exist."
"You lie," Roxas growled. "True love is the most powerful magic of all," he suddenly stood up, gripping the bars of his cell. "I will get out of here, I will stop Xemnas, and I will free you from his control."
Axel had to laugh mockingly, "Oh? Why do you think so?"
The teen did not hesitate, "Because I am the product of true love."
~Once Upon a Time…
Lea stood in his older brother's room. It has been a month, and he has not returned. Lea knew within his heart, that his brother is gone. His mother was growing sicker with heartache each day. First her husband, then her stillborn child, and now her eldest child, all gone. She had little left to hang onto. Lea is going to be an orphan soon, and he knew it. With a small rucksack of everything he owned, he left the room and walked out of the house after he said goodbye to his mother, never to return.
Four years later, Lea was still on the streets, thieving from merchants and the royal guards. They carried their money in little satchels from their belts. Easy targets, easy money. He was sitting beside the castle, hidden behind the corner. A guard was about to nod off, and it would be the perfect timing to get his money.
"Really?" a voiced whispered beside Lea. He nearly fell forward, practically having a heart attack. He looked to his left, seeing a teen with blue hair and eyes. "You're stealing from pathetic guards?"
Lea glared at him, "Excuse me for wanting to survive."
The teen shook his head in disapproval, "If you're going to steal, go big. Don't go for some pathetic guards. Aim big."
"Oh and how do you propose how we go 'big'?"
"Instead of the outside of the castle, how about the inside of the castle?"
"Tried to get in, and as you can see I failed," Lea grumbled.
"Lucky for you, I know a secret passage,"
Lea immediately perked up, "A secret passage? Into the castle? Wait; is it real or just some lame myth just to get my hopes up?"
The blue haired teen rolled his eyes, "Really? Fine, you want proof, then follow me." The two walked over to a small house next to the stable. The mysterious teen opened the door and showed Lea inside. Down in the basement of the little house was a brick wall. The teen pushed certain bricks in a specific order, and the brick wall opened to a secret cave.
"Down there is a hidden entrance to the royal garden. The royal garden is near the kitchens, so it's free food," The teen explained, a slight smirk on his face. Lea gaped. "You're welcome."
"Wow, I'll be set up for months, even years!" Lea exclaimed in awe. "Well, shall we go get some goodies?"
The blue haired teen raised an eyebrow, "Really?"
"Sure, why not?"
"Alright,"
The two street rats walked into the small, damp cave. Just as the door was closing, Lea gave a friendly smirk, "By the way, the name's Lea. L-E-A. Got it memorized?"
The other teen was slightly startled by the friendly gesture, but immediately warmed up to it, "I'm Isa."
~Once Upon a Time…
Reno, handcuffed, sat in the interrogation room. Emma and David stood opposite of him. Emma was irritated at Reno leaning back and placing his feet on the table. He paid his interrogators no glance.
"Well? Are you going to force me to give you answers to questions?" Reno leaned his head back in his hands.
Emma sighed irritably and started her train of questions, "Who are you?"
"Reno Fujiwara,"
"Who is your accomplice?"
"Rude Kusunoki,"
"What were you two doing in the ghetto section of town near a crime scene?"
Reno sighed and sat forward, "My partner in crime and I were hired to stakeout Organization XIII's base. We both saw what-his-name get kidnapped by a guy who looked like Sonic the Hedgehog and the other guy was just way too scary to even get near."
"Do you know anything about this Organization XIII?"
"All I know is that they're a gang of thieves and trouble makers. Their base is not too far from where you slammed my fragile head into the ground, by the way, thanks a lot for that,"
"Can it, Reno, we need information, and the fact that you didn't inform me immediately of the incident makes this even more suspicious," Emma glared down at him.
"May inform that the reason I initially refused to inform you of the incident was because the scary man decided to threaten our lives. I was hoping that soon our boss would tell us our contract is up and I can get him to give us some protection from these wackos,"
Something didn't add up to David. "Who is exactly your employer?"
Reno cracked his fingers, "Rumplestiltskin, of course."
Emma and David looked at each other, wide-eyed; Emma was not surprised Rumple was involved.
~Once Upon a Time…
Riku paced around his room, ready to rip his hair out. How in the name of Radiant Garden could Sora and Kairi, two people who are in love with each but don't realize it forget who the other person is? Riku knew he had to fix this, but how? He found out a month ago that he can wield the Keyblade, and his training has been going great but he has yet to learn the full magical abilities of the Keyblade.
"Don't tear your hair out dearie," a giddy voice spoke to him. Riku swiftly turned around to see Rumplestiltskin sitting on the bed, "Wouldn't want the ladies to flee from your lack of hair."
"The Dark One, "Riku hissed. "Darkness cannot get inside this castle."
"Until a year ago when the princess disappeared. Right when the Keyblader turned fifteen. Now, I can come and go as I please, and dark magic can come and go as it pleased, which is why you are in this little predicament,"
"This is none of your concern,"
"Oh, but what's a good show if you can't help the heroes? Quite boring really,"
"I don't need your help,"
"For now, but when your heart becomes desperate, I will know, and you'll ask for my aid," just like that, Rumpelstiltskin was gone.
Riku returned to pacing, thinking and thinking of what to do. His thoughts were not interrupted when Sora barged in through the door.
"Riku, I cannot get the Princess out of my head. She's so beautiful and just the way she carries herself and all; I'm going insane," Sora ranted.
Riku stopped his pacing at Sora's words. Was he smitten by her? Perhaps... "Sounds like you like her, as in you want to court the princess."
Sora's face slowly turned red as he registered Riku's words, "No no, she's the princess, I'm just a lowly knight."
"Kairi is not vain like that. She would marry a commoner if she fell for him. But I have a feeling she might like you,"
"Really?" Sora perked up. Perhaps he did have a chance.
"Yes. Now, come on. You need to go talk to her," Riku grabbed his love-struck friend and dragged him out the door towards Princess Kairi's chambers.
"B-But what am I supposed to talk about?"
Riku rolled his eyes, "Introduce yourself, talk about the weather, kingdom affairs, anything. Ask her about her, be polite. Do not be so nervous. Women do not like un confident men."
"Okay, introduction, weather, polite, got it, just one problem,"
"What?"
"I've never talked to a girl before! Much less a girl with a crown on her head and the ability to remove my head,"
Riku sighed inwardly. Sora was not such a drama queen when he remembered being friends with Kairi. He had no problem with talking to her before. This was going to be difficult.
Eleven years earlier...
Isa kept watch for guards outside the kitchens. He hid himself behind a tight corner. Lea quickly and swiftly moved about the empty kitchen, grabbing food and shoving it into a sack. It was his lucky day, for there was a large amount of goods for some important event or the like. Lea did not care, all he knows is there is an astounding amount of food to take. The royal life must be great. When Lea got all he could, he and Isa sneaked their way out of the castle and hid behind a tall hedge, waiting for the incompetent guards to pass. One of the guards had an eye patch and the other guard had many lances. They heard little footsteps come from the entrance to the kitchens.
A girl red haired princess sighed in sadness. All the food was gone, stolen by selfish thieves. The two guards asked her what was wrong.
"The food for the orphans is all gone. It has been stolen. Who will feed these orphans now?" the little disappointed princess sat on the ground, not caring if she got her dress dirty.
Her words were not unheard by Lea. Was he not an orphan himself? During those early years had he not wished for food? The royal family of Radiant Garden was not so selfish and vain like he originally thought. This poor young princess s only trying to do good in her heart, as she genuinely sounds upset.
Isa whispered to Lea, "The guards went into the castle and the princess cannot see us. We can go now." Isa got up and ran for the secret entrance. Lea was reluctant to follow and he stared at the sack of food, guilt nagging at his heart.
The princess heard a rustling sound behind her, and a thump right next to her. She saw a large sack of food right next to her. The sack was accompanied by Lea.
"Here, feed the orphans, your Highness,"
The princess smiled at Lea, "Here," she reached into the sack and pulled out a red velvet cupcake. The frosting got on her hands, but she didn't care. "To say thank you for returning the food. My name is Princess Kairi, what is your name?"
"Lea, and thank you, Princess Kairi," he took the cupcake and ran off. The princess was far too innocent and kind to hand him over to the guards. Perhaps she was more empathetic than some.
~Once Upon A Time...
Emma barged into Mr. Gold's shop, Reno and Rude in tow. David and Sora followed after her. She shoved them forward. "Alright Gold, I found your two lackeys hiding out near this Organization XIII's compound. You know something about them, and I want to know now."
Sora nodded, "They took Roxas."
Rumple scoffed, "Well, Organization XIII is a mystery. Their true intents are unknown to many."
Emma glared at him, "That is not all, is it? There is something else about them that you know."
"Does not matter at the moment. You need to get the boy out of their compound. The only person who truly knows the Organization inside and out enough to help you is someone who was in their ranks. Luckily for you, there are two of them. One works at a florist shop in town, just down the street."
Emma kept her glare on Rumple, "We're not finished. You know something important, and I am going to find out."
Rumple smirked, "Oh, you will see, Miss Swan. You will see you have more important problems than what exactly the Organization is up to."
The group walked through the door to the florist's shop. A man with long flowing hair the hue of a cherry blossom was sitting at his desk, reading the newsprint with his feet on the desk. Emma was the first approach him.
"Excuse me, I am Sheriff Swan and I would only like to ask you some questions,"
The man lowered the newspaper from his face a little just to see who was talking to him. With a Cheshire cat smile, he sat up straight and adjusted his tie. "I would be delighted in answered your questions. Is there a murder I have not heard about? Perhaps I can give evidence or a testimonial."
Emma raised an eyebrow. He was too cooperative. No one was unless they had something to hide, "There was a kidnapping recently. I do not need more evidence or a testimonial."
"A kidnapping? Who would do such a thing? I have my suspicions on Regina and Rumple. Always wanting somebody to die or be miserable,"
"The kidnappers were Organization XIII, and the kidnapped was a former member of your group, Roxas," Emma stated.
The man's expression turned dark. He looked from side to side, behind him, and in front of him. "Look, I left the Organization because of their craziness. My friend Arlene and I found the leader's extreme secrecy too high risk. We got out right before the curse hit, and they seem to have a great memory. First Roxas, now they are going to come for us. The Organization's intent is unknown even to its members. Only three members could possibly know about the true intent. Number I, the leader Xemnas; Number II, Xemnas' spy; and Number VII, Xemnas' second-in-command."
"Besides being branded a traitor why else would they take Roxas?"
"Who knows? For many reasons. Perhaps Roxas discovered some critical information about the Organization that Xemnas does not want getting out; Axel wants revenge for Roxas leaving, he always had abandonment issues; Roxas has a Keyblade; so many reasons for why. I cannot pick one,"
"How do we get him out?"
The man laughed, "Getting in and out of the Organization's base in one piece is nigh impossible. Xigbar is a trained sniper, and he never misses his target. Xaldin is quite good with his lances. You might become shish kabobs. Vexen is a scientist who stole some random artifact that enables him to create ice out of his palms. He's very dangerous. Lexaeus is a brute and Zexion is a bookworm who has read his fair share of spells. Axel is probably guarding the prisoner, so of course dealing with his flames is just as bad as Vexen's magic. Demyx to be honest is a wimp. Luxord is a gambler and has a deck of magical cards he got from Wonderland.
"But Saïx, Number VII, is the worst. When the moon is out, whether full or not, he is a killing machine. Lucky for you, tonight's a solar eclipse. The moon is blocking out the sun, so Saïx is powerless. The other Organization members, well, you would have to know which ones are on patrol and which ones are still inside the compound,"
Reno spoke up, "We know their rotation pattern, at least on the outside."
The pink-haired man nodded, "Good. Figure out what their rotation is tonight and you may have a chance, possibly your only chance to get in and out."
~Once Upon A Time…
Lea wandered through the woods, hauling a sack of goodies he stole from a selfish nobleman. He would meet up with Isa in their secret base. They had recently found a silent little orphan boy who was starving. The three decided the abandoned house in the woods was home. Lea decided to steal by himself so not to leave the boy alone. He needed to get back soon to feed the poor soul. He heard something snap behind him. He looked and saw nothing but trees. He turned around and saw a teenager in green standing in front of him.
Lea frowned at him, "Who are you, how did you get here, out of the blue?"
The stranger smirked, "My name is Peter Pan. I come from an island of lost boys. Boys that were left alone, abandoned. I restore their lost hope. They find friends. I came here to ask you about if you know where your brother has gone."
Lea scoffed, "Like I care where he went."
"Oh, but he landed in Never Land. He seems to be lonely and can never return to his family. You can see him again, if you want," Pan held out his hand to Lea, who shook his head vigorously.
"I never, ever want to see my brother, again," he declared.
Pan almost frowned, "Fair enough." He disappeared in a puff of smoke. When he went to give his offer again, it was too late. Lord Xemnas had already taken the three boys under his wing. They were no longer useful to Pan, and both evil powers knew it.
~Once Upon a Time…
At the police station, Reno and Rude laid out their maps and charts of the Organization's patrols. The patrols have a constant pattern each month. Tonight, numbers IV, VI, VII, VIII, and X will be inside the compound. They needed magic and skill to get past all of them.
Emma sighed. The best strategy they have is to get in, hopefully not run into the scientist and pyromaniac, distract the bookworm and the gambler, get Roxas, and come out in one piece. "Great, how are we going to deal with all of them, especially Axel and Vexen? Unless one of you has a flamethrower and heat retardant gear we are not getting anyone out of that compound."
Ruby walked in, "There are two people who wish to speak with you." Behind her were a young man and woman. The man wore a business suit and had a mischievous look in his eye. The woman was scribbling in her notepad, her eyes flittering to her boss cautiously. Emma and David raised an eyebrow at these newcomers. They have not seen these two in Storybrooke at all until now.
Sora and Riku scrutinized the two mysterious people. Riku whispered to Sora, "Is it me, or does he look familiar to you?"
"You know, I believe I have seen him before, I just cannot put my finger on it," Sora responded.
"Who are you?" David asked the newcomers.
"I am Robert. This is my lovely assistant Vinca. I believe you are going to try to get in and get out of what was it? Organization XIII's secret base in one piece?"
"How do you know about all this?" David eyed Robert suspiciously.
"I have sources. Anyways, I have a solution to your dilemma. Vinca, your amulet please?" Robert held out his hand, waiting.
Vinca, with a skeptical expression, set down her notebook and removed the white sapphire from around her neck. "Are your sure? What about my-"
"You will be fine. It is only for a short while," Robert assured her. She placed the amulet in his hand, and he held it up by the chain for the group to see. "This amulet is an ice eater. It absorbs all ice power and stores it. In order to keep the cold in, you must keep the heat out. It will protect against fire, reflecting it away from the wearer. I believe it will aid you in your little operation.
"But, as you all have heard before, all magic comes with a price. You borrow this amulet; I call in your aid when the time calls for it. I do not require Charming or Emma for assistance however. The two Keybladers are the ones I need assistance from. They are the ones who need my aid," Robert dangled the amulet, the gemstone swaying back and forth. "Do we have a deal?"
Sora wanted so badly to say no after the last deal he had made. He could not bring himself to refuse the amulet from Robert. If what Henry said is true, Roxas and himself are both in danger. "We accept the deal, right Riku?" he elbowed his friend, who reluctantly agreed.
Robert smiled, "Good, I shall go with you on this mission. They have something I need. And no, I will not be in the way nor will I get hurt." He tossed the amulet to Sora, who clumsily caught it and fumbled with it. "I shall return at sundown." With that, he and Vinca turned around and left the Sheriff's station.
David sighed, "Something tells he will not take 'no' for an answer."
Emma nodded, "Looks like we have no choice but to have him come with us."
As Vinca and Robert walked back to their office and home, Vinca could not help but ask, "Are you sure you will find him down there?"
Robert's expression was a worried one, "I will not know until we find out."
~Once Upon a Time...
Kairi went up into a musty old tower, filled with old memories and knickknacks, looking through old scrapbooks and portraits. There was something about that knight, Sora. It bugged her to no end. Why did she feel different around him? It was an odd different, but not a bad different. She looked at this one portrait, and saw three young kids playing in the garden. It was her and Riku, but a boy who looked just like Sora was in the picture too.
She looked around the attic some more, looking for more evidence of Sora in her life. She moved a couple of boxes around to find a weapon shaped like a skeleton key. It was steel blue and grey. She picked it up, feeling a sudden jolt in her heart. She nearly dropped the weapon on the box, but she kept it in her grip. Then, a part of her knew who Sora is. They were friends, were they? But she couldn't remember any more than that. She left the attic, Keyblade in hand.
Riku has tried everything, but the two were too awkward around each other to say more than two sentences. He was ready to give up hope.
But hope became desperation. The Dark One reappeared before him, with a little bottle in his hand.
"Well, well, it seems you are desperate now," Rumple said.
"I will not give up a single piece of gold to you," Riku declared.
"Ah, but this is for free, should you chose to accept it. Think of it as a gift. But remember: all magic comes with a price. Eventually, you'll have to pay, if you use it." Rumple held out the bottle to the knight. "This is a memory potion. It will restore the memory of one person."
"Then of course I will use it."
"Ah, but should you? The princess has forgotten her heart's desire, and the heart can be more easily swayed when it forgets. You were after her affections, hmm? You can be with her, and no one's feelings will be hurt. You can win her over," Rumple informed him while placing the bottle in Riku's hand. "But it is your choice." And with that, Rumple was gone.
Riku stood there, the potion in hand, suddenly conflicted with himself. Should he? Or shouldn't he?
~Once Upon A Time…
Emma, Sora, Riku, Reno, Rude, and Robert were hidden in an alleyway. Sora had the white amulet hanging alongside his crown around his neck. Emma looked at the map of the night's patrols, and was looking to the sky; there was no moon tonight. As soon as the last patrol left the area, a giant brute known as number V, the six of them quietly left the alleyway and quickly found the right door to the compound. It was banged up and had rust on all edges. Emma tried the knob, but it was locked, tightly. Sora summoned his Keyblade and opened the lock.
"We all know the plan, right?" Riku asked.
All five of them nodded, and proceeded through the door. They walked through long, white hallways with doors that don't open. They turned a corner to see a man in a white cloak holding a blue shield and a test tube. This man is number IV of the Organization.
Emma and Sora's eyes widened, Robert clenched his fist, Riku remained stalwart, and Reno took a couple steps back.
Robert, through clenched teeth, spoke, "The Chilly Academic."
Riku looked to Robert. "How do you know their titles?"
"I've been around these guys a couple of times, but not enough to know their secrets."
"Who…are you exactly?"
Robert avoided eye contact. "No one important. Focus on the task at hand, then worry about my identity later."
The Chilly Academic spoke, "I suppose you're here for the kid?" His shield emitted mist from the edges.
"Where is he?" Emma asked.
"Why should I tell you? The boy is a traitor. Traitors need to be dealt with, and those who oppose our leader shall be dealt with as well," Vexen talked. "Since you six are here, how about we conduct an experiment? The Savior, a pathetic spy, two Keybladers, and …presumably a business man all together in one room." Vexen snapped his fingers, forming a large ice crystal over their heads.
Robert raised his hand over his head, and the crystal turned to dust before being absorbed into his ring. He saw the gaping look Sora and Reno gave him. "What? I just saved our heads. Stop him!"
~Once Upon A Time…
Kairi sat in her cell, her Keyblade ability negated thanks to Cora's magic. Breaking free of her prison was nigh impossible. She kept hope in her heart of seeing Sora and Riku again after so long, but as the days went on, she felt it would be another 30 years before she could see them again. Cora would use her to gain power no one has ever gotten, and she might die from that. But, if Cora cannot get her hands on the other princesses, then the plan will fail miserably. She remembers the day she learned who she really was, and what power she beholds.
…
Scouring through books upon books in the royal library, Princess Kairi sought for information on this Keyblade, for who originally owned it. She hid it under her red cloak, keeping it even from her father and Riku. Sora was a different matter altogether, a matter that only unlocking this weapon's secrets would solve.
As it turned out, books detailing information were scarce. So far, she could only find the legend that everyone in Radiant Garden knew.
'A Keyblade is power.
'A Keyblade is strength.
'A Keyblade is the universe.
'One who holds a Keyblade is open to many crossroads of destiny before them. A strong heart, a strong resolve, they shall carry knowledge and burdens of the past, and protect their interests, as well as the interests of others.'
Kairi thought about the books she had not considered yet in her search for answers. The bit about the knowledge and burdens suddenly struck a thought. She went searching for time-related spells. Time travel to the past was impossible and had never been done, but there were many ways to see the past, and even manipulate time, to an extent. The princess found diagrams and magic that certain immortals could only use. But one illustration had caught her eye: a small, young goddess. Copies of the goddess were all over the illustration. Why so many copies of the goddess? Kairi looked for a name, but the illustration was marked as unknown goddess. She then noticed some symbols on the goddess, a crown, a door behind the goddesses, and strange illegible writing scribbled above the main goddess' head. She placed a single finger on the writing, and it suddenly changed to script she could understand. Surprised, Kairi read the words softly.
"To have the key is to know the past. To know the past is the key to the future. To know the past is to know how to survive the present. Awaken my key, I wish to know my destiny."
She found more strange script below the main goddess' feet. With a delicate touch of her finger the script was now readable.
"This spell will tell you of the Keyblade's power."
Kairi quickly and silently closed the book, pulled on her cloak and carried both the book and the Keyblade outside the library. She left a note saying she was taking a stroll and would be back before nightfall.
She ventured out to a secret passage hidden outside the castle building. She was the only one who knew of the passage; it led to a hidden garden that grew in the dark. She didn't know how the garden got there; it was always there since she discovered the passage. She took the Keyblade and stabbed it into a crack in the stone floor. Her hands on the handle, she whispered the words from the book.
"To have the key is to know the past. To know the past is the key to the future. To know the past is to know how to survive the present. Awaken my key, I wish to know my destiny."
The Keyblade sparked for a moment before a beam of light burst from the hilt. The sudden light turned into a mist. Kairi saw in the mist a young woman with blue locks and a mark she bore on her chest. It was then, that Kairi saw the last few moments of the master of the Keyblade.
'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,"'
'Ven, you need to take the baby and ran as far away as you can. Dark forces want your child, including Terra."' She handed him her Keyblade Stormfall.
'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. The orb of darkness left Xehanort's hand and engulfed Aqua.'
The mist whirled around, ending the visions. The mist began to form a person of small size and stature. It was a girl, and she resembled the goddess in the book Kairi found. Her hair was a purplish gray, her hands delicate and soft. Her face was young, but her eyes were mature and had seen so much. Her clothing was simple, and yet, it seemed ancient.
"I have seen the past, the present, the future, and all that could be," the girl spoke. "I am Yeul, goddess of seers. I carry the eye of the light, and can see all that can be. I live within Keyblades, travelling from realm to realm, world from world. You are destined for much."
Kairi stared in awe. "Destined for," she thought about it before finishing, "…what?"
"Once every hundred years, seven pure-hearted maidens are born closely together. They are known for righteous and beautiful hearts. Those who carry much darkness in them are drawn to these maidens, and many conflicts ensue. Unknown to both parties, these seven have special powers, powers that they could never unlock or ever know about their entire lives. That magic however, is why certain things happen."
"I'm guessing it wasn't complete coincidence I have this Keyblade,"
"Nothing is a coincidence. Everything happens for a reason. You have the Keyblade because of a prophecy, which one of the mortal seers gave twenty-five years ago. 'The second one born of the Keyblade will have the ability to open the Door. One will gain power and change the fate of the universe.' A man, the Dark One heard this prophecy and because of him, the prophecy will happen. If there was no prophecy, nothing would happen. Prophecies are there to be fulfilled."
Kairi realized that Sora was more than he seems. Her not knowing him was not like always. They knew each other once. "Sora, he has something to do with this prophecy, doesn't he?"
"Yes. He is the second one born of the Keyblade,"
"But…You said he can open the Door, but you suggest someone else will use that to their advantage?" Kairi vaguely remembered her grandmother telling her a story about how the world was bathed in light until darkness was born and the true light was hidden away. Perhaps the light was behind this Door?
"Yes."
"But you know the outcome." Without thinking, Kairi asked one final question: "What happens?"
Yeul blinked. "To know the future is a great burden. All doors must open at one point, but the one to open this door will have the universe in their hand…"
When Kairi eventually left the secret garden, it was nightfall, and Kairi was sure in her heart that she must remember who Sora is to her to ensure the future.
…
She sat in her cell after trying to summon her Keyblade for the tenth time. She had to prevent Cora from getting her hands on the other princesses, not just because she would do it for evil purposes, but it would change the timeline.
"Hello," a soft-spoken voice greeted. Kairi gasped and looked up to see a translucent girl behind the bars of her cell. She wore a simple white dress, and had white blonde hair pushed to the side. Was frightened Kairi the most was the uncanny resemblance the girl had to her. Their faces were so similar, not one thing was out of place.
"Who are you?"
"I'm you, to an extent."
Was this a part of the magic she had inside? "How?"
"It's a very long story. But, Cora's magic cannot compare to our connection. I can get you out of here, if you believe." She held out her hand to the princess. "Just focus with your heart."
Kairi was hesitant as she reached out to the translucent figure, her hand going past the bars and gripping nothing but air. But after thinking, thinking so much about her friends, her destiny, suddenly she felt a hand, a soft dainty hand. It worked. The girl before her was no longer translucent. The girl stepped back before hold up her hand, and closed her eyes.
"This is the first time I've done this so I don't know if it will work," she said.
Kairi's eyes widened. "Wait, what?"
A few minutes passed, and then in a flash of light, a golden Keyblade decorated with flowers of various colors appeared in the pale girl's hand. The girl seemed shocked at what had just occurred. "It…It worked! I-I can't believe it!" she then held out the Keyblade to the lock on the cell. Focusing, wishing for the door to open a beam of light shot out of the tip and hit the keyhole, opening the lock.
Kairi stepped out, relieved to be free. "We must stop Cora," she said. "But I have to find Sora and Riku first."
The pale girl nodded. "Yes." The two girls exited the ship.
"What's your name?" Kairi asked.
"Naminé."
~Once Upon a Time...
Riku had decided he was not going to come between his friends. He just couldn't do that to them at all. The temptation was great, and he would have to pay the price for using the potion, but it was worth it, for true love was the most powerful magic of all.
Twilight had passed, and it was nearly dinner time. The table was already set, but the King was not attending for he has been away on business for some time.
The silverware was already set out, and the goblets were already filled with water, just waiting for the people to arrive. Riku had personally invited Sora to dinner with him and Kairi. The servants were all in the kitchen for the moment, leaving Riku the opportunity to put the memory potion in either Kairi or Sora's drink. But before Riku could decide, Kairi busted through the entry doors, her dress a mess, her face red, and her hair askew. She was out of breath from rushing to here.
"Riku!" Kairi exclaimed. The knight rushed over to her in concern.
"What happened, Kairi?"
She swallowed before forcing out the words. "Sora, I know him, or at least I should."
Riku's heart almost stopped. "Do you remember?"
The princess nodded sadly. "No, I don't. But I need to know. I want to remember. IT feels like in my heart, there's an empty feeling, and thinking about Sora…My heart accelerates. I can hear it in my ears."
He knew it. He knew Kairi harbored feelings for him, and it took her forgetting for her to realize. Riku knew exactly which goblet to put the memory potion in.
"Calm down Kairi, spend some time with him at dinner and things will improve, I promise," Riku said, smiling sincerely to the distressed girl.
She gave a smile in return. "Thank you."
"Now, go wash up real quick. You look like you just ran from a dragon."
The princess left, leaving Riku to pour the memory potion in the correct goblet on the table. He quickly shoved the empty bottle into his pocket as Sora came in.
"Why did you invite me?" the clueless Sora asked.
"To spend time with the princess of course," Riku explained. "I have a pretty good feeling tonight. Come, sit there." He pointed to the seat right next to where the princess usually sits.
"Right there? B-But-"
"Just trust me Sora. Have I ever betrayed you before?"
"No…"
"Good, now sit."
Sora sat down, and Riku sat down in a chair far away from him. Kairi came in and sat her spot next to Sora. She raised an eyebrow at Riku sitting so far away from her, but she forgot immediately once she and Sora made eye contact.
Dinner was served, and neither of the two touched their goblets out of nervousness. They only focused on their food, and Riku was getting really annoyed. Desert came, and the servants were gone in the kitchen once again, but the tension between the two nervous teens increased. Riku, growing impatient, stood up with his cup.
"I propose a toast, to life being fine and the wealth of Radiant Garden, our beloved kingdom," he saw his two friends pick up their cups, and all three raised their cups to their lips. Riku took a large sip when he heard a loud clang and a thump.
On the floor was a goblet that spilled the memory potion within, and that goblet belonged to Sora. He gripped the table as everything, everything came back to him. He knew Princess Kairi from birth. He gave his life for her. Riku silently put his goblet down and quietly left the room, spying through a crack in the door.
Sora stood up, startling Kairi by grabbing her hands and pulling her out of her seat.
"I remember," he said. "I remember…you."
Kairi's heart raced at his words. "You do?"
"Yes, I remember it all so clearly. Do you remember me?"
She looked down, not wanting to look him in the eye as she spoke the truth. "No, I don't. I know you are important to me. I want to remember, but I keep trying and it seems I'll never remember why you are so important to me." A single tear slipped from her eye. "I'm so sorry."
Sora felt a pain in his chest. The truth hurt more than it should have. Kairi was his best friend, but she seemed to be more than that. He would do anything for his friends, but she was something more. She was…
He still hand her hands in his. When Kairi finally managed to raise her head, Sora knew what he must do. How he knew, he didn't even know, he only followed his heart. He pulled her close, nose to nose. He released one of her hands to wipe away the tear from her cheek. Quickly, he leaned in and kissed her rosy lips.
The two felt a spark in this kiss, something that felt so right. It was powerful, and it shook their hearts to the core. When the two pulled away from the kiss, Kairi was wide-eyed in realization. The curse was broken, undid by true love's kiss.
"Sora…" she whispered, embracing him.
"Kairi…" he returned the embrace, never wanting to let her go.
Riku sighed in relief at the sight, but also raised his hand to his face, shaking his head. "It took all this for them to finally realize their feelings for each other?"
~Once Upon A Time…
Roxas gripped the bars in frustration. Why hasn't the Keyblade come to him? Oh right, the cell was enchanted to prevent such an ability. Xemnas was very through when it came to special prisoners. He considered giving up. He really wanted to. But Naminé was out there, waiting for him. He had to get out of here. He released his grip on the bars and held out his hand. He kept his concentration on the magic. Perhaps he could overcome the enchantment. He will keep trying, no matter how long it will take.
Meanwhile, higher up in the basement, Emma, Robert, Riku, Sora and Reno stared at Vexen's unconscious body.
"You think we over did it?" Sora asked.
Robert shook his head. "Thief deserves it." He found on the shield a white diamond attached to it. He ripped the diamond off and shoved it into his pocket. "Well? Shall we go on?"
The others didn't say a word as they descended further into the basement, encountering more Organization members as they went along.
Riku and Sora though, couldn't help but think along the way that they had seen Robert before, but couldn't put their finger on it. Who was he? What exactly was he hiding?
All the answers to their questions would be revealed in due time.
~Once Upon A Time…
"You two have Keyblades and I still can't believe it," Sora said excitedly. Secretly, he was relieved he wasn't the only one with an enormous amount of responsibility on his shoulder, but he didn't want his friends, or anyone else for that matter to carry the burden of the Keyblade. He didn't know of their other burdens, not at all.
The three of them were in the Enchanted Forest. The King had urgent business with a nearby kingdom, and Kairi came along with her friends. They were in the forest in secret, practicing their new-found Keyblade abilities. It had been almost two months since Kairi and Sora remembered the truth, but they both were still awkward about their newfound relationship with each other. Riku rolled his eyes at their antics. Could they not be so worried about being lovey-dovey around each other?
Kairi was no longer in her beautiful red and black dress, and no longer did she wear a tiara on her head. She wore a pink mini dress with white pants, corset, and gloves. There was dark purple armor on her shoulders accompanied with a translucent cape. No longer was she a princess, but a warrior.
She had summoned her Keyblade after she and Sora got together, and the surprised looks on both Sora and Riku's faces was totally worth it.
They had been sparring and training when Riku spotted ominous purple and black clouds rapidly heading their way. "Guys, we got a problem!" he pointed to the clouds.
Kairi stared in disbelief. "What is that?!" she exclaimed in fear. Sora could only gape at the scary clouds. Whatever it was, it was bad, really bad.
The three started sprinting back towards civilization, but the darkness was much faster than them. They ran through the town, ignoring the sudden panic of people, hearing shouts along the lines of 'the curse is here!' and 'our lives are ending!' They headed towards the castle to warn the royals, but it was too late. Half the castle was already shrouded in darkness, and so was the town. Fearing for their own lives, they fled, trying to get distance from the curse. Soon, the trio had collapsed in exhaustion from running. They could not save themselves anymore.
Sora looked up above, and saw a curious thing. It was a giant shield of some kind, and it was rapidly closing in on them. Sora knew he had to make one more sacrifice in his desperation to protect. It seemed Riku also had the same idea, and so the two of them had shoved Kairi over onto the other side of the shield before it touched the ground. Kairi stared in shock as tears ran down her face.
"No! Sora! Riku! Please!" she screamed as she banged her fist on the shield, but it was useless. It prevented anything from getting in, and anything from getting out. "I can't lose you!"
Sora watched solemnly, thinking this would be the last time he would ever see Kairi. He placed his hand on the shield, tears falling from his eyes. She placed her hand right where his were on the shield, knowing they were separated.
"I'll always be with you, Kairi," Sora stated. Riku nodded along with a sad smile. The purple smoke enclosed on the giant protective bubble, and just like that, everything outside of it was gone.
Kairi could no longer see them. The dark clouds were left in the place of Riku and Sora. She cried into her hands. They were gone, forever.
~Once Upon A Time…
As the gang approached the dungeons, they were battered and bruised from fighting and knocking out some of the other Organization members. But as they predicted, they only encountered the ones they had expected, except for Saïx and Axel. But Saïx was powerless tonight, so they didn't need to worry.
The dungeon was locked up tight, but that didn't matter. Sora unlocked the door and Emma kicked the door down, her gun up. Unlucky for them, Axel has just arrived in the dungeon from another door. What immediately stuck out at the crew were his eyes being golden. Reno pointed to him. "That's him! That's the guy who did the kidnapping!"
Emma raised her gun up to Axel. "Release the kid."
The Flurry of Dancing Flames shook his head. "Traitors need to be dealt with. He lied and betrayed us."
No one noticed how Roxas was pulling on the bars of his cell.
Sora stepped up to defend his nobody's actions. "He betrayed a group who were doing malicious things, and you should too! They have you brain washed!"
Axel glared as he summoned his two sharpened chakrams. The floor around him turned into practically lava. "They know what is best for the worlds! I can get absolute power and hopefully no longer will I be betrayed and abandoned anymore by my friends!"
He created a gigantic circular wall of fire, trapping Sora away from his allies. Sora positioned his Keyblade, his feet unaffected by the searing heat in the floor. He could vaguely see a thin veil of white surrounding himself. He pointed his blade at the enraged Axel.
"Axel, power won't change the past, and neither will it gain you friends. Friendship is power, and sometimes, we may be weak and give in and hurt others, but we will all find a way to make it right again. Don't you see?"
With a blank stare, Axel gave his answer, "No, I don't."
The battle commenced. The others could only watch in silence, struggling to see past the wall of flames.
Roxas knew time was of the essence. He had to get out of this cage now. With a final resolve, Roxas overcame the enchantment on his cell, and summoned Oathkeeper and Oblivion to his hands.
"I did it," he whispered. With that, he busted open the bars and stepped out, finally free. He could barely see through the flames, but he knew that Sora had to end the confrontation quickly if everyone was going to get out of here alive and without Xemnas or some other Organization member arriving first. With that, Roxas focused on the light within himself, and his Keyblades were floating and hovering around him. He commanded the weapons to go to Sora. "Sora! Catch!"
Sora blocked a fireball when he saw two Keyblades burst through the flames. They shined with a bright light, and Sora caught them using the light within instinctively.
Axel gaped at the sudden turn of the tide. "Two?!"
Sora commanded the Keyblades to knock the chakrams out of Axel's hands. The two blades surged forward, blasting a strong beam of light at the chakrams. Axel was forced to let go of his weapons. The wall and floor of fire disappeared in an instant. Axel dropped to his knees, wincing in pain.
Emma sighed before ushering everyone out of the dungeon. "Okay, let's get out of here before more show up." She, Robert, Reno, Riku, Roxas, and Sora fled, sprinting out of the compound. The two Keyblades protected them, swiftly knocking out any incoming members in their way as commanded.
Xemnas watched through the video cameras, emotionless. Once he saw the group had escaped, he smirked. They couldn't even free Axel from his grip. The dark power within him was getting stronger and stronger. He might be able to get exactly what he wanted before anyone else, and he no longer needed Cora's help. He only had one ally under his belt, and as nightmares increased, so did his power.
Sora and Roxas nearly fell over from exhaustion once the group got far enough from the compound, but Riku and Emma were able to support them both.
"You two alright?" Emma asked.
"I'm just weak from using all that power," Sora explained, catching his breath.
Roxas nodded in agreement. "Yeah…I had to break the curse that was preventing me from summoning the Keyblades, but I'm fine. They did nothing to me.
Riku noticed there were severe bags underneath Roxas' eyes, but didn't say anything. "So now what?"
"I have to return to my business," stated Robert. "But remember, you two owe me a favor." He walked off down the street and out of sight.
"That guy is a real mystery." Riku said. He then looked to Reno. "Go tell your boss that Roxas is free and to not meddle in Organization affairs anymore."
Reno stared in disbelief. "Mr. Gold will not be happy about that, yo."
"The Dark One can be as angry as he wants, but it's no longer his concern."
Reno slumped and walked off as well in the direction of Mr. Gold's Pawn Shop.
Emma raised an eyebrow at Riku. "You've got guts, standing up to Gold."
"Nah, Reno is just the messenger. But if I see him…" Riku's fist tightened up. "Then I'll really tell him to butt out."
Sora and Roxas recovered enough of their strength to walk on their own, but they still were weak from the fight. The both of them stared at each other and laughed for no reason at all.
Emma and Riku stared at them oddly. Riku whispered to the Savior. "I think they finally cracked."
The hysterical laughing continued on until Sora saw something in the sunrise that made him stop all of a sudden. It was a she, dressed in pink and white with a purple cape. Her auburn hair was messy, and she had scratches and scrapes on her face and arms. But he recognized her anywhere. It was his princess, the one who he thought he would never see again.
Roxas took notice of Sora silencing his laughter, and then he saw a curious and confused princess walking down the street, staring at the various and odd looking buildings. Their heart suddenly beat rapidly with joy. They were dreaming of this, it had to be. Reality wasn't this good.
Sora mustered up what strength he had as he ran towards his princess, his beautiful Kairi. "Kairi!" he shouted to her, catching her attention. She stopped studying the buildings as she saw her knight in shining armor running to her.
"Sora!" her heart raced as she embraced Sora tightly. It was a dream come true. The two hugged each other so tightly, never wanting to let go in fear of losing each other again.
Emma smirked at the happy couple. "I think I'll get back to the Sheriff's station and file the paperwork." She winked at Riku before she left.
Riku only shook his head as he smiled. His best friend was here. Their little trio was complete.
Sora pulled back from Kairi to look into her eyes. "I knew we would be together again."
Kairi cried tears of joy. "So did I."
The princess and the knight quickly pulled each other into a kiss. It was an impassioned kiss. The kiss of a lifetime. It restored Sora's full strength, but it didn't matter. They were together again after 29 years.
Meanwhile, Riku elbowed Roxas and pointed to a figure beyond the couple making out. Roxas couldn't believe his eyes. There she was, dressed in pure white, Naminé. She noticed the blonde boy and gave a sincere smile. He ran up to her, and before she could even say a word, he kissed her. When he pulled away and pressed his nose to hers, he then spoke.
"Who would've thought that we would see each other again, as ourselves?" He chuckled.
Naminé shook her head with a grin. "Yeah, who would have thought of it?"
Sora and Kairi broke away from each other. Kairi saw Riku and ran up to hug him.
"Welcome back, Princess." Riku said.
"It's good to be with everyone again," she said with a wide grin. The three of them looked to see the overjoyed Roxas and Naminé hugging each other.
"Ya know…I'm happy for them. They got their happy ending." Sora said. "After all the two went through, they deserve it."
"If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't have gotten our happy ending." Kairi added. "We owe them so much."
"That we do, Kairi. That we do." Riku agreed.
"So, what is this place?" Kairi questioned. "It's odd looking."
"You're in Storybrooke, Maine!" Sora began explaining with great enthusiasm. "There's so much here to show you, Kairi. I don't know where to start!"
Roxas and Naminé joined the group, holding hands. Naminé leaned on Roxas' shoulder.
Riku pondered for a moment. "How about…Granny's?"
Sora nearly jumped in excitement. No one had seen him this happy in a very long time. "Yes! Granny's is the best dining in town. Let's go!"
Kairi giggled at Sora's enthusiasm. "Sounds great." She grabbed a hold of both Sora and Riku's hands. "What do they serve there?"
"Well, Granny just made a new type of homemade ice cream. I believe it's called sea salt ice cream. Anyways, it's awesome!" Sora explained as the three began walking down the street towards Granny's, with two nobodies following suit.
A desperate heart is not bad, nor is it good. A desperate heart doesn't determine a person's alignment, but rather their actions. We all make mistakes. But it is how we deal with the mistakes is how we become good or evil. Our actions and choices, and how we come back from those choices, is who we are. We can overcome the desperation as long as we keep hope in our hearts.
Author's Note: Welp, it's the end! Sorry I took forever! A lot of stuff has happened, but I just got done with exams so I was able to finish this up! Thank you all so much for following this story, reviewing (and nagging me to finish it! XD), favorites and everything! It means so much that people like my stories and writing.
But is it really the end? Nope! So many questions unanswered! Like who are Robert and Vinca? Why are they even here? If you want more OUAT Disney crossovers (but not necessarily KH) then follow me to see when the next story will be updated, which is The Dust Keeper. It'll delve into more storyline and characters. (I know some of you are Disney Fairies fans so yeah, shameless advertising. XD)
Have a wonderful day/week/year/everything! and thanks for reading!
