Cid was just minding his own business, inside his shop; tinkering away on a gadget he liked to mess with every now and then, when a loud, annoying alarm sound comes blasting out from the small device resting on a nearby table. The suddenness and surprise it causes nearly makes him drop the object of his current attention.

"Blast it" he yells, placing the item down then moving to the other table, turning off the alarm. "I swear I'm gonna chuck this thing one day...and I need to lay off the caffeine too. I'm getting way to jumpy in my oldening age."

He then gets up from his chair, grabbing a large metal spear resting against the wall. He knew very well what that alarm meant when it goes off. Grumbling as he walks to the door, he says "Damn those blasted Heartless. One of these days, I'm gonna figure out how to stop them from intruding where they aren't welcome."

He then reaches out to open the door, but it swings in suddenly, nailing him good as Yuffie comes running in, yelling "Cid, we have..."

"Trouble" he growls, his face peeking out from behind the door with a large red bruise present on his face. "Oh, you bet we do ya little thief."

"Hey, your face is all red. Did something happen?" asked Yuffie.

Cid wanted to ring her neck, which was a fairly common thing actually. "Oh, you could say that. Or..." he then raises his hands up, reaching out for her neck. "Something is about to anyways."

"Sorry Cid" comes Aerith, breaking in suddenly as she peeks into the shop. "We don't have time for that. There's a serious problem afoot." Aerith then explains to him what had happened, explaining what had brought the two girls to his shop.

"...and right now, Squall and the Keybearer are fighting the Heartless over in the second district. We need to go help them" finished Yuffie.

"Right" said Cid, spinning his lance around to make sure he was in fighting shape. "Let's get going."

"Wait, we need to check in on lady Kaira first" says Aerith quickly. "Leon's order, remember?" she adds, looking at Yuffie.

"Oh, why does that old granny have to live over in the 5th District anyways? That's so inconvenient, ya know" complains Yuffie.

"Can't be helped with them royal types. Let's just hurry and make sure she's safe so we can go back up the brats" says Cid, already moving towards the 4th District Gate. Aerith and Yuffie follow but Yuffie then stops suddenly.

"What's wrong?" asked Aerith, stopping as well. "Did you sense something?"

Cid stops as well as Yuffie says "Yeah, something dark. Even darker than the Heartless. Something has come and it...it's something bad...something evil!"

Realm Hearts

chpt.22: Star Crossed

Roxas groaned as he lay on the ground, momentarily stunned and feeling winded as two heavy objects had come crashing down onto him from above. Normally, this wouldn't have been so bad except he was in the middle of a fight with Heartless so this wasn't something he needed right now.

He then hears more groaning but was quick to realize it wasn't his own voice he was hearing. Turning his head so he could look over his shoulder, he says "Mind getting off?"

"Oh, sorry about that" says Goofy, his eyes spinning around as he tries to get up and off the person beneath him but ends up collapsing back down again.

"Ow, I think I bruised my feathers back there?" says Donald.

"Guys, we may be in trouble here if you all don't get off the ground" says Jiminy who had managed to avoid the rough landing by opening his umbrella and pulling a Marry Poppins during the blast and fall.

Goofy shakes his head while Donald conks his to get their senses back into focus, then they begin to rise when they both notice the object in the hand of the person they had fallen on. "A Keyblade" they both say in unison before quickly scrambling back to their feet.

"Yeah, that's right" says Roxas as he gets up and brushes himself off, then he looks back at them. "How do you know..."

"Ventus?" asked Donald, blinking in surprise as he hadn't expected to see their old friend here now.

"Gawrsh, it can't be you, can it Ven?" asked Goofy as he he walks up and touches Roxas shoulder. "Yep, he sure don't feel like a dream or illusion to me, A-hyuk."

"Wait, are you saying you know me...I mean Ventus?" asked Roxas, wondering if they could be clues to his lost and forgotten past.

"What do you mean by that, Ventus?" asked Donald.

Before Roxas could respond, Jiminy hops up onto his shoulders and says, rather frantically "Guys, now really isn't the time for this or that. Here they come." Jiminy was right as the gathered Heartless, who had been watching and waiting, he decided to finally take action and were going on the attack.

"He's right" says Roxas, spinning around and taking out a Shadow that had jumped towards him. "Let's deal with this mess first then we can talk."

"Sounds good to me" says Goofy before breaking into a spin, using his Goofy Tornado attack to sweep through a group of Soldier's.

Donald quacks loudly and angrily as he starts lobbing fire balls at all the airborne enemies. "You darn pest. Leave us alone. We have more important things to do now than play with you."

As the threesome continue their Heartless extermination; Jiminy alerting them to incoming attacks as they strike out, a dark figure appears on the roof of one of the buildings; entering the area via a pillar of green and yellow fire. She looks down at the battle with a notion of curiosity.

"So, the king's loyal dummies are already here, are they? And that boy..." she stops, her eyes studying Roxas closely. "Can it be him as well, so long a time passed and yet so unchanged as well? A most curious development this is."

The figure watches them as they battle, seeing them steadily defeat the Heartless and knowing the entities of darkness were all focusing their attention here to this spot now because the Keyblade was drawing them like a magnet. "They are rather skilled, it seems. But I wonder how they would fair against something a little bit more potent?"

She stretches out her hand, a ball of green/yellow flame bursting to life which she then sends flying. This act, she knew, would summon forth a more powerful Heartless but would also make the entrance of other Heartless into this world impossible for a few days following but it would be fine.

This little challenge would show her just what these three could do.

Donald's fire ball slams into a group of gathered Heartless, exploding and sending them flying; their bodies dispersing and fading from sight in mid air. Goofy, meanwhile, was doing what he did best, running and wobbling like the goof he was, smack against the Heartless hard with his shield which sent them flying back into the walls, making them fall in defeat as well.

'Man, these guys are pretty good for a bunch of weird looking fellows' thinks Roxas, though he recalls some of his past adventures and wonders just where these two would rank in the weirdness scale? Brushing that thought aside, he goes to take out a few Heartless coming at him, wanting to do his fare share, when the all suddenly vanish from sight; something none of them were expecting to happen.

"They're gone?" asked Roxas aloud, his eyes darting every which way as he turns his head back and forth, trying to see if he could spot them as they may be planning a sneak attack.

"Gawrsh, you don't think we scared them off do ya?" asked Goofy.

"Of course we did" says Donald proudly, placing his hands on his hips and looking all proud and smug. "With such tough opponents like us, who wouldn't be scared?"

Jiminy hops up onto Goofy's shoulders, feeling secure to come out from hiding around the Lady and Tramp fountain and says "If anything scared them, it would have been that temper of yours. Anyone with a lick of common sense would turn tail and skedaddle from THAT."

"What's that suppose to mean?" yells Donald as Goofy chuckles a little. "Anyways, lets forget about that right now." He turns to look at Roxas as does Goofy. "Ventus, is it really you?"

Roxas hesitates, not sure what to tell them. "Well..."

His words are cut off as the ground begins to shake which is quickly followed by a pool of darkness erupting, making them jump back to avoid possibly being pulled inside it.

"Now what?" squawks Donald.

A sound is then heard coming from the portal, a zooming sound to be exact. It gets louder over a few seconds before several small objects come shooting out, moving and spinning in the air oddly. The three warriors bring their weapons up, ready for the attack to come.

"Say, don't they look like hands and feet?" asked Goofy.

"If so, then where's the rest of it?" asked Jiminy.

Something else, something bigger, begins to emerge from the pool though at a slower pace than the other objects. "You had to ask that question, didn't you?" says Roxas as the arms and legs take their proper places alongside the the body. One final object shoots from the pool before it fades, the Heartless creatures head which moves into place; the opponent preparing to attack.

"Now then, show me how well you'll fare against this Guard Armor" challenges Maleficent aloud, loud enough for them to hear.

"Hey, who said that?" yells Donald, looking around for the voice's owner.

"I don't see anyone but it sounded familiar" says Goofy.

"Guys, focus" yells Roxas as the hands comes racing out towards them. "It's attacking."

(with Leon)

Leon allowed himself a moment to fill his lung with fresh air as his eyes slowly scanned the scene around himself. He was far from collapsing from exhaustion, but this never ending swarm of Heartless was starting to annoy him. Plus, he was worried about Roxas as the kid wasn't exactly in top form.

Several Heartless leap at him, making him bring his blade swing out to cut them down. Another few came at him from both his sides, making him back step to cut down one then leaping into a horizontal spin to take out another; his landing being with one leg stretched out while the other bent at the knee.

But he senses it to late to react as a Soldier comes to strike him from behind and while it wouldn't defeat him, it would certainty not be an attack without some negative effect on him. But the hit never lands as a large shuriken comes shooting through the air, the sound of metal being heard as it cuts into the Heartless, taking it out followed by Yuffie flipping down from above to stand at Leon's back while retrieving her weapon in the process.

"You're really slipping there, Squall" she chided him with a hint of bemusement in her voice.

"Shut up" was the reply he gave her. "I have this whole thing under control. Anyways, where's Aerith?"

"Back with Granny Kairi. Stubborn old woman refused to leave her house, saying she was busy working on something and that it wouldn't be necessary for her to leave yet anyways" says Yuffie.

Leon nods, trusting that Kaira had her reasons to not worry and he trusted her more than anyone else here in Traverse Town. And Aerith remaining by her side was itself an added degree of comfort. "And Cid?" he asked.

"Where else. Back at his shop, claiming he needed to grab something though I think he just decided to go all lazy on us" says Yuffie as she looks around. "So, where's our cute little hero? Don't tell me you let these Heartless get him?"

"He's fine. I sent him on over to the Third District to..." Leon's words are cut off as all the Heartless suddenly burst and disappear from sight.

"Well, that was easy" says Yuffie.

"To easy" says Leon in response. It wasn't normal for Heartless to just vanish in that manner, unless Cid actually got that machina of his; a machine that could repel Heartless from Traverse Town when it was active, working again. He doubted it though which meant...

"Come on. We need to get over to the Third District. I'm having a bad feeling that Roxas may be facing a bigger challenge" says Leon before breaking into a run with Yuffie a few steps behind him.

(Roxas)

Guard Armor's right claw comes racing out at Roxas; making it obvious who it was that was the priority target here. Roxas leaps back, swinging his Keyblade and connecting the the claw, sending it flying backwards. But this had been a feint as one of the Armor's feet had moved to come stomp down on him.

"Watch out, Ven" yells Goofy, running up to Roxas with his shield raised above his head to block the attempted stomp, then pushing the foot off which makes it clatter onto the ground before coming to life again and moving back over to the Armor.

The other hand comes flying in, the intention being on swatting Goofy away. But this is stopped as Donald lobs a fire ball at it which knocks the attack off its intended target, making it slam into the clock tower wall instead. "No touching" yells Donald.

"It's coming around for another attack" yells Jiminy as the limbs begin moving at them with a new attack pattern.

"Any ideas?" asked Goofy.

"Yeah, lets smash them up real good" says Donald.

"Works for me" agreed Roxas as the three of them break and head out to launch attacks of their own.

Roxas shifts his Keyblade into Retro Wrecker for its superior damage dealing strength, then he swings the Keyblade at the incoming claw, hitting it with enough force to send it flying into a nearby building with enough force to leave an impact crater. Roxas goes to move at it in order to land a finishing blow before it could recover but is forced to make a dodge instead as one of the Guard Armor's feet come stomping down atop him.

Roxas jumps back away as the foot keeps stomping down towards him till he finds himself being put into a corner and open to becoming squashed by it. As the foot rises into the air in its preparation to crush him, Roxas activates his Aero magic just in time to catch it and send it spinning off, smashing it into a wooden bench, knocking it for a loop if such an act was even possible to happen to a limb.

"Now" yells Roxas running forward at the stunned appendage. "Sonic Blade" he shouts aloud as his attack lands a direct hit, making the foot break into bits of light before fading away entirely. "That's one down..." he says before finding himself being grabbed by the hand he had almost destroyed moments before, having recovered and moved in while he had been busy with the foot.

"Ventus" shouts Donald, seeing Roxas being lifted into the air and being moved over towards the central body of the Guard Armor. He then tries to run over to provide back up, but is stopped as the other arm comes swinging in at him, landing a hit the swats Donald back a good yard.

"Cut it out" he shouts, barely landing on his webbed feet, then quacking aloud angrily as he launches fireball after fireball in what felt like a never ending volley. Each hit slams into the Guard Armor's hand, creating small explosions. Then, with all his anger fueling his magic, Donald somehow manages to create a Fira spell; his first ever, that goes flying into the arm and explodes with such a fury that the arm is completely destroyed.

Goofy, meanwhile, suffers blow after blow from above as the other leg repeatedly slamming down on him with only his trusty shield, which had been designed to repel any hits landed upon it, keeping his safe from becoming flat as a pancake. "Gawrsh, this is sure becoming a hairy situation for us, huh Jiminy?"

"And one we need to get ourselves out of, Goofy" says Jiminy, having seen the predicament Roxas was in and worried Donald's temper tantrum would only make the situation worse for them all. "So, you have any ideas?" Jiminy sure hope he did as Jiminy knew there was nothing he could do, being a cricket and all.

"I think so" says Goofy, giving him a smile that made Jiminy suddenly feel nervous. "It might even be a good one too" he adds before pulling his shield away as the foot rises and falls at him again with nothing to block and guard him now.

"Goofy, what are you..." cries Jiminy before Goofy shoots upwards, swinging his shield up and at the foot. "Goofy Tornado" shouts the captain of the guard as his attack strikes the Heartless, sending it rebounding around the third district before clattering onto the ground. Goofy then turns himself around, and heads right down at it, this time using his Goofy Rocket to destroy the limb.

Roxas found himself being held above the Guard Armor's main body, its helmet like head opening up and readying itself to have a Keybearer snack. Roxas struggles to free himself but the grip it had on him was stronger than he was use to, plus he had still not fully recovered from that fight with Xion and Xemnas. "Crap, if I could only..."

"Goofy, lets try our duel arts technique" says Donald as his stave begins to glow red with Fire.

"Yeah, lets do it, Donald" agreed Goofy as he brings his shield up before him and jumps up at the arm holding Roxas. Donald fires a flame at Goofy which impacts the shield, then merges with it. "Duel Art" they both say in unison.

"Blazing Shield Bash" says Goofy as he slams into the arm, causing it to shatter and release Roxas who then shifts his Keyblade into Pumpkinhead form as he drops down, breaking into a spin and landing a strike upon the Guard Armor's main body which knocks it back.

"Thanks for the save" says Roxas. "By the way, what was that combo you two just used anyways?"

"It was a Duel Art, A-hyuk" says Goofy.

"One of the techniques that multiple people can unleash when they are in sync with one another. The more people involved, the harder it is to pull off but the trade off is that the more people involved, the more damage it can inflict as well" adds Donald.

"Yeah, I think I've heard of that before" says Roxas, recalling Zexion having said something about it during that group day he and Xion had gone through back at Never Was. "So, can you do it again?"

"Not that one, unfortunately" says Donald.

"Yeah, we're currently only able to use any one technique once a day. But we do have another we can try, A-hyuk" adds Goofy.

"Alright then. You guys prepare to do it while I give you and opening" says Roxas before charging at the Armor's body, the eyes lighting up and releasing laser beams that Roxas dodges as he sends out a Strike Raid attack that sends the head spinning around. He catches the Keyblade and quickly shifts it into Retro Wrecker again as he slams the blade into the Heartless emblem with enough force to leave a crack upon it. "Now guys" he yells, looking back at them.

Donald was standing atop Goofy's shield which was being held like it was a Frisbee. "Um...I'm beginning to have second thoughts about this one, Goofy" says Donald, recalling all their previous attempts at using this Duel Arts had ended with Donald puking from being uber dizzy.

"Don't worry, pal" says Goofy as he begins to spin around. "It'll...all...work...out" he says before letting the shield go and sending it spinning like a top at at the Heartless. Donald quacks out loud in terror as he goes rocking at the Heartless. For a second, Donald looses his train of thought before regaining his senses and doing what he had to do.

"Duel Art; Blazing Tornado" he shouts as he starts launching fireballs at from his stave which go off in multiple directions before adjusting their trajectory back at the Heartless, all landing hits upon the crack which makes it grow bigger till the crack shatters, making the Heartless bellow before breaking apart which sends a large heart floating freely into the air; eventually fading after a few moments.

"We did it, we won" shouts Roxas.

"Yeah, we did it Ventus" says Goofy, running up to Roxas and clapping his hands of Roxas shoulder.

Donald runs up as well and nods at what Goofy said, then adds "By the way, where have you been all this time, Ventus? We've been looking for you. Aqua and Terra too."

Roxas chuckles nervously, then says "Yeah, about that..." He then begins to tell them about himself from the moment he came to Twilight Town till his meeting with them.

Up above, Maleficent smiles down at them. "What an interesting turn of events this is." Flames of black, yellow, and green erupt around here. "I'll be keeping my eyes on you and testing you accordingly, my little..."

Back down below, Roxas was finishing up his explanation though he had decided to give them the abridged version as he had a feeling he would be telling it again sooner or later. "...and then you guys came raining down onto me and you know the rest."

"My, that's an interesting tale you just told us, Roxas" says Jiminy, giving heavy thought to all they had just been told. It was obvious to him, at least, that the overall situation out there amongst the worlds was far greater than they could have ever guessed.

"So, you're really not Ventus then?" asked Donald.

Roxas shakes his head, then says "I don't really know to be honest. I know I look like him and have the same voice and I do have some memories of his though that isn't proof that I am him just suffering from amnesia. Memories, after all, can be transplanted through various means. But I know the answer is out there, somewhere; waiting for me to find it."

"Gawrsh, that sure sounds complicated" says Goofy who then gets an idea. "Say, you don't think master Yen Sid would know the truth about Roxas here?"

"Yeah, you're right" says Donald, becoming excited. "He'll know for sure."

"Who's master Yen Sid?" asked Roxas.

"A powerful sorcerer, the best there is. And he is wiser than any other as well. If anyone would know the truth, it would be him" says Donald.

"So, you wanna come with us and meet him?" asked Goofy. "Our orders were to bring you to see him after we found you anyways."

"Go with you...to see this Yen Sid...?" says Roxas, thinking on it. "I don't know..."

"Go with them, Roxas" comes Leon, taking them by surprise as he comes walking up. He and Yuffie had arrived a few minutes before, ready to jump in and help but they had decided to hold off, wanting to see both Roxas and the king's men in action. When the fight had ended and it was obvious they wouldn't be needed for more fighting, Yuffie had taken off to inform Cid of what had happened as well as Aerith and lady Kaira.

"Are you sure?" asked Roxas.

Leon nods, then says "You know its what you have to do. You coming here out of all the possible worlds out there and it happening at the same time as them coming here? It's all to much of a coincidence to be overlooked."

"Yeah, you're right I guess" says Roxas, making up his mind as he turns from looking at Leon towards Donald and Goofy. "Alright, lets get going."

Donald jumps into the air, shouting out "Oh boy, we need to hurry and depart right a..."

"Just a moment there" comes a voice from out of the air, making them all jump. "Before you depart, would you come have a chat with me?"

"Who saying that?" yells Donald, looking around.

"Ya know, that sounded like old master Merlin" says Goofy.

"It did?" asked Donald, thinking on it. "Yeah, your right. It was him."

"Who's Merlin?" asked Roxas.

"He's one of the greatest wizards to have ever lived and the one who trained me in the ways of magic" says Donald proudly.

"Though not very well from the looks of it, A-hyuk" joked Goofy, chuckling a little as Donald huffs at him over that comment.

"Is he here in Traverse Town right now?" asked Jiminy.

Leon nods then he points over towards a door with a large red flame like symbol carved onto it. "He showed up some time ago, saying he was waiting for "them to arrive." I guess he was meaning you four."

"Well, we better go see him then" says Roxas, getting a nod from his new companions. With that, they begin walking over to the door as Leon leaves as well, heading back to the first district to give the others the needed update on what was going on.

"So, how do you suppose we should proceed?" pondered Jiminy aloud after they had reached the door, finding no handle to help open it and pushing on it didn't produce any results either.

"Well, seeing as there's no handle...um" says Goofy, scratching his head in confusion.

"What about the symbol on the door?" asked Roxas who then points at the flame emblem. "Maybe that's a clue on how to open the door."

"It's worth a shot" says Donald, launching a Fire spell at the flame symbol. This act causes the emblem to begin glowing as the door slowly creaks open. "Yeah, it worked."

"And look" adds Jiminy, pointing out into the cavern beyond the door. "That must be where Merlin is."

"Then what are we waiting for, A-hyuk. Let's get going, guys" says Goofy as he runs into the cavern with Donald right on his tail. Roxas follows more slowly and a good thing to as neither Goofy nor Donald saw the large, cold lake in between them and the cottage Merlin was awaiting them in. They fell right in in comedic fashion while Jiminy barely manages to jump off and over to Roxas in time.

"I think I'll stick to riding on your shoulders from now on if you don't mind" says Jiminy.

Roxas nods before jumping onto a patch of rock that was rising above the water. "Hey guys, there's no time for a swim. We have a meeting to attend" he says with a hint of humor in his voice before hopping across more rocks till he makes it to the island the cottage was positioned on.

Donald mumbles something before following Roxas with a more cheerful Goofy alongside him.

Once they had all arrived, they find the door and step inside, finding the cottage to be deserted and covered in spider webs. It was clear no one had been living here for a very long time. "Hello, is anyone here?" yells Donald.

"Gawrsh, you don't think we all just imagined hearing master Merlin's voice?" asked Goofy.

Roxas looks around and considers that maybe there was more to this cavern than what they had seen thus far and maybe Merlin was in another part of this place. But before he could voice his thoughts, another voice rings out. But this voice came from within his own head.

"You're on the right track. Just a little longer and you'll find us. We'll be waiting in the chamber..."

'What?' he thinks as another voice, this one heard by them all.

"Sorry for making you four wait. I wasn't expecting you to arrive so quickly." A moment later, an old man dressed in a faded blue attire with a long gray beard comes strolling into the room. "It's good to see you lads again."

"Master Merlin" says Donald excitedly. "We've been wondering where you went off to."

"Why were you away for so long, sir?" adds Goofy.

"Here and there, now and then, before and after; you know how I am when I travel. But enough with that. We have business to discuss. But, before we do that, allow me a moment to unpack" says Merlin, placing his lone bag onto the ground and opening it up.

Thinking Merlin's stuff was still outside, Roxas ask "So, can we help you get it moved inside, sir?"

"There's no need for that" says Donald. Roxas looks at him and asked "What do you mean?" Goofy places a hand on his shoulder and says "Just watch and you'll see."

"And now..." says Merlin before beginning a little dance while waving his wand from side to side. "PRESTO." Then, to Roxas surprise, objects begin to rise from the bag, then circle around the room; growing bigger and bigger by the second. Before he knew it, the empty cottage filled with webs had been transformed and you would find it impossible to believe it had been empty immediately before.

Merlin takes a seat and motions for the others to sit as well. "Now then, where to begin." Merlin then thinks and says "Oh, how has your magic training coming along, Donald?"

"Great, master. I...um" Donald hesitates on saying any more.

"Actually, Donald still can only cast fire spells, master Merlin. Even his attempt as using Water falls short" says Goofy.

"Goofy, don't tell him that" cries Donald before blushing from embarrassment.

Merlin laughs and says "I'm not surprised, given how that temper of yours works and all. But cheer up, lad. You'll master Water and all other spells in time. One day, you'll become a master Mage. I just know it."

"Heh, thanks master Merlin" says Donald, feeling a little more confident now.

"And you, Goofy? How has you knightly training been going for you?" asked Merlin.

"Pretty good, sir. My shield technique has improved a lot even though I am still a little on the clumsy side" says Goofy.

'I see. So you're still uncertain about using it, I see' thinks Merlin, knowing it must still be one of Goofy's biggest fears and until he could overcome it... "So you must be the Keybearer I've been hearing about."

Roxas nods. "Yeah, I'm Roxas. It's nice to meet you, sir."

"And you as well. So, you're going to be going with them, I take it?" asked Merlin.

Roxas nods, saying "Yeah, I am. Our meeting here at this time wasn't just by chance, I know it. I...I know I have to go with them. It's what I'm here for after all."

"I see. I like that resolve I hear in your words and see in your eyes. So count on me to do as much as I can to help you all along the way" says Merlin as he gets up and motions for them to do so as well. "I can sense you know a bit of magic, am I right Roxas?"

"Yeah, I know how to use Aero" says Roxas.

"I thought as much. Roxas, Donald, please step forward if you will" asked Merlin. They do so and Merlin waves his wand, making a magic seal appear beneath them. "I invoke the spirits the rule over magic. At my command, I ask you to share with these two the power they each have; Aero and Fire. Share and let them both know the power."

"Incredible" says Jiminy as Roxas and Donald both find themselves learning the other magic.

The seals fade and Merlin says "All of you, keep your ears listening and your eyes opened; take in everything you see and experience. After all, you can gain and learn new things from anything and anyone. Even you, Goofy, can gain something new by the simple act of observing."

"We will" they all say together.

"Now, before you leave. There is someone else here who wants to say hello and give you something for the journey ahead" says Merlin before reaching into his bag and pulling out an ornament in the shape of a carriage. "You can appear now, ma'am."

"Thank you, Merlin" comes a female voice as the ornament glows and transforms into an elderly woman. "Greetings children, you may call me the Fairy Godmother."

"Nice to meet you" said Donald as Goofy and Roxas said similar words to her.

"Now, let me see what I can do for you..." says the Fairy Godmother as she studies them, Roxas most of all. "...hm, I see. So you have already been given that power, have you?"

"That power? Wait, you don't mean..." asked Roxas, but is quickly interrupted.

"I guess I can add a little to that. Bibbity, bobbity, boo" says the Fairy Godmother as she waves her wand around, creating a little ball of light to shoot out at Roxas which passes through him, breaking into two smaller balls that pass into Donald and Goofy before returning to Roxas.

"What just happened?" asked Goofy.

"What did you do?" adds Donald.

"You'll see in time" says the Fairy Godmother before waving her wand again, this time making a glowing stone appear, floating in the air, which floats over to Roxas who takes hold of it.

"What's this?" asked Roxas.

"It's a Summoning Gem, dear. Like with how you can lock and unlock key holes, you can also release the being trapped inside this gem in order to help you out should it ever be needed" said the Fairy Godmother.

Merlin then adds "As I'm sure you know, some can survive the loss of their world to the darkness and find themselves being sent to another place, like this Traverse Town. But sometimes, there will be one who will survive being taken by the darkness yet be unable to make it to another world for safety. In these cases, they'll be transformed into a Summon Gem and will remain as such till their world is restored. They can be released via certain methods, like your Keyblade for example, but this is only a limited time sort of thing and they will revert into gem for should they run out of magic."

"Anyways, give it a try" insist the Fairy Godmother.

"Alright" says Roxas before tossing the gem into the air, then calling forth his Keyblade and touching it against the gem and he shouts out "Release."

The gem glows before bursting into light and a shadow comes over the gathered group. For just a moment, Roxas and the gang wonder if this had been a good idea till they finally see the actual person who had been inside the gem...

And they knew it had been a bad idea.

"Yo, my name is Mushu. That rhymes with tofu. I'm a real cool dude who can breath the fire and...wait, where am I? Where's Mulan run off to? How am I suppose to please the ancestor's and regain my place if she goes running off on me?"

"Mister Mushu, there's something you should know" says Merlin who then explains the situation to the small red dragon.

"So, my world got sucked into the darkness with me being the only likely survivor due to the strength of my heart. Is that about right?" asked Mushu.

"More or less" says Jiminy.

"HAH" says Mushu triumphantly. "And those old farts said I was worthless; a disgrace of a guardian. Wait till I see them again so I can rub this little tidbit of truth into their snobbish noses...wait, I will be able to see them again so I can do that, right?"

"If you're world can be restored, then yes as you will be returned to it automatically" says Merlin though he felt Mushu's reason's for wanting it back were less than appropriate.

"Well then, what should I do till then?" asked Mushu.

"Why not go with them. Perhaps your power as a guardian will be useful for them" suggest the Fairy Godmother.

"Oh, might as well as it beats hanging out with you two oldster's" says Mushu before looking at Roxas and the gang. "Is that cool with you guys?"

"Can you do anything good?" asked Donald.

Mushu takes in a deep breath before releasing a wave of flames from his mouth. "Hot enough for ya?"

"Big deal, I can do that" says Donald.

"Well, I'm also small and can get around quickly without being noticed.

"He has a point" says Goofy.

"I think we should bring him along. Us meeting him may also have a purpose in it" says Roxas.

"I agree" says Jiminy.

"Well, I guess we can seeing as he won't take up much space within the Gummi Ship" says Donald. He then turns to Merlin and the Fairy Godmother. "If there isn't anything else, we'll be heading out."

"Stay safe, children" says the Fairy Godmother.

"And don't forget that should you ever need help, we'll be here to lend aid if we can" adds Merlin.

After a final goodbye, the group leaves and returns to the First District, then over to the Gummi Ship where they find Cid tooling around beneath it. "Are you guys serious?" he asked, seeing them coming and pulling out from under it so he could get back on his feet.

"What's wrong?" asked Goofy.

"You guys came all the way here without any weapons on the ship. How do you plan of dealing with any Heartless roaming around the Lanes Between?" asked Cid.

"We've never had a need for weapons. Just defense shields which is what the king and queen feel is enough" says Donald.

"Not this time" says Yuffie as she walks up and shows them a hand held monitor Cid was having her hold for him. On it was an image of lines glowing with dark lights.

"What does it mean?" asked Roxas.

"The Lanes Between have been overrun by the Heartless" says Leon. "So much so that travel is next to impossible even if you did have weapons on your ship."

"So we can't make it to master Yen Sid then?" asked Goofy.

"To see Yen Sid? Heck, you lot will be lucky if you can even make it a minute into the trip before being taken by them" says Cid.

"But if we had weapons?" asked Donald.

Cid thinks on this, then says "It would be a rough, hectic trip, but not impossible I suppose. But this is a first generation Gummi Ship and all I have is weapons meant for Gen 2 and 3 types. I can make some weapons for you bird here, but it will take me about a week to do it."

"A WEEK?" cries Donald. "But we can't wait that long."

"But do we have a choice?" asked Goofy.

"There's always a choice" comes Aerith suddenly as she and Kaira come walking into view.

"Granny Kaira, are you OK?" asked Roxas, running up to her and seeing she was holding the clothes she was making for him.

"Of course, little one. And I see you have found what it is you must do next" was her reply.

"Yeah, but we're stuck here until Cid can make weapons for the Gummi" says Roxas.

"Unless Aerith here has an idea" says Cid, commenting on her words from before.

"Well, I don't to be honest" admits Aerith.

"But I, on the other hand, do" says Kaira before handing the clothes to Roxas. "Here, go put those on while I tell them about my idea." Roxas nods as he takes the clothes, then heads over to the other Gummi Ship and have some privacy as he changed into his new attire.

Kaira then walks up to Cid and says "How many worlds do you think we would need to visit and have their key holes sealed in order to lessen the amount of Heartless clogging the Lane's Between?"

"Hm, let me see" says Cid, pulling out his own mini data pad and typing in some numbers. "I think 3 at the least. Can't be sure though until the three are done."

"And are there any three worlds close enough to us they could make it to if they were careful that also happen to be in between Traverse Town and the world Yen Sid is currently on?" asked Kaira.

"I'll check?" says Cid, entering some new commands. "There appears to be five total with these three being the safest bet due to being closer here than there."

"Then that's what you can do then" says Kaira, looking at Donald and Goofy. "Go to these worlds, find the key holes and seal them."

"Beats having to stay stuck here for a week" says Donald.

"But I'd still like for you all to come back here once you're done before heading off to see Yen Sid so I can install the weapons" says Cid. He sees Donald wanting to argue which makes him add "Just in case this ever happens again, all right."

"He has a point" says Goofy.

"Fine" says Donald with a defeated sigh. He had to admit that having weapons did make sense and this little side mission would be a good way to pass the time though he hoped master Yen Sid would understand.

Mushu looks at Jiminy and says "Oh boy, we're going on an adventure. I'm so excited I...wait, what am I gonna wear?"

Before Jiminy could point out that Mushu wasn't wearing clothing of any kind, Roxas returns and ask "So, how do I look?"

Everyone looks at him with jaws hanging open. He was wearing light blue colored jeans with a hint of gray mixed in. A long sleeved shirt that was black down the middle and gray along the sides with a hint of a red stripe running around at the bottom. He also had on a white, sleeveless jacket that had a red colored stripe near the bottom and a blue hood hanging from the back.

"Well howdy handsome" says Yuffie.

"Looking like a proper Key Bearer to be sure" agreed Aerith.

"It suits you, Blondie" says Mushu.

"Thanks guys. Anyways, I heard the plan so when do we leave?" he asked.

"Right now, of course" says Donald, hopping into the Gummi ship. He then sees his nephews and yells out "As soon as its safe, head on back to the castle." They yell back "OK" in response though Donald can't help but feel they didn't mean it.

"Gawrsh, here we go ago" says Goofy, seeing Donald was back behind the wheel again.

"Don't worry, I made certain to pack in some extra food and barf bags just in case" assured Jiminy.

"Why am I suddenly not wanting to go with you guys?" wonders Mushu aloud.

"Roxas?" comes Leon, walking up to him as he was boarding. "Be careful out there and trust in them. Together, you lot will be able to overcome any challenge that arises."

"Yeah, I know. And when we get back, lets have another match as I will be back to full strength and maybe I'll have learned something new besides" says Roxas before hopping into the Gummi; it rising and blasting off into the Lane's Between just moments later.

"I'll be here, waiting..." says Leon with a smile on his face.

Off to the side, Kaira watches as they disappear from sight. 'So, you decided to not tell him then?' It was the voice of Merlin speaking to her inside her head.

'You didn't either, it seems' was her response.

'Only because you hadn't and I decided to trust in your judgment on this matter. But if you don't my me asking. Why didn't you tell him? It would have saved him a lot of trouble down the road.'

Kaira sighs, then thinks 'That is true, but telling him now would have done him no good as he still wouldn't know just what he needs to be doing now. That is something we can't tell him. He can only know once he recalls his past and origins himself, not be told it by another. He needs to remember on his own in his own way...'

"Only then" she adds silently to herself. "Will I be able to see my granddaughter again..."

to be continued

Secret Report: A Coming Threat

The Keyblade Graveyard; once the site of a battle so violent and intense, it destroyed a world as its ending result. At one time, innumerable Keyblade's dotted the landscape but not now as they had been cast into the winds by a more recent conflict. Upon a rise of earth was a Lingering Sentiment; taking the form of armor cast to the way side with a Keyblade within its grasp, awaiting the one it hates with all of its will.

But it wasn't alone. Down below, a black flame had been born as of late and within it stood another Sentiment, this one dressed in what appeared to be a skin tight body suit colored black, white, and gray with a helmet hiding its face. This lingering will raises a hand, trying to free itself but is kept trapped for now. But it was growing stronger as 'he' grew stronger for they were connected.

Soon, he would be able to free himself. And when that day came, he would leave this place and seek out the other half who he was connected. And in doing this, he would be made whole again...