Kodachi blinked. "Wh-what...?" She jumped to her feet and noticed that she was trapped inside some sort of glass tank, which was covered with a white blanket. "Who did this?" she shouted angrily while pounding the glass. "How dare you? Let me out of here!"
Suddenly, the blanket got removed, and Kodachi saw that she was in some sort of dark cellar or dungeon. In front of her, the woman who had introduced herself as Countess Arlene was standing, a smug grin on her face. But now, she wasn't wearing the victorian-style dress she had seen her in earlier. It almost looked like... a dark purple ninja costume? It reminded Kodachi of the ninja servant of that chef harlot who always was after her Ranma.
Arlene stepped forward and touched the glass with her hand. "How does it feel?" she teased. "Being a member of nobility, and trapped inside a cage of glass? To be teased by the ones who have you at their mercy?"
"Let me go!" Kodachi demanded again. "You can't do this! I'm a member of the noble house of Kuno!"
"Yes, I know," Arlene snickered. "And you would do anything to claim your darling as your own, isn't that right?"
She leaned even further forward, until only the glass separated her from Kodachi. Her breath fogged up the glass as she whispered: "You would even be... ready to kill. I've seen into your heart. And it's a dark heart, full of anger, madness and sorrow. And that is... why you make such a good Heartless."
She then stepped back from the flustered Kodachi, to another tank, which was standing behind her. But this tank was covered by a huge blanket.
In a dramatic gesture, Arlene pulled the blanket off the glass tank, revealing the creature that was crouching in there.
Kodachi stared at the monster with wide eyes. It somehow looked like the Black Rose Heartless she had commanded earlier, but it was smaller and more humanoid in shape. It also had a ponytail made of black leaves and a long, thorny whip that looked like a ribbon.
"No..." Kodachi whispered. "No..."
"A real cutie, isn't she?" Arlene grinned. "I think I'm gonna call her 'Fallen Rose'. And in case you haven't guessed it yet, she is your Heartless."
"But... but the book..." Kodachi protested. "The book I found... it said that Heartless come into existence when a person's heart is being consumed by the darkness... so why am I...?"
"Why are you still here, you say?" Arlene smiled. "Simple, my dear: You are not really Kodachi Kuno! That is, not quite..."
"Wh-wh-what?" the black-haired gymnast stuttered.
"What the book didn't tell you is that if a person has a strong mind, this person's body and soul will live on without the heart. They will become Nobodies!"
Kodachi's Nobody felt her body with her fingers, unable to believe that she wasn't the real Kodachi Kuno. She looked over to the feral Heartless, who growled at her.
"My... my heart..." she murmured. "But... but I still feel my heart... it's longing for Ranma..."
"No, no, you silly girl!" Arlene laughed. "What you feel are just fake emotions. Your soul is pretending to have a heart, and given some time, you will come to realize that you have no feelings at all. You are not meant to exist..."
The Nobody covered her ears with her hands. "Stop it, stop it, STOP IT!"
"You think I'm lying? You think I don't know what I'm talking about? I beg to differ, dear... since I have abandoned my body and soul a long time ago..."
Kodachi's Nobody gasped. "You are..."
The countess grinned. "You finally realize it? Yes... I am a Heartless, just like that pitiful creature over there." She gestured at the Fallen Rose. "But I am more powerful than her... that's why I don't look as monstrous as she does. I can control the lesser Heartless... and even more." She came closer to the Nobody's tank. "Let's see, you need a new name... how about... Xadchiko?" She giggled. "Yes, Xadchiko, that's your new name!"
Xadchiko backed off. She felt nervous and afraid, but if Arlene was telling her the truth, these feelings weren't real. "What... are you going to do to me?" she finally asked.
"Don't you worry, my dear," Arlene said. "I won't let you suffer for long. See, the true reason why I need you as a Nobody is... so I can harvest part of your soul."
"My... my soul?" Xadchiko gasped.
"That's right!" the countess nodded. "Here, let me show you a creation of mine..." She walked up to another tank, which was covered with a blue blanket. "I give you... the Soulmates!"
She pulled the blanket away, and revealed the inhabitants of the next tank. They were mist-like, had pale, blue claws and faces that looked completely human. Xadchiko noticed that all of them were female.
The countess pointed at one of the Soulmates. "You! Come out!"
The Soulmate, who had the sad face of a young and pretty girl, came floating out of the tank. Arlene reached for her belt and pulled out a few weapons which Xadchiko realized to be kunais.
Arlene took on a typical ninja pose and pulled a face mask up to cover the lower part of her face. "Attack!" she told the Soulmate.
Still smiling sadly, the ghostly girl flew at her mistress, claws outstretched. Arlene parried every claw strike with her weapons, kicked the Soulmate away (How did she do that if they are like mist, Xadchiko wondered), jumped up into the air and threw a barrage of kunais at it. Giving off an almost human-sounding sigh, the Soulmate dissolved into sparkling dust, which faded away.
Arlene put away her remaining kunais and pulled down her face mask again. Walking back to the tank, she explained: "I am convinced that women have the most brilliant of souls." She smiled softly at the Soulmates. One of the ghostly creatures floated up to her and smiled back. "I gathered the Nobodies of strong-willed women to conduct my own experiments on them. My dream is to completely extract a Nobody's soul, so it will live as an own entity. Sadly, I only managed to free these soul shards... poor, unfortunate souls that long to be whole again. They are pretty loyal and grateful for their existence, but they would be even more grateful if I managed to recover the rest of their soul. But whenever one of the Soulmates was created, the remaining soul shards are being destroyed, forever... you see, my main goal is to create a new Soulmate, one that is made of a complete soul. And it will be my only true soulmate..."
Arlene sighed and leaned back against the wall. "As a Nobody, she became cruel and sadistic... or at least she pretends to be. I know she has no heart. But maybe... just maybe... I will be able to merge with her soul again, once we get rid of that pesky body..." She giggled insanely.
"And... what do you need me for?" Xadchiko asked.
Arlene looked at her. "Why, I thought it was obvious, my dear! You will be my newest pet project... a new attempt on creating the perfect Soulmate!"
The black-haired Nobody gasped. "No! No, I won't become like them!" she shouted, pointing at the Soulmates.
"Don't you worry," Arlene snickered. "If everything works out fine, you will become one with your heart again..." She gestured at the Heartless crouching in the other tank. "Isn't that wonderful? And now, let us begin..."
Xadchiko nervously backed off when the heartless countess slowly approached her tank...
An Emblem Heartless slowly floated along the dark corridor. One of its eyes hang out of its socket, connected only by a thin string. The other one glowed as brightly as a flashlight, and the light it emitted wandered across the walls, searching for any sign of an intruder. When the Search Ghost found none, it continued on its patrol.
Ranma looked out of the alcove he and his companions had hidden in. "The coast is clear," he whispered. "Let's get going!"
"I swear, this castle is even more gloomy than Myotismon's..." Leormon grumbled while they followed the young martial artist. "What are we looking for, anyway?"
"His pig, remember?" Akane told him. She shook her head. "I still can't believe that a pig has clairvoyant powers..."
"I couldn't believe it either at first," Taran shrugged. "But I know that I am her assistant pig-keeper, and I've promised Dallben to bring her to a safe place."
"Um, not to discourage you, buddy, but how exactly are you planning on doing that?" Ranma asked him. "You don't even have a weapon, and I don't really believe you are a martial artist..."
"I... don't know how," Taran sighed. "I just know I have to..."
Kasumi sighed. "I still wish we didn't have to leave Gurgi behind..."
A grim expression appeared on Taran's face. "It was his own decision, wasn't it? If he's not brave enough to save Hen Wen, then we don't need him. What kind of friend abandons his friends in the times of need?"
"He was just scared," Kasumi softly said. "And I can't blame him... I really have a bad feeling about this place..."
"We will leave soon enough... after we find Taran's little pig," Akane said. "I know I would be worried if P-chan was kidnapped like that."
"I think old pork-butt would be able to take care of himself..." Ranma grumbled.
Akane gave him a bop to his head. "Ranma, don't tease P-chan!" she grumbled.
"Be quiet!" Leormon hissed. "Or we'll be spotted!"
"Hello?" a voice suddenly spoke up in the darkness. "Who's there? Please, if you aren't one of them, get me out of here!"
Ranma and Taran looked at each other and then, they followed the voice. It was coming from the door of a single cell with no other exit. Through the cell's little window, they could see a young girl with long, blonde hair. Her dress was dirty from the smut-covered floor.
Her face brightened when she saw Ranma's and Taran's faces. "Ah, I knew I heard some voices down here. Are you prisoners as well?"
"Um, no, actually, we're trying to save someone," Ranma said.
The girl smiled. "Well, I'd say you found someone who is in the need of being saved. I am Princess Eilonwy. Are you two lords... or warriors?"
"Um, no... I'm an... assistant pig-keeper..." Taran meekly said.
"Aw, what a pity..." Eilonwy sighed. "I was hoping for someone to help me escape."
"Hey, I'm a martial artist," Ranma boldly said. "I can get you out of here. Stand back for a moment..."
Taran did as he was told, and Ranma reached out with his finger to touch the door. "You better cover your eyes," he told the princess. "BAKUSAI TENKETSU!"
With a loud crash, the door broke open, raining shards of wood and metal into the princess' cell.
She blinked in surprise. "Oh my, you are a strong one!"
Akane clonked her fiance on the head, once again. "Smooth move, Ranma!" she grumbled. "Now they know where we are."
"You think so?" Ranma asked while rubbing his head.
"Well, the explosion WAS pretty loud..." Taran murmured, wishing he was able to do that as well.
"Follow me, I know of a secret tunnel," Eilonwy said as she came out of the cell.
"Um, actually, we are still trying to find his pig..." Kasumi pointed out.
Eilonwy giggled. "Oh, yes! Your PIG!"
Her words angered Taran. "But my pig can tell the future."
"Oooooh, how interesting!" she giggled. "Well, you better stay close to me or you'll get lost. And don't worry, the secret corridor leads through all of this castle, so I think we'll be able to save your piggy!"
Taran had a deep frown on her face while they followed the spunky princess.
"I really don't like her..." he grumbled.
In a corner of the Horned King's throne room, surrounded by Heartless and the dead remains of long dead warriors, sat a green-haired girl with a look of sorrow on her face. In her lap, there was a little pig which she was petting. They were both chained to the wall behind them.
"Don't worry, Hen Wen," she sighed. "I'm sure someone will come and save us..."
"You really don't believe that, do you?" the deep voice of the Horned King suddenly spoke up. The girl got startled. She hadn't even noticed that he was standing close by.
She hugged Hen Wen to her chest. "I've seen things that were at least as horrible as what you are planning to do. You can't scare me!"
The king chuckled. "Bold words, young Rydia! But you won't be so courageous when the time comes that I need your powers, will you?"
"I will never do what you asked of me," Rydia said defiantly. "Even if you found the Black Cauldron."
"Is that so?" the Horned King asked. "I beg to differ. Soon enough, I will find out how to use the pig's abilities, and when that time comes, the Black Cauldron will be mine." He stared at her. "And you will summon the dark spirit trapped in there so he can do my bidding."
She shook her head. "Never!"
"Careful..." he grumbled. "You are forgetting that we still have the old man. If you keep on resisting me... I may just take my anger out at him."
"Hey, how long is this corridor?" Akane asked.
"I don't know it either," Eilonwy said. "I found out about it the first time I tried to escape. Fortunately, they didn't learn about the tunnel back then. Still, they managed to catch me just when I was about to leave the main gate. And while they couldn't find out the true reason for how I was able to flee, they were wise enough to put me into a different cell this time around. I also haven't had the time to explore the tunnel completely."
"As long as we can use it to save Hen Wen..." Taran mumbled.
Ranma, who had run ahead, suddenly came back to them. "Hey! It's a dead end up ahead! Shall I use the Bakusai Tenketsu again?"
"Do you want the walls around us to collapse?" Akane asked. "Eilonwy, did you know about this?"
"No, I'm surprised myself," the princess said. "This is strange... there isn't supposed to be a dead end. I always thought the tunnel would lead through the whole castle..."
Kasumi sighed. "So does that mean we have to turn around?" she asked and leaned against the wall. One of the bricks she was leaning against suddenly slid back into the wall, and with a grinding sound, the wall in front of them opened up.
"Another secret door!" Akane grinned. "Oneechan, you truly are amazing!"
"Oh my! That was nothing..." the modest Digidestined blushed.
"She's right, you know?" Leormon grinned.
Ranma peered into the darkness behind the secret door. "Hmm, looks like a huge, empty room... but it's so dark, we need some light."
"Wait, there's a torch..." Akane said. She lit it with a fire spell and entered the room herself, followed by the others.
"Ah, a burial chamber," Eilonwy said and gestured at the huge stone coffin that was in the middle of the room. "This could be the tomb of the great king who built this castle. Before the Horned King took over..."
"He must have been a great warrior..." Taran murmured and looked down at the coffin. Its lid was lying on the ground, and he could see the king's dead remains.
Akane grimaced. "Yuck! Let's get out of here, this place is making me feel queasy..."
"But do you see any exit?" Ranma asked.
"Let's see..." Akane murmured and walked over to the other wall. "See, theres a hole... and I can see another tunnel behind it. Someone must have sealed this room so the king's rest would not be disturbed."
"But I don't think there's a secret door this time around..." Eilonwy spoke up as she came closer to them.
Meanwhile, Taran was taking a closer look at the king's corpse. He had seen something shiny lying next to him.
"A sword..." he murmured.
Dusting the old weapon off, he takes it out of the coffin and raises it high up into the air.
Akane sighed. "Too bad! Looks like we're going to to this the hard way... but no Bakusai Tenketsu this time around, Ranma!"
"Well, how else do you expect me to get past that wall?" Ranma grumbled. "With my fists?"
"No, you dummy! Use your Senshi magic!"
"All right already..." Ranma grumbled and took out his transformation pen. "Careful, this might freak you out," he warned Taran and Eilonwy.
"Terra Planet Power, make up!"
In a swirl of diamond shards, he turned into the Senshi of Earth.
Eilonwy gaped at the red-head in the fuku. "How... beautiful..." she murmured. "You really are a girl?"
Sailor Terra grimaced. "No, I just turn into one. Stand back, everyone..."
When she had enough space, she put her hands together in front of her body.
"DIAMOND DRILL!" she shouted, and her hands got encased with a solid drill made of diamonds. She pressed it against her wall, it began to spin faster and faster, and in the end, she managed to enlarge the hole in the wall.
When the hole was big enough that they all could get through, she let the drill disappear. "There, that should do it."
When she looked around, she saw the sword that Taran was holding. "Hey! Where'd you find that?"
"Um, from back there," Taran said and gestured back at the coffin.
"You mean...?" Eilonwy murmured.
Taran shrugged. "Well, he's not going to use it..."
Akane sighed. "Let's go already..." she said. With the torch in her hand, she walked through the hole Terra had drilled and followed the tunnel. The others followed her.
Eilonwy smiled. "I like your skirt, you know?"
Terra decided to ignore that remark.
Soon enough, they came past another door.
"Shall we take this one?" Akane asked.
Eilonwy shook her head. "No, these are the western cells. We still have a way to go until we reach the throne room... and if I'm not mistaken, and he really wants to use that pig to find this weird cauldron, it should be there."
"Then saving Hen Wen won't be too easy..." Kasumi noticed.
Taran grinned. "Hey, now that I have a sword as well, I don't see how we can lose."
"As long as you know how to use it..." Akane said.
She just wanted to go on, when they heard loud voices coming from behind the door.
"I told you, it's your fault!"
"Excuse me for being gallant, sir! I am a Fflam, and a performer, on top of that. All I wanted to do is to save the girl - how was I supposed to know that it was a trap?"
"Rydia got captured because you had to act like a fool in front of her!" the other voice shouted. "You spoony bard! Just wait when I get my hands on you..."
"You are a quarrelsome, old man, and that's all I have to say! It's not my fault, that's all I say."
A loud TWANG was then heard.
"See? Even your harp disagrees! Admit it, it's your fault!"
"Why, you... how could you betray me, my harp? Why do you judge every word I say?"
"Sounds like those are prisoners as well," Eilonwy said. "Shouldn't we save them as well?"
"Of course," Terra nodded. "It's the right thing to do. Just a moment..." She opened the door and found herself in a short corridor with two prison cells at its end. In one of the cells, she could see two elderly men that were chained to the wall. One of them was dressed in a wide robe and had a white, bushy beard, while the other one was holding a harp and was dressed like a bard.
"Great Berlin! What is a nice, young lady like you doing in such a place?" the bard asked.
Terra frowned. "I could ask you the same. But wait a minute, I'll get you out of there... Diamond Drill!" Using her drill, she first destroyed the cell door, and then the chains that were holding the two men.
The man with the beard rubbed his wrists. "Thank you, my dear! Now excuse me while I strangle this idiot..." With an angry glare on his face, he walked up to the protesting bard.
"Now, now, let's not be hasty here! We can still save her, can't we? There's enough time!"
"Save who?" Ranma asked. "Is there someone else trapped in the castle? Who are you anyways?"
"If I may introduce myself, I am Flewwddur Fflam, great minstrel of the..."
"Call me Tellah," the other man muttered. "I'm a sage. I've been visiting this world with a friend of mine because we were told that this is where we would meet a girl with a certain key... but then we met this bard, and everything went down the drain. Now Rydia is captured by this Horned King, while I had to listen to the endless sermons of this idiot's horrible voice..."
"Excuse me!" Flewwddur huffed. "I'll have you know that I've sung in the finest courts and..."
Another string of the harp snapped.
"Why? Why does everyone have to be a critic?" the bard wailed.
"Listen, we don't have time for this. We are on our way to save someone as well. Maybe we are in luck and your friend is in the same place as the pig. Now could you just come along?"
Just then, the others arrived behind her. "Ranma, what's taking you so long?" Akane hissed. "We'll be spotted if we keep this up..."
"It's too late," Leormon growled as he saw the Soldier Heartless that approached them from behind. "Here they are!"
Tellah stepped forth. "Well then, let us give them a proper greeting... BLIZZARA!" And from his hands, a freezing projectile came flying, freezing the first Heartless to the spot.
'So he knows some magic as well,' Akane thought while raising her Keyblade. Next to her, Taran did the same with his own, new sword.
"I really hope you know how to use that sword!" she said.
Taran gulped. 'I hope so as well...' he thought.