Chapter 2
Sora, Riku, and Kairi flew through space. They were able to all comfortably fit in the hold of the Gummi Ship Highwind. They'd been summoned to Disney Castle. King Mickey had summoned them, saying it was urgent, but refusing to explain any further.
"…What do you think it is?" Sora asked finally, somewhat uncomfortable in the quiet.
"Who knows? I thought we were done with fighting, but…" Riku shrugged.
Sora nodded grimly, turning back to the controls. The rest of the trip was quiet, and soon Disney castle appeared before them, beautiful as ever. Sora took it in for a gentle landing.
The three friends entered the throne room. Mickey and his Queen, Minnie, sat in the middle, on two golden chairs. Next to them stood Donald Duck and Daisy, and Goofy and his knights stood in two parallel lines. Upon the three friends' entrance, the formality vanished. Goofy and Donald waved enthusiastically to Sora, and Mickey rose from his throne, walking briskly to the group, and bowing low. Sora and the others returned the gesture.
"Your majesty…what do you require of us?" Sora asked at length, straightening up.
"I'm glad you came, Sora, Riku, Kairi. We need to speak on this matter in the library." Mickey said solemnly, walking in the direction of the room. Donald and Goofy followed, walking alongside Sora.
"How've ya been, Sora?" Goofy asked amiably. Sora grinned, glad to see his friend.
"We've been fine…how's it being home?"
"It's great to be here with the King…but I wouldn't say no to some adventure every now and then." Donald replied. They reached the Library. Mickey turned to face them.
"I've called you here because of a massive misbalance in the order of the universe." He said, sitting down heavily.
"What?" Sora asked, not sure he wanted the answer.
"…The Heartless…they've multiplied explosively." Mickey said.
Sora stared at the king in horror. The Heartless…he'd thought the creatures vanquished twice…and twice they'd proved him unfinished.
"But…Xehanort…Xemnas…we defeated them both…how on earth could anyone still be leading Heartless?" Riku said, as though he had difficulty breathing.
"Some people have appeared out of nowhere. They can control Heartless, but they don't look or act like members of the Organization." Mickey opened up a book Sora recognized as the Journal Jiminy Cricket had kept for them.
"There's also another problem…a new creature has appeared, neither Heartless or Nobody." Sora saw pictures of bizarre, armored creatures in grey, black, and white armor wreaking havoc. They bore insignias of both the Heartless and Nobody.
"We need to stop them." Sora said firmly.
"You're right, but you must know," Mickey said solemnly, "My place is here. I won't be able to come with you. I must defend my kingdom if these fiends should invade." The small mouse stood up. "Sora…Riku…Kairi…Donald…Goofy…I'm depending on you." He said. "I'd advise coordinating yourself with Leon and the others in Radiant Gardens."
Sephiroth stood atop a tall cliff. The barren valley where the Heartless Armies had fought Sora and his friends had been his dwelling place for a long time now…it felt natural to him.
He'd been bested narrowly by the boy…he looked forward to being able to fight the child once more.
As vortexes of darkness spat dark creatures onto the ground around him, Sephiroth remembered why he liked this place so much.
A few minutes later, the last Heartless was annihilated. Sephiroth looked up at the sky, waiting for the next fight. He flexed his wings in anticipation. He abruptly turned around sharply, seeing a man wearing a navy blue hood and cape behind him, leaning against a wall, arms crossed.
"What do you want?" he asked. The hooded man said nothing for a moment, as though he were appraising Sephiroth.
"I was merely wondering…would you be interested…in a job?" he asked. His voice was confident and calculated.
Sephiroth turned to him in genuine bewilderment, but a stream of information suddenly penetrated his mind. After a moment, he blinked, and looked at the man.
"What kind of job?" He smirked.