Ventus was far too anxious to get moving. Unlike Aqua and Sora, Riku, Kairi, and Ven weren't prepared to just run off. Apparently, Ven already had plans to run off as soon as the two were off-world. Riku ordered him to get them elixirs and ether from the shop as he fit Kairi with the harness he put together this morning. She had no way of carrying her Keyblade, so he made a holster. Leon helped some, being familiar with large weapons.

The three of them rushed. As soon as Ven returned, carrying all the healing potions he could possibly hold, he dropped the overflow onto the table and activated his armor.

"Let's go!" he insisted.

Riku had just finished with Kairi, and yes, he wanted to rush out, too, the three of them had to be smart. Riku and Kairi pocketed what they could, discussing possible strategies. Ven was clearly not one for strategy. He paid little attention as he opened the door, ready to run out.

"Ven?" A familiar voice made them freeze. Riku hadn't heard that voice in weeks. He figured he was in a dangerous situation and couldn't get in contact with them just yet, but… here he was.

"Hey, Mickey!" Ven greeted, sliding past him. "Sorry, gotta run!"

Riku and Kairi stared at Mickey, Donald and Goofy for a moment. The two exchanged glances. They couldn't drag Donald and Goofy into this. After everything they'd been through, the two of them wouldn't be able to handle it if they had gotten hurt.

And… maybe they felt a little guilty for not telling them right away.

"I'm sorry, your Majesty," Riku activated his armor. "Donald, Goofy… stick with the king, will you?"

"We're depending on you to take care of things while we're gone," Kairi said as she rushed over to hug them.

"Wha—" Donald quacked as Kairi squeezed him against Goofy.

"Where are ya goin'?" Goofy asked.

"Come on!" Ven's voice carried through the open door. "They'll be halfway there by now!"

What else could they say? There wasn't time to tell them or time to argue. Riku shrugged, wishing they could see his assuring smile through his helmet. Kairi had successfully moved them away from the door so Riku wouldn't have to push them through. Kairi jogged behind him, her armor flashing into appearance as she waved to the royal court.

"We'll be back as soon as we can, promise!"

Riku and Kairi met Ven in the court. He was already on his glider, weaving anxiously. There were a million things to worry about and a million things that could go wrong, but this was much more important than that. Riku summoned his glider, pulling Kairi on with him. Ven motioned for Riku to lead the way. Riku had pointed it out to Ven before… the vortex. The remains of Hollow Bastion… or… rather… Radiant Garden?

Aqua and Ventus referred to Hollow Bastion as Radiant Garden. Aqua said that was the world where Kairi was from. Ven said that was where half of the Organization was from—since he'd actually met them before they were Nobodies. It was still so weird… to think they were once people with hearts and that maybe they weren't such bad people. What concerned Riku the most was when Ven pointed out Zexion, he said he met him as a child. Zexion… wasn't much older than Riku, it seemed. He had lost his heart at such a young age…

But Riku wondered why it was called Hollow Bastion. Why everyone seemed to remember it as that and not Radiant Garden? Maybe it had something to do about when the darkness took it. Maybe it clouded their memories and all they could remember was such an… unhappy name.

It kind of suited it when Riku visited. He wondered what it was like before… it must have been beautiful with a name like Radiant Garden.

Kairi held Riku tightly around the waist as they flew through the lanes in-between. It was slower than the Gummi Ship, but… Riku wasn't about to destroy it by flying it into a vortex of darkness. Who knows what was waiting there for them? Riku grew anxious as they got closer. Sora and Aqua were nowhere to be seen. They must have been to far ahead… Riku miscalculated how long they took off. He thought maybe they'd see them, but light reflected only so far.

This was giving him time to think. Time to second guess. Time to wonder if they should just let the two of them go. It was his idea. He said it out loud with such confidence. He would be a coward to take it back now and if there was one thing Riku was not it was a coward.

Besides, Kairi wouldn't let them.

Lord knew he wished sound worked out here. He wanted to talk to them to keep him mind off things. He needed Kairi to promise him things were going to be okay. He needed Ven's unyielding optimism. The two of them were a lighthouse on a foggy shore, guiding him away from danger towards calmer seas.

Riku wished he knew when he started to care so much for three strangers… but… they made it so hard not too. Aqua was strong and confident in her skill and was eager to help. Ventus was bright, a blinding light shining through the darkness. And Sora was… There wasn't a good way to describe Sora. He just had this way of touching every heart he came in contact with. Riku was so adamant about not making things the way they were before but… the guy made it so hard no to. Sora didn't care if their relationship picked up where it left off—that much he made clear. But… Riku found himself yearning for that boy he was so close to. He allowed himself to get closer with him, still trying to stay at arms length.

He just made it so damn hard.

Riku lost his childhood friend once. There was no way in hell he was going to let the darkness take him again.

They neared the vortex. Riku could feel the impossibly strong pull already. Riku held a hand out to stop Ven in order to observe where they should head next. Before they got closer and were unable to pull away. Before they were dragged into the darkness. They still had a mission. They needed to land on that… floating Heartless… thing… to get to Ansem. So where was the right place to fly towards? Which way would gravity affect them?

Riku observed floating bits of debris orbiting the darkness. Black, navy, and purple melded together, like oil, pulling in all the light that surrounded it. Recently, a world had been claimed from the looks of it. Riku wasn't sure which one… if they had been to it… if their friends were on it… or if it was even possible to restore the worlds that were taken by this darkness.

Riku scanned for the ship. He motioned for Ven to follow him as he circled around, keeping his distance. They were a quarter-way around the dark mass when Kairi leaned against his back, pointing. There! It was so close. Lightning was sparking from it, telling of a battle that already started.

Riku motioned for Ven to get closer to him. As the blonde neared, Riku grabbed him by the lapels, dragging him onto the glider in front of him. The blonde struggled for a moment before Riku wrapped his hands around the other's to have him grab onto the handles. Ven seemed to get it, dismissing his own glider. If they were going to stick together, this was the best way to do it. The weight of the three of them was heavy on Riku's glider, but it kept them close. Kairi's grip tightened. He glanced back at her and she nodded. He looked to Ven who gave a thumbs-up.

They all held on tightly as Riku aligned himself just right then… hit the thrusters. Riku was glad Ven was short. As the gravity began to catch them, he needed to see in order to avoid debris and steer in the right direction. The darkness… Riku could feel it pressing against his armor. He hoped it would hold up. It had to.

He swerved out of the way of debris, nearly colliding several times with gigantic rocks. Ven and Kairi leaned towards the left as Riku pulled. They were so close to the ship… they could see the figure that had attached himself to the top of the ship. Riku knew Ansem spent much of his time there, but… could not believe for a minute he hadn't left. They wanted eternal darkness and Kingdom Hearts, right? So, the Heartless had to leave sometimes.

They were coming in way too fast. It was almost a crash landing. Well, it was for Riku and Kairi anyway. Ven leapt from the glider before Riku landed, summoning his Keyblade and flying into battle. Riku dismissed his glider, summoning the blade to his hand as he and Kairi continued rushing at the ground. The two of them tumbled, not too painfully thank goodness. The… texture of the ship was… organic. Spongy. It reminded Riku a bit of Monstro. Gross.

Riku lifted his head to see they were right to come help out. Four hooded figures stood, turning to Riku and Kairi as Ventus knocked a fifth out of the air. And he stayed in flight, much to Riku's surprised. Oh, great. They could fly here. It was another Neverland and Riku was less than thrilled about that. Riku had never been a fan of flying. Kairi? Complete natural. Riku? He liked solid ground. Ocean? Maybe. Being a fish wasn't too bad. But, no. Flying was out of the question. He'll pick an opponent that felt the same, thanks.

Riku rocked onto his feet, adjusting his grip on Way to Dawn. Kairi pulled out her new Keyblade, swinging it heavily in front of her. Behind the hooded figures, Aqua stared, her eyes wide and her mouth opening in protest. Sora floated to Ven, smiling a huge grin from ear to ear.

"'Bout time you guys showed up."

"Couldn't let you have all the fun." Ven retorted, the two bumping forearms.

Sora still wore his armor, his helmet having been discarded. There were signs that the fight was beginning. Sora had already been knocked around a few times as well as Aqua, but not before getting some shots in to their enemies.

"What are you guys doing here?" Aqua asked, exasperated. "I told you—"

"Yeah, well," Riku poised his blade, ready to fight. "We aren't ones to leave our friends behind."

Aqua shoved her helmet back on. She very well couldn't exactly tell them to get lost. They were here now and there was no going back. She turned to face Sora who twirled his Keyblade expectantly.

"So, uh, should I still…?"

Aqua's grip tightened. "Give them all you've got, Sora."

Sora punched the air, twisting. "Yeeeees!"

They weren't exactly out numbered by the Nobodies. But… the Heartless was certainly an issue. And they had lost to the Nobodies more times than not. Their biggest victory was when Sora took Marluxia and Larxene. So… maybe it would be a good idea to have Sora as back up.

One of the hooded figured cackled. Ugh. The laughter sent shivers down Riku's spine. He instantly recognized it as Vexen. He was… creepy, to say the least. A mad scientist with a big ego and Riku would be more than glad to take him on. He'd be set for the rest of his life if he never had to hear that laugh again.

"You must think highly your protégé. Such confidence." Yes. That was Vexen.

"Not… without reason." Ven pulled away, giving Sora space. It was always a good idea to give Sora space. He… didn't always watch where his Keyblades were flying.

"Kid can pack a punch," said another hooded figures. Xigbar. Would he just go away, already? He had to be there when a Keyblade wielder was involved, evidently. Was it in his Organization XIII contract or something?

Sora grinned brightly at Xigbar. "Ya think so?" Sora summoned another blade to his hand. Behind him, four more appeared, ready and poised to strike. "DiZ thinks I need some work."

Xigbar pulled his hood off to get a better look. His jaw dropped as he took an apprehensive step back. "… I think DiZ is full of it."

Sora smirked and threw one of his blades at Xigbar. The other four followed, aiming for the other members. As they were busy deflecting the attack, Aqua, Riku, Ven, and Kairi took their distraction as a chance to swoop in. Riku went for Vexen, ready for a rematch. Aqua was quick to go after Xigbar, not even giving Kairi a chance for payback. Ven clashed with a large axe-sword. Lexaeus. Oh boy. Kairi slammed one of the men in the back, sending him flying. As he hit a barrier that seemed to have formed around the ship, his hood slipped off, revealing his face. Luxord. It was strange to have a newer member among all these old ones…

One of the Nobodies successfully deflected Sora's attack and flew up to meet him, lances floating around him. "I will be you opponent." Xaldin said to him. "Let's see how well you handle your blades."

Vexen recovered from Riku's blow, turning to him with that creepy smirk that always ticked Riku off. Riku slammed into the shield. The old man held firm, not even pushed back in the slightest. Riku went at him again and yelped as ice shot up his blade, frosting his arm. Chunks of ice appeared, swirling around them. Riku flipped back as they went for him. He pushed off of the spongy floor, off of the barrier and into a weird waving… growth. As an ice chunk hit it, it wiggled, as if pained.

Oh. That might be something. It would have to wait until Riku was finished. Riku shot dark fire at Vexen, spinning into another attack. He needed to break the shield to get to him. The recoil from the block wasn't as back as Riku expected. He was used to trying to hit him, only to fly back and hurt himself. The training with Aqua really was paying off. It was only a few attacks until the shield shattered into ice shards.

Riku smirked at Vexen, hitting him into the air. He went at him as fast as he could from all sides before knocking him down. As Riku tried to land, ice shot up from under him, throwing him into the ceiling. He felt his head smack into the support, disorienting him as he fell back down. He held his head, grunting as he looked up at his opponent. He was composing himself, bringing the shield back to his hand.

"What?" Riku started, trying to buy time until he could see straight. "Your boss couldn't come himself?"

"Afraid not," Vexen sneered. "He's attending another matter at the moment. Since most of the Keyblades are here now." Riku felt the color drain from his face. Yeah, this was a bad idea. Now, the worlds were left undefended. "Even though I really should be working on our project, he sent me here to retrieve my final ingredient."

"And… what would that be?" Riku pushed himself to his feet. His vision was starting to clear up which meant maybe he could finish this with Vexen once and for all.

"A sample."

"Of what exactly?"

"Memory." Vexen pointed upwards. "From him."

Riku followed his direction, his gaze landing on Sora. The boy was grinning as he easily blocked Xaldin's attacks, laughing as he shot more Keyblades at the Nobody. Xaldin did not look like things were going well for him. He probably hadn't anticipated exactly how strong Sora was.

"Hopefully Xaldin will be able to extract some." Vexen snickered.

"I think Sora might just send another one of your members into Nothingness." Riku lunged at him. "And you better be worried about me!"

Vexen blocked. Riku had to make sure he wouldn't get away. Who knows what they'd do with a memory sample. Riku didn't want to take that chance. He fought against the Nobody with all that he had. The ice had shattered his armor in places, leaving parts of him exposed.

After Riku had depleted most of his magic, he grew frustrated. He needed to end this. Riku pulled off his helmet and threw it at Vexen, smacking the man in the face. As he stumbled back, Riku took the chance to lunge, striking him down.

The man pulled himself to his knee, panting. He looked up to meet Ansem's gaze, nodded, and vanished in a portal of darkness. Riku wanted to call him a coward, but… he had run before at the point where he believed he was about to lose. Better to get out alive than die, right? You'd live to fight another day.

Riku looked up to see Xaldin had vanished, too, but not after Sora threw a Keyblade after him. The brunette huffed, folding his arms. He glanced around at the others that were still fighting. Their eyes met.

"You handle the ship. We need to get to Ansem." Riku instructed.

"Got it."

Sora grinned. Riku saluted. The silver-haired teen jumped into the fray with Kairi.

She wasn't struggling by any means. She was a bit beaten up, but she seemed to have found comfort in this new fighting style. She appeared relieved Riku had decided to join her. He had no second thoughts about it. The two of them shared a smirk. Luxord didn't seem that concerned. Then again, he wasn't much worse off than Kairi. The two must have been an even match and now… they had the upper hand.

Kairi handed him an ether before charging at Luxord. A fan of cards threw her back into Riku as he tried to drink the ether. He got most of it in his mouth before Kairi knocked him back. He steadied them, spilling some of the recovery item. Riku gave her an encouraging push as he finished the ether off.

Kairi rushed, slashing through overly large cards to get to the Nobody. Riku ran up behind her just as she reached Luxord. They swung their blades over their heads, Kairi emitting light and Riku radiating darkness. They smashed their blades heavily onto Luxord, embedding their blades into the ground as the area around them exploded with light and dark.

The Nobody collapsed, falling to a knee. Riku and Kairi swung around for a finishing blow. Luxord flattened himself into a card that skittered away from them. Fighting him was more annoying than difficult since he tended to make a game out of it. The one card turned into five, shuffling among themselves. They went past Ventus and Lexaeus, who seemed to have trouble keeping up with the younger. Lexaeus moved slowly, carefully, but when he hit, he hit hard. Ven slipped on the pile of cards, which gave Lexaeus an opening.

Riku darted forward, blocking the attack as Kairi chased after the cards, dodging Sora's Keyblades that were thrown at a growth. The force threw Riku across the ship. Riku supposed it was a blessing in disguise. If the brute hadn't hit him, he never would have noticed that Vexen had returned. The Chilly Academic must not have gotten what he came for. Why else would he be back?

Riku adjusted himself, casting cure before slowly approaching the Nobody. He quickly ran, leaping into the air and threw himself at the other. Vexen whirled around to block with his shield.

"I don't have time for you." He blasted ice at Riku that the boy dodged. "That incompetent lout didn't get the sample."

"Like I'm going to let you walk out of here with anything!"

As Vexen opened his mouth, a barrage of Keyblades flew into his back. Darkness rose from him as he slowly turned to the offender. Riku put a hand on his hip, frowning at Sora who folded his hands behind his head, grinning.

"I had this." Riku shook his head. He was glad, though he wouldn't admit it.

"I know."

"Impossible… I can't…" Vexen turned, reaching for Sora. "I must… complete my experiment." Sora took a step back, letting the man fall. He cried out, his anguish fading into nothingness along with him.

Riku huffed, raising an eyebrow at Sora. The brunette jabbed a thumb towards Ansem, who was watching them, a scowl on his face. He must not have anticipated reinforcements or Sora's power. Finally, they'd get to actually fight him.

"I cleared a way for you."

I'm sorry this took forever to get out. This chapter was like one big fight scene and, as stated before, I'm terrible with fight scenes. So, the fighting is literally EVERYWHERE. Ugh. I'm sorry for this chapter and the next one. Because more fighting.