Author's Note: So I'm going to make an excuse, I'm busy, packing up the house so it can be sold, I've finally confronted my dad about the Navy and am signing up by the end of the month and I'm suffering some writer's block as I try to get this story to its finale. I hope the story is not suffering for that, and I'm sorry for the slowed pace. Enjoy!
"Is everyone ready?" Paine asked.
Roxas noted that she sounded very grim, he preferred Zack's more laid back method of command, but Zack had deferred to the older woman's experience, since apparently she could beat him easily in a fight. Roxas found that hard to believe but wasn't going to argue.
"Not yet," Rinoa said.
"How many times do I have to tell you Rinoa, you aren't coming," Leon growled.
She ignored him, tightening the straps on the pack she was wearing and going over the blade-staff that Merlin had given her. She reached for Auron's big red coat and put it on, smiling at Sora thankfully, it wasn't as good as the armor that some of the others were wearing but it was better than nothing and Sora had been happy to let her use it. She and Leon had been fighting since the night before, Rinoa at some point had decided that she wasn't going to sit on the sidelines a second time, especially with her father missing and possibly dead because of Xehanort, and even more so when her older sister was going after him as well. She'd eventually convinced Paine that they needed someone with her magic and healing abilities and that had been the end of all Leon's protests, or at least their usefulness. He was still trying to convince her to stay.
Leon looked at Tifa pleadingly. "Can you please tell her this is a bad idea?"
Tifa snorted, "if she's not going to listen to the man she loves and sleeps with, you really think she's going to listen to her big sister?"
"Leon I think you're stuck with her, besides she has a valid point, she is a level two healer and mage." Zack said with a smile.
Leon glared, "what if it was Aerith?"
Zack's smile shifted uneasily though it remained in place. "I'd be upset, but it's her choice. Get over it Leon, we can't keep them out of everything."
"That's enough," Paine growled darkly. "Merlin, Mim, aren't you ready yet?"
Mim snorted. "No respect for her elders, if I was anything like my old self I'd turn her into a toad and boil her alive."
Merlin chuckled. "Now now, you've given all that up remember?"
Mim grumbled under her breath, casting a glance at her granddaughters, standing with Roxas and Sora. "You four be careful, I'll have another dinner waiting for you when you get back."
Zack chuckled. "Oh sure, they get the free meal."
Merlin raised his hands, as did Mim, there was a flash and what looked like a wall of shimmering water opened between their raised arms. Paine raised a hand and waved it forwards, Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz rushed forwards, weapons drawn and ducked through the portal with their mother. Zack led his squad with Rinoa in next, finally Sora, Roxas, Namine, Kairi, and Riku all clasping each other's hands walked through. There was a brief moment of disorientation as they passed through, but none of the nauseating effects that Roxas had been expecting, this form of teleportation seemed much easier on the body, maybe because you walked the entire time instead of being jolted from one place to the other. He wondered why this wasn't how people like Mim and Maleficent got around, Mim and Merlin had said that it required a lot of energy and concentration, but didn't simply warping around? He'd have to ask if he remembered after all of this, and if he survived, he reminded himself soberly.
They stepped out of the portal; Maleficent was standing behind them, breathing heavily as she lowered her arms, the portal began to close, but then with a whoosh of air, Red came barreling through the portal with a loud squawk, trailing several books, scrolls, and other odds and ends from Merlin's with him; Roxas got the feeling that a cooking pot would be in Red's future if Merlin caught him, but he was glad that the red chocobo had somehow managed to follow them. Maleficent swore in indignation and glowered up at the massive bird for a moment before sighing tiredly.
"For a change, I am pleased to have you children present, and I suppose," she eyed Red in annoyance. "I am grateful that your filthy chicken followed you." She said stoically, her raven croaked and cackled on her staff; Roxas swore it was chuckling.
Roxas looked around the chamber, the castle was nothing like he remembered, it had always been immense and imposing yes, but now it was dark and forbidding; before it had been well lit, even cheery despite the fact that it had obviously been built with war in mind.
"Is everyone okay?" Rinoa asked, looking around their group; she looked to Maleficent questioningly.
"If you think that these creatures could do anything to harm me, you are a fool child." The older woman said derisively.
"She's just doing her job," Tifa chided her, Maleficent snorted as if the notion was just simple silliness.
"That's enough, all of you." Paine said coolly, she was looking at Maleficent too, "what can you tell us about the castle?"
"Very little of it remains as it was, during the second heart's ascension it destroyed much of the interior, I chose this room for a portal because it is relatively removed and intact. We must be careful, Xehanort's artificial Heartless are roaming the halls in packs, and they have been finishing off survivors of the castle servants, guards, and court."
"You didn't help anyone escape?" Zack asked dubiously.
Maleficent didn't miss a beat. "I deemed their lives inconsequential when compared to my continued service within the keep."
The air suddenly felt very heavy, Roxas couldn't believe what he'd just heard. Maleficent had watched and allowed others to be killed by the Heartless and had not as much as batted an eyelash. He shuddered involuntarily, Namine's hand squeezed his and he could feel the same tremor passing through her body as well.
"Wait," Sora murmured, frowning in confusion. "I thought that the artificial Heartless wouldn't be able to be formed any longer."
"Something in the second heart or perhaps Xehanort himself; allows them to be formed using the collected energy of the heart. Like one of Cid's blueprints," Maleficent said disdainfully. "I have also seen natural Heartless wandering through the halls, however they seem much less directed than Xehanort's minions."
"Have you see Xehanort himself?" Paine asked, she sounded murderous as she ground the words out.
"Yes, he uses the Kings body. I imagine that he believes it will give us pause when we come for him."
Paine smiled viciously, "he's going to be sorely mistaken."
Maleficent nodded agreement. "Come, we must make our way to the audience hall that is where Xehanort has located this new heart and himself." She glanced at Red who was crouching low and bobbing his head cheerily as Sora stroked his beak. "And make sure that chicken stays quiet."
Things were going well Sora thought to himself as they moved quietly down the hall, he kept glancing around at the others he would have felt better wearing the armor that had been given to him before, but he supposed that it couldn't be helped. There had been no time to go back to Mim's to find anything other than what they'd been wearing. He looked over at Kairi and caught her smiling at him, he felt his body warm up and he smiled back. Ahead of them, Kadaj held up a hand as he peered around the next corner everyone froze, then Kadaj waved them forwards, Yazoo went first, his caster drawn and aimed down the corridor as Loz moved down and motioned them forwards again. The three of them had been leading their steady advance the entire time. They worked so well together it was sometimes had to believe that they'd yet to use any words at all.
Rinoa brushed past Sora, his dad's coat large on her though it certainly fit her better than it had him, he had a lot of growing to do.
Leon began walking besides him. "Think Dad will watch over her?"
Sora blinked in surprise, what kind of question was that supposed to be? He looked up at Leon, he looked very concerned.
Sora smiled, "I'm sure Dad and Mom would have loved her."
Leon snorted, "thanks for letting her use it. Dad might not have been a very good parent, but no one would ever say he didn't make us feel safe right?"
Sora recalled vague memories of years ago, fuzzy images of sitting on the beach at night with his mother and father, and Leon watching the night sky. He'd always been afraid of the dark, but despite the darkness, having his father there had always been a comfort and made him feel safe. After his dad left, the family had stopped going to the beach at night, as if without him they were in danger. Looking at his experiences in the past couple weeks, perhaps they had been. He wondered if the Heartless could have sensed that he'd be a bearer back then, what would have happened if they'd come for him and the others on the islands? It was scary to think about, things would have been so different than they were now. Would his father still be alive, and would he have been able to protect them to begin with?
Ahead of the group, Loz had frozen and was holding up a fisted hand, his arm gauntlet snapped up and the electro prods on its end snapped into position, electricity coursing over their tips. Besides Sora Tifa gave her shock gloves a squeeze, Sora heard the sizzling as she flexed the charge slowly through her fingers. Sora flexed his own hand, he didn't summon up his keyblade yet, but he could in an instant if needed. The other Elites all fingered their weapons as well tensely as Loz continued to search in the gloom. Then Yazoo's caster spat fire and there was a shriek above their heads as a small armored Heartless fell to the floor and shattered in its armor. That was the cue apparently because from all around them Heartless began shifting out of the shadows and down either end of the hall more armed and armored Heartless came rushing to join the fight, in a matter of seconds the quiet was a memory and an all out melee ensued.
Sora's keyblade slashed back and forth through the throng of shadows, it seemed that no matter where he swung he game into contact with a Heartless, and some of them took more than one strike to destroy meaning he had to keep beating them until they faded away finally. Whenever he had the chance he yelled out a spell to aid himself and those around him as best he could, though having Rinoa there was what really made the difference. She kept on barking out spells as if she were simply talking and all kinds of things happened to the Heartless around them. Sometimes they'd go flying into walls, other times they'd be flash frozen, once he saw a swarm of the small chattering insect like Heartless incinerated in a wall of fire. It seemed to Sora that Leon's concerns about Rinoa were unwarranted, it seemed like nothing could stop their group, between the powerful fighting force in the form of the Elites and bearers and the magic abilities of Maleficent and Rinoa, the Heartless seemed to simply fall over.
Of course that was proven wrong moments later when Yazoo cried out in pain, Loz stood over his brother beating off one of the big canine Heartless that had taken a bite out of Yazoo's arm and side. Kadaj leapt on the Heartless' back and drove his double bladed sword into its spine it sputtered and croaked and then fell over, its massive shape dissolving. Loz lifted Yazoo up, supporting him and taking his caster, using it for himself to cover them both.
"We need to get out of here!" Zack called, "they're going to slaughter us if we can't break free."
"Agreed," Paine said loudly, kicking her latest victim off her blade.
Big Red was squawking almost gleefully as he bounced from Heartless to Heartless like stepping stones, tearing through everything in his path.
"Bearer," Maleficent bellowed, "get your chicken, Elites push forwards, I will handle these creatures."
Sora wondered what she intended to do exactly he called for Red, the big chocobo warbled and whistled, making his way to Sora's side, they moved past Maleficent who raised her arms and then struck the ground with her staff. She stared at the Heartless as if she was going to force them to stop by sheer willpower. For a moment, it seemed to work; the normal, shadow Heartless stopped moving creating a jam of sorts that stopped the attacks. Then suddenly, the natural Heartless as one turned and began attacking the artificial, Sora stared dumbstruck as the Heartless began tearing each other to pieces.
"Ho—" He started.
"The Heartless are not a force that can be controlled by anyone, Xehanort refuses to believe that. They are instinctual and vicious creatures that will attack anything that is not of their own kind. They know that the artificials are not their own, it is simply Xehanort's willpower that keeps them in line. I'm providing another will for them, to return them to their natural state."
With that, Maleficent waved her hand at them dismissively. "Go! This will attract Xehanort's attention as he tries to arrest my will and the Heartless once again. I will be your decoy, do not fail. Many lives have already been given for your success."
Sora again felt a shot of guilt as yet another person offered themselves up for the bearers, it seemed so wrong to him.
Kairi grabbed his hand. "Sora let's go!"
He nodded and began running with her, there was a scream and he turned to see Rinoa tackled by three Heartless, Leon was up ahead locked in combat, Rinoa was by herself. Sora yanked free of Kairi and dashed towards Rinoa, even as he ran though he could see that he was not going to reach her in time. She struck one Heartless with her staff, impaling it and tossing it aside, the second gripped the staff in its jaws and wrenched it away, with a scream Rinoa raised her arms as the two remaining Heartless opened their maws and went for her throat and face. Sora's heart screamed as he rammed his keyblade into the side of one Heartless, but the big quadruped threw him off, turning on him now and backing him against the wall. Rinoa still had one more on her and Sora was now trapped between the wall and his own Heartless, where was everyone else?