A/N: Unfortunately, real life has been hammering me lately. Between being a student, campus R.A. and working part time as well, free time has been at an all time low since we're just about a month from finals now. Expect updates to start coming more regularly once December arrives, but until then things will likely be slowed from a pace of attempting to do one chapter a week to one chapter whenever I can spare some time to try and write. Sorry everyone, but job and school have to always come first. I'm definitely not letting the story die though. Thanks for understanding.

I also wanted to answer a topic I've been asked about by several people in both messages and reviews so far about how far I plan to take this story in terms of length and plot depth. As of this moment, my outline is a three arc story. The first arc will be Maleficent, the second dealing with the aftermath of her destruction and trying to restore balance as well as the threat of the restored Master Xehanort. The final arc will deal with Sora, Riku and Mickey and the strain on their bonds from their experiences and the culmination of Sora's pain. Nothing is quite set in stone yet, some events are definitely planned but details are for the most part being decided on a case by case basis as I consider them but by no means will this story be ending soon. Right now, we're about halfway through the first arc, so just stay patient and stay with me. Your support means more than you can imagine. If you leave me a review, I promise to take your opinions into account so let me know what you want to see or want to see done different in the next chapter. Now, we'll end this overlong note that is almost becoming a one shot in itself and get on with the next chapter.

Fight from the Heart

Deep Within the Dark Realm

As the Keyblade sliced down through the head of yet another Invisible class heartless, Sora paused briefly to wipe the sweat from his brow. He had long since lost track of just how long he had been in the Dark Realm. He was sure he couldn't have been gone more than a day or two at the longest, but it felt like weeks. How King Mickey and Riku had spent so long in this place he would never know. It pulled on his heart and drained him just to stand up. His legs felt as if they were filled with sand, his arms were dead weights and he wanted nothing more than to simply collapse. Even since he entered the realm and the Dark Corridor closed behind him, it had been battle after battle, and the difficulty was only increasing with each wave of heartless that arrived. It wasn't even just Maleficent either. As Leon told him when they first met, the heartless pursued the power of the Keyblade instinctively and so newly born heartless in the Dark Realm instantly attacked upon sensing his presence.

He still had no clue exactly where to go however. Master Yen Sid and King Mickey had not exactly given him a clear place to go to find this sacred site where he and Roxas would need to do battle just that he needed to find it. However, already he was beginning to realize what Yen Sid had meant about how different this battle with his nobody would be from their previous bout. Already Sora felt drained and worn and if it took much longer to find the place, he wasn't sure what the result might be. After all, if Roxas was getting stronger in respect to how much weaker Sora was outside of the Realm of Light, his nobody would already be a challenge to even hold to a draw let alone earn a victory against. Furthermore, while Roxas was normally quiet and reserved, only offering his thoughts to Sora on occasion, the level of silence he had adopted since learning of what he had to gain from this ritual made the nobody Keyblade master seem like the most talkative person throughout the worlds.

What was he even supposed to do here? He had no idea how to find his way around the Dark Realm! At least if he had Riku or King Mickey here with him he would have had a place to start. This way he might as well blindfold himself and just stumble around and take a chance on walking into the place. He had no idea where to go, nor exactly what he was looking for looked like. Were Yen Sid and King Mickey insane? Regardless of whether this could be the hope they needed to turn the tide in this war of Maleficent's, they were just wasting time like this. They were short on days before Maleficent would likely attack the Destiny Islands as it was, this was not precisely a wonderful time for a journey of self discovery and self reflection.

Still, everyone was counting on his to find a way to create a miracle in this situation and he couldn't let them all down. He had let everyone down too much as of late and this time he had to step up and be the Keyblade Master that the true Master's were able to be. They would have known exactly what to do. A true master would have stopped Maleficent the first chance. Struck the evil sorceress down in the name of preserving the balance of light and darkness before she could destroy so many worlds, ruin so many lives. Without her, Peter Pan would still be alive, Beast wouldn't be a tool at her command, Wendy would not have lost her little brother, the whole of Atlantica wouldn't have been obliterated before they could send anyone there to try and evacuate. Without her…people would be going about their daily lives and not worrying about whether each day would be their last day. Yet, it was still impossible to hate her. Without her help, self serving as it was, they would not have been able to reach Xemnas in time to defeat them. So many heartless would have eventually overwhelmed their group in the World That Never Was and even if the heartless didn't, they would have been too weakened to battle Xemnas with all of their strengths.

She had saved them and given them their chance to save the worlds from Xemnas's plans and in doing so and trusting her to handle those heartless, they had doomed the worlds.

With senses attuned to several years of being attacked on a second's notice, he felt the presence of two soldier class heartless behind him and whipped around, the Keyblade's teeth facing outward as it rested over his chest. A second later, the two heartless were cut right across the middle and their hearts were released. However this time he did not dismiss the Keyblade in his hand immediately at the danger had passed. The cool white and blue metal of the Oathkeeper in his hand seemed to taunt him as he stared at it. He had transformed the weapon into the Oathkeeper soon after arriving because he felt some happy thoughts of his friends and light might help him through the trials awaiting him in the Dark Realm. Now though, it just made him angry and bitter, almost as if it were taunting him with memories of the light and how strained his relationship with Kairi had become since this war

"Why did you have to pick me…What did I do to deserve having to be the Keyblade Master? It's just too much! I'm not good enough so just go pick someone else! Make someone else fix everything!"

With that one burst of rage and frustration that had built up from so much fruitless walking through the Dark Realm, he hurled the Keyblade into the air as it flew several yards and fell to the to the ground before finally coming to a rest off in the distance. While the blade was sentient and would normally have returned to him instantly, it seemed to sense his dark emotions and instead just remained on the cold earth. However, just as he was about to recall it, a soft voice from behind him spoke.

"This really isn't a great place to leave yourself defenseless, young man. Even a Keyblade wielder can be struck down by cruel luck."

The warning but also kind voice took Sora by surprise as he glanced over the figure who had managed to sneak up right behind him without him being even the slightest bit aware of her presence. All he had found in this realm so far had been, quite appropriately, dark being. To find a young woman here was certainly unexpected. Her hair was short and light blue and the way she carried herself was both kind but also completely alert, as if nothing would ever catch her off-guard. What really caught Sora's attention though were her eyes. They were blue pools of sadness that showed years of tragedy and pain. In that moment, he felt kinship with her without even a word spoken. However, for one moment, the old Sora from before the beginning of the war shone through as he recalled his Keyblade from the ground and asked rather bluntly:

"Who are you?"

The amusement on her face was easily visible and she almost seemed relieved to have someone to even speak to. It was something Sora could relate to. Only one day here and he already felt as if he was beginning to go insane without any contact or conversation.

"I am Aqua"

Now Sora was of the opinion that after the events of the past years, there was not much that could openly startle or surprise him anymore. Those three simple words however disproved his opinion quite efficiently as his mouth fell open like a fish before closing and then falling open once again.

"Wait just a minute! YOU'RE AQUA! As in the Keyblade Master Aqua!"

"I am no Master; I am still a student of the late Master Eraqus. I may have passed my Mark of Mastery but I still am far from what I would consider a Master of the Keyblade, regardless of what title I may have been given."

"Still, this is great! I'm Sora! We'll get you back to the Destiny Islands! With another Keyblade wielder we could probably hold off Maleficent, not to mention a true Keyblade Master! This is what we've been waiting for!"

A shadow crossed the young woman's face before she merely shrugged and replied with a cryptic "We'll see. Now though we have to get you out of here. What in the worlds are you doing here in the Dark Realm? The heartless are on the moving and worlds are dying more and more by the day and the Keyblade wielder is taking a stroll through the Dark Realm? I do hope you're here for a reason at least. This is a dangerous place even at the best of times and much worse so now that the balance is so far off kilter."

"King Mickey sent me here for my Mark of Mastery examination and to try and forge this Keyblade called the X-Blade…"

Here he was cut off as her face contorted into a cold and spiteful version of its former self. Her hands were on his shoulder and he was shoved up against a large boulder in a second. He didn't even have a second to react. Was this the power of a true Keyblade Master? That she could render him helpless and unable to defend himself in only a second without him even having the time to summon his Keyblade? His musings however were cut off by the low and bitter words that left her lips, so different from her previous ones so filled with kindness and gentle warmth:

"What do you MEAN you're trying to forge the X-Blade? That weapon is evil! It was the reason for everything! It killed my best friends to destroy that terrible thing! My Master died because Xehanort wanted to create it! And now you want to go remake it! That thing destroys people! I will die before I see that weapon forged again. As long as I draw breath!"

Leaping back, Sora only had a second's notice before in a flash of light, the woman's hand was occupied by a long silver and black Keyblade, almost mechanic in its simplicity. Before he had time to think about it though, the blade was coming down towards his body. At the last second, his head finally kicked in and he swerved the Oathkeeper upward in a block. Sparks erupted as metal clashed on metal before Aqua drew away and jumped back, extending her hand as a gust of wind rocked towards Sora, knocking him back several feet and onto his back. On instinct, he flipped backwards into a stance and it was lucky he did because just as he moved, Aqua's Keyblade, cloaked in fire, barely missed where his head had just been. However, the Keyblade Mage did not waste any time and used her small and agile body to her advantage, swinging the weapon upwards and continuing her offensive, the two Keyblades clanging together again and again. Yet still, Sora's strength was already waning and Aqua's rage only drove her attacks. Sora knew he had to stop this. She was more skilled than he with magic and a Keyblade, she was fresh and used to this place, and he was tired and worn down. If he could only make her see that this had to be done…

"Master Aqua! Please listen to me! King Mickey didn't decide this lightly. It's the last chance we have or Maleficent is going to destroy all of the worlds! Is that what your friends would have wanted?"

"My friend, Ven, was a sacrificial lamb to create that weapon! My other best friend, Terra, was a pawn in Master Xehanort's game so he could get to it! I think they would be more than happy never to have heard of that weapon, let alone that some young kid was going to repeat the mistake. I'm gonna do for you the biggest favor anyone ever will. I'm going to stop you from destroying your own heart."

"No offense but I'm not your friends, and maybe I haven't studied as a proper apprentice like you and your friends did but I know I can handle this. The Keyblade chose me!"

"Fool." The rage was gone now, just sadness and annoyance remaining, "The Keyblade has chosen countless people. The Keyblade chooses those who are strong of heart and pure of mine. The X-Blade draws from the very heart of its wielder though but does what it wants. It is the heart of the worlds! It has a mind of its own. The Keyblade War was fought by thousands of Keyblade Masters and wielders who thought they could handle the force and strength of the X-Blade. They all fell short. What makes you think you'll be able to handle that blade. All that will happen is another promising young wielder will be destroyed by the power of Kingdom Hearts."

"I'm NOT doing this just because I want to have a cool new Keyblade! I'm doing this because we have to! Otherwise the balance will be completely destroyed! I'm doing this because I'm the Keyblade Master and I will do whatever I have to in order to preserve the worlds. The people of the worlds put their faith in me and King Mickey and Master Yen Sid trusted me to do this while they bought me time! I won't let them down! I have to do this!"

Finally the rage left Aqua entirely and tears pooled in her eyes. She could see them in this young man. The battle hardened soul of Terra, the gentle and curious heart of Ven. He did not shy away from what was asked of him, no matter how difficult the challenge ahead of him. Maybe, just maybe, he could hold on and save the worlds like Ansem the Wise had told her years ago in the Dark Realm.

After a few moments taken to gather her emotions, Aqua dismissed her Keyblade and wordlessly motioned Sora to follow her as she turned and began walking. Sora wasn't sure exactly how long they were walking. A few moments, an hour, days? Was there even time in this place? Finally though, she stopped at the edge of a cliff face and spoke again.

"You spoke of coming here for a Mark of Mastery Exam. This is the place where Masters of the Dark Realm took their Mark of Mastery Examinations. After the Keyblade war, only one Dark Realm Keyblade still exists but there is still power in this place…I can't forgive you for trying to forge the weapon that tore apart my home and life, Sora. Still, if you wish to try, I won't stand in your way. Be wary of falling astray though. You may find the power to forge the X-Blade within you Sora, you may even find the strength of heart and will to wield it, but be on guard. You may just lose yourself in the process. Now, this is where we say goodbye…"

"What do you mean Master Aqua? You're coming back to the Destiny Islands with me, aren't you? We need all the help we can get!"

"My time is done Sora; we failed to protect the worlds during the unversed crisis. It's your turn now. Succeed where we failed. Perhaps I'll see you again someday but for now, my purpose is best served staying here and fighting the battle to keep the Dark Realm from totally falling to Maleficent's control. Good luck Sora, and farewell."

A smile and a playful ruffle of his brown hair was all the blue haired Keyblade Master said before she began to fade into the darkness surrounding them.

"Wait! I need your help! Please…don't leave me Master Aqua"

"You're ready Sora, this is your hour. Who knows, if you can best Maleficent maybe I can achieve my dream and see Ven and Terra once again."

At last, the young woman's voice faded entirely as if she had never even been there with Sora at all and he had just imagined her presence. Furthermore, with her disappearance, several torches lit up at the bottom of the cliff. With their light, a small Stonehenge like arena was shown. However, the ground contained a large design of a Kingdom Key carved into it in the center. Also, right in the center of the circular arena was a stone altar.

"Well…I guess this is it. Hope you're ready Roxas. Time to decide if I'm really worthy of being a Keyblade Master."

And with that, he leapt off the cliff face down towards the arena and towards his fate…

Elsewhere on the Destiny Islands

As Leon and Mickey strolled along the beach of the play island, it was hard to sometimes remember that a war was going on. Many of the young children at the refugee camp had taken to playing on the Island or on the main island where the families were.

"When do you think that she'll strike your Majesty? She's got to have enough heartless by now, so why is she stalling and waiting around?"

"I don't know, but if I know anything about Maleficent by now, it's that she's making absolutely sure she'll have a total victory when she does attack. She doesn't want to even chance a draw or a loss so she'll wait and chance giving us time to organize in exchange for getting more heartless and nobodies under her control"

"What about Sora? Do you really think it wise to have him off-world when the invasion wave could hit at any time? People will eventually notice that he's not here and people will lose hope if they think their Keyblade Master has abandoned them."

"Yes, but if Sora can earn his Mark of Mastery in the Dark Realm no less where his powers of light will be at their weakest, it will be proof he's ready. Right now, our biggest trouble is his guilt and pain. With him in this state he can't possibly best Maleficent, he has to do better. Hopefully, passing this test will restore his faith in himself."

"And you still won't tell me why he had to go alone, into the Dark Realm? Forgive me your Highness, but from what the stories of the old Keyblade Masters say, anyone can give a Mark of Mastery Exam. Couldn't Master Yen-Sid do it? Merlin said he was once a wielder of the Keyblade."

"No Leon, I am sorry, but it is very important that absolutely no one knows of Sora's other mission in the Dark Realm unless absolutely necessary. It's been almost two days now. We need to give him time. If he succeeds here, it could turn the tide in this war."

"Very well Your Majesty, I'll trust your judgment on this matter. Still, if he hasn't returned in three days time, might I suggest we send Riku in after him to try and retrieve Sora from…?"

Leon's words were cut off as he stopped, his gunblade flashing into his hand as he dashed towards the waterfront where two shadows had just appeared. Within a second, they no longer existed any longer however and he turned to continue his conversation with the King.

"I find one or two random heartless around here every day it seems. Maleficent must be worried to keep sending them here. Would be bad if she found out Sora wasn't here though…" His words died early as he saw Mickey drawing the Kingdom Key D to his hand as he gestured behind Leon.

"I don't think we have to worry about when Maleficent is going to send her forces anymore. I think she got tired of waiting around."

Turning slowly and hesitantly, Leon had to jump back in shock as he looked back out at the beachfront. The water was now a dark blackish blue color and heartless were beginning to emerge on the beach in waves, dozens at a time. Heartless and nobodies of all kinds were forming up and advancing. With a wave upwards, King Mickey shot a ball of light from the tip of his Keyblade into a large bell he had installed as an alarm on the play island. As it connected with the metal bell, the ringing could be heard as far as the main island.

"Well Leon this is it…That last stand begins right now. What do you say we kick this battle off with a bang. Get Back!"

As Leon got back for cover, Mickey raised his Keyblade above his head, the glittering gold steel of the blade glowing even brighter than normal before exploding outwards, immediately destroying tens of heartless and nobodies in an instant. At the same time, Leon sent a tornado of fire at the remaining ones, burning them out of existence and releasing their captured hearts. Already, Mickey could hear defenders making their way down to the beach front.

"We don't have to kill them all right off Leon. We just have to hold them off long enough for Sora to get back and help out. Plus we just have to hope he gets back before the Beast's forces of even Maleficent herself enters this fray.

"For the light then, Your Majesty?"

"No Leon…for the balance of light and darkness and for everyone who follows their heart."

With that, the two charged forward, their acts aided by spells and weapons hurled by several warriors as they began to arrive. One by one, heartless began to fall, only to be replaced by two more every time they cut one down.

"And…for Sora…Wherever he is"

End Chapter 5

Next Time: Fighting For a New Future.