Out of the Shadows

I have no idea why this chapter took me so long to write. I just never felt like I was doing it any justice! And this is instead of maths homework. I have no regrets! Just like Janey Cutler from Britain's Got Talent 2010!

I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog or Kingdom Hearts, savvy? On with the story!

The Courtyard is possibly in a worse state that it was before. Some of the shrubbery has been torn up and tossed around, and the ground has a few more cracks than it had previously. Among the mess is King Mickey, near to passing out on the ground. No wounds are visible, but he can barely move anymore.

The Nobody has been killing him from the inside out.

The eponymous Nobody looks a bit out of breath, but is altogether unhurt. She straightens up and reties one of her bunches, which had come loose.

"Fancy attacking a Nobody with no weapon," she says. "I like your style."

A Corridor of Darkness opens up next to her, corroding the area with the darkness that spews from its depths. It retreats to reveal a tall figure in the Organization XIII uniform. King Mickey despairs: one was bad enough.

"The Keyblade is nowhere in the castle," the new figure states icily.

Another Nobody jolts into existence, joining the rapidly growing group of husks.

"Nothing outside the castle either."

"Hmm," the female Nobody ponders to herself. "So, it wasn't that you wouldn't give me the Keyblade, it was that you couldn't 'cause you don't have it."

Damn; he'd been found out. The ginger Nobody clicks her fingers and the nun-like Nobodies grab King Mickey around the wrists and pull him to his feet, restraining him so he can't cause any more bother.

"Alright you," the ginger Nobody says forcefully. "Tell me where the big ass key is."

Mickey simply shakes his head. He feels too tired to talk, and his lungs hurt. He has no idea what the young Nobody has done to him, but once he was able to move again he'd repay her in full. For the time being, it's all he can do to collect information that would help him fight her.

"... Who are you?" he asks breathlessly.

"You asked that already, but since you asked so nicely I'll tell you anyway!" the young Nobody replies with a grin that is almost genuine.

The taller of the two anonymous Nobodies leans in and whispers something that King Mickey can't here. Whatever was said, the shorter Nobody doesn't like it.

"Bog off!" she yells. "Don't tell me how to run this joint!"

The now humbled Nobody backs off obediently. King Mickey is impressed: this one instils more fear within the ranks than Xemnas, even if he frightened more people outside the Organization than her.

"Now, where was I?" she says, returning her attention to the fallen King. "Oh, right, I was being clichéd! Well, after you ruthlessly murdered the former Organization XIII and practically demolished the Castle That Never Was, I showed up and decided to reform the team, only more democratically. After all, democracy is the only system that persists in asking the powers that be whether they are the powers that ought to be. Like you, for example."

She clicks her fingers and the Nobodies let him go. Now he'd had a chance to recover he can stand by himself, and looks a bit less pathetic.

"We call ourselves Neo-Organization XII," she says, more serious now. "And we're going to change the world."

"Are you really?"

The Nobody looks to see who'd said that to her. A dog towers over her, having snuck up from behind by some miracle of nature. He smirks at her, hands on his hips, like she wasn't anything to worry about. The Nobody wrinkles her nose and takes several steps back.

"You smell."

This statement infuriates the goliath, something King Mickey had been trying to do for years.

"How dare you talk to the mighty Pete that way!" he yells.

The Nobody, unfazed by this new development, waves her hands and the other two Nobodies vanish in a blur of darkness.

"Mighty Pete, eh?" she confronts him. "What's so mighty about you? I can tell it isn't your brain power..."

Pete growls and charged at the Nobody, who doesn't even flinch. Whether it's because Nobodies can't feel fear, or because she has something up her sleeve, King Mickey can't tell.

It was the second.

Pete is abruptly stopped in his tracks by twelve Nobodies holding him back. They leave no room for movement as they restrain all of his limbs efficiently and without hesitation. Pete looks a bit taken aback.

"You do realise that the point of calling ourselves 'Neo-Organization XIII' is that there isn't just me."

Hundreds of Nobodies line the castle walls, peering over the ramparts, or from within the castle itself. They all stare and hiss at the people below; King Mickey's heart drops into his stomach. There isn't anything he can do without his Keyblade; is the castle doomed?

The female Nobody raises her hood up over her head, obscuring the bright hair that had made her recognizable. The other Nobodies clearly take this as a cue for something and, with a great deal of effort, throw Pete backwards and into a wall.

"Something's coming," the leader of Neo-organization XIII notes. "Ibrux and Chatterlox – take the Dusks and fortify the shield. Charalex and Claxer – make another round of the castle and RTC. Kalixey and Rogxegia – RTC and make me some chips. I'm starving. The rest of us will stay here and cause hilarity to happen."

Six of the thirteen Nobodies vanish to obey her orders, no matter how obscure they are. She points at Pete in a warning pose.

"You reek of the Heartless, so of you make one more move without me telling you too I'll take your head off."

Pete looks too scared of the massive throngs of Nobody to disobey.

The screen is interrupted by a duck, dog and hedgehog bursting in from the Gummi Hangar under the castle. They almost charge into a few of the Neo-Organization XIII members in their hasty entrance but manage to avoid falling head over heels across the floor. They right themselves, but freeze at the sight of the enemies before them.

"... What the hell?"

We touch down in Disney Castle a few minutes later than I wish we had. After landing in Traverse Town and receiving the news that this world was under attack, Donald, Goofy and I had legged it over here as fast as the Gummi Ship would take us. Getting through the force field was a bit of a squeeze, but we managed it. I'm not going to question how.

I've never been to this word before, but I'm sure it isn't supposed to look like Chuck Norris has attacked it with a wrecking ball. There are bits of metal and machinery everywhere, and a lot of the pathways have collapsed. The hangar still works, though, and we manage to land the ship without too many scratches. Besides, this whole this is made of gummi blocks so it'd probably just bounce around if we hit something.

The three of us get off the ship and try not to fall over the debris that litters the floor. Donald and Goofy look considerably depressed.

"We're too late," Donald muses mournfully. "It isn't supposed to be like this."

I'm about to say something encouraging and sensitive back when a massive crash pierces the air. Damn, now I lost my train of thought! The three of us move together without exchanging words, and charge up the stairs to a doorway. It's slightly ajar, and I can see a grey sky filtering through the crack.

Without hesitating we burst through the doorway and into the courtyard outside. I'd have a better look at the area if I wasn't so busy trying not to mow down this guy I nearly ran into. He, or she, is wearing a long black cloak with the hood obscuring the face. Wouldn't want to run into him in a dark alley.

Nor his friends.

A whole bunch of freaks in black cloaks fill the courtyard, which looks more like a landfill site than anything else. None of them look very friendly, or like Heartless. Too human. Now that I think about it, the one I almost fell into has really high heels on and a curvy figure. Maybe he's actually a she. My bad.

We back off nice and slowly. I'd rather avoid a fight, thank you. There's about six of them, if you don't count the masses of Nobodies lining the castle walls. Strange; this is the first time I've seen them since I was at Yen Sid's crib. Why now?

Goofy gasps in horror and run off behind me. Donald follow him, but I keep my eyes on the black figures. They seem to be content with standing there and watching us. What are they waiting for? I can take them all on blindfolded!

Well, perhaps not if they're the cause of all the damage to this place. I don't know if I'd survive the same treatment.

I flick my eyes off to the side to see Donald and Goofy crouching by a fallen figure. Donald is casting healing magic on it. I'd bet my whole life's savings that these geezer are responsible.

"Enough of this."

The cloaked figure I bulldozed clicks her fingers and a few Nobodies hop down off the castle walls and attempt to subdue me. These guys don't do me any justice: two Keyblades is more than enough to deal with these pathetic minions. The leader of the group, if my analysis is correct, seems to be intrigued by the appearance of the Keyblades.

"Well," she says, in a voice that is clearly feminine. "That explains where they went."

"Please allow me to take them off this creature," one dude offers, making his or her way over to me. One on one is better than one on seven.

"Don't even think about it," the leader warns. "I've had a brilliant idea that proves just why I'm the leader and not the one who cleans the toilets! We're going to RTC and formulate a plan!"

She clicks her fingers and a swirling mass of darkness appears behind her. The other six cloaked figures leg it through and disappear within its depths. The mere sight of it makes my joints ache. The leader is about to vanish when I try and stop her for a fair fight.

"Don't run away, you coward," I yell. "Fight me!"

The figure truns back around and looks at me from beneath her hood.

"We're not running away: we're advancing in a different direction! Besides, this isn't goodbye. Just 'see you later.'" She turns her attention to the Nobodies who stoically await her orders. "Sink this world – there's nothing left here for us!"

And with that she leaves.

Crap.

I dismiss the Keyblades once the Nobodies skulk off behind the walls. We'd better move quickly if this world is about to be lost, and I have no inkling as to where the Keyhole might be. Abandon ship, says I! I run back to Donald and Goofy in time to a massive tremor that shakes right through the ground and up the walls. I almost fall over, except years of running at high speeds have given me excellent balance.

Donald and Goofy are at the side of an unconscious mouse in regal robes. Big black ears...? I've seen them before, but where? You know what, I can think about this later. Right now we've got to get him out of here before the whole place collapses into darkness.

"C'mon guys," I yell over the sound of the walls collapsing. "We've gotta move!"

Goofy picks the mouse up and carries him on his back, being the strongest of us three. We flee down beneath the courtyard and into the hangar. Several more earthquake send us flying, the footpath breaking away and falling into the darkness that seems to be pulsating beneath us.

This world was going to meet the same fate that mine did.

Without another moment's pause we leap into the gummi ship and take off hurriedly. It's a bit of a rough ride, what with the world collapsing around us, but at least the barrier is down. We race out of the world and into empty space in time to see the world become engulfed by darkness. It squelches for a few moments before it contracts in upon itself, digesting Disney Castle along with it.