Kyrie (c) Me

Kingdom hearts characters/some of the story (c) Square Enix

Kingdom Hearts

Bonded Soul

Chapter 20

It was morning when they finally reached a new world, but it wasn't exactly new to Donald and Goofy.

"The castle!" they cried in unison. Kyrie raised her eyebrow at them as they pressed their faces to the window while Sora drove. But she decided to let it go for now, she would ask when they landed.

"Besides, I doubt they would pay attention to me, anyways. They look like they're about to bust through the glass." she thought as she watched them, an amused smile on her face. Sora was careful as he landed the ship in some sort of hangar, before the four jumped off the ship and looked around with curious eyes.

"This is your castle…must be nice to be home, huh?" Sora asked as he held his hands behind his head, looking around with curiosity. Kyrie was silent, this was Donald and Goofy's home?

"It must feel nice, having a home to go to…" she thought for a moment with a twinge of pain. At first she kinda knew the feeling when she was with the org., but now…she didn't have a home anymore.

"Ya know, somethin' just don't feel quite right…" Goofy spoke uneasily, placing his hand against his chin. Donald nodded as he crossed his arms, looking around to see if perhaps something was out of place.

"Yeah." He agreed. Everyone was silent before Kyrie picked up the sound of scampering little feet and looked up, to see two small chipmunks as they stared at them from the top of the stairs.

"You're back!" they cried as they scampered down the stairs, making Kyrie smile a little at their cuteness.

"These two must be Chip and Dale, the chipmunks Sora and the others told me about." she thought as they slid down the staircase and jumped, landing on her shoulders. They looked at her for a moment, before looking at the three behind her.

"Move it! Let's go!" the one with the red nose ordered as they started to jump up and down on Kyrie's shoulders. She giggled silently as their little feet tickled her bare shoulders.

"Queen Minnie needs to see you!" the one with the black nose exclaimed. The one with the red nose nodded as he pointed up the staircase.

"The castle's in danger!" he cried. "Hurry! To the library!" and without a moment's hesitation, the four were running up the stairs, the two chipmunks clinging to Kyrie's shoulders as they did so. When they got to the courtyard with the large, animal-like topiary, dozens of shadows and soldiers showed up and proceeded to attack the group. Kyrie summoned her keyblades and while keeping a careful eye on the chipmunks on her shoulders, fought the heartless as they tried to clear a safe path.

This fight continued into the castle, where even more heartless scattered the hallways. Donald and Goofy ran ahead to a pair of double doors at the end of the hallway while Sora and Kyrie fought their way through. Once they got to the door, they rushed through as Sora and Kyrie slammed the doors shut.

"I've never seen so many heartless in such small space…" she thought as she panted lightly, before she spotted Donald saluting a small, feminine mouse who was standing in front of the many bookcases that surrounded the room.

"Your Majesty! Queen Minnie! We're back!" Donald spoke as he saluted the mouse. She was dressed elegantly with a gold and red crown resting on top of her head, between her ears, and wore white arm gloves. She smiled at the duck.

"You're here!" She spoke in relief. Goofy was next as he stepped forward and saluted as well. Kyrie held back a silent giggle at the way the two looked.

"Do they always salute royalty, or is this a new thing?" she thought as she watched them.

"Your Royal Highness, did ya happen to summon us?" Goofy asked as he stared at her. She nodded sadly.

"Yes." She answered. Suddenly Sora walked forward, placing a hand on both of their shoulders as he looked around.

"Where's the King?" he asked. Kyrie face-palmed as Donald jumped up and grabbed Sora's head, pulling it down as the boy protested.

"Excuse him. This is our friend, Sora." Donald explained. Then he looked at Kyrie, and before he could speak, she was at their side and gave a small curtsy for the queen, making the mouse smile and giggle lightly.

"And this is Kyrie, she hasn't been traveling with us for very long." he added. She nodded as she looked at Sora.

"The King told me all about you in his letters. He said you're a very brave young man. And in one of his recent letters, he did say that a quiet and very kind young woman was accompanying you." She explained. Kyrie blushed a little and Sora brushed his nose with his finger, both embarrassed and honored by the King's kind words.

"So, do you know where he is?" he asked. The queen shook her head sadly and the boys sighed, with only Kyrie managing to keep a straight face because she didn't really know anything about the king. But within seconds, Donald snapped back into reality and looked at her.

"Your Majesty, what are Heartless doing in your castle?" he asked. She gasped softly before clasping her hands together.

"Oh my…so those are the Heartless." She said softly, worriedly. Kyrie was silent as she stared at the mouse, it was obvious that she had never seen a heartless before. But her calmness about the entire matter surprised her.

"Don't worry; we'll take care of 'em!" Sora assured her, making the queen smile at him thankfully.

"I know I can count on you, Sora." She spoke, trusting the young man in front of her. "Oh, and you too, Kyrie. The king told me that you take good care of Sora, Donald, and Goofy, and try to keep them out of trouble." she continued, looking at Kyrie. She blushed a little at the queen's compliment.

"Now there's something I'd like all of you to come and see. Would you please escort me to the audience chamber?" she spoke, looking at Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Kyrie. They nodded but she gasped suddenly, alarmed.

"I forgot to warn everyone else in the castle about the danger!" She gasped, making Kyrie pale. If any of them where to run into the heartless- "We must be sure they're hidden somewhere safe!" Sora nodded in response.

"Okay, we'll go tell them!" Donald stared at the boy with wide eyes.

"The whole castle?" He asked. Goofy nodded as he placed a hand on the duck's shoulder.

"We just gotta split up, Donald." He explained. Sora nodded in agreement.

"I'll make sure that everyone knows what's going on." He exclaimed, and was about to run out of the room before Donald and Goofy stopped him.

"No, Sora, you'll just get lost!" Donald exclaimed. Sora chuckled in embarrassment as he scratched the back of his head, making Kyrie giggle. The queen giggled silently as well at the expression on Sora's face.

"Okay. Then I'll stay with the Queen." He decided. Then he looked at Kyrie. "What about you, Kyrie?" he asked. She was silent before grabbing her notebook and began to write.

I'll stay with you. Besides, you can't take on so many heartless by yourself and protect the queen at the same time.

Sora nodded and with that, Donald and Goofy ran out of the room. All was silent for a few moments before both Sora and Kyrie turned to the queen.

"Um, the audience chamber, right, ma'am?" he asked her uncertainly. The small mouse nodded.

"Yes, Sora. Let's be on our way." she answered. Both inclined their heads and summoned their keyblades, Kyrie taking the front, Sora taking the back. Kyrie slammed the doors opened and ran out, managing to catch a few heartless by surprise as she slashed her keyblades through them, slaying them. As they made their way down the long hallway, Sora and Kyrie fought valiantly, not letting a single heartless within mere feet of Queen Minnie. Once they got to a large pair of double doors, Kyrie stood protectively in front of both Sora and the queen, making sure no heartless would come near.

"Heartless are so damn persistent!" she thought with distaste as she looked around. Once she made sure none were coming, she turned to them just as a seal disappeared from the larger doors and a smaller door opened from one of them.

"Now then…shall we?" Queen Minnie asked. Both nodded in unison and walked through the doors, only to be surprised by a massive horde of Bolt Towers. The queen gasped as she stepped back in shock.

"Not here, too!" she cried. Within seconds both of them were in front of her, keyblades at the ready.

"We got 'em." Sora assured her. Kyrie nodded in agreement and ran forward, jumping into the air above two Bolt Towers and came down, slamming both her keyblades into them and slicing them down the middle. With that they continued on, their destination, the throne.

But halfway through, both of them had to rush in and take care of the Bolt Towers, leaving the queen unprotected. That was a big mistake.

"Ah! Sora!" Kyrie's head snapped back to the queen as Bolt Towers came at her, and without a moment's hesitation, she dove in. She ran in front of the queen and ducked to her height, wrapping her arms around the mouse and holding her tightly. There was no time to use a counterattack, of any kind, against them.

"This is it-" she thought as she closed her eyes, holding the queen tightly as she used her body as a shield. Suddenly a flash of bright light and warmth flooded her senses, and she opened her eyes. The pendant around her neck and the queen's ring began to glow, resonating. Because of this, a shield of pure light wrapped around them, stronger than Kyrie's shield, and began to push the heartless back as it grew. It was like a wave, and it destroyed the heartless as it washed over them, startling Sora as the wave passed over him.

Thankfully, it did not harm him, and just kept going, destroying heartless as it did so. Kyrie felt a strange but wonderful power resonate deep inside of her, making her sigh longingly as she closed her eyes for a moment.

"This light…it's so warm. Is it…my light?" she thought, a small smile on her face. Her eyes were open in an instant, and she stood, releasing her hold on the queen. She'd apologize for her rudeness later.

They quickly made their way to the throne, and just as they got there, more Bolt Towers showed up.

"Come on, gimme a break!" Sora groaned as he stared at the horde. Kyrie nodded, silently agreeing with him, as the queen ran over to the throne. With that she pressed a button, and the throne began to move, a bright light emerging from below it.

"Huh?" Sora gasped as the light washed over them, filling Kyrie with strength and a strange mix of sensations. Hope, relief, warmth, all those good feelings you could ever feel were mixed in as the light washed over her, leaving her completely breathless. For her, it was like taking a breath of fresh, clean air for the very first time.

"What is this…that I'm feeling?" she thought as she placed a hand over her beating heart as it thrummed wildly inside her chest. She looked up and was surprised to see that the heartless were gone, like they had never been there to begin with.

"The room below is called the "Hall of the Cornerstone."." the Queen spoke as she began. Kyrie turned just as the queen began walking down the steps, before she ran to catch up to her.

"Our castle has always been safe from worlds that are evil…thanks to the Cornerstone of Light which we keep down there." She continued. Sora watched the two as they walked down the steps for a moment, completely confused.

"The Cornerstone… of Light?" he asked in bewilderment. He quickly shook his head to clear away his thoughts as he ran after them, trying to catch up to the two as they headed down the stairs. Once they got to the bottom and walked though the doorway, they stared around in awe. In the center of the room was a large, green orb filled with light. But dark, sharp thorns scattered throughout the room, invoking a feeling of dread. They could hear the familiar steps of Donald and Goofy as they approached, but Kyrie's eyes were glued to the sphere.

"Help…me…"

"Huh?" she thought as she looked around, but no one had spoken.

"Help…me…princess…"

She looked at the sphere immediately, was it…calling to her? Judging from the others, only she could hear this voice. But…why?

"What do you want from me?" she thought back to the pleading voice. It sounded neither male or female, but it did sound like a child's. So young and innocent…

"It…hurts. Stop the…pain. Stop the…darkness…"

"This is the castle's cherished Cornerstone. But look. The thorns…they must be the work of someone very evil. I wonder what this could mean…" the queen explained as she pointed to the sphere. But within seconds, a flurry of green flames erupted next to the Cornerstone, and a familiar green face dressed in black appeared. Maleficent stood next to the Cornerstone, her body translucent, as she stared calmly and nonchalantly at the group.

"Maleficent!" Donald quacked in surprise as he jumped back. The others stared at her with the same look of both shock and bewilderment, how did she get here?

"No way!" Sora gasped. But Kyrie simply narrowed her eyes, now she knew what was causing the object so much pain, it was her. She looked around and eyed the group, a sneer on her face before her eyes flickered over to Kyrie, and the sneer grew.

"Well, well, well. What have we here…?" She paused, the sneer growing. "If it isn't the wretched Keyblade holder, and his pitiful lackeys! Ah, and the princess of Light too, I am so sorry that we weren't properly acquainted the last time that we saw each other. " Kyrie just simply continued to glare at the witch, not amused in the slightest by her comments. But she could hear someone mumbling behind her.

"Princess of light? Who's that?" but she quickly ignored the words, looking back at Maleficent.

"You're lucky you didn't catch me, or else you'd be melted by now by a bucket of water." she thought smugly. But Donald was quick to anger as he summoned his staff.

"What? Now you're gonna deal with me!" he shouted as he ran at her, but when he leaped, he went right through her and hit the podium the cornerstone rested on.

"All in good time. I promise you'll be able to partake of my vengeance. But you must be patient." She spoke, smirking at the group in front of her. She completely ignored poor Donald, who was massaging his face to ease the pain.

"Just what are you doing here, Maleficent?" the queen demanded as she took a step forward, glaring defiantly at the witch. But she gave a sickly smile, and a small bow.

"Ah, Queen Minnie. Radiant, as always. I'm here on a property venture. I want this castle for my own. However, it's a bit too 'bright'; for what I have in mind. I suppose I'll just have to fill every room with my personal touch of darkness." She explained. Kyrie heard a small cry of pain, and she knew. The stone was suffering.

Without a second thought, she rushed forward and touched the cornerstone just as Maleficent reached for it, only to have her hand repelled by a flash of light. Maleficent glared at the girl as she glared defiantly back.

"As long as I'm around, you're not going to cause any more pain." she thought as she glared.

"You impudent little wretch." Maleficent growled at her.

"You'd better stop right now if you know what's good for you!" Minnie warned. But she paid no mind to the queen's warning.

"Ooh, how frightening." She replied sarcastically. The others growled at her, but Kyrie remained calm. She could feel her strength pouring into the large sphere, seeming to give it the strength to keep the darkness at bay. Maleficent glanced at her from the corner of her eye, before looking at the group.

"Very well. I'll stop… just as soon as the castle belongs to me!" and with that, she disappeared in a flurry of green flames, her cackles bouncing off the walls and reverberating throughout the room. Sora snorted.

"What a hag." He commented. Kyrie nodded in agreement, but didn't move from where she stood. She could feel that the Cornerstone needed her.

"Thank…you. Please…stay…"

"I will. Don't worry."

"Nothing like this has ever happened before." She could hear the queen explain. "I looked through all the records in the library, but I couldn't find a single clue." All was silent before Goofy gasped, an idea popping into his head.

"Ohh!" he gasped. Everyone looked at him, in a sense surprised that it was he who got an idea first.

"We should go ask somebody who knows lotsa stuff that ain't in any book!" he explained. Everyone was silent as they tried to think of someone that matched that description.

"Merlin the Wizard!" Donald exclaimed suddenly. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Yes! That's perfect! Merlin just might know something about this mess. Let's ask his advice!" Queen Minnie agreed, relief washing over her features.

"We saw him in Hollow Bastion, right?" Goofy asked as he turned to Sora and Donald. The two nodded.

"Yeah. Let's go!" Sora declared. They were about to run out of the room before stopping, noticing that Kyrie had yet to move from where she stood next to the cornerstone, her hand planted firmly against it.

"Aren't you coming, Kyrie?" he asked. She was silent before looking at the stone.

"Will you be fine without me here?"

"I…don't know. The darkness…it's so strong…" with that, she turned to the others and shook her head, bewildering them beyond belief.

"Huh? Why?" he asked. She was silent before motioning for them to come over, pulling out her notebook as she did so.

Because the cornerstone is crying, I can somehow hear it. It needs someone who can give it strength to fight off the darkness for now, someone like me. Someone who is tied so strongly to the light.

The group stared at her in blatant confusion, before shrugging their shoulders.

"If you're sure…we'll be back ASAP! C'mon, let's go!" and with that, the three turned and darted out of the room, leaving her and queen Minnie behind.

Yes. Now we're at Disney Castle. Not much is going to go on in this world, except a lot of questions are gonna be ask. Oh well. and I'm finally off of my block, whoo!

Please read and review!