Whew its good to have a nice week away from the snow and blizzards, and get down to the beach for a week of fun, golf, and relaxation. I got most of this done and decided to finish it once I returned.

We are entering the tail end of this story, but you will see some very important things begin to appear in this story that will have an effect in the 3rd part that I will be starting in May or June. Man hard to believe that Summer is almost here… Anyways I hope to have this done in April or early May, but with the school year ending and work starting I can't guarantee it. But I will do my best!

Yamato, Anne, and Ankoku are mine, everyone else is Square-Enix or Disney.

Enjoy!

Chapter 8: Prelude to Darkness

"I'm getting sick of this fruit…" Sora grumbled, taking another bite of the grayish pear-shaped object that he held in his hand.

"At least you can actually eat…" Roxas responded, floating around in the air.

"Just be thankful you don't have to collect the firewood anymore." Yamato said, his weathered face flickering in the glow of the campfire.

"Whatever…I was robbed." Sora said in a huff.

Yamato and Roxas both laughed at Sora's comment. It had been a few weeks since they had left Atlantica and had since covered many different worlds.

"So…where are we now?" Yamato asked, in between bites of food.

"I think we are right on the outskirts of Twilight Town…" Sora said.

"Hmm…I'm not familiar with that world…" Yamato said.

"Not surprising…" Roxas said.

Yamato didn't pay any mind to this. Sora looked down at Yamato's Keyblade which was sunk into the ground. He noticed the curve of it, and how it seemed to resemble King Mickey's.

"That's an interesting blade…" Sora said, staring in the direction of the golden Keyblade.

Yamato looked down and grasped his blade. He held it up and looked at it closely.

"This is a special blade…much like yours is…" Yamato said, cryptically. "It was said in my home world that those who wielded the blade…were warriors chosen by light…and thus most fit to rule…" He continued.

"So…were you a king or something?" Roxas asked, now interested in the conversation.

Yamato smiled.

"Yes…I was the ruler of my home world…until I took up the call to fight for the safety of the worlds…after that I was trapped here." Yamato stated.

"That's awesome!" Roxas said, before suddenly bowing to Yamato.

Yamato gave a small chuckle at this.

"Get up Roxas, you lads don't need to bow to me…we are equals." Yamato said.

"So what was your world called?" Roxas asked.

"My home world was known as Animus…have either of you been there?" Yamato asked.

Sora and Roxas's expressions both changed in an instant. They looked at each other with shocked expressions, but quickly realized that Yamato was staring at them.

"No! No we've never been there…what was it like?" Sora asked quickly.

"Animus was a beautiful place…and one that was founded on a basis of law and reason." Yamato began. "We placed great emphasis on bravery and valor, and valued those that were skilled in the ways of the sword. Those who were chosen by destiny to wield the Keyblade were held in great reverence." He finished.

"So your society made those who wielded the Keyblade rulers?" Sora asked.

"Yes…although it was very rare for one to wield the blade to actually come around. We had an intricate system in place, this allowed for operations to continue while we waited for the next king…it was a period of two hundred years between the last king and I." Yamato explained.

"I'm surprised they gave it up so easily…" Roxas stated.

"Most did…our society is very traditional…but there were a few that didn't feel like turning control over to me." Yamato explained.

"Wow…I wonder if there is any relation between you and King Mickey…" Sora said aloud.

Roxas looked at Sora with a stunned look. Sora realized what he had just said, and also wore a horrified expression. Yamato looked over towards him.

"King…Mickey? Is that the new ruler of Animus?" Yamato asked.

Sora and Roxas stared back at him with dumb expressions. They looked at each other with uneasy glanced, which Yamato noticed.

"What's the matter?" Yamato said, suddenly growing very serious.

"Er…I'm not familiar with that name…maybe they changed it?" Roxas said quickly, but in such a way that Yamato could see that he was telling him a lie.

"That's not true…something happened to my world didn't it?" Yamato said his expression growing dark.

Sora and Roxas continued to sit there, with uneasy expressions on their faces. Yamato grew very solemn, as if he knew that something bad had happened.

"What happened to Animus…?" He asked stoically.

Roxas and Sora eyed each other, hoping that the other would feel more comfortable in discussing this with Yamato. Yamato watched this before he violently flung his Keyblade violently to the ground.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO MY WORLD?" Yamato snarled, the fire in his eyes piercing a hole through Roxas and Sora.

The two looked at each other, and Sora slowly spoke to the angry Keyblade Master.

"There…there was a…war…about 150 years after the sorcerer was banished…" Sora stammered out quickly.

Roxas looked at Sora with disbelief, trying to figure out what he was saying, but noticed that Yamato was looking at him. Roxas began to stammer.

"Animus was destroyed…but there was nothing you could have done about it…" Roxas finished quickly. "New civilizations sprang up from the ashes of the fallen civilizations." Roxas said.

"There was nothing that could have been done; there was no Keyblade master, and even if you hadn't been banished. You would have been long dead." Sora concluded.

Yamato sat back down, the words churning through his mind. He looked back up at the two.

"What of the people of Animus? Were they all killed?" He asked slowly.

"The war took a heavy toll on the population of most cities…many people were killed in the fighting…Animus was all but destroyed…" Roxas said quickly.

Yamato grew very quiet. Images and memories of his home world came flooding back to him. Yamato looked at Sora and Roxas and got to his feet. He walked off and left the campsite.

Sora rose up to follow him, but Roxas was quick to stop him.

"Why did you say that?" Roxas asked his friend.

"What was I supposed to do? Tell him the truth?" Sora fired back in defense.

"You lied to him about his home!" Roxas angrily said.

"I do seem to remember that you were saying things too!" Sora snapped back.

Roxas grew quiet realizing that Sora was in fact right.

"Look…I didn't want to tell him that, but its better that he believes this happened rather than what really did nothing bad can happen from this. It will be easier for him to live with this lie rather than the truth." Sora explained.

"I hope you're right…" Roxas said to Sora.

Meanwhile, Yamato had walked over through an area of trees and into a clearing that overlooked a cliff. Yamato sat down at the edge, and played the memories over and over in his mind. He sat there for a good hour before he heard some rustling in the woods behind him. Sora emerged from the woods and approached the Keyblade master.

"It's getting late…maybe you should come get some sleep; Roxas already has." Sora said gently.

Yamato didn't even turn to face him.

"I can't believe that my world is gone…" Yamato stated.

Sora sighed and walked over next to him. It was an awkward situation to say the least, as it had previously been the older and wiser Yamato that had tried to comfort him during their journey.

"There was nothing that you could do…" Sora started.

"You would have been long gone by the time the war broke out…and everyone that you cared about wouldn't have been around to suffer during that terrible time." Sora said, lying through his teeth.

Yamato turned and gave a sad smile.

"Thank you Sora…you are indeed a good friend." Yamato said.

Sora winced at this, but smiled for Yamato.

"I'm going to stay out here for a little while longer…" Yamato explained and then turned back to the abyss that he was staring at.

Sora nodded.

"Good night Yamato." He said as he got up to leave.

Sora headed back through the trees towards the campsite, his mind tossing at the guilt of lying to a friend, but also with the knowledge that he had made it easier for Yamato to deal with the tragedy. Yamato meanwhile turned back out towards the barren wasteland…and continued to ponder these recent developments. Sora meanwhile made his way back to camp and tried to go to sleep. He stayed up half the night, worrying about Yamato and dealing with the guilt before finally drifting off to sleep.

The Next Morning:

"SORA WAKE UP!" Roxas roared, waking Sora from his slumber in a harsh manner.

"What! What!" A half dazed Sora said, darting his eyes around, trying to gain some focus to his vision.

"It's morning and Yamato is gone!" Roxas said urgently.

"What?" Sora said, finally focusing on Roxas.

"I woke up earlier, and I noticed that Yamato wasn't back here at the campsite!" Roxas said.

"Did you check over by the cliff?" Sora asked.

Roxas nodded affirmatively.

"Not one trace of him." Roxas stated.

"That's not good…" Sora said, getting to his feet.

"Do you think he went into town?" Roxas asked.

"If we are lucky…" Sora said ominously.

"I wish we never mentioned his home world…or the lie that we told him…" Roxas said muttering.

Sora gave him an irritated glance.

"Nevermind what we said, just focus on finding him!" He snapped.

"Let's head into town and see if we can't find him." Roxas suggested, and slightly surprised by Sora's response.

"Okay…" Sora said as the two raced off towards town, and the guilt in Sora slowly began to build.

Back in Destiny City:

"So are you glad to be done?" Naminé asked her friend.

Kairi was lying on the sand, twirling her graduation cap in her hand. The waves crashed against the beach, and the sun peeked out from the clouds, forcing her to throw her sunglasses back on. She looked at Naminé who was lying out next to her.

"I guess…I mean it's not like I'm going anywhere…" Kairi responded.

"That's true…at least it will be fun next year having Selphie as a roommate!" Naminé said.

"Yeah…though I still need to decide on a major…" Kairi said to herself.

Kairi turned her attention back towards the open sea, as a cool spring breeze gently tossed her hair. She had just completed her graduation ceremony a few hours ago, and after all the pageantry decided to visit the beach. She made a stop at Sora's monument and was now relaxing on the beach. She heard some noise off in the distance, and turned to see Selphie and Wakka coming over towards her. She smiled at her approaching friends, and they returned the gesture. Selphie and Tidus had broken up mutually a few weeks earlier, after Tidus was drafted #1 by Radiant Garden. They had agreed to be friends, and to write each other. Tidus had not been there for graduation, and instead received his by mail.

"Here they are!" Selphie said with a smile.

"I thought you guys were going to that graduation party?" Naminé asked their friends.

"We did for a bit, but we decided to spend some time with you, since we don't know what's going to happen after all this ya?" Wakka responded.

"With college and Tidus's move to Radiant Garden, and Wakka's season starting up soon; who knows when we will be able to get back together like this." Selphie added.

"That's right…Tidus is the millionaire now!" Kairi added with a giggle.

Wakka and Selphie laughed.

"Tidus told me that his agent is still working out the contract…so it's not for sure…" Selphie explained.

"Well…I know that the last brudda to get taken #1 has a big mansion on Atlantica…" Wakka added.

"Yeah…well…he hopefully won't go too overboard…" Naminé said with a shrug.

"He'll miss my graduation party…" Kairi said, with a little sadness.

"When is it?" Selphie asked.

"Probably in June…middle or end of the month…" Kairi said causally.

"Mini-camps don't start up till July so he might be able to ya?" Wakka informed her.

"Cool…I'll send him the invite…" Kairi responded.

"Yeah just ask me for the address sometime." Selphie said.

"So where's Riku?" Selphie asked changing the subject.

"King Mickey called him to Disney Castle to discuss some recent activity in the World that Never Was." Kairi explained.

"It's not Maleficent is it?" Selphie asked, suddenly becoming fearful.

"I don't think so…nor do I think it's anything more than a few stray heartless, nothing that Riku couldn't handle." Kairi responded reassuringly.

"Have you heard anything from Twilight Town ya?" Wakka asked.

Kairi and Naminé shook their head.

"Nothing as of late…which is strange for Olette…" Kairi stated.

"What about Donald and Daisy…how is the baby doing?" Selphie asked.

"Fine from all recent news…I'm sure Riku will have more when he comes back…" Kairi said.

The friends continued to chat away for hours, talking about the future and what was going to happen. They started talking about Sora and Roxas, wondering if they were ever going to return, to which both Kairi and Naminé were steadfast in their refusal to give up. Eventually the day would turn into night, and they would go their separate ways. Naminé and Kairi remained on the beach, while the other two went off to visit with some other friends. Eventually Riku's ship came into view and landed over in the hangar that Riku had constructed following the war with Ankoku and Maleficent. Kairi and Naminé went over and met the returning Keyblade warrior, who seemed weary from the trip.

"What's new in Disney Castle?" Kairi asked Riku.

"Donald and Daisy are fine, and so is the baby if that's what you're asking…" Riku stated.

"That's good to hear…" Kairi said, as she turned and started walking back towards town with Riku and Naminé.

"What's happening in the World that Never Was?" Naminé asked.

"We're not sure…we had reports of several people wearing hoods active in the area…I went with Goofy to check it out…but we found nothing out of the sorts…still we are going to have our scouts keeping tabs on the area." Riku explained.

"Think it could be remnants of the Organization?" Kairi asked.

"Doubtful…Maleficent would be the other option, but I don't think that she's in any condition to launch an assault." Riku began. "She has to know by now that Sora isn't here, and logically I would think that she would have launched an attack by now…" He finished.

"Hmm…" Kairi mumbled to herself.

"I wouldn't worry about it…if its anything serious…I'm confidant that King Mickey and I can take care of it…" Riku said trying to reassure the two.

"So how was graduation?" Riku said, changing to a lighter subject.

"Kinda boring actually…" Kairi said.

"That's too bad…but I do have some good news." Riku stated in response. "King Mickey and Queen Minnie are holding a big party…some Disney Castle…something or other ball…" Riku said, trying to remember the name.

He produced a white card, and gave it to Kairi. Kairi looked at the card and read it aloud.

"King Mickey and Queen Minnie of the Castle of Disney cordially invite Princess Kairi Uchida and Lady Naminé Uchida to attend the Silver Celestial Ball, to promote unity among the various worlds." Kairi read.

"How exciting!" Naminé squealed.

"Yeah I got an invite too, and King Mickey said that he was inviting a bunch of different people from other worlds including Hayner, Pence, and Olette. He also said that Tidus, Selphie and Wakka could attend as well…Anne too." Riku stated.

"This is good…at least it's not the same time as my graduation party…" Kairi said.

"So I guess this means that you are going to be in a suit." Kairi said looking at Riku.

Riku seemed stunned by this.

"It says that?" He said, his face turning white.

"It says formal attire only here at the bottom." Kairi said, showing him the small font.

"Aw man…" Riku said.

"Don't worry Riku we'll find you a suit!" Naminé said cheerfully.

"And I'll need a dress!" Kairi stated.

The three continued to chat as they walked back towards town. As they got into town they eventually went their separate ways for the night. Kairi and Naminé walked back to their house. Naminé seemed to be thinking about something, and Kairi noticed this.

"What's the matter?" She asked her friend.

"They've been gone a long time…" Naminé said quietly.

Kairi sighed.

"I know…I'm reminded everyday." Kairi admitted.

"Thanksgiving…Christmas…Valentine's Day…" Naminé said, reflecting on all the days that Sora and Roxas were absent.

"And we don't know when they are coming back…" Kairi added.

"Two weeks will be the 10 month anniversary of their disappearance." Naminé stated.

"We can make a trip out to the monument." Kairi suggested.

"That would be nice…we can talk to them…" Naminé said.

"Hopefully we can hear someone talk back…" Kairi added.

Naminé smiled at this.

"I can't think of anything else I would rather hear." Naminé stated.

The two girls approached their house, and went in for the night. They told Anne, who was watching some television in the great room, all about the ball and she seemed very excited to go as well. The girls said goodnight and then went off to bed.

Back in the Dark Realm:

"Did you find him?" Roxas asked, approaching Sora in the center of the town.

Sora shook his head.

"No I searched the entire west side of town, there's no sign of him." Sora said.

"Where do you think he went?" Roxas asked.

"I have no idea…do you think that he went to the old manor?" Sora stated.

"I didn't check over there…and I think that's the only place left to look…" Roxas stated.

"Well come on let's go!" Sora said.

"This is all our fault…" Roxas lamented.

"Will you just shut up about it?" Sora snapped.

Roxas merely looked at his friend with a sad expression. Sora could sense the guilt that Roxas was feeling, and felt the guilt that was building up in himself as well.

"Come on…the sooner we find him the better." Sora said as he started towards the woods.

Roxas would hesitate but soon followed his friend. The two made their way back through town and over towards the hole in the wall that lead to the vast forest that surrounded Twilight Town. They worked their way through the dark forest, until the came upon the manor that both Sora and Roxas had visited so many times before. They approached the gate, but found it unopened.

"Should we go in?" Roxas asked his friend.

"I guess so…I mean we've looked everywhere else." Sora responded.

Almost immediately as Sora said that, heartless popped up around them. Sora quickly drew his Keyblade out and sprang into action taking out the various shadows with relative ease. He stopped and looked at Roxas with a grin.

"Piece of cake!" Sora said.

Roxas didn't respond, instead he merely looked with a stunned look at something past Sora. Sora whipped around to come face to face with an army of heartless. He quickly turned to go the other way, but was stopped dead in his tracks by another battalion of heartless. Slowly the heartless encircled Sora, who stood ready to fight the onslaught, despite the fact that he was hopelessly out-numbered. Sora immediately made a bee-line for the gate, and the heartless that were in front of the gate. He took out a huge number of them as he fought his way through to the other side. He sustained several slashes across his face and abdomen. Still he was able to get through to the other side, and made a sprint for the mansion doors. Roxas followed close behind, as Sora pulled open the large doors, and once he was inside quickly shut the door behind them. He rested his hand on the door, panting as he felt the cuts on his face. He then checked his abdomen and winced as he touched the deep cuts that he had on his abdomen. He held his hand over some of the cuts, and a green aura appeared from his hand. The cuts on his abdomen slowly healed.

"Man…they just keep coming out of nowhere…" Sora said, looking at the blood now on his hands and wiping it off on his gear.

"But at least that's over with…right?" Sora asked Roxas.

"Ummm…not exactly…" Roxas said.

Sora still looked at the door and sighed.

"There is a whole army of them behind me isn't there?" Sora asked.

"Yes…but that's not the problem…" Roxas said ominously.

Sora slowly turned around.

"Then what is the prob…lem…" Sora said, trailing off as he gazed upon what Roxas was talking about.

There was the usual army of Heartless that lined up on the steps, and to the left and right of the main staircase that sat in the room. But the thing that caught both Sora and Roxas's attention was the figure that stood at the base of the steps. Sora and Roxas both recognized him right away.

"Yamato?" Sora said with shock.

He looked like him but the yellow eyes and the blackish purple aura that emanated from his body made him look far more sinister, than the sage-like figure that they had traveled with for the last few weeks. Yamato gave a sick smile, and brandished his Keyblade. Sora read the writing on the wall and quickly brandished his own Keyblade. Sora got down into a fighting stance, but dropped to one knee, wincing as his abdomen throbbed. Roxas bent down next to him as Sora slowly got to his feet. Sora noticed that his vision started to get a little blurry, but shook his head and got back into his stance.

"You're hurt…" Roxas said slowly.

"Nah…I just slipped…" Sora said lying through his teeth.

"You can't fight…" Roxas said again.

Sora looked up at Roxas, and then over to Yamato, who seemed to have an even bigger grin on his face, as if he knew that Sora was hurt. Sora turned back to Roxas, and slowly got to his feet. He winced again as he crouched back down into a fighting stance. Yamato's grin grew even bigger.

"I don't think I have much of a choice Roxas…" Sora said grimly.

End of Chapter 8

Okay things will be getting interesting here in the final 4 chapters of this story. I hope that you will all stay tuned. I have Easter break coming up starting Thursday so hopefully I can knock off another chapter over that.

Until then…Later!