Keyblade of the Heart

by TheJadeDragon37

It has been a year since Sora, Riku, and Kairi have returned to Destiny Islands. Life is normal for the trio till two new students come to the islands. What does their arrival mean for the Keybearers? Now masked fighters know as the Celestial Warriors control the Heartless. The Keybearers will have their hands full trying to stop the worlds from vanishing. Ignores 3D and Re:Coded

27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts

(A/N): Damn I couldn't even hold out a day. I just couldn't wait to finish the story. This is it folks the last plot filled chapter of Keyblade of the Heart. After this there is an Epilogue to wrap up the story and tease you guys with what's going to happen in Hardships of the Heart. Cause I still plan to write the Prequel and Sequel to this fic making my "Heart" Trilogy. A thank you goes out to all that have reviewed. A special thanks to The Unknowing Herald who gave me my first critical review that forced me to bump up my writing skills and who sat there and let me bounce ideas off him. Another thanks to TykkiMikk and Xerzo LotCN who left things in their reviews that got me thinking about where I was heading with this story. I can honestly say without you three this fic wouldn't be half as good as it is.

Just an FYI. For the most part I've been using the definition of the spells from Final Fantasy XII. Naminé's Cleric Form though is a basically a combination of every White Mage to have come out of Final Fantasy, save for summoning. So she'll have some spells that aren't classified as White Magic in one game but are in another. Example: Protect. If Green Magick isn't there this spell belongs to the White Mage.

Chapter 27: Eclipse

Sol looked out the window of the Glacier's cockpit. Off in the distance was a world that was oozing Darkness. It was a grey colored world looking like all life on it had been wiped out. If it was the same place where Sol had faced his sister back when she was Virgo than it really was devoid of any life save for their enemy and Riku. The silver haired teen had been trapped with Eclipse and her Warriors for about two weeks. It was long enough that Sol didn't have much hopes for Riku being in his right mind. Spending that long directly exposed to Darkness could break even those with the strongest of will. Riku might have fought against it before and won but even he would have troubles with that much contact. His old flaws would make it that much easier for the power to seep in.

For three days they had spent their time flying through space planning how they were going to put a stop to Eclipse and her plans. They had all agreed on the fact that a surprise attack was out of the question. Eclipse wasn't a fool and she'd know that they were coming to put a stop to her. The same reasoning told them that she was going to have Capricorn and Aries protecting her while she tried to finish up her plans. They were going to separate into three teams once they had landed on the world. Sol and Luna would deal with Aries whenever he appeared. They had already fought against him before and they had come up with a few ideas on how to take down the swordsman. Roxas and Naminé would fight Capricorn. Mika had a score to settle with the Illusionist but she would be needed to lead the remaining two through the castle. Roxas wanted to try his hand at facing the master of illusions. Naminé would stand back and support the him with her new Cleric Drive striking only when she felt sure she could get a hit on the real Capricorn. Sora and Kairi would go ahead of the others to try to find Riku and Eclipse. No doubt she would have him close by if she wanted to use his powers to gain control of the Valley's heart. If they found one of them without the other Mikka was to go on and find the missing member possibly facing them on her own.

While they didn't know how well their it was the best idea they, Sol, had come up with. An hour was all they had left before they were going to be landing on world. Right now everyone else was gathering supplies stuffing their pockets with Hi-Ethers and Hi-Potions and for the more dire situations an Elixir. Sol had packed the already filling his pouch with more of the magic restoring items than the healing ones. As a magically inclined fighter he was going to rely more on White Magic for healing. As he looked at the approaching world Sol tried to work out how they were going to overcome Aries . The best way he could think up was to use the Helix Sword but that left one of them weaponless. If they did bring out their ace than it'd most likely go to Luna. She was more of a sword fighter than he was but they couldn't ignore the power over Fire and Ice Magic that it granted either. In Sol's hands it could be a destructive magical force.

Nothing was as stressful as waiting for the storm to come and hit you. Sora was practically bouncing up and down with anticipation. His pockets had been stuffed full of the healing items that the Glacier had stocked. Since Sora fought equally well with both magic and melee he had taken an equal amount of the restorative items. Kairi had taken a few of the status ailment cures instead of just Potions and Ethers. They didn't know what type of magic Eclipse had at her disposal so it was better to prepare for the worst rather than not back an item and need it later. Mika had only grabbed a few thing from the cupboards still having a few items in her pockets from her time with the Celestial Warriors. All three of them had problems with leaving the other behind to deal with Capricorn and Aries . Both of them were extremely powerful Warriors. There was a reason Eclipse had kept them closest to her and didn't let them attack worlds as often as they wanted. Along with Mika they had made up the inner circle that helped run the Warriors making sure that they all played nicely and no one killed each other. Mika had never trusted any of the Warriors but she been alright working with those two. They had simple ideas and didn't ask questions making it easy to avoid confrontation.

Roxas sat on the edge of the bed that he had recently started to share with Naminé. He'd have to thank Mika once everything was all over. If it wasn't for her he probably would be the one sleeping alone rather than the Clestian. Naminé had been nervous when she figured out what she had done and Roxas had offered to sleep on the floor the first night. She had been against that idea though and instead created a wall of blankets between them on the rather large bed. Luna had a king sized bed all to herself so it was easy to create a barrier between the two since they had taken the raven haired girl's room. Naminé had stopped and appreciated the forest scenery that was painted on the wall. It looked like such a peaceful place, almost like they were sleeping in a grotto deep within unexplored woods. Last night though Naminé had taken down her little wall and curled up against Roxas. They had already discussed Roxas' confession back at Disney Castle. Naminé made sure that he knew she loved him just as much. Neither one of them wanted to leave anything unsaid before the upcoming battle. Capricorn was going to be a difficult opponent. She had beat Mika and Riku already. While Roxas was a fighter and had plenty of experience to call on Naminé had only been in a few fights since she had gotten her own body. She could recall the fights that Kairi had been in at the start of the journey but unlike Roxas, who fought almost identically to Sora, Naminé could already tell that she relied more on magic than her former Somebody. It wouldn't be the same to call on Kairi's fights to figure out what to do.

Luna put the last Elixir into her skirt pocket. They all had at least one of the the major healing item. They were to be used as a last resort their hail mary potion since it fully restored physical and magical strength. Calling up the her sword Luna looked the Flamberge over. The red blade had a history to it of killing both men and monsters. It was stained red with both the fire magic locked inside and the blood that it had drank. Numerous times she had used this sword to end the life of someone. This would be one of the few times she would be at peace with the person she killed. Aries needed to go down and she would make sure that Flamberge would be the blade that ended his life. Sol as cold as he appeared didn't take death well. He broke down when he thought no one was looking after he took a life. It was better if she was the one to put an end to the swordsman. She would protect Sol like he'd done so many times for her before. Like many times before Luna could feel the calm before the storm. As always she would face the storm head on knowing that Sol would have her back ready to help her up should she be blown over.

Sirens blared causing everyone to break out of their thoughts. Heartless airships were approaching. It looked like Eclipse was going to make them work for their landing rather than just let them come on in. Roxas and Sora were the first to appear in the cockpit. They jumped into the two seats that had the controls which operated the Glacier's weapon system. Large guns appeared on the top and bottom of the Gummi ship and a blade gummi appeared out the front ready to skewer any Heartless that tried a frontal assault. Sol piloted the ship through the hoards of Heartless that were coming at them. Roxas and Sora used the advanced targeting system of the Glacier to blast any of the monsters that tried to get close to the ship. A few managed to land on the Gummi ship and were met with magic from one of the girls. When a Heartless touched down on the ship the normally blue gummis would light up red alerting the casters to where they needed to apply their magic.

"Luna controls!" Sol ordered as he jumped out of the chair and headed to the back of the ship. "I'm going to go fire that" The way he said it sent chills down the spines of everyone in the room.

"Right." Luna ran over to the console and took the wheel without batting an eyelash. She was just a good a pilot as Sol was expertly dodging the attacks of the Heartless.

Opening a door to the lower levels of the ship Sol smiled. He hadn't gotten a chance to use the Glacier's main cannon, the Blizzaja. Unlike the normal Blizzard ranked gummis this cannon was directly powered by a person. It had the ability to amplify Ice Magic to an unparalleled degree. The mechanism was far too large for a normal person to carry around and it would shut down the gummi ship for a few seconds to convert the energy Sol poured in. All in all it was a hail marry of a cannon. Standing on glass above the crystal engine of the gummi ship Sol raised his hand up to the ceiling and called down the controls for the Blizzaja Cannon. A blue gummi detached and drifted down the only thing on it a large white glyph of such intricate design it was a wonder that anyone had been able to reproduce it. Placing his hand onto the glyph it flared red recognizing the pressure of a human hand. What was going to happen was Sol would pour Ice Magic into the glyph which would send the energy off to another glyph deep inside the ship. The cannons already on the outside would converge together on the top to which Luna would have to compensate for the added weight. The newly formed cannon would then take the energy Sol gave it and fire a large beam of pure elementless energy into the hoard of Heartless before them.

"Sol you there yet?" Luna's voice asked over the intercom in the room.

"Charging!" Sol shouted over the hum of the engine and glyph.

Gathering as much mana as he dared to use Sol poured it into the glyph. Flaring to life Sol watched the glyph change from white to red as he filled it with power. Another hand appeared on the glyph next to Sol's. He followed the arm to find his sister smiling next to him.

"Can't have you draining yourself before we even get to the world now can we? What do I need to do?" Mika's softer side always came out when it came to dealing with her brother.

"Ice Magic is the fuel." Sol answered without lessening the flow of power he was giving.

Red light burst out of the glyph as Mika added her own power to it. In a matter of seconds half the glyph had turned red. Sol picked his and up off it. Even at fifty percent charged it should be strong enough to cut a hole in the wall of Heartless big enough for them to fly through.

"Blizzaja Cannon primed at half!" Sol shouted running back towards the door Mika hot on his heels.

All that needed to happen now was for Luna to fire the cannon. It would be up to her to figure out how long the power of the ship would be out and where best to fire the cannon. If she didn't take into account the power failure they could easily land into a group of the Heartless and be completely defenseless as it rebooted. That would be bad as every bit of mana Sol and Mika just spent would have been wasted. The siblings were halfway down the hall to the cockpit when the ship's alarms went off telling everyone to grab ahold of something. Luna must have found a place to fire already if the sirens were going off. The roaring sound of energy being fired was accompanied by the entire ship going dark. With no lights on and no light coming from the outside, as all the stars were blocked by Heartless, they were in pitch black darkness. Sol could feel the ship still moving using the momentum it still had from the thrusters to keep flying. They kept running to the cockpit using a light generated by Mika to see the path.

Inside they found Kairi and Naminé lying on the floor from the force of the blast the cannon created. Luna, Roxas, and Sora who'd been buckled were doing just fine. A small light came from the console in front of Luna displaying how much longer it'd take to restart the ship. The counter was at fifteen seconds by the time Sol had made his way to his girlfriend. Light poured in from the stars that appeared through hole in the wall of Heartless giving them an idea of where the Valley was at. When the counter reached zero Luna flicked on the power and gunned it to eighty-eight. The gummi ship blasted through the rapidly closing spot and came out to the path that led down to the world.

"Hope everyone's ready." Luna said as they rode the light to the world shrouded in Darkness.

The gummi ship touched down the side door opened letting the passengers off onto the dusty plains of The Valley of the Lost. It looked just like the place that Mika had taken Sol and Luna to. In fact it was the exact same place. Craters from their magical attacks littered the area. Scorch marks from both fire and lighting dotted the battlefield. As a welcoming committee of Heartless appeared the heroes called forth their weapons ready to wipe them out. Four Keyblades, two magical longswords, and one metallic staff tore apart the Shadows and Wizards that had appeared first. Off in the distance a three Darksides towered over the massive hoard of smaller Heartless.

"On it." Roxas and Sora shouted together as the ran towards the Darksides. "Valor!" they said in unison.

Roxas still retained parts of Sora within him granting him the power to access the brunette's two basic Drive forms. While Sora's normally black clothes turned to red as they always did in Valor. Roxas' shirt turned a deep crimson while his tan pants turned black. The white part of his checkered wristband turned red to complete his Valor form's outfit. His new Bond of Twilight appeared in his left hand to complement the old Bond of Flame. Both teens used the powers of the Valor High Jump to soar over the Heartless on the ground. Sora who had been practicing his Drive powers outside of Drive Form used the Master's Air Dodge to move out of the way of a Wizard's Thunder spell. Roxas spun Bond of Twilight above his head at such a speed it created a small whirlwind stopping the lighting from hitting him. When they landed they used a Strike Raid to clear a path to the Darksides.

Reaching the towering Heartless both Keybearers waited until a massivefist plunged into the ground creating a dark whirlpool that summoned Shadows to defend it. Sora jumped onto the black arm and ran up it to the head one of two weak spots on the Darkside. Roxas unleashed a series of blows against the hand that was calling forth Shadows. Whenever he caught one of the weaker Heartless getting too close to him he'd break his combo and performed a Strike Raid to keep them at bay. Sora wailed on the head of the Darkside with the Starseeker and Oblivion. The double assault from the duel wielding Keybearers caused the Darkside to flee rather than fight. It was one of the few Heartless that cared about self-preservation.

Jumping from the shoulder of the vanishing Darkside Sora attempted to land on the shoulder of another. It's hand moved though and tried to catch the Keybearer in midair. Again Sora used the Air Dodge to move just out of reach. Plunging both of his Keyblades into the hand that had failed to catch him Sora hung on while the Darkside tried to wave him off. Taking out the Starseeker Sora slashed again and again at the hand until the Heartless tried to rip him off with its free hand. Sora let go of the Oblivion falling down to the ground. Summoning his lost Keyblade back to his empty hand Sora dropped out of Valor. Pointing the tip of the obsidian Keyblade at the head of the Darkside Sora fired off a blast of Fire Magic. A large Firaga blasted into the black face causing the monstrous Heartless to rear back. Sora didn't let up and called forth lightning with Thundra spells to continue blasting the face. The Darkside vanished in a cloud of black smoke. Sora didn't know if he defeated it or just caused it to flee but it was gone either way.

Roxas was still in Valor form slashing madly at the hands of the Darkside. It looked like a blur of red and black as he swung his two Keyblades. To the untrained eye it looked as if Roxas was just flailing about wildly but each attack was a precise blow that was planned in advanced. Roxas was at his most comfortable with two Keyblades. Even a Keyblade Master would be hard pressed to find a hole on Roxas' defenses when he got into his groove. So the countless weak Heartless that tried to save the Darkside and steal the blonde's heart had very little chance of catching him off guard. He would backflip out of their reach and rain destruction down on them as he fell. Enough flying Heartless had gathered around that Roxas got an idea into his head. He jumped onto a Yellow Jazz using it as a platform to reach a Red Requiem. Roxas kept jumping from airborne Heartless to airborne Heartless until he reached the head of the Darkside. Leaping onto its shoulder Roxas finished the monster off by dashing straight through its head.

The rest of the gang caught up looking like they had just taken a jog through the park. Roxas dropped out of his Valor form and used a High Drive to restore his strength in case he needed to duel wield once again. The yellow energy blanketed him in a soft glow before disappearing into him.

"Looks like you two took care of those guys quite well" Kairi complimented as Sora joined up with them.

"Darksides are nothing nowadays. Give me somethi-" Sora was cut of by Kairi placing her hand over his mouth.

"Don't jinx it." She warned him.

It was already too late. Aries appeared hovering above them his katana still sheathed at his hip. The white mask of the Celestial Warriors covered his face. He deemed all of the beneath him. Literally and figuratively at the moment. Dropping down from the sky with dramatic flare Aries snapped his fingers and all the Heartless around them melted into shadows. His ego was the cause of him dismissing the minions. Sol and Luna moved to the front of the group holding their swords outward ready to strike. This was their fight and they weren't going to let him get to the rest of the group.

"Go." Sol commanded his eyes never leaving the man before him. The rest of the group just nodded their heads. Mika lead the group in the direction the the Warrior's castle where Eclipse would be waiting.

"So I see you two want a little rematch." Aries' lofty voice gave him an uncaring tone. "You two couldn't land a single blow on me last time. What makes you think now is going to be any different?"

"Because." Luna started. "You have someone that we need to protect."

"And we aren't going down until he's safely back home with his friends and family." Sol added.

Aries just chuckled at them. "I see. You think your strength of friendship will see you through this day? I have news for you. Friendship and love fail in comparison to the powers of Darkness."

Aries' body got a black aura around it as he drew his blood red katana out. The color of the blade mirrored the Flamberge's own. Both blades stained with blood and fire. Even through the mask they could see the eye of Aries turn yellow with the power of Darkness. It looked like he was going to go all out from the get go.

"Luna. We can't lose." was all Sol said as he tossed her the Icebrand.

Catching the blade in her left hand Luna slammed it into the Flamberge. Blue and red light flashed in her right hand as the two blades fused together. Luna spun the Helix Sword in her hand getting the feel of the blade. The last time she had been the one to use the duel magic sword was when they had first gotten it. Sol placed his hand on the ground as he lifted it a blade made of stone came rising out of the ground. It looked exactly like the Icebrand save for the fact it was brown stone rather than blue steel. It wouldn't be able to stand up to much but it gave Sol something to cut with should Aries get close to him. All three warriors stood their ground waiting to see who would make the first move.

-KotH-

Naminé sent out a torrent of water from the tip of Destiny's Embrace. A few Red Requiems vanished as they were hit with their elemental weakness. They had arrived at the gates of the castle to find them closed. The tower structure looked like it had come out of a picture book. It had a high grey stone wall surrounding it. Four towers at the corners of the castle and an even larger one in the center. If Naminé didn't know better than she would have thought that Eclipse was just a little girl. Getting past the outer wall had been easy. It was a trap that even Sora and Roxas could see. They didn't have any other choice though as it was the only way to enter the building. Once they had gotten through the wall the metal gates came crashing down and Heartless galore appeared. Roxas and Sora leaped into the mass of creatures leaving the girls to casting. Mika used more than just the normal Black Magic Naminé was familiar with. Poisonra, Sleepra, and Thundaga were the three spells the older blonde used the most. She would poison a group of Heartless only to have them drift to sleep. It was comical the number of sleeping Shadows on the ground. If they weren't so evil it might have been a cute sight. Kairi was off to Naminé's left dealing out tremendous amounts of magical damage. Kairi appeared to be your standard Black Mage. She unleashed damaging elementals spells at a frightening pace. Not a single spell was wasted hitting a Heartless or four that was weak to the specific element. Kairi's mana pool was larger than average for most who'd only really practiced for a few months. She was a natural caster.

"We can't let them have all the fun." Mika announced leaping into the air as a Wyvern flew by.

The metal staff slammed into the back of the airborne monster forcing it to the ground. Spinning her staff lightning crackled as she pierced with it causing it to disappear in a puff of black smoke. Naminé and Kairi agreed letting a few of the Heartless get close enough to dispatch with their Keyblades. If they had relied only on their casting than they would have run out of power and be left weakened enough they could easily be physically overtaken.

Not long after the girls had switched to a magical and physical attack the Heartless vanished. Clapping Capricorn appeared above the gate they had came through her face covered by the mask. Her greatsword strapped to her back. It always made Mika wonder why such a magical fighter used such a large sword. If Capricorn was a guy Mika would say she's overcompensating for something. Maybe she was overcompensating for Aries. Bastard like him that talked big probably had small equipment.

"Why hello Virgo how are you today?" Capricorn asked smiling madly. "Did you and this ragtag team come to finish us off? I must say I was hoping you would give us more of a challenge. It seems our Heartless are wearing you out."

"Bitch." Mika spat. "You took my CD collection didn't you?!"

"Please that trash. It all broke so easily when I just applied a little pressure." the crazed woman laughed.

"Mika. Naminé and I will handle this remember." Roxas said stepping out in front of everyone switching Bond of Flame out for Bond of Twilight. He was unsure of the true power of his new Keyblade but something told him it was going to be helpful in the coming battle.

"Oh what's this. The cute little blonde boy want's to fight little old me?" Capricorn flicked her wrist opening the doors of the castle. "If you want to save silver hair than you better get going dearies. Eclipse is having such a delightful time with him."

"Careful Roxas. She may act crazy but remember her illusions can do real damage if you believe them to be real." Mika warned as she ran into the castle with Sora and Kairi.

"She's right you know. My illusions are top notch. I don't think I've ever killed anyone. They've all fallen to a spirit." Capricorn sighed in disappointment. "Can you find the real me?"

Six other Capricorns appeared in between the gate and the castle. All seven of them looked identical. Each had a greatsword on their back, the same clothes on, and the same hairstyle. Laughter filled the area as all seven leaned their heads back and laughed the madness in the air was tangible.

"Ready Naminé?" Roxas asked looking back at her to see the smile that drove him onwards.

-KotH-

Mika lead the two Keybearers through the corridors of the Warrior's Castle. Having been one of the higher members Mika knew the layout of the castle as well as Sol knew the layout of Disney Castle. Eclipse was going to be at the highest point in the castle. It was the one place that no one had been allowed in and Mika figured there had to be a reason for that. More than likely it was where one of the Valley's Keyhole was located at. The place was devoid of any Heartless. Eclipse never did enjoy the presence of the creatures within the castle. Whenever one manifested inside when Eclipse was home it was destroyed upon materialization. After the first few times even the Heartless had grown smart enough not to come inside the castle. They still probably had a fear of the place that was keeping them outside. Either that or Eclipse was still zapping them. The draw of the Keyhole should have brought them into the castle.

They ran past Mika's old room the living quarters being on the the path to the top. The blonde stopped to see what had happened to it. The ceiling had caved in crushing most of Mika's belongings. A little pressure my ass. Sitting in the corner safe as can be was Mika's CD player. Ignoring the cries of Sora and Kairi Mika ducked into the room and lifted the lid up. Sitting inside was a CD by the king of music in Mika's opinion. It was Sinatra's Greatest Hits, not her favorite of his but she'd take it. Porting the machine back to the ship Mika left her room with a smile on her face. Returning to guiding the two Keybearers through the maze that was the upper levels of the castle Mika was sorely disappointed in Eclipse. She would have thought the genius girl would have left at least one trap for them to fall into.

What Mika didn't know was that her choice in words became literal as the a glyph activated under their feet causing the floor to crack. Now unstable due to the cracks in the floor the stonework began to fall to the floor below threatening to carry the trio down with it. Sora who had his Glide ability from his Final Form wasn't that affected by the trap. Mika and Kairi however fell down with the stones. A quick Reflect from Sora stopped any rocks from falling on top of the girls and crushing them. He was still learning Protect and didn't trust himself with using it on such short notice. Spells did backfire if they weren't cast properly. Getting up out of the rubble Mika and Kairi used Aero to give themselves the boost they needed to jump up the the floor they had just fallen from.

"Okay we aren't taking that chance again. FLOAT!" Mika chanted.

A small barrier of energy appeared underneath the feet of the trio. It would prevent them from activating any traps that relied on pressure for activation. They would have to be on the lookout for any that would activate due to magical influence but those were easier to spot.

Continuing their trek to the highest room of the tallest tower they ran into a few more glyphs. Luckily they spotted most before accidentally activating them. There was on that they triggered that infected them with Silence. While Mika was silently snickering at Sora trying to speak Kairi reached into her pocket and produced a vial of Echo Herbs. The each stuck a leaf under the tongues and sucked on them until they could speak once more. Only two more traps were triggered. One that inflicted Poison cured with a simple Poisona from Mika, one of the few White Magics she had bothered to perfect. A simple explosion was the other tossing them into the wall and scorching their clothes. They had to bust out a Hi-Potion to heal the burns but it was better than using mana they might need later.

After avoiding yet another trap they came across the spiral staircase that would lead them up to the room Mika expected Eclipse to be in. There wasn't a single trap or monster blocking their way as they ran up the staircase. Just a simple wooden door that wasn't even reinforced. Enjoying herself Mika kicked the door open to reveal a small circular room. The only thing inside was Eclipse sitting on the edge of a bed. Riku was passed out on it tendrils of Darkness seeping into him. Already his appearance had changed. He was once again wearing the dark blue and black skin-like material he had two years ago at Hollow Bastion. It seems that whenever Riku gave into the Darkness his appearance would change. Eclipse was looking down at Riku almost like a mother watching over her child. With hair the same shade as Riku's it wasn't that much of a stretch to think it either. She even went so far as to caress his cheek which left trails of black energy to seep into his skin adding to the darkness.

"I see you made it past my traps." Eclipse's voice was even caring like a mother's. Yellow eyes tainted by darkness looked over the trio. "Though not without setting off a few it looks like."

"Eclipse give Riku back to us." Sora spoke calmly as he summoned the Oblivion. It was the very Keyblade that reflected his ties with Riku.

"You're welcome to take him young Sora." Eclipse stood up off the bed and walked to the other side of the empty room.

Sora ran over to Riku to check on him but was blocked by the dark tendrils forming a his Keyblade at the barrier Sora hoped to cut his way through but had no success at doing such. Mika and Kairi moved to stand between Eclipse and Sora in case she decided to try anything. The leader of the Celestial Warriors laughed softly at their actions.

"I said you were welcome to take him. I never said that it'd be easy young one." Sora turned his back to the barrier to face the speaker. It turned out to be a mistake though as the dark energy launched a counter strike on the one that had been assaulting it. Four in all latched onto Sora's wrists and ankle binding him.

Kairi and Mika turned to see the predicament that Sora had gotten into. The Oathkeeper bounced off the energy just like it's brother blade had. Mika surrounded her staff in raw energy and tried to cut through with no luck either. Kairi who had been pouring over the spellbook she had gotten from Sol decided to try and use one of the higher spells listed within. Gathering raw mana around her Keyblade Kairi tried turning it into a Holy spell. It was one of the only damage spells that the White Magic line possessed. White Magic and Light weren't that far from one another in power. The purifying powers of White Magic stemmed from the holy powers of Light. So the strongest attack magic of that line used the most amount of Light in it's attack. Kairi being a Princess of Heart had a natural affinity for Light which made it much easier for her to change the elementaless energy into the Holy Spell. The light blue glow of raw mana slowly turned white as Kairi changed the alignment. Once all the mana had turned into a blinding white light Kairi brought her Keyblade down on the tendril holding Sora right arm. It cut through with ease. Using her momentum Kairi cut down the other three strands of darkness freeing Sora from his prison. Eclipse raised her hand causing a wall of flame to erupt between the light wielding girl and the dark barrier around Riku.

You do realize that I can't let you do that little girl."Eclipse's voice had become hard. "Never thought that a pest like you would be able to master Holy at such a young age." Kairi turned to face Eclipse. The normal bright and cheery face Kairi normally had was replaced by one of rage and fatigue. "Oh it looks like you haven't quite mastered it. You've only managed to tap into it out of desperation haven't you?"

"Kairi dispel it now!" Mika commanded. "If you haven't mastered it the spell could recoil and blow us to bits. Riku might live but we'd be toast."

Begrudgingly Kairi let the Holy spell slip off of her Keyblade. She had known the risks when she had started to cast it. When it had wrapped itself around Oathkeeper Kairi felt like she was in complete control of the spell. It easily could have just been her mind trying to reassure her that she was in control even if she truly wasn't.

"I'm going to ask you again." Sora got up from the floor and adopted his battle stance. "Give us back Riku!"

"Foolishness. Is that all you care about?" Eclipse asked summoning a battle axe flashed into her left hand. The blade was silver like the crescent moon. A yellow shield with what looked to be rays like the sun appeared over her right arm. She really had a sun and moon motif to her. "Do you not care that already your young friend has unlocked the Keyhole for me. I was just lying him to rest. He'll need to gather his energy if he is going to open more for me."

"Why. Why do you want to control the hearts of the worlds?" Sora asked.

"Dear boy. The races of this universe do nothing but fight. It is for this reason that the worlds were separated by the darkness and that light left this plane. If I can bring all worlds under my rule I can remove war, famine, and strife. Our hearts would be pure once more and the light would return to this plane of existence. I just want the Light to return to our world. Is that truly what you want to stop?"

Sora was taken aback. He had expected Eclipse to simply want to rule the world. Instead she was trying to bring the powers of Light back. "You're going about it the wrong way Eclipse. Darkness can't bring about the light. It'll taint you with it's power. You'll do nothing but bring pain to the worlds you wish to save!"

"Insolence. The darkness is nothing more than a tool for us to use. Darkness stems from the Light boy. The holy powers cannot shine without casting a shadow of darkness. I will use the powers the Light has left us to return it to us." Eclipse explained. From behind the silver haired woman a Keyhole came into existence. Unlike the normal Keyholes that looked like they stared into darkness waiting for a Keybearer to lock this Keyhole had a stone path leading deep inside. In the far reaches a small light pulsed, it was the heart of the world. "First one to the Heart claims victory youngling." Eclipse said turning and running into the Keyhole.

"Let's go." Mika said running after Eclipse.

"What about Riku?" Sora asked looking at his friend still lying on the bed darkness seeping into him.

"We don't have time to waste. He'll be here when we get back Sora don't worry." Mika said sympathetically. "I'm not going to let you loose your friend. No one should have to suffer the loss of a loved one at such a young age."

"Alright. Let's go." Sora agreed charging at the opened Keyhole with Kairi and Mika right behind him.

-KotH-

"Protect!" Sol chanted. Mana turned into a blue energy shield meeting with Aries' red blade. The swordsman had seen that Sol was unarmed and attacked the mage whenever he could get away from Luna. Which wasn't very often.

A blur of red and black appearing next to Aries slashed with a blue and red sword. The blur became Luna as she stood still. Sol had cast Haste on her granting her the ability to keep up with Aries. He seemed to rely on physical attacks only using the flames of his sword as a distraction. What was getting Sol and Luna was Aries' natural speed. It was far beyond what a normal person should naturally have. Luna was only able to keep up if she had Haste increasing her own speed. If Aries knew the spell and could cast it on himself they would be in big trouble. The red of the Helix Sword clashed with the red of the katana. Sparks shot off the two flaming blades just from the intense heat they both generated. Luna pressed against Aries' blade with all her might trying to overpower him. In answer to her desire for strength the Helix Sword erupted in flames.

"Thundaga!" Sol called down lightning attempting to help break the stalemate.

Aries fell backwards using the power of Luna to push him backwards into a Corridor of Darkness. Sol's Thundaga hit nothing but the scorched ground. Mage and warrior jumped back to back on a lookout for where Aries would appear. He seemed to be able to generate small Corridors that took him anywhere in the surrounding area. Sol raised his left arm horizontally shooting out a chunk of ice. The sounds of ice turning to steam told them that Aries was indeed to Sol's left. A barrage of Blizzara sized ice spears flew at the man while Luna charged at him. Moving slow enough so that the ice hit him first Luna jumped behind him while he was still cutting the last spear. Her attack met only air as Aries sunk down into another portal.

"All this teleporting is getting annoying." Luna cried in rage the Helix Sword blazing with her anger.

"We just have to stay on our toes Luna." Sol responded calmly trying to figure out a tactic that would let them put a stop to Aries. His gold eyes danced back and forth taking in the scenery. They were in a wide open field much like when he had faced Mika. There wasn't anywhere for Aries to hide once he came out of his portal which was good news for them. It meant he couldn't use the area to try ambushing them. Thinking back to the fight on Experiment's Paradise Aries must have used his portals to launch such fast strikes. There the trees had provided him the perfect cover. So why had he come to fight them on such an open field? Aries seemed to favor some sort of strategy so it didn't make sense he would weaken himself so.

"Fire Rain!" Luna shouted sending a group of twenty fireballs out with a swing of her sword.

Aries held up his sword which sucked in all the fire. "I do not fear fire. Now return!" Swinging his blade in an arc Aries sent the fireballs back at Luna only now they were black and tainted with the dark aura that cover Aries.

"Shell!" Sol generated the magical barrier which blocked the first eight before breaking under the stain. Luna's Fire Rain wasn't that strong. Whatever darkness Aries had added had really increased the destructive force of the spell. Sol's Shell had given Luna enough of an opportunity to get away from the remainder of the attack.

"He is one of the more silent enemies we've faced isn't he?" Luna said with a forced laugh.

"I rather he talked." Sol commented. "People give away their attacks when they talk."

"Mage. You are a tactician are you not?" Aries questioned.

"What of it?"

"It seems you have not figured out the source of my ability. Pity. I had thought that it would be obvious here. There are no trees to hide my power this time. It seems though you are fated to die without knowing the power that killed you." the way Aries spoke riled Luna up. He was so self assured and it was getting on her nerves.

"You pompous ass!" Luna sent a wave of ice of the Helix Sword. "How do you fare with ice?!"

"Easily." the red blade in Aries' hand roared with to life with flames. He stood ready and blocked the ice wave using only one hand to hold it back. Heat from his sword caused it to melt in a matter of seconds.

"We really shouldn't have pick the guy that uses fire." Luna joked.

"You're the one that wanted to settle the score." Sol pointed out.

"Don't say it like that. You make me sound like Mika." Luna shouted at her boyfriend.

"Well you two are a lot alike. Creepily so in fact. Gods I'm dating a girl that acts like my sister." Sol shuddered at the realization.

"I am NOTHING like Mika!" Luna raged.

They kind of are. Both seem have very loud personalities and favor fighting as a way to resolve things. Aries thought to himself. This mage has certainly got his life cut out for him should he live this day.

"Luna focus!" Sol sent a blast of water as Aries charged the bickering couple

Aries vanished into another portal. This time though he didn't take his time in reappearing. He was behind Sol in the next second delivering a slash along the mage's back. Sol cried out in pain as the skin around the wound was burned at the same time. Falling to his knees Sol poured his mana into the earth casting the Quake spell causing Aries to leap away from before he had the chance to deliver another blow. Taking a Hi-Potion out of his pouch Sol downed the contents letting the healing properties of the liquid clean his skin of the bruns. With a Curaga he sewed his back up. It took a lot of energy to heal such a wound though. Breaking the blue box of the one of his last Hi-Ether Sol felt some of his mana come back to him.

How did he manage to do that so quickly? Every other time there was a delay between when he could open the portals. The only explanation is that he's been playing with us from the start. We have to assume that he can open a direct path to his target with no time in between. Sol was trying to analyze an ability he had little to no information about. Why? Why wait until now to show us the true extent of his power?

As Sol tried to figure out what his foe's true power was Aries vanished once again this time coming back in front of Luna who just barely managed to get the Helix Sword into blocking position. Aries kept vanishing into his dark portals and randomly appearing next to Sol or Luna. On the first attack Sol saw coming he held up his stone sword only to have it break under pressure. He quickly added a protect around the blade stopping it from fully shattering under the strain. Once Aries left Sol let the blade fall to pieces. It hadn't exactly been a good idea to start with. It had lasted longer than Sol had expected it to. A cry escape Sol's mouth as blood dripped down his arm from a new wound. It was too minor to use a Cure on at the moment. The amount of energy it would take to heal the small wound didn't balance out. Sol would have to wait until he took more damage before even a Cure could be justified. He didn't have to wait much longer as nine new cuts appeared across his body. Green healing magic shot out from Sol's hands and tended to his wounds.

Glancing over at Luna once he finished healing himself Sol saw that she wasn't faring much better. Her red outfit was stained with her blood visible by the darker patches. They were both running out of their restoration items. All Sol had left was his Elixir and he had to wait until he figured out Aries' power before he could use it. There'd be no point in figuring it out if there was no way to act on it. The tide of battle wasn't against them though. Aries never stayed in one place long enough for them to launch a counterattack. At this rate Sol would have to use the Elixir just to stay alive long enough to find out Aries' power.

Water dripped onto Sol's nose. He looked up to see rain clouds had gathered above them. That's it! There were only a few clouds in the sky before. Now with it raining the whole field has been blanketed in darkness. He's been using the shadows to teleport. But how can I use this information to beat him? He can teleport anywhere now.

"Seems like you have figured out how useless it is to resist." Aries smirked. "Yes. I can move with the shadows. That is the power with which the Darkness has blessed me. I could have ended your life at any moment for everyone casts a shadow even on the brightest day."

"No. You couldn't use our shadows." Sol grinned. "Our hearts are filled with such a strong light that it extends to even the darkest reaches of our soul. It would repulse you had you tried Now though. Are shadows are gone. Covered up by the shadows of the clouds. Since that's the case... Luna!"

The Helix Sword was pointed directly up to the sky flames gathering around it. "Gods Sol it's about time you came up with a plan. You really got creative with this spell's name didn't you? Sun's Rays!"

Pure red fire shot up into the rain clouds burning them away. Once the flames reached cloud level they spread outwards causing even more of the black clouds to dissipate under the intense heat. Aries frowned as his cover was taken away. Without the shade created by the clouds he wouldn't be able to teleport. Luna's spell wasn't done though. Sun's Rays wasn't a spell to get rid of clouds. It was a full blown attack that just happened to have a nice side effect. Streams of fire rained down looking the rays of a sun a child, or Sol, had drawn. Each of the flaming rays exploded when they hit the ground sending chunks of rock everywhere.

"You were so sure I wouldn't be able to figure it out. That plus the fact you knew it would start raining filled you confidence." Sol explained his opponent's flaw. "Now though. Can you stand up to Luna and I without your portals?"

"Insolent mage!" Aries sent waves of fire of his katana at Sol.

Throwing up a Shell shield Sol kept it reinforced with a constant stream of mana. Reaching into his pouch Sol took out the last item inside. Downing the contents of the golden vial Sol felt his strength and mana return to their normal levels. Generating a Reflect shield behind the Shell he let the green barrier fall the next wave of fire hitting the honeycomb barrier and sending it back to the owner. Luna from her position on Aries' left sent waves of her own fire at him. Without his portals to escape he had to absorb the flames coming at him. This left him wide open as he had to take the brunt of the energy before moving.

Luna broke the Helix Sword back into the Flamberge and Icebrand tossing Sol his sword. Bringing the Flamberg down on Aries katana she got his full attention. Sol came up from behind slicing him across the back in the same way that Aries had done to instead of the skin burning from the heat it turned black from the frostbite of Icebrand. Aries staggered forward from the force of the blow. With his guard broken by Sol's attack Aries was left wide open for Luna to finish him off. A flaming sword plunged its way right into Aries' heart.

"No one insults my boyfriend." Luna informed Aries as the light of life left his eyes.

"Really? That's what you're going to say to him? No one insults me?" Sol questioned disappointed in Luna's choice of victory phrase.

"Well it's true. I'm the only that gets to call you names. Though I don't think Insolent Mage would be a good name. I was thinking something more along the lines of Darling." Luna smiled.

"Alright Honey. Let's not forget that we have Capricorn and Eclipse to deal with." Sol returned dismissing Icebrand and heading off in the direction he had seen the others go.

"Oooo. I like that one. It's cause I'm so sweet isn't it?" Luna giggled as she chased after her boyfriend.

-KotH-

Roxas blocked the large steel blade of Capricorn or one of her illusions he still couldn't tell the difference between them. Laughter from the other six versions of the crazed illusionist drove Roxas to madness. No matter though as the Capricorn drifted right through him after his Keyblade meet the fake steal.

"Damn it! Another fake!" Roxas swore in anger as he looked around for his real opponent.

Two Capricorns were charging Naminé. Casting Protect behind her Naminé blocked the attack of the other Warrior. The one her Keyblade blocked vanished just like the one Roxas had faced. However the one that Naminé's Protect stopped didn't vanish. Without hesitation Roxas sent out a ball of lightning off the tip of his Keyblade. It was a Homing Thunder spell which traded damage for accuracy. In a battle against illusions accuracy was key. They had to make sure that their attacks were hitting the real deal. If it was the real Capricorn though they didn't know as rock wall appeared blocking the attack. Normally you would think that Capricorn would only waste energy in protecting the real her. This was untrue. She protected the fake hers with equal vigor. She was a master of her craft and she gave no hints as to which one was the real her.

"What's a matter deary? Can't you tell which is the real me?" all the illusions asked.

"Why don't you stop hiding and fight us for real?" Roxas countered.

"Oh but I am facing you. Each and every one of those little cuts that decorate your sexy little body have been hand delivered." Capricorn giggled madly.

"I'm in a very happy relationship you know." Roxas chuckled awkwardly.

"Oh. Someone's laid claim to you? Who is it? I'm sure I'm far prettier than she is. Besides wouldn't you want a woman," a Capricorn appeared in front of Roxas it's blade sheathed on its back. It leaned forward and licked Roxas' cheek before vanishing, "with some experience?"

"BITCH!" Naminé shouted sending out a torrent of water from the tip of her Keyblade. "Keep your filthy tongue off my boyfriend!" The water phased through the Capricorn Naminé had been aiming at.

Roxas stood shocked at Naminé's outburst. Kairi had told him that Naminé wasn't exactly the shy quiet girl that had been trapped in Castle Oblivion. He just didn't expect a word like "bitch" to have passed Naminé's lips. It was downright hot to see her so possessive of him though. Her brow furrowed in rage her cerulean eyes flared with passion. If Roxas wasn't in mid battle he would have kissed Naminé right then and there.

"Oh so this little one is your girl?" All the Capricorns appeared on top of the stone wall. Each of them were looking at Naminé as if deep in thought. Some of them actually conversed with the other illusions. "She's a little flat don't you think? Not much curves to her at all really. Honestly what do you see in her? Are you hoping she'll fill out with age?"

What kind of idiot did I sign up for? Roxas shook his head. It was his own fault for volunteering to face the lunatic. He just didn't know she was going to have such a creepy attraction to him.

Three of the Capricorns started to shimmer before they changed shape. Every other Capricorn in the line had change into a new form. Now standing up amongst the crazed women were three Naminés. They looked exactly like the real thing down to the cuts that she had sustained during the fight. Roxas was sure that no matter how hard he checked he wouldn't be able to spot a difference between the illusions and the real Naminé.

Why would she do that? Mika said her illusions can only hurt us if we think they're real. I know that Naminé would never attack me.

The three Naminés jumped down to land in front of Roxas. They all raised their Keyblades and dashed at Roxas. He didn't even bother to raise his sword. There was no way that these things were real and therefore there was no way that they could hurt him. How wrong he was though. As each Destiny's Embrace cut him it left a large gash. Blood poured out from the new wounds. Roxas dropped to his knees from the shock of the receiving real wounds and from the pain of the one that had cut his right leg.

"Roxas no!" Naminé shouted running over to him.

How? I knew they were fake. Mika said they could only hurt us if we believed they were real. Roxas couldn't deal with what his body was telling him. Pain shot up his right leg, across his left shoulder, and diagonally down his chest.

"These wounds are too deep for my healing." Naminé said as she looked Roxas over. When he didn't make any response to Naminé she reached into the pouch she had tied to her leg just under the hem of her dress. Producing a Hi-Potion she dribbled the liquid onto Roxas' wounds. If he wasn't going to use his own Potions than she'd just use her own.

"How'd she do it Naminé? We're supposed to be safe from them if we know they're fake." Roxas voiced aloud.

"I know. I know." Naminé assured him as she rubbed the potion into the wound on his leg. "We have to find the real her. She gotten rid of three of them now. Only three more are fake. We just have to figure out which ones."

"Yeah." Roxas agreed holding tight to Bond of Twilight. "Let's kick it up a notch then shall we?"

"You just want to see me in my robes again don't you?" Naminé teased.

"Can't deny that I want that." Roxas smiled.

"Drive Activate!" both Keybearers shouted.

White light encompassed them both turning them into their White Drive Form. Roxas brandished both of his Keyblades light circling Bond of Twilight while flames surround Bond of Flame. Naminé held onto the shaft of Cleric's Grace the teeth of the now named Keystaff touching the touched the crown crest on his chest causing his cape to change into wings. With a wild grin at Naminé he jumped up into the sky and stretched his wings before flapping them hard enough to keep himself in the air. Naminé took a hold of her Keystaff with both hands holding it like Mika had shown her. During the three days Mika had shown Naminé the very basics of the staff. The heart top and key teeth on the bottom would affect her battle tactics but at least she a somewhat of a grasp on how to use her new weapon. As Mika would attest to the heart top was a very painful bludgeon and the teeth could cut as well as any Keyblade.

As she grabbed hold of her staff Naminé felt information pour into her mind. Her Cleric form granting her intricate knowledge of White Magic. Raising the heart part up into the sky Naminé began chanting one of the new spells she learned while in the form. Two images of Roxas appeared over the real one. They weren't as grand as Capricorn's illusions but the two Roxases over the real one would make it hard to land a blow. Invis was a useful spell in Naminé's opinion. With his own illusions Roxas charge at the line of Capricorns on the wall. Swinging Bond of Twilight he sent out a wave of pure energy. All four of them on the wall jumped into the air. Roxas barreled into the first one both Keyblades extended in front of him in an X shape. The illusion dissipated under the blow. It was reformed behind Roxas as he kept flying and chased after him. The remaining Capricorns all sent out a shard of earth

Only one is real. But which one? Roxas argued with himself. A Shell barrier appeared in front of Roxas taking in all three attacks without so much as a crack appearing. For Naminé that was a large step up from her normal abilities.

"Thanks Naminé" Roxas called out as he stopped his charge.

All four Capricorns surrounded Roxas as he floated in midair. They had their greatsword in hand ready to strike. Counting on Naminé to protect him Roxas picked the on to his right as the real Capricorn. The two Roxas images floated around him giving him the appearance of being in three places at once. From behind the first Capricorn launched her attack, a wave of fire energy. From his left a spear of ice, coming in from the left was a lightning bolt. The one that Roxas was facing charge forward ready to strike with the greatsword.

"NulAll" Naminé chanted. A multicolored barrier reduced the strength of the elemental attacks to almost nonexistent. Roxas' own armor taking care of the rest of the power the spells packed leaving him to deal with the Capricorn that was physically attacking. Roxas smirked as he realized that it was attacking one of his illusions. The greatsword sliced through the arm of one the fakes.

"How's it feel to hit an illusion?" Roxas taunted striking back with his white Keyblade.

Of course the one he had picked wasn't the real thing. From below the three Naminés sent a wave of water at Roxas. The NulAll Naminé had cast on him was still in effect taking the brunt of the damage but it still left enough that he was pushed back by the amount of water. Wet wings didn't work that well Roxas soon found out. With a flash of heat from Bond of Flame he dried off his wings as he landed on the stone wall below him.

"Naminé got any ideas on how to beat her yet?!" Roxas called out as he was once again standing between four Capricorns. Now the fake Naminés joined in reverting back into Capricorns. With seven of them around him Roxas wasn't sure that even Naminé's new strength in White Magic would be able to protect him.

"I don't know her illusions her really good. If only I could make mine as strong." Naminé said worriedly as she saw the predicament Roxas was in.

"Naminé! That's it! Her illusions. They're just overpowered versions of your Invis spell!" Roxas grinned.

"Which is a Buff! I can get rid of that in two shakes of a tailfeather. Dispel!" Naminé chanted the sending out a wave of energy removing the Blind effect that Capricorn had cast on herself. It didn't matter if the spell hit an illusion or not. Dispel was designed to remove all Buffs regardless it just required a target from the illusion it'd ride the waves of magic back to the caster.

Six of the Capricorns vanished leaving the one off to the back left. Roxas turned until he found the remaining Warrior. Capricorn took a step back as she realized that her advantage had gone down the drain with that Dispel. Holding her sword out in front of her Capricorn got ready for Roxas' attack. With a grin Roxas jumped forward flying forward at top speed. Raw energy and fire gathered over his both Keyblades as he flew. He struck first with Bond of Twilight causing a crack to appear in Capricorn's sword. Beating his wings he moved backwards and stabbed forward with Bond of Flame hitting the crack his other attack created. With a groan the steel of the greatsword broke leaving Capricorn with a short stub of a blade.

"Now now. Let's not do anything hasty cutey." Capricorn said as she backed away from Roxas. "I'll just be going now if you don't mind. Eclipse threatened me you know. It was all her idea to use Darkness. I didn't want it. I'm just like Virgo. I was just mislead. Yeah that's it."

"Why don't I believe that?" Roxas asked. He shooed her away as he dropped out of his Holy Knight form. "Go. I rather not kill you anyways."

A blue sword pierced through Capricorn's chest. Roxas took a step back in shock. He saw Sol's grim face behind the masked woman. Drawing the Icebrand out of Capricorn he wiped the blade down with a cloth getting rid of the blood. Luna appeared behind him putting a hand delicately on his shoulder.

"Let's go." Sol ordered coldly dismissing Icebrand. The former mercenary leapt of the twenty foot wall landing on the ground like it was a two foot drop.

"You shouldn't leave you enemy alive Roxas." Luna told him. She kicked Capricorn over to reveal a small knife in the woman's hand. "They only come back with a vengeance."

All four of them stood outside the castle ready to head to the center tower and meet up with the others. At least that was the plan until the sky above cracked open. A black field of darkness replaced the blue sky. Bursts of light could be seen within as great powers clashed within the field. With a sigh Roxas changed back into his Holy Knight form and spread his black wings wide. Sol crafted a platform of ice for him and Luna to stand on. Using his mastery over Ice Magic Sol caused the platform to rise. Naminé clutched her necklace and called on her own powers for flight. The red Caduceus on her back started to glow red. Both wings at the top of the staff started to grow. Red energy dissipated revealing white angelic wings. Naminé flapped her own pair of wings and took flight after Roxas, Sol, and Luna.

-KotH-

Darkness was all they could see when they passed through the Keyhole. Curious Sora couched down and slowly so as to not fall off reached his hand off the stone walkway they were on. His hand met only some resistance as the black ground squished underneath his hand. Whatever the rest of the ground was made of it wasn't as solid as the walkway they were on. Kairi picked Sora up by the collar not going to give him time for anymore of his curiosity. They had a job to and time wasn't on their side. Mika hadn't even stopped to deal with Sora. She had just kept running after Eclipse. Sora felt a twinge of shame that he'd let his curiosity get the best of him as he started after her.

The former Warrior gathered poisonous energy around her free hand. Sending the glob of Poisonga outwards she at least expected Eclipse to react to the attack. Instead a clear barrier absorbed the attack like it was nothing. There was only one thing that could so easily protect someone from Mika's Poisonga spell. A stupid ass Ribbon. An enchanted item that protected the wearer against most status ailments. A flash of blue passed Mika as she ran down the stone path. Sora was in his Wisdom Form making the most out of the Quick Run ability. No matter how much he practiced outside of the Drive From the ability was always at it's best when Sora used the Drive it came from. His Oblivion Keyblade hovered around him as he kept using Quick Run to close the distance between him and Eclipse. Kairi wasn't messing around as she flew by Mika in her Valkyrie form.

"Show offs." Mika grumbled as she tried to keep up with the increased speed of the Keybearers Drive forms.

Sora and Kairi caught up with Eclipse in a matter of seconds with the increased speed of the Drives. Wasting no time Sora fired unaligned energy off the tip of his Keyblade. Wisdom's standard attack power as the Drive focused on magic over strength. Kairi sent chains of Thunders off in front of the silver haired woman halting her advance. Eclipse wasn't going to have any of it though. Without warning orbs of Light appeared around Eclipse. Pointing her axe at her attackers the orbs shot off and headed right for the two Keybearers. Sora jumped into the air in front of Kairi and cast Reflect a full honeycomb barrier strengthened by Wisdom sent the attack off into the void around them. They had started their fight halfway down the path to the Valley's heart. Sora could see the large crystalline heart floating in the distance. All they had to do was stop Eclipse from reaching the heart.

Finally catching up to the two speedsters Mika adopted a battle stance between the floating Sora and hovering Kairi. With a flash of light Sora's blue clothing turned white as he switched into his Angel Drive. He had replaced the Kingdom Key that had been default for the form with the Ultima Key. Four warriors stood ready to start the three on one battle at a moments notice. Eclipse was the one to make the first strike ending the standoff. A ray of pure Light shot off the tip of her battle axe directed at Mika. The blonde threw up a Shell only to have the ray pass right through. As much as she denied the Darkness within her there were still traces within weakening anything Mika did when faced against the powers of Light. White energy burned Mika's shoulder as she dodged the attack as best she could.

"How is she able to use Light?" Sora wondered aloud.

"Fuck if I know!" Mika said dumping a Potion onto her wound removing the red skin.

"I told you boy. Darkness is nothing but a gift from the Light. Any simpleton can use the Darkness to access the Light." Eclipse spat. "Why must you stand in my way? We both want the Light to return to this world! So what if I must unite the universe under my rule. If not me then who will lead the pathetic races back to the Light?!"

"We'll find our own way!" Kairi shouted. "Light can only come back if we find it ourselves. You can't force someone to accept the Light."

"Wrong! Mika you have turned to the Light have you not? Did you not accept it only after disparing in Darkness?" Eclipse's voice had returned to the calm tone she used before.

"I'm a bad example there Eclipse. I used the Darkness because I was depressed. I thought my family was gone. Finding out my brother was alive snapped me out of my depression." Mika gathered mana around her entire staff. "That's what turned me to the Light! Now take this!"

Mika jumped at the woman who was once her leader. Blue mana turned yellow as it became Thunder Magic. Eclipse raised her shield to block the feeble attack. When Mika's staff clanked against the sun shield the magic she had gathered blasted outwards sending lightning bolts around the shield and directly at Eclipse. Two honeycomb barriers on either side of her protected Eclipse from the assault. However both Sora and Kairi had taken advantage of Mika's attack. Eclipse had been focused on dealing with the blonde and didn't see the Ultima Key and Brightcrest flying at her. Both Keyblades cut the silver haired woman across the back but she didn't budge as Mika attacked her again. Eclipse simply kept blocking Mika's attacks no matter what the mage did. Only a few times did Eclipse let herself get hit by the flying Keyblades. She always seemed to throw up a shield of light to stop the attacks from hitting her.

Throughout the fight Eclipse stayed on the defensive never once sending an attack back. Sora was happy with this fact thinking that they weren't leaving an opening for any retaliation. He was thinking that they were overpowering their foe. However that wasn't the truth. Eclipse wore a bored look the entire time. Nothing about her looked as if she was even trying to fight back. There was no desperation in her face. No look of defeat like you would expect of someone who was on the losing side of a fight. Mika jumped back and sent a barrage of Thundras with each flick of her staff. Flying in through the orbs of lightning Sora slashed at Eclipse trying to get her to focus on him rather than the magic that Mika had thrown. He only succeeded in getting Eclipse to move out of the way rather than stand and get hit by Sora and a few Thundra spells. She was met with a X slash by Kairi's two Keyblades though. Blocking the Oathkeeper with her shield Eclipse knocked the Brightcrest away.

Like a switch had been turned to the on position Eclipse started her own attack. With speed matching the Keybearers Eclipse swung at Kairi threatening to cut her arm off with the axe. Oathkeeper answered the silver axe's challenge stopping it from hitting Kairi. Brightcrest was still coming round though as Eclipse bashed her shield into Kairi. The sun-like rays of the shield leaving tiny cuts across Kairi. Following up with her shield bash Eclipse ran after Kairi sending out rays of white energy at the red head. Kairi barely managed to get up a Shell only to have it blown away like Mika's had been. Red marks littered Kairi's body as the rays burned her skin with their intense heat. Eclipse went to swing her axe down and start hacking at Kairi but Sora's Oblivion caught her attention. Whacking the Keyblade out of the air with shield Eclipse charged at Sora. More of the Light rays shot out from the air around Eclipse. While the mobility granted from flying Sora flew above the attack Oblivion appearing in a flash of light next to his empty hand. Hovering in the air above Eclipse with his two Keyblades floating around him Sora unleashed a series of Blizzagas and Firagas down on Eclipse. Throwing her shield like a frisbee Eclipse magically guided it to Sora the rays turning the defensive equipment into a saw as it spun through the air. It cut right through the ice and fire as if they were nothing more than air.

"You left yourself open! Thundaja!" Mika shouted as a yellow glyph appeared behind her. Lightning poured forth from the glyph as Mika used her Thundaja spell. The strongest of the Thunder line blasted the stone path apart as it made its way to Eclipse.

"You are weak!" Eclipse said. "Taste the true power of Holy!" A white glyph appeared behind Eclipse. Beams of light larger than anything that Eclipse had done before met with the lightning bolts of Thundaja.

It was a power struggle between two very powerful forces. Sora used the time to go and check on Kairi who was lying down on the stone path still. Landing next to her Sora gently put his hands on the side where the shield had slammed into her. Kairi winced in pain at the gentle touch. Sora wasn't a doctor by any sense of the word and only knew the basics of the Cure spells but he would wager that Kairi's ribs had been broken in the attack. It was beyond his healing then. Reaching into his pocket Sora produced the Elixir he had taken and poured the gold liquid into Kairi's mouth. She coughed a bit as it went down but a golden aura came over her as the Elixir started to mend her body. Sora looked over to the magical duel that was still going on. Mika had lightning crackling around as she poured herself into her Thundaja spell. From way Mika was holding onto her staff it looked like she was reaching her limit the metal weapon was all that was stopping her from falling to her knees. Eclipse though stood straight as a post looking down at Mika as the light started to overpower the lightning.

"Mika don't give up!" Sora shouted over the roar of the two clashing powers.

He gave his encouragement to late though. Eclipse's Holy spell started to push the lightning back farther closing the distance between it and Mika. Yellow lightning could no longer hold back the powers of light the yellow glyph behind Mika vanishing as her power failed her. Sora leaned over Kairi protecting her as an explosion of white light blasted Mika. Lying still in the resulting crater Mika was down for the count. Sora wasn't even sure if she was alive her body covered in burns from the purifying power of Light.

"So falls another fool." Eclipse said uncaring. "Now to take what is mine."

Raising her arm into the air Eclipse shield reappeared having been unable to return before due to the clashing magics. Breaking out into a run she headed to the crystalline heart at the end of the pathway. Sora got up from Kairi only to find that he could hardly move. His white clothes had returned to the normal black. Only the Oblivion rested next to its owner. The blast of magic had caused Sora to drop out of his Angel form. Kairi had reverted back to her normal form to her white dress had gone back to the shorted pink dress she normally wore. Oathkeeper was lying next to the Oblivion. Trying to move after Eclipse Sora checked his pockets only to find a small Potion inside. He had used everything else healing himself from the traps they had encountered. Drinking the small amount of healing liquid inside Sora looked down at Kairi and smiled briefly before running after Eclipse. He had to do whatever it took to try and stop her.

Reaching the heart of the world Eclipse looked up at with a cheshire smile on her face. She had finally reached the first part of her goal. All she had to do was take the power of the heart into herself. Once she had that the other worlds would fall easily. She would achieve her dream. To bring the universe under her rule and restore Light back to the people. With Light restored there would be no more suffering. The worlds would become one and the races would live in peace. It didn't matter if they resisted at first, they would fall in line or she would remove them leaving only the pure hearted left. Standing directly under the crystal heart Eclipse dismissed her weapons and raised her hands upwards. Black and white energy shot out from her fingertips into the heart. The pink heart started to absorb the powers the Eclipse poured into it. Inside the crystal she could see Light and Darkness mix together. As the two powers morphed together inside the heart started to shrink and lower down to Eclipse's outstretched hands.

Sora managed to get to her right as the heart shrunk enough and landed in Eclipse's right hand. She literally held the heart of the Valley in her hand. Black and white energy shot out of the small heart and covered Eclipse in a tempest of power. Sora could hear the sounds glass shattering. All around them white lines appeared within the darkness. They shattered the dark void revealing a blue sky. Looking out into the sky Sora could see the dusty ground they had crossed to get to the castle. The power that was granted to Eclipse was shattering the area around them turning it unstable. The black squishy ground was illuminated and turned into the same grey stonework that had made up the path to the heart. Sora was relieved to see four figures coming in from one of the cracks that had appeared in the void. Roxas and Luna ran right to Sora while Sol and Naminé went to check on Mika and Kairi.

"What's going on?" Roxas as he looked at the swirling mass of white and black.

"She got it." Sora answered.

"You don't mean the Valley's heart do you?" Luna questioned hoping that she was hearing him wrong.

"That's precisely what he means!" Eclipse answered as the tornado dissipated.

Gone was silver haired woman. In her place stood a black beast. At first Sora would have called it Eclipse's Anti-Form. She had the same black skin, clothes, and hair that he did in his Anti-Form. Her hands were more like demonic claws and her whole body bulged with muscles. Leathery black wings sprouted from her back adding to the demonic feel she gave off. There was no sign of anything even remotely light about the creature that stood before them. Her eyes had gone completely yellow like that of the Shadow Heartless. In her clawed hand was a larger version of her battle axe it to had changed to pure black. She was missing her sun shield completely.

With a cry that shock the void they were in Eclipse shot forward with speed far greater than anything the group had seen. Luna didn't have a chance to block the attack she couldn't even see. Black claws pierced her shoulder coming out the back. Eclipse then placed her open hand on Luna's stomach and blasted her backwards. Like a rag doll Luna rolled over and over until she lost all momentum. Sora watched in horror as Eclipse appeared above Luna in a split second. Dark power gathered in the clawed hand as she prepared to blast Luna again. Two green shields jumped up in between Eclipse and Luna. Naminé and Sol had their hands extended mana pouring out of them and into the shields. Flying at top speed Roxas came up behind Eclipse and tried to clip her wings only to have met a dark version of her sun shield.

"I have the power of an entire world boy! Do you think you can hurt me?!" Eclipse bragged with a voice that anyone would classify as insane.

Roxas flapped his own wings getting him away from Eclipse. "We have to try!"

Naminé who was still standing next to Kairi looked at her friend. Pulling out a High Drive Recovery she placed it on Kairi's chest letting it sink in restoring her power. There was no reason for Naminé to try and heal Kairi she could feel the remnants of the Elixir coursing through the red head. Any healing Naminé did would be pointless. She would just have to wait for the drink to finish doing its job. Sora had run back over to check on Kairi. He kneeled down next to her and looked her over. Naminé assured him that she'd be fine.

"I wish there was something more I could do." Sora's voice was low and full of grief.

"You gave her an Elixir Sora. There's nothing more you can do. It takes time for bones to heal though." Naminé informed him. "How are you holding up?"

"Been better" he chuckled lightly.

"Let me help with that then." Naminé glowed with a green light as she used Cura on Sora healing him of his more severe wounds. She reached into her pouch, which had turned into a pocket on her robes, and pulled out another High Drive Recovery for Sora. He gladly accepted the item and used it to restore some of his strength. White light flashed around him as his changed back into his Angel form. Energy wings and Ultima Key restored to him Sora was ready to take on Eclipse once more.

"You know Naminé. You've really gotten good with healing." Sora complimented as he floated upwards.

"It's the Drive." Naminé said waving off the compliment. "I don't even know how half the spells I have work. I just focus on what I want healed and the Drive answers me."

"Hmm the Drive answers you." Sora pondered. "Please take care of Kairi."

Sora bolted off after Eclipse who was dueling Roxas at the moment. The Holy Knight Keybearer had his work cut out for him as he tried to land a blow on Eclipse in her new form. Shards of ice shot from the ground as Sol attempted to land a blow on Eclipse. Revenge for his sister and girlfriend on his mind. Eclipse let out a roar causing Roxas to stumble backwards in midair and Sora to stop his advance to cover his ears. Landing on the ground Eclipse dashed after Sol her axe leaving trails of darkness behind it as she prepared to strike. Calling Icebrand to his hand Sol stood his ground. The anger he felt at Eclipse clouding his judgement. Black steel met blue as the two weapons clashed. Eclipse used her free hand to slash at Sol's chest. Unable to move without letting the axe come crashing down on him Sol got five thin slashes across his chest. Darkness oozed from the wounds as Sol staggered backwards. All he saw was red as Eclipse slashed at his chest once more knocking him to the ground. Bleeding Sol was unable to get up. Like Mika and Luna he was down and out his wounds too large to allow him to continue fighting.

"Naminé heal them!" Roxas ordered as he sent Bond of Twilight at Eclipse in a Strike Raid.

"Right!" Naminé ran to the nearest of the three, Luna.

Placing her hand above the wound on her shoulder Naminé poured her healing magic into it. It sacred the Cleric though when the wound didn't accept the healing energy. Dark powers drank up the healing light instead of Luna's body. The damage that Eclipse had done was filled with negative energy and it ate up any power that Naminé used to try and heal her friend. Even when she had taken out a potion and poured in on the wound black energy forced the green liquid back out preventing it from healing Luna. Naminé felt a tear run down her cheek as she tried yet another Curaga on Luna only to have her energy wasted.

"I can't!" Naminé cried out. "Something's stopping my magic!"

Sora at that moment was using his mental control over his Keyblades to aid Roxas who had both of his in his hands. Eclipse blocked all four blades with her axe, claws, and black shield that would only appear to stop an attack. It was getting ridiculous. Sora could feel desperation within rising as Eclispe blocked each and every attack as easily as she had in her previous form. If they hadn't been able to beat her then how were they going to do it now that she had absorbed the world's heart?

"Don't give up Sora!" Kairi's voice echoed throughout the void as she stood up her wings flaring to life as her dress elongated becoming the pure white one she wore as a Valkyrie. Brightcrest and Oathkeeper appeared in a flash circling around Kairi. "Naminé I know you want to heal the others but we're going to need you to support the rest of us."

"But..." Naminé started.

"We'll just have to trust them to hold on long enough for us to deal with her." Kairi said as a tear fell down. "Now help us!"

Kairi took to the air both of her Keyblades shooting after her. Water shot out of the Brightcrest while the Oathkeeper sent out a rock. Eclipse was caught off guard by the speed with which the spells came at her. Both spells made contact pushing the monster backwards. Taking the opening Sora sent the Ultima Key after Eclipse. It bounced off of the dark shield though as Eclipse gathered herself. Black orbs appeared in the air between Kairi and Eclipse. As Kairi neared one it exploded only to be blocked be a Shell from Naminé. Taking care to stay as far away from the orbs as possible Kairi flew threw the minefield. Nearing the end Kairi was met with a wall of them. Without stopping Kairi gathered Earth Magic around her making a stone cocoon around her as she flew through.

Coming out the other end minus her earthen shield Kairi saw Roxas falling down to the ground as black smoke trailed off his body. Trusting Naminé to lend support to the falling ally Kairi flew over to Sora to help him in his attempts to get to Eclipse. Even with both of his Keyblades disappearing and reappearing at an incredible speed Eclipse's shield and axe stopped each of the attacks from connecting with her. Kairi added a barrage of Earth and Water spells to the assault using her Drive's Doublecast ability to add to her casting speed. A black and white blur came rushing up from underneath as Roxas flew straight at Eclipse. To occupied with Sora and Kairi to deal with Roxas Eclipse let out a shriek as Roxas finally got the chance to cut off the wings like he'd want to do. Their small victory didn't last long though as new wings grew back with a sickening squishy sound.

"I thought you would understand. I have the power of this world at my command! You pathetic powers are nothing!" Eclipse roared sending out a wave of black energy.

Sora, Kairi, and Roxas held up their hands generating their own shields. Reflect for Roxas and Sora while Kairi threw up a Shell. When their respective barriers started to crack each of them added more power to it and interestingly enough the shields changed color. The clear honeycomb and green shield all turned stark white as they added their power to their spells. Kairi could feel a power deep inside causing the change in the spell reworking it into something stronger than before.

"What happened?" all three asked aloud baffled at their power.

Eclipse didn't give them much time to figure it out. Figuring Kairi to be the weaker of the three that was attacking her Eclipse closed the distance in record time. Only thanks to Naminé's quick casting was Kairi saved from the black battle axe. No longer standing on the ground next to Luna Naminé floated nearby her white wings keeping her in the air. So far she hadn't done enough for Eclipse to register that there was a fourth person that was healing the others. That last Protect on Kairi though had brought Naminé to the attention of the black monster. Seeing that the Cleric was in danger Roxas flew to intercept Eclipse as she flew at Naminé. White teeth of a Keyblade meet the black blade of Eclipse's axe as Roxas sliced at Eclipse drawing her attention away from Naminé.

Sora had actually been thinking about where the power had come from. That barrier that he had created wasn't like anything he had ever created before. All he knew was that he had needed to make his Reflect spell stronger. Then a power had welled up inside him and added his power to his spell changing it into that new barrier.

It's like Naminé said. I just focused on what I wanted to happen and my Drive gave me the power to do it. Sora thought as he floated watching Roxas get in the way of Eclipse. None of my other forms ever acted like that. I always had to do it myself. Only Final's floating Keyblades come close. It was as if my heart cried for more power and the Drive answered it.

Sora grinned with understanding. The thing that powered his drive wasn't the feather that God had given them. That was just a medium for the true source of the power. What really caused Sora to change into his Angel form was the Light within his heart. If that was true then the limit to his power was only limited by the strength of his heart. And boy did Sora have a strong heart. It was backed by the strength of his friends. Sol, Luna, Mika, Riku, Kairi, Roxas, and Naminé just to name a few of the ones that added to his strength.

"I understand." Sora said clutching his necklace. "It the bonds we have that give us strength not some item given to us. My friends... GIVE ME STRENGTH!"

Sora's wings flared with energy growing larger as he called on the true power of his drive form. Oblivion and the Ultima Key spun around Sora as he gathered more and more power. The light coming from his wings attracted the attention of everyone. Eclipse saw a threat to her power and no time was wasted as she left Roxas to go and deal with the new threat. Swing both arms out in front of him Oblivion and the Ultima Key clashed together. A pure white Kingdom Key took the place of the two Keyblades. Light encompassed the Keyblade shining so bright that it caused Eclipse to stop in her tracks the Darkness she was using unable to stand against the light.

"Return to the Light!" Sora shouted grabbing the Keyblade out of the air. He flew straight at Eclipse whose black skin was already burning from being so close to such a pure force of Light. With a blade of light far longer than even Sephiroth's masamune Sora cut through the black monster known as Eclipse.

"How..." Eclipse gasped before turning to black smoke like an ordinary Heartless.

"Because the strength of my friends is stronger." Sora said holding out his hand as the Valley's crystal heart fell into it. The white Kingdom Key turned back into Oblivion and the Ultima while Sora's wings shrunk back down to their normal size. The Valley's heart started to crack the power that had once sustained it used up by Eclipse in her lust for power.

"The heart!" Kairi cried as she, along with Roxas and Naminé, landed next to Sora.

"Naminé you can heal it." Sora told her with confidence. "Like you said. You just have to focus on what you want healed and let your Drive do the rest. Only it's your heart, not your Drive, that's giving you the power. It's cause of you that I understand that."

"Our hearts?" Roxas questioned.

"Yeah. I figured that it wasn't any special item that was giving me this power. These drives just reflect our hearts wishes. They give us the power to do what our heart cries out for." Sora explained as best he could.

"I'll... I'll try." Naminé said taking the crystal heart out of Sora's hand.

"We're right here to help." Sora said putting his hand on Naminé's shoulder.

"You aren't in this alone." Kairi said placing her hand atop Sora's.

"Each and every one of us is here to help." Roxas said placing his hand on her open shoulder. He further showed his support by placing a quick kiss on Naminé's cheek.

"Thank you." Naminé said turning a shade of crimson.

Holding the heart of a world between her hands Naminé focused on the power that she felt reside within her. Before she had thought it was the power of the Drive form. Now thanks to Sora she understood it to the power of the bonds she shared with her friends. Calling on the power Naminé began to chant a spell she had no knowledge of. A green glyph appeared under the four the edges of it out farther than any of them could see. Orbs of green light floated up out of the glyph. Opening her hands Naminé let the crystal heart float in front of her. The cracks that had appeared over the surface started to vanish as Naminé continued chanting the unknown spell. Higher and higher the heart floated growing to its normal size the white and black energy Eclipse had infused with it gone. All anyone saw as the heart returned to normal was a burst of pink and green light.