Hey! Long time no see guys! So, this story's really been kicking my tail. I'm finding it really hard to stick with it since the approach of the real Kingdom Hearts 3 may be drawing closer. But I'm not giving up on this story! I can promise you guys that! I still own nothing other than the plot and my OCs. Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 53: A Tale of Two Teams

The moment Oswald finished speaking, Mickey found himself at a loss for words. He tried for several moments, but the words had a hard time coming out. "W-what do you mean you have a heart? Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled for you. But, how is this possible?!"

It was then that Master Yen Sid spoke up to explain. "It would appear that your theory about the Shadow Blot being one giant heartless was correct. It had been holding the hearts of every citizen of Wasteland hostage since it's creation."

"But because of your magic it couldn't leave to the realm of darkness." Realized Sora. "It was just as trapped as the king and everyone else was without a heart."

Yen Sid nodded in agreement. "That would appear to be the case. And just like any heartless, once it was defeated, it released the hearts it was holding."

"But because of Wasteland's protective barrier, the hearts didn't go to Kingdom Hearts." Continued Oswald. "Instead, they returned to their original owners. I don't think I'd be here if that wasn't the case."

After hearing that what his brother had to say was true, Mickey couldn't help but smile. But, that smile soon vanished as a thought entered his mind. "But, what about Ortensia and Gus? Not that I'm happy to see you and hear everything's okay, but shouldn't you be back home with them?"

"Actually, I want to help you guys. Based on what you guys told me back in Wasteland, things are looking pretty bad. And I don't want others to suffer the same way as we all did under the Blot." Replied Oswald. "I was worried about you, so Gus and Ortensia encouraged me to come. I want to fight alongside you all, if you'll have me-"

Before the lucky rabbit could finish his sentence, Mickey rushed over to his side and pulled him into a tight, brotherly embrace. "Of course we'll have you!" The King smiled happily.

"Welcome aboard, Oswald." Stated Roxas as he approached the two brothers.

"Thanks, Roxas." Smiled Oswald as he separated from his brother and shook the former nobody's hand.

At that moment, Minnie stepped forward to address the crowd, including the now rather large team of heroes. "This truly is a momentous day. Not only have our heroes fought valiantly and saved both the kingdom and Wasteland from the darkness, but they have also reunited us with our long lost friends." The Queen announced happily.

"And there is no doubt in my mind that they will succeed on their journey while we will remain here to mend our ties with Wasteland." She finished as the crowd surrounding her broke into thunderous applause and Mickey stood by her side.

"We'll set back out on our journey tomorrow so we'll spend the night here." Announced the King. "But for now, let's enjoy the rest of the dream festival!"

"Oh yea! Now that's an idea I can get behind!" Myde exclaimed.

"Come on, Oswald, I'll introduce you to the rest of the team." Mickey stated as he pulled his brother into the crowd.

The world's citizens and the team of heroes spent the next few hours doing just that; bonding with each other and enjoying the Dream Festival's last few events. Everyone got to know Oswald a little better too. And since Chip and Dale had finished repairing Sora's Gummi ship and had completed the second Gummi ship, they had joined in the festivities as well. Even Master Yen Sid had stayed.

Before long, the sun had set, leading straight into the fireworks show. The bright, sparkling colorful lights dancing across the night sky was truly a sight to see. The group was completely in awe at the sight of the show, especially those who had never seen fireworks before.

Sora himself was sitting on a patch of grass watching the fireworks when he noticed someone walking away from the fireworks show; Master Yen Sid.

Curiously, Sora stood up from his seat and chased after the elderly wizard. Sensing that he was being followed, Yen Sid stopped in his tracks and turned around to face Sora.

"You're leaving already, Master Yen Sid?" Asked Sora as the wizard gave a small nod.

"Yes, Sora. There is still much I need to do to prepare us all for the battle against Xehanort." Replied Master Yen Sid. "I must see to the rest of the worlds, our own forces, and I must discover what Xehanort is planning to do."

Sora sighed. Thanks to the excitement of Wasteland and the Dream Festival, he had almost forgotten about the battle with Xehanort. It was easy to think everything was all right with the entire universe after just having saved one world.

At that moment, Master Yen Sid cleared his throat, interrupting Sora's thoughts. "But, before I leave, Sora. There is something I must tell you. You and your friends must exercise caution for a great evil is approaching. I can feel the darkness growing stronger each and every day. I have a feeling that Master Xehanort himself will soon be returning."

"Don't worry, Master Yen Sid. I know we can beat him!" Sora said enthusiastically. "We've come this far, there's no way we're going to turn back and run."

Master Yen Sid responded with a smile. "I have full confidence in you all, but remember to exercise caution. This will be bigger than anything you've ever experienced before. Good luck to you all." And just like that, Master Yen Sid vanished in a burst of golden light just as the fireworks show ended.

Sora remained there even after the elderly wizard had disappeared. He hated to admit it, but he was nervous. Even with their growing numbers, Xehanort had the darkness, the heartless, nobodies and Maleficent on his side. No matter how you look at it, they were at a big disadvantage.

But Sora shook his head, dismissing those thoughts. Now wasn't the time for doubt, now was the time to be strong and to have hope.

"Sora?" Kairi's voice spoke through the silence. The young keyblade master turned around, finding the princess of heart smiling at him. "The King said he's got our rooms ready in the castle. You coming?"

"Yeah, sure." Sora returned the smile as he and Kairi started walking back towards the castle, their hands intertwined with each other's and blush coating their cheeks.

~*KHIII*~

"You insolent fools! You useless idiots!" Maleficent roared angrily at Pete and Mortimer in the Castle that Never Was's Altar of Naught. Kingdom Hearts gleamed above them as Pete and Mortimer trembled in fear at the sight of Maleficent's terrifyingly enraged form. "Not only have you gone and acted without my approval but your actions led to Sora and his friends to gain yet another ally! Had I wanted incompetent subordinates I would have placed my faith in shadows!"

Immediately, her two minions dropped to their knees, visibly shaking in fear.

"P-please Maleficent, Mistress of all Evil." Stammered Pete. "W-we did our best."

"T-that's right." Mortimer shivered in fear. "W-we just thought-"

"Your best is not good enough! And what you thought would help is irrelevant to me! I ask so little of you both and yet you go behind my back and help the enemy!" Roared the witch in a reign of fury, causing her two minions to immediately start trembling endlessly. "Begone! Away with you both!"

"Y-yes m'am!" The cat and rat exclaimed in their terrified voices before rushing up to their feet and running as fast as their legs could carry them out of the room, leaving the witch alone once again.

"What a bunch of losers. I still don't understand why you choose to put up with them." Maleficent turned her head around to find young Xehanort emerging from a dark corridor.

The witch sneered at the younger male. "As useless as they are, they are numbers we need. As well, they're expendable if that becomes the case. Call them the pawns of our chess board." And without another word, Maleficent vanished in a burst of green flames.

This left young Xehanort alone, smirking darkly. "Yes, everything is going exactly according to plan. All the pieces are playing their parts. And very soon, these so-called 'heroes' will lead us straight to Ventus. All good things come to those who wait."

~*KHIII*~

All Sora could see around him was darkness, his body felt weightless and he knew he was falling. To be honest, the spiky-haired teenager was starting to get used to this feeling. He knew he was dreaming, but that never stopped him from paying attention to everything that was going on around him. That was just how the Station of Awakening worked.

Before long, a stained-glass pillar came into sight below him. It was blue and appeared to represent the Destiny Islands themselves, decorated with palm trees, his crown symbol, a tiki mask, fishing supplies, a paopu fruit and various other island symbols.

But, something about this whole dive to the heart felt different than the others. As Sora squinted, he could see someone was already standing on the glass surface; a small, five-year old boy with spiked brown hair.

"Is that...me?" Sora murmured just as he descended upon the surface. He watched as his younger self looked up into the dark abyss as a small golden ball slowly descended into his tiny hands. He saw the boy's lips move as he spoke to the light, then the light flew into his heart.

"What is this?" Mumbled Sora. "I... I don't remember any of this... What's going on?"

At that precise moment, Sora woke up in one of the beds in the guest room he and Riku were sharing in the castle. He sat up on the bed and stretched his arms over his head, revealing he was dressed in only his black boxers and navy blue t-shirt. He noticed the sheets of Riku's bed were casually tossed aside and he wasn't in it, but Sora didn't think anything of it. It was normal for Riku to be one of the first people up and out of bed, especially during this journey of theirs.

The room was fairly simple blue walls, white pillars, windows, dresser, closet and door, two double beds, a painting of the castle and a yellow carpet with blue Mickey symbols.

Unfortunately, there weren't enough guest rooms in the castle to accommodate such a large group, so the rooms were shared between Sora and Riku, Kairi and West, Roxas and Lea, Naminé and Xion, Kyra (along with Rusty) and Lydia, Myde and Dragon. The Disney Castle residents themselves had their own rooms and homes to stay, of course while Oswald had decided to spend the night in Wasteland with Ortensia.

Sora released a yawn and flopped back down on the bed, ready to get some more sleep. But, before he could even close his eyes, he found himself being kicked out of bed. The teenager released a scream as he landed on the floor.

"Now's not the time to go back to sleep, Sora!" A feminine voice giggled. Sora looked up, finding Kairi standing over him already dressed in her usual pink zipper dress and purple converse. "Geez, Sora. Even out saving the worlds, you're still a lazy bum!"

"That doesn't mean you can just kick me out of bed, Kairi!" Laughed Sora as he stood up from the floor.

Kairi giggled softly behind her hand. "Well, how else am I supposed to get you up?" She smiled. "Come on, you better move your lazy bum down to breakfast before all the food's gone; everyone else is already down there."

"Fine. Just let me get changed first." Replied Sora.

Kairi gave a nod as she left the room. "Fair enough, just don't go back to sleep!"

Before long, both Sora, who was now dressed in his magical clothes, and Kairi had made their way down to Disney Castle's dining hall. The long, white dining table was covered in a blue tablecloth and a variety of delicious breakfast dishes including fruit, cereal, yogurt, eggs, ham and cheese and Mickey-shaped waffles and pancakes.

Just like Kairi had said, all the others were gathered around the dining table sitting in decorative white chairs; Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Max, Riku, West, Lea, Roxas, Naminé, Xion, Myde, Lydia, Krya, Rusty and Dragon. Even Oswald, Ortensia and Gus, who would have had to make the journey from Wasteland to make it here were present.

At the entrance of Sora and Kairi, everyone turned around to watch as they took their seats.

"Slept in again, Sora?" Riku asked with a laugh, putting more fruit on his plate. "Can't believe you're still so lazy!"

Sora smiled embarrassingly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, Kairi kicked me out of bed."

Myde laughed while he shoved food into his mouth. "Oh man! That's hilarious! Who whould've thought the great Sora would've needed a wake-up call from his girlfriend!"

Both Sora and Kairi immediately blushed and started stammering, looking away from each other.

"I-It's not like that! W-we're just really really good childhood friends." Stammered Sora.

"I-I'm not his g-girlfriend! W-we're not a couple or anything." Blushed Kairi.

Xion giggled behind her hand. "Yeah, sure."

Just then, Minnie spoke up. "So, how did everyone's night go? Were the rooms satisfactory?"

"They were great, your majesty." Dragon said with a smile. "Myde snored a lot but I did manage to get some sleep."

"Wha?!" Myde gasped. "I don't snore!"

"Yeah you do!" Retorted Roxas with a laugh. "I remember back when we were in the organization I could hear you snoring all the way from my room down the hall!"

"He's not wrong. I could hear you too." Added Lea.

"Same here." Giggled Xion.

Before anyone could argue about the subject anymore, West raised her hand. "I didn't have any night terrors for a change so that was awesome. I slept like a baby!" She smiled.

Riku and Kyra looked at her in surprise. "W-what? Are you serious?" Questioned Kyra.

"You really had a night with no nightmares? I thought that only happened when you were around me or TJ while you were sleeping." Questioned Riku. Kyra glared darkly at him, but the silver-haired teenager didn't notice.

Kairi nodded in confirmation. "Yeah, I was worried too, but she slept really peacefully."

"It was really weird." Stated West. "I think it might be a sign that I'm starting to relax and mature and have more hope thanks to all of you guys."

"Well, I sure wish I had a better morning." Lydia complained in her accent as she glared at Kyra. "Kyra, your weird fox shedded all over my bed!"

Rusty looked up at Lydia from his breakfast bowl on the table and cocked his head in a cute way.

"Well, what do expect? Furry animals do shed." Kyra retorted. "After all, you were the one who was picking him up, petting him and acting all, 'He's so cute and fluffy! I just wanna cuddle him forever! Can he sleep on my bed, Kyra? Can he?! Can he?! Pleeeease?!'" Continued Kyra as she imitated Lydia's accent in a high-picked voice.

Before an argument could begin between the two girls, Mickey cleared his throat. "Well, I think it's time we take a look at the repair job and new ship Chil and Dale built.

"Sounds good to me." Agreed Donald. Without anyone else protesting, the large group made their way down to the Gummi lab. As soon as they entered, their jaws dropped in surprise. Not only was the Higwind cleaned, polished and had a fresh paint job, but there was a brand-new purple Gummi ship parked right beside it. Chip and Dale were at the launch control admiring their handiwork.

"Introducing the new and improved Highwind!" Chip announced pointing to the King's ship.

"And the brand-new Falcon!" Announced Dale, pointing to the purple ship.

"Woah! Chip! Dale! This is amazing!" Exclaimed Oswald, Ortensia and Gus nodding in agreement. "Mickey said you guys were great engineers but I never thought you were this good!"

"That's what we're here for!" Boasted Chip. "We're the best Gummi engineers all across the worlds!"

"It sure wasn't easy, but we added lots of extra weapons, rocket boosters and fuel efficiency so you won't have to stop for fuel as often and get to the next world faster." Dale continued.

Mickey applauded the two chipmunks. "Great job you guys! Once again you outdid yourselves!" The King spoke as he turned his attention to the group. "Okay, now for splitting up the teams. With all the people here, we're pretty balanced. So, I think we should keep the original team of myself, Sora, Riku, Kairi, Donald, Goofy, Max, West and Lea. And the other team should be Oswald, Roxas, Xion, Naminé, Myde, Lydia, Kyra, Rusty and Dragon. This way will balance both teams."

"What?" Kyra protested while Rusty shook his head. "No way! I came to protect West so there's no way I'm going on a different team than her."

"But, Kyra you gotta go with them." Said Goofy.

Kyra raised an eyebrow. "Why's that?"

"Well, you're the only one on that team who can actually fly a Gummi ship." Replied Donald.

After looking among her teammates and realizing they were right, the black and red-haired girl groaned. "Ugh, okay fine."

"Okay." Smiled Mickey. "Now that that's settled, we should get ready to set off. We'll finish gathering supplies, then we'll meet back here in half an hour. Sound good?"

"Works for me." Nodded Riku.

With that, the group dispersed to get some last-minute potions, armor and accessories. But, something different was on West's mind.

Slowly, the theif approached Kyra and Rusty who were shoving potions and ethers into a red backpack in the library.

"Kyra? You okay?" West asked. "You seem a little distracted."

"I'm perfectly fine." The amethyst-eyed girl replied dismissively.

West shook her head. "Kyra, come on. Please talk to me."

Knowing that there was no avoiding the pigtailed teen, Kyra sighed in defeat. "You know, when everyone else thought you were dead, I kept telling everyone that they were wrong. Over and over, I said you were alive and coming back. I never stop saying that until that day you showed up in Radiant Garden with the Keyblade weilders."

"Wow, I didn't realize how much you believed in me." Said West in a soft voice. Kyra looked away from West, a strange pained expression on her face."Kyra?" West questioned her again.

She remained silent for a while. Then she spoke, voice soft. "I kept telling them that because I wanted it to be true. I didn't want to believe that I lost someone again. I was only trying to fool myself so that I didn't have to go through that pain again. But I still felt it. I felt that pain that I had when my world was lost, when my family was snatched away from me, of every dead-end I ever had in trying to find them, when I thought my home world was back only to see it scattered across space like asteroids...thinking about the people I'll never see again." Kyra turned back to face West, showing the tears welling up in her eyes. "I lost so much, West. I couldn't bear the thought that you were gone, too."

Speechless, West did the only thing she could think of: she close the gap between them and hugged Kyra. The older girl returned the hug, holding on tightly as if afraid West will disappear.

"You won't lose me, Kyra," West whispered, "I can handle myself. I'm not going anywhere."

Kyra gave West's shoulders a last squeeze before she ended the hug. "That's where you're wrong. You're going with Sora's group, and I'll be going with Roxas's."
"Really? You mean it?" West questioned.

Kyra smiled sadly. "You're not a little girl anymore. You can take care of yourself now. I need to trust that you can and stop treating you like a kid."

"Soooo, you're admitting that you are wrong?" West asked playfully.

Kyra lightly hit West's shoulder, equally playful. "Don't get used to it."

"Thank you! Thank you!" West hugged Kyra again quickly and rushed towards the door to tell everyone else that she and Kyra have come to an agreement. A hand grabbing her arm stopped her from opening the door.

"Just promise me you'll careful."

"I promise."

Kyra watched West run to the others, a sad smirk on her lips. She would never admit it out loud, but sometimes Kyra wished her memory was wiped clean just like West's was when Leon found her. That maybe it was less painful to not know who you where than know what you have lost. (1)

Rusty looked up at her and wagged his tail, sensing that Kyra was finally starting to show her emotions. In return, Kyra smiled back down at him. Maybe it was okay to bring down her walls once in awhile.

Meanwhile, Lydia was shopping for some armor and accessories from a nearby moogle shop in town. But soon, she was approached from behind by Lea. The brunette gypsy rolled her eyes before turning around to face him with an annoyed expression.

"I am not in the mood, Lea." Lydia snarled angrily in her thick British accent. "Didn't I already tell you that I don't want you in my life!" She snarled.

"I know." Replied Lea. "I remember. Still hurts by the way. I realize you won't forgive the way I treated you easily."

"Then what do you want?" Growled an irritated Lydia.

Lea smirked. "I want to make a bet." Lydia raised an eyebrow, obviously intrigued. "I know that look; you never could resist a bet, could you?"

"Yeah, yeah. What's the bet?"

"We'll see who can eliminate the most heartless between our two teams. If my team wins, you'll gI've me another chance and go on a date with me." Stated Axel.

Lydia raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And if my team wins?"

"Then I'll leave you alone. I'll walk out of your life forever." Sighed Lea.

Lydia thought it over for a bit before she extended her hand towards the red-head. "Fine it's a bet."

"It's a bet." Confirmed Lea as he shook her hand.

In the meantime, Naminé was sitting on the castle steps with her white Keyblade, Recollection, in her hand, admiring the beautiful weapon. The blonde released just as Kairi walked up to her and sat down beside her.

"Hey. I never got the chance to thank you for saving back in Twilight Town." The red-head said with a smile. When her former nobody didn't respond, Kairi immediately grew concerned. "Naminé? Are you okay?"

"Hmm?" Naminé asked as she looked up at Kairi. "Oh, I'm okay, Kairi. I guess I'm just a little worried."

Kairi raised an eyebrow. "Worried? About what?"

"Well, all I've ever been able to do was manipulate memories and hurt people in the process." Explained Naminé. "I don't have any field experience at all. I guess I'm just worried about what lies ahead and I'm worried I might bring the team down."

"I used to feel the same way." Kairi said. "Back when I first got my Keyblade, I was so sure I'd bring Sora and the others down. That's when I started my secret training. Honestly, I was really surprised when Master Yen Sid told me I had what it took to take the Mark of Mastery; I thought for sure I'd fail."

"But, how'd you stop feeling that way?"

"I think it was the support of all my friends. No matter what, you just have to be able to believe in yourself and the friends around you. Then, everything will turn out okay."

Naminé smiled up at her former somebody, feeling a sense of relief wash over her. "Thanks, Kairi. I may not be able to do much, but I'll still believe in myself and my friends."

"Anytime, Naminé." Kairi returned the smile.

Max and Goofy stood in the Gummi lab before the two ships in awkward silence. For awhile, neither one said a word until Max finally spoke up.

"H-hey, Dad?" The teenage dog asked nervously. "Are you sure you're okay with me coming? You seemed pretty against it, earlier."

Goofy took a deep, remorseful sigh as he placed a had on his son's shoulder. "Of course I'm okay with it, Maxie. I'm real sorry for doubting you and your abilities. I just couldn't stand the idea of you being hurt. I was just being a dad, I guess. But you're a big boy now and I got no right to make decisions for you or stop you, you should come if you want-"

Before Goofy could say another word, Max pulled him into a sudden, tight hug. "Thanks, Dad." Smiled Max. "And, I'm sorry for acting like such a brat."

Goofy returned the smile, tightly embracing his son. "Oh, we all make mistakes, Maxie. Just look at me!" With that, both Goofs erupted into a fit of laughter.

PJ watched father and son laugh and hug from the Gummi lab's entrance. He hated to admit it, but he was always jealous of Max and the close relationship he had with his father. Still, he always hoped and always wondered if he and his own dad could repair their relationship one day. He knew the chances were low, but that would never stop him from dreaming of Pete leaving his evil ways behind and coming home to be with him.

Too soon, the time of departure had arrived. The teams had packed bags full of necessary supplies and began saying their goodbyes. Daisy was having a hard time letting Donald go, but did once she was promised a fancy dinner date upon a swift return. Max gave Roxanne a kiss goodbye and PJ a brotherly hug before boarding, even Goofy gave his son's best friend and girlfriend affectionate noogies before leaving. Ortensia and Gus wished Oswald a safe trip along with the promise that they would work on fixing up Wasteland while he was gone. Mickey and Minnie engaged in a long, deep kiss and a warm embrace before leaving; Mickey knew she'd take good care of the kingdom just as Minnie knew he'd take good care of the worlds.

After saying their goodbyes, the teams boarded their respective Gummi ships. Sora was at the controls of the Highwind with Donald managing weapons and Goofy on map duty while Kyra was at the controls of the Falcon with Rusty managing weapons and an inexperienced, yet eager-to-learn Dragon on map duty.

In hardly any time at all, both Gummi ships took off into the vacuum of space and began soaring in opposite directions. it wasn't long before Sora spotted their first stop since their time at Disney Castle; a familiar-looking world with a dessert landscape, bright blue sky and a grand palace.

And that's the end of this chapter :) next time we'll head back into the action and Disney world's! See if you can guess which one's next! Thanks a ton for reading and sticking to this story! Be sure to leave a review!

Numbered points:

(1): Huge special thanks to MysteryGirl7Freak for writing this bit of amazing dialogue between West and Kyra and for spell checking for me!

Anonymous reviews:

-Tashasaurous: That does sound like a long time to wait. Hopefully I'll be able to get this story done by then. But I am very excited for both KH3 and the Final Fantasy 7 remake.

-Guest(Dec 13): They won't be coming back for awhile since Aqua has to be saved first and the only chance they have to get to the realm of darkness is the portal everyone's working on. I think once the Disney worlds are done.

-Guest(Dec 19): of course! I plan to write plenty more of those!