After a long walk through the town, Aqua finally caught a glimpse of where it was they were going. Sitting alone in the center of town was a tall two story mansion that looked similar to the mansion in Twilight Town. There were a few subtle differences though, namely a large round stained glass window over the front doors with a purple Mark of Mastery symbol amidst an assortment of scattered blue and green triangles. The second floor had nothing but a row of bullet shaped stained glass windows in them with no particular pattern on the windows save for a Mark of Mastery symbol of a different color for each window. The first floor appeared to have no windows judging by what you could see from the front, save for a large glass walled and domed room jutting out on the right. The entire Mansion, like the one in Twilight Town, was surrounded by a tall iron fence with a gate in the front. The gate was standing wide open with a trio of figures standing guard in the middle.

The figure on the left was a young man with blue eyes and a dirty blond mullet. He wore a simple blue tee shirt under a black pin-striped vest and baggy black pants with a blue stripe down the side of the pants. He was holding a tall sitar with three crudely attached spear heads on the top of the head.

The man on the right was eloquently dressed with short blond hair, goatee, and a hoop earring in both ears. He wore a black pinstriped suit and matching trousers over a white dress shirt with a black tie and black leather gloves. He was shuffling a deck of cards in his hands

The man in the center was clad in brown overalls over a red work shirt and brown boots. He had long messy pink hair sticking out of a brown cap on his head. He held a large scythe with a brown wooden handle in his right hand. Aqua had the oddest sense of déjà vu when she saw the boy with the sitar and the man with the scythe, but not the one playing cards.

"Fang, Arlene, Nixe." The man in the center said with a nod.

"You three are back early." The man with the cards said with a British accent as he rolled up his left sleeve, revealing his arm to be covered with an assortment of various wrist watches.

"Who's your friend?" the man with the sitar asked.

"This is Master Aqua, she's a Keyblade Master! Show 'em Aqua!" Nixe said excitedly as Aqua shrugged and summoned her Keyblade.

"Well-well. This is rather…unexpected." The man with the cards said with a curious expression.

"Another Keyblade Master? The Master is going to be eager to meet you, that's for sure." The man with the scythe said as he removed his cap and stuck it in his pocket, revealing a head full of long messy pink hair.

"Have we met before?" Aqua asked, looking at the man with the sitar and the man with the scythe suspiciously.

"Can't say that we have. My name is Laaurim. To my right is Medy, and to my left is Ludro." The man in the center introduced. (A/N: Laaurim is pronounced Laur-ream, Ludro is pronounced Loo-dro and Medy is pronounced Midi. Curse my inability to figure out how to add accent marks.)

"Hi there." Medy said with a wave as he continued playing his sitar.

"A pleasure to make the acquaintance of such a lovely lady." Ludro said as he kissed the back of Aqua's gloved hand like a gentleman, causing Aqua to blush slightly.

"Um, thank you, uh, Ludro, but I'm already spoken for." Aqua said with a touch of embarrassment.

"Ah, but that does not mean one can express their admiration for a thing of beauty such as yourself, milady. Especially if said fair maiden is a Master of the Keyblade." Ludro replied as Arlene stormed up, grabbed him by the hair, and yanked him around to look at her.

"Lay off, Ludro. She doesn't need to be drowned in your flattery." Arlene said, a bolt of electricity arcing around her fist as she held it to the man who grinned innocently.

"W-whatever you say, Arlene." Ludro said nervously.

"Come on, enough lollygagging around. Let's get inside before we freeze to death." Fang said as she, Aqua, and Nixe headed for the front doors to the Mansion. They entered into the mansion's foyer which had doors on opposite walls to the left and right of the entryway that led into different rooms of the house, while two flights of stairs, that flanked a central passageway, led up to a second floor that led off to the left and right in both directions. The central passageway between the stairs led down a long corridor and opened into a single central room. Above the passageway was a clock that showed the current time.

They walked through a door to the right to reveal a large library and work area with rows of books on the sides of the room. There was a single large and cluttered desk with a red leather wingback chair in front of a fireplace against the wall immediately to their left while two red fabric love seats sat facing each other in the center of the room. Over the fireplace was a large rectangular painting or mirror that was covered by a large tattered grey drop cloth. Tables with odd items and artifacts sat behind each loveseat. At the other end of the room was a large glass dome-like section that had several more rows of books and several odd looking machines. On adjacent corners of the room were spiraling staircases that led up to a second level where even more books sat.

"This is the library. It probably is the single greatest repository of knowledge in all the worlds." Fang said as Aqua silently and mentally scoffed. The library in the Land of Departure was far bigger.

"We can wait here for my Master to come back." Nixe said as she plopped down onto one of the love seats. Aqua sat down on the love seat opposite the young Apprentice while Fang chose to stand.

"So, have either of you happened to have seen a young girl in a white dress pass through town recently?" Aqua asked as Fang and Nixe looked at each other.

"Nope, don't think so." Nixe replied.

"I've only seen you and Nixe plus Arlene, but that's it. Why?" Fang asked.

"She's the one my friends and I are looking for. She was kidnapped recently by some strange monster. We have reason to believe that the monster brought her here for some reason." Aqua replied.

"Hmm, that's weird. Perhaps the Master can-…" Fang said but stopped when they heard a commotion coming from outside.

"What's that?" Nixe asked as they headed for the front doors. As soon as they opened them they saw three figures outside the gate, one of them yelling at Laaurim, Medy, Ludro, and Arlene while the other two held onto him. Aqua recognized the yelling figure instantly.

"Sora?" Aqua asked as she, Nixe, and Fang hurried towards them.

"What are you babbling about, kid?!" Laaurim asked as he held his scythe in a defensive posture. Arlene was clutching two fists full of grey metal kunai between each of her fingers and thumbs. Medy was cowering fearfully behind Arlene while Ludro held his playing cards like a pair of fans as if he were about to throw them.

"Master Sora! They're our friends!" Vanille pleaded as she and Vincent held onto the struggling Keyblade Master.

"Let me go! They're Nobodies! You're in danger!" Sora yelled as he continued struggling.

"Sora! What is going on here?!" Aqua asked as she arrived.

"Aqua! Watch out! Those four are Nobodies! Numbers nine through twelve in Organization XIII! Demyx, Luxord, Marluxia, and Larxene! They're standing right behind you!" Sora shouted, earning confused looks from everyone but Aqua.

"Friend of yours?" Fang asked as Aqua nodded then turned towards her, Nixe, and the four in question.

"He's Master Sora, my former Apprentice. And now that he mentions it…" Aqua said before she dropped into her battle stance, summoning her Keyblade before saying "…those four do look familiar."

"What, her too?!" Medy whimpered before getting an elbow to the face by Arlene.

"Oh suck it up, Medy!" Arlene growled to the cowering sitar player.

"Fang, what's going on?" Nixe asked as she instinctively dropped into her battle stance with her Keyblade summoned. Her stance was similar to a kendo swordsman only with her left leg forward and her right leg back a little. (A/N: For quicker reference to see what I'm envisioning, think the stance Cloud Strife and Zack Fair take up when in combat)

"What the-! Another Keyblade wielder?!" Sora asked before a shrill whistle interrupted them, causing most of them to grimace in pain, silencing the argument instantly.

"Woo-Hoo-Hoo, my isn't that a sharp tone. Better tweak it a bit for next time." A thick Austrian man's voice said. They all turned to see what appeared to be a duck, about Nixe's height, with a pair of small glasses, a lab coat, and red vest underneath it. He was walking up from the mansion while tucking a whistle into his coat pocket.

"Now what seems to be all the noise?" the duck asked.

"Who are you?" Aqua asked curiously. The duck laughed.

"Who am I? Why I am Professor Ludwig Von Drake, psychologist, botanist, astrologist, absolute genius, and on occasion mad scientist, at your service. I am in charge of research and development here in Sublime City. Now what would bring a couple of young Keyblade Masters, like yourselves, to this old town?" The Duck asked as he cleaned his glasses.

"We sort of just…arrived here actually." Aqua replied.

"Well that's interesting. Now you were saying something about a bunch of Nobodies?" Prof. Von Drake asked Sora as he looked the young Keyblade Master over.

"Yeah, those four are Nobodies!" Sora exclaimed, doing his best to point at the four while still being restrained. The four in question looked at each other curiously along with Prof. Von Drake and Aqua.

"Hmm, for a Keyblade Master you really have poor ability to sense other people's hearts." Prof. Drake said to Sora who arched an eyebrow. Aqua however closed her eyes and lowered her head in an almost meditative trance.

"What are you talking about?" Sora asked.

"They're not Nobodies, Sora." Aqua said, snapping out of her trance and turning towards him, dismissing her Keyblade in the process.

"Huh?"

"They have Hearts. I could sense them." Aqua said as Sora looked at her curiously then at the others.

"Then…wait, have any of you guys ever fallen to the Darkness?" Sora asked.

"How dare you! How dare you make such assumpt-…" Arlene growled before being stopped by the appearance of Laaurim's scythe in front of her face.

"Arlene, calm down. It's true. Medy, Ludro, Arlene, and myself each fell into Darkness. We were overwhelmed by the Heartless over a year ago when the Seventh District fell. Arlene and I came back a few months later so we've been told. Medy and Ludro came back a few months ago. We've been here ever since." Laaurim explained.

"That explains it. You are exactly who I said you were, only, you are the others of the ninth through twelfth members of Organization XIII." Sora said as Vincent and Vanille finally released him.

"Organization XIII?" Vanille asked curiously.

"The name sounds familiar." Ludro said as he looked at Medy curiously.

"All that springs to mind is a big mean three headed dog." Medy said, cowering once again behind Arlene.

"Medy, get off of me or so help me I will throw you to the Heartless!" Arlene growled. Medy quickly latched onto Fang who rolled her eyes while patting the terrified Medy on the head.

"Oh, I guess it was just a misunderstanding." Sora said as Laaurim nodded.

"Apparently so, although I am curious as to how you recognize us. And what is this business of calling us Nobodies?" Laaurim asked.

"Laaurim, remember, the Master explained to us the nature of the Heartless as hearts who are lost in Darkness and Nobodies who are the bodies of those who have lost their hearts? I imagine that Sora here encountered our Nobodies." Ludro said as Arlene scoffed.

"Please, Ludro, like that's the case. I think all those time-pieces on your arm have cut off the circulation or something." Arlene said as Ludro smiled.

"And what would your wager be, Arlene?" Ludro asked as Arlene hesitated with a twitchy eyebrow and an unnerved expression.

"I'll pass thank you." She said, backing away.

"He's right. I have encountered all four of your Nobodies…I also was the one who, Mmm…killed them. At least I know I killed yours." Sora said, pointing at Ludro and Medy. He, naturally, didn't remember Castle Oblivion.

"According to Riku, you killed Larxene and Marluxia too. You pretty much were the cause of death for all but about three of them." Aqua added.

"Then we are in your debt, Master Sora." Laaurim said, surprising both Sora and Aqua.

"Huh?" they both asked, confused.

"We are aware of what happens when someone loses their heart. Their true self is sent into darkness while their heart and body are separated to roam free as a Heartless and Nobody respectively. When both are destroyed and sent back into darkness, the original being is brought back. Your defeating our Nobodies has freed us. I imagine our Heartless were defeated by either you or Master Aqua as well." Laaurim explained.

"Actually Sora would have been the one to have done it. I wasn't even around at that point." Aqua said as Laaurim shrugged.

"Never the less, you still have my gratitude, Master Sora. Perhaps better introductions are in order. I am Laaurim, second in command of the Master's special operations here in Sublime City." Laaurim introduced with a humble bow.

"Since I'd rather just skip the formalities but left no choice in the matter, I am Ludro, a humble accountant." Ludro said, also bowing.

"You mean conman." Fang said as Arlene laughed.

"He's the accountant but he's also a master of time magic." Nixe added as Arlene stepped up.

"Too clever. I'm Arlene. I just maintain the electrical grid for the town. I also help the Master out a little with the guard duties. And this is Medy, he doesn't really have a job except to sort of stand around and play the sitar." Arlene added as Medy waved with a friendly smile at Sora.

"Nice to finally meet you guys…well at least, now that we're on the same side." Sora said.

"Likewise." Medy said as he started strumming his sitar. Sora then noticed that Nixe was looking at him curiously.

"Uh, can I help you?" Sora asked nervously.

"You're a Master, and you're…how old?" Nixe asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Uh, fifteen, why?" Sora asked as Nixe's eyes widened.

"So…UN-…-FAIR!" Nixe groaned in disbelief.

"I'm sorry?" Sora asked confused.

"You're a Master and you're only fifteen! I'm fifteen and I'm still an Apprentice! How do you call that fair?!" Nixe whined.

"Calm down, Nixe. Master Sora probably had special training or something." Vanille said in an effort to calm the young Apprentice.

"She's right actually. Sora's had a lot of experience. He's had to learn a lot on his own that we Keyblade Wielders would otherwise learn from a Master. When he and I first met, I only had to help fill in the gaps of what he knew." Aqua explained.

"So…how long have you been a Master then?" Nixe asked as Sora grinned innocently and scratched the back of his head.

"Three months, give or take." Sora said with a nervous chuckle as Nixe's eye twitched.

"So UN-FAIR!" Nixe groaned again as she started trudging towards the mansion. Vanille and Arlene quickly joined her with Medy in tow.

"Will she be alright?" Aqua asked as the others nodded.

"Oh yes, Nixe will be fine once the Master gets back. She'll probably sulk until morning but she'll be alright." The professor said.

"So where is this Master you keep talking about?" Sora asked curiously.

"The Master is patrolling the city at the moment and won't be back until late tonight." Laaurim replied.

"But you are more than welcome to stay for the night. That is unless you have other plans?" Ludro asked curiously.

"We really should meet with this Master you keep talking about. We accept the offer." Aqua said before Sora interrupted.

"Aqua, what about his Majesty?" Sora asked as Aqua nodded.

"Right, we're looking for a friend of ours. Have any of you guys seen him? Short little guy, about as tall as Sora's chest, wields a Keyblade." Aqua explained, causing Fang, Vincent, Ludro, and Laaurim to look at each other worriedly.

"We might know who you're talking about but, if that's the case, then why would you be looking for him?" Fang asked.

"He's a friend of ours and we haven't seen him in a while, that's why." Sora replied. The Sublime Guardians looked at each other with suspicious looks for a moment.

"We haven't seen anyone matching that description in several weeks. But rest assured, the person you're looking for is not someone you want to meet." Laaurim said as he turned towards the Mansion.

"What do you mean?" Sora asked curiously. Before Laaurim could answer, they heard a haunting waltz being start playing on an organ. It sounded like it was coming from the Mansion.

"Okay, what's that?" Aqua asked curiously. Ludro looked over his shoulder with a smirk.

"Why not come along and find out for yourself." Ludro said as Sora and Aqua looked at each other and shrugged before following along after them, the gates closing shut on their own despite the yellow-green pair of eyes watching them from a shadowy alleyway.

Elsewhere…

"Who are these two new miscreants?" one of the hooded women asked. Five of them were standing around in a darkened chamber, watching a sphere of magic that showed what the mysterious blob creature saw. Another, sixth woman, was standing off in the shadows.

"I do not know." Another of them replied.

"They have Keyblades." One of them said.

"What did you say they had?" the one lingering in the shadows, asked slowly.

"I said they had Keyblades, First." The one woman said as the one in the shadows charged towards them and shoved two of them aside, glaring at the sphere.

"We have a hard enough time as it is getting rid of just one of them! How are we going to get rid of two more Keyblades?!" another woman asked.

"Sixth, relax. First is bound to have a plan." One of the women said.

"Oh, I do indeed." First said, earning curious looks from the other women.

"What is it sister?" another woman asked.

"Unless I'm mistaken, those two are here in search of our Seventh member. If so, then we might be able to use them for our own goals." First said.

"But how? They're Keyblade wielders." Another woman said.

"All in due time, sisters, all in due time. They might be Keyblade Wielders, but they may also be the key to the other Master's undoing. Summon forth the servants of Darkness."

End Chapter 5.