Chapter 6: Into The Woods

{Boarder of the Disney Forest: September 16th 2013, 5:50am}

Sora stood in front of the trail that lead to the forest just on the border of the Disney Castle, waiting for the others to arrive. Kairi had come with him already, and she was prepared for their adventure in the forest for the day. She was dressed in her purple sneakers, black shorts, a pink t-shirt, her hair tied up in a ponytail, and her pink and black striped gloves on and latched to her wrists while her pearl pendant was in place. Sora smiled as she talked to him about how Namine had asked what would be wise to do for whatever he'd had planned, while Roxas had only shrugged and suggested something comfortable and cool, due to the warm weather. Sora himself was wearing a pair of black comfortable pants, a blue t-shirt, and sneakers, his gloves in place, and his crown pendant.

They had gotten up at around five, gotten dressed, grabbed two backpacks, put a first-aid kit in it, followed by them packing up water bottles and a few sandwiches for the group and apples. Sora had shouldered the bag and gotten out of the castle with Kairi by five-thirty, and then they were on their way to the forest where Sora and Kairi now stood, not doing much else than waiting for the others to arrive. It was at a minute to six that they spotted Riku leading Roxas and Namine over. Riku wore a pair of simple dark pants, his sneakers, and a gray shirt with his hair tied back, while the two others behind him were dressed similarly. Roxas wore a pair of dark gray pants and a white t-shirt while he wore just a simple pair of black sneakers. Then there was Namine, dressed in a pair of black shorts, a yellow t-shirt, and yellow and white sneakers with her hair done up in a braid.

"Good to see you guys made it," Sora said while Roxas grumbled.

"Too fucking early..." the blonde yawned as if to prove his point.

"Oh, well; here's the thing about being a Keyblade Wielder – you sleep less, rise earlier, eat more protein so your body doesn't tire out as quickly, you get hurt more, you deal with twice the amount of trouble more than you think you will, something will always be on your trail. Welcome to your lives as Keyblade Wielders," Sora clarified.

"So...what are we doing?" Namine looked to the forest.

"We're going to be doing our field training here – so you'll have to adapt to your surroundings," Sora stated.

"What's that for?" Sora looked at Roxas with a smirk as Riku sighed.

"You'll never realize it until you're out of the training hall and in the real world. Every single one of the worlds has different terrain, and it might become difficult to maneuver the way you've been doing it. Sora learned by experience, so he's teaching you by giving you experience – it's probably for the best, considering how difficult our lives are probably going to get in a few months' time," Riku explained.

"But there's been no activity...even the Heartless are a bit calmer..." Sora nodded at Namine's statement.

"Which is exactly why we're boosting up the training. The attack in Twilight Town was nothing compared to how it can be when we get out into the field," Sora stated.

"Which would be when, exactly?" the chestnut-haired Keyblade Master sighed.

"Honestly? We don't know. Unless we're needed, we don't have to go out into the field," Sora said as he looked to them.

"Really? Yay...so we don't know if we'll ever be able to put this to use or not..." Roxas's sarcasm had Sora thinking heavily on his statement.

While what Roxas said had a tiny grain of truth to it, it wasn't entirely true. Eventually, their grace period would be over, and they would end up on the battlefront, applying everything they'd learned thus far to the possibility of making a break in the enemy lines. When that day came, Sora wanted Roxas, Namine, Kairi, Riku, and himself, plus whoever else joined them to be ready for what he knew would be the prelude to a full-blown war that would shake the foundations of the worlds to their core. Sighing, Sora looked to the blonde and took a moment to carefully choose his words to explain this to them.

"Right now, we aren't needed, but Organization Thirteen has been quiet since April, and that means they're plotting something big. So we can't waste any time with basic training, we need to get everyone prepared for what may come," he said.

"Okay, so are we dealing with Wisdom Form again?" Sora smirked.

"You won't know which Drive Form I'm in. I'll be in either Limit or Wisdom," he told them.

"What?!" the group yelled, and Sora covered his ears.

"Please, I kind of need my hearing. Anyways, listen, this is the object of today's session: we're going to play a game of tag. The object of this game is not to be seen or heard – be quiet, quick, and careful. You have to make it to the glen in order for it to be over; now, Riku and I will be participating and using different forms of magic and abilities on you in order to stop or stun you, so...be on your guard," he said.

"Great, three normal wielders versus two Keyblade Masters...this can only end in tears..."

"On the contrary, it's not like that. None of us are on teams, it's a free-for-all. Everyone for themselves, but you can team up if you feel you must and work together," Sora stated.

"Okay, that makes this...a little easier..."

"Come on, time to go into the woods." The group nodded and followed down the trail before running off in random directions to try and get to the glen first.

{6:30am}

Sora slipped into Limit Form, the air around him charging with energy as he waited in the shade for one of the others to pass by. Namine had went to the right and Kairi had as well before they split up into different directions, while Riku went front and to the right and Roxas had gone to the left, while Sora had merely gone straight as was now closest to the glen. Having taken walks in the forest so often, he was able to walk around it no trouble, and by now could probably go through it blindfolded.

Sora's eyes looked around while he equipped a magic ability that his Drive Forms had, which was something called scope – it allowed him to hone in with enhanced sight upon his right eye, which changed colors with all his Drives. Limit's scope was known as Eagle-Eye, it allowed him to see at a great distance and focus in on something if he chose to. Right now, he was watching Namine try and find her way through the forest. His single pale-blue eye was the only one open while he focused in on his sight as Kairi took a look around and went straight towards him.

"Smart move, Kai...come on, Nami...you two can do it, just get past me..."

Sora drew Fairy Harp out and pointed it towards them before blasting an Aero spell in their direction. Down the path, Kairi and Namine rounded a corner, having met up along the path. Sora had clarified that they could team up if they wanted to, and at this point, having been in the forest for nearly an hour with no sign of Riku, Roxas, or Sora, they had both begun to be concerned that one of them would be waiting near the glen, and if either had to guess, it would be Sora. It was as they turned towards the path that lead to the glen, that a strong, breath-stealing gust of air shot through the area and nearly pulled them off their feet. Kairi acted quick, putting up a reflect spell that gave them a bit of a shield against the strong gusts as a series of footsteps caught their attention.

"Namine! Draw your Keyblade!" the blonde nodded and drew the White Kingdom Key as Kairi dropped her shield and drew Destiny's Embrace just as a Keyblade came down upon them.

"Sora!"

The boy smirked as he cut a flip and held the Keyblade up and watched the two girls as he kept his eyes on them. Namine and Kairi prepared to attack him, and Sora laughed as he jumped forward, cutting a flip as he locked blades with Kairi, who slid to her side and caught Sora in the side – or so she thought. Sora rolled to the side and landed in a crouch, with his Keyblade to the side. Namine and Kairi glanced towards one another as they tried to figure out how to defeat him. Sora was a Master, and he definitely lived up to his title. The wind attack had taken them by surprise, and neither of them were prepared for the next set of attacks that came.

Sora moved fast, and while Kairi knew that the boy was swift and agile, Namine had never seen her Master in combat. The blonde girl stared wide-eyed as Sora practically vanished before reappearing behind her, which sent her tumbling across the way as he nailed her in the back. Namine slid to a stop and sat up before looking at Kairi, who nodded as she charged him and attacked head on.

"He's quick!" she said in shock as Sora laughed.

"You giving up, Kairi? Namine?"

"Why would I do that?" asked Kairi with a smile.

"Because you won't beat me..."

"We'll see..."

Kairi shot a blizzard spell at the boy, who cartwheeled away and landed in a crouch, the Keyblade – Fairy Harp – made a faintly musical sound before a strong torrent of wind tore through the area, nearly knocking Kairi and Namine over as they tried to attack Sora headlong. The boy swiftly cast them aside with a single attack, and the girls tumbled. Sky-blue eyes looked them over with a frown as he tried to pinpoint why they were having so much trouble with his single attacks. Kairi had done well with the shield spell she'd used, but there was also the fact that, while the Keyblades they were using weren't the strongest, they should have been able to deal with Fairy Harp of all Keyblades, because it wasn't quite that powerful. True, when using a Keyblade that equaled the element of his Drive Form, it would increase in power, but Limit Form was his weakest Drive and only focused on Air-Wind magic. Sighing, Sora shouldered Fairy Harp and looked at the two girls.

"Okay, listen, we need to work on your defense and offense," he said.

"Yea...that'd be a good idea..." Namine winced as she looked at the bruise on her arm.

"Let me see," Sora stated as he vanished the Keyblade and walked over to the two girls.

"It's just some bruising and scrapes, nothing to worry about." The boy shook his head and crouched next to them.

"A good thing to remember is that something that doesn't look like it's nothing to worry about could become something greatly problematic. A bruise like this could indicate a broken bone or fracture, those scrapes could get infected...always heal things like this, no matter how minute they are," he told them.

"Okay..." Sora took a look at Namine's wounds on her arms and legs.

"Come on, I have a first-aid kit in the glen. I should be able to help you out there," he stated.

"Um..." Kairi stood and brushed herself off.

"It's okay, Namine, he can help you out," Kairi assured her. Namine stood and instantly felt a twinge in her right ankle.

"Ahh!" Arms wrapped around her to keep her from hitting the ground again.

"Looks like you've got a sprained ankle," Sora stated.

"Yea..."

"Alright, then..." Before Namine could react, Sora had slipped his arms under her knees and around her shoulders before he hoisted her up.

"W-What are you doing?!" she asked as he held her in his arms and started walking towards the glen.

"You can't walk on a sprained ankle. I'll carry you there and treat your wounds." Namine sighed.

"I guess I have no choice..."

{The Glen: 7:16am}

Namine wasn't fond of getting help from others – she had to rely on people most of her life as an orphan, but she did everything she could by herself. Sighing, she was settled in the glen next to Kairi while Sora got out a first-aid-kit and came back towards her. He was still in his Limit Drive Form, and she was highly confused by that fact, but decided she was more curious about what her Master was doing. Pale-blue eyes looked at the boy as he carefully removed her shoe and sock before inspecting the injury to her ankle. Sighing, he looked to her before he opened the kit and began to unwrap the gauze before applying it to her ankle. Namine watched him skillfully wrap it around her foot and then taper it off before slipping her sock back on, and her shoe. Once he was done there, he began to inspect her arms, fingers, and the cuts on her before taking out a few items before he cleaned the areas and then proceeded to patch them up. Namine watched in some confusion as the boy double checked his work, and then nodded as he put away the items, and then put the kit back into the backpack. Namine was confused by the sight of Sora tending to her without magic and the gentle touch he used.

"You've treated people's injuries before," Namine said. Sora smiled a bit.

"Well, I've had some practice when Donald wouldn't do his job and heal us. I've treated my own wounds, and theirs...these are some of the things I never forgot when..." Sora paused and looked down.

"When what?" Namine questioned.

"Nothing, here, drink some water." He tossed her a water bottle as he stood and looked around as he held his arm out not far from them and used a gust of wind to shoot through the trees.

"What was that?" asked Kairi as she sat down next to her sister.

"I'm using a listening technique with the wind to see where Roxas and Riku are..." a few seconds later, Sora turned his attention to the left of the area and started walking.

"Where are you going?" Namine and Kairi looked at the boy as he drew Wisdom Crystal and changed into Wisdom Form. The blue gleams that followed him soon vanished, and Sora looked at the tree line as he twirled the Keyblade and took a few steps forward before he jumped into the tree.

"He's going to shoot Roxas, isn't he?" asked Namine.

"Probably just flush him out."

"This is going to be interesting..." she said as Sora settled in the tree.

His plans were to merely get Roxas out in the open and see how good he was at dodging attacks. Knowing that it would be fairly easy, Sora closed his left eye, and a blue ice-looking monocle appeared over his right eye before rotating a few degrees as he held the Keyblade slightly aloft and then looked around before he caught sight of blonde hair. The bullet went off, and a yelp was heard as not a second later, Roxas came barreling out, with Sora hot on his tail. Sora jumped over him and landed in a crouch before circling out and knocked him backwards. Roxas collapsed to the ground and took in a deep breath as he held up his Keyblade.

"Good try, your sneak attack needs some work, but not bad," Sora said as Roxas slumped to the ground.

"Great...I still lost..." Namine laughed.

"You just have to get around him – you did it, so you technically won," she told him as he glanced to her.

"Yea, I guess so...um...Nami? What happened to you?" Roxas got up, wincing at his own cuts as he went to his girlfriend.

"Oh, I didn't dodge a wind spell fast enough. Don't worry, I'm okay," she assured. He nodded.

"Okay...but who treated your wounds?" Namine smiled a bit while Sora remained crouched nearby.

"Sora, he treated them," she said. Roxas looked to him.

"Um...how did you manage that?" Sora laughed a bit as he stood up and transitioned out of his Drive Form and back into his normal clothing.

"It's nothing, really, I..."

"Did you forget about me?"

In an instant, Sora had drawn another Keyblade and locked it with Riku. The silver-haired Keyblade Master pushed down upon Sora, who slid back and kicked him over before jumping up, cutting a flip in the air, and landing as he drew another Keyblade. Roxas and Namine stared in shock as a white Keyblade that looked positively angelic appeared, while in his right grasp, was a gothic, almost demonic one. Sora went into a pose, one foot slightly forward, a single Keyblade in front of him while another one was behind him, as if to prepare for a frontal or back assault. Riku laughed and held his Keyblade in his grasp a bit firmer before going into his stance as well.

"Come on, midget, let's give your students a show," Riku said.

"Like they need to see your ass getting kicked." Sora smirked while Riku laughed again.

"Okay, then, show them what dual wielders can do," he stated.

Within the blink of an eye, Sora had attacked Riku, swinging in fast motions at him, while Riku dodged or blocked the attacks as quick as he could. Namine, Roxas, and Kairi watched as the two Masters sparred and felt their hearts begin to race at every swing, dodge, or strike given or taken. Riku blocked one of Sora's strikes, only to be knocked in the legs by the white Keyblade or taken in by a singular attack. Roxas and Namine had never really seen Sora do a sparring session with Riku except for once, and they'd only seen them in combat twice with very little time to observe; however, they were now seeing the pure strength and force both Masters possessed. Riku was swift and stern and strong in his attacks, his movements were fluid and hard to dodge, but not impossible. It seemed as if by mere sight, Riku would have been the more powerful, harder to handle combatant, but if they underestimated Sora, they'd been sorely mistaken. Roxas felt his eyes grow wide alongside Namine's when the chestnut-haired teenager rolled out of the way and swung the Keyblades back a bit before crouching.

In the blink of an eye, Sora had darted forward and landed a series of strikes upon Riku, who looked highly surprised by Sora's speed. That was what Roxas memorized about his Master – he was almost invisible with his speed, he was graceful, easier to miss because of his smaller stature, and incredibly accurate. If anything, Roxas was more afraid of Sora's movements and the blinding, dual-attack speed he used over Riku's strong, swift strikes. It was as the two came back together that Riku found himself with a Keyblade to his throat and another blocking his.

"You've gotten faster, and a lot more honed with those," Riku said as he stepped back and vanished his Keyblade.

"You've improved, too...especially since the last fight we've had." Sora took in a deep breath as he vanished his Keyblades.

"Whoa...that was amazing!" said Roxas. The two looked at the blonde and laughed as Kairi came over to Sora and placed a kiss to his cheek.

"Come on, we better get going. We have to head back to the castle."

"Yea, alright guys, good job today..." With that, he grabbed the backpack and the two of them headed back toward the castle.

"Where are they sneaking off to?" asked Namine.

"I don't know..." Riku gave the two of them a bland look.

"Oh, boy..."

"Care to find out?" Namine inquired while Roxas smiled.

"Sounds fine to me."

"Why do I think this is going to end badly?"

{Disney Town: 12:47pm}

After making it back to the castle, getting cleaned up, changed, and sneaking out again, Sora and Kairi were in Disney Town. The two of them had chosen to stay nearby only for the case of not wanting to get caught off guard in another world. However, their calm stroll through the market district on a warm summer's day was rather abrupt to the eyes of three people. Roxas, Namine, and Riku were trailing them – mainly the two blondes while Riku kept a watchful eye on the duo – and were curious about the choice to go out now of all times. Sora was talking with Kairi, dressed in what they believed was normal clothing – a simple pair of dark wash jeans, black sneakers, and a black t-shirt. Kairi was dressed in something rather simple as well, a pair of jean shorts, pale pink sneakers, and a white shirt with purple trim on it. The two of them were walking by a few of the vendors, looking at different objects as they talked.

"Would you two stop following them? They've just gone on a date!" Riku hissed under his breath as they trailed down the area behind the Keyblade Master and the Princess of Heart.

"But this is weird to me...Sora looks..." started Roxas.

"Normal..." Riku rolled his eyes as Namine finished his sentence.

"He is normal," he stated.

"No, he isn't. Typically, Sora's all disconnected, quiet, and kinda snarky, sarcastic, sadistic, and a bit mean...he's not this affectionate, sweet, shy, sensitive, and all that!" Riku sighed.

"You don't know the real Sora, then. You've both seen the front he puts up when training you two because he wants you to be prepared, not the side of him that's genuinely kind...or have you forgotten how he talked and treated the two of you when you learned that you would be leaving with us, and that you had been chosen by the Keyblade to become part of this war?"

Roxas looked down as he sighed and then turned his attention back to Sora and Kairi. They were talking, laughing, looking at different things while carrying on a normal conversation. Sora was different when he wasn't in his role as a Keyblade Master; however, he wondered why he had heard and been told that Sora used to be different, that he once was a lot quieter, and much more meek and gentle. Now-a-days, he was a warrior, and it seemed to unnerve Riku to an extent that he dared not venture a conversation in. Roxas sighed as he stood straight and walked down the way a bit before glancing to Namine, who seemed highly culled by Riku's scolding words.

"I don't mean to be harsh on the two of you, but you must realize that Sora...he's gone through a lot of hardships, and he deserves a bit of a reprieve from it all – just let him be with Kairi alone for a little while," Riku said.

"Maybe...but, I want to know about his past – tell me about him during his adventures before he met us and how both of you became Masters..."

"Listen, if Sora hasn't told you the whole story yet, then there's a reason for him not talking about it," Riku stated.

"We have a right to know who's teaching us!" the silver-haired Keyblade Master shook his head.

"He's not going to tell you some things, and you're just going to have to accept that," he told them.

"What's so bad about his past that he doesn't want to tell us about it? What kind of traumatic thing had to have happened that was so bad? We know he turned into a Heartless! We know Kairi brought him back because she loved him! We were told that! But we know nothing else! We have a right to know! And you can tell us, so..." a sharp poke came to his back as a hand covered his mouth. Namine panicked and Riku jumped, only to see Sora standing there with a knife to Roxas's back.

"You really need to work on your tracking – a good thing to remember is be aware of your surroundings and keep your damn mouth shut!" Sora let him go, and Roxas gave him a wide-eyed look as he saw the knife in his grip.

"Why do you put us through hell? Is that some requirement?" Roxas asked.

"No, but I'd appreciate it if you'd not follow us around like that..."Namine sighed.

"Okay, lesson learned...sorry about this, Sora, Kairi..." Namine said as the two gave them a blatant look.

"Riku? Go back to the castle with them and run drills until we're back, okay? I cut training short today because I promised Kairi I'd take her out..." Kairi smiled as she took his hand, and Roxas frowned.

"I gotta ask, do you two go on dates like this often?" he inquired. Sora gave him a once over before Kairi sighed a bit sadly.

"No, Sora and I haven't gone on a date before today. It's interesting that the three of you followed us, but please, just do as he says and go back to the castle and work with Riku. I kind of want some time alone with Sora," she stated. The two blondes felt guilt nibbling at their insides.

"I'm sorry...we shouldn't have followed you two..." Sora took in a deep breath.

"It's fine, I'm not punishing you – both of you just need more practice. We'll be back this evening. Riku, do training with them, run a few drills and see if you can further them in magic a bit, okay? I'm going to continue on my date with Kairi," Sora stated.

"Got'cha. Come on, you two, let's leave the love birds alone." With that, Riku gave them a smile and started ushering the duo back towards the castle.

"I think they meant well, they've probably never seen you this relaxed," Kairi said. Sora rolled his eyes.

"Probably, I don't mean to get so tense around them...but..." Kairi laughed a bit as she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Let's go somewhere else," she told him.

"Where did you have in mind?" She gave him a once over before leaning forward to give him a gentle kiss to his lips before smiling again.

"It's a bit of a surprise, but I think you'll like it..." he raised an eyebrow before she dragged him down to the western side of town, and he started to get an idea.

"Okay...I'll trust you..." she giggled.

"Let's go before they figure out we're leaving..."

Sora followed the girl, knowing that this was going to get remarkably interesting – even if it was their first date. He just hoped his girlfriend didn't get him into too much trouble.

{…}

I'll show you how to live again, and heal the brokenness within. Let me love you when you come undone...

{…...}

Author's Note: Well, that was an interesting chapter. Don't worry, more chapters are on the way, and also, soon, Genesis will have a new chapter coming up. Tell me what you think about the chapter! Please, leave me a long, lengthy review!

Preview:

"Where were you two last night?"

"We're going to learn a bit about summons today."

"So, you want to go world-hopping?"

Chapter 7: Worlds & Summons