Chapter 13: Master

{Disney Castle: Dining Room: September 30th 2013, 9:45am}

Being around Sora since his relapse had proven to be quite difficult for the others. While Riku and Kairi were able to face the brunt of the following days since then, Roxas and Namine were an entirely different story. Neither of the blondes had any history with people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, and they had never seen someone go through a relapse before. Now, both of them had seen the damage done to Sora from the event known as the Dream Drop, and while some answers had been given, Roxas still wondered if there was more to the story or not. However, Roxas also found himself unable to make eye contact with his Master, and even had to prevent himself from speaking in fear that he'd trigger something else within the chestnut-haired teenager.

"Roxas?" a voice caught his attention, and he looked to see Riku watching him.

"Hmm? Oh, sorry...I was..." Kairi gave him a concerned look.

"Thinking about Sora?" she asked. He looked down.

"I'm sorry, but..." Riku sighed.

"Listen, Sora, he's stronger than you think he is, and the things you're worried about? Don't be. He'll be fine..." he stated as Roxas and Namine looked towards him.

"That was probably one of the most terrifying things I've seen..." Kairi looked down.

"It's hard, but Sora's okay. Don't be so quiet around him – it makes him uncomfortable," she said.

"Oh..."

Roxas, and Namine both had hardly said a word to Sora over the course of the last two days; however, they were resuming their training today, and tomorrow they were going to the Mysterious Tower to speak with Master Yen Sid and see the Three Good Fairies for clothing that would hold up in a fight and be easier for them to wear during times in the field. Knowing that was coming up, most of them were a mixture of excitement and anxiety. Riku hadn't ever met the Three Good Fairies, but Sora had met them briefly during his first adventure just before he'd left for Hollow Bastion and the final fight against the Seeker of Darkness, and he had liked them, and they were quite helpful when they weren't almost comically quarreling between themselves.

As the two blondes thought about the upcoming events, the door to the dining room opened, and Sora came in and sat down next to Kairi before she smiled and kissed his cheek as he took her hand and intertwined their fingers. Sora seemed to be better than he was yesterday, and that was a relieving thought. Seeing the boy quiet, pale, and clearly shaken was unnerving to the point that it made Roxas and Namine both feel ill every time they thought about it. However, they also knew that the time of quiet and rest was over, and training was returning now.

"Good to see you up, and about," Riku stated as he looked to Sora.

"Yea...I guess I just needed a little bit more time..." Kairi sighed as she leaned up against him.

"Sora? Are you sure you're up for the session today?" she inquired. He nodded slowly, giving her an assuring look.

"We've finally made it to the last Drive Form I can use, so we won't be doing much today except a short sparring session to show you what it's capable of." Hearing those words seemed to satisfy her to an extent, and she nodded before reaching up to place a soft kiss to his lips.

"Alright, but if you start feeling strange or sick, you'd better stop, or I'll have the brooms come after you," she told him.

"I know, Kairi; I promise I'll keep tabs on how I'm feeling during this." she nodded again.

"Okay, then I'll trust you to do what you say you will," Kairi told him as she resumed leaning against him.

"The two of you are too perfect for each other..." sky-blue and aquamarine eyes looked to Riku.

"What's that supposed to mean?" they asked. Riku laughed as he looked to the two of them.

"Because no matter what, the two of you seem so calm around one another. If either one of you panics, only the two of you can calm each other down. You balance one another...believe me...the two of you were meant to be by each other's side no matter what."

"Are you trying to be philosophical, frost giant?" Riku gave Sora a long look.

"Oh, look, I have proof magical creatures do exist! I've discovered a hobbit!" he said.

"And I can prove that brain cells die every time a ludicrous word leaves a person's mouth..."

"Then you shouldn't have any left."

"Really? Hmm...I guess my sanity went running for the hills while screaming into the night when you showed up and decided to try and outwit me."

"Cute, but I think I can come up with a better insult than that," Riku said.

"Funny, because I think you need some severe help with that..." sky-blue and cyan looked each other over.

"How so?" Sora began messing with a strand of his hair.

"Well, duct tape can't fix everything, but it can muffle noises."

"Don't you need that to tape books to your feet so you can be taller?" a bland expression came to Sora's face.

"We have a library in the castle, and books aren't meant for being used for such purposes," he stated.

"Then what are they for?" Sora glanced to the side.

"Well, books are the greatest weapons in the world...case in point..." Sora pulled a book from nowhere and tossed it to Riku with such speed that it bounced off the silver-haired Keyblade Master's head.

"Um...he didn't have that book with him when he came in," said Namine.

"That is what you call a summon..." muttered Riku as he rubbed the area where a red A mark had been left on his forehead from the book The Scarlet Letter.

"Why did you summon that book? I thought you hated it?" Sora looked to the book as Kairi handed it back to him.

"Oh, I do...but let it never be said that a book that is disliked cannot be put to good use," he said.

"I'll keep that in mind..."

{Training Hall: 10:30am}

The five of them were gathered in the training hall that day, spending most of their time going through a few drills while Sora maneuvered about going through the paces with them as the three student Keyblade Wielders fought each other, with Riku and Sora giving out pointers here and there to narrow in on what they knew and what needed to be worked on. Admittedly, Roxas, Namine, and even Kairi were well aware that the reason the two Masters were sending them through drills was due to Sora's fear that Xehanort would soon strike against them, and they needed to be ready for the moment it happened.

Sora was focused, giving out points that allowed for close-range attacks that would deal significant damage due to the close-quarters style of his own fighting – something Roxas was quite good with – and Riku focused on distance strikes and surprise advantages, which aided the girls. Despite that, though, the sparring session was fast-paced, constantly changing direction, and never-ending. Roxas had thought that their earlier training had been rough, but this one seemed much more intense, and it honestly spooked him a bit. The fact that they were pushing them further than they usually did meant that something was on both their minds, and either they had been told something that wasn't being said or they were following their instincts, and the feeling they got was something bad.

Roxas decided he didn't want to delve into it too much, despite that he, too, had a nagging feeling that time was running out and they were coming down to the wire. Sora glanced towards him and smirked as he summoned Oblivion into his grasp and jumped forward to strike at them with a broad swing. The midnight blue energy that wafted off of the black Keyblade had several of them startled and reacting with guarding themselves, or using magic to force back the energy. Riku jumped in not a minute later, and the trio ended up going toe-to-toe with the two Masters as the sparring session with directives became an all-out battle for their lives.

It was as Roxas went to deal a defeating blow to Sora that he was jolted backwards by a shock of electricity. The Keyblade Master held Oblivion outwards, and the others stared onward in shock as the chestnut-haired sixteen-year-old propelled himself forward while summoning another Keyblade – Oathkeeper. The Keyblades had been seen a few times before; however, Roxas had never seen both of them coming at him, and a strike was dealt to him which caused Two Across to fall from his grasp and his body to be slung across the area before colliding with the floor. Moments later, he was sitting up, dazed slightly and in evident pain as he looked to Sora, who rotated both Keyblades and looked to him in questioning.

"I'm done!" Namine said as Kairi nodded and hit the floor beside her sister. Riku put his Keyblade to his side, and Sora followed with Oathkeeper and Oblivion.

"I guess stopping for now would be a good idea...we put the three of you through the ringer..." Roxas managed to crawl his way over to the two girls and lay flat upon the ground as he heaved out an exhausted sigh.

"No more...please...I give..." he said as he looked to Sora and Riku.

"Alright, we're done for today...well...almost..." the trio looked up as Roxas managed to get himself up into a sitting position.

"A-Almost?!" exclaimed Roxas as he looked to Sora.

"Yea, Riku's going to show you what my last Drive Form can do." The silver-haired Keyblade Master looked to his friend.

"Why do I get the feeling that we're going to be wishing for you to skip this?" Riku asked.

"You won't...I'm not going to do much with it – I'm still practicing control with it..." the other Master nodded numbly as he looked into Sora's sky-blue eyes and saw faint concern there.

"Okay...but...first...are you okay?" the other nodded.

"I've never used it in combat before, so...we won't be in it for more than a few minutes," Sora told him.

"Then let's take a look!" the chestnut-haired sixteen-year-old looked to Riku.

"Okay..."

Sora stood in front of Riku while Roxas, Namine, and Kairi were off to the side and away from the duo as they prepared to do a short session of training with Sora's last Drive Form: Master Form. None of them had seen it, nor had they heard much about it, except that he had been given it by King Mickey before the Mark of Mastery exam. Knowing that, Riku did wonder why he hadn't used it, but supposed it was for the same reasons that up until now he hadn't practiced with it around them: control.

Taking that into account, Riku braced for impact, and not a second later, an electrical charge filled the air as Sora activated the Drive Form, and a sharp yellow, black and white trimmed clothing change appeared. Sora's attire was yellow in base but had black details with white trim on some areas, and that appeared in scattered bunches across the bottom of his pants leg and the ends of his sleeves.

The group gaped as electricity sparked around him, and he held one Keyblade up, rotating his wrist just so to move the yellow-gleaming weapon in front of him. Riku took instant note that the telekinetic ability was flawless and graceful as Sora took one step forward, and was gone in a flash before he jumped forward and struck at Riku with the free-floating Keyblade of Oathkeeper. Taking in a deep breath, Riku fought back, but found electricity humming around the other boy as he let loose a sharp strike of magic in the spell known as Thunder and he was thrown back, only for Sora to appear behind him and knock him back with a sharp smack from both Keyblades. Riku skidded across the ground and landed in a crouch before looking to Sora, who stood still.

"What the hell is that?!" asked Riku.

"Master Form. It's based on the element of Thunder or electricity..." Kairi stood up slowly before looking to Sora, who smiled brightly as she looked the yellow Drive Form over.

"That's really amazing," she said as Roxas and Namine came over to them.

"It was over in just a minute! That's impressive..." Riku smiled as he looked to Sora, who frowned.

"Neat moves there, sparky," he said.

"Laugh it up, I have more than enough electrical power here to make a Pikachu green with envy." Riku nodded.

"Yea, I felt that...anyways, I think we'll need practice with Master Form in order to get the patterns down – we've done pretty well with Limit, Wisdom, and Valor," he stated. Sora sighed and then smiled as he held his hand out just enough to where the free floating Keyblade remained.

"And your telekinesis has gotten pretty good." Sora looked to the Keyblade.

"Yea, remember in Twilight Town how I was only able to levitate a teaspoon? This is from practicing with the objects in my room," Sora answered as he vanished the Keyblades, and then his Drive Form dissipated.

"I remember; so, how about we just relax for the rest of the day?" the others nodded.

"Let's go to Disney Town, Roxas and Namine have never been," Kairi stated.

"Sounds good to me, you two ready to go?" they nodded, and started to head for the doors, unaware that somebody was watching them through the doorway on the other side of the area.

{King's Study: 1:05pm}

King Mickey sighed as he looked at the retreating figures of the five Keyblade Wielders, and then turned to walk back down the hallway, and through a passage, up a flight of stairs, and down several corridors before he finally returned to his study where Master Yen Sid and Oswald were awaiting him. He went to a chair and took a seat as he remained silent while Master Yen Sid looked to where a simple leather-bound journal was laid before him, and then turned his attention to his former student, who seemed genuinely mournful for reasons that, while he understood, didn't seem to fit the upcoming events entirely.

"Mickey, do not mourn anything – this must happen," Master Yen Sid stated.

"He's just a boy...and I know he didn't want this for him...or..." Oswald sighed.

"I know it must be hard, brother, but listen, we need to be ready for what is coming. Master Yen Sid has something important to tell you," he said as King Mickey looked up.

"Alright, then, what is it?" the aged wizard looked to him and pushed the journal forward, which King Mickey took lightly before he unwound the cord that bound it closed and looked to the name written in the journal.

"By this time next year, I believe much of the truth will have already come out...and Sora will be closer to the reality of which he must accept coming to pass," Master Yen Sid told him calmly.

"I see...so...we're almost out of time..." King Mickey looked down.

"I'm afraid so. We best prepare ourselves, and the Keyblade Bearers," the Grand Master of the Keyblade said calmly as King Mickey looked almost sorrowfully on the name written neatly in faded ink upon the parchment paper.

"He wanted them to have more peace than this...he wanted them to not have to worry about this until they were older..." Master Yen Sid smiled.

"He knew it wouldn't be possible. That is why all of us were informed of what would come and how to assist them. In knowing this, and in him preparing us, I believe he gave both of them one of the greatest gifts someone could ever be given: a guiding light," he said.

"I hope so; I just don't want them to be hurt from learning the truth." Oswald smiled encouragingly.

"I think that we'll be okay. Both of them are strong, and they can handle what comes their way – besides, they have friends that will stick by them through anything!" he stated. King Mickey smiled.

"Right...I will inform who I can and begin to prepare for the coming year." Master Yen Sid nodded.

"Wise choices, we mustn't waste a single moment of time for what is to come," he told them both.

"Of course..." With that, Master Yen Sid stood and took the journal back before looking to King Mickey.

"Do not despair. They have their comrades and their indomitable will to help guide them through the coming trials – all they need to do is believe in themselves." The Grand Master stepped towards the fireplace, grabbing a handful of soot-looking powder before stepping into the fireplace as he threw the powder down and stated his destination: Halloween Town. Oswald said his goodbyes, and followed out in the same fashion with another destination in mind, and that was a world known as Rosecross.

"I won't despair, but the storm ahead is going to be unlike anything we've faced before..."

{…..}

I won't let go. I'll be right here...

{…...}

Author's Note: We're almost done! This story has 2 chapters left. Please look to the note at the end of this story for an announcement of the next story.

Preview:

"Not this stupid train again!"

"Well, hello dearies! Sora, how are you?"

"I've got a feeling something's coming, don't you?"

Chapter 14: A Little Spark