Datascape

As Aqua continued her adventures in the long forgotten past of Remnant, in the world known as Radiant Garden three beings were approaching the center of the plaza. The first man stopped and gestured for the two to continue forward until they stood in the center.

"So this is the place." King Mickey stated.

"Where Aqua fell into the Realm of Darkness after she dove in to save Terra." The other one, Riku recited what they had learned.

They had been working to find Aqua after learning she was still alive in the Realm of Darkness while Sora traveled the worlds to regain the Power of Waking.

"Yeah, she said he was acting strange." Mickey recalled the last time he spoke with her.

"Strange how, exactly?" Riku asked.

"She sensed darkness in him and they ended up getting into a big fight." Mickey answered sadly.

"Right." Riku looked back at the center of the plaza again. "And in the aftermath, the two of them disappeared. Around the same time, the guards found a stranger with white hair lying unconscious here in the square, a man calling himself 'Xehanort'."

"Ansem the Wise took the stranger in, but that was a mistake. Xehanort betrayed his master, stole his research and along with his fellow apprentices separated his heart from his body." Mickey continued, recounting what they knew. "Xehanort's heart took his master's name, 'Ansem' and traveled to the past to give his younger self instructions. He even briefly had control of you. His empty body stayed in the present, took the name 'Xemnas' and founded Organization XIII. Their goal was to prepare thirteen vessels for Xehanort's heart."

"Until we put an end to the Organization." Riku stated. "But all the while Young Xehanort had been visiting the future to choose thirteen vessels of his own, hearts with strong enough ties to him to being a new Organization, the real Organization XIII. And now they're looking for a fight with us. But what happened to Terra? I thought you said that Aqua saved him."

Riku looked at Mickey who had a contemplating look on his face. "Yep, she did. The problem is we didn't notice. You remember the end of the Mark of Mastery exam when Master Xehanort made his grand return? That's the Xehanort I remember.

"He was already a pretty old man then. But how do you explain Ansem and Xemnas, his Heartless and his Nobody? Isn't it strange how young they look? Why aren't they old men?

"It's because Xehanort was using a different body when the split happened. That face from the portrait I mentioned, it wasn't just some stranger that Ansem the Wise took under his wing. It was the young man whose body Xehanort possessed."

Riku had an uncomfortable flashback, remembering when he had been possessed by Xehanort's Heartless…

And then suddenly all the pieces came together.

"No way!" Riku's eyes went wide. "That was Terra? Master Xehanort was using Terra?"

"Yep." Mickey answered. "Master Xehanort told us 'another on our list' belonged to him. He was talking about Terra. Turns out, Aqua saved more than just her friend that day."

"Okay." Riku said slowly, raising both arms in a questioning manner. "But Master Xehanort is an old man again now. Where did Terra's body go?"

"Hmm…" Mickey looked to the side before gasping as the answer came to him. "It's cause Maser Xehanort's collecting vessels. He claimed to have two of our seven lights. We got Sora back but Terra must still be on Xehanort's side."

"He's with Organization XIII?" Riku brought a hand to his chin. "We should warn Sora."

"Yep." Mickey nodded. "And Merlin too."

Riku smiled and nodded. "Yeah."

Xxx

"So what was so important you had to call all of us here for?"

Sora along with Roxas, Riku, Donald, Goofy and Mickey had been asked to Radiant Garden where they not only met Leon and the others but also Ansem's former apprentice Ienzo in the laboratory of Radiant Garden's castle.

"First off, thanks for coming on short notice." Ienzo stated once the four were present. "I have information regarding someone I think you know. Aqua, I believe her name is."

The four glanced at each other before Mickey spoke up. "You know about Aqua?"

"There is something you should know." Ienzo turned to the main console. "When Xehanort convinced us to continue the experiments after Master Ansem was banished he had a secret room constructed. It was part of the section we used for the experiments."

Ienzo inserted a disk into the computer.

DTD Loading

He then typed in the requested password.

Another

He pressed the 'enter' key and six more dialogue boxes appeared, each of them requesting their own passwords which he typed in.

Ansem

Braig

Dilan

Aeleus

Ienzo

SYSTEM START

Ienzo took the disk out and led the group down below into a larger chamber.

"So what are we looking for?" Sora asked, getting a little impatient.

The answer came in a flash of light and a passageway opened up.

"Whoa!" Sora, Donald and Goofy jumped from the sudden appearance.

Ienzo gestured for them to follow and once everyone was at the bottom of the ramp, it vanished in a flash of light and he continued walking down a long spiraling stair case. Lining the walls and floors were tubes pulsing with purple light and a red glowing sphere in circle symbol at the very top.

"This leads down to the section where we kept…subjects for the experiments." Ienzo explained during the journey to the bottom. "After Master Ansem was banished Xehanort had a secret room constructed and only he was allowed to go in. None of us knew what he was doing in there but Xigbar claimed he was talking to someone in there."

"Someone?" Sora asked.

"He only called them 'friend'." Ienzo clarified. "This continued even after our hearts were separated and he came back here from time to time as Xemnas."

"Any idea who he was talking to in there?" Riku asked next.

"No idea." Ienzo answered as they reached the bottom. "But you should know when we found Xehanort we found a suit of armor and a Keyblade with him."

"A Keyblade?" Sora and Roxas both asked.

"Yeah." Ienzo nodded once they were the bottom of the stairs, a pair of doors opened and led them into a white hallway with a black square patterned floor with white lines. "Xehanort took the armor and Keyblade and we never knew what happened to them. Then just after the Heartless invasion of Hollow Bastion, Xemnas came back and said something strange. He said his friend had been found."

"Found?" Sora tilted his head.

"Yes. His friend…" Ienzo brought a hand to his chin.

"An armor and Keyblade…" Mickey's eyes went wide and he gasped. "Aqua!"

"Huh?" Everyone looked at him.

"When I met Aqua in the Realm of Darkness, she didn't have her Keyblade with her. She had her master's, the one that belonged to Master Eraqus." Mickey clarified. "And she wasn't wearing her armor even though she was in the Realm of Darkness of all places. Maybe the reason why is because she didn't have her original Keyblade and armor…because she used them to send Terra back here after she dove in to save him."

"So the Keyblade and armor originally belonged to Aqua and Xehanort kept them down here." Riku realized.

Ienso led the group down hallway. Along the walls were white doors, all of them sealed with electronic locks and chains. Sora stopped to peek through one of the doors but the rooms were too dark to see anything inside.

Ienzo stopped in front of the doors at the end of the hall. These doors had black chains drawn on them.

"This is it."

Sora and Roxas walked up behind him, looking at the doors.

"Something about this feels familiar." Roxas looked around. "Like…I have been in a place like this before."

"Beyond these doors is what Xehanort called the Chamber of Repose." Ienzo stated. "Xehanort and later Xemnas came here many times. Xigbar was the one who clued me in on this when I was Zexion. He guessed there might be a similar chamber like it somewhere in Castle Oblivion and inside would be his other 'friend'."

"Ven." Mickey gasped.

Ienso managed to open the doors and inside was a small chamber, colored grey and white with black chain outlines along the walls and floor that ended with a splintered, upside down heart. In the center of the room was a throne like chair that the man sat down on and watched as white light traveled along the chains lines and up to the symbols lining the walls.

Sora walked in first, looking around for a second before looking Ienzo. "So where is the armor and Keyblade? You said they were down here."

"I said 'was'…Yes as in they were here." Ienzo walked in, followed by the others. "When Xemnas said his 'friend' returned we didn't know what it meant. But if the Keyblade and armor that used to be here before are missing…"

"You're saying Aqua came back?" Riku asked skeptically. "She somehow returned and took back her Keyblade and armor?"

"That's all I can think of based on what Xemnas said of his friend returning. He had Nobodies scouring the worlds before he was defeated, looking for someone. At least that's all I heard as I was already slain as Zexion at the time." Ienzo answered as he walked around the chair in the center of the room. "Xigbar told Demyx who then showed up and told me what he knew."

"Demyx." Roxas softly said. "What does he have to do with this?"

"But if Aqua was back how come we haven't seen her?" Sora asked skeptically. "Wouldn't she have come looking for help?"

"Yeah." Goofy nodded. "And if she showed up when the Heartless attacked why didn't we see her?"

"Maybe because she never came out of this room." Riku brought a hand to his chin. "Maybe she only returned briefly."

"You think she's back in the Realm of Darkness?" Mickey asked.

"Not sure but given how long it's been we would have seen or heard from her by now." Riku replied. "We found her Keyblade or at least the one she was using before when you saw her. When she helped you in the Realm of Darkness."

"Right." Mickey nodded.

"Maybe she could only be here long enough to retrieve her armor and her Keyblade." Riku surmised before looking at Ienzo. "Did Demyx say anything else?"

Ienzo shook his head. "Aside from that, he spoke of a world hidden away in the darkness. Somewhere in the Realm of Darkness we never knew existed."

"A world in the Realm of Darkness?" Sora asked.

"Worlds exists in the Realm of Light so shouldn't they exist in the Realm of Darkness too?" Ienzo stated. "It could explain many things."

"Like why we haven't had any luck finding Aqua yet." Riku realized. "She might not be there anymore."

"Then where is she? How do we find her?" Sora wondered.

That was a really good question.

"Perhaps Leon and the others will have the answer." Ienzo stated, causing everyone to look at him.

"Leon?" Sora asked.

Xxx

"It was the craziest thing, kids. I'm minding my own business and next thing I know, my systems nearly get fried."

It was good to Leon, Yuffie, Aerith and Cid again while Cid was working on his computer in the back of the shop.

"As far I can tell, what got downloaded was a whole pile of information on worlds." Sid stood up and brought up several windows for the group to see on the big screen.

Mickey gasped. "These are just like the Data-Worlds!"

"The Data-Worlds?" Roxas asked.

"I had Jiminy Cricket's journal on all the worlds digitized to solve the mysterious messages that appeared in it." Mickey explained briefly before looking back at the images shown on the screen. "But I don't recognize these worlds."

"As far as we can tell, no one here has been to any of these worlds." Leon crossed his arms. "Well except one."

"Who?" Sora asked.

An image was brought of a blue furry creature that Sora and his friends Donald and Goofy recognized. "Stitch?"

"Looks we found his world." Cid commented. "The little guy disappeared, probably back to his world when the Heartless were defeated."

"Sora, have you been to Stitch's world?" Aerith Gainsborough asked.

Sora shook his head. "I had him as a summon but I never went to his world."

"Someone you has been to his world." Cid said as a picture appeared on the screen next to Stitch's.

A blue haired woman that a few in the group knew.

"Aqua!" Mickey gasped.

"From what we can tell, she had been to Stitch's world about ten years ago." Cid stated. "Before the Heartless invaded Radiant Garden."

"So this was back then." Riku caught on. "What are the worlds?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." Cid said as he brought up a list of names of worlds and places.

Remnant

Ever After

Gen: Lock

Nowhere

Halo

Amphibia

Deep Space

Hawaii

New York

Middleton/Shegoton

Gravity Falls

Boiling Isles

Galaxy Far, Far Away

Motorcity

Mewni

Echo Creek

The list went on and on.

"Are you saying Aqua has been to all these worlds?" Roxas asked, after reading through half of the list. "This is too many, even if she found a way out of the Realm of Darkness during the last eleven years."

"I ain't saying anything. This is what the computer is saying." Cid shrugged. "But here's something else: this was sent to us through Gummi technology."

That made everyone pause.

"That's not something you find in much places outside of Radiant Garden and Traverse Town." Yuffie commented.

"Yep." Cid nodded.

"So who else knows how to utilize Gummi technology as well as us?" Leon asked calmly.

"I've been scrolling through the files and there's a lot to uncover." Cid stated. "As far as I can tell, this was information that was made by digitizing someone's heart and then creating all the worlds they have been to from that information."

"So we have someone who knows how Gummi tech works and can digitize hearts?" Aerith calmly questioned. "…There's only one man who could be capable of that."

Everyone looked at her.

"Master Ansem." She answered.

The man himself appeared on the screen, shocking everyone but none more so than Ienzo.

"Master…" The former apprentice muttered, staring in shock at the sight of the man who had been like a father to him.

And the man he and his fellow apprentices had betrayed.

"I hope this message reaches the Restoration Committee in Radiant Garden. If so, I am Ansem, former ruler of Radiant Garden and I have a message that I hope will reach the ears of a boy named Sora." Ansem began.

Sora perked up at the mention of his name.

"Sora, you along with Mickey and Riku are perhaps right now the only hope the worlds have against the Organization but they are not the only threat you must beware."

Riku and Mickey walked up next to Sora.

"The world I am in right now is a world that has been in constant conflict for a very long time. This world was found when Aqua fell into it by a sheer twist of fate."

The four Keyblade Wielders were paying apt attention now.

"Aqua would have originally fallen into the Realm of Darkness and would have been trapped there but the forces on this world utilized powers great enough to open door ways between worlds. Aqua fell in between the space between the doors of these worlds and it led her on a journey that I along with many others would take part in. We had no idea though that this would cause ripples to form in the wake of what happened. I have no doubt that you, Sora are looking for Aqua right now if my message has reached you in time." Ansem continued. "There is much you and King Mickey need to know but right now the world I am in, the part of the world I have made my home for the most of second life is under siege by an ancient evil who now has the forces of darkness that we all have faced before is now working with her. If you can hear me now, I have a set of instructions that I need you to take any of my apprentices still in the castle."

Everyone listened carefully to Ansem's instructions.

"…and when that happens be prepared if hostiles emerge. I am not sure how long Salem will remain incapacitated but when she reforms she and any surviving allies will immediately head for the Vault. If we haven't evacuated everyone by then there will be a fight and we will have to work hard to lower the civilian casualties. Hopefully we can get everyone out but be warned if Salem or her forces make it through they'll become a threat to not just Radiant Garden but also the entire Realm of Light." Ansem finished his instructions. "I am sorry to my people of Radiant Garden to involve you in this fight but I know there might not be a better way and I am driven to save the people here as much I would be in the world I once devoted everything to protect. I hope you all can find it in your hearts to forgive me for the choice I have made here."

The message ended, leaving a quiet room.

"Ansem…" Mickey said softly.

"A whole evacuation." Leon muttered, bringing a hand to his chin. "This won't be easy. We'll have to work on getting as many shelters up as we can."

"Are we really doing this?" Yuffie asked, looking to Leon.

"Ansem is trusting us to save innocent people." Aerith stated firmly. "We have to do it. For him and for what he and this world stands for."

"Yeah." Sora nodded in agreement. "I say we do it."

"Then we better get moving." Riku suggested. "He says the portal will open in the center of the plaza. The very place where Aqua and Terra fell."

"The guards and the Restoration Committee will be there. We'll work on setting up shelters but maybe we'll need Merlin's help. He can conjure up a dozen houses for us." Leon immediately put forth a plan.

"I'll have the security system up and running." Cid stated. "They'll take down any baddies that come through the portal."

"We'll go on ahead." Sora stepped forward, followed by Donald and Goofy. "We can try and help them on the other side if we can get to them in time."

"Good." Leon nodded. "Let's get moving then and let's work on decoding the information Ansem sent us."

As everyone filed out of the room, Cid left his computer to continue decoding the information Ansem had sent to them.

A single file opened up but it only held one message:

Reclaim your home

After a long journey, the lost warrior returns with new weapons to benefit the world

A journey to try and return home

The METTLE in his heart rises, lessening his pain and inflicting more on those around him

His return lights up the night sky

His new weapon will shine on every corner of the world and smite all who stand before him

He is without heart

More Machine than Man

Twisted and Heartless

The world will be saved

Even if it must burn

METTLE will deploy

Xxx

The Radiant Garden Restoration Committee immediately went to work, preparing by having a dozen houses and shelters built quickly.

Then it happened.

A large oval shaped portal with a yellow border and light blue insides appeared right in the center of plaza of Radiant Garden.

"Everyone get ready!" Leon called out, pulling out his Gunblade.

It was silent for a few minutes…

And then people came rushing out in a panic, crying out for help.

"Aerith, try and calm them down!" Leon called out as he and the guards moved to try and stabilize the situation.

"Sora! Roxas!"

Both Sora and Roxas froze in shock as a black haired girl with blue eyes emerged from the portal, dressed in black and wearing a white hooded cloak.

Roxas was the first to answer. "…Xion?"

"Roxas." Xion smiled at the two. "I am glad to see you after all this time."