Chapter 2: radiant garden

I do not own kingdom hearts or the properties shown in this fanfic. They belong to the respective owners and the original story is based on the works of Darius Almighty. Kingdom hearts and trials of the keyblade is owned by square Enix, Disney, and Tetsuya Nomura. Please support the official release.

Right. Can anyone take guess who our new character is? Here's a hint. He's not from a Disney film. Anyways, Radiant Garden has a much bigger spotlight than it does in the game. Including the Re: Mind DLC. And hey, Mulan returns with our favorite dragon. Though if you read the original then that shouldn't be much of a shocker to you. But it was fun to come back to all of this after all this time.

With that out of the way, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

The World That Never Was, the world in-between, the former realm of the formidable Nobodies. It was here that Sora and his friends waged the final battle against Organization XIII, to save the universe, yet again. Their former stronghold was a large white castle floating above a dark city, seemingly without inhabitants. It was dubbed The Castle That Never Was, and it currently had a new master.

Maleficent strode silently through the now darkened halls of her newly acquired home. After the final battle with Xemnas, she had done a bit of "redecorating," applying her personal touch of darkness. The originally bright walls were now as dark as the empty city over which the castle ominously hovered. Large winding thorns now decorated the outside, winding around the towers and clinging to the now pitch-black walls. Instead of the sleek, elegant Nobodies, it was now the Heartless that roamed the halls, answering to Maleficent's every whim.

Even though Maleficent had the castle, the Heartless, and the magic to bring entire civilizations to their knees, there was a minor snag. She was stranded. When she and her oaf of a servant, Pete, had arrived in this world using the power of darkness, she realized how close this world was to the darkness. She could not leave this world through the corridors of darkness without the large threat of losing her heart. She had been stranded here for over six months.

But that was about to change.

Maleficent made her way to the new control room that Pete had been working on through all of those unbearable months. It was located in the middle of the castle, with a built-in view screen. In this newly built room was a large dashboard with many levers, buttons, knobs, and other controls built into it. In the middle was a steering wheel, with a comfy chair right behind it. All custom-made, courtesy of Pete, following Maleficent's designs. Pete may be a buffoon, but he is handy with tools.

Maleficent took all of this in until she spotted a suspended throne just behind the pilot's seat; it was engraved with skulls and thorns twisting all around it. There was also a control panel built into the armrest for inputting special commands. Pete was just putting the finishing touches on it when she strolled in. She asked, "Is everything ready?"

Pete, just noticing her presence, jumped in surprise before composing himself. He chuckled a bit before answering. "Ready to go when you are," he replied, gesturing to the throne.

She smiled cruelly before taking her dark throne, taking no notice of the thorns and relaxing comfortably. It was time. "Do it," she intoned. Pete chuckled before taking his spot in the pilot seat.

"Okay then," he said, raising his huge gloved fist. "Let's get this show on the road!" He brought it down hitting an oversized red button. The entire castle then began to shake. The newly installed booster rockets suddenly flamed to life, slowly but surely moving the castle away from its fixed location. The castle was now on its way off the world, leaving behind the dark and empty city. Seeing the results, Pete was now jumping up and down. "Oh yeah, and we are out of here!" he cheered. He sat back down in the pilot seat and gripped the steering wheel. "Watch out key punks, Maleficent and Pete are back in town!"

From her dark throne, Maleficent grinned wickedly, already planning her next move...

Sora, Kairi, and Riku were being led through the new forest, now prisoners of some very well-armed soldiers. They had been shackled using some kind of high-tech handcuffs and were now apparently being led back to Radiant Garden at gunpoint. The soldiers hadn't said a word since they captured them, other than the occasional friendly reminder to move a little faster.

"Keep moving!" shouted the soldier behind Riku, giving him another shove to the back as he started to lag behind again.

Riku growled as he started along again. "What? Are we on a schedule or something?" he asked sarcastically, earning him another shove. "You know we can get out of this at any time," he whispered to Sora. "Whip out the Keyblade, knock a few heads, and they won't know what hit them."

Sora shook his head. "No, not just yet. I want to see where they're taking us first. Maybe that way we'll find out who they are and what they're doing here." He glanced at the surrounding soldiers who were leading them, their faces unreadable under their helmets. From what he had seen of them so far, he concluded, "For now, we'll cooperate." Riku nodded in agreement. Sora then turned to Kairi and asked in concern, "Are you okay, Kairi?"

"I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me," she answered. "I may not have a Keyblade like you and Riku, but that doesn't mean that I'm helpless."

Sora chuckled nervously in response.

"No talking!" Shouted a soldier as all three of them were shoved in the back.

The walls of Radiant Garden were now coming into view. Soon they were in front of the main gate with the grey stone walls looming before them. On the gate was the symbol of Radiant Garden. It was then that Sora realized this was the same wall that the Heartless had knocked down during The Battle of 1000 Heartless. It was completely reconstructed, brick by brick, and the pedestal they were standing on was now cleared of rubble. The only thing he didn't like was the white soldiers now patrolling the parapets.

The soldiers leading them gave a signal to the ones on the wall, telling them to open the gate. They quickly obliged and began to wind the crank, slowly opening the great steel doors.

They were met with an awe-inspiring sight causing all three to gasp in astonishment. The last time they were there, Radiant Garden was already a great city under construction, recovering from the Heartless menace. Now it was a glorious metropolis sparkling in the sunlight. The once ransacked shacks that served as people's homes were now bright-colored houses with people coming in and out of them. Towers and spires were built throughout the city, soaring high above the ground they walked on. But none were taller or more magnificent than the great citadel of Radiant Garden shining in the distance, now completely repaired. The great heart emblem at the front was unmistakable.

"Incredible," Sora breathed out, gaping in wonder at the now spectacular city. "They did all of this in six months?"

"It doesn't seem possible," said Riku, equally astonished. "But there it is. They must have had a killer construction plan."

"It's so beautiful," Kairi exclaimed, tears in her eyes. "My old home..."

Another harsh shove to the back snapped them out of their reverie. "Stop gawking and march," the lead soldier shouted, starting them toward their destination once again.

Sora grumbled, "These guys are so unfriendly."

Riku couldn't help but nod in agreement, "No arguments from me."

Walking through the city, they could see the many changes in Radiant Garden. People were now out and about, getting on with their daily lives. There were new stores and businesses, teeming with activity. The sounds of conversation could be heard throughout, as could the laughter of children. In the sky, hover cars zoomed about, in a high-flying freeway, each toward their own destinations.

They also took notice of the mysterious white armored soldiers patrolling the streets. But the people didn't seem to take any notice of them. Some of the people passing by occasionally waved and smiled at them and the soldiers waved back. Some of them were shopping at the item shops, haggling with the small white Moogles. Walking into a large square they saw a huge stone statue depicting Ansem the Wise, in all of his glory, wearing his white suit with his red scarf wrapped around his neck, a cheerful smile forever on his face. A great tribute to a great man. Engraved on an iron plaque at the base were the words: "Lest We Forget". Passing the statue Sora, Kairi, and Riku each bowed their heads in respect before continuing on.

The group headed down a large path leading to the citadel. That was apparently where they were heading. The citadel grew larger and larger as they drew closer. They strode up the steps to the large iron gates where two soldiers stood guard. "These are the passengers to the alien ship," the leader told the guards. "We're taking them to see the commander."

The guards nodded before opening the large doors, its hinges groaning loudly. The young heroes were once again pushed forward to enter the large structure to see this supposed "commander". Sora remembered being here in the past with Donald and Goofy when Heartless roamed the castle corridors. That was not the case now. The halls were now brightly lit, cleared of any rubble and there was not a Heartless in sight. That was something else Sora noticed since he arrived. They had not encountered a single Heartless on their journey through the city. It was like they were all gone. But that couldn't be true.

Could it?

After taking an elevator to the upper levels, they arrived at a door with two more armed guards standing watch. Sora recognized this place. It was Ansem's study. After their captors gave a brief explanation to the guards, they headed inside. There they were faced with someone's back to them overlooking some documents on Ansem's desk, someone with a black fur-trimmed jacket, and familiar cropped brown hair...

"Leon!" Sora exclaimed instantly.

"Huh?" Leon turned around noticing them now, his eyes turned instantly to familiar blue ones. "Sora? Kairi? Riku?", he asked, apparently confused upon their arrival. "When did you guys get here? No one told me anything."

"Well, we didn't exactly make the most elegant of landings." Riku almost screamed gesturing to men behind him who growled slightly, "Upon arriving we were blown out of the sky by these giant flying gun-totting triangles! And if that wasn't enough, after the crash landing we were manhandled by these guys in white pajamas!"

It was then Leon noticed the handcuffs on their wrists. He turned to the soldiers, eyes blazing with fury. "They were the enemy ship the blockade reportedly shot down?!" He asked them angrily, "Why wasn't I informed?"

The leader stepped forward. "We didn't know they were with you sir," he replied in an unwavering voice, "They had no identification code. The Star Destroyers had no way of knowing."

"I don't want to hear it! From now on, anything that the blockade encounters, comes through me first. Got it?" He glared at all of them, daring them to challenge him. The leader merely saluted smartly, as did the others. "Good. Now release them and go about your duties." The soldiers hastily obliged, unlocked their bonds, and left without a word.

"Leon!" Sora announced cheerfully, going up to his friend and clasping his hand, "How have you been?"

"Better than you, apparently," he joked. "It's good to see you guys again."

"Likewise," Kairi replied cheerfully. "Leon, the city looks incredible. I can't believe how much you guys have accomplished. I can almost remember it being exactly like this!"

"Yeah, except for one major detail," Riku put in, his teal eyes meeting Leon's dark ones. "Who the heck were those lunatics?"

Leon's brow furrowed. "I guess I've got some splainin' to do," he said in his best Ricky Ricardo accent. They all nodded in response. "But first, how about the grand tour? I'll explain everything on the way," He added with a smirk.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Sora replied grinning.

Mulan picked another herb, placing it within her basket with the others. These particular herbs only grew on rock formations. She sighed contentedly and took in her surroundings. She was on a cliff top overlooking a vast field of beautiful flowers just outside the Imperial Palace. From her position, it was all so peaceful.

"This is sooo boring!" A voice shouted from somewhere. Mulan sighed again, this time in hopelessness. So much for peace. The source of the voice, a small red dragon, popped his head out from the flowers. "Bodyguard to the Emperor, vanquisher of evil, savior of China, and they have you picking flowers! Now what part of that makes sense?" Mushu exclaimed with an armful of herbs, trudging through the flowers to reach her. "They should be erecting statues in your honor, singing praises of your name, not having you collect posies!"

"Mushu, this is an important job appointed to me by the Emperor. The city needs these herbs to make medicines for dangerous diseases. It may not be the most glorious job, but I never wanted to be famous. I just wanted to do my part to help China. Besides, we could have never done what we did without Sora's help," she said, looking across the clear horizon.

Mushu scoffed at such a notion. "Well, you got the mushy hero nonsense down. Face it girl, our fifteen minutes of fame are over." He placed another bunch of herbs in his arms, before it became too heavy and effectively buried him. "Ooof! Uh, a little help?"

Mulan laughed at his antics before turning back to the horizon. She then noticed something that was not there before. At the bottom of the cliff standing amongst the flowers, she could make out what appeared to be a man, dressed in a full length blood red robe with what looked like horns emerging from the hood he wore. His head was bowed so she couldn't see his face, but there was something about him that she could tell was not right.

She grabbed Mushu, hid, and crawled low to the edge of the cliff to get a better look. Mushu objected, saying, "Hey, hey, hey, what are you do-" she clamped her hand over his small mouth silencing him.

"Shhh!" she hissed. She pointed down to the mysterious man standing motionless in the field. "That guy just appeared as if out of nowhere."

The family guardian then noticed him, too, and gave off a shiver. "Ohh, I'm feeling some major bad mojo coming from that guy, Mulan," Mushu whispered back. "Call it my guardian dragon intuition, or ESPN, but believe me when I say there is something about that guy that ain't natural."

Mulan nodded in agreement. The mysterious man looked at his surroundings for a few moments before taking a few slow steps forward, his face still hidden from Mulan. As he strode through the field, the flowers around him began to wither and die, leaving behind a trail of pestilence and death. Seeing this increased the feeling of dread that Mulan felt for this man.

After walking forward a few paces, the horned stranger came to a halt before turning around to face the other way. He slowly raised his hands to the air, revealing them to be withered claws. The clear, sunny day was then suddenly darkened to a pitch-black state. Large storm clouds formed which were as dark as the sky itself. The land was then deathly silent. "What's going on?" Mulan asked, slightly frightened.

"I don't know, but I'd bet my steamed dumpling stash that tall, dark, and creepy down there has something to do with it," Mushu said cowering on Mulan's shoulder.

Suddenly, the ground at the stranger's feet began to shift and move, and a skeletal hand shot out from among the dead flowers. It slowly made its way out of the ground to reveal that it was attached to the body of a skeleton, wearing rusted old armor and clutching a large battleaxe. It dusted off the remaining dirt on its person, turned to the stranger, and bowed down on one knee before him.

Soon after, another hand shot out of the ground. Then another. Two more sprung out. Then seven. Dozens of skeletal soldiers were now emerging from the field, all bearing fearsome weapons ranging from swords to pole axes.

Mulan and Mushu watched all of this with abject horror. More and more of these creatures were rising from the earth. There were now hundreds of these undead minions. After the last had risen, the soldiers all fell to their knees before their horned master. It suddenly dawned on Mulan; this was an invasion army. They were going to attack the Imperial city!

The robed stranger looked upon his un-dead army in silent satisfaction. He then suddenly rounded to look straight into Mulan's terrified eyes. She recoiled looking at his face for the first time. He had a skeletal face more terrifying than any of his followers, with two piercing red eyes that seemed to see into Mulan's very soul. His terrible features then turned to a menacing smirk. He had known they were there all along.

She turned to Mushu. "We've got to warn Shang! They're going to attack the palace!"

"Like I'm going to stick around here!" He exclaimed. They then ran as fast as they could towards the palace hoping to warn them before the inevitable happened.

From where he stood in front of his army, the Horned King chuckled silently to himself. It was about to begin. Unknowest to him, a man in a trench coat came out of a blue box stared at the face of radiant garden, "Hmmm... Looks like I'm a bit earlier. But the return of the Keyblade Wielders should be here soon enough. Now then, to find Young Sora... The universe will be counting on him once again to turn the tide."

He then walked behind a tree and vanished without a trace...

And that conclude this chapter. Be sure to write nice reviews adapt the original story (Darius Almighty's work) on DeviantArt or post the story on TV tropes or follow and favorite it. And remember may your heart be your guiding key!