Chapter 36: dimensional dilemma
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. Now to begin the beagle dimension hopping arc! Po won't form a rivalry on yuffie in this fanfic!
With that out of the way, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!
A bright sun shone down over the red roofed houses, reflecting off the white walls that was Disney Castle. Though these were troubling times, it still managed to keep its air of magnificence. Beyond the walls and inside, the walking brooms went about their chores, making sure the castle was spick and span. But, upon reaching the room of the King, they were told to keep out.
Merlin the wizard scanned the bed that held the resting and still bedridden King Mickey. The King slumbered peacefully, his steady breathing the only sign that he was alive. The bandages around his head were replaced regularly as he slumbered. As Merlin's glasses checked him over, his bearded face twisted into a frown.
"Isn't there anything you can do, Merlin?" Behind the wizard was the temporary ruler of Disney Castle, Queen Minnie, and her loyal friend, Daisy Duck. Merlin turned to her, heart aching at her hope filled eyes.
"I'm sorry, your Majesty," he sighed, cleaning his glasses with a handkerchief. "But I'm afraid there is nothing I can do. Whatever ails the King cannot be healed by magic or potions. His condition doesn't appear physical. I believe he may be in some kind of emotional anguish." He placed his glasses back on the bridge of his nose. "The best thing is for him to rest and we can hope that he awakens soon." The Queen bowed her head sadly as Daisy put a comforting wing on her shoulder.
"Then we must put our faith in Sora and his friends," she said quietly, "just as we've done in the past. But..." She turned back to her King. "...this time Mickey can't help him." She looked out the window at the clear blue day, then calmly walked away and out of the room, leaving a worried duck and wizard in her wake.
Little did they know they were being watched. Outside the walls and on top of a high tower, a pair of binoculars zoomed in on the King's bedroom window, taking in all that was happening in secret. The owner of the lenses, a bearded dog/man in purple hooded robes, lowered them, seemingly glaring at the figures as they conversed. From another part of his robes he pulled out a walkie talkie.
"This is Merlock to the double B's," he said through the device. "Are you in position?" It crackled before an answer came through.
"Read you loud and clear!" came the rough woman's voice on the other side, Merlock wincing at the loudness of it. "And yeah, me and my boys are ready for anything!"
"Ma! I'm hungry!" came a different, whiny male voice.
"You're always hungry!" snapped another.
"Both of you, shut up!" came a rougher voice.
"Boys! No fighting! It's okay, deary. Here, have a sandwich." Merlock sighed and rolled his eyes upon hearing the whole exchange.
"You're all clear to move," he continued, looking through the binoculars again. "Don't screw this up."
"Ah, don't get your beard in a knot! You just tell Maleficent she better have our munny ready when we get back!" Merlock growled and switched the walkie talkie off. Personally, he wished they'd never come back. Suddenly, the green jewel around his neck glowed bright, and a change took place. The dog/man transformed into a large, fearsome bird, complete with beak, wings and talons. The only thing out of place was the glowing jewel still around its neck. Spreading its wings, the bird took flight, flying away from the castle, its mission now completed.
But the castle wasn't safe yet. Scaling one of the walls on the far side of the castle were eight figures dressed entirely in black, ranging in various shapes and sizes. Suction cups on their hands and feet were what they used to scale the vertical surface, pops sounding the higher they climbed. They weren't exactly ninja and were quite clumsy-looking as they worked. But still, they had gone completely unnoticed so far.
"Are we there yet?" whined one of them.
"Shhhh!" the others hissed. "You want to give us away!?" another whispered, angrily.
"Hey, let's play it cool, cats," said another, slyly.
"Quiet or I'll knock both your heads together!" a burlier voice growled.
"Boys!" Everyone was quiet when the figure leading the group, the only female member, snapped at them all. "Keep your traps shut or they'll be no mayhem for any of ya!"
"Sorry, Ma," they all sighed. With no more distractions, they continued the climb up the snow- white walls.
"Oops! I dropped my sandwich!" cried one.
"Shhhhh!" The sandwich-craving figure sighed and kept up his efforts on the climb, now unfortunately foodless. Down below, a patrolling royal knight was all of a sudden bopped on the head with a sandwich, bologna by the looks of it. To the knight, this was a rather strange occurrence, seeing how it had never rained sandwiches as long as he'd worked at the castle. He looked skyward but saw nothing out of the ordinary, having just missed the black clad group slipping inside a nearby window.
The eight people were now inside Disney Castle. An empty hallway was where they emerged from the window, no guards or walking brooms in sight. That suited them just fine. The woman leader looked around before she spoke to them again. "Alright, boys, we're in. Time to get to work!" The others chuckled. They then began to remove their black clothing, throwing all of it into one big heap on the floor.
Underneath it all were seven dog/men, all wearing red shirts and blue pants. They all wore black masks and green caps and had placard numbers stitched to their fabrics, but each was as different as the next.
"'Bout time we got here." One was small but looked ready for trouble. "I'm just itching for some bad times!"
"Do you think they have a kitchen here?" A fat one looked like he'd rather eat than do anything else.
"This place is huge! Then again, so is everything else in my eyes!" Another was also small and had the face of a baby.
"It ain't so big. In fact, it was a cake to break into, too!" Another was large and muscled, clearly the biggest and the strongest.
"Duhh, what are we doing here again?" One's clothes hung loosely from him and he didn't look too bright.
"Don't you remember, man?" Dark glasses covered another's eyes, this one looking the most laid- back of the group. "We're hear to shake things up a bit. Oh, that's good. I should write a song about that."
"Enough with the songs. We got stuff to take apart." The second largest was missing one of his teeth and looked pretty tough.
"Settle down, boys." The eighth member, who was also the only female and the oldest, also wore a mask. But she had grey hair in a bun, and a hat with a flower. "We've got a job to do. Maleficent is payin' us big bucks for this. And you know our motto, if it's worth gettin' a whole lot of money, do it well!"
"Right, Ma!"
Ma Beagle grinned and looked down the corridor, her seven sons standing behind her with one thing going through their criminal heads: mischief. "Look out everyone. The Beagle Boys are on the job!"
KHKHKHKH
The bridge of the Shera was bathed in the green light that was the map of Captain Flint. Hundreds of holographic planets and stars floated before the crew, making up the vast universe. How many decades this must have taken to complete they could only guess. The small golden sphere from which this whole wonder emerged sat in the middle of the room in the compartment Cid had set up.
Leon gazed into the light blankly, his thoughts a mystery to all around him. "So many worlds, so many people. All of them in danger. We have Maleficent on one end, the Horned King on the other. And an Empire that's spread to who knows how far."
"We may be over our heads here," Barret chuckled as he watched his daughter Marlene reach out and touch the holograms.
Leon shook his head to clear his mind. "With this many obstacles to overcome..." He silently reached out to the map, his fingers passing through the location of his home: Radiant Garden. "Getting back Radiant Garden seems like a dream." He pulled away from his thoughts and scanned the bridge. "Where's Aerith?"
"I think she's in her room," Kim explained absentmindedly, kicking a blitzball up and down with Denzel. "And what's with the downward spiral of emotions all the sudden?"
"He does that a lot," Quistis sighed. Leon glared at his former mentor.
A small light flashed on Cid's command port. "Looks like the heroes are back," he announced, then looked closer at the readings. "With one more person than they left with!"
"They must have found a new Keyblade!" Denzel exclaimed with hope.
"Nice! Now we're gettin' somewhere!" Barret laughed, flexing his steel fingers. "If that is a Keyblader their bringin', then that means we've got seven now! That's my lucky number!"
"You see, Leon," Quistis assured, walking to the stout man. "At this rate, we'll have our home back in no time." Even the ever-sullen Leon had to smirk at that. Maybe there was hope. The doors swished open and the mission-going Keybladers strode inside. They looked good considering the fact that they had just fought a siege.
"So, where is he?" Adelbert immediately asked. "We're dying to meet the new guy!" The Key- bearing heroes were apparently not as eager, exchanging uncertain glances with each other.
"Uh, yeah...," Sora muttered. He held in his hand a small cue card from which he began to read: "'Everyone be prepared for the greatest Keyblader of them all.'"
"'A true warrior for the ages," Kairi read from her own card.
"'A man among men,'" Mulan recited.
"'The bane of evil and darkness everywhere?'" Beast read in disgust. He called over his shoulder through the doorway, "You got to be kidding me!"
"Stick to the script," whispered a voice unfamiliar to most of the Shera crew. Beast grumbled under his breath.
It was Jack's turn to step up. "'A force of great...uh...mag...mag...ni...magni..."
"Sound it out," Kairi chided gently.
"Magni...magi..."
"Magnificence!" the voice snapped.
"Oh, right!" Jack chuckled. When it came for sonic's turn he merely shrugged.
"I lost my card," he said simply. The unknown person in the hall sputtered a string of curses. An black blur shot out from the door and into the bridge, bouncing off the walls like a super ball, flying through the holo map, and a hyper laughter following behind it. The eyes of the Shera crew could barely keep up with it, whatever it was. And then suddenly it stopped and landed in the middle of the room, as all eyes focused on it.
"Presenting...!" The super speedy unknown revealed itself to be a panda. "po! The dragon warrior of the valley of peace!" Blinding light shone off his big smile, striking, in his opinion, a very heroic pose.
Silence filled the bridge.
Leon slapped his forehead. "The universe is doomed."
The Keybladers came up behind this boy, none too happy with his performance, like the rest of the crew of the Shera. "Guys, this is the newest Keyblader, po!" Sora announced.
"Yeah, we got that," Cid answered, practically gnawing on his toothpick.
"Great. Another weirdo," Adelbert muttered in disgust. His armour knocked together when he lumbered over to po, sizing him up like he does almost everyone he meets. "And what makes you such a great warrior, panda?"
"Besides the oh so obvious height advantage," Lula remarked, sarcastically. po didn't seem to be put off by the fact that a sword was talking to him, just looking for a chance to prove his worth.
"Dude! Didn't you hear the well choreographed introduction!?" he snapped, waving his arms frantically. "I'm a kung fu master!"
"You're a kung fu master?" Quistis whispered. "A kung fu master with a Keyblade?"
"That's right! But not only that, the greatest kung fu master ever!" He laughed loudly into the air.
just then The ship suddenly jerked and everyone nearly tumbled with the sudden movement.
"What was that!?" Leon growled in annoyance, brushing the hair out of his face. The beast-like aircraft began to move from its world orbit, setting off for a new course of flight.
"Hey Cid! How about keeping this thing steady!" sonic shouted angrily to the Shera captain.
"It wasn't me you crazy hedgehog!" Cid snapped back, looking like he was fighting against his own steering wheel. "Something's got a hold of the ship! I have no control!" It was true. The steering wheel started spinning on its own, flinging Cid across the room. Switches flicked themselves on and off, levers pulled down to operate and, to everyone's horror, the warp button was pushed down. "Buckle yourselves down! We're going hyper!" Cid hollered, slumped against the wall upside down as the engines began to hum louder and louder. At maximum capacity they released the stored up power, blasting off toward an unknown destination, with nothing but a possessed ship to guide them.
KHKHKHKH
Montressor spaceport. The massive, man-made world in the shape of a crescent moon that floated on orbit with the planet Montressor. It really was a marvelous engine of man-made ingenuity, both a home and a tourist attraction. Spaceships flocked to and from the world in large numbers. As it was the last port for a long while, there were plenty of newcomers looking for a place to rest. They were all openly welcomed.
Most of them, anyway.
People in the crowded streets below stiffened in fear when they caught sight of the grey-armoured Imperial shuttle flying in the skies overhead. It was the type of ship used in the Galactic Empire to transport Stormtrooper battalions from world to world. A ship full of Stormtroopers coming to the spaceport was never a good thing. Whether it was tax collection or a routine inspection, the Empire left a trail of fear wherever they went.
The shuttle touched down in a nearby landing bay, the two side wings folding to the side to allow a safe and complete landing. Crowds of aliens had gathered at the runway and whispered anxiously, waiting for whatever came out of the Imperial ship. The ramp lowered vertical and everyone held their breath. Stormtroopers? No. Imperial officers? Not them either. One person walked down the ramp and stood before the astonished crowd's eyes; it was a teenage boy with silver hair.
Riku looked about his surroundings once he was out of the Imperial ship that the Empire had so graciously provided for him. It wasn't the coziest accommodations he could ask for but it beat the cell he used to have on the Executer. After nearly two days of nonstop flying to escape the Super Star Destroyer, he decided that he was far enough away to stop for a rest. And this did seem like an ideal place to stop. It was a lot more populated then the other worlds he'd been to. And they weren't friends of the Empire; the suspicious and anxious stares of the gathered crowd were evidence of that.
Giving a friendly wave to the astonished aliens, Riku set off into the unknown city. "First order of business," he sighed when his stomach suddenly growled. "Fill my belly." It was true he was hungry. Prison food back with the Empire wasn't exactly a fine delicacy. And, speaking of the gun toting freaks, Riku hadn't seen hide nor hair of them since he'd escaped. Odd, since he thought he was the entire foundation on which their plans for galactic conquest stood. If he was so important, shouldn't they be looking for him or something? He shrugged off the suspicion. He could think about those things once he reached his destination point, the only safe haven he could think of.
Disney Castle.
He also shrugged off the chill that went down his spine when he thought that.
Riku's quest for a good meal brought him to a street-side McDonalds. What do you know? They were everywhere. Behind the counter was a robot cashier who seemed to be the only one working there. "Welcome!" it exclaimed cheerfully when Riku approached. "How may I help you today, valuable customer?" Riku was already hating artificial intelligence.
"Yeah, just give me a number eight combo and be quick about it," he answered. The robot nodded happily and went off into the back, cooking up whatever went into the food served there. Riku sighed and walked a bit away from the fast-food joint, trying to figure out what he would do after this.
First off, he would head to Disney Castle (he ignored the chill again) and see if the King was alright, or if they have any news of Sora and Kairi. He wanted to get to them as soon as he could, showing them that he was still in one piece. As lame as it sounded, he did worry about them. Who knows what they had been up to after they escaped Radiant Garden. For all he knew they might even be gathering other Keybladers from different worlds to save the universe from the clutches of evil.
Riku chuckled to himself. "I should put my imagination to better use." In his thinking he realized something. How was he going to pay for his meal? The Empire kind of took everything that might prove even remotely useful for him. "Uh, excuse me?" he called turning around. "I actually don't have-"
KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Riku was thrown back from the shockwave as the McDonalds was engulfed in a fiery explosion, the giant yellow M launching into the stratosphere and bits and pieces flying everywhere. He hit the ground and slowly recovered from shock, staring with wide eyes at the burning rubble that he was going to eat from. The head of the robot cashier that Riku had spoken to only moments before rolled out of the destruction stopping just at his foot. "Would you like fries with that?" it asked. Riku wigged out and kicked the creepy thing away. Calming down, he took another look. Something else could be seen in the fire, something that was walking toward the young Keyblader. Riku stood back up but didn't take his eyes off it before it emerged.
"Never send a Nobody to do a Chaser's job!" From the fire that didn't touch him walked a figure dressed entirely in armour and speaking with a southern accent. A cape flowed behind him and the helmet on his head had no visible eye holes. But, what Riku found was the most startling of all, was that in the man's hand was a Keyblade. A nasty looking axe Keyblade with no keychain. People in the streets ran away in panic, leaving Riku alone to face this new threat.
The man halted in the centre of the rubble. "So you're the famous Riku?" he chuckled boisterously. "Not really what I expected. After all the stories I've heard, I didn't expect you to be a grey-haired bishie. What are the Keyblades thinking these days!? Chosing little squirts to be their wielders!" Riku, still stricken by the man's violent appearance, managed a dirty look.
"For the record, it's silver," he spat. He was very sensitive about his hair. "And anyway, who the heck are you?"
"I'm what you call a Chaser, boy. Name's Charon. You might want to take the time to remember it, seeing as it's the last name you'll ever hear!" Riku tensed when Charon raised his outstretched palm towards him and, when a blast of ice shot from it, the boy quickly dropped to the ground allowing it to sail over his head. The buildings behind him frosted over when the blast struck. Luckily, no people were in the way when it did. Strong, able homes were now glistening new ice sculptures for the city to be proud of. That was a blizzaga spell Riku realized, only it was ten times the power of a regular blizzaga spell. He wasn't sure even Aerith could pull off something like that. It didn't take a genius to get that this guy was trouble. And trouble meant fighting. Getting back up and shaking the dirt from his hair, Way to the Dawn whisked into Riku's hand.
Charon shivered slightly. "Oh, I love that feeling! Haven't felt it in over a hundred years! Every time a Keyblade is summoned I just get all giddy! It's made all the sweeter when I get to take that guy's Keyblade!"
Riku raised an eyebrow. "You want my Keyblade? That's why you're here?"
"Normally, yes. But you, partner, you're special. I'm going to think of your Keyblade as a little bonus! Because, the reason I'm here is to take you away! After all, you are the other half!"
Riku raised an eyebrow. "Other half?"
"Oops! Did I say that out loud? Silly, silly me! Oh well, it won't matter in a few seconds anyway!" Faster than Riku thought possible, Charon ran headlong for him with the axe Keyblade in his grasp. A Dark Shield was raised and the Keyblade fell upon it, knocking Riku back several feet. Charon was on him in an instant and their Keyblades connected.
The two engaged in a fierce duel right in the middle of the street, drawing a small, yet growing, crowd. Riku quickly found out that this man wasn't just some lunatic waving around a Keyblade. He was actually quite skilled and very dangerous, unlike anything he'd ever faced before. For a minute, he thought he was facing Sora again, if Sora were crazy, merciless and wanted to kill him dead. Whoever this guy was he was no pushover and obviously had experience fighting against another Keyblade. None of these traits put the fight in Riku's favour. They ended up clashing from one end of the city to another. Charon gave Riku no chance to rest, or to get away, but Riku wouldn't back away either.
Crowds of surprised and confused onlookers, always in the mood for a little entertainment, followed the fight. Though they had no idea what was going on, they couldn't turn their eyes away. None of them realized what kind of danger they were in just by being there.
There was a pause in the fight; Riku was panting hard while Charon remained a mystery behind the helmet. They encircled each other in the centre of the crowd, Riku glaring, Charon chuckling.
"Got to admit, boy," the Chaser said menacingly. "You've got the skills. Too bad your hair makes you look like a freakin' femme. Then again, that other kid wasn't very macho, either." Riku caught that part.
"Other kid? Do you mean Sora!?" Charon laughed insanely.
"Why do you think we're going after you? In fact, the others might have already got him! We're very efficient Keyblade hunters!" Riku caught that too. Others? There were more of these psychos? Said psycho stopped circling and twirled his Keyblade casually. "You got the darkness in ya, boy. Like me. Two peas in a pod is what we are! But the only difference between you and me, you do good..." His free hand suddenly started crackling with powerful electric volts, running up and down his gauntlet which Riku could only assume was a powerful thundaga spell. "...and I'm just whole lot of evil!" Riku gasped when Charon turned his hand to the assembled crowd, who were beginning to get bored until the lightning blasted from the Chaser's palm right at them. As quick as he could, Riku fired a Dark Aura in the path of the thundaga, colliding them before it hit the crowd and creating a violent explosion.
The assembled people and aliens finally understood that this was no place to be and ran off in different directions, screaming with fright. None were hurt by the explosion, just startled and lucky. The explosion calmed down and Charon could see again. All the people were gone. And so was Riku.
"Come on out, Riku!" he yelled through the empty streets. "You ain't gonna hide, are you? We were having fun! Fight me like a man!" More lightning shot from his hand, aimed at the buildings all around him, reducing them to rubble, hoping to flush the silver-haired youth out of hiding.
Luckily Riku was an adept hidder. From his position behind one of the buildings he took the opportunity to catch his breath and assess the situation. Peeking around the corner and seeing Charon blasting architecture to pieces, made him realize just how much he missed the Empire right now. This guy, this Chaser, was way too strong for him to face one-on-one. He knew when things were too hot for him too handle. This was one of those times.
A Keyblade. He still couldn't get over the fact that guy wielded one. Much less the fact he wanted his. He though the only Keybladers were he, Sora, the King, and just recently Kairi. And he said he met Sora. If that guy really was hunting Keyblades then Sora was naturally a prime target. If Sora had met that guy...it was best not to think about that right now.
"Come on, Freak-U!" Riku heard Charon call, explosions still going off. "Like the nickname? I just thought it up now! Riku, Freak-U; it just rolls off the tongue! I'm pretty darn clever, aren't I?" Riku rolled his eyes. This guy obliviously loved to hear the sound of his own voice. "Oh, come on, Freak-U! Maybe we just got off on the wrong foot. Did I mention we got an old friend who's just dying to see you again?" Riku perked up his ears. "Apparently he's a big fan of yours! I'll give you a hint: it's an acronym for man-sex! No? Then let me give you another. Starts with a Xem, ends with a Nas! Hope you can spell!" Riku gasped. It couldn't be. There was no way.
"Xemnas?" Riku whispered in shock. He was alive? But...how?
"He misses you so much, Freak-U!" Charon scoured around as he shouted, the buildings around him all destroyed. "You might say you...complete him." Riku growled under his breath. Now he really needed to find Sora and Kairi. If Xemnas was indeed alive and had this nutjob under his command it was trouble for all of them. First he had to get rid of this guy. But how? He couldn't beat him in battle. Suddenly, at that moment, off in the distance, Riku saw a ship take off into the sky, leaving behind a trail of smoke as it sped away. Being the smart lad that he was, a plan automatically sparked in Riku's brain, causing him to smirk.
His smirk vanished when he heard chittering by his head. Looking up, he saw something he didn't expect. Crawling along the wall on two short legs were several Creeper Nobodies, sticking to the surface of the wall like insects. Their eyeless faces were stuck on him. Before they could make the first move, however, Riku sliced through the nearest one with his Keyblade, but could not stop the wordless scream that escaped its nonexistent mouth.
"Found ya!" Charon yelled. Riku and the Nobodies barely had enough time to run before the building he hid behind was blown apart by another thundaga blast. He then bolted out of there, to anywhere that wasn't in the path of the Chaser. Charon watched him as he ran, his Creeper Nobodies flocking around him. "I love it when they run. The chase is on, ya'll! Let's get that grey-haired punk! YEEEEEHAAAAAAA!" Charon took after Riku, and the Creepers followed, morphing into small bird-like creatures, taking to the air and following their leader's prey.
Elsewhere, a certain 'honest' Toydarian merchant worked tirelessly to heft a pretty damn heavy sign to the top of his store, wings flapping their hardest to make it. Watto prided himself in making smart business decisions. Moving to this port-world for a fresh start was one of them. The next step was setting up a junk shop that people might actually want to shop at. And after getting that eight-thousand munny from that group of chumps not too long ago, he could afford to fix his up a bit.
Finally getting the stupid sign in place, Watto hovered back down and landed to examine his work. His once dirtied and depressing looking store had now become a well tidied place of business. Complete with the big neon sign that said in big glowing letters: WATTO"S JUNK SHOP.
"Good as new!" Watto laughed with his fat chin rippling. "It is a good day to be me! This place will bring the munny flowing in! Now I can finally buy a slave boy again! Bring on the suckers!" He laughed again straight to the sky. Things were finally looking up for ole' Watto.
"Sorry!" Watto was suddenly bowled over by the rampant Riku, knocking into the pillar that supported the sign. Without anything to hold it up, the sign crashed back to the ground, shattering into pieces of glass.
"Hey!" Watto shouted after him. "You break it, you buy it!"
CRAAAAAAASHHHHHHHH!
Watto's shiny new shop was completely annihilated when Charon burst right through it at full speed. Watto's eyes bugged out as pieces of rock and former merchandise went everywhere. Charon cared not and continued running, the Nobodies following behind him. Watto approached the mess that used to be his shop, hands trembling in disbelief.
"I should never have left Tatooine!" he shouted to the air, jumping up and down in a furious rage.
Riku ran down the streets like there was a stampede of rhinos on his tail. But the thing that was chasing him was much worse than that. Charon was relentless in pursuing the boy, a guy who truly did love what he did. Blasts of lightning and ice shot from his hand and after Riku, going wide and destroying anything else that got in the way. People screamed and ran for cover when the blasts bombarded the streets, freezing them over or blowing them skyward No one wanted to get in the way of this game of ultimate tag.
"Run, run as fast as you can!" Charon howled, all giddy. "But I will catch you! Take him down, boys!" The flying Creepers around him picked up their speed and descended upon Riku like birds of prey. He tried his best to avoid them as he ran. When one came at him he cut through it with his Keyblade and used his Dark Auras to blow the ones that were at a distance. No matter how many flew his way he managed to take down every one.
But he wasn't prepared for when Charon suddenly appeared by his side. "Howdy!" Too distracted by the Nobodies, Riku couldn't block Charon's flat-bladed swing and he flew across the asphalt, rolling along the ground a bit more before coming to a stop. Charon had knocked him into what looked like a parking lot for spaceships. All around him were vessels built for the sole purpose of traveling to other worlds. How long ago was it since Riku wanted to travel to other worlds? Too long it seemed. The situation he was in right now made him realize just how much he missed normal life.
Charon stepped into view, each step an impending doom to Riku's fate. "You got spunk, boy. I don't know what in the world spunk is but you got it. Too bad it won't save you! You're coming with me with, or without your limbs!"
Riku snorted. "I'd like to take the third option. Kicking your metal can from here to the Pride Lands!" Charon laughed out loud.
"There's that spunk! Bring it on, Freak-U!" Again, their Keyblades whizzed and sparked. Riku utilized his Way to the Dawn Keyblade and Dark Shield to attack and block Charon, who was legendary with his own Keyblade, the name of which Riku did not know. They clashed and bounded all over the shipyard, each not giving the other any chance to breathe. Ships were cleaved in two from the careless strikes of Charon, and others took off in a desperate attempt to get away from the two. Riku, despite his strength and constant bravado, was tiring fast. He didn't how much longer he could last against the Chaser without getting his head chopped off. And that's why he had a plan.
Mustering up all the strength left in his legs, Riku dodged all of Charon's attacks, moved in close and sped all around him. Charon couldn't keep up with him. Riku would come behind him in an instant, then rush to his other side by the time he could turn around. Needless to say, this really ticked the Chaser off.
"Hold still, you little varmint!" Charon shouted, trying to chop Riku up as he zipped all around him. "What are you, some kind of weasel!? Just keep in one place al...ready?" Charon got his wish, because Riku had suddenly come to halt right in front of him. The hand not holding the Keyblade was glowing blue fire, clenched tightly in a fist.
"What's up?" Riku asked before he thrust the flaming fist to Charon's head.
CRACK
Shards of metal helmet flew through the air, glistening off the daylight sun. Riku stood with his fist thrust out after nailing Charon right in the head, while the Chaser also stood there, head snapped to the side and helmet cracked where he had been struck. For awhile, neither moved, like time itself had stopped.
"That...," Charon whispered, much to Riku's confusion. "...wasn't..." His head slowly turned back to the boy. Riku's attack had a broken off a large part of the helmet, enough to reveal one burning hateful blue eye behind the steel. Whatever was underneath that armour was human, as far as Riku could tell anyway. But the eye that was glaring back at him seemed to have no traces of humanity left in it. "...NICE!" Before Riku knew it they were trading blows on the spot. Now in a full fit of rage, Charon pounded blow after powerful blow on the young Keyblader, pouring them down as fast as rain. It was simply too much for Riku. The Chaser had completely given in to his own anger, and was showing it by taking it out on him. Beads of sweat trickled down his face until finally, almost mercifully, Charon knocked him backwards and into a parked ship. Charon heaved in breaths, his anger slowly subsiding as he glared with his exposed blue eye at the defeated Riku, who had a small trickle of blood running down his mouth.
"Game over, Freak-U," he hissed sadistically. "You're damn lucky we need you alive. Or I'd cut you up into tiny pieces right now! Fortunately for you I'm already on Xemmy's bad side." Riku growled but couldn't get back up to defend himself. He was completely spent, barely able stay conscious. "Time to go, partner." Charon chuckled lightly, about to take the boy where he was ordered too.
But he couldn't.
When Charon took a step forward he found something held him back. His cape tugged at him, apparently caught on something. Swiveling round, he found just what. His flowing dark cape was wrapped around one of the particularity large parked spaceships, not just wrapped but tied tightly. "What the...?" Charon muttered. When did that happen? Was that what Freak-U was doing when he was running around him like a possum? He couldn't ponder it any further, because that same ship's engines suddenly roared to life. "What! No!" As the ship began to take off, it dragged Charon with it. The Chaser clamped one hand down to the ground and held on with all the strength he could, momentarily halting the ship in mid-air.
"NO! Let me go! I'm not done here! You! You little punk! You tricked me!" Riku could only smirk through his pain.
"I just got away from being captured," Riku said through the roar of the strained ship's engines. "I want to enjoy my freedom just a little bit longer. Say hi to Xemnas for me." Charon's grip on the earth became weaker and weaker, his blue eye blazing with pure hate. The alien driving the ship, unaware he was towing a Chaser, just wondering why his ship wasn't flying, punched the booster rockets for more speed and Charon's grip was finally lost. Soaring to the sky on the pull of his cape, Charon screamed bloody murder. Fainter and fainter he became until to Riku, he was just a little speck in the sky.
Riku watched as long as he could then breathed a huge sigh of relief. With a large amount of effort, he stood back up, pain shooting through his everything. He then proceeded to limp out of the shipyard and back into the rubble strewn streets.
Charon was gone but he had a feeling he'd be back. And from their 'conversation' it sounded like he had friends, and not just Xemnas and his Nobodies. Keyblade hunters like himself. Probably just as strong, too. That meant that Sora, Kairi and even King Mickey were in danger. But what did Charon mean when he said that he was the other half? Other half of what? What made him different from everyone else? Riku sighed. Too many questions, not enough answers. He would get to the bottom of this once he arrived at Disney Castle. But first...
The doors to a local diner swung open and everyone inside froze what they were doing when the ragged form of Riku limped inside. They didn't expect the cause of all the commotion outside to grace them with his presence. Burning wreckage could literally be seen outside the window. Riku, taking no heed to the stares, preceded to the counter and took a seat, wiping the blood from his mouth.
"Burger to go please."
KHKHKHKH
The sun shone brightly without any hindrance from clouds, shining warm light down on the beautiful sparkling metropolis below. Spectacular structures made in the styles of great monuments and temples were the core of this landscape. It was a city that seemed to grow into the green landscape it stood on, almost merging into it; civilization and nature blending together in perfect harmony. Rivers ran through canals and fountains, the water as clear as the sky above it. Fantastic temples stood high and holy, people flocking inside. It was all magnificent in the eyes of the woman in pink who stood in the centre of it all.
Aerith marveled at the sight of the city she stood in, green eyes full of admiration. Even though the citizens didn't seem to notice her at all, it didn't deter her good mood. This place, wherever it was, gave her the feeling of a special connection to it. Almost like she had been here before. But she had never seen this place before in her life. Even so, the intense good feeling she felt radiating from here was just so...soothing.
It wasn't meant to last. The ground at Aerith's feet began to rumble, startling the flower girl from her daze. This occurrence seemed to go unnoticed to the citizens, just as they ignored her presence. A terrible feeling washed over her as the rumbling grew louder. She tried to call out to the other people, tell them to get away, but her mouth emitted no sound. Then she saw it. A bright light falling from the sky like a comet, plummeting down into the very centre of the city. When it crashed down, a blinding light followed, spreading out to the entire metropolis. Everything was engulfed by its mass, including Aerith, who could do nothing about it. Her eyes shut tightly when it washed over her, and she opened them when it was over. She should have kept them closed.
The city which she had been entranced with moments before was completely destroyed. Annihilated. In complete ruins. The beautiful buildings were reduced to flaming pieces of rubble. The sparkling rivers were dried up. The trees and plants were burned to cinders. And the people...Aerith could see no sign of anyone. The horror of it struck her with grief and fear.
Even though she was still horror-stricken, something in the carnage caught her eye. Someone else other then her was off in the distance. Hope grew within her, thinking it might be a survivor that was walking her way. Except...she didn't get the well felt vibe she got from the other citizens she saw; rather the opposite. What she felt from that figure, was pure evil. Terrible, tainted darkness. The foulest thing she'd ever felt in her life. What was it? What in the worlds could it be? It walked toward her, hands folded behind its back and, from what she could make out, a broad shaven head. And a pair of inhuman eyes that caused Aerith to do only one thing.
Scream.
KHKHKHKH
Aerith's green eyes sprung open, abruptly breaking her from her meditative trance. As she regained her bearings, she found herself back in her room aboard the Shera, kneeling on the floor in her meditative stance. She placed her hand over her beating heart, sweat pouring down her face as she attempted to calm herself. Not exactly an easy task after what she just saw.
She had never had a vision as vivid as that before. Or as terrifying. Something inside her was saying that what she saw had already happened long ago. But that place...what was it about it that made her feel so welcome? Radiant Garden was her home. Wasn't it? And that figure...she only hoped that whatever caused that rampant destruction was long gone. Because the person she saw was far worse then any other evil she had ever felt. Taking one more deep breath to make sure she was ready, she stood up and headed for the bridge.
Upon entering through the swooshing doors she was met with the sight of Mostly everyone else was looking out the window. The exceptions were Cid, who was trying to turn his steering wheel but to no avail, and Jack who was trying to look inconspicious as he sifted through everyone's personal belongings. Aerith wondered what was happening and decided to find out from Leon.
"What's going on?" she asked, coming up behind the ever sullen Leon. He shrugged.
"Don't know," he responded, looking outside again. "The ship just started flying on its own. We can't get any control over it. So now we're just waiting to see where this hunk of junk leads us."
"I heard that!" Cid hollered from the back. Leon shrugged.
"Hey, I think something is coming up!" Kim announced. Everyone crowded by the large window.
"Disney Castle!" Sora exclaimed instantly. Approaching them at a steady rate was the magical kingdom of Disney, home of King Mickey Mouse who, as far as Sora knew, was still bedridden. Seeing the white castle reminded Sora of Donald and Goofy, and how much they loved their home. He resisted the urge to shed a tear.
"So, that's Disney Castle," Beast grumbled, spying the blue towers and white walls for the first time. Jack came up behind him.
"Looks a little cartoony for a place that's supposed to be a major power in the universe," he concluded, then grinned saucily. "Nice things to be found there I bet!"
"Could we have been summoned here?" Kairi asked out loud. Sora remembered being summoned here before. That was when there was trouble. What could be happening now?
"Time to check it out," he stated.
One teleportation later, the Keybladers were on the surface before the gates of Disney Castle. Sora had never been on the outside of the castle. And from this vantage point, at the castle drawbridge, it looked even bigger and more impressive. The gates in front of them were large too, the King's insignia tattooed in the centre.
"Should we knock?" sonic scoffed.
"Hey! Open up!" po hollered while he pounded on the doors, taking sonic's comment seriously. "The heroes are here! We got some world saving to do!"
"He certainly brings spirit to the party," Mulan commented, watching the boy.
"If nothing else," Beast said dryly. The knocking stopped when the doors swung open silently, nearly whacking po in the face. Once opened, po looked inside and was annoyed to see no one there. Did the doors just open by themselves?
"There you are!" po heard the squeaky voice at his feet and saw the two Gummi ship engineers, Chip and Dale. "What took you guys so long?" asked the red nosed Dale.
"AAAA! Talking gerbils!" po exclaimed, stumbling back to the others.
"What's up, guys!" Sora replied cheerfully, he and Kairi waltzing over to them.
"Everything alright here?" Kairi asked, kneeling down to their level. The chipmunks didn't answer but looked past her at the others, who had chosen to stay back. "Oh, don't worry about them. Their our friends!"
"Keybladers like us!" Sora explained. At this, the other Keybladers all gave a peace sign.
"Wow! You really did find more Keyblades!" Chip cheered.
"Well, that's great!" Dale said, growing slightly worrisome. "Cause we really need some help!"
"There's some intruders in the castle!"
"Merlin's in danger!"
"Merlin?" Sora and Kairi echoed.
"The pointy hat guy?" Beast asked.
"The one who got his beard caught in a pencil sharpener?" Jack drawled.
"That's the guy!" the chipmunks exclaimed together. "Come on! We'll show you!" They then both scurried off into the inner workings of the castle. The Keybladers rushed after them.
Through the decorated halls and past the valuable objects which Jack had strained himself not to take, the Keybladers ran, led by Chip and Dale. Other than Sora and Kairi, most of them were seeing this place for the first time. Sora had told them many things about Disney Castle, having been there many times himself. That's how he knew where the Gummi engineers were taking them: the throne room. After a short run they came before the large doors that lead to the King's throne, where Queen Minnie and Daisy were already waiting for them.
"Queen Minnie! They're here! They're here!" Chip and Dale announced excitedly, their cries alerting the Queen and her friend.
"Sora! Kairi! You're here!" her Majesty, Queen Minnie gasped, obviously happy to see them.
"Your Majesty," Sora and Kairi said at once, both bowing down before her. After all, in the King's stead she was the castle's ruler. "Did you summon us, your Majesty?" Sora asked.
The Queen nodded. "Yes. And I'm so glad I did. We all may be in danger!"
"So where are the bad guys!?" po stuck his head between Sora and Kairi, his determined face's sudden appearance startling the Queen. "Come on! Let me at em'! I'll give them what for! Then they'll know I mean business!"
"Will someone put that panda on a leash?" Beast growled, he and the others walking up.
"There isn't enough leash in the worlds," Mulan sighed.
"Well then at least muzzle him," sonic remarked. Queen Minnie and Daisy, slightly amused and slightly frightened, turned to Sora for an explanation.
"Oh, these are the new Keybladers!" he explained with a grin. "This is po..." po grinned. "Beast..." Beast nodded in recognition. "sonic..." The hedgehog smirked. "Mulan..." Mulan bowed respectively. "And this is Ja-" At Jack's introduction Sora paused, since the pirate's hands were but inches away from a golden Mickey statue on a pedestal. He froze like a deer in the headlights.
"Captain Jack Sparrow at your service, your Royal Highness!" Jack declared innocently, sauntering from the loot to the Queen and bowing humbly on one knee. "It truly is an honor to be in your mousy presence! If there is anything you require, do not hesitate to ask and I'll get one of them to do it for me!" The Queen smiled politely.
"Your Majesty," Kairi said. "What's this about intruders in the castle?"
"Oh, yes. I'm afraid that a group of people has broken inside!"
"Who?" Sora asked. Who could have been bold enough to break into Disney Castle?
"The Beagle Boys," Daisy hissed. The Keybladers all gave questionable looks at the name that seemed to be famous.
"The what?" po asked, scratching his head.
"The Beagle Boys," Queen Minnie continued. "A family of criminals and thieves who like nothing more then breaking the law." Jack, who had snuck back to the golden statue, retracted his greedy hands at the mention of thieves.
"They're the most notorious criminals in the Kingdom," Daisy explained. "Always causing problems. But they've never attempted anything like this before."
"And what about Merlin?" asked Kairi.
"Merlin was captured by them," the Queen sighed solemnly. "After they grabbed him, they locked themselves in the throne room. We can't get in!" Sora looked at the great big doors. In there, huh? Without a word, his Keyblade appeared. It was pointed at the door and the click of locks turning was heard by all. Instead of the large doors swinging open like what was expected by most of the Keybladers, a small panel at the base was all that was opened. They slapped their foreheads in amazement.
"Come on," he called to everyone. They all followed him through the small door, Beast just managing to squeeze through the frame. But of course, the only one who stayed behind was Jack, who decided to make for that statue one last time...sonic grabbed him roughly by the collar.
"We can't take you anywhere, can we!?" sonic snarled, literally dragging him through the door.
"Whoa! This place is huge!" po exclaimed, his cry bouncing off the walls of the giant throne room to which he was so impressed. "You can have a football game in here!"
"And Beast can be the mascot!" Jack backed up. Beast looked ready to rip Jack's face off.
"So where are these Beagle Boys?" Mulan asked curiously, looking around the huge room which, as far as she could tell, was completely empty. "There's no one here. Unless they're invisible."
"Are they invisible?" po asked, clueless.
Sora scanned the room. Sure enough, it was empty. A spotless white room lined with towering columns and a long red carpet that lead to the King's one and only throne...The throne? Sora gasped when he solved the puzzle.
"The Cornerstone Room!"
KHKHKHKH
"Maybe if we knock on it three times?"
"Why three?
"It's a nice even number!"
"I think we should play it a song."
"Open Sesame!"
"Simmer down, boys!" The notorious criminal Beagle Boys quit their bickering idiocy at the shout of their oh-so caring mother. All of them were in the secret room of the Cornerstone of Light below the King's throne. The Cornerstone itself shone on its pedestal off to the side, but the thieves showed no interest in it. "It'll take a brain bigger then your mush-filled minds combined to get this right! Alright, beardy!" Merlin the wizard sat in their midst, immobilized by tight ropes, defiant in the face of the infamous Ma Beagle. "We only got one request for you so you'd better get it right! How do we make this thing work?" Thrusting her chubby finger past her seven sons, she pointed straight at the shining silver door. The door to the past. "So start talking!"
"I'm sorry," was Merlin's snide reply. "I seem to have misplaced the instruction manual. Please check back in six to eight weeks where your request will be filed and ignored like the stubble on your chin." Ma growled like the dog/woman she was and her sons snickered behind her, earning them a hard glare.
"Now you listen here, Merly! Your gonna make me do something I don't want to do! Also, I want to do it! Bigtime!"
"Yeah, Ma?" asked the second shortest and most nasty looking of the brothers.
"Search him!" The Beagle Boy grinned and made for Merlin, who suddenly became quite nervous.
"Over the teeth..." Bigtime laughed, rearing back his hand. "And through the beard!" Merlin yelped when the hand was thrust through his long grey beard, wandering and feeling around for whatever the Beagle Boy was looking for.
"N-now see here! I really must protest!" Merlin shouted as he tried to wriggle free.
"Ah, shut up!" Bigtime scoured around the furry forest, a scowl growing on his face. "Hey nimrods! Give me a hand here!" His brothers, with equal grins, rushed to his aid. More hands were stuck in Merlin's beard, much to his disgust. They found and tossed out many things in his beard, such as sunglasses, a drivers ed book, boxing gloves, a lamp, piggybank, cellphone, nailfile, Easter eggs, unsold copies of his autobiography, a sea cucumber, jack-in-the-box, and the kitchen sink.
"Anything yet, boys?" Ma yelled, picking through the contents of the beard.
"Not yet, Ma!" the fat one called back.
"Wait! I think I got it!" exclaimed the smallest of them. Rummaging around a bit more he pulled out his shiny new prize: Merlin's wand. "I got it! I got it!" Merlin bowed his head in defeat.
"Nice work, Babyface!" Ma Beagle congratulated her assumed youngest. The small Beagle waddled over to his mother with wand in hand and it was snatched from him instantly. "Now we're gettin' somewhere! Gather round boys!" Her sons did so, all crowding around her and the silver door. "Now...what were those magic words again?"
"Abra-cadabra?"
"Bada-bing?"
"Bada-boom?"
"Presto?"
"Why don't we just smash it?"
"Or you could all give yourselves up." The dog criminals glanced at each other at that statement.
"I never would have thought of that."
"That's thinking outside the box!"
"Why can't we be that smart?"
"Shut your yaps!" Ma snapped, causing them to cringe. She rounded to the source of this new voice, which happened to be the stairway entrance.
"Hope we're not 'interrupting'?" Sora called again. He and the six other Keybladers stood blocking the only exit, Queen Minnie and Daisy just behind them.
"Hey, Ma. It's that key kid Maleficent told us about," the biggest Beagle Boy sneered.
"So, you're with that witch!" Kairi declared.
"You got that right, sweet cheeks!" Bigtime chuckled, meanly. Kairi scowled fiercely at the nickname.
"Are you the Beagle Boys!?" po shouted across the room.
"Gee. They're walking, talking dogs and they're boys. What do you think?" Jack asked the ninja, who glared at him in response.
"You're right on the money!" Ma Beagle announced loudly. "Intros boys!" The seven masked sons gathered round. Suddenly an upbeat tempo began to play from nowhere, much to the confusion of the Keybladers. "Introducing...!" Ma shouted, now spinning a microphone.
The second largest Beagle walked up, grinning cruelly to show his missing a tooth.
"Bouncer Beagle!" he exclaimed, striking a pose.
"Babyface Beagle!" called the cutest of the brothers dressed almost like a baby.
The smooth easy sound of a jazz saxophone played through the air, coming from the horn of the Beagle Boy wearing shaded glasses. "Bugle Beagle. How bout a song?" he said slyly.
The one with loose fitting clothes hanging off him walked up with no show whatsoever.
"Duh...I'm Baggy Beagle," he drawled, with a grin that would make Goofy look like a genius.
The largest and strongest looking Beagle with a chin bigger then Leno's stepped up. "Bankjob Beagle!" he growled, flexing his muscles so they bulged to massive proportions.
The fattest brother with what looked like a bite mark on his placard, waddled up next. "Burger Beagle!" he introduced, licking his lips in extreme hunger.
Short despite his name, Bigtime Beagle came for his turn. "Bigtime Beagle!"
"And our Ma!" they all shouted as one, making way for their leader and mother, Ma Beagle. She walked to the head of them with a smug expression. "And together we're..." They all struck poses and fireworks exploded behind them from an unknown source. "The Beagle Boys!"
For the longest time, no one said a word. The Beagle Boys' poses were frozen and the only sound was enthusiastic clapping coming from Naruto, who thought the whole show was very entertaining.
"These are super criminals?" Sora stammered, completely flabbergasted.
"I never said they were bright," Daisy sighed.
"I remember my first dance number," said the ever thoughtful Jack. "It might have been what inspired the mutiny..."
"Can we just hurt them now?" sonic hissed, his eye twitching.
"I thought you'd never ask," growled the Beast. In several flashes, seven Keyblades appeared in seven hands, glowing brighter than even the Cornerstone. Seeing this, the Beagle Boys stumbled in their poses and their courage faltered exponentially.
"Duh...Ma! They got those scary key swords!" Baggy stammered.
"Maleficent said those things will tear us apart!" Burger whimpered biting his nails. "I never even got to have my last meal!"
"Ah, we can take em', Ma! Let me at em'!" Bankjob declared pumping his fists.
"There's eight of us and seven of them! We got the numbers on our side!" Bouncer backed up.
"You know what I think?" Bugle Beagle asked.
"WE"RE NOT SINGING A SONG!" they all shouted at the laid back crook.
Ma eyed the Keybladers carefully. Being the group's leader, not to mention mother, it paid to be thoughtful. "Sorry boys," she finally said. "We got a job to do and can't waste time playin' with the good guys. About face!" They swivelled round, completely ignoring the Keybladers to face the magical door to the past. Ma sneered and raised Merlin's wand which she still possessed. "And I just remembered the magic words! Bibbity-bobbity-let's get out of here!" The wand was pointed to the door, magical energies spouting from the tip when the incantation was spoken and absorbed in the door. The doors then opened to a swirling vortex, a spinning rainbow of different colours.
Merlin gasped in shock. "Stop them!" he shouted to the heroes. "Don't let them escape!"
"Let's get them!" Kairi yelled bravely, she and the others rushing to stop the criminals. But Burger Beagle was prepared, pulling out two ketchup and mustard bottles and spinning them like revolvers. Both were squeezed and squirted, their contents staining the pure white floors with red and yellow. The Keybladers slipped and skidded on the on slippery surface, stumbling and falling into the mess.
"Come on, boys!" Ma commanded, while of course taking the time to laugh at the unfortunate Keybladers. The Beagle Boys turned to the door, a little entranced by the swirling bright colors. "Don't worry! Just pretend Vegas is on the other side!"
"ALRIGHT!" One by they jumped inside with no hesitation, disappearing into the door but not reappearing on the other side of it. Their bountiful laughs faded away until finally, Ma herself jumped in. The Beagle Boys were gone, but managed to leave quite a mess before they left.
Sora sat up, running a hand through his ketchup soaked hair. "Defeated by condiments," he sighed dourly. "When they make a movie about my life, leave this part out."
"I thought hanging out with you guys would be a little more adventurous," po said bitterly, attempting to stand up only to slip on more mustard and fall on his back. "And less messy!"
"Trust me," Mulan sighed, wiping her face. "You'll get used to it."
"Conveniently," Jack slurred, cleaning off his hat and beard. "This is the exact same thing that happened at my dance number. Only there were more octopus guts." Nearly clean, his efforts were in vain when Beast got on all fours and shook off all the food on his person, splattering it all on Jack.
"Oops," Beast smirked.
Kairi wiped the stuff from her eye and gazed at the silver door which the beagle Boys had vanished into. "Where did they go?"
"Who knows now?" Merlin cleaned the rims of his glasses angrily, the Queen and Daisy having freed him from his ropes. "Those ruffians could be anywhere by now!"
"And...that's a bad thing?" sonic asked.
"Your dang right it is!" Merlin snapped, marching up to the hedgehog and poking him roughly in the chest. "You obviously have no idea what's happened here! What kind of danger we could be in!" Muttering darkly and nearly slipping in the ketchup and mustard, Merlin marched over to the door to inspect it. The opening was still ajar, the portal still swirling. This increased Merlin's frown. "Mmm! Mmm! Just as I thought! They've opened the dimensional gateways!" Everyone was either lost or confused...or both.
"Dimensional gateways?" Sora repeated, scratching his head. "I thought this thing lead to the past?"
"If only it did that! We might be in less danger!" Merlin growled. "They used my wand to alter it. Now it doesn't lead to the past! It leads to other dimensions! Oh this is terrible! I knew I should have gotten rid of this thing!"
"Wait. Back up," Sora interrupted, waving his hands. "There are other dimensions? You mean besides this one?"
"Yes. Yes, of course. Hundreds of them! As many as there are worlds. And now the Beagle Boys are running amok in them!"
"But Merlin," the Queen said, walking up. "How can that be dangerous?"
"Yeah, I mean they're not here anymore," Naruto shrugged. "Our problems are over."
"Our problems are just beginning! You don't understand! Our dimensions live in perfect synch with each other. Like lilies in a pond, they must remain undisturbed. If someone were to upset the natural balance of one dimension, it would have great implications on the others! And what is more upsetting than the Beagle Boys!?" The Keybladers were silent for a moment, before their eyes turned to one Jack Sparrow.
"Oh, ha ha," Jack muttered.
"What kind of implications could they have on our dimension?" Sora asked, now throughly curious.
"Who knows?" Merlin dismissed. "It could be something like people turning into sheep or the very universe exploding!" They gasped, but it could have been from either the sheep or the destruction of the universe. Hard to tell.
"What can we do?" Sora said determined.
"There's only one thing to do!" Merlin stepped aside so everyone could see the door. "You must go and stop them!"
"Go?" Kairi said again. "As in, to other dimensions?"
"Precisely! It's the only way!" he paced the floor, muttering to himself as he did. "You seven must go into the door and find the Beagle Boys. When you do, you must bring them out of that dimension and back here. Only then can we be sure of our safety."
"There are several flaws in this 'plan'," Beast pointed out. "Like how are we gonna find them? You said yourself that there are hundreds of dimensions. How will we find which one they're in?"
"And once we do find them, how do we get back?" Mulan asked. Merlin 'humphed' disdainfully, miffed that someone would dare question his wisdom. He rolled up his sleeves and in several poofs of smoke, produced seven sphere shaped objects. They were all identical, hovering in the air. They then floated off to the hands of the Keybladers, landing softly and perfectly in their palms. On closer inspection, they were compasses of some sort.
"These are the Chronospheres," Merlin said as they inspected them. "I've created these for just such a mission. With these, you will be able to home in on the location of those crooks instantly. What ever dimension they're in, you'll be transported there in a jiffy!" Merlin smacked po on the head when he began to chew on his Chronosphere. "At that same time, they have the power to eject someone from that dimension and send them back to their own. So when you find and stop their schemes, you'll be able to send them right back here!"
"You thought of and made these right now?" po asked in disbelief.
"I'm a wizard. It pays to be prepared." The Keybladers could only agree with him. "Now enough dilly-dallying! Everyone get to the portal. Every hour wasted plays right into Maleficent's plans!"
"We have to leave now?" Jack stammered. "But I didn't get a chance to scope the castle's...valuables." Merlin paid him no attention, pushing everyone to the door from behind.
"Good luck, Sora!" Queen Minnie wished kindly.
"We'll look after everything here," Daisy assured.
Beast stroked his furry chin as he stared into the whirling vortex in front of him, his eyes narrowing. "I don't know about this. What guarantee do we have that this thing is safe? I mean really when you think about it - AAAAAHHHHHH!"
Jack had kicked him through the door, his cry of surprise vanishing as he did into the vortex.
"Like no one saw that coming," Jack grinned.
"I wish I could say I didn't," Mulan sighed. Both of them jumped into the portal, now that Beast had helpfully tested it for them.
"My first adventure as a Keyblader!" po exclaimed rather loudly. "Is there anything I should know first?"
"Yeah. Don't die on your first day," sonic almost joked. The two of them jumped in as well. Sora and Kairi were the only ones left now, both of them turning to Queen Minnie, Daisy and Minnie.
"We'll be back soon, your Majesty," Kairi smiled. "Say hi to King Mickey for us!" Queen Minnie smiled warmly and nodded.
"Remember!" Merlin hollered. "The fate of the universe rests on your shoulders!"
"So what else is new?" Sora chuckled. They turned to the door and held their Chronospheres, taking the first step through the door and into a world they never knew existed. Both were swooped up in the magic and vanished completely from Disney Castle, and their dimension altogether.
And that concludes another chapter. Be sure to write nice reviews, adapt the original story (Darius Almighty's work) on DeviantArt, turn it into a webcomic or post the story on TV tropes or follow and favorite it. And remember may your heart be your guiding key!