Chapter 71: yoda's tale

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 arriving at Dagobah! Title name is from Star Wars Yoda's tale! It's a point and click adventure game that I got on game boy since I was a kid! Didn't finish it.

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

On the planet of Dagobah, within the murky foggy swamplands of its surface, hidden away from the wildlife and the monsters, was a small hut made of mud. It was small in the sense that only someone of very short stature could live there. Through the windows, several candles could be seen lighting up the interior, meaning someone was definitely home.

"Many decades it has been, since last visitor I had," the small green alien said as he shuffled around his home with the help of his walking stick, grabbing bowls and eating utensils. The hut interior contained only the essentials for living: a fireplace for cooking, a bed for sleeping, and a table for eating, all of which were made from materials found on the planet. "Excuse mess, please do. When one lives alone for so long, tend to let things go."

Sora, Keyblade wielding hero of the universe, sat on one of the alien's much too small chairs, knees up to his chest to allow his host to move about freely in the cramped space. "It's no problem, really," Sora assured, wincing as he once again hit his head on the low ceiling. "I'm just glad to be out of that disgusting swamp."

"Disgusting?" the alien repeated indignantly. "My home this is! Do not come to your planet and call it disgusting, hmmmm?" Sora gave a weak grin of apology. "Bah, no matter. Wanderers and thieves it does keep away. Enjoy my privacy, I do. Fortunate, you were, to come to me when you did."

Sora looked down at his big yellow shoes, remembering all the things he had seen just before encountering the strange green hermit. "What was that cave?"

"Dark Side Cave," the alien answered lowly, stirring a pot of what seemed like soup. "Seething with darkness, it is. To life, your worse fears come. Whatever you take with you…." The alien stopped stirring and fixed Sora with his deep brown eyes. "….find inside, you will."

Sora looked at the small and old alien before he finally worked up the nerve to ask, "Who are you?"

The alien let out a small light chuckle. He turned to Sora, a small bowl of something steaming in his one hand. "Yoda, I am," he introduced himself, handing the bowl to Sora. "Jedi Master."

Sora nearly dropped the bowl when he heard that. "Y-You're a Jedi?" he asked in surprise.

Yoda nodded forlornly. "Long time ago. Long, long time." He looked at Sora, whose mouth was still hanging open. "Surprised, you are?"

Sora realized he was gaping, and quickly shut his mouth. "Sorry, I just…you're not what I expected in a Jedi Master." Sora had met lots of masters of the Jedi arts in his recent travels. The fierce and powerful Darth Maul, the wise and unyielding Luke Skywalker….and Vader. How this Yoda could stack up to them was almost crazy.

Yoda was apparently disappointed with Sora's assumption. "Of all people, you should know, Sora of the Keyblade, deceiving looks can be." Sora, realizing he himself was a product of that misunderstanding, nodded in agreement."

"I don't get it," Sora muttered aloud, and Yoda tilted his head in question. "Why would Master Yen Sid send me to meet a Jedi?"

Yoda smirked knowingly. "Your Keyblade," he suddenly said, standing hunched with his cane. "Show it to me."

Sora blinked in surprise. "Uh, okay," he relented. Raising his arm he did as he had done a thousand times before, and in a flash of magic energies his Keyblade appeared in his outstretched hand. If Yoda was impressed by the act, he did not show it. In fact, when the Keyblade did appear he closed his eyes, much to Sora's confusion. Soon Yoda's own small arm outstretched, his three green fingers reaching out. And then something happened that Sora would never have expected. Kingdom Key disappeared from his own hand, and more alarmingly, reappeared in the hand of Yoda.

Sora's jaw dropped, looking from Yoda to his now empty hand. "H-How did you-?"

"Hmmmmm," Yoda let out, his eyes still closed, moving Sora's Keyblade around calmly in his hand. "Too long it has been," he whispered. "Since a Keyblade I last held." In another flash of bright light the Keyblade vanished from Yoda's hand, reappearing in an astonished Sora's hand.

Now holding his weapon again, Sora pieced it all together, and his blue eyes widened in realization. "You're a Keyblade wielder…."

Yoda let out another inward sigh before finally opening his eyes. "Was," he replied sadly. "Long ago."

"Was?" Sora repeated in confusion. "What do you mean? What happened to your Keyblade?"

"What happened to the rest of them, same thing," Yoda answered, settling himself into his chair for a long explanation. "Lost to the Keyblade War."

Sora's eyes widened. "You fought in the Keyblade War?" he asked in awe. Yoda nodded in confirmation. "But…..but that would make you-"

"Nine hundred years old." Yoda smiled a withered smile. "A decade, give or take." Sora's jaw nearly dropped to the floor, and Yoda let out a pleasant chuckled of amusement. His look then became more solemn as he began to recall days long past.

"Untold centuries, the Keyblade Order stood tall," he began, "since the dawn of time, perhaps. Tell now, impossible it is. For certain, one thing is: created by the Cetras, they were; mages most powerful. From the Light itself, power was drawn. Created from the Light, the Keyblades were. To those who were deemed worthy, they were given." Sora nodded along, having already learned this part of story. "Defended, protected and cared for, all worlds were, under the Keyblade warriors. Was good for a time." Yoda allowed himself a smile before continuing.

"Founded not long after, the Jedi Order was. Growing rapidly in strength and influence, this new power did. Modeled after the Keyblade Order, they were. With Keyblade wielders they worked together. Peace, order, prosperity, maintained they did." Yoda's large eyes closed as he leaned on his cane. "Proud Jedi warrior of two hundred years I was, when came to me, my Keyblade did."

Sora blinked in surprise. "You were both?"

Yoda nodded affirmatively. "The first and only Jedi Keyblade wielder I was. Armed with both the Force, and the Keyblade. The first of my kind." Yoda smiled softly. "Why Keyblade choose me, I did not know. More powerful Jedi there were at the time. Proud I was, nevertheless. As a bridge between our two orders I served. Good times, they were." Yoda let out a long drawn out sigh. "Before the dark times."

Sora scowled. "Xehanort."

Yoda nodded. "When as servants of darkness Xehanort and his Chasers did emerge, the Keyblade wielders rallied against him. Begun, the Keyblade War did. Much death, much suffering."

"Didn't the Jedi help?" Sora asked.

But Yoda shook his head. "No," he answered quietly. "Not their fight, they decided. Wanted Keyblades, Xehanort and the Chasers did. Would not be involved in a fight that wasn't theirs." Yoda scowled, his wrinkled old face twisting into an expression of disgust. "Retreat to their own worlds, the Jedi did. From afar, they watched, as the galaxy burned." Sora grimaced at the story. He found the unwillingness of the Jedi to enter the war awful but also just. Who knows how many more worlds would have been pulled into destruction if both Jedi and Keyblade wielder waged war?

Yoda suddenly started coughing, using his small fist to cover his mouth, while the other held his cane for balance. "H-Hey, are you okay?" Sora asked in concern.

Yoda merely waved him off as his coughing fit continued, and soon it subsided again. "Against the wishes of the Jedi Order, chose to fight I did," Yoda continued unabated. "Into Keyblade War I plunged. Fought many battles, protected many worlds…..lost many friends. For years, war raged. Lost forever, many worlds were. But finally, nearly a decade later, cornered had we, Xehanort and the Chasers.

"On the world of the Cetras, our final battle took place. Long dead all were. City destroyed in early battles by Xehanort. Amongst its ruins did the war come to an end. Every last Keyblade welder left, upon Xehanort and the Chasers we fell. Fought for hours, fought for days…..until defeated, they finally were."

"And then you sealed them away," Sora supplied. He had heard the story before but hearing it from someone who experienced it first hand was pretty breathtaking.

Once again Yoda nodded. "In our Keyblades, every last bit of power was used. Locked away in another realm of existence they were. But…" Yoda looked at his empty green hand sadly. "…..dead our Keyblades were. Drained them we did, sealing the servants of darkness away. Empty husks they had become. No longer could we wield them." Yoda let out another long inward sigh. "And thus the Keyblade wielders were no more…."

Sora yelped as he nearly fell out of his tiny chair, realizing he had been on the edge of it the whole time. "Wow," he breathed, getting back into his seat. "That's why there were no more. I had no idea you gave them all up."

"Worth the sacrifice," Yoda said in assurance. "Countless lives saved. The threat of Xehanort we ended." Yoda hobbled over to his pot of stew again and started to stir it methodically. "But upon us I hear his return may be. Troubling. Very Troubling."

Sora nodded forlornly. "What will happen if he returns?"

"End of days," Yoda answered grimly. "Committed in his twisted mission Xehanort always was. Cleanse the galaxy he will, by destroying all life. Should his return come, covered in darkness the worlds will be. Everything everywhere will die." The full weight of his words hit Sora hard. From his Heartless and Nobody he knew Xehanort was bad news. He couldn't imagine what the full power of the completed Xehanort could be.

"Why did Master Yen Sid send me to you?" Sora finally asked. Yoda turned to face him once more, his big brown eyes peering deep into Sora's blue ones.

"Wishes for me he does to tell you the same thing I told King Mickey," Yoda answered, and Sora's eyes widened at this new development.

"You spoke with King Mickey?" he gasped.

Yoda nodded slowly. "Came to me same as you, many months ago. When threat of Chasers became apparent, sent to see me he was by Yen Sid. He and two others. Duck and dog I believe. Somewhat comical pair." Sora bowed his head, looking at the floor sadly.

"Donald and Goofy," he muttered.

Again Yoda nodded. "Looking for answers they were to combat new this threat. Of the Keyblade War, of Xehanort and the nature of the Chasers, I told them. Made them understand true threat he posed. And they did." Yoda smiled softly. "Deter them it did not from acting." Sora gave a small smile as well. He knew those three wouldn't back down from a challenge.

"Then…..told them where to go."

Sora blinked and raised his head, a perplexed look on his face. "Where to go?"

Yoda nodded slowly once again, his brown eyes looking off elsewhere. "Yes….Xehanort's final solution."

"What are you talking about?" Sora pressed, careful not to fall out of his seat again as he leaned forward.

"To shroud the worlds in darkness, need something he will. Something we stopped him from getting. Something he will need….to kill all life." Sora's eyes widened as Yoda coughed a bit more, using his small fist to cover his mouth. "Sent them there I did."

"But the Chasers got to them first," Sora finished with a whisper. It was starting to come together now. The visions he had about King Mickey, Donald and Goofy being attacked by the Chasers, where Donald and Goofy had given their lives in defense of their king, somewhere in a large forest. He had never thought about it before but just what were they doing there? Whatever world they were on he hadn't recognized it.

"Where did you send them?" Sora immediately asked after compiling the facts. "What were they trying to find? What is it that Xehanort needs to destroy the universe?"

"Tell you I will not."

Sora was stricken with silence. He blinked a few times, looking to Yoda as if he had heard him wrong. But the expression on the old Jedi's face was that of no nonsense. "W-What?"

"Cannot tell you," Yoda reiterated, tapping his cane once on the ground. "Ready you are not."

Sora's mouth fell open, unable to comprehend this. "You….just told me the universe was in danger, and that there may be something I can do to stop it. Now you say I'm not ready?"

"What makes a Keyblade wielder, Sora?"

Sora raised an eyebrow. "What?" he questioned, not understanding the change in subject, but Yoda would clearly not be brushed off. Sora sighed in annoyance. "I don't know. Strength of heart, no fear-"

"Then why is it," Yoda suddenly interrupted. "That I can sense much fear from you?" Sora fell silent then and there, his eyes widening slightly. Yoda's eyes slowly closed shut. He leaned on his cane as he let out a soft 'hmmmmmm' sound. "Riku," he suddenly said, much to Sora's surprise. "And….Kairi." The green alien's eyes then slid open, focusing on a shocked Sora. "Dwell does your thoughts on them. Fear of losing them?"

Images of his very recent experience in the Dark Side Cave flashed through Sora's head, and he quickly shut them out again. "What does that have to do with anything?" Sora growled.

"Everything!" Yoda stressed hoarsely. "The fear of loss is a path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering." Sora narrowed his eyes on the Jedi master.

"Are you saying…..you think I'll turn to darkness?" Yoda said nothing, but the silence was more than enough confirmation for Sora. "How could you…..that's crazy! I would never turn to the darkness, or the Dark Side or whatever!"

"So sure are you?" Yoda questioned skeptically, narrowing his eyes. "Were the Chasers as sure as you? Was Xehanort?" Yoda leaned forward on his cane and in just over a whisper he said, "Did Anakin Skywalker?" Sora nearly recoiled, his breath catching in his throat. Just how powerful was this alien that he could see so much into him?

"I am nothing like them," Sora growled furiously standing up from his tiny chair.

Yoda shook his head and looked downwards. "Dark days are ahead, Sora," he whispered calmly. "Come the time will when all hope seems lost, when the darkness seems unstoppable. When the strength of your friends, the strength of your heart fails you, and at your lowest you are, it is then you will have to make a choice." Yoda looked back up at Sora, his big eyes narrowing. "Continue your fight against the darkness….or be consumed by it."

"I made those choices a long time ago!" Sora all but shouted to an undeterred Yoda. "I've only ever fought on the side of good. I've saved the universe twice for crying out loud! Not once have I ever thought of joining the darkness!"

"And if your visions in the cave should come to pass?" Yoda asked. "What then?" Sora staggered at the question. Once again memories of Riku's bleeding form and Kairi's demise flashed through his head, and when they did he found he could not answer Yoda. "Understand this, Sora of the Keyblade," Yoda grumbled, stepping right up to the boy, glaring up at him with the obvious size difference. "The information I hold, key to saving universe it may be, or destroying it."

Yoda jabbed one of his tiny fingers into Sora's knee. "Until you know who you truly are, tell my secrets I will not."

With that Yoda turned around and headed back to his stew. "Done here we are," he ordered picking up a wooden spoon to stir the pot. "See yourself out, you may."

Sora was speechless. He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. Despite his desperation, despite his self-assurance that he knew exactly who he was, he could find nothing to say. He was humbled by the old Jedi.

And it infuriated him.

Sora clenched his fists so tight that they threated to break the skin. He ground his teeth together and glared at the back of Yoda. It was then that he rounded his way out of there, storming his way out of the small hut by crawling through the door.

Yoda did not turn when Sora left his home, but did make sure he was far enough away. When he was sure, he finally released a fit of harsh coughs and hacks that he had been holding back since the boy arrived.

"Good luck," he rasped composing himself as the coughing subsided. "Keyblade wielder….."

Just then another person enters yoda's hut. It was the old version of sora.

"Master yoda…it's been too long."

Yoda turns around recovering from his coughs and hacks.

"You can't keep this as a secret you know." Said the old sora. "Sora needs to know where his friends are."

"Told you same thing I have." Said yoda. "Not ready for the burden were you."

"Guess I'll have to tell him myself." Said the old sora disappointedly. "I know where they are master yoda. But sora needs the guidance of luke skywalker. He's the only person who can stop darth vader."

"a keybearer's defiance I sense in you." grumbled yoda. "Stop you I will not."

He goes back to more coughing.

"you're dying." The old man pointed out bluntly. "Sora will figure that out too. I'll allow the doctor to do the honors to let him tell his friends about the jedi and everything in his dreams. He'll figure it out all of this has been a lie. But he's gonna need the support of the jedi. And this time they're gonna help them whether they approve of this or not."

He exits leaving the old jedi to recover another relapse of cough and hacks.

KHKHKHKH

After piloting through the dense fog that seemed to constantly coat the planet, Sora was now on his way out of Dagobah's atmosphere, doing so with a bit more haste than was necessary, due in part to Sora's ticked off mood. No matter how much he pleaded, Yoda had refused to give up whatever information he had, insisting that Sora 'wasn't ready' to hear it. The little green alien had info that may be the key to saving the galaxy, and he still wouldn't tell Sora! It ticked the Keyblade wielder off to no end.

"Lousy green midget," Sora grumbled as he started to come out of Dagobah's gravitational pull. He supposed it wouldn't matter. He would just have to work it out on his own. It wouldn't be the first time. After all, like always he had quite a team to back him up. This time around a team of Keyblade wielding warriors had his back. The last time…Donald and Goofy.

Sora swallowed his sadness at the thought of his two lost friends, instead focusing on the flight back to Disney Castle. Leaving the dark swamp planet behind him Sora inputted the long remembered coordinates into the ship's warp drive. Gripping the steering wheel tight Sora was once again blasted halfway across the galaxy in the blink of an eye. Travelling faster than the speed of light, Sora was at his destination in nearly no time at all and, as the ship slowed to normal speeds, he once again found Disney Castle floating before him.

"Hello?!...*kzzt*…..hello?!" The gummi ship's communication suddenly crackled to life, much to Sora's surprise. The broken up, but clearly distressed voice of Leon could be heard over the speakers. "*Kzzt*…Sora…..*kzzt*…I repeat: come in, Sora!"

"Yeah, I'm here, Leon!" Sora quickly informed, pressing the relay button so Leon could hear him. "Read you loud and clear."

"You must have jumped to the other end of the galaxy, or close to it," Leon responded, the static gone from his end of the radio. "We've been trying to reach you for hours!"

An unsettled look came across Sora's face. "Why?" he asked uneasily. "What's happened?" There was a long drawn out silence from Leon then, causing the feeling of dread to only build up stronger.

"Sora," Leon began carefully. "It's Kairi."

KHKHKHKH

"WHAT HAPPENED?!" Sora all but screamed, his voice echoing off the walls of Disney Castle's infirmary.

It was Aladdin who spoke up first, looking utterly crestfallen. "We let her out of our sight for a second…."

They were all gathered outside the infirmary doors, where just inside the fallen Princess of Heart was being treated. After the incident in Disney Town the Keyblade wielders had made haste to get Kairi back to the castle and find out just what her attacker had done to her. Finding and notifying a horrified Queen Minnie and Daisy, they rushed her to Disney Castle's infirmary and now, with the newly arrived Sora, they awaited the results.

"I left you all here to protect her!" Sora shouted again, louder this time. "And this is what happens?! What was she doing outside the castle anyway!?"

"She didn't want to stay locked up like a prisoner," Beast explained. "What were we supposed to do? Drag her back and lock her in a tower?"

"If that's what it takes!" Sora yelled to everyone's surprise. "Maybe then she wouldn't have ended up like Belle!" The Beast's face darkened in a way none of them had seen before.

"Whoa, little below the belt there, Sora mate," Jack Sparrow intervened before things could get ugly.

"I don't want to hear from you!" Sora suddenly snapped at Jack. "Where were you when this happened?! Let me guess: getting drunk?" The pirate captain had no answer to that, especially since his rum bottle was only inches from his lips. He awkwardly put it back down.

"At least she wasn't kidnapped," po said, trying to point out the bright side. "That's a good thing, right?"

"Oh, of course!" Sora hollered with a show, spreading his arms out. "It's a good thing she wasn't taken! She's just been placed under some spell that may end up killing her! I didn't think of that!" po winced and looked down at his feet, looking quite hurt.

"Hey!" Mulan shouted, stepping right up to the fuming Sora. "That's enough! The bad guys are out there, not in here." She gave the boy a hard look. "Don't think for a second that you're the only one here that cares about Kairi." Her words really hit home, and the fury in Sora's eyes started to soften. He looked around at his team. Indeed they all looked crestfallen over what had happened. They must all have been blaming themselves in some way.

He was such an idiot.

"Guys….." Sora started. "Guys, I'm…..I'm sorry."

Aladdin shrugged. "It's alright."

"It's a bad day for all of us," Beast relented, his anger quickly fading.

It was then the door to the infirmary opened, and everyone turned to Merlin as he stepped out. The old wizard looked exhausted. "Merlin," Queen Minnie spoke up on behalf of everyone. "How is she? Will she be alright?"

Merlin sighed tiredly. "I've tried everything," he said in exasperation, removing his glasses and cleaning the lenses with a rag. "Spells, potions, crystals, incantations, counter-incantations; nothing has worked!"

"But…..but she's alive, right?" Sora asked desperately.

Merlin looked at the boy and sighed. "Yes. For now," he answered placing his glasses back on his nose. "Kairi has been placed under a very powerful spell, the purpose of which is apparently to sedate her. In other words, she's asleep; a very, very deep sleep and nothing I've tried has been able to wake her." He shook his head tiredly. "This is very old and very dark magic we're dealing with here."

"Maleficent," Mulan stated with a growl.

"Getting reeeaaaal tired of that witch," Aladdin said with more than a little spite.

"Persistent woman, ain't she?" Jack Sparrow mumbled.

Sora shut his eyes in grief. If Merlin couldn't help Kairi he wasn't sure who could. "Can…can we see her?" he asked hopefully. Merlin looked down at him with sympathy before he nodded. The wizard held the door open for them and together the Keyblade bearers, as well as Queen Minnie and Daisy, headed inside the infirmary.

Disney Castle's infirmary was set up with a number of beds set up side by side, each one supplying state of the art (and comical looking) medical equipment. The fallen King Mickey lay in one of these beds, his big eyes closed, trapped in the same coma he had been in for months. Machines kept note of his heart rate, and it was beating steadily. In the bed directly next to him was Kairi. She lay there like a fallen angel, eyes closed and her beautiful face frozen in a look of peace. There was a doctor hovering over her with a clipboard, who looked like a fully upright cow, and when everyone entered she looked up from her work.

"Oh, hello there," Clarabelle Cow greeted respectfully, trying to sound sympathetic in the face of this tragedy. "She's...um….she's not breathing, but she's still alive. I'm guessing the spell wasn't meant to kill her, merely keep her sedated. Her heartbeat is weak, but it's there. I'm not sure anyone else could have survived such an encounter. She must be very strong." Clarabelle smiled softly. "We're doing everything we can for her." Despite her hopeful words it seemed to have no effect on the downtrodden heroes. "I'll…give you some time alone." With that the cow doctor shuffled out of the infirmary, closing the door behind her.

Sora's heart nearly broke when he saw Kairi like that. Where she was once full of life she was now virtually dead to the world. He approached the bed, and slowly kneeled down beside it. "Kairi…." He whispered, earning him no response. This was just like so many years ago, when Kairi's heart was lost to darkness, leaving her in a comatose state. Carefully he took her hand in his, and found she was cold to the touch. His blue eyes welled up with tears.

"I should have been here," he said to himself. "I shouldn't have left you." And to think he believed Kairi would be safer if she was away from him; that she might be out of harm's way. He should have known that nowhere was safe for her. That best place for her was right by his side. He gave her hand a tight squeeze. "Kairi…..I'm so sorry."

The room was forced into an awkward silence, and of course Jack Sparrow was the first to break it. "Well, this is depressing," he sighed.

"Shut up," Mulan hissed at him.

"What? Just saying what we're all thinking."

"You didn't say you're an annoying drunk," Beast put in gruffly. "And we were all thinking that."

"Hard to see her like this," Jack Skellington admitted mournfully. "Can't we at least put a fun hat on her? I think it would really lighten the mood."

"Are you sure there's nothing we can do?" Aladdin asked Merlin.

But the wizard merely shook his head. "This is old magic," he explained. "And as such it is very hard to reverse. Spells such as this usually require a very specific cure, something that will completely undo the magic's effects. It could be a plant, an artifact, or even an action. Unfortunately, I don't know what it is."

"If only the King were awake," Queen Minnie said sorrowfully, standing beside the bed of King Mickey, looking at his sleeping form with sadness. "He'd know what to do." The reality of their situation weighed heavily on all the heroes. They stood there in silence again, with only the steady heartbeat of Kairi and King Mickey's monitors being heard in the room.

"So," Mulan started, finally breaking the silence. "What now?"

"I'll tell you what now." It was Sora who spoke, still clutching Kairi's hand, his voice taking on a low and steady tone. "I'm tired of all this running around," he growled, slowly standing up. "I'm tired of Maleficent being able to hit us wherever and whenever she can. And I'm tired of good people getting hurt just because they want Kingdom Hearts!" He let go of Kairi's hand, and turned to face his friends, and they could all see the fire in his eyes.

"So we're going to take the fight to them," he stated. "We're going to hit them where they live. We're going rescue Belle, Jasmine, and all the other princesses. We're going to get the cure for Kairi. And we're going to end Maleficent and her boyfriend once and for all!"

"Alright!" sonic laughed, slamming his fist into his palm. "Where's this Sora been hiding?"

"I'm all for some payback," po cheered with a pumped fist.

"So we're finally doing it, huh?" Beast asked with a smirk on his monstrous features. "Bout time."

"I like the idea, but where are we even going to find them?" Aladdin asked.

"They attack us often enough," Jack Sparrow said as a matter of fact. "All we have to do is follow them home when they do." He suddenly stopped and blinked. "Wait, did I just suggest we get attacked?" He sighed and hung his head. "Bugger."

"I can't wait to give those no-goodnicks the old Skellington two-step!" Jack Skellington declared heroically with his hands on his hips. "It's actually the Skellington three-step, but they're not worthy of the third step!"

Sora smiled at all of them, glad they were with him in this. "Alright then," he said. "It's settled. We're on the attack now. And nothing's going to stop us!"

"STOP EVERYTHING!"

The tiny high-pitched squeal grabbed everyone's attention, and everyone turned to the infirmary door, where with great difficulty gummi ship engineers Chip and Dale struggled to open it. Pushing hard between the two of them they finally stumbled inside, and met with everybody's perplexed looks. "We got big trouble!" Dale announced immediately.

"Your buddies in space just contacted us!" Chip explained quickly as he could. "They said they just saw a ship entering our atmosphere!"

"It's Imperial class!" Dale cried out. The announcement left everyone reeling.

"The Empire?" Sora gasped in alarm. "Here?"

"But that's impossible!" Daisy exclaimed, her feathers ruffling at the news. "The Empire doesn't know where our world is!"

"Could be a scout," Mulan suggested, drawing on her military training. "We already know they were looking for this place before."

"If they didn't know where you were then, they know now," sonic stated grimly.

"I changed my mind about staying here," Jack Sparrow put in with a nervous grin. "I want to go back to the spaceship where everyone hates me."

"Leon said that they were headed right for the castle!" Chip reported in a worried tone. "We're doomed!"

"Get a hold of yourself!" Dale snapped, slapping his partner upside the head. He then quickly pulled out a very small electronic pad tapping a few commands in. "The castle is completely locked down. There's no way they're getting in here!"

"Landing procedures initiated," came the electronic voice from Dale's pad, causing the chipmunk's jaw to drop.

"B-But that's impossible!" he stammered, quickly tapping more buttons on the screen. "How do they know the codes to the gummi ship hanger?!" He suddenly turned pale, and with a frightened expression he looked up at the heroes. "They're inside."

"Like I said: doomed!" Chip cried again.

Sora grit his teeth. Their plans to take on Maleficent would have to be put on hold for now. First Kairi, now this. He wasn't sure how much more he could take. "Double-time it to the hanger, guys!" he shouted to the Keyblade bearers. "They want in, they gotta go through us!"

"Haven't knocked around Stormtroopers in a while," Beast chuckled, brandishing his claws menacingly. "Time for a refresher course."

"Set phasers for fun! We're going sci-fi!" Jack Skellington laughed with a clap of his hands.

"Stay here with Kairi and the King, your majesty," Sora told Queen Minnie and the other residents of Disney Castle as his friends already rushed out the door. "We'll take care of the Empire. You look after them."

"We will," Queen Minnie promised with an affirmed nod. "Good luck."

"And be careful," Merlin warned sternly. "If it truly is the Empire then you must stop them from reporting our location back to their command. Or we'll be up to our noses in Stormtroopers." Sora nodded in confirmation. He would be damned before he let that happen. With one last look at the comatose Kairi he ran out the door after his friends, heading straight for the gummi ship hanger.

Running down the Disney Castle halls past the walking brooms and the cartoonish artwork the Keyblade bearers made all haste for the hanger. "How do you think they found the place?" Aladdin asked as they ran.

"Probably used some type of laser beamy contraption," Jack Sparrow answered, nearly stumbling in his own peculiar run. "It probably utilized constellations and telemetry and…and science."

"Do you even hear yourself talk?" sonic growled irritably.

"They're a galactic-wide empire," Beast grumbled, bounding across the floor on all fours. "Someone was bound to spill the beans somewhere. Frankly I'm surprised it took this long."

"It doesn't matter how they found this place!" Sora interjected now having caught up with the rest of them. "They're here now, that's all that matters. I'm not about to let King Mickey down and let the Empire wreck this place." The Keyblade bearers were all too happy to agree with him.

"Race you all there!" po laughed as he ran along the pristine walls with his ninja abilities.

With their speed they reached the hanger in no time, rushing down the winding staircase (or falling in Jack Sparrow's case) and finding just what they had feared. The automated systems were preparing for an incoming landing. Giant gears turned and steam whistles let out loud smoke billows as the castle walls opened to allow the incoming ship passage inside. Everyone got a first look at the Imperial ship as it descended from the sky. It was a Lambda-class shuttle, the same type of ship Sora had witnessed bringing Darth Vader to Radiant Garden. The memory was an unpleasant one, and not one Sora wanted to relive.

"Get ready," he growled to his friends. The shuttle's wings folded inwards on itself, allowing the landing gear to pop forth, and it started its careful descent to the landing pad. The Keyblade bearers gathered there, and when the ship finally did touch down they prepared themselves best they could, not knowing what to expect. Soldiers? Bounty hunters? Vader himself? None of them sounded appealing.

The ramp lowered from the now grounded shuttle, and steam blasted from exhaust vents to relieve cabin pressure, casting an ominous fog along the ramp. "Alright!" Sora shouted, his Keyblade appearing and pointing it straight at the ship. "Come on out of there! Nice and slow!"

For a moment there was nothing, merely the quiet billowing of more steam from the exhaust vents, until they finally heard footsteps emerging from within the ship. They echoed across the vessel's metal interior, and everyone stiffened as they began drawing closer. po gulped audibly. Jack Sparrow took a swig of rum to calm his nerves. sonic starred grimly. Sora kept his Keyblade on target, narrowing his blue eyes when someone finally started to emerge from the fog.

He was of a strong build, tall and with obvious muscle tone, especially in his arms, which were uncovered by the bright vest he wore. His face was quite young, and his remarkable teal coloured eyes seemed to be coping with exhaustion underneath his head of long silver hair…..

The Keyblade slackened in Sora's grip. His eyes widened in shock. His jaw dropped in disbelief. He couldn't believe it.

"Riku?"

Riku emerged from the shuttle with slow steady steps, stepping past the fog and into the light of day. He looked worn and haggard but there was no doubt it was his best friend. Sora was the first one he laid eyes upon once exiting the ship. The two friends shared a brief look of recognition, and a smile crossed Riku's face.

Right before he collapsed at the end of the ramp.

"RIKU!" Sora shouted, snapping out of his stupor to rush to his friend's side. The Keyblade bearers, confused and wanting answers, followed right after him. Sora practically slid across the floor on his knees to get to the fallen Riku, taking the boy in his arms, checking if he was alright. Riku's eyes were closed, but his breathing was strong. "I think he's passed out!"

"Wow, a lot of that going around," Jack Sparrow noted, his tactless joke earning him the collective glare of everyone present. "Buuuuuut looking on the bright side of things," he quickly backed up with an apologetic grin. "At least the Empire doesn't know we're here."

KHKHKHKH

"General Darius, sir!"

The black armoured Stormtrooper known as Darius, general of the grand Imperial army, was called from his duties by a technician working one of the monitors. The Super Star Destroyer Executor, a vessel so massive in size and so devastating in firepower, required thousands of men to keep her running at optimal efficiency. On board the ship's command bridge there were dozens of men performing tasks on several monitors, but the man who called to the fearsome General Darius had been given a task all his own.

With his heavy black armour clanking together with every step Darius approached the technician. "What is it?" he asked.

"Sir," the technician began. "You requested updates every time the boy came to a stop."

"I know what I asked," the General growled, towering over the man menacingly, his voice hard and gravelly. "Get to the point."

The man visibly gulped. "W-Well, sir, he's landed yet again, but…" The technician pulled the results on his screen. "His current location is not within any of our records. He's apparently landed on a world unknown to us."

Darius peered closer at the man's findings. The tracking device on the ship they had allowed Riku to steal from them broadcast the boy's location directly back to the Executor. This wasn't the first time Riku had stopped somewhere, but those had been on worlds already recorded in the Imperial archives. As the general read the boy's current coordinates, it appeared as though Riku had landed on in empty section of space entirely.

"That's it."

General Darius turned to come face-to-face with Darth Vader himself. The Sith Lord stood tall and menacing as always, his harsh breathing rising even above the noise of the busy bridge. The technician at the monitor immediately went silent when Lord Vader arrived, lest he say the wrong thing and suffer the dark lord's wrath. "He has landed at Disney Castle," Vader continued, looking from the screen to Darius. "The time to move is now."

"Can we be certain, my lord?" Darius questioned, not as easily convinced as his master. "This could be another undiscovered world entirely. Moving in before he reaches Disney Castle will risk exposing the tracking device on his ship. Perhaps if we-"

"Do not question my orders, General," Vader warned Darius, and the black trooper went silent, albeit begrudgingly. "Disney Castle is there. It was only a matter of time before Riku led us right to them. And that time is now." He turned around to address a man who had so far been standing dutifully at attention. He was a thin, old-faced man wearing the uniform of a superior officer, adorned with which were the stripes of an admiral. "Admiral Piett. Set a course for these coordinates."

"At once, my lord," Admiral Piett replied dutifully, and immediately set off to prepare the ship for departure.

"General Darius, prepare your men," Vader ordered the general next. "When we arrive I expect our troops to be on the surface in full force. Disney Castle will fall today, general. Is that understood?"

Despite his reservations, General Darius saluted rigidly. "Yes, my lord."

The massive flagship of the Imperial navy adjusted its course according to its new set of coordinates, and, in a sudden burst of power from its six mighty engines, it warped out of sight.

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!