With AO3 down I thought I might as well upload here again!
Leon, Aerith, Cid, and Naminé were already gathered around the computer at Merlin's house, all in various states of sleepy dishevelment. Cid was smashing at the keyboard, while the others talked quietly and Yuffie dozed in Merlin's armchair, elbow on the armrest and chin resting in her hand. She jerked and yelped as Riku and Kairi burst through the door, immediately followed by Mickey, Donald, and Goofy.
Leon quickly updated them on their situation, though didn't have much to say. He'd rounded up the restoration committee as soon as Riku called but, to his great frustration, hadn't been able to get through to Ienzo, Ansem, or any of the others up at the castle either. It was still early, barely 5am, but he'd hoped at least Ienzo would have picked up his phone by now.
"What's going on Riku?" Mickey finally got to ask again. "Why do ya think he's here?"
Over the next several minutes Riku had to start his story again twice as firstly Axel, Xion, Roxas, and Isa threw open the door, and two minutes later Aqua, Ventus, and Terra leapt off their gliders outside and followed them in. The room was becoming very crowded, and Merlin had the books strewn across the floor arrange themselves into a tall pile on the table, before anyone could accidentally trample his precious tomes.
As Riku described what he had seen Kairi eyed him with concern. She knew he hadn't slept at all, and since he woke up from that vision he had seemed even more drained. The feverish determination in his eyes reminded her of the one she had constantly seen there in that first week after Sora had faded away, before she went into her coma. She doubted he was going to let himself rest until they found Sora, unless he collapsed before then...
They all listened intently to Riku, equal parts horrified and confused. All except for Cid, who was still hammering at the computer keys in the corner of the room. "And you're positive he said Radiant Garden?" Leon asked, arms crossed and looking agitated, when Riku finally got the full story out.
"I'm certain, he has to be here somewhere."
"We haven't seen or heard anything suspicious though, it-"
"DAMN IT!" They all jumped as Cid's outburst cut Leon off. "What in the hell is going on!"
"Cid!" Yuffie snapped at him, "what are you going on about now?"
Cid spun in his chair, looking thoroughly pissed off. "This here computer is meant to be connected to the castle one, but I can't access it no matter what I do!"
"What do you mean?" Leon asked, approaching the terminal and trying to read through the commands Cid had been frantically typing.
"I mean I can't get through to the castle computer system. I was trying to access the cameras to see if I could find anyone up there and blast an alarm to make 'em pick up their damn phone, but we've been completely disconnected and locked out! It's like they've put up a security system or something."
"Why would they do that?" Aerith asked, and Cid shook his head angrily.
"I dunno, but I can still access the Twilight Town computer so it's definitely not my one that's broke."
"I'd call that something suspicious," Roxas glowered, and Leon nodded.
They all jumped at another unexpected noise as Riku's phone rang and he finally saw Even's name show up. He answered, but to his surprise, it was Ienzo's face that appeared. "Ienzo?"
"Riku! Thank goodness you answered, Sora is in trouble, I need-"
"You know where he is?!" An electric current shot through the room as everyone tensed up, praying they were finally going to hear some news.
"Yes, he's in the lab, Ansem and Yen Sid brought him here- Wait!"
Riku and Kairi had exchanged a quick look, and then dashed for the door. Ienzo's desperate yell made them stop short though. "Why?" Riku demanded, one hand on the doorknob already, "we're at Merlin's, we can be there in a minute!"
"No please wait! If you try and go running in right now they'll know you're coming and then Sora will be in even more danger!"
"What?"
"Here Riku, chuck me ya phone!" Cid called out, pointing up at the large computer monitor. Riku threw it to him and moments later Ienzo appeared on the screen. On the other end of the call, Ienzo was both surprised and relieved to see so many of Sora's friends already there. A barrage of questions was immediately thrown at him though. He stuttered, unsure how to answer as half the room began demanding an explanation, but then Aerith stood in front of the monitor and gave a loud, shrill whistle, causing them to stop their yelling, most to cover their ears.
"What's the big idea?" Donald grumbled, hands still over his ears.
Aerith ignored him. "There we go, now, Ienzo," she turned back to the screen, "tell us what's going on." Ienzo took a deep breath.
"Firstly, no matter what you can't go into the castle yet! If they know you're coming then Yen Sid will just take Sora somewhere else or-" He hesitated for a moment. "Or they might kill him."
A stunned silence and a loud "WAT?" from Donald followed his words.
"Master Yen Sid would never do something like that!" Mickey cried. "He'd never hurt Sora!"
"Ansem would," Riku said darkly and shared a meaningful look with Naminé. He remembered well when Ansem, or rather DiZ as he had called himself at the time, had ordered him to 'dispose of her' the moment she was no longer of use to him. He claimed to have changed, to have seen the error of his ways. But after hearing him speak so casually of ending Naminé's life back then, Riku could easily believe Ansem would resort to that again for something he truly believed in or wanted.
"How can you say that Riku?" Mickey was incredulous. The idea that his two old friends, one his respected teacher and the other his confidant for many years, would do something like this was inconceivable.
"He's right though Your Majesty..." Naminé said. "If he thinks it is for a good reason, DiZ- I mean Ansem, would definitely be capable of something like this." Mickey looked from her to Riku and back. Could they really be right?
"But, what is the reason?" Goofy asked, and they all turned back to Ienzo.
"Yen Sid brought Sora to the lab yesterday because he and Ansem think he's somehow possessed."
"Possessed?" several of them intoned together and Ienzo nodded.
"Yes, by some sort of particularly powerful darkness. They're described in the book Mickey found as the 'original' or 'true' darkness."
"So they're different to the heartless?" Yuffie had her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised. This was getting complicated already.
"Yes, completely different! The book describes them in more detail, but right now what is important is Yen Sid and Ansem are set on destroying the 'true darkness' and they think there is one inside of Sora's heart."
"But why would they think that?" Mickey asked.
"Rage..." Kairi said softly, and shared a look with Riku.
"They think that the book predicts it." Ienzo went on to explain how a particular passage from the ancient book had captured Ansem's attention. "When he took it to Master Yen Sid he agreed that it must be about Sora, and what happened to him in Quadratum."
Ienzo paused, fiddling with his Gummi phone for a moment. Riku's phone made a loud ding and Cid quickly opened the message Ienzo had sent and moved it onto the screen. It was the text he had copied from the book.
"They are certain the Child of Destiny this describes is Sora, but the final part is what they are fixated on. They shall absorb the darkness and rewrite the outcome. Through their sacrifice, the battle of light and dark will be done." As he read it aloud the others followed along with the text but didn't understand what a word of it meant. "They think the darkness it refers to is some kind of true 'progenitor' darkness, and if it isn't destroyed it will be a threat to the realm of light."
"And they think Rage is that darkness?" Riku asked, and Ienzo nodded.
"Yes, they think while he was in Quadratum he was possessed by one, or maybe more, of these darknesses, and that he has to make some kind of sacrifice for it to be destroyed."
"But that doesn't make any sense!" The high-pitched voice took everyone but Ven by surprise, as no one else had noticed Chirithy hanging over his shoulder. "That can't be what the book means! That already happened, Sora already made that sacrifice!"
"What do you mean Chirithy?" Ven asked. The spirit jumped off his shoulder and hopped to the front of the room. Cid jerked his seat backwards away from the cat-like creature. His, and the rest of the restoration committees' confusion was quickly forgotten as Chirithy began speaking.
"The book can't be talking about Quadratum, because everything in that section happened before Sora disappeared. It's why he disappeared in the first place! It's talking about the battle in the Keyblade Graveyard." They pointed up at the text on the screen and read the first section out loud. "On that fated land, a great war shall transpire. Darkness will prevail and the light expire... Those of you who were in the Keyblade Graveyard, I don't know how much you all remember, but when you first went to confront Xehanort things didn't go well..."
Mickey, Donald, and Goofy all exchanged looks, as did Aqua and Ventus. "Things are a bit hazy," Goofy mused as he scratched his head.
"I remember we were all overwhelmed by Heartless, and it seemed like we had lost. Honestly, I thought I had died..." Aqua trailed off.
"But then we woke up again in the graveyard and Jiminy said it was because Sora had managed to save us somehow," Ven continued. "So that we would have a second chance against Xehanort."
Chirithy was nodding so hard that their ears were flapping. "Yes. Apart from Sora and Kairi, those of you that were there were destroyed, and your hearts should have faded away. But Sora changed that." They raised a paw and pointed at the text on the screen again. "However, should the Child of Destiny endure, a future with light will be assured. Riku, you sacrificed yourself to try and protect Sora, and Kairi you reached out to try and hold on to him as well. These actions allowed his heart to endure."
"How do you know all this Chirithy?" Kairi asked.
"Ah... well, it's a bit hard to explain." They raised a paw to their head, looking awkward. "I met Sora when all this was happening, and tried to help him... sort of."
They gave Ventus an anxious look, worried about how much they could say before things got even more complicated. Mentioning their own knowledge of the Book of Prophecies was something they desperately wanted to avoid. Triggering Ven's memories at a time like this could be disastrous.
"Oh, that's why Sora already knew you when we met isn't it?" Chirithy nodded and Kairi smiled at them. She could see the spirit's concern, so didn't press further. Hugely relieved, Chirithy continued their explanation before anyone could ask more questions, spinning back to face the screen and pointing again at the text.
"They shall absorb the darkness and rewrite the outcome. Through their sacrifice, the battle of light and dark will be done. You were all able to defeat Xehanort after Sora retrieved your hearts, but to do that he abused the power of waking which meant he passed through a great deal of darkness. It... took its toll."
They hung their head as they said it. "The power of waking is for waking sleeping hearts, not bringing back hearts that are fading away or already gone. Breaking that rule badly damaged his own heart."
"The cracks..." Riku murmured.
It all made sense now.
"That's why he collapsed after we all got back..." Kairi suddenly looked as though she was on the verge of tears.
Chirithy nodded again, turning back to the group. "But the battle wouldn't truly be over until all of you were safe. When he misused the power of waking again to retrieve Kairi's heart it was the final blow that caused him to fade away... that was the sacrifice he made. He took the darkness that hurt everyone else and put it on himself... that's the sacrifice the book means. I'm sure of it."
There was a heavy silence in the room. Waves of horror, shock, and, in the case of the guardians of light, guilt washed over them.
Mickey was the one who broke the quiet. "We have to explain this to them, if Yen Sid and Ansem hear this they'll have to stop!"
"I don't know if it will be enough," Ienzo lamented, shaking his head miserably. "They are completely convinced that their interpretation is correct."
"We'll just have to make them listen then," Aqua said, with something close to a growl in her voice.
Riku looked back up at the screen. "Alright, tell us what to do Ienzo."
"Even and I have a plan to get him out! Ansem still thinks he's on their side. When they are distracted with Sora he is going to open a connection to your computer, and also to the one in Twilight Town so Pence can use it. Even doesn't have clearance to disable the security system so we'll need to hack into it, and we'll need all the help we can get to do that."
"I'll get Pence on it," Xion called out from the back of the room, almost squashed against the door now so many people had gathered there.
"Thank you. Once we have access we'll deactivate the alarms, but you'll still need to try and take them by surprise."
"With all of us we'll be able to overpower them easily, Yen Sid is strong but he can't stop all of us," Terra said.
"Some of you will have to deal with Aeleus and Dilan though, Ansem lied to them so they will try and stop you," Ienzo explained. "But more importantly some of you have to go search for Sora, if Yen Sid manages to escape you I'm certain he'll head straight for him. He's on the lower floors somewhere but I'm not certain where. We might be able to free him but even if we do he'll need help to get out. The castle is full of Heartless now and he won't be able to get through them alone in his current state."
"What do you mean current state?" Leon asked warily.
"He, ah... He's not in a good way. I don't think he's injured!" Ienzo said quickly before they could start panicking. "But he'll be exhausted after everything that has happened."
Riku's heart was pounding in his throat too hard for him to speak anymore.
"So... what do we do now?" Kairi asked the room at large.
Ienzo sighed. "Until we can deactivate the alarms and get the protective barriers down... there isn't really anything we can do but wait, and plan."
When Sora woke the room was quiet, the hum of electricity absent once again, and the crystals high above him were dark and inert. His heart was throbbing painfully from... whatever it was they had tried to do to him. It seemed he'd been right when he thought something was wrong. What had Ienzo said to them before he passed out before?
"Please, let him go."
So that's why he had sounded afraid... he must have known what they were going to do to him. He'd been trying to protect him. If only he'd been quicker on the uptake, he might not have been in this mess. What if they had done something to Ienzo as well? He had to get out of here, there had to be some way to free himself.
He scanned the rest of the room, or at least the parts of it he could make out while still strapped down. All he could see was bare stone though, and the singular door. He tried yanking at the bars around his wrists and ankles again, kicking and thrashing with the little strength he had left, the hard edges of the metal cutting into his skin.
But the chains around his wrists were tightening. Cutting into his flesh. There had to be a way to escape. But there was nothing but stone walls and street lights. Crystals and stars in a night sky far above. A hooded man. A jagged knife.
A phantom chain was wrapping its way around his throat. Or was it real? He couldn't get enough air. The world was turning black.
Much of the day passed in this way for him, though he couldn't tell if he'd been in this room for minutes, hours, or even days. He alternated between fitful sleep filled with nightmares that seemed to cross over back into reality, and periods of wakefulness when he fought to free himself. He wasn't entirely sure what was real or not right now. He wasn't even sure he was really awake. He was just so cold...
But if Riku had heard him... he and Kairi would be coming for him. They'd free him from this nightmare. Please let him have heard me...
When Yen Sid and Ansem eventually returned they found him drenched in sweat and shivering. Their footsteps echoed throughout the chamber and for the first time in hours Sora was pulled fully from his sleep and confusion. He shook himself internally. This was what was real right now. He had to hold on to that, had to stay present. Because he had to fight back.
He just had to stay alive until Riku and Kairi found him. They were going to come for him. He knew they would. He just had to hold on long enough for them to get here, just like last time.
Many floors above Even was watching him on the monitor, and when he saw Yen Sid and Ansem enter the room he took his chance. He pulled a scrunched piece of paper from his pocket and began typing in the long list of commands Ienzo had scribbled out for him, hoping he could get through them all before the others returned.
Sora glared at his captors with gritted teeth. "Let me go!" he bellowed as they approached, straining against his bonds. His anger gave them hope.
"Sora, we are going to attempt to extract the darkness again," Ansem told him, ignoring his words.
"No, just listen to me! You-"
"To do this we will need you to transform into Rage again."
Terror flickered in his eyes. Then his expression hardened again. "NO!"
"Please reconsider Sora," Ansem spoke it as a command, and not as a request. Yen Sid still hadn't said a word. "If you try to resist again then this will likely cause great damage to your heart," Ansem continued.
"I don't care," he spat back at them, shaking his head. "I won't let you do this."
"Sora-"
"NO!"
His face was resolute and furious. They knew they would never convince him now, but they had expected as much. Yen Sid gave a deep sigh. Ansem stared at Sora for a long while before bowing his head. "So be it." And with that, he left.
Yen Sid remained.
He didn't speak. He simply stood in silence, face downturned and unreadable, as he avoided looking at Sora.
As the silence dragged on some of Sora's anger began fading into fear. Why had Yen Sid stayed?
He couldn't let them do this, but... what if he was too weak? What if he transformed, and Rage took over? What if Riku couldn't help him this time?
"Why are you doing this?"
Yen Sid raised his face and met the young Keyblade wielder's gaze. He didn't answer him. Instead, he put up a hand, the way he had done each time he knocked Sora out before. This time his palm glowed with white light for a moment, and when Sora's eyes closed it was from pain, not sleep.
Pence and Cid were in deep discussion with Ienzo, who was explaining the intricacies and design of the laboratories defence system. While they worked their way through their plan of attack on the software, Leon was pouring over maps of the castle, pointing out (with some pessimism) the many different snaking corridors, winding staircases, and the complicated lift system. He was certain these blueprints were out of date by now. He and the rest of the restoration committee hadn't had anywhere near as much to do with the castle and the lab inside it since Ansem the Wise had returned.
They'd spent some time dividing into teams: those who would deal with Aeleus and Dilan, the rescue team who would venture into the lower floors in search of Sora, and the group who would confront Yen Sid and Ansem. They had all agreed (some reluctantly) that the best course of action was to try and convince them they were wrong, before resorting to violence. "We're not losing anyone today," Aqua had declared, and if they could avoid an altercation with Yen Sid they might get to Sora sooner.
For this reason, it was the four masters who would lead this final group, with Chirithy joining them. It was going to take every ounce of strength Riku had to resist charging through the Heartless into the bowels of the castle to search for Sora with Kairi and the others. But he had to think logically. Yen Sid was highly capable and confident in his own conclusions to a fault, but four Keyblade Masters telling a single retired one he was mistaken in a matter of Light and Darkness, combined with Chirithy's knowledge of the prophecy, would be a powerful argument. Maybe one convincing enough to put a stop to this madness.
They wouldn't be going in alone though. "We're coming too!" Donald announced decisively.
"Errr..." Riku hesitated. More people meant more noise, which made it even less likely they would manage to take them by surprise.
"Yup! We're the only ones who've seen Sora change into Rage," Goofy agreed, nodding vigorously.
"We can explain it to Master Yen Sid, he'll have to listen!"
Riku and the other three masters exchanged looks, then nodded. "All right," Mickey said, "you fellas are coming with us!"
Aeleus and Dilan would be confronted by Yuffie, Aerith, Axel, and Isa. Four against two should ensure they had no chance of getting back into the castle to alert Ansem, and between the two of them, Isa and Axel were hoping they could convince them to change sides.
This left the group who would be delving into the lower floors of the castle, to search for Sora before there was a chance for him to be taken, by either Yen Sid or the Heartless. Leon, having the most knowledge of the castle layout, would be leading Kairi, Ventus, Xion, and Roxas into its depths.
As the others waited inside, some listening to Leon's descriptions of corridors and passageways, others pacing furiously or tapping their legs anxiously as they waited, Kairi left to check on Riku. She found him outside, sitting on the steps in front of Merlin's house. He'd come out for some fresh air, hoping it might ease some of the burning in his chest, and the nasty prickling that had started in his hands and arms. He was gripping his Dream Eater pendant tightly, the sharp points digging into his palm.
"Riku, you really should get some rest..."
"Huh?" He came out of his trance and turned, not having heard her properly.
"You should get some rest, you look exhausted."
He looked away quickly, expression dark. "I'm fine." The deep circles beneath his eyes told a different story.
"We can't do anything until the alarms are off, you need to sleep."
"I'm fine," he snapped. He saw her wince out of the corner of his eye and realised he'd spoken more harshly than he intended. His face softened and he sighed. "Sorry Kairi... I can't sleep while he's still in there though."
"This waiting is awful..." she sighed as well, then reached out and squeezed his shoulder. "We're going to get him out though Riku. We're going to find him."
He let go of his necklace and put a hand on top of hers, but there was a lump in his throat. "But what if we don't find him in time..."
Kairi wanted to comfort him. She wanted to offer more words of encouragement. Words of hope. Instead, she said nothing. All the words she had right now seemed hollow.
Waiting again. Waiting to find out if they would ever see him again. Ever hear his voice again.
It was as if the last six months had never happened and they were stuck back in that tower room, sitting uselessly at his bedside, powerless in the face of his suffering. Nothing for them to do, but wait. Until the defences came down he was trapped, and so were they.
Riku tightened his grip on Kairi's hand.
Just a little longer Sora, just hold on...
Fire.
Fire across his skin. Pumping through his veins. Scorching his bones. Flames he couldn't escape.
He had no idea how long it had been since Yen Sid raised his hand and forced this furnace beneath his skin to light. At first, the seconds had dragged on for what felt like an eternity, every moment stretching out unbearably. But now he found himself fading in and out. The lines between reality and nightmares were blurring again. He wasn't sure where the burning of the magic ended and the flames of Rage began.
Because nightmare or not, he knew that Rage was there. Desperate to get out. Its darkness was creeping through him, spreading with the flames. A blade was being dragged through his chest.
He could handle pain. He'd been through worse than this before, pushed through agony more intense than this. But he was so tired... His body and heart were nearing their limit. Soon he would be too weak to fight. Too weak to face the pain anymore. And his dark form knew. If Sora couldn't shoulder the burden then he would do it for him.
No.
Rage wasn't that protector anymore. Wasn't a friend to call on, couldn't be that for him anymore. Can't let him out, can't let them free him, can't let them win. All he wanted was this to end though, and if he never let Rage out how long would this go on for? Stretch out for eternity? Alone and trapped in this fire forever.
Let it end... please let this end
He had to stay awake though, had to hold on. If he lost consciousness now Rage might take over, and then he wouldn't be able to do anything to stop them from tearing him out. Help was coming. He knew help had to be coming.
Riku...
The searing in his arms was getting worse. He dragged his eyes open for a moment and to his horror saw trails of darkness beginning to flow out of the metal constraints hiding his hands, and the skin of his forearms was beginning to turn black. He couldn't see them, but if he could he knew he would see his fingers slowly elongating into awful claws.
He clenched his eyes shut and let out another howl, back arching as his body burned. He had to hold on, had to hold it back. If Rage came out now- if they tore that darkness out of his body he doubted the rest of his heart would survive.
And what if Rage was strong this time? It might pull free of the restraints and begin another rampage. He couldn't let it happen. What if he couldn't control it and he tore Yen Sid down the same way he had killed the others? But this time it wouldn't be a vision he tore through. If Rage didn't strike Yen Sid down then maybe he would be the one who fell instead.
But Rage was desperate to take over, tearing against his skin from the inside, clawing at him with frantic fear and frustration, wanting nothing more than to make this burning stop.
He pried his eyes open once more and saw Yen Sid had closed his. He wore a look of deep sorrow.
"Please..."
The word came out as a choked gasp, his throat raw from screaming, but Yen Sid heard him. He flinched, almost imperceptibly, at the sound. "Please, don't do this..." He opened his eyes and met Sora's gaze for a brief moment before Sora screwed his shut and yelled out again.
And then it stopped. The pain ended. Thank god it had ended.
Sora's body collapsed back against the table, restraints no longer cutting into him as he thrashed against them. Gulping for air and dripping with sweat, he forced his eyes open and watched as Yen Sid lowered his hand. He seemed to be viewing him through a haze.
They stared at each other and Sora opened his mouth, trying to find his voice. But no words came. Instead, Yen Sid gave a deep sigh as Sora's eyelids fell, his strength entirely spent.
Yen Sid left the room and made his way back up from the bowels of the castle to the main laboratory, where Ansem the Wise was staring at the computer monitor, and the image of the unconscious boy who didn't deserve any of this cruelty.
He withdrew the hand that had been hovering over the keyboard for the last quarter of an hour, ready to start the machine the moment Sora's eyes turned red. His hand had twitched when darkness seemed to finally be snaking around the boy's arms. But that had been where the darkness had stopped, held in place by his sheer force of will. A minute had passed, and then the sorcerer seemed to have given up.
"Why did you stop?" Ansem asked when Yen Sid joined him.
"Because I could not continue," he said simply.
Even's pulse quickened, sensing their moment of weakened resolve, maybe a chance to delay them and give the others more time to break in. "Perhaps there is another way? Why not scan his heart again? If there is-"
"We have been through this Even," Ansem barked as he turned to his assistant. "To scan that thoroughly would take months, and there is no chance of us keeping his friends from interfering for that long." He was giving Even a look of stern anger, his assistant's pushback doing nothing but intensify his guilt. "You know what was written in the book Even, there is no questioning that a true darkness exists within him."
"Then... there must be another way to draw it out," he continued desperately. "Something less... barbaric." Yen Sid and Ansem stood in silent thought for a few moments, but neither had any suggestions to offer.
"Let us give him several hours to recover," Yen Sid said, breaking the silence. "We should not risk continuing until he has regained some strength, he may not even be able to transform in his current state... Then I shall try one last time to force Rage to take over."
Ansem made a sound of agreement. "Perhaps by then, Sora will be more willing to release it if he can."
Even had his hands clasped behind his back, hoping neither of the other men had noticed how much they were shaking. He'd gotten through Ienzo's list of instructions just in time before Ansem returned, but he had no way of knowing if the others could now access the system or not. He had no way to confirm if his actions had made a difference, or if he was now going to simply stand here uselessly until he was forced to watch Sora suffer yet again.
All he could do was wait. And hope.
"WE'RE IN!"
They both twisted round at Cid's yell, then sprinted into the house where everyone had frozen, eyes on the back of Cid's head. He glanced over his shoulder, hands still flying across the keys. "It'll take us a while to get everythin' opened up though, y'all get going and wait for my signal!"
They didn't need telling twice.
As planned, the four masters mounted their gliders, and the group tasked with incapacitating Aeleus and Dilan each clambered onto one with them. Yuffie clung to Riku's waist as they shot through the air, while Aerith crouched behind Mickey, hoping his craft would be strong enough to hold them both. Aqua and Terra, with Axel and Isa holding on to their gliders for dear life, followed them as they all flew low through the streets, and the others made for the centre square.
The four gliders weaved through the town, flying just high enough to skim over the occasional confused bystander, and circled around to the opposite side of the castle, well out of view of the entrance. It was only now that they ascended, flying several floors high as they moved cautiously around the edge of the building. They kept their distance from the walls. Now that they were closer, the shimmer of the barrier surrounding the castle was visible.
They continued until the entranceway was directly below them and, as expected, the doorway was flanked by Aeleus and Dilan. The two guards hadn't noticed them. With the eight of them hovering high above, and the rest of their friends gathered far below, at the base of the long stairway up from the square to the castle doors, they waited for Cid's signal.
One minute. Then another.
"Are we sure Cid's going to be able to get in?" Yuffie hissed to the others. When no one replied she chanced another look down and gripped Riku a little tighter.
In the square far below Kairi was counting the seconds, as they all watched the gliders hovering above their unsuspecting targets. "Come on guys... come on..."
With a bang a firework shot into the sky, fired from Merlin's chimney and exploding high above the city. For a moment the barrier around the castle became a bright, opaque white, and then vanished.
"GO!" Kairi hurtled forwards with the others hot on her tail. At the top of the stairs, both Aeleus and Dilan had placed their hands on their weapons, startled by the loud sound and sparks in the sky. Before they could recover eight figures dropped down behind them, barring the way between the two guards and the entrance as they wheeled around.
Riku, Aqua, Mickey, and Terra immediately turned to the tall door and raised their Keyblades. Stars spun in the air around each weapon's tip for a moment before four beams of light shot forward, a lock clicked, and the door swung open.
Aeleus and Dilan drew their own weapons, but there were four opponents between them and the open doors, and now a small crowd was sprinting past them, dashing towards the castle they were meant to be protecting. They both hesitated. They knew each and every one of these people, they were meant to be allies, some even friends. But Ansem had warned them this may happen, and told them Ienzo was not the only one who didn't understand the seriousness of the situation with Sora. Then they steeled themselves. This was too important, no matter how much they didn't want to fight them.
Their hesitation had allowed the infiltrating group to rush past though, and now they were disappearing into the castle. Four formidable fighters stood between them and the door. Aerith's staff was crackling with mana, and Yuffie was spinning a shuriken in her hand, ready to throw it at a moment's notice.
"Dilan! Aeleus!" Isa yelled beseechingly. "Ansem is lying to you, just let us explain!" They responded by drawing their weapons.
"You guys sure you wanna do this?" Axel called out, summoning his Keyblade and resting it on his shoulder. His last ditch effort to stop them was unsuccessful, and as Aeleus and Dilan charged them, the doors of the castle swung closed.
As they sprinted into the long entrance hall Leon stopped and gestured to a door on his right and called back, "that's the fastest way to the lab, good luck." Then he signalled Roxas, Xion, Ventus, and Kairi to follow him to the door at the end of the hall that should lead them to the lift stop. Kairi and Riku exchanged a quick look, and a nod, and went their separate ways, Riku leading his group towards Ansem's lab, and Kairi following Leon further into the castle with the others.
The passageways leading to the lab were familiar to Riku and Mickey, having traipsed them many times, for very different reasons. They came across no Heartless as they tore through the corridors. Whether this was good luck or not they weren't sure. It likely meant the horde of them Ienzo had warned them of were further down. Closer to Sora.
As they moved through Ansem's study and onto the high walkway quiet voices reached their ears, and they crept forward as silently as they could. They found Ansem and Yen Sid standing before the computer console. They didn't wait to eavesdrop.
The two men's conversation was interrupted by a sudden flash as a barrier materialised before their eyes. Spinning around they saw Aqua's spell had blocked every door of the lab, and they were no longer alone.
A burst of purple sparks and Braveheart was at Yen Sid's throat. A moment later Terra had Earthshaker pressed to Ansem's.
Dark flames licked Riku's blade and flickered a centimetre from Yen Sid's skin as he spoke, each word a deadly threat.
"Let. Him. Go."