Chapter 8: The Shadows Have a Name

"They'll come at you out of nowhere."

A calm yet firm male voice brought Sora to a halt near the edge of the stairs. His once chipper mood was pushed down the steps, tumbling until it landed face first on the ground. The culprit responsible was a sudden feeling of uneasiness.

Sora whirled around to confront the voice's owner. "Who are you?"

Standing in front of him was a young man who appeared to be in his mid-twenties. He donned a dark leather outfit and wore a white shirt underneath his short jacket. Around his neck was a silver lion neckless. His long brown hair swayed in the wind as he walked into Sora's line of sight. Above the man's nose was a giant scar; how he obtained it was uncertain, but the memory remained etched deep within it.

"And they'll keep on coming after you," the man continued, "as long as you continue to wield the Keyblade."

He knew, Sora thought. But how? What was his relationship to the it? Sora almost wanted to start bombarding him with questions, but a skeptical hand tugged at his arm. From analyzing the man's expression, he didn't seem approachable. His blue, aloof eyes stared Sora down like a vicious predator ready to pounce; the lion neckless couldn't have been more appropriate.

"But why?" He placed a hand to his forehead, almost as if embarrassed to utter the next question. "Why would it choose a kid like you?"

Sora's feelings of apprehension were suppressed by annoyance. He hated being underestimated. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Never mind," the man said. He started walking towards him. "Now, let's see that Keyblade."

Sora's apprehension resurfaced. He got into a defensive position, holding the Keyblade with both hands to suppress the nervous feeling that tingled in his fingers.

"What?" he exclaimed. "Are you kidding? W-We're not even on a first name basis yet! I'm not letting you have this! It's been keeping my butt alive!"

The man's expression didn't even flinch in respond. Instead, he rested a sword over his shoulder. Its design seemed to resemble that of gun.

"All right," the man said; his calm voice was unchanged. "Then have it your way."

The man ran forward and swung his blade downward. Sora was quick enough to intercept the attack with his Keyblade. A powerful sound of metal dispersed from the clash and hollered in Sora's ears. This was the first time fighting someone with an actual weapon. While he knew he wasn't prepared, he had no choice but to put every ounce of effort into this fight. He couldn't afford to lose the Keyblade.

The man pushed Sora back and swung his blade in from the left. Sora knocked it back, but the man's attacks were relentless. He felt himself walking back towards the stairs. As the man thrust his blade straight ahead, Sora tilted his body to dodge the attack. Sora – holding the Keyblade in his right hand – swung it downward, pushing the man's blade to the ground. Sora took one step back, looked over his shoulder, and could see he was right at the edge of the stairs.

The man swung upward from where he was, but Sora leaped down the stairs and landed at the bottom. Refocusing on the man, he noticed his leather gloved hand glowing a fire-orange color. The man stuck his hand out to launch a fireball straight at the teenager. While shocked by this fantastical sight, his instincts kicked him in the backside, and he ducked to avoid getting singed.

Sora looked over his shoulder to see the remnants of the fire laying on the ground as a ring of ash. He felt his jaw drop in astonishment from what he witnessed and spun back to face the man.

"D-Did you just shoot fire at me?"

The man shrugged. "Maybe I did it. I can do it again to confirm your suspicions."

"No, that's okay."

The man launched another fireball at him. Sora caught the fireball with his Keyblade. He felt the scorching heat blasting in his face like a fan. For such a small fireball it was powerful, as it managed to push him backwards. Summoning every ounce of strength, he knocked the attack right back at the man; he leaped high into the air and flew straight at Sora, preparing to strike with his blade.

Sora placed the Keyblade straight up to catch it. The man pushed off and did a spin flip back towards the ground. This was my chance, Sora thought. He hurried over and delivered a horizontal swing just as the man landed; however, the stranger displayed superhuman reflexes by swinging his blade downward to counter. Sora felt gravity force his blade right into the ground.

Next, the man swung his blade upward. Sora took a step back and – holding the hilt with both hands – brought the Keyblade straight up to intercept the strike. Sora pushed the man's blade right, forcing him to stumble briefly in that direction. Sora tried delivering a thrust, but the man side-stepped; with an opening in sight, the man hurried over and rammed his knee straight into Sora's abdomen.

A burst of harsh air forced its way out of Sora's mouth. Riku had roughhoused with him in the past, but it didn't send such a painful jolt through his body. The man continued his assault by using the same leg to kick Sora right in the chest, knocking him back, and onto the ground. Sora winced as he stood up from the pain. Adrenaline pumped harder into his veins like a powerful stream that just burst from a dam. Losing this fight would cost him his only line of defense from those creatures, and without it, all he could do was hide from them.

Hiding would obliterate his aspirations to see Riku and Kairi again.

Ignoring the pain in his torso, he sat up, and heard a loud scraping sound. The man – now holding the hilt with two hands – was dragging his blade across the floor, preparing to lift it into the air. Sora stretched his legs wide open just as the blade reached his feet. Just as Sora predicated, the man swung his blade upward and leaped into the sky. Akin to earlier, he descended straight for Sora with the blade held over his head.

Sora rolled backwards to avoid the strike. As he tried standing up, the man swung again. Sora parried to knock the blade away. After rising to his feet, the teenager rammed his entire body right into the man and pushed him into one of the lampposts. Sora tried to attack, but the man moved to his right, and then punched him in the face.

Every force from the man's strikes were more powerful than the last. Sora rubbed his cheek from the sore spot left over by the punch. Pain had spread throughout his body – both from the attacks and the endurance. Each cycle of breathing became hard to trudge through.

Meanwhile, the man was staring down his target, showing almost no signs of fatigue.

"If all you can do is resort to simple tackles," the man with a hint of disappointment, "then you might as well let those creatures eat your heart."

He stuck out his hand, preparing another fire attack. Sora felt the heat become stronger and stronger until it stopped gathering energy.

Now was his chance! Sora spun to the side of the man's arm, grabbed his hand, and let the attack launch into a wall. Sora elbowed the man straight in the chin, twirled around him, and struck him hard in the back with his Keyblade. The man hollered in pain, a sound he thought would remain comfortable inside his voice box.

He looked over his shoulder at Sora. For the first time since they met, Sora noticed anger in his eyes.

"Oh, so you can emote," Sora said, grinning. "Thought you were a robot this whole time."

The man held his blade out to the right of his chest. A bright yellow glow encased the silver blade, and the man swung it an entire one hundred and eighty degrees, dispersing a giant circle of energy. Sora dove onto his stomach to avoid it. Upon glancing up, he saw the man run straight for him again, preparing to bring his blade down.

Sora rolled onto his back, just missing the strike, and tried sweeping the man's feet with his Keyblade. He hopped up to avoid tripping over the bulky weapon. The man once again launched a fireball, but Sora sat up to dodge the attack. He then swept kicked the back of the man's lower leg, and he fell straight down. Sora hurried onto his knees; he brought the Keyblade straight down, but the man blocked the strike and then pushed Sora back. Taking the opportune moment, the man hurried to his feet; Sora did the same.

Once again, the two stared each other this time. Each time their eyes met, Sora noticed them becoming more and more irritated. Clearly this stranger was fed up with Sora's refusal to become unconscious.

"I see you're gonna make this difficult until the end," the man said; he sounded exasperated. "Well, let's see how you do against this one!"

The man held his blade straight into the air and a giant ball of white energy enveloped the entire blade. Sora had to cover his eyes from the brightness; soon, it diminished, and Sora opened them again.

He wished he didn't.

Replacing the man's blade was a long energy beam that towered high above the buildings. It flashed every color of the rainbow. Sora's emotions collided into a disoriented mess of astonishment and terror. He couldn't move away from the mountain of improbability that hovered over him like a pernicious giant

"It's over!" the man shouted.

Sora held his blade straight up to catch the spectrum of colors. Despite appearing to lack mass, Sora felt the incredible weight push him towards the ground. His arms trembled as he tried pushing the beam back. Every muscle yelled in protest for him to stop, but Sora disregarded every plea. His mind's eye continued projecting images of Riku and Kairi; he wanted those images to become real, and he wasn't going to let this random person put an end to those desires.

The man was shocked by Sora's resilience. How much of this kid's power was his own? Summoning more energy from within, the man increased the size of the beam. Still, Sora refused to quit; the pendulum of conflict continued moving back and forth. Neither side refused to break. Sora screamed from the increasing pain his limbs. He was starting to slip. No matter how hard he tried, the beam refused to budge.

Then, his arms gave out, and he was consumed by the light.

The man shielded his faces from the explosion. When it died down, he glanced up to see that smoke replaced the area Sora once stood. Sighing deeply, the man leaned over, exhausted from the fight; but he was also stunned. That was one of his strongest attacks. No one had ever been able to hold it off for a prolonged period. Sometimes the eyes were not a reliable judge of character.

Everything was tranquil. The air remained still. Only the man's deep breathing filled the empty vicinity. But then, another gasp echoed his own. As the smoke cleared, he was surprised to see Sora kneeled over, but still eager to fight. Sora stood up and started to stagger. He continued fighting the overwhelming exhaustion.

"That…that all…you've got…." Sora said, breathless. "Now…you're…gonna…you're…gonna…"

Sora's eyes closed. He collapsed right onto the ground. Exhaustion won. The man stood to his feet, still catching his breath from the fight, and processing everything that transpired.

A female voice said, "Aw, you're slipping, Leon."

Leon looked over his shoulder to see a young woman standing behind him. She had a huge, playful grin on her face. The woman had short, black hair, and wore a metal headband. She wore a green tube top and tan shorts, which were held together by a giant blue belt. Her socks were so long that they consumed about half of her legs.

"I went easy on him," Leon said, trying to resume his aloof demeanor.

The woman stood next to him, still grinning. "Really? Couldn't tell from the heavy breathing."

Ignoring the comment, his eyes focused on Sora's unconscious body. "Looks like things are worse than we thought. A lot worse."

His focus then shifted to the Keyblade. Such a fascinating weapon, he thought. He had heard many legends about its existence, but seeing it for the first time was a privilege. What he planned do with it was anyone's guess.

Both Sora and the Keyblade's fates were in his hands.

For a while, all Riku could see was the darkness of his eyelids. Silent spun through his ear canal like a small whirlpool. Then, it was replaced by the gentle sounds of a waterfall. This unusual noise woke Riku up from his peaceful slumber. As he adjusted his vision, his eyes started to register a giant blue mountain, upon which the waterfall poured downwards.

Wait, no. The water was going…upwards?

Riku rose to his feet. While still lightheaded, he couldn't help but become fascinated by his new surroundings. Indeed, the waterfall was running upward, as if to spit in gravity's face. On the opposite side of him were more waterfalls following the same outlandish path. In front of him were rocks that hovered in midair. This must be a dream, he thought; imagery this nonsensical can't exist in the real world.

Riku walked over to the edge, leaned over, and splashed some water on his face. The sudden chill forced him to realize that he wasn't dreaming.

And that's when fear hit him harder than that splash of water. He scanned the environment, in hopes of finding someone. Anyone. He continued looking. Not a soul in sight. Those hopes started to crumble beneath his feet, and anxiety clawed out from beneath the ruble.

"Sora!" he shouted. "Kairi!"

Only the rushing waterfall responded. His two best friends in the whole wide world were gone. I should've thought this through, he thought. Why didn't I just grab them when I had the chance? They could be anywhere. Maybe lost in another world. Or – he didn't even want to make the horrible assumption – they were left to suffer the fate of their island?

Depression sunk deep into his skin. He lowered his head and closed his eyes. What was he going to do? Where was he going to go? His situation seemed bleak. But one thing was certain: his chances of seeing Sora and Kairi again were as real as the memories he had of them.

The waterfall wept along with his heart.

But, unbeknownst to Riku, he wasn't alone. Stand on one the hovering rocks was a mysterious cloaked figure dressed in gray. His face was concealed within the hood. In his right hand he held a unique sword that was shaped like a demonic wing; the blade featured a mixture of red, purple and blue colors.

A pair of eyes glistened from beneath the darkness of his hood, staring with interest at the hapless visitor.

Behind Traverse Town's hotel was a back alley. People on the second floor could walk out onto the deck of their room and gander at the most uninteresting sights below them (then again, the hotel wasn't exactly a five-star resort). Storage boxes were stacked up all around the area. The only real point of interest was a grate that lead into a waterway.

Luigi and the others were walking through the alleyway, keeping their eyes opened for Leon. Everything was empty. Not a person in sight. It was unsettling. The dim lights didn't help matters. Even the sounds of their own footsteps didn't alleviate the tight rope encircling their hips.

"This place spooky," Yoshi said with a whimper in his voice.

"I agree," Isabelle said. "Why would anyone use it as a hangout?"

"C'mon, there's nothing to worry about," Luigi said with encouragement. "I'm not scared."

Yoshi glared at Luigi in surprise. "But this most likely place for Luigi to be frightened. Just like in haunted mansion, remember? Luigi almost went pee pee in his pants there."

Luigi blushed in embarrassment; someone would've mistaken his head for a stop sign.

"Well, did you SEE the bathrooms in that place?" Luigi asked; he sounded flustered. "So unsanitary! Who'd want to use them!? Listen, I'm not scared! This is nothing."

Isabelle raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Then how come you're behind us?"

There was a pause for a moment as Luigi scrambled for a competent reply.

"Because I'm here to watch your backs," he said. He then patted their backs. "Let's keep moving."

Isabelle and Yoshi gave each other doubtful glances. Before Luigi could move, he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He screamed and leaped onto Yoshi's back. Isabelle did the same, following in the panic. They were huddled together as a trembling ball of fear.

A gentle female voice said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you. Did Mario send you?"

Upon hearing her mention Mario, Yoshi spun around so fast that he inadvertently sent the other two on to the ground. They both landed on their backsides, but, ignoring the minor pain, looked up to see who was addressing them. The person was a tall woman with a warm, pleasant smile. She had long brown hair that was braided down her back, with curls sticking out on each side of her face.

Her only wardrobe was a long, pink, sleeveless dress that went down to her calves. She radiated a positive, friendly demeanor that melted the trio's cold, shivering nerves.

"You know Mario?" Yoshi asked.

"Only by reputation," she said. "But you are looking for Leon, correct?"

A burst of hopeful energy made Luigi rise to his feet. "Yeah! You know him?"

"He's a close friend of mine," the woman said. "I'm here to help you out."

Everyone sighed with relief. After all the wandering around town, it was nice to finally make some progress. Isabelle stood up and brushed the dust off her skirt.

Luigi leaned over to her with a proud smile and said, "See? Nerves of steel."

Isabelle rolled her eyes as Luigi turned his attention back to the woman. Before Luigi could ask a question, he heard a familiar voice call from right above him. Everyone looked up to see Peach and the Toads on one of the hotel's decks.

"Princess!" Yoshi said, overjoyed.

"Thank goodness everyone's okay," Peach said. "I was starting to worry."

"How'd you find us?" Luigi asked.

Toadsworth chortled. "Quite simple, Master Luigi. Your shrieks of terror are very discernible."

Luigi's face turned bright red again. Yoshi snorted as he tried his hardest not to laugh. Even Isabelle let a soft giggle escape her mouth. Showing no hard feelings, Yoshi walked over to Luigi and licked his face.

"And that why Luigi never change."

Luigi smiled in response to Yoshi's good-natured kiss. It was all in good fun. He even chuckled at the joke.

"If you'll follow me back to the hotel," the woman said, "I can explain everything."

Isabelle's ears perked up in excitement. She couldn't wait to write down every captivating detail in her journal. In fact, she pulled her pen out to prepare for a long session of jotting. Everyone followed the woman back to the hotel, with Luigi just as eager to hear the details. He was hopeful that hidden beneath the words uttered was a clue to help him find his brother.

As they walked away, a mysterious figure that looked just like Luigi peeked out from behind the boxes, analyzing the situation with sinister red eyes.

"Come on, lazy bum. Wake up."

That voice – he knew it anywhere. He wanted to comply with her command, but opening his eyes wasn't easy. Exhaustion continued lingering in his body, from his eyelids to his feet. But he persevered in opening them. He was greeted by a bland gray ceiling. Sitting up, Sora noticed he was on a bed. For a moment he felt dizzy from sitting up so fast. It was like Olympic swimmers were doing laps around his head. After giving it a good shake, he took a moment examine his new surroundings.

It appeared to be a large hotel room. Many of the walls were colored a light green. In the center of the room was a round wooden table. Soon, his eyes met a familiar person – one he would be more ecstatic to see if he still didn't feel light-headed. Her bright red hair was unmistakable.

"You okay?" Kairi asked.

If he wasn't so lethargic, he would have sprung from his bed and embraced her.

"I guess," Sora said.

"Those creatures that attacked you are after the Keyblade," Kairi said. "But it's your heart they really want, because you wield the Keyblade."

Sora was now confused. Not the response he expected to hear from her. Just how much damage did his head take from that fight?

"I…don't know what you're talking about," Sora said. "But I'm glad you're okay, Kairi."

Kairi tilted her head in bewilderment.

"Kairi? Who's Kairi?" Her voice changed. "I'm the great ninja Yuffie."

Something wasn't registering, Sora thought. He closed his eyes, shook his head once more, and reopened them to witness the black-haired girl that was with Leon earlier staring at him, concerned.

"Whoa!" Sora said, startled. "You're not Kairi!"

"Yeeeeaaaah," Yuffie said in an unease tone. "And you definitely got a good butt kicking there. Think you might've overdone it, Squall."

Sora's eyes widened as the man he fought earlier appeared behind Yuffie.

"That's Leon," he said.

Sora reeled back in apprehension.

"Relax," Yuffie said with a smile. "He's not gonna hurt you. We're all on the same team here!"

"I don't recall anyone on my team trying to set me on fire!" Sora said, still on the defense.

He then noticed a familiar weapon resting against the wall.

"The Keyblade!" Sora said.

Yuffie stood up and walked over to Leon. "Yeah, we had to get it away from you to shake off those creatures. It turns out that's how they were tracking you."

While Sora didn't appreciate the 'method' used to be separated from those creatures, he did feel a bit more at ease. Yuffie's words sounded sincere, so he had a feeling she was someone worth trusting. Leon's aloof demeanor still made him about as easy to read as ancient hieroglyphics. But he was with Yuffie; that's all Sora needed to trust him. Although the tender aches in his arms didn't make him forget about their pleasant first encounter.

"It was the only way to conceal your heart from them." Leon crossed his arms. "But it won't work for long. Still hard to believe that you of all people are the chosen one."

Leon picked up the Keyblade and swung it in the air. It vanished in a beautiful ray of light. Sora felt the familiar tingle in his hand again, and watched in amazement as the it reappeared. He grabbed the hilt and examined the blade with a hint of relief. While the blade was still an enigma, something about its ethereal power gave him strength. It helped him through the arduous challenges he had to face.

Sometimes he wondered if he would even be here if it wasn't for the Keyblade. A daunting notion he soon grinded into small particles that could never reform; he didn't want to think about it again.

"Well, I suppose beggars can't be choosers," Leon said.

Sora was growing frustrated from Leon and Yuffie's vague statements. "Why don't you start making sense. What's going on here?"

In the adjacent red room, the woman in pink (who introduced herself as Aerith) sat on an elegant bed that was attached to some curtains. Standing across from her were Luigi, Yoshi, and Isabelle. They leaned in, waiting with eager ears to hear her story. Isabelle already had her pen resting on the paper.

"Okay, you know there are many other worlds out there besides your kingdom and this town, right?" Aerith asked.

"Yeah," Luigi said.

Yoshi covered his mouth. "But they supposed to be secret."

"They've been secret because they've never been connected," Aerith said. "Until now."

Aerith paused for a moment, as an unwanted memory hovered around her like a stubborn mosquito. Right now, only the future mattered, and she was determined to make it a harmonious one.

"When the Heartless showed up," she continued, "everything changed."

"The Heartless?" Sora asked.

"The creatures that attacked you," Yuffie said. She glared at Leon with a small scorn. "How hard did you hit him?"

Leon shook his head. "Let it go. The Heartless are those without hearts."

"The darkness in people's hearts – that's what attracts them," Yuffie said.

"And there is darkness within every heart," Leon said. "When they form, they will go after a person's heart and steal it."

Sora recalled the man from earlier who lost his heart. His fixed expression, his silent cries of pain – those images refused to vacate his mind. What he witnessed was true suffering; and he assumed many more people lost their hearts in that same grotesque fashion.

"Isn't there anyway of stopping them?" Sora asked.

Leon glanced at the floor, deflated, wishing he could answer that question with confidence.

"Well, there is one person who knows the Heartless better than any of us," Yuffie said. "His name is Ansem."

"Ansem?" Yoshi asked, scratching the side of his nose.

"He was studying the Heartless," Aerith said. "He recorded all of his findings in a very detailed report."

Isabelle lifted her head from the journal. "Goodness! Something like that could be beneficial to us. Can we see them?"

"Its pages are scattered everywhere," Aerith said, shaking her head.

"Scattered?" Luigi asked.

"To many worlds," Aerith said.

An alarming thought rung in Isabelle's ears.

"Do you think that's why your brother left?" Isabelle asked. "To find these pages?"

"It's possible," Luigi said as he brushed his moustache in thought. "If these 'Heartless' are responsible for the stars going out, then it makes sense. But he's not just trying to find a needle in a haystack; he's trying to find pebbles in a hayfield. They could anywhere. Forget that – HE could be anywhere."

Luigi felt discouraged. He had hoped by the end of this conversation they would be one step closer to learning Mario's location. Now it seemed that he was riding backwards down a fast-moving escalator; it didn't matter how hard he ran. He couldn't reach the top.

Yoshi said in excitement, "Then we have to find him now!"

Yoshi hurried towards the exit, but noticed he wasn't reaching the door. He turned to notice Luigi had grabbed his saddle, holding him back.

"Hey!" Yoshi said.

"We can't be reckless about this!" Luigi said with a stern tone in his voice. "I want to see him, too. But we've gotta take it one step at a time. First, we need that 'key.'"

"That's right," Aerith said. "The Keyblade."

Sora held up the blade. "So…this is the key?"

"Exactly!" Yuffie said. "May not have an inspiring name, but I hear it packs a punch." She gestures at Leon. "Take it from Mr. Gunblade over here."

Leon smirked at Yuffie's comment.

"The Heartless have great fear of the Keyblade." Leon walked over towards the door that lead to the red room. "That's why they'll come after you no matter what."

Sora glanced down at his weapon. His feelings on this revelation were mixed into a giant cauldron of uncertainty. When he first received the Keyblade, he thought it would keep him safe from the creatures. It gave him the confidence to walk through the barren streets without feeling perturbed; but now a curse had festered in his gift like poisonous vines. He was basically flailing a beacon around to attract the Heartless. It was discouraging to hear.

"Well, I didn't ask for this," Sora said.

"The Keyblade chooses its master," Yuffie said. "And it chose you."

Again, mixed feelings on the revelation. Leon leaned against the door.

"So tough luck," Leon said.

Sora had never heard more comforting words. Every piece of information that plunged into his ear landed in a disorganized bin. Thoughts were piling up, but there was no structure, just discord. It was overwhelming him. But he had to refocus his thoughts by not letting that pile crush his spirits.

"Man, I can't even remember how this all started," Sora said. "First I was in my room…"

He gasped as a troubling thought crawled out from the pile. Sora stood up, looking at Leon and Yuffie with a panicked expression.

"Wait a minute! What happened to home? My island?" He sounded sad as he said, "Riku. Kairi."

Yuffie didn't know how to respond. Her eyes trailed off in guilt. She wanted to help, but didn't want to sugarcoat the details. Like Aerith, her mind trailed off to the past. All she could remember was turmoil.

Leon, being his usual blunt self, said, "You know what? I really don't know."

Probably the worse answer to hear, Sora thought. Endless speculation would murmur in his head. He refused to believe that something horrible happened to both his friends and the island. But he still had no way of reaching them, or knowing where to look, either. Things felt hopeless again. He glanced at the floor as the sadness returned.

"Hey, cheer up," Yuffie said with encouragement. "I'm sure they're fine. Oh, did you know that the Keyblade can open all sorts of locks? Give it a try the next time you see one."

Sora glanced up at her. "Really? That sounds like a lot of responsibility."

"That's true," Leon said. "Most people would leap at the chance to do something irresponsible with it. That's why the Keyblade chose you. It deems you trustworthy."

Leon walked over to Sora, and gave him a small smile, something even Yuffie considered a rarity.

"As do I," Leon said.

Sora was surprised by this statement. "Why? Our first meeting wasn't exactly pleasant."

"Because you're incredibly resilient," Leon said. "During the whole fight you never gave up. You seem like someone who is honest. Someone who never lets anyone get them down. Do you think the Keyblade would've chosen you if you didn't have those qualities?"

Sora glanced at the Keyblade again. Maybe Leon was right. Why would the Keyblade be here otherwise? Sora never gave up despite the odds. His desire to see Riku and Kairi again was stronger than anything else. Everything around him seemed scary, but, just like when he first arrived in town, he needed to take that first step.

"Okay!" Sora said; his chest swelled with confidence. "I'll do whatever it takes!"

Leon smirked. "That sounds like the guy I faced earlier. Sooner or later, the Heartless will find out. You'd best prepare yourself."

"Prepare myself?"

"To fight for your life. Are you ready?"

Without a hit of hesitation, Sora said, "I'm ready! Bring them on!"

"Good," Leon said. "Yuffie, let's go join Aerith. She should be there now with the other visitors."

"Other visitors?" Sora asked.

"Leon!" Yuffie cried out. She pointed towards the other end of the room.

A Soldier Heartless appeared in front of them. Leon grabbed his blade.

"Yuffie, go!" Leon said.

Yuffie hurried towards the door leading to the red room. At that exact moment, Aerith told Luigi's group to head over. Before Luigi could grab the door, it flew right open, crushing him against the wall. Aerith, Isabelle, and Yoshi watched as Yuffie ran by them.

"Yuffie?" Aerith asked; and she hurried after her.

The Solider leaped right at Leon, but he launched a fireball right in its chest, knocking it into a glass window, which shattered upon impact. Fragments rained down on the bed. Sora assumed his battle position.

"Sora, let's go!" Leon said.

Leon ran outside, leaped off the balcony, and landed in the middle of the alleyway. He scanned the dimly lit area for any signs of the creature. There's no way it decided to flee, not when delicious hearts were within reach. Sure enough, the Soldier had reappeared behind Leon. Its sharp claws flexed in eager anticipation to feast. Without wasting a second, it tried pouncing him, but Sora leaped in and slashed the creature in half.

"Don't bother with the small fry," Leon said. "We have to find their leader!"

Sora leaned his head towards Leon with a wide smile, as if expecting a compliment.

"The bigger the horde," Leon said, "the closer we'll be towards finding it. Let's go the Second District."

Leon hurried off towards the exit, leaving behind a dissatisfied Sora. His frown stood out from within the dark alley. But moments later, Leon stopped and looked over his shoulder.

"Oh, and thanks for the help."

Leon hurried off again. Sora's frown turned into an appreciative smile. He was starting to like Leon despite the brutal fight from earlier.

Heartless were overrunning the once tranquil town. What few people remained scattered to their homes like frightened rats desperate to find a hole. Fear and confusion had latched onto their stomachs, and the feelings continued to swell as they found themselves just avoiding the mysterious, horrid creatures; there seemed to be no end to their incursion.

Meanwhile, Luigi was sandwiched between a wall and door.

He was soon blessed by sweet relief, as gravity forced the door to move backwards. But the impact left him in a dazed mess. Before he could fall onto the floor, Yoshi caught him in his arms. Isabelle ran over to offer her assistance.

"Is Luigi okay?" Yoshi asked; concern was written on his face.

Luigi turned to Yoshi with a pleasant but muddled smile. "How many cups of sugar does it take to get to the moon?"

"Me don't know," Yoshi said, feeling both confused and agitated. "No give Yoshi math problems. Me terrible at them. At least make it homework. It a good snack."

Isabelle grabbed Luigi's shoulders and shook them, trying to restore mental balance in his brain; and it worked. Luigi rubbed his head from the lingering pain of the door. Yuffie had brought Aerith back into the room, after explaining everything that happened with Leon.

"Wuh happun?" Luigi asked, still feeling a bit disoriented.

Before Aerith could open her mouth, they heard a familiar voice call out to them. "Master Luigi!"

Luigi hurried into the hall, with everyone following right behind him. Toadsworth, along with Princess Peach and the other Toads, were standing out there, agitated from the uproar.

"Oh, thank goodness you're all right," Peach said. "What's going on?"

"It's a long story," Luigi said.

Yuffie turned to Aerith and asked, "Hey, these are the other visitors Leon mentioned, right?"

Aerith nodded, and Yuffie turned to Luigi.

"Sorry for the commotion earlier, but the Heartless are getting restless," She said. "That 'key' you're looking for went to find the source of the problem."

"Then we go help out," Yoshi said. "Right, Luigi?"

Luigi gulped. "As much as I'd rather keep my heart from getting ripped out of my chest, you're right. There's no time to waste!"

Isabelle could sense that sightseeing was not ideal now. She pulled out the Wii Stream device, turned it on, and gazed into the world from a safe distance. Peach rested both hands on her chest, feeling the powerful drumming of her heart. She hadn't an inkling as to what was happening, but a sense of dread had tightened her shoulders.

"Please be careful, you two," Peach said.

Luigi rested his hammer on his shoulder, turned to Peach, and gave her an assuring nod. Both him and Yoshi started towards the exit, but were stopped when a familiar yellow star with a bushy white moustache materialized in front of them. He appeared as a transparent image; fatigue had eclipsed his once bright, confident eyes.

Peach gasped. "Eldstar!? Is that you!?"

"Yes, it is I, dear princess," Eldstar said. "I am thankful that you're all in good health."

Yuffie scratched her head in confusion and asked, "Am I seeing things, or is that a star? With facial hair! How does that even work?"

"Who is he?" Aerith asked.

"Someone else we're looking for," Isabelle said.

"Are you okay?" Luigi asked.

"Yes," Eldstar said. "For now, at least. Thank goodness you've arrived. Some troublemaker that looks like Luigi has trapped me here in this town."

Luigi was taken aback by this revelation. When he saw the poster earlier, he didn't want to believe it. But the words of a Star Spirit were absolute; Luigi had no reason to doubt them.

"Should I be flattered by this new?" Luigi asked. "Why would someone trying to be masquerading at me?"

Toadsworth, who saw flashes of Isle Delfino, said, "We may have an idea, Master Luigi. I hate to say it, but I think Bowser has followed us here."

"How can that be?" Peach asked, perplexed beyond all reason. "Any mention of this town was confidential!"

"We'll worry about that later," Luigi said. "Right now, Eldstar needs our help. Just keep the princess hidden! Leave this to us!"

Toadsworth nodded, and Luigi turned back to face Eldstar. "Do you have an idea where you're being held hostage?"

Eldstar searched deep within his memories to see if something was floating adrift. Small specks floated in the ocean, but he managed to merge them into flashing images. Due to his weak state of mind, they were faint and incoherent, but he could visualize distinguishable shapes.

"I remember him taking me to a place with bright colors," he said, grasping the images as tightly as possible. "It had an assortment of gears and contraptions."

Yuffie's face lit up in excitement. "Hey, that's probably the Gizmo shop! It's that big tower near the hotel!"

"Okay!" Luigi said. "Don't worry! We're on our way!"

"Make haste, my friends," Eldstar said. "Who knows when that fiend will return."

Eldstar vanished right before everyone's eyes.

"C'mon, Yoshi," Luigi said. "We don't have a moment to lose."

"Wait a minute!" Isabelle said. "What about the 'key' we've been looking for? They might need your help!"

Luigi winced at Isabelle's statement. She was right; both required immediate attention. He found himself at a fork in the road, and the longer he lingered there, the more each side crumbled away into a bottomless pit.

His thoughts were disrupted by a soft growl in his ear. Turning to his right, he saw Yoshi growling at someone in the corner. Luigi focused on the spot, and saw a mysterious figure crouched over in the shadows. His red eyes flashed in surprise upon noticing he was spotted. As he emerged from the dark, Luigi noticed the uncanny resemblance to himself.

"Hey!" Luigi said.

The imposter sprinted out the exit door.

"That's Luigi!" Peach said in shock. "Erm, I mean, the guy who looks like him!"

Yuffie's eye widened in surprise. "I know that guy! He's the one who stole my Materia!"

"Materia?" Isabelle asked.

"No time to explain!" Yuffie said with a frantic tone in his voice. "I've been looking everywhere for that little punk! Thinks he can outsmart a cunning ninja! Well, that short stuff's gonna lose a few more inches!"

Luigi frowned at Yuffie, insulted. "You realize he's my height, right?"

Yuffie turned to Peach, completely ignoring Luigi.

"I'll go after that star guy," she said. "Can kill two birds with one stone."

"Are you sure about this, Yuffie?" Aerith asked, showing great concern.

"No. One. Messes. With. My. Materia." Yuffie said; she grew angrier with each word uttered. "You don't know how long it took to stea—er, find it neatly hidden away. It's rare, too! He's not getting away with this."

"Well, if you're sure," Peach said, "we'd appreciate the help. Thank you."

Yuffie grinned. "No problem! Leave it to me!"

Luigi felt bad that Yuffie was including herself in the mission. They just met, and she was willing to risk her life for them? It was selfless, sure, also incredibly dangerous. There was a possibility she could be ambushed by either the doppelganger or the Heartless; and no one would be there to assist her. Luigi wanted to say something, but he saw a spark of determination flash in her eyes. This is what she wanted; who was he to tell her otherwise?

Besides, this Materia seemed valuable. Probably would've killed for it. Nothing was going to stop her wrath. Refocusing on his objective, he gestured Yoshi towards the door, and the group separated, with everyone but Aerith returning to their rooms. She clasped her hands together, exhaling small particles of trepidation. Yuffie was one of her closest friends; she couldn't bear the thought of losing her. Experiencing lost was an eternal hardship; she didn't want Yuffie to become a part of it.

But she was also worried for Luigi and Yoshi. Despite their odd mannerisms, they were putting everything on the line to come here and find the 'key." She prayed with all her heart, hoping that tonight a causality will not be consumed by the shadows.

Tonight, a brawl would be heard throughout the town.

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