A.N. YO! Happy first of February everybody! Here's chapter 3 and Chapter 4 is ready for the first of next month. Gonna lose my buffer though if I don't get motivated for the other chapters so through some comments my way, let me know what ya'll think and cheer me on I'm free the rest of the day so hopefully I'll have some updated references posted to my DA account later this afternoon.

Chapter 3

The Past Repeats

The atmosphere within the inn was tense and silent as owner and patrons alike watched the large beast walk in through the gaping hole in the wall with heavy steps. The way the beast moved almost seemed forced, as though it weren't in control of its own movements. As everyone watched the beast, it stopped mid-step and instead of continuing further into the inn it turned towards the far wall where strangely shaped trophies were displayed on a shelf. With slow movements it grabbed one of the trophies and held the object close to its face, bringing a clawed finger from its other hand up to the object.

"Pretty…nice." The creature said in a slow voice almost forced like its movements. Then from nowhere a second voice, one that was much clearer, spoke and addressed the creature. "Forget about that, you idiot, we have other things to do." Sora and his friends summoned their weapons, but even before they fully left their seats a white cloth flew over their heads and landed on the head of the creature. Before the three could do anything, and before the creature could react Yugo appeared in front of the beast, hands on his hips and glaring angrily.

"Hey you," if possible Yugo's glare grew stronger. "look at the mess you made." Yugo's hand swept over the scene, stopping when it reached the large hole taking up a third of the back wall. "If you think for a second that I'm gonna clean this mess up, then you're crazy!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy, along with everyone else within the inn stared in horror at the young child, who possibly had a death wish, as he stood his ground against a creature that literally towered above him.

Then, through his periphery vision, Sora was reminded of the heartless that had followed the grey skinned beast as they were still visible through the hole that the beast had created. Though they weren't acting as they commonly did, they remained were they stood simply staring inside, almost as though waiting for something. What they were waiting for Sora had no idea. Then Sora's attention was brought back to Yugo and the beast as a large fist was about to be brought down on the child's head. Like before Sora heard a darker voice coming from the direction of the beast.

"That's it let all out all your hate, all your anger, let the darkness in your heart give you strength." Sora listened and in his mind he saw his friend Riku, or really it was Ansem at the time, starring down at him telling him that he was the true key blade bearer for he wasn't afraid of the darkness that had swallowed their island, for he had gained control of the darkness. But it wasn't Riku that said those things it had been Ansem.

If this was the same thing, someone being controlled by the darkness, then he would free them. It still ate away at him that he hadn't been able to do more for Riku, and now one of his best friends was trapped on the other side of the door to Kingdom Hearts. In his head, whoever this was, they weren't in control of their own body and it killed Sora inside knowing that someone else was suffering what Riku had suffered. Sora made up his mind and summoned his keyblade, though it was too late as he could only stand and watch as Yugo was hit away by the beast and thrown back into the kitchen.

Following Sora's lead, Donald and Goofy summoned their weapons as well and the three of them jumped into action. The patrons of the Inn ran, screaming, through the hole in the wall that the beast had created upon its entrance. Sora race to jump in front of them to clear a path through the heartless as they finally started attacking now that their prey had started coming to them. The keyblade cut easily through all the low level shadows, quickly making it safe for everyone to escape to safety, and Sora was able to go back inside to help his friends with the biggest threat.

Yugo's father and the Ruel were also fighting the beast and Sora was to late to help them as the two of them were knocked back by the large, three fingered, clawed hands. Sora and his friends kept their distance as they tried to find its weak soot, like most enemies that they have fought up to this point in their travels, but with three people from this world who knew how to fight it down their chances of winning were slim to none. Luckily for them Sora wasn't one to just give up easily, he always pulled through in the end, even when he was stuck fighting alone he always found a way out of a situation, and this fight wasn't going to be any different.

As the fight wore on Sora's stamina was wearing thin and looking to Donald and Goofy showed that they were in a similar situation. Looking to the beast though it was clear that nothing they were doing was wearing it out. Sometime during the fight Donald had managed to cast Cure for Ruel and Yugo's father and the two were able to rejoin the fight.

While Sora's attention was on the two strangers he wasn't aware of the approaching monster and had no time to dodge or block the attack as the beast swung its arm out and swatted him away like a fly.

Sore had little time to prepare himself for the impact that result when he hit the wall. The force of his impact resulted in the wall cracking and he was left on the floor, unable to get up right away as he tried to assess the damage the impact had on him.

When he managed to bring his attention back to the fight he saw that his friend were in similar condition. Donald was thrown across the room where he landed in a crumpled heap among barrels that had broken upon impact while Goofy was sprawled out on the ground a few feet away from the beast, having been thrown down moments before.

At this point the beast had Yugo's father and his friend locked in its grip by their shirts the man's weapon of choice, a shovel, laying on the ground at his feet. Once again the dark voice that seemed to control the beast spoke.

"Good now kill these two and finish off the rest." It said as the old man's eyes widened in realization. "It's a shushu! He's being controlled by a shushu!" The beast looked down at the man as the voice spoke again. "The old man knows to much he is going to have to go first." Ruel looked in terror as the beast raised him up higher off of the floor.

Just as it looked like it was the end for the old man a metal tray flew through the air for behind the counter and hit the beast square in the back of the head. They all turned their heads to the source and saw Yugo back on his feet and glaring once again at the beast. "Hey, what's a shushu?!" He asked from his spot on top of the counter.

"A shushu is a demonic beast that is locked inside of an inanimate object and if guarded improperly it take possession of its guardian and wreaks havoc on the world!" The man explained in a terrified voice. Again the voice that controlled the beast told it to kill the man and the rest of them, but before it could do as the voice commanded Yugo from the counter disappeared into a swirl of blue, appearing from a similar one that appeared above the beasts head moments later.

Yugo landed on top of the beast's shoulders and pulled at the third eye that was located on its forehead. Sora watched as Yugo ripped and pulled, actually pulled the eye off of the beasts forehead.

With one final pull Yugo fell back off of the beast's shoulders, the eye held in his hand. Sora pulled himself from the floor with some difficulty and approached Yugo, watching as the eye took the form of a small, dagger sized blade.

Beside Yugo, the beast began shrinking in size, its skin turning to a normal peach-ish tan shade. Yugo stood and starred as the male collapsed to the ground. "Whoa, did he shrink in the wash?" Yugo asked in a joking matter.

Sora went to his friends and Ruel and Yugo's father celebrated with the boy, helping his friends to their feet, Sora gave both a potion to help regain any stamina lost or heal any injuries incurred during the fight. Having a chance to heal and celebrate the group gathered around the red headed stranger and fell back in shock as the stranger lurched to their feet with no warning.

"There's something absolutely impertnttha I must tll y…" He started with great urgency but as he continued trying to relay his message but by the end he was asleep on his feet. Snores that emanated from him told those witness to it that he was truly out cold.

For a moment more, those assembled, were silent. The silence was interrupted through as, for the second time that day, screams were heard. Together Sora and his friends, along with Yugo, his father, and Ruel leapt through the hole left in the wall to see what was happening.

Outside of the inn the group saw complete chaos as people ran away from small ankle high beings that were spread throughout the entire village. Sora turned to where Jiminy had tucked himself away into the teens hood.

"Jiminy, are those things heartless?" he asked as he turned and gestured back to the small creatures. From where he'd appeared from Sora's hood Jiminy shook his head.

"As much as those things resemble heartless, I can say without a doubt that they aren't." They watched as one of the creatures cornered one of the villagers, then touch them at their ankle where green leaves sprouted like wildfire until the person was completely concealed and appeared as though they were just a well-trimmed shrub.

"Well they certainly seem dangerous." Goofy mentioned from Sora's right, glancing again at the person turned shrub. Sora watched as heartless joined in the chaos and with a quick nod to his companions they split up. Before they were all out of each other's hearing range he yelled back to them.

"Protect as many people as you can, just don't let them touch you!" He heard affirmative shouts called back to him and then his attention was fully on the task at hand. As time progressed Sora, Donald, and Goofy had managed to gather a majority of the inhabitants of the village, though a number of them were still afflicted by the small black creatures touch.

"Guys we can't just leave Yugo and the other two to fight against the heartless on their own." Sora said as he swiped the keyblade through another handful of the black creatures. Donald and goofy nodded, so after ensuring that the villagers under their protection were safe inside the inn, baring the hole in the wall using a number of overturned tables and chairs, the three friends raced off to find Yugo and the two adults.

Hope raised in the trio as Alibert came into view, protecting a family who had found refuge on top of a large barrel that rested next to one of the villages houses. As they got closer the noticed one of the small creatures approaching from behind the inn keeper.

"Alibert!"

"Watch out!"

"There's one behind you!"

The three called out to the unsuspecting inn keeper to try and warn him of the danger. By the time Alibert was aware and moving to swat the creature it was too late. A small hand reached out and connected, Sora and he friends were only able to watch in horror as Alibert's weapon fell to the group and he met the eyes of his son with a distant gaze that wasn't truly seeing anything.

"Dad!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy remained were they were as Yugo raced to his father's side, reaching out to grab the man's hand before it too was overcome by leaves. At his son's cry Alibert turned his gaze towards his son and for a few moments his eyes were clear again.

"Yugo, there is a message from your real family that you must find. Please Yugo… find… the mess… age." With that Alibert was just another one within the village lost to the greenery, having relayed his final message to his son. Yugo looked up at his father with tears welling up in his eyes.

Behind them, as the moment between father and son occurred, Ruel spotted a small bug like creature that reflected light off of its rounded wings. Not taking any chances with the unfamiliar creature he brought his shovel down and crushed the thing a couple of times, wanting to ensure that there was no chance the thing was going to return.

_-~~0~~-_

Nox stared at the screens as the old Enutrof destroyed his device. More screens appeared in front of him, each showing a different image of the young boy in the strange hat as well as the three strangers that had gotten in his way twelve years ago. He knew that he had sent them forward but had no idea how far forward he had sent them. Hopefully they wouldn't be a problem this time around.

The Xelor looked at the screens, taking in the strange weapons that the three from the past of what lurked in the shadows he was surprised when, from behind him, a voice that was laced with poison made its way to where he stood.

"Helloyou who has darkness in their heart. I am here to assist you, but only if you can assist me in return." Nox turned toward the voice, anger flowing through his the thought that his Grannis allowed someone into his clock angered him. Nox stared into the shadows that had enveloped most of the room. Within the dark he was only able to make out two piercing eyes that stared back at him.

Just by looking at the eyesNox could tell that they held malice and hate, he could also sense another being only he could not see their eyes and he could tell that it didn't have a such malice. " Who is there?" Nox called out into the shadows, a few moments passed before a reply came.

"I will show myself all in good time but for now I will warn you of the boy's power." Came the voice whose owner Nox could not yet see.

"Which boy would you be referring to?" Asked the Xelor once again into the shadow. A clawed hand revealed itself from the shadows and pointed to the images that had been displayed behind him. Nox turned and saw which one the shadowed hand had been gesturing to.

"The boy who holds the key like weapon holds great power and is bound to stand in your way, regardless of what you try to do to stop him and his friends." The hidden figure explained. Nox turned back to the shadows and took a step forward trying to see his uninvited guest.

The hand came back out of the shadows and made the universal signal that told Nox to stop. Once he did the voice continued from its shadowed place.

"However if you can find a way to control the boy it will vastly aide you in the end." Once again Nox turned back to the screens that displayed the three including from the past, as well as the strange child. Now he was interested in both the boy with the 'keyblade' as well as the young boy with the high energy readings and his pet tofu that had the vibrantly colored feathers.

_-~~0~~-_

As Yugo knelt in the grass next to the shrub that was once his father one of the village children that they had protected grabbed ahold of Yugo's free hand, pulling his attention. Sora watched as the child, who appeared younger than Yugo was, and whose eyes were just as filled with tears pulled Yugo's hand to them.

"Yugo, pweaz save our pawents." The child spoke with a lisp that Sora hadn't heard since his time back on his island. He watched as Yugo wiped his own tears away and nodded toward the child.

"I promise, Ruel and I will do all that we can to save everyone."

"Donald, Goofy, and I can help too." Sora added as behind them Ruel stated he normally didn't do these kinds of things for free. Sora turned to the old man as he added that he would make an exception for an old friend such as Alibert.

With that the group turned and began making their way into the Forbidden forest that had been the source of the small black creatures. At the edge they were joined by the young Shushu Guardian, Percedal, who claimed that he was to help them after they had saved him from the Shushu in his possession, Rubilax.

A.N. Nothing else much to say that wasn't said at the beginning so I'll see ya'll next month