Chapter 5: Reversal

Darkness consumed Sora's vision. His eyes parted, revealing himself to be falling in a black void, no end in sight. Nothing in sight. His body felt disturbingly light, weightless as he descended headfirst down this abyss.

Bringing his eyes to his clothes, they appeared blurry, as if he were spinning round and round on a carousel. In this moment, nothing accompanied Sora except his thoughts.

(I don't understand.) The clear image of Tomura Shigaraki appeared before him, smiling wickedly as he released a wave of decay all around him. (Why is he doing this? Why is he refusing to open up to me?)

Tomura's form morphed, shifting from a domineering pose and wicked smile, to clutching his chest tightly as wide-eyed fear consumed his face. (I feel so much pain in his heart, it's almost overwhelming. It reminds me of Roxas's heart. He was put through so much by The Organization.)

Sora extended a blurry, shaky hand to the fearful Tomura. (His pain, it's like Roxas's… Does that mean… someone hurt him too?) He thought back to an earlier conversation where Tomura alluded to his father and… someone he called Shigaraki. (Maybe… it was his dad… or, Shigaraki?) He questioned in confusion.

A figure slowly crept out from the void, a man in a suit with a horribly disfigured face appeared behind Tomura. His face seemed burnt clean off, the skin's tan color present, but any trace of eyes, ears, and nose gone. The only recognizable facial feature that remained was his mouth, giving off a sickening smile.

For some reason, this smile felt familiar to Sora.

The figure inched closer to Tomura as two hands surrounded him. The hands grew in size as they approached him, soon towering over him, casting a shadow that consumed his body.

(But… isn't he… Shigaraki?)

In a single, swift motion, the two hands closed over Tomura. As they made contact, they vanished in a puff of smoke and gently floated away from Sora.

Nothing was left of Tomura. The whole of his being was gone. Sora could only watch the smoke fly into the expanse, growing blurrier by the moment, until inevitably turning into a tiny spec and disappearing.

Darkness consumed Sora's vision, soon broken by muffled shouts. His eyes parted, revealing himself to be in the arms of an orange-haired girl. His surroundings were dark. Aside from this girl, the night sky, and the faint outline of buildings around him, he couldn't see anything. "Sora! Thank goodness!" she said in a slight relief, panic still consuming her voice. "Xion, he's awake!"

A black haired girl, fighting off Heartless with a Keyblade, thrust it upward and shouted "Thundaza!", raining down a torrent of lightning bolts that illuminated the area. Sora could now more clearly see the narrow, back alley he was in, tight and confined like a sidewalk, with no Heartless scaling the buildings, and any remaining ones in sight being wiped out by Xion.

Despite this, the sounds of endless Heartless still persisted just beyond the buildings.

Although darkness quickly consumed the alley again, Sora felt comfort hearing and seeing Xion kneel by his side. Once she got close though, she gasped in shock, her eyes slightly bulging as her pupils shrank in fear. A cold feeling cut through Sora's heart, piercing him like a bullet, leaving a heavy, suffocating sensation in his chest so strong, it bound his body in place.

"What is this?" Xion asked with a tremble in her voice, eyes locked on Sora. "I don't know," Strelitzia replied, "it's… terrible. No doubt this Shigaraki guy did it, but… how?"

The two couldn't believe the sight before them. Their friend Sora was hardly recognizable. A massive hole was ripped through his shirt, and what remained of his clothes and skin was covered in gray powder and charred, dark red blotches, some areas even swelling with white lumps. Only a small oasis of his hair remained, now colored black as if he dyed it. His arms appeared to resemble burnt sticks more than human arms, black and thin.

And his face… his eyelashes, lips, part of his nose, chin, and cheeks were gone. Just… gone. His one remaining feature was his bright, blue eyes that shone through this darkness.

As Sora tried moving his arm, he suddenly seethed in pain, loudly yelping as his body twitched in response. "No! Don't move Sora!" Xion shouted, "you're too injured. We have to heal you first."

"Will that even work?" Strelitzia asked, her voice trembling with each word. "I've never seen anything like this."

"I don't know," Xion responded, "but we have to try."

The growling and snarling of Heartless began to boom out from the corner of the alleyway. It continued growing, not closer to them, but spreading all over. Heartless around them from all sides beginning to growl as if in a manic frenzy, their screeches bouncing across the walls of the enclosed alley, too numerous to decipher how many or from where specifically.

Xion and Strelitzia rose their keyblades together, a collection of bells appearing and ringing over the two girls as green particles surrounded them and Sora, covering their bodies in a brief flash before disappearing. Once gone, the two looked at Sora in relief, seeing all of his injuries were healed, even down to his clothes and bits of skin. He was totally fine again, as if he were never injured.

"Perfect, Curaga still works on his attacks," Strelitzia said in relief, before extending a hand to Sora, "Come on Sora, everyone still needs us."

A bright, cheery smile spread across Sora's face as he nodded. When he extended his arm, however, he suddenly seethed in pain, loudly yelping as his body twitched in response. A wave of searing, red hot pain shot across his body, spiraling through his chest, to and from his arms, and collapsing in on his head. From every spot Sora once had an injury, he felt a sensation so horrible, it overwhelmed nearly every sense, burying them under a mountain of writhing, throbbing misery.

"Sora?!" Strelitiza shouted, dipping down to his side, "What happened?! Curaga always works, and we even did two to be safe!"

"Everything… still hurts," Sora whimpered past his heavy huffs and puffs.

"I think I know what's going on," Xion said, inspecting Sora as he took heavy breaths, "did you notice how when he tried moving before and after we healed him, he reacted the same way?"

"Y- yes," Strelitiza responded, "but, Curaga always works."

Xion shook her head. "We still know very little about this Shigaraki guy. My idea though, is that even if Curaga heals the physical wounds, he's still feeling the pain those wounds caused him."

Xion tossed a collection of white particles in the air. They converged around Sora briefly before disappearing. As Xion and Strelitiza watched Sora, he merely shook his head. "Nothing…"

"Darn," Xion said, a tint of concern escaping her voice, "Esuna didn't work either. I don't think we can get rid of this pain, Strelitzia, and Sora's not in any condition to fight like this."

The growls, moans, and shrieks of Heartless became more and more prevalent, their echoes becoming going from scattered all around them, to most prevalent from the only entrance, and exit, of the alleyway.

"If Sora can't fight…" Strelitzia rose to her feet and, with a quick swing of her arm to her side, summoned her Keyblade. "then we'll protect him until he can!" Xion nodded. "Right. The best we can hope for is for Sora to recover on his own. Until then, we keep him safe while Mickey destroys Shigaraki." Strelitzia nodded. "Yeah. If anyone can take that guy out, it's your King."

"No," Sora muttered, catching their attention, "don't… destroy him. He needs… help. Please, help him."

Strelitzia looked at Sora in confusion. "He needs help? But Sora, look at everything he's done. Look at what he did to you! This guy is dangerous, I don't know if we can-"

"It's okay, Strelitzia," Xion said, "This isn't something Sora would say lightly. If he's asking us to do this, even after everything he's done, then I know he means it." She summoned her Keyblade. "Besides, I trust Sora, and I know you do too."

Strelitzia smirked. "Yeah! I trust him, and all of you guys! And I know that if anyone can stop Shigaraki, it's your King!" After speaking those words, Strelitzia gasped. "Wait, your King doesn't know Sora wants to save him! We have to tell him!"

Strelitzia and Xion both turn their gazes to the skies above. The two squinted their eyes in confusion, their gazes locked onto one of two small specs far above. One of Xion's feet nervously slid back. "Is that…?"

Donald glided across the vast, oceanic expanse, shielding himself with Aeroga and launching Thundaga after Thundaga into his surroundings. Even though Heartless fell by the dozen at a mere upward thrust of his staff, he still scowled with a grimace.

(Come on! I gotta be close to finding someone by now! Please, just gimme a sign, anything!)

Donald flinched at the eruption of a massive collection of spiked ice on a rooftop before him, freezing at least thirty Heartless solid. It sprouted seemingly before his eyes, and although resembling Blizzaga, was twice as big as a normal cast of the spell.

He hardly had time to question the attack before a blond haired figure, donning a black coat, swooped in, zig zagging through the ice, blasting away chunks of it and the Heartless inside with swings from his two Keyblades. In only a couple seconds, the glacier of ice, and the Heartless inside, were gone.

With his assault complete, Donald joined Roxas on the empty rooftop. "Good to see you made it, Donald. I was kinda worried you out of everyone here would get overwhelmed."

Donald scoffed at him. "I was handling myself just fine," he crossed his arms and looked away from Roxas, "but thanks anyway."

Roxas smirked. "Sure thing." Donald noticed his eyes squinted. Fast as a blink, Roxas zoomed past him. Donald turned around, greeted by Roxas, holding his weapons to his sides, a collection of Hearts flying in the air before him.

"Sora messaged us about what was going on, but he wasn't very detailed. Tell me everything you know about Shigaraki."

Donald couldn't help but pause for a moment. (Sora…) He smirked as he spoke to Roxas. "He's super dangerous!"

Roxas's arms, seemingly against his will, slumped downward as he gave Donald an unamused stare, eyes slanted with a big frown. "Uh, yeah Donald, that's pretty obvious already."

"No! I mean that we don't know much either. All I know is that he can destroy things by touching them, he's got a lot of powers we don't know about, and he's interested in Sora."

Donald jumped back seeing a Keyblade fly past him, slicing through a couple Heartless before returning to Roxas. "I get it. He either channeled that destruction power through keyholes and destroyed The Hearts of Worlds, or he destroyed the worlds outright." Roxas thought back to the giant hole in the city he saw while descending. "Whichever it is, it sounds like Yen Sid was right."

Roxas's body slouched. His once straight, confident stance was replaced by a warped, unsteady one. "So many of our friends really are gone…" his grip on his keyblades weakened. "Hayner… Pence… Olette… are you guys…?"

(Not again. This can't be happening again.) Roxas thought back to the night he left the organization, walking away from a despondent Axel. He thought back to holding Xion in his arms as she disappeared before his eyes, unable to stop it.

A scowl formed on his face as he imagined Xemnas's form. (I won't let someone like him ruin my life again. If I have to, I'll make sure Shigaraki can never split us apart.)

Roxas was snapped out of his daydream by a ball of fire flying past him, exploding into a couple Heartless behind him. "You're not alone, Roxas," Donald said, waddling to him, "I'm sure we've all lost friends we care about, but we need to stay happy now more than ever." Donald put his hand on Roxas's shoulder. "Our boat only runs on happy faces, so I'm gonna make sure you're able to keep fueling our vessel."

A smile broke free on Roxas's face. "Thanks, Donald." His focus returned, firmly gripping his keyblades again. "Now, I don't care how many Heartless this guy summoned. Let's cut a path through and reunite with the others!" Donald energetically nodded. "Right!"

As the two dashed forward toward the roof's edge, Roxas's gaze turned skyward. His attention was taken by two specs far above him, one of them emitting a bright yellow light.

"Hey Donald, what is that?"

For some time now, Riku had forgotten how long he'd been fighting. It was a luxury the dark aura shrouded Dark Inferno wouldn't allow. Although high in the air, out of reach of other Heartless, every hulking smash Riku deflected and lightning-fast blow he matched ate away at his stamina. His muscles grew sore, his lungs became increasingly desperate for reprieve, and he could feel his concentration slipping with every movement. Unlike Riku though, his opponent only grew faster, stronger, and everything else he didn't need right now.

(Give up!) Riku screamed out to himself. (Come on, just give up already!)

His Aeroza barrier began flickering. (Darn, it's running out!) He shoved his keyblade forward and blasted the Dark Inferno with Firaza. An explosion and large smoke cloud enveloped the creature. (I need to refresh it now!) As he raised his keyblade up, the monster barreled out of the smoke in the blink of an eye.

Riku's heart rate tripled at that moment. His body was swayed by the intensity of his heart beats, so strong it could be seen pumping out of his chest. The Dark Inferno brought its clubs down on him, slashing the Aeroza in two, the remnants of the green wind fading into nothing.

(This thing…) Although Riku tried blocking, the monster was far too fast, its clubs rushing under his weapon in moments. (What is this thing?!)

What appeared to be a thick, long, blue object smashed into the head of the Dark Inferno, sending it plummeting into the ground below. Riku's body wasted no time in taking heavy, intense breaths, slouching as his hands fell to his knees. On closer inspection, the weapon currently lodged into the Heartless's head was a blunt, blue sword nearly as big as a person.

"Finally…" Riku said out of breath, "They're here…"

"Riku!" A man shouted from above. Isa and Terra both joined him, with Isa summoning another long, blunt sword, the first one remaining in the Dark Inferno's head. "You've done your duty Riku," Isa said, "now let us take down this monstrosity."

"No," Riku pleaded, still panting for air, "I can still fight."

Terra casted Curaga. A green ring of magic enveloped Riku, yet he was still just as out of breath. "Being wounded would be one thing, but you need time to rest. Don't worry Riku, we'll destroy this thing, then Shigaraki will be next!"

"No!" Riku shouted, "don't destroy him! He's corrupted by darkness, we're gonna try to help him."

Terra and Isa both exchanged puzzled glances, squinted eyes and raised eyebrows. "Seriously?!" Terra asked in shock, "what's possessing you to do that?!"

Riku smirked. "Sora asked us to."

It didn't take long before Terra and Isa's expressions changed from confused to understanding. They sported simple smiles and gentle nods at Riku's words. "I get it." Terra said, "Sora knows what he's doing. If he thinks this is for the best, I trust him."

Their soft smiles soon vanished, replaced by worried grimaces. "In that case, this is bad," Isa said, "She's likely already begun destroying his heart. If we have time to stop her, it won't be much."

Terra snatched his gummiphone from his pocket. "We can't waste a second! I'll call Namine and tell her-"

Any safety they thought they had was thoroughly destroyed. One moment, Terra was simply talking to them. The next, a giant, hulking sword slammed into him. It crashed against his hand, shattering his gummiphone to pieces, before continuing into his body. He was launched into the world below, crashing into the ocean, sending numerous Heartless and a gray cloud of debris and various bits of concrete flying about.

(What the?!) Isa hardly had a moment to raise his weapon before another hulking sword strike pounded against him. He was pushed back a few feet, wind bursting out from the point of impact, but he managed to block the Dark Inferno's attack.

He firmly grit his teeth, giving a strained glare to the Heartless as it continued pushing him back. (What is this beast? It's far stronger than any Heartless I've ever recorded.) A dark aura began seeping off of the creature flowing onto Isa's weapon, slowly amassing over it. (How did Riku take it on alone this whole time?!)

The Dark Inferno crashed another sword into Isa's, shoving him back further as another burst of wind flew from them. It continued beating into him, blow after blow smashing into his sword, pushing him into the side of a building. "Go Riku!" Isa shouted as concrete cracked behind him, "tell your King and Namine! Terra and I will deal with this!" Chunks of concrete went flying as Isa was smashed into the building, his back lodged firmly in its side as he panted, sword still between him and his foe.

As much as he wanted to follow Isa's order, Riku's body wouldn't let him. Seeing his back against the wall, the lingering, unrelenting threat of the Dark Inferno, and even more Heartless scaling the building for Isa, he wouldn't allow himself to leave. (No. I can't just leave him… but, Mickey and Namine need to know…)

Riku felt the world around him slow to a crawl. In his state of focus, he wracked his mind for an answer. What was the best thing to do? What was right? What could go wrong either way? Of all the things to consider, what compelled him most was the sight before him.

(No.) His body shook and his breathing hardened as he raised his keyblade. (I won't sacrifice my friends for this stranger.) He aimed his weapon at the Heartless. (Sora. I hope you understand.)

A tremendous impact rang out from the Dark Inferno. Riku barely realized it, the figure dashing at it. Terra delivered a hearty blow to the back of its head, snapping its head to the left. The Dark Inferno's body began twisting back in place, the sound of hissing air escaping from its neck. Terra's hand lunged at the beast, grabbing hold of its neck. Terra's face hardened, teeth grit, nostrils flared, and an intense glare aimed at the Heartless.

Before it could react, he released a bellowing scream.

"RRAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Terra threw the monster down, flinging it into the ground where Heartless and concrete erupted around it. "Riku," he continued, "I know you just want to do right by your friends, but you can't do everything on your own. Lean on us, rely on us. It doesn't make you weak." He helped Isa out of the building, plucking him out with force. "Besides, this isn't just one way. We need your help too."

The Dark Inferno jetted off the ground, dashing at them again. "Now get going! Hurry!"

He hesitated for a moment, watching as Terra and Isa deflected the incoming blow from the Dark Inferno, but soon did what he felt was right. (Sorry for doubting you, Sora.) A blue aura enveloped Riku as he dashed to another rooftop, bouncing off of a Heartless's head and leaping upward.

Terra and Isa both took defensive stances, each blocking a sword strike from the Dark Inferno. Bursts of wind blew out from the impacts, but Terra and Isa held their ground. They both pushed back against the Heartless, flinging its swords up, and delivering an onslaught of blows after exposing it. The two mercilessly battered the creature, smacking it around like a ragdoll, only hitting it harder if it even twitched.

"This beast is incredibly resilient," Isa said, "but it doesn't stand a chance against our teamwork."

The Dark Inferno, even while being clobbered by them, swatted the two back. As they caught their bearings, it began pounding Terra relentlessly. It delivered eight blows in one second before Isa bashed it on its head, knocking it off Terra and continuing to wail away on it.

"As long as we stay away from other Heartless," Isa continued, straining his voice as he kept attacking, "the two of us will overwhelm this one in time. While we are together, it cannot beat us!"

Terra nodded with a smile. After using a potion, his gaze returned to Riku, who was still air stepping across flying Heartless upward.

"What is he doing?" Terra asked.

"Do not worry Terra," Isa said, "we can trust Riku's judgment. After all, he is a Keyblade Master."

Terra fell silent for a moment. "No, I mean-"

"AGH!" Isa shouted as he was smacked by the Dark Inferno, who, like Terra before, proceeded to wail on him. Yet again, this beating lasted for one second before Terra retaliated, delivering an overhead strike that brought its head from facing forward to arched downward in a single moment.

"Sorry Isa, that was my mistake. To think I was telling Ven about knowing his place, only to not do the same. Our place is here, destroying this thing!"

Isa nodded, using a potion on himself. "Are you certain that you… have that memorized, Terra?" He asked with a smirk.

Terra smiled. "Definitely."

The two charged at the Dark Inferno.

Goofy continued plowing through Heartless, diving deeper into the ocean that submerged him. Heartless surrounded him on all sides, even the buildings that towered over him, further entrapping him in the narrow side street he found himself in. Blasts of magic and various projectiles pelted him from every direction, and a never-ending barrage of Heartless flung themselves at him, but Goofy pushed through it all with little resistance.

(I gotta find everybody!) Goofy thought, (and I won't stop until I do!) With a brief windup, Goofy thrust his shield forward and charged, running at a full sprint, turning Heartless after Heartless into mist. Fueled by his friends, he was fully prepared and willing to go on forever. This time was no different from the last twelve, but the hopelessness of this never-ending darkness did not touch Goofy. He was fully prepared to take it all on himself, Shigaraki included, if it meant protecting his friends.

"Heads up, Goofy!"

His determination was rewarded with Ventus coming down from the sky and unleashing a barrage of fire, ice, lightning, and water magic blasts. Goofy simply held his shield up as the area around him was eviscerated of Heartless, and Ventus landed next to him.

"Good to see ya Ventus! If you're here, that must mean the King and the others are too!"

"Yeah. Next order of business, we smash our way through these Heartless and re-group with the others! "

"Alright!"

Purple and black rings appeared around the two. Raining from the sky, small purple and black flames formed around the rings, spinning faster and faster.

"Gawrsh! It's these guys! Watch out, Ventus!"

With backs against each other, Goofy and Ven clutched their weapons tighter, holding them defensively. Goofy knew exactly what these were, their forms already burned into his mind. Massive, hulking figures, larger than a person, with swords just as big to match. The flames and rings all disappeared, making way to twelve Invisibles that surrounded Goofy and Ventus.

"Guess finding everyone's gonna have to wait," Ventus said, "first we trash these guys!" Ventus charged at one of them.

"No, Ventus!" Goofy shouted, running in after him. Ventus dashed forward, surrounded by a surge of electricity. He blasted through the Invisible, sending electricity coursing through its body. Just as Ven chuckled, the Invisible flexed its muscles, shooting off the magic from its body. It flew at him, seemingly unfazed by the attack.

"Huh, what the heck?!"

As Goofy ran after Ventus, a pack of six Invisibles got in his way, striking him with their swords, knocking him back a few feet. He regained his composure and charged at one, but it met his shield strike with a sword strike. The two clashed for a moment before the other five joined, all striking Goofy and knocking him back again.

(Gawrsh. This ain't good.)

Six Invisibles swarmed Ventus, assaulting him with an onslaught of blows. He tried blasting through them with Electric Surges, and while it protected him from their attacks, the damage proved poultry to these foes. They shook his move off like sweat and continued pressuring Ventus.

(Darn, I thought that'd beat at least one of them.) After five Electric Surges, Ventus's magic was put on cooldown. With his magic exhausted and Goofy busy, he was forced to evade for dear life, bobbing and weaving through the myriad blows of six flying Heartless with weapons as big as him.

Unfortunately, luck is finite. One sword collided with Ventus, square in the stomach. His eyes and mouth popped open, air escaping him in the form of a pained gasp. Then, five more all in the same spot. The party of six all thrust against him, sending Ven soaring through the air, crashing into a building. Smaller Heartless came spewing out of the impact point before Ven fell to the ground while clutching his chest in pain.

Goofy grimaced at the situation before him. Not only were these Heartless clearly a match for them, but, whether intentionally or not, they were separating him and Ventus. As Ven hit the building, Heartless began falling into the narrow street en masse, splitting off line of sight from each other.

(Gawrsh, this really ain't good. How are we supposed to find everybody if we can't even stay together?) The six Invisibles charged at him again. Understanding the severity of his situation, Goofy tightly gripped his shield and planted himself firm. (No, don't go doubting yourself Goofy, you're the King's Knight for a reason. Even if I can't scratch Shigaraki, I'm gonna keep Ventus safe, and I'll do everything I can to make sure we can all smile when this is over.)

Goofy felt a strange sensation consume him as his vision, everything, was enveloped by a familiar yellow and purple.

Even with her back against the wall, Kairi continued fighting her hardest. Nothing but Heartless stood before her, the Behemoth still looming over her, while her back was pressed against a building.

She reached into her pocket, but felt nothing. (What? How am I out of items already?) She trembled as she held her Keyblade in front of her, the metallic chains rattling with her body. The meager defense did little to intimidate the oncoming Heartless. (It's okay. Once my magic recharges, I can make some space again.)

The ground beneath her shook. Her gaze returned to the Behemoth, watching as it bent down like a person preparing to sprint. (Oh no! It's gonna jump again!) She started scoping out the landscape, looking for an opening. (I gotta move! But, where? There's nothing but Heartless!)

A group of Heartless suddenly latched onto Kairi. Five floating purple heads with yellow eyes and three pink, thin limbs surrounded and sunk their teeth into her. She yelled in pain, dropping her keyblade as they forced her down to her knees. Kairi struggled to break free, trying to yank her arms out and even head butting them, but they didn't so much as respond.

(No. Don't panic. Stay calm and think) Kairi quelled herself in that moment, feeling the pain beginning to fleet, and thought for a solution. She summoned her keyblade and, using what little movement she had afforded to her, went to cast Firaga.

She could feel her heart sink realizing nothing came out. (No! I'm out of magic!) She wanted to kick herself for forgetting so quickly. What a stupid mistake. How could she screw up so badly?

(What's wrong with me?) echoed in her mind as an eruption was kicked up before her. The Behemoth leaped into the air, lunging forward over Kairi. The pitiful Keyblade wielder felt her heart collapse as a colossal shadow was cast over her, becoming thicker as it closed in on her.

"HYAH!"

The colossal darkness obscuring Kairi vanished. The Behemoth was gone, and standing triumphantly in its place was…

"Master Aqua!" Kairi rejoiced, a huge smile burst onto her face. Aqua rushed at her, zooming across the battlefield in a flash. In a single second, before the Darkballs holding Kairi down could even respond, Aqua was already behind them. The next second, they all popped, turning into mist as the hearts inside them flew into the air.

"Sorry we took so long," Aqua said, throwing up a collection of particles. All at once, Kairi's injuries were healed, and she felt her magic return to her. "Now let's do some cleanup, together!"

The Heartless grew more restless with Aqua's arrival. They began charging forward by the dozens. Kairi and Aqua both blasted the horde with magic. Explosions and flashes of light burst out from all around them, trails of ice poked holes in the ocean, and Heartless were thrown about by various green typhoons. No Heartless, be it on the cut-de-sac around them, flying in the air, or those crawling and planted across buildings, were safe from this onslaught.

The two Keyblade wielders remained side by side, and because of that, Kairi quickly noticed her stark contrast in skill. For every one Heartless she took out, her master obliterated seven. For every small handful Kairi got, Aqua had defeated a raging mob. Despite using the same spells, despite working in tandem, Aqua was still faster, still stronger.

(Why? Why can't I be as good as you?)

Kairi spotted a Heartless above her, an Invisible. For a split second, it loomed over her, massive sword in hand, before blitzing down at her.

A glass barrier appeared around her. Its sword collided with it, making a plinking sound as it bounced off it. Kairi turned, seeing Aqua in the barrier with her, holding her keyblade forward. The Invisible, all the Heartless around them, continued beating away at the barrier, every single one of their attacks either bouncing off or vanishing on contact. The assault was loud and blaring, each noise drowning out the other, combining into a horrible outcry that assaulted the eardrums. Kairi covered her ears, but Aqua remained unfazed, continuing to hold her keyblade steady throughout the attack.

Suddenly, the tip of her weapon began shining a brilliant white.

"It's ready."

She twisted her keyblade sideways, then swung around in a full circle.

"Refleza!" She fiercely shouted. A thin, horizontal ring briefly appeared across the barrier, before a beam of light shot out of it. Kairi averted her eyes as the majority of her vision went white in an instant. The beam went off in a flat line all around them, shooting out without pause until it hit the nearby buildings.

The ocean around them was pierced and disintegrated, all Heartless the beam hit dropping in a blinding blink. The beam was fast, giving the Heartless little, if any, time to react. Hardly a second later the beam ceased, as did the barrier, greeting Kairi to a nearly empty cup-de-sac, only a handful of Heartless left before her.

"Wow. You really are something else, Master." Kairi was so impressed by her master's display, she failed to notice the Invisible floating above her. It was the same one from before, untouched by the Refleza. Seeing its opening, it once again blitzed at the unaware Kairi.

Aqua darted forward, pushing Kairi aside, who clumsily fell to the ground, and deflected the blow. The Invisible's sword bounced up over its head, letting Aqua deliver a flurry of keyblade swings against it, ending with a burst of magic orbs coming out of her, homing in on and smashing into the Heartless. The light from the orbs disappeared with the Invisible.

With the Invisible gone, Aqua took the moment to scan her surroundings. There were more Heartless in view on nearby buildings, but far enough away to not be an immediate threat. What's more, she saw two tiny figures flying around in the sky, one of them evading huge bursts of light from the other.

She sighed in relief seeing that before approaching Kairi.

"There's no need for formalities, Kairi." Aqua held a hand out to her. "We're friends."

Kairi smiled as she took her hand, rising back to her feet. "Thanks Aqua. It's just, you feel more like a big sister, you know?"

Aqua giggled. "I get that. It sort of felt that way, always looking after Terra and Ven, keeping them out of trouble."

Kairi's smile disappeared, overtaken by a frown. "Just like you're doing now…"

Kairi rushed into Aqua's chest, hugging her tightly. Aqua reciprocated, locking her in a firm embrace. "I'm sorry, Aqua. You spent so much time training me, but I'm still not good enough. This situation, everything about it… it's so scary. I don't want to let you down, I don't want to lose to Shigaraki, but I… I don't think I'm…"

Kairi began taking shaky, heavy breaths. She trembled in Aqua's arms, squeezing her master tighter as she sniffed.

"It's okay, Kairi." Aqua gently placed a hand over her cheek, wiping away some fresh tears. "I won't lie to you, even I think this is a scary situation, but I'll never wish you weren't here with us. You're not a burden, you're not holding us back. I mean it when I say you're just as capable as Sora. You're not quite a keyblade master yet, that's true, but I know that we'll pull through this fight because of you. As long as you always get back up when you fall down, you'll get through any darkness you face."

Kairi's sniffing stopped, and her body relaxed. "You… you really think so?" Aqua nodded. "I know so."

Kairi remained silent for a moment before leaving Aqua's embrace, giving her friend a soft smile. "Okay. But… stay by my side. Please?"

Aqua nodded. "Of course. You didn't even need to ask."

Kairi could feel a massive weight in her chest disappear as Aqua smiled at her. Just seeing her, being near her friend, brought confidence out of her.

Heartless once again began encroaching on them, filling the ocean the two emptied moments prior. Kairi summoned her keyblade. "What's the plan, Aqua?"

"We need to reunite with the others," she responded, "but King Mickey didn't tell us how. We don't have a unified plan."

"Let's use the Gummiphone!" Kairi suggested, "Shigaraki disabled ours, but yours should still work!"

"Good thinking Kairi. This shouldn't take long." Aqua pulled out her gummiphone and began feverishly typing, her taps almost light-speed. "Where should we meet up?" Aqua mumbled to herself.

A faint light in the sky caught Kairi's attention. Far, far above, resembling a star, was a twinkling yellow and purple light. That light sent a cold shiver through Kairi's heart.

"No!"

The ocean below them was vast, but their fight was no less titanic. High in the skies of The World That Never Was, Mickey relentlessly pursued Shigaraki, who bobbed and weaved away from his onslaught.

"Ultima!" Mickey shouted, launching a wave of white light from his keyblade. Shigaraki propelled himself away with a burst of air from his hand, fully evading the spell.

(Rats!) Mickey snapped, (I thought I had him that time!) Mickey began gliding after him, a fierce look of determination on his face. (This guy… he's not Xehanort, or even Luxu. He's far more dangerous than either of them.)

Mickey thought back to a moment from earlier today, where he, Aqua, Ventus, and Terra, all witnessed a star crumbling into nothing. (I can't let that happen again. As the King of Disney Castle, I have a duty to protect my friends. I'll take down this guy, I'll make sure he never destroys another world again!)

Mickey thrust his keyblade upward, summoning a barrage of lightning bolts that rained down on Shigaraki. The Thundaza hit him square on, and quickly coated him in electricity, subsiding almost immediately. Tomura appeared to be in immense pain, tightly clutching his chest, as he had been doing for some time now.

(God damn it! What the hell is happening to me?!) His eyes were strained, teeth grit tightly, and he only managed to breathe through stuttered grunts. (It's so painful, this and Cartoon Nezu are making it too hard to focus. I can't pay attention to anyone else, that must've been their damn plan.

(This is an internal attack for sure, but White Cell Program isn't stopping it, just reducing its power.) Shigaraki's hand squeezed tighter, his nails digging into his skin, drawing blood.

(Who? Who the hell is doing this?)

Mickey aimed his keyblade at Shigaraki. Tomura punched forward, hurling a burst of air at Mickey, nailing the King square in the face and sending him flying back with a yelp of pain.

Shigaraki flew back a good distance too, but eventually came to a stop, and began walking on air as if it were solid ground, scanning the battlefield with rainbow colored eyes. (All the new anime key users have basically the same weaknesses as Sora. If that's the case, their arsenals are probably similar to his too.)

His eyes twitched, and he grunted in pain, but he focused enough for his gaze to lock on Isa. His weaknesses were notably different; 'Weak Long Ranged Capabilities', 'Slow To Attack', and 'Low Long-Term Sustainability'. (This guy's an exception, but I doubt it's him. Weak Long Range probably means he's bad at magic. Not to mention…)

He thought back to how Sora, Riku, Kairi, and Donald had been using magic, and how Mickey used it right now. (Without a doubt, this has gotta be magic, but this is different. When these guys cast their magic, it happens basically instantly. The longest term spell anyone's used was that ten second wind barrier, but this is lasting way longer. Even then, none of them seem to have spells that attack internally.

(It's just a guess, but I think it's sound.) His eyes returned to their usual red. (Whoever's doing this, they're hiding somewhere. It's someone I never tagged with Search.)

His attention returned to Mickey, who was now joined by Riku. They appeared to be speaking to one another, then Riku threw some white particles in the air over Mickey, and quickly left.

(Wonder what that's about,) Shigaraki mused as another wave of pain attacked his chest, forcing him to keel over. (Doesn't matter. The kid, Cartoon Nezu, even Sora's gonna have to wait.)

Mickey took the opportunity to charge at him, waving his keyblade overhead. Shigaraki retaliated by raising a hand at Mickey. A thick, red laser shot out of the gaping hole in his palm, covering Mickey's face in its light. "Agh!" He shouted, covering his eyes. Moments later, the laser began flashing.

(Whoever's doing this has to die.)

The laser vanished as three small missiles came flying out of Shigaraki's hand. They were far punier than the last batch, about the size of a human thumb, and their speed was a lot lower as well.

Mickey regained his vision in time to spot their smoke trails barreling toward him. "They're tiny, but I won't get careless!" Mickey thrust his keyblade forward. "Firaga!" A large fireball shot forward, smashing into one of the missiles, creating an explosion. A dust cloud formed over the center of impact, one quickly brushed aside as two missiles came flying out of it.

Mickey started gliding away from the missiles, but they gave chase, even following him if he changed direction. He cast more magic to deal with them, giving Shigaraki the opening he needed.

Tomura launched himself high above Mickey, his gaze fixated on him and the city below. (This is becoming more of a match than I expected, but it's still nothing I can't handle.)

Another surge of pain bellowed from his chest. It was worse than before, the pain even more unbearable, but he only slouched over this time, and his grunts of pain weren't quite as intense.

He aimed a hand downward, shaking as he brought it into position. It began crackling with purple electricity as a yellow light began glowing from within the hole in his palm. (Time to gain back control of this situation.)

The light and electricity became brighter and stronger, then, in a single moment, stopped. In that moment, Shigaraki shot his head down to his hand. He released a gigantic cone-shaped attack, the same yellow energy and purple static attack he used earlier, but this time screamed into it.

"Yen Sid is dead!"

Shigaraki's voice echoed through the attack, being carried by its air waves all throughout the battlefield, while the attack itself consumed everybody.

Mickey, who'd finished dealing with the missiles, was pounced by the air wave. He was blown down a good distance before casting Reflega, halting his momentum.

Mickey gripped a fist as Shigaraki's words bounced all around him, his eyes narrowed and filled with an intense fire as he stared back.

"Not again!" Donald shouted, casting Aeroga over him and Roxas. The wind barrier deflected the air wave while the electricity surrounded them, but failed to penetrate the defense.

Donald held the barrier true, even as Shigaraki's message assaulted his ears. The voice rattled his mind, digging deep into his heart.

(No. Master Yen Sid… he has to be okay,) he hesitantly told himself.

Terra and Isa were both pummeled by the wave, being flung down to the ground with a heavy thud. Neither of them felt too damaged by it, but Isa was left shouting in pain as The Dark Inferno, still imbued by the dark aura, continued beating away at him, unaffected by the colossal wave.

Terra tried resisting, both the wave and Shigaraki's message. His face was writhe with pain, his eyes strained and teeth clamped together.

(He's lying. He has to be.) Even in his thoughts, Terra choked on those words.

Goofy and Ventus, as well as the Invisibles and other surrounding Heartless, were all overtaken by the wave. Ventus and the Heartless were all shoved to the ground, but Goofy remained on his feet. Even as the purple electricity surrounded him, Goofy stood there, noticing the attack, but unfazed by it.

(It's this thing again,) he thought calmly to himself, (I barely noticed it last time too. Why's it knocking down everyone else except me?) At that moment, Goofy looked at the twelve Invisibles, all planted helplessly against the ground, and his eyes shot open. (We gotta get outta here!)

Goofy charged to Ventus, running just as he would without the air wave. He picked him up and ran from the scene, peeking back to make sure the Invisibles didn't spot him.

Although he was unaffected by the air wave, he couldn't block out Shigaraki's words. They blared at him from all directions, assaulting him like a frenzied mob. He continued running as a weight formed in his heart, and tears fell from his face.

"Watch out!" Kairi shouted at Aqua, jumping in front of her and casting Reflega. The barrier held off the air wave and purple electricity, shielding them as the Heartless around them were all smashed into the ground, immobile and helpless to move.

Shigaraki's message hit them with an echo, continuing to reverberate, growing more and more distorted until becoming unrecognizable, garbled nonsense. (Master…) Aqua thought, her teeth grit as a tear fell down her face. She looked to Kairi, who held her head down in sorrow.

Strelitzia and Xion were both caught off guard, and the wave enveloped them in moments. They both put their bodies over Sora, shielding him as best they could. "He can't be serious!" Xion said. "Yeah, he has to be lying," Strelitzia added, "right Sora?"

The two looked to Sora, who laid on the ground in-between them. His face was riddled with pain, and although he still clutched his chest, his eyes laid on Shigaraki, a small tear running down his face as he looked on high at him.

Riku took over behind a building, protecting himself from the blast. He was a significant distance away from the battlefield, far outside of the ocean of Heartless, yet he still felt the force of his wave.

(Please, stay safe everyone.) Riku continued dashing away, using the buildings and alleys as cover to remain hidden.

Silence fell upon the battlefield as the air wave ceased. Shigaraki scanned the area below with a smirk, spotting Roxas and Donald, Aqua and Kairi, and Goofy holding Ventus, being the only groups still on their feet.

(Looks like some of them managed to avoid it. Too bad, but I can deal with that later.) Another surge of pain hit Shigaraki's chest as he spotted Mickey swiftly gliding back up to him. Mickey stopped a fair distance from him, his eyes squinted and mouth grit in anger.

"You liar!" Mickey furiously shouted, "There's no way you beat Master Yen Sid!"

Shigaraki grinned at Mickey as he covered his chest with his cape, still clutching it tightly. "Whether you believe me or not doesn't matter, the facts are the facts. I've been destroying entire worlds, breaking them apart and making them crumble like sand castles. If you wanna live in denial and claim I can't kill one old man, then be my guest!"

Mickey held a furious scowl as he glared back at Shigaraki.

"I gotta say though, you're certainly a case of student surpassing the master. Don't let this go to your head, but you're putting up a way better fight than he did. Then again…"

Shigaraki lowered his head, then flipped it up. He stared at Mickey with soul-piercing rainbow colored eyes. "It's not like I let him fight back."

Mickey's scowl grew deeper, and his grip on his keyblade tightened. "If it was up to me, I'd destroy you and avenge everyone you took from us! But if Sora is willing to give you a chance, then I will too."

"Oh really now?" Shigaraki responded. His gaze remained on Mickey, but his thoughts lied elsewhere. (God damn, that actually worked.) Confidence surged through him as his hand rested over a glowing white light on his chest, shrouded by both his hand and Beast's cape. (He has no idea I'm using Network.)

A thought was firmly planted in Shigaraki's mind, one where he barged through a massive dome of fire while soaring through the sky, coming face to face with a man wearing a black coat with red, spiky hair, wielding a red, fiery keyblade. The man seemed shocked to see Shigaraki barreling toward him before blasting him with a massive stream of fire, one Shigaraki blocked and effortlessly charged through with a yellow barrier before reaching the man, slamming him to the ground with an air cannon shot.

The vision ended as he blasted forward, his sights seemingly set on something else.

(Perfect, this is exactly what I needed. Network gives me info about the person I talk to and the person I get a vision on. This guy, he's bold, confident, and thinks he's hot shit. Sounds like the kinda person that'd specialize in close range. In other words, just like the rest of em.

(Now I know for sure they've got more people in the background. I don't know how many more of them are waiting in the wings, or where they are.

(But maybe, with just one more vision…) Another surge of pain hit Shigaraki's chest, this one the most painful so far. He could feel his eyes ready, desperate even, to pop out of their sockets, the veins around his heart burned like they were sitting in acid. (Shit! It's getting worse! I don't think I have much time left!)

"This is your only chance Tomura Shigaraki!" Mickey demanded, grabbing his attention, "Stop all of these horrible actions and go back to wherever you came from, or else!"

Shigaraki let out a pained sneer at that demand. "I don't give a crap about you, Cartoon Nezu. I'm here for Sora, and I'm not leaving without him!"

Mickey briefly returned a sneer before firing off Aeroga at him. Shigaraki propelled himself away with an air cannon shot, dissolving the green typhoon into nothing. His cape now freely fluttered in the breeze, but the light on his chest was gone.

(He's not lying, he's sincerely giving me a chance cause of Sora.) Shigaraki couldn't help but grin widely. (Here I thought that'd snap Cartoon Nezu into screwing up, but Sora really is something else.)

Mickey started launching Firagas at Shigaraki, who continued dodging with air cannon propulsions. (As helpful as he was, I need somebody else now. I just need one opening to snuff out whoever's doing this.) He activated Search, his eyes locking onto one specific cyan dot. (Hopefully, just one more time, and I'll have whoever's doing this in the ground.)