A rushed action

Terra and Ventus were hurrying onwards, seeking to find their way out of the castle, or trying to. Ven was holding his head, his step slowing several times as waves of a migraine pressured the inside of his skull, forcing Terra to wait for him. As soon as they had made their escape Chirithy had returned to Ven's heart, to do their part in keeping the source of his headache at bay.

Terra for his part was still largely moving on automatic, still in utter shock at what had happened with Aqua, veering between stubborn denial and heart wrenching grief. He had never thought this day would come. Sure, he had had his concerns about her being slow about mending her condition, hesitant of the solution they both knew she needed. Yet he had been entirely confident she would come to see reason and would eventually triumph over her darkness. And she had been so close, too. She had already been coming around to the idea of it, promising to attempt it when this exam had been concluded. That this would happen to her now, after the long journey she had been on… it seemed so unfair. Just the kind of cruel trick one might expect personified darkness to pull.

For all that he knew deep down he had not given up on her. Whatever it took, he would find a way to bring her back. The pain in his heart demanded it. There was simply no other way he could allow this to end for either of them. He would do something, at the first opportunity. But he also needed to ensure Ventus came to no harm first. He couldn't lose them both…

They climbed a flight of stairs, reaching another floor when Ventus suddenly gave a pained groan and sank to his knees curling into a ball on the ground. Immediately Terra was at his side kneeling down next to him.

"Ven…" He said, a concerned frown on his face.

"It's Vanitas. He's really pushing. He wants out. And he knows he'll get out if those others manage to find us." Ventus explained through gritted teeth.

"It hurts so much…" He whimpered.

"Can you hold him off?" Terra asked.

"I'll… I'll have to. For Aqua." Ventus answered.

Terra nodded. He was right. He would have to. And that applied to both of them. They were her lifeline. If there was any way for her to return to her true self, then the two of them were her beacon home. As ever each of them relied on the other two. She needed them both, and they needed each other.

"Do everything you can. And if there is anything I can do, tell me." He told Ventus. He was about to scoop him up to his arms when he froze.

"Did you hear that?" He asked of Ventus.

One moment they were alone, listening. The next the Bear was lunging up the stairs, his weapon already raised. Terra raised his keyblade to block the blow. For all the good it did. The attack came with such a force he was knocked off his feet, flung a short distance away. Fighting though his headache, Ventus scrambed to his feet, just managing to avoid the Bear's attempt to grab him.

An instant later Terra was on his feet, charging in to protect Ventus. Ventus joined in, a three person duel beginning.

A short while later Terra grunted as he blocked another blow directed at him, his feet skidding on the ground as he was pushed back, a tremor resonating from his weapons to his arms. This wasn't good. His technique was focused on power over speed. But so was Aced's. And with some alarm he had noted Aced was the stronger of the two of them. It was not something he was accustomed to. And no question he was already on the defensive. Ven was helping, harrying the Foreteller to keep him from focusing his full attention on either of them. But Ven was hardly at his best. And against a foe like this they'd need considerably more than just the two of them.

"This can't go on forever. He'll overwhelm us eventually." Terra thought as he fought on. As he tried to think of a fix, an idea came to him. Of course! That might be able to tip the scales in their favor.

He hesitated though. He had already considered this potentially risky earlier. Would it be even remotely safe to attempt it in front of this Darkness incarnate? Or was it more likely it would be turned against them, only adding to their woes?

In his hesitation he was distracted, falling out of synch with the Bear and only noticing an incoming blow at the last second. The impact made him stumble, nearly knocking him over again. Ven moved to assist, attacking from behind the Bear. But their opponent turned, swatting Ven's keyblade aside, then managed to grasp Ven by the throat, slamming him against the wall.

The moment Ven's back hit the wall, all of Terra's hesitation vanished from him. He gave a roar, the Guardian reappearing from behind him. The Bear had just enough time to release his hold of Ventus and turn before the Guardian's fist slammed into his chest. This time it was the Foreteller who was thrown through the aid. As his feet touched the ground again the Bear used his keyblade to slow his momentum, tracing a long gouge on the floor as he slid back several meters. Terra closed the distance between them an instant later, the Guardian's fist pulling back for another blow. The Dark Foreteller struck twice, first at the Guardian's extended wrist, then across it's chest, sending the being reeling. Terra attacked next, only to be blocked by the Bear.

Terra, supported by the Guardian, exchanged a series of blows with the Bear, the two foes dancing around each other as they duelled. Ven meanwhile was still recovering, rubbing his throat and head in turn. He had hit the wall with enough force that his vision was blurry, his thoughts swimming. Only his armor had saved him from being more seriously hurt. And Vanitas's persitent efforts in pushing agaisnt his defenses weren't exactly helping him recover his focus. Seeing Terra still battling the Foreteller, he took a step forward, only to stumble. He saw his keyblade lying on the ground a short distance away and tried to recall it, only to drop it immediately, his fingers too slack to hold it.

Terra and the Bear locked blades, pushing against each other. The Bear glanced up seeing the Guardian had joined its hands into a ball above it's head, about to strike down.

Suddenly a blast of dark energy emanated from the Foreteller, knocking Terra and his alter-ego away. There was a startled shout from Terra as they hit a window, breaking through it, the bigger bulk of the Guardian taking a sizeable chunk of the surrounding wall with them.

Just as the Bear turned to face Ventus a chain made of golden light whipped through the hole, wrapping around the Foreteller's ankle. He was pulled to the ground and dragged into the wintry darkness.

"TERRA!" Ven shouted, running to the hole, going to his knees at the edge, peering down. In the darkness he couldn't even see how long the drop was. But their home was high…

He recalled his keyblade, immediately transforming it into a glider. He climbed on, about to dive into the darkness after Terra. But before he could a bolt of shadows struck him, knocking him off. He picked himself off the floor, and with a gasp realized the Leopard had now arrived in turn, having managed to sneak up on him.

"Not so quickly, jailor. You shall not escape. You will release our brother." The Leopard said.

Ventus turned and ran. But the Leopard kept pace easily enough, Ven having to parry a flurry of blows even as he fled blindly.


Lauriam and Elrena were cautiously advancing along another corridor within the castle. They tensed when they heard a rumble from somewhere in the distance, feeling tremors emanate through the castle. But there were no other immediate effects to them the tremors subsiding after a moment. They arrived at an intersection when they heard movement coming from behind the corner. They immediately hugged the wall, quiet as ghosts, listening. The sounds they had heard had abruptly ceased. But they were sure they had heard them.

They nodded at each other, their grips tightening on their weapons. Then, taking one final breath they rushed around the corner. At that same moment four someones rounded the corner on their side, three of them shouting defiantly and hefting weapons. But the shouting soon died down in surprised silence as the two groups started to recognize each other, having stopped just short of attacking.

"Oh, it's you!" Xion was the first to break the silence between them. She removed her helm, the others following suit.

"There you are. Good. We saw the damage from the outside and came to look for you." Lauriam asked. "Are you all alright?"

"So far. We've had a close call though." Kairi replied.

"Where are Axel and Isa?" Roxas asked.

"Searching another part of the castle. We split up to cover more ground." Elrena explained.

"I'll send them a message we've found you. They'll be happy to know it." She added, already beginning to write on her phone.

"What on earth is going on here? What happened?" Lauriam asked in the meantime.

"The Foretellers. Two of them. Aced and Gula. They came here? Attacked us." Kairi said.

Both Lauriam and Elrena paused in stunned shock.

"What?" Lauriam gasped. "But… after everything we just learned about them... why would they be attacking?"

"At first they wanted me. My light. For something. But when we managed to hold them off at first, they… they turned. They lost control and the Darknesses inside them took them over. That is what is after us now." Kairi explained.

"And Aqua…" She added, hanging her head.

That certainly caught Elrena's attention. "Blue? What about her?"

"She… they messed with her head. Somehow they knew about what you found about Scala. And they foced her to see it. She couldn't take it. She… turned. Attacked Mickey and Yen Sid. She even hit Ventus!" Kairi explained, teary eyed.

"What? Oh no, no. Not her…" Elrena gasped. "I should have been there for her..."

"It does sound like we would have been needed. If only we hadn't been busy with our own task. " Lauriam agreed.

"But we're here now. You said Mickey and Yen Sid were attacked. How badly were they hurt? Did they survive? And do you know what became of Ventus? And Terra?" He added.

Xion shook her head. "We haven't seen any of them since we got separated. No idea where anyone else is now."

Lauriam nodded, sighing. "Alright. We'll get you out of here, then double back to look for the others. It will be alright. Come on."

"Wait, wait! We can't go yet. We need to find Aqua first. We've thought of a way to help her." Kairi piped up.

Elrena perked up at that. "You have? What's your plan then?"

"Aqua might still be able to retake control if she gets a boost of light. And we figured out she has Ira's light vials on her. If we get to them early enough, use them on her, she might be able to contain the Phantom and come to her senses." Naminé detailed.

Elrena's face fell in disappointment. "That… no. No. That's not an option. We can't use the vials. We'll need to find another way."

Kairi narrowed her eyes. "What? Why not? Why can't we use them?"

"We… we just can't, okay? Trust me on this. Now we need to go. We'll-" Elrena began to say.

"You can't mean to abandon her!" Kairi argued, her voice beginning to rise.

"No one is abandoning her! She-" Elrena said, pausing briefly as she realized what she was about to admit to. Never had she said it out loud. "She is my friend. And I want to help her just as much as you do. But the vials aren't the way. And with two hostile Foretellers and Blue not being herself, we need the others before we try anything."

"She's right. We need to regroup and catch our breath, and then we'll come up with a proper plan." Lauriam opinioned.

"We'll think of a solution, I promise. But we need to do this by the numbers." Elrena said.

"Aqua doesn't have time for it! Naminé said she was already fading. If we waste time running around trying to think of alternatives we might end up being too late. I won't allow that!" Kairi challenged.

Elrena's expression turned annoyed. "Now you listen to me, and listen to me prorper! This is no time for any kind of heroics-!"

"We have a solution ready to go, right here, right now!" Kairi interupted. "Precisely what she needs and you won't even consider making use of them, even though it might cost her everything!? You claim to be her friend, and yet you'd rather risk leaving her to rot!? Just what are you afraid of!?"

"Please, not so loud, both of you. Someone might hear..." Naminé urged.

"You don't get it! They-!" Elrena shouted, ignoring Naminé altogether. Then she drew a sharp breath, trying to collect herself. "Right then. I suppose I can't even wait for the proper time with this info. Those vials… Invi told me how they got them. They… they've ripped hearts apart to take the light from within them. Because they need it, and there was no other way for them to get it. Not that that makes it any better. They've destroyed hearts utterly, just to get the things you'd now use!"

A shocked silence descended. Lauriam's expression was heavy, while Elrena was shaking slightly, breathing in and out.

"Do you understand now? The light in those vials is an abomination. If you use them on Aqua, do you think she'll thank you in the end? As soon as she finds out where that light comes from things will go a whole lot worse for her. And she deserves better from us than having that crime forced on her." She concluded.

To her credit Kairi faltered at this new information, biting her lip. But then her expression hardened. "Those vials could be her only shot. Right or wrong you dont have a plan B. And she can't wait for you to come up with one. And neither will I."

Without warning she donned her helmet, summoned her wings and dove down the corridor, away from the others.

"What the-? Hey! Come back here you-!" Elrena exclaimed.

"Kairi! Wait!" Roxas called after her.

Elrena gave an annoyed growl. "Damn that impulsive little… alright, I'll go get her."

"Right. Let's go then." Lauriam said with a nod.

"No. No, no, no. I need you to keep the rest of these idiots in line, so they don't do anything else stupid. This one is mine." Elrena said firmly.

"You mean… alone?" Lauriam asked, obviously less than thrilled by the notion.

"I'm just going to go find her and drag her back by the ear. A quick in and out. I won't get to any fights if I can help it." She explained.

"You could at least take one of us with you to help." Roxas offered.

"If you want to help, then do as you're told and go with him. Don't complicate this more." Elrena countered.

"But… Elrena." Lauriam pleaded.

"I can do this. You've always trusted me to fight by your side, though thick and thin. Now trust me to do this for the team. I need you to watch over the rest of them. That's your job now. And I know mine." She told him.

There was a long pause, after which Lauriam nodded reluctantly.

"Elrena." He added just as she turned to leave. "Good luck."

She turned back, and saw in his eyes that there was more he wished to say, but couldn't because they weren't in private. Her own eyes softened in compassion.

"Same to you." She said. Her tone too indicated there was far more she wished to convey with those words. With a final nod she then hurried away.

"Are you sure there is nothing else we could do to-" Xion began to ask after she was gone.

"Kairi should not have pulled her little stunt in the first place. You will not complicate this further." Lauriam cut her off, a note of irritation entering his voice now.

With no further protests voiced Lauriam began leading them away, towards the entrance of the castle.