Well, I said I’d upload this a few days ago, but… I had some problems IRL, so, I just didn’t have the will to post. Anywho, in this chapter, we actually get to see Pete and stuff, though Maleficent will show up next chapter with a differed role than in KH2. Now, some of you may be all “Huh?” about Zexion at the moment… but he’s supposed to be confusing, for now, at least. I have plans for him, as well as a few other COM nobodies.

Chapter 7: Revelations and Heartless Troubles

WHAM! With a thud, Sora, Donald, and Goofy found themselves landing face down on the floor of some random house. For a moment, the trio remained still, simply waiting for their heads to stop spinning. After all, the door back in Timeless River had sorta, well, THROWN them into this place. The wooden floor surely wasn’t comforting, anyway. Dizzily, Sora lifted himself up a bit, now eying his surroundings. From the computer on the far end of the room to the group of familiar faces filling the premises, nobody could deny that this was indeed Merlin’s house. But, if the Keybearer and his two obscure friends had ended up in said house… that meant that they were in Hollow Bastion!

As Donald and Goofy also came to their senses, the first thing they saw was Sora himself wearing a pleased smirk. For whatever reason, the spiky haired teen was enjoying himself for reasons unknown… well, at least to the poultry mage and his clumsy pal. While the three sat down for a moment, passing strange stares, the sound of footsteps could be heard from behind. Quickly, the three heroes about faced, only to find the merry, whimsical wizard known as Merlin in their presence. Now, Merlin was the type to wear large blue robes along with a magic hat. His snow colored beard dangled clear down to the floor, showing that he was very old and wise.

“I see that you’ve made yourselves at home on my floor,” joked the wizard, wearing a pleasant expression.

It had been over a year since the Keybearer and his partners had seen Merlin, not that they had known the length of time that had passed. Either way, though, it had been quite a while since they last encountered the magical man and the rest of the Hollow Bastion gang, for that matter. Donald and Goofy were quick to get up to their feet and greet the wizard, with Sora hurrying behind. It was about time they reached this world!

“Merlin!” exclaimed Sora, Donald, and Goofy, all at once. Clearly they were all enjoying this little reunion.

With a smile, the wizard continued to speak. “Now, you’re probably wondering how you got out of that strange world. Well, let’s just say that your Queen told me about the Gummi accident, and, I did a little magic.”

So it had been Merlin who sent the door to Timeless River? Well, that wasn’t too surprising, since the man was an expert in the skills of all things magical. Plus, the fact that Sora and co had been rescued in the first place was a reassuring fact. Anyway, soon after his little explanation, the wizard was joined by two more familiar faces, namely, Yuffie and Leon. The ninja herself, AKA Yuffie, was her typical hyper self from that cocky smirk on her face, to the way she spoke. Then there was the party pooper you all know as Squall Leonheart. As usual, he kept a stern expression that showed little to no remorse. Of course, Sora and his friends knew that under his serious exterior, Leon wasn’t a bad guy at all. He just had, well, his own way of doing things.

Upon glancing at Sora, Leon simply shook his head and sighed. Ever since Roxas had shown his face, the seventeen year old had a strange feeling that Sora would pop by. Plus, there was the fact that heartless and nobodies were swarming as of late. All this hubbub and chaos would surely lure the Keybearer to the scene at some point. And then there was Roxas. He claimed to be a friend of Sora’s and all, but when he had brought up the castle and Ansem, something just seemed… odd. But, right now, the only thing important to Squall was asking about Roxas, the oh-so-suspicious ‘acquaintance’ of Sora.

“So…” muttered Leon, giving Sora and odd glare, “some kid popped by earlier. The funny thing is, he had a keyblade… and he claimed to be a friend of yours. I think his name was Roxas. You know him?”

Right there was the confirmation Sora needed. Right when Leon brought up Roxas, the Keybearer KNEW, for sure, that his dreams had been solid fact. Everything just seemed to be going perfectly for the fifteen year old at the moment. Not only had he reached Hollow Bastion and got to see old friends, but now Sora could actually ask about this strange kid who claimed to be a friend. An eerily happy gleam could be seen on his visage, as the spiky haired teen prepared to question Leon and the others about this blondey with an aura of mystery.

So, with a smirk, Sora replied to Leon, saying, “Do I know him? Well, kinda… You see, about a day ago, I had this weird dream about someone about my age named Roxas. He came here and fought along side you against the heartless. I just wonder HOW he knows me…”

“Hmm…” muttered Leon, running his fingers through his semi-long hair, “I’ll tell you what, Sora. If I see Roxas again, I’ll be sure to have a word with him. Sound good?”

Quietly, Sora gave his solemn friend a nod. ANY more info on Roxas would be good. All the Keybearer wanted, really, was to know more about the boy who haunted his dreams, who just happened to have a claim that he somehow knew him. This was mostly because Sora didn’t recall ever running into this stranger, nor had he ever heard of him before that dream. Luckily, he had run into someone who had actually had a run in with Roxas, so at least there was a slight chance of getting more information in the future.

Now that Leon had gotten a response from Sora, it was time for the real business. Sure, finding info on strange blonde haired teenagers was fine and dandy, but what about all the danger done to Hollow Bastion? With the minor stuff now taken care of, Leon and Yuffie motioned Sora, Donald, and Goofy towards the computer screen at the far end of the room. There were no objections at all from the trio, who simply trekked over to the monitor. On the screen was a simple map of the town. However, certain areas were colored in red and labeled ‘danger zones’. Such places were the dark depths and the ravine trail. Safe zones were colored in blue, though it seemed that these were much fewer in numbers. For, as opposed to the various red zones, only the Borough and the Market Place were considered threat less.

“G-Gawrsh,” stuttered Goofy in amazement, his eyes open wide. “This place is kinda different…”

“Y-yeah…” Sora concurred, also quite amazed at the changes.

This diagram was of much interest to the Keybearer and his animaloid comrades. No, it wasn’t because of pretty colors or anything, but rather, because it really showed how much the world had changed since the trio’s last visit. Last time, there was only the castle left, but now, an actual TOWN existed. Leon’s gang must have done a massive amount of work to fix the place. As the three gazed upon the map, Yuffie quickly pressed some buttons, which made an assortment of images. Most of them showed a variety of areas in the town being damages by heartless and a few of those nobody things. Pulsating swarms of the black shadow-like beasts could be seen in these stills, and it seemed that even with the two safety zones, there was far more danger. True, the world had improved, but one could still consider it a sanctuary for all things dark and dismal.

Yuffie gave a sigh. Though she was usually cocky and hyperactive, the ninja was not easily wooed by the sight of her home being constantly shrouded in the shadows, so to speak. “This is what happens when the Keybearer isn’t around for a while…” she said in a lugubrious tone. “We’ve been trying to make Hollow Bastion the way it used to be, but it’s not exactly easy.”

Nodding in agreement, Leon added on, “You could say that Hollow Bastion has a problem… a BIG one at that. That’s why we need you three. As you know, the heartless have a great fear of the Keyblade, which you, Sora, can use to your advantage. Donald and Goofy are just as important, though. After all, even the Keybearer can’t handle all the heartless on his own.”

“So, do you know why the heartless are back?” Sora asked, quite curious about the notion. “I thought that after we sealed the door to darkness, they’d be toast.” Both Leon and Yuffie shook their heads as if upset. Apparently, things weren’t as straightforward as just sealing a huge door.

“I wish it were that easy,” groaned Leon as if annoyed. “The heartless are still around because… well, let me explain it in a simple way. You see, we all have darkness in our hearts, even you three.” He paused for a moment, taking a glance at Sora and co before continuing, “It’s impossible to get rid of the darkness in every heart, so that’s why the heartless are back. I guess you could say that they’re… eternal.”

That last word made a huge lump form in Sora’s throat. If the heartless were eternal, did that mean that his job as Keybearer would never cease? Would every victory just lead to another tiring struggle? All that Sora wanted now was to return to his carefree life back on Destiny Islands, but here he stood, absorbing all this news. “So…” he moaned, now not very thrilled about his heroic position, “does that mean that I’ll always be fighting?”

“Oh, buck up Sora!” exclaimed Goofy before clear answer could be given from Leon. The oversized canine, as usual, wore a pleasurable expression as he made his way towards the Keybearer. “Even if you’re fighting, you’ll always have your pals by your side, A-hyuck!” Really, Goofy was right. No matter what trauma ensued, Sora would always have his friends sticking up for him. That was all that really mattered.

Goofy’s statement brought a smile to Sora’s face. Sometimes it really paid to have him and Donald around, even if it sometimes led to trouble. Plus, being optimistic sure beat being a sour apple, so to speak. Anyway, tired of all this chatter, Leon made his way towards the door, his gunblade in hand. Whatever he intended on doing probably had something to do with the heartless swarms. “Come on,” he said, motioning Sora and the others to follow him. “It’s time I had a word with you three… outside.”

Somewhat confused, the Keybearer and his comrades had no other choice but to follow Squall, who was already out the door. It figured as much, though, since Leon wasn’t exactly patient all the time. So, with Sora in the lead, the trio trekked out the door, where Leon stood, leaning against one of the buildings. The look on his face wasn’t a pleasing one, but, then again, all this heartless business wasn’t a comforting notion. “Ok, guys, here’s what’s been going on since you defeated Ansem…” he announced as Donald and Goofy scampered in front of Sora before making themselves comfortable. “You see,” explained Leon, heaving another sigh, “after the worlds became disconnected, everything was back to normal… at first. People here decided to restore the town, since the crisis with the heartless had ended, though a few shadows pop up from time to time. However, this peace didn’t last…

“Sooner or later, these strangers in black cloaks started popping up out of nowhere. They didn’t really do much, other than ask some questions about the heartless and Ansem. Still, nobody knew where these guys came from, and surely they weren’t residents of this world. Later on, the heartless started showing up again. This didn’t shock us at first, since they were just the local variety. At first, they were in small numbers and were easily dealt with, but as the weeks went by, their ranks kept increasing. Soon, there were thousands of heartless popping up with no end. We couldn’t take them all, and many people lost their hearts. Something told me that not all of these heartless were locals, and that something had allowed outsiders in. Luckily, we were able to install defense systems at one point, but it only helped slightly. At least we were able to protect the Borough and the Marketplace, but the castle and the rest of Hollow Bastion could be considered a cesspool for all things dark and treacherous.

“Later on, we learned that the strangers in black were called nobodies, and they were the ones who let the heartless into Hollow Bastion. Not only did they find a way to unleash mass amounts of heartless into whatever world they pleased, but they also sent their weaker nobodies to prevent too much interference. And, you know what?” Leon then paused, pointing towards Sora, who gave a confused expression. “I think they’re after you.”

So, the Organization had been in Hollow Bastion? How was that supposed to work? And, what was even more peculiar was that, for whatever reason, they kept most people from fighting off the heartless by using their weaker flunkies? That wasn’t good. The way things were going, it was almost as if Organization XIII was turning Hollow Bastion into a breeding ground for heartless!

Sora, Donald, and Goofy shifted uncomfortably. While they were snoozing for who knows how long, the worlds were becoming invaded and disturbed by creeps in black. Couldn’t the villains ever do something relaxing like have a picnic? “So, you’re sayin’ that those Organization XIII fellers are letting heartless in, but keeping everyone else away from the danger zones?”

“Exactly,” Leon replied. “And that’s the problem. If they keep this up, even the defense systems won’t help. Honestly, I’m worried about what they plan on doing with all those heartless.” Nods were the response that Sora and his friends gave. If the Organization ever decided to unleash all the heartless at once, just for an example, the results would be catastrophic. Imagine thousands of heart hungry beasts being sent upon a residential area with no way to fight back, and you’d get an idea of the dilemma.

“So, what should we do?” asked Sora, now oozing with worry. From the way Leon had described things, most of Hollow Bastion was an ocean of darkness, and surely it’d take more than a meager effort to deal with each and every heartless. Heck, the way things sounded, it would take a miracle to wipe the whole area clean.

Leon quickly moved away from the wall and put his gunblade in a ready position. “What we have to do,” he explained, “is go deeper into Hollow Bastion, where the nobodies are standing guard. If we can take down some of the heartless swarms, then that should be a decent start. I’ll lead the way.” Quiet, yet swiftly, Leon rounded a corner, holding his weapon in case of an ambush. Behind him was Sora, carrying his keyblade, followed by Donald and Goofy, who were also prepared for anything. Soon, they reached and alley, which led to higher ground.

Without saying a word, Leon made his ascent to the bridge above. It really didn’t require much effort or skill to reach the top, since the path was pretty linear. Upon reaching the top, he motioned for Sora and the others to follow. As they did, though, the trio felt somewhat uneasy. The place had been too quiet for its own good, even if it WAS a safety zone. Plus, they were getting pretty close to the danger zones now, and nobodies could easily pop out of nowhere.

When everyone was safely on the bridge, Leon prepared to give another warning. “As soon as we path through the gate over there, things might get a little messy,” he whispered. “Stay alert. For all we know, Organization XIII could have sent one of their members to keep watch.” Squall silently began to step through the gate, clenching his gunblade tightly. He knew that it was best to prepare for the worst, due to the harsh nature that Hollow Bastion currently bore. Whether heartless or nobodies were to jump out unexpectedly, it didn’t matter. The only thing of importance now was the fact that the danger zones were an abyss of darkness, swelling and pulsating in disgusting ways.

Nervously, the Keybearer and his two partners followed behind, ready for whatever cretins were to strike. Having experience against the heartless, the three had an added edge, but at the same time, Leon had mentioned THOUSANDS of the pests along with nobody guards. Now, inside the pathway, it was actually rather quiet. Not even a single dusk could be seen. This perplexed Leon at first, since usually; the dusks would be blocking any entry into the area. “That’s odd…” he muttered, taking a quick look around. “It’s like they WANTED us to get in…”

“Maybe we should keep going?” suggested Sora with a shrug. With no enemies in the vicinity, there was no reason for hanging around, anyway. Plus, there was a BETTER chance for ambush if they all remained in place. Out of both options, really, moving on was the more intelligent choice. Leon was the first to respond by simply trudging on forward, silently at that. Being a Hollow Bastion resident, he probably knew already that lying in wait would lead to trouble at its finest.

With no other choice, Sora and his flunkies followed Leon closely behind, once again preparing for any sudden assaults. Each step was taken with caution, and eyes were ever alert. The walk through this narrow path still remained silent, though, and not a single shadow or dusk made an appearance. Only the quiet breeze kept this place from being eerily silent. Soon, Sora, Donald, and Goofy were beginning to grow tired of this continuous ambling without any enemies to thrash. What was the point of all this, if there weren’t any pests to exterminate?

This question was no sooner answered, as, out of the blue; a rustling sound could be heard. Instantly, the foursome came to a pause, instantly drawing their weapons. Unfortunately, nothing happened, at least, not right away. Oddly, though there was a strange sound, nothing jumped out from behind a corner, or even dug through the ground. From the looks of things, the rustle could have very well been an illusion. But, suddenly, there was another sound. This time, it sounded like an angered grumble. Sora turned his head to the others to see if they knew what was up, but their responses were simple shrugs.

All at once, this tranquility shifted and became something war worse. A sudden rumble shook the ground, and, in the distance, as distressed shriek could be heard. Out of nowhere came what appeared to be an overweight canine of some kind, wearing an outfit with zippers all over. His fur was black, and his muzzle was a peach color. Surely he was a stranger, but, at the same time, he looked incredibly familiar. Behind him were several angry dusks, whirling around, contorting in various ways. Even an innocent bystander could see that this guy had entered the dusks’ domain without giving things a second thought.

“Is that…” Sora pondered, “PETE?!” As the canine clad in zippers slowly but surely came closer into view, the Keybearer was becoming even surer that this weirdo was INDEED Pete. The same Pete who had steamboat obsessions back in Timeless River. Sora wanted to help Pete out, since he didn’t realize how he had changed since the past, but when he tried to dart towards the dusks, he was blocked by a very worried Donald and Goofy.

“SORA!” squawked Donald, waving his staff about. “Pete’s changed since you saw him back in the past. He’s siding with the darkness!” Sora instantly stopped after hearing Donald’s little warning. Not even a question was given just to make sure his feathered comrade was even correct. Something just told him that Donald was correct, since he knew Pete better than a mere teenager from Destiny Islands.

“Come on,” Leon interrupted. “With the dusks handling this weirdo, we can make it to the heartless mobs with no difficulty.” He motioned the trio to follow behind all before darting off. Clearly this was a good opportunity to get by, since the little guards were busy, but something STILL didn’t seem right about this. In here, there were only two dusks, but, surely the Organization was smart enough to block the path with more than THAT meager quantity.

Sora continued to stand in place even after Leon’s little warning. In his mind, he knew that there was more to this than simple coincidence. Earlier, he had been told that the Org. might be after him for whatever reason, so maybe that was the reason for the lack of security in this pathway. As he stood there, Pete continued to advance, still being chased by the irate nobodies. Rather annoyed, Donald tried tugging at his shorts, but Sora simply shrugged it off, saying, “I think we should stay here… there’s something I want to check… you know, just to be safe.”

“But what about Pete and the nobodies?” pondered Goofy. “If we just stay here, we could end up fightin’…”

“We’ll end up fighting either way,” Sora reminded him. “I just want to see something real fast.” There was no sense arguing with Sora after that. Whenever he put his mind to something, the kid was hard to sway. So, there he stood, awaiting the dusks and Pete to come close. He was ready for any possible onslaught from these enemies, and not even a glimmer of fear shone in his eyes.

Pete was now about two yards away from the small squad of heroes. When the sight of these foes hit his eyes, the obese canine got a sudden impulse to halt. His large arms swung forward when his body froze so suddenly, and he failed to notice the two dusks smacking right towards his back. “Well,” bellowed the zipper loving Pete, a maniacal smirk forming on his visage. “Look what the King dragged in. If it aint the little squad of wannabe heroes.” Behind him, the two dusks simply waved around in place. It was as if the sight of Sora had changed their intentions.

“What are YOU doin’ here?!” hissed Donald, frantically waving his staff. Just the sight of Pete irked the fowl, who was incredibly loyal to the King.

“Why,” replied the obese canine, still wearing that sinister expression, “I was just followin’ Maleficent’s orders.” He turned his head towards Sora and snarled angrily. “No thanks to you, she became mincemeat, but some fellas in black coats brought her back. Now we’re gonna rule all the worlds thanks to the heartless. The cloaked freaks said so themselves.” With that, he wore a smug grin and crossed his arms. In the deranged mind of Pete, there was no loss and victory was intimate.

One could easily see that Pete had changed since the time of Timeless River. He had gone from a simple steamboat captain to a villain who was ever loyal to the darkness. Even with this change, however, he still wasn’t very bright. No, Pete had a heavy load of self confidence, which could very well lead to his downfall. After all, it had led to Maleficent’s demise. Anyway, as Pete stood pat, gaily speaking in monologue, the dusks simply vanished, leaving the hefty canine alone with his foes.

Donald was about to burst at the sight of the traitor. His body shook in haste, and his staff was at the ready to cast some nasty spells. A furious gleam shone through his eyes, and it was plain to see that this duck was a force to be reckoned with. Although Goofy wasn’t pleased either, he remained calm, but ever vigilant. One false move from Pete, and the shield would be put to full use. Then there was Sora, who may not have known what to expect from Pete, but he knew that things could end up going down hill. All in all, the trio was prepared for whatever was sure to ensue.

“Looks like you three aint up to no good,” continued Pete, getting in a ready position. “In that case, I think it’s time we had ourselves a little rumble.” Rubbing his hands together, the canine clad in zippers prepared to make his strike. In less than an instant, he made a lunge towards Donald, grabbing the duck by the neck. The strength of his grip was incredible, and the fowl wasn’t even able to counter attack. Seconds later, Pete released his grip, flinging Donald right at the stone wall.

WHAM! The fowl hit with an incredible amount of pressure. He sat there, on the ground, dizzily, moaning in pain. The sight of this made Sora cringe, and in an attempt to get back at Pete, he charged at full force, swinging his Keyblade hastily. Behind him was Goofy, who also was angered by this rashness with his close comrade. Sadly, Pete was able to jump out of the way in the nick of time, making his two foes bump into the wall behind him. For someone who wasn’t that bright, Pete sure knew how to handle combat.

Sora and Goofy passed concerned glances. Even though he didn’t look like much, Pete was indeed a problem that needed to be dealt most in the most superlative manor. With Donald still dizzy from being flung so vigorously, the two had to work on their own to handle their enemy. So, once again, the two charged towards their adversary. Using magic, Sora shot three balls of blazing fire right towards the overweight canine’s rump. This time, the attack actually, hit, as Pete began bounding around in pain from the flames. Unfortunately, though, it didn’t really hinder him, and yet again, Pete flung himself for an assault.

It was sheer luck that Sora and Goofy were able to narrowly escape being crushed by Pete’s oversized belly. Luckily, due to their small size, the two were rather swift. As Pete had flung himself in their direction, both Sora and Goofy did a quick somersault in the opposite direction, causing the massive fiend of sorts to bump into one of the stone walls. Exhausted from all this darting, Sora struggled to stand pat. Magic didn’t appear to do much to Pete’s exterior, but a full out assault could prove risky. However, just standing there made the Keybearer and easy target. Even if risky, Sora decided that he had to do SOMETHING.

So, there he was, charging head on in Pete’s direction, Keyblade in hand. Just as he was inches away from the obese canine, Pete finally snapped out of his dizziness, only to notice his foe about to strike. Luckily for Sora, he was quick enough to club Pete in his ‘manliness’, so to speak. Excruciating pain shot through Pete’s lower region, and he remained stunned long enough for Sora to nail a few more blows. Once that was said and done, he made his retreat towards Goofy, who was starting to shake and twitch for reasons unknown.

“Hey Goofy,” Sora said, poking his friend on the shoulder, “is something wrong?” Oddly enough, even after being poked, Goofy didn’t respond. Instead he just continued shaking. This worried Sora because he had never seen his pal behave like this before. What made things worse is that Donald was still out cold after being chucked against the wall earlier, and with Goofy frozen in shock, Sora would have to take on Pete alone.

Sure enough, this little Goofy distraction had given Pete enough time to recover, and now the behemoth was heading in Sora’s direction. Rage swelled up in his entire being, and for someone his size, that was incredibly dangerous. By the time Sora realized that Goofy wasn’t going to move, Pete was already flying in his direction. He braced himself for the impact, clutching his Keyblade tightly. But, when it seemed like the two beings would clash in mere moments, something odd happened. In a bright flash, Sora’s clothes changed from their black tone to a fiery red. Instead of a single Keyblade in his hands, he had two. As confused by this sudden change as he was, Sora didn’t take the time to question things. Instead he thrust his two Keyblades at Pete’s stomach and knocked him back.

Before making another move against Pete’s might, the Keybearer tried to locate Goofy. Strangely enough, however, the canine defender was out of sight. Nevertheless, time was of the essence, and defeating Pete was of utmost importance at the moment. Brushing the rubble off of his head, Pete once again charged towards Sora, ready to strike, but the Keybearer was just as prepared. Twirling both Keyblades like helicopter blades, Sora was all the ready to collide with his foe.

CHING! Both beings clashed. While Pete tried to force his opponent against the wall, Sora fought back using his two weapons. For whatever reason, the Keybearer was actually able to stand up against Pete’s raw power. As the two pushed up against each other, they both yearned for victory. However, neither of them were getting anywhere by trying to force the other to the floor. Sora saw this and lowered his weapons for a moment before hurrying to the side.

WHAM! This sudden maneuver caused Pete to fall face down on the floor. He didn’t even have time to get back to his feet before he was clubbed in the back by two oversized keys. Again the obese canine tried to get up, only to be clubbed for a second, and then third time. Sora was totally whipping Pete like crazy! Simply by knocking the brute to the ground, the spiky haired teen was able to find a weak spot and gain the upper hand. Soon, Pete was bruised all over his back side.

“Enough!” moaned the burly villain. “You win, I lose! Just make it stop!” After being clubbed several times, Pete was in terrible condition. Though his clothes and fur covered any bruises, it was clear by his moaning that he had been beat. Realizing this, Sora lowered his weapons and backed away from his adversary. Relief then shone across the canine’s visage, as he got back to his feet, panting heavily. Now that he was in no condition to fight, nor was he in the mood. Instead, he darted off in the opposite direction, fearing another beating from the Keybearer.

With Pete out of the way, Sora made his way towards his injured friend, AKA, Donald. Little did he realize, he had changed back to his normal state, black clothes and all. From all the power he had used against Pete, there was none left. Behind the Keybearer, stood a VERY puzzled Goofy, who was simply scratching his head in bafflement. “Gawrsh,” he grumbled, quite dizzily at that, “What happened? Wasn’t that Pete feller in here?”

Sora came to a pause, immediately facing his ludicrous compadre. “Goofy!” he exclaimed, a smirk on his face. Sora’s response from the defender was nothing short of a puzzled glance. Clearly he had no idea as to what had happened just moments before. “Well, anyway,” continued the Keybearer, “while we were fighting Pete, you sorta… vanished. It was really weird, but right after you disappeared, I got two Keyblades and was able to beat that weirdo.”

“You don’t say,” alleged Goofy in a very interested tone. “So, how’s Donald doin’?”

Both of them faced the bruised and beaten fowl, who was just starting to recuperate. Sora gave a shrug, seeing that Donald was at least in decent condition. It was quite surprising, though, since the plucky mage had been chucked at the wall with such great force. One would expect the duck to have sprained something or broken a bone, but none of that was to be seen. Nope, the furious feathered magician of sorts was not in dangerous condition at all.

“I think,” Sora muttered, “he’s ok. But, I’m sure that when he sees Pete again, he’ll go insane.” He paused for a moment, realizing what he had just said and pictured the whole idea in his mind. Just to see the squatty poultry mage go all crazy on that pompous Pete would be classic. “Yep,” added the spiky haired teenager, “I can see that.” Amused by Sora’s thought, Goofy quietly sniggered. In truth, he too could see the fowl going all wacko on Pete. Donald WAS the type to go all rambunctious, after all.

With a groan, said duck finally began to stir. His head was spinning, and confusion filled the air around him. At first, his vision was quite blurry with spots of color everywhere. In short, even though he wasn’t in bad shape, the fowl still wasn’t feeling great. Now, when Donald’s vision finally began to clear, the first thing he saw was his two friends snickering amongst themselves. Seeing this, the injured bird sprung to his webbed feet and squawked, “Hey, what’s the big idea?!” In an instant, Sora and Goofy stopped their little fun, knowing that Donald was bound to explode with anger if his fuse were lit, so to speak.

“Gawrsh, Donald,” Goofy sighed, “looks like you really took a beatin’ from that Pete fella.” Angrily, the feathered fuse box gave a grunt before hitting the clumsy canine right on the knee with his staff. Pain surged up Goofy’s knee, and he was quick to give a yelp.

“Don’t even get me started with Pete!” Donald hissed. “GAH!” Stomping mad, the poultry mage continued his little rant. His feathers were red with anger, and it seemed as if he were gonna blow. Carefully, Sora and Goofy kept their distance, knowing that when he lost his temper, Donald was a dangerous force. After a few minutes of angry ranting along with a few thunder spells being cast on the walls, the fowl finally stopped his squabbling. Panting, he asked, “So, where’s Leon?”

“He left, remember?” Sora replied. “But, now that Pete’s out of the way, we should find him.” Both Donald and Goofy nodded in agreement at this notion. For all they knew, Leon could be in serious trouble with all the heartless out there. Then there were those dusk guards to take into account. All in all, it was best that they headed to the other end of the tunnel.

The rest of the walk through the tunnel was all but silent. No dusks or heartless even bothered to show their faces. Only the sounds of footsteps could be heard for the few minutes that it took to advance through the musty terrain. Even with the lack of enemies, the trio kept their guards up. After all, an ambush could happen at any time, and it was best to be prepared. Finally, they reached the other side of the tunnel. The terrain was now rocky and rough. They could easily see that the whole area was quite damaged, most likely due to heartless.

Down below, the three could see a familiar figure. Judging by the gunblade clenched in his grasp along with the jacket he wore, it had to be Leon. Though it was hard to see him from their distance, Sora and his lackeys could easily see that Squall was crouching down as if he were injured. Quickly, Sora, Donald, and Goofy made their way towards their seemingly injured comrade. The walk—err, run wasn’t a long one. More or less, the trio just had to reach lower ground. As they descended, a few heartless jumped out of nowhere. Each of them was a mere shadow, and there were only about five. Rather annoyed, the three heroes took out these little pests with little effort.

Upon reaching Leon, the Keybearer and his pals found the seventeen year old to be quite aggravated. Sweat coursed down his visage, and he was breathing heavily. Judging by his tattered clothes, Leon had been in quite a quarrel. Most likely, he had been mobbed by many heartless at once, probably large ones at that. Eyeing Sora, and his abstract animal buds, Squall snarled, “YOU. I told you three not to waste time. Because you just HAD to deal with that nimrod, Pete, I faced THIRTY heartless on my own… Wyverns and Air Soldiers at that…” Angrily, he pulled himself to his feet and, though limping, made his way closer to the threesome. “If that’s not enough,” he added, “I was ambushed by Organization XIII.”

Sora edged back slightly. Something told him that Leon wasn’t exactly in the best spirits right now. Seeing the rage gleam from his face along with his weapon clenched tightly in his grip was enough proof for the Keybearer that things weren’t going to be pretty. From the looks of things, dealing with Pete wasn’t even a wise idea. Frowning, Sora realized that he had left Leon in grave danger. “Leon… look, I’m sorry,” he crooned. “It’s just… Pete could have---“

“I. Don’t. Care.” Snarled Squall, lifting up his gunblade, “Next time, follow orders, and you won’t have to deal with THIS!” Instantly, the gunblade was thrust towards Sora’s face. In shock, the Keybearer winced, expecting an incredibly painful blow to befall him. It was only a few seconds later that he realized nothing had harmed him. There wasn’t even a tinge of blood dripping coursing from his skin. Slowly, he opened his eyes, only to find that Leon was gone.

For some reason, there was something wrong about this situation. Even Donald and Goofy exchanged mystified glances with their spiky haired comrade. Neither of them could put a finger on it, but for whatever reason, Leon had vanished almost instantly. Not a single trace could be found from the ground to the damaged rubble in the surrounding area. Puzzled, the trio just gave up on the matter when footsteps could be heard in the distance. Turning around, they could see a familiar form edging their way. Judging by the height, attire, and gunblade clenched in his grip, it could only be Leon. But, something was off about this. Not one scratch showed up on his face, other than his scar, while his clothes weren’t even slightly tattered.

Upon reaching Sora and co, instead of grimacing, Squall just heaved a sigh. How strange it was that he would go from being beaten and aggravated to his normal self. It was almost as if there had been two different Leons or something. Even more bewildered than before, Sora couldn’t help but stare at his ally. Unlike a few minutes ago, Leon didn’t seem a tad aggressive or mad at the three for ditching him. In fact, he wasn’t even too surprised.

“So,” said Leon, crossing his arms, “it looks like you three made it out ok. I almost went back for you, but, I figured that you could handle things.” Quietly, he put away his gunblade before continuing. “Anyway, nothing too exciting happened while you were in the tunnel. I took on a few small swarms of shadows, but that’s about it. A few dusks and some shadows attacked, but they were easily taken care of.”

“Wait!” Donald interrupted. “What’s the big idea? A few seconds ago you hated us!” Feathers ruffled; again, the poultry mage was quite tempted to cast a nasty spell on Leon, such as blizzard. Anything nasty would show the guy not to threaten Sora, at least in Donald’s perspective. Leon, on the other hand, was quite confused. What Donald had accused him of doing just seemed so… out of character for him. If anything, he doubted the duck’s statement.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Squall replied. “You were probably just imagining things.” Stroking his fingers through his medium length hair, he added, “Anyway, I handled enough heartless swarms for now, even though there’s plenty deeper down. We’ll just put any more extermination on hold. You three should head back to Merlin’s house, anyway.” With that, Leon trudged off towards the borough, leaving Sora and his pals with only one real choice… and that was to follow.

Though the trio was disappointed about missing any real action, they agreed that dealing with Pete was a good move. Had they not, the blabbering buffoon may not have leaked any information on Maleficent and the Organization. True, slaying heartless was important as well, but, like Leon said, things could easily be put off. As of now, dealing with the mysterious organization was the real problem. For one, they seemed to have complete control over Hollow Bastion, and possibly other worlds. Not only could they command their own weaker nobodies, but heartless as well. This meant double the ranks at least. Plus, Maleficent was back.

“So,” Goofy pondered, scratching his head, “You think we should be headin’ back towards the Borough?” Both Sora and Goofy nodded in agreement at this notion. After all, staying in the danger zone would only make the three possible bait for heartless or dusks, and that was no good.

So, with everything said and done, the Keybearer, the poultry mage, and the clumsy canine all headed back towards the tunnel. Weapons were still clutched in their grasp, of course, just in case any sudden ambushes occurred. After all, this was still a danger zone, as desolate as it was. As the trio slowly faded into the distance, however, they failed to notice a short cloaked figure standing atop some of the rubble with a stick in his hand. Quietly, this figure removed the hood of his cloak, revealing the face of none other than Zexion.

“Heh...” he hissed in delight. “It seems that my little illusion worked well enough… If it weren’t for that fool, Leon coming in at such an odd moment… perhaps things would have been more… interesting. No matter…enough playing with the boy’s mind… it’s time that I put phase two into action…” Swiftly, Zexion flung the stick towards the ground. Upon making impact, the twig split in two pieces. With a snicker, he turned around and added, “Soon everything will be perfect…” Content, the cloaked schemer snapped his fingers, creating a dark portal, and he stepped inside.

Merlin’s House

Back at Merlin’s place, everything was going well. Upon their return from the danger zone, Sora and his pals had been greeted by more familiar faces. Cid stood in front of the large computer screen from before with a twig in his mug and his typical smirk. Apparently, being the Gummi expert that he is, he was able to repair any damages from the explosion. Along with Cid was Aeris, who was her usual cheery self. Yuffie and Merlin were also in the room like before, but Leon was nowhere to be seen. Either way, hugs, greetings, and all that fancy stuff were exchanged between the heroes and their comrades that hadn’t seen in a whole year.

“So,” Cid said with a beaming expression, “Your ship must have been in one doozie of a wreck. You shoulda seen the mess I went through to fix ‘er up.” Both Sora and Donald inched back a bit at this statement. If they hadn’t had their little quarrel then perhaps Cid wouldn’t have needed to go through the trouble of fixing said vehicle. Still, the three were quite lucky to know a Gummi engineer of such high status. Otherwise, the three could have easily remained stuck in Hollow Bastion for quite some time.

“Anyway,” added the skilled Gummi builder, “I reckon you three should be moseying on now. Can’t let the Organization have a head start, can we?”

Sora, Donald, and Goofy each heaved a heavy sigh. They had only been in Hollow Bastion for a few hours at most, and already there were having to leave. However, Cid brought up a good point. Organization XIII had to be a powerful force, if they could take control of the Town and Castle, fill it with heartless, and prevent most resistance. For all they knew, said group of Nobodies could have done similar things to other worlds, meaning trouble.

“Well,” Goofy whimpered, “I guess we should be headin’ out then.” Clearly he, and the others, was rather dismayed at the thought of having to leave so soon, but they could always visit again. “See ya soon!”

“Yeah,” Sora added, putting his arms behind his head. “We still haven’t gotten a chance to take on those swarms! Anyway, see ya.” Before heading to the door, Sora was sure to wave goodbye to his pals from HB. It would probably be a while before he would see them again, but either way, when he and his two buds returned, they’d be sure to get some action. Once all the goodbyes were taken care off, the three headed outside, only to be followed by Leon.

“Your Gummi Ship should be around the corner,” he explained. Quietly, the three nodded and again headed out, only to be interrupted yet again. Obviously, Leon hadn’t finished speaking to the trio, as he grabbed Sora by the arm and added, “Be careful out there. A lot of things have changed since you three beat Ansem, and your journey will be a lot more dangerous.”

“Alright,” answered the cocky Keybearer. “Thanks for the tip.” Sora wasn’t exactly too worried. Sure, these new foes were a lot tougher than anything he had ever faced before, but as long as he had his friends, none of that would matter. With Donald, Goofy, and his other buds by his side, there was no way the darkness would triumph! Thinking of all that reassured him, as he headed inside the Gummi ship, he knew that no matter what, he’d pull through.

The World that Never Was

Tap. Tap. Tap. In the Castle that Never was, Xemnas, superior of Organization XIII impatiently sat in his throne. Even though it is said that nobodies like him lacked emotion, it was clear that through his behavior, the superior was getting quite restless from all this waiting. Saix, number VII in the Org, was supposed to have returned hours ago with the deceased members Marluxia, Larxene, Vexen, and Lexaeus. At one point, Xemnas had counted Zexion on the list as well, but clearly, his assumptions had been proven incorrect. Perhaps Saïx had encountered troubles back in the Underworld, since dealing with the lord of the dead wasn’t exactly easy. Or maybe, the formerly deceased members weren’t exactly fond of returning. Whatever the reason, it was enough to keep the Lunar Divine busy.

“You know,” grunted a familiar voice, “I would have expected something more… thrilling for my return.” Out of nowhere, a dark portal appeared, causing Xemnas to stir. Judging by the long blue locks, X shaped scar, and narrow eyes, Saïx had indeed returned from his mission. Instantly, the Superior stepped down from his throne to greet number VII. The two nobodies shared emotionless glances before engaging in a conversation.

“So, you were successful?” questioned Xemnas, a false look of curiosity beaming in his eyes.

Saïx shrugged. It was clear that number VII wasn’t exactly satisfied with the results of his mission, if he could even feel satisfaction to begin with. “Somewhat, my liege,” he replied. “I could indeed recover Vexen, Lexaeus, Marluxia, and Larxene… but, for whatever reason, number VI was not among them.”

Saïx’s response was nothing short of a sigh from number I. “Actually, Zexion is with us. I just spoke to him recently, and he explained his long absence. It was quite intriguing, actually. It seems that boy was able to withstand Vexen’s replica after all.” For a moment, the seventh member of the Organization pondered over what his superior had said. For whatever reason, he was surprised that Zexion hadn’t been dead all this time. Of course, this awkward silence was soon interrupted by a rather agitated number VI.

“I can’t believe this!” snarled the cloaked schemer barging through the door. Around his neck was a necklace made of flowers, and judging by the look on his face, he wasn’t exactly pleased… if nobodies could even feel pleasure, that is. “That fool, Marluxia… what purpose was there in bringing HIM back, Xemnas?” It was blatantly clear that, for whatever reason, Zex hadn’t had a very pleasant encounter with number XI of the Organization. Then again, Marluxia was peculiar.

Xemnas simply shook his head at his ally. “I brought him back for the same reason Larxene, Lexaeus, and the others,” he explained. “They’ll prove quite useful in the long run when it comes to acquiring my precious Kingdom Hearts.” If he could even feel confidence, Xemnas clearly had much of it. One would wonder why and how traitors and deceased nobodies would help, but, there was more to the Superior’s plans, so it seemed.

“But Marluxia and Larxene… they’re traitors!” Zexion objected, sounding quite irate. His eyes seemed to burn with embers of frustration… though, that could have very well been false feelings. “By bringing them back, you’re putting Organization XIII in danger… How could that possibly prove useful?” Even Saix was beginning to ponder about this notion. Only a year ago, Marluxia and Larxene had indeed made an attempt to betray Organization XIII. Who was to say that this time things wouldn’t be different? It’s not as if their personalities had changed since their deaths.

Slowly running his fingers through his hair, Xemnas muttered, “It is true that numbers XI and XII were traitors. They had a goal to tamper with the memories of the Keybearer and use him as a tool to help them retaliate against us. Most likely, they still have the same ambition, but there is a difference: I’ll be watching them very carefully. Despite being traitors, I have plans for those two along with Lexaeus, and Vexen. What those plans are shall remain confidential for the time being.”

Whatever it was that Xemnas had up his sleeves, it was likely to be worthwhile. After all, the Superior of Organization XIII was clearly no pushover. True, one couldn’t help but be suspicious when it came to trusting traitors, but, Xemnas’ mind worked in mysterious ways. He had pulled things this far, so of course he must have made a wide, albeit strange decision. Zexion shook his head, tossing the pathetic necklace of roses aside. He knew not to judge the superior’s choices, and therefore, he was respectful, but the idea of trusting those he had considered fools seriously irked him.

“Heh… Whatever it is you have in mind,” groaned the Cloaked Schemer with an air of reluctance in his voice, “…I’m sure it’s for the best, my superior… But, still, you can never be too careful with traitors… especially ones of Marluxia’s level…Anyway… shall we move on to the next phase?”

“Very well, Zexion,” responded Xemnas in a monotonous grumble. “Have your fun… but, this time, I’d like you to bring numbers XI and XII with you. I’m sure that they’re just as eager as you to… play this little game.” In his eyes, there was a menacing glow, as the Superior gazed down at number VI. Though his glare wasn’t as piercing as Zexion’s, it was stern enough to show that he was quite serious about this charade. Whether or not the Cloaked Schemer would be able to tolerate this was of no importance.

Eyes narrow, Zexion growled, “Very well…sir… I’ll take the traitors with me…” Whether or not he was truly irritated was left in the air, but either way, number VI’s appearance showed that he was rather tense. Bringing Marluxia and Larxene, to him, was a waste of time and could prove quite dangerous, but it was no use to argue, once again. Doing so would likely lead to trouble, anyway. Instead, Zex slowly ambled towards a dark portal, muttering to himself as he went. Tolerating the two traitors would be neigh impossible, especially without anyone else to keep an eye on them… but, he had to. All in due time… he thought.

After Zex left the scene, Saïx turned to his Superior with a questioning glance. “Xemnas,” he asked with a curious tone of voice, “Just what ARE you planning? Will it help benefit our Kingdom Hearts?”

Turning around, Xemnas replied, “You’ll see soon enough…”

End of Chapter

AN: So, it’s not my greatest, but it’s not my worst. I consider it so-so. Mind you, I started writing it at the exact same time as chapter 5, so some info I may have overlooked... so I apologize for any inconsistencies. Next chapter may not be as long, by the way. It involves Riku, and some more Organization goodness, though. Chapter 9 is also in progress, but I won’t spoil that quite yet. Anywho, reviews would GREATLY be appreciated, as I love constructive criticism.