Yes, I know it's been FOREVER. Everything has been taking longer and my laptop's been f-ed up... I'm sorry. Anyway, I love the end of this one, I really do. Hopefully, it won't be as long for the next chapter.

Review? It helps these go faster.

Chapter Six: Old Friends: Old Enemies

The flight to The Enchanted Wood was quiet, for the most part. There was nothing awkward or uneasy to it, they simply did not feel any pressure to talk. They again had to engage in a space battle with a swarm of Heartless, this one a good deal larger than the last, but Riku handled it with the same calmness he had the first.

The teen half-turned in his seat after the gate was open. He gave Leon a mild smile and stood up, flexing his fingers. “That one was harder.”

Leon angled his head slightly as he sent the ship through the little bit of battle debris and pass the gateway. It had not appeared that Riku had any more difficulty with this one than he had with the last, but appearances could be deceiving. “You did just as well as the first.”

“I’m certain that they will keep getting harder as we get closer to our goals,” Riku twisted his neck; “Especially if what we think is true.”

Leon nodded, keeping his eyes on the controls. Once he knew that they were again on a clear path, he placed his attention on Riku. There had been something nagging at him since leaving Agrabah and it had finally worked its way through his mind. “I can’t help but wonder why Maleficent would choose now to make her return. We’ve known she was alive for months.”

“I’ve been thinking about that also,” seconded Riku, his arms at his sides as he looked off to the side. “The last time anyone had seen or heard of her was when she and Pete repelled the Heartless so that we could go after Xemnas in The World That Never Was. I have no idea what prompted her to start causing trouble again.”

“Maybe she finally managed to get full control of the Darkness and Heartless again,” suggested Leon, leaning in his seat and folding his arms. “You said that with making her new headquarters there, she was going to have to rework her whole approach with the Heartless and find new ways to manipulate them.”

“Yeah;” Riku was obviously doubtful but he did not continue to muse over the subject. At this point, they did not even know if it was Maleficent that Irvine, and therefore they themselves, were following. Besides, they were only supposed to be out here locating Leon’s friends...“How much longer to our destination?”

“...About a half-hour.”

“Okay,” Riku moved toward the doorway. “We should probably eat something before setting down. I learned a long time ago to eat when you can.”

The corner of Leon’s mouth curled up. “That’s one of the first things they taught us in Garden.”

“It’s a good rule of thumb,” the younger male commented, sliding the door open. “Do you want me to bring you one of the lunch packs Aerith packed?”

“Sure.”

--0—0—

The Enchanted Woods was just that, a world that consisted almost completely of forest. There were a few scattered meadows and a clearing with a large castle, but those were the only things breaking up the expanse of treetops that stretched nearly endlessly. The sight was peaceful, and yet, rather ominous somehow.

“Genie said that he left Irvine near a patch of creepy-looking trees,” Riku looked over the small visual display. “I assume that it’s probably an area of dead or sick trees.”

Leon pointed to a section of forest where the leaf-cover was thinner than the surrounding area. “That looks like a likely spot.”

Riku agreed and Leon set the Gummi to land in a relatively clear space near the location. Once the ship settled, the pair exited, walking into a section of forest that was sparsely populated with various sized trees. Bans of sunlight managed to break through the canopy around them, casting them in soft swatches of brightness.

The sable-haired man turned his head to suggest a direction and paused. One of the bans of light fell upon Riku’s lower face, illuminating pale skin and causing silver hair to shimmer. Something about it completely caught his attention and it took him a moment to shake it.

“The clearing we saw is in that direction,” he pointed west, “Probably about a half-mile. I suggest we head there first, and then start moving in the direction of the castle since that’s the logical place he would have gone.”

“Right,” the teen agreed. “Because everyone knows witches have a thing for castles.”

Leon laughed lightly as they began walking, “The more foreboding the better.”

“…And stone gargoyles are a plus.” Falling into place somewhat beside the ex-mercenary because the foliage made it nearly impossible to walk together, Riku shook his head. “You know, you really have to wonder sometimes how these people get as far as they do, being as cliché as they can be.”

“It’s one of the main reasons that they ultimately fail.” Leon shrugged. “In the end, it works to our advantage so long as we remember there are exceptions.”

“There always are.”

They grew quiet, continuing to pick their way between grown trees and saplings, shrubs and fallen trunks. It was not long before their surrounding grew darker and a rather heavy feel began permeating the air. Green, healthy leaves grew into brown, withered ones before eventually disappearing completely into barren branches.

As they progressed further into the dead trees, Riku flicked his aqua eyes about. In a nearly inaudible tone, he murmured, “We’re not alone.”

Leon looked at him from the corner of his eye and softly replied, “What do you mean?”

“He means that you’re not alone,” a scratchy, hollow voice clarified. As the pair turned toward it, faces appeared on all the trunks surrounding them. Not one of them appeared friendly. The one that had spoken looked annoyed. “Why have so many humans been coming through here lately?”

Well, at least they knew they were on the right path. Leon fixed his attention on the talking tree and spoke firmly. “Who else has been through here?”

“There was a tall man two days ago,” the tree replied, still scowling in a way that it should not be capable of; “Before that, there was an odd looking woman and before her a girl and some bearded man… So annoying but at least those new creatures leave us alone.”

Riku glanced at Leon. They were again thinking the exact same thing. Obviously, Irvine was on the tail of someone and while that person was still unknown, the pair would likely soon find out. They also both had a good idea what the creatures the tree referred to were.

“Which way did they go?” Riku asked in a much less demanding tone.

“The woman and man went that way.” A long branch pointed southwest, the direction of the castle. “The girl went north.”

“Thank you,” the younger of the two humans nodded. “We’ll leave you.”

“Good, you humans spell nothing but bad news.”

Leon and Riku headed to the southeast, again keeping quiet until they were a good distance away. Once they were likely out of earshot, Leon made a sound that fell short of being a chuckle. “Things just keep getting weirder, don’t they?”

“Yep,” Silver hair caught in a weak ban of light as Riku nodded in response. His voice was completely casual. “And they probably will continue to get weirder.”

Before Leon could reply, Riku stiffened and summoned Way to the Dawn.

Five Soldier Heartless dropped from the treetops barely a second later. Leon took a step back to keep one from landing on his head and kicked it away before bringing Revolver to bear and shooting it in the head. He turned to face the one rushing him and dealt with it just as easily. By the time he was finished, Riku had already dispatched the other three.

They looked at one another, each silently confirming that the other was all right. Riku did not banish his Keyblade, which told Leon that there were still more Heartless out there. Deciding that it was best to keep moving, he motioned for them to continue by tilting his head ahead. The teen simply began walking.

The forest began thinning again after an hour passed. The underbrush disappeared and, after another hundred yards, the woods broke away into a narrow expanse of meadow. A tall, stone-walled castle rose up majestically before them, somehow intimidating despite the apparent simplicity of the construction.

“Why is it that no castle ever looks welcoming?” Riku murmured, changing his grip on his weapon. When he flicked his eyes over, Leon was doing the same. The open field before them was a perfect place for-

Another group of Heartless sprang up, this set consisting of three Wyvern, two Blue Rhapsodies and three more Soldiers. Riku sighed and raised Way to the Dawn. “I’ve got the Wyvern.”

“I’ll take the Blues.” Leon leapt forward. They could handle the Soldiers as necessary. He focused on the Heartless closest to him, which was slightly to his left. Knowing that Riku was more than capable of handling himself, he kept his attention on the enemy, only glancing over once to check on the youth’s status.

As he tore into the nearest Wyvern, Riku noted a Soldier coming on up his right. He managed to catch it on the follow through of his sweep, nicking it and stopping its approach. He then switched positions to finish off the immediate threat.

This group was more coordinated than the other one had been, attacking in pairs and evading several hits. Leon and Riku had to pay close attention to their adversaries’ movements and listen for any sign that the other was struggling. As they fought, nothing was out of the ordinary.

Riku was on his last Wyvern when the last Soldier attempted to jump his back. Upon hearing Leon’s warning, he used the momentum of his strike on the foe in front of him and spun away. The Soldier landed beside him and had to re-orientate itself. Unfortunately, this also put Riku in the direct path of the last Blue Rhapsody.

The Heartless launched a freeze spell at Leon and moved to confront its new target. Leon dodged the spell and turned to stop the Heartless from going after Riku. Before Leon could do anything, however, a loud gunshot cut through the air, echoing across the open space from the castle.

Riku looked up at the sound but Leon somehow knew who had fired it. He finished off the last Wyvern before following Riku’s gaze. The shot had come from a narrow window of what would be the north tower.

Leon felt a smile tug at his lips as his eyes settled upon one of his oldest friends. Irvine leaned casually against the sill, rifle lying across his upper leg and grinned down at them. The sable-haired man could not believe how good he felt upon seeing the man.

Knowing that shouting to one another was not an option, at least not a smart one, Leon motioned with his head toward the castle’s front. Irvine tilted his hat at them and disappeared inside. Leon found himself staring at the empty window for a moment after.

He had really found Irvine. He did not have adequate words for the mix of emotions tumbling around inside him. Disbelief, joy, apprehension, excitement…they all fought for attention. Not knowing how to handle all of this, he forced them down, letting them simply stir below the surface.

“He looks really happy to see you,” Riku noted quietly.

“I’m glad to see him,” Leon replied with surprising ease. He glanced at the teen; “I’m also a little scared.”

Leon‘s honesty confused him. He did not confide in people, nor did he talk about his emotions or make others privy to his thoughts. However, with Riku, not only did he find himself doing this, but it also felt completely natural to do so. He assumed it was because the youth was quiet and non-obtrusive. Riku never forced him to talk and never started pressing for more information; he just listened.

“That’s not surprising,” the silvered male smiled minutely. “It’s been a long time, and you’ve changed. I had the same issue with Sora and we weren’t separated for nearly as long.”

Leon turned toward the castle again. He frowned to himself as he studied the grey stones. “Somehow, I doubt he’s changed as much as I have.”

With a soft chuckle, Riku stepped closer and lightly pushed at Leon’s shoulder. “Well, as Sora likes to remind me, there’s only one way to find out.”

--0—0—

They rounded the turret and discovered that they were at the back of the castle. Trusting that Irvine knew his way around, they entered a small, partially enclosed courtyard. A high wall created an L around it and there were a few flowerbeds along the bottom.

There was a covered well in the middle of the L, and Riku approached it almost immediately upon entering the space. He leaned over the side of it, pressing his hands upon the short stone wall and gazing down into it. He was careful to keep the rope hung wood bucket from hitting his head as he did.

“That’s supposedly a wishing well,” a new voice joined them from the opposite end of the courtyard. Leon looked away from Riku as the teen glanced up to watch Irvine stroll over from what appeared to be an ordinary wall, which must have concealed a hidden door. “The former King had a thing for them so he had seven built all over the property.”

He stopped beside the well, attention fixed upon Leon as he grinned widely. “Howdy, Squall.”

Leon had an unusual urge to hug the taller man. Instead, he leaned his weight to the side and simply asked; “What are you doing out here?”

Irvine snorted. “Still not one for small talk, huh? Haven’t seen one another for a coupla years and you jump right into business.”

Leon shrugged lightly.

With a chuckle, Irvine glanced toward Riku. He ran an appraising eye over the teen for a moment before nodding his head at him. “You’re a pretty good fighter, kid.”

Riku angled his head and made a dismissive noise. “I have a lot of room for improvement. Thanks for helping me out earlier.”

“Hey, we’ve all got that,” stated the tall SeeD easily. “Thankfully, Squall’s always been good for that. You stick with him for awhile and you’ll learn that real quick.”

The silvered youth flicked his eyes at Leon, and quickly adverted them when he saw that the sable-haired man was looking directly back. He returned his attention to the fountain and placed a neutral expression upon his face. Leon frowned a bit at the teen’s behavior but did not take the time to analyze it. He turned back to Irvine and lifted an eyebrow, silently prompting the sharpshooter to start explaining what was going on.

With a rather theatrical sigh, Irvine adjusted his hat. “Fine, fine; I see how it is…And here I thought you’d want to catch up. I guess without Rinoa to prod at you-“

He cut himself off at the abrupt change to Leon’s expression. He understood exactly what it meant and looked down in a gesture of sorrow. “She didn’t make it.”

Leon waited a beat before quietly explaining. “The only person I’ve found is Zell and that was only a few days ago. He pointed us after you.”

Nodding once, Irvine breathed out and folded his arms. “Quistis is supposedly on a world called the Land of Dreams. I was fixin’ to find a way there next.”

“We can find her there,” Leon stated with certainty. Inwardly, he was close to ecstatic. If he and Riku found Quistis, that would three of his friends located. It was more than he could ever have hoped for…

He flicked his eyes over to Riku and the youth glanced back. There was a pause before he gave the older man a minute nod and small smile. Leon found himself smiling right back. He then caught Irvine looking between them curiously and went straight back to business.

He returned his attention to Irvine. “Genie told us you were on the trail of a witch.”

“Yeah,” confirmed the sharpshooter. His expression tightened and his voice grew serious. “Ultimecia is back somehow.”

Leon thought his heart literally stopped beating for a moment. The sorceress was supposed to be dead. Though he had long ago realized that dying only slowed some people down, that Sephiroth person of Cloud’s being a prime example, he had genuinely never considered the possibility that Ultimecia could return.

As if knowing what Leon was thinking, Irvine rubbed once at his chin. “I don’t know how the hell she’s alive, but it was definitely her I saw yesterday. She was walking around with two other women; all of them gave me a really bad feeling, especially the tall, ugly one.”

“What did she look like?” Riku asked, sounding as if he already knew who the man was about to describe. Leon was fairly certain that he did.

“Well, she certainly didn’t look like anyone I’ve ever seen before. She was tall and thin with pale green skin. She was wearing black robes with purple lining, and I couldn’t tell if the horns were real of just some weird head-covering.”

Leon closed his eyes and took a long breath. That confirmed that they were dealing with Maleficent. The very idea of those two sorceresses working together was chilling. Maleficent was bad enough on her own; ally her with one of the most powerful sorceresses ever to live and the worlds had a serious problem.

“Do you know where she went?” Riku continued questioning Irvine, his voice tight. Leon took in his expression and felt an uncommon urge to comfort the teen somehow.

“Both Ultimecia and the ugly one left this morning. The third woman, the queen or whomever, headed into the woods yesterday. I guess she’s made several trips out there, something about a girl… I don’t know, but it had nothing to do with what the other two were doing.”

“Any idea where they went?” asked Riku as Leon moved a few steps toward him.

“I can’t really say.” Irvine eyed Leon’s movement with detached interest. “I overheard something about a fortress that Maleficent no longer needed and Ultimecia seemed rather interested in it. I got the feeling that they were gonna split up and meet again later.”

Riku frowned at that, obviously trying to decipher what that overhead statement meant. Leon was only a couple of feet away from him now, close enough to reach out and touch him. He stopped there and folded his arms, “Any ideas, Riku?”

The teen shook his head. “At the moment, no; she told me a few things about herself, but I honestly didn’t care and wasn’t paying attention.”

“...Riku, huh?” Irvine noted. “I was wonderin’ when I was gonna get your name. Squall isn’t too good with introductions.”

Riku shot Leon an amused look. “Zell said the same thing.”

“You could always introduce yourself,” Leon observed, giving the younger male an equally mild expression.

“That’s not the point, Leon.”

The pair studied each other for a second longer before Riku glanced away. He placed his attention on Irvine and asked, “You said Quistis was supposed to be in The Land of Dreams?”

“Yeah, that’s the rumor I heard. It sounded like she heard about Ultimecia being around, too.” Irvine was looking at Leon curiously. “Leon? What is that, a nickname?”

“Something like that,” replied the other former SeeD neutrally, deciding that now was not the time to go into any details on the subject. “I’m going to call for Cid and Zell to come get you.”

Irvine frowned. “What? I don’t get to tag along to find Quistis?”

“You’ve been wandering for a long time,” Leon spoke simply, removing his phone from his jacket pocket. “As I told Zell before we left, you need a good long rest.”

“Uh huh,” Irvine flicked his eyes between his friend and the young man he was travelling with. He smirked in a knowing manner. “I get it. You just don’t want a third member to your little party.”

Leon paused and gave Irvine a confused look. Irvine merely winked back and walked over to talk to Riku. To Leon’s slight surprise, the silvered Keybearer seemed rather embarrassed by Irvine’s statement. Having no idea what to make of any of that, Leon simply made his call.

--0—0—

After a few more odd comments and some further detailing as to what Irvine had learned about Ultimecia and Maleficent’s intentions, the sharpshooter agreed to wait at the castle for Cid and Zell to arrive. Riku was positive that there were no more Heartless in the immediate area that would pose a threat to him, and Irvine said he would just hang around the castle courtyard. He then gave Leon and Riku considering looks before shooing them off.

The pair left, following a different path through the woods back to the Gummi. Leon did not want to leave Irvine to wait alone, but they needed to find Quistis while the trail was still hot. He also had to figure out what to do about Ultimecia now. There was no way he could let her run amuck, especially if she had allied herself with Maleficent.

“Leon?”

Steel-colored eyes shifted toward Riku. He lifted an eyebrow in query, inviting the youth to continue. He noticed that Riku had his head up, facing forward but his bangs completely obscured his eyes.

Riku’s voice was soft but certain. “We have to go after Maleficent and Ultimecia.”

“I know.” Leon sighed. He really did not want to have to go against either sorceress but there was no other choice. “I’m hoping Irvine is right about Quistis also being on their trail.”

Something about Riku’s silence disturbed Leon. Unconsciously, he took a step closer and touched the teen’s shoulder. He did not say anything but Riku appeared to relax a little at the gesture.

A sudden cry of panic sounded from their right, and the two males glanced at each other before automatically readying their weapons and rushing toward the sound. Approximately fifteen yards away, they came upon a small clearing. Within it was a black-haired man standing beside a white horse, both looked terrified somehow. The man held a simple sword before him but it was obvious that he had completely forgotten how to use it.

They were surrounded by ten Heartless.

Riku actually smirked at Leon, and the scarred man returned it briefly before they split off to rescue the horseman. The Heartless were all of the basic variety and they were able to make short work of them. For most, it only required one strike.

As the last one disappeared in a waft of black smoke, the hapless man breathed a loud sigh of relief. “What were those things?”

He shook his head immediately after asking. “Never mind, I don’t want to know.” Straightening himself out, he stood up regally and declined his head toward them, lifting a hand to tip his cap at them. “I thank you for the assistance, brave sirs.”

“Yeah,” Riku replied slowly.

“Whatever.” Leon stated.

The man turned toward his horse and petted its neck. As he did he spoke casually, “I suppose a reward is in order. And of course, you won’t be telling anyone about this.”

“We won’t?” Riku’s brow furrowed.

The man nodded slightly, removing a small pouch from his inner vest pocket. He tossed it at Leon, whom easily caught it, and then looked between his rescuers. He frowned slightly at the expressions he was receiving. “You don’t know who I am, do you?”

Both Leon and Riku shook their heads no. Their stances and facial features also clearly indicated that they did not truly care. The man’s identity was obviously irrelevant to them.

“Oh, well then,” the man floundered, put off that he was a complete stranger to them. Apparently, he was unused to such a reaction, “All the better then.”

He climbed up on his horse and waved grandly. “Well, thank you again. Now, I shall be off.”

Glancing around uncertainly, he muttered to himself, “Unfortunately I have no idea where to.”

Leon flicked his eyes toward Riku and smiled as the silver-haired teen tried not to laugh. Obviously, he also thought this man was an idiot. He returned his attention to the man and, feeling oddly curious, asked; “Are you looking for someone?”

“Uh, well,” the man rubbed the back of his neck. “This will sound odd, but you haven’t seen a young woman with pale skin, black hair, and bright red lips out here, have you?”

“...Can’t say that we have.”

“Wait,” Riku interjected. “Those trees said there had been a girl through there a few days ago.”

The mounted man looked at the Keybearer excitedly, “Where?”

“To the north.”

The man smiled brilliantly. “Thank you, young sir! Thank you!”

He seized his horse’s reins and took off at a gallop. Leon and Riku watched him disappear into the trees and foliage. When only the echo of the horse’s hooves could be heard, they turned back to one other. Leon frowned thoughtfully. “Didn’t Irvine say that Queen person had gone north?”

Riku shrugged. “That isn’t our problem. We don’t meddle in the worlds we visit’s affairs.”

Making a light noise, Leon fell into place beside Riku and they resumed their walk back to the Gummi. While Riku was still rather terse, it was not nearly as bad as before the minor delay. Leon wanted to say or do something to help the young man, but he had no idea what. He was also unnerved about what they were potentially going to be facing.

Abruptly, Riku laughed. Leon looked to him curiously and aqua eyes met his in amusement. “That guy was an idiot.”

Chuckling, Leon nodded as the continued to walk. “Yeah, he was.”

--0—0—