• Hello everybody! We have tons of new awards for the new year that can be requested through our Awards System thanks to Antifa Lockhart! Some are limited-time awards so go claim them before they are gone forever...

    CLICK HERE FOR AWARDS

Fanfiction ► Kingdom Hearts: Reborn from the Darkness (ORIGINAL) [Rewrite is currently at prologue part 1]



REGISTER TO REMOVE ADS
Status
Not open for further replies.

Xeon{Myroku}

Demonic Pony
Joined
Apr 4, 2008
Messages
5,069
Location
In the depths of my own mind.
Re: Kingdom Hearts: Reborn from the Darkness (Contains recent game spoilers)

Looks like 3 out of XIII members of the Organization came to play in Radiant Garden. And the one who's up first is Arlene as we all know her by her Nobody name. Larxene. Like the way you explained on what happened to Ansem the Wise. I guess it would seem logical that he too was torn into a Heartless and Nobody. And yet he wishes to end the choas that's happening. He's pretty much the same before but yet like he said. He's a Nobody, no change in that.
 

Absent axel

New member
Joined
Sep 26, 2009
Messages
826
Location
Junes
Re: Kingdom Hearts: Reborn from the Darkness (Contains recent game spoilers)

This is actually pretty good. I wish I could write on the same level and origninality. :D
 

Aqualung

New member
Joined
Apr 27, 2010
Messages
169
Re: Kingdom Hearts: Reborn from the Darkness (Contains recent game spoilers)

Looks like 3 out of XIII members of the Organization came to play in Radiant Garden.

Actually, they're called the Council of XXV now and they have 12 members that they started with.

Like the way you explained on what happened to Ansem the Wise. I guess it would seem logical that he too was torn into a Heartless and Nobody. And yet he wishes to end the choas that's happening. He's pretty much the same before but yet like he said. He's a Nobody, no change in that.

Ansem the Wise still wishes to end the chaos as a Nobody because he still has memories of his research data that is inside Sora, and because he also learned about the Reborn (Though he didn't tell Aqua about them yet, just the Nobodies), presumably from studying the Heartless and Nobodies. He knew that his apprentice Xehanort was going to return if Sora succeeded in destroying Xemnas (Which he did), so he decided to give Aqua the information she needed to extract his data incase Sora failed on his journey.

He has no emotions, true to being a Nobody, but he has no darkness in him that he can use to escape the Realm of Darkness, and because he has no heart with which to contain light, he can't pass through the Door to Light. Roxas was able to go through the Door to Light both because he had Ventus's heart and because he was then a part of Sora. So Ansem the Wise is pretty much stuck there for good. :( It's a very dark form of irony, both because he became the very thing he once hated, and because of the situation he was now in as a result of his blind desire for revenge.
 
Last edited:

Aqualung

New member
Joined
Apr 27, 2010
Messages
169
Re: Kingdom Hearts: Reborn from the Darkness (Contains recent game spoilers)

((Before I start, I want to humbly apologize for two things:

1. How long it took between the last part and this one, as well as failing to post it on the estimated date I could finish.

2. Not having enough room in this part for the other tragic event and Sora's foray into Hollow Bastion. However, I have not left those out, as they are crucial moments in the story, both for plot and for drama. Those will be in the next part, which I am almost finished writing as I type this. Sora also has a big moment in this part, along with Kairi, so I haven't really left enough out for it to not fit in the next part of the chapter. This part however, is without a doubt the longest in the entire fanfic to date. Get at least a beverage ready. 0_o

I was recently very sick, and still had to go to work on the same day for my own reasons. There were also several things I was trying to come together with in this part, but now it's finally finished. The biggest problem though was finding the time to finish writing it.

This part is probably the longest one yet; it follows Sora's and Kairi's visit to Radiant Garden to the end of their first visit, as well as other events. It also reveals several of the worlds that will be in future chapters. Hopefully the wait was well worth it for my audience, and I'm sorry it took so long and that I wasn't able to put all that was in the preview! It will be in the next part, I swear to you all on my skills as a writer!

In an attempt to additionally make up for this, I have made an emblem for the Reborn, and it will make an appearance in this part of the chapter. All the Council members wear it on their shoulder armor, but this will be the first time a character takes notice of it))

CHAPTER 2 (Part 2/3): Kairi's Homecoming

A Corridor of Darkness had appeared on the balcony leading down to Radiant Garden's Market Square. Kairi, Riku, and Mickey had stepped out from it. Mickey had almost immediately recognized the world. "Kairi… this is your homeworld!"

"What?!" she was shocked. Kairi had always knew back on Destiny Islands that she wasn't originally from there. Sora and Riku were just as curious as to where she had come from, and it was even one of the reasons they set off to see other worlds. Was Mickey telling her that she had finally arrived home?

Riku was just as dumbstruck as Kairi. "Mickey… how do you know?"

"I've been here before, and even met Kairi when she was just a little girl! There was another Keyblade master with me named Aqua, though I haven't heard from her since a long time ago. There was a threat to the worlds that we had to deal with, and we saved Kairi from several of the things that were attacking this place!"

"You mean to tell me that the Heartless weren't the first creatures to begin attacking the worlds?" Riku was now really curious about Mickey's past. He'd have plenty of time to find out on Kairi's journey though, and he also hadn't been to Hollow Bastion since his clashes with Sora there years ago. If he was just as curious as Kairi was about her hometown, Riku wanted to have a look around too, not just at the castle but at the other places the young man hadn't been to.

As they both came into the Market Place, several people came up to greet Kairi. "Princess… you've returned!"

Kairi knew that she was no longer a Princess of Heart, but the people of Radiant Garden didn't know that. Unless Yen Sid or Mickey didn't tell them what happened? Whatever the case, Kairi decided to greet them and get more acquainted with Radiant Garden.

Mickey then told the commoners, "Excuse us for a moment, there is something I must tell the Princess…" The King, Riku, and Kairi then formed a circle and then bent their heads inward, as if discussing a football strategy.

"Kairi, you mustn't turn into your Anti Form here. Think of the effect it would have on the citizens and your family to see that a Princess of Heart has become filled with darkness!" Mickey urgently explained. "Yen Sid sent a message ahead to inform them that you were coming, but he hasn't told them the whole deal about you gaining dark powers!"

"Why wouldn't he tell th-" Kairi was curious as to why, but then stopped herself as she suddenly realized how much of an impact it would have on them. As Riku had told her earlier back on Destiny Islands during their conversation, Ansem the Wise was once the ruler of Radiant Garden, but had studied the darkness in an effort to protect his kingdom. The results however, were disastrous; it was the birth of the emblem Heartless. They already had one reason to distrust the darkness; she didn't want to give them another. "Alright, I understand."

"Thank you Kairi. Now let's explore around, shall we?"

"But wait… what if I had to fight enemies here?" Kairi didn't want to be helpless again, even though she knew why she couldn't use her Anti Form powers, or heck ANY dark powers for that matter while she was at Radiant Garden.

"Remember the D-Links? Use mine! And only attack with the Keyblade when you can't use it. Me and Riku will also back you up, so you shouldn't have anything to worry about." Mickey had suggested to Kairi. "And remember, this is only while you're here. When we're in other worlds, don't be afraid to cut loose!" The King then added, "… within reason of course, since we don't know the full details about how you use the darkness."

Kairi hated that she had to basically lie to people in her own homeworld, but decided that it was in their own best interests. At the very least, she was more than glad she had allies that would help her no matter what; Riku didn't have to worry about not using dark powers, since it wasn't him they were concerned about. With King Mickey by their side, at least he would be able to keep the people convinced as a representative of Yen Sid that the trio was there to help.

"Kairi, welcome home!" A woman had come out from the crowd to personally greet her. She was tall and had long, brown hair with large bangs that curved down, along with mini ponytails at the sides and a large one in back. Her dress was very much like Kairi's, but with a large skirt and brown boots.

"Aerith, it's so nice to see you again!" Kairi remembered the woman from Traverse Town before Sora had left to return to Hollow Bastion and stop Xehanort's Heartless. It was when she first gave him her lucky charm, which granted him access to the Oathkeeper Keyblade. "This is my friend Riku, and I'm sure you've already met the King!"

"I've heard so much about you from Sora, it's nice to finally meet you! And it's good to have you with us again King Mickey! We all have so much to talk about, so if you'd please come with me to the Restoration Committee Headquarters…"

"Certainly." Kairi said, as the trio came along with Aerith to see the rest of the gang. The young woman wanted to remember more about her home, and then remembered; Naminé had power over memories, so she could help restore them!

"(Hey Naminé, can I ask you a favor?)" Kairi silently asked the Nobody who became her friend.

"(Sure, what is it Kairi?)" the other had responded.

"(I might have some memories of this place inside me, do you think you could help me to remember them?)" Kairi further asked.

"(Yeah, if they're already inside you but you just can't remember them, I should be able to help with no problem! Just give me a while)" Naminé responded.

As Kairi walked toward Merlin's House, memories of both Radiant Garden and her childhood began coming back to her. It had been such a long time since she had left, and Kairi wondered how her grandmother was doing...

---

Sora was on his way to Hollow Bastion to stop whatever Heartless and Nobodies Arlene had summoned, but on his way to the Bailey he saw a crowd gathering outside Merlin's House.

"What's everyone gathering there for?" Sora curiously asked Donald and Goofy.

"I dunno, but we better get to Hollow Bastion quick! Better that almost everyone's there instead of at the castle!" Goofy reminded Sora.

"Yeah, come on! We got a castle to save!" Sora exclaimed. The trio headed through the Bailey, then made their way to Hollow Bastion.

As they went through a pathway that cut through the mountains, they saw Arlene flying through the air far above them, oblivious to their presence and headed toward the plateau where Sora had once single-handedly battled thousands of Heartless and Nobodies. Following her were several Dragoons and Air Soldiers. Sora guessed that must've been the aerial forces, while the ground units were on their way. "Come on, we gotta cut them off!" Sora yelled.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy finally arrived to the large expanse of field between the Crystal Fissure and the cliff overlooking the Dark Depths of Hollow Bastion. Arlene had appeared at the entrance they came through just before they made it to the cliffs to stand between them and the castle.

"Sora, Sora, Sora… it's just too much of a problem having you always interfering with our plans! Back then, we NEEDED you for us to get hearts, and then we became whole anyway. So you're just a stupid thorn in our side now!" The woman had shouted with an annoyed voice. "I don't know if you're the one behind that stupid indestructible furniture, but I don't care. Heartless and Nobodies will be destroyed by it anyway, creating Reborn all the same, so I decided to take an entire battalion… just to go after YOU!" Her hands started brimming with electricity. All around the field, thunderbolts had come down. From where they struck, Heartless and Nobodies had appeared after the flashes went away. There were Armored Knight and Yellow Opera Heartless, along with Dragoon and Samurai Nobodies. The total number was a hundred and fifty.

Sora had assumed that the other types were attacking Hollow Bastion, so he would turn his attention to the multitude that had appeared before him.

"GAWRSH! She just summoned a whole army of them!"

"Relax Goofy, we beat more than this many before!" Donald reassured him.

"I'm fairly confident that this time, that won't be happening," Arlene made an evil laugh, then continued, "… so I'll just be on my way now. Xehanort sent me to summon this many because he knew they would almost all get destroyed anyway, and we want that! Since you're not going to survive this Sora, I thought I'd let you know what is going to happen once we have enough Reb-" Just behind her, Ienzo appeared then grabbed her arm.

"What the… I thought YOU were in Prydain?!" She screamed out at him.

"I was, but I figured I would continue negotiations with the Horned King after checking in on things. Looks like I was right to come! You love to torment your victims by letting them know of the plan in an attempt to spite them, but I'm not going to let you divulge the Superior's plans while I'M here! He also gave me another mission for you to carry out after you've summoned all the Nobodies and Heartless that were to attack, which you clearly have done now. You are to head to the town of Port Royal in The Pirate Seas immediately; the government there has been taken over by a man named Cutler Beckett, and he could be of great use to our affairs in that world."

Ienzo then turned to Sora. "Since you now know some of our affairs, I thought that I would ensure you won't be leaving here alive, so I brought these with me just for this occasion!" He took out a lexicon which he then opened, and almost instantly several more groups of enemies appeared alongside the ones Arlene had summoned: Bookmaster and Neoshadow Heartless, together with Sorcerer and Creeper Nobodies. The total number was now three hundred. "Should you survive, it will only mean that we have that many more of the Reborn for our purposes. It's times like THIS that are among the reasons why the Superior deems me one of his most valuable members!"

"Oh shut up alre-" A hard slap from Ienzo came directly to Arlene's face. She screamed out in pain, then charged her hands with lightning and shot several bolts at Ienzo, to which he quickly responded by opening his lexicon to absorb the electricity. A portal then opened behind Arlene, and the lightning then shocked her from behind. As she was recovering from the unanticipated burst, Ienzo then began talking down to her, "Remember that it was you who nearly spilled our entire plan to Sora! Don't you dare take that kind of tone with me! Even Braig reluctantly acknowledges that I am now of equal authority to him and Isa. The three of us and the Superior keep all you scoundrels in check, remember that! And after Dilan is done with his mission in the newly born world, and the other three are back from spying on the Princess who has just retur-"

"WHAT?! Who is this 'Princess' you're talking about?!" Sora shouted out.

"Oh, you haven't heard? I thought all the commotion in the city would be enough of an indication…" Ienzo smirked as he looked at Sora, though the Keybearer couldn't see the expression through the Reborn's large book-like mask. "It seems your dear friend Kairi has left the islands, along with Riku and the King. They are here in Hollow Bastion, and the fools known as the Restoration Committee have come to greet her. I smelled something… notably different about her as I went to check into the situation. But I figured it would be more interesting for you to find out! Oh wait, that's right… you're going to die here and now against all these!" He gestured to all the thousands of Heartless and Nobodies on the field. "But should you survive, by some extremely unlikely miracle I would imagine, then just see for yourself!"

Ienzo then turned to Larxene, "And as I had said earlier before I was so rudely interrupted, once those four are done with their missions and my business in Prydain is over with, you can certainly bet that I, along with anyone who Xehanort doesn't have work for at the time, will come to check up on you in The Pirate Seas… I will expect nothing less than proper results!"

He then turned to Sora again, "This meeting of ours must now be cut short… ATTACK!!" Ienzo had shouted to the legions of enemies that now surrounded the trio, then both he and Arlene disappeared through Corridors of Darkness.

---

In Merlin's house, Kairi had met the rest of the Restoration Committee, and then a citizen came bursting in. "Kairi, I have urgent news… your grandmother was in the library of Hollow Bastion, when several books had flown off the shelves and attacked her when the castle became haunted! She has heard the news of your arrival, and has requested to see you. Your grandmother…" he grimly explained, "… is in critical condition, I'm afraid."

Naminé restored Kairi's forgotten memories earlier on the way to Merlin's house as Kairi had requested. Due to the fact that remembered her relatives again, Kairi had fallen to her knees upon hearing the news of what happened to her grandmother, then got back up. "Where is she…?!"

"Right this way!" The man had led the trio to a makeshift hospital that was being rebuilt after the invasion of Radiant Garden had occurred during Sora's second journey. Kairi requested to see her grandmother alone when they got to her room, to which everyone understandingly obliged.

"Kairi… is that you…?" Her grandmother lay in a hospital bed, coughing after he said the words.

"Yes grandma, I'm here…!" Kairi couldn't believe it. Her grandma, who she had just recovered memories about thanks to Naminé, was dying. It was the first time the young woman had seen her only living relative since the she was sent to Destiny Islands, and Kairi was afraid it would also be her last.

"Kairi… my dear, sweet little light! You've come back after all these years…!" She was coughing again. Kairi had seen what the haunted books had done to her grandmother; bruises covered her arms, and her head was half-covered in bandages. Her two eyes were uncovered however, and she could see Kairi. "My how you've grown! Kairi, do you remember that tale I told you, so long ago? I'd like you to say it to me if that's alright dear..."

She did, and began reciting it, "'Long ago, people lived in peace, bathed in the warmth of the light. Everyone loved the light.'"

Kairi's grandmother closed her eyes and began coughing again as Kairi recited the first two lines. "Don't worry, go on darling…"

"…'Then people began to fight over it. They wanted the light for themselves. And…'"

She hesitated for a moment, then said, "… 'darkness was born in their hearts.'" Kairi gulped, then continued on, "'The darkness spread, swallowing the light and many people's hearts. It covered everything, and the world disappeared.'"

As she had said that last line, her grief was becoming heavily apparent, and darkness began slowly coming out of her as it reacted to her emotions. "(No!! NOT HERE! I can't let my dying grandmother see me like THAT!!)" She had fought to push it back, then realized that her emotions were tied with her darkness. Kairi had struggled to hold back her grief, but it was too late. Kairi's grandmother had seen the darkness in Kairi, and her eyes were wide open with shock.

"Kairi… what's happened to you since I last saw you? You were a Princess of Light… how can darkness be coming out of you?"

Mickey and Riku had heard from outside, and rushed in to tell Kairi to stop, but instead Kairi began saying something, completely unaware of the fact that they were now in the room. "Wait, how did you know I was a Princess of Heart? You never told me before…?" Kairi was desperately trying to change the subject to keep her grandmother's mind off the fact that she had accepted darkness into her heart.

"I knew lots of things I had kept from you Kairi, because they were too painful. That man, that terrible man Xehanort, had been trying to put darkness into your heart with his experiments when you were just a young girl. He kept muttering about finding the Keyblade after he read some notes he had found the other day, and he was so angry whenever the experiments had failed, which was all the time. I knew that because darkness could not enter your heart simply because you willed it not to, you were one of the seven Princesses of Light. But now," she said, "now you have darkness in your heart. I can only imagine it's because he succeeded, but how?"

Kairi couldn't believe that she would have to lie to her own grandmother in order to keep her from knowing that she willingly accepted it. She thought the pain of knowing the truth would be too much for the old woman, but Kairi hated that she had to hide it from someone who cared so much about her.

"Yes grandma, Xehanort's last experiment on me succeeded... I had enough of all the pain, and just wanted to keep him from getting angry at me. So I allowed darkness into my heart."

"Kairi, what are you say-" Riku began to say that it wasn't true, then was interrupted by Naminé telling him to stay quiet.

The former Princess of Heart had felt so much grief. But she couldn't let her grandma know that it was fully her decision to accept darkness into her heart!

"Kairi, I want to see for myself what the darkness has done to you." her grandmother had requested.

Kairi suddenly felt as though a knife was stuck through her heart, her grief was so great. "Grandma, are you certain…?"

"Yes…"

She didn't want to cause her grandmother such grief, but it was now unavoidable at this point. "Mickey, Riku… close the door."

"Kairi…!" Both of them began to protest.

"I said close it, please…"

They reluctantly did as she requested, at least reassured by the fact that only her grandmother would see her Anti Form. Darkness had then enveloped Kairi, and her eyes began glowing yellow again.

"Kairi… this is what he did to you…?" her grandmother's expression turned sad.

"Yes grandma…" Tears had begun to come from her eyes, only visible by the reflection of their yellow glow. Kairi didn't even know that those under the effects of such deep darkness could cry. She barely payed any attention to it though, for her mind was more fixated on her own grief and the guilt she felt from bending the truth to her grandma, even though Kairi knew she couldn't give her the knowledge that her own granddaughter had willingly accepted the darkness to the point of even stealing it from another person's heart. At least it was an indication to her that even in her Anti Form, she was still human. Kairi would have to find out exactly what Naminé did to her heart to make it work this way later on, but all she wanted right now was to be with her grandmother.

"My granddaughter, do you remember the second-to-last part of that poem?"

"'Even in the deepest darkness, there will always be a light to guide you. Believe in the light, and the darkness will never defeat you.' Yes grandma, I remember it perfectly…"

"You have made several good friends, I'm so proud of you…" she began coughing heavily, then continued, "Listen Kairi… even though Xehanort has put darkness in your heart, you can still use it to help your friends."

"…What?" Kairi was confused at her grandmother's response.

"I had met a young man when you were little, that was on his way to the catacombs beneath the castle. He used the darkness to destroy several monsters, and when I asked him why he wielded the darkness, he said it was 'to protect the only one he could trust.' I had felt a great amount of dark power inside him. But the fact that he was using that darkness to protect someone, and that he hadn't turned into a monster, had shown me something. I began to think that maybe darkness itself was not evil, but those who used the darkness to bring pain to the worlds were."

Kairi's grandma coughed, then continued. "So Kairi, listen to me: if you use the darkness only to protect those you care about, you are not an evil person. Do not let the darkness control you, but control the darkness instead, and use it for good! You have the power in your heart to do this Kairi. Remember that…!"

"Don't worry grandma, I will…"

Her grandmother's eyes began closing, and Kairi didn't want to lose the only remaining relative she knew. "Mickey, isn't there something we can do? Can't we heal her?!"

"... She's too badly injured. Trying to heal her like that will only make it worse. I'm sorry…" The King had a depressed note in his voice. He wanted to help Kairi save her grandmother just as much as she did, but there was nothing they could do for her now.

"Kairi…" Her grandmother opened her eyes again slowly.

"… Yes grandma…?" Kairi hugged her grandmother, fearing she would lose her. No… the young woman had felt her instincts tell her that she was was going to lose her grandmother. She didn't want to listen to them now. Kairi didn't want to have the feeling of knowing her grandmother was going to die. She fought them back, pushed them away… anything to get them off her mind.

Just then, Kairi's grandma spoke, "No matter who you are, you'll always be my little light within the darkness…"

Kairi's grandmother then collapsed.

"Grandma…?" There was no response. "…Grandma?!" She went to put her hand on her shoulder, and her head tilted limply to the side of her pillow. "GRANDMA...!?" Several tears began streaming from Kairi's eyes.

Her body then began to fade, until it completely dispersed into light, just like how Sora had done when he collapsed into her arms after unlocking his heart with the Keyblade created by Xehanort's Heartless. However, this time there was no Shadow for her to change back to a human. Her grandmother… was gone. She had spoken her very last words of comfort to Kairi.

"No… NOOOO!!" Kairi couldn't hold back her tears anymore, and she fell face first onto the bed formerly occupied by her grandmother. Riku had come over and put his hand on her back, then she turned around and embraced him, crying on his shoulder as he held Kairi in his arms.

"Man I could write a reaaaaally sad song about this! But Dolur, which instrument to use?"

"Dear, sweet little Kairi has gained dark powers? Looks like the game has dealt her some lucky draws after all… then again, I'd say what just happened was more of a bad starting hand… funny how I can feel now too! Fortune can be a strange, cruel, and lovely mistress all at the same time Emyd…"

"I had to see it for myself to believe it! How is it possible that a Princess of Heart could bring darkness into her being?! Is there some set of rules I'm not aware of? Perhaps I could somehow gather Data that could be of use to us! Come to think of it, after hearing about Sora's new powers from Ienzo, I think his Data should be obtained as well!"

As Kairi was still crying, several voices from outside were heard.

"Those voices…" Riku alerted himself to them, especially the latter two for they sounded familiar to his ears. What Vexen's voice also said about gathering Data disturbed him greatly; he imagined replicas of Sora and Kairi, and promised himself that he wouldn't let that happen. But what were these "new powers" of Sora's that he mentioned?

"It's the Council!" Mickey confirmed from looking outside a window in the hallway of the makeshift hospital.

"Kairi, I understand that what just happened is extremely painful, but… we have to deal with them!" Riku comforted Kairi, then got up and drew Way to the Dawn.

After she stopped crying for a second, Kairi had wondered if THEY were the cause of what happened to trigger her grandma's slow death. "You're right...!" She reverted to her human form with Naminé's help, drew Destiny Place, and then the trio went outside to confront them.

---

Sora, Donald, and Goofy had stood their ground, and were now facing three hundred of several types of powerful Heartless and Nobodies.

"We took on thousands of them before guys, we can handle this!" Sora assured Donald and Goofy as the three of them stood in the middle of it all.

"You ready Sora?" Donald and Goofy had both asked.

"All for one…" Sora started.

"And one for all!" The three of them charged out at the nearest circle of the creatures. Sora cast Shockstorm directly above where he was standing as he engaged the first group, with its lightning bolts striking several of the creatures attacking from behind and sucking them into the vortex of clouds.

As an Armored Knight Heartless jumped into the air, Sora reacted by blocking with both of his Keyblades, which had also deflected several magic projectiles from a Bookmaster. He then used Flametongue, and slashed forward as several fire waves had cut down a group of Yellow Operas and Neoshadows.

Donald and Goofy were fighting side by side, with Donald using Fire to burn away enemies that surrounded him and Goofy using his Tornado to great effect. Sora was gradually feeling tired by the time he had cast Shockstorm and Flametongue again, and had cut down more of the enemies.

"(I can't be getting tired now!)" Sora was desperate to keep fighting, and then an idea had occurred to him: what if the D-Links restored his energy in some way, like the Drive Forms had before?

Sora decided now would be the perfect time to try out the Goofy D-Link. "Give me strength!" His hand glowed with light, and he felt much less tired afterward. His idea had worked, and now it was time to mow down more enemies! His Keyblade attacks felt stronger, and Sora began to unleash combos. It felt almost like his Valor Form that he once used, but there was no change in his clothing, and he was already dual wielding.

Several Sorcerer Nobodies had then appeared, and attacked from the front with their cubes swinging in a line. Sora blocked the attacks with both Keyblades, but then they re-arranged the cubes and had begun hitting around Sora. Normally, the combo would have badly hurt, but the power of the D-Link also caused Sora to take less damage from it. The D-Link was also extending the same benefit to his allies, for which they greatly appreciated it, and Donald took the opportunity to cast Cure on himself and Goofy. Sora however, was out of range for the spell, but the damage he was sustaining from the weak combos by the cubes was moderate at best.

As Sora had unleashed several combos on the Sorcerers, his hands suddenly began glowing with light again after he finished his third combo. He gathered all his energy and began spinning around the battlefield with both Keyblades, with the three Sorcerers being the first to be destroyed. Was he using Tornado? Sora didn't mind, as it was really helping out; the enemies were already down to approximately two-hundred and thirty strong by the time he finished.

Sora then cast Vigilance incase he was about to be hit again, so that he'd take less damage on the next hit and heal his wounds up. He was actually getting used to his new skills, and a more perfect opportunity couldn't have presented itself. The power of the D-Link had faded after the spinning attack however, and Donald and Goofy were starting to take a thrashing from several Samurai. Sora ran over and dashed with his Keyblades at the one attacking Goofy. It had countered by drawing all of its blades and slashing at Sora, but the first hit had healed him and Goofy, who then used his Turbo to interrupt the rest of the Samurai's combo, allowing Sora to finish it off.

The remaining army then surrounded them, two-hundred strong. Sora was running out of ideas, because he tried to invoke another D-Link of Goofy but found he needed more time for the object to refresh. Just then, Sora pointed his Keyblade to attack the nearest enemy, but he noticed several green circles appearing around multiple enemies as he stood still. What were they?

As they had stopped appearing, Sora rushed with both blades forward at all the enemies that had the green circles on them. He was apparently using Sonic Blade on them, which was very useful indeed, but it was a more powerful version; Sora was warping over to enemies before each dash with the Keyblades. Was this another power of the D-Link? If so, what was it supposed to be? As Sora was plowing through more enemies, he had remembered that one of the reasons he visited Radiant Garden was to see Merlin and practice with his new magic. Perhaps he would be able to explain the green circles, and the fact that Sora could warp across distances to use Sonic Blade when they appeared?

The enemies were now only a hundred and thirty-five strong. Sora's new version of Sonic Blade, Donald's Fire spells, and Goofy's Tornado abilities had been cutting down the army's numbers surprisingly fast.

Sora had landed several more combos on nearby enemies, also using Shockstorm and Flametongue as much as he could, when suddenly his hands started glowing again. He didn't have a D-Link active, so what could this be? As Sora used the energy, something astonishing had happened; Sora began glowing with light, and as he flashed, his hair turned blonde and his clothes were like what Roxas wore.

"WHAT? Is that Roxas?!" Donald stared in amazement.

"I dunno, he's got Sora's hairstyle! Sora, is that you?" They both wondered what happened, but had little time for thinking about it, as they were still busy cutting down Heartless.

"It's me, but… I look almost like Roxas?!" Sora wondered as he looked down at the clothes he now wore. "Yeah, you do kind of look like me!" Sora had said, but with Roxas's voice. He put his hands over his mouth, then took them off just as quickly. "WHAT'S GOING ON?!" This was getting extremely weird! Both of the Keyblades Sora held were enchanted, but with different elements. One was with Fire, and the other was with Ice. It was almost as if he was using Flametongue and Icebrand together! He also wasn't feeling tired after all the spells and combos he did before this happened. "Okay, now I REALLY have to find out!" Sora said. "Ditto, I want some answers!" Roxas also said through Sora.

That would have to wait though, as Sora needed to rid himself and his group of the rest of the surrounding enemies. Donald and Goofy He cut through several of them with his Keyblades, with fireballs erupting and exploding at different enemies and bursts of icy wind had plowed through the ones further in front of him.

Just as he was getting used to his new combat abilities, it was as if a new one kept emerging… when was Sora going to learn it all? He guessed it wouldn't be until his journey was almost over. Did this all have to do with his D-Link, or was some of this part of the "new powers" he gained in his Awakening with Roxas? Or was it a combination of both?

The enemies were becoming fewer in number and more spread out, which meant Sora would have less problems with having to dodge their attacks. However, Sora noticed that the light in his main hand was fading slowly, but glowing brighter as he hit enemies. He deducted that if the glowing light faded completely, it would cause whatever this was to be over. Sora then wondered what would happen if it were to glow very bright; he imagined he'd gain access to a powerful move like he did with his D-Link, but he'd have to just see if that was true.

He found several enemies grouped together, and used Shockstorm on them. As they were spinning around the vortex of clouds, the light continually grew brighter, and Sora whacked away at the helpless victims of the spell with his Keyblades. Finally, the light started flashing multiple times; Sora figured this would be the time to use whatever the move was. Sora shouted, "Okay!" then both of his Keyblades pointed into the air and shot a long jet of fire and ice, which met in the air above him. The fire had melted the ice as both swirled around to create a giant globe of water. Sora's Keyblades then began glowing, and he wondered if he was supposed to hit it. Roxas shouted, "Come on!" from Sora's body, then Sora threw them at the globe, and it split into many bubbles of water which chased after the enemies that remained.

The entire army of Heartless and Nobodies were vanquished before the combined might of Sora's new powers as well as Donald and Goofy. Sora then suddenly fell on his knees from both the stress caused and energy expended during the massive battle.

"Gawrsh Sora, go ahead and take a breather! I think we all deserve one after all that! When those Council members first summoned them powerful Heartless and Nobodies, I thought we were done for! But it turns out Sora's got all kinds of tricks up his sleeve now, ahyuk!" Goofy then sat down to catch his breath.

"Those D-Links sure would've come in handy a long time ago, huh Sora?" Donald joked with him, remembering key situations in their previous journey where it would have made certain situations a breeze.

"Yeah, but somehow I think those other two powers we just saw didn't have all to do with the Dimension Link, or did they?" Sora pondered now that he had time to think.

"I'm really curious how Roxas also started talking when you did that thing where your Keyblades were enchanted with two elements just now!" Donald had reminded Sora.

"Yeah, I wonder what that was all about? I doubt that was the D-Link just now…"

"Well Sora, these are all your abilities, why don't you give them more names?" Goofy suggested.

"Umm… okay!" Sora was still tired but he decided to head over to the cliffs to continue their quick rest, but also wanted something to do that didn't require much effort now that the army before them was gone. He had pondered why more enemies weren't coming to his area.

As they were walking toward the cliffs, Sora began reviewing his two new abilities and naming them. He came up with the name "Super Sonic" for his move where the green circles appeared to his eyes only, and the name "Frozen Flame" for the power he got from Roxas appearing through him.

He noticed that both abilities were very different, because Super Sonic involved what looked like something that was used to target the enemies that it hit, and Frozen Flame involved a light similar to his D-Links, but it diminished when he didn't hit enemies. Also, Roxas could talk through Sora while it happened!

The trio finally arrived at the cliff, then looked around Hollow Bastion's exterior from a distance. He couldn't see any signs of fighting, or Heartless and Nobodies. Why weren't they coming? Didn't Ienzo and Arlene summon swarms of them to also attack Hollow Bastion? If they did, were the forces haunting the castle really that strong?

"You know guys, we gotta go in there. First to clear out any remaining Heartless and Nobodies, and second to deal with whatever this 'haunted castle' problem is that's causing so much trouble for the Committee."

"Yeah, come on Sora, I think we've rested enough!" Donald said, as the trio got up and headed for the castle.

---

Kairi, Riku, and Mickey stood outside the hospice with Keyblades drawn, staring at their enemies who had appeared. All three of the Council members wore the same style of coat, skirt, and armor, with their own unique masks.

The man on the left had short, blonde hair that formed a mullet. His unique version of the golden mask comprised of two upside-down musical notes in symmetry, with their bottoms surrounding his eyes. "Nice to meet you sweetheart! The name's Emyd! I've been hearing all kinds of stuff about how Sora was chasing you, so I wrote this little piece…" He had boldy introduced himself to Kairi, then raised his hand as if to summon a musical instrument.

"Are you a complete moron?! Were you joking just now, or did you really think you'd have fun by singing a song for the enemy? Even if you were just saying that to fight, we have specific orders to visit three different worlds!" The man on the right had snapped at him. He had long, blonde hair and his mask was a giant golden snowflake that covered his face.

"Even, bro you really need to lighten up! We don't have to go on those missions right now, let's have a little fun first!" Emyd had countered.

"I was thinking we could play a game with the Princess!" The man in the middle had a card for a face. It had the letter "K" in the top left corner and the bottom right corner to indicate that it was a King card, while its symbol was not like anything in a standard deck of playing cards.

The symbol itself was shaped like a heart, but unlike the Heartless or Nobody symbols, this heart had no lines or dents through it, but at the top of it the two lines that were about to meet in the middle instead curved inward. From the sides of the heart, the same curls had appeared, pointing out and downward. At the bottom of the heart, an upside down crown had appeared to give the illusion that the usual stem of the symbol was the middle spike on the crown and the other two spikes on the crown were the prongs. Kairi saw this symbol on Dolur's mask, and wondered if it was the emblem of the Reborn. They were also wearing the same graphic on their shoulderpads.

A portrait of his unmasked face was etched on the middle of the card mask; it had looked just like that of Luxord.

"Listen to both of you!" Even turned to Emyd, "You want to have a freaking CONCERT with the enemy," then he faced Dolur, "And you want to play poker with them! Why on earth did I get stuck with you dimwits? Why couldn't I have come with Aeleus and Ienzo to gather intelligence like the Superior had originally planned, before he decided to send the former to the Stone Kingdom and the latter to Prydain?"

"First off mate," Dolur began to counter, "Me and my bloke Emyd have missions of our own. After this I'm off to City of Festive Streets, and Emyd is off to Sherwood Forest."

Even interrupted, "Yes, because the Festival of Fools is taking place in the world your visiting! Fitting name by the way, wonder why Xehanort didn't send Emyd with you. And in Sherwood Forest they're having some carnival with an archery tournament and bards that will be playing." He then turned to the other. "Hear that Emyd? Guess you'll fit right in! Maybe you can entice the locals with your songs to summon Heartless and Nobodies, then maybe have the summoned ones kill each other off with another lovely tune? Oh wait, I forgot, you're probably just there to screw around and try to woe maidens with your charming melodies, bah!"

Kairi, Riku, and Mickey were confused; did they want to fight, or just argue with each other? They also had wondered why nobody else was around watching; they had all assumed that they ran away in fear because of the Council members appearing.

"Think what you want mate, but I'm at the Festival on official business with the officials! And trust me when I say my kind of Poker ain't the one where you sit down at some bloody tables, make no mistake!"

"Don't you guys think we're all forgetting about someone here?" Emyd pointed to Kairi's trio.

"Ah yes… Kairi, I am quite amused that you have gained dark powers! Everyone here in the town thinks you're still their Princess of Heart, but neither Yen Sid nor Mickey had told them the truth now, did they?"

"How d'ya fellas know about Master Yen Sid's involvement?!" Mickey snapped at him.

"Let's just say that we're very resourceful when it comes to… intelligence gathering." Even smirked.

Kairi suddenly realized that they all knew what she was trying to keep a secret during her stay in Radiant Garden, and were perhaps planning to tell the public. "That's a lie! I have no such powers!"

Dolur smirked, "Then I suppose you don't mind playing a few games? They're so… DIFFICULT to play when you add unnecessary rules to your side!" He took out a die and rolled it on the ground. A five had appeared, and Gambler Nobodies had been summoned as a result.

Even threw vials on the ground, and the resulting smoke summoned Defender and Blue Rhapsody Heartless, while Emyd whipped out his Sitar and summoned Dancer Nobodies to accompany the Gamblers summoned by Dolur.

"Capture her alive, I require her Data!" Even commanded to all the summoned creatures.

"Then why don't ya just freeze her yourself mate!?" Dolur suggested.

"Normally I would, but I must depart for my mission to Mermaid Ocean!" He disappeared through a Corridor of Darkness.

Mickey had whispered, "Remember Kairi, my D-Link and Keyblade attacks only while we're here!"

"Hey, we heard that! Why don't you let the Princess have some fun with her dark powers, huh?" Emyd snidely remarked at the King before leaving through his own portal.

"She just said she doesn't have any dark powers!" Riku yelled back.

"Keep telling everyone that chum, she'll have to play the Ace up her sleeve eventually! Back in the Realm of In-Between, the two of you couldn't even get past my cards without them, but now it's a new game and she's got quite the starting hand!" Dolur laughed, then headed through a Corridor of Darkness.

"They're a bunch of liars! Kairi doesn't have anything like that!" Mickey yelled out to apparently whomever was listening to the conversation. Kairi was getting annoyed with all the covering up they had to do while at Radiant Garden, but since she was going after them when they were finished with the creatures, she figured that it wouldn't be long.

She saw a Defender hiding behind its shield. Knowing that attacks from the front would most likely get blocked, she figured she had to get behind it. As she ran forward to jump over, it lunged at her with its shield. Kairi had impulsively dashed to the side in a way she never knew she could do. "(What was that just now?)" She felt a blur of motion as she dashed. It was only a short range and she had stopped, almost as if she was running quickly but wasn't really running, as she had dashed across air on the ground.

"Kairi, I didn't know you could use Quick Run!" Mickey had shouted as he was slashing away several Dancers.

"Me neither!" Kairi at least knew two things now. She could still dodge attacks to a degree outside her Anti Form, and she still had the instincts outside of her Anti Form. Perhaps the later was a universal ability of her dark powers regardless of her state, but she was glad that nobody could notice them; it was one of the things she desperately needed. Kairi however had feared that she might use a dark power by accident should the instinct to use it kick in.

She figured the sooner she ended this the better, and had seen an opportunity to attack the Defender from the sides where its shield didn't protect. As she attacked it, however, her hands began to emit darkness. She finished the Defender with another combo, and then her hands were surrounded by brimming orbs of dark energy.

"Kairi, I thought I told you… err…" Mickey wasn't sure if Kairi was causing her hands to create darkness or if it was something else, "told you to watch out for that thing's darkness attacks! They make your hands turn weird!"

"Yeah, be careful Kairi!" Riku had yelled in agreement with Mickey

Kairi had grown increasingly irritated by the charades they were putting up. "(My grandmother just died and you're both telling me to not use the darkness when we're clearly in a bad situation here? SHE accepted the fact that I had gained dark powers, maybe most of my subjects wouldn't be so shocked either! You sure sounded pretty fake in trying to make the Council members look like liars, I bet half the people heard and don't believe the real lies anymore!)"

The darkness had started to emerge more as her anger swelled at the situation. "(No, I promised grandma I wouldn't let the darkness control me, but that I would control it! I have the power!)" She remembered that there was still the Mickey D-Link. Kairi wondered if it would keep the darkness off her hands long enough to finish off all the Heartless and Nobodies the three Council members had summoned.

"Mickey, Riku, I'm gonna use the D-Link. Help me clean up all these as fast as you can before it wears off, got it?"

"Hear ya!" Mickey shouted back.

"Let's do this Kairi!" Riku acknowledged.

"Lend me your power!" Kairi's hand glowed with light, and she gained Mickey's abilities. She swung at several Blue Rhapsodies, instantly wiping them out with fast Keyblade attacks. Mickey and Riku's attacks also grew faster, though she wondered why but certainly wasn't complaining.

Not having time to think, she cut down enemies with her Keyblade swings, until her hands glowed exceedingly bright with light energy. She had begun to grip her Keyblade tight, but then her instincts told her to instead use Pearl to deal with enemies. Kairi fired a Pearl shot and controlled it to blow through several Defenders from behind, unable to do a thing to block the spell.

Just then, a Dancer had begun glowing with an aura and was skating toward Kairi. She had seen them do this to Sora and Riku back in the Realm of In Between, so she ran away to avoid it, but then her instinct told her to Quick Run right into the creature. Kairi couldn't understand why, but the young woman had access to the Cure spell while using Mickey's D-Link, so if anything bad happened she could heal herself without using dark powers.

She gave it a try, and Kairi noticed that light began glowing around her as she dashed toward the Nobody. It hit the creature multiple times, knocking it out of its trance, and allowing Kairi to finish it with another shot of Pearl, which she then directed toward a Gambler that was about to throw dice at Riku. Kairi also used the current spell to deflect a Blue Rhapsody's Blizzard spell that it shot at Mickey, then hit the creature with it.

The trio kept fighting the creatures until only about seven remained. Kairi was starting to feel the D-Link was almost finished and that she would revert back to using her original powers, but then her instincts told Kairi to grip the Keyblade tight and twirl it around. She did so, and many orbs of Pearl energy had launched from her Keyblade, obliterating many of the remaining enemies.

Riku and Mickey then made very short work of those that remained. Kairi had won her first encounter with the Heartless and Nobodies, and felt somewhat better after what had just happened. She even defeated those creatures without the power of darkness! She did however realize that she had allies helping her, along with instincts that had practically acted as her instructor, but she'd much rather not fight alone anyway. Kairi thought it would be much easier if she was in her Anti Form, however, and Naminé assured her that they were going to another world next where she could use it.

"Hey guys, do we have to go to another world right away?" Kairi inquired.

"Well Kairi, you saw those Council members just leave for other worlds, so we have to be quick! Those three, and the rest of them I suspect, are probably furthering their evil plans as we speak!"

"I wanted to see Sora though. Aerith and the Committee told us they were here!" Kairi wanted to at the very least see Sora, though not while she exhibited any dark powers. She wanted to tell him about everything that happened, and more than anything needed to feel Sora's warm embrace, just like she did in the Realm of In Between.

"I understand how ya feel Kairi, but we can't bother Sora right now while he's off at Hollow Bastion tryin' to fix things. Ya know what? A great way to help him would be to at least chase down those three Council members, or any other ones we come across while Sora's on his journey!" Mickey suggested.

"And besides Kairi, Sora's very busy right now dealing with whatever it is they're up to here in Radiant Garden. I think it would be best for him if he didn't have to worry about us while he was here. He probably thinks we're still on the islands." Riku explained.

"And it's better that way." Mickey agreed with Riku.

"Part of the whole reason I came on this journey was to see Sora again and journey with him! Not to take some kind of backseat!" Kairi frowned. She didn't even get to see Sora now?! First she's told she can't use the darkness at Radiant Garden, then her grandma unexpectedly dies (the last time she would ever see her being the first time since she was a small child), and now Riku and Mickey were telling her that she couldn't see Sora? It was too much to bear!

"Kairi, please listen! You're not 'taking a backseat' or anything like that! You have as equally important a role on your journey as Sora does!" The King was desperately trying to convince Kairi to have the trio get to the next world as soon as they could.

"Hey Kairi, you remember how I told you about my journey earlier? I wanted so badly to be with Sora again, but I worked behind the scenes to ensure that he would defeat Organization XIII. And look how that worked out! We all got to see each other again! Sora himself even thanked me for everything I did after I got back to the islands. Wouldn't you want him to be just as grateful to you? Besides, I was nearly alone when I was on my journey, with only the King to help me out in Castle Oblivion and a select few other times afterward. You have both of us, and you're not gonna feel lonely on your quest if we can help it!" Riku had known all along how his friend felt about Sora. He felt almost exactly the same, though he knew Kairi's feelings for Sora were perhaps stronger. Riku knew that if he left Radiant Garden, he might not see Sora for a while… maybe even for the rest of Kairi's journey.

"… Is my entire journey going to be like this?" Kairi had tears coming out of her eyes that were now clearly visible because she wasn't in Anti Form. "Am I going to have people close to me die like my grandma just did…?! Are people always going to try and hold me back!? Is it possible that I'll never see Sora again after this?!?!" Mickey and Riku were silent, a look of grief over their friend's pain on their faces. "…IS IT!?" Kairi had screamed out in response to their silence.

Darkness was flowing out of Kairi as it reacted to her emotions, and Mickey was concerned yet couldn't help but feel sad for Kairi; in just her first time home, she had to watch as her grandmother was dying and she could do nothing to help, was forced to avoid using her dark powers while here for the sake of the people of Radiant Garden, and now couldn't even go to see her best friend in what was perhaps her greatest time of need. It was all too much for the former Princess of Heart, and Mickey knew.

Riku had walked forward to hug his best friend. "Kairi… things are always bad in the beginning. Some of the most painful moments of my journey happened when I first went into Castle Oblivion. After I entered my memories of Hollow Bastion, and found that they were completely empty except for Maleficent and her Heartless because I had pushed away everyone I ever became close to, I had felt some of the greatest anguish I ever felt in my life! Kairi… I think that's the kind of grief you're going through right now. You want nothing more than to help those you care about, but you just lost one of them, and you're afraid you might never see our best friend again. I'm scared too, and I'm just as torn over your loss! I was reminded of my grief when I felt you crying on my shoulder..."

He continued, "I want you to know that me and Mickey are here for you Kairi. We don't want to hold you back, we want to help you succeed in your journey! I want you to be able help Sora in great ways, and for you to control your darkness… being able to do both are such wonderful gifts Kairi, things I wish could do in the same way you can! I want to help you achieve those goals…"

Kairi looked at her friend, then asked, "… Do you really mean that Riku…?" The sadness was still apparent in her voice, but the darkness was falling back under her control.

"Every word of it! You've already helped me in one of the largest ways I could imagine. I haven't felt, heard, or seen Xehanort's Heartless since your battle with him. And I know you can help Sora even greater than that Kairi. You've become like me in so many ways already, but you're journey is just beginning!" He comforted her.

"Ya just gotta believe in yourself Kairi, and in Sora too! I'm sure we'll see him again!" Mickey reassured her.

"Yeah, I'll count on it!" Kairi had become more cheerful, though the memories of what happened here would remain with her always.

Kairi decided that it was best to start by heading for the next world so that Sora wouldn't have to worry about what was happening, and that she could make his journey not only easier, but faster so that he could come back home as soon as possible. She had opened a Corridor of Darkness, and as Riku and Mickey went through, Kairi stayed behind for a moment. Naminé had reached her hand out towards Hollow Bastion, then Kairi went through the portal, wondering what that was all about.

"(There. Now everything is set)" Naminé silently contemplated. "(I think I've done all that I can to try and ensure your success Sora, and yours too Roxas. Now it's time for me to focus on assisting Kairi… because she's going to be perhaps the greatest help you both get)"

Kairi then walked through the Corridor of Darkness, headed toward the first world she would protect as a Keybearer.

((Chapter 2 (Part 3/3)))
 
Last edited:

Absent axel

New member
Joined
Sep 26, 2009
Messages
826
Location
Junes
Re: Kingdom Hearts: Reborn from the Darkness (Contains recent game spoilers)

Well thats quite a plot twist. :eek:
 

Xeon{Myroku}

Demonic Pony
Joined
Apr 4, 2008
Messages
5,069
Location
In the depths of my own mind.
Re: Kingdom Hearts: Reborn from the Darkness (Contains recent game spoilers)

Nice. Very well done. Sad when Kiari's grandmother died in her arms. I've also noticed that the worlds most of Council members are going to are from both the Robin Hood and Hunchback of Norte Dame movies. So, can't wait for that action.
 

Silver_Soul

Bronze Member
Joined
May 10, 2009
Messages
2,325
Awards
4
Re: Kingdom Hearts: Reborn from the Darkness (Contains recent game spoilers)

im not really into fanfics

but i must say that this one is quite superb

cant wait for the next chapter!
 

Chaosmax

Dream.Drop.Distance.
Joined
Oct 23, 2007
Messages
1,600
Age
29
Location
The realm of Sleep
Re: Kingdom Hearts: Reborn from the Darkness (Contains recent game spoilers)

Messed up how she dies as soon as they reunite, really good look forward to more.
 

AdrianXXII

Dyslexic rambler
Joined
Dec 5, 2009
Messages
2,989
Awards
15
Location
Switzerland
Re: Kingdom Hearts: Reborn from the Darkness (Contains recent game spoilers)

I personally am not really that interested in most Fanfic, but yours is very interesting and I really like what i've read so far. I'm definitely going to follow this story to it's end.

Here's my review and critique I'll start with the less good things and then move on to the good things:

There are some inaccuracies, like the thing with Mickey coming to inform Sora. He sent a letter which Kairi had found and given to Sora. I don't know if this was actually what you meant and I misunderstood it.

The Scene where Kairi jumps on the gummy ship seemed kinda out of Character. I think she would more likely grab his arm before he boarded and says: “Sora, it's too dangerous to go alone. Take me and Riku with you, we can help you. We've been apart for too long.” or something along those line. They're conversation would be heart filled and he'd somehow convince her to stay.

The Namine scene though I like it foreshadowing the return of his memories of Xion. I'd like to suggest, the more he thinks about her face, the more he'll unlock for his memories similar to how he did with the scene of him leaving the Organization.

I'm kinda skeptical about the whole Kairi uses and has drkness thing, but I think you'll mange to pull it off. Same goes for the Kairi losing her PoH status. Also what's up with her constantly wanting to us it?

I think the Reborn are a interesting concept. Though I don't think all of the org members would rejoin. Like Axel/Lea, he definitely wouldn't join.

I really like your new concept of Sora's Magic, and though he can dual wield now in normal he's lost the drive forms. I also like how you included abilities from other games of the series. The Freezing Flame ability seems awesome.
I enjoyed the story flow. I like how you portray Kairi as not wanting to just wait, while Sora's in obvious danger. The Yen Sid starting point was a good idea for the story to truly begin at.
And I love that Riku and Kairi are traveling together.

Keep up the good work.
 

Aqualung

New member
Joined
Apr 27, 2010
Messages
169
Re: Kingdom Hearts: Reborn from the Darkness (Contains recent game spoilers)

I personally am not really that interested in most fanfics, but yours is very interesting and I really like what I've read so far. I'm definitely going to follow this story to it's end.

Here's my review and critique, I'll start with the bad things and then move on to the good things:

I would like to start by thanking everyone for posting their opinions of the story, and especially you for the critique you gave, which has been the most thorough one I have received to date.

There are some inaccuracies, like the thing with Mickey coming to inform Sora. He sent a letter which Kairi had found and gave to Sora. I don't know if this was actually what you meant and I misunderstood it.

Mickey actually gives two letters, one in the ending of KH2 and one in this fanfic through Yen Sid. When the fanfic starts, Kairi had already found Mickey's first letter. The second letter was Mickeys discovery Xehanort's return and all he could find out about his plans, which he was planning to give copies of to both Sora and Riku (Mickey ended up giving it to Kairi instead of the latter at Yen Sid's request).

The scene where Kairi jumps on the gummi ship seemed kinda out of character. I think she would more likely grab his arm before he boarded and say, “Sora, it's too dangerous to go alone. Take me and Riku with you, we can help you. We've been apart for too long.” or something along those line. They're conversation would be heart-filled and he'd somehow convince her to stay.

There is actually a plot reason for why Kairi was acting the way she did at the beginning, and it will be explained in one of the later chapters. For now I will just say it has something to do with her emotions.

I'm kinda skeptical about the whole "Kairi having dark powers" thing, but I think you'll manage to pull it off. Same goes for the Kairi losing her PoH status. Also, what's up with her constantly wanting to use it?

Kairi wants to prove to the people of Radiant Garden that not everyone who uses darkness is evil. Mickey was basically telling her what to do while she was at Radiant Garden on her own journey, and Kairi really didn't like that. In the scene where her grandmother was dying, her darkness began coming out because of her grief, and she didn't want to lie to her grandmother but didn't think she'd accept her as someone who accepted darkness willingly.

At that moment, Kairi wanted to get rid of the prejudice that the Realm of Light had towards the darkness while she was on her journey, and she wanted to do that by using her powers to destroy the enemy whenever she could. Kairi wants to prove to others that even though she uses the darkness now, she is still a good person, much like Terra from Birth by Sleep. :) If she is being held back from doing that, naturally she would be unhappy.

Though I don't think all of the org. members would rejoin. Like Axel/Lea, he definitely wouldn't join.

The thing is, even though the Reborn have individuality, they really don't have a choice on whether or not to serve Xehanort. Before he came back, the Reborn weren't even called by that name, and they were born into the Realm of Light when their creation was finished. Now however, Xehanort has found a way to manipulate the process and dump them somewhere else. Those that he summons into the Realm of Light are put into the Council of XXV, no questions asked. He is planning to use all the Reborn being gathered for something, but we don't yet know what it is. We got a hint of the plan recently in Chapter 2 part 1, but how it's going to be carried out remains a mystery for now.

As for Lea, he does have his memories and his individuality, but he is in the Council of XXV by force. Xehanort most likely has some dire form of punishment for those who disobey him, so for now Lea is just having to play ball. Doesn't necessarily mean he's gonna keep doing so, and there's a reason both he and Isa haven't yet shown up in the story, though I will say they aren't out of the picture yet. :)

I really like your new concept of Sora's magic, and though he can dual wield now in normal he lost the drive forms. I also like how you included abilities from other games of the series. The Freezing Flame ability seems awesome.

I enjoyed the story flow. I like how you portray Kairi as not wanting to just wait while Sora's in obvious danger. Mysterious Tower as the starting point was a good idea for the story to truly begin at.
And I love that Riku and Kairi are traveling together.

Keep up the good work.

Thank you, I will keep up the good work as much as I possibly can. :)
 
Last edited:

Silver_Soul

Bronze Member
Joined
May 10, 2009
Messages
2,325
Awards
4
Re: Kingdom Hearts: Reborn from the Darkness (Contains recent game spoilers)

may i critique a bit

you referred to Terra with black hair, and he has brown hair.
http://i811.photobucket.com/albums/zz38/unai_sefi/Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep/bbs33img.jpg

the pace is going pretty fast, but it seems to work.

and i really like the whole

former PoH now ruler of darkness thing you have going around

and isnt seeker of darkness xehanorts heartless?
kiari just destroyed him, so would it mean that the reborn xehanort isnt possible?
 

Aqualung

New member
Joined
Apr 27, 2010
Messages
169
Re: Kingdom Hearts: Reborn from the Darkness (Contains recent game spoilers)

May i critique a bit?

You referred to Terra with black hair, and he has brown hair.
http://i811.photobucket.com/albums/zz38/unai_sefi/Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep/bbs33img.jpg

>.< My bad, although he really DOES look like he has black hair in that picture... >_> Editing. Also, thank you for pointing that out, and for your critique! I really appreciate both! :)

The pace is going pretty fast, but it seems to work.

That's because a lot of things happen in each chapter that try to leave lots of mysteries that have yet to be explained as a result, but with hope that they'll be explained later in the story. The chapters are supposed to follow the stories of three characters at a time (Sora, Kairi, and Aqua), though sometimes a character will have less parts in a chapter or not even be featured at all (In the case of Aqua in part 2 of Chapter 2).

I really like the whole "former PoH, now ruler of darkness" thing you have going around

I wouldn't necessarily call Kairi a "ruler" of darkness, however she now has the potential to become one of the most powerful darkness users in existence. She can even speak in her Anti Form! (Though her voice sounds much more harsh) Naminé actually interacted with Kairi's power as a Princess of Heart in Chapter 1 to do something with her heart that allowed Kairi to tap into the darkness very effectively. So far, it is unknown what she did. I have the explanation for it already, and I think it's going to be really interesting. :) How Kairi's heart currently works will be revealed later using that explanation.

Also, there is a difference between her access to Anti Form in her Awakening and her access to it in the real world that hasn't been explained yet. The version we see in Yen Sid's Tower and Radiant Garden is actually a "civilian" version of it, while the one she fights XH with in the Awakening is the one she can use for combat. There is also a use for her civilian Anti Form, but that'll be shown later.

I'm glad you appreciate Kairi with her new powers! :)

And isn't the Seeker of Darkness Xehanorts Heartless?
Kairi just destroyed him, so wouldn't it mean that the reborn Xehanort isnt possible?

There is actually a difference between the Xehanort's Heartless that Sora fought and the one that Riku had in his heart that's going to be explained later in Kairi's story. You might even be able to figure it out right now if you look closely at the cutscene just after KH1's final battle. Xehanort the Reborn existed in the fanfic ever since Xemnas was defeated.

EDIT: To answer your first question, I named that part of Chapter 1 the Seekers of Darkness because yes, Xehanort's Heartless was known as Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness. However, it was plural because it also featured Kairi wanting to get dark powers. Thus she was seeking them, and that would make her a seeker of darkness in a practical sense, not that it was actually her title. Anyway, that's how I came up with the name for that part.
 
Last edited:

Gram

Banned
Joined
Oct 9, 2009
Messages
15,615
Awards
5
Re: Kingdom Hearts: Reborn from the Darkness (Contains recent game spoilers)

:D *claps* freaking amazing!

i especially like the dark kairi, and the whole mixed magic thing.
 
Last edited:

AdrianXXII

Dyslexic rambler
Joined
Dec 5, 2009
Messages
2,989
Awards
15
Location
Switzerland
Re: Kingdom Hearts: Reborn from the Darkness (Contains recent game spoilers)

I would like to start by thanking everyone for posting their opinions of the story, and especially you for the critique you gave, which has been the most thorough one I have received to date.

glade you liked my critiques, i was afraid i was kinda too criticizing...

Mickey actually gives two letters, one in the ending of KH2 and one in this fanfic through Yen Sid. When the fanfic starts, Kairi had already found Mickey's first letter. The second letter was Mickeys discovery Xehanort's return and all he could find out about his plans, which he was planning to give copies of to both Sora and Riku (Mickey ended up giving it to Kairi instead of the latter at Yen Sid's request).

I know i meant the first one, if i remember right you wrote Mickey came to them and gave them the letter, while if i remember right Kairi found it and brought it to the others.

There is actually a plot reason for why Kairi was acting the way she did at the beginning, and it will be explained in one of the later chapters. For now I will just say it has something to do with her emotions.

Ok I'm looking to seeing the explanation.

Kairi wants to prove to the people of Radiant Garden that not everyone who uses darkness is evil. Mickey was basically telling her what to do while she was at Radiant Garden on her own journey, and Kairi really didn't like that. In the scene where her grandmother was dying, her darkness began coming out because of her grief, and she didn't want to lie to her grandmother but didn't think she'd accept her as someone who accepted darkness willingly.

At that moment, Kairi wanted to get rid of the prejudice that the Realm of Light had towards the darkness while she was on her journey, and she wanted to do that by using her powers to destroy the enemy whenever she could. Kairi wants to prove to others that even though she uses the darkness now, she is still a good person, much like Terra from Birth by Sleep. :) If she is being held back from doing that, naturally she would be unhappy.

Oh ok, but somehow it seems like she's relying to much on darkness, I was worried it was starting to manipulate her kinda like a drug addiction...

The thing is, even though the Reborn have individuality, they really don't have a choice on whether or not to serve Xehanort. Before he came back, the Reborn weren't even called by that name, and they were born into the Realm of Light when their creation was finished. Now however, Xehanort has found a way to manipulate the process and dump them into Kingdom Hearts. Those that he summons into the Realm of Light are put into the Council of XXV, no questions asked. He is planning to use all the Reborn being gathered into the real Kingdom Hearts for something, but we don't yet know what it is. We got a hint of the plan recently in Chapter 2 part 1, but how it's going to be carried out remains a mystery for now.

I think you actually mentioned that in the story, but the independent kind of behavior kind of through me of.

As for Lea, he does have his memories and his individuality, but he is in the Council of XXV by force. Xehanort most likely has some dire form of punishment for those who disobey him, so for now Lea is just having to play ball. Doesn't necessarily mean he's gonna keep doing so, and there's a reason both he and Isa haven't yet shown up in the story, though I will say they aren't out of the picture yet. :)

Oh okay, while you say what he has in his hand against Lea, in a later chapter? Looking forward to his and Isa's intro.

Thank you, I will keep up the good work as much as I possibly can. :)

no problem, I'm sure you'll manage.

Also I'm glade Silver_Soul mentioned the hair, I was originally also going to comment on it but didn't know what his real hair color was.
 

Aqualung

New member
Joined
Apr 27, 2010
Messages
169
Re: Kingdom Hearts: Reborn from the Darkness (Contains recent game spoilers)

glade you liked my critiques, i was afraid i was kinda too criticizing...

Don't ever be afraid of that. You can never criticize my works too much. I thrive off just about any kind of criticism, good or bad. If it's bad criticism but it's constructive, it helps me to better develop my skills as a writer, or to fix simple mistakes that I made during writing (Like the thing about Terra's hair Silver_Soul pointed out, and about Mickey sending the letter in a bottle instead of handing it; I actually went back and edited that simple mistake, thank you for pointing that out! :D It's easy to make them sometimes when writing stories this long, which is why I enjoy criticism that points it out; it only helps to improve the story for those who read it later).

Really, the only kind of criticism I don't like is the kind that says "Your story sucks" without giving any reason as to why. Thank you again for the critique you gave!

I know i meant the first one, if i remember right you wrote Mickey came to them and gave them the letter, while if i remember right Kairi found it and brought it to the others.

Again, thank you very much for pointing this out. I went back to check and edited to properly show that Kairi got it from a bottle like in the ending.

Oh ok, but somehow it seems like she's relying to much on darkness, I was worried it was starting to manipulate her kinda like a drug addiction...

Keep in mind that Kairi is also still in the early stages of learning to control her darkness. The "control" effect of the darkness on her that you might be thinking about is her instincts that she gets from them. They work for her kind of like "spider senses" if you know what those are from Marvel comics. They're warnings or tips that the power gives her based on her feelings and the situation, and give her a slight edge in combat (and possibly elsewhere).

Kairi doesn't have to listen to them, so they're not necessarily controlling her; she chooses to listen to her instincts, and as for the rest of her dark powers it's only natural that she'd want to find out more about how to use them, or get ticked off at someone trying to force her to do (or not do) things all the time (like what Mickey did in Radiant Garden with telling Kairi not to use her dark powers while there). As I explained earlier, she also has a deeper reason for wanting to use them for good, and Kairi gets irritated while in Radiant Garden because Mickey is suppressing opportunities for her to do so.

The last part of Chapter 2 is on the way, just trying to fix a couple things in my house before I finish it.
 
Last edited:

AdrianXXII

Dyslexic rambler
Joined
Dec 5, 2009
Messages
2,989
Awards
15
Location
Switzerland
Re: Kingdom Hearts: Reborn from the Darkness (Contains recent game spoilers)

Don't ever be afraid of that. You can never criticize my works too much. I thrive off just about any kind of criticism, good or bad. If it's bad criticism but it's constructive, it helps me to better develop my skills as a writer, or to fix simple mistakes that I made during writing (Like the thing about Terra's hair Silver_Soul pointed out, and about Mickey sending the letter in a bottle instead of handing it; I actually went back and edited that simple mistake, thank you for pointing that out! :D It's easy to make them sometimes when writing stories this long, which is why I enjoy criticism that points it out; it only helps to improve the story for those who read it later).

Really, the only kind of criticism I don't like is the kind that says "Your story sucks" without giving any reason as to why. Thank you again for the critique you gave!


That's good to know, but even so too much bad critique is very demotivating. Well, it's not only your story that is long the whole KH story is long and has many details that are easily forgotten.

Keep in mind that Kairi is also still in the early stages of learning to control her darkness. The "control" effect of the darkness on her that you might be thinking about is her instincts that she gets from them. They work for her kind of like "spider senses" if you know what those are from Marvel comics. They're warnings or tips that the power gives her based on her feelings and the situation, and give her a slight edge in combat (and possibly elsewhere).

Kairi doesn't have to listen to them, so they're not necessarily controlling her; she chooses to listen to her instincts, and as for the rest of her dark powers it's only natural that she'd want to find out more about how to use them, or get ticked off at someone telling her what to do all the time (like what Mickey did in Radiant Garden). As I explained earlier, she also has a deeper reason for wanting to use them for good, and Kairi gets irritated while in Radiant Garden because Mickey is suppressing opportunities for her to do so.

Well I'm interested in how this will develop. Especially Kairi's and Mickey's relationship hope it improves once they leave RG.

The last part of Chapter 2 is on the way, just trying to fix a couple things in my house before I finish it.

Do you want me to critique it too? Though it might take a while till i find time again, especially if it's as long as the first part of Chapter 2, latest would be next weekend.
 

yugi300

New member
Joined
Jun 27, 2008
Messages
391
Age
30
Re: Kingdom Hearts: Reborn from the Darkness (Contains recent game spoilers)

You have a great story going on here will read more later/
 

Aqualung

New member
Joined
Apr 27, 2010
Messages
169
Re: Kingdom Hearts: Reborn from the Darkness (Contains recent game spoilers)

((Sorry again for the delay. This time Sora's visit to the castle and the second tragic event has been included, just like I promised.

The tragic event has the character saying a monologue when no one else is there, and even though what happens seems tragic, the character itself actually seems somewhat glad that it is happening.

Two of Sora's abilities that made an appearance in the last part are also being expanded upon here to show what they really are, and gains access to new items. Scrooge McDuck even has a use to Sora on his journey thanks to Merlin, and the wizard shows the Keyblade user something that is very helpful to him.

That's just a sneak peak, so enjoy!))

CHAPTER 2 (Part 3/3): The Master's Return

Sora, Donald, and Goofy had reached Hollow Bastion. Having to fight several Heartless and Nobodies along the way, they had wondered if the attack on the castle was still underway. The enemies they faced appeared when their presence was felt by them, and they did not advance toward Hollow Bastion at all but rather fought the trio. Sora supposed that they were put in place to stop their advance, but then perhaps these enemies weren't being controlled by anyone. Rather, they were just like every other Heartless and Nobody; simply put, they were there because of the darkness in peoples' hearts.

"I wonder how come they only summoned that many to fight us?" Sora had asked Donald and Goofy for their opinion on the matter.

"Ya know, I think it's because the former members of the Organization got hearts now. Back when they were Nobodies, they didn't have hearts that the darkness could take over, so they could summon Heartless willy-nilly. We faced thousands of them when they attacked Radiant Garden before!" Goofy gave his input.

"So you're suggesting since they now have hearts, the Council has a weakness?" Donald tried to clarify.

"Yeah. Ya see, Heartless are always tryin' to consume hearts when they're summoned. They can be controlled, but the summoner's gotta be careful or their heart gets taken." Goofy explained.

"But that doesn't explain why they could only summon so many Nobodies…" Sora was confused.

"I think it's 'cause the Nobodies are also lookin' for hearts. The Organization could summon a lot of both the Heartless and Nobodies when they didn't have hearts for them to steal, but now they gotta be more careful. Guess we're a bit luckier than we think!" Goofy expanded his theory.

"I also noticed they used their weapons or powers to summon them, so do you think that might also have something to do with it?" Sora added to the question.

"You know, maybe those give them more control over summoning Heartless and Nobodies, perhaps strengthening their heart somehow?" Donald gave his theory on the instruments the Council used.

"This is some real food for thought, but right now we gotta get to the castle!" Sora reminded everyone.

---

Inside a room, there was a pod that contained a young woman who had black hair and a cloak that matched it. She was sleeping, but had a dream of an event that happened recently...

In the flashback, she was sleeping, just like she was now. But a voice had awakened her.

"(Your memories are almost finished, but I need you to do something. Roxas is almost here, and he will need you to clear the way for Sora before he arrives. I have given everything you need to complete this task)"

"I must help… Sora…?" Memories of the Keybearer flashed through her head, and she then understood what she had to do. A lock was on the exit from the room, and the girl held up her hand.

A Keyblade had appeared. Its handle was black, with a checkered handle. What looked like a shuriken with the points that were on the stem of the Nobody insignia was attached to it as a keychain, and protruding from the handle were two black branches that had silver spikes protruding from them. The Nobody insignia itself was on the top of the handle where the blade protruded from, and the blade itself was silver, its point bending twice to make a "4" shape, then bending once again. From the last bend in the tip, which was black in color, protruded several more spikes. They alternated between silver and white, and formed the teeth.

"(This is your Keyblade, called "Two Become One." I made you from Sora's memories, which I had copied instead of taking them away like your original did. It is because of this that you are able to wield a Keyblade. There is someone dear to you named Roxas, and when your memories are complete, you will remember everything about him. Now go and unlock the door before you, and complete the first task that will help Sora in his journey)"

The girl had unlocked the door, then headed to Ansem's study as the voice had suggested. There was a rug on the floor, which the voice had instructed her to remove. Underneath it was a trapdoor that was locked. She unlocked it with her Keyblade, and inside the compartment was a disk that had a pattern in black and white, and a pair of boots.

"(Good, now take these with you to the main computer, and insert the disk)" The voice had again directed, and the young woman obeyed. In the computer room of Radiant Garden, she placed the disk she had found into the computer, and typed in passwords that the voice had instructed her to input.

"(Now walk to where I tell you)" The young woman had obeyed the instructions, and walked to a room that had a panel on the floor.

"(Good, now put on the boots and stand on the panel with them)" She stood on the panel, and the floor in front had parted to reveal a ramp going down. "(My final instruction for now: go back to your pod and I will finish restoring your memories. When the time comes, you will see Sora in person, and Roxas will see you through him as well)"

The voice had paused, then said, "(Thank you for doing this… Xion)"

Back in the present after the flashback had ended, Xion had remained asleep in her pod. As her dream ended, she said, "Your welcome… Naminé. And thank you too..."

---

Sora's trio had finally arrived at Hollow Bastion. No signs of Heartless or Nobodies were to be found.

"Guys, we gotta be careful… if whatever's haunting this place can deal with them, it can deal with us too. We may have to fight a difficult battle. Ready?" Sora wanted to make sure he and his companions were prepared.

"You bet!" Donald and Goofy answered. Afterwards, the three of them headed in.

As soon as they entered, several chairs had floated up and flung themselves at the trio. Sora slashed two of them away with his Keyblade swings, while Donald and Goofy had respectively used magic and shield tosses to shatter the other few.

However, the bits of the chairs were now floating up, as if completely unaffected by the attacks except for being fragmented. They flung at Sora, and though he had knocked away a few of them, several had scratched him on the sides.

"Our attacks don't do anything?!" Sora was now concerned. The furniture kept attacking, and Sora had used Shockstorm to keep the pieces busy while Donald cast Cure on Sora's wounds.

"We gotta find somewhere safe!" Donald shouted. Just then, bookshelves had appeared in the lobby of the castle, and the entrance behind them had shut tight.

"Gawrsh, if we don't get somewhere safe, we'll be goners!" Goofy shouted.

All the doors had closed, and the situation was looking hopeless.

"What are we gonna do?!" Donald shouted.

Just then, Sora's Keyblade in his main hand was pointing outside, as if reacting to the presence of a Keyhole. He wondered why it would discover such a thing at a time like this, but then the entrance had re-opened. "Come on, we gotta get out of here! This castle is totally unsafe right now!"

The trio ran out, and furniture had followed. Sora's Keyblade had directed him to a pathway leading down to the Postern of Hollow Bastion, and he followed the directions it was pointing him in.

"Whaddya think Sora's Keyblade's reactin' t- GAWRSH, LOOK OUT!" Goofy saw a table float overhead, and it was about to crash down on Sora. Goofy ran with his shield as fast as he could, but the furniture was close to hitting Sora. The Keybearer stopped walking briefly after seeing it, then held up his other Keyblade to block, but before it even fell close to Sora, his pointing Keyblade had flashed. The furniture piece had stopped motionless in midair, then burst into light.

"What's going on?!" Sora was bewildered. Had his Keyblade somehow protected him?

"Guys, stay close to me!" Donald and Goofy had made a formation with Sora to be huddled together, and it turned out to be effective. Any furniture that came towards Sora had suffered the same fate that the table did, and together the trio followed where the Keyblade was pointing.

It had brought Sora, Donald, and Goofy to the computer room of Hollow Bastion. "Hey, this was where we met Tron!"

Sora saw that the computer was on, with the words "System Running" displayed. The Keyblade then directed him through a doorway, and to a panel that was on the floor, with a ramp leading down. Sora went down the ramp, and followed the hallway to its end as the Keyblade pointed.

"Where… are we?!" Sora had never seen this part of the castle before. The hallway was white, and it had doors on each side that were locked by security systems with keys for password input. The Keyblade didn't lead into any of those however, as it was pointing Sora to a door at the end of the hallway. It had opened without hesitation as he approached, and standing behind it was a suit of armor.

The gauntlet held a Keyblade that was dark blue in color, and had the outline of a crown for the teeth at the top of the blade. There was no body that was wearing the pieces; it was as if the armor itself was haunted. It was glowing with the same aura that had surrounded the furniture that attacked them.

Sora had suspected that the Keyblade led them to the source of the haunting. The Keyblades stopped reacting, and he held both of them in a fighting stance, preparing to be attacked. But the armor had whispered something to him.

"Are… you… here… to… save… my master…?" Its voice was harsh and metallic. Sora's ears couldn't even make out what they were hearing from the haunted suit, but in his mind the words had formed clearly.

"Your… master? Who's that?" Sora questioned.

The armor did not respond, but instead held up its Keyblade, pointed at Sora. "Your heart… can open… the Door to Light… I sense it…"

Just then, Sora's Keyblade again reacted. Both the armor's Keyblade and Sora's had begun glowing, and fired a beam of energy at each other. A symbol had appeared on the ground, shaped like a king's crown, and clouds were now swirling around Sora and the armor suit.

He had recognized this place; it was the space he visited whenever he was locking the heart of a world in his previous journey. A Keyhole appeared in the sky, and a jet of light had erupted from the center of the beam connecting the two Keyblades held by Sora and the armor.

The Keyhole had begun glowing exceedingly bright.

---

Aqua sat in the Realm of Darkness with Ansem the Wise on the beach of the Dark Meridian. Just then, a light started to shine. It grew greater, spreading out until it made the shape of a Keyhole.

"Aqua… that is the Door to Light. A door which I cannot pass through because of my current state."

The Keyblade master didn't want to leave him behind, but she had no choice. It had been so long since she last saw the Realm of Light, and she wanted desperately to go back. "I want to thank you for telling me everything, about the Nobodies and of Sora, and for giving me the encouragement I needed to go on. Ansem, if there was anything I could do to help you get out of here, I would…"

"Master Aqua, there is one thing I must ask you to do as a personal favor." Ansem the Wise said.

"What is that?" She was listening.

"My Heartless is no doubt still in the Realm of Light, either wreaking havoc or preying on hearts. I must ask of you Master Aqua, should you ever happen across it, to please destroy the monster immediately."

"I will. You have my word as a Keyblade master!" She then left through the Keyhole, which then closed behind her. Ansem the Wise… was alone.

"And so it begins. My apprentice, your plans… whatever they are now, will be foiled if both of them can help it. I have done all I can for the Realm of Light. Everything I did as a ruler was for my people, and though I was betrayed, I still wished to bring order back to the worlds."

He continued reflecting, "Now, it will begin, and my reward for it all… is peaceful sleep."

Ansem the Wise got up from his rock, and then sat on the soft ground, looking out at the horizon. The arches made of rock formed a scene that to his eyes, though it had seemed ominous, was indeed beautiful.

"I cannot feel, but perhaps this is better... I shouldn't take in the despair around me. The guilt of my past should be paid no heed. My pain will simply cease to be, and my heart should no longer bleed."

He lay down on the sand of the beach, looking up at the blank sky. He couldn't feel emotion, but noticed the sand was raised up slightly where he had rested his head, almost as if a pillow had been provided.

"Riku, you once told me of your journey's real start. You stood at a crossroads in the Realm of In Between, and mentioned that the voice had presented you with an option; to continue forward, or to rest. You had refused the latter, stating that it was 'a boring place to take a nap…'"

He paused momentarily. Ansem the Wise was talking to no one; they couldn't hear him. Though he remembered Riku, and was now reflecting on what he told him before.

"Fortune has given me no option; I cannot continue now. It is not tragedy, however…"

Ansem's eyes had closed, and he was now drifting off into sleep.

"For I have found the perfect place to rest…"

The former ruler of Radiant Garden had become blanketed by darkness. There, on the Dark Meridian, his sleep was safety. His sleep… was eternal.

---

After Aqua had stepped through the Door to Light, she was falling through water. She could not feel herself getting wet from it, almost like it was air. Below, she had seen a great circle of light appear, and her fall began to slow. Soon, she was standing on the Awakening, and the light began to fade from it.

The Destiny Islands were in the background of the mural, depicted at night. A large portrait of herself was seen in the middle, with a slightly saddened expression on her face.The mural depicted three large portraits along the bottom: Terra, Ventus, and Xehanort the Apprentice. Along the top of the mural were three other large portraits: Sora, Kairi, and Roxas.

Terra and Sora both looked like they had their eyes shut, as if they were sleeping. Kairi and Roxas both had angry expressions on their faces, with darkness flowing from the former in her portrait's background, and light flowing from Roxas in his. Ventus was blushing, and looked slightly uncomfortable; several sweat drops were even seen from his face. And Xehanort… was smiling an evil smile, almost looking like he was going to laugh.

Aqua didn't know where she was, but the Awakening felt familiar. She had remembered the mural depicted her lucky charms before, but now it was different. Her friends Terra and Ventus were both in the mural, she could see that, and knew why Terra might have been asleep; Master Xehanort had taken him over, and he now looked like the Xehanort in the portrait. However, she could only wonder why Ventus was blushing like he was. Also, why was there another who looked like him, and why was he so angry?

Just then, a pedestal had appeared. On top of it was a swirling mass of glowing white energy. It looked somewhat transparent, like ghostly mist, and Aqua couldn't figure out what it was.

A voice then spoke out. "You must treasure the bonds you share with your friends if you are to help restore order to the worlds, and reunite with them. But beware, for those who wish to see the order destroyed will try and deceive you in order to meet their goals…"

The voice had continued, "Now take this power, forged from the bonds you share, and use it to help the friends you share those bonds with."

Aqua had walked forward as the voice had instructed, and the energy had entered her body. She pondered everything that the voice had said as the Keyblade master gained the new power.

She started glowing with the strange mist, and suddenly darkness had appeared underneath her. "(Not again!)" She desperately didn't want to go back to the Realm of Darkness! Aqua struggled to break free, but the darkness had taken her within it. She was falling again, but this time a light had appeared, which the Keyblade master had fallen through.

---

Sora stared at the Keyhole as it glowed with bright light. Suddenly, something had happened that he was not anticipating; a woman with blue hair had failed out of the Keyhole. He ran away, but she fell on top of him as he did.

"Ow!" Sora was face-down on the floor with Aqua's back laying on top of him.

She got up. "I'm so sorry, are you okay?" She looked closely at the Keybearer, then suddenly realized from Ansem's description… it was Sora!

"Yeah, and what about you?" he asked.

"Wait a minute… you're Sora!"

"Yeah, that's me! What's your name?" he inquired.

"My name is Aqua. I'm a Keyblade master."

"Nice to meet you Aqu-" Sora had just realized that he saved one of the people he was supposed to rescue from suffering.

"Hey Sora, we already rescued one!" Donald jumped up happily, knowing that their journey was practically one-fourth of the way done.

"Yeah, but we still gotta save Terra and Ventus, then stop the Council of XXV!" Sora reminded them.

"Council… of XXV?" Aqua was puzzled.

"Well, they're these guys who came back after their Heartless and Nobodies got destroyed. Xehanort is tryi-" He really wasn't that good at explaining things right now because he was so excited from completing a major step in his journey. "Umm, I think we know someone you could ask about all this, and he'd explain it a lot better. There's this magician named Master Yen Sid, and he's got everything up to date on what's been happening."

Aqua shook his hand, then said "Thank you, I almost completely forgot about him! I have to see Master Yen Sid right away."

She noticed that her armor was right behind her. It walked up to the Keyblade master and then faded as the armor pad just below her right shoulder on the upper arm glowed. Sora noticed it was of a similar material to the ones the Council members wore, but it had no insignia and was a silver-blue in color.

"Hey, we're going on a journey to stop the Council of XXV and help save your friends. Do you want to come with us?" Sora asked.

Aqua had pondered for a moment if she did want to come with Sora. She wanted to first see Master Yen Sid to get an update on what was going on around her since the Keyblade master's absence, and figured that Sora didn't want to waste time going back there.

Aqua politely said, "Thank you for the offer, but I must see Yen Sid first so that I'll have an idea of what to do next. And you're not the only one trying to save my friends, though I thank you Sora for your efforts and especially for saving me. Always believe in yourself, I know you've done great things, and will continue to do so."

She remembered the young boy she had met so long ago on the Destiny Islands, much to her surprise. "And my… how you've grown!"

"Huh…?" Sora was confused. "Have we met?"

"Back on Destiny Islands, when you were just a child. You don't remember? Maybe it's been such a long time… oh dear, how long has it been since I got trapped in the Realm of Darkness?! "

"I don't know, but if you really do know Master Yen Sid then you should be able to find that out easily!" Donald suggested.

Both of them had parted ways, as Sora was headed back to the town for several reasons: first was inform the Committee that Hollow Bastion was no longer haunted, then to go shopping, and finally to find out more about Kairi's apparent visit to Radiant Garden. He wanted to get answers and a head start on the rest of his journey.

Back in Merlin's House, Sora told the news of Hollow Bastion no longer being haunted to the Committee, along with news of rescuing Aqua. He went back into the castle just after meeting her to check, and could confirm that it was no longer under whatever spell it was before.

"So glad to hear that Sora, maybe now we can actually get some real repairs done!" Cid cheered.

"Sora, you wanted to see me earlier?" Merlin had asked.

"We sure did! I got these brand new powers while I was in an Awakening, and Yen Sid gave me this thing called a D-Link, and…"

He continued explaining all about his new powers, including Frozen Flame and Super Sonic, to Merlin. The last two especially caught his attention.

"My dear boy, those two powers you just talked about aren't exactly spells; Frozen Flame is what I call a Command Style, and Super Sonic from what you described was a Shoot Lock!"

"A Command Style and… a Shoot Lock? What are those?" Sora pondered.

"Allow me to explain. The Dimension Links are special powers that were given to an earlier generation of Keyblade wielders and masters. Masters were also much more pronounced than just average wielders, with training and skills that demanded a great amount of respect. That one woman you just met was actually a very famous Keyblade master! She used her own variant of Command Styles and Shoot Locks on her journey, with Dimension Links of everyone she met!"

Merlin continued explaining, "Your Command Style you just described I'm sure is not the only one you'll come across on this new journey! Those new spells however, are quite peculiar to me… I've never seen such things before, although this Shockstorm ability of yours reminds me very much of a normal version of Magnet, and Vigilance seems like a very different type of the Leaf Bracer ability, but actually heals the user while protecting them in a barrier instead of just preventing the Cure spell from being cancelled. Also, Flametongue and Icebrand remind me very much of the Fire Blazer and Diamond Dust Command Styles that Keybearers once used, but you described yourself as being able to use these as a normal ability… did you notice any finishing moves when you used these?"

"No, they just added an effect to my attacks based on which one I used." Sora described.

"Then I suspect they must be weaker versions of those, but allowing a greater ease of use. Interesting… well Sora, no doubt you might have wanted to train these new abilities of yours, I'm sure? I would very much like to see firsthand what these new powers of yours can do! And, if you complete some training… I have a special gift for you!"

Sora's eyes widened. "Really? You have floating furniture I can train against?"

"Uh-well… not really. After you left Traverse Town to fight that Ansem Seeker of Darkness fellow, I left all that equipment at my original house when my home-world was restored. But, I still have something we can use to train! Why, it might even be better than what we used before. Come along then boy!"

He brought Sora into the basement of the headquarters. There was a computer in the corner.

"I asked Cid to set this up for me after you returned to Destiny Islands. It's a machine that scans your memories, and then creates data of creatures you've fought before to fight against. The data creatures themselves are completely harmless, so you don't have to worry about getting any wounds, but you'll know when you get hurt because a slight buzzing noise will go off in your head."

"Merlin, this is GREAT! We can specifically train against anything we've fought before?!"

"Yes my boy, I even tested it earlier myself!" Merlin exclaimed.

Sora had several medium training sessions, first fighting against smaller creatures such as Shadows and Dusks, then moving on to Large Bodies and Berserkers. He tested all of his new abilities against them, and it even felt like he was fighting the real thing! He definitely needed something like this for his journey.

"Now that you've got some solid training, and I've got some solid research data behind me for these new spells of yours, I think it's time I gave you a special treat!" He pulled out a cooler chest, then pulled out what looked like a cup with a spoon in it.

"But Merlin… there's nothing in there…?" Sora pouted.

"Now, now my boy, don't you fret! This is a magical type of dish!" He tapped the spoon against the cup several times, and ice cream appeared in it! There were two scoops, and the color of the both was pink, with what looked like reddish-brown dust sprinkled all around it. A cinnamon stick was sticking out from the side of the first scoop, with another stick poking out the opposite side of the second scoop. Merlin then handed the ice cream to Sora.

"ICE CREAM!" A wide smile appeared on Sora's face, and he immediately put a spoonful in his mouth. The taste was cool, sweet, and creamy. Then, he noticed something else… there was a spicy aftertaste! It wasn't enough to overpower the sweet flavor though. "Yikes, that's got some kick to it!"

Suddenly, his Frozen Flame Command Style had emerged. His hair color changed to blonde, and he was wearing Roxas's clothes again. Both his Keyblades had the different enchants of fire and ice. "Whoa! It's my Command Style? But I didn't see any light appear from attacks to activate it!" Sora had said.

"You know, I always liked Sea Salt ice cream better, but this is actually pretty good!" remarked Roxas through Sora.

The Keybearer then wondered, "Did the ice cream do this?!"

"Indeed! That ice cream is called Cinnamon Sorbet! You can use various types of ice cream to bring out your Command Styles without having to use abilities first! I gave the recipe to Scrooge McDuck, so you can bet he'll have that selling like hotcakes! But only you will be able to use it to bring out your unique Command Style! However, one thing you must note is that if you use it to activate a Command Style, that type of ice cream will not appear in the cups again for a certain amount of time."

The Keybearer knew that visiting Radiant Garden to see Merlin about his new abilities was more than worth it. He now knew two things: there was a training program he could use that would allow him to greatly learn his new abilities, and he could even use some of his powers… by eating ice cream!

"Thank you so much Merlin! I really needed that training, and thanks especially for coming up with that ice cream!"

"Using ice cream to activate Command Styles is actually something that's been around for… well, the longest time really! Some Keybearers found activating certain Command Styles of theirs to be difficult, and discovered it as an alternate way to bring them out. And that's just the start of it! When you discover more Command Styles, come see Scrooge McDuck. Him and I came up with a 'Recipe Creator Club' for his ice cream business that you can join whenever you have time, and you can use that to discover recipes as you gain more of that ability type. Anyway, looking forward to your next training visit, and to see more of what great things you're now capable of!"

Sora went to the nearest item shop which, to his relief, was run by the same Moogle he saw on his previous journey. Sure enough, the Keybearer found that the creature started selling Cinnamon Sorbet cups. Sora had gathered a very decent amount of starting Munny from his previous battle, so he purchased several, along with some Potions in case he didn't want to rely on taking damage to have Vigilance go off. The trio then decided to find out about Kairi from the Committee.

"She was actually here while you were at the castle Sora. But…" Aerith's voice dropped to a more sad tone. "Something bad happened to her grandma in the castle, and she's no longer with us…"

"I can't believe it, this was Kairi's home! But, she just lost one of her relatives… poor Kairi…" Sora had felt pain inside; he could only imagine the grief that one of his dearest friends must have still been going through.

"Is she still here?" he asked.

"Mickey told us before he left that after seeing her grandmother, they were headed for another world." Leon told Sora.

"WHAT?!" Sora's expression turned to shock. Donald and Goofy were just as amused; Kairi was going on her own adventure?

"But Sora, she's got Riku and the King with her. I'm sure she'll be okay!" Goofy tried to cheer him up.

"I need to see Yen Sid right away now. How come I didn't know about this? Did she come after I left the tower?"

"To be fair Sora, we saw how she handled some Heartless and Nobodies outside. This may be her first journey, but she sure acted like a real fighter. It almost seemed as if she's been doing it for a while, which is kinda strange to me if she actually just started…" Cloud went on as he mentioned Kairi's first major bout with the enemy.

"Still, I… wait, what? She was doing really good? I never even taught her how to fight… all kinds of things are happening now!" Sora was bewildered. "Anyway, I told her not to leave the island, and she directly disobeyed me! I gotta at least tell her I'm a bit disappointed at that…"

Sora knew in his heart though; Kairi wanted desperately to not be left there while Sora was going on such a dangerous journey. But now she was involved, and there was no telling what would happen next! Sora felt rather uneasy.

"I haven't seen her since they left for the hospice to see her grandma kid… ya might go ask Yen Sid about where she went."

"… No, that's okay. I wasted enough time starting my journey, so I need to head on out." Sora didn't like it, but he decided that he'd trust Riku and Mickey to look after her, and bring her back if things got too dangerous.

"Sora, are you sure?" Donald asked.

"Yeah, because you know what? If Kairi has both Riku and Mickey with her, and she's become as good a fighter as Cloud just mentioned, I think we might be able to get this journey over with sooner than we think. Plus, we just met that Aqua woman, and she was headed to Yen Sid's tower. No doubt he'll give a briefing, then send her on a journey too. I don't wanna waste any more time, let's all get this over with!" Sora exclaimed.

"Now THERE'S the Sora we all know!" Yuffie cheered.

The trio went to their gummi ship, then departed for the next closest world on their radar. Well prepared for the journey, Sora felt that he'd see Kairi much sooner than he expected now. After all, he remembered meeting Riku in Traverse Town after what now felt like only a few moments after his very first journey started!

---

Outside of the castle, Aqua had changed her Keyblade from Rain Storm to Rain Fall, then turned her Keyblade into a vehicle and was headed off to Yen Sid's tower. They were the only two keychains she had now, and Aqua didn't know what happened to the others. As she flew off, she got an above view of Radiant Garden. Many things had looked so… different from when she last saw the world.

She soon arrived at Yen Sid's tower. The outside hadn't changed one bit. Suddenly, several Heartless and Nobodies appeared. Aqua drew her Keyblade with the Rain Storm keychain attached, and suddenly something happened that she hadn't expected.

Two ghost-like wisps of light had emerged from Aqua, and as they landed on the ground they formed ethereal figures. They were glowing white and transparent, but Aqua immediately knew who they were.

"Ventus and Terra?!" she shouted. They looked at her and smiled, but didn't respond back. Both of them drew their signature Keyblades, Gaia Bane and Fresh Breeze, then turned to face the Heartless and Nobodies that appeared. Aqua was almost on the verge of tears; were they really her friends, or just illusions? Were they with her all along?

Then she remembered the awakening, and the same wispy light she received from the pedestal that was now enveloping the spirits. Assuming this was some kind of new power of hers, she deducted that they would act as her allies, though they really weren't Ventus and Terra. How did they take such a shape though? Did they react to Aqua's feelings, or her memories? Or was it something else?

Terra had charged at a Dusk that was floating towards Aqua when she noticed it, and Ventus made a gesture with his Keyblade while looking at Aqua that was as if he was instructing her to point her Keyblade and shoot at one of the Shadows. Aqua took Rain Storm and pointed it, and then she saw something unexpected; from the tip of her Keyblade, several shots of the same ghostly energy went at the Shadow. She then fired a more powerful shot that was the finisher, and the Shadow burst after the impact.

Yen Sid had watched from the top of his tower as Aqua was battling the creatures. "How is it that she is using the same shooting power that Sora's Wisdom Form once had? And she hasn't aged one bit after all these years?" He recognized the Keyblade master, but had never expected the ghost allies to appear either.

Terra then looked at Aqua and made a motion with his Keyblade as if pointing upward, then pointing it at a Creeper. The Keyblade master held her Keyblade in the air, and several glowing mines had appeared. She instantly recognized the ability, and she pointed it at the creature; the mines homed in on the Creeper, exploding all at once in a column of fire, and catching several nearby Soldiers in the blast.

Both Terra and Ventus then went off to clean up the rest of the enemies while Aqua stood at a distance shooting with her new powers. The master found that the Keyblade could now shoot ranged attacks almost as often as she could swing it. Aqua however, had to stand still in order to fire the shots, and they were more concentrated into bursts.

After clearing all the enemies, Aqua moved into Yen Sid's tower, and he greeted her at the very entrance. "It is so good to see you again after all these years, Master Aqua. I had begun to think something terrible had happened to you. I believe it seems that Sora and Kairi are proving to be getting their mission done quite efficiently! Now, if you would come with me, there is much we have to discuss."

"Of course Master Yen Sid. This is Aqua, reporting for duty!" It was another welcome sight for the Keyblade master. At least there was a familiar face she had known since her first journey so long ago. Now Aqua would be brought up to date on everything, and she'd have less to ponder about.

Back at Yen Sid's study, he began to explain what had happened since Aqua was missing. One of the first things he told her was how long she had been gone.

"It's been 11 years!?!?" Aqua did not want to sound like she had lost her nerve, but the shock was almost too much for her. Her body didn't age one bit, yet she was now almost a middle-aged woman! What if she found her friends again? Would they look much older than her?

"I understand that it must be hard to take in, but you really have been missing in action for that long." Yen Sid had poured her a cup of tea, then handed it to her.

She obligatorily drank it, then began to reflect on how she was now technically in her early-thirties. "(What happened to Ventus? Is his body still okay?! I left him in the Chamber of Waking for 11 years! That long…!!)"

"I understand that you have gained new powers…" He was staring at the phantoms of Ventus and Terra that had sat beside Aqua. "Those ghosts of yours must somehow draw power from your heart. The bonds you share with your friends are still strong, I see." He was trying to change the subject to take Aqua's mind off her recent shock.

"Yes… it is a good thing…" Aqua had decided that now she must find out more about what was happening, and not mope about the situation of how old she currently was in the Realm of Light. "Master Yen Sid, I understand that you brought me up here to not only fill me in on what occurred during my absence, but also to brief me on my next mission."

"Indeed Master Aqua…" Without hesitating, Yen Sid had pulled another copy of the same letter he gave Sora and Kairi. Aqua began to read it, curious that Ansem the Wise hadn't mentioned the Reborn; maybe he didn't know? Or perhaps he did know, but wanted to keep the discussion to his life before the event that sent him to the Realm of Darkness, and the immediate information he had to tell Aqua about his plans to restore order to the worlds.

Whatever the case, from reading that copy of Mickey's letter the Keyblade master now knew that Xehanort the Apprentice (whom she wondered if he was indeed Terra possessed by Master Xehanort, as she had last seen before falling into the Realm of Darkness) had returned, and was now the cause of all the problems currently happening.

After she read the letter, Yen Sid further explained what had happened in her absence, of Sora's previous journeys, and that he was now continuing on the same quest she was about to start.

Aqua felt guilty for having put the world in the predicament it was between then and now, and the situation it was in today; had she not saved her friend Terra from the darkness, none of this would have happened and the worlds would have been at peace. But now Aqua had to correct those wrongs… and she also had to find a way to save her friend for good, if it was indeed him that the letter mentioned.

"Also, I trust that you still have your original powers, and that the only thing that's changed is your new ability and the fact that you now have pseudo-allies?" Yen Sid took out from his drawer an ice cream that was called Mystery Flavor, and gave it to Aqua.

She ate the ice cream (Which was a white popsicle that had a cherry flavor. It was named "Mystery Flavor" so Aqua suspected the ice cream would have a chance of being a different flavor each time), and then what looked to her like the Magic Wish Command Style had emerged, but there were a few differences.

Aqua was glowing, and her Keyblade was floating by her side. Both her hands were glowing with light energy, and what looked like bright stars were emitting from her shoes. She could float around and noticed that, though very similar in feel, it was indeed a different Command Style.

"Do you also still have the power of Dimension Link and Shoot Lock?" Yen Sid asked.

Aqua had walked just outside the study to a stairway where several Shadows appeared. She tried out Ventus's D-Link, and her hand began to glow. The spectral Terra had motioned to make a powerful circular swing after attacking. Aqua decided to try it out. The Keyblade master ran forward to attack the Shadow, then after attacking she knocked it back with a powerful shockwave. She took the opportunity to fire several more shots with her weapon afterward. Her attacks and speed felt very quick because of the D-Link's effects.

However, the shockwave was something new to her; she could feel the tremendous force of the blow that knocked the creatures back, but she didn't know Ventus's D-Link for having powerful attacks like Terra did. The Shadows also didn't look very hurt by the attack, which made Aqua curious; did it only push them back? Was this new ability her own?

Dusks then appeared, then she decided to try out the Shoot Lock ability to see if it was still hers. Aqua locked on to several of them, and the green circles had appeared to her eyes. She jumped up in the air and pointed her Keyblade. However, around it had appeared six orbs of light that were all flashing prismatically instead of seven orbs each being their own color. Aqua wondered if this was a new form of her Rainbow Shower Shoot Lock. She fired the orbs at the creatures, dispatching them almost instantly as they exploded into dazzling light that was the same kind her new allies glowed with. After several more attacks, her hands were brimming with light, and she unleashed the D-Link's finisher. She flew threw the air, shooting at remaining enemies with her Keyblade as she did.

Aqua went to pick up several blue orbs that had been dropped by the enemies, and she felt that another D-Link could be performed. Aqua decided to see if she still had Peter Pan's D-Link, but to no avail; it wouldn't activate for some reason, perhaps because she no longer possessed it. The only three people she could think about during the rest of her time spent in the Realm of Darkness were Terra, Ventus, and Sora, the latter of which who had saved her as Ansem the Wise predicted, and with whom she didn't shake hands (and couldn't, for the D-Link handshake was not doable yet; Aqua knew the bond formed during the acquisition of a D-Link must be strong, and she barely even knew Sora).

Wondering if she still had Terra's D-Link, she activated it as several Creepers had come forward. Apparently, she only had the D-Links of Terra and Ventus still. However, her journey would take her to other worlds, so she'd have the chance to form new D-Links again. She fired at the Creepers with several powerful shots from her Keyblade that felt as though their power was great. As her hands brimmed with light, she took her Keyblade and slammed it downward, causing tremors in the ground that finished off the Nobodies.

Back in Yen Sid's study, the Keyblade master had confirmed that she did indeed still have those powers, but that she only had two D-Links to begin with. Aqua decided to call the Command Style "Wishing Star," partly because of the stars that appeared, and because it was similar in nature to Magic Wish. She called the Shoot Lock "Rainbow Six," because there were six orbs instead of seven, but they all flashed the same prismatic colors. "It is somewhat different from my last set of abilities, but I should get the feel of it soon enough," she had explained.

"Master Aqua, I might suggest that you return to Radiant Garden to prepare for the journey that lies ahead." said Yen Sid.

"It has indeed been a while since my last visit, and I would like to see how much that world has really changed." Aqua explained. "Very well then, Aqua over and out!"

She headed outside, then donned her armor and turned the Keyblade into a vehicle again. As she was about to leave, Yen Sid turned to a blue orb on his desk, and tapped it. A hologram of Merlin then came up from it as the orb glowed.

"My colleague, did you give the ice cream to Sora?" The master asked.

"Of course, and I have also finished the recipe of the one for Kairi and given it to Scrooge McDuck. The Moogle should have it stocked soon, so she will be able to use it outside of Radiant Garden simply by purchasing the ice cream from its shops all over the worlds." Merlin assured Yen Sid.

"Excellent. I must again thank you for your help Merlin, and I bring good news: Master Aqua has finally returned to us. She is headed to Radiant Garden, and I must ask that you set up your holo-training program for her use, as well as Kairi's should she ever need it. I have already given Aqua her first ice cream, and have personally sent the recipe to Scrooge, so you need not concern yourself with that matter." Yen Sid requested of his colleague.

"What?! Why, that's excellent! We'll need all the help we can get against these Council villains! Don't you worry, I'll have the program ready in no time! Merlin out!" The hologram had shut off.

Outside, the spectral figures had returned back into Aqua as she glowed, and the Keyblade master took off for Radiant Garden… Aqua's journey had begun!

((Chapter 3 (Part 1) is on page 5. For some reason the edit on this post lags whenever I try to post the link.))
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top