AN: So I seem to be keeping up with my theme of once a month updates unfortunately. Sorry everyone, but I've been working on planning a trip to the east coast to go see some of the law schools I'm considering applying to and, considering the money being poured into that, I simply felt like It deserved my full attention. That being said, I have begun writing the second story arc and I'm hoping that by the time I finally publish it on here, I'll have enough of it completed and edited fully so that I can have semi-regular updates while working on the later chapters at the same time. Of course, that's a pipe dream and will naturally fail to work out but at least it's giving me something to shoot for. Like I said last chapter, this isn't meant to do much aside from wrap things up slightly and set the stage for the next arc. Anyway, I'll end my rambling here and I hope I'll see you all again real soon. If you want to be awesome, could you leave a review for this arc, especially if you've been reading but have yet to review? It would be great to hear from some new reviewers. So that's my challenge to you, even if it's not my story although I hope it is, find a story you haven't reviewed but you really enjoyed or have a strong opinion on and leave a review. It would mean a lot to me and to any other author you grace with a review, I can promise you that. Plus I'll simply say that the more reviews I see will make me want to publish the second part sooner. More Reviews WILL inspire me to write more, I promise you that.

Chapter 12:

Rebuilding

"You were too late Sora."

"If you had been stronger, so many would not have died."

"You were not good enough to save us."

"We trusted you to be there"

"If you think you can kill me, do it"

With a startled shout, Sora shot up from his bed, face caked in sweat and panic, only half aware that he had summoned the X-Blade to his hand without consciously calling it. The weapon had responded to his fear.

The nightmares had been getting worse by the day in the two weeks that had passed since he had ended the life of Maleficent and while things were slowly returning to normal it felt like every step they took forward also inevitably brought them two steps back. Had he really been so foolish as to believe that with Maleficent's death, the damage she had done in her life would simply undo itself? Now her voice haunted him with guilt about giving in to his hate and killing her.

Everything had become chaos. The heartless and nobodies she once controlled and directed were now restless and attacking worlds at random and viciously since they no longer had a steady supply of prey from the worlds she sent them to. The instinctive acts of the Heartless were causing them to simply attack anything in their path.

Furthermore, while the islands were restored and the rest of the worlds destroyed by Maleficent were slowly returning, the going was slow. When Xehanort's Heartless had destroyed the worlds and they had been seamlessly restored, it was the immense power of Kingdom Hearts that caused the worlds to return to their former glory with such ease and simplicity. Now, they were coming back together at a snail's pace, some faster than others and as such, many of the fighters were still stuck on Destiny Islands waiting, some for their world to reform and others simply for a way to get back. In addition, some who had been killed by the Heartless had been revived while others had not and no one had found a clear reason why it was not universally one of the other yet. King Mickey had speculated the damage the heart of the world had taken or the strength of the heart could be related, but he had also said it could be just random chance.

As Sora moved out to look out the window of his bedroom, he found his eyes drifting to the night sky. Already, there were more stars and they grew brighter with each passing day. King Mickey had said he was hopeful that the refugees would all be able to go home in two months at the absolute most.

Speaking of the King, Sora couldn't help but let his mind drift back to the hours following the death of Maleficent. Although Mickey had accepted his explanation of ending Maleficent's life rather than trying to take her alive without much concern, he had seemed slightly wary of Sora's attitude. The Keybearer had refused to allow Mickey to examine the X-Blade or discuss his battle with Maleficent in great detail. It was only when he snapped harshly at the mouse king that he realized he had gone too far. The dark look Riku had given to him in wordless reprimand for his treatment of their friend was enough to show his words weren't appreciated by the silver-haired Keybearer.

Both Riku and the King were both still recovering. Although the medics had worked to try and heal them, their injuries were beyond what magic could do and it was all that could be done to try and ease the pain and shorten the recovery. Sora had heard that Mickey had bleeding in his brain and a high-grade concussion from the blow to his skull and Riku was still on crutches and they had said he likely would never have the same level of mobility with his left leg as he had before being hit in the calf. Sora had wanted to use the X-Blade with healing spells to try and fix the damage but Riku had waved him off, saying that many were far worse than he and admitted he wasn't sure he fully trusted the powers of such a weapon, claiming that anything so powerful had to have drawbacks.

Although Mickey was still in recovery, he had resumed control on the Island as they began piecing things back together. He had sent Donald and Goofy to try and find the ship carrying Kairi and Cid and the refugees that she had managed to save. However, they had come back with nothing, nor had the homing beacon in the ship been capable of being detected. Sora had wanted to take a ship and go search for them but Mickey had utterly refused the idea, saying that the Keyblade Master was needed on Destiny Islands for the time being and that he would send out a search team to keep looking until he felt comfortable sparing a larger force but that he would not scatter them across the worlds right away.

Although Sora knew that the mouse's logic made sense, Kairi could defend herself and Cid was no slouch, that had not stopped the voice that whispered in his head that the King did not trust him and that he could find Kairi and the refugees just find on his own.

That voice had been in his mind quite a bit lately.

Mickey had refused to tell him what he and Yen Sid were discussing, in the treehouse turned office, all the time either. Every time that Sora asked, he had simply said it was nothing he needed to worry about. He knew they had to be talking about him. His new powers worried the King but why would they worry about such power when he could help the worlds with them. When he had voiced this to Mickey in a moment of frustration, the elder Mouse, so aged by the trials of managing this war, had said in a rare moment of honesty that it was not Sora's power that he was worried about, but the ones that might not be securely under his control.

As if the X-Blade was not fully his to control. He had spent endless hours working off his worry over Kairi through exercise and learning to control its extreme powers. They were truly incredible. They seemed to obey his very whim rather than his body. This power was a gift to them, he had earned this power during his Mark of Mastery and proven himself worthy of such a reward, why not use it to the fullest to try and heal the worlds that had been damaged. He had the very power of Kingdom Hearts, the heart of all things, in the palm of his hand, answering to his wishes after all. Why not use such a gift to their advantage?

The one time he had walked in and heard some of what Yen Sid and Mickey spoke of, it was Disney Castle. Apparently, the world was still under heavy heartless control and many of Maleficent's former ranks had returned there and Mickey had deemed the castle too great of a risk to attempt retaking at the time being. Sora had thought this foolish. The castle was in the center of many major worlds and occupied prime location. With him, Sora, at the front they could defeat the Heartless and retake the world. However, Mickey had overruled him quite firmly, chiding him for his outright rude behavior towards the King in front of Yen Sid and, albeit gently, reminded him that he, Mickey, was the king and Sora was not. Sora was too distracted by the rebellious voice in his mind that he could only assume to be his subconscious telling him to challenge the injured Mickey to hear the mouse say there were signs of danger coming soon and Disney Castle was not worth the risk at a time when they needed to focus on re-establishing some level of sanity and stability. He had simply stormed off in a huff; he knew they did not trust him. Mickey was injured and growing older, he was paranoid about holding onto his power. This was forgivable though. Sora respected the King's authority and did not challenge him, despite knowing he could take the King in his weakened state. King Mickey would never be a match for him with the X-Blade.

As he leapt out the window of the empty house, he could not help but think about how quiet it was with his parents and sister gone, off in whatever forsaken world they had warped to. Although those civilians taken by the heartless on the Island during the battle had been revived in part, it was only a sliver of the population. The majority had been on the ship with Cid and Kairi.

Reaching the water's edge, he summoned the X-Blade and looked upon it with awe. Even weeks after forging it, the sheer power that flowed off the metal of the blade left him speechless. The very idea of a weapon that drew its power from Kingdom Hearts itself and could even open the door to beyond if the need was there was incredible. It almost made him want to open the door, to see the full extent of what lay beyond this world, beyond all of the worlds. He had voiced this feeling to Riku a week ago, feeling that his best friend might understand since he had spent a year trapped in the Realm of Darkness, but Riku had given him such a sharp look when Sora began talking that the words died on Sora's lips.

Riku had tried to be understanding but had also reminded him that Maleficent and Xehanort's Heartless as well as Xemnas had thought in similar manners. He had also reminded him of the last words between Xemnas and Ansem the Wise and to remember that some research was better left forgotten and wondering about Kingdom Hearts was likely one such subject.

He and Riku hadn't spoken much since that day. An awkward silence seemed to create a void between them every since he had killed Maleficent and the conversation had only solidified it.

As he continued looking at the blade before him, he found himself speaking aloud: "We'll show them all. They doubt that I can control this power inside me. I'll make them regret doubting me. I'll make the world's better and I'll save everyone!"

Deep in the Realm of Darkness

In a chair, in a room with nothing but a table and a single chair, was a person wrapped in a black cloak, the hood covering his face and obscuring any detail of his body. As he sat, he tapped his fingers lightly against the stone table before speaking after several minutes of dead silence:

"Maleficent did her job well. She may never have understood her job. She was never supposed to win. She was just supposed to push the dog into becoming rapid."

From everywhere and nowhere at the same time, a bodiless voice answered the man:

"He tapped into darkness. The existence of the antiform proved the darkness existed but he allowed himself to be seduced by it. Do you truly think you can handle his powers though? The boy has shown exceptional skills."

A laugh followed the question, light and amused: "A Keyblade Master he may be, but he does not have a grip on his full powers yet and that is what makes this moment an opportune one. For nearly thirty years, I have been planning this moment. I can wait a bit longer to make sure it goes properly."

"Do you plan to revive Maleficent then to keep pushing him"

"I have no more need of her. She played her part well but she was really just a pawn needed to force him into a corner. She never understood that everything was orchestrated. She may have had a taste of what lay beyond the Door but she was just a tool. If she is revived by others, I may make use of her, but she has played the part I needed her to play. Sora is almost ready to do what needs to be done."

"What of the King and Yen Sid? Do you not feel they will be a problem?"

"The boy is already losing faith in them. It was why I wanted him to forge the X-Blade. Already, he is alienated for those he fought for and becoming angry at such treatment. It won't be long before he will snap. Eventually my plan will come to fruition and everything shall fall into place. The door will be opened once again."

The man began laughing softly and elegantly, soon joined by the bodiless voice as it filled the deepest depths of darkness.

The End.

AN: That the end of the first Arc. I do hope this gave you all some interest in what's to come. I'm really looking forward to writing the next two arcs since they're somewhat connected. The preliminary title is Beyond the Door. I hope to see you all then!