Chapter 2 – Chain of Memories

Lea repeated, "Say what now?"

Mickey nodded, "Yep. You remember Ven, don't ya?"

Lea smirked and nodded, "How could I forget. He was my friend… both times…" He turned and looked down, his smirk turned into a frown.

Mickey gave a questioning look, "Both times?"

Lea nodded, "Yeah. When we were younger, and when he was Roxas and I was Axel… in the original Organization."

"Oh, right. Well, in any case we need to go to the Tower to meet with master… and then we'll head for Castle Oblivion after that."

Lea raised a brow inquisitively, "Castle Oblivion? What for? I've already checked that place for the Chamber, but there was no sign of it…"

Mickey shook his head, "Well, there's a reason for that."

Lea folded his arms, "Oh yeah? And what reason is that?"

"…Because only the Master's Keeper can find it."

Lea looked confused and dropped his head, "That makes no sense…" He sighed and took a few steps toward the King.

"We're ready to go then?" Mickey asked.

Lea looked at the tiny king, "Yep, whenever you are."

Mickey nodded and held up the Star Shard again and the two bounded into the sky until they were out of sight. Lea was simply recollecting on the events of his past, the playing with Ventus as Isa watched from afar when they were younger, breaking into Ansem the Wise's Study and being turned into Nobodies, his exploits as number VIII in the Organization, his plan with Siax to become whole again and find the Chamber of Repose to no avail, and finally when Roxas left the Organization and how he gave his life to help Sora in Betwix and Between that led Sora to find Kairi in The World That Never Was. As the two sailed through the Lanes Between, memories kept plaguing Lea. Then the most recent was his encounter with Isa as he saved Sora from becoming Xehanort's final vessel.

"I thought we were brothers…" Lea mumbled to himself just before they landed at the door of Yen Sid's Tower.

Mickey attempted to lead the way, but Lea went on ahead, an excited grin on his face due to him being able to possibly see his friend again, and the hidden concern that he held for his brother turned enemy, Isa.

Castle of Dreams – Simultaneously

Zell landed with a smooth backwards flip and on his feet. He glanced around to find himself in a forest and just in the distance was a large glowing castle. He took several steps before he was stopped by a blue orb of light.

"Are you one of the Guardians?' The light asked the boy.

Zell folded his arms, "Yes I am. Now, who are you? And why would it matter who I was?"

The light gasped, "Oh, my pardons…" The light shined brighter and turned into a heavy set elderly lady in a faded blue cloak.

Zell covered his eyes from the light until it died down; the woman spoke again, "I'm Cinderella's fairy godmother. I received word from Yen Sid that another guardian was coming."

"Hm, well that works out just fine… wait you said 'another', so where is the other guardian that was supposed to be here?" Zell replied evenly and stole a glance at his surroundings.

The Fairy Godmother looked a bit uneasy, "She went to the castle but never came out. "Cinderella escaped and said that Prince Charming and the Grand Duke were attacked and transformed into dark creatures…"

Zell snapped to attention during the phrase "Dark Creatures", so he asked; "Now you mean to say that this girl, this other Guardian was attacked as well?"

The Fairy nodded and pointed to the castle, "She should be in there still, if she wasn't turned like the Prince and Duke…"

Zell nodded and started in a jog toward the Castle, he grumbled sarcastically, "Just great… I get to play the hero already." Then he broke into a full blown sprint, the χ-blade materialized on his shoulder as he made his approach to the courtyard of the castle.

The Courtyard was enormous and it had a large yard with a squared body of water which was barely knee deep, and had trimmed bushes on all sides. The bushes led to a set of marble stairs that in turn led to a large pair of milky white double doors.

When Zell entered the Courtyard, he noticed that the castle was half black and still changing further, "Time's against me again? This just keeps getting better and better." He huffed and dashed toward the doors of the Castle. He paid no attention to the fact that there were two figures with black residing in the shadows.

Zell burst through the doors of the castle and found silence. He started slowly with his weapon at the ready, eyeing his surroundings, taking note of the large pillars that stretched to the sky painted ceiling. The ceiling had several shining glass chandeliers that sparkled with and unknown light. Zell slowed to look but regained his wits and began to speed his pace up as he entered the Foyer. The foyer was just as empty as the corridor, which was starting to give Zell a chilling feeling. He ignored the feeling and headed up the stairs that stood before him. Just as he made it up the stairs, there was a scream, it sounded like it came from a girl at the top of the stairs.

The Tower – Meanwhile

Lea opened the doors the Yen Sid's study and approached the desk, "So when do we get to see my friend?"

Yen Sid's eyes were closed and he responded with evenly, "In due time… hopefully soon. I'll give you the course of action, Lea."

The old Master turned to Kairi and the others, "You four should begin training and once I'm finished, Lea and Mickey will join you."

The group nodded and went into the other room. Yen Sid turned to Lea and said, "You're now affiliated with us. So you'll need a befitting outfit. Close your eyes and think of whatever you would like."

Yen Sid held his hand out over Lea and a few different colored lights surged and swirled about Lea's person, after a few moments Lea's outfit was changed.

Lea looked at his hands, there were fingerless gloves. He glanced down at the pants; there were dark brown knee length shorts and red chucks with a white tongue and black laces. He looked at his abdomen; he wore a long sleeved white shirt, plaid yellow scarf, and orange vest. It was a modified version of the outfit he wore when he met Ventus the first time many years ago. The shorts had four zippers on each side and on his shoes was the Roman numeral for eight near the ankle. His vest also bore a Roman numeral eight on the left side.

Lea couldn't help but smile, "Well, I still have my sense of style."

Yen Sid cleared his throat, '"Now Lea, we're waiting for Master Aqua. She's the only one who can get to the chamber where Ventus sleeps... And Since Ventus's heart rests within Sora, it's believed he was reborn as Roxas… if this theory holds true, then he should remember you as Axel and himself as Roxas…"

Lea's smile grew, "Well what are we waiting for? Where's this 'Master Aqua' anyways?"

Yen Sid frowned, "She was last seen in Radiant Garden before Xehanort began his uprising anew… I've sent one of our newer ranks to search for someone who fits her description, but we've no results just yet."

Lea's smile faded to a frown and he sighed, "…There's always a catch to my good fortune isn't there?"

Castle of Dreams

In the Ballroom, Aqua was pinned to the wall by her arms and legs. Her consciousness returned in just enough time to find another creature of darkness in her face, this one taking the form of a miniature Darkside Heartless, navy blue and black with large muscles and a giant heart shaped hole within its abdomen, and several subordinates pin her limbs to the wall to avoid conflict.

Her clothing was ripped from her previous bout; her shirt seemed to be the primary target as that's where the heart is generally located. The shirt was torn, but still held together enough to hide the fine details of a bra that looked to be silk and blue and had tiny star patterns on it. She looked down and became a bit uneasy.

"Oh, boy… This doesn't look good." She sighed and struggled to free her arms to no avail, and then She let out a scream and the feeling of a metallic claw slowly treaded itself across her stomach.

The claw reached the base of her bellybutton before it fell to the ground. Aqua's eyes had tears ready to pour out, for various reasons, but she managed to blink them away. When her vision cleared, she spotted a red haired male plunging his χ-blade through the Darkside-styled Monster that had her pinned.

Her indigo blue eyes widened for a brief moment, "V-Ven? But I thought… No, it's not Ven…"

Aqua slid down the wall and landed on her butt. She grunted and watched the scene before her resume. Zell sliced a monster in two, jumped over one's head using a back flip and kicked it into another then gave a horizontal slash to them both. He rotated the attack a complete 360 degrees and destroyed the other two that charged behind him. All five of the monsters burst into dark smoke and disappeared, strange crystal spheres faded into the roof of the Ballroom and dispersed with a loud crackling noise.

Zell looked up as the crystal disappeared, then did a win pose. He swung the χ-blade in an X followed by twirling it twice to the left side of his body, to his waist, then 'sheathed' the weapon and caused it to dematerialize.

Zell kept his back to the blue haired Master, "Are you okay?" He held his palm to her and cast a level 4 cure, Curaja and all of her injuries were healed instantly, and her clothing repaired itself as well.

Aqua stood with ease and gawked at Zell's head, "I'm better now. Thanks for helping me out. I thought I was a goner…"

Zell put his hands in his pockets and shook his head, "It's what I came here for." He turned to face Aqua and asked, "Are you Aqua?"

Aqua partially expected to see Terra, her older brother type figure; however, this guy was similar to Terra in a few ways. He had darkness in his heart, but it was completely under control, and he had similar eyes, save for the color. Terra's eyes were a vibrant blue; his were fiery crimson, as was his hair. Aqua found herself scouring the features of the boy. She caught herself before he said anything.

"Yes. I'm Aqua. Who are you?"

"I'm Zell." Zell stated with an emotionless tone and turned his back again.

"You came in the nick of time… But how did you find me?" Aqua asked and stepped beside Zell.

"I was sent by Master Yen Sid to help you out. Did you get the princess to safety?"

Aqua nodded slowly, "Yes I did. She managed to stay in hiding, right?"

Zell nodded, "So it seems." His reply was cold, he turned his head to scan the area as he added, "This world has begun to succumb to the darkness… We need to get back to the Tower and report our findings to the Master."

Aqua looked confused, "The Master? You mean to Yen Sid?"

Zell nodded and began to walk. Aqua kept in step with him, and she placed her hands behind her back as she did.

The two teens reached the entrance of the Ballroom before it was completely covered in blackness. Both Masters materialized their weapons and stood side to side. Two figures, both male and with a strange black film covering their persons had seeped out from the ground. More dark energy flowed from the two males, and it was absorbed in to their bodies. One had silver skin and the other had gold skin. The Gold Prisoner had red chains on its wrists and ankles, the Silver Prisoner had blue chains on its wrists and ankles. The Gold Prisoner materialized a large rounded hammer, and the Silver Prisoner had materialized a large great sword. Both monsters hovered lightly above the ground before landing with a heavy, earthshaking thud.

Zell looked into the helmet of the silver prisoner, "These two must be the duke and prince, then…"

Aqua's eyes grew wide, "They had this much darkness inside them!?"

Zell shook his head, "No, but thanks to the decaying condition of this world, that's what's become of them. I hope you're ready."

Aqua nodded, her resolve returning to her as she constantly recollected on the promise to Ventus. The promise echoed in her mind and her blue Wayfinder Charm hung from her pocket. She took it and placed it on her neck.

The two prisoners jumped away from one another, silver on Zell's side and gold on Aqua's side.

Zell turned his head slightly and asked, "Have you fought something this large before?"

Aqua replied with a bit of shakiness in her tone, "Yeah..."

Zell smirked and looked to the Silver Prisoner. Aqua's face bore a serious expression, the same one that she'd wore when she'd fought Xehanort in Terra's body, as she now glared at the Gold Prisoner. Zell took one step before he dashed at the Silver Prisoner, Aqua broke into a run at the Gold Prisoner and the battle began.

The two prisoners fought like mirrors of each other, each attack took a second to charge before being relentlessly thrown at their targets. The Silver Prisoner reared his weapon over his head and brought it down, releasing a stream of azure fire and a shockwave of blue flames as it hit the ground. The dual attack was something partially expected, as Zell managed to avoid the flames via a jumping rotation. The Gold Prisoner had mimicked the attack, except chunks of rock were belted towards the young female Master. Aqua elegantly cart wheeled past a coming arc of earth, and then she jumped over a rock wall and countered, in the air, with a series of three stage three blizzard spells, a technique known as Triple Blizzaga.

The three large shards of ice pierced the Gold Prisoner, but it didn't stagger, it just growled and began to spin like a top, each rotation throwing a boulder towards Aqua as it tried to rush her. Aqua leapt backwards and the Gold Prisoner's hammer missed her, just by a few inches, and the creature weaved past her. She'd turned around and noticed the spinning monster headed her way once more, and she'd repeated the process.

Zell turned his body to the side, narrowly dodging a mighty swing from the Silver Prisoner's sword. The wave of azure flames whizzed past and Zell retaliated with a spinning slash combined with a stage four fire spell, Firaja, in a tornado at the creature. The monster didn't flinch but instead he reared his blade back and brought it down fast enough to tear space to pieces.

Zell flipped out of the way of the large silver blade and dashed at the monster. He slashed at it several times before it sunk into the ground and reappeared behind him. It hovered high in the air before in crashed its blade into the ground, which released a large shockwave.

Zell did a jumping side corkscrew several feet in the air to avoid the wall of the shockwave. Upon landing, he retaliated with another set of fire spells, this time stage three, Firaga. Four large fireballs impacted the silver giant, but again, no stagger. It let out a screeching roar and a large wave blasted him toward a wall.

Aqua jumped in the air, and did an elegant spin, as though she'd come shooting out of a pool of water, and Air Dashed toward her foe. She began to prepare a spell, but before the spell could be finished, she was grabbed and tossed towards a wall.

Aqua and Zell both put fine dents in the wall behind them; Aqua seemed more out of breath than Zell. She was on her knees while he was in a bit of a slouched position. Zell pushed himself off of his knee and cast stage three cure, Curaga, on himself and Aqua. She stood and brushed her knees off.

Zell took a deep breath, "Aqua, are you familiar with the Mega-Flare spell?"

Aqua looked at the boy, "Yes, why?"

"We've been wasting too much time… I hope they don't have much left, but judging by their movement…"

Zell stopped to think for a split second, and the two Prisoners rushed them. Aqua noticed and defended with her Barrier, and Zell with the basic defensive posture, but both were sent into the wall again, and were pelted with a series of vertical attacks that pummeled them further in.

The two prisoners retreated a bit and hovered back to back; they started spinning like a pair of tops and spun vertically toward the two.

Zell stated the command calmly, "We've got no time now… Cast Mega-Flare right after I use the Zantetsuken technique. It's our last shot, don't fail."

Aqua fell out of the crater shaped like her body and replied, very painfully, "Alright."

Zell managed a run toward the two prisoners that were now like a buzz saw to wood. He brought his weapon above his head then he brought it down to his waist on his left, pink petals began to fall to the ground in his wake. Aqua struggled to stand again but managed. She hovered a bit above the ground and she shot a very large fireball from her Keyblade. The force of the fireball pushed her on her back.

There was a slashing noise immediately followed by an explosion. The area was covered in white for a brief moment, and then there was nothing but the castle's room and the two of them standing there.

Zell stopped, relaxed his posture a bit and his χ-blade disappeared. He and Aqua looked up to see a clock hitting Midnight then it turned into a Keyhole. Zell closed his eyes and slowly turned his weapon clockwise until it was high above his head. He pointed the blade at the keyhole and a translucent light shot into the keyhole, and the area around the keyhole shattered into the shape of a crescent moon.

"Looks like that'll do the trick… for now." Zell stared at the keyhole and it shined brightly, and restored the Castle to its pearly white shine.

The Tower – A Few Minutes Later

Lea stood near the door to the study and leaned on the wall, tapping his foot impatiently, "You know, I'm actually starting to worry about the poor guy, and this 'Master Aqua'."

Everyone gave concerned looks to the elder Master and he brushed them all off, "You need not worry Lea. The two of them are at the door right now."

No sooner had he said that, then the two aforementioned teens walked into the door. Aqua's checks were red, and she kept her eyes fixated on the ground. There was a long pause and silence before Zell walked in, blank face and all. The ones who were worried, mainly Mickey, Sora, and Kairi let out deep breaths of relief. Riku froze for a minute while he sifted through his memory to see why the blue haired female looked so familiar. After a moment, Kairi and Sora did the same. Mickey looked happy to see his old friend, and she seemed glad to see him as well. Aqua couldn't help but hug the mouse for a brief moment before putting him back on his feet.

Yen Sid did not look at the three teens, he simply asked, "Is there something wrong Sora? Riku? Kairi?"

The three in question replied at the same time, "Nothing… It's just that… She looks very familiar…" Riku had his head down and his hands hanging off of his pockets, Sora gripped his chin lightly and gazed skyward with his head tilted slightly, and Kairi poked her temples with her index fingers.

Aqua turned to the three teens and smiled, "Hey, you two mind telling me your names?" She directed the statement at Sora and Riku, just like the first time she'd met them at Destiny Islands.

Sora thumbed himself and replied, "I'm Sora!"

Aqua giggled and turned to Riku, "What about you?"

Riku looked her in the eyes and replied plainly, "Riku." He'd replied the exact same way he did when they met Aqua the first time.

Aqua closed her eyes for a brief moment, "I can feel the same light as the first time, but they all can use the Keyblade… Hopefully Xehanort won't be able to drive them apart like he managed to do with my friends, but still… I wonder when they'll catch on…"

Aqua looked at Sora, "Sora, do you like Riku?"

Sora nodded and bumped his fist to his chest, "Of course I like him," Riku and Sora looked at each other and Sora said, "He's my best friend!" Sora now had a grin on his face.

Aqua looked at Sora, "So, have you been keeping Riku safe?"

Sora smiled again, "Of course, but why would you…?"

Then it dawned on the two boys, "You're that pretty girl that visited us twelve years ago!" Sora was the one who called Aqua pretty, Riku simply said 'that girl'.

Aqua giggled, "So, you two thought I was pretty?"

Riku and Sora turned away, Riku rubbing the back of his head and Sora rubbed his nose and looked in the opposite direction.

Kairi approached Aqua and spoke first, "Thank you for the magic spell, Aqua… It really did keep me safe when I was in trouble."

Aqua smiled back at Kairi, "Did it bring you to someone who'd protect you?"

Kairi nodded, "Yes. It brought me to two people."

"See? I told you." Aqua tilted her head just a little and looked at Riku and Sora again.

The two boys looked back at Aqua and she said, "You three have grown up so much…"

Sora smirked and put his hands behind his head, "Well what did you expect? It's been twelve years since we saw you, remember?"

Lea stepped to the desk and cleared his throat, "Yes, well, I'm not one to ruin little moments like this, but we've got more pressing matters to worry about, right Master?" Lea looked to Yen Sid and he nodded.

"Yes, Lea's correct. We've got to stop the worlds from falling to the darkness, and we need to wake Ventus as well."

Everyone lined up shoulder to shoulder for the assignment and stood at attention, including Lea.

Yen Sid stood and started again, "Aqua, you'll be leading Sora, Kairi, and Lea to Castle Oblivion to retrieve Ventus. Riku, you'll be with Kanani, and Mickey, for I have a special assignment for you. Zell, you'll be going to retrieve our last ally and rescue the second princess of heart…"

The group nodded and sectioned off, Aqua, Lea, Sora and Kairi on one side; Mickey, Riku and Kanani in the middle and Zell off to the side, leaning on the wall with his arms folded and head down. There was a smirk on his face.

"I know who our final ally is. I'll get to it right away." Zell stated and departed first, shortly after he left, a streak of light zoomed off in the window.

Yen Sid nodded, he felt the fading of the next Princess's world and sighed then turned to Sora's group, "Aqua, you're to guide them to the Chamber where you put Ventus to rest. Sora, you have Ventus' heart and need to return the pieces that made a home within you. Lea, you'll be there to assist them in getting their destination and help Ventus wake up. Kairi, should Sora turn again, you'll be the one needed t being him back just as you did before."

The group nodded as a unit turned to leave. Yen Sid turned to face the center group, Riku's Team.

"You, Riku, having been granted to power to wake the worlds from slumber, will need to find the Six Relic Princesses."