Hey guys! Back with the next chapter! I told you not to worry this time... This whole world ended up a lot bigger than I thought originally, but just trying to lead up to what Nomura's got planned for us in the big upcoming title! I tried just splitting 37 in half for two parts since it so long, but I wound up leaving more than half in 37. Still, if you like math, I'm guessing you can figure the total outcome of the recent updates. Too much planning in this one though, I just couldn't settle for a quick and brief version, either. So, here it is, please enjoy the conclusion of Tangled's world aka Kingdom of Corona!

Previous reminder...

Sora and the gang helped Rapunzel make it to see the lights but things were soon shaken up when a powerful Heartless and Gothel decided to show up, along with some additional help with some other enemies, new and old. While trying to save Rapunzel from the Stabbington Twins and a the giant Heartless on wings, things took a turn for the worse, after Eugene seemingly left them to deal with everything on their own. But Gothel made sure they couldn't come between her plans in taking Rapunzel back with her. After the heroes woke to find everyone missing, they quickly put what happened together and went off into the dark terrain to go after Rapunzel.

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Chapter 38.

Corona Kingdom: Long Lost Princess

~Missing You plays (KH II OST)~

Meanwhile... Rapunzel had made it back up into the tower, as her so-called mother had insisted. But the girl was completely broken inside. Her mother had left her to herself, to give her some time to get over everything. She lied across her big bed on her back while thinking to herself... It wasn't that long ago when she was with a group she could call her friends... And now she had nothing. No friends. No dreams, and no more freedom. She felt confused, deserted and lost. While having no hope left inside, she was beginning to think what Gothal had told her about Eugene, Sora and the others was true. "Maybe nobody really cares about me..." She uttered to herself, trying to hold back her tears. "(Sigh...)"

Staring up at the ceiling, she reached over and pulled something out from her sash. It was a small flag she'd received at the kingdom's festival. She unraveled the purple fabric in her hands and held it over her face. She stared at the yellow sun design on it, thinking back on the big day her dream finally came true. While she studied it, her eyes shifted back to the ceiling, where she noticed the same sun print had been painted. She looked at them closely as she compared them. It was a perfect match. She looked around her bedroom for anymore.

More suns started to glow as she found where she had unknowingly painted them all over the ceiling and walls during the years she spent there. She came up from her bed and turned all around her room. While her head was spinning with questions, she made it over to the mirror on her dressing table. The second she saw her reflection a memory flashed back to her mind... Back when she first met met Eugene in her tower. After she'd put him out with her pan she found the crown in the bag the thief had brought up with him. While trying to figure out what exactly it was, Rapunzel remembered putting it on her head while she stood in front of a big mirror. As she looked back on her reflection in the mirror something suddenly hit her! She lost her balance and stumbled into the table, knocking it back against the wall and breaking the mirror. The crown, the suns, the baby princess she saw in the mural... It all came back to her.

~Missing You ends~

"Rapunzel?" She heard her mother call up after hearing the crash. Rapunzel stepped out from the curtains to her room and met Gothal on the platform where she saw her rushing up the stairs.

"I am the lost princess, aren't I?" Rapunzel said as she faced her. Gothal looked horrifically shocked when she heard her. But her fear was quickly resolved by the darkness in her heart. She gave the girl a grim look as the dark aura from before started to emit from her again. Rapunzel looked with a jump when she saw a big creature entering as a dark portal was taking shape. She drew herself back in a frightened manner.

The forest was still very dark while Sora, Donald and Goofy made their way through it. After only going through it once it felt like they were losing their way. They hadn't paid very close attention to where they found the tower, so they weren't sure where they were going or how they would find it. It was the only place they knew of where they suspected Rapunzel might've been taken off to. But in the dark they could barely find a path to stay on. It seemed hopeless. They stopped to think after what had seemed like they were traveling in circles.

"Well, now where do we go?" Donald questioned with a sigh.

"Ya know, I can't see a thing in here..." Goofy admitted while searching for a way to go.

"There's got to be some way to tell which way we should go." Sora thought, feeling puzzled too.

"Then which way?" Donald looked to him for some instructions.

"Umm..." Sora paused while trying to come up with something. He tried looking around again, the best he could in the darkness surrounding the area. While he looked over where two unseen paths were located he noticed something he hadn't seen in a while. It was lights! "Over there!"

Donald and Goofy looked to where he was pointing and we're just as surprised to indeed be seeing small yellow lights ahead. As they watched, more started to appear at the ground's level, forming into some sort of line. When they looked closer though they saw the lights were moving. "Do those lights look a little strange to you?" Goofy asked. The three friends looked harder...

~Night of Fate plays (KH OST)~

"Wak! Do you see that?!" The startled duck pointed.

"Uh, is it just me, or do those lights seem to be getting closer?" Goofy scratched his head.

"Ah! They are moving!" The boy said with a jump. While the yellow glowing dots mysteriously shifted, the trio soon realized what they were. "They're Heartless!"

"But what are they doing over there?" Goofy wondered, finding their formation a little strange.

"Are they heading somewhere maybe?" Donald considered. The three of them watched the enemies closer. It looked like from all the glowing eyes they saw in the distance the Shadows were in a long assembly line on one side of the forest. A thought occurred to Sora.

"I get it..." He began. "The darkness must be stronger there. It's like they're coming from a darker source that must be somewhere nearby. It's just like a trail!" Donald and Goofy were both confused.

"Huh?" The duck gave him a blank look.

"Don't you guys see? All we gotta do is follow them, and they might lead us right to the tower!" Sora explained.

"Oh, I get it now! If we follow the Heartless it may just take us straight to their leader, which might be where Rapunzel is. That's what you're thinkin', right, Sora?" Goofy replied.

"Right. And this way we'll have a little light to follow, so we shouldn't get lost again."

"Sounds good to me." Donald agreed. "I just hope it works."

"Alright then." Sora headed over to the Shadows where they were still aligned on the path. When he tried stepping over them some reached up with their claws to attack him. "Ngh!" He quickly jumped back out.

"What happened?" Donald asked after walking closer to him.

"They attacked when I got close, Donald! What did you expect they would do...just stand by and let us walk through?" Sora turned to the duck a little annoyed.

"Well, they are Heartless... It's in their nature, I suppose. " Goofy commented.

"Fine then!" Sora's Keyblade appeared in his hands with a flash as he slashed through some of the Heartless in front if him. "Yah!" At the touch of his blade the Shadows dispersed into smoke and disappeared. Sora looked back at the others after ridding part of the path of Heartless. "Looks like we'll just have to—!" Sora stopped when he heard the familiar sound of Heartless teleportion t and looked down to see new Shadows appearing in the place of the ones he'd destroyed. He backed out away from the dark creatures again. "Ugh...never mind. 'Guess that won't work!"

"Any way around them?" Donald suggested.

"No. Not with all these trees. We'd just end up losing them." Sora answered back.

"We can't do that..." Goofy admitted.

"We'll just have move quicker—so they can't get us. Or at least, not too bad..." Sora said with a shrug.

"Right. We may come out with a few scratches, but I'm sure we'll be okay." Goofy added.

"Oh... It sounds so much better when you put it that way..." Donald looked at Goofy in a disagreeable manner. "This is going to be fun."

"Don't worry, Donald. Just hurry, and stay close to us. It'll be fine!" Sora reassured their worried friend.

"Okay..." The duck sighed. "I'm ready."

"Then here we go!" Goofy yelled, then the trio took off running into the dark passageway crawling with danger the Heartless were creating.

"Ouch! How do we always get ourselves into these things?" Donald could be heard complaining after getting clawed by a Shadow.

It gradually seemed the Heartless count was growing, making it harder to get through. The path was swarming with Shadows on top of Shadows. Getting past without getting hit was becoming more of a challenge as well. Feeling more sure they were heading the right direction, Sora brought his weapon out again to help clear the way as they went. It didn't help a whole lot since the Heartless would just respawn in their place, but fighting back did keep some of them away.

"Haa! This is it!" Sora swatted at the Shadows, each disappearing after being attacked. Donald and Goofy were both soon helping too as the numbers kept growing, as it made it harder for the boy to keep up with them.

Goofy stood on his shield like a sled and slipped right into the enemies as he went through, knocking them away. "Whooa!"

Donald shot back with as much thunder magic as he could conjure before running out of MP. "Thunder! Thunder!" He was sounding tired. "Get back, Heartless, will ya?"

The heroes seemed to make it into a clearing in the dark terrain after making it past the Heartless. They began looking around, confused. The trail of Shadows they'd been following had disappeared. But when Sora took a step forward waves of the unknown appeared around them. "Ah!" Sora gasped when he saw gray figures with petals falling from their bodies fill the area.

"Nobodies!?" Donald was startled to see them there.

Sora quickly changed his Keyblade's form into the one inspired by that world and got into his battle ready stance. "Looks like we'll have to get rid of them first if we want to keep going. Come on!" The boy ran for a group that was hovering over the side of a creek and jumped to make it at their level. "Rrah!" He swung across all of them, knocking them back.

"This should help... Blizzard!" Donald shot a mist of ice at one of the enemies holding scythe blades and froze it in midair. "Yeah!"

"Looks like it's my turn." Goofy said as he came in with his shield. Holding it like a throwing disk he hurled it at the Scythes. It sealed a lot of damage to the frozen foe.

"Thunder!" Sora tried attacking in wider ranges with multiple Thundaga spells. Unlucky for him, every hit would cause the nobodies to drop deadly petals for his to dodge. But the bolts of lightning was definitely doing a lot of damage on them, and he was pretty sure what might happen if he kept it up. He could see his weapon already starting to emit light.

Goofy was below, aiming to strike when one of the enemies came at him from the side. The blade of its scythe sliced right into him, repeated by another attack! "Whaaaoh!" He screamed after taking some damage.

Sora heard this and quickly turned his weapon toward the enemy that attacked his friend. "That's enough!" As one final spark flew from his Keyblade at the Nobody, Sora's weapon changed into a staff in a burst of light. He then leaped off the ground and got ready for his finishing move. "Haa!" Just like before, purple spheres were summoned and surrounded the area. Sora gave his staff-blade a good wave and a light released from his weapon. "Back off!"

The enemies were stunned as they were hit by multiple shots which bounced off the bigger formations of light. The whole terrain was lit up by all the purple fireworks going off. The Nobodies were completely taken over by all the blinding lights and explosions around them. Soon, they all disintegrated back into nothingness. Sora's feet met the ground as his weapon went back to normal. He immediately went over to his friend.

~Night of Fate ends~

"Goofy, you all right?" He asked.

Goofy was just getting back on his his own feet. "Sure, I am. But what were Nobodies doing out here?"

Donald came walking over, "It could mean more bad news."

"You mean like the organization?" Sora figured. "You think one of them might be nearby?"

"Wouldn't surprise me if they were somehow mixed up in all this, too." Goofy said.

"In that case, I guess we'd better be even more careful." Donald proposed. Sora seemed annoyed about the whole situation now.

"I'm not letting them slow us down! Let's just keep going." The hero told them. He started to move forward until he realized there wasn't any Heartless in sight to follow. "Okay... Anyone know which way it was?" He kept going while he was clueless where to go.

"I can't tell which way we should go..." Goofy replied.

"Me, neither. It's too dark and everything looks the same..." While Donald looked he caught sight of something moving.

Sora looked down with a sigh. "Man, how are we supposed to—"

Donald interrupted him when he made out what it was he saw. "Hey! Look!" He pointed out to the others. In the dark terrain ahead a group of Shadows were coming out of the darkness.

~Night of Fate plays (KH OST)~

"The trail's back!" Goofy exclaimed

"Heh, for once I'm actually happy to see those guys again." Sora admitted with a laugh.

"Follow those Heartless!" Donald cued in and the trio ran ahead to follow the line of Shadows, hoping they would guide them where they needed to be.

As they continued deeper into the forest, the Shadows weren't the only enemies they had to worry about getting by... There were a mixture of Largebody, Emerald Blue and dandelion drifter Heartless in with the teeming darkness. While Sora was running through the Heartless he came up to a big Largebody as it was about to strike the ground with it fists. "Hngh!" Sora quickly jumped back when it hammered at him, then lunged toward it with his blade held across him, knocking straight into the enemy's round middle. The Largebody was sent back falling.

When Sora saw he had two other enemies in his path, both being dandelion tops, he leaped at them one at a time with two diverging swings of his weapon, slashing down upon them in hard blows. There captive hearts released and ascended until they were out of sight. He then continued his way through, starting to have second thoughts about his reckless plan to follow the Heartless after seeing how their numbers were growing. The Shadows covered the ground completely with their black insect-like bodies and yellow eyes.

As they kept going into the many Heartless the heroes began to notice a change in the way the Shadows were moving. They seemed to be swarming over the grounds more frantically, building up the dark path as they clamored on top of each other. They were stacked so high Sora was going to have to jump to make it past. "Come on!" He told his friends after making a quick glance behind him. The two looked confused at first until they saw what he had in mind.

While running, Sora jumped on top of the piled Shadows, riding them right through the other Heartless types on the ground. When the Heartless realized the boy was on them they began crawling forward in a faster motion. Sora balanced himself and managed to stay on. When the Heartless changed direction so did all the others, forcing Donald and Goofy to get swept away with them. While Sora was struggling to surf atop the Shadows as their speed increased, he looked down to see their eyes suddenly go from bright yellow to a scarlet red.

"Ah!" He gasped as he'd never seen anything like it before.

~Wave of Darkness plays (KH Orchestra World Tour OST)~

As sudden as their eyes had changed color, the Shadows were rapidly swept off the ground, moving right out from under the trio and leaving them to fall! They all looked up to watch as the Heartless swirled into the air in front of them. Their eyes followed where they were going until they could see a giant tower of Shadows on the path ahead, spinning like a tornado. It looked like a monstrous black cyclone with scarlet lights all around it once the Heartless had all been carried off the ground by the dark vortex and gathered together. Thus, creating Demon Tower!

"W-what is that!?" Sora said with surprise.

"It looks kinda scary..." Goofy added with a shudder.

"I guess we must be getting really close now." Donald pointed out. While they were discussing their new enemy, the Demon Tower moved in, still bearing deep orange eyes. In a rapid swirling motion the Shadows shot off the ground and the whole thing fired back down where the heroes stood, hitting them with a devastating blow before they could see it coming!

"Gnaagh!" Sora cried after getting thrown backwards. The Shadows flew in scattered directions as they bounced off from the cyclone once it met the ground.

"Waaaaak!" Donald yelled while falling.

"Waahaahaah!" Goofy was knocked back, sending him for a loop. But the raging Heartless weren't about to stop there. They had already lifted into the air while spiraling in circles while they aimed to come at them again.

Though the brutal attack left him stinging a bit, Sora jumped to his feet after regaining balance and charged toward the funnel of Darkness. Knowing with all the eyes up there his every move was being watched. "Freeze!" Hoping to slow them down some he cast his strongest blizzard magic at them. He watched as the ice shard flew into them and bounced off. It didn't do a thing. "Rrgh—what?!" While he was left there in puzzlement the tower which was blind with rage was coming down to strike.

"(Gasp!) Sora! Watch out!" Goofy cried as he threw himself in front of him with his big shield out.

"Agh!" Sora winced when he saw the Heartless rocket crash down on them, smacking hard into his friend's weapon just before they could reach him! Shadows broke away from the spiraling formation and gushed off the shield after making contact, leaving them to go everywhere!

"Hmmph...!" Goofy grunted while trying to hold them back.

"You can do it, Goofy!" Sora called to his friend when he saw what he was doing. At that moment, Goofy's shield let off a strong glow.

"Stay baaack!" Goofy exclaimed, and a forcefield of light appeared around his weapon, forcing the Heartless back. Their eyes reverted back to yellow as their speed became slower. "Go, Sora!"

Sora quickly flipped onto his friend's shield and Goofy vaulted him into the air with a fling. "Take this...!" Sora yelled as he slashed into the tower of Shadows that were slowly spiraling in the forest now. The hit made contact this time, sending the enemies back as the attack split them apart a brief second. After seeing the Shadows were affected by attacks again, the three friends rallied together to take it down. They clamored in with their attacks!

"So, what how!? Do we just keep attacking it like this?" Donald asked in the middle of his spell casting.

"For as long as we can keep it up!" Sora answered between his attacks.

"But, how long do ya think that'll be!?" Goofy asked in a worried tone.

"Not sure, but come on—we can do it!" Sora replied while fighting from the ground.

After seemingly doing a lot of damage on the enemy, the Heartless' eyes suddenly changed again, making the trio's attacks rebound as they continued with their hits. The gust became so strong as the tower span rapidly once more that it blew the trio off their feet! They quickly ran for cover when they saw the Demon Tower going back into berserk mode. The scarlet eyed Shadows separated and became part of the surface with their ability. Their dark bodies swarmed and scattered across the ground like hundreds of shadows. They moved toward the heroes while in their invincible state. Once they were under Sora, they rose like a geyser of darkness, knocking him high into the air!

"Aagh!" Sora felt a surge of pain run through him while falling through the air, but he managed to regain his balance. He tried to strike back, but the tower only came at him again with a hard smack! "Yaaagh!" Sora went flying in the other direction.

Sora fell back on the ground with a thump. He slowly sat up to see what the Heartless was fixing to do next when a big barrel hurled past him and rolled straight into the enemy! The three friends were surprised by this. With the sun starting to rise now, Sora looked behind him to see where it had come from. His eyes grew when he saw a familiar thief run out of some bushes. "It's you!?" Sora sounded amazed to see him there.

"Who else?" Eugene shrugged with a touch of sarcasm. "So, who's your new friend here?"

Sora made an angry face. "It's no friend to us!" While he watched the cyclone of Shadows move away he saw their eyes convert to yellow again. "Oh! Now's our chance...!" Eugene looked surprised when he saw him take off running for the Demon Tower. Donald and Goofy followed after him.

"Guess no point in just waiting here." Eugene said before running in to assist them.

Goofy twirled into the boss with his shield, knocking into a bunch of the Shadows as they continued to rotate as well. "Boy-oh!"

"Let me at 'em!" Donald exclaimed while summoning each element with his staff.

Sora was coming at it with as many aerial combos as he could pull off, finishing with hard Aerial Slams and dives. "Yah! It's over!"

"Hah!" Eugene joined in on the side, beating away at the Heartless with Rapunzel's skillet.

"Sora!" Donald suddenly called out.

"Over here!" Goofy waved. Sora heard them and quickly went to join them.

After Donald and Goofy jumped in together, back to back, Sora flipped in with them to finish their trinity. "Together!" He called out. All of their weapons started to glow.

"Our friends are our power!" The three said in unison. With a sparkling light spiraling around each of them a sphere formed from all their merged power. It finished charging up then with a blazing pillar of light the sphere erupted into a shower of colorful rays. Their lights hit the Demon Tower multiple times, causing lively explosions that left behind trickling lights.

~Wave of Darkness ends~

The heroes stood back and watched as the cyclone of Shadows slowly dismantled and turned into wavering smoke streams. The exhausted trio let out a sigh of relief when they saw they had finally took down the hard boss. Any of the remaining Shadows and other Heartless disappeared back into the darkness. The last Shadow vanished in front of a curtain of viny leaves hanging over a rock wall. Suddenly, Eugene ran ahead.

"No time to waste! The tower's just through here. Rapunzel has to be up there! I hope I'm not too late." He said while gesturing at the vines covering a hidden passage. But the others didn't move. "Did you hear me? She's in trouble! I heard it from the twins who got arrested with me... She took her! We have to hurry!" While he tried to rush them he couldn't help notice the skeptical looks they were giving him. "What?"

"Why do you suddenly care what happens to her?" Sora questioned him.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Eugene looked totally confused as he frowned at them.

"Well, you ran off and left Rapunzel..." Goofy began, appearing upset too.

"And when she was in danger, too! You didn't care about her one bit." Donald added, giving him an angry look.

"The game's up! We know you only stuck around so you could get the crown. It's all you really cared about." Sora said with a glare in his eyes. He directed his Keyblade at the man. "We're done falling for your schemes! We're not letting you near Rapunzel!"

"Yeah. If you want her then you'll have to make it past us first!" Goofy added, holding up his shield.

"You might as well give up now." Donald challenged him.

"No, you've got it all wrong! I didn't leave Rapunzel. The whole thing was a setup! They used me to get to her! I didn't know about any of it though...I'm telling you!" Eugene pleaded.

"I'm sure you'd like us to believe that." Sora dismissed his weapon and returned with his arms crossed.

"You've got to believe me...I would never hurt Rapunzel!" Eugene said in his defense, sounding even more desperate now. He saw the others still weren't convinced though. "Come on... Why would I have come back, on this horse, if I didn't care about her?" He motioned at the horse Maximus who stood watching them nearby. The white steed walked out from the bushes while neighing something to them.

"Um..." Donald started to think.

"And—I helped you just now!" Eugene reminded them, looking towards Sora. "I helped you stop that monster, didn't I? Why else would I have done that?" Sora cocked his head as he was starting to wonder about that, too.

"Why...would you?" Sora uttered in astonishment.

~Destiny's Union plays (KH BBS OST)~

"I thought that's something you three taught me we're supposed to do...help our friends!" The man said. "We are friends here, aren't we?"

"We thought so..." Donald answered, sounding unsure.

"But you left." Goofy concluded.

"I didn't want to, but they made it look like I did! I never would've left Rapunzel with those guys... I've gotta find her and tell her, before it's too late! I know she's in some kind of trouble..." While trying to convince them he was on their side he noticed one of his wanted posters on a tree behind him. He pulled the bounty from the tree and looked down at it, disapproving the artwork, as usual. "This isn't me anymore... I guess that's up to you three if you want to believe that, but I am not leaving until I know Rapunzel's safe!"

Sora saw the poster as Eugene held it out for them to see, then he looked down. He wasn't sure what to think, but he couldn't ignore Eugene's determination to find Rapunzel. The man's feelings reflected too much on his own now. When people he cared about were in danger there was nothing that could stand in his way of getting to them. "We're sure she's in trouble too..." Sora finally spoke up, getting Eugene's attention. "I saw a Heartless take off with Rapunzel after some lady came for her!"

"Then it's true... She does have her!" Eugene put everything together after hearing their side of the story. "I can't stay here while that women's got her! She's probably planning to run off and find a new place to hide her...and if I don't hurry, I may never see her again!"

~Destiny's Union ends~

"Then we'll help you get to her!" Sora told him while making a fist. Donald and Goofy were aghast to hear this.

"What?!" They both reacted together.

"I don't really understand what's going on, either, but...there's no way he's pretending anymore. He does care about her! And besides...we all came here to help Rapunzel, right? Might as well go in there together!" Sora prompted.

"You know, he's right." Goofy agreed.

"Aww, I knew it all along." Donald pretended to sound confident. Goofy looked at him annoyed. "Heheheh, all right...I guess not the whole time." The duck laughed awkwardly.

"Well, glad we got that settled." Eugene admitted, sounding relieved.

"Not so fast... You'll have to earn back Rapunzel's trust on your own. And we'll be right there this time if anything goes wrong." Sora told him, giving him a wary look. Eugene gave in and nodded in an understanding manner.

"Alright, fine. That seems fair." Eugene agreed while heading over to the hidden passageway in the terrain. "Now, let's go!" The three followed him into the cave.

After making it through the tunnel to the other end, the heroes could see Rapunzel's tower in plain sight where it stood in the glen. Only the sky around it was shrouded by hazy gray clouds which blocked any sunlight from shining through as they swirled around the tower overhead. The whole tower looked a lot gloomier than it did the last time they were there, as a murky green light cast over it. The heroes were disturbed by what they saw... What once seemed like a hidden, peaceful plane growing with flowers and full of life, had become the dark and dreary grounds for an inescapable prison, while an evil essence filled the air.

Eugene wasted no time as he rushed over to the tower. Sora and the others followed after him. The palace horse stayed back to keep a watch on things. Once he made it to the base of the tall structure, Eugene stopped and brought his hands up to his mouth... "Rapunzel!?" He called up to the large unsealed window at the top. When no answer came he tried again, with an idea in mind. "Rapunzel! Let down your hair!"

When nothing happened quick enough for him he thought he'd better try climbing up the side of the tower himself. But before his feet had barely left the ground a long bulk of wispy blonde hair threw itself out the window down to him. Eugene backed up from the tower wall and quickly, without a moment's hesitation, grasped around the magic hair with his hands. As fast as he could, he started making his way up, using Rapunzel's long strands of hair like a rope to pull himself up. Too blinded by determination to rescue the girl to consider there being any kind of danger once he got there. Sora, Donald and Goofy looked up from the ground and nervously watched as he climbed higher. They were worried about the Heartless that could be waiting for him inside at the top. Their friend would fall right into the trap! Sora knew if any of the Heartless up there were anything like the monster he'd seen carry their friend off they would be way too much for Eugene to take on by himself. He was concerned for Eugene, despite knowing the fact he could've still possibly betrayed them... Whether he had ever conspired against them or not, his motives now were clear, and since they all wanted to help Rapunzel, Sora was ready to stand by his side. He decided he'd better go up, too.

"I don't know what's going on, but I'm not gonna leave them to handle whatever it is alone. There's no telling what's up there!" Sora told the others before taking hold of the girl's hair to help him reach the tower's window. He gave his friends one last look... "This is our fight now too. We've gotta help!"

Donald and Goofy looked up as the teenage boy started climbing, then exchanged looks. "Well, what are we standing around here for?" Goofy questioned with a brave look on his face. "Wait up, Sora!"

As Goofy started up the gold hair after Sora, Donald was feeling impatient while waiting for his turn. "Hey, guys! You're not going up there without me!" The duck scurried up behind them, already panting heavily as he found it a bit difficult.

Eugene made it to the window ledge and pulled himself into the room, just like he had before. "Rapunzel!" He said in a ruffled sounding voice. "I thought I'd never see you again... (Gasp!)" Eugene was shocked at what he saw when he looked up. There was Rapunzel, wrapped tightly in one of the viny arms of a giant Heartless, struggling to get free! He hadn't expected this at all!

~Hesitation plays (KH II OST)~

"Euge—hmm!" Rapunzel's mouth was gagged by the big monster's other arm where it covered over it. Suddenly, Gothel stepped in behind the stunned and unsuspecting Eugene, concealing a sharp knife in her hands as she crept closer to him. Sora and the others were just reaching the top from behind them outside.

"Errghh!" Eugene grunted as he felt a sudden sharp pain pierce through his body.

As Sora lifted himself up to the window to see inside Gothel had just finished plunging her dagger into Eugene's side. His eyes first caught sight of the big Heartless holding the girl, then his gaze fell down in front of him, where Gothel was still holding onto the man. He looked disgusted after seeing what she had done. "Ah..! Mm..." Sora remained motionless, as he was completely horrified when he saw the women emanating a dark aura removing the blade from his friend. He had no words as he grimaced at the sight with his mouth quivering... His heart sinking in his chest. Donald and Goofy were just peering over Sora's back to look in as they made it up.

"(Gasp!) Hh-Eugenmme! Hmmph...!" Rapunzel screamed in terror with a muffled voice as Gothel let the injured man drop to the floor. Donald and Goofy were too shocked to make a sound when they saw it.

"Hnnngh! Ahh..." Eugene winced with pain on the floor, holding his arms tight against him.

"N-no..." Sora quietly uttered helplessly where he held himself up on the window's ledge. He shot an angry glare at Gothel.

"Now look what you've done, Rapunzel." Gothel said as she made her way around the man still groaning painfully on the floor. Unaware that there were others witnessing the sight. "Don't worry, dear... Our secret will die with him."

As a dark Gothel moved towards her, Rapunzel squirmed in the Heartless' grip. Her heart was shattered to see the man she loved hurting. She feared of losing him! Managing to fight enough to get her mouth free, she let out a worried cry. "No! Eugene!"

~Hesitation ends~

Sora leapt to his feet, stopping the evil Gothel in her tracks. Donald and Goofy had to hang on tight to the ledge to keep from falling off after he'd moved so quickly. "I wouldn't be so sure!" He spoke up.

"Huh!?" Gothel turned back startled when she heard him. She still hadn't noticed any others being there. This did not seem to please her when she saw Sora and the other two. "You!"

"Yes. And we've all seen the kind of person you are!" Sora returned angrily, looking down at Eugene. "How could you do that to him...?! He's our friend!"

"Friend, you say? Hm, well then, stick around..." Gothel said in a taunting voice as she stepped towards him, still carrying the knife in her hand. "It looks like I'm going to have to do the same to some other three boys. I'll start with their bravest first. Hmhm... " Sora was a bit taken back when he saw the sharp dagger she was visibly holding out towards him as she came closer. Darkness could still be seen emitting around her. Donald and Goofy looked a little scared.

"I don't think so!" Sora countered, summoning his own weapon where he stood in the window. "Who are you, anyway?"

"Gothel; a women of eternal youth and beauty, haha. And I am not going to let a child like you come between me and my precious flower! I've spent years hiding that power from the world, and I'll do whatever it takes to make sure it stays that way!"

"Flower?" He ignored the women and pointed his key-shaped sword at her. "You're gonna pay for what you did!"

~Shaded Truths plays (KH BBS OST)~

"Oh, we'll see who does the paying..." Gothel sneered, looking very annoyed while bringing her arm up with the knife to get ready to strike. She lunged at Sora, her speed being a lot quicker than he expected! He jumped ahead to dodge the dreaded attack.

"Sora!" Rapunzel cried in her struggle, worried when she saw the women who had been posing as her mother going at the boy with the knife.

"Wha!" Sora quickly turned to watch his back after getting away, bringing his weapon to face her. "Stop this! Can't you see what the darkness is doing to you?"

"Ahahah! Oh, I don't think so..." She lunged at him again with a downward pierce, only to be stopped by Donald's fire blast. She shot an angry look behind her once she'd regained her balance. "Grrgh!"

"Don't you know? To take on one of us means you have deal with all three of us!" Donald warned the crazy hag.

"Oh...?" Gothel paused when she got an idea. She looked toward the Heartless helping her from behind and smiled evilly. "Get Rapunzel out of here!" She commanded the viny armed monster.

The Heartless did as she said and crawled toward the opening in the tower. As it went, one of its vines wrapped around the injured Eugene for an easy steal, assuming that he was about to lose his heart anyway. With two captives now in its arms the Heartless bounced for the window, making Sora fall back. Gothel grabbed around the Vinecrawler's body and was swept out of the room with it. Donald and Goofy were nearly knocked off the tower when the Heartless flew past them.

"No!" Sora yelled.

"Agh! SORA!" Rapunzel called out in distress as she and the fading Eugene were carried out.

"Whaaaooh!" Donald and Goofy wailed while hanging onto the ledge for dear life to avoid getting drug out. Sora saw what was happening and jumped to his feet.

"Where'd they go?" He asked after making it over to the opening where his friends were. He looked down to see the Heartless boss about to make it to the ground below. "They're not getting away! C'mon!" At that, he put his arms around both Donald and Goofy to help them up, then brought them up close against each side. The Two looked at each other a little confused while Sora had them lifted in his arms.

"Uhh, Sora...?" Goofy started to say. "What are you..." Before he had time to finish, the boy jumped off the tower, bringing his startled friends along for the ride. "Whaahaooo!"

"Waahaaak!" Donald cried as they plummeted to the ground. Sora went into a diving formation while they dropped, making Donald and Goofy do the same while he held onto their hand with his arms stretched out.

~Shaded Truths ends~

As they reached toward the bottom at a good speed, Sora gave the duck a fling to fall to safety, then gave Goofy a thrust the other way as he released him. "Let's go!" Sora aimed best he could at the Heartless scurrying away below, then finished with a somersaulting smack-down! As his Key drove into the ground it cracked through the earth and created a massive shockwave. The Heartless lost its balance as the wind pushed it away, forcing Gothel to let go.

"Arrrgh!" The villain growled angrily after turning to face Sora. "I've had about enough of you, kid!"

"Too bad, 'cause I'm just getting started!" Sora returned, getting into his battle stance.

~Extreme Encounters plays (KH BBS OST)~

"No... You mean you're just about to finish." The crazy women flowing with a dark aura corrected him. With her dagger firmly gripped, Gothel quickly went for him again, her green cloak trailing behind her like a shadow.

Rapunzel struggled to get out of the vines holding her, clenching her teeth while she pulled. After it didn't seem to do a thing she shifted her gaze over to the helpless Eugene, now being held by the same Heartless. He appeared to still be breathing as far as she could tell. "Ngh! EUGENE!" She wished she could get over to him to heal him with her hair before it was too late! Her weary eyes lifted to look ahead to see where Gothel and Sora were trying to hold the other off. Wanting to help all her friends she desperately struggled to get free again.

Sora brought his Keyblade up behind him just in time to stop one of Gothel's jabs. "Hah!" Her blade was knocked off with a clang! Sora countered back with an uppercut swing. "Rrah!"

Gothel jumped away as he swung at her. "Hahaha, I don't think so."

Donald and Goofy were coming over to help fight the witch. "Sora!" Donald called over.

Sora knocked Gothel back after just parrying her attack. "Guys! Help the others—hurry! I'll keep her distracted." He called back to his friends, pleading for them to get Rapunzel and Eugene free. The two looked in the direction of the big Heartless trying to escape with their friends then went to do as Sora instructed them while he bought them some time.

Rapunzel looked up when she saw them running towards her. "Ugh! Donald! Goofy!" She was relieved to see them.

"Hang on, Rapunzel!" Donald called.

"We're coming!" Goofy added. "Now, Donald!"

"Fire!" Donald hit the enemy with his magic, landing a direct hit!

"Whahaa!" Goofy did his tornado spin into it next. The Heartless' rage started to erupt as it violently shook its long arms at them!

"Aaaah!" The girl screamed while being shaken. She was fearfully worried about it being too much for her injured friend. "No, please—you have to get us out of here! He needs me...!" She hastened them, sounding more desperate.

"Don't worry! We'll get you—whaaaah!" Donald cried as a big vine smacked into him!

"No...!" Rapunzel exclaimed when she saw the monster attacking.

Goofy tried to dodge the vines coming at him but they caught around him too fast than he could see! "Mmmph! Whuh-ohh!" Vinecrawler began roughly swinging him through the air! "Aah-haaah!"

Sora wasn't having much better luck where he was. Gothel was turning out to be more of a challenge than he thought, probably due to the dark influence on her. "Ngh!" He winced after she swiftly cut across him. She came around for another attack. He quickly switched sides with his weapon. "Yngh!" He knocked her away from him with a fast block! He was about ready to counterattack when he heard his friends.

"Soraaaa!" Donald yelled in distress.

"Help!" Goofy called out afterwards.

Sora looked back... "Huh?" He was amazed to see both of his friends tangled up in the large enemy's arms. "Oh! Hang on!" He started for them right away, heading off just as Gothel was lunging at him again. Now she was really growing impatient!

"I'll have you yet..." She murmured to herself with vengeance in her voice.

Sora hurried to his friends. "Alright..let 'em go!" He ordered the Heartless where he stood facing it. The enemy instead raised its arm and brought it down on him like a whip. Sora moved to the side to miss it. "So that's how it's gonna be, huh?"

"Sora, get us down from here!" Donald yelled down.

"Working on it..." Sora assured him. "Fire!" At his command, spontaneous flames burst from his Key and wavered into the Heartless. While it was distracted, Sora hit one of the arms holding his friends. "Yah!" Vinecrawler lost its grip.

"Thanks, pal!" Goofy said after being dropped to the ground.

"C'mon! Let's get them out of there!" Sora told him as he hurried to where Rapunzel was.

"Right!" Goofy answered.

"Sora..." The girl uttered his name, very happy to see him.

"Take this!" Sora yelled as he performed an aerial strike at the vines wrapped around her. The Heartless let out a shrill cry as it's arms released the girl, leaving her to fall. "You okay?" He quickly asked.

"...I am now. Thanks, Sora." Rapunzel replied while gathering her hair together as quickly as she could. "All right. I'll try to help you out, but we've got to get Eugene out of here...while there's still time! I can save him, but we have to hurry!"

"R-right!" Sora nodded, afraid to think what might happen if they were too late. "We'll help you—no matter what!"

"Come and get it, you monster!" Rapunzel said before slapping the enemy in the face with her long hair. "Yaa!"

"Ohh... Goofy, why don't you hurry up already?" Donald complained while being hung upside down by one of his yellow legs.

"I'm comin', Donald... Just hold on!" Goofy returned from where he was having a bit of trouble while running in to help him. One of the vines swung at him, making him have to jump over the obstacle. "Whoa now!"

"Oooh...that's it!" Donald was getting tired of this. He waved his staff at the monster to speed things up himself. "FIRE!"

The fire blast hit the Heartless, while Goofy leapt past the flames and knocked into the vines holding the duck while it was too busy to see him in all the commotion. "Take that!"

"Wak!" Donald gasped when his face hit the ground. "Thanks...a lot, Goofy."

"Uh, sorry 'bout that, Donald..." Goofy replied apologetically.

"Hyaa!" Sora was hitting the Heartless multiple times in his attempt to slow it down. But while he was attacking he didn't see a big viny arm sweeping to nab him from behind. He knew he was too late when he felt a tight grip suddenly wrap around his middle. "Gnagh!" The Heartless hoisted him into the air with a yank! "Nnagh!" He struggled in the vines squeezing him. "Ngh!

"Sora!" Rapunzel saw the boy was caught now, too. "Put him down!" With a bundle of hair around her arm, the girl lashed out at the Heartless again. The enemy threw Sora out!

Sora swiftly regained his balance before he could fall. "Nice one!" He complimented her on getting him loose. Turning his focus back to the Heartless, Sora charged at it with more attacks.

While they were teaming up together on the Vinecrawler to get their friend free, Eugene lifted his head slowly. "R...Rapunzel..." He uttered in his weak state. The girl heard him.

"Eugene..." Rapunzel looked up where the enemy was still holding him. She realized if they didn't act fast they would lose him! "Guys! Please—we have to get him out of there!"

Sora heard the worried expression in her voice as he turned her way, then came up with a quick strategy. "Right! Help me get past those vines!" He replied, running over to where the vines were protecting its last victim. A vine swooped for the boy as he approached the area, forcing him to sidestep to the left. "Agh!"

"Here I come!" Goofy said while twirling at the foe.

"Take that!" Donald shot a fire flare at the enemy's arms blocking their way.

"Almost...through!" Sora told the others while the viny arms wriggled in front of him. "Just a little more...!"

Rapunzel stepped in to make a way in for them. "Rrgh! This is for Eugene!" She said, then gave her long hair a hard whip at the vines. As it cut across them, the Heartless' arms were knocked to the ground, temporarily immobilized. "Go, Sora!"

The hero jumped over the stretched laying vines to get where the injured man was being subdued. Wasting no time, he quickly threw his hands around the vines holding their friend and began pulling on them! Sora didn't want to risk hitting Eugene with his Keyblade as he left his weapon to drop behind him. "Come on...rrrgh! Let him...go!" He commanded while trying to force the Heartless to release him, pulling back as hard as he could. Rapunzel was doing her best to hold the vines back while she watched from behind, her green eyes shuddering.

When one of the enemy's arms had come off around Eugene, Gothel became furious at Sora and his friends. She watched as Sora finished tugging the last vine loose to free the dying man. She had enough of their meddling! "This has gone on long enough." She started creeping her way over.

~Extreme Encounters ends~

Rapunzel saw Eugene fall to the ground after Sora freed him, moving her to quickly give the Heartless a final sling with her hair to knock it away before rushing over to him. The trio were not far behind her. "Eugene!" She put her hands around his face while checking to make sure he was still breathing, brushing her fingers through the hair hanging over his closed eyes.

"How is he?" Sora quickly asked, concerned. Donald and Goofy waited behind him with worried expressions on their faces.

"Eugene...?" The girl whispered, hoping for a response. But, before she could get an answer Gothel snuck in from the other side and jabbed one of the Heartless' long arms with her knife! The startled Heartless reacted wildly!

~Apprehension plays (KH II OST)~

As the large enemy in the midst of them went on a rampage, it's arms swung around the heroes uncontrollably, sending all of them to fly away from it with a hard smack! "Whaaahaah!" Donald and Goofy cried after getting flung off the ground.

"Gnaagh!" Sora was sent falling back too, as one of its big arms swung into him. Rapunzel and Eugene were thrown rolling the other way in all the commotion. Pascal was even affected as he fell from the girl's shoulders a little ways from her.

Rapunzel lifted her head to look in front of her. There on the ground lied Eugene, who appeared to barely be hanging onto his life. "No..." She sadly uttered.

"Its over, Rapunzel! I warned you..." Gothel said where she stood confidently with her Heartless. "Finish them!" She ordered the big enemy, looking towards the fallen Donald and Goofy with an evil smile.

"Uh!" Sora gasped when he saw the Heartless heading toward his friends. "No you don't!" He quickly got up and ran for his Key on the ground. Without slowing down, he scooped the weapon into his hand and took a leap for the enemy. "Hhrrah!" With an aerial flip he did a hard slam straight into the Heartless, quickly followed by a few other slashes! He could tell the enemy had to be about worn down now. When he was about to come in with another series of attacks to finish it, the Heartless' viny arm swooped in with one last attempt to stop him. "Nnagh! Nngh...!" The monster had him caught once again! Sora's Key fell from his hand as the enemy held his arms tight against his sides, leaving him to struggle defenselessly!

~Apprehension ends~

"Bring him to me, creature." Gothel told the Heartless. "I'll deal with this one myself." The enemy did as she ordered while the dark influenced women walked towards him, running her fingers along the tip of her dagger. Sora gritted his teeth when he saw her coming, but continued struggling.

~Disquieting plays (KH CoM OST)~

"Rrrgh... Gngh!" Sora twisted and pulled the best he could but couldn't get his hands free from the vine coiled around him. The Heartless stretched its arm out, bringing the boy closer to face its mistress.

Gothel put a loose grip around the young hero's chin to taunt him. Sora glared at her when he could see the darkness emanating around her. The sky couldn't have been more gloomy overhead as the murky clouds continued to swirl through it, giving the whole atmosphere a dark feeling. "You and that Key of yours have caused a lot of trouble for me..." She admitted in a taunting tone. "But not anymore. Hmhmhm."

"Nngh! You've gotta stop! Can't you see what the darkness is doing to you!?" Sora returned while fighting to get loose.

"It's not darkness, dear boy. It's power! The power I need to make it in this world. To contradict the flow of time. That power belongs to me!" She sneered as she brought her knife up to him. Rapunzel looked up with fear in her eyes when she heard them.

"Gngh... You're wrong!" Sora tried to break free again when he saw the blade. "Nngh...!"

"Oh...I'm going to enjoy this..." Gothel stated with an evil smirk. She raised her knife and prepared to attack.

~Disquieting ends~

"No—stop! Don't hurt him!" They both heard Rapunzel cry, making Gothel stop and turn around while Sora looked down surprised as well.

"Ugh... Stop fighting, Rapunzel." Gothel told her with an annoyed look.

"No! I won't stop! And I will never stop trying to get away from you!" Rapunzel shot back. "But...it doesn't have to be this way."

"I'm afraid you're wrong. Too many know our secret now." She returned, not having a care about the girl's feelings in the slightest.

"No, listen—" The girl argued bravely, about to make a big sacrifice to save everyone she cared about. She glanced toward Eugene... "If you let me save him, and leave all of them alone...I will go with you." Gothel was silent as she became interested.

Eugene listened from where he was lying on the ground. He looked up towards her, trying to reach for the girl to stop her. "N-no... No, Rapunzel...!"

~Scent of Silence plays (KH CoM OST)~

Rapunzel did her best to ignore him, though she was very relieved to hear his voice after all this time. "I'll never run... I'll never try to escape. Just let Sora and the others go and let me heal him, and you and I will be together—forever—just like you want! Everything will be the way it was! I promise. Just let me heal him." She pleaded after giving one of her unbreakable promises.

"R-Rapunzel—gngh! You can't!" Sora spoke out from his enemy's grip. But the girl was determined.

"I have no choice." She told him, fearlessly accepting her lonely fate.

"So, you'll do exactly as I say? No more fighting?" Gothel questioned while she considered Rapunzel's proposal.

"Yes! I promise, but only if you leave them alone." The desperate girl answered.

"Rapunzel, don't do it!" Sora tried to stop her. "We'll be all right—trust me! We're not gonna let you just give up your freedom like this! And, we're not gonna let Gothel win, either! You've got to believe that!"

~Scent of Silence ends~

"Oh, I think you're in the wrong place to be saying that, and I'm really getting tired of you, little brat!" Gothel intercepted with another harsh glare. "You must think you're some kind of hero or something, but all I see is an impulsive child whose reckless actions have brought his life to hang at the end of his rope. Ha ha! Would you still care to prove me otherwise?" She laughed, challenging him with her blade pointed at his chest.

Sora flinched with disgust when he saw her, then gave her a glowering look. "I guess you don't know who you're messing with then. That's your mistake!" He looked past the dark lady to see the girl. "Rapunzel, please, don't listen to her! Just take him and get out of here—some place where she won't find you again!"

"Rrgh! Be quiet, you!" When Gothel looked like she was ready to strike Rapunzel cried out before she could!

"No, don't!" She pleaded. "I will go with you...!" Her final decision left the hero at a loss for words. It was true he wasn't in a place to say he had everything under control just now, but he knew this wasn't the way. He let out a sigh of defeat in his frustrations while at the same time trying to think up a way out of it.

Gothel heard the girl, then looked back at Sora. Still festering over him, she reluctantly went back to Rapunzel. "Ugh! Fine then. I will let them all live—including this one." She rolled her eyes out of irritation as she gestured toward the boy, grumbling under her breath. "I will also give you enough time to heal the dying lug. But, afterwards we will leave with them...so that no one will ever find us again." She pointed behind her at a group of Shadows as they rose out of the darkness. Gothel then stood waiting as she allowed the girl time to heal the injured thief.

"All right then." Rapunzel agreed, then got up to go to Eugene.

The restrained Sora watched helplessly from where he was, feeling the frustration building up inside him. No way he was going to allow Rapunzel to go through with it just to protect him and the others. He kept trying to twist his way out while Gothel wasn't looking. "Mmph!" Managing to twist more towards the Heartless, he fought against the monster's grip while kicking the enemy square in the face in the process. "Hngh!" The Heartless was caught off guard and threw its big arms up wildly!

One of its tentacle-like arms knocked right into the hand Gothel held her knife in, making it flip out of her grip as it landed on the ground next to Eugene. "Agh!" The startled women gasped after getting hit by her own dark creation. She shot a deadly look at both the Heartless and the boy.

"Oops." Sora remarked with a shrug when he saw she'd lost her weapon, trying to hide his sarcasm. Gothel glared at him before turning away from him in disgust, secretly conniving to finish him off before departing with the girl, despite their agreement.

"Better be careful you don't make me change my mind." She warned him grudgingly, unable to conceal her hatred for him and his allies.

"Hmph." Sora returned with an angry look.

Rapunzel quickly knelt down to put her hands on Eugene, looking him over to give him aid. "Eu—Eugene! I'm so sorry... Everything's going to be okay though—"

"No...R-Rapunzel...!" Eugene tried to stop her, wincing with pain every second.

"I promise, you have to trust me."

"N-no!" He weakly refused.

She began laying her gold hair where he got hurt while trying to calm him. "Come on, just breathe..."

"I can't..let you do this!" The man said, trying to sit himself up and hold it there the best he could.

"And I can't let you die." She tried to make him be still.

"Ugh—but if you do this then you...will die." He warned her in faltering breaths. Rapunzel looked down at him with her worried eyes, then tried her best to smile.

"Hey, it's gonna be all right." The two of them looked into each other's eyes, while Rapunzel held her hair over him, getting ready to start the words of the incantation.

"Rapunzel..." She froze when she heard him faintly utter her name. "Wait..."

The dying man brought his hand up to touch her face while he unnoticeably made his way around to the neath of her neck. Once there, he grasped around as much of her hair as he could reach then swung his other hand under the hairline he had made. With the knife Gothel had dropped now concealed in his hand, he used all his strength to cut straight through the bulk of Rapunzel's magic hair! (Slice!) His hand dropped to the ground as her long detached hair fell behind her.

"Ah!" Sora was shocked at what he'd done. "Her hair!"

Rapunzel gasped at the chopped blonde hair left on her head fading into a dark brown shade! "Eugene...wha—!?" She looked down at him deeply concerned, then her eyes trailed behind her to see the rest of the gold, magic hair going dead and turn brown.

"FIRE!" Donald suddenly called out. His fire spell hit straight into the Heartless, forcing it to squirm and release Sora due to its weakness against the fire element.

"Ngh! Finally!" Sora's feet hit the ground and he immediately went looking to get his Keyblade.

~Shaded Truths plays (KH BBS OST)~

"N-no!" Gothel cried in terror. She reached down for the long hair Eugene had cut off and gathered it into her arms as it went from light to dark, watching in horror as it turned brown in her trembling hand. "No...no! What have you done!? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?" She screamed at them while the black curls on her head turned into a ghostly white color. Her face was then shot with a deadly old and pale appearance. The terrifying expression on her much older face was burning with rage!

While the now very old Gothel stood there screaming with panic, Donald and Goofy were running in to help finish the Heartless. Sora saw this as the perfect chance after retrieving his weapon and went in to attack the big Heartless, trying to avoid all the Shadows now running around. "I've had enough of you!" He glared at the monster.

"This way, Sora!" Donald showed him an opening he had made. Sora dashed in past the vines the duck was keeping at bay for him.

"Hrrr-aahh!" Sora lunged and bashed straight into the large enemy while it was defenseless.

While the trio worked on the Heartless Gothel continued screaming with fright and reached back to pull the hood of her cloak over her head. "No! Nooooo!" With her aging disguise no longer in effect, everyone was startled to see the true appearance she'd kept hidden over the years, now that the dying spell had fully finished converting her.

While rendering the boss completely helpless, Sora delivered the final blow and Vinecrawler was beat! Even through all the commotion, Gothel looked in shock as the Heartless faded away and released a big shiny floating object into the grayish sky filled with green, smoky clouds. Rapunzel looked up to see they had vanquished the threat too, then shifted her gaze back to the horror-stricken women. She couldn't help feeling pity for the women after all the years she'd pretended to be her mother. There were times when it seemed she really did care for her, but now she had seen the real Gothel and understood her true reasons for keeping her locked away from the world all those years. Still, even she had never seen the final stage of the long years she'd been using the power of her hair to hide from the world. She appeared to have obviously lived out more days than she had to live.

"No...no! Nooooo!" The old hag cried as she realized it was over for her without the power of Rapunzel's hair, which had been given to her by the magical healing flower years ago. The white haired Gothel gave the trio a fright as she staggered towards them, startling them with her true appearance from over the years. She looked too old to be living! She turned toward the three of them, speaking out of her revenge. "You...! Rrragh! This is all your FAULT! "YOU RUINED EVERYTHING! Ah—!" She looked down in shock when she saw herself fading away. "Aaaaagh!"

"Oooh..." Goofy stepped back from where he watched her, feeling disturbed.

While Sora was watching, he noticed something strange... He looked closer. He thought he saw a smoky figure show itself behind Gothel for a brief second. "Hold on... There's something not right!" Directing his key at the elderly women fading into darkness, Sora fired a stream of light where he had seen the figure. As he did, a floating black blob came into view after the light made direct contact with it! A Possessor Heartless had been hiding itself there. "Ah! Look!" He pointed to the others as the beam of light shot it away from Gothel and made it vanish into smoke.

"A Heartless!" Donald looked astonished.

Everyone watched as Gothal was completely fading into nothing as the years she had turned back finally caught back up with her. "Noo-aaagh...!" The old hag cried before wasting away entirely, leaving nothing behind but her cloak on the ground.

~Shaded Truths ends~

Rapunzel's mouth quivered at the sight of her tragic demise from where she sat watching, too astonished for words. "Ahh..." Gothel's desire and greed to stay young forever had cursed her life with a cruel fate in end.

"She's...gone." Goofy said, still shaken up by everything. "But what was that Heartless doing?"

"Not sure. Could it have been there this whole time?" Sora wondered, feeling a little creeped out after seeing it.

"Maybe she really did have darkness in her heart..." Donald suggested.

"I think it probably had something to do with all that lying and greed." Goofy added his opinion.

"With all the Heartless out there right now, it must be even harder for the hearts like that to resist the darkness..." Sora said in deep thought. The heroes were still thinking when they heard Rapunzel's voice.

"No, no, no, no, no...! Eugene...?!" Rapunzel uttered nervously while she lifted the motionless man's head into her arms. She had never looked more scared!

"Oh, no...!" Sora gasped when he and his friends remembered what happened to Eugene back in the tower. "Eugene!" They rushed over to where the others were, anxious to check on him. But when they got there things didn't look good. The boy knelt down by him. "H-hey, come on... Hang in there, man...!"

"(Coughs)" Eugene made a sound while the girl held him, much to their relief. But he appeared to be struggling with his breathing now.

~Tears of the Light plays (KH BBS OST)~

"No..." The dark haired Rapunzel cried with tears beginning to swell in her big green eyes. "Look at me... Look at me, I'm right here! Don't go—stay with me, Eugene!" She pleaded desperately but got no response.

"N-no... He can't—" Sora said with a shaking head. "There...there's gotta be something we can do for him! R..right!?"

"(Sigh...)" Donald frowned sadly. Goofy looked down next to him. It seemed Eugene was too weak to even open his eyes.

Sora tried to come up with something quick. "W-what about us, Donald? We could try a cure and..."

Donald gave him a hopeless look while shaking his head at him. "You know it doesn't work like that..." He returned, much to Sora's disappointment. The boy looked down regrettably.

"Eugene! Please—hold on!" Rapunzel quickly took one of Eugene's hands and placed it against the side of her head, right into the choppy strands of her brown hair. She nervously began singing part of the healing incantation, hoping it might still work somehow, even after all its power had seemingly died. "Flower gleam and glow, let your—"

"R-Ra..punzel...?" Eugene uttered her name with a shallow breath. The girl's singing blocked him out.

"...Nothing is happening." Goofy frowned sadly.

"But, why won't it work!?" Sora questioned.

"Sora... Remember?" Donald replied quietly in an effort to remind him. The boy looked at him for a second, then recalled what Rapunzel had told them about her hair.

Sora looked down at the long brown hair where it laid dead on the ground, when it had once been so full of magic. He felt a lump in his throat forming as he realized it wasn't going to be any help to their friend now. "Mm... Then...what do we..." He paused when Rapunzel's song caught his ears again.

"...power shine... Make the—"

"H-hey..." He struggled to get her attention again, afraid of losing his last chance to tell her how he felt, but she still wouldn't give up!

"...clock reverse... Bring back what once was mine...(cries.)" Rapunzel couldn't bare to lose him, but she stopped herself when Eugene finally got through to her.

"Rapunzel..!?" He weakly pleaded her name.

"...What?" She looked down at him through the tears in her eyes. The trio listened to them with their with heads hanging down, not sure what to do at this point... Things were seeming hopeless.

Eugene's lids opened to look on the girl's face one last time. He managed a small smile while gazing into her eyes. "You were my new dream." He finally got to tell her, as his last dying wish.

Rapunzel smiled back emotionally when she heard him. "And you were mine." She returned, unable to hold back her tears any longer.

Sora, Donald and Goofy were unable to keep from tearing up too. Sora looked down at the man, hating how helpless they all were to save their friend. "Hey, Eugene, we...uhh..." He had trouble getting the words out. "We just want you to know...we didn't mean it earlier. You were always our friend—no matter how things looked...we never really stopped believing in you." He sounded so upset in his trembling voice, but he didn't want Eugene to go without knowing how they all felt about him.

"Hmph," Eugene smirked with a faint smile at the trio leaning over him. "I never...doubted it." His expression slowly changed as his head started to lose strength and fall back in the girl's arms. He appeared to quietly draw his last breath while they stood around him with heavy hearts.

"Eugene..." Rapunzel sobbed, slowly turning her head up at the others.

Sora saw the look on her face and was alarmed. He drew himself back to try to hide how terrible he felt. He just couldn't accept it! "N-no..."

"Oh..." Donald looked down.

"Mm..." Goofy sorrowfully looked away, too. This was beyond anything they'd ever had to deal with while visiting another world on their travels. It was more unsettling than they could imagine.

~Tears of the Light ends~

Rapunzel lowered her face near Eugene's while she cried over losing him. As she stroked the side of his face with her hand she uttered the rest of the words of the incantation, singing through her bitter tears in a soft voice. "Heal what has been hurt... Change the fates design... Save what has been lost... Bring back what once was mine..." The others looked up when they heard her. "What once was mine." She repeated as she wept, while one of her tears fell on Eugene's face where he lied completely still with his eyes shut in her arms.

"Rapunzel...?" Sora sadly said, feeling so sorry for the girl. This was all way more than he could stand. "Mmm..."

The tear which was shed by Rapunzel seemed to melt into Eugene's skin, then it began to glow. As a bright light shone through him, a swirling, magical stream of light shined out of the place Eugene had been stabbed. It spread all through the area! As the light grew bigger, it swirled around all of them, making them look up to see what was happening. They all marveled at the lights forming together to create a gold flower as it magically appeared over Eugene. The bright healing lights reflected in their eyes with its warm glow while they watched in total astonishment! It was also making the darkened sky overhead clear up as the thick dark clouds went away. Rapunzel's eyes grew wide as she looked down where the light appeared to be healing their friend's wound.

"What's happening!?" Donald asked a bit startled, but everyone was too stunned to answer him. They continued to watch as the lights were calming down.

"Look...!" Sora said when the healing lights were slowly disappearing around them.

~Peaceful Hearts plays (KH BBS OST)~

Once all the lights had stopped, Rapunzel and the others quickly looked down at Eugene. They watched as a tiny glimmer of light faded over him. The girl anxiously checked to see if Eugene was going to start waking up now. She stared down over his face, while the others waited with her. Her eyes lit up when she saw Eugene's eyes start to move as his lids slowly lifted.

"...Rapunzel?" They all heard him ask for her name, hardly able to believe their ears!

"(Gasp!) Eugene!?" Rapunzel answered back, nearly at a loss for words. She felt an indescribable joy fill her heart when she saw him waking up where she held him.

Eugene's brown eyes looked up at her... "Did I ever tell you I've got a thing for brunettes?" He teased her as he came to, smiling.

"Ahahaha!" She laughed with happy tears glistening in her eyes now! As he sat up she jumped and excitedly threw her arms around him. "Eugene!" He hugged her back.

"Oh boy!" Goofy exclaimed cheerfully.

"You're...you're okay!" Sora said in amazement, feeling too happy for words. Donald and Goofy let out a joyous laugh to see their friend alive and well!

"Well, I couldn't leave you three boys to take care of everything!" Eugene joked with a grin.

"We're just glad you're back!" Donald told him.

"But, how— What made your powers start working again?" Sora looked toward Rapunzel. "What about your hair? It lost all its power after getting cut, didn't it?"

"Yeah! We all saw it change color and everything!" Donald recalled.

"I know! I'm not really sure how it was possible, either!" Rapunzel replied, just as surprised as they were. "Maybe there was always more to it than just my hair... But, I had no idea!"

Goofy looked up after thinking on it for a minute. "Well, I'll be! It must've been you all the time! Not your hair. That special power you've got for healing people with is all yours, Rapunzel! That's how come it was able to bring Eugene back the way it did. We thought you lost it when you lost your hair, but turns out it never left you!" He explained to everyone.

"You're...right!" The girl agreed in amazement. "I still can't believe it!" She looked over and smiled at Eugene. The entire glen around them had returned to its sunny and peaceful state once again.

"Wow, you sure are special, Rapunzel!" Donald complimented her.

"Ahaha...I guess..." She shyly laughed.

"Yup! I've known that for a while now." Eugene said while looking at the girl in an admiring manner.

"Eugene..." Rapunzel replied, looking into his eyes.

"Aww... It's too bad about your hair though..." Donald frowned at the girl's hack job she wore now, which she would probably never be able to grow back.

Rapunzel ran her fingers through the side of her short hair, not feeling that upset over the whole thing since Eugene was back with her. "Well, I'll just have to get used to it! It's definitely a lot lighter now, aheh!"

"Heheheh..." Eugene laughed awkwardly when he saw what he'd done to her beautiful hair.

"Oh, don't worry about it! You're back, and that's all I care about!" Rapunzel told him reassuringly.

"And it's all because of you." Eugene returned. She smiled fondly at him.

~Peaceful Hearts ends~

Sora felt really happy with how things worked out for the both of them. "Rapunzel was your light within the darkness... That's gotta be what saved you!" He told Eugene after seeing his own experiences reflecting on the two.

"My light?" The girl looked up at him confused.

"Yeah! And I can tell yours must be really strong, too!" Sora smiled at her as he put his hands behind his head. Rapunzel thought about it, then smiled at him as she remembered something.

"I also just found out something else about myself not long ago... I know the truth now!" She told them. Everyone listened closely to her. "Turns out...I'm actually the princess who went missing years ago! Can you believe it!?"

"Huh!?" Donald and Goofy gasped together.

A princess!?" Sora repeated in astonishment.

"THE Princess!? The one everybody talks about!?" Eugene went on, looking completely dumbfounded.

"Yes! It was Gothel..." The girl explained. "She stole me from my real parents when I was just a baby...so she could use my powers to keep herself young all these years. It all came back to me!"

"I can't believe it...!" Donald admitted, still amazed.

"Sounds like you remember everything now!" Goofy said, feeling happy for the girl.

"Yeah!" Rapunzel grinned at him.

"So, I've been traveling around with the lost princess all this time..." Eugene uttered with a stunned look on his face.

"That explains why your light's so strong then!" Sora remarked after thinking.

Young Xehanort: "Indeed, it does." Someone who'd been secretly watching them said. Everyone jumped as they looked his way.

"Xehanort!" Sora broke out with a glare. His Keyblade flashed into his hands.

"Who now?" Eugene asked confused. Rapunzel kept close to him as they got up.

"He's one of the bad guys!" Donald replied. Rapunzel looked worried now.

"And one of the worst kind, too!" Goofy added in, unhappy to see one of Xehanort's vessels.

~Organization XIII plays (KH II OST)~

"What a flattering reputation you've given me." The unmasked younger Xehanort noted.

"It wasn't supposed to be!" Donald returned with his feathers ruffled.

"So, it seems the rumors are true... A power that can be used to turn back the clock and renew what once was. Even bringing the life back to those who have fallen. What a tremendous power to harness. If only it were more...accessible though." Young Xehanort said with his eyes on Rapunzel.

"Rrrrgh ... You shouldn't have come back!" Sora sounded angry at the hooded guy.

"Wak!" Donald looked surprised when he heard him, along with Goofy.

"Uh, whaddya mean?" Goofy asked the boy.

"I take it you never spoke about our meeting the other night then. Do you always hide things like that from these so-called friends of yours, Sora?" Young Xehanort taunted him in front of the others. Donald and Goofy glared at his words, then both turned toward Sora with concern.

"Sora?" Goofy sounded disturbed after what Xehanort had said. Sora looked at his troubled friends, then turned back to Xehanort.

"Just stop!" The hero shot back at his arch enemy. "I know what you really came for and I'm not gonna let that happen!" He brought his weapon up to defend his friends. He was through with watching the Organization capture hearts of light for their own plans. "This is one light you won't touch, Xehanort!" While still very surprised at what was happening, Eugene, Donald and Goofy brought out their pan, staff, and shield to protect the girl.

"You really believe you can stop me?" Xehanort asked while observing the boy's backup team. "What makes things different this time that has made you feel more confident?"

"I've gotten a lot stronger since the last time we saw you! And picked up a few new tricks with the Keyblade. Just stick around and I'll show you!" Sora challenged him.

"Oh, have you?" He smirked to himself. "What 'tricks' do you possibly find a premature and untrained Keyblade wielder like you learning on their own that a highly skilled protégé; who underwent actual training under the instructions of a real Keyblade Master, hasn't already achieved? Try not to forget that I already passed the trials, and graduated to a master rank which HE could never hope to attain. Of what chance would someone at your level have against such a powerful and experienced Keyblade Master?"

"Huh. Are you forgetting who defeated and stopped all the Organization's plans already? Isn't that enough proof for you?" Sora returned in a mocking manner, undaunted by anything he'd said. "I already KNOW we can stop you!" He got into his battle stance.

"So you think... You really don't take very much notice of things, do you?" Xehanort mysteriously said. "Well, as sorry as I am to disappoint you...our battle will have to wait for another time. I run a tight schedule right now and cannot afford losing any of that time."

"What!?" Sora acted surprised.

"You must have the idea the Organization wants more hearts of light, but there you are mistaken... We only need seven of the purest hearts, which means there is only one left for us to claim...and we've already set our sights on who we want next."

"Gnngh..." Sora grew angrier at the thought of the Organization going after another one of the princesses. Especially while he had a good idea who the person was his enemy was referring to.

"Until the next time our paths meet, Keyblade bearer. I have a feeling it will come sooner than expected." As Xehanort turned around a dark corridor appeared. He walked towards it to leave after predictably provoking Sora to go after him.

"Not so fast, Xehanort!" Sora yelled while charging for him with his key, still upset over what he'd said about someone very close to him.

Ah—Sora!" Goofy called to him with a jump to see him suddenly take off.

"Wait!" Donald added, concerned for his safety. But their friend would not yield to their warnings.

"Aaaanngh!" Sora made a leap for his enemy with his weapon pulled back behind him, but Xehanort didn't even look back as he kept walking. "Stop!" The hero hammered down at the ground where Xehanort stood, but not quick enough to make the hit.

"Hmph." Young Xehanort smirked right before disappearing into the Darkness like smoke. Sora kept still in his battle position after just missing the dark vessel who seemed the closest to his age and size. He stood there frustrated with his teeth clenched while he thought on Xehanort's words.

~Organization XIII ends~

"No..." He let out with sigh in his attempt to calm down.

Goofy walked over to him with a worried face. "Sora...? Are you okay?"

Sora heard his friend's voice and looked up, dismissing the Keyblade he was still holding with a tight grip. "Oh... Yeah, just great..." He answered solemnly. "I'm sorry for taking after him like that... It's just that he—"

"We understand..." Goofy assured him before he could finish. Donald walked over.

"That Xehanort... I'll bet he wanted you to try and stop him! He knew you'd be upset."

"But ya gotta remember to be careful too, Sora. It could be a trap!" Goofy cautioned him in an understanding tone.

"Yeah, I know..." Sora nodded, then he looked up at his friends with a different attitude. "I'll try to use my head the next time!"

"There ya go!" Goofy replied with a smile.

"But you know, it was still a bit strange... He didn't even try to go after Rapunzel! I thought that's what he came for." Donald recalled, looking confused.

"Hmm..." Goofy went to think.

"I think...it could've had something to do with the way her power works." Sora considered. "Rapunzel's special ability for healing people isn't exactly something that can be taken away... It's not there because of something she carries around with her, it's inside her heart. It's different from an object like we carry around. Including...the Keyblade. We've already seen how that power can be taken away..." Sora looked down as he recalled the time he lost the power to wield the Keyblade.

"Yeah, I remember..." Donald returned.

"So, you're thinking Xehanort didn't want Rapunzel because he knew no matter what he did, there would've been no way for him to take her power for himself...because it's HER gift? That does make sense!" Goofy said.

"Even a Keyblade wielder like Xehanort can only meddle so far in other worlds." Donald put in.

"I think that's it!" Sora sounded sure.

"Well, in that case, it's a lucky thing for us!" Donald admitted, feeling relieved about the whole thing.

"Um, guys?" Rapunzel said after she and Eugene, and Maximus the horse had went over to them. She had just finished picking Pascal back up to her. "I just wanted to thank you for everything you did. I know we never could've got this far without you! Thank you so much for all your help!"

"Yeah! We owe you boys a lot!" Eugene grinned at them.

"Aw, it's always nice to help friends out!" Goofy replied.

"Yeah!" Donald agreed.

"Sure is!" Sora grinned happily.

"And you know what? After everything we've been through together I don't think I'd ever want to go back to stealing anything! I mean it!" Eugene stated. The white horse gave him a funny look after hearing him say that. "What? I can change!" He said in his defense. Everyone couldn't help laughing.

"Ahahaha... So, what are you gonna do now?" Sora asked looking toward Rapunzel.

"Well..." Rapunzel smiled at the hero, then moved her big green eyes over to Eugene, who had his hand cupped over his bearded chin while in deep thought.

"I think I've got the perfect idea." Eugene told everyone. Sora, Donald and Goofy looked at each other and smiled while they were thinking the same thing among themselves. It wasn't hard to notice the way Rapunzel and Eugene were looking at each other now.

"What is it?" Rapunzel asked excitedly.

"Just trust me..." Eugene returned in a confident manner. The girl's green eyes grew wide with wonder while she thought about what it could be.

...

~Ever After plays (KH DDD OST)~

Eugene had taken everyone back to the kingdom, where he now stood waiting outside the palace doors on a large balcony with them. The man held Rapunzel's hand to comfort her while they waited, while the trio stood together to watch from the side. When it had seemed like time had froze, the big doors opened up, making way for the royal couple as they walked out. The King and Queen looked out at the young pair turned looking out at the kingdom below. As if sensing each other's presence, Rapunzel and Eugene turned around to see the King and Queen approaching them. Rapunzel's parents couldn't have looked more surprised to see the daughter they'd lost nearly eighteen years ago.

Rapunzel locked her green eyes on the Queen's when they saw each other, glistening back and forth while she could hardly believe what was happening after so many years...not knowing who she was. "(Gasp) M-mother...?"

The Queen's eyes filled with tears as she stepped towards the young women with short brown hair, who resembled herself more than she could've imagined! Eugene stayed back and watched as the mother and daughter were reunited, smiling to himself. It wasn't long before the Queen and Rapunzel had their arms embraced around each other. Soon the King joined them, overjoyed to have his daughter back! Sora, Donald and Goofy felt so happy for Rapunzel and her family where they watched them. They had finally found each other again and they were thankful for getting to be the ones to help make it happen!

"Good for them!" Sora admitted, getting a touchy feeling while watching the three of them. He was starting to get all emotional inside at the scene.

"Oh...just look at them!" Donald commented with a good feeling inside too.

"Sure makes ya feel good to be a part of bringing a family back together, doesn't it? It really makes what we do all worth it!" Goofy said.

"You said it!" Donald agreed.

"That's why we have to keep fighting...for people like them! So they can live in peace in their worlds. That's something I really wanna see through—no matter how tough it gets out there! We've gotta find a way to make it so the Heartless can't keep coming back to these worlds! Whatever that takes!" Sora said feeling determined. Then he looked to his friends where they stood next to him. "You guys with me?"

~Ever After ends~

"Of course we are!" Donald replied.

"All the way to the very end!" Goofy added, feeling the same way.

"Alright then." Sora said to conclude their visit. "I think we've learned all we can from this world, what do you think? It's probably about time we were moving on!"

"Yeah! Let's go!" Donald said as he felt a big yearning to see other worlds as they continued their adventure. The trio turned for the stairway to begin making their way out.

~Xehanort plays (KH BBS OST)~

The oldest and darkest Keyblade Master in existence stood silently on the borders where he once dwelt in his past life as the apprentice of a Keyblade Master. He looked ahead at the castle which stood there now, completely marveled by its demeanor. Two of his most trusted incarnations waited next to him observing things. Their master had summoned them to meet him there, so they went without question. While they waited for their next orders they wondered if Xehanort was planning to go inside. They kept silent while they waited for him.

"To think...this forgotten wasteland once sheltered a place for many Keyblade wielders to abode themselves in. The uncountable memories born here...I can still sense them everywhere. How much this place has changed...and what mysteries it now holds in its ruins. However, the conjuration surrounding this land is so powerful that not even I can set foot through its doors without being affected by the trance safeguarding it." Master Xehanort stated where he stood.

"Castle Oblivion..." Xemnas said while looking up at the odd shaped castle in front of them. "What secrets lie beyond those walls?"

"Has the time come then?" The vessel who still went by Ansem inquired about the castle. Xehanort's nobody looked at their leader to hear his answer.

Master Xehanort shook his head, "Not quite. We've still things to see to before that time arrives. But worry not... Those matters are being seen to as we speak. Hmhm!" Xehanort looked up toward one of the top windows where a yellow light shined out from it. He smiled to himself. "We'll soon have what the Organization has been long searching for...once the final key is unlocked. Then nothing will be able to stop it! Destiny will once again play in our favor, and the Keyblade defenders will never suspect a thing. Once everything has set its course, those poor Keyblade wielders won't be able to help themselves."

"Hmph. They will play right into your hands." Xehanort's Heartless finished as he found the outcome amusing.

"And what of Sora? Doubtlessly, he is still moving across the other worlds at the moment, while likely having uncovered very little about himself and the hearts connected to him. As I've told you, he is slow to take things in." Xemnas reminded him.

"Those matters will begin to unfold soon. I have already sent those orders out." Master Xehanort revealed. "I'm having someone special go to look after the boy in his current position. He will take care of Sora for us."

"Are you sure you can keep him under your control this time? He still seems a bit too impulsive to follow through orders correctly." Xemnas recalled, showing a slight concern

"That may be so. But, trust me when I tell you...there is no other better suited for that task than him, even if he should stray from instructions. In either case, he will see to it that the boy is ready when the time comes for him to return all the pieces back to their proper places. It's in his nature. Of this, I am certain." Xehanort concluded.

"Good enough for me." Ansem said as he turned away to leave.

"I trust you are not forgetting the connection Sora has to those you've made a part of your plans, Master?" Xemnas questioned him, still unsure.

"That connection is the very thing I'm relying on." Master Xehanort admitted confidently. "But, something about that still seems to be troubling you..."

~Xehanort ends~

"His heart's strength. It has surprised the Organization uncountable times. Isn't it likely to do so again?" Xemnas grimly replied

"I hope so." His answer took Xemnas by surprise. Master Xehanort smiled sinisterly to himself "That is something I'm counting on this time. Hmhmhm."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Well, hope you all found yourselves captivated in the read. I never felt more absorbed into something while I was writing it! Through the suspense, excitement, love, tears and joy! Can't wait to see this world unroll in KH III this year! There's obviously a lot of potential to work with in the series. I experienced that this month.

Tell me your thoughts, and what you might think the mysterious ending with MX is depicting. What do you see the next world turning out to be? Any ideas? (laughs)

Working on the next part now, can't tell though of what size it'll be when it comes time for me to update again, so we'll see. I'm done with focusing too hard in completing one world into one chapter and trying to make the chapters in my dream order. It's too stressful and ends up taking too long. Don't fret about it though, I won't bring something to you that's unfinished, only the best for my readers!

Until the next update... I leave you in peace. ^^