AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Quick note to anyone who has joined this story recently: I've just been made aware of an issue with Chapter 4 (wherein Chapter 4 was actually Chapter 5, and the real Chapter 4 was missing entirely). Thanks to crestoflight3 for picking that up and telling me.

This has now been updated, and apologies from me to anyone who was unable to read Chapter 4 ("Master Aqua") on their first read-through.

I am nervous, scared and excited to share today's chapter with you! I really hope you enjoy it.

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR | HOPE

The Graveyard was empty when they arrived. The warm breeze made the dust dance across the parched ground, bringing with it a thick, heavy silence that felt almost stifling. The others quickly joined them, and Kairi couldn't help but notice how much different things felt this time around. They had two extra fighters on their side, taking them up to fifteen including Naminé, but it wasn't strength in numbers that gave her the greatest comfort; it was the feeling of finally fighting together as a team, of trusting the others to have her back and knowing that they trusted her in return.

They walked in silence, passing through the towering ravine and out in to the Badlands. Kairi shivered despite the humidity, remembering all too well the feeling of being surrounded by heartless. Of being swallowed by the Demon Tower. Of being attacked by Sora's shadow form. The plain was empty, though that didn't make Kairi feel any better, and as they pressed forwards she lifted her fingers to trace the fading scars across her chest as they began to pass through the sea of lifeless keyblades, each speared in to the ground, their colours muted and covered in a fine layer of silt and dust.

When they reached the crossroads, they found Luxu and the Foretellers waiting for them. Luxu was sitting atop a great black box that was almost as big as he was with the Foretellers gathered behind him. Infront of the box was Sora; he was crouched low, drenched in shadows with his fingertips pressed in to the dirt. His beady yellow eyes glanced between them, and Kairi shivered as she felt his gaze land on her, but it was gone as quickly as it arrived. Luxu was watching them too, and his golden eye gleamed as they drew closer.

"Finally!" he exclaimed. "I thought you guys weren't gonna show."

"You said tomorrow," Kairi answered calmly. "You didn't say what time." An eyebrow arched as Luxu's lips curled in to a wry smile.

"I guess I didn't," he retorted coolly. He stood and Kairi summoned her keyblade and dropped low, hearing the others do the same. To her surprise, Luxu laughed. "Settle down there, Guardians. We're not looking for a fight."

"You aren't?" Ven asked, the doubt evident in his voice.

"Not just yet. Y'see, there's something I need your help with first."

"We'll never help you!" Donald shouted.

"See, that's where you're wrong, because the only way you're gonna get a chance to get dear old Sora's heart back is to play along." He placed a hand on Sora's shoulder, his gaze fixed on Kairi, and she forced herself to remain calm. She continued to stare at Sora, reaching out with her heart in the hopes of finally connecting with his, only to be met – as ever – with darkness. Something must have shown on her face because Luxu's smile quickly twisted in to a smirk.

"So what do you want?" Riku demanded. Luxu finally shifted his gaze to Riku and Kairi glanced at Naminé out of the corner of her eye. She didn't miss the barely-smothered panic in Naminé's eyes, nor the small shake of her head. She hadn't been able to make a connection either.

"Long time ago, my master gave me this box," Luxu answered. "He told me to take it and to keep it safe until he could come back to get it."

"This is the box you sent us to look for," said Luxord. Luxu shrugged.

"I may have misplaced it for a while, but I found it again," he answered.

"What's inside it?" Axel asked.

"Hope," Luxord answered. "Or was that a lie as well?" Luxu chuckled and folded his arms.

"Depends on how you look at it," he answered.

"So why haven't you opened the box?" Riku asked. "What do you need us for?"

"See… My master made me swear never to open it, no matter what," Luxu answered. "Not that I could do it on my own, even if I wanted to go against my master's orders. The box has thirteen locks, so it's gonna need thirteen keys to open it. I thought we'd at least have five, but even after taking control of the heartless from Maleficent Sora's still proving difficult to control." He turned his gaze back to Kairi then and she shivered. "You wouldn't have had anything to do with that, would you, princess?"

"So you're down to four," Terra said, "which means you need nine of us."

"That's right." Luxu reached in to the pocket of his robes, pulling out the small glass jar containing Sora's heart. It span lazily, emitting gentle pulses of light, and Kairi's eyes caught the fracture where the shard had been carved away. She placed a hand over her heart whilst she tightened the other around the hilt of Light's Promise. Luxu grinned. "Once you've opened the box, then you'll get your chance to fight for Sora. So what's it gonna be?"

"This is a trap," Roxas growled. Kairi nodded.

"He's not going to let us near Sora until he gets what he wants," she murmured back.

"If we could just figure out what's inside the box-"

"He's not telling us because he doesn't know," Vanitas grunted. "He said there's hope inside the box, but he didn't say whether that's hope for us or hope for them."

"So there's a chance that whatever's inside that box might help us?" Aqua asked.

"About as much of a chance of it killing us." Kairi's stomach twisted and she caught Riku's eye. She saw the doubt playing across his features and saw the war raging behind his eyes.

"If we don't do what he wants, he'll keep Sora's heart from us," she said. "This is what he does – he cheats."

"He stacks the odds in his favour," Luxord murmured, his eyes narrowed dangerously. Riku sighed.

"Then we don't have a choice," he said. He pulled his shoulders back and tightened his grip on his keyblade. "This was always going to end in a fight."

"Then it's a good thing we came prepared," Ven proclaimed.

It didn't take long to decide who would help to open the box. Kairi was going of course, as was Riku. Axel and Mickey quickly volunteered too, followed by Roxas, Xion, Aqua, Terra and Ven. Kairi caught Vanitas' eye and she quickly glanced to Naminé, and he offered a discreet nod in return. Naminé reached for her hand, giving it a tight squeeze before Kairi and the others set out towards the box, and Kairi was grateful when she saw Luxord, Donald, Goofy and Isa closing in around Naminé too. Kairi turned her eyes forward, fixing her sights on Sora, and she was dismayed (but not surprised) when Luxu curled his fingers around Sora's shoulder and manoeuvred him behind the box as the Foretellers came forwards – Ira and Aced on the left, and Gula and Invi on the right.

True to Luxu's word, the box had thirteen locks – three on each side and seven along the front. Each lock was crimson red lined with gleaming silver, with the lock in the centre bigger than the others. On top of the box sat a gleaming crimson gem larger than Kairi's fist with the words x-super etched in to the top, surrounded by thirteen silver spikes.

"Front and centre, princess," Luxu called as they began to spread themselves around the box. Kairi paused, watching Luxu carefully, and he smiled. "Yours is the brightest heart here right now, so you get to control the master lock." Kairi thought of objecting, if only to spite Luxu, but his grin widened and he lifted the jar containing Sora's heart. Kairi bit the inside of her cheek and fell in line, grateful when Riku and Axel stepped up to the locks beside hers. Once everyone was in position, Ira lifted his chin.

"Raise your keyblades," he commanded. Kairi's stomach twisted but she did as instructed, pointing it towards the crimson keyhole. The locks began to glow a sickly red, gently at first before exploding with light one by one. Kairi's was the last to erupt, and when all thirteen were aglow the gem on top of the box exploded with light as the locks clicked open. She ducked behind her arm, unable to pull her keyblade away, and as the light began to dim she planted her feet and readied herself as the lid slowly creaked open.

Nothing happened.

Kairi tightened her grip and shifted her weight, ready for some sort of trap or trick to leap out at them, but as the tense silence continued to stretch between them Kairi found herself glancing nervously to the others. Invi would be the first to move; she lowered her keyblade slowly and cautiously leaned in closer to peer inside.

"It's… empty?" Kairi let out the breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding and leant in, as did several of the others. True to Invi's word the box was completely empty and looked as though it always had been.

A slow clapping echoed through the air and Kairi span on her heel. The newcomer was standing several feet away, dressed in an all-too-familiar black cloak. He was tall with a narrow waist and broad, angular shoulders, and the hood of his cloak was pulled all the way forwards, hiding his face in shadow.

"So you finally figured it out." He stopped clapping and tucked his hands behind his back as he began walking towards them, his steps careful and measured. "It took you long enough."

"Master?" Gula breathed. "Can it be?"

"Is it really you?" asked Aced. The man was almost upon them now, and Kairi felt the others closest to Ira and Aced shuffle back to give him room. He came to a stop before Aced and Kairi held her breath as Aced tilted his head, peering in to the darkness of the man's hood. He opened his mouth but the figure silenced him by reaching out and placing both hands on Aced's shoulders.

"Look at you!" he gushed. "You haven't aged a day!" He dragged Aced in to a tight hug, leaving the man spluttering beneath his mask. As quickly as the hug started, it ended and the man turned his attention to Ira. "And you! Were you always this tall? I swear, I used to be able to – yup, still can." He reached up and ruffled the hair of Ira's unicorn mask before skirting around the back of the box. "Gula, Invi, it's so good to see you!" He placed a pantomime kiss on the nose of Invi's snake mask before reaching under Gula's to pinch his cheeks. "Wow, have I missed you guys."

"Master," Ira breathed, dipping his head. The others followed suit – all except Luxu who folded his arms with a satisfied smirk.

"Why did you leave us?" Invi asked. The Master sighed.

"It had to be done," he answered, his voice suddenly solemn. "I had to let the Book of Prophecies play out and wait to see what came next. This is as far as my eye could see – everything that happens after this moment is a mystery."

"Your… eye?" Aced asked with a grimace that couldn't be hidden by his mask. The Master turned to Luxu who smiled and held out his hand, summoning No Name with a flash. The gesture was accompanied by an unfamiliar cracking sound – like the splintering of glass – and the Master suddenly stiffened.

"Well that's not how it's supposed to look," he muttered. It didn't take long for Kairi to see what he meant – at the head of the keyblade, set amongst the jagged silver and black teeth, the eye was no longer an eye. Now it was more like a gem, made of dull greens and blues with a jagged crack that split it clean down the middle. Luxu's eye widened and his jaw dropped.

"Master, I didn't-"

"Don't worry, I know it wasn't you," he said, moving closer to the blade. "I've been watching you closely, and I know you've been taking care of it like you promised. But now I'm wondering what did do it?" He crouched down, bringing his face level with the tip of the keyblade, and he reached a finger out to tap the broken gem. "Yup, that's definitely dead. I always thought it'd happen in a fight, even if I didn't see it… Unless… Did I do this?" He lifted a hand to his chin and he tilted his head with a thoughtful hum. He snapped his fingers and shot back to his feet. "Yes! I did! Huh. Wish I could've seen that coming."

"Master?" Luxu asked. The Master straightened.

"Looks like it was my own curiosity that kept me from seeing all the way through to the end," he said. A hand disappeared beneath his hood and he nodded with a sigh. "It's back where it belongs. Guess it just means I get to see this whole thing play out for myself. Would have been a lot cooler if it had been broken in a fight though, but I guess we can't get everything we want." He planted his hands on his hips with a dramatic sigh and Gula cleared his throat.

"Master?"

"Yes, Gula?"

"About the box-"

"Yes?"

"It's empty-"

"Yes."

"Is it supposed to be?"

"Yes." Gula paused, his lips parted slightly, and the Master chuckled. "Go ahead. You can ask."

"But, why?" The Master snapped his fingers with a laugh.

"Y'know, that's exactly the same question Luxu asked when I told him what was inside!" Aced's head snapped towards Luxu and he growled low in his throat.

"You knew?" he demanded. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Because I told him not to," the Master answered.

"Not that you ever told me why," Luxu drawled, folding his arms. The Master laughed again.

"Looks like all that body-hopping made you forgetful," he said, moving to Luxu's side and throwing an arm around his shoulders. Kairi didn't miss Luxu's quickly-smothered frown. "I told you you'd see and here you are – about to see!"

"But I-"

"Wait." The Master turned his head back and forth several times; Kairi felt his gaze settle on her a little longer than the others before he moved along. "Where's Ava?" Kairi's breath hitched at the mention of the fifth Foreteller. A moment of silence passed between the others before Invi finally answered.

"She didn't make it," she answered solemnly. Aced folded his arms with a huff.

"It must have been because she was the traitor."

"Traitor?" the Master asked.

"The one you told us about," Gula answered, though he sounded less than certain. "The one that was foretold on the missing page." The Master bounced a hand against his forehead.

"Ooh, right. I remember. Wait you-" He stopped and burst into laughter, slapping his thigh. "You think that was Ava? Cute as a button, straight as a line, barely-dipped-her-toe-in-the-fountain-of-darkness Ava? I'll be honest, I did not see that accusation coming." He turned to Luxu and elbowed him lightly in the side. "Did you see what I did there? Because of the gazing eye in my-"

"But then… who was the traitor?" Gula asked eagerly. The Master folded his arms and tilted his head.

"You guys really never figured it out?" He paused, turning to each of them expectantly. Kairi glanced to Riku then, only to find that he looked just as confused as she felt – as did several of the others. The silence seemed to stretch for an age before the Master finally threw his arms wide. "It was me!"

More silence followed. The Foretellers were staring at him with disbelief – Gula's mouth hung wide open while Aced was glancing between the Master and the others. Luxu was frowning, his good eye narrowed dangerously as he studied his Master who seemed to bask in the silence. "I know, right? Right? What a twist!" He lifted his fingers to his temples and let them explode outwards. He honed in on Gula. "See? That's what I was looking for! This is how you should've looked when I told you about your role!"

"But the book…" said Gula, "the lost page… it suggested that the traitor was one of us." The Master gasped dramatically, clutching at his chest and staggering back.

"Am I not part of the group?" he whined. "Gula! You wound me!" Gula threw up his hands, his entire body tense.

"N-no, that's not what I meant!" he spluttered. "You said the traitor was amongst us."

"And I was! At least, I was when I told you," the Master answered. "And I stayed among you for several weeks before it was time for me to leave." Gula's hands fell to his sides and his shoulders slumped.

"I took you at your word," he said, his voice small and wounded. The Master sighed.

"I told you not to," he said. Gula lifted his head sharply and the Master put his hands back on his hips. "Don't you remember? I told you to trust nobody but yourself, and that included me. I can't help it if you weren't listening." Gula seemed to choke on air, but the Master turned away from his spluttering and fixed his gaze on Ven. "You guys figured it out though, right? From all the clues I left you?" Ven tilted his head with a confused frown, and after a moment the Master slapped his forehead again. "Oh that's right, your memories. Here, have them back." He clicked his fingers and Ven's eyes bulged, his mouth hanging open as he swayed dangerously. Terra and Aqua were quick to keep him on his feet, and when Kairi glanced over her shoulder she found Vanitas and Luxord similarly affected; Vanitas was leaning heavily against Naminé while Luxord was using his keyblade to keep himself steady. The Master sighed heavily.

"Look, I'm sorry about taking your memories, but you were moving too fast!" he exclaimed.

"Too… fast?" Ven wheezed, his brow furrowed and his eyes flashing with a mix of fear and fury that didn't seem to belong on his usually-cheerful features. Kairi didn't miss the anxious look that passed between Aqua and Terra as they tightened their grip on him. The Master shrugged.

"I chose you all too well. You were too smart. Even with the vir-"

"But you didn't choose us," Ven argued. "Master Ava chose us." The Master chuckled.

"No, no, no, dear Ventus," he said, wagging his finger. "I chose you, and then I gave your names to Ava." Ven scowled.

"Why?" The Master sighed and pressed his fingers against his temples.

"Look, I could tell you, but honestly it's not really that important-"

"It's important to me!"

"More important than Sora?" Ven's face paled and the Master chuckled, stepping back to place a hand on Sora's shoulder. Kairi tasted bile. "Listen, we could sit here and trade stories all day, or I could tell you why you're all here. Plus I believe Luxu promised you the chance to fight for Sora's heart back. It won't make a difference in the end, but if it'll make you happy-"

"So why are we here?" Riku demanded, his voice deep and dangerous. The Master turned his attention towards Riku and he folded his arms, shifting his weight back as though studying Riku carefully.

"You've always been an interesting one," he said at last. "You weren't exactly unpredictable because, well, I could see everything you were going to do, but honestly you still managed to surprise me. And confuse me. Can you really smell darkness?" Riku glared and the Master waved a hand dismissively. "You're right, not important. We'll talk about it later. As for why you're here, I thought that would have been obvious." He ran his fingers over the lid of the box. "I only chose six apprentices. I knew I couldn't be involved, because I didn't see myself opening it, and I knew that I told Luxu not to open it because – you guessed it – I saw that too. So I needed all of you here to open all of the locks."

"Why not just choose more apprentices?" Axel asked.

"Because I didn't," the Master answered, as though it was obvious. Axel's lip curled in to a sneer and the Master sighed. "Okay, okay, maybe I need to back up a little bit. See there's this book called the Book of Prophecies. I wrote it – several times, in fact – based on what I saw with my eye, which I put in my keyblade and gave to Luxu here to pass down through the ages. I only saw myself with six apprentices, so I had to choose six apprentices. I couldn't change the things that I saw. Do you understand?" He stared at Axel until it became obvious that he wasn't going to move on until he received some sort of answer, and Axel folded his arms and nodded sharply. "Good. So everything that I wrote in the book was going to happen, one way or another, but I didn't have the whole picture. I needed to figure out why."

"What do you mean?" Gula asked. The Master started pacing then, his hands gesticulating wildly.

"Here's the thing – it's one thing to see what's happening, and it's another to understand. That's why I took the memories; I needed you all to slow down a little so I could try and figure it all out. When you all started jumping through time, well, I saw an opportunity. Of course, I didn't count on Xehanort taking his sweet time to get all his ducks lined up. I'm blaming you for that, by the way." He prodded Luxu in the chest, catching Luxu off-guard and nearly tipping him off-balance. Luxu righted himself with a scowl.

"Hey, don't blame me," he scoffed. "I didn't choose him."

"But your apprentice did," the Master countered, though he paused and tilted his head. "Or… your apprentice's apprentice did. Either way, my keyblade only found its way to Xehanort because of you. Boy does that guy know how to over complicate things! I had to jump in here and then to nudge him along because he was just taking so long. Sitting and waiting is boring, y'know? She knows what I'm talking about!" He pointed to Kairi and her heart stopped as she felt his gaze settle upon her. She was grateful when Riku and Axel took a half-step closer. The Master didn't seem to notice, and he quickly resumed his pacing. "But here's the thing, even after Xehanort bit the dust I still didn't get it. I knew this box contained hope because I'd seen this conversation happen, but I also knew it was empty… Lucky for me you all took so long figuring out my loophole that I was able to figure it out while Naminé was finishing up her end of the deal."

Kairi span towards Naminé who had turned white as a sheet under the Master's gaze, her eyes wide and terrified. She turned to Kairi, shaking her head fervently.

"I swear, I don't know what he's talking about-"

"She's right," said the Master. "She doesn't. Relax, Naminé, this is all just destiny; you were simply fulfilling your role. See, here's the thing with looking in to the future: it's easy to get things out of order. I mean, Xehanort really didn't do me any favours – all that time-hopping really threw me for a loop – but even once I got his timeline all figured out I was still missing a piece of the puzzle." He stopped suddenly, turning to face them and slapping his head again. "Oh man, I'm monologuing, aren't I? Stick with me, I'm almost done, I swear. See, I thought that this came right after the old man. I didn't realise that I was missing a huge chunk of time that my eye didn't even see because it was stuck elsewhere while all the action was happening over here. So I'm watching everything over here play out and suddenly it clicks: the box doesn't contain hope, but it will."

Silence followed and he turned eagerly to each of them in turn. Kairi glanced to Riku and then to Axel before looking to the others, each of whom looked as confused as she felt. The Foretellers too seemed lost, and even Luxu had a confused frown playing over his features. The Master sighed and tapped a finger against his temple.

"Hmm… you're not following me…" he muttered. "How else can I explain it?" He turned away, his shoulders hunched. He muttered under his breath as he passed by Luxu and Sora, his steps slow and measured, until at last he straightened with a sudden cry, spinning around to face them and drawing himself up tall. He cleared his throat and pressed his fingers against his chest, and when he spoke his voice was deep and imposing. "It was never about letting something out of the box. It was about putting something in. Or, rather, someone."

Kairi's heart stopped. The world stood still as her eyes darted from the Master to Sora, to the heart in Luxu's hand, and then to the open box between them. She could feel the Master watching her closely as the pieces fell in to place, and she gulped in a deep gasp of air.

"No!" she screamed. The others jumped.

"Kairi?" Axel asked, his voice coloured with fear. The Master began to laugh and she narrowed her eyes.

"It's Sora," she said, forcing the words past the lump in her throat. "Sora is hope. That's what he wants to put in the box – it's Sora's heart."

"Bingo!" the Master cheered. "She's figured it out!"

"I won't let you," she spat. She tightened her grip on her keyblade, ready to vault over the box when the Master disappeared. She stared at the space he left behind, her breath catching in her throat as she felt a hand close around her wrist. The Master dragged her backwards, twisting her arm over her head as she heard the others cry out. Axel's voice was the loudest and it sliced through the icy fear in her chest with a rush of fire. She span under the Master's grip once – twice – tearing her wrist free as she drove her elbow in to his stomach. She swung her keyblade but he was gone, and she went staggering towards Naminé who rushed to meet her, taking her by the shoulders to keep her on her feet.

"So you did learn!" the Master exclaimed. He was stood by Sora again, and when she turned to face him he clapped his hands together with a giddy laugh. "I am so proud of you-"

"Why Sora?" Riku demanded. "Why his heart?" The Master's shoulder slumped and he rolled his head back with a dramatic sigh.

"You can't let her have a moment to celebrate?" he asked, gesturing towards Kairi. "This is a big moment for her-"

"Answer his question," Kairi ordered. The Master threw up his hands.

"Fine, fine, if you really wanna know," he huffed, "but I gotta back up a little bit. See, long ago people lived in peace, bathed in the warmth of light. Everyone loved the light, until people started fighting over it-"

"We know the story," Ven bit out curtly. "All the worlds used to be one until the keyblade war. What does this have to do with Sora?" The Master folded his arms and he leered towards Ven.

"I'm getting to that part," he sighed. "This is all before your time, Ventus, but back before people started fighting for the light everything was perfect. Light and darkness in perfect balance. Because that's what life is all about – equilibrium. Living in harmony; the good cancelling out the bad. But someone always gets greedy. All it takes is one person to tip the scales and – boom – we end in war. Every single time. The first one – oh boy, did that world end in tears. So I had to try again, but that one failed too. They always fail. So this time I decided to let it play out – to learn from my mistakes. I sent my eye in to the future to see what would happen, but I still didn't understand it all until I lived through it. And I get it now – I know what I need to do in the next world. I just gotta clear out this mess first."

"The next world?" Aqua asked. The Master nodded.

"You had a good run, but this was never the final version," he answered. "This was only a test drive. It's time to reset the board and start over."

"Start over?" Ira asked. "Master… are you talking about… another Keyblade War?" The Master shook his head and waved his hand.

"Oh, no," he answered flippantly. "This is much bigger. The Realm of Light needs to fall to darkness, so that I can pick up all the pieces and start rebuilding."

"And what role will we play in your new world?" Ira asked.

"Oh, you guys aren't coming with me."

The Foretellers stiffened – Invi gasped while Aced spluttered.

"Not coming?" Aced demanded. "But, Master-"

"You guys can't," the Master sighed. "Look, I wish I could bring you along, but you're tied to the Realm of Light just like everyone else. When it falls, so will you. That's just how it goes."

"So we're… we'll be lost to the darkness?" Invi asked. The Master tilted his head for a moment before shrugging.

"Sure, if it helps you to think of it like that," he answered. Invi's shoulders tensed and the Master closed the distance between them, placing his hands on her shoulders and shaking her gently. "Listen, you all did amazing work. All of this wouldn't be happening if it weren't for you. You fulfilled your roles, and after you help me recomplete Sora's heart and get it in to the box, you can fade away with the satisfaction of a job well done."

"But why do you need Sora's heart?" Roxas growled. The Master sighed, and his head drooped for a moment before he turned to face them, drawing himself back up to his full height. He walked to Luxu and took the jar from him.

"Sora is hope," he answered. He reached in to the jar, pulling Sora's heart out and letting it hover over the palm of his hand. Kairi couldn't breathe. "Everywhere he goes, hope follows. He has saved the Realm of Light over and over and over again. People will keep fighting if they think there's a chance that Sora is still fighting for them. But if I can contain that hope, then sooner or later people will have to realise that Sora's not coming for them." He lifted his free hand to poke at the heart, making it spin wildly. "The process should take years – decades – but thanks to Naminé it's going to happen so much faster."

"No," Naminé whimpered. Tears were spilling down her cheeks as she trembled from head to toe. Kairi reached for her hand, clutching it tightly. The Master didn't notice.

"By strengthening everyone's connections to Sora, they're all going to feel the moment we lock his heart inside the box," he continued. "Their hope – their light – will fade so much faster, and the Realm of Light will fall in a matter of months. Honestly, Naminé, you've made this all so much easier for me." Naminé hiccuped, her hand flying to her mouth, and Kairi tugged on her arm firmly.

"Don't listen to him, Naminé," she hissed. "He's lying."

"I'm not," the Master laughed. Kairi glared and he shrugged. "Look, I know this all seems bleak, but this is what has to happen. All this was just a stepping stone to a world of balance – no more fighting, no more war. Isn't that what you want?"

"Not if we're not there to see it," Roxas spat. The Master's head rolled back with a heavy groan.

"But it's not about you," he countered. "It's never been about you. None of you were ever going to make it to the next world. You understand that, right? You were always going to die here."

"Not if we have anything to say about it," Axel snapped. The Master placed a hand on his hip.

"Really? You still wanna fight?'

"We're not giving up," Mickey answered. The Master sighed and rubbed at his temples.

"All right, fine," he answered. "There's no arguing with you people. You realise that my apprentices have already defeated you once, right? They're just going to do it again-"

"No." Invi's voice was laced with determination. The Master remained silent as Invi peeled away from the group, walking around the box to place herself on the other side. Her body was tense, her hands clenched in to tight fists at her side as she stared at her Master. "I won't fight them."

"Invi?" the Master drawled. "What are you doing?"

"I don't want to be lost to the darkness," she said firmly. "I don't want to die."

"Oh, Invi, you're not going to die today," the Master soothed. "It's still gonna be a few months before-"

"I won't die for this," she pressed. "After everything we have done for the Realm of Light, I will not just step aside." The Master's laugh was jilted and surprised, and it took him a moment to compose himself.

"You were quite happy to step aside last time," the Master drawled. "Why the sudden change?" Ira stepped forward with a shake of his head.

"We fought against the end of the world-"

"At best, all you did was delay the inevitable," the Master argued. Ira drew his shoulders back and moved to Invi's side, planting his feet firmly.

"Then that is what we shall do again." After a moment Aced joined them, closely followed by Gula. Only Luxu remained, though Kairi didn't miss the war raging across his face. The Master sighed.

"But, guys," he whined, "I need you. You can't leave me. We still need to get the shard of Sora's heart from Kairi and then we need to lock it inside the box."

"We won't do it," said Ira.

"Luxu," Invi called. "Join us." It seemed to snap Luxu from his thoughts, and he glanced from the Foretellers to his master.

"C'mon, Luxu," the Master sang, his voice thick and sweet like honey. Or tar. "You and me, you've always had my back-"

"After everything I did for you," Luxu seethed. "Everything I sacrificed… It was all for nothing?"

"Not nothing, Luxu!" the Master answered brightly. "You were invaluable in helping me see my mistakes. My new world will be better than this one because of you."

"But I won't be there." Something seemed to be clicking now, and Luxu's confusion was slowly turning to anger. "None of us will be there." The Master rubbed at his temples.

"Look, it's not that I don't appreciate what you've all done for me-" Luxu moved then, walking towards the others, but the Master snared his arm. Luxu grimaced, trying to pull away, but the Master held him fast.

"Let me go," Luxu sneered. The Master sighed heavily.

"This would have been easier if you were all on my side," he said, "but I guess we're just going to have to do this the hard way." Luxu's golden eye widened and his lips parted in a soundless scream as his free hand clutched at his chest.

"This… feeling…" he wheezed. The Master chuckled.

"Who do you think taught Xehanort how to do it?" Even from a distance Kairi could see Luxu's eye changing, and as it turned from gold to a vibrant blue ringed with red she felt her blood turn to ice. The Foretellers all stiffened.

"So it's true," Gula breathed. "You really are the traitor-" He began to choke, clutching at his chest as the others at his side did the same.

"It didn't have to be like this," said the Master, "but you forced my hand." He released Luxu who stood lifelessly at his side. There was no struggle in him now. The Master lifted Sora's heart up high, and Kairi felt him staring right at her as he made a show of putting it back in to the glass jar. "I wouldn't be letting you try if I honestly thought there was a chance of you winning. You can fight, and you can lose, or you can give up the shard of Sora's heart and save yourselves a lot of pain." Kairi lifted her keyblade, firing off a pulse of light towards the Master. He dodged it easily, twisting effortlessly out of the way as he slipped the jar inside his robes.

"We are not giving up," she hissed. The Master shrugged and stood behind Sora, placing a hand on his shoulders.

"Suit yourselves." He snapped his fingers and Kairi swallowed panic as rolling shadows swept across the ground. The Foretellers summoned their keyblades and advanced, but the clashes were lost behind waves of heartless that shot up from the floor with their talons bared. Kairi felt Naminé pull her backwards, and the others closed in around her as the heartless swarmed towards them.

"Vanitas!" Kairi yelled, but Vanitas was gone, swallowed by the shadows. Luxord and Isa too; Kairi could hear them, but already they sounded miles away. She felt Naminé trembling behind her as Donald and Goofy closed in around them. Donald threw his staff in to the air, summoning bolts of lightning that sent the nearest heartless staggering whilst Kairi threw up a shield around them.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this," Naminé whispered as the heartless began to claw at the shield. Kairi turned to her, gripping her forearms tightly as she pressed their foreheads together.

"We are not giving up," she repeated. Naminé's eyes were clenched shut and Kairi tightened her grip until her fingernails were digging in to Naminé's skin. "Naminé, listen to me. I'm going to find Vanitas and he's going to get you out of here-"

"No!" Her eyes flew wide open and she wrapped her hands around Kairi's arms. "I'm not leaving you-"

"You have to," she said. "If we don't make it out of this, then someone has to warn the others. Go to Radiant Garden and find Merlin, tell him what's happening-"

"I won't go," she argued, and her eyes flashed dangerously.

"You can't stay-"

"Yes I can. I will." Kairi closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath; Vanitas wouldn't need Naminé's consent, he would just need to be able to find her. So she swallowed bile and gave Naminé's arms a squeeze.

"Stay here," she ordered. "Keep a shield up. Here, take these." She reached in to her pocket, withdrawing several elixirs which she thrust in to Naminé's hands.

"Kairi-"

"Use them," she ordered. She felt her shield splinter under the heartless' assault and she bit back a scream, keeping her attention fixed on Naminé. "Stay with Donald and Goofy. I'll be back."

"Where are you going?" Naminé cried. Kairi pretended not to hear her.

"Shield, Naminé! Now!"

"Kairi-"

"Shield!" Kairi's barrier fractured, and in the split second before Naminé could bring up one of her own she darted outside its protection.

"Kairi!" Donald cried. She planted her keyblade in the ground, sending out a pulse of light that knocked the heartless back.

"Stay with Naminé," she ordered. "She needs you." Goofy pressed a hand against the shield.

"But, Kairi-"

She couldn't listen. She turned away, diving in to the shadows, and reaching out as best she could to try and find Vanitas. She cried his name, over and over, and she felt his familiar darkness darting across the ground. It seemed he was undermining the heartless as best he could, popping up in the tightest knots to disperse them before disappearing back into the shadows. Helpful, yes, but it made him infinitely harder to lock down; right when she thought she was close by, she would feel him disappear and reappear somewhere else.

A heartless clawed at her shoulder and she hissed, twisting out of the way of its attack. Another emerged by her ankles and she tripped over it, stumbling in to the dirt. A gutterall cry sounded overhead and she rolled on to her back in time to see Ira looming over her, the eyes of his unicorn mask glowing a vibrant blue-green as he lifted his keyblade high above her. Her breath caught in her throat as the blade came down, only to watch as Ira was bowled out of the way by a turtle toad. The unversed didn't spare Kairi a second glance as it continued to bounce across the dirt, sending Ira and the nearby heartless shooting in to the air, stunned. Through the gap Kairi finally spied Vanitas, but by the time she had dragged herself to her feet he was gone.

Kairi took a deep breath, focusing on her magic and trying to lock on to the nearest target, but she was quickly overwhelmed. The heartless were pressing at her from all sides, leaving her with no time to focus. She started to swing blindly, protecting her back with hastily erected shields. Within minutes she regretted giving her elixirs to Naminé, and after using the last of her magic to send the heartless staggering back she managed to fish an ether out of her pocket. It restored her magic, but it did little to stop the blood that was trickling down her arm, and it certainly didn't help the breathless exhaustion that was already settling in.

"Vanitas!" she cried again.

"Kairi!" It wasn't Vanitas that answered. The voice was followed by a roar of flame as Axel cut through the hoard, coming to a stop at her side. Isa followed close behind, his claymore gleaming in a way that used to terrify her. Now there was something almost comforting about the pale glow that was reflected in his eyes.

"Have you seen Vanitas?" she asked. Axel shook his head.

"Kairi-"

"If you see him, tell him to get to Naminé." Axel's face paled. Isa whirled around them, knocking heartless back and piercing them with the tip of his claymore. It did little more than stun them, and when they returned to their senses they rejoined the fight with a fury. "Donald and Goofy are with her but I don't know how long they'll last." Axel nodded.

"Isa, you should go to-"

"Not happening," Isa replied curtly. Axel sighed and span on his heel. Heart's Flame glowed and split in half, forming two flaming chakrams which he sent flying in to the heartless.

"We need to find the others and regroup," he said. "We're stronger together."

"Easier said than done," Isa retorted as his keyblade cut through a soldier that had been barrelling towards them. "We don't even know what direction we need to go in." Axel caught his chakrams and glanced at Kairi with fire in his eyes and Kairi nodded. She ducked and he sent his chakrams out behind her, clearing enough of a space for her to back up several paces. She sprinted towards him and he reached out to grab her forearm, swinging her around in a high arc and sending her sailing above the heartless. She hung in the air long enough to focus her magic on the heartless below, and as pearls of light wiped out clusters of shadows she spied a flash of blue hair.

"That way," she said as she landed, pointing to where she had seen the others. Axel nodded.

"Isa, we need to – Isa!" Isa was no longer with them. The shadows had closed in around them, cutting them off from Isa. Kairi felt Axel press his back against hers as he swore under his breath. "Let's get to the others, then we can-" Then he was gone. A shiver ran down Kairi's spine as he was knocked off his feet and in to the crowd.

"Axel!" she cried.

"Get to the others!" She grit her teeth; the heartless were taking him in the wrong direction, and those that remained quickly formed a barrier that stopped her from following after him. She heard a roar of fire and saw his chakrams circling through the air overhead and she grit her teeth, whirling on her heel and cutting through the neoshadow that had been leaping for her head. Axel was right, they needed to regroup. She felt the familiar pull of Aqua's magic and she fought towards it, driving through the shadows until a shard of ice whistled past her ear.

"Aqua!" she bellowed.

"Kairi!" came the response, though it was quickly followed by a scream.

"Aqua!" Terra and Ven's voices were laced with fear and Kairi's heart leapt to her throat. She planted her keyblade in the ground again, using the last of her magic to clear a path through the nearest heartless, but it earned her barely more than a glimpse of Terra and Ven before they plunged deeper in to the swarm.

Kairi span on her heel, slicing clean through a shadow as she bit back tears. She needed to find someone – anyone – and she wasn't going to do that if she gave up now. She lashed out with her keyblade, screaming as she plunge it into the back of a bandit, and as it dissolved in to shadow she pulled another ether from her pocket. A shadow darted across the floor towards her, a ring of black with flashes of crimson at its centre, and she leapt back just in time to allow Vanitas to shoot out of it, bringing with him bursts of ice that speared several heartless.

"Vanitas!" He landed heavily, tilting sideways, and as Kairi rushed to his side she threw a shield around them. She wrapped her hand around his and thrust her keyblade in to the air. "Heal!" The magic wrapped around her spilled over to him, banishing the worst of their wounds.

"Thanks," Vanitas sighed.

"Are you all right?" she asked. He gave a short, sharp nod.

"Ran out of potions, and healing magic isn't really my thing," he grunted.

"Where's Naminé?" she asked. "Is she safe?"

"I can't get close to her," he answered with a scowl. "Donald and Goofy have got her back. If we want to keep her safe, we're gonna have to win." Kairi's stomach twisted and she clenched her teeth, forcing the bile back down her throat. Vanitas was watching her carefully, and after taking a deep steeling breath she nodded firmly.

"Let's go."

She lowered the shield and the heartless descended upon them. The darkness was near-stifling, leaving Kairi gasping for breath, and it was Vanitas' persistent presence at her side that kept her grounded. He led the way for the most part, driving them on through the thick walls of heartless that pressed in on them until finally Kairi heard voices. She could barely pick them out above the din as she fought her way towards them. Roxas… Xion… and was that-

Vanitas howled in pain. Kairi span on her heel but she saw only heartless. Her heart leapt to her throat and the world began to spin as she felt panic racing through her veins.

"Vanitas!" she cried. No answer came. She couldn't breathe. She swung her keyblade blindly feeling it slicing through the heartless. Three more took its place. "Vanitas!"

"Kairi!" That was Mickey's voice, but when Kairi turned she found herself face to face with a looming darkside. Its beady yellow eyes were watching her closely, and as she raised her keyblade it raised its hand, dragging its crimson fingers through the air towards her. She was too slow to avoid it, and the back of its hand hit her in the stomach, forcing the air from her lungs as it sent her flying through the air. She hit the ground heavily, gulping in mouthfuls of dust that left her coughing and wheezing as she rolled through the dirt. Her shoulder was on fire, and when she reached in to her pouch for a potion she found it completely empty. She reached for her keyblade, but as she wrapped her fingers around the hilt a great black boot landed across the teeth.

"Luxu had you like this once, didn't he?" The Master was standing over her, his hands clasped behind his back. Sora stood at his side, bobbing and weaving absently back and forth.

"S-Sora-"

"How did that end for you?" the Master asked. He crouched low, his weight still pressing her keyblade in to the dirt, and as she continued to cough he pressed a gloved finger against the scars on her chest. "Ah yes… that's right. It wasn't Luxu's smartest move, making Sora try to take the shard for himself. He should have known Sora would fail. I'm surprised he hurt you at all-"

"That wasn't Sora," she spat. "Sora would never do that-"

"But he did," the Master countered. He sighed and rocked back on to his heels, resting his hands on his knees. "Tell you what, Kairi. I'm willing to make you a deal. You give me the shard of Sora's heart, and I'll let the two of you say goodbye before we put him inside the box. You can even go in there with him if you like. The two of you, together forever. Isn't that what you wanted?" Kairi dismissed her keyblade, but before she could summon it back the Master had moved his foot to her wrist. She swallowed a scream and the Master sighed. "You always have to keep fighting… everyone is always fighting… If you just give me what I want then I can make it stop."

"Never," she hissed. She tugged her arm, wincing as the tread of the Master's boots bit in to her arm. She clenched her eyes shut, tugging again as she sucked in a deep breath. "Sora!" His name burned her throat, bringing tears to her eyes as she continued to tug. When the Master at last removed his foot she rolled away from him, towards the wall of heartless that had formed a barrier around them. There was no escape.

"You always choose the difficult path, don't you?" the Master asked as she cradled her arm close to her chest. The skin was broken but there was no blood, though it would leave a bruise even if she had the magic to heal it. "Well, seeing as you're so desperate to fight for Sora…" He reached in to his cloak, withdrawing Sora's heart. "I'll give you one last chance. If you can get it, you can have it, and this will all be over. But if I get you, then I get what I came for." Kairi glanced from the heart to Sora, still bobbing back and forth, his eyes staring straight ahead. Kairi wondered if he even saw her. She hoped he didn't. She rolled on to her knees, summoning her keyblade as she pushed herself back to her feet. The Master chuckled and slipped the jar back in to his coat before summoning No Name. In the second it took for the keyblade to form, Kairi thrust Light's Promise in to the air and used the last of her magic to heal herself while her other hand uncorked her final ether.

The Master charged. Kairi rolled out of his path, one keeping on eye on Sora. If she could just get close to him... Memories of Hollow Bastion resurfaced, strengthening her resolve as the Master darted towards her again. She could bring Sora back; she just needed an opening. And once he was back, it would be two against one. She threw up a shield, deflecting the Master's keyblade as she took a deep breath and then another. The Master's next blow shattered her shield but she was ready, bring Light's Promise to deflect the attack. The Master staggered backwards and she pressed her advantage, throwing her keyblade ahead before warping to it, catching the Master off-guard and knocking him back several paces. The heartless kept him on his feet, swiping at Kairi when she got too close and forcing her back in to the centre of their makeshift arena. It gave the Master time to right himself, and he readjusted his cloak with a chuckle.

"Not bad," he said. The compliment was far from reassuring, and Kairi forced herself to remain calm. The heartless were only attacking if she got too close; provided she stayed away from them then she would only have to worry about the Master. And Sora, who was standing several paces away. Almost close enough-

The Master sped towards her, forcing her to dance back as he placed himself between them.

"Nice try," he said. "You didn't honestly think it would be that easy, did you?" Kairi narrowed her eyes and tightened her grip on her keyblade as she danced backwards, careful not to get too close to the wall of heartless as she focused solely on the Master. Her magic swelled in response, but before she could give it form the Master rushed towards her and she was forced to dart out of his way. It left her with a clear path to Sora, though she was quickly cut off by a wall of ice which sprouted between them, too close to the wall of heartless for Kairi to try and skirt around it. She turned back to the Master who was walking slowly towards her, his keyblade slung lazily over his shoulder.

"You're better than I expected," he said. "No, really. I meant what I said – I'm proud of you, Kairi. But I'm also tired. The sooner we end this, the sooner we can all relax and let things take their course."

"I'll never stop fighting," she retorted. "For Sora, for my friends, for the Realm of Light-"

"I know, I know," the Master answered. "Which is why I'm going to end this quickly."

He was upon her before she could react, his keyblade striking her arms – sides – wrists – legs – faster than she could follow. It left her breathless and staggering backwards, unable to keep her balance, and before she knew it she was pressed against the wall of heartless. But it was not a shadow that grabbed her; two strong arms linked around hers, pulling them back and leaving her powerless. None of Axel's training could get her out of this one, and as Luxu tightened his grip around her she felt a scream die in her throat as the Master plunged his keyblade in to her heart.