XXX

Yen Sid sat at his desk, facing Clio. Clio stood silently.

"You wish to speak with me?" Yen Sid asked. "I know it was difficult to ask me for help."

Clio pouted.

"Stop that pouting, young lady!" Yen Sid ordered. "You are not a supermodel."

"I can't glare," Clio explained. "I thought a pout might convey how upset I am with you. Calliope and Euterpe are dead." She made direct eye contact with Yen Sid. "I will only ask this once. Why?"

"Why what?" Yen Sid asked.

"Why did you throw Calliope under the bus?" Clio snapped.

"Because I was worried for your safety," Yen Sid replied evenly.

"Calliope died because of you!" Clio folded her arms.

"And you're still alive," Yen Sid said.

"So that's your final answer?" Clio replied. "'Everything I did, I did for you'? Are you trying to make it harder for me to stay mad at you? Because it's not working."

"Clio, do you honestly wish the positions were reversed here? That you were dead and Calliope was alive?"

"I want Calliope to be alive. And my other sisters too." Clio sighed.

"I don't like what happened either. It's tragic," Yen Sid commented. "But you're safe, and that's enough to make me happy."

"You're just being selfish. You only care about what you want, not what would be best for everyone involved," Clio replied. "I'm starting to realize why you cast off your title."

"Oh?" Yen Sid asked. "Why?"

"Because a Keyblade Master is honor-bound to protect the worlds," Clio replied. "Was that it? Too restrictive for your taste?"

"I won't deny I have human selfishness," Yen Sid answered. "It's part of what makes me human."

XXX

One of the rooms of Yen Sid's tower was filled with beds in two straight lines. Mnemosyne sat on one of the beds, while Polyhymnia and Erato ran brushes through her long hair. Maia sat on the next bed, facing Mnemosyne.

"I'm sorry I lost control of my body," Mnemosyne said. "I was just in shock. I couldn't believe the information my eyes were sending to my brain."

"What was so shocking about that?" Maia asked. "I had always dreamed of a sweet kiss."

"I thought you were gay," Mnemosyne said flatly.

Maia looked confused. "Um, why did you think that?"

"The Playboys I found under your bed when I went to retrieve a lost book," Mnemosyne answered. "They were very well read."

"Playboys?" Maia frowned deeply, trying to remember. "Oh! Those. I was hiding them for Poly."

Polyhymnia flushed pink and almost dropped her brush. "Sappho, you promised to keep it a secret!" Everyone present turned to her, and her face deepened to a bright red. "I mean...Sappho! You big fat liar!"

"Fat?!" Maia repeated, annoyed.

"Maybe you can explain why you were so...extreme," Mnemosyne said. "You killed yourself over a man you just met. When every decision you made before was...rational."

"I acted rashly. I can admit that," Maia said. "But it's partly your fault too!"

"Calamity possessed my body!" Mnemosyne retorted. "How is that my fault?!"

"You kept me locked me up!" Maia retorted. "I was a teenager at the time! Teenagers are impulsive bags of hormones! And they don't like to be told no! Why did you have to be that way? All of your daughters are more sexually repressed than the legendarily frigid Snow Queen of Arendelle! Because you refused to let us date."

"I slept with mortal men to get pregnant, and look at how well my relationships turned out! They all left me!" Mnemosyne said. "I didn't want my daughters to end up the same way! Because mortal men leave or die!"

"So do as I say, not as I do?" Maia asked dryly. "A fine example you set."

Mnemosyne's face reddened.

"Perhaps it was stupid to want to run away with a man I met that day," Maia said. "But I'm glad I did. Because against all odds, I guessed right. Gordon is the one I want to spend eternity with. And when this is over, I'm going back to Destiny Islands with him and our son. I'm never coming back to that tomb you call a castle."

"All right, you're still mad at me," Mnemosyne said. "Duly noted."

"You're not going to argue further with me?" Maia asked.

"I've got about as much of a chance of winning as Sisyphus has getting the rock to stay on the hill," Mnemosyne said. "Part of a skill you pick up as an immortal is knowing when to quit."

"Good," Maia said. "I was getting tired." She slumped on the bed.

"Mother," Erato asked. "Did Calamity abscond with any of our sisters' souls? When she auto-materialized?"

"No," Mnemosyne answered. "I have Urania and Euterpe. I just need to regain some energy before I can materialize them."

Polyhymnia touched her chest and drew out two glowing essences. "I have Melpomene and Thalia. Clio has Terpsichore. That just leaves Calliope..."

Mnemosyne looked to Maia. "Sappho, if you would."

"I no longer have to obey commands from you," Maia replied coldly, staring at the ceiling instead of Mnemosyne. "Calliope will stay with me until you're ready to materialize her. And I'll be watching those materializations. If you try anything funny with my sisters' souls..."

"I would never hurt them," Mnemosyne retorted. "Or manipulate them, if that's what you're implying. I sealed your memory and reincarnated you as a human thinking it was best for you!"

"Oh, and using my soul as a safe for Kore's soul was best for me too?" Maia retorted. "Oh, and why were my sisters so shocked to see me? You let them believe I was dead. Was that really a good idea?"

"What was I supposed to say?! 'I stuck Kore's soul in your dead sister's soul and reincarnated her in a human body? And now I can't find Sappho if I want to because she's forgotten everything and only time will break the seal'?!" Mnemosyne cried out. "I'm sorry, but none of you came with an instruction manual!"

XXX

Sora and Roxas sat on Yen Sid's stone balcony in chairs, watching the starry sky.

"Say, Roxas," Sora began. "What did Mama mean when she said 'This is the best I can do'?"

"It means that..." Roxas stopped. "You see, my existence was never entirely stable. Nobodies fade. This body is essentially a copy of my old body."

"Um, I don't get it," Sora said. "What does that mean?"

"It means this body will eventually fail. Decay into nothing. And when that happens, I have to return to your heart, or risk dying. Which means I can't stray too far from you." Roxas smirked. "Guess that means you're stuck with me."

"You're going to die again?" Sora asked. "When?!"

"Don't know," Roxas replied. "Could be ten years, could be five. Could be one. Your mother was only able to create this temporary vessel on the fly."

"Could she create another one? One that's permanent?" Sora asked.

"You'd have to ask her," Roxas replied. "You see, most of the time when a Nobody is created, it is one of the generics. Humanoids are extremely rare. And it is very hard to replicate the event of making a humanoid Nobody. And harder still because I wasn't born in a traditional way. I was literally an accident. An imperfect materialization. So don't be too harsh on our mama. I don't know how long my original vessel would have lasted if I hadn't given it up." Roxas sighed. "I always turn this question over and over in my head: 'Was it worth it after all'? I suppose if I was already living on borrowed time, it was."

"Cheer up," Sora said. "You're out again now. And who knows? Maybe this new body will last a long time. Maybe you'll live to be a hundred!"

"But if I outlive you, what will I have to go back to?" Roxas asked.

Sora sighed. "All this thinking is making my head hurt. Why can't you just be happy? I finally get to meet you. Well, we did meet previously before, but you were kinda mean. Just throwing light spells at me for no reason and teasing me."

"Oh, yeah." Roxas smirked. "That was kind of fun, though."

"I'm glad someone enjoyed it," Sora retorted.

XXX

Once the hours of deliberations had passed, everyone gathered in Yen Sid's study. Yen Sid held the book of sorcery. Seven pieces of parchment were sticking out of the pages.

Yen Sid removed the first piece. "The first vote is yes." He set the slip of parchment down. He picked up another. "The second vote is yes."

The mood in the room tensed.

One by one, Yen Sid read each vote. The next four votes were yes. Finally, Yen Sid flipped through the pages of the book until he found the last slip. "The final vote," He turned it over. "Is also yes."

"No!" Sora stood up. "No." He walked up to the desk and peered over the ballots. He picked up the third one that had been read. "How could this have happened? I thought it would never be unanimous." He turned to Kairi. "Kairi, why?!" He held up the paper. "I know your handwriting anywhere. How can you be so reckless?!"

Both Sora's parents palmed their faces. Several of those present also exchanged glances that ranged from amused to exasperated.

Donald said what everyone else was thinking. "Um, you're yelling at Kairi in front of everyone for being reckless? The guy who stabbed himself in the chest?"

"I said, it seemed like a good idea at the time!" Sora retorted. "And I'm still here! Kairi and the others won't be here anymore!"

"Sora, I know I haven't been a very useful girlfriend," Kairi said. "All my life, I've reacted to the changes in my environment rather than creating those changes. I've relied on you, my parents, Riku, Naminé, even anonymous strangers. But I'm not going to be worthless anymore."

"You won't be anymore," Sora said, tears springing to his eyes. "Yen Sid said himself. Everyone involved is going to be reborn as an entirely new being! Why is no one else objecting to this?!"

"Because they were smart enough to prepare for a unanimous verdict," Riku said.

"What about you, Roxas?" Sora asked. "Are you okay with this?! Your girlfriend is going to die too!"

"Of course I'm not," Roxas said. "I've just had a few more hours to process this news."

"Sora, it isn't your choice to make," Mnemosyne said.

"Don't give me that!" Sora snapped. "What exactly are you doing, grandmother of mine?! Isn't this all your fault?! My aunts died trying to stop Calamity, while you did nothing!"

"Part of it is my fault," Mnemosyne said. "But if I could fix it, I would have already."

"Oh, really?" Sora said. "Why don't you fight Calamity? You have infinite power, don't you?"

"I can't, Sora," Mnemosyne said. "I can't fight her."

"Why not?!" Sora asked. "What can happen? You both die?"

"I only wish that were the case," Mnemosyne said. "I said it before, and I'll say it again: I cannot fight her."

"And I keep asking you why!" Sora cried. "Why should my family and friends have to suffer?"

"Because the worlds would end if she did," Mickey said. "It'd be like putting together a few tons of antimatter and matter together. Even if some worlds survived the initial event, they would be damaged by the energy released. Perhaps even irreparably."

"And we can't keep fighting like this," Riku said. "Sure, the Xehanort iterations are a headache and a bunch of grade-A assholes, but they aren't gods. They just want to be gods. Or a single god...I really don't understand their scheme, but they're not the problem right now..."

"Fighting her with just Keyblades and conventional weapons will take years and cost far more lives," Roxas observed. "I hate it, but it doesn't change the fact that Yen Sid is probably right."

"I guess we really are on the eve of destruction," Sora said. "I thought it was just an exaggeration." He sighed. "All the tears in the worlds won't change your mind, will it?"

Kairi hugged him.

"Just a minute," Alice said, walking up to Sora. "I never did thank you for Wonderland."

"You don't have to," Sora said. "It was my pleasure." He scratched his head. "Honestly, it feels so long ago. If you want to be technical, it was like fifteen years ago in real-time."

Alice kissed him on the cheek. "So I don't forget."

Sora flushed bright red. "...!"

Alice followed the other princesses, and either ignored or didn't notice the irate look from Kairi.

Yen Sid and Mickey stood at the head of the room. Each princess lay on one of the beds.

"I don't know whether to be impressed or appalled you gathered all the princesses and everything you needed for the ritual ahead of time," Mickey said dismally.

"If you wish to sit this out," Yen Sid said.

"No," Mickey replied. "My inaction has cost the happiness of my friends before. I won't let it happen again. Even if I have to take part in forbidden magics."

"Very well," Yen Sid said. He placed a golden goblet on the podium at the end of the room. "Pour the water."

Mickey picked up a gem-studded silver vessel and poured it into the goblet as Yen Sid began to chant.

The princesses started to writhe and moan in obvious pain on their beds.

"Why couldn't we have given them something to put them to sleep?" Mickey asked.

"It wouldn't have worked," Yen Sid replied. "The pain of having one's heart and soul can't be slept through. It would have more cruel to put them to sleep and have them wake up in such agony."

The princesses thrashed like patients afflicted with tetanus. After about ten minutes, one by one, they all passed out and were silent. Their bodies shined golden, and from each chest an orb rose. A red orb came from Aurora, an orange one from Jasmine, a yellow one from Snow White, a green orb from Belle, a blue orb from Cinderella, an indigo one from Kairi, and the final purple one from Alice. The orbs flew to the ceiling, just above Yen Sid's head. They hung in the air still, very close to one another. The water Mickey poured seemed to evaporate, turning to shimmering steam. The steam rose and surrounded the orbs, then seemed to solidify into a large, clear hexagonal crystal about ten inches in length. The orbs bounced serenely off the walls of the crystal and off each other. The crystal floated down toward Yen Sid, who fell silent. His hands closed around the facets of the crystal.

"It worked," Mickey said.

"It's too early to celebrate yet," Yen Sid said, moving quickly to the study, where his guests were waiting. Mickey trailed behind.

"It is done," Yen Sid announced to everyone in the study.

He walked to Naminé. "I need to hear this from you. Are you absolutely certain you wish to become the vessel?"

"Yes," Naminé replied.

Yen Sid nodded. He presented the crystal to Naminé. "When you are ready, shatter this crystal. But do not do so until you engage Calamity. It would even be best to weaken her first. The Maiden of Light's time is not limitless. A mortal vessel, even a Nobody, cannot contain such power for very long."

"I'm aware," Naminé said, taking the crystal. "Time itself has always been my enemy."

"Naminé," Sora said, holding out the Dainslef's Keychain. "Here."

"Why are you giving me this?" Naminé asked.

"The Dainslef belongs with Kore," Sora replied. "It'll be more effective in her...your...hands."

"But what will you use?" Naminé asked.

"Are you kidding?" Sora held up his keyring of spare Keyblade chains. "I have more of these than I know what to do with!"

"Let's go," Mickey said.

"Your Majesty," Clio said. "My remaining sisters and I will protect the princesses' vessels."

"Are you sure?" Mickey asked.

"I'm sure," Clio said. "Though the princes are valiant fighters, they need to be alone at this time to grieve. It's too much to ask them to ask them to protect the shells of the women they love."

"Not like there's anything left," Erato said bitterly.

"Be that as it may," Polyhymnia said, elbowing Erato. "They have a sacred duty, and they obviously consider this to be honoring it. So let us help them honor their existence as the seven Pure Hearts."

"Good luck," Clio said.

Sora, his parents, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Riku, Roxas, and Naminé used the teleport stone in the study to go to the grassy hills below Yen Sid's Tower.

"Such deja vu," Sora observed. "I began my last adventure here. And you know, Dream Drop Distance begins here. And Kingdom Hearts III will probably feature this location."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Maia said.

"Right," Sora said.

"Aren't you in a bit of a hurry?" came a voice. Everyone turned around.

The speaker was Hades. He was flanked by Loki and Gant. All three looked smug.

"I guess bad news really does come in threes," Riku said.

Hades ignored him and continued to speak. "Were this story one of the games, this would be the final save point and you could do side quests. Like the mainline Kingdom Hearts games, where you could do the Hades Cup. And who is the final opponent of every Hades Cup? Me!"

Sora palmed his face. "Winning the Hades Cup in two consecutive numbered games wasn't enough for you?"

"Oh, no, it was totally impressive. I mean, it WOULD HAVE been if you weren't cheating," Hades flared red. "You were head and shoulders above the competition, being semi-divine! I knew it was suspicious that you won solo against Hercules! Who else but a god could stand up to the mighty Hercules?!" He returned to his normal blue hue. "But hey, I'm a forgiving type of guy. Rather than demand you enter another series of Coliseum tournaments, all you have to do to get to Calamity is defeat the three of us."

"Oh, you have to got to be kidding me!" Roxas said. "Why don't you see if we defeat Calamity, and then if you still feel like fighting, then we'll kick your sorry cans!"

"I'm afraid we can't do that," Loki said serenely.

"It's not like those dead princess bodies are going anywhere," Hades said.

"How dare you," Gordon replied. "Aren't you supposed to be reverent toward the dead? They're your subjects, after all."

"It's not like I chose to be the Lord of the Dead," Hades snapped. "What's the hurry to get to Calamity? You did your soul-sucking ritual. Your little volunteer vessel is going to eat the souls when you get to Calamity and then she'll die too."

"No, we'll win," Sora retorted.

Gant smirked. "I'm a man who believes in signs and prophesies. And you know what it said? That the Maiden of Light and Amityville would fight, and 'oblivion swallows them both.' Is losing the Maiden – or rather, the seven hearts and souls of the Princesses of Heart that form her – considered winning?"

"Wait, that prophecy referred to the fight between Kore and Calamity in antiquity," Roxas said.

"Are you certain?" Gant asked, smirking. "The prophecy specifies the Maiden of Light, not Kore Noble. And Miss Noble always did emphatically deny being the Maiden of legend. Who can really say if it wasn't referring to the upcoming battle between your soon-to-be-born Maiden of Light and the dear Queen of Oblivion?"

"But if the Princesses of Heart get lost to Oblivion...?" Goofy asked.

"Then darkness will rule all," Hades finished. "So maybe it's you yutzes who should be backing away from Calamity."

"But if darkness swallows everything, what will you happen to you?" Gordon demanded.

"Hey, did you see me worrying when Maleficent tried to use the seven Princesses?" Hades asked. "No."

"Darkness has no power over us," Loki said. "So if you fight Calamity and she ends up destroying the Princesses of Heart, or if you guys just turn around and put those seven pure souls back where they belong, it's nothing to us."

"This has got to be a bluff," Roxas said. "They're just spouting nonsense, hoping we'll be too scared to confront their boss. Who's too much of a cowardly bitch to just face us! So I say we just wipe the floor with them."

"Mr. Gant," Gordon said. "If I may ask you...you're not a god -"

"Let me stop you right there, Light Daddy," Gant said.

"Light Daddy?" Gordon asked. "That's a silly nickname."

"It's the best I could come up at the moment," Gant said. "I take it you were going to try to appeal to my conscience and try to get me to switch sides using my natural fear of death," Gant said. "I already killed an honest cop in cold blood, and I killed an honest prosecutor for no reason than I could use his murder as a pretext for my political advancement. So I'd rather not you waste your breath." He smirked. "But you guys...nothing personal. We're on opposite sides. And killing you won't get me things I want."

"I figured it was worth a shot," Gordon said. "If I could get you to run away or surrender peacefully."

"Believe me," Loki interrupted. "Hades and I don't like this mortal, either. But the three of us make a solid team."

"Really? You gods aren't going to be snobby about this?" Gordon asked. "What kind of gods are you if a mortal can fight beside you?"

"I may be mortal," Gant replied. "But I have something my divine friends lack."

"And what is that?" Loki asked.

"I'm the final boss of my game!" Gant answered with a smirk.

"K, he's got us there," Loki admitted.

"Yes, he does," Hades said. "And they had me play second fiddle to Maleficent, who is second fiddle to whatever incarnation of Xehanort is causing trouble. That stings!"

"Ugh, Hades, you really have no right to complain here. At least you're in the Kingdom Hearts games, and pretty much all of them at that," Loki said. "I'm in the same world as you, and I haven't been in a single one!"

"Why don't you just talk to the producer?" Sora asked. "You know how the series is all about gratuitous cameos."

"Because he wanted me to wear a horned helmet!" Loki said. "Not only are they historically inaccurate, the fans might mistake me for the Avengers Loki. Since Disney owns Marvel now."

"They wouldn't mistake you for that Loki," Riku said. "He's a lot better looking than you."

"Now that's just mean!" Loki retorted.

Roxas raised the Oblivion. "You jerks might be two gods and a pathetic silver haired mortal, but guess what? So are Sora, myself, and Riku!" He frowned. "I'm trying. Why am I not glowing and sprouting wings? The moment's so perfect."

Riku palmed his face. "I'm not even going to dignify what you just said with a response."

"So I can't exactly look the part of a badass avenging god," Roxas admitted. "So what? I could still take all three of you!"

"We're waiting," Loki said.

Roxas drew both his Keyblades and ran toward Hades, jumping over the balls of fire that Hades was throwing at him. He landed a strong combo of four hits with each Keyblade.

Hades flared red again and his arms turned to orange flame, and he charged toward Roxas.

"Yipe!" Roxas ran back to get out of range. He returned to where the rest of the party waited.

"Didn't you learn to not poke a bear?!" Naminé asked, annoyed.

"What are you, my mother?!" Roxas retorted. He panted. "So what? I'm a little out of practice, but..."

Mickey took a stance similar to Sora's Wisdom Form, running across the battlefield and firing Pearl shots in rapid succession.

Riku ran forward, expertly dodging icicles from Loki and lightning bolts from Gant. He got to Loki and swung his Keyblade. There was a sickening crunch as the blade met Loki's abdomen.

"Don't be too smug, second-string hero!" Loki snarled, righting himself.

"That would sting," Riku replied. "If you weren't a blatant rehash of Hades."

"Rehash of Hades?" Loki repeated. "What are you talking about?"

"You didn't notice?" Riku asked dryly.

"I am not a rehash!" Loki retorted. "I'm my own character! Tell them, Gant!"

Gant hesitated.

"What?" Loki snapped. "Spit it out."

"You are a rehash." Gant said. He added as Loki shot him a scowl. "You said to..."

"I know what I said!" Loki retorted. "Why am I a rehash?"

"We have to explain it to you?!" Sora asked.

"Yes," Loki said.

"But we're in the middle of a fight!" Sora said.

"No, we're not. Not until you explain why I'm a rehash!" Loki said. "I'm ice, he's fire. How different can we get?"

"Seriously?" Hades asked.

"Why not?" Gant said. "I could use a breather."

"Fine," Sora said, sighing. "You have the exact same color scheme."

"That doesn't mean anything!" Loki replied.

"You wanted to take over Asgard, just like Hades wanted to rule Olympus?" suggested Donald.

"To take over the world is the motive of 90% of all villains out there," Loki said. "Vaynie Solidor wants to rule all of Ivalice, even though he was set to inherit a whole empire when his dad croaked. Mr. Gant here wanted supreme power over both the police force and the legal system even though it totally violates the Montesquieu principle of checks and balances...need I go on?"

"You sound alike?" Goofy suggested.

Maia sighed. "How about the fact they both talk like used car salesmen?"

"You both used giant monsters to help you?" Sora supplied.

Mickey smirked. "One of your lines was a takeoff of one of Hades'?"

"I came first?" Hades added. "What?" He asked off everyone's surprised expressions.

"Et tu, Hades?" Loki asked.

"Hey, just because we're friends doesn't mean I can't call you out on your unoriginality, okay?" Hades retorted. "It's not like you've ever threatened to sue other trickster gods for copying your schtick."

"At least I have a wife and several girlfriends," Loki replied. "And you have...a restraining order? I didn't even know those existed in Ancient Greece."

Hades sounded disgustingly prideful at his next statement: "They invented them just for me."

Loki shook his head. "Let's just get back to the topic at hand. Hey, dumbass heroes! Have you ever seen Hades do this?" He raised his right hand as a very large and complex spell seal spread out from under his feet. Thousands of razor-sharp ice spikes materialized around the party, surrounding them from all sides. "Nifleheim!"

The ice spikes fell down, and Sora and Riku twirled their Keyblades in rapid succession, deflecting every single ice spike and sending them flying away to land harmlessly in the grass, where they began to melt in the sun.

"Seriously?" Sora asked.

"Ripping off one of Xemnas' attacks in a Kingdom Hearts story?!" Riku asked.

"That was coincidental," Loki said. "And video game companies rip off each other all the time, so why can't video game characters? And are we really going there?"

"Yes, we are," Sora said. "We can call out the Kingdom Hearts writers and level designers, if you want. Since most of the levels rehash the stories of the original works. And everyone is automatically friends with me. It's nice that I don't have to try to make friends or establish trust, but it sometimes makes me uncomfortable. Like I'm in a Mary Sue fanfiction story."

"Hey, I was stronger than one of Disney's biggest badasses, and do I feel bad at all about that? Not a bit," Riku said smugly.

"Are we not fighting anymore?" Maia asked. "Are we just trading insults at this point?"

"All right, break time's over," Loki said, throwing balls of non-elemental magic energy rapid fire.

"I think we may have made him upset with our comments of calling him a rehash," Mickey said.

"We're just calling them as we see them," Riku reasoned. Meanwhile, Gant and Hades resumed their own strategy of throwing balls of fire and lightning bolts.

Meanwhile, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Maia and Gordon had taken shelter at the base of a hill near the edge of the battlefield, as their speed and agility weren't quite sufficient to try to approach Hades, Loki, and Gant.

"Needless to say, Hades absorbs fire, Loki absorbs ice, and Gant absorbs thunder. The three most common magic elements," Donald said, annoyed. "Mrs. Pleiades and I can cast different elements, but what about the rest of you?

"I think I might have an idea," Gordon said. "Sora, are you with me?"

"Of course," Sora said. "I'm glad we're getting to fight together, even if these jerks aren't playing fair."

"Bad guys aren't known for fighting fair," Maia said.

Sora clinked his Keyblade against Gordon's Illumina. "Let's do this." Both sword and Keyblade glowed white. Each one released a beam of similarly shiny white energy, and the two beams curled into a double spiral. "Double Ray of Brilliance!" Both announced.

The spiraling energy passed a foot next to Gant.

"You missed!" Loki said triumphantly. "And magic attacks almost never miss. You two suck at life."

"We didn't miss," Sora said happily.

"You see, elemental immunities and bonus multipliers go both ways. Also: look behind you." Gordon said with a smirk.

Hades, Loki, and Gant turned around despite themselves. Roxas had moved into position while Gordon and Sora were performing their attack. He was floating, and glowing a brilliant white.

"Uh oh," Gant said as burning white flames spread from Roxas' body across the battlefield, enveloping everything in its path. Even the grass and trees were not spared.

When the smoke cleared, Gant was charred black. He coughed out a few puffs of smoke. "No, Mama, honestly, I wasn't playing with matches! That was all Blaise!" Then he passed out.

"You okay, Hades?" Loki asked. Both he and Hades were covered in a thin of layer of soot.

"I've had better days," Hades replied.

"Yeah, that actually...hurt," Loki agreed.

Roxas descended to the scorched, blackened ground and sank to one knee, using the Oblivion Keyblade as an impromptu cane. "Ugh. Can we not do that again?"

"Are you okay?" Sora called.

"I'll live," Roxas replied. "But I might glow in the dark for a while."

Loki stopped his onslaught. "Keyblades sure hurt."

"You got your face burned off over and over again with acid spit," Hades snapped. "And you're worried about Keyblades?"

"I mean, they can't kill me, but I'm wasting my time here," Loki said. "We were told to buy time, and I'd say Calamity got a good ten minutes out of this. So why don't we just cut our losses?"

Hades palmed his face. "Has anyone ever told you that you're a lazy, spineless goldbrick?!"

"Eh, stop," Loki said with a smirk. "You'll make me blush!" He turned the party. "Bye for now. I hope we meet again." He faded away with only some whisps of white smoke to mark where he had been.

"Keep dreaming," Riku said.

"So it's down to the one pain in the butt," Sora said. "Got anything more to say, Hades, now that you have no one to absorb other aggro?"

"You think this victory really means anything?" Hades asked. "I'm immortal, and I'm everyone's favorite recurring boss, so suck it, Maleficent! You key-swinging brats will never be rid of me, ever!"

"That's true enough," Riku said. "But you're gonna get the crap kicked out of you in every game, so I don't know why you're bragging about that."

"Oy, don't remind me," Hades said. "But hey, at least I got more scenes than I usually do in the games, so I still consider that a win. And I've already been confirmed in Kingdom Hearts III, so...until next time, kiddies." He smirked and vanished, leaving only small blue flames behind.

"Who's going to clean this mess up?" Gordon asked, gesturing to the ruined landscape. "Yen Sid's gonna kill us if he sees this."

"I'm sure his insurance will cover it," Roxas said with an eye roll. "Loki and Hades did most of it. And they're gods, and his policy probably does cover 'acts of god.'"

Gordon sighed. "My life's going to be a lot harder now that you're around, isn't it?"

"You have no idea," Roxas replied.

Mnemosyne materialized in the middle of the grass. Where she landed, the grass returned to vibrant, green life, at a faster rate than when Sora restored the field during the fight with Nyarlathotep. The ground under her right foot shimmered and seemed to fade as something white appeared to rise to the surface.

"More magic crystal," Mickey said dismally. "Ordinary drills will dull within a few minutes."

"Calamity is trying to buy time," Mnemosyne informed everyone. "This variety of Astral Crystal has only one weakness. Divine Materialize Energy."

"Well, aren't you like a wellspring of Divine Materialize Energy?" Mickey asked.

"Calamity drained most of it from my body while she was possessing me," Mnemosyne explained sadly. "And the little I have left I need to materialize my fallen daughters as well as maintain my own body functions." She yawned. "I can tell I'm going to need a long nap after this."

"Thanks for creating a path to Calamity," Donald said.

Mnemosyne bowed. "You all saved me. It's the least I can do. I was aware that you could use your Keyblades to open a pathway to the part of the Astral Plane my sister is walled in, but I wanted you to save your energy for the fight ahead."

"We can handle the rest," Mickey said. "At least, I hope we can."

"Very well, King," Mnemosyne responded, teleporting away in the blink of an eye. She reappeared in the window of Yen Sid's tower and waved. Goofy and Sora waved back.

"I've got an idea." Maia summoned her weapon, the Hikari-no-Tsurugi, making sure to levitate it by her side instead of gripping it. "Sir Goofy?" She asked. "Could I see the Makai Wars?"

Goofy dug in his pockets and tossed out a handful of lint, some spare shields, a few potions and ethers, and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Shield Combat (foreword by Vexen) before taking out the gauntlet. (Don't ask). "Hyuck, thanks for reminding me, Mrs. Pleiades. I forgot I was carrying this thing."

"Well, that wasback in Chapter 13," Roxas said. "We're on...holy crap, Chapter 30?!

Maia ignored Roxas' comments and proffered the gauntlet to Sora. "If you wear this, you can use the Hikari-no-Tsurugi. Don't touch it with your bare hand," Maia said. "It's a Divine Weapon made of pure DME, and it's all yours."

Sora put the Makai Wars on his right hand and took the Hikari-no-Tsurugi. He admired the bright light of the weapon. "But I can't accept such a gift!"

"Don't argue," Maia said. "I won't be needing this anymore. I'm never going back. The bloody thing nearly killed me already. Use it to break through the barrier."

Sora nodded and pressed the Hikari-no-Tsurugi against the barrier. It was like holding a butter knife against a concrete block. He pushed it harder. Beads of sweat popped out along his forehead.

"Need some help?" Roxas asked dryly.

"Are you offering?" Sora retorted.

Roxas laced his hands together and kneeled. "I'll give you a boost."

Sora nodded. "Okay. We'll do this together." He set his foot on Roxas' hands and used it to jump high into the air. Roxas immediately stood back up, gathered a large ball of white light energy, and threw it to Sora, who had reached the apex of his jump. Sora caught the energy using the Hikari-no-Tsurugi, which glowed brightly. Then Sora hurled the glowing sword with all his might at the crystalline barrier.

The sword met the barrier with a crash, followed by a sound akin to glass shattering. Pieces of clear crystal and small balls of light flew from a ragged four feet in diameter hole in the barrier.

Sora drifted back to the ground. "The sword...shattered?"

"Aren't you glad Keyblades are much more sturdy?" Riku quipped.

Naminé stared at the hole. She reached into her pocket and drew out the clear crystal, and held it to her chest.

"It isn't too late," Roxas said to her. "You can change your mind. We can still put the souls back into their bodies at this point."

"We can't," Naminé answered. "They trusted me with their memories and essences to bring the tomorrow that they won't be alive to see. But there won't be a tomorrow if Calamity remains alive. We have to win."

Roxas extended his hand. "Then we'll go together."

Naminé clasped Roxas' hand and they jumped into the void.

Riku sighed. "I just hope jumping headfirst into this darkness doesn't come back to bite me." He leaped in as well.

"Donald, Goofy?" Mickey asked. "Are you sure you want to go with me?"

"Do ya even have to ask?" Goofy asked.

"We've been to the ends of the worlds," Donald said. "Like we're going to quit now!"

"You're our king, and Sora's our friend, and nothing will ever change those facts!" Goofy said.

Mickey smiled. "Then let's go." He jumped into the gaping void, followed by Donald and then Goofy.

Sora turned to his parents and hugged them. "I'll be back soon. Please, keep Kairi's body safe until then..." He shook his head. "I remember how they all looked. The Princesses, back in Hollow Bastion. We're doing the same thing Maleficent did."

"No," Gordon said. "They did this willingly. Maleficent's dark techniques of tearing out their hearts is a pale imitation of them using their true power. They believe in you, Sora. They saw you save so many broken worlds the first time."

"I guess I can't put this off any longer," Sora said, positioning himself at the edge of the hole.

The ground started to shake violently, and the hole started to close. Sora stumbled and fell in. He instinctively caught the edge.

"Sora!" Maia cried, grabbing onto Sora with her right hand and using her left hand to try to push the hole back open with magic.

"I hope you can forgive me," Sora said.

"For what?" Maia asked.

"This," Sora said, letting go of Maia's hand. The hole closed immediately after him.

"Sora!" Maia cried. She pounded at the reformed shell. "You're still losing your dessert privileges for this! For a solid month!" She sighed. "If he comes back to lose those privileges."

"You know our son's practically made of elastic," Gordon said reassuringly.

"He always cuts it so close, though," Maia retorted.

XXX

Sora tumbled down into the darkness, hitting one of the crystal walls and landing on his rear on the floor of a very dim chamber. "Owww!"

Mickey cast a quick light spell. The group's faces flickered in the light.

"Not really much of a reception," Riku said.

"Maybe she's already in her death throes," Roxas suggested.

"When are we ever that lucky?" Riku asked.

"Like, all the time?" Donald observed. "We already mentioned how ridiculous it was for us to guess the password for Ansem's computer on the first try when we literally had a one in seven factorial chance. Let's try another example. The fact Sora was able to come back at all after dissolving into nothing and getting his soul broken into a million pieces?! Twice?! Seriously, Sora's luck makes Gladstone Gander's look like Ashton Anchors'."

"You know what I mean," Riku said. "Just because we wish for something doesn't mean it'll come."

"The universe is really in the habit of granting wishes," Roxas said. "If you think about it. As a fragment of Sora's soul, I must have wished to be free, and I got my wish. I wished for a heart, and I got one. Sora wished to see a bunch of worlds, and he got it. Naminé wished for love, and she got me! Right, Naminé? Don't you wish we could do it right now if that stupid bitch Calamity doesn't regain power with every passing second?"

Naminé pinched the bridge of her nose; apparently too exhausted to palm her face. "Roxas, I reiterate: more important things to think about right now!"

"Carpe diem," Roxas said. "Axel's philosophy of life."

"And how exactly did that work out for him?" Riku asked.

Roxas said nothing.

"Didn't he like...blow up?" Riku asked.

"Come on," Donald said. "A dynamic character with the ability to survive certain death in a questionable death scene leaving no corpse? One of the biggest cliches in the book!"

Goofy sniffled. "Yup, I guess we won't be seeing him again!"

"Goofy, you're missing the...ugh. Forget it." Donald sighed. "I guess we should find Calamity before she gets stronger."

The group of seven proceeded down a long hallway. After about twenty minutes of silent walking, the path opened to a large, roundish chamber, lit almost all the way with bright blue light. The light was coming from a giant crystal in the middle of the chamber, in which Kore's soul remained motionless.

Calamity herself was sitting on the clear floor, near the base of the crystal. Her black hair was loose and had seemingly grown a foot since the last battle.

Sora cleared his throat. "I am Sorrel Pleiades, grandson to the true Queen of Memory, grandson to the current Lord Pleiades, Chosen Wielder of the Keyblade who...should really be a master by now, but um. Shoot," He dug into one of his pouches and pulled out three index cards. "Can I do that over? I practiced for this, but I guess I didn't do it enough."

"I think she knows who you are," Roxas said.

"Well, dramatic intros never hurt Darkwing Duck," Sora replied. "The act of delivering those intros, well, that's another story."

"Were you going to add an 'I will punish you in the name of Kingdom Hearts?'" Donald asked dryly. "Because I think Sailor Moon might have a few choice words for you on that."

"Because Kingdom Hearts is a moon?" Goofy asked.

Donald rolled his eyes. "Yes, Goofy. Because Kingdom Hearts appears as a heart-shaped moon!"

"Spare me," Calamity said. "I'm not really in the mood to hear a certain pedantic grand-nephew of mine go on about how 'this ends now.' I can see what you're doing. What you've done. What I said before applies: will you be able to live with the choices you made?"

"What do you mean by that?" Donald asked sourly. "It's not like we killed your nieces."

"I killed seven little girls?" Calamity retorted. "I'm getting tired of repeating myself, but if I must. Melpomene: accident. Thalia: accident. Urania: murdered by someone else. Euterpe: suicide in a failed self-sacrifice. Calliope: suicide in a fairly successful self-sacrifice. Terpsichore: fell on a grenade, or rather, Electric Haircut." Calamity wrinkled her nose. "I'm sure this has been said before, but what a stupid name. What was Lezard thinking?"

"Lezard Valeth is not all there," Mickey commented.

"So that wasn't his whole body we saw?" Goofy asked. "He looked complete to me."

Donald groaned. "Goofy..."

"And Kore? The seventh little girl...well, she wasn't a little girl. She was in her seventies," Riku said, bringing the tangent to a close. "It's obvious you killed her and framed Mnemosyne."

"I did," Calamity said. "But she killed me first. But we're moving away from my point. You killed seven maidens, too. The Princesses of Heart, the only pure hearts and souls. You intend to merge them, not caring about the consequences. And I cannot let that happen." Calamity stood up. "As a guardian of Kingdom Hearts, you will face judgment..."

"No! You don't get to lecture us on morality!" Sora snapped. "You are a grandly unbalanced, um, what's the word I'm thinking of...?"

"Sociopath?" Riku suggested.

"Psycho Bitch?" Roxas also said.

"Right, both of those," Sora continued. "What's your problem? Are you just incapable of being nice?"

"I admit the things I've done to Mnemosyne aren't nice," Calamity answered. "But well-deserved, given the circumstances. Everything I've done since awakening has been to punish Mnemosyne for turning on me. But when my vengeance was served, I fully intended for us to return to our joint duty."

Roxas burst into baffled laughter. "Really? You thought Mnemosyne would still stand in the same space as you, let alone work with you, after you tormented and outright killed her daughters? Lady, you're more delusional than Xemnas."

"I don't want to see her anymore," Calamity said. "I'm done. But I got what I wanted here." She gestured behind her. "Kore's soul. So one last chance. You leave me alone with Kore. I open the door, let you out, and seal it behind you. You tell my pillars their servitude to me is over and they can do as they please. You create your own seal, if you wish. I won't be leaving here. Ever."

"You'll be leaving here," Roxas snarled. "In a body bag!"

"I didn't think you'd accept my proposal, but it was worth a try," Calamity said, standing up to her full- yet-not-quite-threatening height. "Very well. Take Kore from me."

Sora took out his brightly colored Drive Orbs. He handed the red orb to Goofy, the blue orb to Donald, the orange orb to Riku, the yellow orb to Mickey, and the silver orb to Roxas. He kept the white orb for himself. "Each of you activate your orb, but throw it as far away from yourself as possible. Otherwise, your soul will be drawn into my body."

"And I can speak from personal experience that it isn't fun!" Roxas quickly snarked.

"Yes, driving wasn't a picnic for Goofy and me either even before we knew you were in there," Donald remarked. "But whatever...Goofy?"

Goofy nodded and tossed the red orb into the air. "Valor power!"

Donald did likewise with the blue orb. "Wisdom power!"

Riku threw the orange orb upward. "Limit power!"

"Master power!" Mickey followed suit with the yellow orb.

Roxas hurled his silver orb. "Final power!"

And lastly, Sora pitched the white orb. "Judgment power!"

The Drive Orbs hung in the air, each glowing their respective colors. Then they shattered at once. Six brightly colored surges of energy flowed from the broken orbs and engulfed the room. Then it dissipated, just as quickly as it had appeared.

The crystal containing Kore's soul was no longer intact. There were not even fragments of crystal to mark where it had been. Only Kore's soul, a serene white orb, remained. It floated gently to Naminé.

"Kore!" Calamity cried. "No! Give it back!"

Naminé simply took out the large clear crystal in which the other Princesses' essences remained, and broke it in half. Seven essences – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet – osmosed into Naminé's body, along with the white essence.

"So you really would spite me by destroying Kore?" Calamity said.

Naminé's body glowed golden, a glow which intensified and did not fade. A barrier of shimmery golden crystal materialized around her and shielded her from view.

"Where's the Maiden?" Goofy asked.

Calamity palmed her face. "What? You thought Naminé was going to go 'poof' and turn into the Maiden?"

"Yes," Goofy said.

"This is rich," Calamity said. "That's not going to happen instantly."

"So what's with the crystal?" Roxas asked.

Calamity folded her arms. "You know how in magical girl anime, the magical girl transforms and is usually naked? And there are either strategically placed objects to cover the essentials, or she's shown only in silhouette? To keep the rating down? I suspect that's what at play here."

"Wait!" Roxas interrupted. "You mean Naminé's naked in there?!"

"Probably," Calamity said. "Inside that crystal, she's transforming and will soon be reborn as the Maiden of Light."

Roxas drew the Oblivion. "I demand to see my girlfriend naked!" He slammed it against the crystal, only for the Keyblade to halt with a loud clang and Roxas to vibrate comically.

Riku palmed his face. "Dumbass." He turned to Sora. "And what was that? How did you know those Drive Orbs would do that?!"

"We had to use a large surge of Divine Materialize Energy to get Kore out," Sora replied. "And Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather told me that the Drive Orbs are made of crystallized DME, just like the Divine Weapons."

"But the Drive Orbs all shattered!" Goofy cried.

"How are you going to go into Judgment Form? Or any other form?" Donald asked. "You can only dual-wield while you're in a form!"

"Remember when Riku took the Keyblade and I told him that my friends were my power?" Sora asked.

"Of course," Donald said. "That was shortly before you decided to try to save Kairi with suicide."

"Same principle here," Sora explained. "You, Goofy, and me are friends. And if we spend time apart, or if I lose my Keyblade, or even both...that bond will never be broken. The Drive Orbs and even the Keyblade are just things. Watch." His clothes faded to white, and wings sprouted from his back. In addition to the white clothes, radiant glow, and wings of his previous Judgment Form, Sora also sported clear but shiny pieces of armor: leg guards that resembled the upper part of greaves extending from just below his pants to just above his large shoes, arm guards that extended from the edge of his fingerless gloves to the elbow, and shoulder pads that fit over the shoulders of his jacket.

"Nice," Roxas said. "Why can't I transform like that? I'm part god too!"

"Maybe because you're an abomination that should never have existed?" Riku added.

Roxas sighed. "Riku, have you ever heard the rule 'if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.' Except if you followed it, I don't think you'd say anything."

Calamity had taken off her boots and was rubbing her stockinged feet. "I've been fully materialized for only three hours or so and my feet are already killing me. Of course, you men wouldn't understand how it feels to wear stiletto boots!"

"Um, why haven't you attacked?" Riku asked. "Not even Naminé absorbed the souls, or when Sora took his Judgment Form. Do your shoes hurt that much? Maybe you should consider some orthotics. Or perhaps some different shoes? Like, practical ones?"

"As I said, I rather like Sora," Calamity said. "He's my grand-nephew, and I shouldn't be spilling his blood. As for Naminé...or the Maiden, rather, I'm curious. This gambit has never been used before. I'd like to see what happens. And there's a good reason your plan will fail."

"Are you seeing something we can't?" Mickey asked.

"It's simple," Calamity said. "The Maiden of Light has been artificially created by blending the Princesses' and Kore's heart and soul complexes together. Nine sets of memories and personalities, if you count Naminé. When elements blend together to make compounds, the end result might be entirely different from the source materials. So I think parts of each source maid will be suppressed in the final Maiden of Light. Meaning she won't have all of their memories. Or she could have no memory at all. So...she might not attack me."

"We shall see," Mickey said.

"Um, how long does this take?" Donald asked.

"How should I know?" Calamity retorted. "Like I said: never been done before."

"It's kind of like cooking something for the first time," Goofy observed.

"Cooking?" Riku asked. "She's a Deus Ex Machina, not a bun in the oven!"

That's when the crystalline structure containing Naminé began to shatter. Cracks appeared across the surface and widened. Crystal fragments flew through the air like shrapnel, revealing the Maiden of Light.

She resembled Naminé: short stature, pale skin tone, light blonde hair worn loosely, and delicate curves. There were a few differences: her body radiated a glow that was much softer than the bright glow she had when Naminé absorbed the essences, her eyes were no longer blue but gray like Kore's, and she looked a few years older.

The Maiden wore a white dress, but it was floor length. It gleamed, even in the dim light of the chamber. The dress skirt had seven prominent flounces. It was sleeveless, but the Maiden's arms were covered almost to the shoulder in white gloves. Earrings that resembled pointy crystals dangled from her ears. Finally, the Maiden wore a delicate-looking silver tiara on her head that held a gossamer veil in place.

Calamity moved forward.

The Maiden reflexively took a step back. She raised her arm and the Dainslef Keyblade materialized. "Your sins lay heavy on you," she said in Naminé's voice. "By the power vested in me by Kingdom Hearts, I shall exact justice upon you!"

"Great," Calamity said to her. "You just had to inherit Kore's hatred of me, didn't you?"

The Maiden looked at her, as if confused. "Am I not Kore?"

"You are," Calamity replied. "But you are also Naminé, Kairi, Belle, Cinderella, Alice, Aurora, Snow White, and Jasmine."

The Maiden hesitated, then spoke. "Yes. Those names feel right. And," She turned to Riku, Sora, Mickey, Roxas, Donald, and Goofy. "If you gentlemen would help me end this. She comes unwanted by all."

Calamity's body radiated bright red energy. "Fine, little girl. Just try it."

To Be Continued

Author's Note:

Donald mentions Sora's good fortune and says it puts Gladstone Gander's to shame. More specifically, he says that it makes Gladstone's look like Ashton Anchors' luck. Note that Ashton Anchor's LUC stat hovers at about zero for most of Star Ocean: Second Story/Second Evolution.