This story is based off of a dream I had. I decided to take the idea and expand on it. I haven't decided on an ending yet and barely know what's going to happen beyond chapter three, but I promise it'll be good. Look what happened to "Bond of Flame" and that was originally suppose to be a one-shot. ;)

Saving the Lost

Chapter One

How did this happen?...How could everything have boiled down the this? Why did this have to happen to me...?

Thoughts like this kept swirling the young boy's mind as he sat on the cold stone floor, chained to the wall by his wrists. His clothes, which were once rich in color and contained a special power were now ripped, torn and faded, their power long gone. His once bright, kind eyes were now soulless and defeated. The one power he still wielded he refused to wield, for it had caused nothing but death and destruction.

The only form of comfort he had left, was knowing that his only surviving friend was in the next cell over. He couldn't see him, but he knew he was there. The two best friends had once shared a dream to leave their home seek out new worlds, to see new places and meet new people. To share grand adventures and discover what destiny had in store for them. That was over two years ago, if the boy could take it all back, he would and he never would have left his island. He would rather have met his fate at the hands of the heartless; the very creatures he had sworn to destroy.

As far as the boy was concerned he was as good as dead. He no longer had the strength to go on. His body was bruised, broken and bleeding. His fighting spirit and normal carefree nature had long since died and it wouldn't be long before his body did the same.

A commotion down the hall alerted the two prisoners that they were about to have a visitor. The boy was used to this. It was too soon for meal time. His usual slop didn't arrive 'til sunset. Perhaps it was the witch herself, coming to gloat and boast of her ultimate triumph. It turned out to be neither as several Neo-soldier heartless came down the hall with new shackles. They past the first boy's cell and stopped at the cell of their most hated and feared enemy.

The boy was unchained from the wall and forced to his feet. One of the heartless was forced to help the boy stand as they slapped on the new shackles and began pulling him out.

As they passed by the other occupied cell the silver-hair teen got a glimpse at his friend and the horrible condition he was in. Riku could barely believe his eyes. He had never seen his best friend like that and it scared him. So much so, that he couldn't believe it really was him.

"Where are you taking him?" Riku demanded as he launched himself at the bars. He managed to grab Sora's sleeve and refused to let go.

"Sora! You've got to snap out of it! We can still turn this around! Things look hopeless now, but it's not impossible! We can still win!"

Riku tried to revive his friend's fighting spirit. It was hard as it was usually Sora who was the encouraging voice of their team. But, Sora wasn't the same person after the torture he had been through.

"What's the point? She's gone because of me."

Riku was taken aback by Sora's response. He was about to talk some sense into his friend when the heartless succeeded in separating the two, forcing Riku away from the bars long enough to pull Sora away and lead him back up the stairs.

"It wasn't your fault, Sora!" Riku cried out to his friend.

"It wasn't your fault!"

The dungeon doors slammed, cutting off any further outbursts.

Sora was led outside, into the courtyard of what used to be the beautiful garden of Disney Castle. Now renamed The Forbiddon Palace, it had been transformed to look more like Maleficent's previous home in the Forbidden Mountains. She was standing in the courtyard center. Other people who had been summoned from different worlds to watch the event stood along the edges, while trying to be careful of the sharp thorns that snaked around the walls like devious serpant-like vines.

As Sora was forced to kneel before Maleficent he took a moment to glance around at his surroundings. He recognized some of the people. Pinocchio and his father, Gepetto were there. Scrooge Mc'Duck was there, as was Jack Skellington, Jack Sparrow and Aladdin.

"My, my, such a big crowd for such a special occasion. Allow me to be the first to thank you all for attending." Maleficent began as she addressed the crowd.

"It wasn't by choice, Ya wicked lass!" Scrooge huffed in a foul temper. He remembered how rudely the messengers had treated him and the threat in the invitation to anyone who refused.

Maleficent seemed hurt by his reply. "Why, Mr. Mc'Duck, surely you wouldn't miss out on something as important as this; the last chapter in my magnificent triumph."

"There's nothing magnificent about killing the innocent!" He retorted.

"Innocent?" Maleficent laughed. "Look around you, Duck. All of you are helpless and defeated and it's all thanks to this boy. I brought you all here to witness his end and perhaps give you hope of one day returning to your normal lives. He is the one who made your lives miserable. He challenged the darkness and it unleashed its mightiest forces as a result. Had he chose to mind his own business none of this would have happened. In fact, I should be thanking him."

She then turned to Sora and bowed to him in mocking fashion. "I couldn't have done it without you, Sora."

The boy merely kept his eyes trained on the ground in front of him, not giving any hint that he had heard her, in fact he hadn't. He was trapped in his own thoughts. All these worlds he had visited and helped, but it didn't seem to matter in the end. Everything they had worked for was undone in a single week. How could he have been so blind? The keyblade had chosen wrong and he was about to pay the price...actually, he had already paid the price when he had lost the person he cared the most for.

Maleficent motioned for the heartless to bring forth the person who would end Sora's suffering.

Pete seemed oddly nervous as he approached the center of the courtyard. The wicked witch glared at him. "Well? Go ahead. He's given you nothing but trouble as well. Finish him, and earn your place as my second in command."

"B-but I..." Pete stuttered.

"But what? Has he not given you just as much trouble as the rest of us?" She asked.

Pete thought back to all of the trouble the 'runt with the keyblade has caused. Sora had made Pete look like a fool many times, but he also remember a time long before joining Maleficent's ranks. Sora had helped him recover his steam boat from a look-a-like thief. Sure Sora had also mistaken him for a bad guy at first, but it was a simple case of mistaken identity.

Pete looked over at Maleficent, then back at Sora and once again at the witch.

"What's the matter?" She asked, getting annoyed.

"This don't feel right." Pete finally answered.

"Are you saying you refuse?!" Maleficent's anger was growing as green and black flames began to pulse from around her.

Pete gulped and took a step back. Earlier that day, he knew he would have the honor of killing the key bearer, but he was expecting a fight, or at least some resistance. Pete had been looking forward to it, but now, after seeing how defeated the kid looked, he couldn't bring himself to do it. There was no spark, no defiance, no confident attitude, Sora looked dead on his feet, as if he had already lost himself to the darkness.

"You useless imbecile!" Maleficent cried. "I'll finish him then, if you're too afraid!"

She raised her staff towards Sora and was about to strike him down when the rescue action was put into play.

From out of his pocket, Aladdin pulled out the magic lamp and gave it a rub. Pink and Blue fireworks began shooting into the sky.

As Maleficent turned to see what was happening the sound of an engine was heard. It kept getting louder until a Black motorcycle shot out from over the far wall and landed in the courtyard.

Its rider had a black outfit on and goggles that protected his eyes. Several compartments opened up from the side of his bike to expose several swords. Taking three of them, he connected them together into one before removing his goggles and brandishing his weapon at the witch. "Why not try your luck with someone who can fight back?" Asked the soldier.

"Well, if it isn't our dear friend Cloud." She remarked. "I see your still having trouble finding your light."

"That may be, but at least it wasn't hard to find Sora's."

Maleficent laughed. "Light? Whatever light he has left is dim at best. See for yourself, he's nothing but a shadow of his former self."

Cloud smirked. "I can see just fine, it's you who needs to get her eyes checked."

"Why you!" She shouted as she aimed her staff his way, but Cloud was too fast. In one swift motion he cut her staff in two with his sword before slicing clean through the shackles that imprisoned Sora. "C'mon!" He shouted, but Sora didn't move.

Cloud had no choice but to grab Sora by the arm and shove him onto his bike. during this time the neo soldiers had gathered and were preparing to attack, but the other members in the gathered crowd had begun to fight back.

Jack Skellington used his fire magic and spinning arms to knock down several enemies. Aladdin was swinging his curved blade. Jack Sparrow also wielded a blade, but he was also using his wit to make the heartless fight each other. Two of the soldiers stabbed each other when Sparrow jumped out of the way.

Pete took off like a coward as Maleficent went to launch herself at Cloud. She hadn't come this far to lose her chance to finish off the key bearer once and for all, but before she got close she was tripped by Scrooge's cane.

"Better luck next time lass!" He called with a snicker as he ran to help Cloud get Sora onto the seat. "Snap out of it, laddie! You've got to pull yourself together!"

Still no response. "It's no use Cloud! He's stuck is a daze!"

"Well then, we'll just have to escape without his help." Cloud replied as he opened the compartment once more and handed one of the other swords to Scrooge. "Know how to use it?" He asked.

Scrooge took the sword which was about as long as his cane. His eyes spoke of all of the sword fights he had been in. "Aye!"

The small group of rebels fought off as many heartless as they could, but it soon became clear that they were hopelessly outnumbered.

"We can't keep this up forever!" Cried the Pumpkin King. He had used much of his magic and was running low on elixirs. Aladdin and Sparrow were also getting tired and the pirate had found himself stuck in a corner.

"There's too many!" Scrooge called to Cloud as they battled just to stay alive at this point. Escape seemed impossible and Maleficent relaxed at the thought.

That expression of joy turned to one of surprise when Merlin appeared in the middle of the fray.

"Oh my, this is quite the predicament. No matter, an easy fix." He said to himself.

"Just get us out of here!" Scrooge blared at the sorcerer.

"Alright, no need to shout!" He replied. "Alakazam!" He shouted and all of the fighters had been engulfed in a puff of blue-ish grey smoke. When the area cleared, the Heartless and other forces of darkness were the only ones left in the courtyard.

Seeing this, Maleficent went on a rampage, destroying several heartless before stormed through the doors leading back to her personal chambers.

~*~STL~*~

The home of Master Yen Sid had been turned into the last fighting resistance against Maleficent and the heartless. It was there that Donald and Goofy were waiting for the group to return. When the chosen few were leaving, Donald had practically begged to go as had Goofy, but Cloud had openly pointed out that they had to appear casual. If the evil witch had seem them, then she'd know they were planning something. After everything Donald and Goofy had been through with Sora there was no way she would expect them to just stand by and watch. Now, it was simply a waiting game, and Donald was losing.

As he watched from the window Goofy was pacing around the room. "Gawrsh, do you think they're okay? What if they needed back up? What if the heartless got 'em?"

"You're not helping, Goofy!" Donald snapped. suddenly the front yard was filled with blue-ish grey smoke as the group appeared on the lawn. "They're back!" Donald shouted as he practically flew across the room.

The two charged down the stairs until Donald's feet tangled with Goofy's and the duo tumbled down the rest of the way, crashing through the front doors. they scrambled to get up as the group finally got a chance to see the condition of the one they had rescued.

When Donald and Goofy reached Cloud's motorcycle they were appalled by the condition their friend was in.

Before either of the two could approach, Merlin appeared next to Sora and noticed that the boy had fallen unconscious.

"Oh dear, let's get him inside."

It's official, spell check hates me. TT-TT