A/N: There is no earthly reason for this chapter to have taken so long. I'm sorry.

A quick clarification about Lenore and Cybele's knowledge—they do not have any prior awareness of Pandora Hearts. In this universe, stories don't appear on L&C's "Earth" until they've used the cards to travel there—Kingdom Hearts being the exception, because their worlds are already connected.

As usual, this is a fanfic that does not attempt to be serious, or even about the series. It unabashedly stars real humans—namely, my dearly beloved sister WOWZAcoolBEANS, for whose birthday this humble fic is a gift.

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Riku woke up to a face full of brilliant red hair, and immediately leapt to his feet.

"Axel?!" he shouted, closing his fist in midair and expecting Way to the Dawn to appear as it usually did. When his Keyblade failed to materialize, Riku's heart stuttered in terror.

"Woah, calm down, buddy! Dunno who Axel is, but it isn't me. Name's Reno," said the redhead. On closer inspection, the facial tattoos weren't quite the same as Axel's, nor were the eyes the same striking green. Still, the man leaning over him by almost a foot made Riku very uneasy. He wondered if he would forever harbor some instinctive loathing of this kind of bright redhead. It didn't help that his hand kept clenching and unclenching on empty air where his weapon should have been.

"Mmm, wha… Axel…?" Sora piped up sleepily, disbelievingly from Riku's left, and for the first time Riku glanced at his surroundings. He, Sora, Lenore, and Cybele had been brought to a well-appointed Victorian-style sitting room, and clear springtime light was filtering in through the large damask-draped windows. Cybele and Lenore were heaped together on a chaise lounge on one side of the room, still unconscious; Sora was blinking his eyes awake in a brocade-upholstered armchair identical to the one right behind Riku. On the floor, an elaborately drawn circular sigil was glowing. Every time Riku tried to summon Way to the Dawn, the light from the sigil would pulse menacingly. Riku tried walking past the edge of the circle, but ran into an invisible barrier with a barely-audible thump.

"Man, who's this Axel guy I look so much like? Have I got an evil twin someplace?" said Reno. He shrugged and followed Riku's eyes to the sigil on the floor. "That's a magic-cancellation circle, by the way. The boss doesn't want you trying anything funny until he's had a chance to check you out. If you just wanted to join the party, you probably shouldn't have done something stupid like fall out of the sky."

Oh. Right. The Gummi ship.

When King Mickey had said Sabrie was a long way away from Kingdom Hearts, he hadn't been kidding. The Card of the Crossroads had opened up a pathway directly to the outlying world, but it had still been a very long flight, and the farther they flew, the thicker the swarms of Heartless battleships became. Even if they'd been able to rest and repair along the way, it still would have been difficult for Sora to get through the blockade of Heartless ships just outside Sabrie's wormhole. As it was, they'd already taken too much damage purely from the attrition of the lengthy journey, and the ship went down almost immediately. He remembered falling, landing, and the briefest glimpse of a fancy garden party before a blinding pain in his skull made the world go black. The long and short of this being, of course, that the Gummi ship was gone and they were trapped on this far-distant world, apparently prisoners of a man who could keep them from summoning their Keyblades as well.

"Let us go, now. I don't need my Keyblade to beat you to a pulp," Riku snarled, advancing on Reno. The redheaded man held his hands up in a placating gesture, but Riku was not about to be placated. He hated being trapped. He backed the stranger up against the edge of the magical barrier, where he stumbled and came to a halt. Apparently the barrier was keeping Reno inside as well. Good. Riku pinned him there by his neck, not hard enough to harm him, but certainly enough to menace him. "Take. The circle. Down."

"So… you must be Riku," a deep, calm voice said from the doorway. "I guess I should have expected you'd be hot-headed."

Sora's sleepiness evaporated, changing immediately to excitement as he leapt to his feet. "Auron!" he yelled and ran over to the recent arrival—a tall, battle-scarred man with dark hair and a wry sort of smile. Sora apparently hadn't noticed Riku testing the edges of the barrier earlier, because in his enthusiasm he collided head-on with the invisible wall and fell backward. Despite the significant bump to the head, however, he kept right on grinning.

"You know this guy, Sora?" Riku asked, befuddled.

"Yeah! We fought together against Hades! But what are you doing all the way out here?" Sora asked. "Is this the world you're from?"

"Not initially," Auron responded. There was a brief, awkward silence as Sora waited for Auron to elaborate, and Auron failed to offer any further information. Riku locked eyes with Sora, who shrugged and didn't press the issue. Apparently it was normal for this Auron guy not to be very forthcoming.

"Hey Boss… A little help…" Reno wheezed pleadingly. Auron's eyes flicked to him disapprovingly. After a few calculating moments, he let out a small 'hmph' and did nothing. Riku didn't need to keep menacing the redhead, though—it was clear that this Auron guy was the one who could get them out if he wanted—so he let the buffoon go.

"So you're the 'boss' here, huh Auron? Hey, Riku, we don't have to worry! If Auron's in charge, this place can't be bad!" Sora said, abounding as usual with optimism that Riku could not and did not share. As far as he was concerned, there was plenty of reason to worry.

"Bullshit. If he's such a great guy, why are we stuck in a cage?" Riku demanded. Auron just sighed.

"Firstly, stop looking at me like any second you expect me to draw my sword and kill you all," he said, and pulled an envelope from his pocket, dangling it up so that Riku could see it clearly. It bore King Mickey's seal. "I'm in league with His Majesty, so calm down. Secondly, I don't intend to keep you prisoner. I had Xerxes draw up the circle so I could be sure you were what you seemed to be. The King only told me to expect two of you; when four showed up, I had to be wary. The Heartless here have some unusual abilities."

"But how can you tell it's really us, huh?" Sora asked with a challenging tone as he got once more to his feet. "We could still be Heartless spies, you know!"

"If you were Heartless—or Nobodies, or any other sort of unnatural creature—you'd be finding it a lot more difficult to move right now. … Also, you were so excited to see me you actually injured yourself. No spy could pretend to be that dumb," Auron responded. The words were clearly an insult, and gruffly spoken, but there was a nearly undetectable undercurrent of affection in them. "You're definitely Sora. And if you say that's Riku, it's Riku. After all the time you spent looking for him, I'm guessing you wouldn't settle for an impostor."

Sora beamed. "You bet! That's the real deal, Mr. Grumpy himself." Riku shot him a glare.

"… But that still leaves the two you brought with you," Auron said as his eyes moved toward the two sisters, still unconscious on the lounge. "I can't let you go until they're awake."

"Oh! I'll get them! They're fine too, you'll see." Sora jogged over to the sisters and knelt down next to them, shaking them awake. "Hey, you've got to get up. We're in Sabrie, sleepy time is over!"

Cybele woke almost immediately at the sound of Sora's voice, blushing slightly when she opened her eyes and Sora's face was only inches from her own. Lenore, however, remained sleeping slightly longer, and didn't wake until Cybele prodded her firmly on the nose. She gave a small yelp and rolled off of Cybele and onto the floor. Sora shot a significant look towards Auron, who shrugged and scuffed out one of the lines of the circle with his toe. The whole thing stopped glowing. Reno immediately scrambled backward and deposited himself on a divan on the far opposite side of the room from Riku.

Once the magical prison was gone Riku felt some of the tension leave his shoulders, but he still didn't feel safe until he'd successfully summoned his Keyblade. He saw Lenore eye his weapon warily and made a vague 'don't-worry' gesture in her direction. Unfortunately that only succeeded in making her flinch as the blade's tip flicked slightly closer to her. She scooted away from him on the floor until she bumped up against the leg of a sofa, onto which she hoisted herself; her wary eyes never left Riku. 'What's one more enemy?' he thought with a mental sigh, and casually shouldered the Keyblade.

"This room sure has a lot of sofas in it," Lenore remarked, glancing around at the furnishings of the room.

"I think that's why they call it a sitting room," Cybele responded with much snark. Sora laughed and Cybele's cheeks got a little pinker.

Sora climbed onto the chaise lounge next to Cybele and looked expectantly at Auron. "So you've been in contact with the King… Do you know what we've got to do to keep the darkness from spreading? We've probably just got to find the Keyhole, right?"

Auron pursed his lips. "Not quite."

"Then what do we have to do?"

"It's not a matter of finding them. We already know where most of them are."

"Uh… 'them'? There's more than one?" Sora's innate bubbling enthusiasm seems to wane slightly at the prospect.

"Five, actually."

"FIVE?!" Riku blurted out.

"Well, at least we know where they are! So all we have to do is go and close them," Cybele said, patting Sora's hand.

Auron cleared his throat. "I'm afraid it won't be that easy."

"It never is," Sora said, pouting very slightly. "What's the catch?"

"The Abyss—that's what the people here call the world in the Realm of Darkness to which Sabrie is connected—is deeply embroiled in the politics of this world." Auron sighs heavily at the thought; it's clear he would prefer to leave politics out of the equation. Riku couldn't help but agree.

"You know as Keyblade wielders, you aren't supposed to meddle in the affairs of other worlds. In the case of this one… well, it's inevitable, but we have to proceed as delicately as possible. Every Door to the Darkness is associated with a separate noble house. The Dukes have the keys to these doors—not Keyblades, mind you, but a similar concept, except they each only work on one door, and only to open them, not to close them for good like you can. You will need to appease each Duke in turn, and gain their Key. Not to mention, each Door is guarded by a powerful Chain that you will need to defeat in order to access the Keyhole."

"Er, what's a Chain?" Sora asked, looking progressively more daunted with every word Auron spoke.

"A Chain is a—"

"BOSS!" A large bald man wearing dark sunglasses burst through the door, out of breath and looking frantic. "It's the Knave again. He's attacking the city directly. Casualties like you wouldn't believe! Should I send Raven and Xerxes?"

Sora shouts "What?! People are dying?" at the same moment that Auron says "No, sending for them would waste valuable time. We need to hit this thing hard before it disappears again. Sora, Riku, the Knave is a Chain that appears at random and never seeks a Contract, just devours as many people as possible. He'll vanish back into the Abyss eventually, but not before he's done too much harm. Hurry, get rid of this thing, and I'll explain everything when you get back."

"We're already gone. Come on, guys!" Sora's face is all business. "There's no time to lose!" And just like that, he's sprinting down the hall after Rude, trailing Riku, Lenore, and Cybele a few paces behind.

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The Pandora-issued carriage clattered to a rapid halt in the middle of the city. Everywhere was a muddled panic of scorch marks and fleeing innocents. In the center of the street, surrounded by lesser Heartless, was a towering figure with a sharp-toothed grin twisting its warped, distorted face. The figure was easily five times Riku's height, and seemed to be entirely black, white, orange, and brilliant red. A two-pointed orange and black Jester's hat topped its sinister face, a face that was split in two down the middle, one half white with a red heart over its eye and cheek, and the other half completely black but for the red gleam of its eye. The rest of its body was angular and impossibly narrow, decked in random, garish patches of stripes and harlequin diamonds. And it was hurling bolts of fire every which way, cackling with delight any time one of its flames caught and charred one of the fleeing masses. When it managed to catch someone, it would reach down with long, spindly black fingers, pick them up, and pop them—still writhing, screaming, and wreathed in flame—into its gaping mouth.

Riku ran out of the carriage first, Keyblade materializing instantly in his hand, and leapt up toward the monster. Seeing him, the Knave's sick smile twisted downward into a hateful grimace. The Knave tried to swat Riku out of the air, but Riku just used its hand as a springboard to leap closer to the monster's face. By the time Sora was able to get out of the carriage, Riku was already keeping the Knave well-distracted, striking hard at its eyes, making it squint and stagger backward.

Sora gave Lenore and Cybele a firm "Stay here!" before he followed Riku out of the carriage. He ran into the fray and started hopping and striking at the Knave's legs and feet; the Knave, distracted adequately by Riku, didn't seem to notice Sora at all.

"Like hell we're staying in here," Lenore spat angrily. "Come on, we can help!"

"Wait, Norah!" Cybele said, placing a staying hand on Lenore's arm and looking out at the brawl. The Knave stumbled over a horse-drawn cart, shattering it to pieces and freeing the horse, who fled wild-eyed and foaming at the mouth. Riku had to cling to the jester's shoulder to keep from flying into the wall of a nearby building. "Look at that. I—I don't want you to get hurt!"

"We don't have to run straight at the huge guy. Look, the little ones are hurting people all over. I can't stay here. I'll be careful, I'll be fine," Lenore insisted, and hopped out of the car.

"W-wait! I'm coming too!" Cybele said, slightly flustered, and followed.

Lenore didn't protest, just shouted, "Stay close to me!" as she pelted toward a small mob of four or five skittering Shadows that were menacing an elderly man with a cane. She summoned Yesterday's Grace and started hacking away at them, slightly astonished at the increased agility and strength that her Fairy-made clothes afforded her. Behind her, she heard Cybele shout "Thunder!" and then cry out with fear. Instinctively, Lenore spun around to see another small Heartless mob distracted from the young woman they'd been attacking by Cybele's spell. Cybele backed away, calling "Thunder, Thunder!" several more times until all but one of the Heartless had dissolved away. The last one leapt at Cybele's face, claws extended; she yelped and slashed at it in midair, dispatching it just as Lenore, who had been distracted from her earlier opponents, got a powerful claw to the middle of her back.

Lenore cried out in pain and fell forward onto a knee, but managed to twist her torso around and cleave the Heartless behind her in two as it tried to jump at her again. She hoisted herself up, wincing slightly, and cast an Aero shield around herself. It didn't last long, but it gave her a moment to get her bearings. The elderly man had fled, and only two of the earlier mob remained, so she cast a Fire spell to get rid of them. She knew she couldn't use much more magic without resting, and Cybele, who had hurried over to her, was showing signs of magical exhaustion as well.

"I think—" Cybele said between heavy breaths, "We need—a little more—practice."

Lenore managed a breathy laugh, but it turned into a cough. "I can still help," she said. To their left, a young boy screamed and fell onto the side of the road, set upon by a clanking, helmeted Soldier. Lenore and Cybele glanced at one another.

"Together?" Lenore asked. Cybele nodded. They ran toward it, blades aloft, and struck in unison; Lenore's strike crushed its body, while Cybele's sent its helmeted head flying in the opposite direction. Cybele knelt down to examine the boy, whose eyes were squeezed shut in terror.

Just then, the Knave managed to hook a claw-like hand around Riku as he jumped in for another strike. With a blast of flame, he threw Riku aside; the silverette rolled as he hit the ground, making some unpleasant crunching noises.

Lenore blanched and ran over to him, turning him face-up. He was breathing, but shallowly; he was covered in shiny burns, and from the look of his chest, one of his ribs was probably broken. Lenore gingerly opened his shirt. He was covered in small bloody wounds, and a horrid bruise was blossoming all across the left side of his body. She rummaged in her pockets for a Hi-Potion, unscrewed the lid, and tipped the liquid out onto his torso; it glittered as the magic went to work. Riku's breathing evened out, and some of the fear ebbed from Lenore's face. She was smearing some more on the worst of Riku's burns when Cybele screamed "Norah!" and tackled her down to the ground.

A moment later, the fireball the Knave had just thrown landed right where Lenore had been. It left a smoking crater behind in the cobbled road, and a spray of sharp stones hit Cybele's back as she shielded her sister bodily from the shrapnel. She winced. Some of these were definitely going to bruise.

Without looking down, the Knave kicked Sora aside. Now that he was free of Riku's distraction, he began hurling bolts of fire once more, seeming to delight in the destruction they caused. Cybele rolled aside to avoid another fireball, but Lenore was too slow to follow; she was hit dead-on, and lay motionless in the street beside the equally-motionless Riku. Cybele screamed and scrambled back toward her sister, but the Knave strode over and knocked her aside. She hit the broad side of a nearby building, and with a soft exhalation she crumpled to the ground.

Sora howled angrily and shifted into his Master form. His clothes turned a shocking yellow as he gripped his double Keyblades and charged with preternatural speed toward the Knave…

Who looked down at Sora, came to a screeching halt mid-step, and vanished.

Sora's momentum carried him a few paces past where the Knave had been standing. Bewildered, he looked left, right, up, and around. He even lifted one of his feet up and checked underneath… just in case the Knave had shrunk down somehow and gotten smushed. He turned around to shrug, but there wasn't anybody to shrug at; momentarily, he missed Donald and Goofy very badly.

Even with the most pressing danger having apparently vanished into midair, though, Sora didn't have time to focus on missing anybody for very long. He zipped around as fast as he could dispatching the lesser Heartless, then raced to the aid of Riku and the girls.

When Sora saw the state that all of them were in, he nearly choked. Riku had clearly been tended with a potion or two already, as his scratches and cuts all had the pink, healed-over look of a week-old wound. Still, his face was horridly pale, and he winced when he breathed. Sora felt a pang of guilt. He'd let his friend get hurt; he wasn't fast or strong enough to protect him. Riku had gone through so much pain already. He shouldn't have to keep fighting. None of them should. All of this was supposed to end when they closed the Door to Darkness! But all Sora had managed to do that day was trap his best friend in a world of shadows; he hadn't spared him any pain at all. Sora didn't feel his usual cheerful self at all as he tilted Riku's head back and fed him another Potion. Some of the color came back to Riku's cheeks, his breathing eased completely, and Sora turned to the other two.

Lenore's clothes had protected most of her body from the burns, but her arms and face were singed badly. One burn in particular, on the right side of her face, seemed worse than the rest. Sora poured Hi-Potion liberally over it, relieved when it didn't seem that it would form a scar. Like Riku, Lenore was too exhausted from the battle to wake when her wounds healed; she remained unconscious as Sora walked over to Cybele.

Of the three of them, Cybele was the least wounded. She didn't seem to be bleeding or burnt at all, merely banged up a bit. Sora had crouched down beside her to examine her when the hairs on the back of his neck prickled ominously.

Someone was behind him.

Every muscle in Sora's body tensed. He waited a few moments. If they were friendly, surely they would announce themselves…

The moments passed. Sora could hear… whoever it was… softly breathing, as though in awe. The uneasy feeling crept all the way down his spine, sending shivers over his body. "W-who's there?"

No response.

"I'm warning you…" he said, with more bravado than he felt. But still, the figure said nothing. Finally, Sora had had enough. "That's it!" he shouted. With a chink, his Keyblade fell into his hand and he spun around, but the momentum of his strike halted before it began. The mysterious Someone had stopped his Keyblade, and was holding it motionless by the shaft.

"Stop! I don't want to hurt you. I tried so hard to find you!"

Sora's eyes went wide with shock, and all the breath flew out of his lungs. Someone was achingly familiar.

"I can't believe… I found you."

Sora tasted blood in his mouth as he was suddenly, bruisingly kissed.