Memories of Darkness

They've accepted the darkness. Controlling it? There is still a long road ahead. Darkness, Memories, Heartless, and now Nobodies. With Namine restoring a sleeping Sora's memories, Riku and Alirah need to keep him safe from the approaching Organization. But how can they save Sora when his memories are on the run, and their own memories of him are starting to fade?

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Nine Years Coming

This is a hard one to write for. 358/2 days is a super long game, and not a lot is explained outside of the Organization. Like what Riku is doing, or what Namine and the others are doing. Guess this is where I get creative.

Sorry to keep deleting and reposting. But I need to make this right or I drive myself mad. Hope you guys enjoy.

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It's crisp. The air flowing through The Land of Departure. So fresh. The aroma of the fresh spring grass and flowers, the trees and ponds - the world where Keyblade Wielders become Masters held a majesty none can describe, or compare to the lands of others. The mountain peaks that hue when the sunsets, and gleam in the bright morning. The way the moon's glow is cast from one horizon to the next, making the home keyblade wielders home glisten. The gentle laps of water flowing in a calm stream. The whistles of air making the trees and grass dance. The clear skies always at their zenith. The butterflies, rabbits, and other creatures traversing the grounds. The way the world came together. It was breathtaking. Truly, no world could ever hope to match it. Nor could the people who inhabit those worlds compare to those who train in The Land of Departure. No one...could ever replace…

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"Hey kiddo!" Terra lifted Alirah off her spot on the stair, spinning her in the air. Her fat cheeks colored like a rose as she smiled. Her ruby red eyes glistening like jewels as her brother held her in his arms. "I've made some tweaks to my armor! Wanna see?!"

"Heck yeah!" Alirah giggled. Terra nodded. He set her down. He drew her attention to his shoulder armor. Without further delay, he slapped the center with a palm, emerging in full body armor in a flash of light.

"Ta-da!" He gave her a grandstanding bow. Alirah applauded him. He added a brown tint, accentuating the red and auburn shades. "What do you think?"

"You look great, Terra! So cool!" She sparkled. Terra strutted his stuff for her, exciting new cheers with every pose. And a few laughs he'll treasure. Alirah admiration started to cool into jealousy. Ven, Aqua, and Terra. Eraqus and Xehanort. Everyone has cool looking armor. While she's stuck in a dress, pigtails, and sandals. Not to mention she's wielding a keyblade two sizes too big for her.

"When do you think I'll get my armor?!" She pouted with pursed lips.

Terra laughed, lovingly ruffling her hair. "Maybe when you're taller than my hip."

Alirah puffed her cheeks angrily. She shoved his big hand away. "I'M NOT THAT SHORT, YOU IDIOT!" Her pigtails bounced.

"You're not tall either!"

"Careful! I might be taller than you someday!"

"I sincerely doubt that." He pinched her cheeks adoringly. "No way you'll pass me up!"

"GRR…!" Alirah sprang to attack.

"Hold up!" Ven caught her from behind, throwing Alirah onto his shoulders. "Don't take it personally, Ali. Terra's height is all he has going for him." He winked.

"Hey!" Terra put a fist to his puffed chest. "I'll have you know I'm an accomplished Keyblade Master."

"In training!" Aqua surprised him, poking his cheek. "You're a Keyblade Master in training. Don't promote yourself."

"What? I can't massage my ego?" He shrugged.

"Massage it. Don't overfeed." Ven corrected him.

"Oh!" Alirah wiggled off Ven. She ran up to Terra, squinting hard with a hand on her chin. She poked certain part inquisitively. It all made sense now. "That's why his armors looks so tight!"

"WHAT?!" Aqua and Ven doubled over laughing. "IT IS NOT!" Alirah laughed so hard at his voice cracking she fell over on her back. She, Ven, and Aqua were pounding at the ground and stair pedestals. Their stomachs stitched from laughing so hard. "HEY! COME GUYS! IT'S NOT TIGHT!"

"What is all of this commotion out here?" Keyblade Master Eraqus chortled at his students. Looming behind him, like a dark cloud encroaching the sun, was Keyblade Master Xehanort. As he watched the young one regain their breath to explain, the smile he held contained an unmistakable twinge of revulsion.

"Nothing, Master!" Alirah and Ven bustled.

"Nothing at all!" Terra and Aqua grinned.

xxx

We laughed, and laughed. Terra dropped the armor and finally gave in. Ven and I fell over choking we were laughing so hard. Aqua and Terra laughed harder trying to calm us down. We were so happy. Every day for as long as I can remember, we were happy. The good times seemed like they'd never end. We lived each day encouraging one another. Being each other's strength and drive. When one of us failed, we all failed. When one was having troubles, the others would work hard to support and help them. You'd never find a crew of friends closer. Ignorant, though we were, of the golden eyed monster waiting to tear us apart.

It stole our father from us - Master Eraqus. Clouded views and rough around the edges though he was, he was an admirable man. He raised us for the time we were with him. Taught us to always stand strong, be confident in our strength, and always to keep those we cherish in our hearts. He would make us swear each night, as we gazed up to the stars, that we would forever follow the light, and combat the darkness. He was a good man. A righteous man. Even though his views of the darkness were misconstrued by his own fears. Baffling still in his ashamed Keyblade. Why? Why were you ashamed of your master? What has he done to earn such a repulse from you? Is it because of his ill gotten feelings towards darkness? Or...did he do something I wasn't aware of? Nevertheless, he was and is a good man. Yes, I held a twinge of resentment. That was no secret. However, it never came close to outweighing my respect. And in that respect, I held a fury when discovering it was Xehanort who ended him, and was eternally grateful Terra was cleared.

We left our home one day. Determined and driven by different paths to prove ourselves. Terra and I - we wanted to prove our master wrong. That the dark powers we possessed aren't a strength to be feared, and that it would never consume us. Aqua and Ven? I can't say. Originally, I thought they just wanted to bring Terra and I home. After a while, that wasn't the case. When we all met again on Radiant Garden, there was...a tear. One that lingered long after they had departed. Terra, Aqua, and Ven left to finish their journeys, and this rift started to grow between them. Even on the opposite side of the universe I could sense it. This overwhelming polarizing force driving a wedge that weakened their bond. Xehanort's iron grip choking them with the very connection that binds them. Luring them to the Keyblade Graveyard where he ended their journey.

Granted, I only know their journey ended in the Keyblade Graveyard from what the old man's shadow told me in Castle Oblivion. I know not what led them there. Also, though I know he is the cause, there is a void in this tale. A huge one. I lost track of my three. They were...beyond that of a child. So much that, I continue to wonder why Aqua's Armor was with Terra that night. And how had Xehanort managed to take possession of Terra's heart and body. No. Not his heart. Terra's heart was still his own. It was just his body.

I still don't know how Xehanort got them to the Keyblade Graveyard. And I still have no idea why Master Eraqus was killed, or why his Keyblade was ashamed of him. What scares me the most - where are Ven and Aqua? Aside from Master Eraqus, none of them are dead. They're still alive. I can sense it. If i hadn't left my Wayfinder with Donald, it would tell me the same. Aqua, Terra, and Ven are still alive. They're just...hiding? Resting? I don't know. But they're out there.

What exactly happened at the Graveyard? That's what I must find out. One day I'll solve the mystery. Then, maybe, we can all be together again. For now...well...there's a story to tell. One I'm sure you're familiar with. It'll be the backbone for our journey this time around.

xxx

"Hmm…" Hard black eyes shot from an opened book, boring a hole into a nearby wall. Aged hands ran pensively down a thick, split down the middle beard. Grumbles vibrated the back of the throat. "This...bodes ill…" A distinguished, baritone accented voice rumbled perturbed. Blue robes and a pointed wizard's hat reacted to a shift in the air. A stifling essence suffocating the small study. The essence seeps from the outside. The harsh black eyes gazed out from the star and moon shaped windows.

A sky of navy, salmon, and lighter shade of blue surrounded a tower on a green patch of stranded land. The stars twinkling in the array filled sky bore an unusual light. They would dim drastically, only to brighten for a fifth of a second. The sky itself also shared in the unnerving shade. "A new darkness is encroaching. A likes of which I have not encountered myself." The elder gentleman pondered aloud. He has never sensed a darkness quite like this one. One that presents a danger to the balance of the worlds, while its own presence is next to naught. He has sensed a familiar power like this before. "Castle Oblivion. The base for those creatures constructed of a human shell."

The Nobodies, he believes they called themselves. Husks that are abandoned when a strong hearted person becomes a heartless. He never noticed them before. But now, for some reason, their presence is more pronounced. Are they making a move? Are they marshalling their forces? Regardless of their current activities, it is their future endeavors that bother him.

"Alirah. Riku. Mickey. Hiano." He muttered the names of individuals he worried for constantly. "Be vigilant!" Thick brows furrowed sharply. "The battles to come will be the toughest you have faced."

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Once upon a time, nine years in the making, there existed a world named Radiant Garden. A simple title that did very little justice. It was a world basked in radiant light. Warmth, love, and happiness spread from one end to the other, lifting the already high spirits of its people. It was a world for refugees, for families, all seeking a place to grow and reshape lives they believed over. This is not to say the world didn't have its own shade of darkness. Everywhere and everyone has darkness. But...it was different. In Radiant Garden...the darkness seemed incapable of touching. Or so I thought.

Led by a brilliant researcher of the heart, eight young and talented individuals sought to better themselves and the world by joining a man named Ansem the Wise in order to better understand the heart, and all it's functions. Well, actually - 1, 2, yeah - only two were researchers. Albeit one was a little on the young side. Three were security. And the last three were absolute goofballs. But they all stuck together like family. Had their own share of arguments too. By looking at them, you would never guess the good times would end.

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"LEA! I swear! You don't give me my Keyblade I'm going to light a fireball under your ass!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa there, SHORTIE!" A red headed boy kept a small blue haired girl at bay by the forehead. "Such language doesn't become a someone so young, Alirah!" He mocking dangling the keyblade - Serpents Cry - inches out of her reach, "Especially when she wants her toy back~" Two guards - Aeleus and Dilan - standing by watched the spectacle from their posts at the massive front doors, trying very hard not to laugh.

"Should we not step in, Dilan?"

"And shorten the only real entertainment of our day, Aeleus?"

"Hm, yeah, you're right." Aeleus chuckled.

Alirah smirked brazenly. She puffed through her nose. There was a puff. Lea stared deadpanned, then smelt something cooking. His nose lured him behind him. "YAAAH-HAAA!" The boy leapt several feet in the throwing his hands and Alirah's keyblade in the air.

Alirah nonchalantly caught the keyblade, savoring Lea running around the courtyard like a chicken without a head. He jumped, patted his butt, and danced a jig. It didn't snuff the flame, but it sure brought a smile to Alirah.

Lea ran to a fountain and threw his butt in. He moaned in absolute relief hearing the fire evaporate. The fountain might as well have been a sauna. He relaxed with his arms draped to the fountain's second bowl, refusing to move until the smell of pork chops wasn't in the air.

"Well done, Alirah." Dilan and Aeleus applauded. "You're coming along nicely with your magic." Aeleus commended.

"Now if only her swordplay would improve." Dilan playfully insulted.

"You want improvement?" Alirah bounced her brow impishly.

"Hoe mama, that feels good." Lea crooned.

"I'm sure the burn to your ego will hurt later." An angered vein popped in Lea's brow. His neck clinked like a cog as he stiffly grimaced at the blue haired menace known as Isa - so called best friend. "This is karma for taking her blade."

"Aw, c'mon! You and Braig take it all the time and she never lights your ass on fire!" Lea complained, stewing in the insult of his injury.

"Because 'we' can't hang onto it for longer than three seconds! AND," Isa threw up a finger, silencing Lea's impending protest, "We're not stupid enough to try more than once."

"Lucky for me!" Alirah extended her keyblade, gathering a flaring fireball to the tip. "Braig has said I need a 'moving' target." The fires glow outlined her true evil.

"Hold on! Alirah!" Lea scrambled up the fountain. Alirah brought her keyblade up.

"Alirah..." She froze. The fire snuffed out like a candle. Alirah laughed nervously, turning to find Even and Braig scolding her with a stare. "Unless you plan to reimburse Master Ansem for that fountain..." Even directed a finger down. Alirah groaned in defeat, putting her keyblade away.

"You should have let her." Ienzo grumbled emerging from behind a tree with a book in hand, "That fountain is an eyesore."

"The kid's right!" Braig knelt behind Alirah, clamped his hands to her hands to the keyblade. "Go one, shortstuff, give it a good boom and I'll buy ya ice cream! Consider it a birthday present."

"My birthday was five months ago." She furrowed her brow.

"And I never got you anything! So shoot." He encouraged.

"Hmph. Okay." Alirah flipped the blade tip to Braig's face.

"HOLD ON!" Even and everyone ducked.

"FLARE!" A blinding flash sent Braig sprawling to the ground. Even and the other blinked in bewildered amazement. Alirah erected two fingers, impishly sticking out her tongue.

"Okay...yeah...I deserve that." He was seeing spots when the haze cleared. He coughed up black smoke. His hair frizzed everywhere. Alirah, Lea, and the others nearly fell over laughing so hard. "Geez, kid, I shudder to think what your powers will be like when you're older."

"I'll be kicking all of your butts to the curb." She boasted.

"That happens," Dilan and Aeleus approached, "I'll shave my sideburns." Dilan stroked one side.

"Then keep that razor handy, Dill." Alirah warned. She stroked her blade, marveling in the nicks and kinks. "Because I'm going to be stronger than all of you."

xxx

Never in my entire life have I regretted my words more than I did that day. I always knew I'd become stronger through the years. It sickens me that Maleficent had a hand in my progress, but it was necessary when Riku and the others came into my life. I discovered a new reason to fight. In doing so...I killed three of the seven people I've longed to see. The only closure - besides having charms fashioned as their weapons - is knowing our fight was because of the venomous words of another.

When HE reared his head on my new home - Xehanort, wearing my brothers body - the darkness that consumed him would soon consume more that I loved, and take all of Radiant Garden. While I may blame others for taking me far away, I never mustered the nerve to return to them. To find my seven and tell them how sorry I was for leaving. I just...I just couldn't face HIM. I couldn't face Xehanort. Not while he was in Terra.

My cowardice cost me more than I realized. By his lies, Xehanort has turned my best friends not only into Nobodies, but also has turned them against me. Lea...AXEL may be M.I.A, but there are still three more unaccounted for. I know for certain that we'll be having a reunion very soon. And we will be forced to cross blades. That doesn't mean I won't try to reason with them. I still hold on to a blind hope that I can rekindle our friendship. But...that part of me in the back of my heart knows it isn't meant to be. That, should I choose to meet with them, it will be for the last time. There's no going around it.

Heh...heh-heh. So be it. Nine years is a long time. My legs are tired from running.

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"Xemnas..." The name rolled off the tongue, carrying a nauseating taste. A gust of a breeze wafted blue locks of hair in the moonlight. A long black cloak flapping animatedly. Boots planted in tall green grass. Leaves brushed past a pair of vibrant crimson eyes glaring at the stars - the other worlds. Those she had yet to travel are her targets. Because, beyond those stars, the man wearing Terra's face is waiting for her. The last remnant of Master Xehanort. "Be ready..." Her fingers squeezed Oblivion's hilt. Her glare sharpened like a blade, piercing the night, "Because I'm coming for you!" She extended her blade to the stars.

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Auburn eyes opened. A chin propped to a knuckle, lips parted in a malicious grin. "I'll be waiting."

So much for the introductory. Let's move on to the prelude.