Boy oh boy, welcome to the now longest chapter of Keys so far (again). Would you believe it only took me 4 days to write this? Not even kidding, that's how incredibly motivated I was on this one because a TON happens in it. Its one that I've had in the cards for a long time now and I REALLY love how it turned out (I seriously think it might just be my favorite Disney-world centric chapter in this fic so far, I'm quite proud of the emotional roller coaster it is). And with that said, strap yourself in for that roller coaster because... oh boy... here we go ;)

Chapter 27: What Once Was Mine

Heal what has been hurt
Change the Fate's design
Save what has been lost
Bring back what once was mine
What once was mine

The next morning was every bit as bright, warm, and sunny as the previous day was, one that started calmly and quietly enough. Everyone had managed to get a full, interrupted night's sleep, bereft of any unwanted, unexpected appearances from Heartless, Nobodies, or any of Eugene's various pursuers alike. Of course, that peace was soon broken as Eugene happened to awaken to see one of those very pursuers standing over him. The white palace horse was infuriated to say the least, clearly exhausted from tracking down the thief throughout night. He glared down at Eugene relentlessly, ready to apprehend him and haul him off to the castle dungeon where he belonged. Yet for his part, Eugene merely met the stallion's fury with a wry grin as he prepared to go right back to sleep.

"Well, I hope you're here to apologize," he remarked, only for his easygoing tune to switch into a panicked scream as the horse violently lashed out at him. That scream easily woke Rapunzel and the trio up to see the newfound chaos that was unfolding before them as the horse began to forcibly drag Eugene away by his boot. "N-no! Put me down!" he protested, clawing at the ground. "Stop it! No!"

In an instant, Rapunzel, Sora, Donald, and Goofy were all on their feet to give chase after the steed, with Rapunzel reaching Eugene first as she pulled against the horse's tight hold on him. "H-hey! Let go of him!" she shouted, her grip on Eugene's hands secure as the trio joined in to help her get him back. Despite Eugene's frantic pleas for both sides to stop yanking on him, Rapunzel and the trio ultimately won out against the horse, resulting in everyone getting knocked back as the steed only managed to claim the thief's boot out of the scuffle. That hardly deterred the horse however, for he stormed forward once again, ready to apprehend the wanted criminal himself, only for Rapunzel and the trio to rush in to his rescue once more.

"Whoa! Easy, boy!" Rapunzel called to the horse, who was trying to break past the line of defense before it. "Settle down." She evened her tone as the horse finally began to still, smiling up at him as he eyed her distrustfully. Even so, the steed was caught off guard by Pascal, perched atop the blonde's head as he dryly motioned for the stallion to cool his rampage down. Confused, the horse likewise looked between the trio, each of whom were silently asking the same thing out of him as Rapunzel issued a calm, soothing command. "Now, sit," she said and surprisingly the stallion did just that, much to Eugene's bewilderment.

"Aw! You're such a good boy!" Rapunzel grinned, giving the horse's muzzle an affectionate hug. "Yes, you are!" The horse eased up much more at this, his tail wagging as he allowed Rapunzel to continue petting him. "Are you all tired from chasing this bad man all over the place?"

"Excuse me?" Eugene protested as he picked himself up off the ground.

"Nobody appreciates you, do they? Huh?" Rapunzel continued, embracing the horse himself as he shook his head in disappointment.

"Oh come on! He's a bad horse!" Eugene exclaimed, baffled.

"I dunno, Eugene," Sora remarked with a small chuckle alongside Donald and Goofy. "He seems pretty friendly now."

"Rapunzel sure does have a way with animals," Goofy added just as amused.

"Tch, that's only 'cause she's not the one that fleabag's been harassing for the past day or so," Eugene huffed, crossing his arms.

"Fleabag?" Rapunzel glanced back, shaking her head as the horse continued soaking in her praise. "Aw, no, he's nothing but a big sweetheart! Isn't that right…" she trailed off, briefly checking the nameplate on the horse's bridle. "Maximus?"

"You've got to be kidding me…" Eugene grumbled, flinching as the horse suddenly sent him a vicious, threatening scowl.

"L-look," Rapunzel interjected, calming Maximus down once more. "Today is… kind of the biggest day of my life, and the thing is… I need you to not get him arrested." She pulled Eugene forward, eliciting a disgruntled huff out of the horse in the process. "Just for 24 hours!" Rapunzel continued her appeal. And then… you can chase each other to your hearts' content, ok?"

Rapunzel looked between Eugene and Maximus at this, her expression earnest and pleading all the while. And while Eugene was the first to hesitantly extend a hand in a peace offering, Maximus was having no parts of it as he fiercely glared away in refusal. "And… it's also my birthday…" Rapunzel continued, upholding her hopeful smile. "Just so you know."

Maximus couldn't help but relent at this, meeting Eugene's hand with a hoof so they could shake on their tentative cease-fire. Still, as on-edge as the steed already was, it wasn't long before Maximus turned his suspicious attention toward the trio instead, largely since they hadn't particularly garnished his trust the way Rapunzel already had.

"Hey! What are you looking at?" Donald asked, returning the steed's dubious scowl.

"C'mon, Donald, be nice," Goofy advised with a lighthearted grin.

"Um… is everything ok, big guy?" Sora asked Maximus himself, uncertain of what the horse might do next. Fortunately though, just as Maximus let out a bitter sneer, Rapunzel stepped in to calm him down once more.

"Hey now, it's ok," she said, patting his side gently. "This is Sora, Donald, and Goofy. They're friends of mine. You can trust them."

Maximus seemed to listen to her as he looked to the trio once more, ultimately nodding in approval when it came to them coming along. At the same time, Eugene had just finished packing up their makeshift camp, far from pleased that they'd have the relentless horse as an unexpected tagalong. His annoyance soon broke however, as he looked to Rapunzel, who happened to have overheard the morning bells sounding from the kingdom they were only a short distance away from now. Not wanting to wait another moment, she urged the rest of the group onward down the forest trail, practically running along it in the hopes of making it to the city on time. And after about an hour or so of traveling, fortunately without encountering any further obstacles along the way, they happened to do exactly that.

Rapunzel was practically beside herself with elation as she rushed down the long, cobblestone bridge that led toward Corona's towering capital city, a picturesque collection of homes and buildings topped off with the kingdom's glistening palace at its peak. The entire city was surrounded by a wide, crystal blue bay, and even from outside its main gate, the hustle and bustle from within could be clearly heard as the group approached it. Rapunzel eagerly led the way toward that gate, with Eugene and Maximus trailing not too far behind her, only barely avoiding petty conflict with each other the entire time.

The trio followed a ways behind them, with Sora in particular largely caught up in Rapunzel's rather infectious excitement about what awaited them at the festival just ahead. "Rapunzel sure looks happy," he noted with a pleased smile.

"Well, her dream's about to come true," Goofy pointed out. "Once they send those lanterns up after dark, that is."

"Yeah! We don't wanna miss that!" Sora nodded, his enthusiastic grin widening as he began to push on ahead.

"What about that Key we still need to find?" Donald asked, raising a knowing eyebrow. "You always seem to forget about them whenever you get too "busy" with something else."

"I didn't forget," Sora retorted, glancing back over his shoulder casually. "We're winging it, remember? I'm sure we'll find that Key sooner or later."

"That's the spirit!" Goofy chuckled as he followed Sora's lead. Donald let out an exasperated sigh before ultimately doing the same, all three of them venturing into the town to catch up with Eugene and Rapunzel.

As they did, they were met with the sight of a busy, yet vibrantly colorful market, alive with activity from the countless happy townsfolk roaming about. The entire town was decorated specifically for the festival with flowers and flags alike, creating an air of patriotic merriment that captivated Rapunzel the moment she stepped foot into it. Never before had she ever seen so many people at once, and she couldn't wait to be a part of the cheery crowds before her. Yet as she rushed ahead to join them, she was held back, quite literally, by her hair of all things.

As long as her locks were and with so many people around, it didn't take long before passerby began trampling upon it unintentionally. Fortunately, Eugene and the trio rushed to gather the lengthy train of gold up to protect it from any further harm, but even so they were still presented with the problem of what to do with it moving forward. It didn't take very long for Eugene to spot a solution to that problem in the form of four young girls avidly braiding each other's hair next to a nearby fountain. And as soon as he presented Rapunzel's nearly endless locks to them, the girls were more than eager to tackle such an incredible challenge.

Between all four of the girls, it wasn't long before Rapunzel's hair was contained to a thick, sturdy braid, accented with an array of colorful flowers as it hung down her back, its tip still nearly touching the ground all the same. Eugene couldn't help but smile warmly at how lovely she looked, how happy she seemed to be here, with him. Not that he wouldn't admit that to anyone, especially not to Sora, Donald, Goofy, or Maximus as they all sent him a series of wry, knowing looks, looks that he made sure to rebuff just as playfully as they all joined back up with Rapunzel.

From there, she took charge, brightly leading the group through the busy streets so they could partake in all the festival had to offer. From checking out the local bookstore, to joining in on creating colorful sidewalk art, to narrowly avoiding patrolling guards, the group found there was plenty of fun to be had as the morning carried on into the afternoon. Various vendors had been set up for fruits, bread, cakes, pastries, flowers, flags, souvenirs, and just about everything in between, all delights that they made sure to explore. However, as they all stood in line for one of those vendors in particular, Rapunzel happened to take notice of a nearby mosaic mural adorning one of the walls nearby. She stepped out of line to get a closer look, particularly to watch the family that was placing a flower on the ground before it in apparent homage to a "lost princess". Curious, she set her sights on the mural, clearly depicting the kingdom's king and queen, a kindly-looking couple that was proudly holding their infant daughter. The infant herself, however, the lost princess most likely, was what caught Rapunzel's attention the most: a child with bright green eyes and noticeably long, golden hair, especially for a baby. A baby that Rapunzel couldn't help but think looked almost like-

Her train of thought was soon broken by the sound of music rising from the nearby square. Intrigued, Rapunzel hurried to investigate, only to find a band of minstrels playing an upbeat, lively tune. Eugene and the trio alike turned to find that Rapunzel had joyfully started dancing to the melody, the only one among the spectating townsfolk to really be doing so, at least until she began to pull a handful of them in to join her. And within a few mere minutes, the square was alive with this festive communal celebration, one that Rapunzel was delighted to bring even more dancers in to join.

"C'mon! Dance with us!" she urged, catching Sora off guard as she grabbed his arm to pull him toward the square first. For his part, Sora didn't argue, instead warmly laughing as he fell in step alongside Rapunzel and the other townsfolk, easily getting a sense of their rhythm as he gladly followed their lead.

As Sora properly joined the spirited dance, Donald and Goofy remained on the sidelines, both of them wearing a shared, contented smile as they noticed just how much he seemed to be enjoying himself. "Boy, Sora sure looks like he's having fun," Goofy said with a bright grin.

"Good," Donald earnestly agreed. "It's like you said before; he deserves something like this after everything he's been through."

"Hm?" Eugene spoke up, both him and Maximus sending the pair a curious glance upon overhearing this. "What do you mean by that? What exactly has Sora been through?"

Donald and Goofy exchanged a hesitant glance at this, hard pressed to even discuss what had happened to Sora now that he seemed so far removed from it all, so free from the trauma and strife he had gone through because of it. So genuinely, purely happy as he heartily danced seemingly without a single care in the world, a stark contrast to the crushing low he'd been at just a few short weeks prior. "Um, well…" Donald began apprehensively. "Long story short, not that long ago, one of our enemies, um… well, she captured Sora-"

"A-and she poisoned him," Goofy added just as gravely. "W-we managed to save him, but… he was down and out for weeks after that. He's really only startin' to get actually better now, and-"

"And that's why something like this might be just what he needs," Donald concluded, smiling as he spotted Sora cheerfully spinning alongside Rapunzel within the crowd. "Ever since any of this happened, all we've wanted to do is help him feel better. It's… good to see him smile again."

"Really smile again," Goofy added, sharing the magician's genuine relieved grin as they continued to watch their young companion from afar.

"...Wow…" Eugene frowned, sending a deeply sympathetic glance Sora's way. "I… I had no idea. Poor kid. He must be pretty strong to go through something like that and manage to bounce back at all."

"Oh, he's strong alright," Goofy firmly, readily agreed.

"More than he likes to give himself credit for…" Donald nodded with a sense of mutual pride.

By now, the dance in the square was going full swing, the musicians ramping up their performance to accompany it. Rapunzel offered Eugene a bright grin as she spotted him on the edge of the crowd, gesturing for him to join her the moment she managed to catch his attention. Though he returned her smile, he ultimately rejected her offer, knowing he wasn't too keen on dancing in public, only for Maximus to give him a literal shove in the right direction. Despite his initial hesitance, it wasn't long before Eugene was dragged into the dance alongside the participating townsfolk, trying to catch Rapunzel's hand as she trotted by only for someone else to pull her off in a different direction instead. As they both swung through the square once again, they continued to reach for each other several times over, though their hands never got quite close enough to connect, even as the dance grew more and more elaborate.

Even amidst the fast-paced promenade, Sora couldn't help but notice one of the pairs' several failed attempts to dance with each other, and from there it didn't take very long for him to devise a makeshift plan to get them together. The music, and therefore the dance, were rapidly approaching their shared crescendo, but even so Sora managed to pair up with Rapunzel, pulling her away from the bulk of the crowd so he could lead her over to Eugene instead, both of them still actively dancing all the while. While initially confused, Rapunzel understood the point of his unspoken plan as he suddenly spun her out, specifically in Eugene's direction. And, on the final, bombastic beat of the song, Rapunzel and Eugene finally came together, their hands intertwining as they found themselves breathless after such a lengthy, rapid dance, their faces unintentionally close together as the crowd erupted into elated cheers around them. It was a bright, jubilant sort of moment, one that the pair couldn't help but relish as they exchanged a mutual ecstatic smile, though it was soon enough broken by an announcement ringing out across the square.

"To the boats!"

With this signal that the lanterns would soon be taking off, the pair parted, both of them somewhat flustered as their warm, red cheeks clearly told. Still, they wasted no time in joining the majority of the townsfolk in making their way down to the docks, checking in with the trio along the way to find they were going to watch the lanterns from there. Still, Sora, Donald, and Goofy gladly saw Rapunzel and Eugene off as they took to the lake on a small canoe, just as the sun was beginning to set and give way to twilight.

"Where are we going?" Rapunzel asked as Eugene paddled them out toward the center of the lake.

"Best day of your life? I figured you should have a decent seat," Eugene grinned as he finally stopped the canoe on the far edge of the large lake. By now, night had fully fallen, the skies fittingly bereft of any stars in favor of the lanterns that were about to rise in their place. The town itself had gone dark as it reflected upon the water, which meant that all the pair could really do now was wait.

Yet in that waiting, Rapunzel let out a small, anxious sigh as she leaned against the side of the boat to face the kingdom. Eugene quickly took notice of her obvious worry, finding it strange given just how much excitement she'd shown toward what she was about to see since the moment he'd met her. "You ok?" he asked softly from his spot beside her.

"I'm terrified," she admitted earnestly. "I've been… looking out a window for 18 years, dreaming about what it might feel like when those lights rise in the sky. What if… it's not everything I dreamed it would be…?"

"...It will be," Eugene assured her with a soft, gentle smile.

"And what if it is?" Rapunzel asked, glancing over at him. "What do I do then?"

"Well, that's the good part, I guess," his smile widened somewhat. "You get to go find a new dream."

She finally returned his smile at this, her heart stirring with far too many emotions to count, though she found most of her dread soon began to fade away, especially as her gaze lingered on him. Eventually though, she found her sights wandering back toward the water, only for her to spot the smallest speck of newfound light glistening upon its reflection. She gasped when she saw it, knowing beyond a doubt what it was; after all, she'd seen the very same thing every year on this very night for as long she could remember. But now, she wasn't just watching from a window; she was there, where it actually happened, about to be a part of it all for the very first time in her entire life.

She nearly tipped the canoe over completely as excitement overtook her, prompting her to clamor to stand against its bow so she could get a better view. Sure enough, more lanterns began to rise from the kingdom in wake of that first one, tens, hundreds, thousands of lights taking to the air as they filled the night sky in a gentle, radiant, heavenly glow. It was beautiful, far more beautiful than she could have ever imagined, than she ever could have hoped, like something out of a dream, a dream that she'd had many times before, but now, for the first time, it was actually real.

It wasn't long before the lanterns drifted out across the lake, surrounding them and reflecting off its surface to heighten the splendor of it all even more. Rapunzel took pause, however, noticing that there was a sudden bloom of light behind her, one that she discovered the source of as she turned to see Eugene sitting behind her. He offered her a knowing, yet easy smile as he held the pair of lanterns he'd bought and lit earlier, just for the two of them to truly take part in this momentous event. It was a simple gift, really, but one that touched Rapunzel deeply as she took her seat across from him once more. And in that moment, she had no doubts, no questions left in her mind in the slightest about his sincerity. Which meant that perhaps it was finally time for her to be sincere with him in return.

"I have something for you too," she said, pulling out his satchel. Eugene seemed somewhat surprised to see that she had it, but she smiled as his attention quickly shifted back to her while she explained. "I should have given it to you before, but I was just scared. And the thing is… I'm not scared anymore. You know what I mean?"

Slowly, Eugene reached forward to push the satchel down, hardly caring about the treasure hidden away within it in favor of the much greater treasure now sitting right out here in the open before him. A treasure worth far more to him than anything money could possibly hope to buy. "I'm starting to…" he said as he gave her one of the lanterns.

Together, they sent their lanterns skyward, watching them drift up into the air together in what almost looked like a graceful dance as they floated around each other into the night, rising to join the myriad of distant lights hanging high above them. Rapunzel was still completely captivated by their beauty, but all the while, Eugene found himself amazed by another beautiful sight entirely. He couldn't help but smile with the utmost affection as he watched her, practically glowing in the lanterns' light, her smile wide and awestruck and her eyes sparkling as they reflected the countless lights all around them. She was a wonder, a mystery, a miracle, to say the least, perhaps the very miracle his mess of a life had always needed. For so long he'd been searching and scraping by to find his place in the world. But when he was with her, for perhaps the first time in his entire life, everything finally felt right. As long as he was with her, he felt like he was exactly where he was meant to be.

Carefully, he placed his hand over hers, drawing her attention away from the lights, though her smile grew exponentially as she met his own. With their hands now both intertwined, they began to lean in close, their hearts warm and full with emotions that felt brand new to both of them, emotions that were more than welcome for just how fulfilling and bright they really were. The lanterns around them practically felt blurred, a golden halo surrounding them both as their sights settled solely on each other and nothing else. Yet despite that blur, despite those sights, everything felt perfectly clear, almost as if both of them were finally, finally seeing the light for the very first time. A light that they knew, would always lead them to where their hearts truly wanted them to be.

And yet…

Just before Eugene could properly bridge the small gap between their lips, his gaze happened to drift upward, toward the lake shore not too far away. And, standing in the darkness, was a pair that made his blood run cold: the Stabbington Brothers. Clearly they were waiting for him, a fact made apparent as they motioned for him to join them on the shore. He didn't even have to think twice about what they wanted either, especially as he looked down at the satchel sitting on the seat beside Rapunzel.

"I-is everything ok?" she asked him, her smile fading somewhat as she glanced back to the now-empty shore.

"Uh, y-yes," he replied with a nervous chuckle as he grabbed the canoe's paddle once more. "I just… um…" He trailed off, stealing another glance at the satchel as he realized exactly what he needed to do, what he hoped would be the last act of his thieving career if all went well.

Rapunzel had plenty of questions for him as he pulled the canoe to the shore, none that he had proper answers for, at least not yet. "I'm sorry," he began earnestly as he took the satchel. "Everything is fine. There's just… something I have to take care of."

Briefly, Rapunzel eyed the satchel in his arms warily, her mothers' harsh accusations dully ringing through her mind once more, though she was quick to put such thoughts away. She trusted him, he was worthy of her trust. He'd proved that several times over by now. Yet even so, she couldn't deny the steady dread that filled her heart as she offered him a small smile and a nod. "O-ok."

"I-I'll be right back," Eugene assured her as he began to head down the shoreline, hoping that the Stabbingtons wouldn't drag this out for too long. Especially since he had someone so important to get back to.

All the while, Rapunzel watched him, trying her hardest not to let her nerves and fears get the better of her as Pascal took up his usual comforting perch on her shoulder. "It's alright, Pascal," she said, trying to convince herself more than the chameleon really. "He'll be right back, just like he said." She sighed, however, wanting more than anything else to believe that, and yet… her heart still found room to doubt it all the same. "I-I know he will…"

While it wasn't the same as a boat out on the lake, the docks were just about the next best spot the trio could have hoped for to watch the lanterns take flight. Their collective radiance was breathtaking, to say the least, especially as the lights drifted all around them in seemingly every direction. True, they'd seen plenty of other incredible, beautiful sights in their countless journeys to other worlds, but they were hard-pressed to think of any as magically luminous as this.

"Garwsh, this sure was worth all the trouble it took for us to get here, huh?" Goofy asked, thoroughly impressed.

"I'll say," Donald soundly agreed. His bright smile quickly shifted to annoyance however, as he happened to glance over at Sora, who was eagerly tapping away at the Gummi Phone instead of paying any attention to the lanterns surrounding them. "Really, Sora? You're on that phone now, of all times for you to be messing with it?"

"If you're distracted with that, you're gonna miss out on seeing the lights!" Goofy pointed out with a small, amused chuckle.

"I'm not gonna miss them," Sora assured, rebuffing them with a wry grin as he briefly glanced up. "Don't worry; this'll only take a sec."

"It better, otherwise we won't have to worry about it distracting you because it'll be at the bottom of this lake," Donald threatened, crossing his arms.

Sora simply offered a small, playful laugh in response as he held the phone out a bit, watching it expectantly as it rang in the hopes that who he was calling would actually answer. After all, if there was anyone he'd want to share such a special sight with, it was her.

Kairi let out a loud, disgruntled groan as her quiet, peaceful slumber was interrupted by the sound of her Gummi Phone ringing on her nightstand. Groggily, she sat up, wiping a bit of the sleep out of her eyes so she could answer the device, initially far too tired to even wonder or care about who might be calling her at such an incredibly late hour of the night. That is, until she saw who happened to pop up on screen once she managed to answer it.

"Kairi! Hi!"

She gasped, immediately awake as a sudden burst of worry flooded her heart. "Sora! What's wrong?!" she asked, gripping her phone tightly as she looked at his image on it intently. After all, he'd promised that she'd be the first one he'd call if he managed to get himself into any sort of trouble he couldn't handle on his own. "A-are you alright? Where are you? Do you need me to-"

"Whoa, hey, hold on, it's ok," Sora quickly assured with a small, light laugh. "Everything's fine. Great, actually. Right, guys?"

Donald and Goofy voiced their agreement to this, something that seemed to confuse Kairi more than set her mind at ease. "So… you're alright?" she asked apprehensively. "Well… then what's up? In case you didn't know it's… pretty late here in Radiant Garden, so…"

"Oh! Sorry…" Sora scratched the back of his neck, flustered. "I guess I forgot that time works differently in every world. A-anyway, I wanted to show you something."

"Oh? What is it?" Kairi asked, finally taking on a small, curious smile.

"Close your eyes."

"Sora…"

"C'mon, you made me do it when you surprised me on my birthday," Sora countered with a knowing smirk.

"Alright, fine," Kairi relented with a faux exasperated grin.

From there, Sora carefully turned the phone around, making sure that Kairi would get the best view of the lanterns as she possibly could, even if the phone's camera itself could only offer a limited perspective. "Ok… you can open them."

Sora couldn't even try to hold back a smile upon hearing Kairi's awestruck gasp, one that reflected the delighted amazement her own expression conveyed upon seeing the thousands of shimmering lights hovering over the wide lake on her screen. "Oh… they're so beautiful…" she whispered, fascinated as she pulled the phone closer to her to try to get a better look. "But I can't really see them that well like this. What are they?"

"Lanterns," Sora explained, reaching up to retrieve a nearby lantern that was floating low overhead so he could properly show her one. "Every year, this world has this huge festival where they send hundreds of these things up into the sky! If only you could have been here earlier today, Kairi; there was food and dancing and all sorts of fun stuff. You would have loved it!"

"I'm sure I would have," Kairi chuckled, though she only barely left out the rest of what she really wanted to say: especially if I was there with you, Sora.

"See, this is why you need to finish up your training already," Sora teased with a light smirk. "So you can finally come with us and be here for things like this."

"Hey now! I'm training as fast as I possibly can," Kairi let out an amused laugh. "Either way, I'm really glad to see you're out there enjoying yourself, Sora. I know you're very busy looking for the Keys, but you definitely deserve a chance to take it easy and just have a little fun every now and then."

"Uh… heh, yeah, I guess," Sora rebuffed with something of a halfhearted smile. He was quick to perk back up once more, however, upon taking another glance at the lantern in his hand and coming with a newfound idea as he did. "Hey, so… I know it's not really the same as you actually being here to do it yourself, but… how about I send one of these up for both of us?"

"I'd love that," Kairi nodded eagerly, even if a large part of her wished she was actually there for herself, with him, to treasure such a special moment together.

Sora wasted no time in handing the phone over to Goofy, who positioned it just right so Kairi could have a decent view of him and the lantern. He wasn't sure if there was anything in particular he was supposed to say in letting it fly, so instead he simply offered Kairi a bright smile as he carefully lifted the lantern up, allowing it to rise into the air on its own accord. As soon as it was airborne, Sora reclaimed the phone and pointed it in the direction the lantern was drifting to, allowing both of them to watch until it eventually disappeared into the seemingly endless collection of other golden lights around it.

"That was wonderful," Kairi let out a contented sigh as Sora turned the phone back around so she could face him. "I don't know how, but… you almost made it feel like I'm actually right there with you. Thank you, Sora."

Once again, Sora found himself completely helpless to hold back a wide, warm smile at this, one that largely reflected the very one Kairi was sending his way. For what seemed like ages, neither of them really even said anything at all, instead allowing themselves to soak in the blissful moment they were sharing together, even if they were physically worlds apart. Yet neither of them could deny their hearts felt much, much closer than that, almost as if there was no great span of distance to separate them at all.

And all the while, Sora strangely found himself relishing the newfound sense of pure, genuine happiness that had managed to find a place in his heart, happiness that had started as a spark earlier during the day's festivities, but had only grown into a vibrant, welcome glow from there, especially now, especially thanks to her. It was a feeling he hadn't really experienced in earnest like this in quite some time, and after having lost it for so long now, it was something he didn't want to slip away from him anytime soon.

He was just about to thank Kairi for her immense contribution for that sense of satisfaction, when suddenly the light of the lanterns around him seemed to amplify tenfold. Or rather, as the world itself was overtaken by a radiant golden aura that he'd grown quite used to finding himself within by now, just as much as he was used to the always questioning voice that rang out to his heart from within it.

"Is there joy in your heart?"

The question hardly surprised him, and he was certainly in no place to deny something that was so incredibly obvious at a jubilant moment like this. "Yes," he responded, letting out a small, buoyant laugh in spite of himself. "Yes, there is."

The Key that came to him in exchange for his honest answer felt light and natural in his grip, illuminating the same sort of brilliant aura each one always seemed to carry. Donald and Goofy gasped in awe alongside him at its sudden appearance, but for his part, Sora simply smiled at his newfound prize as he held it up for both of them to see.

"Sora?" Kairi cut in, curious and confused. "What's going on?"

"Well… I just got the next Key, actually," Sora pointed the phone at the aforementioned Key so she could have a look.

"Really?!" Kairi exclaimed with an excited grin. "Sora, that's great! Congratulations!"

"Yeah, uh… I-I actually think I owe finding this one to you, Kairi," he admitted, suddenly flustered even as he maintained his own easygoing smile.

"Me? How?"

"Uh…" Sora faltered somewhat, especially as he spotted the coy, knowing glances both Donald and Goofy were sending his way. "I-I'll, um… I'll tell you later, ok?"

"Ok," Kairi chuckled, largely understanding what he meant. "Still, I'm glad I could help you find it. Hopefully it won't be too long before I'm actually out there searching for you with them myself."

"I can't wait until you are," Sora said earnestly, knowing that the pure, perfect light her companionship always managed to bring was just the kind of steady comfort he longed to have on any occasion.

"Neither can I," Kairi soundly agreed as she let out a bit of a tired yawn. "But for now, I should probably get back to sleep. I've got another long day of training ahead of me tomorrow."

"Oh, right!" Sora exclaimed with something of an embarrassed smirk. "Sorry to wake you up so late."

"Don't be," Kairi kindly assured. "You know you can talk to me any time about anything. I'll always be right here to listen."

"Y-yeah… I know..." Sora's steady smile fell a bit upon hearing this, unable to shake the thought of all of the things he hadn't told her, things he couldn't tell her, at least not yet. If he could ever muster the courage to tell her at all. "Uh, t-thanks again for helping me get the Key. Good night, Kairi."

"Good night, Sora," Kairi bid him a fond, if not somewhat sleepy farewell just shy of hanging up. And as she did, Sora managed to regain his former smile in full as he let out a small, contented sigh while looking over the Key he'd just obtained, even if his thoughts weren't particularly focused on it. His attention was soon diverted away, however, as he happened to glance over at his companions, both of whom were still offering a set of wide, smug smirks after everything they'd just heard and seen.

"What are you guys looking at?" he asked them, raising a playfully suspicious eyebrow.

"Admit it," Donald goaded mischievously. "You like her…"

"Uh, y-yeah, of course I like her," Sora rebuffed defensively. "She is one of my best friends after all."

"Yep, a very special best friend," Goofy added with a wry chuckle.

"You might even say," Donald continued this round of good-natured teasing. "She's more than just a best friend, huh, Sora?"

"Oh! C-come on, you guys!" Sora retaliated by swinging the Key out at the lake before them, catching his companions in a sudden splash that did nothing to curtail the bout of hearty laughter they were both all but lost to. Still, for as flustered as he clearly was, he couldn't help but join in on that laughter eventually, still awash in that deep sense of quiet joy that had led him to this latest Key to begin with. Joy that was largely mutual between the trio as a whole in light of their most recent successful find.

"Well, we got ourselves another Key," Goofy noted once that bout of levity had ended. "Guess that means we can be on our way to the next world."

"Aw, do we really have to go so soon?" Sora asked in slight disappointment, knowing that it was a rare occasion for them to land in a world as seemingly peaceful as this.

"Yes," Donald affirmed as both him and Goofy rose to stand. "We still have plenty more Keys we need to find after all. And I bet the rest of them won't be as easy to track down as this one was."

"Well… I guess you're right about that…" Sora relented as he stood himself, letting the Key disappear out of his grip. "But, before we leave, can we at least go say goodbye to Rapunzel and Eugene? Who knows when the next time we'll be able to come back here will be?"

Donald and Goofy exchanged a brief glance at this, knowing that they couldn't really deny their young companion a request as simple as this, especially since both of them largely wanted to bid the couple a proper farewell too.

"Alright, let's go find them then," Donald sighed in faux exasperation. "And let's be quick about it too! Which means no getting sidetracked, Sora."

"C'mon, Donald, when do I ever get sidetracked?" Sora countered with an easy scoff as the trio began to make their way back into town.

"...You don't want me to answer that."

By now, Rapunzel had been kept waiting for quite some time, to the point that she'd stepped out of the canoe to try and peer past the rocks Eugene had disappeared behind some time ago. The lanterns had largely all gone out by now, leaving the shoreline steeped in misty darkness that carried a hint of an uneasy chill with it. Rapunzel exchanged another nervous glance with Pascal, but for the most part, both remained silent, hoping to hear Eugene's voice or footsteps sooner or later to signal his return. And eventually, Rapunzel did catch onto the soft sound of someone approaching, a figure making their way toward her from the far end of the shore as the shadowy mist largely concealed their appearance. Yet even so, she couldn't help but let out a small, hopeful sigh all the same when she saw them.

"T-there you are," she smiled, releasing her tight hold on the canoe's bow. "I was… starting to think that you ran off with the crown and left me…"

"He did."

Rapunzel's relief was immediately shattered at this, especially as the silhouette stepping out of the mist soon became clearer to the point that she could finally make out the unsettlingly familiar black coat he was wearing. "Y-you again…" Rapunzel shuddered, taking a defensive step back before Marluxia could get any closer. "You… you're wrong. Eugene wouldn't-"

"He would and he has," Marluxia interrupted, motioning out toward the lake with a cool smile. "See for yourself."

Hesitantly, Rapunzel glanced toward the lake, only to see a single sailboat gliding across its surface, one that had only just departed from that very shore. And as she managed to get a closer look, she noticed its lone occupant, her heart practically being torn in two with disbelief and grief at the mere sight of him. "E-Eugene?" she wavered, stepping out toward the shallows of the lake in the hopes that he'd hear her. "Eugene!"

Despite her desperate cries, he didn't seem to hear her, or if he did, he didn't seem to care. He made no effort to turn toward her, his hands gripping the wheel of his boat as he steadily steered it away from her. Away from the happy life she had once thought they could have had together.

"Forget Flynn Rider," Marluxia said from somewhere behind her, his tone cold and condescending. "You know where you belong, and it's not with him. Now…"

Rapunzel seized up in fear as a pair of particularly large, blade wielding creatures, Nobodies to be precise, materialized out of thin air before her. With her hair as securely tied up as it was and her frying pan nowhere to be found, she knew she'd be hard pressed to fight them as she instead turned to confront the man in charge of them as brazenly as she possibly could. "W-why are you doing this?" she asked, eying him warily. "What do you want with me?"

"It's not what I want with you," Marluxia grinned as his Nobodies drifted in a bit too close for Rapunzel's comfort. "It's who you can help me get to…"

Rapunzel jolted, instantly recalling a very pertinent, distressing conversation she'd been a part of the previous night. One that had helped her learn more about exactly what, or who this dangerous man and his equally dangerous Organization were after. "Sora…" she whispered fearfully, though she soon forced that fear to become ferocity instead. "I-I'm not going to let you hurt him!"

"He's not the one you should be worried about…" Marluxia dryly mused, nodding back to his pair of Nobodies. Rapunzel only barely managed to dodge out of the path of one of their heavy blades, prompting her to flee, not just for her own life, but in the hopes of finding Sora and warning him of Marluxia's schemes before it was too late. She didn't make it very far down the shore, however, before her lengthy braid happened to snag upon a heavy log, pulling her back in the process. Panicking, she struggled to pull her hair free, hoping that the Nobodies wouldn't catch up with her and knowing that they easily could. Until…

A sudden heavy clamor echoed from where she'd just run from. A din that was followed by an immensely concerned call she couldn't have possibly mistaken anywhere. "Rapunzel!?"

"M-Mother…?" she whispered tentatively. Carefully, she pulled her hair free and skirted back around the bend, only to sure enough, find her mother, a heavy stick in hand as she stood between the pair of now-defeated Nobodies just as they began to vanish into thin air.

"Oh! My precious girl!" Gothel cried in sheer relief upon spotting her flower.

"M-Mother!" Overwhelmed with far too many emotions to count, Rapunzel didn't hesitate to rush toward her mother's open arms, falling into her familiar embrace in the hopes that it could somehow heal her aching heart.

"Are you all right?" Gothel fretfully checked over her. "Are you hurt?"

Rapunzel shook her head, still rather shellshocked from the daunting danger she'd just been in. "I… H-how did you-"

"I was so worried about you, dear," Gothel explained, gripping her shoulders protectively. "So I followed you. And I saw them attack you and-" She cut herself off, locking Rapunzel into another tight, secure embrace instead.

"B-but I don't understand," Rapunzel pulled back a bit, bewildered as she looked around. "W-where did that guy in the black coat go?"

"It's hard to say," Gothel said quickly, her tone tense as she began to pull Rapunzel along after her. "But let's hurry, before he has a chance to return."

"B-but, wait," Rapunzel hung back anxiously. "Mother, I think one of my friends is in trouble. I need to find him and warn him about-"

"Rapunzel, please," Gothel interjected impatiently. "It's far too dangerous for you to remain out here any longer, as if you couldn't already tell. We need to get you home where you'll be safe, now."

"B-but, my friend-"

"Can take care of himself, I'm sure," Gothel concluded staunchly. "Now, come along. And hurry, child! We haven't a moment to lose."

"But…" Rapunzel's final protest trailed off, hoping that her mother was right and that Sora really did have the means to defend himself from whatever Marluxia was planning. Yet even so, she found herself hesitating to follow Gothel's lead, especially as she looked back toward the lake. Specifically, toward the boat she knew Eugene was on, perhaps the last glimpse she'd ever get of him at all.

He'd left her, just as her mother had said he would, and yet… a part of her still wondered what might have been if he hadn't. If he had stayed, if he had come back. If the two of them could have begun an entirely new dream together.

But as it stood, that was a dream Rapunzel knew would never have a chance at coming true now… or ever.

Tears were in her eyes as she slowly turned back to her mother, who stood waiting, lantern in hand, at the edge of the nearby forest, ready to guide her back home. Ready to lead her back to the isolated, lonely, ultimately empty tower she'd always known, tucked far away from the big, beautiful world she'd only now had the chance to fall in love with. Safe… yet hardly satisfied after everything she'd learned and seen.

Yet there was something else her mother was offering her too as she opened her arms out wide to receive her once more. She was offering an escape, a chance to live a simple, easy life, bereft of anything even remotely similar to the anguish she was feeling now. It would take some time, she knew, but perhaps she could learn to forget about this grief, forget about this loss, maybe… even forget about him. And maybe someday, she could manage to convince herself to be happy again.

Even if she knew that happiness could only ever be a facade from here on out.

All the same, she wept openly as she ran to her mother,, letting the familiarity of her comforting embrace wash over her as she sobbed into her arms. "Y-you were right, Mother…" she whispered mournfully as Gothel began to lead her down the long trek back toward the tower. "You were right about everything…"

Of course, what Rapunzel didn't know as she solemnly followed her mother, what she couldn't have possibly known, was that Eugene's supposed departure was really just a set-up, a trick designed specifically to trap them both. To keep them both apart and imprisoned in different, yet equally awful kinds of ways. And yet, they weren't the only two set to fall into such a twisted sort of trap, as Marluxia continued to stand by, waiting in the shadows for the right time to launch another sinister snare all his own.

"Look, all we're sayin' is, you said these Keys show up whenever you feel a certain strong emotion in whatever world we're in," Goofy rationalized with a bit of a playful smile as him and Donald followed Sora's lead down the lake shore.

"And we both know Kairi can bring out some pretty strong emotions in you," Donald added just as teasingly.

"Uh huh," Sora rolled his eyes, though he was grinning all the while. "Do you guys actually have a point with all this?"

"We sure do," Goofy nodded. "It's a pretty easy point to come to too; if talkin' to Kairi helped you get this world's Key-"

"Then maybe the emotion that brought it out was..." Donald continued every bit as leadingly before Goofy joined him in their final eager verdict.

"Love!"

"Mm… good guess," Sora smirked, glancing over his shoulder at the pair. "But you're a little off the mark; this world's Key was all about joy, not love. Sorry."

"So?" Donald rebuffed stubbornly. "That doesn't prove that you're not in love with her!"

"Doesn't prove that I am either," Sora countered as smoothly as he could, even though he was trying his best to suppress a flustered blush all the while. He could tell Donald and Goofy were more than ready to keep this insincere debate going, yet he stopped short before they could as he happened to notice two figures walking toward the woods afar in the distance. One of whom just so happened to have several unmistakable feet of long, golden hair running down her back. "Hey, isn't that Rapunzel?" he asked, diverting his companions' attention that way.

"Sure looks like it," Goofy agreed. "But Eugene doesn't seem to be with her…"

"It looks like her mother is instead," Donald noted, barely making out the cloaked figure walking alongside her.

"Hm…" Sora frowned, immediately troubled by the recollection of the distrustful, almost downright dark aura he'd sensed from Rapunzel's mother during their brief encounter the previous night. "I don't like the looks of this…" he stepped forward a bit, plenty of questions on his mind that he hoped Rapunzel could make some sense of for him. "Hey! Rapun-"

He was abruptly interrupted, however, by the sudden appearance of a dark portal just a few feet away. "Show some decorum," Marluxia advised with his usual calm smile as he emerged from this darkness. "The girl has found her dear mother. You should let them be."

"I have a better idea," Sora countered crossly as he, Donald, and Goofy took up offensive stances against their foe. "Why don't you leave us be instead?"

"Oh, I intend to do exactly that," Marluxia nodded. "Just as soon as I get what I was sent to this world to retrieve." His icy, yet malicious smile deepened as he extended an open hand out toward the trio, or more specifically, toward Sora. "I'll take that Key you found. Along with the long-awaited acceptance of your inevitable role as the Organization's thirteenth vessel."

Sora faltered, but only briefly at this appeal, knowing that he couldn't afford to lose his nerve against such threats, not now and not ever again. No matter how true they might actually be. "A-and what makes you think I'd just give up that easily, huh?" he asked, the Kingdom Key taking up its usual spot in his hand as he offered his foe a resilient glare.

"Because," Marluxia said, still hardly phased by Sora's show of brazenness. "This… negotiation can go one of two ways; the easy way where you surrender yourself and that Key and we'll be on our way. Or… the hard way."

"...What's the hard way?" Sora asked, an intentional air of challenge in his tone.

"I don't think you'd like to find out."

"I think we would," Sora countered sternly, and by now Donald and Goofy had called upon their own weapons alongside him. Certainly, between the three of them, they'd be able to handle whatever attack or swarm of Heartless or Nobodies Marluxia might send their way just fine. The only problem was, that wasn't exactly what the Organization member had in mind.

"Hmph, I just knew you would go and make a scene," Marluxia sneered haughty. "Very well. I suppose we'll be doing this the hard way. Which means… it's lights out for you."

With this, Marluxia suddenly lashed out, a strange wave of unknown magic launching from his outstretched hand. That magic targeted Sora alone, striking him soft yet brutally all at once and the effect it had on him was immediate. Exhaustion, so immense and heavy it was like a sudden weight around his neck, instantly began dragging him down, his eyes heavy and the rest of his body feeling even heavier as his thoughts seemed to grow completely numb and distant. He only barely heard Donald and Goofy's shared cry of alarm for him as his Keyblade slipped out of his hand, his vision blurring as he struggled, practically fought just to remain conscious. But it was ultimately a battle he had no hope of winning as he slowly collapsed to the ground. And the last thing he heard was a final triumphant statement from Marluxia just as he was ultimately lost to the dark void of this forceful, uncertain slumber altogether.

"You always were such a sound sleeper…"

For their part, Donald and Goofy were panicking before Sora even fully fell to the ground. Their reactions were stark, yet completely contrasting from the very start; Goofy remained by Sora's side, already trying his best to rouse him and wake him up, yet his attempts were to no avail. Donald on the other hand, was furious, and didn't hesitate to show it as he rushed forward, his wand raised and ready to attack Marluxia out of sheer, infuriated retaliation. He was more than ready for such retaliation, however, as he called upon a plentiful horde of powerful Nobodies to confront them in his stead.

"The two of you have kept Sora from achieving his true potential far too many times now," Marluxia remarked darkly as his pack of Nobodies launched their first wave of attacks. "You're both only obstacles along the path that will lead him to where he truly belongs."

"You mean the path you want to put him on!" Donald accused, fiercely casting a powerful fire spell to take out several of the smaller Nobodies.

"And that's a path that Sora's not gonna take, no matter how much you try to force him to!" Goofy added just as brazenly, upholding his shield in a defensive stance before Sora's still listless form.

Yet despite their shared determination and verve, Marluxia simply responded to their resolve with a quiet, yet mocking laugh. "He really has convinced you to believe his endless string of lies, hasn't he?" he asked, sparing a brief glance down at Sora. "How sad. Perhaps if he actually trusted either of you, he might have told you."

"...Told us what?" Donald asked, aptly wary.

"That he knows without a shadow of a doubt that he's already well on his way to becoming the missing piece the Organization needs," Marluxia said, his sinister satisfaction over this claim quite clear. "In fact, he's known the truth of what's been happening to his heart for quite some time. And all the while he's been purposefully, intentionally hiding that truth from both of you, his closest companions. Then again, if either of you actually cared for his wellbeing, you might have seen through his lies from the very start."

"We do care about him!" Donald protested, absolutely livid as he took on another round of Nobodies with as much firepower as possible.

"A-and Sora wouldn't lie to us, not about something like this!" Goofy asserted as he blocked off a sudden attack by a Nobody that had slipped past Donald in the fray. "He promised us he wouldn't!"

"That 'promise' was just another one of his countless lies," Marluxia said dismissively. "Anything to make sure his abundant secrets remain exactly that." At this, he summoned a dark corridor, apparently in the guise of leaving altogether, even as more Nobodies continued to show up in his wake. Donald and Goofy continued fending the creatures off, largely for the sake of protecting Sora when he largely couldn't. Yet as distracted with the barrage of Nobodies as they were, both of them failed to see another shadowy portal appear on the other side of the shore behind them. And they didn't even notice Marluxia reemerging from that portal to approach Sora-who was still completely out of it thanks to his mysterious magic-until it was far too late for either of them to stop what was about to happen.

"But worry not," he spoke up to catch the pair's attention. They both turned to find a sight that practically scared both of them stiff; Marluxia had easily hoisted Sora over his shoulder, his dark corridor lingering right behind them to give him an easy getaway with his easily-claimed newfound captive on hand. "The burden of his safe-keeping is no longer yours to bear." Marluxia's consistently calculated smirk deepened as he turned toward the dark portal and began to carry Sora away into it. "It's ours, and I can assure you we'll take exceptional care of him…"

"No!" Donald and Goofy cried in frantic unison, leaving the Nobodies behind as they raced forward in a desperate attempt to stop him. Yet despite their best efforts, from shield tossing to spell casting, they were ultimately unable to keep Marluxia from stepping into the dark corridor with Sora in tow. Unable to do anything but helplessly, painfully watch as their newfound worst nightmare came true once more, as Sora was stolen away from them by someone who only wanted to bring him untold harm all over again.

"There," Gothel grinned as she finished plucking the last of the flowers out of Rapunzels' hair. "Like it never happened."

Rapunzel said nothing, her expression downcast and despondent as she sat on the edge of her bed, even despite her mother's chipper tune. The entire trip back to the tower had been an agonizing one for her, filled with plenty of grief and tears that she couldn't quite shake, no matter how much Gothel had convinced her to try. Because every time she so much as thought about Eugene, about how practically perfect things had felt between them only a few short hours ago, a newfound burst of pain would always ring through her already anguished heart. Pain over what she thought she once could have had, but would never get to experience again.

"I really did try, Rapunzel," Gothel said with a sympathetic sigh as she lingered for a beat in the doorway. "I tried to warn you what was out there. The world is dark, selfish, and cruel. If it finds even the slightest ray of sunshine, it destroys it."

With that, Gothel left her alone to mourn in silent solitude. Slowly, Rapunzel opened her enclosed hands up to look at the sole souvenir she'd managed to save from the festival, a miniature Corona flag Eugene had bought for her, emblazoned with the kingdom's signature sun emblem. With a small, sad sigh, she lay back onto her bed, clutching the flag close to her chest, the last remaining remnant, a bittersweet momento of her first, and likely only time out of the tower.

And yet, as she opened her eyes to stare up at the countless paintings adorning her ceiling, she couldn't help but notice something among them. She knew each of those paintings well, after all, they had all been carefully crafted by her very own hands over the years. But now, as she looked between them and the flag in her hands, she couldn't help but spot a puzzling similarity between them. Because scattered there, hidden well among the art she'd been creating since she could pick up a paintbrush, was the sun, the very same sun on Corona's very own flag. It existed in several subliminal spots, in flowers and leaves and in spaces between birds and animals, and even on a few of her own playful self portraits, but they were all the same. Hundreds upon hundreds of suns, identical to the symbol that represented Corona, a symbol she knew, one she'd seen even before her trip outside the tower, somewhere in the back of her mind, like a long-forgotten, faded memory.

Her eyes were wide as she practically leapt off the bed, her jaw dropped in shock as that memory finally made itself apparent. The mural she'd seen at the festival, the king and queen depicted upon it, the baby girl, the princess they held in their arms. But most of all, the crown, the one that had been in Eugene's satchel that she had curiously tried on when he'd first barged into her tower. A crown that looked so right, so natural, so familiar on her, that there was no doubt, it had to be hers', which meant…

She gasped, stunned by this revelation as she stumbled back into her nearby vanity. The sudden clamor alerted Gothel almost instantly from downstairs as she called up to her, though that call was only barely heard amidst the sound of her own heartbeat practically pounding in her ears. "Rapunzel? What's going on up there?"

Her breathing was tense and shallow, the shock of it all rolling over her in heavy, daunting waves. It was only as she managed to emerge from her bedroom to meet Gothel's confused, concerned approach that she somehow found the words to voice what she now knew was the truth. "I… I'm the lost princess…" she muttered, still scarcely believing it herself.

"Ugh, please speak up, Rapunzel," Gothel scowled, annoyed. "You know how I hate the mumbling."

"I am the lost princess, aren't I?" Rapunzel repeated louder, hardening her expression as she offered her "mother" a distrustful glare. Gothel's alarmed expression alone was enough to tell her that she was absolutely right on the mark, that everything she'd ever thought she knew had been nothing more than a series of endless lies. "Did I mumble, Mother? Or should I even call you that?"

Despite her initial shock, Gothel was quick to recover from it with a harsh, forced chuckle. "Oh, Rapunzel, do you even hear yourself? Why would you ask such a ridiculous question?"

"It was you!" Rapunzel roughly shoved her away before she could lock her in another placating embrace. "It was all you!"

Gothel's fake smile turned into a stern, icy glower at this, her tone every bit as chilling to match. "Everything I did was to protect you."

Disgusted by such a dishonest claim, Rapunzel pushed Gothel aside once more, storming down the stairs as the full weight of what this woman had done to her her entire life completely sank in. "I've spent my entire life hiding from people who would use me for my power-"

"Rapunzel!" Gothel shouted fiercely as she hurried after her.

"When I should have been hiding from you!"

"Where will you go?" Gothel countered bitterly. "He won't be there for you."

"W-what did you do to him?" Rapunzel dared to ask, knowing that Eugene "leaving" her certainly hadn't been what it seemed. At least not in light of what she knew now.

Gothel smirked, a twisted, sadistic expression that sent chills down Rapunzel's spine. "That criminal is to be hanged for his crimes," she said simply, smugly, even.

"N-no…" Rapunzel gasped, fear gripping her heart like a vice, especially as Gothel continued to approach her.

"Now, now, it's all right," she assured in a sickly sweet soothing voice. "Listen to me. All of this is as it should be…"

"No!" Rapunzel adamantly protested, catching Gothel's hand just before it could reach in to touch her coveted hair once again. "You were wrong about the world. And you were wrong about me! And I will never let you use my hair again!"

Gothel shouted furiously as she ripped her arm out of Rapunzel's steady hold, stumbling back into the nearby mirror, which tipped over and completely shattered on the ground behind her. Even so, Rapunzel stood her ground, refusing to let this wicked woman manipulate her any more than she already had for the past 18 years of her life. Because as far as she was concerned, she was going to leave this tower and never come back. She was going to find Sora, Donald, and Goofy and recruit their help in rescuing Eugene from his grisly fate. And she was going to finally meet her real family, a family that was bound to love her and care for her far more than Gothel had ever falsely claimed to.

And yet, Gothel had much different plans in mind. "You want me to be the bad guy…?" she hissed, ready to do whatever she had to to keep both her flower and her youth exactly where she wanted them. "Fine. Now I'm the bad guy…"

The fact that Donald and Goofy had found themselves in a daunting situation identical to this once before was bad enough, but twice was almost more than either of them could bear. And while they'd been immensely distraught the first time around, now they were completely beside themselves with fear and disarray, especially in light of what had ended up happening to Sora the last time he was apprehended by one of their foes. They'd only just ousted the last of the Nobodies Marluxia had left behind to keep them busy while he made his escape, and even as the immediate threat disappeared from the lake shore, there was hardly any sense of calm between the duo in the aftermath of what they'd just lost.

"AUGH!" Donald's loud, outraged shout echoed across the lake along with the heavy lightning spell he haphazardly cast to accompany his unbridled fury. "I can't believe this! Sora got captured again and we just let it happen! AGAIN! Why didn't we see this coming?! It was such an obvious trap, we should have known what he was planning from the very start and-"

"M-maybe…" Goofy suddenly spoke up, his tone and expression both dejected and forlorn. As opposed to Donald's heated anger, the captain was awash in grief and guilt, his hat in his hands as he tried his best to hold back his pressing tears. "Maybe Marluxia was right… maybe we're not cut out to take care of Sora after all…"

"What, so you're saying the Organization is?!" Donald shot back harshly.

"N-no, of course not! But…" Goofy sighed remorsefully. "This is twice now we weren't able to protect him… We're supposed to keep him safe, Donald, that's our job. And… w-we keep failing at that job. We keep failing Sora. No wonder he doesn't trust us anymore… With how things have been going, he has every reason not to…"

Donald stilled somewhat at this, realizing just how right Goofy actually was. Because how could either of them claim to be remotely adequate companions, caretakers, friends to Sora after proving to be powerless to keep him from being taken away from them not once, but twice now? Yet even despite both of those horrific occasions, that didn't mean now was the time to give up and let it happen, especially since they hadn't before. "We haven't failed him yet," Donald concluded sternly as he began to lead the way onward. "Come on, Goofy. It's time to go."

"G-go where?" Goofy asked fretfully. "We don't even know where Marluxia might have taken him. They could be worlds away by now!"

"W-we'll figure something out!" Donald huffed indignantly. "If worse comes to worse, we can always go get Kairi and see if she can find him like she did last time. But we can't just let the Organization have him, not when we know what they want to do with him."

"...Do ya think it could actually be true, Donald?" Goofy asked after a beat of hesitant silence. "Do you think Sora really has been lying to us all this time about… y-you know…?"

For what seemed like ages, Donald had no real response to such a question, largely since the mere thought alone added an entirely new distressing layer on top of everything else they were already facing. When he did answer, however, his tone was stiff and rigid for the sake of not conveying his fear that it actually was true after all. "It doesn't matter if it is or not," he said simply as he continued on toward the forest. "He still needs our help."

Goofy solemnly agreed with this as he readily followed Donald's lead, though before the pair could make it too far in their endeavor to leave this world behind, they were caught off guard by the sudden noisy clamor coming from the kingdom's bridge behind them. Startled, they both turned to find a familiar white steed galloping across it, bearing a rider who was only barely managing to fend off the horde of Nobodies tailing him.

"Eugene!" they both called from their spot on the shore. As soon as he noticed the pair, he didn't hesitate to prompt Maximus to race toward them, hoping that they could take care of the flock of Nobodies besetting him, which they quickly did.

By the time Donald and Goofy were finishing up the last of the creatures, Eugene had pulled Maximus to a stop behind them, giving the horse a much-needed breather after the hectic escape they'd just pulled off. Briefly, he checked back toward the kingdom to make sure no guards were pursuing them, but he assumed they'd be kept quite busy with the remaining monsters that had been causing chaos in the dungeons he'd only narrowly managed to break out of.

"Donald! Goofy!" he called to the pair as soon as the last few Nobodies were gone. "Boy, am I glad to see you two. Wait," he stopped short, glancing around the surrounding area. "Where's Sora?"

The pair exchanged a nervous glance at this before they both blurted out the terrible truth at the exact same time. "He was captured!"

"What?!" Eugene exclaimed incredulously.

"That Marluxia fella made off with him just a little while ago," Goofy explained as quickly as he could.

"Which means Goofy and I need to leave now so we can find-"

"Donald, wait," Goofy stopped the magician short on a newfound bout of realization. "If Nobodies are still roaming around this world," he whispered so only Donald could properly hear him. "Then maybe that means Marluxia is too."

Donald balked at this, grasping onto this ray of hope, however small, for everything it was worth. "You think…?"

"Uh, hey, fellas?" Eugene interrupted, his tone and expression both rather urgent. "I'm willing to do whatever I can to help you guys look for Sora, but I don't think he's the only one in trouble here. Rapunzel-"

"Oh yeah!" Goofy cut in. "We saw Rapunzel earlier; it looked like her mother was takin' her back to the tower."

"That's right," Eugene nodded gravely, remembering what he'd heard from his former partners in crime during his brief stint in prison. "And two little birdies told me that her 'mother' just so happens to be in league with a certain pink-haired, black-coated friend of ours."

"Rapunzel's mother is working with Marluxia?" Donald asked, baffled. "But why?"

"Hard to say," Eugene shrugged. "But if they have teamed up, then I have a hunch that there's a good chance that we might just find both Rapunzel and Sora in the exact same place."

"The tower!"

"Exactly," Eugene nodded, determined to get there as quickly as possible. "This calls for a rescue mission. Are you guys with me?"

"Of course!" Donald and Goofy immediately agreed, wasting no time in joining Eugene atop Maximus' back. The horse nearly wavered under the combined weight of all three of them, but even so he stood fast, understanding just how important their mutual mission was as he quickly carried them down the path that led to the tower as fast as his hooves could carry him. And all the while, Eugene, and Donald and Goofy alike all shared largely the same exact noble resolve: to rescue both Sora and Rapunzel alike from those who sought to use them for their own twisted ends, before it was too late.

When Sora opened his eyes, he found himself within a space that had made an appearance in his dreams, or rather nightmares once before: a round wide room adorned with thirteen opulent, towering thrones on all sides. However, this time Sora realized he was actually sitting in one of those thrones, the lowest one among them, and that no matter how much he tried to rise from it, his body strangely refused to move in the slightest. And while his sudden loss of autonomy was more than enough to spike an all-too familiar kind of panic in his mind and heart alike, that panic practically skyrocketed as he noticed what he was wearing: one of the telltale black coats of Organization XIII.

His breathing hitched, his body still mostly forcefully unmoving as he managed to steal an anxious glance up at the other thrones around him. Each of them were occupied by the similarly clad members of the Organization, their identities all concealed by the shadowy hoods covering their heads. They all had their hidden gazes focused down at Sora, yet none of them said a single word, instead only watching ominously and intently as his throne abruptly began to rise into the air from its spot close to the ground.

By now, Sora's thoughts were running rampant with terror and distress that he wasn't even able to voice, even as he hectically tried to remember what had happened, how he got here, what was happening and why. Yet those frantic thoughts all came to a grinding halt along with the throne he was on as it stopped high above the others, to the point that it was directly across another one of the seats in particular. Upon which happened to sit the very leader of the Organization himself.

"M-Master…" Sora said before he could even try to stop himself, the very word starkly startling him as it unintentionally left his mouth.

"Hello again, Sora," Xehanort offered his newest vessel a cordial grin. "It's good to see that you're progressing quite nicely. After you manage to remove the three excess hearts from your own-which I know you will soon enough-I can't imagine that it will be too much longer before your transformation into our thirteenth vessel will finally be complete. And once it is, then the long awaited clash between darkness and light can at last come to be!"

At this, Sora was overwhelmed by a particularly heavy wave of anguish that targeted his heart above all else. It was a tactic he was far too familiar with by this point, yet one that always seemed to wear him down with just how raw and unbearable it always proved to be. But in light of just how much of that pain and fear the elderly master had already put him through, it wasn't something Sora was about to bend to now or, at least as far as he was concerned, ever. "N-no…" he said, struggling against the oppressive silence Xehanort was clearly forcing upon him.

"No?" the master raised a curious eyebrow, still smiling confidently all the while.

"No," Sora repeated, his tone much firmer and resolved as he offered Xehanort a bold, defiant glare. "M-my heart's stronger than you think it is. Y-you can go ahead and do whatever you want to it; you can even do your absolute worst. But I'm not going to let you use me to hurt my friends!" By now, he'd finally managed to regain his lost ability to move and he took advantage of the opportunity to rise up and stand atop the throne he'd been forced into, his Keyblade flashing into his hand as he pointed it directly at the elderly master without a single shred of fear or hesitation. "I don't care how hard it might be, I'm going to keep on fighting this, fighting you until I find a way to stop it once and for all!"

As his courageous proclamation echoed through the hall, Xehanort said nothing to it for quite some time. When he did respond to it however, his former smile was gone, replaced with a displeased scowl as he also stood upon his throne. "I see," he said, his tone surprisingly calm and calculated. "There's still much you don't understand, it seems. Very well." At this, Xehanort called upon his own Keyblade, devastating dark energy radiating across its entire surface. "You shall learn respect for your master and your Organization… and suffering will be your teacher!"

Before Sora even had a chance to react, Xehanort swung his Keyblade out wide, the darkness surrounding it unleashed as it flew toward him in a heavy, powerful wave. It struck him squarely in the chest, knocking him backward off of the throne in the process, and as he fell, the white room soon gave way to a void of thick, inky darkness instead. Sora landed hard at the unintelligible bottom of that seemingly endless void, and while pain still rippled sharply throughout his heart, he forced himself to stand amidst it, knowing well that Xehanort likely wasn't finished with him yet.

"Tell me, Sora," the elderly master asked from somewhere behind him. Sora didn't hesitate to spin around to face him, still gripping his Keyblade tightly as he took up a defensive stance, even if the steadiness of that stance did waver as Xehanort continued to approach him. "Why are you so intent on hiding the truth of your… condition from your so-called 'friends'?" Sora didn't answer, completely on his own volition and refusal to reveal such vulnerability to his enemy. Unfortunately, Xehanort was well equipped with a way to force him to make that vulnerability known regardless. "Well?" he asked expectantly, pushing his oppressive power upon Sora's heart until he could literally remain silent no longer.

"B-because…" he choked, his voice tight and weak amidst the agony that was forcing the truth out of him. Tears were just starting to well up in his eyes in light of that agony, as well as the real reason why he'd kept what he had been going through hidden from the others for such a long time now. "I… I'm scared…"

"Scared?" Xehanort repeated with a broad, knowing grin as he began to circle his shaken vessel as though he was his prey. Which was certainly comparable to how Sora felt at the moment, at least. "And what would the brave young hero of the Keyblade have to be scared of? Perhaps… you're scared of what they might think of you if they knew what you were becoming?"

Sora gasped as he glanced up, only to see a familiar crowd standing within the darkness before him. While some of the figures standing among that crowd were obscured by shadow, a handful of them were perfectly clear. In particular, he spotted Donald and Goofy, both of whom looked to him with wide-eyed, genuine fear. Fear that was only rivaled by the absolute unbridled anger, hatred even, that Riku and Kairi were sending his way just through their intense, bitter expressions alone.

Sora stumbled back, narrowly suppressing a sharp, heartbroken sob as he forced himself to look away from the disdainful stares his friends were holding him under. Even so, Xehanort managed to find yet another cruel way to twist the knife of his sadistic scheme even deeper within his hapless vessel's heart. "Or… maybe what you're truly afraid of is facing the truth for yourself…"

When Sora dared to look up once more, the group that had stood before him was gone, instead replaced by what seemed to be his own mirror reflection standing before him. He was still clad in that horrendous black coat, but other than that, he still looked like himself. At least until Xehanort cast his twisted pall of darkened malice over his heart once more. "The harsh purity of the light often outshines what should be plain to see," the elderly master continued as evenly as ever. "But under the cover of darkness, nothing can ever really hide. Search long enough, and soon you'll find that in that darkness… all is revealed."

Sora froze, horrified as he watched more and more wisps of white overtake the chestnut brown of his hair to the point that there was so much of it he couldn't hope to hide it anymore. To make matters worse, the gold that had only started sparking in his eyes was practically glowing now, nearly eclipsing any hints of natural blue that still remained in them completely. The sight of his mere reflection looking so mismatched, so wrong, so very much unlike him was more than he could take, just as it had been that awful night weeks ago back in Radiant Garden. Only this time, he had his Keyblade on hand to shatter the illusion standing before him completely.

And yet, the moment the tip of his Keyblade crashed into his supposed "reflection", he was the one to feel the incredible sting of the blow instead. His vision violently flashed and when it cleared, his reflection was gone… and the Kingdom Key had somehow been directly stabbed clean through his own chest in place of his mirror image's.

He seized up in pain that was far more unspeakable than any he had ever experienced in his entire life, his body frozen and his mouth hanging open in an anguished scream that refused to come out. And all the while, his own Keyblade continued to pierce his heart, a grave and fatal wound that he had no power to free himself from. Just as he had no power to free himself from the frightening fate he knew would eventually consume every part of him: body, mind, and heart alike.

"Beware, my young vessel," Xehanort warned softly, patronizingly as that wound began to take its agonizing toll on him, flooding his vision with even more inescapable darkness as pain continued to pull him under. "For if you're not careful, you may end up destroying yourself far before we get the chance to…"

The next time Sora managed to ease his way back into consciousness, he did so slowly, immediately realizing that his Keyblade was no longer running him through as it had been before. In fact, his heart was strangely free from the agony that had been searing through it mere moments ago, further evidence that whatever he'd just been put through at Xehanort's hands had fortunately been nothing more than a horrific nightmare. And yet, as he was about to find out, he had been thrust out of one nightmare, only to be thrown into a completely new one instead.

Because as Sora gradually came to open his eyes, there were several things he became acutely aware of all at once. The first was the room he now found himself lying in, a well-lived in place only dimly lit by the overcast skies outside its only window on the far side of it. More alarming than that was that something seemed to be tightly covering his mouth, a gag of some sorts, though how it got there, he had no idea. But by far the most frightening part of all were the cold metal bands secured around both of his wrists, tightly locking them into place behind him and keeping him tethered to a nearby wall by chains of all things. And as he heard those chains rattle dully behind him, his mind was thrown into an instant, immediate, incredible panic.

It was happening again; it couldn't be happening again, but it was. He was chained, locked up, restrained, trapped all over again, just like he had been before, just like he'd hoped to never be again. His breathing picked up underneath his heavy gag as he frantically sat up, wasting no time in feverishly pulling against the chains holding him back in a desperate attempt to escape them. His heart was racing just as fast as his mind was, his chest tense and tight as he struggled against the binds keeping him held tight. Amidst his panic, he didn't even think about summoning his Keyblade to try to unlock his shackles; instead, his most basic, anxious instincts took over, a muffled scream escaping him as hot tears began to well up in his eyes. In fact, the only thing that managed to break through his distraught round of hysterical sobs was a soft, obscured sound of confused concern coming from not too far away from him.

Tears were still brimming in Sora's eyes as he glanced up to see none other than Rapunzel, bound and gagged almost exactly as he had been, sitting on the floor a few feet away. Her eyes were awash in immense worry for him and the clearly terror-stricken state he was in, her expression conveying countless questions she couldn't ask and he couldn't answer in their current mutual state of misfortune. Yet for as bewildering and disconcerting as their shared captivity was, the ones who were behind it soon became clear as they both happened to catch onto a hushed conversation, or rather an argument, going on within the shadows on the far side of the tower.

"Well, clearly you've gotten what you wanted," Gothel remarked with a flippant, impatient scowl. "And so have I. Which means our little… 'collaboration' has reached its end. So that begs the question, why are you still here?"

"Because our 'partnership' isn't quite over yet," Marluxia said, glancing over his shoulder to set his gaze on Sora in particular. "Not when there's still something to be gained from it."

Gothel watched in disgruntled confusion as Marluxia began to make his way over to his own captive, eventually coming to stand between him and Rapunzel. "I'm pleased to see you've awakened," he said to Sora, who tried glaring up at him with as much brazen defiance as he could possibly manage. Which, given his current terrible position, wasn't really much at all. "I've received word from our master that you require a lesson in… obedience before you can properly take your place within our ranks. So allow me to make this quick and simple." A large, sharp scythe appeared in Marluxia's outstretched hand, one that he wasted no time in pointing directly at Rapunzel, much to her and Sora's mutual alarm. Likewise, Gothel let out a shocked gasp, appalled by the sudden threat on her flower's life as she rushed forward to try and stop it.

"What is the meaning of this?!" she asked hotly, only to be forced to come to a stop by the threatening crowd of Nobodies that materialized between her and Rapunzel. "Get that weapon away from her immediately! This is not what we agreed to!"

"Agreements are often prone to change," Marluxia retorted dryly, unconcerned as he kept his scythe trained on Rapunzel, who did her best to shy away from it with what little range of motion she currently had. "Besides, no harm will come to Rapunzel. At least…" He grinned down at his own nervous captive at this. "As long as you're willing to offer your compliance in exchange for her safety, Sora."

Sora shuddered at this, his focus settled on Rapunzel alone as she anxiously eyed the weapon threatening her very life. Marluxia had its deadly tip aimed directly at her neck, and all it would take was a simple flick of the wrist to end her life in an instant. A horrifying thought that made this already awful situation all the more unbearable.

Yet for his part, Marluxia simply smirked, clearly able to tell that he had Sora right where he wanted him before he even spelled out his specific terms. "Hand over the Key," he said succinctly, inching his scythe just a bit closer to Rapunzel as she pressed up against the wall to avoid it. "Or else she pays the price."

Despite the gag wrapped around his mouth, Sora still attempted to protest this sadistic "deal", even if his arguments were all completely muffled. Surprisingly, Marluxia magically removed the gag with a mere wave of his hand, finally allowing him to speak his piece on the twisted ultimatum he'd been presented with. "Y-you…. You can't," he barely managed to say, his voice small and weak amidst the still-persistent panic pounding through him. "You wouldn't…"

"Believe me, I would," Marluxia coldly countered, finally pressing the edge of his scythe up against Rapunzel's neck until it lightly began to draw blood. She let out a small, pained cry under her own gag and when Gothel heard it, she tried lashing out at the Nobodies holding her back, desperate not to lose her precious flower now, after all the trouble it took to finally get her back. Still, it was to no avail as the steadfast Nobodies continued to keep her out of this negotiation, leaving Rapunzel's fate solely up to Sora alone.

"W-why?" Sora asked, unable to wipe away the tears still streaming down his cheeks as he tried to make sense of this bewildering bargain. "W-why are you doing this? You already have me, a-and I have the Key! You don't need to hurt her!"

"No, I don't," Marluxia astutely agreed, still not moving his scythe. "But as I said before, you clearly need to learn how to properly comply with our master's commands. If you are to become his final vessel, then he expects nothing less than your complete and utter respect."

"You shall learn respect for your master and your Organization… and suffering will be your teacher!" Xehanort's cruel words rang loud and clear through Sora's thoughts at this and now, he knew exactly what the elderly master had meant. There was no doubt that Xehanort and those following his lead were willing to do whatever it took to get him to submit himself to their side. And unfortunately, they seemed to know exactly how to get to him, what his biggest weakness was: that he would always, always yield for the sake of innocent people, for his friends in particular, if it meant keeping them safe. And right alongside that disheartening fact, Sora also knew that the Organization didn't care for the lives of any of the residents in any of the worlds they went to; the only thing they did seem to care about was furthering their own malicious ends. Marluxia wasn't bluffing; there wasn't a chance that he was, not with a Key on the line. Which meant, as hopelessly trapped as he currently was, with no one by his side to bail him or Rapunzel out of this deadly disaster, Sora found he had no choice but to give the Organization exactly what they wanted.

"O-ok," he quietly relented, keeping his sights set on the desperate, fearful look Rapunzel was sending his way. Rapunzel, who had done her best to try and heal him, even if it had been in vain, and had earnestly listened to his troubles and loyally kept her promise to keep them a secret. Really, making this sacrifice to save her life was the least he could do to pay her back for the kindness she'd shown him. "Y-you can have it, just… don't hurt her, please."

Marluxia said nothing, his scythe still trained on Rapunzel, just in case. Sora gasped as one of his hands were suddenly freed, the shackle around it disappearing so he could summon the Key and deliver into the expectant hand Marluxia was extending out to him. The pure, warm light of that Key almost seemed mocking now as he hesitantly called upon it, his heart aching with grief and longing as he remembered the joyful, blissful moment he'd received it through, a moment that seemed like distant years ago now. Losing one on accident had been bad enough, but purposefully, intentionally giving one away like this was more than he could stand. He let out a small, mournful sob as he closed his eyes, ensuring that he wouldn't have to watch as he held the Key out, as the prize he claimed in a moment of such immense happiness was stolen from him in a moment of such sheer despair.

And just like that, Marluxia unceremoniously took it and the entire exchange was over. In an instant, Sora found both of his hands securely restrained once more, his mouth covered and silenced, and, at the very least, Marluxia's scythe finally moved away from Rapunzel. "Thank you, Sora," Marluxia said, looking over the newly-claimed Key with a broad, triumphant smile. "The Organization appreciates your loyal service. And we look forward to your further assistance in obtaining the rest. Now…" A tight, terrified whimper escaped Sora as he watched Marluxia summon a dark corridor, not even needing to wonder if he'd be dragged through it alongside the Key to whatever unknown fate the Organization had in store for him. "Let us be on our way."

"Finally…" Gothel let out an annoyed, but relieved sigh as the crowd of Nobodies holding her back finally disappeared. She was more than ready to make off with her own captive as well, only for a sudden call from outside of the tower to stop her dead in her tracks.

"Rapunzel!?" Eugene's voice echoed up to the tower's peak, his tone urgent and intense. "Rapunzel, let down your hair!"

"Sora!" A concerned shout from Donald came next, followed by a similarly worried call from Goofy. "Are you up there?!"

Rapunzel and Sora both went stiff upon hearing this, exchanging a set of surprised, yet hopeful glances as they realized that perhaps there was a chance they'd both be freed from the dire straits they were in after all. Even if their captors had far different plans in mind for how this encounter was to go.

"That miserable thief just doesn't know when to quit, does he?" Gothel scowled, though she quickly got an idea as she bundled up a handful of Rapunzel's hair. She explained nothing as she tossed it over the edge of the window, letting it down over the side of the tower just as Eugene had begged, almost as if she wanted him to come. Though for what reason, Rapunzel had no idea.

"Indeed, it seems as though your friends are quite persistent," Marluxia said to Sora, his tone all but unreadable as he let his dark corridor disappear. "Very well then; they've come all this way, so I suppose it's only fair to let them say their final farewells to you. Or rather," he wore an icy grin as he called upon his scythe once more, sending a stark burst of newfound panic through Sora's heart and mind alike. "To let you say your final farewell to them."

Eugene was the first to begin the long climb up Rapunzel's hair to the top of the tower, though Donald and Goofy were only a few paces behind him. Still, they all hurried toward the top as fast as they possibly could go, knowing that there was no time to waste in a precarious situation such as this.

"Rapunzel!" Eugene let out a sigh of relief as he finally made it to the window perch. "I thought I'd never see you agai-" He froze the moment he glanced up, only to see Rapunzel, chained, gagged, and terrified on the far end of the room. Sora was largely in the same frightening spot, though with the dangerous addition of Marluxia looming over him, scythe in hand and poised to use it. Rapunzel was quick to catch his attention again, however, in the form of a muffled, suddenly horrified scream through her gag, one that Eugene didn't understand the meaning behind until it was far too late.

It happened so quick there wouldn't have been any time to prepare even if he had known. The knife slipped into his back, creating a clean, deep, agonizing wound that pounded sheer, unending pain throughout every fiber of his body from the very moment it happened. To make matters worse, Gothel pulled her dagger out of him just as quickly, sending him collapsing to the ground all while Rapunzel's muted distraught screams continued to echo through the tower.

"Now look what you've done, Rapunzel," Gothel scoffed cruelly, outright ignoring Eugene as he languished at her feet. "Oh, don't worry, dear," she smirked as she began to approach Rapunzel, who was awash in misery, her broken sobs speaking volumes where words couldn't. All the while she kept her gaze locked on Eugene as she desperately tried to get to him, to have some chance at healing what was no doubt a fatal wound, a chance that Gothel wasn't about to let her have. "Our secret will die with him. And… with them."

No sooner had Gothel stepped away from the window than Donald and Goofy both practically vaulted through it, both of them noticing the most immediate cause for alarm in the room first. "Eugene!" they both exclaimed in apt shock, not hesitating to rush to his aid, only to be quickly blocked off by the largely invisible magical wall that had been erected in front of them.

"You know, it's quite rude to involve yourselves in affairs you have no real part of," Marluxia instantly diverted their attention, cueing them in on a sight that relieved and horrified them all at once.

"Sora!" they cried, once again in unison as they beat hard against the wall separating them. Sora met their panicked gaze slowly, his eyes wide and filled with tears and his expression absolutely shellshocked in light of the horrible act of violence that had just been inflicted against Eugene. Violence that he had been pathetically powerless to prevent.

"So, the two of you have come to stand between Sora and his true purpose yet again," Marluxia remarked dryly, aiming the tip of his scythe at his beleaguered captive, much to Donald and Goofy's immense alarm. "Not at all surprising. Unfortunately for you, your constant interference has ceased to be amusing. Which means the time has finally come to put an end to that interference, once and for all."

"Enough!" Donald shouted furiously, attempting to cast a lightning spell that was merely rebuffed by the barrier that had been put in place to stop such magic. "Let Sora go now and get lost!"

"Yeah!" Goofy firmly, bravely agreed. "You can try to do whatever you want to us, but there's no way we're gonna let you drag him back to the Organization! Not now, not ever!"

"Oh, but it's not a matter of what I'm going to do," Marluxia countered evenly. "The deciding factor here is what Sora's going to do instead."

Sora flinched, shaken out of his distraught revere at this just in time to glance up to see Marluxia raise his scythe high above him. Briefly, he feared that it was for the sake of launching some sort of unknown attack at Donald and Goofy, but he quickly realized that wasn't the case far too late as the tip of the weapon swiftly swung down at him instead. It struck him hard in the side, its sharp edge brutally grazing his hip and creating a deep, devastating cut in the process. He didn't even hear his companion's shared shocked cry for him since his own muted scream of anguish overtook them both as he collapsed, his hands still bound as his injured side struck the ground, sending an all new wave of intense agony through the already heavily bleeding wound.

Needless to say that upon watching not just one, but two people she cared about be so viciously injured out of petty spite alone, Rapunzel had reached far past her limit by this point. Even though Gothel was in the midst of dragging her out of the tower by her chains, Rapunzel pulled hard against her hold, knowing she could save both Eugene and Sora, knowing that she had the power to save them both before it was too late.

"Rapunzel, really!" Gothel shouted, infuriated as she harshly yanked her captive, fighting back against her stubborn resistance. "Enough already! Stop fighting me!"

With a particularly powerful pull, Rapunzel ripped herself away from Gothel, her gag finally slipping off of her face in the process as she fell to the ground. "No!" she shouted, absolutely livid as she continued her relentless struggle. "I won't stop! For every minute of the rest of my life, I will fight! I will never stop trying to get away from you!" She paused, only for a moment, affirming the sudden, risky idea that had just occurred to her, one that she could only hope would finally bring this violence and bloodshed to an end, even if the cost was her very own freedom. "B-but if you let me save them, both of them, I… I will go with you."

"N-no!" Eugene choked from his spot on the ground, still succumbing to the pain of his own heavy wound. Yet even despite that wound, he knew that what Rapunzel was about to resign herself to was far worse than any mere injury could have ever been. "N-no, Rapunzel… p-please…"

"I'll never run, I'll never try to escape," Rapunzel continued her negotiation as steadily as she possibly could. "J-just let me heal them, and you and I will be together… f-forever, just like you want. Everything will be the way it was. I promise. Just like you want. Just… let me heal them…"

Gothel met her desperate pleas with a hateful glare at first, and briefly Rapunzel feared that she wouldn't relent. And yet, after a moment or two of tense silence, she finally released her unyielding hold on her chains, allowing Rapunzel just the chance she had been hoping for. As Gothel hurried over to secure Eugene in shackles all his own to keep him from following them, Rapunzel tried running over to help Sora first, only to be stopped by the still quite sturdy magical barrier surrounding him.

"My apologies, princess," Marluxia said to her as she began beating against the unseeable wall just as heavily as Donald and Goofy already were. "But your powers won't be necessary here."

"N-no," Rapunzel shook her head, her tone fretful and pleading, especially as she looked at Sora. He was facing away from her as he lay on the ground, largely motionless now even if his heavy, ragged breathing conveyed that he was still hanging on, if only just barely. "No, please, you… you have to have to let me help him, I-I can't just-"

"Rapunzel!" Donald and Goofy quickly garnished her attention, both of them still trying to do everything they could to reach their hurt young companion. The captain continually bashed his shield against the impenetrable barrier while the magician fired off several healing spells, none of which even reached Sora thanks to the wall's dispelling effects.

"We'll take care of Sora!" Donald insisted adamantly.

"You go heal Eugene!" Goofy added, knocking his shield against the wall once more.

"B-but…" Rapunzel hesitated, sparing a glance over at Eugene, who was still gripping his own deadly injury, still desperately in need of her healing just as much as Sora was. And while she hated to choose one over the other, she ultimately knew the pair was right; she had to help whoever she could, however she could, especially since time was quickly slipping away for her to do so.

All the while, amidst all of this chaos and distress, Sora remained still, the cut torn across his side creating the pool of warm blood he'd only just realized he was lying in. The immense pain flooding his side alone was enough to tell him that the injury was awful, even if he couldn't properly see it; maybe not entirely deadly, though it had the potential to be if he continued bleeding out unfettered like this. But with his hands still tightly chained, there was little he could do to staunch that bleeding, nothing he could do to stop himself from dying, he all-too quickly realized.

And once again, he knew exactly why that was, why he couldn't free himself, why he couldn't save himself, or Donald or Goofy or Eugene or Rapunzel or anyone else for that matter. Because he was weak, far too weak to break the chains, both past and present, that kept him bound to pain and fear and guilt and grief. Chains that weighed him down, that had wrapped themselves tightly around his heart, chains that were suffocating his spirit, that kept him forever trapped, unable to escape and find the sort of freedom he needed, the freedom he knew only the warmth of the light could provide. Because instead, those chains just kept pulling him under, brutally, endlessly dragging him down into darkness so deep he was sure to drown in it. And as his vision began to grow dim and his body started to go numb, he realized that since he was far too weak to keep himself above the surface of that darkness, there was nothing left to do now but let himself finally be pulled far beneath its overwhelming waves.

When his eyes opened again a mere second or two later, they were nothing more than wide beams of pure, empty gold. Marluxia smirked and Donald and Goofy gasped in fear as they noticed the shroud of heavy shadows starting to overtake Sora's listless form. That darkness swelled over his entire body, causing it to shift and mutate in a number of dangerous, monstrous ways. His fingers extended into knifelike claws, much sharper than they usually were, and tipped with a crimson color akin to blood. His mouth split open unnaturally wide, his newly-fanged maw filled with hollow light as he easily tore the gag that had once covered it apart. At the same time, he easily ripped his hands out of the shackles holding them with the immense strength this gruesome form allotted him. The wound in his side was all but gone, yet the x-shaped scar on his chest strangely seemed to glow under his equally shadowy clothing, adding another all-new horrific level to his already nightmarish appearance.

"Now…" Marluxia stepped back as Sora properly sat up, savagely snarling all the while. Donald and Goofy noticed almost immediately that the invisible walls that had been erected had finally disappeared, leaving nothing standing between them and Sora any longer. Not as if that was actually a good thing at a moment like this. "I believe I'll leave the trouble of tearing down the obstacle you both pose to him."

With this, Sora suddenly lunged forward, ready to viciously, wildly attack whatever or whoever he could get his claws on first. Since Donald and Goofy were immediately in front of him, he targeted them instantly, not even recognizing either of them in the slightest, despite their panicked pleas for him to remember them as well as himself. From the far side of the room, Rapunzel gasped in apt terror as she watched this frightening, unexplainable scene unfold, yet despite her desire to step in and help somehow, a small, feeble cough from Eugene caught her more immediate attention instead.

"E-Eugene!" she gasped, leaning down close to him to check over the grave injury Gothel had inflicted upon him. Over the course of a few short minutes alone, it had already taken a heavy toll, to the point that blood was even soaking his abdomen, a sure sign that she had no time to waste. "I-I… I'm so sorry. E-everything is going to be ok though," she assured him, bundling up as much of her hair as she could only for Eugene to suddenly stop her.

"N-No, Rapunzel…" he shuddered in obvious agony.

"I promise, you have to trust me," she countered quickly, still pulling her hair over to him as she began to gently press it against his wound. "Come on, just breathe-"

"I-I… I can't let you do this…" Eugene pleaded, tears brimming in his eyes, which were quickly starting to grow dull and heavy.

"And I can't let you die…" she whispered painfully, knowing exactly what she was giving up so he might live. A high price to buy just about the most worthy thing she could think of.

"B-but if you do this… t-then you will die…" he protested, knowing that while Gothel wouldn't let her literally die, the pure, precious light and laughter inside her heart, the very things he loved about her most, certainly would from being essentially kept in a cage for the rest of her life.

"Hey," she offered him a quiet smile as she pressed a soft, affectionate hand against his cheek. "It's gonna be alright…"

He finally gave her a ghost of a smile at this, seeming to accept her aid as he lightly brushed his hand through her hair, stopping her just as she prepared to sing. "Rapunzel, wait..." he said, his voice barely a whisper by this point as he looked into her eyes with nothing less than absolute love and adoration. He sat up a bit, and Rapunzel allowed it, watching as his face drew closer to hers to the point that she didn't even realize his hand was reaching around to grasp her hair tightly. And in a moment so quick, so shockingly swift she could have never seen it coming, he lashed out, using the stray shard of glass in his hand as a knife to suddenly slice through her hair, cutting the vast majority of her lengthy golden locks clean off.

"E-Eugene! What-" Rapunzel gasped, bolting upright as she reached for her hair, which no longer even reached down to her shoulders as it steadily shifted from blonde to brown.

"No!" Gothel's horrified scream starkly echoed through the tower, the shrill sound catching Sora's attention in particular and drawing it away from Donald and Goofy as they tried their best to defend themselves against him. At the same time, all Rapunzel could do was watch as the now severed length of her fallen hair also turned brown, losing its magic almost instantly, even despite Gothel's frantic attempts to capture that magic before it was too late. "What have you done?!" she shrieked, watching with panic as her hands began to shrivel up, the same sort of age rapidly graying her raven hair and filling her once-beautiful face up with deep, unpleasant wrinkles. "What have you DONE?!"

With her bones withering and her energy waning, Gothel haphazardly stumbled toward the nearby shattered mirror, aghast by her own hideous reflection. Hysterical, she pulled her hood tight over her head so she wouldn't have to look at her practically ancient body any longer. In doing so, however, she failed to notice the sudden violent attack coming her way until Sora harshly rammed into her, lashing his claws out at her wildly in the hopes of claiming a heart that he could easily sense was on the verge of decay. Gothel howled in agony from the heavy wounds she sustained, scrambling backward toward the window as she rushed to avoid enduring any more. Yet as she neared the window, she failed to notice Pascal, who had pulled some of Rapunzel's fallen hair taunt just in time for Gothel to trip over it and fall, not just to the ground, but out of the window entirely. Sora nearly leapt out after her, unable to think of anything other than his instinctual, animalistic hunger for a heart, any heart, in place of the one he believed he'd lost, but fortunately, Donald and Goofy managed to catch him and pull him back into the tower just in time.

Gothel, however, wasn't so lucky. Her screams eventually echoed into silence as she fell the full length of the tower she'd kept Rapunzel prisoner in for 18 years. And, before she even hit the ground far below, she'd turned to nothing more than dust, a testament to the hundreds of years she'd managed to falsely keep herself young for before the magic of her flower, magic that had never really been hers' to begin with, finally failed her for the first and last time ever.

Almost as soon as Donald and Goofy managed to properly reign Sora back into the tower, he turned on them, growling aggressively as he hunched low, ready to relentlessly attack them both in retaliation. The pair winced, clutching their respective weapons tightly as they silently, stressfully wondered what they could do to help their darkened young companion. Appealing to his sense of logic and personality never seemed to work when he was like this, his mind and heart alike both heavily veiled by the shadows he was submerged in to the point that words and pleas, no matter how desperate or earnest, were always lost on him in this monstrous form. But while neither Donald nor Goody had the faintest idea as to what to do, Sora just so happened to pick up on the presence of another target, or, at least as he was still able to tell, a threat.

For perhaps the first time since this entire ordeal began, Marluxia seemed to be genuinely surprised as Sora suddenly bolted past his companions, letting out a furious, feral hiss as he ran on all fours toward him instead. The Organization member reacted swiftly, using his scythe to defend himself against Sora's unexpected onslaught. "Stand down," he commanded firmly, scowling down at his former captive after he roughly shoved him back. Sora paid him no mind, however, as he instead persisted, a shadow-seeped Keyblade in his hand now as he swung hard and brutishly. The two weapons clashed violently against each other, and once more, Marluxia managed to repel Sora, though just barely. "I order you to stand down!" he repeated fiercely, taking a wide swing that Sora easy blocked and countered with his own dark blade.

"H-he's not listening to him…" Goofy noted, absolutely dumbfounded by this turn of events.

"Of course he's not," Donald remarked as they both watched this skirmish unfold apprehensively. "Nobody can control him when he gets like that. We can't, Maleficent couldn't, and neither can…"

"The Organization!" the both exclaimed in dawning realization that this could, ironically enough, be just the shift they needed to save Sora after all.

As the pair rushed forward to offer their transformed companion some aid against their mutual foe, Rapunzel pulled Eugene in close to her, forcing herself to focus on him instead of the violent scene unfolding just a few feet behind her. "R-Rapunzel…" Eugene spoke, his voice soft and feeble as he struggled to keep his eyes open. "W-what's… what's going on?"

"Shh… it's ok…" she comforted him, holding his pale face gently as tears began to well up in her eyes. "I-it's nothing you need to worry about… J-just… just look at me, I'm right here. S-stay with me, please, don't go-" She was starting to grow desperate, realizing that his pulse was slowing progressively, his eyes sliding shut as his head lolled to the side. She was losing him; she was losing him and now he had made sure there was nothing she could do about it. He had indeed saved her, set her free from Gothel and her treachery once at for all… and in doing so, he had selflessly forfeited his chance at life in the process.

"F-flower gleam and glow, let your power shine-" she sang as fast as she possibly could as she pressed his limp hand against her head, hoping that her hair still contained some small shred of its former magic. "Let your power shine-"

"Rapunzel-"

"M-make the clock reverse," she was sobbing on each word by this point, but she didn't care, she couldn't care, she had to save him somehow. He had given her so much, had shown her so much, had made her feel something she'd never truly felt before; and now that she'd gotten even just the smallest glimpse of what her life was like with him, she couldn't imagine living it without him. "Bring back what once was mine."

"Rapunzel…" He caught her attention this time, meeting her heartbroken expression with the softest, sweetest smile he could muster.

"W-what?" she asked, absolutely agonized.

"Y-you… you were my new dream…" he whispered lovingly, his voice barely audible, but she'd heard it all the same.

"And you were mine…" she replied sadly, unable to do anything else but helplessly watch as the life faded out of that dream, out of him, altogether.

Amidst her crushing grief, the clamor of the sudden battle raging on the far side of the tower was all but lost on her. That battle only intensified as Donald and Goofy joined it, launching their own barrage of attacks at Marluxia right alongside Sora. As bombarded as he was, he didn't get much of a chance to summon any Nobodies to ward them off like he usually would have. Instead, the trio had essentially managed to corner him, blocking or evading his scythe's swings in the hopes of driving him off once and for all.

"Fools…" Marluxia growled as he swung at Donald and Goofy hatefully. "You really think you can save him from what he's ultimately destined to become? Just look at him. Darkness has already found a place within his heart; it can only stand to grow from here."

"You're wrong!" Donald protested resiliently as he cast a powerful wind spell. "Even if Sora does have darkness in his heart, he'd never use it to serve the Organization!"

"That's right!" Goofy readily agreed, solidly blocking another swing with his shield. "His heart's a lot stronger than you think it is; he's a lot stronger than you think!"

Marluxia was more than prepared to send back a haughty retort, but just before he could, he was completely caught off guard by a sudden attack from Sora himself. As if prompted onward by his companions' show of confidence in him, he leapt up and lashed out, the tips of his claws catching Marluxia clean across the face. He stumbled back, clutching the now-bleeding wound across his cheek with a furious shout of pain as his scythe fell to the ground before disappearing completely.

"All right…" he muttered darkly, a dark corridor forming behind him as he continued to nurse his sizable wound. "If you wish to wallow in the light you no longer belong in, that's fine," he spoke to Sora specifically, who still hadn't the faintest idea as to what he was saying as he hunched low in preparation for another strike, growling hatefully all the while. "But just remember... you won't be able to keep yourself out of the shadows forever; and that when you finally do come to take your proper place within them… we'll all be right there, waiting for you…"

Marluxia offered the trio one final twisted smile as he stepped into his darkened portal, finally taking his leave from this world with a Key in hand, but fortunately not Sora as he'd originally intended. With the more immediate threat gone, Donald and Goofy would have liked to have let out a much-needed sigh of relief, they knew they would see no such relief so long as Sora remained trapped in his current monstrous form.

"Sora…" Donald began, taking a cautious step back as their young companion reared low and snarled threateningly at them both, still unable to distinguish them from friend or foe.

"L-listen," Goofy said just as warily, upholding his shield all the while, just in case. "Please, we need you to-"

Sora silenced both of their appeals himself as he suddenly perked up, his tense, bitter expression shifting into one of apparent confusion and curiosity, particularly as he spotted Rapunzel and Eugene on the far side of the room. He slowly began inching toward the pair, and Donald and Goofy anxiously followed, hoping that he wouldn't do anything to hurt either of them. Or rather, to hurt Rapunzel since it seemed as though Eugene was too far gone by now, much to the pair's immense remorse.

Yet for her part, Rapunzel paid the trio no mind, still holding onto Eugene as she slowly finished her incantation one final time, even if she knew that it wouldn't do him any good anymore. "Heal what has been hurt… Change the Fate's design…"

Strangely, Sora stopped short upon hearing her song, his glowing eyes wide and intrigued as he leaned in to listen. Donald and Goofy stood back just a pace away from him, unsure of what he was doing, unsure of what he was thinking or feeling, if anything at all. But even so he remained oddly still and quiet as Rapunzel's mournful melody continued.

"Save what has been lost…"

"Bring back what once was mine…"

"What once was mine…"

A single tear slipped down her cheek as her song came to an end, her heart lost to grief and pain too unbearable to even speak of. That tear landed squarely on Eugene's cold, ashen cheek as dense silence filled the darkened tower, silence that gripped Donald, Goofy, and even Sora as they all stood by solemnly. The only thing that permeated that silence were Rapunzel's broken sobs, her immense, immeasurable sadness seeming to fill every square inch of the room. Sadness that she knew would swell inside her heart for every minute of the rest of her life she'd never get to have with him.

But then…

A small speck of light caught her eye, light that only began to grow as it bloomed from the wound he had succumbed to. That light began to spill from the injury in vibrant golden tendrils, sweeping out far and wide across the tower to chase the heavy shadows that had filled it away, replacing them with crisp, warm, healing radiance.

And the tower wasn't the only thing that light banished the darkness from. Almost as if this miraculous blaze knew what it was doing, several of its swirling rays slowly began to weave themselves around Sora, their incredibly luminance eliciting a loud, pained hiss out of him as they contrasted with the incredible darkness covering him. Yet in the end, the light was what won out, stripping away the shadows that had overtaken him as they steadily purified his heart and mind, restoring both in the process. As the last of the shadows faded from him, Sora collapsed weakly to the ground, his own heavy wound still very much apparent, though not for long as Donald and Goofy rushed in to aid him in any way they could.

At the same time, all Rapunzel could do was continue to watch in awe as light continued to pour out of Eugene's injury, taking on something of the shape of what seemed to be a golden flower, even as its power began to fade. When it was gone, she nearly dared to check where his wound had been, only to inspect his face for any possible signs of life instead. And sure enough, against all odds, his eyes slowly began to open, a small, but steady breath escaping him as he focused his somewhat bleary gaze on her.

"R-Rapunzel…?"

She gasped, the sound of his voice alone sparking more joy and relief through her than she could have ever thought possible. "Eugene!"

"Did I… ever tell you I have a thing for brunettes?" he asked, finally managing to crack a small, flirtatious smile.

She laughed brightly at this, unable to contain her excitement and elation as she threw herself against him in a tight, loving embrace, one that he was more than happy to return. They were caught in a tide between laughing and sobbing as they clung onto each other joyously, both of them alive and together, now with nothing or no one to get in their way. And in celebration of that beautiful newfound freedom they'd found together, Rapunzel didn't hesitate to finally pull Eugene's lips against hers, both of them easily falling into a warm and welcome kiss, the first of many they would be sure to share in the years to come.

While Donald and Goofy were certainly happy for the couple, they couldn't really focus much of their attention in joining in on their levity as they instead rushed to neutralize the still bleeding wound on Sora's side as much as possible. He was largely out of it, wincing in tight pain as Goofy helped him properly sit up to take a potion while Donald cast one of the most powerful healing spells in his arsenal. It was enough to seal the cut, even if it did still leave a rather nasty scary behind and the blood lost from it had largely left Sora listless and weak. Yet as his companions gave him a moment to properly recover and come to, both of them immediately noticed that something had changed about him, his appearance now markedly different than how it had been before his most recent slip into darkness. Neither of them knew what to make of it, and they were particularly stunned into shock as Sora finally opened his eyes to look up at them, even if he didn't notice the clear alarm in their expressions right away.

"D-Donald? Goofy?" he asked, his voice timid and tired as he struggled to properly sit up on his own without their support. "W-what happened…?"

"Uh… w-well…" Goofy exchanged a nervous glance with Donald, neither of them sure of what to say at a moment like this. "A-a lot happened, but…"

"Sora…" the magician picked up just as anxiously, apprehension that Sora finally managed to catch onto as he finally managed to pull himself up. "Y-you… you're…"

"Rapunzel! Eugene!" Sora interrupted with a surprised gasp, hastily rising to stand, even if he nearly fell right back down again if not for his companions steadying him just in time. Even so, he couldn't help but smile in immense relief as he saw the couple step forward, even if the shared startled glances they were sending his way were largely lost on him. "You guys are ok! Wait… Rapunzel, what happened to your hair?"

"Uh…" Rapunzel frowned, running a hand through her now short, brown locks.

"Her hair?" Eugene asked incredulously as he looked Sora over. "Kid, you should see your ha-"

"O-ok, Eugene!" Rapunzel quickly interjected as she grabbed his arm and began leading him toward the once-hidden staircase. "Why don't we give Sora, Donald, and Goofy a bit of privacy? I-I have a feeling there's something they need to talk about alone…"

Eugene gave her a puzzled look at this, though he ultimately folded upon meeting her own insistent expression. "Uh, ok..." he said, still largely out of the loop as he followed Rapunzel out. "Guess we'll meet you fellas outside then."

As Rapunzel escorted Eugene out, she sent a brief glance back to Sora, offering him a tight, worried, yet encouraging smile, one that he didn't understand the meaning behind in the slightest. Even after the couple was gone and he turned back to his own companions, their own mutually fretful focus on him still a complete mystery that he was determined to get the answers to.

"Ok… what's going on?" Sora asked them almost hesitantly, not entirely sure if he'd like to find out after everything he was able to remember recently happening. Yet when neither Donald nor Goofy made any attempt to answer right away, he found himself prompted to push them for the truth again. "Seriously, what's wrong?"

"Uh… i-it might just be easier to show you instead…" Goofy said, retrieving one of the countless scattered broken mirror shards off the ground.

"Show me what?" Sora asked as he curiously took the mirror piece. However, as soon as he caught the briefest glimpse of his own reflection in it, all of his questions were immediately answered in the worst way possible. Where there had only been a few sparse, easily-concealed hints of white in his hair before, much of his bangs and several of his tips had been starkly, blatantly overtaken by the unsettling snowy shade that clashed harshly against his natural brown. But even more alarming than that were his eyes, the gold in them now bright and sharp and beyond obvious to see even upon a first glance. That garish yellow practically seemed to glow against the calm ocean blue it was corrupting, and when combined with his whitening hair, both served to make his very own reflection look like a stranger, like someone he didn't even recognize in the slightest.

Like someone who would fit right in within the ranks of Organization XIII.

As the mirror shard slipped out of his hand, he also noticed his hands, even as trembling as they currently were and largely covered by his gloves, had been completely blanketed by shadows, his fingers wholly darkened to a practically monstrous degree. He'd taken notice of these sinister signs before, but now that they had expanded, now that they were all absolutely out in the open for everyone else to see, for his friends to see, it was all far more than he could possibly hope to bear.

Donald and Goofy could do nothing but worriedly watch as Sora collapsed to his knees before them, overwhelmed by dread and fear that were both gripping his heart like a vice. Both of them were compelled to comfort him, especially as he inevitably broke down into a round of loud, heavy sobs that he was completely powerless to hold back as he poured out his immense grief freely. And yet, for as much as they wanted to console that grief, neither of them really knew where to even start.

At least until Sora ended up starting this very difficult conversation off for all of them. "I-I… I'm sorry…" he wept brokenly, unable to even look up at either of them out of sheer, crushing shame and guilt combined.

"F-for what?" Donald asked carefully, quietly.

"I-I promised I wouldn't lie to either of you anymore…" he began in a mournful mutter as he wrapped his arms around himself tightly. "B-but that's all I've been doing for a long time now…"

"W-what do you mean…?" Goofy pressed, even if both him and Donald had a steady hunch about what this lie was all about. Especially as they remembered the ominous claims Marluxia had made to them earlier, claims that suddenly didn't seem so outlandish now.

"Everything the Organization's been saying… a-about me becoming Xehanort's thirteenth vessel…" Sora shuddered, his heart wavering with terror at the thought of even saying it out loud. And yet, considering his current damming appearance, it was practically impossible for him to keep it hidden any longer, as much as he wished he still could. "I-it's all true!"

Needless to say that despite all of their prior worries and suspicions, nothing could have prepared either Donald or Goofy for hearing Sora admit this horrific fact himself. Yet before either of them could so much as say a single word in response to it, Sora kept going tearfully, frantically, unable to stop himself from revealing the full nightmarish scope of what he was facing now that he'd revealed the most basic level of it all. "I-it's true and I've known that it was true for months now, j-just like I knew that the scar and the cracks in my Keyblade and this-" he motioned to his hair and his eyes alike, another tight sob escaping him in the process. "Were all signs of what's been happening to me, b-but I didn't think they were that bad because I thought I could fight it a-and keep it from getting any worse, but I…" He hesitated, staring down at his shadow-streaked hands in hopeless despair. "I don't know how to stop this… I don't even think I can…"

Silence filled the tower once more, only barely permeated by Sora as he continued mourning his miserable fate, his face buried in his hands as his companions offered him shared, earnest compassionate frowns. For their own part, their grief was also quite measurable, both of them practically on the verge of tears themselves as they thought about the very real possibility of Sora being torn away from them permanently in such an agonizing, awful way. But even so, they both did their best to remain steady, knowing that they had to at least try to be strong to offer their devastated young companion the support and solidarity he so clearly needed right now.

"Sora… why didn't you tell us?" Donald asked, his tone surprisingly lacking any of the fury Sora would have expected out of him at a moment like this.

"I… T-there were… a lot of different reasons why I didn't…" Sora began quietly, finally managing to glance up at the pair remorsefully. "I guess the biggest one was…" He couldn't help but let out a small, fake, bitter chuckle as he remembered what Xehanort had forced him to reveal in his most recent nightmare, deciding to echo it now since it was still very much the truth. "I was scared…"

"Scared of what?" Goofy asked with earnest sympathy.

"I… I was scared that you'd both be mad at me, and not just for lying to you either…" Sora sighed, closing his eyes as tears continued streaming down his cheeks steadily. "I thought that… i-if you knew the truth, if you knew what was happening to me, w-what I might… turn into… t-then… then you'd leave me… And after everything that's happened and all the trouble I've caused you… I wouldn't blame you if you did..."

"Aw, phooey!" Donald suddenly exclaimed, absolutely adamant. "We'd never leave you behind, Sora! You know that!"

"And that's no chance we'd leave you over something like this," Goofy firmly agreed. "Especially since it looks like you're gonna need our help now more than ever."

"H-help?" Sora asked, looking between them incredulously. "W-what… what could you guys even try to do to stop this when I don't know what to do about it myself?"

"Well, we can start by getting you to someone who might know what to do," Donald suggested, offering him a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, like Riku," Goofy pointed out, not noticing the instant burst of panic that filled Sora's expression at this mere suggestion alone. "He knows a lot about how to deal with darkness, and I'm sure he'd be more than willing to help you-"

"No," Sora interjected, his tone tense and rigid as he finally forced himself to stand. "No, we are not telling Riku about this. Or Kairi or the king or Yen Sid or anyone else! Nobody else needs to know!"

"Yes, they do!" Donald argued sternly.

"Sora, this is really serious," Goofy agreed. "If we don't figure out a way to stop this, then… you could-"

"I know," Sora huffed, not wanting to even hear such a horrific thought spoken aloud. "I know. B-but… that doesn't mean we can't find a way to fix this on our own. We've made it through a lot worse than this before, haven't we?"

"I… don't know if we can say we have…" Goofy frowned worriedly, not even needing to note Sora's startling change in appearance as proof of how dire this situation really was.

"Why won't you ever just ask for help when you need it?!" Donald asked him harshly, even if he knew he was venting his frustration with this largely hopeless situation at large to the victim of it all. "You always wait until the last minute, until things are already way too out of hand! Maybe if you had just told us what was going on from the beginning, we wouldn't even be having this conversation right now!"

"You don't get it, do you!?" Sora shot back just as fiercely, the gold in his eyes seeming to shine in the low light of the tower as if in response to his anger. "This is exactly why I didn't tell you! I didn't want you to…" he trailed off, glancing away bitterly as he tried fighting back his returning tears.

"...Didn't want us to leave?" Goofy inferred fretfully.

"...I-I… I didn't want you to see me like this…" Sora admitted softly, still not looking to either of them despite their intent stares. "I don't want anyone to see me like this…"

"Like… what?" Donald asked, not entirely following. Both him and Goofy initially assumed he was referring to his current unsettling appearance, and yet there seemed to be more to it than that. Much more to it.

"Like I-I'm… like I'm weak," he whispered, the admittance alone absolutely agonizing. "I-it was bad enough after you guys rescued me from Maleficent and everyone thought that they needed to take care of me. But if they knew about this?" he sighed, running a hand through his whitening hair. "I don't even know what they'd do. And I don't want to find out either. I'm so… tired of everyone acting like I always need to be saved; I don't. I can save myself! I-I will save myself from this, I just… need to figure out how…"

"Aw, Sora…" Goofy said, placing a secure, comforting hand on his shoulder. "You know we aren't tryin' to make you feel weak; that's just about the last thing we want."

"But this is much more important than you trying to prove yourself," Donald insisted evenly. "You have to understand that if we don't find a way to stop this, you could-"

"I KNOW what could happen to me!" Sora practically shouted as he pulled himself away from both of them, desperate for some kind of relief, however small, from the endless torrent of painful emotions constantly dragging him down. "It's all I've been able to think about for weeks now and it's awful! Do you really think I want to just… lose myself like this and be forced to fight everyone I care about?! Do you think I don't already know that this is just bound to get even worse from here if we don't find a way to stop it?! I get it, I understand it, every terrible part of it! I don't need either of you to remind me about it, ok?!"

As Sora succumbed to another round of angry, agonized sobs, all Donald and Goofy could do was stand by, their hearts practically breaking for all of the severe strife he was clearly going through. The captain was the first to speak to that strife, hoping that a few reassuring words might serve to ease it in at least some small sort of way. "Sora… you know that all we wanna do, all we've ever wanted to do is help you… right?"

"I-If you really wanted to help me, then you'd actually listen to me," Sora said succinctly, looking to the pair pleadingly. "I don't want anyone else knowing about this. We can't let anyone know, a-at least not yet. I-I… don't know how long this whole thing might take, but… right now I still don't think it's that out of control. I-I mean… aside from… stuff like this," he briefly glanced down at his hands before offering his companions a small, barely manageable smile. "I'm still me. Which means there's still time! We can still find a way to undo this, just the three of us; I know we can."

"A-and if we can't?" Goofy asked, dreading the very thought of such an unthinkable outcome.

"Then… I-I guess we can get some extra help," Sora muttered quickly, far from fond of the idea as he hoped it would never come to that. "But for now, can we please, please just keep this between the three of us? That's all I'm asking, a-and I know that's a lot, but… if there's anyone I know I can trust with something like this… it's you guys."

At that moment, the only thing either Donald or Goofy could really think of were Marluxia's coldhearted claims that Sora didn't trust them, and sure enough, he really hadn't before in keeping such a significant secret from them. And yet now, he was essentially relying on his trust for them, hoping that they'd help him shoulder a secret he'd been carrying entirely on his own for quite some time now. What he was asking of them was risky, downright dangerous even, especially since there was no real guarantee that they'd actually be able to stop Xehanort's sadistic schemes for Sora on their own. And yet, as they both looked to their young companion's saddened, earnest, practically desperate expression once more and remembered just how many times they'd failed to protect him in the past, they ultimately knew neither of them had any real choice. After all, it was the least they could do to try and make up for all those failures, even if they hoped they wouldn't end up failing him in the worst way possible by even agreeing to this uncertain secrecy.

"Fine," Donald folded with a tired sigh, one that Goofy echoed as he nodded solemnly. "We won't tell anyone. But someone's bound to find out eventually just by looking at you. I don't know how you plan to hide what's happening to your hair or your eyes or your hands. Unless…"

Sora perked up in sudden interest at this. "Unless… what?"

Donald flinched, realizing he'd probably already said too much, especially given the immensely curious look Sora was sending his way. But even so, it was already too late to backpedal from it now. "Er… I… might be able to use a little magic to hide all that… maybe…" he admitted apprehensively, not really wanting Sora to set his hopes too high on such a plan, even if he already had from the moment he heard it.

"Really?" he asked with a newfound smile. "How?"

"Oh! Couldn't ya just use the same sort of spell you cast on all three of us whenever we need to look different in another world?" Goofy asked knowingly.

"That's… exactly it," Donald nodded, still on the fence about this idea, even if he could tell Sora was growing steadily more excited about it by the second. "It's actually called a glamour, and it-"

"It can make all this go away?" Sora asked, referring to the white in his hair and the yellow in his eyes.

"No," Donald corrected. "It can hide it. It won't do anything to get rid of it; but it can basically cover it up so nobody else will be able to see it, not even you."

"W-well, that definitely sounds better than going around like this…" Sora said, pulling his shadow-covered hands in close as he looked to the magician earnestly. "Can you cast that-what was it called again?-uh… glimmer spell on me, Donald? Please?"

"It's glamour," Donald corrected as he crossed his arms stubbornly. "And I don't see why I should. We're already doing you enough "favors" by lying to everyone for you, if you ask me."

"Aw, c'mon, Donald," Goofy coaxed much more reasonably. "It's just one tiny little spell. And I'm sure it would help Sora feel a whole lot better, wouldn't it?"

"It really would," Sora nodded, still maintaining a small, pleading smile.

And under scrutiny from both of them, and under the practically begging look Sora in particular was giving him, Donald found that, once again, he had no choice but to agree. "Ugh! Ok, ok!" he grumbled as he summoned his wand. "Just stand still and close your eyes, will ya?"

Sora certainly didn't protest, doing as he was told while Donald focused on casting the rather powerful glamour powerful spell. There was a noticeable burst of comforting warmth that came along with it, light briefly covering his entire body as it essentially masked what the darkness besieging his heart had done to his appearance. When it was over a moment later, both Donald and Goofy could immediately see that it had indeed worked, as every single trace of stark white had miraculously vanished from his hair, leaving only its usual brown behind. They received even further confirmation of that fact when Sora opened his eyes, which were completely blue once more, with not even a speck of gold to be found in them at all.

"So…?" he asked, already wearing an immensely relieved smile as he noticed that his hands were finally free of the shadows that had once marred his naturally tanned skin. "How do I look?"

Donald and Goofy exchanged a rather weary glance at this, both of them knowing that this spell, that their promise to keep the terrible truth hidden in general, were both only temporary fixes to a much larger problem. A problem that, at least at the moment, none of them had even the slightest idea how to truly solve. "Like you…" Donald conceded with a small, somewhat sad sigh.

"That's more than good enough for me," Sora said with a smile, a genuine, earnest smile that both of his companions couldn't help but share at least a little in return. "Now come on," he led the way to leave the tower, knowing that without the Key, there was largely nothing left for them in this world. And that time was of the essence to get the rest, perhaps now more than ever before. "We've got a lot of work to do…"

The trio's parting with Rapunzel and Eugene was relatively short and sweet. While both sides had plenty of questions about what had fully transpired in the tower, they ultimately decided that some of them were better left unanswered in favor of more optimistic sentiments. While Rapunzel and Eugene were certainly sad to see the trio go, they understood the reason why, with what little Sora, Donald, and Goofy were actually able to explain of it, at least. For their own part, the couple planned to return to the kingdom (accompanied by Maximus and Pascal, of course), where Rapunzel hoped to finally reunite with her real family, the king and queen of Corona themselves. Eugene was more than content to stay by her side for whatever happened, knowing that he'd never want to stray away, a sentiment that Rapunzel mutually, lovingly shared with him and always would for the rest of their days.

And yet, despite the happy ending she knew she was receiving, Rapunzel could still tell Sora still wasn't anywhere close to his own from his reserved, almost sad manner during their farewells. Which was why, knowing what she did of his condition, she had briefly pulled him aside just shy of the two groups heading their own separate ways in the hopes of offering him what little hope and encouragement she could. "I know it might not seem like it now, Sora," she had said, her tone gentle and consoling. "But things will get better for you, I know they will. After all…" she had smiled up at the morning sun's rays that were just starting to peek through the dark clouds above. "The sun always finds a way to come back out after even the worst storm somehow, right?"

He had thanked her for her kind words, but didn't really know what else to say outside of that. It was a lovely thought, one that he might have once truly believed in himself. And yet, even though he couldn't see the physical signs of what was happening to his heart anymore thanks to Donald's magic, he could still feel the stormy clouds hovering heavily over his heart. Clouds so dark and thick that he wondered if any amount of light would be enough to truly chase them away.

So they'd said their final goodbyes to Rapunzel and Eugene as they all headed off on their respective paths. By now, the sun had fully peaked through the overcast skies, casting its radiant warmth upon the forest just as it had when the trio had first arrived only two short days prior. Two much happier days ago that felt like a lifetime ago now.

Yet as the trio silently trudged down the path that would take them back to the Gummi Ship, Sora couldn't help but stop short as a sudden realization struck him. Because for all the time he had spent wondering, fearing what might happen if Donald and Goofy knew the truth about what was happening to him, horrified by the very idea that they might turn away from him in hatred or disgust for what his heart was steadily starting to fall victim to, in the end, they hadn't. If anything, they'd done the exact opposite; they'd vowed to stand by his side, to help him search for some kind of cure, no matter how difficult that might be or how bad things might get. They'd promised to uphold his confidence and bear the weight of his largely unbearable secret right alongside him. They'd even gone as far as to help him hide away the evidence of that secret in the hopes of keeping it from bringing him any more worry and woe than it already had. They'd done everything they possibly could to set his battered heart and frayed mind at ease. And even if it hadn't been enough to fully chase all of his doubts and fears and dread away, it was certainly enough to show him just how much their loyalty, their friendship truly meant to him.

"D-Donald? Goofy?" his call stopped them, and their concern was palpable as they turned around to see the tears starting to well up in his eyes once again. Yet for as bittersweet as those tears were, they both immediately understood his intent as he rushed forward, pulling them both into a tight, intent embrace. The pair didn't hesitate to return their young companion's almost desperate hug, both of them more than ready to offer him any sort of comfort from here on out, even if that comfort came in the form as something as relatively simple as this.

The three of them maintained that hug for quite some time, awash in the peace of the mid-morning forest, not even bothering to think of what might come next and instead giving themselves just a moment to simply let this moment be solely what it was. And in that moment, Sora offered both of his companions a soft, yet earnest message, exactly the sort of thing he knew, after all of the sacrifices and struggles they'd gone through for his sake, they deserved to hear.

"Thank you."

:D So I'm an emotional mess after writing this chapter. For a number of reasons. Mostly because I'm drowning in feels about a pair of duck and dog dads and their anxiety-ridden, slowly-corrupting son ^_^ Seriously tho I might have cried while writing this one... it was... a lot. Either way, I really hope you enjoyed it! Next time around will be a bit more lighthearted, with another chapter focused on Kairi and Axel that may or may not happen at a little place I like to call... Disney Castle ;) And may or may not feature an appearance from a certain antagonist who we haven't seen in quite some time... ;) ;) ;) Anyway I won't spoil any more of it for you. For now, PLEASE let me know what you thought of this one in the REVIEWS! Until next time :D