Author's notes: Hello everyone. Here it is. This will probably be the greatest most epic of all my fanfics so far; even more so than Evil Dead Way of the Boomstick! This one is one for the millennium. A cross over fic between Warhammer 40,000 and Kingdom Hearts. You may think, there's no way that's gonna work! The worlds are too different, the final fantasy and Disney fun contrasts too much. Well that's the reason I love it so much, they are contrast but that's why I think it works. There so much cutsie cuddly crap in the kingdom hearts I it could use some down and dirty stuff and the warhammer 40k universe is so dark and gritty it could definitely use a dose of Disney and ff (excluding the obnoxious jpop of ffx2). Well here goes nothing, chapter one. Those of you familiar with the warhammer 40k universe will be glad to know that one of the main characters here will be none other than Commissar Ciaphas Cain and fans of Disney, don't despair; I will be including characters and worlds yet untouched by kingdom hearts. Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or the franchises. Enjoy and please review.

Merlin paced around the table in his cottage. The table was set up for tea; a tea pot, sugar jar, and three cups and saucers on the table. Merlin puffed his pipe thoughtfully as dozens of scenarios and possibilities buzzed through his head, making it increasingly hard for him to stay focused on any one problem. The Heartless were back, to begin with. Their return is almost inevitable, which he well knew; as long as people of all kinds and in all worlds are capable of holding darkness in their hearts the heartless and the evil doers they inspire will eventually return to power. Merlin of course had accepted this fact long ago, when he vowed to fight the heartless wherever and whenever they emerge. Of course even he, despite his ability to see into the future, was unable to see them coming back so soon. It had been three years since Sora's victory over organization XIII and all had been quiet ever since. Merlin had only recently taken notice of the rapid expansion of the heartless' power and numbers.

Merlin had written a letter to King Mickey, warning him of the dangers emerging. The King replied his letter promptly, writing that he would begin taking defensive measures and asked to be informed immediately if and when Sora appeared again (as he was sure to). Powers at work would no doubt bring The Keyblade bearer back to them in their time of need. Merlin pondered whether or not he should have told King Mickey about his other main concern of the current predicament. Being that the Heartless' sudden growth of power most likely meant that they were drawing power from somewhere previously undiscovered by the King and his allies. Somewhere further away than any other but not out of reach; a world plunged so deep into darkness yet unconsumed by the Heartless.

Merlin was very distressed by this notion and was even more distressed by the fact that visions and premonitions he'd received recently had confirmed this possibility to be fact. Yet Merlin had kept silent about it, mostly because he had no idea what to expect from this world until the previous night when he received visions of Heroes, most brave, noble and mighty he had ever seen. But he had also seen visions of Villains, hideous, monstrous, yet cunning and vile! A world of ancient and new up and coming races of beings, some good some evil. Fallen empires demonic influences which continuously battled with strong and noble warriors for dominance of an entire galaxy; it was a world where heroes fight to sustain ancient dying ideals and vast empires which despite best intentions oppress and dominate their subjects with fanaticism and simple minded brutes run rampant causing bloodshed and unrest.

Despite all evidence to the contrary, Merlin was certain that the bravery and heroism of the good in this world still had hope to win over darkness and corruption which plagued it. He knew even the smallest speck of light could potentially help illuminate the darkest of places. Which was why he had decided, not only to inform his companions of this unfound world but to assist the heroes of this world; whom he knew would be arriving soon. Now all that was left to do was to wait for his companions and fellow conjurors to arrive. He had been living in the same cottage in Radiant Garden for nearly five years now and the old place had become as much a home to him as his cabin in the woods of medieval England. His neighbors where helpful and kept things interesting; a delightful switch, he thought, to the concealed solitude of his cabin.

Merlin fished his pocket watch out of his long blue robes and checked the time. He shook his head frustrated, "Where is everyone?" he grumbled. "They'll be arriving soon!" he insisted.

"Who? Who?" came the voice of Merlin's feathered friend Archimedes. The owl had climbed out of his small wooden bird house in the upper corner of the ceiling. "You keep saying that and I want to know who!" Archimedes insisted.

Merlin sighed and gave an annoyed glance up to his friend perched on the overhanging wooden frame of the ceiling. He was overjoyed when his companion finally chosen to accompany him in his new home in Radiant Garden, but as always in their friendship the two of them could be at odds. The two of them would often differ in opinions and what course of action to take and how to go about things. But on the whole Merlin was glad to have his friend and colleague with him, especially now that things seemed to look increasingly bleak.

"I told you already, Archimedes, I don't know exactly who!" he replied bluntly. "I only know that they'll be here soon! And that reminds me," said Merlin as he looked over Archimedes' head at the ceiling. He then grabbed two chairs from his table (thick cushioned chairs like his own) and placed them a few feet away from the edge of the table, looking up to the ceiling as if he were looking for some exact marker.

Archimedes looked up but saw no markers on the ceiling, he sighed and with a sense of nostalgia realized what was to come. He fluttered down from the ceiling panel and perched atop Merlin's large cushioned chair on the other side of the round table. Archimedes was confused that only three tea cups and saucers were set up, the good fairies, the fairy godmother, and Master Yen Sid were all coming, as well as Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, Tifa, Cid and possibly Cloud. The last of course was a long shot considering all Cloud ever seemed to do was brood and stare sadly into space in deep thought. Archimedes had previously joked that they should nick name the boy Hamlet, to which Merlin had a brief laugh but quickly rebuked the jest. Merlin knew full well what Cloud had been through. Archimedes knew as well, of course, but insisted that it was time the boy moved on. Especially on the grounds that the blue eyed brunette girl Aerith was most affectionate toward him, and Archimedes' keen senses had picked up on the passionate glances and jealous stares from the raven haired Tifa. "In his new life here they boy has increasingly little to complain about!" Archimedes had insisted. But in light of Merlin's revelations he knew that that may change soon.

"There now that should do," said Merlin as he finished placing and adjusting the two chairs. "They should be here anytime now."

Archimedes rolled his eyes. "Why only the three cups and saucers?" he asked. "The cottage will soon be packed with visitors!"

"I'm trying to make a good first impression to our guests," Merlin explained. "I want to assure them that they are our guests but not to smother them, it may feel awkward that they should find themselves at a table filled with people they don't even know."

"Ha!" Archimedes laughed. "Trying not to smother them in a cottage filled with over a dozen people!"

Now it was Merlin's turn to roll his eyes. "Archimedes need I remind you that these people are from a most savage and violence plagued world?" he asked rhetorically. "They may very well believe themselves to be trapped by a deceptive enemy and lash out at the first opportunity! I want to assure them they are our guests and that we have nothing to hide from them but also have a show of force!" he explained. "Which is why I was very insistent on Cloud being here with the rest, he may light up a room just by leaving it but he has combat skills that rival even Leon's and if the worst should happen we'll need him here. Though a part of me highly doubts that it will come to that."

"And just what makes you so sure of that?" asked Archimedes.

"Because one of our guests is considerably wiser than most of his profession and will no doubt be more likely to listen to reason," explained Merlin. "He also has a record of heroism and his exploits are well known to his comrades in arms. He himself is not nearly the paragon they perceive him to be but he is at heart the hero they see him as, though he himself doesn't realize it."

Archimedes rolled his eyes again. He never could understand how his friend could know so much about people from his visions and premonitions without learning their names. "You think you can make him realize it?" he asked with a sigh.

"Probably not," replied Merlin. "He's a headstrong one, he is. But I don't think I'll have to," he said. Merlin smirked to himself as he saw Archimedes silently sigh again. He knew he was being vague and that that drove his companion mad; but all work and no play… Just then the door of the cottage opened and in stepped Leon, followed by Cloud, Cid, Yuffie, Tifa and Aerith. They all greeted Merlin and Archimedes as they entered. Merlin welcomed them and asked that they gather around the table but to stay out of the two chairs and to give plenty of space between them and the chairs. The group were confused at this but cooperated.

"So, would you care to tell us what's so important I need to put off maintenance in the Gummy hangar and the virus scan for the mainframe?" asked Cid, slightly annoyed.

"Yeah Merlin," said Yuffie. "Let us in on it," she finished. The entire town had noticed over the past week how Merlin seemed to be more distant and even frustrated. None of them wanted to ask him what was wrong, knowing that if it was really important Merlin would tell them soon enough, but Merlin had kept so quiet about it for much longer than he usually did. Merlin inviting all of them to his cottage was a welcome sign for them all. Merlin seldom invited so many people to his cottage at once, except to pass on some important news.

"Is it about the Heartless?" asked Aerith with sincere concern.

"I'm afraid it is, my dear," Merlin answered. "The Heartless are yet again rallying their forces and will very soon make yet another attack on the worlds of Kingdom Hearts," he finished.

All were silent in the cottage. They all had hoped that they had done away with the heartless for good, or at least for generations to come. But it seemed at this point that the return of evil and darkness was all but inevitable. Everyone's face darkened and lowered with sorrow and foreboding; except of course for Cloud, who had entered the room with his customary look and tone of brooding, thus already had a sodden look on his face.

"What's your plan Merlin?" asked Cloud, breaking the silence. "Do you know where or when the Heartless will attack?" he asked, almost sounding hopeful for the information he wanted. No doubt wanting to charge recklessly into battle as he always does.

"I'm sorry my boy, but I'm afraid it isn't as simple as before, Merlin sighed as he prepared to break the even more bitter side of the news he had for the group.

"What do you mean?" asked Leon. The brown haired man looked as puzzled as the rest but maintained a certain reservation about him. Ever since the destruction of his world and the loss of the woman he loved Leon had been stern and cold most of the time. Keeping always ready to fight, sometimes jumping to conclusions. He still had a good heart but despite encouragement from Yuffie and the others he always seemed to keep his softer side within a hard shell of sincerity. Like Cloud he dressed mostly in black and carried a large sword on his back; though unlike Cloud's, this sword was also an enormous revolver pistol. Leon's military experience and personal strength and firepower were an invaluable asset to the team.

"I mean the Heartless have brought help," said Merlin plainly but with a strong sense of foreboding.

"Is it Maleficent?" asked a voice which seemed to appear behind Merlin from nowhere. Merlin turned to see the Fairy Godmother (a hooded old woman dressed in shimmering blue silver), Ms. Flora(a winged fairy dressed in red), Ms Fauna(a fairy dressed in green) and Ms Merryweather(a fairy dressed in blue) standing behind him; the latter of whom had asked the question. The rest of the group made a brief gasp but quickly calmed as they recognized the ladies and greeted them. Merlin was slightly annoyed at their insistence on arriving by materializing from behind people or otherwise from an unseen vantage point but he understood that surprise is one of the winning punches to magic and he himself had taken advantage of that very concept on several occasions.

"Most likely Ms. Merryweather," Merlin answered. "But I'm afraid there are much worse problems than her this time. The group shuddered.

"Worse than Maleficent?" asked the Fairy Godmother in disbelief.

"I'm afraid so," said Merlin, almost apologetically. "The fact is that the heartless have been gathering their power this time from another world," He began as he sat down in his chair at the table, across from the two other tea cups and saucers. Merlin thought to remind the latest guests not to sit in the other two chairs but remembering that he informed them that there would be two visitors in his message and that they by now should have noticed that none of the several others in the room had taken the seats, that that would be unnecessary. He took one last puff of his pipe then placed it down and told the group of what was coming.

"The Heartless; for years now, possible for longer than we've even been fighting them, have been gathering power from a world plunged into darkness. A world farther away than any other world in this multiverse, but not quite out of reach. This world is very old and has corruption literally in every corner. An overbearing Empire which both protects and oppresses its subjects. Ancient races which have twisted themselves into monstrosities, neither living nor dead. Insect-like monsters mentally linked to a hive mind with the sole purpose of killing and devouring. A dying race with highly advanced technologies trying to keep grasp on what little they have left in their latter years. A race of near mindless brutes that live only for the thrill of combat and danger, many of them finding any excuse at all to commit violence. And these aren't even the bad news!" Merlin paused to let his audience take in what he had just said. They all looked at each other in a mix of wonder and worry but remained silent.

"And what, Merlin, is the Bad news?" asked an elderly male voice. Merlin jumped in his seat and almost kicked the table. The rest of the group jumped in surprise as well, Leon and Cloud both grabbed the handles of their swords in unison. They all turned to see Master Yen Sid closing the front door behind him. "I'm sorry I'm late," he said with a slight smirk.

"Welcome Master Sid," Merlin sighed. Leon and Cloud let go of their swords and the Wizard came closer to the table, nodding to the greetings from members of the group. The elderly wizard was wearing his star and moon decorated hat, which he had once told an amusing anecdote to Merlin about; one which included King Mickey in his early days and his misguided use of magic which ended in a most amusing lesson and punishment for young Mickey. Yen Sid and Merlin had known each other for a long time. He didn't seem to be very different from Merlin as far as magic power; he was elderly like Merlin, though his beard was not snow white as Merlin's. But Yen Sid was actually older than Merlin and harbored much greater power than he; no one in the group, even Merlin, knew the true extent of his power. Despite this the two hadn't had any trouble getting along and working together, in fact the two of them held a mutual respect for each other. Yen Sid walked to Merlin's side and looked at him with approval. "You were saying?" he gestured for him to continue. Merlin nodded, wondering to himself if perhaps Master Yen Sid already knew what he had to say. Sensing the cocky grin on Archimedes' face without even looking, he grunted a sigh and continued.

"Yes, as I was say, the bad news is that this world contains a most powerful evil, a force more powerful than any the heartless had recruited before. A force which is aptly named…Chaos." The mere mentioning of this name brought an ominous sense of dread. Every face in the room cringed with uneasiness as Merlin named the evil force that was to invade their realm; every face except for Merlin and Yen Sid. "They are a force of otherworldly creatures; they are hideous, beastly, ruthless and murderous. Their bloodlust puts even the warrior brute race of this world to shame! They devote themselves to cause pain, terror and, ultimately, bondage and death (sometimes the other way around). Humanity in this world calls these creatures Daemons. The Heartless have made contact with them and have convinced them to bolster their forces and make an organized attack on the worlds of Kingdom Hearts."

"Oh my goodness!" shrieked Ms. Fauna. Similar gasps and shrieks were uttered by most of the group. Merlin was about to call his worried audience back to attention but was beaten to it.

"Everyone please calm down!" said Tifa, almost shouting. "Merlin wouldn't have called us here to tell us this unless he had a plan," she said, everyone in the room looked to each other in thought then to Merlin in question. "Merlin, I take it you DO have a plan?" she asked. "How will we fight them?" she asked, not waiting for an answer to the first. Tifa had long been known to be stubborn and heard headed but Merlin knew that it was because she had a strong will and that she meant no offense (as pushy as she could sound).

"Yes I DO, have a plan Tifa," Merlin answered. "And we CAN'T fight them, not alone anyway." The group looked unsettled again but didn't speak.

"Not alone?" repeated Tifa.

"You mean we will need Sora's help again?" asked Aerith.

"I'm certain that Sora will be joining us soon Aerith," Merlin answered. "But I'm afraid we will need more than just Sora. The forces of Chaos are vast beyond your imagination and they bring allies from this far off world, the insect like creatures and the ancient race of living dead I mentioned before. Their combined forces plus the forces we've faced before will be overwhelming in power and numbers. We will need a fighting force equally strong and dedicated in order to stop them. The forces of humanity and the eldar (the elderly race I mentioned before) have a long history of bravery in the face of Chaos and have many brave soldiers and heroes in their ranks and with all the interdimentional pathways being opened up as Chaos and its forces left their world and are coming into our realms many of these fine warriors have found their way here themselves. We must make contact with them and bid they join us in our war against the forces of darkness. It will be difficult to convince humanity to cooperate with the eldar but given one of our guests who should be arriving shortly we shouldn't have too much trouble at least convincing them to form a temporary truce in the face of their common enemy, even those mindless brutes (the orks) have been known to make such accords."

"Guests?" asked Leon.

"Oh yes, my boy, that's the reason for the two chairs and the tea," he said and motioned to the two cups on the table. "You see one of them is a ranking soldier, while not generally in commanding positions, he should have enough pull with the other officers among the human ranks and perhaps will even be considered as their acting commander. The other is a seasoned soldier, a skilled one, though not very bright. The two have been through much together and have formed a considerable trust between them. If we can reason with the officer, who should be here anytime, we can formulate an effective resistance to the Heartless and Chaos."

"Wait," Cloud interjected. "You mean the Chaos is already here?" he sounded legitimately worried.

"Some have made it to the worlds of Kingdom Hearts already," explained Merlin. "But not nearly all of them and those who have may or may not have even made attacks yet; more likely scouting parties sent to probe certain areas but not to attack. A considerable number of humans have, by providence, already arrived here and in worlds nearby. That is why I have called you all here today. We will soon make contact with the human forces, starting with our guests, and hopefully forge an alliance."

"Are you sure we can trust them?" asked Leon.

Merlin sighed. "Not entirely," he said. "But I'm afraid we have to try Leon, we truly don't have much of a choice in the matter. But have faith my boy, the Chaos are as much their enemy as ours."

"You keep saying they should be here soon, but no one else is here? When exactly are they supposed to be here?" asked Tifa.

"Well, I expected them here before you arrived actually but they should be along shortly," replied Merlin. Tifa opened her mouth, as if about to make an annoyed statement when a loud creaking noise came from the roof. The entire group looked up; the sound seemed to be coming from right above the two empty chairs. "Very shortly," said Merlin with a grin. With a loud crash the wooden beams of the roof gave away and two uniformed figures came crashing through the roof and landed safely on both chairs.