Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

She woke to the sound of bells.  Huge resonant things that reverberated right through her chest cavity as they announced the hour on the hour. 

Sable did not know these bells.

Forcing awareness past the easy sense of basking warmth, violet eyes opened, only to snap shut again as the bright light burned.  Raising a hand to block the worst of it, she tried a second time with a bit more success.  She blinked up at a sky painted with the bright colors of early evening. 

Reluctantly, Sable sat up, breaking through the last traces of that drowsy warmth.  With a large yawn, she stretched out to try and ease away sleep-induced stiffness.

She shivered, as a stray breeze tickled bare skin and belatedly realized she was distressingly underdressed.  Rather than her usual – and much preferred – layers, she was wearing only a thin undershirt and sweatpants.  Pale fingers drifted up to trace the rough scar tissue crossing over the bare skin above her collar, Sable suddenly felt horribly exposed.  Practically naked, in fact.  She needed a shirt.  Preferably one with a turtleneck.

But first: where was she?

The short answer was ‘a clock tower’.  She’d apparently been asleep on a walkway surrounded by a low wall, high above ground level.  Below the wall was the giant clock face while overhead were the brass bells that had awoken her. 

Peering over the low wall, Sable saw an unfamiliar skyline of buildings awash in the golden light of the setting sun.  Further out, beyond the city limits, she could just make out the shine of light reflecting off a vast body of water.  Upon noticing that, she realized there was the faint tang of salt on the evening air.

This was bad.  This was very, very bad.  Her city was a landlocked desert, days away from any bodies of salt water! 

How had she gotten there?  The last thing she remembered was walking down the street, intent on visiting the park.  Had she been abducted?  She must have!  But then why dump her up here rather than…many other awful options to be had? 

Was this a prank?

Taking a steadying breath, Sable leaned back on her heels and checked her pockets.  With any luck, they hadn’t taken her wallet.  Fishing around the surprisingly deep pockets of the sweat pants, Sable froze.

That wasn’t her wallet.

Very carefully, she pulled out what looked like a handmade suede leather pouch.  Dark in color, it had a thorny red sigil embroidered on the side that Sable recognized as the mark of the Emblem Heartless.  It was identical, in fact, to the same emblem that had been on her own now missing wallet. 

(Sable had bought that wallet from a novelty shop a few years prior.)

Tugging the drawstrings loose, she found a leather cardcase sitting near the top of the pouch.  Fishing it out, Sable flipped it open.  Inside the flap was a clear plastic window holding an ID card with her legal name, age, and other bits of standard information IDs tended to have, but all in an unfamiliar layout. 

It was a completely new ID that she didn’t remember getting.

Slipping the cardcase back into the pouch and pulling the drawstrings tight, Sable froze again, staring intently at the pouch.  On a second look, the stitchwork seemed oddly familiar…

Dark brows furrowing in thought, Sable glanced up at the hanging bronze bells.  Then looked back out over the city awash in twilight’s light.  Suspicious now, she deliberately braced her hands against the low wall of the ledge before leaning over to peer down for a closer look at the clock face.  A moment later, just as deliberately, she slowly leaned back and carefully stepped away.

Leaning against the building wall behind her, Sable slid down with a muffled thump.  Almost numb, she teased open the pouch and fished the ID case out for a second look.  This time she noticed a few important details that she’d completely overlooked at first glance.

“Twilight Town.” She breathed, reading the card.  “I’m in Twilight Town.”

That couldn’t be possible.  It was a video game-

Forcing herself to stop, Sable waited until her racing heart had calmed down and focused on taking deep, even breaths until it had.  Where she was didn’t actually matter just then.  What did matter was: what did she have, and what did she need?

She took a closer look at the pouch to see what else was in there besides an implausible ID.  Violet eyes blinked once then shut completely as she tried to stave off the sudden headache. 

(It was like looking at a 3D Escher painting without warning.  Ouch…)

At least she didn’t have to worry about funds.  There was plenty of cash stuffed into the pouch.  Munny with a ‘u’.  All of it had been tetris’d away nice and neat in the brain-breaking hammerspace most video games favored and which gamers took for granted.  Sable would have to count it out properly, but only after she was someplace a bit more secure. 

Another breeze tickled her skin and made her shiver. 

So, to sum up: she had the minimal clothes on her back, a possibly valid ID card, and funds to get pretty much anything else.  Next on the acquisition list would be shelter.  The canvas of golds overhead had noticeably more navy blue mixed in than when Sable had first woken up and she had no interest in spending the night out in the open.

Maybe there was a motel or something she could stay in…Wait.  She had an ID.  Was there a residence listed?  It wouldn’t be any stranger than having a brand-new ID card she hadn’t applied for.

For a third time, Sable looked over the little piece of laminated plastic.  There was indeed an address attached to her name, complete with an apartment number: X-H11

Yeah. 

That pun?  Definitely a joke at her expense.  It was just…so much more elaborate than Sable could have imagined. 

Shivering again, Sable rubbed at her exposed upper arms to try and tease back in the warmth from earlier.  It was distinctly chillier out than it had been even a few minutes ago.  It was time to go.

Climbing back to her feet, Sable sneezed as a random cross-breeze carried an out-of-place whiff of earthy herbs.  Weird, but not important.  Now how to get down from the clock tower…

Oh.

The walkway wrapped around the top of the tower.  There was a doorway with stairs just around the corner.  That made things considerably simpler.  Sable didn’t want to try freestyling down the side of the tower just yet- Her head snapped up.  The air above the ornate spire remained clear, even of shadows as sun still shown directly on it.  The smaller bronze bell hanging beneath it just kept shining innocently.

But…

Sable could have sworn she’d just seen a shadow.  A person-shaped shadow.

Fine hairs of her neck prickling, Sable massaged the hollow of her throat as she ducked into the tower and started down the stairs. 

There might well have been someone standing on that spire, and that worried her.

              ———

              ———

17 Tram Common was a set of apartment buildings a street or so away from the tram line that gave the area its name, pretty much out of sight during any gameplay.  Fortunately, once Sable noticed the various building numbers and started following them sequentially, it was simple enough to find.

Now she just had to find her specific apartment.  Not quite so easy as she wasn’t sure how the building was laid out.  So, she detoured to the front office, instead.

“Hey, you’re back.” The receptionist greeted her.  “Feeling any better?”

A little nonplussed, Sable approached the man as she answered. “Found a sunny spot and took a nap.”  As she did that regularly, it probably wasn’t even a lie. “Couldn’t remember where I was when I woke up.”

That got a wince. “Oh yeah, post-nap amnesia.  That’s no fun.” He gave a her a concerned once-over. “Need help getting to your apartment?”

“Please.” She admitted, feeling her cheeks burn a bit. “Not sure my memories are reliable at the moment.”

(Also completely true, if drastically understating her situation.)

“I gotcha.” Getting up, the man stepped out from behind the service desk.  “Right this way.”  She followed him towards the apartments proper.  “So…are you feeling any better?” At her confused look, he elaborated. “When you came in this morning…I dunno, something seemed off.  I thought you might be sick.”

“A bit nervous.” Sable allowed.  “New to the area, and all.  But…I’ll be alright.”

“Well, if you need anything, feel free to ask.” Reaching an apartment door with numbers matching those listed on her suspect ID, the man shook her head. “Have a good evening.” 

Sable watched him go before fishing the key out of her pocket and letting herself into her new apartment.  Once the door clicked shut behind her, she leaned against it and let out a rattled breath.  That had been more nerve-wracking than it should have been.  Her heart was still drumming against her ribcage.  Less now, as she inhaled the familiar scent of desert monsoon and found herself relaxing automatically.

(She should be more concerned.  It was a brand-new apartment, it shouldn’t have a familiar scent!)

Getting her composure back together, Sable surveyed her new home.  It wasn’t especially large, just a bedroom, bathroom, and a living area with a small kitchenette attached.  The space was already occupied with vaguely familiar furniture.

Frowning, Sable started a more thorough check. 

The fridge was already stocked—though not with much—and the dresser in the bedroom was filled with neatly-folded clothes that were also familiar. 

Stepping back out into the living area, she finally spotted the official-looking papers stacked neatly on the coffee table.  Feeling her frown deepen, Sable scooped up the papers and began leafing through them. 

According to the lease agreement the rent and basic utilities had already been covered for the foreseeable future, so at least she didn’t have to worry about that anytime soon.  That meant shelter wasn’t going to be an issue, leaving her free to focus on other concerns. 

Like the signature on the last page of the lease.

That was not her signature!  Her full legal name, yes, but whoever had signed for her was clearly right-handed.  That neat cursive lacked the distinctive slant of a southpaw like Sable.  Or any other unique flourish that could potentially identify the writer, for that matter.  In fact, it was as textbook perfect as writing could be without being a computer font…

Oh.  Shoot.

Was she in Ansem’s virtual Twilight Town?  Was she stuck in a simulation of an apartment with her memories modified like Roxas’ had been? 

That would explain why she didn’t remember arriving… No.  Wait.  Whoever had done this had put a lot of effort into it.  From fooling the receptionist into thinking Sable had applied to an apartment to going to the trouble of getting her a legal ID as well as funds enough to leave her set for some time.  Even the apartment itself was modeled after the layout of the one she’d grown up in and the furniture was all the same. 

(The furniture was literally the same, she remembered causing some of those stains!  Those clothes in the dresser had been her clothes, and the books on the shelves were her books!)

Roxas had just woken up in the simulation thinking he’d always lived there.  Sable just had apparent short-term memory loss.  Besides, she didn’t think Ansem would remember little details like the smell of her apartment. 

(On that note, she’d need to top off the diffuser.  Was there any more hydrosol?)

All in all, it was enough to suggest that her being there was a significant enough investment that Sable probably didn’t have to worry about being deleted any time soon.

Hopefully.

(Yeah, that wasn’t really going to help her rest any easier.) 

Flipping through the papers again revealed nothing but the lease. No hints of any kind to answer her questions, not so much as a post-it hidden between the pages.

How annoying.

Now that her initial adrenaline-fueled panic had ebbed, Sable felt tired.  Numb.  She hadn’t felt anything that strongly in quite some time.  Not since before… 

Anyway. 

Even parkour didn’t stir up that kind of rush.  Adrenaline, yes, but it lacked the emotional component to really make an impact.  Ordinarily an emotional crash of the current scale would have led to her turning in early to sleep it off.  The issue was that her mind was still too wired-up to allow it, thoughts and theories zipping this way and that like frantic hummingbirds. 

Odds were it would be a few hours before she settled enough to do more than just toss and turn in bed.

Rubbing her eyes with a sigh, Sable got up, slipped the papers into a folder left conveniently lying on the coffee table and hid them behind the books on the bookshelf. 

(Because the first place anyone else would think to look would be the drawers of her writing desk.)

That done, Sable wandered into the kitchenette.  Her stomach was still churning enough that even the thought of eating made her queasy, but she wouldn’t be getting any other answers that night so she’d be better off doing something constructive.  Fixing enough meals for the next week so that all she had to do was toss one in the toaster oven would be one less thing to worry about.

Taking a closer look through the cabinets revealed mostly bare shelves.  Save for the handful of spices that Sable preferred for her meals.

Interesting, in the ironic way.

Opening the fridge next, Sable pulled out a package of raw chicken tenderloin and had to stop a moment to eye the packaging.  She distinctly remembered buying that exact package from the grocery store some days prior.  She didn’t think Twilight Town had a Frys.

(More evidence that her own belongings had been relocated wholesale.  Who’d even do that?)

Once the prep work was done and Sable was waiting for it all to cook, she leaned back against the counter.  Thinking.  She should be more concerned than she was.  Staying in a suspiciously convenient apartment after being yanked out of her home territory was far from the brightest idea.  What Sable should have done was gotten a hotel or something with her available funds. 

Anything except hole up in the one place clearly set up by her apparent kidnapper! 

But she just…didn’t care.  Didn’t have the energy to care, and the apartment felt like home.  Someone had gone out of their way to make it feel as much.  To tailor it to give her (what felt like) a Safe Place to retreat to. 

(That was a lot of consideration and effort for a ‘simple’ snatch-and-grab.)

Sable was… kind of curious to see where it all was going.  In the meantime, she had a few concerns to see to.  Top of the list being to find out whether or not she was in the real Twilight Town.

After that?

She’d see how it went.

              ———

Chapter Text

Despite what Sable would have expected, she slept easy that night and even woke up later than expected.  Even barring potential nightmares, she would have at least expected her restlessness to leave her tossing and turning and waking up every hour or so.  That it didn’t happen was confusing, though very much welcome.  Easier to think things through after a full night’s rest.

(The scent from the diffuser had definitely helped.) 

Once her morning routine was done and she was dressed – wearing a light sweatshirt over a proper turtleneck – she took another look around her apartment and made a number of pleasant discoveries.  First of which being that, yes, she had more hydrosol.  Even more than she remembered. 

(Maybe her abductor liked that scent, too?)

Then, when rooting around the shelves of the desk, Sable made a particularly welcome find.  Grinning, she pulled out her MP3 player and then the accompanying headphones.  A second glance revealed her little portable speaker as well.  So, at least she’d have her music.

Crinkling paper had her flipping the player over to find a little note taped to the back. 

Now powered by smiles ;>

Her abductor-cum-patron definitely had a sense of humor.

Staring at the note, Sable was honestly uncertain as to whether or not she should take it seriously.  Either way, she stuck both items in her munny pouch.  Theoretically, the pocketspace would protect them from any damage if she did anything acrobatic.

After that she wandered into the kitchenette.  Her stomach still felt too unsettled for a full meal, so Sable made due with peanut butter on toast and a banana. 

Nibbling on the bread, she sat down at the coffee table to count the munny in her pouch and hash out her budget.

Like shown in the games, munny was octahedron in shape and came in three denominations of one, five, and twenty.  Unlike the games, they were considerably smaller.  Only about the sizes of a dime, a quarter, and a fifty-cent piece respectively and more 2D than 3D. 

That made sense, Sable supposed as she rolled a larger munny coin between her fingers and felt at the hard edges.  Of course, the game exaggerated the size so players had an easier time spotting the drop.  In reality they were just easier to handle if they were small and relatively flat.

There was considerably more munny in that pouch than Sable was expecting.  With that, and her rent being paid off for the foreseeable future… well she wouldn’t have to worry about a steady income for a while. 

(The wriggle room came as a relief.  Sable had spent a lot of time and energy the past few years worrying about whether she’d be able to make budget.)

After carefully shuffling the assortment of munny back into the pouch, and belatedly realizing the pouch had smaller individual compartments stitched inside, Sable left the apartment.  The morning sun greeted her as she stepped outside and Sable took a moment to stop and just bask in it, soaking in the offered warmth.  Then she looked around with a fresh eye. 

Twilight Town was beautiful.  All warm tones and clean streets and the architecture was fun to look at.  As she wandered down the streets to the main part of the Tram Commons, Sable noted all the handy nooks, crannies, and ledges.  The impulse to hit the walls and start climbing was almost too much to ignore, but she managed. 

Better to wait to get a better feel for the town’s layout.  And ‘town’ was a very poor description because Twilight Town was very much a city.  Granted, a surprisingly quiet one outside the occasional train passing by on the tracks overhead, but a city nonetheless.  There were so many more people than the game had suggested, all just wandering this way and that as they went about their day.

(Apparently, she’d come out during the morning rush hour.  Oops.)

Still, despite how much larger everything was compared to the game, Sable had played long enough that navigating via major landmarks wasn’t particularly difficult. 

Pausing at the top of a hill, Sable considered her options.  If she went down that way, she’d end up in the Sandlot, which she was curious about.  She hesitated to do so, however, because she remembered that it was also where Seifer and his ‘Disciplinary Committee’ preferred to hang out.

Remember the acerbic teenager, Sable had to ask herself whether she was really interested in getting harassed.  Possibly even pulled into a fight.  Did the prospect appeal in any way?

No.  Not it did not.  So, to the shops it was! 

If she remembered correctly there were a number of them on the other side of the Tram Commons, just before Market Street.

Folding her arms behind her back, Sable strode lazily back down the road amidst the steady stream of people heading the same way.  Violet eyes continued to scan the buildings around her as she went, noting features and possible climbing spots.  She also noted smaller alleyways that hadn’t been accessible, or just not present, in the games. 

(If she could figure out where they connected, that would be an excellent way of avoiding the crowds.)

At one point she spotted a smaller stand-alone building with what looked like a stuffed toy hovering by the counter.  The sight had given her pause before she’d recognized the apparent-toy as a probable-moogle.  It took a weight off her shoulders as, if she recalled correctly, the moogle shop in the Virtual Twilight town was replaced by a never-open candy store.

(More evidence that she was in the Real Deal and thus safe from a tantrum-throwing old man deleting her as collateral damage.)

Though tempted, Sable wasn’t able to break away to take a closer look at the moogle.  The crowds were a bit too thick to bypass without being excessively rude.  Instead, she drifted towards the edge of the people-current as they started heading up hill before finally managing to break away and duck into a shop just up the base of the steep incline that was Market Street.

The bell chimed as she wandered through the door.  Unlike what the game would have had her think, it wasn’t a tiny little stall tucked against the wall.  Instead, it was a proper store with merchandise available on various shelves.  Including a number of very familiar jars.

Curious, Sable approached the jar-laden shelf.  Were those potions?  Legit magic-healing potions? 

There was a helpful sign that read ‘healing items’ that strongly suggested they were.  How were they supposed to work in real life, anyway?  In the game it was as simple as just throwing it at the intended target and the potion reacted automatically. 

That didn’t seem very feasible to Sable.  So, gently picking up one of the star-patterned blue jars, she teased open a little slip of paper glued to one side.  It was a tiny label with directions.  Convenient…

To Use:
Either toss above the person you wish to heal, or swallow contents for maximum effect.

Huh.  You really could throw it.  Maybe it was the magic that shattered the glass when it was above a target?  Otherwise, she’d have expected the instructions to say ‘throw at the person’, which would be rather counterproductive because, ow, that’d smart.

Still.  Having it thrown at the person seemed better than drinking whatever was in the jar.  Sable shivered at the thought.  Yuck.

“Will you be buying that?

Head snapping up, Sable saw a young man watching her expectantly.  Probably the shop keeper if she remembered correctly.  Wantz, wasn’t it?

“No.” She answered aloud, putting the potion back where she’d grabbed it. “Just browsing.”

Vermillion eyes studied her thoughtfully a moment.  “You’re the new girl- Sable, right?  Just moved in at the Tram Apartments?”

Stiffening, Sable turned to face him fully.

He snorted. “We don’t get many new people moving into town.” Wantz explained, looking a little amused. “From across town, sure.  But not from out of town.” He shrugged. “So, whenever someone does, everyone hears about it.”

It made sense, though that did not make Sable feel any better.  She nodded anyway before being distracted by something furry winding between her legs.

“Oh for- Chiro, leave my customers alone.” Wantz barked, sounding exasperated.

Chiro turned out to be a cat with a white diamond pattern on its head and a red-and-white collar around its neck.  Smiling, Sable knelt down and offered a hand.  The cat sniffed it impetuously, as all cats do, then deigned to bump her palm with its head, letting out a purr.

“You’re awfully young to be living alone.”

Twitching, Sable twisted and looked up to see a woman, old enough to be her mom, standing there.  Chiro chirped a greeting before pulling away to rub lovingly against the woman’s shins as she looked Sable up and down, a concerned crease to her brows.

“You can’t be much older than sixteen.”

“Seventeen, almost eighteen.” Sable informed with practiced ease.  This wasn’t the first time she’d been called out for technically being underage.

“Don’t you have any family?” The woman asked.

“No, ma’am.” Sable shook her head. “Not anymore.”

“Auntie Elmyra.” Wantz’s tone was disapproving as the named Elmyra visibly flinched. “Please don’t be rude to my customers.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean stir up painful memories.” She sounded genuinely contrite.

Sable shrugged. “It’s fine.  If not you, then someone else would have asked.”

“All the same…” Elmyra looked her over with an experienced eye. “If you need any help at all, please don’t hesitate to ask.” Pausing, a thoughtful look crossed her face. “Actually…” She walked up to the healing items Sable had been looking at and plucked several right off the shelf before turning and pressing them into the startled teenager’s arms. “Here.  Consider this a welcome gift.”

“Auntie Elmyra!”

Elymra fixed Wantz with a firm look. “I’ll pay for them, don’t worry.”

As the shopkeeper threw up exasperated hands and walked away, Sable stared the older woman with wide violet eyes.

“You’re…why?”

“I know how hard it is to move into a new town all by yourself.” Elymra admitted, eyes going a bit distant.  “As to why specifically…I suppose part of the reason is that you remind me of my daughter.”

Intrigued, Sable cocked her head as she absently stuffed the potions into her munny pouch, making use of one of the empty pockets. “Your daughter?” She repeated, reaching out as Chiro wandered back over for more head scritches.

“Yes.” There was a nostalgic nod. “All grown up, now.  She was moved out by the time I decided to come to Twilight Town.”

Sable’s Heart ached. “Do you still speak to her?”

With a sad sigh, the older woman shook her head. “I’m afraid not.  We’ve lost touch over the years.”

Now it was Sable’s turn to wince.  She fixed her gaze on Chiro, the cat deciding to step up onto her knee to bump a furry head against her chin. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Elmyra reached out and offered a hand, pulling Sable back to her feet. “I’m afraid it’s just me being melancholy in my empty-nest-state.” She chuckled. “Though it is kind of funny.  I was born and raised in that town, but for the life of me I just can’t seem to remember its name.”

The fine hairs on the back of Sable’s neck prickled as she frowned.  Something about that seemed familiar.

“But I won’t bore you with my old stories.” Releasing her, Elmyra stepped back and waved her off. “I’m sure you’re eager to explore the town.  There are several children I can think of offhand that are about your age.  You might like meeting them.”

Violet eyes blinked, then Sable offered a slow nod. “Maybe…” Then, still feeling a bit guilty for prodding old wounds, she asked, “Could you tell me a little about them?”

The melancholic look faded as the older woman considered it.

“Well, there are two groups of youngsters in particular I think you might get along with.  First would be Hayner and his two friends.” A sparkle of delight appeared in aged eyes. “Oh, they get into all sorts of mischief, but they’re good kids.  Always willing to give a helping hand.  Then there’s Seifer and his friends.” Here Elmyra chuckled. “They’re a bit older, around your age in fact.  They call themselves the Twilight Town Disciplinary Committee.”

Unable to help it, Sable snorted. “That’s a bit arrogant, wouldn’t you say?”

Elmyra waved her off. “Oh, they’re not so bad.  A bit high-handed maybe, but they really are a big help around town.  Most of the younger kids look up to them.  They might seem like bullies, but they’ve got good hearts.”

“I see…thank you, Elmyra.”

The older woman smiled.  “It’s my pleasure.  Now, don’t you forget, if you need help with anything please don’t be shy.  I’m here often, Wantz and his older brother all but adopted me as family years ago, but I also volunteer at the clinic down on the corner should you need anything.”

Sable felt her cheeks burn as she looked away, unable to keep eye contact. “I’ll keep that in mind.  Thank you, again.”

Turning, Sable walked out the door- yikes!

She hopped back in time to avoid being bowled over by a trio of younger kids running by.  Blinking, Sable watched them go.  They looked familiar…oh, wait.  Wasn’t that Hayner, Pence, and Olette?  She took note of the apparent absence of a particular blonde, further evidence to suggest that she was safe in the real Twilight Town.

Now, where were they going in such a hurry?

Curious, the dark-haired teenager turned and followed them at a more sedate pace.  There was no real rush, she had a pretty good idea of where they were going…

              ———

The Sandlot of Twilight Town was huge.

Granted, it was big in the game, but camera angle and ease of movement underplayed the scope of it.  Drastically.  It was basically baseball-diamond-big, with even more space around it where stalls could be put up without worrying about blocking the path.  High buildings rose up around it, keeping it mostly in shadow much of the time, and Sable noted a distinct lack of breakable windows at lower reach.

Unfortunately, the size also meant she couldn’t actually hear the heated argument taking place on the opposite side of the Sandlot.  Lots of aggressive gesturing could be seen though, as Hayner and his friends traded barbs with two older teenagers.  One was a large boy with Hispanic features and a bright red shirt.  The other was a smaller girl with wispy silver hair and a dark blue shirt. 

(Rai and Fuu, if Sable remembered correctly.)

The argument stalled out as someone else approached from the other entrance.  White long coat flaring with each step, aqua-blue eyes sharp with annoyance, Seifer kept his gaze fixed specifically on Hayner.  One could almost see the sparks flying as their gazes locked.

Intrigued now, Sable took advantage of their distraction to slip around the edge of the Sandlot until she reached a convenient patch of brick within easy hearing distance of the prospective show.

“-did you do?  Burn it?” Seifer was saying, then he scoffed. “Not that we need some photo to prove you’re losers.”

Struck by a sudden sense of Déjà vu, Sable squinted at them with furrowed brows. 

Wasn’t that what he’d said to Roxas in the virtual Twilight Town?  In the game, Dusks had taken photos featuring Roxas because they couldn’t distinguish the data of a photo from the data of the Nobody they were seeking.  Something Ansem had exploited by scattering those photos all over his data scape. 

(But that was only in the virtual Twilight Town.  There was no reason for any photo to be missing!)

“Replay!” Fuu demanded, snapping Sable’s attention back to the other teenagers.

Laughing, Seifer dropped into a loose fighting stance.  “Now you’re talking!”

Flanking him, Rai and Fuu quickly mimicked the gesture.  A tiny figure in an oversized floppy hat Sable had not noticed previously scurried out of the soon-to-be crossfire.  Hayner was quick to match their stance, but Pence and Olette both hesitated to pick a fight with the larger, stronger teenagers.

Over a photo.  It probably wasn’t even a good photo!

An incredulous bark of not-quite laughter escaped before Sable could smother it, the scene to ridiculous to take seriously.  Of course, this didn’t go unnoticed as both groups snapped around to find the source.  Because of the shadows she was standing in, their eyes passed over her initially.  Maybe she could slip down an alley…

Seifer’s eyes locked onto her, posture stiffening like a pointer dog on the hunt.

(Ah, well.  So, much for not getting harassed.)

Sighing, Sable stepped away from the wall and into the sunlight proper with an incredulous shake of her head. 

“Really?” She called over. “Posturing and hollering at each other?  Is that really the best use of your time if something’s been stolen?”

(Not the most diplomatic, but if she was going to get yelled at anyway…)

Brushing some hair from her face, Sable eyed both groups before meeting Seifer’s eye. “I was told your ‘Disciplinary Committee’ actually helps out a lot and other kids look up to you, but you’re looking more like a traditional bully to me.” She jerked her head at the visibly smaller and younger teens that made up Hayner’s friends.

Aqua-blue eyes glared at her from under the shadow of Seifer’s ever-present tuque. “You’re the newcomer?” He demanded.

Sable cocked her head but didn’t deny it. “So?”

“These thefts only occurred after you arrived.” The self-anointed leader of the Disciplinary Committee growled, taking an aggressive step forward. “So, all evidence points to you as the culprit.”

Violet eyes blinked once.  Twice.  Then a third time for good measure. 

“What evidence?” She snorted, waving a hand towards Hayner. “Weren’t you just accusing him for the same thing?” Sable dropped her hand and glared at him. “Why would I steal…whatever it was that’s been stolen?  How would I have done so?  I literally only got into town yesterday.”

The other teenager had no good comeback for that. 

Shaking her head, Sable shot them all a sharp look. “Instead of behaving like children, have you considered working together to find the thief?  All you’re doing now is wasting time.”

She could practically see Seifer’s metaphorical hackles bristle at that as he growled at her.

“You think you can just come down here and insult me?” He demanded, brandishing the blue-foam of his Struggle bat at her. “I think you need to be taught a lesson, outsider.”

Oh dear.  Maybe she should start running…

“Here, catch!” 

At the shout, Sable reflexively caught the Struggle bat Hayner had thrown her.  Neatly.  One-handed, even.  How the heck had she managed that?

“Now we’re talking.” Seifer smirked, stepping back towards the center of the Sandlot as his friends got out of the way.

This was a bad idea.  Sable had never fought someone in her life.  He was going to beat her black and blue!  Running the other way would be the smart thing.  So, why were her feet carrying her towards the Sandlot?!

(Well, it looked like she’d be needing those potions after all.  Oh, this was gonna hurt.)

Standing across from the other teenager, Sable stood with her Struggle club hung loosely in her left hand.  With effort, she kept her stance loose, ready to pitch herself aside if needed. 

Smirking, Seifer pointed his own club at her in a high grip. “Think you can beat me, outsider?”

No, the outsider did not think she could beat him.  The outsider was trying not to break out into a cold sweat.  The outsider was still debating her odds of successfully bolting for the hills.

Gazes locked, neither fighter moved as the onlookers clustered at the sidelines.

Eventually, Seifer grew impatient.  Charged forward to jab his club towards Sable’s stomach.  Direct.  Obvious.  So, pivoting back to let him careen though empty air was no issue.  But.  As he passed everything just-

…Snapped.

Into…

…Focus.

              ———

Swing up sharply, feel the padded ‘blade’ connect with her opponent’s exposed abdomen.  Hear the grunt as the other teenager rolls with it and breaks off the lunge to leap back. 

There’s barely a wince.  Now he watches her with a little more wariness.

Fear evaporates, leaving only an odd tranquility in its wake.  A tranquility that leaves the world bright and clear as anticipation stirs in her gut and blood roars in her ears.

(She isn’t going to give up.  If he wants a fight then she’ll give him one.)

Lunge again, then twist and duck down as a horizontal slash brushes the back of her sweater.  Flip her bat in a reverse grip and stab back.  Feel it connect as her opponent backs off a pace. 

(That high grip her opponent used was surprisingly good for frontal defense, she notes.  Keyword: frontal.)

Pitch forward, drop into a familiar roll and leap up behind her opponent.  Swing a two-handed smash across his back.  Watch him stumble forward a step, then spin around to leap back, lips curling in a snarl.

“Come on…” He growls. “Quit playing around and fight!”

Swing again and stumble back as both clubs rebound with a sparkling impact.

(What the heck?)

Not an accident.  More sparkles ripple out as they swing at each other, foam rebounding off foam with more force than there should have been.  What is that?  Each sparkle comes with a high wet-rubber squeak as the bats rebound.

Duck low to avoid a high sweep, then spin on ball of foot to swing up and hit- nothing but air.  Where did he-?

From above: “Isn’t this romantic!”

Impact.

Smash into ground, feel air whoof from lungs. 

(How did he jump so high?)

Glimpse motion beyond the dancing stars.  Roll back, curl legs overhead as palms brace against hard ground.  Kick out and launch- miss as her opponent twists away from the rising handspring.  Land hard, knees bending to absorb impact.  Glimpse her opponent reeling.

(Not a complete miss, then.)

Take a breath.  Spin on ball of foot to lunge before the other teenager could recover, this time a two-handed upward swing connects solidly.  Swing off hand out for balance, lean into ongoing momentum for another forehand swing.  Connect.  Twist with the motion and slide into a horizontal sweep.  Step inside his guard as he staggers back.  Grip hilt with both hands again, twist and swing up-!

Impact.

See her opponent tumble across the ground, rolling with the blow to swing back up on his feet.  Lunge again and thrust out.  Feel padded foam connect solidly with the curving plastic hilt.  See her opponent’s weapon sail through the air.  Watch the thump of dust as it lands, and smirk.  Listen to the heavy pants as her opponent eyes his fallen weapon, then stares at the Struggle club now pointed at his chest. 

Aqua-bright eyes meet dilated violet. 

A grunt sounds as her opponent yields, kneeling down with eyes closing in submission.

Straighten up and feel surging victory unravel tension coiled behind sternum.  Release a slow breath, feel muscles relax and grin.  Let that crisp brightness fade as the larger world comes into focus again.

Watch moving figures step between her and former opponent, red and blue, both sets of arms spread.

“Seifer’s not feelin’ so hot, ya know!” Red shouts.

(Not Red.  Rai?)

Blink at the sudden sense of vertigo.  It feels oddly staticky.

“Tournament decides!” Blue- Fuu declared.

Sable blinked again, remembering the posters she’d seen on various walls, then she nodded. “I look forward to it.”

Glancing past them, she teased out a potion and tossed it at Seifer as the other teen started pushing himself upright again.  To her fascination, the potion shattered mid-air to dust Seifer with what looked like a shower of green glitter.  He looked noticeably refreshed once the glint faded.

Satisfied, Sable turned away.

A sudden flash left her swaying in place, blinking back stars.  Ow.

“That was so cool!” She heard Pence shout.  She could just make out the boy cradling his camera like a precious treasure.  Then he yelped as said camera was plucked right out of his hands.

White and stretchy and fleeing-

Sable took off in hot pursuit.

“The thief!” She heard someone shout behind her.

              ———

There was something almost hypnotic, watching the Dusk dance along.  All those flips and spins and how it bounced off the walls with that rubbery bonelessness innate to them.  It certainly kept Sable’s eyes fixated on it, trained on every movement as she gave chase.

Somewhere behind her, she thought she could hear more running footsteps, but had neither the moment nor state of mind to glance back and check.

Through the Tram Common.  Through the ridiculous crack in one of the towering walls. 

(How had no one patched it before it got so big?  Everything else was well maintained!) 

Bricks and buildings were replaced by towering conifers, casting the area into heavy shadows.  Still the serpentine figure fled, swinging around tree trunks and looping through the low branches like a demented circus acrobat.  It was perfectly at home in the change of environment. 

(One could almost mistake the wriggling shape for a ghost.)

“It’s heading for the Old Mansion!”

That was Hayner’s voice, somewhere behind her.  Confirmation that the others had followed.  Still not enough for Sable to pause and look, she couldn’t turn let her gaze off her quarry. 

(She wasn’t about to let it get away!)

Absently, a distant part of Sable’s mind noted that the forest was much bigger than the game had suggested.  The burn in her legs was matched by the burning in her lungs.

The forest abruptly ended. 

Sable skidded to a halt, Struggle club lifted in a defensive reverse grip.  The Dusk swayed rhythmically in front of wrought-iron gates, facing her direction. 

(Good grief, it was almost a head taller than she was and she wasn’t exactly short!)  

Beyond the gates was a large mansion that had seen better days.  Only the giant lock on the aforementioned gates was free of rust.  In fact, it looked suspiciously new…

“What the- We can’t get through!”

At the startled cry, Sable finally glanced back and saw a glimmer of interconnected hexagons flash in the air with each slam of frustrated fists.  A battle barrier kept everyone else out; Hayner and his friends, even Rai and Fuu.

Sable blinked as Seifer strode up to her, club still in hand as he glared past her towards the guilty Dusk.

“This thing is causing trouble in my town.” The teenager growled, not even breathing hard from the run. “It’s gonna learn not to do that the hard way.” He pointed his Struggle club at the Nobody.

Nodding, Sable looked back at the Dusk.

It spasmed, the pulsing lines along its sides strobing blue.  With a loud ziiiiip its mouth snapped open in a silent snarl.  Then it lunged at them.

Sable dove forward, rolling beneath the airborne Nobody, before momentum carried her back to her feet.  Predictably, the Dusk snapped around to get her back in its sights and completely ignored Seifer.  His Struggle club swung out in a horizontal sweep that did absolutely nothing as the Dusk just seemed to melt around the club.  Completely untouched. 

The attempted assault did startle it, though, as it twitched back around to look at Seifer.  It cocked its head as if curious.  Then Sable’s opportunistic sweep from behind phased through it as if the Dusk wasn’t even there. 

Oh, that’s right, Sable remembered much too late.  Dusks were as immune to mundane weaponry as Shadow Heartless were.  Either magic or specialized tools were required.  The Struggle clubs weren’t going to do a thing.  Sable should have known that, yet she’d chased it anyway.

She didn’t have a Keyblade!

…or a target.

Shoot, where’d it-

“Look out!”

The blow slammed right between her shoulder blades and launched Sable a good several yards before she finally hit the grass.  Coughing, she heard Seifer snarl out a challenge somewhere behind her.  Along with the telltale viiip of the Dusk elastic-ing around like an animated splat toy. 

Sucking in air, Sable pushed herself back up in time to see Seifer go flying from the same coil-spring maneuver that had hit her.  The Dusk wove up into the air and advanced on him.

Her club was gone, fallen somewhere she didn’t care to check.  It was useless anyways.  Sable took off running.  With a flying leap she latched on to the one place the Dusk was at least partially solid. 

Let it be said: the Nobody did not appreciate her latching onto the zipper-teeth of its ‘mouth’.  It promptly lodged its protest by whipping back with enough force to make a bucking bronco jealous.  It was all Sable could do to hang on as any attempt to latch on with her legs was met with abject failure. 

(Something that whippy shouldn’t be that strong!  Where the heck was it getting its leverage?)

The Dusk whipped around, dragging Sable across the ground before rearing up again- The air woofed from Sable’s lungs for the second time in as many minutes as her back slammed into the battle barrier keeping them trapped with the Dusk.  The wriggly Nobody slipped free of her grasp as she slid to the ground, dazed. 

Coughing, Sable could see the indignant creature winding itself into knots like an agitated snake some ways overhead.  Ice shot through her veins as it twisted around again to give her a very good impression of a death glare.  Then it landed a short distance away and began to advance with very deliberate intent.

(Clearly, it was done playing around.)

She forced herself back up to her feet, could see Seifer running from across the open space, and knew there was little he could do against a serious Dusk.  The Struggle club was gone, her hands were basically useless, but Sable would not give up.  She refused to die here!  The ice in her veins burned as she lunged towards the Nobody with a silent snarl. 

(Maybe, just maybe, if she could meet its blow, she could set off that squeaky-barrier effect.)

Thorny shadows wove around her arm.  A sudden weight settled in her hand.  One foot slamming down, Sable pushed off it and swung up!

The Dusk went reeling back. 

Sable didn’t let it go, arm flicking around into a harsh horizontal sweep.  Again, the Nobody was sent staggering back.  Still riding her momentum, Sable drew her arm back and lunged.  The Nobody went flying before hitting the ground in an indignant heap.  Only then, did Sable dare to glance down. 

A sword’s hilt was clenched in her fist, leading up to an angular bat’s wing of red and black.  A familiar shape, just like the weapon Riku favored after the Destiny Islands fell.  Only Soul Eater wasn’t the name that sprang to her mind.

Gluttony

A slow, predatory grin spread across Sable’s face.  She could almost feel the blade’s eagerness to strike down the enemy, light and ready in her grasp. 

Violet eyes flicked up again. 

The Dusk had recovered from its tumble and the blue streaks along its side were pulsing rapidly in what was either further indignation or alarm.  With an audible hiss the Dusk took to the air once more, coiling in on itself as it homed in on her again, snapping out like a tightly wound spring.

Pivoting sharply on the ball of her foot let Sable avoid the sharp feet.  Rooting herself, she swung Gluttony up as the Dusk passed and struck it squarely in the side.  It went tumbling gracelessly skyward. 

Sable lunged to swing again as it fell.

Whipping around, the Dusk’s oversized head slammed into her and she went sprawling across the grass as it recovered itself and lunged again.  Only for Seifer to drop out of the sky, his Struggle club slamming full on into the Dusk and – to everyone’s surprised – send it crashing into the grass.

Swinging her legs like a breakdancer to return to her feet, Sable eyed the battered Dusk as she moved to stand besides Seifer.  “I think it’s about done.” She murmured.

“It better be.” The other teenager growled, thoroughly fed up with the whole situation.

“Pincer it?” Sable suggested, earning an incredulous look.

“How do you expect to do that?” Seifer demanded as the recovered Dusk approached with its boneless saunter. “I doubt it will just let one of us waltz past it, now!”

Sable just smiled.  Then charged.  The Dusk started to puff up as she approached.  Dropping into a baseball slide Sable let her momentum carry her past.  Rearing, the Nobody jerked around in confusion as she pushed off again.

“Seifer!”

“On it!”

Gluttony slammed into the back of the Dusk’s head, sending it careening towards Seifer as the other teenager swung up with all his strength.  Again, his blow connected and the Dusk was knocked into the air.  Sable leapt high with all the experience of years’ worth of parkour and swung down.

The Dusk crashed into the dirt and grass with an audible thump.

Sable landed lightly on its other side and met Seifer’s gaze.  They shared a nod, brandishing their respective weapons as their foe rose unsteadily to its feet.

“Now!” Seifer charged.

He went high.  Sable went low.  The Dusk burst between them. 

Something small and hard nailed Sable right between the eyes.  Startled, she overbalanced and crashed into the grass again.  What had just…?

A piece of munny. 

A legit piece of munny had just smacked her in the face upon defeating an enemy.  How did that even make sense?  Why was a Dusk even carrying munny to begin with?

At least the photos now fluttering to the ground made sense. 

Kinda. 

(Clearly the Dusk had been stealing them, but Sable had no idea why it would bother.  As she’d confirmed earlier: this was the real Twilight Town and Roxas wasn’t there for them to target.) 

With the Dusk’s defeat, the battle barrier trapping Sable and Seifer disappeared and allowed the other teenagers to rush in as Sable was picking herself up again.  Hayner and his friends immediately started collecting the scattered photographs while Fuu and Rai ran over to check on Seifer.

Actually, that reminded her…

Fishing out another potion from her pouch, Sable tossed it to her fellow combatant.  Watching him start as it shattered above him amused her.  (He hadn’t jumped at the one she’d tossed him earlier.)  Then, she did the same for herself.  The green glitter tickled her nose with the scent of menthol… Oh. 

That actually felt quite nice.  The forming bruises she’d collected, throbbing so hard she could probably close her eyes and chart out their outlines, immediately went cool and…not exactly numb, but they weren’t actually hurting any more. 

In fact, they kind of tingled.

“Hey.”  Sable looked up to see that Seifer had approached while she was distracted. “Thanks.”  He jerked a chin where the Dusk had vanished. “For helping deal with that thing.”

Blinking, Sable offered a shallow bow. “Glad to help.  It-”

“Hey!”  Pence’s startled yelp drew everyone’s attention.  The stocky boy had apparently found his camera lying at the base of one of the towering pine trees. “It’s gone!”

“What’s gone?” Hayner asked after they’d all exchanged baffled looks. “That isn’t your camera?”

Pence looked at him, eyes wide. “The photo I took back at the Sandlot, it’s not here!”

“Maybe it fell out?” Olette suggested, holding up the handful of photos she’d collected.

As they all started combing the area for the rest of the photos, Sable’s initial impulse was to duck out and return to her apartment, but… That would be kind of rude and more than a little childish.  So, she lingered and collected her own little stack of paper squares, sneezing loudly when she passed the tree where Pence had found his camera. 

(That weird scent of earthy herbs seemed a little out of place next to the much stronger scent of torn grass and the surrounding pine needles.) 

Between both groups, and Sable, it didn’t take long to find all the scattered photos and then flip through them for the one Pence had last taken. 

It wasn’t there, even after they combed the area a second time.

“That’s weird.” Pence mumbled, looking more fascinated than disappointed. “We got all the photos back, except that one.” He glanced at Sable. “Any idea- where’d that neat sword go?”

Blinking, Sable looked down at her empty hand.  She hadn’t even noticed Gluttony vanish.

She shrugged. “Guess it had somewhere else to be.” She glanced over the other teens.  “If…you don’t need anything, I think I’ll be going back home, now.”

They all waved, or nodded, and Sable turned to backtrack back to Twilight Town proper.  Once she was out of sight of the others, she let the pensive frown she’d been suppressing settle on her face.

While she had certain quirks in common with cats, such as scrambling up tall objects at high speeds or taking random naps in awkward places, the impulse to pounce on sudden movement was not one of them.  That hunting reflex had been new.   

That wasn’t the only out of place thing that had happened. 

Sable was a runner and climber.  Those were the instincts she had trained into automatic reflex, so she knew how to leverage momentum and how to fall so she didn’t hurt herself.  Being tossed a Struggle club should not have produced anything more complicated than the swinging of a baseball bat, yet she’d not only beaten Seifer in a Struggle match but managed to fight off a Dusk. 

Somehow, she now had the reflexes for at least basic sword play.  When she’d never been in a physical fight before in her life. 

And that scared her.

              ———

Chapter Text

To Sable’s surprise, she slept without any trace of nightmares though she woke with the weird phantom sense of something warm and velvety rubbing against her cheek. 

(She had no idea what to make of that.)

Peaceful sleep aside, she still woke up much too early.  Enough to distantly note that Twilight Town did, in fact, have a proper night cycle.  It just never reached the full dark she was used to.  Instead, the sky remained the deep navy of early morning for a relatively brief span of time until the reds and golds of sunrise came again. 

Despite being awake and not likely to return to sleep, Sable didn’t get up.  She lay smothered by a familiar lethargy that had precious little to do with the previous day’s excitement.  It was the same lethargy that left the world hazed in gray and her sense of touch far away.

So, Sable lay in bed long after she’d initially stirred, well after the blue of night had been chased away.  She knew she should get up, do something productive, but lacked the inclination to do so.  Pragmatically speaking, Sable should go check out some potential parkour routes.  Get to know the city.  It’d be fun!  She just…didn’t want to.

Not wanting to didn’t matter. 

Sable needed to get up and do something productive, even if it was as simple as getting some sunlight and fresh air.  She couldn’t just chill in bed the whole day.  That would be a waste.

Eventually, responsibility trumped lethargy and she managed to pry herself up.  She didn’t even bother trying to eat, knowing any attempt would leave her loafing on the sofa for most of the day.   Just got dressed and left the apartment.

(The sun felt nice.)

Once outside, Sable started walking.  One foot in front of the other.  Destination didn’t matter so long as she kept moving.  Maybe she should go figure out how to sign up for the Struggle Tournament.  Sable knew it was soon, but couldn’t currently remember when it was supposed to take place.  There were probably signup sheets down at the Sandlot, she was pretty sure she’d seen a bulletin board there the day before.

At some point her wanderings would probably lead her down that way.  For the time being her feet were carrying her uphill through Market Street.  There were an awful lot of signs and notices posted in between the different storefronts…

“Drat, we’re still short.”

Recognizing the voice, Sable paused and glanced over to see Hayner and his friends starring at one of the many bulletin boards.  Intrigued, she angled her course towards them.

Olette sighed. “I guess we can’t go today.”

“What’s wrong?”

All three jumped at her voice, whipping around to face her.  Clearly, they hadn’t noticed her walking up.

“Oh, Sable!”  Pence sagged, one hand coming to rest over his rapidly beating heart. “It’s nothing.  We just don’t have enough munny to go to the beach like we’d planned.”

Sable was now growing seriously concerned by how true-to-life Ansem’s virtual town was, right down to the events going on in real time.  But nevermind that.  Better to focus on the stellar opportunity that had presented itself to her. 

“I’ll help you get the munny.” She decided aloud, peering around the other teens to examine the Want Ads pinned to the corkboard.

“That’s alright.” Hayner was quick to speak up. “You helped us enough yesterday.”

Sable wondered if he realized how his words implied the opposite.  That she’d been a detriment to them, at least.  Quirking a dark brow, she stared at him until he fidgeted and looked away.

“I’ve nothing better to do right now.” Sable informed them. “And this is a good way to start getting to know people.  How much did you need?”

“About twelve hundred munny- OW!” Pence rubbed the spot where Hayner’s elbow had just jabbed him.

“I’ll meet you back here in a bit, then.” Sable informed the younger teens.  Then she turned and walked towards what she thought was the nearest Want Ad address.

              ———

Striding back to the notice board of Market Street with a dull sense of satisfaction, Sable casually tossed a cheap pouch into the air.  Up, then down, up and down, up, down.  All-in-all it had been quite productive, though a myriad of still-throbbing stings made her resolve not to take anything bee-related in the future.  Ouch.

After handling a series of different requests (the bee-extermination having only been one of them) she’d made more than enough for the younger teens’ needs.  It had also let her get somewhat familiar with a number of people in the general area.  Poster Duty had been her favorite, having been encouraged to scramble all around the commons like a gleeful squirrel.  Hearing the man who posted the add compliment her for getting the job done faster than anyone else he’d hired in the past and been very satisfying. 

The job had also given her a number of potential parkour routes that she’d have to try later. 

Hayner and his friends were already waiting by the notice board.  They all turned to greet her as she handed Olette the pouch.

The younger girl quickly counted out the total and, to Sable’s surprise, divided out a majority chunk to pass back.  Perplexed, Sable accepted the munny.  That had been the twelve-hundred Pence had mentioned, so why was…?

“We took some jobs, too.” Hayner explained, arms folded nonchalantly behind his head. “Didn’t want you to do all the work.”

“Is that so?” A knowing smirk drifted across Sable’s face. “Or was it to salve your ego for needing help to begin with?”  Again went unvoiced but apparently heard all the same as a flush blossomed across the boy’s face before he quickly turned away to hide it.

Snickering, Sable spun on her heel and walked away.  Waved without turning back.  “Have a fun trip.” 

Helping them had been good for her.  While Sable still felt the weight of the lethargy, it wasn’t quite as oppressive as it had been earlier that morning.  Funny how reaching out to help others could in turn help one’s self so much.  She was still a little listless, but getting some other things done didn’t seem quite as impossible now.

Time to go find the signup sheet for the Struggle competition…and find the exact date for it.  Missing it because she got the day wrong would be embarrassing.

              ———

As Sable had already guessed, the sign-up sheet for the upcoming Struggle Tournament was at the Sandlot.  More specifically, the giant board where Seifer’s friends had been hanging out when Hayner and his group had shown up to confront them about the missing photos.  There in a corner was a clipboard hanging on a pushpin, complete with a pen-on-a-cord dangling next to it.

Looking it over, it appeared they used full-name signatures rather than just a given name, which only made sense considering how big Twilight Town actually was.  Just glancing it over revealed several sets of people with the same given name.

For no particular reason, she looked for any familiar ones and found a messy scrawl she could just make out as Seifer Almasy a few rows from the top, which surprised her.  First on the list was actually one Setzer Gabbiani, written in much neater script. 

Sable thought she might have found Hayner’s name as well, but it was so messy she could barely guess at his first name and the last name might as well have been censored by sharpie. 

In any case, Sable picked up the pen to sign in her own name on the next open line.  As she put the final flourish to Superba, she let the pen drop and began turning away, her mind already racing ahead.  The prelims for the tournament, according to the sheet, started at Oh-Too-Early in the morning, so she’d have to check and see if her alarm clock had come with her to Twilight Town or if she needed to buy another one- Yikes!

Yelping, arms pinwheeling for balance, Sable just managed to hop and skip around the short figure that had apparently ghosted up behind her.  She didn’t actually fall over, so she’d count that as a win.

“I’m so sorry!”  Gloved fingers wringing the brim of his oversized hat, Vivi looked almost ready to cry, his big yellow eyes wide and watery.

Recovering her balance, Sable waved him off.

“It’s fine, no harm done.” Violet eyes flickered from the little boy to the sign-up sheet and back again. “Thinking of competing?”

“Oh, I…” Cue some very awkward fidgeting as Vivi looked everywhere except Sable and the signup sheet.  “I…uh, I’ve been practicing?”  He looked down at his feet and fidgeted some more. “I’m not very good…”

“All the more reason to sign up.” Sable pointed out and was amused as the little boy’s head snapped up so fast his hat almost went flying. “Get some real experience, there’s only so much you can figure out when practicing alone.” Because if Sable remembered correctly, Vivi would sneak out into the forest by himself to practice with a Struggle club.  No targets, no sparing partners, just him shadowboxing under the trees.

“You…you really think I can?”

“Hey, worst that happens is you lose, right?” Sable shrugged. “Even then, you still win because you’ll have a better idea of what you need to work on for next time.”

Yellow eyes grew bright with wonder. “Next time?”

“This is a yearly thing, right?  Why not make it a point of participating?  The important part is having fun and learning new things, if you win that’s just a convenient bonus.”

Vivi was looking more than a little starry-eyed, now.  “Alright!” He darted past her to the sign-up sheet with startling speed for someone with such short legs. “I’ll do my best!”

Curious, Sable peered over his shoulder as he signed. 

Vivi Ornitier

He had very nice handwriting for a little kid.  Better than most of the people who’d signed up, in fact.  Sable found that both funny and sad.

“Way ta go, ya know!”

At the shout, Vivi shot straight up.  High enough to completely clear the top of the announcement board with room to spare.  Sable was duly impressed.  Most people twice his height couldn’t get that kind of air.

As the little boy returned to earth, Sable turned to face the new arrivals.  Like Vivi had a few moments prior, they’d managed to approach without being noticed.  Rai was punching the air enthusiastically while Fuu and Seifer remained more composed.

“Brave.” Fuu praised with a pleased nod that had the boy shuffling in place, embarrassed. 

Then Seifer stepped forward, pointed a finger at Vivi, his blue eyes hard. “Don’t expect me to go easy on you when we have our match.” He said gruffly.

When they had their match, he’d said.  Like Seifer didn’t doubt for a moment that Vivi would make it that far.

Sable felt her brow tic up, feeling a new respect for the other teenager.  Maybe Elmyra’s description was more accurate than the game would have suggested…

Vivi must have heard that unspoken confidence as well because, rather than quail under the older boy’s stare, he actually stood taller.  The leather of his gloves squeaking in protest as he clenched his fists. 

“I won’t disappoint you, Seifer!” He promised. 

Then he took off past them, floppy hat bouncing as he ran.  He was probably going to practice some more.

The gathered teens all watched the little boy go until he vanished from sight. 

Seifer turned back to Sable before peering past her towards the signup sheet.  The pen was still swinging back and forth from its cord after Vivi had dropped it. 

“You signed up?”

Sable nodded.  “Just before Vivi did, actually.”

He nodded, his approval plain to see. “Good.  You showed some real skill against that intruder from yesterday.”

“Adept.” Fuu agreed.

“Real smooth, ya know?” Rai boxed the air a moment. “Bet’cha’ve been practicing for years.  Like Seifer, yeah?”

With an opening like that, Sable just couldn’t resist.

“Actually, I’d never picked up a Struggle club until Hayner tossed me one.” She answered. 

Silence.

“What.” Seifer’s tone was flatter than a lizard after a game of chicken with a semi-truck.  “You’ve gotta be kidding.”

With effort, Sable managed to stay impassive in the face of their comical shock. 

“No way!” Rai shouted. “Not with how you beat Seifer, ya know!”

“I’m serious.” Sable assured. “I’ve never been in a physical fight until he called me out.  I’m experienced in the Art of Running Away, so it’s honestly amazing I didn’t just fumble the club.  Or hit myself in the head.”

That got her three dubious looks.

“Art of Running Away?” Rai repeated. “Like the Art of the Sword?  That can’t be real!  There’s no art to running away, ya know?  It’s just running.”

“It’s also known as finding the shortest route between two points.” Sable smiled, glancing around at the tall buildings surrounding the Sandlot.  “Like this.” 

Spinning around, Sable sprinted at the display board.  A quick jump let her grab the top as she swung herself up onto it.  Another jump carried her over some almost-tree-sized-hedges to land on a second-story façade protruding from a building. 

Below her, she could hear a series of startled shouts and bit down a smile to continue.

Gripping the top of a window ledge, she leveraged herself up onto the roof.  Without missing a beat, she long-stepped twice before leaping onto the concrete awning of the next building.

(Why concrete? Weren’t they usually fabric or thin metal?)

 She leapt up onto a narrow façade wrapping around an upper story and meandered over it as easily as a cat before pausing to gauge distance.  Then she jumped across one of the roads leading out of the Sandlot to cling to the front of another building on the opposite side.  Her toes only just found purchase on the almost non-existent window ledge as she hugged the side of the building. 

Fingers bracing up against the underside of the tiles peaking over the roof, Sable crab-walked across two window ledges before pitching herself sideways to the next building.  She landed solidly on the slightly wider façade protrusions and kept going: one, two, three…

She dove away from the building.  Hit the ground with a practiced shoulder roll.  Let the momentum carry her back to her feet without so much as a hitch, leaving her to jog across the open space to return to the other teenagers.  The whole stunt had taken less than a minute, maybe not even thirty seconds.  As she returned, they all gaped at her, clearly taken by surprise, though Seifer was looking a little thoughtful.

“So, you really were thinking of just running away, then.” He mused, glancing from her to the surrounding rooftops and then back again.

Ah.  Oops.  She hadn’t realized he’d noticed that.

“Pretty much.” Sable admitted. “But I had some potions, and figured at least trying would net better results than fleeing outright, so…”

Seifer squinted at her. “You handled yourself suspiciously well for someone who’d never fought before.”

“In all honesty, I’m blaming that on adrenaline and watching too many action movies.”

That got a round of snorts before silence fell.  Seifer seemed to be considering something.  Very intently.  Sable was just beginning to consider taking her leave when he finally spoke:

“Wanna practice?”

Violet eyes blinked. “What?”

“I refuse to risk you flopping out of the tournament.” Seifer fixed her with a glare. “Considering I lost to you, that would reflect badly on me.  So, I’m going to make sure that yesterday’s events weren’t just a one-off fluke.” He looked to his friends. “Grab some clubs, you’ll be helping with this.”

A few moments later, Sable found herself standing across from Seifer in the middle of the Sandlot, clubs in hand.  He didn’t take his usual high-grip stance, instead holding the club from waist-level.

“We’ll do a few test bouts.” The other teenager decided, sizing Sable up. “But first, any questions?”

“What’s the squeaky thing?” Was out of Sable’s mouth before she could stop herself. “When our clubs rebounded off each other, something flashed and squeaked.  What was that?”

Seifer blinked at her before nodding. “Take a swing at me.  I’ll guard against it.  Watch what happens.”

Sable lunged obediently, her Struggle club shooting out to connect solidly with Seifer’s now upraised club.  There was the familiar light and squeaky sound effect.  Like before, the recoil was surprisingly intense for the impact.  Since she didn’t have to worry about a follow up attack, Sable was able to observe the fact more intently and, this time, managed to see an odd flicker in the air around the light.

Wait.  She knew those shapes!  Those were the same hexagonal shapes that came with a battle barrier!

“You saw it?” Seifer asked and Sable nodded, brows furrowed as she stared at the space where the shapes had been. “It’s a kind of magic that doesn’t require mana power to activate, just timing.”  The other teenager explained.  “It’s technically called ‘Guard’ and, when successfully performed, it leaves a Shell of magic around the user for a moment that wards off attacks.”

He gestured towards the space where their bats had connected. “An incomplete version happens when two weapons collide rather than hit their intended target.  That one causes both users to get knocked back and it has a shorter duration, but it’s still useful.” Cocking his head, he let his bat fall to his side. “Even the incomplete version can help someone fight against a physically stronger opponent, because the magic balances out the power involved.”

“Huh.” Sable studied her club, looking thoughtful. She remembered the Guard technique in Kingdom Hearts 2, and that it was pretty broken compared to other techniques.  Seifer’s explanation shed quite a bit of light on that.  “So, how do you do it correctly?”

“We’ll get to that.” Seifer promised.  “But first, you should figure out the combos you want to use in a fight.  Then, no matter how hectic it is, you have moves to fall back on that don’t require you to think.” 

Sable considered that, remembering Sora’s iconic combos in the games.  The same three movements initially, then others depending on how the situation around him changed.  A flexible yet reliable style that had served the untrained boy well when he was tossed headfirst into combat.

“I noticed you favor upward sweeps.” Seifer went on, miming one of Sable’s forehand swings.  His club cut diagonally through the air until his hand almost curled over his opposing shoulder.  “Any particular reason for that?”

Violet eyes blinked, recognizing the swing now that she saw someone else use it. “I played tennis back in school, before I moved here.” She admitted.  “Did a lot of drills for forehand and backhand groundstrokes.”

Seifer nodded. “It shows.  Now we just have to build off that and find what strikes come more easily to you.”  He stepped off, gesturing for Rai to step onto the field. “Let’s start by seeing how you handle someone who out masses you…”

              ———

“So…” Sable began, nibbling on her burger, “why ‘romantic’?”  In the middle of drinking his soda, Seifer shot her a quizzical look, so she elaborated.  “You use ‘isn’t this romantic’ as a mantra for your diving attack.  I’m just wondering why.”

The other teenager considered the question, taking a bite of his hotdog.  Over on the other bench, Rai was fooling around with his fried noodles, much to Fuu’s exasperation, and neither had heard the quiet question.

“You know what ‘romantic’ means, right?” Seifer asked at last.

“I know how people typically use it.” Sable answered. “But that doesn’t seem to be the context you’re using.”

Seifer snorted. “Yeah, no.”  Taking another bite, he considered her a moment before swallowing. “Romanticism was a major movement involving emotion and individualism.  Back when people still aspired to become knights and adventure was still a thing.  I’ve…” He paused, leaning back on the bench as he stared up at the golden-hued sky. “Well, it’s what I’ve always wanted to be, you know?  A knight protecting his charge.”

That…was a lot deeper than Sable honestly would have expected. 

“So, when you say ‘isn’t this romantic’,” She hummed thoughtfully. “You’re saying ‘isn’t this an adventure’?”

“Basically.”

“Clever.” Sable finished off her burger and washed it down with the rest of her drink.  Beside her, Seifer did the same.  “So, what next?  I appreciate the help and all, but I don’t want to keep you if you and the others have other things to do today.”

“As it happens, there are some odd jobs we agreed to help with.” Seifer admitted readily, leaning back in a leisurely stretch before swinging back up on his feet.  “And you’re coming with us.”

Sable blinked up at him. “Why?”

“Two reasons.  First being it’ll let you pay us back for the tutoring session.” He said this with a particularly haughty smirk, as if it hadn’t been his idea to practice in the first place.  “The second is so you can get more practical experience with using your combos.  Spars are all well and good, but it’s not enough.”

Violet eyes narrowed. “It doesn’t involve bees, does it?”

“No.” Seifer answered immediately, his tone a little too innocent. “No bees.  I give you my word.”

That did not make Sable feel any better.

              ———

Seifer had been correct.  No bees had been involved.  Only very sad wooden wagons overladen with way too much stuff that needed to get shoved up a very steep hill.  In theory, one could just shove them up, but that wasn’t the point of the exercise.

Sable’s blows against Seifer, back in their first bout, had been…less than impressive.  Startling, sure, but not particularly effective and he hadn’t hesitated to tell her so.  So, he’d had her using a Struggle club to smack the creaking carts up the damn hill.

All three of them had laughed at her as she struggled with the task while they darted up and down the hill transporting all the other carts that needed moved.

It had taken her way too much time (and she’d managed to sprain her wrist in the process) but Sable finally got the freaking cart into the shed that was its home right as the others made their last trip up.  She was pretty sure it had been sheer, petulant spite that had let her muscle through to the end. 

Then she used up the rest of the potions Elmyra had given her and spent the rest of the day with the wrist wrapped in a Velcro brace.

Of course, Seifer wasn’t done then.  Nope.  That would have been too easy. 

Next had been breaking down a bunch of old boxes.  They hadn’t needed nearly as much force to break down than the cart had needed to be shoved uphill, but it definitely got her used to leveraging actual force behind her swings.  It wasn’t just some play-game, she had to strike with the intent to cause legitimate damage.  A bit of a switch from how she’d grown up constantly hearing how she shouldn’t break things, or hurt people.

(Her injured wrist hadn’t appreciated the continued strain, but she managed to power through it.  It was mostly just phantom pain and lingering inflammation after the potions did their work.) 

That particular exercise had let her start figuring out what combos she’d favor.  Granted, she’d mostly figured that out during the earlier spars, so the Junk Sweep had just solidified her decisions.  It also revealed an odd quirk to her use of the Struggle bat.

“You really don’t like Oberhau or Zornhau, do you?” Seifer observed once the clatter of wood echoing off brick and cobblestones had faded.

Gently flexing her wrapped wrist, Sable shot him a perplexed look. “What and what?”

“Oberhau,” he mimed a high downward chop, “and Zornhau.” A diagonal slash starting above his dominant shoulder and sweeping downward. “All your blows are either upward, or mid-height horizontal.”

“Let’s me leverage my legs for more force.” Sable answered, though a frown settled on her face. “The club isn’t heavy enough for gravity to really add much.” 

Curious, she raised her borrowed club.  It was fine until she’d raised it about shoulder-level, then a sudden chill ran down her spine as her arm tried to spasm and she immediately let it drop.  Shivering, Sable tried to calm her suddenly racing heart.

Concerned, Seifer took a step towards her. “You okay?  Is your wrist…”

“No, it’s…it’s not my wrist.” Grimacing, Sable massaged her inner forearms.  “I know what the problem is.”  She didn’t need to see past the long sleeves to know where the angled lines, perfect extensions of the crisscrossing scar over her collar bone, were branded into the pale skin.

(Raising her hands too high left her body exposed.  Left her unable to react.  Trapped.)

“Can’t do chops in my combos.” She admitted. “Maybe for a one-off strike, but not a combo.  Leaves me too open.”

Blue eyes shadowed by his tuque, Seifer watched her closely.  “…wanna talk about it?”

“No.  No, not really.”

He backed off, hands splayed in a gesture of nonaggressiveness and, thankfully, let the matter drop.

After they’d piled up all the trash on carts and loaded it all to the dump, Seifer took them to the last errand of the day.  ‘Light work’, he’d called it and he was technically right.  A little kid had wanted a street performance showcasing a bouncy ball and Struggle clubs. 

It was basically hacky-sack-with-sticks, the point of the game being to keep it airborne for as long as possible.  Not much force needed at all.  Sable, a bit irritated by this point and understanding that it was meant to be a show, decided it was a perfect time to show off.

(The ball was big and light and did not fall quickly.  She was going to exploit that.)

All around, the crowd ooo’d and awww’d as Sable ran several steps straight up the rough brick wall and launched herself into the air. 

With an upward sweep she intercepted the ball before Seifer could smack it again and sent it rocketing higher over their heads.  Flipping backward midair so she came down feet-first against the opposite wall, she launched off again, absently sending the ball higher, before flipping forward to return a story up on the first wall and kicked off the top of an angled window awning.

(Had her jumping range increased?  The distance between walls should not have been so easy to leap…)

Several times she repeated this, eventually sailing up higher than the lowest roof.  Now with a bit of leeway, she let twirls and spins mix in with the flips as she kept the ball at a relatively consistent height.

Then she fell.

Screams sounded from far below, and Sable’s lips quirked up.

There was a narrow, yet sturdy concrete arch about two stories up that crossed over the road leading down to the Sandlot.  It was nothing to catch the bottom lip of it as she dropped passed, then swing up to kick the ball higher again as she flipped atop the arch like a gymnast.

Height was secondary to show by this point, so she kept batting at it with intricate beats in between dropping and flipping around the patterned concrete.

A familiar warning tremor in her limbs, especially her protesting wrist, told Sable it was time to wrap things up.

Casually gauging distance, she smacked the ball up away from the arch back towards the crowd, then casually leapt off.  She hit the ground with a roll that softened it from a potentially bone-cracking impact to merely jarring, and tumbled several times before leaping back up to her feet in time to catch the ball again.  With her offhand folded across her ribs, she casually bopped the ball over her head a few times in quick succession before coming to a sudden stop, the ball now balanced on the end of her club.

Grinning, she bowed deeply and offered the ball-on-a-club to the little girl that had made the request.  Wide-eyed, the little girl gingerly plucked the ball off.  Sable took a polite step back, twirled her club once, then offered a much showier bow to the collective crowd.

The resulting applause echoing off the surrounding brick and concrete made her ears hurt. Ow… 

“Now that was just showing off.” Seifer groused from behind her.

 “It’s grandstanding, Seifer.  Of course it involves showing off.” Still grinning, Sable turned slightly to look at him. “You’re just jealous you can’t do that.”

He rolled his eyes as Fuu and Rai both clapped with the crowd, then he begrudgingly began clapping as well though the faint smile on his lips betrayed him.

“Art of Running?” Fuu asked, a whopping record of three whole words at a time.

“Shortest route between two points.” Sable answered with a wink.

The pale-haired girl considered that. “Teach?”

“If you don’t mind more practice bouts in between, then sure.” Sable let Seifer, now fed up with the excess of people, herd her and his friends down towards the Tram Commons. “Not today, though.  I’m about done.”

“Tomorrow morning, then.” Seifer decided, glaring at a few eager people who didn’t seem to realize it was time to break up. “I’ll be holding you to that.”

Violet eyes rolled.

The trio walked her back to the apartment complex before going their own ways.  Content but tired, her wrist throbbing in persistent spite, Sable fixed one of her pre-made meals.  Took a hot shower.  Reluctantly drank the potion Seifer had shoved into her hand and almost choked on the concentrated taste of menthol.  Then went to bed.

She slept soundly and with the oddest sensation of dense hair tangling between her fingers.

              ———

The next morning proved that Seifer was true to his word.  Sable nearly nailed him with the door as she left her apartment, the blonde teenager having been about to knock.  The sheer unlikeliness of that kind of timing, especially since they hadn’t actually set a time, had left Sable snickering the entire walk to the Sandlot.

They warmed up first, then had a playful Struggle bout.  What was supposed to be a free-for-all ended up turning into a boys-vs-girls match, which had amused Sable considerably.  She and Fuu had handled the boys quite thoroughly, with her playing up close with Fuu attacking from range.  The shorter girl favored the awkward wand-shaped Struggle club design and could, somehow, throw it in such a way that it would always ricochet back in her direction no matter what it hit.

Sable couldn’t figure out how Fuu did it and ended up asking for club-throwing pointers afterwards.  In the process she learned that Fuu actually preferred frisbees to Struggle clubs, only Seifer insisted she had to be at least proficient in the latter.  It turned out the smaller girl actually carried a small frisbee in her cargo pocket.  It was a very pretty blend of white, blue, and cyan with a cloud-like pattern to it. 

According to Rai, Fuu was the champion of a Twilight Town-variant of Disc Golf.  Apparently, that was the ‘Fall Sport’ to go with Struggle being a ‘Summer Sport’. 

Did that mean there were sports for winter and spring, as well? 

Sable hadn’t had time to ask as both Seifer and Fuu had gotten impatient to try parkour.  So, they went back to the Commons.  As it turned out, putting up posters was a regular, well-paying past time for most of the kids in Twilight Town.  So, they were all familiar with the idea of scrambling around in three-dimensional space and making sure to dodge the trams.

That made things simpler as Sable walked them through the general principles of parkour.

“There isn’t any one way to do parkour.” She told her captive audience. “How you would tackle an obstacle would be different from how I choose to tackle it.  So, stick to your strengths.” She gestured to Seifer. “You’re strong and have already demonstrated excellent jumping abilities, so lean on that.”

While the toque-wearing blonde preened, Sable looked at Fuu. “You have less reach, so you’ll have to be a bit more creative.”  Pausing, Sable looked at the last member of the trio. “You, I honestly have no idea about.” She admitted to Rai. “You don’t seem like the traceur type, so we’ll see how it goes.”

“I’ll blow you away, ya know!” The muscular teen punched the air.

Nodding, Sable straightened up and looked at each teen in turn.  “Remember, an object in motion tends to stay in motion, so don’t stop moving.  Expect a lot of crashing until you get the timing down, but if you’re careful even that won’t be too bad.  The point here is to find the most direct route to your intended destination.  One that you can actually handle.”  She smirked.  “Do try and keep up.”

Before they could process the challenge, Sable was gone, dashing away to skitter up and around buildings until she reached the nearest high point.  Perched like a gargoyle, she grinned down at their gaping expressions.

Then their faces set in united determination and they took off after her.

So, it went, with Sable waiting until they were almost over the last obstacle separating them before leaping away to find another perch.  Initially she stuck to relatively close spots so that, if they were watching, they could see how she got there.  As they started finding their individual rhythms, however, Sable began to take trickier routes so the challenge became as much about finding her as it was about reaching her.

From time to time, she’d pause the game to demonstrate a more efficient way to move, jump, or land.  They all definitely appreciated learning how to better soften their landings to bleed off the force of impact.  It made them quieter, left the landings considerably better balanced, and their feet hurt less afterwards.

Seifer, as expected, was skilled at just powering past most obstacles with his muscle-powered leaps and strong hands.  However, he lacked the creativity to adapt when faced with an obstacle that didn’t allow for that.  Then he was often left stuck and fuming until he grudgingly worked out an alternative route.

In contrast, Fuu had a clear knack for creative solutions that left Sable regularly surprised.  Apparently, there was some overlap with the local disc golf games? 

(Sable would have to look into the specifics, it was starting to sound really interesting.) 

The pale-haired girl also had enough coordination and self-control to make it look easy for the most part.  Much like a cat.  You blink and suddenly it’s gone from sprawling on the ground to the top of a high bookshelf and you’re left wondering if they teleported.  She was still clearly new to parkour, though.  Often times she’d stall out at an obstacle and had to fumble through a couple of false starts before finding a solution.  Then the solutions were clean and confident.

As for Rai…well.  After the dozenth or so time he tumbled unceremoniously off some roof or ledge it was unanimously decided that he wouldn’t tackle anything above ground level.  At least not until after he developed a better sense of balance.  There were only so many times the rest of them were willing to stop and buy more potions from Wantz.

The burly teen was left the picture of dejected misery when they all passed their consensus, visibly wilting where he stood.  Then Fuu bought him an ice cream and he perked right back up. Afterwards, he made a point of shouting out encouragement from the safety of the street. 

Sable eventually called things to a stop when she spotted the tell-tale signs of muscle fatigue in her new trainees.  Fuu trying to rub feeling back into her fingers.  A visible tremor in Seifer’s steps…

“I can keep going.” Seifer insisted as Sable dropped down to join them.

“Onward.” Fuu agreed, red-eyes still sharp.

“Oh, I’m sure you both could go on for quite a bit longer.” Sable acknowledged easily, offering a nod. “But this is your first time traveling like this.  Better not to overdo it when your muscles aren’t conditioned for it.” She shrugged. “Anyway, the tournament is tomorrow and I guarantee you’ll be sore enough as it is.”

The last part was directed mostly towards Seifer.  Pausing, Sable eyed a stray food cart. 

“Besides,” she added, “I’m getting hungry.”

It was the promise of food that won them over, in the end, which didn’t really surprise Sable.  So, they made their selections.  Paid the vendor.  Then retreated back to the Sandlot to eat.

“Fun.” Fuu declared as she sipped her drink.

“Right?” Sable grinned before biting into her burger. “It gets better as you figure out your limits.  Then you can really start getting creative.”

              ———

After they’d finished eating, Seifer insisted on handling a few more job requests.  To Sable’s dismay, there were other steep hills in the city that required carts full of heavy miscellaneous stuff smacked up to their peaks.  There were two factors that assuaged her disgruntlement.

First was that she’d gotten considerably better at leveraging her strength behind her swings compared to the prior day.  While she still wasn’t the fastest at the job, she was able to relocate more than just one cart.  That did a considerable bit towards assuaging her wounded pride.

The second thing was that the self-proclaimed Disciplinary Committee had clearly started feeling the after effects of their first parkour session shortly after starting the job.  Most of the previous ease and efficiency they’d displayed was entirely absent and they were all much slower.  Not so much for Rai, but Seifer and Fuu were clearly feeling the burn.

Seifer threw a crumpled paper cup at her head when Sable dared to snicker openly about their plight.  A stray breeze caught it mid-way and blew it very wide.  The other teenager had stormed dramatically off and pointedly ignored her until the job was over. 

Really, that just made it all the more hilarious.

              ———

Chapter Text

The Struggle Tournament of Twilight Town was considerably more complicated than the game had suggested.  Sable had partially expected it, some things just didn’t make sense with the way it was shown in the—admittedly limited—scope of the game.  Still, the full scope of things surprised her.

At oh-too-early-in-the-morning, when the sun had only just started banishing the navy blue of night, the opening of the Struggle Tournament was made.  There was the hype, the shouts, the bravado…and way too much squealing of fangirls for Sable’s peace of mind. 

(Yes, Setzer was very pretty to look at and even the scars did not detract from that, but good grief would it kill them to show some decorum?) 

Anyways…

Unlike what Sable had been mostly expecting, all the would-be competitors had scattered across the city for the preliminaries.  Everyone had been broken up into separate brackets and given the location of their particular set of fights.  These locations were anywhere big enough to support the makeshift rings (really just areas roped off for the contestants to fight inside) and the various crowds that would gather to watch.

Locations included: the open area in front of the shops in the Tram Commons, the Station Plaza, Sunset Hill, the Tunnel Way, and many other places.

Sable’s bracket turned out to be down in the underground passageway where Roxas found Vivi practicing with a Struggle club during their ‘summer report’ project.  Which is how she learned that Twilight Town had a subway in addition to the surface trains she’d already known about. 

(Mind blown.  She had not expected that.)

As for the Struggle bouts, the reality was quite different from what was shown in the game.  Well, the matches only lasted sixty seconds each, that much was true to the game at least.  It actually took longer to get everyone armored up and put in their respective places.       

The rest of it, though?  That was different

Such as how, originally, Sable had wondered how all the orbs fit into the sport.  One could hardly maneuver for a fight and hold tight to all those jumping-pit balls that decided whether someone won or lost their bout, after all. 

Upon seeing the actual method behind it, Sable felt a little embarrassed.  It was so obvious. 

Velcro balls.

Each only about the size of a large marble but, while they could stick to most clothing without issue, the Velcro could be rather rough on fabric threads.  Enter the special padded armor that wasn’t even hinted at in the game.  It reminded Sable of karate sparring armor, except covered in thin matte fabric that the Velcro balls could stick to.  Each contestant had their choice of pieces, though most stuck with torso armor and a helmet.  Some forwent it entirely, apparently Setzer and Seifer both had custom coats for the Velcro balls.

The point of the game was less about beating the stuffing out of one’s opponent and more about sweeping glancing blows to dislodge as many orbs as possible while retaining one’s own.  The Velcro balls, as Velcro tended to be, were difficult to dislodge in general so rough movement by itself wouldn’t do much.  This served to deter heavier, direct blows and offered a certain element of safety to the competition.  Granted, accidents still happened, but that was only to be expected.

In any case, Sable made it through the first round of preliminaries without any real difficulty.  Most of the participants were just casual practitioners and not serious contenders.  After sparring regularly against Seifer, the contrast was rather jarring.  She’d had to make it a point to actually pull her blows, especially against her younger opponents. 

After basically sweeping her immediate competition, Sable was given the address for the next set of preliminaries.  She saw more of the city in those few hours than she had in the last few days combined.  It was very scenic.

Eventually she found her way back to the Sandlot, having officially qualified for the finals.

She was also, from what she could see, the first to make it back to the Sandlot.  Yes, there were other people around, visiting the stalls and food stands scattered along the building walls, but no one else she knew specifically.  So, Sable found a vacant bench, sat down, and pulled out a small notebook she’d brought from home.

Tugging the pen free, she started to write.

Foam clash, duck and slide

Stab, parry, pivot, wait

Clumsy slash, nimble dodge

Lunge, overbalance, an upward strike

A sloppy guard, a chiding jab

Foot to ankle - yank - upend

Unblooded, untested, weak

Striking sticks is not a fight

Let the rookies defeat themselves

“I see you were about as impressed by prelims as I was.”

Jumping, Sable’s head snapped around to find Seifer reading over her shoulder.  The other teen smirked at her, then looked back to the notebook.

“Didn’t realize you did free verse poetry.”  He commented.  “May I?”

Nonplussed, Sable handed him the notebook and he flipped through the pages a moment.  Paused from time to time as he read one or another.  She watched his brows shoot up at one in particular.

“Blue streaked swats, yellow across brick.” He read a final line aloud. “Is this that bee job?”

“That’s the bee job.” Sable answered dryly, twitching at the memory of phantom pinpricks.

He snickered. “Yeah, no one likes those ones.  Pay’s mediocre and you always, always walk away with stings.  It’s a regular job on the notice board, though.  There’s at least one opportunistic swarm somewhere in town at any point.”  He paged through the notebook, a bit more slowly this time. “You describe most of the regular jobs here.” He paused again, frowning. “This one’s that fight with the jumpsuit-thing, right?”

Sable nodded again. “I write to catch the emotion of the experience, to better stir up the memories associated with it.”

“You definitely did that.  Knew what it was right away, though the zipper mouth bit was kind of obvious.”

The sudden squawk of a loudspeaker had both their heads snapping up as the announcer stepped onto the Struggle platform.  Seifer handed back the notebook and left to rejoin his posse, leaving Sable alone on the bench.

“It’s time to introduce today’s combatants!” There was an eager glint in the announcer’s eyes. “The four bad boys,” Sable twitched involuntarily, “who struggled their way through the preliminaries!”

There was a pause as the man took a deep breath and gestured with one arm.  “Regular finalist and head of the Twilight Disciplinary Committee: Seifer!”

From where she sat, Sable could see Seifer’s tuque bob up and down as he gave a satisfied nod.

“Completely out of nowhere; who knew he’d make it so far this year?  Vivi!”

Sable wasn’t the only person to turn to look at the little black mage.  She was, however, the only one who looked on with a gnawing sense of suspicion. 

“An underground favorite and local attitude problem: Hayner!”  There was a vaguer gesture towards the boy in question, on the side opposite Seifer and his posse. “It’s his first trip to the finals!”

“And last, but certainly not least is the newcomer to our humble town who has already established herself a fighting reputation: Sable!”

The following roar from the crowd took Sable aback.  Why would they- Seifer.  Turning to look in his direction, Sable stared at him.  Sensing the look, the other teenager glanced back and offered a smug smirk.  Yes, those cheers had been his doing.

Sable huffed out a breath, exasperated.

“So—who will win this sweltering summer Struggle?!” Arms stretched out, eyes bright with anticipation, the announcer continued. “Who will take home the grand prize?” He gestured towards the intricate trophy, topped by four crystal spheres. “The summa cum launde of Struggle—the Four Crystal Trophy!”

The air split with sudden shrieks that sent shudders through Sable’s spine.  Fangirls, ugh…  The cause of the shrieks strode, nay sauntered, onto the stage.

“And the chance to take on our defending champion, Setzer!”

With a dramatic flair, the champion held the championship belt aloft for all to see.  The cheers increased as the excitement grew and tension mounted.

“It won’t be long now, folks.” The announcer grinned. “I suggest our challengers go over the official Struggle Rules before we begin!”

With a final wave, both men strode back off the stage.

              ———

“Hey, thanks for the other day.”

Standing atop the Struggle platform against her first opponent, Sable smiled. “Did you have a good trip?”

“Yeah, we had a blast!” Hayner grinned, then his shoulders went rigid as he got serious. “But don’t think I’ll go easy on you!” Bouncing on the balls of his feet, he held his club lightly in one hand, his face a mask of determination.

Sable offered a smirk back, lazily flexing the wrist holding her own club. “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Our first match of the finals will be between Sable and Hayner!”

To the side, the referee gripped the rope dangling from the bell.  Waited a moment.  Then yanked so the ring filled the air.  There was a three-second pause, then-

“Hee-yah!”

Sable pivoted back away from Hayner’s lunge.  The younger teen’s step visibly faltered as he overextended himself.  Seeing this, Sable swung up forehand and sent him stumbling back, not letting up she took a step and swung back in a sweep, breaking what balance he’d recovered, then used the momentum to wind up for a finishing lunge. 

That sent Hayner sprawling across the platform with considerably more empty space on his padded armor than he’d started with.  Backing off, Sable darted around snatching the red Velcro balls and slapping them onto any open spaces on her armor. 

It was a good number.

A wild battle cry had Sable casually leaning back, bangs fluttering as Hayner’s leaping swing just missed.  His guard completely gone, Sable swung in a two-handed forehand, followed up with another backhand-to-lunge that sent Hayner staggering back again, though he somehow managed to keep his feet under him.

Smirking, Sable swung low, her club catching the back of his knees and yanking them up.  Yelping, the blonde crashed down hard on his back.

Sable leaned over him with an open smirk. “Are we having fun yet, hmm?”

With a furious snarl, Hayner swung up at her head. 

It wasn’t well aimed, Sable only had to duck for it to pass harmlessly over her, but he’d swung with such force that the momentum actually yanked him back to his feet.  It was rather impressive.  Sable had to throw herself back to avoid his follow up horizontal swing. 

(Let it be said: trying to do anything other than a shoulder roll with the padded armor and attached Velcro balls was less than comfortable. Even if the Velcro balls squished, they were still lumpy.)

Planting her feet on the platform again, Sable lunged forward to meet Hayner’s next swing.  There was a familiar squeaky-flash as he staggered back.  It was still not a proper Guard, but it was good enough.  She lunged again as he was still trying to recover, her club connecting once, then twice more as she followed up with a backhand-two-handed-forehand combo that sent him sprawling again amidst a rain of dislodged red Velcro balls.

Hayner was in the middle of blinking away stars when the bell rang again, signaling the end of the match.

“And the winner is…Sable!  This fierce fighter knows no mercy!” There was a pause. “And Hayner put up a good fight, too!”

As the onlookers cheered, Sable turned to where Hayner still lay sprawled on the wooden planks. “Aww man.” He rubbed at his face. “I lost.  I can’t believe it.”  He blinked as Sable offered a hand.  Glancing up at her, he accepted it and she pulled him to his feet.

“That was the most fun I’ve had all day.” Sable grinned, letting go of his hand again.

“I couldn’t even land one hit.” He lamented, disappointed, but that didn’t stop him from grinning at her. “I guess you really are good.”

“You’ll get better.” Sable promised. “Just keep practicing.” She paused a moment as she considered him. “Your coordination could use some work.  Every time you swung you left yourself wide open.”

Hayner frowned at that, then looked thoughtful.  They turned and headed towards the steps off the platform as Seifer was making his way up.

“Out of the way.” He barked, brushing past.

“In a rush to lose?” Hayner jeered.

Sable just rolled her eyes at them.  Boys.

There was a brief intermission as Sable and Hayner got their padded armor off and the platform was set up for the next match. 

(It mainly involved sweeping up the still-scattered Velcro balls) 

Hayner got himself a corndog while Sable just got a water bottle and they both returned to the bench Sable had previously claimed.  Apparently, Pence was playing bookie for the other kids their age while Olette was acting as supervisor, hence why Hayner was currently by himself.  Sable would not have guessed that.

They watched as Vivi and Seifer got prepped for their match.  Vivi’s poor hat got squished underneath his Struggle helmet.  Seifer’s white coat was dotted with yellow Velcro balls.

(For some reason, Vivi got the same blue Velcro balls that Sable had.  Why did Seifer get yellow rather than red?)

Violet eyes locked with unblinking gold and Sable frowned.  That flat, unblinking expression was nothing like the little boy she’d encouraged to sign up for the tournament.  In fact, it was almost identical to what she saw in the game when playing as Roxas and, in that case, it hadn’t actually been Vivi, at all.

A glimmer of dread began to pool in Sable’s gut.

“Don’t mess with your elders.” Seifer’s voice drifted down from the platform and the probably-not-Vivi finally looked away from Sable. 

“Whew,” the announcer breathed through the loudspeaker, “just look at those sparks fly!  I guess Seifer didn’t expect to fight one of his own boys!”

The starting bell rang out again.

Vivi bowed his head, then lunged.  Seifer skipped back, only for the shorter boy to follow easily.

“When did Vivi get so tough?” Hayner wondered aloud from further down the bench.  He glanced over at Sable, who was watching the match with narrowed eyes.

Seifer was playing much more defensively than he had when sparring with Sable, Vivi pressing him hard with a rapid barrage of too-fast strikes.  He blocked a heavy downward chop, knocking the younger boy higher up and then sending him flying. 

A single, solitary orb was jostled loose.

What. 

“You’re mine!”  Seifer dove for it.

One moment Vivi was on the far side of the ring, the next he was crouched under Seifer’s guard.  There was a flash as the little black mage’s club swung up.  Connected.  Seifer seemed to hover in the air for a moment before crashing down on hard wood.

He didn’t get up.

A deathly hush fell over the crowd, there was not a single person present who wasn’t caught off guard by that twist of events.  Sable squinted at the little boy.  For a split second, his club had swelled several times its actual size.  Just like the imposter in the game. 

“I’m not sure what just happened…” The announcer stuttered, just as stricken.  “But…the winner is…Vivi!” His voice steadied. “With an absolutely blistering comeback!”

All at once, the spell of silence was broken and the crowd roared at the unexpected victory.

And so Vivi won by default.

Tugging a potion out of her pocket, Sable tossed it at the unconscious teenager on the platform.  It shattered over him and Seifer stirred, sitting up stiffly as his posse rushed to his side.  They flanked him protectively as he limped off stage before coming to a stop by Sable.

“That’s not Vivi.” He murmured. “Thrash ‘im.”

Sable nodded curtly.  Satisfied, Seifer strode towards the alley that, if Sable remembered correctly, led uphill to the ‘Usual Spot’ where Hayner and his friends liked to hang out.  Apparently, he and his posse liked noisy crowds about as much as Sable did, which was not at all.

One of the tournament organizers walked over. “It seems like Seifer’s withdrawn from the Struggle for third place.”

Brown eyes lit up. “So, I’m in third, now?” Hayner beat the air with a cheer. “Aw, baby!”

Bemused, Sable glanced towards the alley.  She could just make out Seifer’s form leaning against a shadowed wall.  She quirked a brow at him, questioning, and got a shrug in response.

Then it was time for Sable to get armored up again.  The fine hairs of her neck prickling in time with the dread swelling in her gut.

“Keep it clean, you two.” The referee warned, his gaze specifically focused on Vivi as he held out their clubs.

Gold eyes fixed firmly to the boards at his feet, Vivi took the club and waddled off to his starting place.  Sable watched, then accepted her club and moved to her own place.  Like before, that unnerving gaze locked with hers almost immediately, not an emotion or thought to be seen.

“And now,” the announcer spoke as the referee left the ring, “the match you’ve all been waiting for, Sable-versus-Vivi!”

Sable took a calming breath, letting the tension melt from her shoulders as she exhaled and leaving her relaxed and limber.  Whatever was going on, she’d face it one way or the other.  Worrying about it would just slow her down, and she couldn’t afford that here.

The bell rang.

The match that followed was more a game of tag around the platform than a proper Struggle match.  Vivi had a really awkward, wobbly walk normally so he got around that by relying on his still-impressive leaps.  Generally a sideways single-handspring that could carry him almost halfway across the platform like a hat-clad Yoda. 

(If Sable found herself humming Jack be Nimble while watching him, she didn’t think anyone would mind.)

He’d go high with his springs, while Sable went low with her dodge rolls and they’d dance around each other with blows only just missing.  Most of the time.  Sable had the advantage in knowing what the (probably) fake Vivi’s preferred combo sets were, and could thus dodge or block accordingly.  That weird horizontal spin he did made for perfect opportunities for Sable to cut in and send him flying with a combo of her own.

(He was way too light, even for a nine-year-old, he should not have bounced across the wood like that!)

Feeling a bit like a bully, even with her growing suspicions, Sable prioritized the fallen Velcro balls over pushing her advantage.

Then another stoop to grab a wayward Velcro ball turned into an ungainly sprawl as she threw herself flat, feeling air whoosh overhead as something considerably larger than a Struggle bat swept through the space she’d just been occupying. 

By the time she’d rolled back to her feet, Vivi’s club had shrank back to its expected size.  The whole thing happened way too fast for anyone not actively watching for it to notice. 

Vivi handsprang towards her, bringing his enlarged club down towards her head.  Sable caught it against her own and the squeaky flash had him flailing back.  She lunged forward to swung her club up hard against the boy’s exposed stomach, connected, but he recovered mid-air before he could go bouncing again.

Sable wasn’t sure how he managed to reverse his momentum to swing at her with another horizontal twist, but she still managed to dodge roll away from it anyway.  Then it was another game of acrobat tag as she focused on collecting Velcro balls while Vivi chased after her.

She heard a number of whistles and cheers, clearly they were putting on quite a show.

Then the bell ran out again and the hairs on Sable’s neck prickled.  Dropping orbs and club alike, Sable straightened up as the air around the edge of the platform flashed, hints of translucent hexagons flickering here and there.

Another battle barrier. 

Sable could distantly hear the crowd murmur in confusion, even a few cries of recognition.  That wasn’t what she was focusing on, though.  Her attention was fixed on Vivi, who was bouncing lightly on one foot.

Light flashed and Sable flinched, the little boy’s silhouette stretched and twisted within the white not-smoke.  Then it was gone, and a Dusk swayed before her.

No, Dusks, Sable corrected as she glimpsed more sinewy forms flanking her on either side.  Two more to go with the first. 

Great. 

She’d barely managed to fight off one and that was with help.

Burning ice lanced down her arm, darkness crackling from her left hand before coalescing into Gluttony.  Violet eyes narrowed as she held it out in front of her.

The Dusks twitched.

Sable leapt forward and dropped into a slide, passing the Dusk that had been posing as Vivi.  (And where was Vivi?  What had they done to him?) As it, and its cohort, twitched around in alarm, Sable lunged to her feet, Gluttony flying ahead of her to slam into its exposed back and send it sprawling.

Hissing, the further two lunged.  Planting their flat heads on the ground and winding their rubbery bodies like corkscrews.  Sable was able to dodge the first’s spring, but the second sent her crashing into the boards.  The one she’d struck first slithered out of the air, pointed limbs lashing out at her.

Wood splintered as Sable rolled back out of the way before swinging back up to her feet.  Lunged.  Then nailed the Dusk with another combo that sent it flying into the air where the other two still wriggled.

Oh.  Shoot.  Maybe that hadn’t been such a good idea…

Stretchy limbs whipped out and Sable was airborne.  Once.  Twice.  Then a third time as the blows just kept coming, the Dusks in eerie sync with each other.  Reversing her grip, Sable blocked another scythe-tipped swing and the squeaky-flash sent that Dusk reeling back while Sable landed on her feet.  She lunged in for a combo and did not let up until that particular Dusk finally burst.

(This time she managed to duck the flying coins.)

The two surviving Dusks were sauntering her way, not particularly concerned by the loss of their fellow.  Then they leapt and snaked forward, already twisting in that coiling shape.  This time Sable managed to roll out of both their ranges, then sprang back as they were trying to reorient themselves.

She homed in on one chaining combo after combo until, like the first Durk, it burst in a scattering of light and munny.

One solitary Dusk wasn’t much of an issue after that, and then Sable was alone on the platform.  She tossed a couple of potions over herself, sneezing at the overpowering scent of menthol even as she felt energy flood back into her and the aches and bruises faded. 

(Why was the smell bothering her now?  She’d barely noticed before!)

Then she looked around.  The barrier was still up, Sable could see Seifer pounding at the flaring hexagons.  A little further away, Hayner and his friends were doing the same.

Shoot.

Taking a breath, Sable almost sneezed again as a sudden, acrid smell stung her nose and the roof of her mouth.  Belatedly, she recognized it from walking by a shooting gallery.  The smell of spent gunpowder.  Who in the world would have a gun?

Wait.

Jerking around, Sable found a tall figure in a hooded black coat standing at the other side of the Struggle platform. 

(A distant part of her mind noted the very distinct contour of rectangular pads adding a bit more bulk to the slope of the shoulders.)

Blue fire danced in the figure’s hand.

“Net Silence!”

Sable felt the blood drain from her face as the fire was thrown up to ripple down the border of the battle barrier.  She had to recalibrate her expectations because that had not been the voice she’d been expecting.  Though, in hindsight, Xigbar wouldn’t smell like gunpowder anyway since he used magic, crystal bullets, and space-bending shenanigans.

No.  The reality was so much worse.

On reflex, Sable checked the sky above them to confirm that the moon had indeed set for the day.  Sure, it was only a few days past the new moon, but it’s so much better not to risk it.

“Interesting.”

And the look had not gone unnoticed and she now had the Nobody’s undivided attention.  Great.

“What the hell?” Sable demanded, opting for a verbal offensive.  Maybe if she bluffed hard enough, she could avoid getting into a fight way outside of her weight class.  She could barely manage against a trio of Dusks for crying out loud!

That hooded face tilted slightly, intrigued. “It seems our intelligence was correct.” The patron of the Berserker Nobodies noted in a mild tone. “A nascent Seeker of Darkness, appearing out of nowhere.”  He took a step forward and offered a hand. “Your presence has been requested by my Superior.  We need not come to blows.”

Sable squinted at him. “Then what was with the marauding Dusks?”

“A test to see if you were worth our time.  We have seen many with potential, in the past, yet so few are capable of living up to it.  You do.  So, our Superior believes you will do well among us.”

Was that a recruitment pitch?  It was kind of messed up considering Organization didn’t have Somebodies in their number.  Only Nobodies.  Going with the No. 7 of Organization 13 might not be the stupidest thing she could do, but it would certainly rank up there.

“Painful though it often is,” Sable answered, “I like my Heart where it is, thanks.” 

That got a visible twitch, then the man lowered his arm.  “You are suspiciously well informed.” Gloved fingers flexed at his sides. “Still, it would be a grave mistake on your part to refuse.”

“And forcing your pain on others won’t make you whole again, Saϊx.”

There was another twitch before a low growl sounded out, one that set the fine hairs of her neck and arms on end.  Sable could feel her odds of survival dwindling down to single digits.

Saϊx held out his hand.  Hard light flashed and congealed into the spiny blue-and-grey form of the claymore named Lunatic.  In its sealed form, thankfully, the short-sword length spikes that appeared on the end whenever its wielder entered his berserk-state were completely absent.

Not that it did more than slightly reduce the man’s already long reach.

“My orders are clear.  I’m to bring you back to the Superior, conscious or not.”

(Funny, that’s exactly what Axel told Roxas in the virtual Twilight Town.)

Taking a breath, Sable let the tension melt away as she focused on what she could do.  Saϊx out massed and outmuscled her?  Then she’d have to cheat and cheat shamelessly.

(Great, now the piano for Cynthia’s theme from pokémon was going off in her head which was. Not. Helping!)

Gripping Lunatic in a casual reverse grip, Saϊx swung her way. 

Why? 

He was out of range even with that ridiculous caricature of a blade-

The shockwave plucked Sable right off her feet and slammed her into the barrier wall, all the air woofing from her lungs.  Then gravity beckoned and she crashed into the wooden platform in an ungainly heap.

Distantly, she heard a low snort. “What a disappointment.”

Footsteps on the wood.  Getting closer.

No air in her lungs didn’t mean much when there was still oxygen in her blood.  Enough for a quick burst of movement.  She kicked off the barrier and swung blindly in the direction of those steps.  Not high, she had a very specific target in mind.

There was a furious snarl as Saϊx’s knee buckled under him as Sable rolled past him, swung back up on her feet, and gasped like a diver breaching the surface.  Then she spun back around to bring Gluttony down across those padded shoulders as hard as she could.

It was a solid blow, but it didn’t actually touch that dark coat.  Some kind of invisible forcefield just above it caught Gluttony’s blade.

What the heck?  What was that, some kind of Halo Energy Shield?

(…actually that would explain a lot.)

In her moment of distraction, Saϊx had recovered enough to twist around, Lunatic swinging with him.  Sable tried leaping back.  Not fast enough.  Not far enough.  The spiny length of the claymore caught her across the chest and knocked her clean off her feet.  Still snarling, Saϊx reversed his swing for a second blow that Gluttony only barely managed to intercept. 

The force behind it sent Sable flying.  Crashing.  Skipping across the hard wood.  Years of muscle memory was the only thing that let Sable come out of that upright on her feet again.  Her chest burned.  The blow had cut deep.  Sable could smell stinging copper.  It was only thanks to the Struggle padding that her physical heart hadn’t been eviscerated, though the chest piece was pretty much done for.

Saϊx had the arm holding Lunatic crossed over his shoulder again. 

Sable dove forward in a roll as the shockwave of the swing passed over her.  Twisting around on her hands, she lashed out with her feet, mule-kicking the berserker in the same knee Gluttony had already bruised.  It buckled again.  Then she tumbled away as Lunatic came crashing down hard enough to splinter wood.

Coming up too-close behind him, Sable slammed Gluttony’s pommel down on where she thought the Nobody’s jawline might be under that hood.  She definitely heard something crunch as the Luna Diviner went sprawling across the platform.  Then he twisted in an amateur’s roll to get back to his feet. 

It did not escape Sable’s notice that he was now visibly favoring one leg. 

Heh.

“I have to admit.” There was the distinct slur of someone trying to speak around mouth problems, though the pseudo-calm tone still made Sable’s skin crawl.  “You’re better than I had predicted.  But, I wonder…”  Sable could feel that cruel smirk this particular Nobody favored. “How far are you willing to go to preserve your freedom?”

The dark coat rustled as Saϊx moved sideways a step and petrified yellow eyes stared pleadingly up at her. 

Vivi!

Lunatic was hefted up and Sable lunged.  Rolled.  Came up as the claymore started to descend.  She slammed bodily into Vivi even as she twisted so the sadistic diviner couldn’t go for her spine-!

White-hot agony sluiced down her thigh as momentum carried both Sable and Vivi across the platform.  Sable hissed as her shoulder slammed into the ground, she rolled again, grabbing little boy with her free hand to drag him with her into a corner of the platform.

Her leg buckled under her when she tried to put weight on it.  Sable tried to ignore the splatter of red on the wood between her and the now-turning Nobody.

Saϊx lunged, Lunatic rising high again.

Sable knew one indisputable fact: she wasn’t Sephiroth. 

She didn’t have the raw power to deflect such an oversized blade with a comparatively thinner one.  But magic was a wonderful equalizer and timing, as Seifer had explained, was everything.

The world seemed to slow as that massive blade careened towards her.  Sable gripped Gluttony with both hands.  Just a little longer…

A little more…

Closer…

Now!

Lunatic crashed down and rebounded off Sable’s successful Guard, the recoil knocking it back up and over Saϊx’s head, leaving him completely exposed.  Her vision hazed red as Sable lunged. 

              ———

Forehand – Backhand – Sweep

(Could not let up.  Will not let up!)

Hear air squeak overhead.  Watch the moonstruck blade’s pommel bounce off the lingering Shell.  Track the opening and lunge for another combo.

Forehand – ReverseSweep – Thrust!

Connect.  Connect.  Connect.

Hear enchanted metal clatter heavily against dented wood.  Out of reach.  Sense weakness and smirk.  Step in and swing at the exposed target- Buckle over hilt and arm.  Kidney hurts.  Elbow’s sharp.  Ow… 

(Inertia exists.)

Wheeze and stare at the red-black wing caught by one gloved hand.  Glance up, eyes wide.  Flinch at twin yellow lights burning from the depths of the dark hood.  Hear a snarl.  Feel pressure.  Weight.  The target’s strength bearing down.  A leg buckles.  Collapses. 

Watch another gloved hand extend.  See claws sprouting from glove-tips. 

The world blurs.  Time slows. 

Stops. 

Veins burn with ice.  Clarity rings out, crystal-bright in its simplicity:  To lose means Vivi dies. 

(Will not, cannot lose!)

Time grinds back into motion. 

Feel alien warmth surge down right arm.  Curl fingers around sudden weight pressing against palm.  Let the world snap back into focus.  Swing so the new glowing white shape cracks against the reaching wrist.

Pressure vanishes.

Hear another snarl as the target leaps back.  See one hand now hang limp.

Glance down.  See the glowing shape coalesce.  A bird’s wing, white feathers dipped in pale blue.  A smaller complement to the larger bat wing of red-and-black.

Temperance

Feel fatigue recede under alien warmth.  A second wind.  Kin to an adrenaline rush and just as fleeting.

Lunge towards target.  Skid and block the swinging moonstruck blade.  Watch it rebound off the squeaky Guard.  Lunge again.  Swing both arms in a double combo.  Smirk again as tears finally appear in that dark coat-  Cut through empty air and stumble.

Confusion.  Where’d the target-?

Hear Vivi scream.

“Above you!”

Dive away as wood splinters under a meteoric impact.  Hiss at the bloody trail the moonstruck blade carves down arm.  Feel not-leather flap on wind as target spins.  Lunges.

Blockblockblock!

Barely.

Blink as steel blue spikes slam between black-webbed dactyls.  Feel gravity give way under greater momentum.  Fly-

Crack

Feel air woof from lungs.  Register gravity beckon as the battle barrier falls away.  See the wooden platform stretch out to catch falling self.

Note that breathing hurts.  Hear the liquid cough.  Taste flecks of copper.  Watch static dance across vision. 

Grit teeth.  Push up.  Ignore the darkness tickling the edges of vision, trying to close in.  Kneel in place, damaged leg unresponsive.  Observe that damaged arm is barely responsive.

Feel movement ahead.  The target turning their way.

Hear Vivi’s terrified whimpers behind self.

Decide that enough is enough.

Once more.

Snarl.  Will both arms up, bat and bird leveling at target.  Feel the icy-heat burning out from chest.  Down limbs.  Through hands.  See both blades crackle with dark thorns and candescent sparks.

The points touch.

They hum.

Power pools like a neutron blast.  Launches at target.  The target tips back and the power cuts through the fading Dark Corridor.  Not beaten, but still gone. 

Battle over.

Safe.

Hear the distant echo of weight clattering against wood.  Note that hands are now empty, blades having fallen.  Hear glass shattering, the barrier finally broken, as the world wavers.  Spins.  Spirals.

Battered boards jump up to catch her.

Black.

              ———

              ———

Sable woke up coughing, throat and sinuses on fire from concentrated menthol.  Twisting around, she heaved.  Then nearly kept rolling as whatever she was on came to an abrupt end.  Firm hands caught her and leveraged her back up on whatever it was she’d been laying on. 

“Easy, easy.  You’re alright.” Someone murmured. 

Wait, she knew that voice!

“E-Elmyra?” Sable rasped, blinking to try and get the world to come into focus.

“I did say I volunteer at the clinic.” The older woman informed curtly, one hand pressed firmly against Sable’s shoulder. “Now hold still, I need to make sure the staples held.”

“Staples?”

Lots of staples, as it turned out.  A not-quite horizontal line across her chest.  (Boy, was she lucky it wasn’t just a couple inches lower or it would have hurt so much worse.) A broad, jagged line down her right thigh, stopping just above the side of her knee.  Then an almost as jagged a line starting a couple inches above her right elbow and cutting down the back of her forearm to taper to a stop just beside the ball of her wrist.

“I didn’t think volunteers would be the ones stapling the in-patient’s injuries.” Sable noted after finishing the water Elmyra gave her.

Elmyra chuckled. “I’m trained for field first aid even if I don’t work full time.  I’m usually the one on call for the Struggle Tournament.” She paused. “Granted, this was a bit more severe than what I normally see.”

“A bit?”  That was oddly specific.

“You wouldn’t know it from this one,” Elmyra explained, “but we usually get a few more serious adult competitors in the tournament and they can get…a bit rough.  There’s actually a running pool on how many boards Setzer’s going to smash this year.”

Sable felt her brow quirk up.

“Anyway, drink this and we’ll see about getting you up and about again.” Elmyra handed her jar decorated with a moon in addition to the expected stars.

Grimacing, she accepted it and downed the hi-potion and gagged as it felt like menthol steam was hard washing the inside of her sinuses.  It burned like bleach.  The sensation almost distracted Sable from the chilly tingle running through her chest.  Kind of like brain freeze, if the freeze could happen in the lungs rather than the brain.

Brr…

Elmyra prodded her sides after that, apparently that cracking sound Sable had heard on her final impact with the battle barrier had been one of her ribs lodging its protest over the rough treatment.  Now the bone was basically mended though the area would be tender for a time.

“You’ll feel better in a day or so.” Elmyra told her. “I’ll swing by your apartment tomorrow evening to check on the staples.  The official medical line would be that you should go home and rest.” The older woman paused. “But you’re not going to, are you?”

“Has the Tournament been canceled?”

“No, just delayed until the stage can be patched.” There was a pause before she reluctantly added: “And for you to get back.”

“Then no.  I signed up and I have an obligation to finish it.”

Elmyra sighed. “Alright, but I’ll want to check you over afterwards to make sure you don’t tear something.  I will go on record saying this is a foolish idea.”

“Noted.”

With a little help, Sable got dressed in clean, unbloodied clothes.  Apparently, Elmyra had sent someone to her apartment for a new set after the loss of what she had originally been wearing.  Sable was too relieved to feel more than a dull roar of indignation at the intrusion. 

She did make sure to take her key back, though.

Then, under Elmyra’s disapproving eye, Sable headed back to the Sandlot.

              ———

She won.

Sable was surprised, too. 

Elmyra had to reapply a handful of staples that she’d managed to pop.  The TWANG they’d made had been startling for everyone in the Sandlot, that’s how loud they’d been.

The semi-retired nurse had grumbled under her breath while dutifully escorting the only partially conscious teenager back home, Chiro-the-cat prancing along by their feet.  The movement kept drawing Sable’s attention, keeping her from passing out entirely which is probably why Elmyra let the cat follow them right into the apartment.

Sable vaguely registered Chiro as a warm weight curled up against her hip before sleep claimed her. 

              ———

Her dreams were filled with the distant chime of hooves against glass and warmth washing over her face as a velvety nose brushed against her cheek.

              ———

Chapter Text

There was another knock on the door. 

Sable groaned into her pillow and seriously considered just ignoring it, and whoever was on the other side-  No.  She’d tried that earlier.  Rather than stopping, the knocking had only gotten more and more frantic until Sable had been honestly concerned that her door was going to splinter apart from the force of it. 

So, with a weary sigh, Sable pushed herself up and waited for the stars to vacate her vision.  Then leveraged herself up and onto her feet.  She swayed a little before finally limping out of her room, towards her door. 

Behind her, Chiro chirped farewell and stayed in his curled little ball.  After the first few times, he’d stopped following her out. 

Sable barely noticed. 

Everything ached.  It hurt to take a full breath.  Her arm, chest, and thigh all itched like there was an army of ants nibbling away just beneath the skin.  There was an intermittent tremor in her leg that left her seriously calculating the odds of her making it back to bed this time.

They weren’t the best.  Setzer would probably call it a bad bet.  At least the sofa was closer to the door.

Forehead now braced against the cool wood of the door, Sable waited for the room to stop spinning and took a bracing breath.  She reluctantly unlocked the door and pulled the damn thing open.

“Wow…” Seifer drawled.  “You look terrible.  Should we see about calling a coroner?”

Sable blinked slowly at him and the take-out cartons in his hands.  “Go lick a wall socket.” She deadpanned, dry as the most rain-deprived desert.

All the same, she wobbled back to let him in and pointed him in the direction of the fridge as she slumped against the arm of her sofa.  It helped with the tremors, but not by much.  Sable really just needed to go back to bed and stay there.  Though with how things had been going that morning, the odds of being able to do that were about as slim as the ones of her making it back to bed unaided.

“I take it you’ve had a lot of visitors?” Seifer asked, staring at the carton-filled fridge that had been empty the previous day.

Sable groaned. “Every few minutes since about six this morning.”

Strategically slotting in the new cartons, Seifer closed the fridge again. “Well, that’d explain why you look like death warmed over.”  He walked over to the sofa and leaned against the back. “And here I was thinking it was just the beating you took yesterday.”

Violet eyes squinted at him. “Both.” She admitted, “Getting up keeps agitating everything.  If I could just sleep and stay asleep I’d be better off.”

Humming an absent note, Seifer glanced between the dark-haired teenager and the door. “Rai and Fuu will be swinging by, soon.  Want us to play interference?”

Sable blinked. “I’d appreciate it, but there’s not much to do here…”

Seifer shrugged. “It’s about time we finish up the summer assignments for school.” He explained. “Vacation ends in a few days and we still haven’t done it.  Now’s as good a time as any.”  Pausing, he looked at her curiously. “Have you enrolled, yet?”

“Got my GED a couple years back.”

This time it was Seifer who blinked. “Your what?”

“Graduated early and got emancipated.”

“Oh, that explains it.  I was wondering how you were living here alone…” Seifer trailed off with a frown. “Wait, why would you get emancipated?” Now he turned an alarmed look on Sable. “Were you-”

“No!” Sable interrupted quickly, realizing where his mind had gone.  “No, nothing like that.  My parents died when I was little, so my sister raised me until…” The rest of the sentence failed to come.  Even a few years later, it still hurt too much.

“I’m sorry.” Seifer winced. “Is it…related to why you can’t do a Oberhau or Zornhau?”

Grimacing, Sable nodded as she rubbed her hands over her inner forearms and the scars hidden under her sleeves.

“I’ll drop it, then.” Seifer decided before looking her over again, brows still creased with concern.  “Want help getting back to your room?”

“…please.”

As Sable had feared, her bad leg didn’t want to cooperate at all.  If Seifer hadn’t been there she’d have just had to crash, literally, onto the sofa.  He lingered long enough for her to flop onto her mattress, prompting a noise of complaint from Chiro, and actually tugged the blanket over her and tucked her in.  Then he left the room with a flippant wave.

Already half-asleep, Sable felt warmth pool in her aching chest.

              ——— 

Sable stirred a time or two, distantly registering a knock on the door and the low hum of voices.  It wasn’t her problem, though, so she went back to sleep and eventually stopped responding to the noise entirely.

The feeling of eyes upon her, however, did end up drawing her out of the warm dark of sleep.  For a moment, she just lay there with her face buried in her pillow.  She could hear breathing way-to-close on her left side.  Steady, not all that high up, was someone kneeling by her bed?

Finally, Sable turned to look and met Vivi’s unblinking gold stare.

“Need something?” Her voice was hoarse from sleep and made the little black mage flinch and look away.

“I’m sorry,” he tried to whisper and failed entirely, “I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Yawning, Sable managed to roll onto her side, injured arm curled against her chest.  “Did you want something?”

Vivi fidgeted. “I just…wanted to make sure you were alright.”

The next yawn, in addition to cracking her jaw, teased tears into violet eyes. “M’fine.” Sable mumbled, rubbing her eyes dry again. “M’on the mend.”

That oversized floppy hat wilted.  As did the rest of him.  “But you got hurt saving me…”

“And I’d do it again.” Sable interrupted. “In a heartbeat.  Your life is precious, Vivi, and he had no right to threaten it like that.”

“But…”

“I was fully aware of what the consequences could be and acted anyway.  That was my choice.  Didn’t matter whether it was you or some other kid, what Saϊx was doing was wrong and I wasn’t about to let that slide.  Understand?”

A very uncertain nod answered her.  “I want to be brave,” he admitted, looking away and Sable was pretty sure he was clenching his fists, “like you.  And strong just like Seifer!  Then I won’t have to be rescued all the time!” He shivered.  Looked back at her with wide yellow eyes.   “That guy…he just picked me up, right from my practice spot!  I was too scared to fight him…”

Suddenly Sable had to wonder when had Saϊx grabbed Vivi.  Was it after they had signed up for the Struggle Tournament?  Had Vivi been missing for two days without anyone noticing?

“Vivi.”

There was a muffled thump as Vivi’s behatted head bumped the ceiling of Sable’s bedroom.  She was once again impressed by the air he could get from a cold start.

“Seifer!” Vivi whipped around to stare up at the older boy.

“C’mon,” Seifer said gruffly, motioning towards the doorway. “Let her sleep.”

“’e’s fine.” Sable yawned again, waving him off. “If he wants to stay in here, he can.”

Seifer’s frown deepened. “You sure?”

“He’s worried.  Aren’t you, Vivi?”

“I…” Vivi hesitated again. “I wanted…to make sure you…that you were still breathing.  My Grandpa…he just stopped one morning and…”

A deeply uncomfortable look flashed across Seifer’s face.  He dipped his head in her direction, then backed out of the doorway.  Sable would have to remember to ask him for the full story, later.  She was not going to ask the distressed nine-year-old in front of her.

“You can stay.” She promised, reaching out to pat his head through his hat. “I don’t mind.”

“…okay.”

Rolling further onto her back, Sable blinked blearily at the ceiling as she reached absently out to rub Chiro between the ears.  The cat mrrrped sleepily and started purring.  

“Hey…Sable?” Came Vivi’s timid voice.

“Mm?”

“Do you…know magic?”

Sable glanced back at him. “No?  At least nothing more than calling my weapons, and the attacks I showed during the tournament.  Why?”

“It’s just…” the little black mage fidgeted, “there was a Regen spell on you.  When you were sleeping.” Those gold eyes blinked. “It disappeared when you woke up, though.”

“Really?  And you didn’t cast it?”

The floppy hat whipped back and forth as he shook his head. “N-no.  I’m no good with healing spells.  I-I barely noticed the Regen, but…” He frowned. “You…there was another spell.  When you were fighting that jerk in the tournament.  I think it was Berserk?  You started glowing red?”

Sable vaguely remembered a red haze falling over her vision and then Saϊx started reeling more when she hit him.  He’d actually retreated not long after that.

Huh…

“I’d know if I cast a spell, right?” She asked the mini-expert at her bedside. “I remember the red glow, but…I don’t know what set it off.”

Vivi nodded. “You’d feel the MP drain.” He frowned. “So…is someone else casting support spells on you?”

“Apparently?”

“I could…see if that Regen comes back after you go to sleep?  See where it’s coming from?”

“Would appreciate it.  Thank you, Vivi.”  Taking a deep breath, Sable closed her eyes.  Drifted to sleep shortly after with the sound of Vivi’s breathing in her ears. 

Somewhere in the distance, a faint baaa sounded through the dark.

              ———

              ———

Sable isn’t sure what time it was when she got restless, no longer able to sleep.  The army-ant-itch in her stapled injuries had dulled to a lesser discomfort.  It was still difficult to breathe, but that was more to do with the purring pile of fur that had decided her collar made an excellent bed.

Blearily, she prodded at Chiro with a finger.  The purring just got louder, reverberating right down her clavicle to echo behind her sternum.

Cute. 

It wasn’t until after Sable had mostly rolled onto her side, preparing to push herself up into a seated position, that the cat deigned to move.  Slowly.  With a luxurious stretch that boldly declared that moving was his idea alone and not due to his perch having gone vertical.  So, there.

With an amused huff, Sable leveraged herself up.  Getting out of bed was considerably easier than it had been hours before.  So, was walking, though she still swayed like a drunk deckhand.

Seifer and his posse, including Vivi, were all seated around her coffee table.  The table itself was covered in a scattering of papers and take-out containers.  That left the sofa free for Sable to flop gracelessly onto.  Vivi and Rai both jumped, Seifer and Fuu just watched silently as they nibbled on their noodles.

“Did the food wake you up?” Seifer asked.

Face down in a cushion, Sable considered that.  Had it been the food?  She waggled a hand, uncertain. 

“Hungry?”

She held her hand out, palm up.  Looking amused, Seifer set a carton in it.  After a moment’s struggle, Sable managed to prop herself up properly to eat, her back wedged between the arm of the sofa and the back.  Not really perceiving, or tasting, what was in the to-go box, she began to eat.

Chiro jumped up with a kitty chirp and proceeded to curl up on her lap again.

Why was the cat in her apartment, again?  Sable couldn’t remember when he’d shown up.  Had Elmyra left him to keep her company?  Kitty purrs had healing properties, everyone knew this.  She didn’t mind, though she was a little concerned that Chiro had been locked up in her apartment all day with no litter box access.

(That would be a Later problem.)

Sable was pretty sure she’d worked her way through at least three to-go cartons, but couldn’t remember what she’d eaten to save her life.  By the time she remembered setting an empty carton down on the coffee table her Person Brain was only just starting to kick into proper gear.

What time was it?

…There was no convenient clock within visual range.  There was the microwave, but that would require her twisting around to look.  It was sunset outside but it was usually sunset outside.

Sable decided she could live without knowing the exact time.

“So.”

Violet eyes blinked blearily at Seifer.

“Mind telling us what was up with the Struggle Tournament?” The Head of the Twilight Town Disciplinary Committee asked with a kind of false levity, his blue eyes hard.  “No one knows anything except you and Vivi.” A nod to the little black mage, who tried to shrink into his coat. “And what Vivi knows needs you to elaborate.” He paused. “You knew that interloper?  The guy who kidnapped him?”

“Of him.” Sable corrected mildly. “Never actually met him before yesterday.”

“What did he want with you?”

“His boss wanted to draft me, apparently.” A lazy shrug. “Had to refuse, the benefits were awful.”

“Boss?” Fuu spoke up.

“Ya mean there’s more of those creeps?” Rai yelped.

“Called Organization Thirteen.” Sable explained. “Those black coats are their uniform.  They lead Dusks, those squiggly white things we fought, and other similar beings.” Pausing, she considered what else to say. “They have the same immunity to harm, unless one has a weapon like Gluttony.”

“Gluttony?” This time it was Vivi who spoke up.

On a whim, Sable held out her left hand.  Ice burned down it, coalescing into the red-and-black shape of her sword.  She was marginally surprised it came when called.  It hadn’t worked when she’d tried again after the fight in front of the Old Mansion.

“But Seifer took one on with a Struggle club, ya know!” Rai protested, punching the air. “Didn’t need some fancy sword like that!”

“Only after that one appeared.” Seifer pointed at Gluttony. “Before that, I may as well have been hitting air.”

Sable nodded. “Don’t know how it works.  Just that it does.” Letting Gluttony vanish again, she fixed them all with a hard look. “If you see anyone else in black coats, just run.  Saϊx is a lot stronger than he showed.  I got very lucky.”

“He had magic.” Vivi murmured.  “Really powerful magic.” He paused. “But it was…weaker than it should have been?” Gold yes blinked up at Sable in clear confusion.

“Moon magic.” Sable summed up. “He’s a berserker.”

There was a moment of stunned silence.  Then Seifer let out a low whistle. “Wow, you weren’t kidding, you did get lucky.”

“New Moon.” Fuu nodded.

Rai shivered, rubbing the sudden goosebumps on his arms. “Are the rest of them berserkers, too?”

“Each Organization Member has a different affinity.  Space, Time, Water, Wind, and so on, they have styles unique to them.”

“Yikes.  How’d you get their attention?”

“No idea.”

Seifer hummed, looking thoughtful. “If they’re an organization, they must have a purpose.” He looked at Sable. “What’s their goal?”

Sable grimaced. “Complicated.  Basically they’ve lost something important and they’re trying to get them back.  Started about a decade ago when a man began poking into things he really shouldn’t have.  It got out of control and that mess is still being cleaned up.  The Organization is just part of it.”

They chewed on that a moment before Fuu went rigid, red eyes wide. “Stars?!”

“What stars?” Vivi asked, bright eyes blinking in the shadow of his hat brim.

“Wait, I know what she’s-” Seifer cut himself off and stared hard at Sable. “That wouldn’t have anything to do with why all those stars disappeared a year ago, would it?  I remember people saying something similar happened ten years ago…” At Sable’s nod, the other teenager shuddered. “It was that bad?”

“Worse, actually.” Sable admitted. “Twilight Town is fortunate in being spared by that disaster.  I’m…not going to say what actually happened, just that it was really bad.”

There was a mass exchange of looks.

“We’ll take your word for it.” Seifer decided.

Any further questions were interrupted by a knock at the door.  Still in Sable’s lap, Chiro perked up with a happy chirp.  Rai got up to answer.  Apparently, they’d set up a system in the time they were camping in Sable’s living room. 

A moment later Elmyra was walking in.

Right, the other woman had promised to come check on the staples, hadn’t she?  Chiro immediately abandoned Sable in favor of winding between his owner’s legs as she approached the sofa. 

Another exchange of glances was made and, in practiced unison, Sable’s other guests got up and started clearing the coffee table as Elmyra took Sable aside to check her healing injuries.  Then to remove the staples.  Sable was rather amazed.  Those had not been shallow cuts!  Back home it would have easily been weeks before the wounds had healed so cleanly!

“Don’t let the surface healing fool you.” Elmyra warned as another staple pinged free. “The deeper damage will take time to heal up completely, so take it easy.”

“Duly noted.” Sable hummed, flexing her wrist and watching the wound move with the motion.  It was, to be sure, a very gnarly looking scar.  As were the other two. “Thank you.  For all this.”

Reaching out, Elmyra patted her on the shoulder with a smile. “Don’t worry about it.  The people of this town look after each other.”

Again, Sable felt warmth well up behind her sternum.

It didn’t take much longer for Elmyra to handle the rest of the staples.  Then she collected Chiro and left with Seifer and his posse.  The apartment felt considerably colder without their presence.  Lonely, almost.  Sable couldn’t remember the last time her living space had been so lively.

Then she went back to bed.  She had Plans for the next morning.

              ———

Confetti flew by brightly colored balloons swaying on their strings.  Laughter and shouts filled the air as people wandered from stall to stall.  Sable even glimpsed Seifer and his posse, who were almost as crowd-shy as she was, enjoying the festivities with everyone else.  There were even roped off ‘arenas’ for novice and amateur Struggle matches.

There hadn’t been any kind of festival in the game.  It made sense, considering it marked the end of summer vacation, but still…

Feeling a little overwhelmed, Sable edged along the fringes of the stall-lined roads.

“Sable!”

The high-pitched shriek had her head snapping around in time to see a myriad of other heads turning in her direction.  Her body locked up, violet eyes wide as realization sunk in.

She bolted.  Away from fangirl squeals as they gave chase.

Fights, she could handle.  Homicidal berserkers, she could handle.  This?  This was beyond her ability to handle.  So, much nope.

A stall curtain fluttered in a contrary wind and Sable didn’t hesitate, pivoting around to dive past it and into the narrow alley beyond it.  If she could coordinate enough to run up bright high enough to catch that ledge-

Hands caught her, smothering her yelp as Sable was yanked back against a warm body.  A voice hissed a sharp “Hush!” into her ear and the teenager reflexively stilled.

Beyond the alley, she watched the pursuing fans run by without a backward glance at the shadowed alley.  Several tense moments passed, then her apparent captor relaxed a bit and let go.  Stepping away, Sable spun around to face them.  Blinked as surprised violet met amused violet.

“You can handle death threats, but not a handful of over-eager fans?” Setzer quipped, smile tugging at the scar of his lips.

Face warming, Sable looked away.  Groused. “I don’t like the attention.”

The silver-haired man chuckled. “They’re reverential,” he pointed out, “not fanatical.  They’ll calm down if you tell them it bothers you.”

She shot him a deeply skeptical look.

“You’ve left quite an impression.” Setzer went on. “By now everyone knows you got hurt defending one of our own against that man in black.  You’ll probably have well-wishers coming to ask how you’re doing.”

Sable recalled her fridge, now filled almost to bursting with wish-you-well meals.

“I think I’ve had about as many well-wishes as I can handle for now.” She admitted.

Those other violet eyes blinked at that.  Then Setzer chuckled. “I had a feeling you’d say that.” He fixed her with a thoughtful look, gaze lingering mainly on her injured arm and leg. “If you think you’re up to it, I could show you how to get around without being noticed.”

“I think I can manage.”

He nodded at that. “Where were you heading?”

“The forest to the Old Mansion.”

“I see.  Alright then.” Turning deeper into the dead-end alley, he sprang up the wall in two impetuous leaps.  Perched like a cat, he glanced back down at Sable. “Well?”

Blinking back at him, she had not expected him to be a fellow traceur, Sable smirked.  Darted to the wall and pushed off, catching the small ledge she’d noted previously before leveraging herself up for another jump.  Her leg spasmed as she landed and only Setzer’s sturdy grip catching her kept Sable from an inglorious tumble.

“You sure you can keep up?” He asked as he steadied her.

“Of course,” Sable nodded, violet eyes bright. “I just won’t be quite as fast as normal.”

Setzer hummed. “Alright, follow me.”

Despite that heavy coat the man wore, he navigated the Twilight Town roofs with casual ease, balancing on narrow walls barely two fingers wide like a cat, then scaling higher walls just as easily.

Far below, the festival goers continued milling across the roads oblivious to their passage.

“You do this a lot, I take it?” Sable questioned as they ran. 

There was a soft grunt as Setzer landed on a lower roof. “I had an airship, once-upon-a-time, before I came to Twilight Town.” He admitted before darting forward to swing back up over an overhang. “Traveling like this reminds me of when I once sailed the skies.” 

“Do you miss it?”

A shrug answered her as the former champion dropped half a story and hit a lower roof in a roll that had him up and running in one fluid motion.

“Not as much as I once did.” A soft chuckle trickled back over the breeze. “A wise woman I once knew reminded me of what I had to live for after the Blackjack was destroyed.”

Though intrigued, Sable decided it was not the time to press further, curious though she was.

It wasn’t much longer before they reached the breach in the Tram Common Wall.  Setzer lingered only long enough to offer a brief farewell before leaving to rejoin the festival.  Taking the road rather than the roofs, this time.

He wasn’t so bad, Sable decided. 

Then she turned and slipped into the dark forest beyond the city limits.

She was not expecting a child’s shouts to sound beneath the pines.  Not fear.  Not pain.  Not anger, though there may have been a touch of frustration.  No, it was more like a little kid going ‘Hi-yah!’.  All energy and enthusiasm and then an oddly muffled ‘oomph’ that suggested they did not quite manage to stick the landing.

Intrigued, Sable followed the sound and peeked around the trunk of another pine.  Then she had to bite her lip to keep from cooing at the sight that met her.

Gold eyes screwed in a mask of Utter Focus, Vivi brought up his Struggle bat and lunged, only to overbalance and trip head-over-heels.

Hand slapped over her mouth, Sable choked back a laugh.  Staying in the tree’s shadow, she watched Vivi pick himself up and try again.  A different move, that time.  It only took her a moment to recognize one of the sweeps that Seifer favored.  Then, a tumble and overbalance later, she saw him try one of the forehand swings that she favored.

It was adorable, watching the little boy in his oversized hat and jacket try his absolute hardest to mimic his apparent heroes.  Unfortunately for Vivi, the moves he was trying were meant for people with longer reach.

Sable stepped into deliberate view as the little black mage was picking himself up from another tumble.  He noticed her almost immediately.

“H-hey, Sable.” He greeted, immediately going shy. “Are you…” he gestured vaguely to her arm and leg, “feeling better?”

“Better than yesterday.” Sable affirmed as she walked up to him. “I forgot to ask last night, but did the Regen show up again after I fell asleep?”

Vivi nodded. “Yeah, as soon as your breathing changed.” He wilted. “I couldn’t figure out where it was coming from, though.  I-I’m sorry.”

Reaching out, Sable gave the oversized wizard’s hat an affectionate pat.  Then she knelt to better look Vivi in the eye. “It’s fine, Vivi.  Now I know that taking a nap when injured really does help.  Where the spell is coming from…” She trailed off with a shrug. “Well, that’s a question that can wait for another day.” Sable gestured to the Struggle club. “Practicing for next year?”

“Oh.  You saw…” Vivi fidgeted and looked away, both hands wringing the grip of his club. “It’s…I’m really bad...”

“Kiddo.” Sable interrupted. “You’re trying to mimic people who are both a lot taller than you and have longer limbs.  Of course you’re having trouble.  You won’t be able to pull off some of those moves until you hit your growth spurt.”  She paused, frowning. “How tall does your family normally get?”

“My cousins are even taller than Seifer!” Vivi hopped in place, miming a very tall person indeed. “But…I don’t know if I’ll ever be that tall…”

“Then work with what you’ve got.” Sable suggested, growing thoughtful. “You’re really good at jumping.  Can you do handsprings?”

Gold eyes blinked at her. “What’s a handspring?”

“Kind of like a cartwheel, but more front-to-back rather than side-to-side.” Sable gestured with a finger. “Your doppelganger in the tournament used them to get around.  That was the key technique in their fighting style and they even managed to beat Seifer with it.”

“…really?”

“Why not give it a try?” Sable held out a hand. “With both hands, first.” 

Considering it, Vivi handed her the Struggle club and turned away.  He stared at his hands a moment, then up at where he was going to try and spring to.

“Hi-yah!”

CRASH

Sable winced.

“Whoa!” Vivi’s voice drifted down to her.  “Did you see that?!”

“I did indeed.” Sable answered, walking over to the tree the little black mage was now stuck in. “As usual, you got some excellent air.  Can you get down?”

“Huh?  Oh, uh, yeah…”

In hindsight, she probably shouldn’t have been standing right underneath him.

“Oof!”

Flat on her back, Sable affirmed that Dusks must weigh less than air or something as Vivi was considerably heavier than his doppelganger had been.  He lay dazed across her front for several moments before scrambling to get up.

“I’m so sorry!” He fretted at her side, both hands wringing the brim of his hat. “Are you okay?  I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

Pushing herself up into a sitting position, Sable brushed tree debris from her hair.  Waved him off. “I’m fine.  Don’t worry.”  She smiled at him. “I’d say that was a promising start.  You just need a bit of practice.”

Those gold eyes lit up like lamps. “You really think so?”

“Why not try again?  Just a bit lower, this time?”

“Right!”

After a couple false starts, Vivi was soon bounding around Sable like a little spring-powered gremlin.  He even figured out the single-hand handspring the disguised Dusk had favored during the tournament.  The giggles were almost identical.  Very creepy, but Sable couldn’t deny that the little boy was having a grand time.

Sable stumbled back a step as Vivi caught her around the waist.

“Thankyouthankyouthankyou!” His voice was muffled against her stomach but still vaguely distinguishable.

Amused, she pat him on the back. “Hey, all I did was make a suggestion.” She told the little mage. “You already had the capability.”

“I’m gunna show Seifer and the others!” Letting her go, Vivi bounced back.  Paused long enough to catch his club as Sable tossed it back to him.  Then he waved and went bounding away, quickly vanishing between the trees.

Alone again, Sable turned and continued on her way. 

              ———

It didn’t take her long to reach her destination. 

Then a new problem arose: how to get in?  The gate was still locked and Gluttony was certainly not a Keyblade.  Actually, could she even call it again?  The night before may well have been a fluke…

She held out her left hand.

Like it had been waiting on a coiled spring, an icy-burn shot down her left arm and purple energy crackled from her palm.  Gluttony coalesced, resting solidly in her grip.  For the first time, Sable was able to stop and really take a look at her weapon, now that she wasn’t in a fight for survival.  Or mentally addled from pain, sleep, and not enough food.

It wasn’t like Soul Eater, missing the white ‘teeth’ set around the hilt and the blue-green eyeball being replaced by the yellow-gold of a cat’s eye gemstone.  The triangular pommel she’d used to break Saϊx’s jaw was a matching yellow-gold and the hilt was braided in dark red cord.  The ‘fingers’ of the blade-wing were dark red, in contrast to the navy-blue of Riku’s blade, with the ‘skin’ connecting them being a deep, flat black.

It was certainly unique enough to warrant its own name.  Not that it explained why she even had Gluttony in the first place, or what was up with that weird sense of it being in a spring-loaded sheath like an assassin’s hidden blade.  It had definitely been given to her, though, and had been set to appear the moment she was in genuine danger.

What about Temperance?

Curious, Sable held out her right hand.  Nothing happened.  She wasn’t overly surprised but it did just keep adding to the mystery.  Perhaps it was set to appear under different requirements?  Ones she hadn’t managed to reach, yet?  She hadn’t been able to re-summon Gluttony at-will until after the second time, either...

Ah well, a puzzle to mull over later.

Taking a running leap, Sable swung at the lock holding the gate shut. 

Sparks few, metal shrieked, and the bisected mechanism dropped heavily to the green grass as the gates creaked open.  Letting Gluttony vanish again to wherever it went when not in use, Sable strode forward.  In moments she was pushing the heavy wood doors open and she stepped into the Old Mansion proper.

‘Poorly lit’ was her first observation.  It was also covered in cobwebs and what furniture remained was all broken and scattered.  It really did look like it had been abandoned for years.

Neck prickling with unease, Sable crept further into the foyer.  She expected to be attacked by more Dusks, except none appeared and the room remained empty.  Not…entirely expected, but Sable didn’t know why they would have been present anyway.  The only reason she expected a fight was because they’d shown up during the tournament.  Saϊx wouldn’t have any reason to be in the Old Mansion, though, would he?    

(If Sable had to fight him again in the basement, she would be so screwed.)

Moving with a bit more confidence, Sable ascended the nearest staircase to the upper level.  That hadn’t made much sense to her in-the-game, how you had to go to the second floor in order to get down into the basement.  Why even-

-“I’m so FLATTERED!”-

Sable reeled back at the shout, smashing into the railing as she sank down to the steps.  That fury was so heady that it made her vision swim. 

-“Let’s meet again, in the next life…”-

A pang of wistful regret doused that rage almost as quickly as it arrived.

-“Yeah…I’ll be waiting.”-

Wait a minute, she knew those voices! 

-“Silly…just because you get a next life…”-

A familiar, crushing grief.  It threatened to steal her breath away.  Groaning, Sable shook her head, barely noticing how her fingers clenched over her heart.  It hurt.  A vice of pressure in her chest and a lead weight dropped in her gut.  She shouldn’t be feeling this-!

-“Glad you could make it.”-

A new voice, arrogant and indifferent.  Hearing it set the hairs of her neck on end.

-“You should share some of that hatred with Sora.  He’s far too nice for his own good.”-

The grief of loss vanished under a wave of fury.

-“NO!  My Heart belongs to me!”-

Sable writhed on the stairs, feeling that desperate denial and that burning will to survive.  Could feel the dawning realization of being trapped, no way to escape…

All at once, the fury faded.  Sorrow welled up again, that earlier defiance spent leaving only ashes of pained resignation.

-I wasn’t supposed to feel anything.  Yet, I felt jealous of them.-

The words resonated right through Sable’s chest like a too-loud speaker.     

-“Sora, you’re lucky…”-

There was a strange shift in that sorrow, like a sardonic sort of joy.  Like giving one’s all in a fight, only to turn around and find nothing but ashes remained.

-“…looks like my summer vacation is…over.”-

As if under the drop of an axe, those invasive feelings suddenly cut off, leaving Sable gasping for breath on the stairwell, dazed and bewildered.  Wiping cold sweat from her brow, she managed to sit up.  Barely.  She curled into a ball, still struggling just to breathe as her limbs trembled.  

Breathing out sharply, Sable clawed her fingers through her hair.  Yanked.  The sensation helped ground her back in the present.  At least enough to think.

What the hell had that been?!

Forcefully shoving it all aside, Sable dragged herself back up to her feet and marched the rest of the way up to the next landing.  Now was not the time to think about it.  Later.  If ever.  Good grief…

She couldn’t remember which way was the right one, so Sable stumbled towards the nearest wing.  In moments she came to a shut door.  It offered no resistance as she tried the knob and pushed it inward.  Then she followed it and stepped through the threshold- Ow.

Blinded by the sheer whiteness that met her poor ambushed eyes, Sable froze where she stood.  Blinking back stars and tears, Sable braced against the doorway and waited until her vision stopped watering and started coming back into proper focus.  When it finally did, she was taken aback. 

Pictures coated the white walls, lines upon lines of them.  Intrigued, Sable took a closer look.  Each one was meticulously done.  The game had done Naminé’s skills no justice at all!  Except for the opening trailer which properly showed the care and detail she put in them.

Most of them, anyway. 

Some of the pictures seemed more rushed, little more than vaguely familiar blobs of color…

Frowning, Sable looked again.  Letting the door close behind her as she carefully followed the progression of images.  There was a theme behind that drop in quality.  What was…

Oh.

With a nasty suspicion forming, Sable looked the pictures over again.  She wasn’t wrong, the closer the Nobody had gotten to completing Sora’s memories, the sloppier her drawings got.  The worst ones, if Sable was gauging the apparent timeline properly, were done in the last week.  When Roxas had been stuck in the virtual Twilight Town.  Oh, Naminé…

Turning away, Sable made to leave the room only to pause as she saw a new picture taped to the back of the door.  This one didn’t fit the theme of Sora’s memories.  It was a window-view of the mansion gates with the sinewy form of that first Dusk as Sable and Seifer confronted it.

It was beautifully done, like the cross between a photo and an impressionist’s painting.  From the blades of grass to the rust on the gate to the shadow of pine leaves playing off a black coat…

Chilled, Sable reached out to pluck the picture from the door.

No.  She hadn’t been imagining it.  In the shadow of the tree, on a branch high above the fight itself, lounged a figure in the Organization’s black coat.  They had, Sable noted numbly, Pence’s camera in one hand and the missing photo in the other.

Grasping blindly for the doorhandle with one hand, Sable used the other to shove the picture into her munny pouch, trusting the pocket-space shenanigans to store it safely without creasing it.

Then she exited the room.

              ———

After being briefly distracted by the library, Sable eventually figured out how to open the hidden passage down into the basement.

(Seriously, why the second floor?)

Descending into the considerably darker depths, she was then distracted by the big honking computer nestled away in one corner.  For a moment, she was sorely tempted to poke at it, see what kind of files could be found.  Then she wrestled the impulse away and continued on to an empty room.

She hesitated, dreading even the thought of stepping through the door.  But when she finally mustered up the nerve to walk through, nothing happened.  Like in the foyer above, there wasn’t even a Dusk to be found.

Feeling a little more assured, Sable made for another door on the far side of the room and found herself blinded for a second time.  Lights on full blast and reflecting off pristine white walls, it was arguably worse than Naminé’s drawing room.  Sable was actually crying now. Owowow…

Yanking up the front of her sweater, she wiped her eyes dry.  Then kept them covered until peaking past the dense fabric didn’t spawn immediate tears.

The hallway eventually came into proper focus.  The first things to register were the large, bud-like pods.  Sable’s feet carried her past them.  All were empty, except for the two nearest the bend in the hallway.  A pair of familiar figures slept peacefully within.

Sable watched them fondly a moment before she frowned and looked back at the empty pods and the odd conveyor system leading into the wall.  Why were there so many?  Why were they even there?  If Sable recalled correctly, Naminé already had access to them at Castle Oblivion, so they weren’t Ansem’s work.  Who could have needed so many stasis pods?  And for what purpose?

The hiss of pressurized air snapped Sable out of her musings in time to see the bud-pods holding the two Disney characters bloom.  For lack of anything else to do, she stood back and waited for them to stir.

Donald twitched first.  Mumbling incoherently, eyes still glazed with sleep, he tried to take a clumsy step forward.  That webbed foot connected with only empty air. Sable caught him before he could land a faceplant on some sharp edge.  She didn’t hold him, just let him brace against her as he blinked owlishly up at her.

Then he blinked, awareness slowly sliding into place.

The royal magician leapt up as if scalded. “Who are you?” He demanded, white feathers bristling like a cat’s fur. “What’s happening?  Where are we?”

Backing away, hands raised peacefully, Sable answered in order of question. “Sable.  You apparently just woke up.  Basement of the Old Mansion just outside of Twilight Town.”

Arms now crossed over his chest, the duck glared at her suspiciously. “So, you just found us?” Enunciation alone betrayed what he thought of that. “And just what were you doing here in the first place?”

Sable shrugged. “Exploring.”

A yawn interrupted any further interrogation as they both turned to see Goofy stretching his gangly body, still suspended in his pod.  Lips smacking sleepily, he opened his eyes and smiled as he saw his friend.

“G’mornin’, Donald.” The guard captain yawned again.

“Get up, Goofy!” Donald barked. “We need’ta find Sora!” He scanned the corridor. “He’s probably sleepin’ ‘round here like we were.”

Blinking, Goofy looked around as well.  Paused as he scratched his head. “We were sleepin’?” He stepped out of his pod with considerably more grace than his friend.  Then he noticed Sable and offered a smile. “Oh, hello.” He dipped his head politely. “Who are you?”

“She says her name’s Sable.” Donald answered for her, shooting another suspicious glare in her direction. “She claims to have found us.”

“You know, I could have just let you fall.” Sable pointed out dryly.

“Nice ta meet’cha, Sable.” Goofy smiled at her, ignoring his friend’s sputtering as he put a hand to his chest. “I’m Goofy.” With the same hand he gestured to the royal magician. “And that there’s Donald Duck.”

“Pleasure to meet you.” Sable bowed politely at the waist.

“You wouldn’t happen ta know where our friend, Sora, is, do ya?” Goofy asked, looking around the hallway again before holding out a gloved hand. “He’s about so high, with spiky hair.”

“Haven’t seen anyone by that description, yet.” Sable answered honestly.  Then she gestured towards the light around the corner. “But what about over there?”

The pair exchanged looks, then headed in that direction with Sable drifting along in their wake.  Even forewarned, the incandescent state of the final room still left her eyes watering.  How was it possible for the room to be whiter than Naminé’s drawing room?

Ow.

The floor was grey with pale green paneling.  It was completely barren of furniture save for the massive pod protruding from the very center.  Opened like a lotus flower in full bloom, the sleeping figure of Sora could be clearly seen floating within.

Dark brows quirked up as Sable politely looked away with a hastily smothered chuckle.  As had been referenced, but not quite shown in-game, Sora had had a bit of a growth spurt during his time asleep.  The red jumpsuit he’d worn in the first game was obviously too small for him. 

(That looked very uncomfortable.)

It also begged the question of how Sora had managed to grow several inches during his prolonged nap.  It wasn’t like he’d been eating in the pod!  Wasn’t it meant to keep him in stasis?  Or... Wait.  Roxas had been active the year Sora had been asleep.  He’d had the opportunity to grow.  Nobody’s were the physical bodies of the people who’d lost their Hearts. 

Had Sora stayed the same until Roxas rejoined with him, and then his physical form suddenly adapted to his Nobody’s physical age?

That…

There was a lot to unpack with that possibility.  It was both trippy and creepy in the extreme.  Sable couldn’t suppress the shudder even as she shoved the implications into a mental box and shoved that box into a mental closet before throwing away the mental key. 

“Sora.”

Sable glanced up again as she heard Donald call out.

“Sora…” Goofy joined in. “Wake up!”

There was a twitch.  A groan.  Sky-blue eyes cracked open blearily before drooping again as the boy tried to go back to sleep.  Agitated, Donald leapt right up into the pod until his beak was right next to Sora’s ear.

“WAKE UP!”

Jerking awake with a start, the teenager toppled over and hit the bottom of the pod with a thump. 

“What makes you think you can go back to sleep?” Donald groused, backing out of the pod as Goofy chuckled behind him.

Blinking sleepily, Sora yawned.  Stretched stiffly.  Then wobbled back up to his feet, still not quite alert.  (At the sight, both magician and knight sniggered quietly behind hastily raised hands.)  Another blink had those bright sky-blue eyes finally come into bleary focus and the teenager visibly brightened as he recognized his friends.

“Donald, Goofy!”

Sable flinched back, looking away as the teenager fell on the duo with a bear hug, all of them crying out joyfully.  Eyes stinging, she retreated back down the hallway. 

(That reunion wasn’t something for her to observe.)

She didn’t stop until she was back in the computer room, bracing against a wall and trying to figure out why it hurt to breathe.  It hadn’t been that far of a jog!

“Is someone there?”

Jumping at the quiet, muffled voice, Sable looked around.  There was a door labeled ‘cleaning supplies’ near the computers- Hang on.  Why was there a padlock on the door?

Baffled, Sable called Gluttony and used it like she had against the mansion gates.  The bisected lock thunked to the floor as Sable opened the door.  It was a mess, notebooks scattered across the floor and a noodle-stained mop propped haphazardly against a bucket in the back, but that wasn’t what demanded Sable’s attention.   

“What are-” she sputtered, “How long- what the Hell?”

In the sudden light, big blue eyes blinked owlishly up at her.  Squinted.  Then widened. 

“It’s you!”  Naminé gasped.

Sable just gaped down at her a moment, then reached out to the tiny Nobody.  A slender hand attached to a worryingly thin wrist tentatively settled in hers before Sable tugged her up.  (Good grief, the girl was bird-light.)  Once Naminé was out of the closet, Sable closed the door again.

“You alright?” Sable asked, keeping her tone gentle. “What happened?”

“They didn’t need me anymore…” The younger girl looked away.  “But Riku refused to eliminate me, so DiZ locked me in there.”

“And he just left you?” Sable felt her lips curl in a snarl. 

Oh, if she got her hands on that manipulative old coot- First he’d gaslighted a couple of teenagers into basically committing murder/suicide, now he’d left Naminé to starve to death-!  How he ever got the title of ‘Wise’ was beyond her understanding because he’d clearly demonstrated himself to be anything but!

“It doesn’t…doesn’t really matter.” The little blonde hugged herself, still not looking back at Sable. “I’m just a Nobody.  A mistake.  I shouldn’t exist anyway…”

Righteous fury could take a rein check (she’ll get a chance to punch Ansem in the face eventually) because right then there was a traumatized little girl in dire need of a hug.  She tried to ignore the startled gasp as she caught the little Nobody and pulled her close, enveloping her in as warm of a hug as she could physically manage.

“You’re alive.” Sable murmured into blonde hair. “And that’s wonderful.  Life is precious, and no one has the right to say you don’t deserve it.”

“But…Nobodies shouldn’t…”

“If you weren’t meant to exist, Naminé,” Sable smoothly cut off the protest, “then you wouldn’t be here.  Since you are, then clearly you have as much right to live as I, or Kairi, or the people in Twilight Town.  It’s as simple as that.”

There was a poorly smothered sniffle.

Pulling back enough to catch Naminé’s chin and tip her head back so watery blue met gentle violet, Sable continued. “Don’t take the lies of a bitter old man to heart, kiddo.  He denies the truth to try and soothe his own guilty conscience.  Any ‘facts’ he tried to force down your throat are about as solid as cotton candy left out in the rain.”

That got a shy giggle.  Then a hiccup as the built-up tears fell down pale cheeks.

“C’mon.” Keeping a firm grip on the Nobody’s hand, Sable pulled away. “I’ll let you borrow some of my clothes, they’re a bit big but they’ll be better than that.” A vague gesture at the white slip that was Naminé’s trademark attire.

That got a confused blink as Naminé followed without resistance.  She glanced down at her dress. “What’s wrong with this?”

“Kiddo, I’m getting freezing chills just looking at you.” Sable answered lightly as they left the computer room and entered the much better lit library. “That’s a thin little nightgown.  For sleeping in.  Not appropriate attire for a young lady to be walking around in public.”

(It was also sending Sable’s mind down the very dark train of thought involving virgin sacrifices and way too much blood and gore.  Not that she’d mention as much to Naminé.  No way, no how.  Poor girl was traumatized enough.)

“But…no one’s ever said anything before?”  She sounded so honestly bewildered that it was almost painful.

“And was anyone interested in your actual wellbeing?” Sable countered, keeping a firm grip on her hand. “Or only interested in using you?  They probably only gave you the bare minimum to still be useful.” 

Naminé stayed silent until they reached the foyer before asking in a very quiet voice: “Could we…get my sketchbook?  Before we go?”

Already a step down the stairs, Sable paused.  Backed up.   Led Naminé back around the landing to the door leading to the white room.  There she finally let Naminé go so the little blonde could collect her supplies unencumbered, staying by the door and watching as the other girl paused just inside the room.  Hesitated.  Then moved to the large dresser at the other end that Sable hadn’t bothered investigating.

“Did you…find my picture?” Naminé asked softly as she rummaged around inside, eventually pulling out another sketchbook and a packet of pencils and crayons.

Sable didn’t need to ask which picture.

“I did.” She answered, absently patting the munny pouch where she’d put it. “Will confess, it about gave me a heart attack.  Did that actually happen?”

Naminé looked at her and nodded, walking back across the room. “I…I saw the fight from the window.” She gestured to the ghostly white drapes.  “And…saw him watching you.”

“Oh, so I’m not the only one to nearly have a heart attack, good to know.” Sable quipped lightly, reaching out to accept Naminé’s offered hand.  She smiled as the little Nobody giggled quietly at the joke. “Do you know who it was?”

“No.” Naminé shook her head, letting Sable lead her out. “I…didn’t really get familiar with the ones who weren’t at Castle Oblivion.  All I know was that it wasn’t Axel.”

“Gotcha, makes sense.” 

This time they made it down the stairs without any interruptions or random hallucinations.  As they approached the door, Sable considered the situation.

It hadn’t been Saϊx, she was almost certain of that.  Xaldin probably would have said something.  Demyx would have been hiding behind a tree rather than up one.  Similar reasoning for Xemnas, who Sable did not see as one who would willingly climb a tree.  That left either Xigbar or Luxord.

(Ah well, it wasn’t like it mattered.)

Keeping a firm grip on Naminé’s hand, Sable led her out of the mansion, through the forest, and back into the throng of Twilight Town in full festival flair.  Poor Naminé quickly looked as overwhelmed as Sable had felt earlier by the sheer number of people and the noise that accompanied them.

For both their sakes, Sable kept to the fringes of the crowd and ducked down significantly quieter alleys whenever possible.  Unfortunately, Sable still hadn’t developed a proper mental-map of the area.  Granted, it was a large place and she’d been busy the last few days… 

Eventually they worked their way around the Tram Common to reach Sable’s apartment.  She was so very, very glad that the complex was in the Commons as the idea of trying to get further across the city with the poor Nobody was pure nightmare fuel.

Naminé wasn’t the only one to let out a little sigh of relief once Sable locked the door behind them.  She was the only one to sneeze, though.

“What’s that-” She tried to ask, then sneezed again.

Oops.  Sable had forgotten to turn off the diffuser before she’d left that morning.

“Sorry.” She apologized, darting across the living area to turn it off.  Then she cracked open a window to let fresh air in. “I forget it smells weird to anyone not used to it.”

Looking a little cross-eyed, Naminé blinked at her. “But what is it?”

“Desert Monsoon.” Sable answered, moving to the bedroom in order to hunt through her dresser. “I grew up in the desert and there’s this one bush that smelled like that whenever it rained.  Since we only ever really got rain during the monsoon season, that’s what it was associated with- here we go!”

Closing the dresser drawer again, Sable walked back out.  By that point, Naminé had only just made it as far as the sofa, having cautiously set down her sketchbook on the coffee table as she looked around with shy curiosity.

“Here.”

Looking up, Namine caught the wad of clothes Sable tossed at her.  Blinking, blue eyes flitted from the clothes to Sable and back again.  Clearly at a loss.

“Bathroom’s over there.” Sable gestured. “Try those on.  They should work until you get some more clothes of your own.”

Naminé nearly fumbled the cloth-ball as her face flushed a bright red of alarm. “Why- You don’t have to-” She sputtered, then looked down.  “You shouldn’t waste your munny.  Not on me…”

“My clothes.  My munny.  My choice.” Sable sang out as she approached the sofa. “Really, let me help you.” Violet eyes hardened. “Since none of the other adults in your life could be bothered.”  She waved off any further protests, gently turning and nudging Naminé in the direction of the bathroom. “Go on.  You can leave the slip hanging over the shower rod.”

Once the door clicked shut, Sable wandered over to the kitchenette and fished around for something easy to eat.  Not one of her dinners, Sable figured Naminé could do with something sweet, so PB&J it was! 

She was just finishing up the second sandwich when her little blonde guest emerged from the bathroom.

Naminé was nearly swimming in the white sweatshirt Sable had given her.  Not really a surprise, considering how small she was next to Sable.  Her hands would have vanished if not for the elastic in the cuffs and the shirt hem came down to about her knees.  The sweatpants were almost as bad.  Fortunately, that pair came with a drawstring so that Naminé could at least keep them above her waist without issue.

Sable would have to see about hemming up the pant legs, though…

“There we go.” She smiled, carrying the plates back over to the sofa as the little blonde blushed. “That looks ever so much better.  You’re properly warm, now.”  Sitting down on the cushion, she offered the other plate. “Here, thought you’d like something that wasn’t noodles.”

(No, Sable had not missed the empty noodle cups in the closet or in several of the garbage bins in the mansion.  They just hadn’t really been worth noting.)

Naminé accepted the plate and the two of them sat in silence for a moment.

“So,” Sable began after taking a few bites, “ground rules.”

“What?” Startled blue eyes flicked to her.

“When you’re done with something, please put it back where you found it.  Keeps things tidy.” Sable went on, ignoring the look. “Same thing with dishes: wash ‘em and put ‘em away.  There’s plenty of left overs in the fridge, so help yourself.” She took another bite. “Seriously, there’s way more than I can feasibly eat by myself before it goes bad.”

Pausing, Sable finished off her sandwich.  Set her plate down on the coffee table (away from Naminé’s art supplies) and brushed off her hands.  “You’ve got your pick between the sofa,” a vague gesture to their seat, “and the bed.  Doesn’t matter to me, either way.”

Naminé almost choked on her next bite. “I can’t steal your bed!”

“Sofa’s just as comfy.” Sable shrugged. “I’ll sometimes camp out on it for a few nights just because.” Swinging up off the couch, Sable went hunting for safety pins and found some hidden away in the desk.  “You can invite people over, if you like.  Just try and keep it neat.”

Moving back to kneel in front of the Nobody, Sable began rolling up the excess length of the pant leg. “Stretch your leg out, please.” After a few rolls, the blonde’s sandal-clad feet were visible once again and she was no longer at risk of tripping.  Pinning the folds in place with several safety pins, Sable moved onto the other leg.  “And…I think that’s pretty much it.”

Settling back on her heels, Sable frowned. 

“No, wait,” She pointed at the kitchenette, “there’s a pouch of munny on the fridge if you need it.  And,” she held up a finger to forestall Naminé’s next protest, “before you argue, I have an excess of funds right now.  Might as well use it for your sake.” She smiled up at the blonde, “You’re more than worth it.”

The resulting blush and stammer were very cute. 

(Also, a little heartbreaking.)

“Thank you,” Namine murmured eventually, chin tucked into the sweatshirt and her gaze anywhere except on Sable. “For everything.”

Sable moved back up on the sofa.  Pulled the smaller girl into a warm hug.

“You’re precious.” She told Naminé.  “Forget what that angry old man told you.  You’re alive and you have every right to exist and be treated with the same respect and courtesy as everyone else.” A sad pause.  “I pray that, someday, you’ll believe me.” 

Even half expecting it, Sable still twitched as the little blonde burst into tears, sobbing against her chest.  Hugging Naminé tighter, chin resting on pale gold hair, Sable let her cry it out.  The younger not-actually-a-teenager deserved a good cry.  What she’d remembered of the game hadn’t been pleasant, and Sable now suspected there’d been a whole lot more going on than she’d initially thought.

(Seriously, a broom closet?)

Eventually, the sobs died down and were replaced by the occasional hiccup.  Naminé didn’t try to pull away, though, so Sable just kept hugging her.

“You need to help Sora.” Naminé’s voice was muffled, her face still tucked under Sable’s chin.  “He’ll need someone like you…”

Okay, Sable had not been expecting that.  At all.  Sure, she may have entertained the idea, but…

“Pretty sure he and the others can take care of themselves.” She said, instead.  “Why would they want me along?”

Red-rimmed blue met violet as Naminé pulled back enough to look up at her. “The Organization…” She looked away, “they… They’ll use Roxas to try and hurt Sora.” The Nobody looked up again. “I needed Roxas to finish fixing Sora’s memories…but he had his own memories, too.  I didn’t erase them when Riku brought him in, just…buried them a while.”

“So, Sora might react to things only Roxas would have known about.” Sable mused, following the line of implications. “And Roxas was with the Organization for almost a year…they’d know what buttons to push.”

Naminé nodded almost violently, clenching her fists. “He doesn’t deserve that!  It’s not his fault Roxas had to…” Choking, she looked away again. “He didn’t even know Roxas existed.” Earnest blue eyes turned up to Sable again. “But…you know.  I don’t know how, but…Sora’s going to need that.” As best as she could while still sitting, Naminé bowed. “Please, help Sora.  Help Roxas.  I can’t…I can’t do anything more, now.”

“I can’t leave you alone, either.” Sable pointed out.  “You need support, too…I-”

There was a firm, no-nonsense knock at the door. 

Twitching, Sable spent a moment honestly entertaining the thought of homicide before she sighed and got up to answer it.  She blinked at who was on the other side. 

“Seifer?” 

With Rai and Fuu flanking him, of course.  Sable had to take a moment to just stare at Fuu, who was wearing an ornate hat for some reason.  It had the same blue and white coloring as her little frisbee. 

(Maybe it was a prize from one of the game stalls?)

The other teenager held up a to-go box.  “Brought some more food.” He explained gruffly.

“Uh, thanks.” Sable backed up to let them in and felt the spark of an idea as all three immediately noticed the blonde girl seated on her sofa.  Naminé was doing a very convincing deer-in-headlights impression.  “This is Naminé.” Sable introduced, accepting the food boxes and moving to the kitchenette to try and Tetris them somewhere inside her fridge. “She’ll be staying here for the immediate future.”

“And why’s that?” Seifer asked, eyeing the Nobody skeptically.  Those sharp blue eyes definitely recognized that sweatshirt as one of Sable’s.

Closing the fridge, with some effort, Sable walked back to the living area. “I found her locked up in the Old Mansion.”

“Disgraceful!” Fuu hissed, red eyes narrowed as she visibly bristled.

“That ain’t right, ya know?!” Rai shouted, fists clenched.

“So, be gentle?” Sable went on. “She’s had a rough time.”

Fuu immediately marched over and plopped herself down on the sofa next to Naminé.  Rai did the same thing on her other side.  The poor blonde was looking a little overwhelmed.

Sable caught Seifer’s eye and jerked her chin back towards the door.  Nodding, he followed her out.

“So, how bad is it, really?” He asked as the door clicked shut.

“Horrid.” Sable intoned flatly. “From what I’ve learned, she’s spent most of her life stuck in a really bad situation.  Princess in a tower sealed by poison thorns kind of deal.  Then, after she managed to get out of that, there was an angry old man who hated her just for existing.”

If she hadn’t before, she definitely had Seifer’s undivided attention now.

“He called her a witch and used her to hurt someone she cared for.  Then, when that was done… I found her in a broom closet with a damn padlock on the door!”  Deliberately stopping herself, Sable took a steadying breath before continuing as she held Seifer’s gaze. “Think you could watch out for her?  She could use a knight to guard her while she’s in Twilight Town-”

“Done.”

Sable caught his hand before he could open the apartment door again.  “She might leave.” She warned. “Once she’s recovered a bit, there’s some loose ends she’ll probably want to wrap up.  I don’t know if she’ll give any warning before she does, but that won’t be on you.”

“Hence why you specified ‘while she’s in Twilight Town’,” Seifer realized.  His eyes narrowed. “Why’s she wearing one of your shirts?”

“Because her previous captors had her running around in a thin little white nightgown.” Sable hissed.

Seifer stiffened. “Did they-"

Shaking her head, Sable cut him off. “No, thank God.  That never occurred to them.  But…” She grimaced. “They have her convinced that she doesn’t deserve to live.  She needs friends telling her that isn’t true, and to keep assuring her of that.”

The other teenager considered that a moment, then asked: “Why are you talking like you won’t be here?”

“She asked me to look out for someone else hurt by the same people she was.” Sable splayed her hands. “I don’t know if that would even work out, but if it does… I’ll probably be gone for a while.  It’s a mess.”

“Like the Struggle Tournament?” Seifer asked. “Does it have to do with the man who attacked you?”

Sable nodded. “Saϊx is part of the first group that had Naminé, but there’s several other problem factions in the mix.” She paused. “Be very careful if you see someone in a dark coat like that.  They command the Dusks, those white things that your club couldn’t hurt, and have a similar invulnerability…wait, I told you that last night.”

Seifer nodded, looking like he’d just sucked on a lemon. “Yeah, you mentioned needing someone with a weapon like yours to do anything.” He let out a sharp, hissing breath. “Any ideas what we can do when you’re not here?”

“I don’t even know how…” A memory tugged at her and she frowned thoughtfully, “Actually…talk to Setzer.  He might have an idea?”

Seifer blinked. “Setzer?”

Shrugging, Sable splayed her hands again. “Just a hunch based on something he said.”

Considering that, the tuque-wearing blonde nodded. “I’ll see about doing that.” 

This time when he reached for the door, Sable let him, and they both stepped back inside.  Naminé was now wearing Fuu’s blue-and-white hat and was giggling at something Rai had said.  She seemed much more at ease than she had been previously.

Seifer marched right up to her and knelt at her feet with an air of such severity that Sable was taken aback.  Rai and Fuu both went quiet and very still as their nominal leader addressed Naminé. 

“You don’t have to worry.” He spoke solemnly. “The Disciplinary Committee will guard and support you for however long you’ll have us. Whatever you need, we will provide.  You’ll be safe, here.  I swear it.”

Sable would have expected Naminé to be overwhelmed by the near-formal declaration, except she wasn’t.  Instead, an oddly wistful expression crossed her face before she glanced at Sable, who nodded encouragingly, and offered a shy smile. 

“Thank you.”

Seifer got up off the floor and sat on the edge of the coffee table, a pleased glint visible in his otherwise serious blue eyes.

“You’ll do it, then?” Naminé looked hopefully back at Sable. “You’ll help Sora?”

“I’ll head out and see if I find him.” Sable answered. “He might have already left town, though.”

Naminé shook her head. “No, he’d look around first.  Riku mentioned King Mickey would point him in the right direction, but didn’t say when.”

Sable saw Rai and Seifer both mouth an incredulous ‘king?’ and had to smother a smile.

“And with the festival out…well Sora might be well and truly distracted.” Sable allowed, nodding to the small blonde.  “If it works, I probably won’t be back for a while.” She splayed her hands to gesture at the apartment. “Mi case es su casa, as they say.  Make yourself at home.” A gesture to Seifer, then Rai and Fuu.  “They’ve agreed to keep you company.”

All three nodded.

“If you need anything, just let us know.” Seifer confirmed.

Rai nodded enthusiastically. “We got your back, ya know!”

Naminé offered a fragile smile, “Thank you, all of you.”

Sable walked over to the sofa and handed Naminé her spare apartment key.  “Here, I’ve got another one.  I wish you well, Naminé, and that we’ll see each other again, soon.”

With that, she turned and left the apartment to brave the busy streets.

              ———

Chapter Text

With the festival still in full swing, Sable knew she hadn’t a chance of finding Sora and his friends amidst all the crowds, so she didn’t even try.  Without a gummi ship, that was the only way they had to leave town, so Station Heights it was. 

That in mind, she headed towards the ridiculous hill of Market Street. 

At least she was familiar enough with that part of town to be able to reliably duck through various alleys to avoid the crowds.  Tempting though it was to shimmy up to the rooftops and travel that way, Sable could feel a warning tremor in her leg that suggested it would not be the best idea.  The run earlier had probably stressed her still-healing wounds more than Elmyra would have approved, so she’d walk the normal way.  Annoying though it was, falling off a wall would be more inconvenient.

Pausing at an intersection of alleys, Sable took a moment to check her orientation before continuing on her way, and promptly tripped over a tiny black-clad figure coming from another direction.  Yelping, Sable hit the cobblestones.

“Golly, I’m sorry!”

That voice didn’t sound like a kid, but they hadn’t been any bigger than Vivi.

“No harm done.” Sable groaned before rolling over and sitting up.  She rubbed at her right elbow, feeling a disgruntled twinge running up the wound. “Should have paid more attention...”

“Here, lemme help ya up.”

Reflex had her gripping the proffered gloved hand before she even took a second look at the speaker.  Half-way up, she froze as the black-coat-in-miniature registered.  Wasn’t that-?

Her right leg chose that moment to buckle under her.  The following hiss was equal parts pain and surprise.

“Whoa!” A second hand steadied her before Sable could topple over entirely. “Are you alright?”  From under the raised cowl, Sable could glimpse concerned dark eyes behind a pointed, mousy muzzle.

“Got attacked the other day.” She admitted, deliberately smothering her surprise. “I’m still healing.”

“Oh, gosh, now I’m really sorry for trippin’ ya.” Those big saucer-ears visibly folded back in dismay.  Then they perked up again. “I got somethin’ that could help, but it takes a bit to set up…” The incognito king glanced around the alley as he helped her up again. “Where ya headin’?”

Sable gestured uphill. “Station Plaza, friend of mine asked a favor and I figured that’s the best place to start.”

“Oh!  That’s a funny coincidence.  I’m headin’ up that way, too!”

So, they started uphill, the mouse king hovering on Sable’s bad side, as if ready to catch her if her leg gave out again.  She could see him sneaking glances up at her, the tip of his nose twitching when he did so. 

Wait a moment, was he smelling her?  Could he smell Naminé?  Or Donald, for that matter?  Sable had physically caught him when the duck had fallen out of his pod.  She wouldn’t be surprised if he’d left a few feathers behind and she hadn’t noticed…

“Say, uh…who’s your friend?” The tiny cloaked figure asked after a bit. “The one you were doing a favor for?”

Now the question was whether Sable made him work for the answer, or if she would be nice and just volunteer the information.  Both had their appeal.

Manners won out, in the end.

“You might know her.” Sable admitted at last. “Her name’s Naminé.”

The cowled king jumped like he’d been hit with a thunder spell. “Naminé?!” He jerked around to stare up at Sable. “You’ve seen her?  She’s alright?”

“Doing alright, after I found her padlocked in a broom closet.”

“What?!”

Sable offered a placating hand. “She’s fine, now.  I took her someplace else to stay and she asked if I’d help Sora.” She shrugged. “Not sure if that’ll work out.  Donald didn’t seem to like me too much when I found them last time, so…” Glancing down, she smiled at the King. “She said you’d be in the area.  Wasn’t actually expecting to meet you, though.”

“Oh, so you did recognize me.  I thought that was kinda funny…” He mulled over that a moment.  “Say, uh…when you say you got attacked…”

“The Organization infiltrated a tournament I was competing in.  It was…close…”

He jerked again and Sable saw his tail go ramrod straight.  “The Organization attacked you?  But why would they do that?”

“According to Saϊx, it was a recruitment pitch.”

The king twitched at that. “But…the Organization doesn’t recruit people with Hearts.”

“No, they don’t.”

He didn’t say a thing the rest of the way to Station Heights.  Though curious as to what was going through his head, Sable held her peace and let him think.

“Oh, that’s right, I didn’t get your name.” He said at last as the cobblestones under their feet leveled out. “Sorry, I should have asked earlier.”

“It’s fine.” Sable chuckled. “I’m Sable.  And I already know who you are.”

Mickey chuckled at that, then froze, his enormous ears swiveling around sharply.  “Oh no!” There was a blur of black, and Sable was alone.

How did someone with such short legs move so darn fast? 

Also, what had that been about?

Shrugging it off, Sable limped forward to one of the concrete benches in front of the train station proper.  For all she knew, it could be an hour or more before Sora found his way up from the Festival.

“Hey!  Is your name Sable?”

Or he could show up right as Sable sat down.  Why was she even surprised?  She twitched as the younger teenager ran up to her, and she reached up to rub at her eyes.  Why were they stinging?

“I was told you’re the best person to ask, so…” Blinking owlishly, Sable pulled her hand away in time to meet hopeful blue eyes.  “Have you seen my friend, Riku?  Or the King?”

“I haven’t met anyone named Riku.” She answered, rubbing at her eyes again. “But I did meet-”

Her neck prickled.

Sable didn’t stop to think, just dove forward and tackled Sora to the cobblestones as something very sharp whooshed overhead.  Alarmed shouts from Donald and Goofy could be heard as Sable twisted around in a crouch, keeping between Sora and their assailant.

Not an Assassin, like she’d halfway expected.  Instead, a Creeper Nobody was melting out of its sword mode, a large gash cut in the back of the bench Sable had been sitting on.

More whooshes of darkness signaled the arrival of other Nobodies.  Dusks this time, to join the scattering of Creepers.  Behind her, Sable felt Sora leaping back to his feet.  She glanced back in time to watch him drop into a battle crouch before a sudden flash of light in his hands made her jerk away, eyes watering.

(It made sense that the Kingdom Key would glow brightly, being a weapon of light, but wasn’t that a bit much?)

“Don’t worry, Sable.” Goofy’s voice, Sable felt rather than saw the trio move to surround her.  Standing between her and the Nobodies.

“Yeah, we’ll stop them!”  Sora promised, voice determined.

Their reflexive impulse to aid and protect left Sable feeling very warm inside.

“I’ll take care of these small fry!” Donald growled. “Thundaga!”

Due to having glanced back to watch an actual magic spell being cast, Sable was treated to the unique sight of power pooling on the head of Donald’s staff before fizzling out like a dud fuse.  As if to add insult to injury, the lackluster result was topped off by a very sad little bzzzt sound.

Even the surrounding Nobodies paused at that, visibly staring at Donald with interest as the duck glared at his weapon like it had just insulted his girlfriend.

Sora snorted, then laughed outright. “What was that?”

“Grr… Something’s wrong with my magic!”

“Maybe it’s still sleepin?” Goofy suggested from behind his shield. “I don’t feel quite right, either...”

“Guess it’s up to me to do all the work, then.” Sora’s grin was audible. “Like always-”

Gluttony deflected a Dusk’s sudden swipe before it could clip brown hair. 

“Don’t stop moving!” Sable barked, twisting around the smaller teen for a successful Guard-Counterguard lunge against another would-be opportunist.  That Dusk burst and Sable now had the trio’s slack-jawed attention.  “They’ll blindside you!” Gauging that her leg wasn’t up for a slide, she threw herself forward in a roll, coming up behind another Dusk as it and its fellows twitched around in alarm.  A quick combo had that one bursting like Sable’s last victim had.  “They’re easily confused.  Use that!”

“Uh, right!”

Posturing out of the way, the trio went on the offensive.  Mostly.  As Sable ducked and rolled between Creepers and Dusks, launching brutal combos as she saw the opportunity, she glimpsed Goofy hovering near Donald as the magician struggled to get his spells to cooperate.

“Firaga!”

Now a pffft sound escaped the staff.

“Blizzard!”

 This time a sad pssst.

“Oh, come on!”

Sable could tell Donald ran out of patience when he finally just wheeled around to club a stray Creeper with his staff.  That the swing was more effective than any of his prior spells only seemed to incense the duck further and Sable got to watch a full-blown Donald Duck Tantrum™ break out.

(If there were actual words mixed in with the shrieks, Sable legitimately couldn’t tell.  Those poor Nobodies…)

The very distinct sound of ripping fabric resounding above the noise of combat startled Sable as she came up from another roll.  That had not been any of her clothes.  Her clothes were Parkour resistant and such simple tumbles weren’t anywhere near the worst she’d put them through- Hang on, had that been Sora’s jumpsuit?  

Well…dang.  That sucked.

She risked a glance over in time to see the smaller teenager overextend after a swing towards a particularly illusive Dusk and go sprawling across the cobblestones.  Like sharks smelling blood, more Nobodies immediately twisted around and converged on the fallen Keybearer.

“Sora!”  Sable lunged, deflecting a slap from one airborne Dusk and then a three-part-slash from a shapeshifting Creeper before another Dusk slammed its head into her chest.

Wind woofing from her lungs, the darkhaired teenager joined Sora on the cobblestones.

“Thunder!”

The Dusk and aforementioned Creeper burst under the sudden bolt of lightning, but there were still so many wriggling forms in the air above them.  Out of reach.  Gluttony wasn’t long enough--

Another burning chill lanced from her Heart down her right arm, crackling against her palm.  Snarling breathlessly, Sable lashed out with her offhand. 

A diving Dusk spasmed, skewered on purple light, then burst.  On startled reflex, Sable flicked her wrist and the dark whip smacked a flapping Creeper out of the air before skewering another Dusk with an almost cheery snap. 

Mentally dubbing it Alacrity, Sable threw her arm and rolled to her feet with a spin, the dark whip snapping around her and Sora to ward off several other Nobodies.  One Creeper swooped under the crackle of darkness, only to go flying from a frisbee throw of Goofy’s shield.  A thunder from Donald finished it off.

By then, Sora had gotten back to his feet, letting Sable guard his back as Donald and Goofy settled in at their flanks.

Flicking her wrist, Sable sent Alacrity out again and again, less as a shield now and more as a whip-spear to skewer any hapless Nobody caught in its path.  It didn’t matter that her own mobility had dropped, the range and speed of the whip more than made up for it.

Until it didn’t.

A shield-mode Creeper flipped up like coin and slammed into Sable’s injured thigh.  Alacrity vanished in a shower of dark sparks as her leg buckled under her.  Gluttony caught a slap from an overhead Dusk, but missed another’s swipe to her bad arm.  It went numb and limp at her side.

(They were doing that on purpose.  They knew she was injured!)

That Dusk wasn’t fast enough to avoid Gluttony’s thrust as Sable struggled to recover.  She glimpsed the flapping wings of an airborne Creeper.  Twisting around with an off balanced lunge, Sable caught the Creeper half-way into its spear-form and it burst on Gluttony’s wing.  Movement caught in her peripheral, coiling-

The Dusk’s head collided with her chest.  Her vision went to static as cobblestones slammed into her back.

“Sable!”

Black.

              ———

“Healing Light!”

              ———

Sable jerked awake with a gasp, warmth flooding in from her fingers and toes up to her chest like a fire through water starved foliage.  Twisting onto her side she rubbed at her stinging eyes.  Why did that burn? 

“You four gotta board the train and leave town!” Wait, she knew that voice. “The train knows the way.”

The heel of one palm still rubbing at damp eyes, Sable forced herself up and managed to get back to her feet.  Her bad leg didn’t tremble, it didn’t even hurt.  Neither did her other injuries for that matter, beyond an itching burn that was fading even as she noticed it.

Holy…

Had Mickey just healed her?  Was that what a Keyblade Master’s magic could do?

“Your Majesty?!” Donald and Goofy, both sounded exhausted but the hope and concern was clear in their voices.  Blinking through her tears, Sable glimpsed the black-clad figure of Mickey Mouse jerk a gloved-finger to his lips.

“Shush!” The king hissed at them. “I can’t go back yet!  Here, take this.”

Somewhat surprisingly, Sora caught the hand-sewn bag before it could smack him in the face. 

Sable just glimpsed Mickey’s concerned look before the mouse king turned again vanished down an alley without another word.

“Your Majesty!” Both Donald and Goofy cried out, clearly dismayed.

“The King…” Sora murmured, studying the orange munny pouch in his hand. “Was that really him?”

“Yup, I know it was!” Goofy grinned, bobbing in place.

Donald sagged with visible relief. “Now we know he’s okay!”

“Wasn’t the King locked in the Realm of Darkness with Riku?” Sora asked, putting the pouch away. “But if we really just saw him…”

“We did!” Donald affirmed, puffing up with pride.

“Then that means Riku is around here somewhere!”

Donald nodded. “He’s gotta be!”

Sora nodded to himself. “I’m gonna look for Riku.  Then we can go back to our islands together.  Kairi’s waiting for us!” He paused.  Looked questioningly at his friends. “What are you two gonna do?”

The Disney duo exchanged looks then shot Sora equally disapproving expressions.

“Gawrsh, Sora.  Do ya have ta ask?”

Sora choked once before bursting out laughing as he pointed at the pair. “Your face!”

They exchanged another pair of looks.  Paused.  Then burst out laughing as well and, like that, the previous tension evaporated and it was like a weight had lifted from all their shoulders.

“What d’ya say, guys?” Sora asked, hiccupping a bit as the laughter faded. “Let’s stick together for another journey.”

They nodded and all three turned to the station doors.

Goofy paused then and looked back. “What about Sable?” Donald and Sora shot him questioning looks.  “Well, his Majesty said all four of us, and Sable’s the only other person around...”

That’s right, Mickey had said that, hadn’t he?  Sable had almost missed it.  He’d just given her the perfect excuse.  How much of the fight had he actually been watching?

(What had he gone chasing after, to begin with?)

“Guess I’m going with you.” She mused aloud, then hesitated, doubt creeping in.  “That is…if you don’t mind?”

“Sure!” Sora grinned at her, offering a thumbs up as he and Goofy held the station doors open. “You really helped us out there.”

Joining them at the top of the steps, the newly formed quartet entered the station. 

Glancing at the smaller brunette, Sable suddenly remembered something.  “Oh, Sora!  Hang on a moment.”

“What is-” He trailed off as he watched her wriggle out of her sweatshirt, leaving her in just a long-sleeved turtleneck. “What’re you doing?”

“Here.” Sable tossed him the sweatshirt.

He caught it but only blinked at her, clearly at a loss. 

Goofy got it first. “Oh, gawrsh, Sora.  Your pants!”

“Oh!” Face burning, Sora tied the sweater around his waist. “Um…thanks, Sable.”

“I’d offer you a change of clothes,” Sable admitted, “but I don’t think we have time to swing by my apartment.” 

On the one hand, she regretted not offering that when Sora had first woken up.  (It’s not like she hadn’t noticed how he’d outgrown his clothes!)  On the other hand, Sable probably wouldn’t have found Naminé if she had.

(Sora would probably agree that freeing Naminé took precedence.)

“Wait up!”

Sable glanced back in time to see Hayner, Pence, and Olette running up the stairs after them.  Pence actually doubled over on his knees when they came to a stop and even Olette looked a little winded, but Hayner seemed ready for a few more sprints.

“See you found Sable!” The third-runner up for the Struggle tournament grinned, offering a thumbs up.  Then he stopped and did a double take as he really looked at Sable.  “Yikes!  You look like you got into a fight with a meat grinder- ow!”

Olette discretely withdrew her elbow from her friend’s ribs.

Sable snickered.

“Hayner?” Sora asked, blue eyes visibly puzzled.

“Hey, Sora…” Whatever steam had been carrying Hayner onward puttered out at that moment, leaving him struggling with what to say next. “It’s nothing, but…”

Fortunately, Pence was more than able to pick up the slack. “We came to see you off.” He shrugged, waving a hand vaguely. “It just seemed like something we oughta do.”

“Oh, really?” Sora looked just as surprised as Donald and Goofy. “Thanks!”

A train whistle sounded.

“You should hurry and get your tickets!” Olette warned, glancing at the ticket counter.

As Sora turned towards the counter, Sable heard someone calling out her name.  Looking around, she saw Vivi waddling as fast as his little legs would carry him.  Surprised she jogged over to meet him and was surprised when he didn’t stop, instead colliding solidly with her middle, arms seizing her in a hug.

He mumbled something lost to his jacket and Sable’s shirt.

“Vivi?” Sable murmured.

“Seifer said you were leaving!” The little mage didn’t quite wail, but it was a near thing.  It plucked at Sable’s heartstrings like a Santana solo.

“Oh, kiddo.” Kneeling, Sable pulled him into a warm hug. “There’s some things I need to go take care of.  I’ll be back.”

Watery gold yes flicked up to her. “Promise?”

Ack! 

Her poor heart.  This kid!

“Promise, kiddo.” She hugged him again. “I still have a fridge full of food to clear out.”

That got a quiet giggle, as she’d hoped.  Then Vivi pulled back enough to wrap his arms around her neck in another hug- No, wait, that wasn’t a hug.  What was he…?

The little black mage pulled back again.  Looking down, Sable saw a cord now hanging from her neck with a silvery pendant shaped like a Nobody emblem. 

“I found it the other day.” Vivi admitted. “I thought it’d make a good protective talisman.”

“Thanks, Vivi.” Sable breathed, feeling out the edges of the pendant. “I’ll keep it close.”  She pulled him in for one more hug before standing up again, clapping her hands on his narrow shoulders. “And remember to give yourself some credit, alright?  You’re a lot more capable than you think.”

Emboldened, the little black mage nodded, yellow eyes bright.  He waved, then turned and waddled away again.  Sable watched him go, feeling her throat try and lock up. 

It…hurt to leave, right after she had just started connecting with people in the city.  On top of that, she was leaving Naminé alone.  Sure, Seifer had already promised to look after her, but Sable had so much to tell to the young Nobody.  It felt wrong to leave so soon…

“Sable!” Turning, the teenager saw Donald waving impatiently at her from the sliding door of a starry blue train. “It’s time to go!”

With one last glance after Vivi, Sable turned and ran to the train.  As she stepped through the threshold and the door slid shut behind her a sudden thought struck her.  Wasn’t this Roxas’ mysterious ‘Ghost Train’?  She couldn’t remember for sure.

Then Sable glanced over at her new companions and came up short. 

“What’s wrong?” She asked, wide-eyed as she watched more tears streaming down the Sora’s face. “Did something happen?”  She stumbled a little as the train jerked into motion, but didn’t pay it any mind, too focused on the Keybearer.

Looking flustered on top of his tears, the younger teenager rubbed at his face and turned away.

“Sora’s sad to be leaving Twilight Town.” Goofy explained, though he was watching his friend with obvious concern.  “But we’ll come back again.”

Sora hiccupped.

“Hey, um…” Sable edged closer to the Keybearer, a little hesitant. “It’s been a day.” She spread her arms as he blinked at her. “I could really use a hug- oof!”

Before she’d even finished speaking, Sora had latched onto her much like Vivi had.  This left her painfully aware that Sora barely came up to her chin.  He was only a smidge taller than Naminé, just a kid.  A kid who’d just been used as an instrument of murder for an angry old man’s toxic vendetta. 

(Not that Sora was actually aware of that.  Sable was going to break Ansem’s damn face!)

Smothering the sudden rise of regicidal impulses, Sable swallowed thickly and instead wrapped her arms around the younger teenager, holding him close.  Eventually, Sora pulled away on his own and finally managed to wipe his eyes dry.

“Thanks.” He mumbled. “I…I don’t know where those keep coming from.”

No, he wouldn’t, would he?  And Sable couldn’t think of a convincing explanation to give him that wouldn’t leave her in a very awkward position. 

“You’re homesick and missing your friend.” She said instead. “And Twilight Town is…a very welcoming place.” Offering a wry smile, she added. “I’d only been there a week or so, and it still hurts to leave even though I know I’ll be back.”

With a wobbly smile of his own, Sora finally settled down on one of the benches.  He looked considerably better even if his eyes were still a little red.

A flash from the windows drew their attention. 

Peering out, Sable blinked at the sea of aurora borealis colors drifting by outside.  Yes, she remembered it from the game, but it was really weird to see in person.  If she pressed her cheek to the glass, she could just make out the phantom tracks the train was traveling across through the void space.

(What was this?  Second star to the right and straight on through Treasure Planet’s Etherium?)

“Oh!” They all looked at Goofy. “Are you alright, Sable?” The captain of the guard peered over at her with clear concern. “It looked like you were hurt even before we got attacked.”

Sable blinked.  He’d noticed that?

“What?” Sora almost launched back up off his seat.

Splaying her hands in a calming gesture, Sable offered another smile. “Yeah,” she admitted, “but your King’s spell patched me up, good as new.  I’m fine, now.”

“Sounds suspicious to me.” Donald grumbled, squinting at her with clear suspicion. “First you were there when we woke up.  Then you used that creepy sword…”

“Oh, yeah.” Calming down again, Sora cocked his head. “How do you have that sword, Sable?  It reminds me of what my friend Riku uses.”

Holding out her hand, Sable beckoned Gluttony out.  The more she did it, the more convinced she was that the trigger genuinely was some kind of spring-loaded ‘mechanism’, mystically speaking.  It was there almost before she’d actually called for it.

“This is Gluttony.” She introduced as Sora looked it over curiously, as did Goofy.  Donald pretended he wasn’t interested but he was definitely keeping an eye on the bat-wing blade. “I…don’t actually know where it came from.  It showed up the first time I was attacked.”

“It’s not exactly like Riku’s.” Sora observed. “It doesn’t have that creepy eye.”

A smile tugged at Sable’s lips. “Technically it has a cat’s eye, but no literal eyeball.  Thankfully.”

Blue eyes squinted at it. “Cat’s eye?”

“I don’t see it.” Donald grumbled, cocking his head.

“It’s what some gemstones are called.” Sable explained, gesturing with her free hand. “See that white light pattern in the middle?  That’s where it gets the name.  And they’re usually the same bright colors you see with house cats.”

“Oh!” Sora tilted his head. “I see it now.  That’s kinda neat.” He glanced at her. “So, no actual cats involved?”

“Nope, just a pretty striped rock that reminded people of them.” Sable let her sword vanish back to wherever it went when not in use.

The sudden, jaw-popping yawn that escaped her took Sable by surprise.  Teetering a little on her seat, she felt a sudden rush of fatigue.  She yawned again.  It was contagious.  Sora and Goofy both yawned which then set Donald off, which had Sable yawning a third time.

She clapped a hand over her eyes to cut off the cycle. “Okay, that’s enough of that.  I’m gonna take a nap.  If you don’t have anything else to ask…?”

“Yeah…actually that sounds like a good idea.” Sora’s yawn could be heard even though Sable pointedly wasn’t watching him. “Maybe I’ll have a nap, too...”

“Lazy bones.” Donald groused without any real heat.

“Heh.  Kairi used to say that, all the time...”

Ignoring them now, Sable fished her music player out of her munny pouch and then grabbed her headphones.  Reclining back on the padded bench, she pushed play.  A moment later, with the playlist sounding in her ears and the rumble of the train’s engine reverberating through her bones, she drifted off.

              ———

“Hey, are we there yet?”

Caught between the end of one song and the start of the next, the words pierced the sleepy fog around Sable’s mind.  It was such a cliché she couldn’t help snickering awake.  Pulling down her headphones, she turned off the player.

“It’s been about two hours since we left the station.” Goofy volunteered.

In the midst of debating whether she should sit up or not, Sable paused.  Well, that had apparently been a pretty good nap.

“That long?!” Sora yelped from the other bench.  Sable could hear him fidgeting in place. “Where’s the train taking us?”

 Thus far, the brunette seemed a bit more…excitable (childish?) than how Sable remembered him being portrayed in the game.  More like an actual kid than just some generic video game protagonist. 

“I don’t know.” Donald sighed. “But it must be someplace important, or the King wouldn’t have sent us.”  There was a rustle, and Sable could imagine the magician wilting in his seat.  “The King…”

“K…I…N…G…” Goofy chuckled quietly to himself. 

Something was scratching from his direction, what was… Was that a pencil on a paper?  Curious, Sable cracked open an eye to glance over.  Was he working on a crossword puzzle?

“Look!” Sora spoke up suddenly. “I see something!” He paused, Sable could see him squinting out the window. “A tower?”

With a long stretch, Sable finally sat up to look.  The void of northern colors was gone, replaced again by the golden hues of Twilight Town’s sky.  Then she blinked, squinting at the sight coming up along the tracks. 

A tower planted on an island was pretty much what she expected, but it was the area around the island that drew her eye.  She couldn’t tell if those vaguely green masses peaking up randomly in the distance were trees or mountains, let alone whether the island sat on a gently rolling ocean…or on a sea of clouds.

Sable had read a fantasy series once where there were mountains so high that the clouds formed a literal sea beneath them.  Was the Mysterious Tower set upon a high mountain on the same world Twilight Town was on? 

(That would fit…)

The train slowed, coming to a stop alongside the little space-island.  There was a hiss of air as the door slid open.  Sora peeked out first, looking around curiously.

“Where are we?”

“This has to be where the King told us to go.” Donald leapt past Sora. “C’mon!”  He tried to run only to trip instead, landing flat on his bill.

Snickering, Sora helped him up. “Did you forget how to run after sleeping so long?”

With an indignant quack, Donald stomped off towards the oddly-shaped tower further on.  If one watched closely, though, one could note that he was taking far more care with his steps.  Goofy ambled along after his friend at a more sedate pace.  

Sable stepped up next to Sora as the younger teen glanced back at her before freezing, sky-blue eyes going wide.

“What’s wrong?” Sable murmured, flexing her fingers.

A nervous laugh answered her. “There goes our ride…”

Blinking, Sable looked back.  The train had indeed vanished, only scattering motes of light marking where it had once been.  Oh dear…

She patted Sora on the shoulder. “We’ll figure something out.”

Nodding, the Keybearer turned away again and froze as a sudden riiip broke the silence.

“Aw, man.” Sora groaned, standing perfectly still. “What was it that time?”

“Not your pants.” Sable promised, violet gaze flitting over the seams of Sora’s too-small jumpsuit. “Ah, there it is.” She pointed to his side, just under the bottom of his jacket. “That one’s not so bad…” Trailing off, she sighed. “I’m sorry, Sora.  I should have grabbed something from my apartment when I stopped there.”

Sora shrugged and continued forward after Donald and Goofy, though he took a bit more care as he moved. “It’s alright, you couldn’t have known.”

“I saw you when you woke up.” Sable corrected gently. “I knew those were too small.” Grimacing, she looked him over again from his hooded vest down to his bright yellow shoes to the borrowed sweatshirt still tied firmly around his waist. “I just didn’t realize how bad it was…”

“Well,” Sora offered a weak grin, folding his hands behind his head in a show of ease, “like you said, right?  We’ll figure something out.”

“Hopefully soon,” Sable grumbled, “I only have so many layers to spare…”

“C’mon, let’s catch up with Goofy and Donald.”  Sora broke into a jog and Sable hurried to keep up. 

To her amusement, it wasn’t a straight shot.  Partly because of the odd evergreen bushes growing in a not-quite maze between where they landed and the tower they were aiming for.  Mostly because Sora was apparently a magpie when it came to shiny things and he veered off anytime he even glimpsed a potential treasure chest.

Literal treasure chests.  Sable wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.  She hadn’t seen any treasure chests in Twilight Town, but then she hadn’t actually looked…

Were there just…random treasure chests floating around for anyone to take?  Why?  Where’d they come from? 

(Sable may never know…)

Sora seemed especially familiar with them, striding right up to tap them with his Kingdom Key (Sable was training herself to stop flinching when it showed up) and goodies came out.  Usually potions, but one of the chests had a funny blue cube she reflexively wanted to call a Tesseract but that Sora identified as an Ether. 

Eventually they got to the base of the tower to find Donald and Goofy talking to a much larger figure who was peaking in through the tower’s twin doors.

Sable took stock: rotund with blue-and-black armor, black skin, small pointy ears swiveling around atop his head.  Yup, she knew who that was.  She could almost hear the bouncy tune of the encounter music start playing in the back of her mind.

“You outta find somethin’ nicer ta do.” Goofy was rebuking the figure, brows creased in clear disapproval.

“Oh yeah?” The figure spun around imperiously.  “Say’s who?  Wha-” Recognition flared in beady eyes as he reared back. “-aaah!  It’s you!”

“Pete?” Now it was Donald and Goofy’s turn to be taken aback. 

A fat finger was jabbed in their direction. “What are you two nimrods doin’ here?!”

“What are you doing here?” Donald shot back, brandishing his staff.

Sora was glancing between the three Disney locals, clearly lost. “You know him?”

“We sure do.” Goofy glanced back at Sora and Sable, concern clear in his eyes. “Pete’s been causin’ trouble for ages!” He looked back up at the fuming bulldog-cat. “His Majesty banished him to another dimension a long time ago.” The guard captain trailed off, looking thoughtful. “I wonder how he escaped…”

That seemed to snap Pete out of his fuming and he cackled at them.

“You wanna know, eh?” That bulldog-face contorted into a clearly smug look. “Well, Maleficent busted me out, that’s how!  And now your world-” He stopped abruptly and grinned, spreading his arms as wide as they would go. “-no, no no, no, all worlds are gonna belong to yours truly.” Here he paused, then added. “Cause Maleficent’s gonna help me conquer ‘em!”

“Maleficent…huh.”

Sable shot Sora a sideways look, deeply suspicious by that faux-coy hum.  This wasn’t helped when Donald and Goofy, after exchanging glances, started giggling behind upraised hands.

“What are you laughing at?” Pete waved a fist at them, glaring venomously at the trio. “Why, Maleficent’s power is so great-”

“She’s toast.” Sora snickered.

Pete jerked back again as if slapped, beady eyes going very wide.

“Sorry, but Maleficent can’t help ya now.” Goofy added with an almost sing-song note to his voice as Donald cackled beside him.

“Whaddaya mean?” The villain demanded, then light clearly dawned as he jabbed an accusatory finger at them. “You!” He growled. “So, you’re the ones that did it!”

“Well…” Hands tucked innocently behind brown spikes, Sora offered a winsome grin. “We mighta had something to do with it.”

Sable just—just—managed to refrain from facepalming.

The Disney villain was visibly shaking with fury. “Heartless Squad!” Pete bellowed, fists clenched tightly at his sides. “Round up!”

Shadow Heartless sprouted from the ground around them. 

Donald yelped and stumbled back away from one that nearly smacked up into his bill.  Calling Gluttony, Sable twitched as the Kingdom Key appeared in Sora’s hand, but was able to brutally suppress the reflexive tears. 

(Progress was being made!)

“Actually, this’ll be kinda fun!” Sora grinned, brandishing his Keyblade.

“Gawrsh, Sora.  I sure wouldn’t!” Goofy cautioned, glancing worriedly between Sora and Donald.

“This won’t even take a second!” Sora lunged at the nearest Shadow, squashing it with a downward swing.  Next to him, Donald threw out his staff.

“Fire!”

A little fireball shot out and sent another Shadow tumbling head over heels.  Cackling, Donald dove after it with a baseball swing.

Sable and Goofy exchanged glances, nodded, then split up to support Sora and Donald respectively.  Now Sable got her first experience with fighting Heartless.

They were an interesting study in contrast to their Dusk counterparts.  Shadows were hunched to barely hip-high while the Dusks stood erect and towered at least a head over most people.  Both were incapable of sitting still but the little Heartless definitely had a more manic twitch to them compared to the Nobody’s absent swaying.

Also, Shadows were considerably weaker, Sable didn’t even need a full combo to disperse one.  In fact, she was delighted to find she could nail up to three at once with her wider swings if she timed it right.

(Sable also thought she saw whisps from the defeated Shadows flow into Gluttony’s hungry blade, but she wasn’t entirely sure.) 

Really, the only annoying part of fighting the Shadows was on the occasion they decided to go from 3D to 2D, but then Sable could just focus on another accessible Heartless because they were not smart.  Where the Dusks would actively coordinate together to get around a target’s guard, Heartless just attacked on reflex and only worked together by coincidence.  No tactics or strategy to be had.

This was actually very helpful when Sable jumped back and tripped over a sprawling Sora, who’s coordination had failed him again.  Sable just rolled with it and was back on her feet by the time a few Shadows belatedly lunged at her.

“You okay, Sora?” She called down, shielding him until he was back on his feet.

“That is really getting old!” The younger teenager groused as he rolled his shoulders, which was when there was another pop and riiip of poor, abused thread and cloth. “Oh, come on!”

Batting away another Shadow, Sable snickered.

“Hey!”  Sora actually sounded a little offended.

“Sorry, sorry,” Sable waved at him with her offhand, flexed her wrist to send Alacrity successfully spearing through a chain of Shadows. “But at this point, it’s laugh or cry and I kinda need to see.”

That got a snort, and Sable glimpsed the tug of a little smile on his lips.

The last of the Heartless dispersed a moment later.  There hadn’t been anywhere near as many as the Dusk ambush they’d faced in Station Heights.  Sable was almost disappointed, with her injuries no longer sapping her energy she was raring to push on and see what her actual limits were.  The little scuffle didn’t even take the edge off.

“Just you wait!”

When had Pete left the doorway?  Sable couldn’t actually recall seeing him after the Heartless showed up.  Turning, she got to watch the grown bulldog-cat throw a childish tantrum, complete with much feet stamping. 

“Nobody, and I do mean nobody, messes with the Mighty Pete!”

Pfft. 

Sable bit her lip to keep from smiling. 

To her side, Sora rolled his eyes as he straightened up again, Kingdom Key vanishing from his hand. “So, mighty Pete-” Blue eyes flicked up to the looming building. “-who lives in this tower anyway?”

The question took Pete aback and he blinked at them. “Ya don’t know, eh?” He straightened up, thoughts of fighting forgotten. “Well, it’s old Yen Sid.” Ears flicking atop his head, he smirked. “Course, he’s probably a Heartless by now!”

“Master Yen Sid lives here?”

Sable blinked and Donald was just gone, the bang of the heavy wooden doors sounding in his wake.  Pete, she noticed, looked a little offended.

“Yen Sid is the King’s teacher.” Goofy explained for Sora’s benefit.

“Wow.” Now Sora looked interested, ignoring Pete and staring after Donald. “Sounds powerful!”

And then they were following their friend up the stairs and into the tower proper, leaving Sable and Pete behind.  The villain actually staring slack-jawed after them.

“Hey.” Sable called over before Pete could work himself up into another tantrum. “Mind if we postpone this for now?  We have a few, uh, issues to take care of before we can give you a proper brawl.”

An ear twitched as Pete squinted at her, then glanced up at the open doors. “So, I really did hear the brat’s clothes rip?” He asked.

“It’s an ongoing problem.”

“Thought they looked a bit small on ‘im…” Now Pete eyed Sable. “Not that hard ta find kid’s clothes, though.”

“He keeps getting ambushed.” Sable admitted. “We were hustled onto the train before we could get him new clothes.” This time Sable glanced up at the tower. “Think Yen Sid might have something that’d fit?”

That got a snort. “He’s a powerful sorcerer, if he doesn’t have somethin’ he can just magic it up.” He waved a hand at her dismissively as he turned away.  A Dark Corridor swirled into existence next to him. “I’ll let you off easy, this time.” One foot in the corridor, he twisted around to jab a finger at Sable. “And don’t you forget it!  Next time we meet I’ll show you what’s for!  Wardrobe malfunction or no wardrobe malfunction!”

“I’ll hold you to it.” Sable smiled mildly as the villain disappeared. 

Then she turned and took off after the others. 

The bottom floor was empty, but a number of empty treasure chests showed that Sora had definitely been by.  A tad annoyed at being left behind so quickly, Sable started up the staircase.  She paused a quarter turn up to just stare at the bright tear in the air before her.

Sable shivered, skin prickling under her clothes.  Standing near the portal actually stung.  Leaning slightly, she peered around it to the stairs continuing up behind it.  Not a sound could be heard, not stomping footsteps, no grumbled complaints. 

The others had gone through the portal, not around it.

Sighing, Sable braced herself and dove in and yelped at the sting as she almost toppled over from vertigo making the ground sway under her feet- Wait.  No.  It was literally swaying underfoot.  Not much, kind of like a large artificial dock on a lake, only just noticeable if one paid attention.

Regaining her balance, Sable peered over the edge and blanched at the rolling yellow-green energy filling the bottom of the tower.  Of the door or empty treasure chests she had just passed, there was no sign.  She was on a floating piece of a staircase, one that led up in a partial turn around the confines of the tower before coming to an abrupt stop at a heavy wooden door painted blue, just like the staircase. 

Peering higher allowed more partial staircases to be seen.  Each sprouted from its own distinct glow before winding up to what was probably their own matching doorway.

Shaking her head, Sable jogged to the door.  She’d delayed enough.

Though heavy, the door swung open easily into a not-quite-empty room decorated with glowing stars on the walls and domed ceiling.  It could easily be remodeled into some kind of nursery.

Her neck prickled and Sable’s hand lashed out.  The lunging Shadow twitched, skewered by Alacrity, before vanishing.  Then lightning struck another creeping Heartless and Goofy’s shield whizzed past Sable’s ear and she was a little too busy to think.

The fight didn’t last long, between the four of them, and eventually the hexagonal shapes flickering in front of the next door faded away.  Sora had also made it through the fight without another seam popping. 

(It looked like he was sticking to simple, basic movements to avoid stressing his poor, dying jumpsuit.)

They shared a glance and continued on.  Sable paused as Goofy reached for a door.  It had a legit arrow light flickering in the center, pointed up.  On a hunch, she glanced back at the first door they’d came through.  It also had a pulsing arrow, that one pointed down.

(Okay.  Fine.  She wasn’t going to ask.)

The next staircase was green.  They were met with more Shadows, easily dispersed, then they reached an orange-painted door and Sable saw her first Emblem Heartless.  The Soldier clacked and danced between the shorter Shadows as they scurried underfoot.  They were still shorter than even Sora.  Technically.  If one didn’t count the weird antenna thing atop its helmet.

They had a very impressive diving spin attack, dropping down on their target with a nasty heel smash.  They also liked charging at Sable, she’d almost gotten pincered when a couple more popped in after the Shadows went down.  As in they ignored the others, even if they were standing right next to them, to home in on the taller brunette.

Made it easier to cut them down, but it was definitely weird.

As the last Solder dispersed, Donald stamped a webbed foot. “Heartless, Heartless, and more Heartless!” Radiating indignation, he planted his hands on his hips. “Things haven’t changed one bit!” He stomped the ground again for emphasis.

“Well,” Goofy remarked practically, “it’s a good thing we’re on the job then.”

Sora’s shoulders drooped, disheartened. “So…the worlds aren’t at peace after all?” 

Reaching out, Sable patted his arm sympathetically as Donald and Goofy exchanged looks.

“Master Yen Sid oughta be able to tell us what’s goin’ on.” Goofy offered.

Sora and Donald nodded, with Sora stepping forward. “Well, let’s get to the top of this tower first!” 

He took off running, all but slamming through the wooden door ahead.  The next staircase was orange and didn’t curve like the others had.  It stretched straight ahead to another large door, this one with a visibly gold aura emanating from it. 

About halfway across they were ambushed by more Heartless.

Sable yelped as a pair of Soldiers popped, literally out of nowhere, to ram into her at full speed.  Rolling with the impact, she grunted as her back bounced painfully off the sharp stairs.  Arms snapping out, she pushed off with her hands as her legs swung over her head and her feet slammed down--

--on open air. 

Oops.

“Sable!”

Violet eyes blinked bemusedly up at the bottom of the staircase as she fell.  Weren’t there supposed to be invisible guard barriers blocking the open edges in lieu of proper guard railings?

Ah well, it didn’t matter.

Alacrity shot out of her palm like a harpoon, stretching up to latch onto the orange staircase.  Gripping the dark energy with both hands, Sable felt it stretch taut, then- Yoink! 

Like an elastic cord it snapped up, swinging her under and up the other side of the stairs.  Her momentum let her loop up and clear around so that her feet came down very solidly on the back of one of the guilty Soldiers, which had been peering down over the edge where she’d fallen. 

With no small amount of pleasure, she kicked off with all her strength, this time landing solidly on the stairs while the Heartless vanished over the edge with a clatter of metal.

Gluttony crackled into existence as she cut through several Shadows.  In moments, the remaining Heartless were gone.

“Are you alright?” Sora asked, the whites of his eyes clearly visible.  He looked half-a-second from just latching onto her.

“I’m fine.” Sable promised. “I’m no stranger to sudden falls.” She glanced at the edge and grinned. “That was kinda fun.”  With the immediate danger gone, she could giggle internally at the fact that she’d just done a Spiderman Swing!

(Could she conjure Alacrity from both hands?  Could she legitimately go webswinging?  That would be epic!  She’d have to remember to try that out.  Later.  In more conducive environments.)

“That was really cool.” Sora agreed, relaxing again as he grinned at her. “Then you just booted that Heartless right off!”

“Served it right.” Donald groused.

Goofy hummed, glancing over at the edge.  “Hope it didn’t leave a mess on the lower staircases…”

“Blame Pete?” Sable suggested. 

The trio stared at her a moment.  Exchanged looks.  Broke down into giggles.  Pleased, Sable leaned back on her heels and waited for them to get their composure back together.  Then, sufficiently cheered, Donald and Goofy led the way to the gold-painted door.

“Hey,” Sora whispered, hands tucked behind his head, “think you could teach me that whip thing?”

“I have no idea how I’m doing it to begin with.” Sable whispered back.

“Darn…”

They passed through the threshold a few heartbeats after their Disney companions and found them standing at a stiff attention before a large desk.  Sora visibly flustered when the duo suddenly bowed low, even going so far as to kneel.  Sable was more focused on the wizened eyes studying them from a rather severe, bearded face on the other side of the desk.

“Master Yen Sid,” Donald breathed reverently, “it’s an honor.”

“Hey there.” Sora waved, clearly trying to be polite.

Trying.

Donald and Goofy rounded on him in clear dismay, with Donald actually reaching up to try and grab Sora’s head in an attempt to force him down.

“What?” Sora yelped.

“Sora!” Donald hissed at him as the teenager struggled against his hold. “Show some respect!” 

Yen Sid flinched at that, both hands snapping out in a calming gesture.  “At ease.” He rumbled, looking specifically at his fellow mage. 

As Donald’s hackles settled again, the old man offered a slightly gentler look to Sora as the brunette finally managed to squirm free.  With one robed hand he reached up and flexed his wrist, and light flashed in response and coalesced into a set of chairs on their side of the table.

“So, you are Sora.” The old sorcerer began.   

Straightening up again, safely out of Donald’s reach, Sora grinned at him. “Pleasure to meet you, Master Yen Sid!”

Offering a very faint smile of approval, Yen Sid gestured to the chairs.  “You all must be tired from your long journey.”

They exchanged looks and all sat down.  Sable was amused when Sora pointedly kept her as a buffer between him and Donald.  She honestly couldn’t blame him.  She wouldn’t have appreciated being manhandled like that, either. 

Opposite them, Yen Sid made another gesture and a soft light, almost like a nightlight’s glow, swept over the table.  When it faded, Sable had to blink at the assortment of sweet cakes and other finger foods.  That…she hadn’t expected that.  Not in the least.

Curious, she reached for one of the sweet buns before freezing as she belatedly registered Yen Sid’s gaze on her.

“And you must be the Seeker of Darkness the King messaged me about.” The old sorcerer rumbled. “Sable, was it?”

“Seeker-?!” Donald yelped.

“Gawrsh, wasn’t that Ansem’s title, too?” Goofy asked, peering around to look at Sable.

“I, uh, wouldn’t say ‘Seeker’,” Sable stammered, “More like some Darkness slapped itself into my hand when I was in danger.  Honestly, I have no idea what I’m doing.  Feels like someone else just gave me some tools but no direction…” Swallowing her unease, she ignored Donald’s suspicious looks as she dished up some less sugary confections and picked up a matching utensil.

Yen Sid seemed willing to accept that, his gaze drifting across Sora, Goofy, and Donald next. “Now then, have you seen the King, yet?”

“Yes, we did, Master.” Goofy nodded. “But...”

Donald drooped in his chair. “He ran off before we could talk to him.” He shot a sideways look at Sable. “He just said Sable was to go with us.”

“Yes.” Yen Sid offered a sympathetic nod. “He still has unfinished business to attend to.”

“Unfinished business?” Donald echoed weakly, paying no mind to the random, animated teapot currently pouring hot tea into his cup.

“It would seem that the task of instructing you four falls upon my shoulders.  You have a perilous journey ahead of you, and you must be well prepared.” He nodded to each of them in turn. “Thanks to your good work…the Heartless were stopped from spilling over from the great darkness.”

Suddenly bashful, Sora nibbled at his cake as Goofy elbowed him playfully.  On Sable’s other side, Donald scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

Then Sora frowned, lowering his fork to his plate with a soft tink.

“But…how come there are still Heartless around?” He asked. “I mean, we closed the Door and defeated Ansem, shouldn’t they have all disappeared?”

“Heartless are embodiments of darkness,” Yen Sid answered, “and darkness lingers in every Heart.” His voice lowered further, taking an ominous tone. “The Heartless are fewer than before, but while darkness yet exists, it will be difficult to eliminate them.”

“Then that must mean…if everybody’s Heart was full of light, the Heartless would go away!” Goofy marveled.

Remembering the way light seemed to sting and cause her general discomfort, Sable strongly doubted that.  She wasn’t going to say anything, though. 

(Not yet, at least.)

“As ever, the Heartless roam about in search of Hearts, and you must keep vigilant.”

“We’ve got that covered, Master Yen Sid!” Goofy assured.

“However,” Yen Sid went on, “the worlds are now faced with a new threat.”  Seeing that he had their attention, he continued. “The Nobodies.  Have you heard of them?”

Looks were exchanged and Sable suddenly registered the additional presence of Jiminy Cricket by Sora’s plate.  He was absolutely tiny!  When had he come out?

Then she realized Sora and the others were all staring at her.

“Do you know what he’s talking about?” Sora asked.

But hadn’t she… Violet eyes blinked as Sable actually stopped and considered it.  No, she hadn’t actually referred to the Nobodies by name, had she?  And they’d gotten sidetracked on the train so she hadn’t been able to tell them what they actually were.

Oops.

She pointed her fork at Sora. “Those Dusks back at the station, remember?  They’re to Nobodies what the Shadows are to Heartless.  The shapeshifting shoe-things were another type of Nobody, called Creepers.”

“Oooh.” Sora frowned. “That…doesn’t really help, though.”

Sable winced, that had not been her most thought-out response.

Yen Sid cleared his throat to draw their attention, then snapped his fingers.  Donald yelped as a little light flashed on his plate, revealing a teeny little micro-Shadow.

It was Very Cute.

“If one yields to the darkness in their Heart,” the sorcerer explained, “that Heart leaves the flesh and becomes what you know as a Heartless.”

A tiny little crooked antenna twitched.

“A Heartless has no power of reason.  It will attack people in an attempt to steal their Hearts.”

The micro-Shadow comically mauled one of Donald’s cupcakes, clawing at a large heart-shaped sprinkle decorating the top.  Sable slapped a hand to her mouth to muffle her snickers as Donald squawked in outrage and started dueling the illusion with his fork, the cupcake their ultimate prize.

“Now, I’ll let Sable continue with the explanation.”

Sable was not expecting that.  Sable choked on the sweet cake she’d finally managed to take a bite of.  Sora reached over to helpfully slap her on the back.  Sending him a grateful look after swallowing hard, Sable glared at Yen Sid a moment. 

Sighed. 

Then cleared her throat and began to speak.

“You’ve probably seen how a person’s body vanishes when they lose their Heart.” Sable waited as they all nodded sadly, all having witnessed that at least once. “What you don’t see is that, sometimes, that body reforms someplace else.  Generally, where Light and Darkness is relatively balanced, such as Twilight Town.”

Now she had their undivided attention.

“It takes a strong Will,” She cautioned, “but it is possible for that empty shell to get up on its own and act independently.  Most regress to a more inhumane shape like what we saw at the Station.”

Yen Sid snapped his fingers again and more light flashed, this time off to the side.  When it faded it was to reveal a trio of translucent, life-sized Dusks swaying in place.

“Someone decided to call these lingering shells ‘Nobodies’ and the term stuck but it’s as much a misnomer as ‘Heartless’ is.  Anyway, like Heartless, they come in a myriad of different forms with various abilities.  Unlike the Heartless, Nobodies maintain the ability to think, plan, and work together.”

“They kept tag-teaming us back at the Station.” Sora remembered. “I’d block one and another would slap me from behind.”

“They’re also really strong.” Goofy added. “Much stronger than little Shadows.”

“The stronger the Will of the person they came from, the stronger the Nobody.” Sable nodded, looking between them. “But even the weakest individuals are pretty darn strong and, unfortunately, they’re completely immune to conventional attacks.  You need magic, or a magical weapon, to hurt them.  Otherwise, it’s like trying to smack air.” Her tone went deadpan. “Ask me how I know this.”

“A lot like Heartless then.” Sora nodded, completely missing the bait. “I tried fighting them off with a wooden sword a few times and…it didn’t work out too well.  I’m lucky I could use magic spells by that point, though Beast could tear through them with his bare, uh, claws.”

Sable noticed both Donald and Goofy shift guiltily in their seats.  She chose not to draw attention to it.

“There are Lesser Nobodies, like the Dusks and Creepers we fought.  Then there’s Greater Nobodies, smarter and stronger, and each type has its own particular gimmick that can make them a pain to fight.  You’ll recognize them because they have actual color on their ‘suits’, like pale pink or light blue.” She paused a moment to let them absorb that. “Then you get the Nobodies with Wills so strong they don’t look like Nobodies at all.”

Aged fingers snapped again and the illusionary Dusks were replaced by three tall figures in black coats decorated by silver chains.  The coats, Sable noticed, weren’t actually identical.  There were noticeable differences in the cuts of the shoulders and sleeves. 

The one in the center was solidly built and seemed to have the standard coat design she recognized, with the sleeves loose around the shoulders for easy movement and then flaring out slightly past the elbow and stopping at the base of the thumb. 

The one on the left side had a coat design that clung tightly to their chest and had downward sloping shoulders, kind of like he was wearing a really short riding cape over the coat, with equally tight sleeves that stopped short at the wrist. 

The third one on the opposite side seemed mostly like the first one except the sleeves were plenty loose from shoulder to wrist.

The central figure was obviously Xemnas —the man was solid—but why did that last one bring to mind Luxord and his cards?  Hang on… Were those legit captures of actual Organization members? 

How’d Yen Sid get those?

“They’re…like people?” Sora asked, cocking his head at the illusions and snapping Sable from her musings.

“They are people.” She nodded. “All the rank-n-file Nobodies reflexively obey and support them.  They’re also really strong, each one is a master of a different element and weapon.”

“Like Maleficent and Pete and those other fellas with the Heartless.” Goofy noted.

Nodding again, Sable continued. “About a decade ago a collection of humanoid Nobodies formed an alliance, calling themselves Organization Thirteen.  You can recognize them by the matching coats they all wear.” Sable gestured at the projections. “Granted, other people can have a coat too, like the one your King was wearing, but general rule of thumb is that you should treat anyone dressed like that very carefully.”

Here she hesitated, uncertain whether to continue.  Then Yen Sid caught her eye and nodded encouragingly.  Sable took a bracing breath before speaking again.

“Some of them will kill you if given the chance.” She warned, making sure to catch Sora’s startled eyes. “Remember, they lack Hearts, so they’re also missing that reflexive impulse most people have that keeps them from hurting others.  It doesn’t mean they can’t choose otherwise, but it does mean when the opportunity comes up what’s going through their heads is probably less ‘it’s wrong, don’t do it’ and more ‘why not, could be interesting.”

Sora swallowed nervously.

“Is that what happened to you, Sable?” Goofy asked softly. “You said you were hurt in a fight.  Did you fight one of these Organization fellas?”

Grimacing, Sable confirmed the deduction with another nod.

“They’re apparently looking for new recruits and thought I’d be a good fit.” She explained. “One of the members caught me alone and almost murdered one of the local kids to get me to go with him.  He was so much stronger and faster than I was it wasn’t even a joke.  Only a bunch of random factors, poor timing on his part, and a very odd twist of luck let me drive him off before he actually killed me.  And trust me, I’d inconvenienced him enough by that point that he was legitimately considering it, standing orders or not.”

A shiver ran up and down her frame, leaving her feeling chilled and trying to rub warmth back into her arms. 

“So…” Sora began. “We have to fight thirteen people like that?  That’s what the thirteen stands for, right?”  This time it was his turn to shiver. “We could barely fend off the ones at the station…”

“Not thirteen.” Sable corrected. “Not anymore, at least.  Remember how I said they were recruiting?  Almost half their number died last year.  I think there’s…” Trailing off she silently counted off active Organization members, “Six?  Yeah, six left.  Technically seven, but I think one went rogue a day or so ago for…reasons.”

Sora did not seem all that reassured.

“You said they formed an alliance.” Yen Sid spoke up. “Do you know why?”

“They want their Hearts back.” Sable answered easily.  “The Lessers and Greaters follow the Organization because of that wish.” She hesitated again, mentally bracing herself. “The Organization’s under the impression that they’ll be made whole again if they seek out Kingdom Hearts.”

“WHAT?!”

Wincing, Sable gingerly rubbed at her poor ears.

“So, they are but empty vessels whose Hearts have been stolen away.” Yen Sid mused. “A spirit whose existence lingers even as the body fades… No, in fact, Nobodies do not truly exist at all.” He fixed Sora with a solemn look. “They may seem to have feelings, but this is a ruse, they only pretend to have Hearts.  You must not be deceived.”

Sable stared at the man.  That hadn’t been what she’d said at all! 

“Nobodies…” Sora’s voice was so low Sable almost missed it. “They don’t exist.”

Okay, Sable could not just let that slide.

“If they didn’t exist then they wouldn’t be a problem now.” She pointed out, sending a miffed look in Yen Sid’s direction and ignoring Donald’s outraged hiss next to her. “They still have their Souls and their will-to-live, something the Heartless lack.  They’re just like you and I and have every right to live, they’re just…” she trailed off, searching for the right word. “Broken.  Hurt and desperately grasping for anything to stop that hurt.”

For several long moments, Sable and Yen Sid were locked in a battle of wills, neither willing to give ground.  On reflex, Sable smacked away Donald’s hand when he tried to poke her in the ribs, never breaking eye contact with the old sorcerer. 

Finally, Yen Sid declared a nonverbal draw and deliberately looked away to change the topic. 

“The King sensed the danger and has gone forth, traveling from world to world in an effort to discover their intent.” He told them solemnly.  Then he gestured vaguely with one hand. 

The food and silverware vanished, leaving the desk as clear as it had been before they’d arrived.

(A flicker of movement signaled Jiminy vanishing back into Sora’s hood.  Dang, he was fast!)

“So, that’s what the King meant.” Donald mused, lost in memory.  Then he blinked and stood abruptly. “Master Yen Sid!  We’re going to go help the King!  Please don’t try to stop us!”

“I knew you would say that.” Yen Sid said, almost fondly, then he looked at Sora.  The teenager was staring absently at the still-present projections. “And what about you, Sora?”

“I thought…I’d finally get to go home.” Sora murmured and both Donald and Goofy grimaced, expressions turning sad. “I promised Kairi that I’d find Riku and bring him back.  She’s been waiting all this time on the island…” Sighing, he leaned back in his seat, hands folding behind his head. “Sheesh.  Guess I’ll have to keep her waiting a little longer.”

Reaching out, Sable clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, not your fault Riku’s apparently playing hide-n-seek.  If Kairi gets upset, just blame him.”

That got a snicker. “Yeah, you’re right.” He cocked his head thoughtfully. “He and the King were together in the Realm of Darkness when we closed the door, so the King should know where Riku is.” Blue eyes flicked over to his friends. “So, I guess we’d better find the King first!”

“Before you go.” Yen Sid finally dismissed the projections and gestured to a different door than the one they’d come in from. “You will need more suitable traveling clothes.” His eyes creased in good humor as he looked Sora over. “Those look a bit too small for you.”

Blushing, Sora looked down at his poor jumpsuit and the borrowed sweatshirt still tied around his waist.  Then he exchanged looks with Sable and they both snickered.

“Gawrsh, Sora, you sure are growin’ fast.” Goofy remarked.

Donald snickered. “Still short, though.”

“Hey!”

Yen Sid ignored them and looked to the other teenager in the room.  “And yours look like they’re about to fall apart, Sable.”

“True enough.” She allowed. 

He wasn’t wrong, after all.  Hayner had been right to be alarmed when he saw her, what with all the tears and ragged edges they were now sporting.  Sable hadn’t been able to avoid every blow from the Nobodies, or even most of them.  They might not fall apart in the next fight, but they wouldn’t last much longer either…

How in the world had Sora’s clothing survived his last two adventures?  It was only now that he was literally too big for it that it was starting to come apart at the seams.  Before that, she hadn’t noticed any tears or patches.

(It left Sable with the strong impression that she was missing something obvious.)

“I’ve summoned three good fairies to take care of that.” Yen Sid continued. “They may be rather fussy about clothing, but you need only to ask and they’ll create some new garments for the two of you.” Cupping a hand to his mouth, he called out. “Flora!  Fauna!  Merryweather!”

The door he’d gestured to creaked open to reveal several curious faces, each one topped by a pastel hat-and-ribbon set of a different color.  Red, green, and blue respectively.  Their gazes flickered over everyone before settling on Sora and Sable. 

Sora in particular.

“Well, well!  Oh my, my!” The red-clad Flora breathed. “Come here, dears!”

Just like that, the two teenagers found themselves bustled out of Yen Sid’s office and into the side room the fairies had come from.  Sora yelped at the treatment, but Sable took the prodding in stride, fascinated by the rapid-flutter of the tiny translucent wings atop each lady’s back.  Little multi-hued flecks of light shivered off the wings each time the light caught them, leaving a faint trail in their wake.

Their speed wasn’t from running, after all.  Even now the blue-clad Merryweather fluttered just overhead, light and quick as a dragonfly without a single fold of her dress out of place.  Or even an errant gust of wind.  Hm…

“You can’t go around in that!” Flora was telling Sora very firmly.  In fact, she looked outright offended on his behalf. “It’s so tight, you won’t be able to move!”

“Yeah…” Sora rubbed his head sheepishly. “I’ve been noticing that.”

Flora and Merryweather exchanged looks. “Any ideas?” The latter asked.

“I’ll take care of the designing!” Fauna spoke up merrily, nimble wand flitting out. “What about this?”

Sable winced at the sudden flash, heard Sora’s indignant yelp, and forced herself to look despite the lingering sting- she nearly choked at the sight of billowing green skirts.  There was, Sable noted as she smothered startled snickers behind an upraised fist, a tiara peaking innocently out of messy brown spikes.

“Oh no, dear!” Flora scolded, wings fluttering in agitation. “You can’t put the boy in a ball gown!” Despite saying that, the next flash of light only turned the green into a delicate pink and did absolutely nothing about the dress aspect.

“Oh no, not pink!” Merryweather protested, entirely missing the point. “Make it blue!” The next flash also stung, but Sable blocked most of it with a hand, so was able to watch pale pink fabric flutter into a blue identical to the fairy’s own dress.

Flora actually palmed her face as poor Sora squirmed in place.  Then she jabbed her own wand sharply in Sora’s direction once more.

Now getting a handle of blocking out the stinging light, Sable peaked out to find the gown had been traded out for formal samurai attire complete with hakama trousers and the weird sleeveless jacket-vest she thought was called a kataginu.  Both of which were Flora’s preferred shade of light red. 

“Pink would be awful!” Merryweather insisted and another flick turned the light red into blue.

“Then what color do you want?” Flora shot back, looking miffed.

“Umm…could we do something about the design first?” Sora tried, tugging awkwardly at the enormous kimono sleeves. “What even is this?”

“You could probably make it work, Sora.” Sable quipped, still smothering snickers. “Samurai’s a good look for you.”

They both ignored the hiss of “No, this is much better!” as another flash turned the blue to green. 

“Yeah, but how am I supposed to move in this?”  Sora looked imploringly at the bickering fairies as his clothes flicked back to pink, then blue, then green and then back again in quick succession.  His eyes were visibly starting to water at the light. “Aw, c’mon, would you just decide?”

Something in his tone must have reached the trio, because they all calmed down and exchanged a series of glances.  Then they nodded in tandem.

(A soft flutter of feathers in the sudden quiet had Sable glancing up at the skylight overhead.  She didn’t see anything, though, and no one else seemed to have heard it, so she dismissed it with a shrug.) 

“Alright, then… All together now, dears.” Flora took the lead, holding up her wand as Fauna and Merryweather did the same. “No more squabbling!  Here goes-!”

Sable covered her face as all three wands lit up in tandem, the resulting flash considerably brighter than the previous individual ones had been.

“Oh my!”

“Not bad at all!”

“Oh yes, he does look dashing.”

Hazarding a look, Sable lowered her hands as she watched Sora cautiously stretch his arms.  The formal kimono was gone, revealing his official Kingdom Hearts II attire, all black with white and gold trim. 

Sable was privately amused that only Flora’s color was present, in the zip-up shirt just noticeable beneath the open vest and the matching pouches strapped over the baggy, fringe-less chinks.  Sure, they were a darker shade of crimson than the fairy’s favored pastel, but Sable didn’t see any green or blue on the ensemble. 

It all really did look very nice on him.

The door creaked open behind them and, glancing back, she saw Donald and Goofy poke their heads in.  Deeming it safe, they stepped into the room properly as Sora stretched in place and called out his Kingdom Key for a few practice swings.  He grinned brightly as he moved easily from one form to the next.

“Now those aren’t ordinary garments.” Flora told him, looking quite pleased with herself.

Fauna cradled her wand, smiling at the teenager. “They have very special powers.”

Flora flicked her wand with a complicated wrist gesture and a bolt of red-laced light shot out from the end.  It came to a stop mid-air in front of Sora.  “Take the orb, dear.”

“And watch what happens.” Merryweather finished.

Fingertips brushing the red-gold orb, Sora yelped as a magic Shell crackled around him and his new clothes bled light.  Then the light faded to a vibrant red where the black had once been.

Valor Form.

“Wow…” Donald breathed.

Goofy was, Sable observed, suddenly absent from the room. 

Sora and Donald didn’t seem to notice at first, to distracted by the second Keyblade that had appeared in Sora’s offhand.  Starseeker, if Sable remembered correctly, all gradient shades of blue with stars and moons matching the rest of Yen Sid’s general aesthetic. 

(Hadn’t Starseeker been Mickey’s original Keyblade?  Sable thought she had read that somewhere…)

“This journey’s gonna be twice as difficult as your last.” Merryweather warned.

That snapped Sora out of his admiration.  He stared at the fairies in clear dismay, posture drooping. 

Flora spoke up. “Your garments also have other powers, but you’ll have to discover what they are as you continue your journey.”

Admiring both his Keyblades again, Sora nodded. “Okay, I’ll do my best.” He grinned at them. “Thanks a lot!”  Turning away, he came up short, suddenly looking around the room. “Heya…where’d Goofy go?”

Now Donald was looking around, startled.

Sora’s clothes chose that moment to fade back to their default black and Goofy stumbled…out of thin air.  Sable couldn’t actually see what happened.  He just wasn’t there one moment, then was there the next, looking a little disoriented.

“Gawrsh,” he wobbled and Donald hurried to brace him, “that felt all tingly…”

Looking up from his now empty left hand, Sora turned and grinned at Sable. “You’re turn, now.”

“Looks like it.” Sable nodded, stepping towards the fairies.  If anyone accused her of being a little leery, she’d…not deny it so much as play it off. “Um…a few requests?”

“What is it, dear?” Flora asked with an encouraging smile.

Sable listed off her fingers. “No dresses or skirts, and I generally favor more muted tones…uh…” She trailed off. “That’s it?”

The trio fluttered around her thoughtfully.  Sable twitched as the fringes of their dresses brushed against her but made herself hold still.  After a moment they seemed to reach a consensus as they exchanged looks and fluttered away to stand in a line, wands raised.

“And one, and two, and three…”

Red and blue and green and Light flared up.  Violet eyes snapped shut as tears welled up, her skin burning like a particularly severe sunburn.  It was all she could do not to hiss outright.

“Ooh, it’s lovely.” A soft murmur.

From behind her, Sora called out: “You look great, Sable!”

“Very nice.” Goofy agreed.

Slowly blinking back stars, Sable glanced down at herself.  The first thing she noted was that, to her relief, the pendant Vivi had gifted her was still hanging over her chest.  Next was that the color scheme of her new outfit was strictly black-over-white.

There were clear similarities with Sora’s own outfit in the item pouches strapped to either leg and the fingerless gloves now on her hands.  She even had a pair of black chaps over some white not-jeans, though they reached all the way down to her ankles rather than stopping mid-calf.  Over a loose white long-sleeved shirt was a padded vest that stopped midway between the bottom of her ribs and the tops of her hips…actually.

Sable glanced back and corrected herself. 

A padded, tailed vest that came down to her knees in the back.  Very nifty.  On top of that was something else she hadn’t expected.  Reaching up, she let her fingers brush against the startlingly soft fabric of the white scarf looped around her neck, the ends hanging down her back. 

Touched, she bowed to the three fairies. “Thank you.”

“Like Sora’s, your garments have special powers and they will never tear or get dirty.” Flora told her. “But for the rest…”

“We did not give you Drive Forms.” Merryweather told her bluntly. “We weren’t sure how well they’d react with your own powers.”

“Probably wise.” Sable admitted.  The prospect of getting stuck in Anti Form did not appeal.  At all.  That would be…inconvenient. “It’d probably interfere with Sora’s, too, if we tried using them at the same time.”

“That too.” The blue-clad fairy agreed.

“Instead, we increased the defensive abilities of your clothes so you’ll be less prone to injury.” Fauna spoke up. “Poor dear…”

“You must still be careful.” Merryweather warned. “Cutting blows will still cause you harm if you are struck hard enough.”

“There are more powers, still.” Flora continued. “But, like Sora, you’ll have to discover those on your own.”

Sable bowed again. “Thank you all, very much.”

Then she pivoted on her heel to rejoin Sora, Donald, and Goofy.  They exchanged nods and left the room.  Yen Sid probably had last minute instructions to give.

              ———

Chapter Text

“Welcome to our gummi Ship!” Donald announced proudly, arms spread wide.

It was considerably larger than she’d thought it would be, filled with whirring gears and humming pipes leading into large tanks that she could only assume held the actual engines.  From the ceiling hung a number of articulate mechanical hands, each wearing the classic Disney gloves, presumably to help maintain the equipment.

“Wow…” Sable breathed, looking around with wide eyes.

Meandering across the engine room, Sora grinned back at her. “Yeah, that was pretty much my response the first time I came aboard.  Neat, isn’t it?”

Nodding, Sable drifted over to the wall.  Reaching out, she prodded lightly against it.  The substance that made it up felt cool to the touch and gave, ever so slightly, under her fingers.  Kind of like Jell-O.  So, the moniker of ‘gummi’ was actually quite fitting. 

Sticking her hands in her pocket, Sable poked around curiously.  She had no idea what most of the equipment was called or what it did, but it was still impressive.

“Welp.” Sable jumped a little at the high-pitched voice sounding somewhere at ankle level.  “At least you’ve got better manners than Sora did!”

“Hey!  I wasn’t that bad!”

“You tracked in a bunch’a mud and smeared all the windows right after we just got done cleaning!”

Sheepish, Sora scratched the back of his head.  “I did apologize and haven’t done that since.”

“Sable.” Goofy smiled at her. “These here are our navigators and gummi engineers, Chip and his brother Dale.”

Fascinated, Sable knelt down by the two tiny chipmunks wrapped in miniature denim aprons.  One was still staring hard at Sora while the other, with a Rudolph-bright nose, turned to smile up at her.  He jumped lightly up on her knee.

“Howdy, Sable!” Dale greeted with a wave. “How ya doin’?”

“To be honest, you’ve just made my day.” Sable returned honestly, brutally stomping the impulse to reach out and pet the soft-looking brown fur.

In another blur of motion, Dale’s brother—Chip—turned away from Sora and leapt up onto her other knee. 

“Pleasure ta meet’cha!” The black-nosed chipmunk told her. “If you need anything, just give us a holler!”

Then the pair spun around to salute Sora and the others.  “Ready for duty!” Then they sprang off Sable’s knees and went scampering across the floor to the other side of the engine room where, Sable presumed, their workstations were located.

“Happy flying!” The brothers called back as they vanished from sight.

Sora tugged her by the elbow as she straightened up. “C’mon, Sable. The cockpit’s this way.”

Up a ladder right next to a hand written sign taped to the wall displaying ‘COCKPIT’, complete with a big fat arrow pointing up.  Sable waited until the others ascended first, then followed up into the glass-domed cockpit of the gummi ship.

The dark blue sky hung above them while the red and gold hues of early evening painted the surrounding horizons.  Peering down towards the edge of Yen Sid’s private island, Sable still couldn’t tell if it was sitting on a sea of water or of clouds.

It was still beautiful regardless.

“Smile~”

At Dale’s sing-song tone, Sable turned to see a video feed pop up over the main console.

“Yeah!” Chip chimed in. “Don’t let me see the corners of your mouth droop!  This gummi ship runs off happy faces!”  Then the video screen shrank down to a much smaller size and slipped down to a less obtrusive side of the console.

Sable blinked at that.  Once, twice, then a third time. 

What? 

How would that even work…?  Actually.  They were all Disney characters.  It absolutely made sense when considered from that perspective.

With the original heroic trio claiming the three available seats, Sable settled herself by the window behind Goofy, watching the world fly by as Donald pulled the ship away from the Sorcerer’s Loft.  In moments, the world that was home to Twilight Town shrank beneath them as they shot up into the dark sky overhead.

The dark blue didn’t linger long, Sable watched as the ship passed through the vast empty sea as a colorful nebula swirled around them, broken up only by the monstrous meteors that drifted aimlessly through the in-between space.  Like when they’d been on the Ghost Train, the lights reminded her of an aurora borealis, rippling through the space around them like massive curtains in a light breeze.

Entranced, Sable didn’t know how much time had passed before a laugh drew her attention back to the others.

“Donald,” Goofy was chuckling heartily, “this story is funny!  Wanna read it?”

“Can’t you see I’m trying to fly this ship?” Donald snapped without looking back.  Then he yelped as Sora shoved him out of the seat.

“Take a break, Donald!” Sora chirped, squeezing into the now vacated pilot’s seat.

“What?!”  Horrified, Donald leapt back to his feet, eyes wide. “I don’t think that’s such a-”

“Oh, don’t worry!” Grinning, the Keybearer eagerly grasped the control stick with both hands.

“Sora!  The last time I let you fly you crashed the ship!”

Well…that would be a valid cause for concern then, wouldn’t it?  That didn’t stop Sable from snickering behind a politely raised hand, or note Goofy doing the same thing behind his book.

“Which way are we headed?”

Sable smacked into the wall as the ship banked sharply.  As she was blinking back stars, she heard several yelps.

“Stop!  We’re gonna hit that meteor!”

The ship spun in a tight barrel roll.  Centripetal force for the win, Sable actually managed to stay on her feet and not get tossed around the cockpit.  Didn’t help the resulting dizziness, though.  Ugh…

“That’s enough!” Another indignant squawk sounded as Donald manhandled the teenager out of his seat. “Give me back the control stick!”

“Aw…” Sora slunk back to his original seat. “C’mon, I was just getting warmed up!”

“No means NO!”

“Are you even qualified to pilot a ship like this?” Sable quipped as the dizzy spell passed.

Chip and Dale, she noted, seemed to be enjoying the whole thing and…were they eating popcorn?  Was their microwave just that fast or were spats like this between Sora and Donald a regular thing?

(Probably the latter, now that she thought about it.)

A groan from Goofy made her look away from the miniaturized screen.  He was still swaying in his seat, his book forgotten on the floor by his feet.  Reaching out, Sable patted him sympathetically on the shoulder.

“Don’t be such a spoilsport!” Sora was hollering.

“Navigator!” Donald roared above him, looking about ready to pop a vein.

“Killjoy!  Stick in the mud!”

“Shut up!” The magician wheeled on him before jerking back towards the screen. “Navigator!”

“What’s up, captain?” Dale asked innocently from around a piece of popcorn.

“Which way should we be heading?”

A thoughtful hum answered him as Chip tapped at his keyboard.  In the cockpit, another screen popped up with what was apparently supposed to be a map of their location.  It was rather sparse, mostly obscured by the aurora nebula like so many clouds, so only two potential destinations were visible.  One Sable recognized as Twilight Town, while the other…

“Let’s see…this is the only gate that’s open right now.” The furry navigator informed as the image zoomed in. 

“Only one?” Sora leaned forward in his seat, disappointed.

“That’s no good!” Donald agreed, frowning at the screen.

“Wait!” Goofy piped up, pointing at the map. “I think it’s a world we know!”

Perking up, the trio all crowded around the map until Sable couldn’t see it any more.

Sable watched Sora cock his head skeptically. “I dunno…”

“Look, there’s a castle in the middle of it.” Goofy pointed at something on the screen.  Then grunted as Donald clambered over him like a monkey.

 “It’s Hollow Bastion!” The duck quacked.

“That’s where Leon lives!”  Grinning brightly, Sora turned back to Sable. “He’s one of the friends we met on our last adventure!”

“I see.” Sable smiled. “Then why don’t we go visit them?”

              ———

It was quite interesting, watching Donald maneuver the ship to Hollow Bastion with the practiced ease of an experienced pilot.  Unlike what Sable had somewhat expected, they did not park the gummi ship in orbit and teleport down to a convenient save point.  Instead, he activated some kind of stealth setting and flew right down towards a city that had, quite simply, looked to have had better days.

“Here we are!” He announced as the ship powered down.

Sable trailed behind as they slid down the ladder and made for the exit of the ship.

“Now Sable.” Donald was saying as they crossed the engine room. “It’s important that you don’t just jump out of the ship!  You have to look around first and make sure no one’s watching!  We have to protect the World Order!”

“Just make sure to look down, too.” Sora added, elbowing the magician. “Someone forgets to actually land the gummi ship, sometimes.”

“I didn’t forget!  The ground just fell away after I parked!”

“If saying that makes you feel better…”

Ignoring the bickering pair, Goofy looked at Sable. “Donald gave Sora the same warning back when we first met.  Then he and I walked right out, not realizin' there was no ground beneath our feet.”

Sable blinked. “Let me guess, you didn’t fall until you actually looked down?”

“Yup!” The guard grinned sheepishly. “Sora noticed the problem before we did.  He’d’a been fine if I hadn’t, uh, accidentally dragged him out of the ship with us.”

“So, look before I leap, got it.”

Fortunately, Donald had landed professionally and they left the ship without any issue, stepping out onto a granite block road.  Grinning, Sora ran ahead to a gray flagstone wall overlooking the rest of the town.

“It is Hollow Bastion!” He was practically vibrating as they caught up with him.

“Gawrsh, it’s been a while.” Goofy mused as he looked around. “Things look quite different.”

Sable wasn’t sure what specifically Goofy was referring to, but what drew her attention was the large castle looming over the town.  Drawing attention like a sore thumb, it was clearly in the middle of some pretty hefty renovations.  Scaffolding was matched by heavy-duty construction cranes tipped in claws that wouldn’t have been out of place in a claw-machines, if at an obscene scale.  Some of the claws were actually holding several towers suspended in the air.

“I hope Leon and the others are alright.” Donald murmured as he surveyed the area.

Glancing around at the buildings around them, all dwarfed by the towering castle, Sable saw them first. “Looks like we’re in for a fight.”

When they all looked at her, she pointed up at one of the roofs.  They turned to look just in time to see a couple of prancing Soldier Heartless vanish from sight.  As one, the trio exchanged exasperated looks and sighed. 

They turned away from the wall and descended the adjoining stone steps.

“Last time, this place was so infested with Heartless, nobody could live anywhere.” Donald noted, looking around at the various people milling about the square.

“Look!” Goofy pointed. “They even have shops now!” He paused by a stall, studying the merchandise on display. “But they’re sellin’ some pretty scary stuff.” The guard captain hefted up a particularly spiny morning-star mace.

Donald advanced on the booth with a gleam in his eye.

Sable blinked as she saw what he had homed in on.  Watched incredulously as he took off his cloth cap to try on an equally spiny helmet.  It looked like something you’d see in a Super Mario game.  What were those enemies called…Spinys?

“How do I look?” The mage struck a pose, which was unfortunately ruined when the shell-helmet flopped down over his eyes.

“Ridiculous.” Sable answered honestly, rolling her eyes as he puffed up indignantly.

“Over there!”  They all jumped at Sora’s yell. “Heartless!”

Following his gaze, Sable blinked.  She wouldn’t have thought a Heartless could pull off a frozen deer-in-the-headlights response, but that little Shadow certainly proved her wrong…

Sable was moving before she consciously realized Sora had moved, flanking him as he shimmied up and over first one wall, then another wall, finally leaping atop the roof where they saw the Shadows.  He wasn’t a traceur, not by a long shot, but what he lacked in proper form he made up for with sheer enthusiasm. 

From below, Sable heard Donald grouse, “They’re like ninjas!”

The Kingdom Key sent one hapless Shadow flying as Gluttony skewered another.  Then, as one, they both turned to the last- Yowch!

Rearing back, Sable blinked back stars after a sudden burst of light erupted from beneath the Heartless.  Blind, she felt the prickly burn of…whatever that had just been loop around her once before vanishing.

“You okay, Sable?” Sora’s steadying hand caught her elbow.

“I need sunglasses.” Sable grumbled, squinting watery eyes at him. “Or tinted goggles.  I keep getting flashed.”

(And not by anything as cute as a pikachu, darn it.)

“C’mon, lets get back to Donald and Goofy.” Sora hesitated. “You good to get down?”

Rubbing a sleeve across her eyes, Sable checked again.  Still a little fuzzy but she’d manage.

“Should be, just a couple of short jumps.”

They got down to find Donald and Goofy conversing with one of the stall keepers.  Beside her, Sora perked up and grinned.

“So, you’re still running a store, huh?” He called as they approached.

“Sadly, yes.” The green-clad duckling sitting on a stool behind the table looked annoyed by the fact before he grinned at the teenager. “Good to see you, Sora!”

Louie, Sable thought that particular triplet was named.

“Unca Scrooge is here, too!”  Another duckling called from the other side of the market.  That one wore blue, marking him as Dewey.

Donald spun around, wide-eyed. “He is?!”

Sora leaned closer to Goofy to whisper, “Who’s that?”

“Donald’s uncle.  He’s a business typhoon!” Goofy answered. “Before the Heartless showed up, he was travelin’ on the gummi Ship with the king.  He was gonna help set up a traffic system.”

““That’s business tycoon and transit system!” Donald corrected sharply.

“He’s not technically wrong, though.” Sable couldn’t resist saying and got a glare for her efforts, to which she just smiled.

The third triplet waved from another stall, wearing a red shirt. “Unca Scrooge is right over thataway!”

Donald was bolting across the market and up the stone steps on the far side before anyone else could respond.  Sora and Goofy took off after him with matching cries.  Sable ambled along behind at a more sedate pace.  She found them standing next to an oversized freezer with yet another duck, this one wearing a blue suit with a distinguished specs on his bill and top hat on his head.

One Scrooge McDuck.

“I’ve been trying to re-create my favorite old-time ice cream.” The distinguished pekin was saying. “Thought I’d make a pretty penny…”

“Ice cream?!” Sora blurted, his entire frame lighting up at the thought as he shoved past Donald and Goofy.

Scrooge blinked up at him. “Who’s this now?”

“I’m Sora!” Almost belatedly, he pointed back towards Sable. “And that’s Sable!”

“They’re our friends.” Donald explained.

“Ah.  Do you like ice cream, lad?”

“Yeah!” Sora nodded so vigorously that Sable worried for his neck.

“What’s wrong, Sora?” Goofy asked when Sora trailed off with a confused expression.

“Oh,” Sora blinked and shook his head. “It’s nothing.  Um, Mr. Scrooge, could I have one?” The brunette offered a hopeful grin.

A heavy sigh answered him. “Well, you can have this one, but…you see…”

“Really?” The Keybearer snatched a disturbingly pavement-colored ice cream bar from the pekin’s hand. “Thanks, Mr. Scrooge!”

“Oh no, I should warn you-!”

Too late.

Sable winced sympathetically as a full body shudder ran through Sora.  Yanking the bar from his mouth, he held it at arm’s length with a deeply aggrieved and disgusted expression.

Curious, Donald pried it from his fingers, sniffed it, then took a bite for himself.  His response was almost as bad as Sora’s. 

Not to be left out, Goofy took it next.  He winced at the taste.

“Gee, that’s pretty bad…” He said mournfully, looking the bar over.  Then he offered it to Sable, who responded by taking a pointed step back.

“What is that?” Sora sputtered. “It doesn’t taste like ice cream!  It’s bitter!”

Oh, that explained the various hilarious expressions.

“I did try to warn you…” Scrooge sighed again as his whole frame slumped. “I haven’t been able to get it right.”

“What kind of ice cream is it supposed to be?” Donald asked, still shuddering slightly.

“I don’t quite remember, myself.” The older duck admitted.

“A vague memory with a strong emotional impression?” Sable guessed.  At his nod she gave him a sympathetic look. “Yeah, that makes it really hard identify it later.”  Considering it, she cocked her head. “You don’t have a name or anything?”

“Fraid not, lass, or I wouldn’t be havin’ this much trouble.”

“Aww man.” Sora actually stamped his foot before throwing his head back. “I want ice cream!”

Wincing at the yell, Sable gingerly rubbed her poor ear as everyone else stared at the teenager in surprise.  The outburst had been completely left field.

“Well, do ye mind waiting a bit?” Scrooge asked. “I think I can—no, I’m sure I can—re-create that flavor properly!”

“I guess we gotta wait.” Goofy mused.

Donald waved at his uncle. “See you later, Uncle Scrooge.”

Nodding absently, Scrooge turned back to his giant freezer.

As the trio headed down another long set of stone steps, Sora kept squirming.  “I want ice cream!  C’mon!  Ice cream!”

“You really like ice cream that much?” Goofy asked, cocking his head at him.

“Everyone likes ice cream!”

Donald squawked at that. “Ain’t that the truth!”

“See?  It’s sweet and cold and…huh?” Sora trailed off, looking bewildered.

“What?  That’s ice cream, alright.” Donald agreed.

“Hmm… Yeah, sweet and cold and…I dunno.” Sora frowned, then he shook his head. “Oh well.  That’s what makes ice cream great!”

Oh.

And then Sable understood.  While Sora may indeed enjoy ice cream, that hadn’t been Sora acting out at all.  That had been Roxas calling out.  His favorite ice cream was sea-salt which was, coincidentally, the same flavor that Scrooge was trying to recreate.

She hadn’t expected the bleed over to be quite so…blatant, though.  It was a little concerning.

They reached the bottom of the steps, Sable side-eyeing Sora and trying to figure out what, if anything, she should do.  Odds were she’d have to sit back and wait until a more opportune time showed itself-

“Gah!  My eyes!” 

Goofy caught her as Sable toppled back, eyes tearing up again.  Rubbing at her face, she felt the uncomfortable moving-burn sense that was the whatever-it-was zipped around them, several more popping up a short distance away.

“Hey, what’s going on?!” Donald demanded.

“This happened before, when Sable and I went after those Shadows.  You okay, Sable?”

The dark adept grumbled inarticulately, rubbing at her eyes as Goofy leveraged her back upright.

“We’ll get you some sunglasses when we head back to the marketplace!”

“Please.”

“Sora!” The shout came from one of the walls high above.

“Yuffie?”

There was a soft thump as something landed nearby.

“It is you!  Hey, Sora, did you get a little taller?” Sable’s vision cleared enough to see a girl her own age standing next to the younger brunette, visibly comparing their heights.  After a moment she turned to the others.  “Hi Ronald!  Hi Zoofy!”

Donald’s feathers foofed. “That’s Donald and Goofy!”

Behind her, Sable heard Goofy snickering and saw Sora doing the same.

Violet met violet as Yuffie noticed the fourth edition to the group.  “Who’re you?”

“Sable, I’m new.” Sable dipped her head politely as the other teen cocked her head at her curiously.

Flipped her a cheery thumbs up. “Nice to meet you!  I’m Yuffie, the world’s greatest ninja!”  That done, she looked them all over fondly.  “Man, I can’t believe it’s been a whole year…” The urban ninja marveled, grinning at them as she lazily spun her fuuma shuriken by her side.

“What?!”

Sable winced at the three-part shout.

“A year?” Sora echoed, wide-eyed. “We’ve been gone a whole year?”

Ah.  Right.  That hadn’t been brought up, had it?  They’d known they’d been asleep for a while, but no dates or timelines had been given.  Even Yen Sid hadn’t so much as hinted at the time lost.

Oops.

“Yup!” Yuffie answered, oblivious to the actual reason behind the outburst.  “Time sure does fly, doesn’t it?” She looked up at the castle looming overhead. “We’re fixing up the castle, too.”

“Yeah,” Donald followed her gaze, “I almost didn’t recognize it.” 

“We’ve still got a lot of patching up to do.” Yuffie murmured wistfully. “But this is our home.”  Smiling, she looked back at Sora. “And I want to make it peaceful, no matter how long it takes.”

“Is there anything we can do to help?” Sora asked, returning the smile.

“Yeah!  Thanks!” The teenage ninja bobbed her head. “Leon’ll be happy to hear that!”  Her expression darkened as she turned away. “We’ve been having a lot of trouble lately.”

“Hey.” Sora pointed up at the wall the other teenager had originally come from. “It’s a Nobody!”

Indeed, there was.  A Dusk was literally prancing across the gray stone.

“Yeah, that’s one of the problems.” Yuffie sighed.

Sable noted that Sora didn’t go after it like he had the Shadows earlier, looking back at Yuffie while the Dusk kept dancing atop the wall.

“Oh, right!” Sora looked hopeful. “Have you seen Riku or the King?”

(Ah, that explained it.)

“Nope.  You haven’t found them yet?”

Sagging, the Keybearer shook his head. “Nuh-uh.”

“Look!”  Donald pointed back up at the Dusk.

The rest of them looked up in time to see the unfortunate Nobody go flying as a familiar flash of light shot up from under it.  Sable winced sympathetically as it landed a few feet away with a dull splat.

More light flashed around on the group’s level and, because they weren’t popping up right in her face, Sable could actually recognize them from the game.  The Hollow Bastion security system.  How had she not noticed that high-pitched whoop that sounded whenever one shot up?

“Hey, what’s that?” Sora asked, pointing at the lights now bouncing the hapless Dusk around like a rubber ball.

“Claymore.” Was the unhelpful response. “The town’s defense mechanism, we use it to chase off Heartless, ‘cos we’re still a long way from having a peaceful town.”

The Dusk finally burst and Sable winced again.

“Wow…” Sora breathed.

Then Yuffie was jogging away from them. “Our Secret Hideout’s right around the corner.  C’mon!”

“Secret Hideout?!” And there went Sora.

“Some things never change.” Donald sighed, moving to follow.

Frowning, Sable lingered.  Looked around.  Wasn’t there supposed to be an ambush at this point?  One with Samurai Nobodies supporting the Dusks?  She’d kind of wanted to see how Sora responded to one after he’d had such a visceral reaction to the prospect of ice cream.

“C’mon Sable!”  Goofy called back to her.

Blinking, Sable moved to follow. “Coming!”

              ———

The ‘Secret Hideout’ was, of course, located inside Merlin’s house.  Sable could recognize the umbrellas sticking out of the roof from a block away.  Yuffie marched right in without any hesitation.

“Hey, everyone!” She greeted at high volume as the door banged off the wall, visibly startling the occupants. “Sora and his friends are here!”  Skipping in a few steps, Yuffie pivoted back around to face the quartet following her. “Meet the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee!”

“Hey everyone!” Sora waved. “Did you miss us?”

“Looks like we found our ‘bomb’.” Came the gravely tone of a blonde man sitting at a massive, super-computer set up.  Cid the techno-wiz of the committee.

“We missed you.” Came the much gentler voice of a young woman holding a tray of drinks.  Aerith smiled at them in a way that just set anyone on the receiving end at ease.

Sable felt a layer of tension just melt from her own shoulders.  It reminded her of Elmyra, just with less ‘everyone’s-an-idiot’ severity.

(Wait a minute…)

Goggles glinted in the artificial light as Cid pulled his ever-present pick from his mouth as he studied them. “Well, ain’t you in top shape.”

“I knew it.” Murmured the final occupant of the room.

Sora cocked his head at the older man. “Knew what?”

“A while back,” Leon gestured to his fellow committee members, “everyone suddenly remembered you guys, all at the same time.”

The trio all jerked at that.

“You…remembered?  Wait!” Sora swelled up with outrage. “Does that mean you forgot about us?”

“Gee, thanks.” Donald sulked, arms crossed over his chest.

“So, where’ve you guys been all this time?” Yuffie queried curiously, grey eyes bright.

“We were sleepin’.” Goofy answered honestly.

“Where?  In cold storage?”

Though Cid obviously meant it as a joke, Sora, Donald, and Goofy all fidgeted and exchanged awkward glances.  Sable noticed several sets of eyes sharpen at that.

“Somethin’ like that.” She spoke up, drawing attention to her.

“Sable!” Sora yelped, blushing.

“What?  He’s not wrong.” Sable shrugged before gesturing at Sora. “You three lost a year and have no idea how that happened to begin with.  Is it so surprising that people connected to you might have been affected by that?”

Sora held up a finger as if to refute that but paused mid-motion, visibly mulling it over.  Then he drooped, hand falling back to his side.

“I can’t actually argue with that…”

Snickering at his expense, Sable looked up again as movement caught her eye.  Leon was staring at her, partially curious but mostly suspicious by the set of his brow and the slight tension in his stance.

“Who are you?” He demanded.

“Sable.” She didn’t bother volunteering further information.

“She’s the one that found us sleepin’.” Goofy offered.  “And she helped us when them Nobodies ambushed us.”

 “Yeah, she’s great!” Sable felt her face burn at Sora’s grinning declaration. “She’s got a sword and this really cool whip that lets her swing around like Tarzan!  Also, she’s really smart, too.  She’s the one that explained what the Nobodies were and what they’re after.”

Was it possible to spontaneously combust from sheer embarrassment?

“Then it’s very nice to meet you, Sable.” Aerith, having set down the tray of cups at some point, smiled directly at the younger woman.  “This is great.  Everyone’s together again!”

Sora bobbed his head in clear agreement.  Then he paused. “So, um…we’re trying to find Riku and the King.  Have you seen ‘em?” Sky-blue eyes shone hopefully, before he wilted as his question was answered by a series of shaking heads. “Right…”

Stepping over, Sable patted his shoulder. “We’ll find ‘em eventually.  They’re probably going to make us work for it, though.”

That seemed to encourage Sora.

“Right, it’s like they’re playing hide-n-seek with us.” Expression resolute, Sora clenched a fist. “They can’t hide forever!”

“Let us know if there’s anything we can do to help.” Aerith told him.  “Okay?”

“At this point, just keeping a watch out would be helpful.” Sable answered. “Let us know if you see anything, or hear any rumors that could match.”

“We can do that.”

Sora perked up. “Thanks-” He stumbled back as Cid suddenly loomed over him.

“Don’t go thankin’ us just yet.” The technician warned, wagging a finger at him.

“Hollow Bastion’s got a problem.” Leon continued, expression growing even more solemn. “A big problem.”

Sora peeked over Cid’s shoulder. “You mean, like Nobodies?” He asked. “And Heartless?”

“That’s right!” Yuffie chirped.

“Then let’s cut to the chase.” The older brunette approached them “Sora, Donald, Goofy…and Sable.  We were hoping you might give us a hand around here.”

Sora’s response was a cheeky grin as he bumped a fist over his Heart in a salute. “Like we’re gonna say no?”

That actually got a chuckle out of the dour man. “I forgot who I was dealing with.

Donald squinted up at him. “Hey… What do ya mean by that?”

“Just think of it as a sort of…’Leon compliment’.” Aerith suggested from by Leon’s shoulder.

Smirking, Leon walked past them. “Follow me to the Bailey.” He called over his shoulder. “There’s something you need to see.”

Sable was half a step behind him.  She thought she heard a poof somewhere behind her but ignored it.  As she and Leon crossed over the flagstone street, with her walking more-or-less by his side, she noticed Leon shooting her sideways glances.  Curious, clearly, but unless he actually asked, Sable wasn’t going to say anything.

“I take it you’re not another Keyblade Master.” Leon eventually said as they walked. “Sora would have mentioned it if you were.”

Sable shook her head. “Nope, just a teenager with a couple magic weapons lending a hand.”

“How’d you end up caught up with them?”

“Someone I was looking after asked me to help them out.  They knew Sora and worried that he’d need extra backup.  The Organization is not kid-friendly.”

“What organization-?”

The back of Sable’s neck prickled and she ducked as something went flying overhead.  A snap of her wrist had Alacrity skewering the opportunistic Shadow.  It dispersed a moment later.

Movement in the corner of her eye had her pivoting sharply around, Gluttony crackling into her hand as the bat-wing blade deflected the flailing claws of a Soldier Heartless.  Stepping in, she caught it with a forehand swing and it burst at the end of the following combo.

Her neck prickled again, stronger this time.

More Heartless.  Considerably more.  Mostly Soldiers rather than the simpler Shadows and thus a bit hardier.  But between Gluttony, Alacrity, and backup in the form of Leon and his gunblade (which wasn’t actually a gun) and the town security system, all that difference meant was a little more time spent.

Violet eyes glinted and a predatory grin worked its way across Sable’s face as she brandished Gluttony.  This would be fun.

It may as well have been an ambushed ambush for how long the Heartless lasted.  It was almost disappointing, really.  Sable had hoped for a bit more oomph.  The last Shadow spasmed on the end of Alacrity before dispersing

“You,” Leon began, shouldering his weapon, “are almost as much of a Heartless magnet as Sora is with his Keyblade.”

She blinked at him. “Ah, so I wasn’t just imagining it.”

Blue eyes squinted at her. “Not the first time?”

“Had a few of Soldiers flat out ignore Sora to charge me.” Sable admitted. “Thought it was weird at the time, so it’s nice to have someone else confirm it.”

After one last glance around to make sure there weren’t any stray Heartless, the duo continued on their way.

“You’re…a Seeker of Darkness.” Leon stated more than asked a moment later.  Interestingly, he seemed more neutral than suspicious or, worse, hostile.

“You’re the second person to call me that.” Sable responded mildly. “I object to being called a ‘Seeker’.  About a week ago I got attacked and darkness responded in my defense.  I really don’t know why.”

That got a blink. “You’ve only been fighting for a week?”

“Got combat instincts as a package deal with Gluttony.” She waggled her sword. “Which was really creepy when I started responding to movement with a cat’s own ‘Prey:POUNCE!’ reflex.”  Sighing, Sable glanced at the flagstone walls around them. “Before that I was just a traceur, a specialist at running away.  Had never been in a physical fight in my life.”

“Sounds like something, or someone is leading you on.”

“I’ve got proof of such, yeah.” Sable nodded. “Not a clue as for what reason, though.  Figured sticking with Sora was my safest bet on top of helping him out.  Poor kid…”

Leon shot her an incredulous look. “That ‘poor kid’ saved our world and crushed an army of Heartless.”

“That poor kid is also tripping over himself because his body grew while he was in cold storage.  That poor kid also really wants to go home and make sure his friends and family are alright but is instead being sent after more Heartless, and now Nobodies, like a convenient wind-up toy.  And everyone who should be getting him up to speed are actively denying him need-to-know information!”  Sable was growling by the time she finished, voice low and lips curled in a snarl.

The swordsman next to her looked more than a little taken aback by that.  Then he looked thoughtful.

“Put like that…yeah, I have to agree with you.” Leon frowned. “If we find anything, we’ll be sure to let him know.  Cid was saying how the city was part of a much larger grid, years ago, and that his computer is just tapping into the already existing infrastructure.  Maybe we’ll find the central computer as we keep clearing out the castle corridors…”

Now it was Sable’s turn to be taken aback. “Thanks, that’d be much appreciated.” She got a curt nod in return. “So…bet you ten munny that we’ll get ambushed again before even reaching the Bailey.”

“No bet.” Leon snorted, looking almost amused.

With the air mostly cleared between them, they picked up their pace and continued on their way.

For the record: Yes, they were ambushed. 

Constantly. 

From behind bends in the road.  Out of shadowed corners.  Even dropping down from the support beams of overhead bridges once or twice.  Sometimes there’d be a second ambush trying to creep in while they were dealing with the first one.  It made it really hard to remember that Heartless were not actually coordinating together and it was more coincidental than anything else. 

It did highlight something Sable had noticed back in Yen Sid’s tower, though.

“These Heartless definitely have it out for me.” Sable mused as she deflected overhead claws before bodily jerking away from a low sweep. “Why, though?  I don’t have a Heartless-lure that is a Keyblade.”

Being only slightly harassed by the pop-up Heartless, Leon chuckled as he moved to offer support. 

As they fought, Sable considered the situation.  Maybe her dark affinity was playing into it?  She wondered if the Heartless were targeting her because she wanted a fight and her own power was adjusting to oblige.  It was the only thing she could think of that really made sense.  A variation of how Heartless responded to the darkness in people’s hearts, only rather than falling in line with her orders they were offering combat instead. 

Actually, that would still fall under ‘obeying her orders’, wouldn’t it?  Regardless of whether it was deliberate or not.  In any case, Sable got the adrenaline rush she’d been hoping for.  Rather than leaving her worked up, all the fighting actually left her in a fairly calm, if calculating, state of mind. 

By the time they reached their destination, across several streets and up several sets of stairs until they were right up against Hollow Bastion’s wall, Sable was pleasantly warmed up.  All that was left was to wait for Sora and the others.

“The security system seemed a little slow off the block.” She observed, as they ducked into what she thought was probably the gatehouse.  “And maybe a little confused.”

They’d both seen the little ball-of-light that marked an active claymore spiraling in little circles when a Heartless pranced just a pace or so away as they fought.  More than once, even.

Moving up some stone steps to a parapet showing the desolate land outside the town proper, Leon sighed. “They’re a work in progress.  At least they’re not hitting us instead of the Heartless.”

“Wait, seriously?”

“The friend-foe algorithm was a bit…glitchy to start off with.  Homed in on anyone who used magic.  Threw me off a wall a few times, Yuffie got bounced off her bike...and Merlin was basically locked in his house after, uh... Well, Cid fixed it eventually but, yeah…” He looked over at her. “He said he’d be uploading a new patch sometime today, taking the data he’d gained so far to make them more effective.”

“Should I ask Sora to stick around a bit, then?  So, you could stress-test security and work out kinks?” Sable asked.  “I realize the Heartless seem to pop up more when we’re around, but…there were a lot of people down in the market.  You and Yuffie can’t be everywhere at once, and then there’s all your other responsibilities...”

Leon looked thoughtful. “I’ll run it by Cid.  That might be just what we need to get the claymore system up to the level we need it working at.” He gave Sable a curious look. “Will he stick around that long, though?  I remember he was always on the go when we were in Traverse Town.”

Sable shrugged. “It’s not like we have a set schedule to follow.” She frowned. “Besides, he needs more time to re-adapt to fighting again so he doesn’t hurt himself.”

“He really was tripping over himself, then?  Like you mentioned earlier?”

“At least he has clothes that actually fit now, so he doesn’t have to worry about popping more seams when he moves.”

“Wait, what…”

“Hey!” They both turned as Sora, Donald, and Goofy ran up, their steps echoing loudly off the stone walls and ceilings around them. “Sorry we’re late!  Got a little distracted…”

“Sora had to stop and investigate every chest he found.” Donald groused, shooting the teen a grumpy look, which Sora ignored.

“We also had a talk with Merlin.” Goofy added.

“Oh, that’s right!” Sora walked up to Sable and held out a hand. “Here, hold this a moment.”

On reflex, Sable reached out to accept the little blue bobble Sora was holding out.  She froze, wide-eyed as a jolt of something surged through her upon contact, sending shivers up and down her spine and sprouting goosebumps across her arms. 

Then came the cold.  In the form of an icy knot that settled behind her sternum like she’d swallowed too much ice cream at once.

“Sora.” She began carefully, not daring to move. “What was that?”

The Keybearer grinned up at her. “A magic spell!  Merlin gave it to me to help jumpstart my magic again and said you could use it, too.”

So, that must have been a blizzard spell.  Well, that explained the sudden cold…

“Awesome.”  Violet eyes blinked once, then twice as she handed the now colorless bobble back. “No clue how to use it.”

“It’s easy!” Sora flipped her a double thumb’s up. “We’ll show you, and Donald’s a great magic tutor!  He taught me all my spells last time.” As the pekin magician fidgeted awkwardly at the praise, Sora turned to look at Leon. “So, how can I help out?”  

“We’re trying to put Hollow Bastion back together...” Leon shook his head, expression wistful. “Who knows, maybe even something better.” He paused with a grimace. “But we have some…problems…” He took a steadying breath before continuing. “There’s still a lot to do, but I’m sure we can handle everything.  Except…” Grimacing again, he turned towards the stone wall beside him, “for that…”

“What?” Blue eyes followed direction Leon was pointing at.  Squinted. “Is that a fort?” 

Donald, short as he was, had to jump and heave himself up to see over the parapet while Goofy just shielded his eyes and stared off into the distance.  Despite knowing what was coming, Sable looked as well.

Waaaaaay off in the distance was indeed the shape of a fort.  A series of ramshackle towers built close together.  The Villain’s Vale, Sable thought it was called, home base of Maleficent during the first Kingdom Hearts game, though the actual fighting had taken place in Hollow Bastion’s own castle.

Sable sneezed, sinuses suddenly on fire from the sudden familiar burn of antiseptic and bleach.

“Bless you.” Several distracted voices chimed out.

“Thanks.” Was Sable’s equally automatic response, feeling a little baffled as she tried to rub the smell away from her nose.

No such luck, her sinuses were still screaming their protest.  Had a tanker of cleaning products ruptured somewhere upwind?  Was Pete trying to disinfect the entire Villian’s Vale?  Seriously, that was painfully strong.

…except no one was responding to it except her.  And Donald would complain if he smelled it, too.

Was it just her, then? 

Was she about to have a heart attack- no, wait, the sign for that was a burnt toast smell.  Whew.  At least she was safe on that front.  But why was she smelling it at all?

(Why bleach?)

Resolving to ignore it, Sable returned her attention to the far away fort and the desolate expanse between it and Hollow Bastion.  There was a great expanse of ravines and plateaus of blue-gray stone and dirt between the town and the fort, making the shadows cast by the falling dusk seem to move and sway like the waves of the ocean.

Sable squinted. 

No, she wasn’t imagining it, there was actual movement around the fort.  The distance and angle made it hard to pin down, but-

Oh.

She knew what that was.  Had already known what to expect, only…

“Sora.” Sable breathed. “Look at the base, in the ravine around the fort.  See those lights?”

The game hadn’t even begun to do it justice, didn’t come close to the sheer scale of just what they were looking at.  That was way more than a measly thousand!  More like ten thousand and even that was probably being optimistic. How the heck were they supposed to fight numbers like that with (at best) nine combatants on their side?

“Are those all Heartless?!” Sora yelped, flopping against the wall and sliding down as Goofy outright toppled down the short steps behind them. “How can there be so many of them?”

“I don’t know.” Leon stared back out over the fort. “Most likely, there’s something in that fort.”

Sable frowned.  If that really was Maleficent’s old base, did that mean it was the dark fairy that was drawing in all the Heartless?  Wait…Pete had said, word-for-word, that he was gathering an army of Heartless for his patron.  Had he brought in all those Heartless? 

If so, she had to re-evaluate his prospective competence levels.  Stars above…

“I’m getting goosebumps.” Donald shivered as he helped Goofy back up.

“I hate to ask this…” Leon hesitated as he looked them over, gaze lingering on Sora. “But… I want you to help us get rid of them.” He shot Sable an apologetic look. “I realize you need to-”

“Of course!” Sora answered immediately, much to Donald and Goofy’s dismay.

“Sora!  You’re crazy!” Donald squawked. “There are too many of them!”

Goofy floundered in place. “We’re talkin’ millions!”

“We beat Ansem!” Sora returned. “The leader of the Heartless!”

“W-well, yeah, but…”

“Besides…” Light flashed as Sora brandished his Kingdom Key.  “One sweep of this Keyblade and they’ll all be history!”  He struck a pose.

Leon, Sable noted, looked a little overwhelmed.

Sora flopped over the stone parapet, still pointing his Keyblade at the distant swarm. “They’re just a bunch of boiled seaweed!”

Violet eyes blinked.  They…kind of did look something like that, didn’t they?  At least under current lighting.

“Easy to say from back here!” Donald barked, scowling up at the teen with reproach.

“Where do you get that boundless optimism?” A deep voice resonated off the stone around them, sending a shiver up Sable’s spine.

Xemnas.

“You’re doing well.” Came another, softer man’s voice.

Sable went cold as she recognized it.

Saïx. 

“Who’s there?” Light flashed as Sora spun around, Keyblade now in hand.

“It’s a reunion.” Xemnas was speaking again. “We should celebrate.”

Sora led the charge out the other exit of the gatehouse, head snapping around for the source of the voice.  Wincing as the antiseptic smell somehow got stronger, Sable tapped his shoulder and pointed up.

Standing on a ledge well above them stood six figures in almost identical black coats.  Xemnas’ silhouette was distinct and Sable remembered it from Yen Sid’s projection.  She noted the one with the mantled shoulders and the other with the wide sleeves that may have been Luxord.  Sable also spotted the shoulder padding she’d noticed on Saïx’s coat and barely managed to suppress another shiver.

“Organization Thirteen!” Goofy shouted as he also spotted them.

“Perhaps it’s to be expected of the Keyblade’s Chosen One.” The voice of the Nobody’s Superior echoed a bit less now that they were in the open air. 

Leon caught Sable’s eye, shooting her a questioning look.  When she gave a small nod back his expression hardened.

“But many have lost their lives through overconfidence in their abilities.” Xemnas went on, then he held up a gloved hand.

SNAP

Sora cut the Dusk down before it could finish its lunge.

“Our hero grows arrogant.  We will have to teach him a little lesson.”

Gluttony cut through another Dusk as it tried to flank Sora.  Then Sable pivoted around sharply to cut a sweep through several more as Sora charged another group.  More fighting sounded off as Leon, Goofy, and Donald joined in.

“Not bad.”

Sable tentatively identified that raspy murmur as Xaldin, the words being carried down clearly on the wind despite the low volume.  That same wind also brought with it a hint of lavender, only just noticeable above the overbearing chemical burn of the antiseptic. 

(Not that it brought any relief, lavender stunk.)

Twisting after a sweeping finisher, Sable watched literal light flicker under Sora’s heels as he skated around a cluster of Dusks at high speeds.  As they were twitching around in confusion, he cut them down with a well-placed combo while Sable gaped at him.

How had…

Was that how reversal was supposed to work?

Could she do that?  Sora made it look easy so, theoretically, it couldn’t be too hard.  Now that Sable knew that it involved the actual use of their favored element…

Spotting a Dusk not already committed to an attack, Sable advanced on it with intent and felt that familiar cold burn lance down her legs and into her heels.  She lunged-

Stars.

Cackling laughter drifted down from the upper levels, from several sources, as Sable tried to blink her vision clear, crumpled in a heap by the wall.

(Let it be confirmed: granite flagstones were very solid.  And hard.  Ow.)

The Dusk she had been targeting was peering down at her, clearly baffled.

“Don’t you look at me like that.” Sable groused blearily.

It cocked its head at her, then it burst as the Kingdom Key cleaved through it.

“Sable, are you alright?” Sora asked, blue eyes wide.

“That hurt.” She deadpanned, prying herself up as Sora guarded her. 

There was a shattering of glass and the scent of menthol burned her nose, fortunately overriding the antiseptic burn.  Coupled with that, the pain of her sudden headache faded to nonexistence.  A win all around.

“Thanks.”

With a curt nod in response, Sora dove after another cluster of Dusks. 

Sable resummoned Gluttony and did the same.  A few more combos and the Lesser Nobodies were gone and she watched as Sora swung around to glare defiantly at the black-clad men above. 

“Well?” He jeered. “How’s that for ability?”

In response, that gloved hand came up again.

SNAP

Donald squawked in alarm. “There’s more!”

“Sable!” Goofy called over as he smacked away a Dusk. “Are those them Greater Nobodies you mentioned?”

“Yeah, Samurai!  Watch out if they kneel, they’ll catch you in a time stop and-”

There was a reed whistle shriek and then a squawk as Donald went flying.

“-basically that.” Sable finished as Goofy scrambled after the tumbling pekin, potion already in hand. 

Offhand snapping out, Sable sent Alacrity shooting out to skewer a pair of Dusks trying to intercept the guard captain.  Then she spun around to block a Samurai’s blade, then jerk away to avoid it’s second blade.

“C’mon kid, you can do it!” Sable recognized Demyx’s voice.

“Two can play at that game!” Sora barked, sending a glance in Goofy and Donald’s direction.  He waited a heartbeat longer until the potion had been successfully applied, then shouted:

“GIVE ME STRENGTH!”

His arms snapped out, the defensive Shell that appeared deflecting a couple of Dusks and a Samurai’s sweep.  Goofy vanished as Sora’s clothing bled into the red of Valor Form, Starseeker materializing in his offhand.  Sable let out a whistle as he sent two Samurai flying with one quick combo.

“Cheer him on like you mean it.” Yet another voice chuckled out, speaking with a distinct surfer’s lilt. 

Then Sable ducked another Samurai sword, spinning around to find it…kneeling. 

Oh shoot...

Another harsh note of a reed whistle sounded and the world faded black.  Sable couldn’t move, frozen in place.  Bound in place.  She could hear her racing pulse roaring in her ears as she strained against whatever held her.  Strained for the Dual Stance Reaction Command.

The Samurai twitched.

Sparks flew as Gluttony scraped under the two katana as Sable ducked, just barely managing to tear free of the paralysis.  She lunged, landed a harsh two-handed sweep to the Nobody’s torso.

The world faded back into focus as the Samurai slid to stop, one hand coming up to where the blow had been struck.  That visored face tilted slightly to one side as it studied her with an almost curious air.  Then it just…dipped its head and vanished.

What had just-?

Then a spear-mode Creeper tried to skewer her and Sable couldn’t afford to mull over it.  After a quick check of the walls, parapets, and otherwise hard vertical objects, she zeroed in on the nearest Dusk and took off, leaving the Creeper behind.  Again, the cold burn shot down to her heels and, as if she were on wheels, shot around the Nobody in a tight arc that baffled all the Dusks, and Creepers, unfortunate enough have been watching.  Easy prey for Gluttony as Sable pounced with a toothy grin.

Being able to use reversal—a proper reversal—made things so much easier.  Especially once Sable figured out how to chain them.  As she’d once seen in the game from Roxas, she could also use it to skate on air.  At least briefly.

The baffled Nobodies didn’t stand a chance.

There were only a few Dusks left—the Samurais all having vanished at some point—when Sora’s Drive Form ran out.  Goofy stumbled out of thin air like he had back in Yen Sid’s tower.

“That was kinda fun.” He commented, sounding a little dazed.

“The Keyblade…a truly marvelous weapon.” Xemnas’ smooth baritone sounded out again. “Were it only in more…capable hands…”

SNAP

More Dusks and Creepers. 

(Yet no more Samurai, why?)

Sable took a moment to shoot the Organization’s No. 1 the deepest, most unimpressed look she could possibly project before diving back in.  Sora was panting now, she noticed.  His sweat-painted face smeared by dust and grit.  Still, he kept swinging, his combos just as clean and brutal as before, but perhaps a touch slower now.  He was still far from being in top form and was not ready for prolonged fights.

Darn it, they had to wrap this up!

Even as she was thinking that, Leon stepped in to guard her back.  She hadn’t been paying as much attention to the gunblade-user, though she’d definitely heard the roar from both his shock-inducing weapon and his own distinctive special attacks.

“We can’t keep this up.” He murmured to her.

“Noticed.” Sable responded back just as quietly. “Sora’s about done.  The others aren’t much better.”

“I’m going to try and get some back up.”

Sable jerked her head back towards the gatehouse behind them. “Hurry, before he calls in more Nobodies.”

“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Shouldering his gunblade, Leon took off running and vanished around the stone wall as Sable reversaled around another cluster of too-slow Nobodies.  Then, as she was bursting another Dusk, Sable heard Sora’s startled yelp from somewhere behind her.

“Sable, heads-!”

THOK

“Shostakovich!” Reeling from impact, Sable tried blinking back the resulting stars as raucous laughter, worse than after her own mishap with the wall, rang out in stereo from overhead.

What had just-?

A flicker of movement had her stepping back just in time to avoid the Kingdom Key as it clattered to the cobblestones at her feet.

Rubbing her abused skull, Sable stared at it before whipping her head around to glare at a mortified, key-less Keybearer. 

“Darn it, Sora!”

“I’m sorry it got knocked out of my hand!” Said hand stretched out and Sable twitched as the Keyblade flashed away to rematerialize back in the younger teen’s hand.

Reflex had Sable sliding back to avoid an opportunistic Dusk, which she then cut in twain with barely a thought. 

“Does the phrase friendly fire mean anything to you?”

The laughter overhead intensified and someone (probably Demyx) hiccupped.

Sable just refrained from flashing them a rude hand gesture, but only because more Lesser Nobodies were trying to converge and she was a little too busy to spare the effort.

By the time the onslaught ended, Donald and Goofy were visibly tapped out.  Sable thought she heard the magician squawk out a quiet ‘Uncle’ before flopping across the gray flagstones.

“So?!”

In contrast, Sora seemed ready for another round or two, if only due to sheer frustration.

“Who’s next?”

“Sora, don’t.” Sable warned in a low tone, stepping up to guard the younger teen’s flank. “Now’s not the time.” 

While not entirely tapped out, she didn’t fancy their odds against the physically stronger Nobodies…. And of course he didn’t seem to hear her.  Still glaring up at the cluster of six cowled figures, Sora bristled with all the fury of a foofed, back-arched alley cat.

“What a shame.” The centermost figure—Xemnas—lamented with an almost melancholy sigh. “And here I thought we could be friends.”

On cue, the rest of the Nobodies snickered.

Xemnas raised his hand for a fourth time, only to pause as the hooded figure with the cape-cut to his shoulders stepped up next to him.

“Kid.  Who taught you to use a Keyblade?” He began with a laid-back drawl one would expect from a Californian surfer. “I feel sorry for it, bein’ used like that.”

“Huh?” Sora bristled. “Shut up and get down here!  You’re next!”

“Me?  As if.”

Well, if Sable had had any doubts as to who was speaking, they were gone now. 

(Hello, Xigbar.)

“Let me give you a tip.” The Freeshooter went on. “The Keyblade has far more potential than you’re capable of drawing out as you are now.”

That startled Sora out of his bristling. “WHAT?!”

“You-”

Light flashed.

Everyone present recoiled in alarm, momentarily blinded.  As Sable blinked her eyes clear, she thought she heard to muffled thump somewhere below them.

“What’s this?”  Xemnas sounded almost affronted, going by that hiss.  Of course, he still jerked back as another, less blinding, flash went off next to him and narrowly missed the arm he’d just yanked away.  “Impudent little-!” 

More lights.  Moving.  Cowled figures flailed around to avoid them. 

All five of them. 

(Oh dear…)

“Clear out!”

A surge of darkness and they were gone.  Cid’s latest patch on the claymore security system had been ludicrously effective, if it chased them off that easily. 

“Hey, wait!” Spinning around, Sora bolted towards the ramp leading down.

“Sora!” Sable darted after him, passing Donald and Goofy where they were picking themselves back up. “Hang on a-”

Heels skidding hard across flagstone, she almost crashed into the younger teen.  Sora having frozen at the sharp turn of the ramp. 

“What…” She followed his gaze and blinked at the figure sprawled at the bottom of the ramp.

“Didn’t see that one coming.” The black cowled Nobody groaned as he gingerly picked himself up.  The gaze of his cowl tipped up towards the higher ledge. “Hey!  They left without me!” Xigbar sounded just a little bit offended by that. 

In the middle of brushing dirt off his coat, the Freeshooter finally noticed the two teenagers just as Donald and Goofy finally caught up.

“Oh, ‘sup?”

“What’s the big idea?” Sora demanded, brandishing his Keyblade.

The man cackled, the sound echoing off the masonry around them.

“That’s right!” Leather-clad shoulders visibly shaking with mirth, he pointed a gloved finger at Sora. “He used to give me that same exact look!  You’d better get better with that Keyblade.  Or else he’ll have disappeared for nothing.”

“You-” Sora’s offhand knifed through the air. “Move!”

“Now do you think that’s polite?” The tone was mocking as Xigbar gestured to himself. “Shutting me down like that?”

“Then we’ll just have to make you move!” Donald snapped, staff swinging out. “Fire!” 

The spell shot towards the Nobody, only to fizzle out before it could even singe the black leather coat.  As Donald squawked in outrage, Sable could all but feel the emoted amusement emanating from the motionless Freeshooter.

“Oopsie-daisy!” A finger waggled in their direction. “Sure, that would work, if I were just any old dude.  ‘Cept I’m not.” There was a dramatic pause. “I’m with the Organization.  Nothing ‘any old’ about me.” Then the dark cowl focused on Sable. “Haven’t you told him all about it, lil’ marten?”

“Huh?” Sky-blue eyes fell on Sable. “Sable, do you know him?”

“As if!” Sora’s head snapped back around to Xigbar, who continued with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Never met her before in my life.” He paused deliberately. “But she seems to know more than a little about us, though.  Isn’t that right?”

Sable stayed silent, violet eyes narrowed.

“Heh.” The dark cowl tilted to one side. “Boss-man was right about you.”

Brow quirking up, Sable cocked her head in kind. “How so?”

Still talking with his hands as much as his voice, index fingers flicking around like maestro’s batons, the Freeshooter explained.

“See, got a rumor of a new dark adept showing up right out of the blue.  Strong one.  Maybe strong enough to be worth lookin’ into.” A half shrug. “So, our leader sent No. 7 to bring you in for a little chat and boy was that a flop.  The ol’ werewolf came back empty handed, with only a busted jaw for his effort.”

He flashed her a cheery double-thumbs up and she could hear the grin in his voice as he continued.

“Very nice, by the way.  Haven’t seen a bruise that colorful since the last time No. 9 tried body building.” His hands dropped again. “But imagine how much more surprised we were when No. 7 mentioned that you addressed him by name.”

Oops.

Sable couldn’t quite suppress her wince.  In hindsight, that had been a serious tactical error. 

“See, the Organization’s been operating on the Down Low for years.” Xigbar went on with an exaggerated shrug as he took half a step closer.  “So, I’m wondering, just how did you know one of our names?  And what else do you know, that you really, really shouldn’t?”

Barely perceptible, the posture of the Organization’s No. 2’s posture flipped from at-ease to serious.  Like a static charge had suddenly filled the air, it set the hairs of her neck on end.  Oh, that was bad.  So, very, very bad.  Sable was tired from the earlier fight, but even if she was fully refreshed there was no way she could take him on yet.  She’d barely warded off Saϊx!  When the berserker hadn’t even been trying!

With a quick side-step and Sora was standing directly between Sable and the Nobody, Kingdom Key raised up defensively.  To either side, Donald and Goofy also stepped up, wary and tired but ready to defend one of their own.  A sudden warmth flooded Sable’s chest as she blinked at them. 

(No, those weren’t tears trying to form.  They weren’t.)

“Aww, you’re gonna give me the warm and fuzzies.” Xigbar crooned as his posture relaxed again.  “Anyway, it doesn’t actually matter.” He pointed at them. “You just-”

Light flashed, and the Nobody yanked his arm back with a yelp of, “Hey!”  There was a second flash and he cringed away, now gripping a singed shoulder. “What the-?”

By the time a third light flashed the man was ready and he leapt nimbly back out of range.

Sable wasn’t the only one snickering at the cowled Nobody’s misfortune.

“Be a good boy now!” With a friendly, if rushed, wave Xigbar ducked through a hastily raised Dark Corridor.

“Wait!” Donald lunged, but the man was already gone. “Nuts.” The grumble was partially muffled by the flagstones. “He got away.”

“That was weird.” Sky-blue eyes stared at the now vacant spot before Sora turned to blink up at Sable. “Do you know what he was going on about?”

Sable thought it was interesting that all that frustration and anger from moments before was just gone.  As in the moment the Freeshooter had vanished. 

Now that she thought about it, Sora didn’t actually have a legit, personal reason to be so hostile towards the Organization, yet.  He also wasn’t prone to being angry...  Wait.  Hadn’t Ansem the Wise said something about anger?  In the game right before Roxas found Sora’s pod? 

What had he said again?

-“You should share some of that anger with Sora.  He is far too nice for his own good.”-

Oh, shoot. 

Was all that anger from Roxas? 

That made far too much sense.  Especially when taking the earlier response to the prospect of ice cream into account.  Hadn’t Sable herself been concerned about how he’d react to the Samurais?  Seeing the remaining members of Organization Thirteen would have been so much worse…

“Sable?”

Right, Sora was still waiting for a response.  Sable opened her mouth to answer, paused, then glanced at the brick and mason levels around them.

“Ask me later.” She told him in a low tone. “On the gummi ship.”

He blinked at her once.  Also glanced around them.  Then nodded.  “Alright.  We need to get back to Leon and the others anyway.  C’mon!”

They all turned to head back up through the gatehouse as a breeze swept up the ramp behind them.  Sable paused as an out of place earthy herb scent came along with it. 

The hint of lavender earlier could have just been someone’s cologne, but there weren’t any plants to be found in Hollow Bastion!  Also…

Why did that earthy herb scent seem familiar?

Frowning, Sable looked back at where Xigbar had been standing.  Where the breeze had just swept through.  Then she filed it away for later consideration and turned to continue up to the gatehouse.

              ———

 “Man, how long’s it been since we all sat around the table like this?” Laughing, Cid ladled out another portion of stew into Donald’s bowl. “Now eat up and build your strength!”

“Might I ask…what this is?” Merlin asked, using his chopsticks to poke dubiously at the contents of his own bowl.

Not quite across from them, Sable did the same.  Eyeing the probable Deadly Soup of the Day, she identified dumplings of indiscernible type, noodles, and…it looked like Leon’s bowl had a crab leg.  Sora’s had a suspicious set of fins, which Sable resolved not to look at too closely but they didn’t seem to bother Sora in the least.

Actually, he didn’t seem to be paying too much attention to anything going on around him.  Too lost in thought.

Keeping a partial eye on him, Sable tentatively tried her own mystery soup.  Hm…that wasn’t too bad, actually.  She’d just have to be careful in case any unwanted fish bits had found their way into it.

“So…” Leon began around a mouthful of crab meat. “Organization Thirteen.  You’re gonna have a hard time with them.” Swallowing, he panned his gaze from Sable to Donald and Goofy. “You’d better be careful.”

All three offered solemn nods in return.

“Are they, like, unionizing the Nobodies?” Yuffie asked suddenly.  “They’re up to something, I just know it!”  She swallowed a spoonful of rice. “I mean, those Nobodies are big trouble!”

(Unionizing the Nobodies, that was a hilarious mental image.)

“Yeah!” Cid agreed from where he was carting away the bowl that had originally had the soup. “Just the other day, they stole the seat off my bicycle!”

Nibbling on noodles, Sable blinked at him.  Wasn’t it Yuffie that had a bike…?

“It’d be so cute if it didn’t get worse than that.” Yuffie sighed. “But we don’t know what their plans are.”

“What?” Bristling, Cid spun on her. “You sayin’ you want me to ride a seat-less bicycle?  I almost got stabbed in the behind!”

“I never said that!”

Apparently used to the pair’s bickering, everyone else at the table calmly ignored them and continued digging into their own meals.  Following their lead, Sable did the same, still keeping an eye on the distracted Sora. 

She wasn’t the only one.

“Are you okay, Sora?” Aerith asked gently, pale green eyes concerned.

“He’s probably down on himself ‘cos Organization Thirteen beat the tar out of us.” Leon theorized, sipping his drink.

“That’s not it.” Sable disagreed. “One of them thought it’d be funny to drop a bunch of really cryptic hints based on inside jokes Sora doesn’t have the context for.”

Leon made a face. “Oh, one of those.”

“Yup.”

“We’re all staring at him, and he’s completely oblivious!” Cid noted, peering around and waving a hand in Sora’s face.  “He is depressed, isn’t he?”

“I only hope that this will make him a little more careful in the future.”

Blinking at the voice, Sable belatedly registered the presence of Jiminy Cricket at the table, casually nibbling on a slice of cucumber almost as long as he was tall.  His usual top hat was nowhere to be seen, probably for manners’ sake, the little chronicler was a bit old fashioned, that way.

“I can feel it in my antennae.” Jiminy went on, flicking the aforementioned antennae. “I think our journey is going to be another long one.”

“I GOT IT!”

Everyone present jumped as Sora shot out of his seat.

“MAYBE THE ‘HE’ HE WAS TALKING ABOUT IS RIKU!”

Silence fell as everyone stared at the teen.

“Uh, ‘he’?” Donald tried, looking lost.

Goofy, on the other hand, looked thoughtful. “Now that ya mention it, that Organization fella did say somethin’ about you gettin’ better with the Keyblade or ‘he’ disappeared for nothin’.  A-hyuck.”

Watching the color start to flee from Sora’s face, Sable reached over to tap a knuckle against his head.

“Not Riku.” She promised as Sora flinched back.

Cerulean blue eyes blinked at her. “But…Riku’s the only he that I know.”

“What, they’re not ‘hes’?” Sable pointed a chopstick at Donald and Goofy. “Leon’s not a ‘he’?  King Mickey isn’t a ‘he’?”

“Uh, well…” Now Sora blushed, shrinking back down on his seat and poking at his soup.  Then he blinked and looked at Sable again. “Do you know who that guy was talking about, then?”

Sable nodded. “Organization Thirteen had a Keyblade wielder of their own.”

“WHAT?!”

Wincing as she rubbed at her poor ears, Sable continued. “No. 13, their Key of Destiny.  Only they lost him a little before you three woke up again.  Now they’re focusing on you as the only other accessible Keyblade Wielder around.” She snickered. “Not like they can catch up to Mickey, after all.”

Weak though it was, the joke did get a quiet snicker from Sora.

“Because they’re after Kingdom Hearts, right?” He asked after a moment.  “Then…Riku’s alright?”

“Didn’t you say he’d probably be in contact with the King?” Sable returned, looking between the three of them.  When they nodded, she continued. “That’s why you’re looking for Mickey first, right?  If Riku had disappeared, like was specified, then the King would have told you even if he was in a rush.  Or he’d have asked Yen Sid to tell you.” She hesitated and glanced at Donald and Goofy.  “I mean…he would, right?”

They both nodded.  Vigorously in Donald’s case.

Sora sagged in his seat, relieved.

“You know more than you’re saying.” Leon pointed out, staring at Sable.

“I do, yes.” Sable admitted. “No, I’m not sharing much more now.”

“Why not?” Sora asked.

“Because Dusks are sneaky little spies and I don’t want to clue the Organization in.  Bad enough they already set Saïx after me once, I do not need a repeat of that!”

“What?” Yuffie gasped. “But the white guys don’t talk!  They don’t make any sounds at all, except hissing sometimes…or that zipping sound from the slinky-ones.”

Sable shook her head. “Nobodies have a language all their own, one the Organization knows as well despite looking human.  Yes, they would hear every detail of whatever a Dusk reported in.  Same for the rest of the rank-n-file Nobodies.”

Silence fell as everyone chewed on that little tidbit.  Only the sounds of eating, with various levels of decorum, could be heard.

“Oh, Leon!” Merlin spoke up suddenly. “Did you give them the cards, yet?”

The man in question twitched. “Not yet.” Setting his utensils down, he started looking through his pockets. “Here.”

“What’s this?” Sora asked, accepting the card as Leon handed out the other three. “Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee, Honorary Member.”

“A-hyuck!  Membership cards!” Goofy grinned.

“Cool!” Donald agreed.

Leon chuckled softly. “Use that in the Marketplace, and you’ll get 5% off all purchases.”

That- what a lousy…

“What a deal!”

Sable palmed her face at Sora’s delighted tone.  Looked up as he suddenly yelped.  Glowing like a nightlight, the card in his hand plucked itself free and sailed towards the open window.

“Hey, come back!  My 5% off!” 

He dove out right after it, Donald and Goofy a step behind him.  Sable followed at a more sedate pace, arriving in time to hear Sora yelp again.

“A keyhole?”

A flicker of movement had Sable glancing at her shoulder.

“That keyhole…” Jiminy Cricket pointed out the window. “I’ll bet it opens a gate!”

“A gate?” Goofy repeated.

“Remember?  We have to open gates or we can’t go anywhere.”

A flash of light signaled the Kingdom Key appearing in Sora’s hand.

“Sora!” Donald barked. “Use the Keyblade!”

“Already on it!”

Sable ducked back inside to avoid getting flashed again.  That didn’t stop the sudden surge of ambient light energy from sending uncomfortable prickles up and down her arms even through her long sleeves.  Brr.

“Alright!” There was a tiny flutter of paper, probably the membership card coming down again. “We’re going to find Riku and the King!”

Sable poked her head out the window. “Sora, hang on a sec.”

Four sets of eyes turned to look at her.  Jiminy being on her shoulder made that a touch awkward strictly from proximity.

“Why don’t we stay here a bit?” She continued. “It’s not like we actually have a schedule to keep.”

“But…” Sora visibly hesitated, glancing up at where the keyhole had been.

“Why don’t we stick around long enough to help them stress-test the claymore system?” Sable suggested.  “They get to accelerate the next patch, and you get more live experience in a relatively safe environment with allies to support you if something goes wrong.”

“Actually…”

Sable glanced back as Leon approached the window.

“That’s not so necessary, now.” The former mercenary admitted. “The last patch pushed the system above what we were expecting by quite a bit.  It should be enough to protect the people living here from what Heartless show up from here on out.  Nobodies, too.” Leon looked at Sora, a sympathetic look in his eyes. “Go, find your friend.”

“What about all the Heartless at the fort?” Sora asked, visibly torn as he fidgeted in place.

Leon shrugged and waved him off. “We have to get everything ready before we’ll need you.  There’s no rush.” A pause. “Right, Cid?”

“Right.” Came the somewhat forced response.

“We’ll be waiting.” Leon told Sora.

“Leon…” Looking back in through the window, the Keybearer looked at everyone in turn with bright, watery blue eyes. “Thank you, everyone.  We’ll be back!”

Sable had to scramble out the window to keep up as he took off back towards the Marketplace, Goofy and Donald in hot pursuit.  Through the Borough, up the stone steps leading past Scrooge’s giant freezer.  Towards the smaller set of stairs leading down into the Marketplace proper…

“Is that- ohmygosh, Sora! Over here!”

Sora skidded to an abrupt halt.  Not expecting it, Sable slammed full-speed into his back.  Then Donald and Goofy slammed into her and they all went down in a groaning heap.

“Oh, uh…oops?”

“I know that voice.” Sora’s voice was muffled by the granite flagstone he was pinned to, buried at the bottom of their impromptu pile as he was.

Wriggling, Sable managed to leverage herself and Donald, who was flopped across her back, off the younger teen.  Sora pushed himself up on his arms, wriggling out from under the dazed Goofy, and was back on his feet to face the speaker.

Sable cocked her head at the red pompom.  It was practically vibrating on the tip of the…antenna thing it was attached to.  Otherwise, the moogle hovering by the wall seemed fairly unmoved.

Sora squinted at the moogle.  “You’re…Mog, right?”

The pompom whipped around in a pleased circle. “I am indeed!  It’s great to see you again, Sora.  Me and the others started getting’ worried when you stopped showing up!  And Stiltzkin passed along some really weird rumors this past year about…anyway, none of that matters, you’re here!”

The moogle did a little twirl, tiny wings beating furiously.

“How’s it goin’ on your quest?” Mog asked. “Any luck finishing the recipe?”

“Ah…no.” Sora wilted where he stood. “Some of the ingredients are really hard to find.” 

Mog hovered up to pat him consolingly on the shoulder.  Then retreated back to his original spot.

“Uh…Sora?” Sable asked, a little uncertainly.

“Oh, right.” The younger teen snapped back up and offered her a sheepish grin. “Sable, this is Mog, he’s part of the Moogle Synthesis Guild.  We met him back in Traverse Town during our last adventure.”

Eyeing the soft, creamy fur, Sable pointedly kept her hands to herself and instead offered a polite bow. “Pleasure to meet you.”

“Never seen a moogle before?” Mog asked, cocking his head.

“Only from a distance.” Sable admitted. “Back in Twilight Town, though I didn’t get a chance to say hi.”

“Twilight Town?  Oh!  That would have been Elmina.”

Sable mentally filed the name away for later use should the situation arise.  Then she waved at Donald and Goofy as they passed by to continue on to the gummi ship but stayed where she was.  She was curious to see what business Sora had with the moogle. 

What recipe?

Mog turned back to Sora.  “So, any new synthesis material you wanna drop off?  We can see if there’s any more we can put towards that recipe of yours.”

“Recipe?” Sable echoed as Sora started digging through his pockets.

“Yeah, there’s this really neat enhancement for my Keyblade.” Sora explained.  “Called the Ultima Recipe, so I’ve been saving up materials to use it!”

“He came to us so often he earned access to the recipe on general principle.” Mog admitted as he sorted through a number of stones Sora had handed him.

Sable considered that.  It made sense that Sora would keep the good relationship he’d developed with the moogles, rather than having to start from scratch again. 

(At least that worked out better for him than his hard-earned combat abilities had.)

Mog pulled a very old and tattered looking piece of paper out from…somewhere.  Probably the same place where he was putting all those stone pieces.  In any case he seemed to squint at the paper and then checked a notebook he’d also pulled out.

“Right,” The moogle murmured, “Forgot about that.  Okay!” Mog looked up at Sora. “So, the union re-did all the materials lists, translating the old recipes into the new format.  Also, some of the materials we used to synthesize we just don’t use anymore.  It’s alright!” He added quickly as Sora looked about ready to panic. “I kept you in mind after the revamp went through.  Let’s see, where’d I put it…”

Fishing through his apparent subspace pocket, Mog rifled around.  He pulled out a few notebooks, checked them, then shoved them back in.  Eventually he pulled out one with a bunch of post-it tags sticking out from between the pages.

“Here it is!”

Curious, Sable peered over to a look as he opened up the pages and…ow.  A mistake was made.  Those were worse than physics equations.  She didn’t recognize even half those symbols!  Blinking back a headache, she leaned away again as Mog settled on a page near the end and turned it around for Sora to see. 

“There, see?  We can still use what you’ve found so far and…here are the rough conversions…there, the basic equivalents of what you have left to bring in.”

Nodding along, a thoughtful expression had settled on Sora’s face. “Huh, they’re all gems and crystals, now.”

“Yeah, pretty much.  The oozes, matters and the like weren’t all, shall we say, proving very cost efficient with our Synthesis?  So, we cut them from the list and re-catalogued everything else.  Lemme tell you, it’s saved a bunch of time.  Though Stiltzkin’s been doing tests on gears and ores.  The results so far have been promising, so those might be added into the main materials list in the relatively near future…”

“Gears?”  Sora sounded as baffled as Sable felt. 

How were gears a synthesis item?

Mog waved them off. “Not important right now.” Flipping to the very back of his notebook, Mog tore out a sheet and handed it to Sora. “Here, you can keep this copy.”

“Thanks!  This’ll help me keep track of everything.”

“Anything for my favorite customer!”

Sora put the list away and then put in a bunch of orders for other basic supplies.  Potions, ethers, and a few accessories for Donald and Goofy to go with their new weapons.  Sable didn’t see just what the moogle did, only that he moved the materials from one bag to another and then she and Sora left with all the new supplies.  It was almost instantaneous.

She wondered if Mog had just made them, or if he’d had the items in stock and just set Sora’s materials aside to make more later.

Sable was just cresting the top of the steps leading to where Donald had parked the still camo’d gummi ship when she paused.  The vantage point where they’d parked was high enough to let her see pretty much all of Hollow Bastion, save for the bits directly behind the castle itself. 

It also let her see over most of the walls.  She could pinpoint the gatehouse part of the Bailey where they’d seen the Organization, and bits of the dark mountains beyond it, but that wasn’t what caught her attention.  The water, was. 

Beyond the wall not-quite-opposite the gatehouse, Sable could see an ocean, stretching as far out as the eye could see.

(Well, that explained all the seafood…)

But Hollow Bastion, and Radiant Garden before it, was a seaside city?  Sable hadn’t realized that.  Had it been a major trading port before the World fell?  Was that where all its wealth had originally come from?  Ansem the Wise may not have been particularly wise, but if he’d been a canny businessman then that would make a whole lot more sense…

It registered then that she was alone, which snapped Sable out of her musings.  Where had Sora gone?  Not to the gummi ship, she thought he’d slipped away before that.

Where’d he go?  Wait, there he was, jogging up to meet her then.  What had he…

“Here Sable.” Sora held out a pair of goggle-glasses. “Saw these on a display and I remembered how much you tend to rub your eyes, so…”

Feeling rather touched, she’d actually forgotten her earlier comment about getting shades, Sable looked them over.  They were padded goggles disguised as a pair of sunglasses.  Very sleek and impressive, if she said so herself.  After adjusting the strap a bit, she slipped them on, letting the goggles rest further up on her head until she needed them.

Heh.

Sable was now, officially, a gogglehead.  Now she just needed a symbiotic, shapeshifting psychovore to attack enemies on her behalf and eat all her junk food and the picture would be complete.

She kept grinning even after the gummi ship had taken off.

              ———

Donald parked the gummi ship safely in orbit above Hollow Bastion before Sora tugged Sable’s sleeve as she dozed against the wall and led her back down to the engine room.  Claiming bits of open floor, they all sat down and Sable twitched slightly as three sets of expectant eyes fixed on her.

Just because she’d been expecting it didn’t mean it wasn’t still startling.

“So, what couldn’t you tell us in Hollow Bastion?” Sora asked.

“More than I can say in one sitting.” Sable answered honestly. “It’ll have to be done piecemeal so I don’t overwhelm you.  A lot of what I know is…mind screwy.  Enough so that some of what I’m holding off on for now is so I can try and verify whether it’s right or not.  I don’t want to give you misinformation.”

“Misinformation?” Sora cocked his head.

“She means something that’s not quite true.” Goofy answered for Sable.

Sora considered that, then nodded. “Okay, I think we can live with that.  You’ll tell us everything eventually though, right?”

Sable nodded. “That’s the plan.  I’m also hoping to get other people to back up what I say, but from their perspective.  So, they’re not just parroting me.”

Donald scowled at her. “How’re you gonna do that?”

“Not entirely sure, yet, but it’ll be obvious if I manage it.”

“So, we watch out for when ya get someone talkin’.” Goofy summarized. “Then we listen to what they say and compare it with what you’ve told us.”

“Trust but verify.” Sable nodded, looking at Sora. “I want to get you enough correct information, so you can make your own informed decisions.  The Organization is not going to want that, so I’ll save most of the info dumps for when we’re here, or when I can get someone else to share the information.”

They all nodded again.

“Now…I’m guessing you want me to start with the Key of Destiny?” Sable asked, looking mainly at Sora, who nodded again. “Alright, then.  About a year ago the leader of Organization Thirteen found a Nobody capable of using a Keyblade and inducted him into the Organization, giving him a name, number, and epithet.”

“No. 13, the Key of Destiny.” Goofy recited.  “And…you said they lost him a little before we woke up?  Was that when they lost the other six Nobodies they were missin’?”

“But…” Sora frowned. “Sable said they died about a year ago, right?”

“Yes and yes.” Sable nodded. “Numbers 4, 5, 6, 11, and 12 died a little after No. 13 joined the Organization.  No, he ran afoul of something else.”

“Why aren’t you saying his name?” Donald asked pointedly.

“Because I was waiting to see if any of you would actually ask for it.”

Sora and Goofy looked a little ashamed at that.

“So, what was his name, Sable?” Sora asked, rubbing the back of his head.

“His name is Roxas.”

Goofy perked up. “You mean he’s still alive?”

“What?” Sora looked at him, wide-eyed.

“Well, she said ‘is’, not ‘was’.  She also said that the Organization lost him.  Didn’t say anything about him, well… ya’know.” Goofy answered reasonably.

Sora’s head snapped back around so he could stare at Sable.

“He’s right.” She answered. “And this is where it starts getting complicated.” Sable held up a hand. “There’s what actually happened.” She held up the other hand. “And there’s what the Organization believes happened, or claim they believe.”

No one spoke as she dropped her hands again and she looked them over.

“I also know what other people claim happened, but what evidence I’ve found so far suggests that the reality is much more… ah, head screwy.”

“So, you’re not going to tell us, yet.” Goofy guessed.

“What actually happened to Roxas?” Sable shook her head. “No.  But I’m hoping to get some verification on that soon.  What I am going to share is what the Organization believes happened, because that’s what’s immediately relevant to Sora.” Here Sable paused in case any of them wanted to say something. 

Donald looked like he was about to, but Sora clapped a hand over his beak.  The Keybearer then shot her an encouraging, if slightly shaky, grin.

Taking a breath, Sable continued.

“So, far as they claim to know, Roxas left the Organization and then was dispersed shortly after.  You know what happens to Dusks when we fight them?  Same thing happens to Humanoid Nobodies.  However.  They’re also under the impression he pulled off a miracle in the process.  That he was reincarnated as a complete being at the cost of his memories as a Nobody.” Sable paused for a beat, then continued. “And they think that reincarnation…is you Sora.”

“Me?!”

“That’s ridiculous!” Donald burst out. “Sora is Sora!  He’s never been anyone else!”

“It kinda makes sense, though.” Goofy’s tone was thoughtful, if disturbed.  “Sable said they found him a year ago, right?  And we went ta sleep about the same time and everyone forgot about us.  Then Roxas disappeared and people suddenly remembered us again.”

“Then…” Sora swallowed.  “What that guy said, about someone fading away for nothing…”

“He was referring to Roxas, yes.  But.” Sable held up a finger. “I’m pretty sure he knows that’s not what happened.  Him and his boss.  The others, though?  They probably believe it.  Expect them to refer to you as Roxas and to not actually answer you when you ask about it.”

“Why do they even need me, anyway?” Sora demanded. “Ansem didn’t!  Well, except for the fact that I had Kairi’s Heart and she was the last Princess of Heart, but that was different.”

“Yeah, Ansem didn’t have a Keyblade but was able to make Kingdom Hearts and the Final Keyhole!” Donald agreed.

“How did he make Kingdom Hearts, then?” Sable asked.

“He used the Hearts of the Worlds the Heartless got to.” Sora answered. “When we stopped him, the Worlds were brought back and Kingdom Hearts disappeared.”

“That’s not the method the Organization is using.  They’re using the Hearts of people, rather than Hearts of Worlds.”

They all blanched at that, staring at Sable in horror.  Belatedly realizing her error, she held up both hands in a soothing gesture.

“Not like that!” She promised. “They’re targeting the Heartless.  The leader of Organization Thirteen figured out how to redirect Hearts freed by a Keyblade to the framework for Kingdom Hearts he built outside their base.”

They all relaxed at that.

“Oh, that’s not so bad…” Sora breathed in relief.  “So, most of them think I’m their missing friend?  Except for those two jerks you mentioned?”

“Basically.”

“And I’m guessing telling them I’m not won’t help.”

“Not if it’s just a straight denial, they’ll think you just forgot or something of that nature.” Sable agreed. “If you’re in a civil conversation, though, you might have better luck getting that point across.  Just don’t hold your breath.”

Silence fell then as they all mulled over it.  Sora seemed a little emboldened, Donald seemed frazzled, and Goofy was looking especially thoughtful.

 “Heya, Sora?” He began, looking at his younger friend. “Back in Hollow Bastion, didn’t the man on the wall sound familiar?”

“Huh?” Sora blinked at him. “What’d’ya mean?  The guy who got knocked off and postured at us?”

“No.” Goofy shook his head. “The first fella in the front.” He frowned a moment. “Didn’t we meet him right after rescuing the Princesses of Heart from Ansem?”

Frowning, Sora cocked his head.  Then he jerked upright, eyes wide. “The ghost guy!”

“The what?” Sable asked, baffled.

Sora turned to her. “It was right after Ansem possessed Riku!  We were gonna go after him, but the princesses said they sensed somebody really powerful in Hollow Bastion, so we went to check it out.”

“…and it was a ghost?” Sable hazarded.

“I mean, kinda?  He started off invisible and he walked right through me!” Sora shivered. “The whole thing was really weird.” He cocked his head again, frowning. “But…yeah, now that Goofy mentions it, he sounded just like the guy on the wall!”

“What was it he said?” Goofy spoke up again, “When we asked if he was Ansem?  He said the name sounded familiar but that he was just a shell.”

“The Nobody to Ansem’s Heartless.” Sable nodded. “So…you weren’t technically wrong?  They’d just been two separate beings for over a decade by that point.” She paused, considering that, then asked: “Did he say anything else?  Things that probably didn’t make sense then but might now that you have more information?”

All three of them thought about it.

“He said I reminded him of someone.” Sora said at last. “I thought he was talking about Ansem, it was right after we asked that, but then he said I was…incomplete?” He sent Goofy a questioning look.

Goofy nodded. “That’s right, first he said you weren’t whole, then he said you were incomplete.  Then he attacked us.”

Donald shivered. “That was an awful fight.”

“Yeah,” Sora nodded, rubbing his arms. “We didn’t even win.  He just backed off after a while, said more cryptic things, then turned invisible again.  He didn’t use those black portals at all…”  He looked at Sable. “He’s that strong?”

“Stronger.” Sable admitted. “It’s why I was trying to get you to stop heckling them.  You’re still tripping over yourself and all of you lost a lot of stamina after sleeping for so long.  We can’t face even one of them, yet.  Not seriously.  Not if we want to walk away afterwards.”

Donald grumbled under his breath, glaring at his staff like it had personally betrayed him.

“So…we need to get stronger before we try.” Sora mused, ignoring the magician’s antics.  “You think we can win?”

“Once you shake the dust off, absolutely.” Sable nodded, violet eyes fierce. “You’re a year older now, and that makes a big difference in a teenager.  You just need time and practice to hone what you’ve already got.”  She leaned back, smirking a bit. “The Organization knows that, too.  They’re going to give you that time.”

“Big mistake!” Sora grinned, visibly lighting up. “I’ll take ‘em all on!”

“An’ we’ll be right there with ya!” Goofy promised.

“Hey guys!’

Something light impacted Sable’s back and scrambled up her long hair with tiny little claws before perching atop her head.  Violet eyes wide, she sat perfectly still and didn’t dare move.

“Our scanners picked up a new route!”  Dale chirped from his perch.

“Coordinates are being added to the systems now.” Chip added by Sable’s knee.  Then he turned and glared up at his brother. “Dale, get down from there!  That’s rude!”

“Aw, Sable don’t mind.” A Rudolph-red nose came into view.  “Do ya?”

“A, uh…little warning would be preferred.” Sable managed. “Maybe not on my head?”

“Okay, then!”

He dropped down on her shoulder and sat there with a grin, his little legs hanging off.  Chip audibly slapped a hand over his face, grumbling in a teeny tiny voice.  Then he looked up, pointedly ignoring his brother, and turned to Sora again.

“Corresponding Keyhole has also been found.” He saluted. “We’re ready to head towards the next world whenever you are.”

Sora shot up to his feet, grinning brightly. “Alright, then, off I go!”

As Sable watched, he moved over to a hatch she hadn’t really noticed before, opened it, and drooped down with a whoop like a little kid going down a slide at McDonalds.  Dale sprang off her shoulder as he and Chip scrambled gleefully back to their stations.

“Uh, what’s going on?” She asked Donald and Goofy as they got up again. “Didn’t Sora already unlock the Keyhole down at Merlin’s house?”

“Well, Sable, ya see…” Goofy began.

“The pathway between Hollow Bastion and the next World hasn’t solidified, yet.” Donald picked up, tone matter-a-fact, he even held up a finger as he went on. “Right now, it’s still mixed up with the routes the Heartless use.  Sora has to clear the way before it can split apart completely.”

Sable considered that as they climbed the ladder back into the cockpit.  Goofy smiled and gestured to the seat Sora usually claimed, which Sable cautiously sank into as more screens popped up.  In one were the chipmunk brothers as they ran through a checklist.  On another was Sora, in a little one-person cockpit, also going through a list of ship-prep as he activated whatever he was sitting in.

“So, he’s…going to fly through the Realm of Darkness?” Sable asked, still trying to wrap her head around it.

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Donald scoffed.

“The way the King explained it.” Goofy spoke up. “There used to be lots of different roads between Worlds, but when Ansem sent out all those Heartless, the roads got washed away.  Like a flood washin’ out a bridge.”

“Darkness being the flood?” Sable guessed.

“Yup!  But the darkness has gone down, so the space that used to hold the pathways can be reached again.  But it’s all just one big mess.”

“So, what happens once Sora clears a path?”

Donald answered. “Then we can pass between the next World and Hollow Bastion anytime we want.”

“Unless another surge of darkness washes it out, again.” Goofy added.  “It’s all a lot nicer than it used ta be, though.”

“Yeah, we had to go through the paths the Heartless used, back then.” Donald shuddered as, on the screen, Sora flipped the chipmunk brothers a grinning thumbs-up.  “It was awful.”

Sable noticed a countdown appear on the screen as she asked her next question. “Then how did we get to Hollow Bastion without having to do this?”

They both shrugged. “The King probably cleared it for us.” Goofy reasoned. “Remember how he left us the gummi ship?  Well, it had to get there from somewhere.  Anyone with a gummi ship can open a gummi route, but people with a Keyblade are fastest about it.”

The countdown dropped to single digits.

“Then shouldn’t we be able to use the other paths he’d have had to make?”

There was a screeching whoop from the speakers as the little gummi fighter was launched from its ‘mother ship’.  Sable saw the flash of a keyhole from the window and just managed to catch a glimpse of the fighter itself before it struck the keyhole and vanished.  On the screen, it showed Sora flying through a dark space dotted with comets and meteors and other ships marked with the Heartless emblem.

“Oh, His Majesty can travel between worlds without the paths.” Goofy explained, gesturing absently with a gloved hand. “He has a Star Shard.”

“A what now?”

“It’s like a piece of a gummi.” Donald waved to the ship around them as explosions lit up the screen. “Part of a World Barrier that shattered when the World fell to the Heartless.  Only a Star Shard can carry people between worlds without needin’ a path.”

“But it can be kinda particular.” Goofy added. “The King went on some mighty interestin’ adventures before he learned to use it right.”

Sable considered that.  It explained a lot.

Then she blinked and jabbed a finger at the screen. “That was a Nobody!”

“Wha?”

Donald and Goofy both squinted at the screen.

“It was mixed in with the Heartless ships, Sora’s already blown it up.” Sable frowned. “Can Heartless and Nobodies craft their own paths the same way?  Is that why it’s so crowded?”

“Master Yen Sid did say they had their own pathways.” Goofy agreed slowly, still squinting at the feed from Sora’s fighter.

“So, that’s more of a universal in-between place where…anyone could start shaping paths between Worlds?”

Donald scowled at her. “That’s what we just told you.”

“Not that specifically.”

The magician rolled his eyes and focused back on the screen.

They watched as Sora continue to carve a massive swath of destruction through any and every Heartless battalion that went after him, and a few more random Nobody ships for flavor.  He was good, even with such a clearly basic fighter. 

That brought to mind something else.

“So, another question.” Sable started, watching Donald huff and roll his eyes again. “Sora is clearly qualified to fly a ship, so why all the fuss earlier when he tried to pilot this one?”

An almost literal dark cloud stewed over the pekin’s head as he refused to look at her.

Leaning over, Goofy put a hand to his mouth and whispered loudly. “That’s the comfiest seat.”

From the way white feathers were floofing under Donald’s collar, Goofy was probably right on the mark.  That was…so very petty.  Yet very Donald.

“Sounds like something to take up with engineering.” Sable deadpanned, staring at the royal magician and taking some amusement at seeing him start sweating.

“We’ll get right on it, Sable!” Chip chimed in over the speaker. “Next time you guys are World-side, me an’ Dale will make sure all three seats match.”

“And we’ll add another seat for you!” Dale added. “So, ya don’t have to stand the whole time!”

Violet eyes blinked, surprised. “That would be much appreciated, thank you.”

A pair of tiny thumbs-up answered her before the brothers returned to navigating for Sora.

As they continued to watch Sora make the Heartless armada greatly regret being in the same spacelane as him, Sable frowned.  Chip and Dale had only mentioned a Keyhole.  Singular.  After Hollow Bastion there were supposed to be two; one to the Land of Dragons and the other to Beast’s Castle.

She really hoped it wasn’t the Beast’s Castle, the idea of being in close proximity with Xaldin was not a nice one.  His fight had been one of the ones to give Sable the most trouble in the game and the Nobody himself was a creep. 

Also, there’d been no mention of Twilight Town vanishing from the map, which was also concerning.  Sable wondered if, because they were specifically looking for newly opened routes, the chipmunks hadn’t actually checked old ones yet.  They’d probably added Hollow Bastion to their World Map when Mickey had first taken the gummi to Twilight Town.

Sable would wait and see if they said anything after they got back from…whichever World Sora was leading them too.

              ———