hahahailtotheking | IC: Ye big ol' plot-exposition post!

*considers: man where do we even begin

...the beginning is probably best* Mickey, do you know what happened to me after the fight with... Master Xehanort? Even Terra doesn't seem to know for sure.

Well... that's probably a good place to start. But first of all, let me ask ya in counter- how did ya get into a fight with Xehanort?

After I left the tower, there were some things I had to do. I took Ven to a safe place... somewhere he wanted to go. Then I searched for Master Xehanort and Terra.

That's where we fought.

... Master Xehanort had taken over Terra's body, right?

Almost. Despite Master Xehanort's efforts, a part of Terra still remained. After I fought him, his hold on Terra's body weakened and Terra was able to seal away his heart.

Then... but if he did that...

... What happened after yer fight?

*pauses for a minute before continuing*

After Terra sealed his own heart, his body began to sink into the Realm of Darkness. I dove after him to save him. But after I reached him I knew that we weren't going to both make it before the gate closed.

I gave that chance to Terra.

[He pauses when he hears that, and sinks further into thought. So... THAT'S what happened. And then, if he passed his heart on, then that means she...

His face drops. She's not going to like what he has to tell her now.]

... I get it now. So that's how it happened.

... Some time after the battle against Xehanort, the barriers between worlds started crumblin', and creatures of Darkness started spawnin' in many different worlds. I managed to use the pieces of the barriers to create Gummi Ships- vehicles that let people travel between worlds, even if they weren't Keyblade Wielders. And on my journeys spreading the knowledge and investigatin' the rise of the Darkness, I came upon Radiant Garden again. The king of that world, Ansem the Wise, had apparently been conductin' experiments with the darkness in peoples hearts at the insistence of one of his apprentices: one who had arrived there not long ago...

A man named Xehanort. And if my guess is correct, it was Xehanort in Terra's body.

Edited 2010-10-19 22:52 (UTC)

*she was following intently, especially after seeing Mickey's reaction to her account. once she heard about Xehanort she let's out a small gasp, her eyebrows furrowing*

...did Master Xehanort manage to free himself? What happened?

What happened was... gosh, I can't say I know clearly, but he didn't recognize me, and because I never met Terra I didn't recognize him. I convinced Ansem to stop the experiments with the darkness, but... I guess that Xehanort must've continued them, together with the other apprentices under his command. Because after I left...

... The Heartless claimed the Heart of Radiant Garden. Some people managed to escape with the Gummi Ships, but after that more and more worlds started to fall. It was tough, but... I managed to keep most of it on the downlow. The refugees from other worlds gathered at a world in the Realm Inbetween called Traverse Town, while they waited for a chance to reclaim their lost worlds.

That chance eventually arrived nine years later... when they Keyblade of the Realm of Light chose Sora as it's wielder.

*...yup that sounds like the manipulative scheming... er... well, you know where this is going*

So, not after failing to capture Kingdom Hearts, Master Xehanort decided instead to attack the hearts of worlds? And I was partially responsible... If Master Xehanort was seeking the hearts of worlds, the Heartless would be the perfect way to find them...

...Sora? Is this the same boy as the one I met at Destiny Islands -- the one that is friends with Riku?

Edited 2010-10-19 23:34 (UTC)

... That's right. You've been to Destiny Islands?

Well, at any rate... when Radiant Garden fell to Darkness, Kairi was sent away and ended up bein' guided to Destiny Island, somehow. She grew up there with Sora and Riku, and didn't remember anythin' of Radiant Garden. Xehanort... well, this is where things get tricky.

Xehanort and his apprentices had given up their hearts to darkness and became split beings: one Heartless, and one Nobody. A Nobody is actually the leftover body and soul of someone's who's become a Heartless, and each of them took on a different name. His Heartless called itself Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, and was the first one to make an open move against the worlds with the Heartless under his command. He sought to open the doors to Kingdom Hearts, but me and Riku managed to shut the doors after Sora, Donald and Goofy defeated Ansem. After Ansem was destroyed though, we ran into a bigger problem... Organization XIII. A gathering under Xehanorts nobody, calling himself Xemnas, consisting of thirteen powerful Nobodies who sought to gather up hearts for their own, artificial Kingdom Hearts.

Xemnas told them this was so he could give them their hearts back, because Nobodies... well, they don't have hearts. Most of them can't feel anything, just remember what it was like to feel things, and all of them wish to fill the void of their hearts. So they went along with Xemnas plan... even though the only thing HE wanted was to merge with Kingdom Hearts, once more.

*that's a whole lot of DDD: you know*

*For a moment, she's relieved to hear that Kairi made it out safely, but each new problem that Mickey said drew out new worries. She follows each sentence attentively, her concern being overshadowed by her desire to know what happens... all while trying to decide what's the next step should be.*

So, that's the three times he's attempted to claim Kingdom Hearts and he's been using both the Heartless and the Nobodies to do it. *her hands clench, a visible scowl forming on her face*

*and yet there was still a nagging concern* But what about Terra? He's not... *she falls silent for a minute, reflecting on what he told her* ...is he really gone forever? Outside of this place, I mean.

Edited 2010-10-20 17:42 (UTC)

[While he is aware that it must all sound like so much bad news, there IS a silver lining to it all... more or less. Maybe.]

... Let me get to that. There's... well, there's more to the story.

Ya see, when the worlds first started disappearin' under Xehanorts Heartless, I sent Donald and Goofy to watch over Sora, while a bunch of people from other worlds led by a fairy known as 'Maleficent' tried to use the growin' darkness to take over their own worlds. While those people were eventually defeated, Xehanorts Heartless had been manipulatin' Riku for a very long time... increasin' the Darkness within him. Eventually, this lead to Xehanort takin' over Riku's body, and his heart was thrown into darkness.

But by that time I had already ended up in the Realm of Darkness myself, lookin' for a Keyblade from that Realm so that I could shut the door to Kingdom Hearts, in case Xehanorts Heartless would get that far. I managed to help him along the way while Sora chased after Xehanorts Heartless, sealed up Kingdom Hearts and restored all of the destroyed worlds... but after that, we were all either lost in the Realm Inbetween, or in the Realm of Darkness...

Until we all drifted into Castle Oblivion.

*...oh. you guys found that huh.*

[And here we take a pause for some water, because man- trying to make this all sound rational and logical is TRYING work. But eventually...]

Afterwards, I found out that Xemnas was lookin' for somethin' in Castle Oblivion, somethin' he thought was really important. That's why he stationed almost half the Organization there, and had them search the place from top to bottom. We ended up in there because it was the midway point between the Realm of Light and the Realm of Darkness, and come to think of it... they must've expected that.

What happened once we got there was that we ended up right in the middle of a rebellion within the Organization. Even though Nobodies mostly lack emotions, some newly created Nobodies were apparently unsatisfied with Xemnas plans, and were workin' against him. In order to do that, they forced a special Nobody who could manipulate memories to change Sora's memories so that she took the place of Kairi in his heart, and gradually erase everyone else from there so he'd only do as she told him.

You may even have met her in here... her name is Naminé. And she is Kairi's Nobody.

*looks over at Namine -- Kairi's nobody? So she's like Roxas?*

If she's Kairi's Nobody, wouldn't that mean that Kairi would have to lose her heart? I thought she was safe on Destiny Islands.

... She both was, and wasn't. Because... Destiny Islands was one of the first worlds to fall to Xehanort's Heartless.

You see, the reason Sora set out on his journey was because his world was swallowed by the Heartless. Durin' this attack, Kairi's heart was separated from her body, creating Naminé, and somehow her heart ended up inside Soras. He traveled out to look for Kairi and Riku with Donald and Goofy in a Gummi Ship, sealing the worlds and defeating those who'd try to use the Heartless for their own ends under Maleficent.

They were tryin' to find the 'Princesses of Heart'. Seven maidens with hearts of pure light, that when brought together could form a Keyblade of Heart that could unlock the way to Kingdom Hearts as well. Kairi was one of them- you may have met some of the others during your journey too. This Keyblade could unlock peoples hearts and fill them with darkness, but also free what was inside them, even if ya weren't a Keyblade Master... so when Sora finally found Kairis body in the darkness-infested remnants of Radiant Garden, and realized that her heart was inside him... he used it on himself, freeing not just his own heart, but hers as well. Her heart returned to her body, whereas Sora... well. You may have met Roxas around, have ya? He's the Nobody that was created at that time.

But if we go back to Castle Oblivion- some of the Organization were usin' Naminé to manipulate Sora by turnin' him into their servant. But at the same time the loyal members of the Organization were tryin' to work against them by manipulatin' Riku, who had entered the castle at the same time but from the bottom floor, in the Realm of Darkness. They tried to make his darkness overwhelm him, but together with me, he managed to not just undo their plans... he also defeated and overcame the remnants of Xehanorts Heartless that were still possessin' him. All with the help of my old friend... Ansem the Wise. Who had survived the fall of Radiant Garden into darkness, and now called himself DiZ.

*this was starting to become a mess and yet, at the same time, everything was becoming a little bit clearer

Aqia raises a hand to her chin, thinking carefully about all this*

So that's what Riku meant when he said he went through a lot. Actually, they all have, haven't they?

*she nods* If this Xemnas was really Master Xehanort, I think I might know the reason why he sent people to Castle Oblivion. That is where Ven is resting, near the keyhole. Master Xehanort probably wanted to find him to reforge the χ-blade for Kingdom Hearts. But Castle Oblivion has it's own tricks, and the keyhole to that world will not be found by anybody other than the current Keyblade Master. *her eyes look deeply at Mickey to acknowledge her role, but also hopeful that Master Eraqus was right*

Ven's... so wait a minute, yer sayin' that ya knew about Castle Oblivion?

It's what is left of our home, the Land of Departure.

*well, after Aqua renovated the place, anyway*

[Now it is Mickey's turn to go silent, and think about the implications of this fact. THAT was the Land of Departure? But how had... the Keyblade Master. Did she mean that...]

Ya mean... it just turned into that castle, or... ya changed it, somehow?

It's something Master Eraqus asked of me, for when darkness threatened to overwhelm us. The Land of Depature is a place where light and darkness is at balance and can possibly be abused. So I changed the world, making it a trap for anybody who came to it and let Ven rest. I knew that I was going into battle and I needed to be sure that he would be safe. I didn't mean for any of you to become lost within it.

... Gosh. So... that's how it happened...

Well... it's alright Aqua. It wasn't your fault, what happened there. It was Xemnas and his apprentices plot that caused all this, not you.

But... back on track again. Sora defeated those who tried to manipulate him, and Riku defeated those who tried to manipulate him... as well as a replica they had created- a lifeform that was given Rikus shape and memories by Naminé, in order to make Sora think Riku was his enemy. A lot of things happened in that castle... but it ended up with Sora, Donald and Goofy having to sleep for a year while Naminé put his memories back in the right order- it was somethin' she had to do in order to heal his mind, makin' him forget all that happened in Castle Oblivion itself. Riku arrived a little bit later, after... after his replica challenged him to a battle to the death: thinking that the only way he could ever have anythin' of his own was to destroy the 'original'. DiZ and Naminé decided to watch over Sora, while I and Riku set out to uncover the Organizations plot.

During that year... Roxas and a friend of his, another replica named Xion, started collectin' hearts for the Organization, not knowing what Xemnas real goal was. Because Roxas and Xion... could both use Keyblades as well.

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