Chapter 17: Mysterious Tower: Lesson of a Quest

The office seemed like a cozy place, though it had its stereotypical Wizarding items scattered around; pots, spell books, and was that a broomstick? He didn't think wizards actually used those, or was it just a cleaning tool? Whatever the case it wasn't important.

The wizard himself sat in a high backed chair behind a desk dressed in a blue robe with a pointy blue hat on his head. He had a long gray beard and a fierce looking expression. Toshiro quickly glanced at Donald and Goofy, noticing they were standing at attention while Sora just looked confused. With a sweep of their hands the two animals bowed. The brunette between them looked even more confused while Toshiro bowed as well, respecting the old wizard's power for he had quite a bit.

"Master Yen Sid." Donald greeted. "It's an honor."

"Hey there." Sora grinned, waving, until his companions turned on him.

"Sora, show some respect. Captain Hitsugaya did." Donald growled.

Sora laughed nervously. However, Yen Sid gestured with his hands for them to calm, glancing at Toshiro with a curious expression as the Soul Reaper stood off to the side before looking at the Keybearer.

"So, you are Sora." Yen Sid said as more of a fact than a question. "Now then, have you seen the King yet?"

"Yes we did, Master." Goofy answered. "But we didn't get a chance to talk to him."

"Yes…the King has been quite busy as of late. Therefore, it would seem that the task of instructing you three falls upon my shoulders." He once more glanced at Toshiro. "Or, it seems, the four of you." He turned back to Sora. "You have a perilous journey ahead of you. You must be well prepared."

"You mean…we have to go on another quest?" Sora's face screwed up at the thought of another long journey ahead of him.

"I have no intention of going on a quest." Toshiro stepped in.

"Perhaps you will when you hear what I have to say, Soul Reaper." Yen Sid replied quickly, startling Toshiro with the fact that he knew what he was.

"And I was hoping I could find my friend Riku, so we could go back to the islands." Sora argued.

"Yes. I know." The wizard sighed. "However, everything in your journey, Sora, is connected. Whether you will find your way home to the islands…whether you will return alone or with your friend…whether your Soul Reaper friend will find a way back to the Soul Society…and whether or not the islands will still be there."

At that Sora's face became downcast.

"And the key that connects them all is you, Sora." Yen Sid finished.

The brunette recoiled.

"I'm…the key?" He questioned, completely confused. He held his hand out, summoning the Keyblade into his hand.

"Chosen wielder of the Keyblade. You are the key that will open the door to light."

'How cliché does that sound?' Hyorinmaru chuckled as Sora nodded.

'Hush.'

Yen Sid gestured with his hand and a large book appeared on the table in front of Sora in a puff of smoke.

"This book contains valuable information you will need for your journey. Study it carefully." Yen Sid explained. "Once you have finished, we will speak of the enemies you will surely confront. In the meantime I will speak with your new companion."

Sora grabbed the book and went to sit against the wall, Donald and Goofy following, while Toshiro moved to stand across the table in front of Yen Sid.

"What brings a Captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads to my humble tower?" Yen Sid asked, bowing his head slightly to the ice Captain before Toshiro could do so first.

"I was taken from my world by the darkness." Hitsugaya replied.

"I see, and only a decade or so after the last one…" Yen Sid mused. "Ah, before we continue, may I have a name? You know mine now, I'm at a slight disadvantage."

"Squad Ten Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya." There was a slight pause. "You said only a decade between. You know another Soul Reaper?"

"He was taken by the darkness not too long ago, becoming a dark creature which I will discuss when those three finish their reading. But I don't think you followed them here for that information." He gave the Captain a knowing look.

"No…I wish to know how to return to my world."

"I'm afraid I do not have much information there, as I could not give it to the last Soul Reaper who came seeking the same answers."

"Whatever you do have would be of great help, though."

"I thought as much. The key to getting you home is the boy now reading in the corner." Yen Sid gestured offhandedly to Sora immersed in the book. "Though it might take some luck there is a way to open the pathway to the Soul Society, or perhaps even the World of the Living connected to it. Whichever realm you land in at least you would be home, yes?"

"Though I would prefer to keep it to the World of the Living or Soul Society." Toshiro grimaced. "I don't fancy taking a trip to Hell."

"Oh I would too." Yen Sid chuckled slightly. "But back to how to get there. I'm sure you've noticed the Keyblade's ability to copy the power of your zanpaktou?"

"I have."

"If you can put enough of your power into the Keyblade, it may be able to open the pathway to your world long enough for you to travel inside with the Gummi Ship, which I plan on surprising Sora with later." The wizard winked. "It will need to be reopened for them to exit, but in the land of the Soul Reapers I'm sure that won't be a problem."

"No, it won't." Toshiro sighed. "But…if that's all it takes, why could the other Soul Reaper not make it?"

"He did not have enough power to open the gate, nor could he find a strong enough Keybearer. King Mickey was not powerful enough at the time for such a task and had no means of traveling there."

"Are you sure it will work for me?"

"If you don't have a Limiter it shouldn't be a problem, though it will only work if the Keyblade can sense the path after absorbing your power. It may take several tries." Yen Sid noticed Toshiro's face pale. "Ah, yes. As a Captain, a Limiter is placed on you before leaving to the World of the Living."

"I had gone there for a mission and had no need to remove it, and I have no way of contacting the Soul Society to have it removed." The white haired Captain groaned.

"The Good Fairies may be able to fix that." Yen Sid smiled when Toshiro raised an eyebrow at him. "Yes, fairies. You will see a lot of strange things on this quest, Captain, try not to be so alarmed. The other Soul Reaper was quite surprised as well, always shocked about everything." His expression darkened. "It may be why he fell into darkness so easily."

"I can assure you I won't fall into darkness. Hyorinmaru would not allow that."

"Would that be your zanpaktou?" Toshiro nodded. "What kind of spirit is he?"

"An ice dragon. Hyorinmaru is the strongest ice-water type zanpaktou in all of Soul Society. I only recently perfected Bankai."

"A true prodigy." Yen Sid smiled. He noticed Sora stand up. "It seems Sora is ready to move on. Shall we?"

Nodding, Toshiro stepped to the side, allowing the trio to stand in front of the table.

"How come the Heartless are still running around?" Sora questioned while setting the book back on the table.

"Your past endeavors did prevent an immense effusion of Heartless from the great darkness; make no mistake about that." Yen Sid replied solemnly. "However, the Heartless are darkness made real and darkness yet lives in every heart. The Heartless are fewer, but while darkness exists in a single heart, it will be difficult to eliminate them."

The trio sighed and their shoulders slumped.

"It's the same with Hollows." Toshiro said, all eyes turning to him. "Every soul is capable of becoming a Hollow; whether from evil they committed in their living forms or the corruption of their Chain of Fate, a chain that connects a soul to its body. Once the Chain of Fate is cut due to death that soul has a limited amount of time before they become a Hollow. It is impossible to destroy all Hollows; that is why the Soul Society is always prepared to fight, and why it is also a military based society."

"Correct." Yen Sid nodded. "Just like what Captain Hitsugaya explained, the Heartless are always able to appear from even the slightest darkness and there is no way to eliminate them for good."

"Gawrsh, that must mean if everybody's heart was full of light, them Heartless'd go away!" Goody exclaimed. Donald and Sora nodded vigorously in agreement.

"It's impossible to fill everyone's heart with light." Toshiro argued. "That's too many worlds, too many people. There will always be darkness somewhere among the masses."

"We can still try." Sora snapped defiantly.

"It is time to speak of the enemies that you will encounter." Yen Sid cut in before an argument was started.

Waving his hand to a spot off to the side, a glowing circle appeared and showed a transparent image of Donald. Said duck quacked in surprise. The light then intensified before flashing and revealing one of the pitch black shadow Heartless, twitching around like a bug searching for its next meal.

"If one such as you, Donald, yields to the darkness in their heart, they, too, will become a Heartless. But you know this." The trio nodded, Toshiro simply listening with interest. He didn't need much to know the basics of a Heartless. Which reminded him; he needed to ask Yen Sid about what happens when Heartless were killed by a zanpaktou instead of a Keyblade or magic, as Donald's kills also led to the release of a heart, as did Goofy's. "The Heartless are always lurking and ever seeking new ways to capture new hearts."

"I noticed that when Sora kills a Heartless, a heart is released." Toshiro cut in.

"Yes. This is a result of the Keyblade's power, unlocking the heart from darkness and freeing it." Yen Sid replied.

"When I destroy a Heartless, it vanishes into spirit particles as a soul would when moving on to the Soul Society, or when a Hollow is killed. Should I be concerned?"

Stroking his beard, Yen Sid took a moment to digest this information, Sora and his friends waiting eagerly for an answer. Toshiro didn't want to do any damage to the balance of worlds.

"From what I have heard about the power of your zanpaktous, I believe they act in the same way as a Keyblade." Yen Sid spoke. "Though instead of unlocking the heart from darkness as a Keyblade does, the zanpaktou purges the soul of the heart, sending it straight on to a new life. The hearts unlocked by the Keyblade tend to travel for a bit, heading to a place called Kingdom Hearts. What happens there is truly a mystery, but eventually the heart is reborn."

"Cool, your sword is even better for fighting Heartless!" Sora exclaimed, giving the Captain a thumbs up.

"Do not underestimate the Keyblade's power, Sora." Yen Sid warned. "Zanpaktous are indeed useful against Heartless, but they were designed to fight Hollows. They cleanse the soul not the heart, and so the darkness in that heart will remain into its new life."

"Oh…"

"Now then…" The wizard waved his hand once more, revealing the slim white figure of the Nobodies that Toshiro was by now familiar with.

"At times, if someone with a strong heart and will – be they evil or good – becomes a Heartless, the empty shell they leave behind begins to act with a will of its own."

The image of the Heartless vanished, leaving only the dancing Dusk.

"An empty vessel whose heart has been stolen away… A spirit that goes on even as its body fades from existence – for you see, Nobodies do not truly exist at all."

'And yet Roxas was essential to getting Sora back. If he didn't exist, Sora would surely be lost forever.' Toshiro mused.

"Nobodies may seem to have feelings, but this is a ruse – they only pretend to have hearts. You must not be deceived."

'Tell that to Roxas.' Hyorinmaru snorted.

The ice Captain was startled out of his thoughts as three more of the Dusks were shown closer to Sora and his companions and he reached back for his blade before realizing it was simply more projections.

"Now then…the being you see before you is known as a Dusk. They are the most common form of Nobodies."

'I figured as much, they were everywhere.' Toshiro sighed mentally.

"But there are others," Yen Sid continued, "some larger, and some with frightening and unique powers. Be vigilant."

The trio nodded their consent, showing they had no problem looking out for Nobodies. Toshiro was more concerned with the organization Axel came from; weren't they Nobodies? He thought about asking Yen Sid once he was done talking about the Dusks, which, as he said, were destined to return to the darkness.

"But," Yen Sid countered, waving his hand once more. Three figures in the same robes Axel had been wearing now stood in place of the Dusks. "The beings you see before you now are different."

"Organization XIII." Toshiro said, noticing Yen Sid look at him in surprise. "I had a run in with one of them. They were after…something. I managed to get away, as you can see."

"Yes, well." Yen Sid cleared his throat. "These powerful Nobodies command the lesser Nobodies. While Heartless act on instinct, Nobodies function in a higher manner. They can think and plan, and it seems they are working towards a goal. What that goal is, we do not know."

'Wasn't it…Kingdom Hearts?' Toshiro mused. 'Axel was more worried about getting Roxas back to mention anything, and Diz was basing his theory on a hunch, so I'm not sure if this Kingdom Hearts thing is really what they want.'

'Perhaps mention it in passing?' Hyorinmaru suggested. Yen Sid was currently speaking about how King Mickey had sensed the danger and moved to fight it, now traveling worlds and fighting Heartless while trying to find out what the organization wanted.

"Could it be Kingdom Hearts they're after?" Toshiro questioned. Yen Sid turned to him in surprise. "You mentioned that the Nobodies have no heart, and that when a heart is freed by the Keyblade it travels to Kingdom Hearts. Perhaps they want Kingdom Hearts in order to regain their former self."

"That…is a possibility." The wizard mused, stroking his beard once more. "One that cannot be allowed to pass. To use Kingdom Hearts in such a way…impossible."

"Wow, you're really smart." Sora looked at Toshiro with new respect, Donald and Goofy nodding in agreement.

"I'm a prodigy, it's how I became a Captain at such a young age." Hitsugaya replied.

"Sweet. Well, we better find the King first and tell him to see if it helps."

"But where could he be?" Donald tapped his foot and crossed his arms, closing his eyes in thought. Sora shrugged.

"Well, we won't know 'til we look." Goofy offered

"Yeah." Sora agreed. "And the King must know where Riku is, 'cause the two of them were together in the realm of darkness when we closed the door. You know, after defeating Ansem."

"So," Yen Sid cut in, "before you go, you will need more suitable traveling clothes. Those look a bit too small for you." Sora examined his outfit, which was indeed rather small on him, and laughed nervously. "Through there, you'll find three good fairies." He gestured to a large set of double doors. "If you ask, they'll create appropriate garments for you."

"Gawrsh Sora, you sure are growing fast." Goofy smirked.

"Uh, I guess." Sora shrugged.

Rolling his eyes, Toshiro went ahead and walked through the doors, hoping to speak with the fairies first. He wanted to know if he could contact Soul Society with their help.

So we meet Yen Sid and learn more about the Heartless and Nobodies, as well as the similarities between zanpaktous and Keyblades. And we find there might be a way home for Shiro! Whoo! Except he needs the Limiter removed...well damn. And who's this mysterious Soul Reaper turned dark? Someone we all know? Or maybe someone else? Haha, next chapter! Enjoy!