(Harmony's) POV:
We rush to Merlin's house as quick as we can, while facing Heartless on the way. There definitely has been an increase number of them, but that's not why we're in a hurry. What Scrooge told us is something important.
"YOUR MAJESTY!!!!" Donald and Goofy call out in sync, barging through the door without knocking.
"Dad, are you here!?" I ask.
"Hey, fellas--you're just in time," Cid says, while Donald looks around the house for the King. I take a look myself only to see that Cid, Yuffie, Merlin and my mom are the only ones in the house. "Got some good news for ya, so get yourselves over to Leon's."
"Would that news happen to have anything to do with Harmony's dad and the King being here in Hollow Bastion?" Luke asks.
"Where's the King!? Where did he go!?" Donald questions.
"News sure travels fast," Yuffie says, wiping sweat from her forehead with a towel, while holding a drink in her other hand. She then notices Sora and smiles. "Hey! Sora's here, too! Long-time-no-see!"
"So, they are here, my dad and the King?" I ask.
Yuffie nods her head. "Your dad and the King are with Leon. You should find them in Ansem's computer room."
I let out a sigh of relief while Donald and Goofy cheer.
"That's great, isn't it, Harmony?" Heisuke asks.
"Definitely. Now that I know that my father and the King are here, we can ask them about whatever information they might've found about Organization 13," I say, smiling.
"That's not all you should be happy about," my mother points out, walking towards me. I look at her confused. Her next words take me by surprise. "Madison is with them, as well."
My eyes widen in shock. Even the others are shocked to hear about Madison. I mean, Madison is one of the people I've been trying to look for throughout this whole journey. Now that I know she's here, I can't help but cry tears of joy.
"Harmony..." Asch says, concerned about me.
"Are you okay, mieu?" Mieu asks, worried.
"...She's here. After all that searching...she's really here..." I say, relieved as I try to wipe away my tears, while Chibi nuzzles his head against my leg, trying to reassure me.
Sora then starts to fidget a little. "What's with you?" Cid asks.
"Is...Riku with them?" Sora asks.
Yuffie frowns. ".........No."
"I'm sorry. But we haven't seen him. He wasn't with my husband and the others when they arrived," says my mother.
Hearing this, Sora and I look down, sad that Riku is the only one who isn't here.
"S-sorry, guys. Here we got all excited without even thinking," says Donald.
"Hey, if your father, the King and Madison are all here, then why not ask one of them about Riku?" Harada suggests.
At this, Sora and I perk up a little. "Yeah," I say with a smile.
"You're right!" Sora exclaims.
"But that's not all that's good news. We found the computer Ansem was using!" Yuffie exclaims.
"Oh boy!" Donald exclaims.
"Com...puter?" Saito asks, confused.
"It's a little difficult to explain, but...A computer is a type of technology that's related to science. It's used to search and store all sorts of information," my mother explains.
"Yep. Should be able to get all kinds of info on the Heartless and the Organization," Cid points out.
"Maybe something about the realm of darkness, too?" I ask. "I want to try and see if Riku, Kairi and Chizuru are there."
"What? What happened to Kairi?" my mother asks, worried.
"One of the Organization's members appeared and kidnapped her, along with a friend of ours," Okita answers.
"Before, we only agreed to help Harmony in her travels because we had nothing else to do; no motive and no goal in mind. But now that we know that the Organization has taken Chizuru prisoner, it's become a personal matter," Hijikata explains.
"But we don't know where Organization 13's headquarters could be," Mieu points out.
"That's why we came here, Mom. We were hoping that if you had received any recent letters from Dad, he might've told you something related to it," I say.
"I see. Seems like things have become much worse than we thought. In that case, you'd better hurry and meet up with them at Ansem's computer room," my mother informs.
"Go see for yourselves!" Cid exclaims.
"It can't hurt!" Yuffie exclaims.
"What do you mean?" Sora asks.
"Nothin'. Just get to the computer room through the castle postern," Cid explains. "Watch your step!"
"My husband has Amaterasu with him. And since Chibi is fully aware what his mother's scent smells like, you'll have a better chance of Chibi leading the way," my mom points out.
"Got it," Asch says, nodding his head in understanding.
"Well, we're off!" I exclaim.
We leave Merlin's house, letting Chibi be our guide. He leads us all the way to the bailey, trying to keep up with his mother's scent.
"Excuse me, are you with the Restoration Committee?" an unknown voice asks. The others and I turn around, to see who it is. However, there doesn't seem to be anyone around...or so I thought. Three tiny figures appear right in front of us. I think they're fairies, because they all seem to have bizarre wings. One is a brunette, another is a blonde, and the other has silver hair. "What's Leon's gang up to?"
"They've got stuff to do over by the castle postern," Sora says, as though it's no big deal.
"Sora!" the others and I exclaim in sync, reprimanding him that that is not something he should say to just about anyone, especially to people we just met.
"Scoop!" the blonde fairy exclaims with a smile.
"Huh?" I ask, confused.
"Let's report!" the silver haired fairy exclaims.
"To who?" Donald asks.
"Our leader, of course!" the brunette exclaims.
"Yeah, you know, Malefi--" the blonde starts to say before her silver-haired friend covers her mouth.
The others and I become curious, wondering what it was she was about to say.
"Don't mind her. I assure you, we come in peace," says the silver-haired fairy, while the blonde quickly nods her head.
The brunette sighs. "You're kidding..."
"Problem?" the silver-haired girl questions, annoyed as she lets go of the blonde. "Okay, fine. You do the talking."
In a small light, she quickly disappears. The brunette turns around to face us.
"So sorry about this!" the brunette exclaims, giving us a bow, then disappears herself.
The blonde follows soon after. When they're gone, the others and I exchange looks.
"What just happened?" I ask.
"I don't know," says Asch.
After a few seconds, we decide to ignore what just happened and to keep moving forward. Thanks to Chibi, we eventually make it all the way to the castle.
"Leon!" Sora calls out.
"Over here!" a familiar voice exclaims.
We notice Aerith waving to us. And next to her is...
"Madison?" I ask, surprised, my eyes widening.
Madison notices us and smiles nervously. "...Hey, guys. Long-time-no-see," she says.
"Madison!" Mieu exclaims in tears, flying towards Madison and hugging her, while Chibi barks happily. "It's you! It's really you!"
"Madison!" Sora exclaims, quickly hugging her.
"Mads!" I exclaim, joining in as I feel myself ready to break into tears.
"H-Hey!" she exclaims, in shock.
"Sorry. Just...we really missed you," I say.
It may have been a year since we last saw each other, but I can tell, without a doubt, that this is definitely Madison.
Madison soon sighs and hugs me and Sora back. "I missed you guys, too," she says, giving us an honest smile.
Suddenly, we hear a different bark, making us notice a black wolf next to Madison. Not only that, but this wolf looks a lot like Chibi. Even the weapon on its back looks similar.
"Who's this?" I ask.
"Chibi's brother, Kuroterasu. But Riku and I mostly call him Kuro," Madison answers, while Chibi and Kuro play a little, practically glad to see each other.
"I didn't know Chibi had a brother," I say, smiling at how cute the two wolves look right now.
"Wait, Riku!? Where is he!? Is he here!?" Sora asks, excited, while shaking Madison by the shoulders.
Madison gives Sora an annoyed glare. "First off, stop shaking me! You're making my head spin!" she exclaims, removing Sora's hands from her shoulders. "As to your question, I don't know. He's okay, but I don't know if he's in Hollow Bastion or not."
"Uh, what do you mean?" Goofy asks.
"He's kind of investigating a different matter, while Mickey, Master Kratos and I handle things here," Madison answers. She then starts to look sad. "Sorry. I know how much you wanted to see him."
"It's okay. As long as he's doing alright, that's good enough for me," I say with a reassuring smile.
"Can't believe it's really you," Luke says, rubbing his eyes, most likely trying not to cry at this reunion.
"You've got a lot of explaining to do. We went to a lot of worlds looking for you," says Asch.
Despite Asch's words, I can see the small smile that he's trying to hide on his face. Since I know my boyfriend so well, I can tell that he's happy to see Madison, too.
"Sorry, but I had to keep a low profile. So did Master Kratos and Mickey," Madison explains. "We really needed to try and find whatever we could about Organization 13. And our investigations led us back here, to Ansem's computer."
"You guys found Ansem's computer?" Sora asks.
"Uh-huh. The King and Kratos are very interested in it," Aerith answers.
"The King?" Donald asks, making sure he heard right.
"Him and Master Kratos are inside with Leon," Madison says.
"We get to see the King!" Donald exclaims, happy.
"Hooray!" Goofy cheers with a smile.
"Any idea if Riku will be here or not?" Luke asks.
Madison shakes her head. "I haven't received any word from him. We've been sending and receiving messages through a 'special' way. One that I'm sure you should be familiar with by now," she answers.
It doesn't take me long to realize what she means by that. "That Chimera friend of yours," I say, recalling how Madison had sent us a message through that Chimera Heartless back in Auldrant.
Madison nods her head. "Yep. I'd love to keep talking. But maybe we can discuss things inside? I'm sure you've noticed by now how there's been a huge increase in the number of Heartless. And I'd like to take care of that as soon as possible."
"Fair enough," says Asch.
"That sounds like a great idea! Madison will lead the way. In the meantime, I'm going to meet up with the others," says Aerith.
We all nod our heads and let Madison guide us through inside of the castle, with Chibi and Kuro right next to us.
"So, I'm noticing how you seem to be getting along so well with your new friends from the Shinsengumi," Madison says, starting a conversation.
"Yeah, we have," I say, suddenly finding this situation to be awkward, since Madison and I haven't seen, let alone spoken to each other, in over a year.
"Which reminds me. Thanks for not explaining to us as to why you had us travel with Harmony and the others. You could've also stayed to say 'hi' and save your friends the trouble from having to worry about you so much," Okita says, obviously not pleased.
"Are you talking about when you guys first met, after waking up in Twilight Town?" Sora asks.
"That's right," Saito answers.
"We're not trying to point fingers or anything. We've just been confused about a lot of things," Heisuke points out.
"Sorry. I would've stayed to explain things to you, but there were a whole bunch of Nobodies in Twilight Town back then that needed to be gotten rid of. We needed to clear a path for you guys back then, so that you would make it to Master Yen Sid's place," Madison explains.
"Come to think of it, we did encounter a large number of Dusks near the train station," Saito points out, making all of us recall that memory.
"Was it really that bad back then?" Mieu asks.
Madison nods her head. "Yeah, it was. Not only did we need to clear a path for you guys, but we also needed to make sure that none of them went after you, or tried to attack anybody from Twilight Town. Our hands have been tied since then. Otherwise, we would've had the chance to explain things to you ourselves."
"Okay, I can understand that. But mind explaining why you're wearing the Organization's black coat?" Luke asks, which is most likely the question we've all been thinking of since reuniting with Madison.
"Hey, just to set the record straight, if it were an option, I wouldn't be wearing this thing right now," Mads quickly says, looking a little annoyed.
"What do you mean?" Harada asks.
Madison sighs. "How do I put it? The Organization members are...unique in some ways. Since they're not human, they have sharp noses that work as well as a bloodhound's. Wearing these coats was the only option we had in order to keep the Organization from tracking us down, especially since they keep chasing after us. They are very persistent, and on top of that, relentless."
"So, you're not members of the Organization. You're just doing it to make sure that they don't get the jump on you. Does this mean that the King, my dad and Riku are all wearing the same coat, too?" I ask, understanding their situation a little.
Come to think of it, back when we first saw my dad and the King in Twilight Town, they were wearing black coats that look exactly like the ones the Organization wears.
"You got it. But despite our efforts, we haven't been able to find much information about them. It feels like no matter what we do, the Organization is always one step ahead of us, making it hard for us to figure out what their plans could be," Madison explains.
"But what about Kuro here? Wouldn't they have noticed it to be you by noticing a black wolf with strange markings is traveling with you?" Nagakura asks, as well as stating an important fact.
"It's hard to explain, but animals, apparently, mean nothing to them," Madison answers. "Anyway, while trying to find out what the Organization's goal is, we've had no such luck, until recently."
"You mean Ansem's computer, right?" Sora asks.
"Exactly. Our investigation brought us all the way here to Hollow Bastion. I figured that since Ansem's research involved the Heartless, maybe there might be something about the Nobodies or the Organization. And so, here we are now," Madison says.
"Can we also find anything about Chizuru?" Hijikata asks.
"Or Kairi?" I ask.
Madison stops in her tracks and turns to us, confused. "Huh? What are you talking about? Didn't they come here with you guys?" she asks.
"About that..." I try to say, not sure how to answer that question, considering what happened.
"After we got your message, we headed to Twilight Town, just like you said. But before we got there, Kairi and Chizuru got taken away by the Organization," Asch explains.
Madison's eyes widen. "What!?" she asks, practically yelling.
"They got kidnapped by someone named Axel," Okita answers.
"Axel...but he...That idiot!" Madison exclaims.
I raise an eyebrow. "...Madison? Is there something you're not telling us?" I ask.
She sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. "...Axel isn't a member of the Organization anymore. He decided to leave them. Riku and I have met him in person once, not long after you guys left to Yen Sid's place, but that doesn't mean we've joined sides. Since we didn't know what the Organization's plan might involve in, Riku and I went to the islands and had Sora, Kairi and Chizuru brought to Twilight Town so that they could join up with you guys, thinking it'd be better that way. Turns out, we were wrong."
"So that's how they ended up in Twilight Town," Hijikata says, seeming to understand.
Sora eyes widen. "Wait a minute! That was you guys! Why didn't you say anything!?" he questions
"Again, trying not to get caught by the Organization," Madison answers, as though it's obvious. "They were tracking us down, so there wasn't enough time to talk. But that doesn't matter right now. Axel's not on the Organization's side, but that doesn't mean he's on our side, either. I'm not even sure what it is he's trying to do. But if he's taken Kairi, he's is going to get it big time when I see him. As for Chizuru, I don't know much about her, other than the fact that she appeared on the island recently, but we'll get them both back. Whatever happens to them, I'll be sure to take responsibility for it. For now, let's just see what we can find on Ansem's computer and try to figure out everything else afterwards."
Deciding to take Madison's word for it, I nod my head. "Okay."
"So, are there any other questions?" Madison asks as we continue walking.
"Yeah, I got one. How did Harmony's father bring us back from the dead?" Okita asks.
My eyes, along with Asch, Luke, Mieu, Sora, Donald and Goofy's eyes widen with shock.
"Back from the dead!?" Donald questions.
"What are you talking about?" Asch asks, just as shocked.
Harada nervously scratches his neck. "...Well, we didn't want to scare you guys, but...Back in our home world, before we met any of you, there was a war going on, and we all died in the middle of it," he explains.
"But how can that be? You're all right here in front us!" I exclaim, finding it hard to believe.
"That's what we'd like to know," Hijikata says.
"That I can't answer. I don't know myself because Master Kratos was the one who did it and I wasn't there to see it happen. All I know is that he thought that Harmony and the others could use some extra help, since this journey has proven itself to be more difficult than the last one. I was only told to give you quick and specific instructions on what to do. You'll have to ask him yourself when you see him in person," says Madison. "Sorry that I can't help you out with that."
"It's okay. We're just confused, that's all," says Heisuke.
"Understandable. But, if it helps, from what I heard from Master Kratos, it wasn't that long ago that you guys ended up dying in your home world," Madison says.
"For how long, then?" Saito asks.
"Right after the war ended in your world, I'd say about a few months. Though, considering which day and month you guys died in, probably longer than that," she says.
With that, I guess it's safe to assume that that's all the information we'll be getting out of Madison, for now, at least. Meanwhile, I can't help but find all that she explained hard to process, especially with the part about Hijikata and his friends coming back from the dead. As we walk farther in, I somehow get the feeling like something was watching us. I quickly look up at the ceiling, only to see nothing was there.
"Hey, Harmony? C'mon," Okita calls out.
"What're you doing?" Luke asks.
"Sorry! I'm coming!" I exclaim, moving to catch up with my friends. It's then that I begin to realize something. "Hey, Madison? Why do you keep calling my dad 'Master Kratos'?"
The moment I ask that, Chibi and Kuro bark in sync, just in time for a bunch of Heartless to appear, causing Madison to smile for some reason. "It's simple. Because..." she says. My friends are then taken by surprise when a Keyblade suddenly appears in her hand. She swings it and takes care of the Heartless, clearing a path for us. "He taught me how to use my own Keyblade."
"...But...how did you...?" Asch tries to ask, still in shock like the rest of us.
Madison smiles sheepishly. "It just sorta happened all of a sudden. I can't tell if it's because the darkness I had inside of me is gone for good, or if I've been given a chance to make amends for my past mistakes, but...When it appeared in my hand all of a sudden, Master Kratos offered to become my teacher, making me his student. I've been wielding my Keyblade ever since. And since I respect him so much, it only makes sense to call him 'master'," she explains.
After getting over our shock, the others and I eventually find a spacious room. Or at least it looks like it used to be spacious. Right now, it looks like a total mess with so much stuff all over the floor. Not only that, but hanging on a wall is a painted picture of Ansem, the very same Ansem that my friends and I defeated a year ago.
"Ansem..." I say, looking at the portrait.
"That's him?" Hijikata asks.
"The one and only," Luke answers.
"So that's what he looks like," says Saito.
"Gwarsh, I guess this must be his room," says Goofy.
"Where's Kratos and the King?" Donald asks.
"Probably farther in, where the computer might be," Madison says.
"Hello?" Sora calls out.
"Hey, you!" an unfamiliar voice exclaims.
We all turn around, seeing a young woman next to the door we just came through. My eyes widen when I recognize her.
"Tifa!?" I ask, shocked to see her.
Tifa gets a good look at me, smiles, and then hugs me. "Harmony! Wow, look at you! You've gotten so big!" she exclaims as I hug her back.
"Someone you know?" Nagakura asks.
"This is Tifa. She kinda used to be my baby-sitter back when I still lived in Hollow Bastion, whenever Leon or my parents weren't around to look after me," I explain. When Tifa and I stop hugging each other, I turn my attention on her. "It sure has been a long time, Tifa. But what are you doing here?"
"I'm looking for somebody. Have any of you seen a guy with spiky hair?" Tifa asks. Hearing her ask that, me and my friends all turn our attention to Nagakura and Sora, since they're the only ones in the room with spiky hair. Tifa giggles. "Spikier. I'll just take a look around."
As to her word, Tifa searches the whole room. She knocks on the walls, probably trying to find a secret entrance of some sort, searches under the desk, and examines the book shelves. I'm not sure who she's looking for, but she seems to be determined.
Tifa examines the wall one more time, and kicks it, causing the whole room to shake a little. Feeling the vibration from her kick makes us tense up, surprised at how strong she is.
"Sorry to bother you," she says.
"No bother, ma'am," Sora, Donald, Goofy and Mieu say in sync, straightening themselves.
"It was nice seeing you, Harmony," Tifa says, waving a hand in my direction, as she leaves the room.
"You, too!" I exclaim.
Once she's out of ear-shot, Sora speaks up. "Uh, Harmony? Was that really your baby-sitter? Because she seems tougher than she looks. A LOT tougher."
Guess she scared him a little. That kick of hers did seem to be pretty powerful.
I nod my head. "Yep. That's why Leon and my parents trusted her to look after me. Even as a kid she was always strong and independent."
"So you made it," a familiar voice says.
The others and I look to see my brother leaning against a wall.
"Leon!" I exclaim, happy to see my brother again.
"Great to see you, Leon!" Sora exclaims with a smile.
Leon gets off of the wall and nods his head. "Likewise."
"Where's Kratos and the King?" Mieu asks.
Leon raises a finger to his lips, hinting us to be quiet. "You'll see them soon enough."
"Hey!" Donald exclaims, glaring at my brother, obviously impatient to wanna see the King, especially since we just found out that he's here with my father.
"Here, this ought to tide you over," says my brother. He turns around, then places his hand on a piece of the wall, which seems to be a concealed switch. Then a huge part of the wall glows and disappears, revealing a secret hallway. "Ansem's computer room."
Finally. Hopefully, this means we'll be able to get all the answers we need on the Organization to save Kairi and Chizuru.