Bonded Fate (PG-14 for Language and Violence)

Hey everyone, it's me once again. I'm here to post my final KH-Trilogy Story here, as the rest (If any) will be to violent for KH-Vids. War ain't pretty, as I'm pretty sure we all know. Anyway, please enjoy the prologue to what's shaping out to be my longest story so far. (This one clocks in at almost 3000 words!)
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Disclaimer: Ok, listen up and listen good, I'm only gonna say this once. Kingdom Hearts and all it's Locations and Characters are Sqaure-Enix/Disneys. Christie, Kia, The Crest Lock System, Infinity and this story are my own. No sticky paws, or I will hunt you down and HURT you. Are we clear? Good.
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The worlds as we know them are ever changing. One day, the sun may rise, and the next, maybe it won't. But one thing is always there. It has been here since the beginning of time, and will be here long after we are gone. Do you know what it is I speak of?

Bonds.

Be they the bonds of family, of parent and child, or siblings born years apart.

Or be they the bond of love. Of husband and wife, of lovers, or of soulmates.

Whomever they connect, bonds are within us all. They form a complex array, connecting one person so someone they may never meet but know somehow. Some bonds are so strong they withstand lifetimes of abuse and sadness. Others are weak enough to crumble with a single argument, and some never last beyond formation. But no matter how long they last, bonds are with us for every step of our lives.

This, is the story of my bonds.

Who am I, you ask?

Well, let me start at the beginning.

After all, we are all Bonded by Fate

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Third District, Traverse Town
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I backflipped away from Riku's strike, grabbing my daggers in midair. He smirked, taunting me with his hand as he reclaimed Soul Eater. We stared eachother down, waiting for the first move to be made. After a moment, he shifted his foot a little, and I struck. Black and navy blue blades clashed in dance of metallic screeching, and we both jumped back. A third set of footsteps broke us out of our combat mode, and I turned to Cid with a smile. The older man was looking like he'd run a marathon, red faced and gasping for breath
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"I don't know how you two do it! I get tired just watching you spar!"

Riku chuckled, Soul Eater fading from his grip as he shook long hair from his eyes.

"Could be cause we're less than half your age, old man."

Cid smirked, flicking his toothpick.

"I've been fighting since you were in diapers, you brat."

I laughed, those two. Cid headed back to his shop after a little chat between the three of us, RIku and I making for the Cafe. Time for lunch. The second I'd said that, both of our stomachs growled loud enough to be heard across teh district. Riku and I shared a strange look, before I shrugged. What can ya do when your body decides it's time to protest?

Not much.

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My first deep bond was with my Brother, Leon. I know what you're thinking, what about my Parents? Well, Leon was both Mom and Dad to me. "Daddy Dearest" ran out on us soon after I was born, and my Mom died in Childbirth. Leon cared for me until i was six, and we were seperated in the Heartless invasion.

I didn't see him again until I was fifteen.
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Meals in Traverse Town were a familial affair. Since Riku and I had been here constantly over the past year, the Owner and her son knew us well. They knew that Riku was allergic to peppers, and that I couldn't stand garlic. They also knew that we had claimed the corner table on out first day, as far from the door as we could get. Neither of us sat somewhere from where we couldn't see or hear the doors opening, call it nervous habit. Lunch today was a quiet affair though, something seemed off in the Cafe. I kept quiet as we passed three of the booths, the people inside them giving me odd stares. Alicia, the shop's owner, gestured us to the counter as soon as she saw us.

"See the man in the first booth? He hasn't ordered a thing, but he's been here since opening time. Can I ask you two to sit here today and keep an eye on him?"

Riku nodded, knowing I'd agree. Alicia had served as a surrogate mother to us both over the past year, and Logan was the brother that I missed dearly. We ordered the same thing as always, and Alicia left with our order. Riku and I chatted casually, but we kept our senses trained to the man in the booth behind us. There's something I should mention. In the Cafe, there are these two metal pillars just behind the counter. They're Alicia's pride and joy, and she keeps them shining clean every day. They served as mirrors for those sitting at the counter to see the door, and they served the purpose of letting me watch the man at the booth. Logan nodded to us as he delivered our meals, and even as we ate I kept my eyes on the man. He just sat there, and after we'd finished, I was wondering if he was asleep there. But a sharp movement from him told me otherwise, and I ducked my head as he stared in my direction. But I kept my eyes on the pillar, jaw dropping as I saw the reflection.

Blue hair, cat slit gold eyes, elven ears, it could only mean one person.

"Saïx...."

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My second and third deep bonds were with my adoptive Mom and Granpa. She raised me from six years old, and he was like a father to me. He died when I was fourteen, leaving me without a father for a second time in my life. Mom, she tried to pull it all together, and almost succeeded. I don't know if she really did though, I was brought here before then.

It's been almost four years now, and I haven't seen her since.
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Riku must have heard the fear in my voice, cause he turned and glared at Siax, placing his hand on the small of my back. The blue-haired Organization memeber left the Cafe after reciecing the business end of Riku's glare, and Alicia sagged in relief.

"Thank Bahamut. He was beginning to give me the creeps!"

I nodded to Riku's concerned look, paying for our meal. If Saïx was here, it could only mean that the Organiation was on the move somehow, and that was NOT a good thing. As we helped Cid pack his things for his trip to Hollow Bastion, my mind was everywhere but where I was. Saïx was the member I'd had the most trouble with during the game, he had been even tougher than Xemnas. It wouldn't surprise me if that stayed true even now. But why was the Organization moving now? Were they thinking that Riku would serve their purpose? But that wouldn't work, he couldn't use a keyblade at the moment... I shook my head, sending my thoughts scattering. No use thinking about it now, we'd be leaving tonight anyway. After a few hours of packing boxes and loading them onto a ship, I leaned against the Third District Doors. Riku and Cid were exchanging friendly banter, and I smiled. He served as a surrogate father to me and Ri over the past year, one we both sorely needed. Closing my eyes, I breathed in the chilled night air and smoke.

Wait....smoke?

I shot up from my place against the door, clambering up to Accessory Shop rooftop. Sure enough, plumes of smoke rose from the second district, the Hotel to be exact. Riku suddenly appeared beside me, eyes livid.

"Is that what I think it is?"

My nod was more than enough of an answer, and we both immediatly headed for the fire.

Neither of us was prepared for the chaos to follow.

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But my strongest bond is with Riku. I suppose you could say we met when I was 12 years old, since that's when I got the first Kingdom Hearts game, but we really met when I was fourteen. I was taken from Earth and sent to the Islands by someone concerned for Sora's safety, but things changed. After the doors were open, we all alnded in Traverse Town. But things happened, and we were seperated. After tha mess ended, Riku adn I were sealed behing Kingdom Hearts. We spent six months behind those doors, before Castle Oblivion welcomed us as it's own. We spent a hellish three days in that place, only to lose track of the king a week later. We arrived at Traverse town almost a month after that, much to Cid's surprise.

We haven't left since.
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I coughed against the smoke flooding the second district, the Hotel wasn't the only building ablaze here. Heartless ran rampant now, destroying everything in their path.

Traverse Town was dying, and there was nothing we could do to stop it. I had to shake my head violently to get the tears out of my eyes, and I knew Riku was barely controlling his rage at the sight of so many Heartless. Screams from afar broke us from our thoughts and we took off running in different directions. I lost count of the amout of Blizzara spells I cast over that harrowing hour, only stopping when I saw smoke coming from the First District as well. I growled, catching Riku's attention. He ran to my side, silver hair stained grey from the soot falling off the rooftops.

"Get these people to Hollow Bastion via the Third District, I'm going to help Alicia."

He nodded, understanding as he ran to his task. I ducked around people running to safety and cut down Heartless running after those people. I had to rsuh under a few Darkballs, skidding on the hard cobblestone flooring of the First District. As I ran to the railing, I ducked to avoid being spotted by the man below. Saïx had Alicia and Logan cornered, and the teenage boy looked like he'd tried to wound Saïx, and failed miserably in the process. Alicia was glaring at the nobody, pushing Logan behind her.

"I don't care who you are, Christie and Riku are family to us! I won't tell you where they are!"

Alicia maintained her glare even as Saïx placed his claymore at her throat, blade extending to it's widest proportions.

"Either tell me, or die."

Alicia answered the man, by spitting in his face. Throughout this discussion, I had been sneaking up to be behind Saïx. And now, as he raised his weapon to end two lives, I pounced. By legs went around his waist and my arms around his neck to throw him off balance, as I looked to Alicia.

"Get to the Third District! Riku will you get you to safety."

Logan peeked around his mothers shoulder, watching me struggle to contain Saïx's swings with my small wieght.

"But what about you?"

I shook my head, calling forth my daggers to get ready to strike.

"Don't worry about me, just go!"

Alicia nodded, dragging her son through the doors to safety. As much as I hate to admit it, fighting Saïx alone back then really scared me. As far as I knew, he could wipe me out in one hit. But I as willing to take that risk, if only to slow him down. After a few moments of me hanging off his shoulders, I jumped back and scrambled up the stairs. He glared at me, ears extending as the full brunt of his power came to life.

"I've orders to exterminate you, and I plan to follow them to the letter. Be it the easy way, or the hard way."

I drew my daggers in front of me, glaring at him. That was all the answer he needed, for his eyes became alive with rage as he swung his Claymore in a semi-circle in front of him.

"Very well, the Hard way it shall be then."

I somehow managed to swallow my fear, forcing it away from the forefront of my mind as I flipped and danced away from the claymore that was trying to take my head off. We danced around eachother, and I stayed uninjured for a little while. I knew the landscape of this place, Saïx didn't. He didn't know about the loose cobblestones on the plaze below, nor did he know about the balcony overheard Alicia's shop. He stumbled over the former and didn't know about the latter until I'd scrambled up it to heal myself from a swing that had thrown me across the District. Whatever you say about Saïx, don't call him physically weak. That man could probably lift Vincent, Cloud and Nii-san without breaking a sweat!

After I'd climbed upto the balcony and healed myself, I scanned the burning plaza below for a sign of Saïx. When I didn't see any sign of him, alarms in my head starting ringling incredibly loudly. Over the last three years, I've learned to listen to those alarms through scars and more than one concussion. This time though, I barely reacted in time. I cleared the railing just as Saïx would have chopped my head into pieces, landing in a heap below. That was all it took to lose the fight. Before I could get up, Saïx had me pinned to the ground with his weapon around my neck. As odd as it sounds to whomever reads this now, it didn't hurt. Ever have trouble chasing your peas or corn kernels with a fork? Well, I was the pea or corn trapped between the prongs of the fork. Saïx smirked down at me, golden eyes reverting back to normal.

"You have lost, stop your fight."

I snarled, hands clenching around my dagger hilts. There was no way I was losing now, no way in hell! Saïx's attention changed from me to the Third District doors, and to Riku as he came through them. The Organization member smiled devilishly, taking his claymore from the ground. Riku saw the older man charge towards in him, and barely managed to bring Soul Eater into his hands before the claymore would have wounded him. I shoved my way up onto my knees, shaking the cobwebs from my head. Riku and Saïx were now locked into a deadly dance of blades, but the elder man was winded from our fight. Still, I wasn't taking any chances. I whistled shrilly, a sign to Riku to duck. He did so, and just in time as well. I had ran at Saïx the moment after I whistled, daggers crossed in front of my chest. The blue-haired man couldn't dodge the attack, and blood flew from the new "X" shaped scar on his nose. I flipped away from the man, smirking. He stumbled back as Riku stood by my side, yellow eyes livid.

"I will end you both the next time we meet, have no doubts."

Saïx backed into a Dark Portal, leaving RIku and I standing amongst the burning rubble of the First District. Our thoughts were broken as the floors creaked beneath us, cracks showing in the pavement. Riku cursed, grabbing my arm and opening a portal behind us. I didn't question his orders, only followed him through. Just before the portal closed behind us, I saw the First District fall to the flames and Darkness. I closed my eyes in rememberance, then followed Riku to Hollow Bastion.

"This war is far from over, we have only just begun. But this time, we are not alone. For in the Darkness, there is hope. We will make our stand, and we will win. I know it."

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Bonds are what hold us together, through pain and through joy. They keep us strong, and they keep us alive. Without bonds, we would be nowhere. We wouldn't exist as humans, we would be nothing more than empty shells. But becuase of bonds, we are human. My bonds are what keep me fighting for a better tomorrow. For you, or for someone you know, that reason may be different. But whatever the reason, the bonds remain.

And I pray, that your bonds last until you are no longer in need of them.

Best of luck,

Christina Leonhart
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A/N: And we're done! The Prologue of Bonded Fate is complete. I hope you enjoyed it, I know I enjoyed writing it. If you have any questions, please PM me. Until the next chapter,

~SH

 

YAYZ!!!!!!
:woohoo:

that ish goood!!!! cant wait for the next chapter!

 

Pure excellence.

You did great!! Can't wait for this to go even further.

Don't keep me waiting too long!!

-Kairi

 

Oh, the wonders of being bored outta your skull will do for writing fan fiction! Here's the next chapter of BF, do enjoy!

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Disclaimer: Check Chapter 1
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Chaos was the only way to describe it. People running this way and that, screaming orders at other people as they tried to heal each other and find loved ones. It had been going on like this for nearly an hour now, and I could tell Nii-san had a headache. Yuffie was trying to calm him down, but it wasn't working.

"Come on Leon, just pull yourself together and think. You're the leader here, people need you."

Even Cloud stepped back at the look in Leon's eyes, and I winced. This really wasn't working. After a few moments of not being able to hear myself think, I'd had it. We were still outside in the Marketplace, so I climbed up onto one of the shop roofs. Taking a deep breath, I screamed at the people running around like Headless Chocobos.

"QUIET!!"

It worked like a charm, everyone shut up to stare at me in confusion. Nii-san nodded his thanks, turning to the crowd.

"I know you've all been through a lot over the last few hours, losing a home is never easy. But you're still alive, you're still all here. I know this is all very confusing to you, you've already been uprooted at least once before. But, this place, this world, it can become your second home now."

Leon took a deep breath, and I leapt off the roof to stand by his side. He nodded, and I stepped back.

"I can't guarantee you'll be safe here, this world isn't secure yet. But what I can promise you one thing. You can start new lives here, if you want. Hollow Bastion needs people to help with the repairs, to help get it's economy back into working order. My family and I, we can't do it alone. I know that this is a lot to ask of you, especially after what just happened at Traverse Town, so I'll understand if you say no. But for those of you who wish to help, and even those who don't, our doors are always open."

Leon stepped back, away from the crowds view. After a moment of tense silence, Alicia stepped forward, turning to the people behind her.

"I honestly don't care what you idiots do. I almost lost my son to a monster back there, and had it not been for Christie, that man's baby sister, neither Logan nor I would be here. You owe Christie and Riku your lives, the least you can do is pitch in and make this world a better place. Help them help us."

Alicia's speech raised the crowds spirits, and they all cheered in Leon's favor. Yuffie laughed, jumping into Leon's arms as Aerith and Cloud smiled. I chuckled, twining my hand with Riku's.

No matter what happened, we would see this through to the end.
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We stayed at Hollow Bastion for a week, helping Nii-san get everyone settled in. The old Residential District had to be cleaned out of Heartless rather quickly, and I learned that despite being a White Mage, Aerith is NASTY with those Ultima Spells. The Heartless she targeted with that thing, well, there wasn't a thing left behind to clean. The first time Riku saw that happen, he leaned over to me.

"Remind me to never tick her off."

I could only laugh at the seriousness in his voice. The remaining Heartless were cleared out with no problem, and the rest of the District was cleared for habitation within an hour. People flocked in, claiming apartments and housing in a rather orderly fashion, no scrambling over each other to get at the cream of the crop. Then again, what was there wasn't exactly the best to choose from in the world, but they were happy with it.

Alicia opened a new Cafe on the second day she was there, finding the perfect building for it. It did lack the mirrored pillars that had been her pride and joy, but she was happy with it. It became quite the hangout for the new residents, a piece of home in a new world. Vincent spent a lot of time there, helping Alicia and Logan get settled. Besides helping out a family that had just been uprooted, I think there was another reason to him helping out.

I think he really missed Tifa. As a child, I'd seen those two hang onto each other for dear life after the death of Tifa's father. She needed comfort, and Vincent could give it well. But she hadn't been seen since the invasion, so I think Vincent was trying to move on, instead of moping around like he'd done when Lucrecia died. It was a good thing too, since a moping Vinny Valentine is a man no one wants to be around.

The days flew by, repairs, sleeping, eating, training, more sleeping, that kinda stuff. On the sixth day, someone made a surprise visit and nearly sent both Riku and I jumping up to the ceiling. After spending nearly three days jumping a foot in the air at the sound of a Dark Portal opening, we're entitled to be jumping out of our skins. Instead of taking it peacefully, Nii-san and Vincent jumped to attention from thier places just across the Bailey, weapons in hand before DiZ had even stepped through the portal completely. The red-clad man blinked, before shaking his head.

"I come in peace, I only need to speak to Christina and Riku."

Nii-san snarled, Revolver cocked and ready to fire.

"I don't think so. The last time I saw you, you were threatening to kill her if we didn't help you."

I glared at DiZ, and he seemed to shrink back. Riku had Soul Eater in hand, and I could hear Vincent loading his gun.

"Start talking, but we aren't leaving you alone with either of them."

I could have kissed Vincent then and there for being the voice of reason, but I nodded my thanks. DiZ turned to face both of us, and I knew where this was going.

"I need both of you to go to the Nobody stronghold and take Roxas. He is Sora's nobody, and we need him to reawaken Sora. Be there in two days."

Leaving us on that note, he backed into his portal and faded away. The moment he was out of sight, Nii-san turned around and punched the wall behind him, hard.

"I'm going to skin that man alive if it's the last thing I do!"

The other three of us jumped, he'd never seemed so angry before. Footsteps made us look towards the town, as an out of breath Yuffie came running into view.

"The towns under attack!"

Vincent was the first to run from the Bailey, Riku, Leon and I hot on his heals as Yuffie led the way. When we reached the Burrough, it was all I could do not to drop to my knees in shock. Along with the run of the mill Heartless attacking, there were Dusks and Creepers swiping at people and buildings. Leon snarled, jumping straight into the fray with a battle cry. Cloud was at his back in a second flat, while Aerith and Yuffie were busy protecting the townsfolk. Riku and I leapt into the battle blades first, cutting through white and black as Vincent covered all of our backs from the distance. It was almost an hour before the last of the Nobodies faded back into the nothingness they'd come from. We all heaved a sigh of relief, heading for Merlin's House. Cid and the old Wizard let us in with open arms, and Aerith took to healing us. Leon shrugged off her concern, heading back outside. Yuffie made to go after him, but Clouds hand on her shoulder made her stop.

"Let him go. Leon needs time to think."

I sighed, heading up the stairs after wishing everyone a good nights rest, I needed to think on my own. In order to find Roxas in time, we'd need to leave tomorrow morning, no later then lunch hour. That meant leaving at dawn, without saying goodbye. I hated doing that. But what needed to be done needed to be done, so I shook the thought from my mind and crawled into bed. I don't know how long I just lay there, thinking about how things would turn out. I feigned sleep when two pairs of footsteps passed my door, rolling over as Aerith and Nii-san spoke up from just past the door.

"Leon, you knew this would happen. There would be a time that she would have to leave."

"But she's my baby sister...I just can't let her go Aer.."

"I know. But she isn't a baby anymore Leon, she's almost 18 now. She's almost legal age. Eventually, you're going to have to let her go."

Leon sighed, and a floorboard creaked as he shifted his weight.

"That's not making it any easier."

A third pair of footsteps came up the stairs, Yuffie's sleepy voice sounding strangely serious.

"Squall, nothing worthwhile is ever easy. I know it's gonna hurt you pretty bad, but you have to let her go sometime. Every bird has to spread it's wings eventually, keeping Chrissy caged is only going to make her mad at you."

Leon sighed, and the girls took that as an answer, heading back down the stairs. I sat up in bed as the door creaked open, Leon poking his head in. Despite the fact he's a very calm person most of the time, I've never seen him look so out of place as that night. Instead of just peeking in and then heading back out as he'd done when I was a little girl, he came in and shut the door behind him. A moment of silence stretched between us as he walked over to the bed, before he sat down near my hip.

"You're leaving in the morning, aren't you?"

"Yeah. As much as I hate DiZ, he's right. Sora's family, blood related or not."

Leon nodded, fiddling with a loose thread on my blanket. He took a deep breath after a moment, seemingly steeling himself for something he didn't want to do.

"You're, going to come back, right?"

And it finally clicked. He was afraid I wasn't going to come back. He was afraid to lose the only family he had left. I shook my head.

"Of course I'm coming back. I'm not gonna leave you here alone you know, I'm not that crazy."

He blinked, looking like a deer caught in the headlights in the yellow glow of the street lamps outside of my window. I smiled, and he ruffled my hair as he stood from the bed.

"I should have known better than to worry."

Giggling, I laid back down to try and get some sleep.

"We'll see you off tomorrow, sleep well."

Already half asleep, I just nodded as he shut my door with a quiet "click". The next thing I knew, dawns rays were streaming into my room and I was being shaken awake by Yuffie.

"Get up Chrissy, you'll be late."

It took a moment to chase the sleep from my brain, but when it clicked as to what Yuffie meant, my eyes widened and I gently shoved her from my room. Before the door shut behind her, she yelled.

"Leon left some clothes for you, they're on the dresser!"

I whirled around, and sure enough, their they were. I shook my head, fingers running over the cloth. Back denim shorts, knee length, another dark purple tank top and a black sleeveless hoodie along with a new pair of sneakers. Nii-san must have know my taste in colors had changed. Giggling at that thought, I quickly got dressed before running out the door and down the stairs. Riku met me at the front door, and we ran off. A few steps into the Burrough, he skidded to a stop.

"Chris, your jacket..."

I turned, bouncing from one foot to the other.

"What about it?"

"It's got your symbol on it."

Blinking in shock, I shrugged out of the item of clothing and flipped it over. Sure enough, there was the silver Griever head that made up the Leonhart family crest. But instead of just that, it also had Leon's red Angel wings, one on each side of the roaring lion.

It was the symbol that Nii-san and I adopted after Dad left us. Smiling, I slipped back into the hoodie and took Riku's hand in mine. I think he knew my smile was answer enough, because he let me lead the way back to the Bailey. Just as he'd said, Nii-san and everyone else was there. Even grouchy old Cid who wouldn't wake up until half past noon on most days was there, even though he probably would have hit the floor a long time ago if Vincent was standing right next to him. Cloud and Aerith were looking out over the Great Maw as Yuffie sat on the window ledge. Leon was pacing a bit, and I laughed quietly. He must have heard me, because he spun on his heel to face us. For a moment, everything was peaceful. No Heartless, just our big family. But nothing peaceful ever lasts with us, for the moment that Leon made to walk closer to us, a Dark Portal opened up in the wall beside us. Axel's flame colored hair was a dead give away, and the look in his face told me that something was seriously wrong. Before he'd even opened his mouth, Riku was already halfway through the portal with me at his heels. I stopped though, feeling multiple pairs of eyes on my back. Leon looked like a kicked puppy, and Yuffie was a half-second away from falling over laughing. I smiled, hugging my brother around the neck.

"Be safe." Nodding into his shoulder, I ran into the portal.

"Always!"
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The World that Never Was is a dreary place. Dreary, dark, cold, and always raining. Did I mention the Heartless? Didn't think so. Droves of dark Shadows, running up and down the streets like ants in a rainstorm. I clicked my tongue, that wasn't so far off the mark as most people would think. Standing here, draped in a shadow of my own, I wait. Axel had explained that Roxas had caught wind of DiZ's plan, and coupling that with his desire to know why the Keyblade had chosen him, had taken off in the middle of the night. The fire-haired man had delivered us to a hotel, than ran off to find his friend. That was almost three days ago, and we'd already encountered Roxas.

As you can probably guess, that didn't go so well. Roxas had been prepared for someone coming his way to stop him from running, and we'd thoroughly gotten our asses kicked. Riku had taken the whooping personally, and was now cutting his way through any heartless that dared to get near his blade. At the rate he was going, there would be no shadows left in this world. Sighing, I leaned back against the wall, only to stand ramrod straight a heartbeat later. There was a scent on the wind, and it was alarmingly familiar. Salt water, coconut, and cookies. Sora's smell, mixed with Darkness. Roxas had returned, and he didn't know we were here. Riku tensed, and I nodded. Ducking back into the shadows, I resumed my place as a watcher while Riku headed up to the top of Memory's Skyscraper. If things were playing out as the game progresses them, this was Deep Dive. Now, I'm not one for praying to any deity or something of the like, but at that moment, I was praying to any God that was listening to keep Riku safe. I should have known, they would never listen.

Roxas came into view, hood up and sneakered feet clicking on wet tile. He walked into the middle of the plaza, the stood still as Neoshadows came crawling up from the ground. Instead of waiting for the Darkness to come to him, Roxas summoned his weapons, the Keyblades Oathkeeper and Oblivion. In a series of graceful movements and jumps, he cleared out the Heartless in a few fell swoops. Some remained however, as his attention was changed from the street he stood on to the rooftops above. Riku stood on the edge of the Skyscraper, and were it not for the blindfold that covered his now amber eyes, I knew he would have met Roxas in a death glare. Roxas took the challenge, back flipping onto the skyscraper. Now, most of the laws of physics got thrown out the window long before tonight, but any sane person will have thier jaw dropping to the ground when they see a seventeen year old boy walking up a vertical wall while slashing away at Heartless.

Needless to say, I'm not very sane. But I'm still human, and that humanity had to be forced away when Riku jumped clear of the Skyscrapers ledge, catching Oblivion as Roxas threw it in something akin to a Strike Raid. From his place on the top of the tower, Roxas sneered down at Riku and I.

"Where is Sora?"

Riku shrugged, smirking and moving his hand in a "come here" gesture. Roxas took the bait a second time, diving from the tower. Landing foot first directly in front of Riku, Roxas charged. Blades clashed and after a moment, Riku hit the ground.

"Why?! Why do you have the Keyblade?"

Roxas examined Oathkeeper, before he snarled.

"Shut up!"

I had to cover my mouth to stop from shouting out a warning to Riku, but there would have been no need anyway, as he leapt from the ground, rebounding Roxas' strike with one of his own, sending the blond to the ground and knocking his hood off. I stepped out of the shadows as Riku walked to stare down at Roxas, sighing as my boyfriend drove Oblivion into the asphalt almost on top of Roxas' brain. A silent moment passed by, before Riku jerked in surprise. Roxas was waking up, using Oblivion as a crutch to stand before swinging it at Riku.

Riku had backed away as Roxas was standing, and the younger boy now had to run to clear the gap between them. Riku launched a Dark Aura blast to try and knock Roxas back a second time, but Oblivion cut through it, clearing the path. Roxas swung at Riku a few times, but the silver-haired eighteen year old simply jumped aside and away, staring down his best friends Nobody. Roxas snarled.

"Quit fooling around!" Riku smirked.

"What's wrong, Sora? Are you done already? Pretty pathetic."

For just one moment, Sora's reaction to Riku's words shone through Roxas.

"What are you talking about? You're the one who's losing!"

Blinking in shock, Roxas put one hand to his mouth. Riku smiled sadly, sighing as his shoulders slumped.

"You really are his Nobody.... Look's like I have to trust DiZ this time."

Roxas fumed, wildly gesturing around with one fisted hand.

"Why do you keep talking about him?! I'm myself, not Sora!"

The blond snapped, summoning Oathkeeper back from the void. He charged at Riku, putting all his energy into one swing that broke through the last minute Dark Shield Riku had cast. Crying out in pain, Riku was tossed back onto the asphalt. I ran to his side, dagger in hand in case Roxas tried that tactic again. I didn't need to though, Riku managed to stay on his feet, however shaky he was now. Roxas glared at us.

"You can't beat me, no matter how hard you try! You want to repeat last time?!"

Riku shook his head, one arm on his knee.


"I guess so..."

He stood up straight, squuezing my hand before turning to face Roxas once more. I took my cue, backing up a few steps. I knew what was coming, and as I much as I hated this, I had no choice but to stand back.

"Looks like I'll have to do it."

Roxas tensed, taking a step back.

"Do what?"

"The power is sitting in my heart."

Removing his blindfold, Riku let the strip of black cloth fall to the ground, revealing his amber eyes.

"The powers suppressed by my heart. If I were to become someone else, then maybe...."

I bit my lip, taking one more step back as Riku called upon the Darkness in his heart, shrouding himself in pillers of Dark energy. For those few moments, I couldn't feel him in my own heart, and I barely held my scream of fear back. Roxas readied to attack, but didn't get the chance. Less than a second after the transformation, Riku attacked, Heartless Gaurdian's hand choking Roxas and holding him above the ground. Survival became first priority, and Roxas dropped his keyblades to try and remove the large hands of Darkness choking him.

"The power of Darkness."

When Roxas stopped struggling, Riku let him down, gently setting him onto the dry flooring. The Heartless on his back faded away, no longer needed. I sighed in relief, despite his change in appearence, Riku's heart hadn't changed at all. I could still feel him, still feel the connection we shared. Axel reappeared a moment later, and I knew it was taking all his self control not to attack us to get Roxas. He looked me in the eye.

"Promise you'll go through with the entire plan?"

I nodded, shoving Riku's hand away as he poked my arm.

"Promise. They'll be fine Axel, I swear."

The red-head nodded, sending a half hearted glare at Riku.

"You owe her, you owe her a damn lot kid. I suggest you don't tick me off."

Riku blinked in surprise, but nodded to Axel as the older man headed back into the town proper. We must have been there for a little over five minutes before a second pair of footsteps came into hearing range. Riku stiffened, and I sagged. There was a lecture coming, I just knew it. King Mickey sighed, crossing his arms and tapping one foot.

"I finally manage to track you two down, and instead of finding you the way you should be, I find this mess! What's gotten into you both? Riku, you know better than to use Darkness so recklessly. And don't think you're off the hook either young lady, you know how to stop him when he gets like this, why didn't you?"

Instead of vocally answering his question, I just pointed at Roxas, laying next to the tiny kings foot. Mickey jumped back at least a foot, relaxing as he noticed Roxas' chest raising and falling. With still unanswered questions in his eyes, Mickey looked between Riku and I. The boy-turned-man beside me sighed, looking his surrogate father in the eyes. Something passed between them, and Mickey nodded, ears drooping however slightly.

"Alright. You'll be safe, right?"

I nodded, and Mickey turned to walk away. Riku spoke up before he left our sight though.

"Mickey, if you see Sora, please don't tell him about this. I'd rather he doesn't know."

I almost punched Riku in the arm, but Mickey's turning footsteps made me stop. The King had never looked so old before that day, he had always seemed happy. But now, he seemed to be carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"Riku, I can't make that promise. Sora, he sees you as a brother. I can't not tell him you're still alive."

Riku shook his head.

"Then tell him I'm ok. Just don't tell him the last time you saw me was, like this."

Mickey sighed, but nodded.

"I'm not happy about this, I hope you know that."

At Riku's nod, Mickey drew his cloak back over his ears.

"Alright then. Riku, Christie, good luck."

The King ran off, heading into the city as we watched him leave. Riku sighed, turning to me. At the look in his eyes, I bit the inside of my lip. I knew that look, he wasn't about to try that again, was he?

"Chris, I don't think it's a good idea if we keep bieng together anymore. With me looking like this and all, some people will get the wrong idea."

I clenched my fists. I knew this would happen, I just knew it. Riku yelped as I punched him on the arm, hard.

"Screw people! So what if they're going to complain, I'm not a baby who can't care for herself anymore!"

Riku took a step back, hands up to ward off another attack.

"I never said you were, I'm just saying that it might not be a good idea."

I glared at him, stomping the few steps up to him until I was nose to breast bone with him.

"And have bad ideas stopped you before? No, they have not. This was a bad idea, and you still did it. Falling for me was a bad idea, and you still did it."

I put one hand on his chest, pale skin standing out against the black cloth. I could feel his heartbeat, it continued the same rhythm it had always done. Riku covered my hand with his own, lifting my chin to make me look him in the eye. For a moment, instead of bright amber, there was bright aqua staring down at me, and Xehanort's form had been replaced with the boy he truly was. Riku smiled.

"Always the voice of reason. And for the record, falling in love with you wasn't a bad idea. It was the best one I ever had."

I smiled brightly, standing on the tips of my toes to be able to kiss him full on the mouth. We didn't break apart until a Dark Portal came to life behind us. Riku pulled up his hood quickly, and I stepped back as DiZ stepped through the portal. The crimson clad man stared down at Roxas' unconsious form. After a moment of silence, I spoke up.

"He sensed Sora."

DiZ looked to me.

"Did he say he hated Sora? What a joke."

I glared at DiZ, but said nothing.

"A Nobody cannot feel emotion."

Riku sighed, looking me in the eyes from underneath the hood of his cloak.

"If he were to meet Sora, that might be different."

DiZ stared at Riku with surprise in his eye, but only scoffed.

"Be that as it may, he won't be meeting Sora. Come, bring him along."

Riku nodded, picking Roxas up from the ground. As we followed DiZ through the portal, I could only hope that things would go according to plan. Within the next week, we'd have to wake Sora up and get Roxas and Nami away from DiZ and into safety with Axel. The sound of a computer brought me from my thoughts, and I stood near the staircase as Riku placed Roxas into the gate to the Digital Twilight Town. DiZ activated the fake town, and Roxas disappeared in a flash of Binary code. Riku and DiZ exchanged words, and I headed up the stairs with Riku on my heels. Nami greeted us with a smile, but I saw the tiredness in her eyes. The next week would be hard on us all, but I had a feeling it would go well enough.

Little did I know how wrong I would be.
----
A/N: Whoo boy, this has been the longest chapter I've written so far. It clocked at almost 5000 Words, or 9 Pages. It's not going to be the longest chapter, I can say that much. Every try to novelize a battle with almost 10 people running around at once? Yeah, it ain't easy. Still, I'm gonna keep at this. Till next time!

Silver

 

Oh myy...

This was great!! That's one of the top things you'd expect from such an extremely long chapter. Wow. You're writing still amazes me. I don't know how you do it, but you do it well. Very well.

However, I did notice quite a few spelling errors in this chapter. You might want to go back and fix those.

I also have a question: you say that Christie and Riku are around the age of 18. In the game Riku was 16 and I'd imagine that Christie would be the same age. Why aren't they in your story?

Other than that, nothing but pure excellence!! Keep up the good work.

-Kairi

 

Spelling errors, again? (smacks herself) Darn it. (runs back to fix those) As for the age thing, they spent six months in Kingdom Hearts itself (The World Behind the Door, as I call it), then a Year on the run/in Traverse Town. During my CoM, they were both 16-ish-17-ish and now it's been a year since. Riku has since turned 18, with Christie's birthday three months away. (In my version, his birthday is March 28th, while hers is June 25th) It's about to be April in the story, despite the fact it's January in real life. Guess I wanted springtime, considering it's freezing down here! Anyway, I hope that helped your questions, and I thank you for the comment. Don't hesistate to ask more questions, I love answering them.

Silver

 

that was amazing and I'll be perfectly honest. If you hadn't written this I wouldn't have had the courage to write mine. You ROCK!!!! *hugs*

 

even better! man, i need to start writing longer chapters >.< my longest has only been a few paragraphs T.T

 

Hey everyone, I'm back once more. Just a warning, I'm changing the ages of the characters around a bit, and this chapter is very wordy. Enjoy, if you can.

Disclaimer: Check Chapter 1

----
Ocean waves, harsh moonlight. He could have laughed at it all. This was a dead world, and he was meeting a person who was supposedly dead. What irony. Speak if the devil....Roxas portaled into view, and Xemnas turned to face the youngest member of the Organization.

"You have arrived. I've been to see him, he looks a lot like you." Roxas tilted his head.

"Who are you?"

"I'm all that's left. Or, maybe I'm all there ever was to begin with." Roxas pouted, they'd have to work on his emotions.

"I meant your name."

"My name is of no importance. But what about you? Do you remember your true name?"

"My true name is.....
---

"Sora!"

Sora shot up from the ground, scattering sand as he turned on his knees to face the girl who woke him. She giggled, hands on her knees.

"Give me a break Kai--"
-----

Two boys, racing down the beach. One is silver haired, Riku. The other is Sora. Riku's voice rings out across the beach.

"Giving up already?"

Four teens now sit on a horizontal palm tree. Sora, the red-headed girl from before, and Christie. Riku stands below them, arms crossed over his torso as they look out across the ocean.

"If there are any other worlds out there, why did we land on this one?"
-----

The secret place, a small cave nestled withinthe roots of a great tree. The rocks that make the walls are covered in chalk drawings, and Sora places his hand onto one, cerulean eyes gazing at it with longing.

"This world, has been connected." Sora shot up, looking around the tiny area.

"Wh-who's there?"

"Tied to the darkness."
-----

Sora and and the red-haired girl sit on the docks, watching the sunset. The girl stands after a moment, then looks back down at Sora.

"Sora, don't ever change."

Sora nodded, and the scene changed again. All four teens from before now stood in the Secret Place, facing down a man in a brown cloak.

"The door has opened. There will be nothing you can do to stop it now."
----

Roxas' room, with clothes and papers all over the floor. His fish lamp is on, sending bright blue light across the wall. Roxas blinked awake, sitting up on his bed.

"Another dream about him."

Outside the window, the early morning train was heading into town. Roxas started, kneeling to open his window. Twilight Town was just the same as it had always been, always peacefully set into twilight. It's where the town had gotten it's name.

"Roxas! You awake in there?!"

Roxas looked down to the street below his small flat, smiling brightly as he saw his best friends waving to him. Hayner was the oldest out of all of them, at almost 19. He was here on summer break from College on Besaid Island to the west, and he really hadn't changed since Roxas had seen him last. He still had his dishwater blond hair spiked and prepetually rumpled, and his brown eyes were full of laughter as he waved to Roxas. In the three years they'd known each other, Hayner had become a brother to Roxas, annoying as he was.

"Don't you dare fall from your window again!"

That was Olette. The 18 year old girl was studying here at Twilight Univeristy, so Roxas saw her everyday. Her mannerism's hadn't changed since High School, and becuase of that, she often served as both the voice of reason and mother hen whenever her boys were in trouble. Her brown hair was getting mussed up from the strong breeze, and as she held her hands to her mouth to yell at Roxas again, he saw her bright green eyes full of happiness. It had been a hard few months since they'd all been together like this, so of course she'd be happy.

"You gonna stand there daydreaming all day? Come on Roxas!"

And that would be Pence. He the youngest of them all, coming in at 16. He'd skipped two grades, so he was heading back to Besaid with Hayner when then week was up. He was pudgier than the others, but both he and Roxas chocked it up to all the Ice Cream they ate over the years. His black hair was held up in a fountain style by the red hairband he wore, and his brown eyes were showing a little impatience as he waved up at Roxas. The 17 year old smiled, calling out to his friends.

"I'll be right down!"

Roxas ducked away from his window, shutting the glass panes with gentle hands before diving off the bed to find his clothes. After a few moments of reckless searching, he blinked in surprise. Had he really left them on his chair all night? Dusting his knees off, he quickly got dressed, pulling on his jacket as he thundered down the staircase out of the flat. His friends met him at the front gate, and Hayner laughed as he rumpled his hair.

"Always a bed-head huh?"

Roxas swatted at Hayner's hand with a laugh.

"Look who's talking!"

Olette and Pence laughed, stopping abruptly as someone stared at them with anger in there eyes. Roxas blinked in shock, but Hayner just grabbed him by the arm and dragged him into the back alleys. The Usual Spot was their secret hideaway, and now it served as a sounding room for job offers and lifestyles. At the moment, it was serving to let Hayner vent out his anger without hurting anyone.

"Man, doesn't that tick you off?"

Pence nodded.

"Yeah, that's just wrong."

Ollete stood, beginning to pace.

"Seifer's gone to far this time."

All three of them looked over at Roxas, and the blonde blinked, before nodding. Hayner jumped from his seat, pacing back and forth in front of his friends.

"I mean, it's true that stuff's gone missing around town, and we do have a score to settle with Seifer and all from before College, so if he wants to think we did it, I really can't blame him. But see, that's not what's bugging me. What really bugs me is that he's goin' around telling everybody we're the thieves. Now the whole town and thier mothers are treating us like a Kelpto club! Pence and I only been here 2 months, and stuff's been missing for three. False accusations are what really tick me off. Have any of you ever been this mad before in your life?"

At everyone's head shaking, Hayner continued his tirade.

"Becuase I haven't. Nuh-uh, never. Now, what are we going to do about this..."

Ollete turned to Roxas, gesturing at Hayner with her head. Roxas sighed, why was he was the only one sane around here?

"Uh, well....We could find the real thieves. That would set the record straight, right?"

Pence nodded, jumping from his seat.

"Hey, that sounds fun!"

Hayner snarled, crossing his arms.

"And what about Seifer? He's pretty much turned the whole town against us if you haven't noticed."

Roxas stood, tapping his foot.

"First, we gotta clear our names. Once we find the real culprit, everyone will get off our backs."

Hayner growled, but was cut off from responding as Pence shouted.

"On no! They're gone!" They all turned to face the young man, to see what the problem was. His camera was in his hand, and Pence was looking mighty distressed.

"Our ----- are gone!"

Pence put his hand to his throat, blinking in shock.

"What?" Hayner took a step forward.

"All our ----- gone? Huh?"

Ollete leapt from her seat, trying to speak.

"Huh? You can't say -----? Why not?"

Pence shook his head.

"But you do get what I'm saying, right? All our ----- are gone!"

Roxas narrowed his eyes in thought.

"Stolen...And not just the -----. But the word -----! They stole that too."

Hayner looked up to the sky.

"What kinda thief is that? Siefer could never have pulled that off."

Roxas nodded.

"Yeah." Hayner punched his palm with one fist, running out the cloth that made for a door.

"Alright, time for some recon!"

Olette and Pence followed after him, determined to keep the eldest boy out of trouble. Roxas made to follow them out, but his world began to sway beneath him.

"Huh?" Roxas hit the ground with a thump, vision going black.

---
"His heart is returning. Doubtless Sora will awaken very soon."
----

Roxas blinked away the spots in his vision as he stood, dusting his legs off. Foot steps made him look up, bright blue eyes meeting Olette's green.

"Roxas, come on."

Roxas nodded, running after the girl onto Tram Common. Hayner waved them over.

"Over here!"

The group stood in front of the armor shop, and Pence clutched his camera to his chest.


"Let's get this investigation underway."

Roxas walked up to the shopkeeper, only to have to step back suddenly as the man at the counter glared at him.

"Yo, Roxas. Never thought you'd ever do such a thing."

Roxas sagged.

"We didn't steal anything, all right?" The shopkeeper sighed, lowering his glare.

"I'd like to believe you, but who else would steal that stuff?" Roxas pounced.

"What stuff?" The shopkeeper shook his head.

"As if you didn't know. Hey, I'm not gonna tell you. Go ask Lin at the Accessory Shop. She's mighty disappointed in you." Roxas raised a hand to ask again, only to have the store window shut in his face. The blond shook his head, turning on his heel and walking to the Accessory Shop. The blonde-haired girl who owned it looked up as he rapped on the doorframe, frowning.

"Oh, it's you Roxas. Please don't let me down, you used to be one of my favorite customers." Roxas crossed his arms, this was already getting old.

"Lin, you know I'm not a thief. Neither are Hayner, Pence or Olette." Lin sighed, not really believing the boy.

"Okay, if you say so." Roxas looked away.

"It's no fun having everyone suspecting me and my friends, you know."

"Then you've got to find a way to clear your names. Mikoto at the Candy Shop is pretty disappointed too." Roxas nodded, dragging away a questioning Hayner. Just one more shop, maybe the old owner could give them a hint. Mikoto, an old brown-haired lady looked up as Roxas and his friends came into view. Her normally prim bun was a mess, covered in dust. She dusted off her hands as they came closer.

"Roxas? Have any of you seen my cat around?" Olette looked up towards the shop awning suddenly, before putting her hands on her mouth.

"There he is! Roxas, can you get him down?" Roxas was already on the awning by the time she'd asked, stretching to reach the purring cat. The teen hopped from the awning, handing the cat to its smiling owner.


"Thank you Roxas." Roxas nodded, crossing his fingers behind his back.

"Did they steal something from you too?" Mikoto nodded, looking to an empty photo frame.

"Oh my, yes. Something very important to me." Hayner stepped forward, eyes gentle.

"Just so you know, we didn't do it." Mikoto smiled, running her fingers through her cat's fur.

"I believe you." Hayner sighed in relief, as Roxas smiled.

"Thanks for that, Ma'am. What did they take from you, if you don't mind us asking?" Mikoto picked up her cat, heading back into the shop.

"My -----. My precious -----." As the doors shut behind her, Hayner crossed his arms.

"Looks like the culprit is going around stealing -----. And not just -----, but the word ----- too." Pence frowned in thought.

"This obviously isn't your average thief." Olette tilted her head, hands laced behind her back.

"I wonder if Seifer would know anything about this." Roxas snapped his fingers.

"We gotta talk to him, come on!"

The small group ran to the Sandlot, where instead of seeing Seifer, they saw the rest of his group. Rai, the eldest stood at almost 6 and a half feet, tanned skin appearing a deep brown. He was the exact opposite of his sister, Fuu. She was tiny, 4 foot something with almost while skin. While he was loud and outspoken, she only spoke one or two words at a time. The last member of their group was also the smallest. Tiny Vivi, with his odd clothes and mannerisms, was the only one who didn't see combat in the slightest. He was also the one who noticed Roxas' group first. His pointing made Fuu and Rai turn.

"Thieves."

"That was low, y'know!" Hayner growled, clenching one hand into a fist.

"Oh yeah?"

"Nice comeback there Blondie." Seifer walked into view, grey trenchcoat swinging out behind him. Hayner snarled at the sight of his rival.

"What'd you say?" Seifer smirked, taunting them.

"You can give us back the ----- now."

"Yeah! You're the only ones who would take it, y'know?"

Roxas clenched a fist, bright blue eyes narrowing. Something was off here, there was an odd scent in the air. Soot, metal, and something else. Salt? No... it was blood. Roxas didn't have much time to dwell on this, as Seifer spoke up once more.

"That was undeniable proof that we totally owned you lamers. So what did you do? Burn it? Heh, not that we need some ----- to prove that you're losers."

"Replay!" Seifer laughed, smiling at Fuu over his shoulder.

"Now you're talking!" Seifer's group readied thier struggle weapons. No matter how heated thier spats became, they'd all agreed to never use real weapons to duel. It was to make sure that no one would be brutally harmed. Hayner growled, settling his wieght onto one leg. Seifer smirked.

"I guess if you get onto your knees and beg, I might let this slide." Roxas smirked, gently pushing his way past Hayner. His friend blinked in shock as Roxas began to kneel, only to whoop in joy as the younger boy sprang up, grabbing a struggle club and knocking Seifer's out of his hand in one fell swoop. The scarred man fell to the ground, and his friends raced to keep him out of view.

"Seifer's not feeling so hot, y'know!" Fuu nodded.

"Tournament decides."

A clicking sound made Roxas turn around, blinking as a harsh flash of light made his eyes hurt. When his vision cleared a moment later, he smiled back at Pence. The younger boy had snapped a picture of Seifer on the ground, and had caught Roxas' victorious smile in film. Pence flashed him a thumbs up, then yelped as white, snake like creature snapped up the camera, heading for Tram Common. Heyner and Olette ran after it, Pence and Roxas fast on thier heels. They split up to find it, Roxas heading for the Woods through a hole in the wall that had been there as long as he could remember. The white creature was almost dancing across the trees, almost as if it wanted Roxas to follow it. Barely managing to keep it in sight, Roxas followed it to the Old Mansion. It stood in front of the gate while he caught his breath, and as Roxas moved closer, it spoke, even though it's mouth never moved.

We have come for you, my liege. Roxas blinked in shock, stepping back.
----

"Both of you, up!"

"Wha, DiZ, what the hell?"

"They've found us."
----

The Creatures mouth began to open like a zipper, and once it finished, it lunged at Roxas. He yelped, rolling away from the strange thing. He didn't have a weapon with him, he'd dropped his struggle club while he was chasing after this thing. After another tense moment, Roxas felt a wieght in his hand. He looked down, jumping in shock as he saw the Kingdom Key in his hand. This had been in his dreams of Sora! But then, why did he have it? With no time to think on this, Roxas attacked. If anyone had been watching, they would have seen that his movements were exactly like Sora's.

The white creature fell to his blade quickly, becoming all the photos that had vanished from the town. The Kingdom Key vanished from his hand as mysteriously as it had come, leaving Roxas to pick up the scattered photos. Once they'd all been collected, he returned to the Usual Spot, much to everyone's relief. As Roxas tried to ward off Olette's mothering, one photo fell onto Hayner's shoe. He bent down to pick it up, tilting his head.

"What's this?"

Roxas peeked over Olette's shoulder to see what Hayner meant, and smiled.


"I was his first customer after he took over the shop, so we took a picture together." Olette smiled as she took if from Hayner's outstretched hand.

"It's a really nice photo. Oh!" She put her hands to her mouth. Pence smiled.

"Hey! You just said 'photo'!" Hayner sat down on his normal spot, leaning back against the wall.

"So, Roxas. Tell us about the Picture Thief." Roxas shook his head, it would be better not to say anything about the strange White Creature and that Keyblade. They'd call him crazy, among other things.

"Not much to say really, the pictures were just lying there, all over the ground near the old Mansion."

Hayner started to sulk.

"Then how do we prove we aren't the ones who took them."

Roxas shrugged, setting down the photos on a small table next to Hayner. The older boy picked one up, chuckling.

"It's a girl." Olette smiled.

"You look happy Roxas."

"Do not!" Everyone laughed, Pence sobering up as he noticed something.

"Hey, has anybody noticed that all these pictures have Roxas in them?"

Olette snaped her fingers.

"Ohh, so that's why everyone thought it was us..." Hayner stared in disbelief, before putting his head in his hands.

"So Seifer didn't fo around accusing us after all? Great. Just great!"

Roxas smiled at his old friend, before turning to Pence.

"Are they really all of me?" The younger boy nodded, handing the photo's to Roxas. Every single one had him standing beside or in front of someone, smiling. After a moment of staring at one photo, Pence spoke up.

"Right? Every single one. Wouldn't it be weird if the thief wanted to steal the real Roxas or something? Ow, Hayner!"

Pence yelped, Hayner had smacked him over the head. The eldest's eyes were angry, though his town was light.

"C'mon, get serious. Why would anyone want to steal a bonehead like Roxas?"

Roxas screwed up his face.

"Oh, thanks!" All four laughed, hands around thier stomachs. Roxas looked up as the Station Bells rang, and the last train ran along the tracks heading home. Pence and Olette waved goodbye, headed for home. Hayner followed a moment after, but stopped in his tracks with one hand on the cloth.

"If anyone does try to take you away from us Roxas, just tell me. I'm not letting anyone take my brother away."

Roxas nodded, smiling.

"Thanks, Hayner." The older boy smirked, running out of the Usual Spot. Roxas left after his friends, only to have to shield his eyes from the harsh sunlight a moment later.

Where, am I? "Who's there?" Who are you?

----
Restoration at 12%

----

I sighed, shaking my hair from my face as I backed out of the last Firewall Program.That would keep them out for a few days, hopefully long enough for Axel to get here and cart Roxas and Nami off to safety. I felt Riku come up behind me before I heard him and DiZ come down the stairs, and I turned to meet his eyes.

"It'll keep them outta here for a little while, but it's not a permanent solution DiZ."

The crimson clad man peered over my shoulder at the computer screen, amber eye wide with disbelief.

"Organization micreants, they've found us..."

I stumbled off the chair, straight into Riku's arms. He looked to DiZ as I tried to regain my balance.

"But, why would the Nobodies steal photographs?" DiZ shook his head, beefing up the security systems I'd restored.

"Both are nothing but data to them. The fools would never be able to tell the difference."

The old man shook his head, sending the computer mainframe onto standby mode for the night.

"We are running out of time. Naminé must make haste. Return to your room. My apologies for waking you both."

I stared after DiZ as he left the basement, leaving Riku leaning against one wall with me half-asleep in his arms. Before I could even try to stand up straight on my own, he'd already swept me up into a bridal-style carry. I half-heartedly protested, but didn't bother trying to get him to let me walk. Even as I drifted back to sleep curled up to Riku's chest, my mind was racing.

DiZ had been right. We were running out of time. We didn't have a week now. I knew that code, someone had violently hacked the computer below us. At best, we had three days left. Day Four had been the Struggle Tournament. Axel should arrive, and he can cart those two back to safety.

If only I'd known how wrong I was...
-----
You'll be safe, in my arms
----
A/N: Written to "In My Arms" by Plumb, which is where the last lyric comes from. Considering Roxas' coloring, it does make sense. Well, until next time.

Silver

 

Great job, once again.

You never seem to disappoint me, silverhikari.

I did notice one or two grammatical errors though.

Other than that, no complaints.

-Kairi

 

that was great! i hope you get the next one out soon! (i need to know what happens!)

 

And once again, I'm back. Enjoy!

---
Disclaimer: Check Chapter 1
----

Sora, sitting againt the wall of Traverse Town's back wall. A yellow dog is sniffing his face, before licking his cheek. Bright blue eyes blinked open, and the boy groaned.

"Where, am I?"

He raced into the second district, bumping into his friends.

"Riku, Christie, Kai---

-----
All four teens stood in the First District of Traverse Town, facing down Leon.

"Who are you?"

"They'll keep coming at you from nowhere, as long as you continue to wield the keyblade."
----

"Just who do you think you are anyway, jumping us from nowhere like that?!"

"I'm trying to protect you, you brat, since you obviously need a girl to save your ass!"

"ENOUGH!"
----

Donald, Goofy, Sora and Christie stand in the Third District.

"Hey, why don't you come with us? We can go to other worlds on our ship" Leon nodded.

"Sora, Christie, go with them. Especially if you want to find your friends."

"Donald Duck."

"Name's Goofy."

"I'm Sora."

"Christie."

All four put thier hands into one place, and smiled.
-----

"But the boy is a problem. He's found one of the keyholes. And that girl, she will become a nuisance if we don't nip her bud now."

"Let him search for the rest. The girl won't be a nuisance for much longer. Sooner or later, she will crumble. And when she does, we attack."
-----

Roxas shot upwards, looking at his right hand.

"A key...blade?"

Roxas shook the cobwebs from his brain, dressing quickly and walking out the front door. He walked through the sleepy town, thoughts running around like a dog chasing it's tail. He stopped near the Usual Spot.

"A keyblade..." His gaze fell to a small twig leaning against the wall, and Roxas smirked. That would do. After picking it up, he swung it around like Sora had swung the Keyblade in the dreams. A moment later, Roxas shook his head.

"What was that about?" He tossed the stick over his head, turning on his heel when instead of a click on bricks and cobblestone, he heard a light thump of cloth, flesh and wood. The twig had hit a tall person wearing a black cloak, bouncing off that person's torso and landing near their feet. Roxas gasped, but the person was already walking away, heading for the Sandlot.

"Sorry....about that...." Roxas shook his head, heading into the Usual Spot to see his friends munching away on Sea-Salt Ice Cream. As he took his seat, a still wrapped popsicle was shoved in his vision. Smiling at Olette, he took it from her hand, nodding his thanks. After a moment, Pence spoke up.

"Do you guys think we'll always be together like this?" Olette tilted her head, leaning back.

"I sure hope so." Hayner screwed up his face, looking at Pence strangely.

"Huh? Where'd that come from? You feeling alright?" Pence shook his head, returning to his Ice Cream.

"Oh, well, you know. Just thinking out loud." Hayner smiled, leaning back to look up at the orange sky.

"Well, I doubt we can be together forever. But isn't that what growing's up all about? What's important isn't how often we see each other, it's how often we think about each other. Right?" Pence laughed, even as he nodded.

"Get that off a fortune cookie?" Hayner pouted.

"That's it, no more Ice Cream for you!" As Pence looked at his Ice Cream strangely, Hayner groaned.

"Man, today's really turning out to be a drag..." Olette nodded, tossing out her finished Ice Cream.

"Maybe because of yesterdays Memory Thief." Hayner shook his head, leaping from his seat.

"Nuh-uh. You know what it is? We don't want summer vacation to be over. That's all! So, how about this. We all go to the beach! And why do we go to the beach? Becuase we haven't gone once this entire vacation! Blue sea's, blue skies! Let's just get on the train and go!" The others looked at each other as they stood, and Hayner looked over his friends.


"No? Aw, c'mon!" Roxas bit his lower lip, shaking his head.
"Maybe you forgot Hayner, but we're almost broke. We can't afford Beach Tickets." Hayner smirked, punching one open palm with his fist.

"Maybe you forgot, I'm smart!" Roxas stared after his friends as they ran out of the Usual Spot, before running out after them. Nearly crashing into Olette as he entered Market Street, he skidded to a stop next to Hayner. The older boy was reading a Struggle poster.

"Just two more days to go. You and I have to make the finals. That way, no matter who wins, the four of us can split the prize." Roxas nodded, smiling.

"Ok, you're on." Pence peeked at them from around Olette's back.

"You two are gonna clean up!"

"Go get 'em!" Hayner smiled, placing his forearm against Roxas' with clenched fists.

"It's a promise!"
----
"That was...Sora's promise gesture...."

"Yes. Roxas and Sora are beginning to connect. We're running out of time to do this right."

".....I can see why Axel is so determined not to lose him...."

----

Now completly sobered about the Struggle, Hayner put his hands on his hips.

"Now, let's get down to business. One ticket to the beach is 900 Munny. That's 3600 for all four of us, with three hundred Munny to spend, which is 1200 Munny. It comes to a total of 4800 Munny."

Pence titled his head as Olette smiled proudly at Hayner. Those math tutor lessons before he headed to Besaid had really helped out after all.

"To spend on what though?"

Hayner smirked, grabbing his wallet from his pocket.

"Pretzals of course! What else is there?"

Roxas shrugged, lacing his hands behind his head and crossing one foot over the other

"Well, there's always watermelon." Hayner shook his head, flipping though his Munny bills.

"Too pricey. They're 2000 Munny apiece." Roxas nodded.

"Alright, pretzels it is."

"So, where we Olette?" The girl crossed her arms.

"We need 4800 Munny altogether. But all we have is...."

"400 over here." Hayner returned his wallet to his pocket.

"800 from me." Pence.

"....650" Olette.

"150. Sorry." Roxas winced, but Hayner only smiled.

"That's 2000 Munny! We need another 2800 Munny. Let's find ourselves some odd jobs and get some cash!" We have until the train leaves to earn 700 Munny each!"

Hayner ran off towards the station, waving over his shoulder.

"Meet at the station with cash in hand!" Pence shook his head.

"Didn't he say he had it covered?" Roxas rolled his eyes as Olette groaned.

"Whatever. Those pretzels are sounding pretty good right about now."

Leaving Pence and Olette to thier jobs, he headed for Tram Common. Sure enough, in less than two hours, he had the required 700 Munny and had been very well praised by the Struggle Announcer.

"Amazing Roxas! I've not seen a job this good since, well, I haven't see a job this good in years! Here's your Munny, as promised."

Roxas nodded his thanks, running off towards the Station Plaza. Hayner smiled at his friends.

"All present and accounted for? What've we got now?"

"Let's see here. Just this." Hayner beamed, brown eyes aglow.

"Good job."

Olette took the Munny from the group, counted it up, and placed it into a small orange pouch.
"Nice work everyone! Added to what we started with, we now have....Tada! 5000 Munny!"

Pence whooped.

"Sweet! We can ticket's now."

Olette and Pence ran off into the station, leaving Hayner and Roxas to stare after them.

"We can't be together forever....so we'd better make the time we do have together something to remember." Roxas blinked, staring at his friend.

"What? Hayner, are you sick or something?"

The brown-eyed boy shook his head with a smile as he walked to the station.

"Not sick. Just grateful to be back home."

Roxas stared after his friend with a smile, before walking after him. But before he could join the others in the station, Roxas fell to the ground. Olette's hands flew to her mouth as Pence gasped. Hayner headed back down the stairs to help Roxas up, only to stop with one foot in midair as the area around them twisted. Everything stopped, except Roxas. He pushed himself off the ground, wiping blood off his lip as he sat abck on his haunches. He blinked at the position Hayner was in, and spun around to face the entrance to the old tunnels. The metal gate was creaking open slowly, and a girl stepped through. Her black shorts were damp, and she seemed to be rather mad at something. She was saying something in a langauge that Roxas didn't know, but from the look on her face said Roxas would rather not know. After the gate slammed shut behind her, the girl sighed.

"I'm getting to old for this."

She looked around for a moment, brown ponytail smacking her shoulders. When she caught sight of Roxas, she bit her lip. A person in a black cloak appeared behind her suddenly, and Roxas yelped. That was the person from this morning!

"Do you want me to..." The girl nodded, fading away. The man faded, and time was restored. But before Roxas could stand, the man had yanked him to his feet. He whispered something to Roxas, and disappeared.

"What?"

"Roxas! You ok?!"

He nodded to Hayner, before looking back to where the man had once stood. There was nothiing there. As he entered the station, Roxas couldn't shake the feeling that he'd known that man, and the girl, from somewhere. He came up behind Hayner as the other boy leaned down onto the ticket counter.

"Four students!" Hayner held one hand out behind his back, palm up." Roxas nodded, searching through his pockets and coming up with the Munny Pouch. He placed it in Hayner's hand, only for the older boy to jump back.

"What?! What do you mean the last train left an hour ago?!" Olette groaned as Pence and Roxas sagged. They'd gotten the Munny they needed, but they were too late. Hayner sighed, looking as the final train of the day headed for Sunset Hill.

"I can't believe this..." All four left the station with heavy hearts. They split up to head home, and Roxas shook his head, juggling the Munny Pouch as he returned to his room.

"Can you feel Sora?" As he pulled his pajama shirt over his head, he wondered who that girl had been. She looked so familiar, had he met her before? No, he'd never seen her before, he was sure of it. He set the full Munny Pouch onto his desk, then hopped into bed and pulled the blanket over his head. After he was asleep, time distorted and the girl appeared in his room. She looked from the sleeping Roxas to the darkening sky outside the window, then grabbed the Munny Pouch off the desk.

"I'm sorry."

She was gone before Roxas had even begun to dream.

---
Restoration at 56%

"Naminé, hurry."
---

I sighed, leaning back against the wall as Riku juggled the Munny Pouch up and down. DiZ sat at the computer, inputting Binary codes for tomorrow's session. Riku spoke up.

"Is it really that hard to make a beach?" The Crimson Clad man shook his head as he stood.

"No. It's quite simple actually, but we'd be giving the enemy another entry point." Riku shook his head as he held the Munny Pouch up.

"And this?"

"We can always buy some Sea-Salt Ice Cream." DiZ laughed, and Riku began to juggle the pouch up and down again. After a moment, DiZ spoke again as he headed upstairs.

"Object's from that town must me kept out of the real world. You can delete that." Both Riku and I stared after DiZ, and only after I heard his room door close, did I sit down at the computer to alter the Binary codes to allow Naminé and Axel into the data stream come the next two days.

Riku stood behind me, fiddling with the design on the pouch in his hand.

"Is DiZ really trying to erase Roxas?

" I nodded, and Riku sagged. Even though they were said not to have Hearts, we both knew that Roxas, Axel and Naminé had souls and emotions. They could feel fear, happiness, love, anger, and all the other emotions that we could. DiZ was just too caught up in revenge to see them for who they really were. They weren't just parts of Sora and Kairi, they were their own persons. Riku had experienced this first hand, when Naminé had literally pouted him into doing her shopping. Riku put his hand on my shoulder as I finished my work, shutting down the computer.

"So, what's the plan?" I smiled.

"I was hoping you'd ask..."

------
And we're done. I hope you enjoyed reading it, as I had fun writing it. Hayner's quick math came from my own life, since he's in college, it's expected that he should know his math, neh? See you next time people!

Silver

 

oo!!!!!!! that was good ^^ i loved it!!!!!!!! next one!!! next one!!!!

 

Great job.

I just noticed a few mispelled words. You might want to re-read and fix those, but it's really not that noticeable.

Keep up the great work and get the next one out soon!

-Kairi

 

Kairi: Spelling errors? I ran that thing through three spellchecks, I can't believe I missed them..

Anyway, here's the next chapter!
---
WARNING: Blood at End of Day 4

Disclaimer: Check Chapter 1
-----

Sora, Riku and Christie, floating in Ariel's Grotto as they stared down King Triton.

"As the Keybearer, you must already know that one must not meddle in the affairs of other worlds."
----
Ariel spun in the water as the three friends watched. She reached up for a beam of sunlight, eyes full of longing.

" So many places I want to see...I know I'll get there someday."
----

Olympus Colleseum, Sora, Donald and Goofy standing in front of Phil and Hercules.

"Thus, I hereby dub thee Junior Heroes." Donald sqawked.

"Hey! What do you mean Junior Heroes?!"

"You Rookies still don't understand what it means to be a true hero."

-----

Agrabah, Aladdin's small flat. Sora, Christie, Donald and Goofy are standing nearby the crestfallen young man and his genie.

"I....I wish....for your freedom Genie." Genie blinked in shock.

"AL!" His tail became legs, and the cuffs on his wrists faded away.

-----
Halloween Town, Dr. Finkelstiens lab. Jack took Sally's hand into his own.

"Sally, why didn't I listen to you?"

"Don't feel bad Jack, we'll come up with another plan for Halloween. And this time, we'll do it together.

----

Hundred Acre Wood, Sora sitting beside Pooh and Piglet. The human stands to leave.

"Sora, where are you going?"
"I'm gonna go find my friends. They're waiting for me."

Every resident of the Hundred Acre Wood stood up, waving at Sora as he left.

"Sora, don't forget, you can always come back to see us, if you want to."

----

DiZ Sat at his computer, eyes rimmed red from the hours spent staring at Binary codes. Further below, Naminé stood in front of a capsule inside a White Room. The vision faded to black, and Naminé stood in front of him, back turned.

"Who are you?" She turned, and smiled.

----
Roxas awoke slowly, blinking sleep out of his eyes. That girl. She was as familiar as that brown-haired girl from yesterday....Feeling someone's eyes on him, Roxas spun around. But there was no one there...shaking the notion from his brain, Roxas quickly dressed and headed out into the Town. When he arrived at the Usual Spot, he was surprised to see it empty. A flash of white caught his eye and he turned to look at a note left on the couch cushions. Picking up the paper, he smiled at the sight of Hayner's sloppy handwriting.

Meet at the station. Today's the day we hit the beach, and don't sweat about those tickets. --Hayner.

Roxas smiled again, running from the back alleys into Station Heights. Pence and Olette were walking up to the station, and when they spotted him, they waved.

"Morning."As Roxas began to step closer, they stopped with a foot in the air. Time seemed to have stopped for a moment. Roxas began to head down the slope to meet them, but had to skid to a stop before he crashed into the girl from his dream. She smiled gently at him, and for some reason, he felt like he wanted to hug her tightly. She looked so sad.

"Hello, Roxas."

"Uh, hi..And you are?" She raised a hand, making him quiet down. She laced her fingers.

"I wanted to see you again, just once." Roxas blinked. See him again?

"Me?"

"Yes, you." Roxas was left to try and make sense of her words as she walked away. Time returned to normal, and Olette and Pence continued walking up to Roxas.

"Olette dragged along me to go shopping for Beach stuff." The girl lightly thumped the younger boy on the head, before turning to Roxas.

"Hey, you want to come with us?" Roxas shook his head, staring down the path that Naminé had headed down

"Um, uhh, wait. Did you two just see that...." Pence smiled.

"He's stalling."

"Very well then. We'll see you at the station later Roxas, ok?" The blond nodded, and his friends headed down into the Market Place. Still standing there a moment later, Roxas tilted his head.

"Did she go to that haunted mansion?" Running to the hole in the Tram Common Wall took Roxas a little less than two minutes, but what happened next nearly sent the one babysitting the computer's into a hissy fit.

---
"Not again...Riku! We've got a problem!"
-----

Roxas stopped short to avoid a dark cloud thing that appeared, spitting out more white creatures. They tugged at his hands, trying to pull him into it. He pulled away.

"Lemme go!" Spinning on his heels, Roxas ran headlong out of the forest and back into Tram Common. The white things were still following him, so he altered his course to the Sandlot, were Seifer's gang was practicing for tomorrow's tournament. Seifer smirked as Roxas entered the Sandlot, sides heaving as he tried to catch his breath.

"Hey chicken wuss." Roxas turned, yelping as a Dusk sent him sprawling to the ground. Seifer was immediatly in front of him, Struggle club extended to the strange white things. Fuu and Rai dragged Roxas away from thier leader, and the girl spoke up.

"Who's that?" Seifer shook his head.

"I dunno. But they've already crossed the line. Roxas, find a weapon." The younger blond nodded, grabbing a spare foam sword from the bench. He swung at the white creatures, only to cry out as the weapon went right through them. He was thrown down by one that had gotten past Rai, and he hit the ground with a wince. As he stood back up, he groaned. All four of the group were frozen in time, and the creature's were slowly getting closer. Even though it had been useless, Roxas would have given anything for that struggle club right about now.

"Not good..."


"Roxas! Use the Keyblade!" That voice! He looked up, to see Naminé's smiling face. But his attention was shifted to something else as a Dusk lunged at him. Roxas crossed his arms in front of his face in some kind of defense, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, not only were the Dusk's gone, but so was the Sandlot. Instead, he stood on a stained glass platform in some kind of dark void. As far as the eye could see, it was black. Roxas shifted slightly as the platform rumbled beneath his feet. Three platforms rose from the glass, one with a red shield, one with a blue staff for casting magic, and the third a green-hilted sword.

Choose. What is your path? Roxas looked up, but there was no one there. Taking a deep breath, he walked to the sword. The hilt felt warm in his hand, like if had been made for him. After a moment, it faded away and was replaced by the Keyblade. A flash of white in the corner of his vision made Roxas spin aroud in order to parry a Dusk's strike. The Platform was bieng stormed by the white creatures, at least a half dozen of them. They were gone quickly, and Roxas sighed. Why was it so familiar fighting those creatures? As he swung the Keyblade over his shoulder, a large door appeared on the edge of the platform.

Be careful. Beyond that door lies a completely different world. But don't be afraid. Roxas nodded, walking closer to the door.

Don't stop walking.

Roxas heaved the door open, ending up on another stained glass platform. More Dusks met the business edge of his blade as he headed up the stairs. At the top of the stairs was another door, but this one felt different. Still, he had nowhere left to go...shaking his head, Roxas heaved open this door as well. The next platform was empty, no Dusk's, no stairs, and no more doors. Roxas sighed, walking towards the edge of the platform. Rumbling beneath his feet made him turn, and bright blue eyes widened at the sight of a giant creature, almost as tall as the Station Tower. It was white, with some amount of grey and pale blue. It's long arms and legs tapered out into a windsock shape, and a blue scarf like thing was tied around it's neck. It didn't seem to have eyes, but it stared directly at Roxas, forcing the boy to take a few fearful steps back. Roxas turned around, running away from the creature. But there was nowhere to run, because the platform ended. Roxas turned to face the creature, Keyblade appearing in his hand. He would have to do this on his own.

----

"The Nobodies got in again!"

"WHAT?!"
----

Dodging around the creatures attacks proved to be easy enough, and after he swiped at it enough, it slid off the platform. Roxas looked around, where had it gone? He soon got his answer, as the platform tilted beneath him. It turned vertically, sending him falling into the void. In a last effort, he thrust the Keyblade into the glass platform. It stopped his descent, but also nearly yanked his arm out of the shoulder socket. Resisting the urge to look down, Roxas didn't see the huge ball of energy until it's heat melted the glass and forced the Keyblade out of it's place. Roxas screamed as he fell, before something happened. Even though they had never met before, Sora was still a part of Roxas. He knew that something was wrong, and he knew how to defeat a creature like this.

Throw it! It'll go through the energy and stop that thing!

Roxas didn't have anything left to lose, so he simply followed the voice's advice. Throwing the Keyblade through the energy ball ended the Creature's attack, and righted the platform to become horizonatal again. Both Roxas and the creature fell to the platform, and Roxas had to bite back a scream of pain when he landed on the solid glass. He forced his way up, grabbing the Keyblade from were it had fallen in case the creature got up again. Thankfully, it didn't. What it did was worse though. It turned into Darkness, spreading over the platform and leaving Roxas with nowhere to run as it swallowed him up. Struggling against it did nothing, and as his vision went black, Roxas felt a small hand grab his wrist. When he opened his eyes again, Roxas was lying down on a white floor with a pair of pale blue eyes looking at him. It was the blond girl from before. Roxas sat up, then opened his mouth to speak. But the girl shushed him by placing a fnger on his lips

"My name is Naminé. Roxas, do you remember your true name?"

Roxas tilted his head, and Naminé sighed.

"Christie was right. It doesn't matter now, you should go back to your friends." A dark cloud opened up in the wall nearby, and Roxas yelped.

"Why can't you stay out of trouble?" A pair of arms snaked under his shoulders and pulled him into a standing position. That same pair of hands gently shoved him into the portal, and the last think he saw of Naminé was both her and the brown haired girl standing beside a man in a black cloak.

Christie! Riku!

"Who are you?"

I'm Sora, and you're Roxas.

-----

"Seifer, strike a pose, y'know?"

"How's this?"

"That's totally perfect y'know!" Roxas stood, wincing as his back cracked. So it wasn't just a dream... A bright flash of light made his eyes water, and when they cleared he glared at Fuu.

"What's that for?!"

"Keepsake."

"Those freaks in the white jumpsuits are gone y'know?"

"Cakewalk." Roxas sighed.

"What were those things...." Seifer shook his head with a shrug.

"Outsiders, that's what. And if they don't wise up to the rules around here, I might have to take 'disciplinary measures.'" Rai laughed.

"Oh yeah! Seifer's always lookin' after the town y'know." When Fuu didn't speak, Roxas followed her gaze, only to meet the disappointed eyes of Hayner. The 19 year old huffed, turning on his heel and running into the back alleys.

"Hayner! Wait up!" Roxas ran off after his friends.

"Chicken Wuss! No chickening out of the tournament tomorrow!" Ignoring Seifer was easy, and he reached the usual spot within a moment. Pence looked up as Roxas entered the room.

"So...you hung out with Seifer's gang today?" Roxas shook his head."

"No, it's not like that...Oh yeah! How was the beach? Wasn't that today?" Olette sighed.

"We didn't go. It wouldn't be the same without you there." Roxas sighed, looking at the ground. He knew they were mad at him, so it was better to apologize and leave them to cool off.

"Sorry." Roxas turned around, heading out of the Usual Spot. Three gasps made his look over his shoulder, back at his friends.
.
"What's wrong?" Hayner stood, placing one hand on Roxas' jacket back. When he removed his hand, the palm had spattering's of red on it. Blood.

"You're hurt." Roxas blinked, shrugging out of his jacket. Sure enough, there was blood on it. Hayner growled.

"Seifer did this? I'll kill him!" Roxas shook his head. It would be better not to tell them the truth. They'd call him nuts...

"I just fell on my way to the station. Rai noticed and gave me a hand. That's why I was at the sandlot." Hayner's jaw dropped, and he kicked the wall.

"Darnit!" Roxas shook his head, slipping his jacket back on. He'd wash it back home, he needed to solve this problem now.

"What's wrong?" Hayner turned on him, snarling.

"What's wrong? What's wrong is that you were in trouble and we weren't there! We should have been." Roxas sighed.

"It's ok. I should have been more careful. Besides, it doesn't hurt anymore. I'll just go home and take a shower. See you guys tomorrow."

His friends watched him leave with heavy heads, and Hayner sat against the wall. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. They were losing him...

----
Restoration at 98 Percent
-----

DiZ sat at the computer desk, Riku and I standing behind him. Riku stared at the computer screens.

"Was that Naminé made of data." DiZ shook his head.

"No. Naminé hijacked the data herself. Look what she's done now...She's totally beyond my control!"

He slammed a fist onto the desk, causing data on some of the screens to jump. Riku made a placating gesture with his hands.

"Calm down." DiZ sighed.

"It doesn't matter. As long as Naminé accomplishes her goal, we needn't worry about what befalls Roxas." I shared a look with Riku. Roxas' wellbieng was the real meaning of Naminé's actions. She didn't want to lose
him anymore than she wanted to lose Axel. I just hope we can do this the right way..

----
Sora reached for a younger Kairi, trying to grab her hand. He failed.
----

"It's up to me. Only the keyblade master can open the secret door, and change the world."
----
"I can't betray you Riku, but I won't betray Sora either. He's family." Christie stared at Riku. Riku disappeared, and Beast came up behind Sora and Christie.
"So, your heart's won this battle."
----

Xehanort stared at Sora, throwing a black and red keyblade to Sora.
"Release your heart, and Kairi will awaken." Sora stabbed himself in the Heart, releasing Kairi's heart.
"SORA!"
---

"We may never meet again, but we'll never forget each other."

"No matter where we are, our hearts will bring us together again."
---

"Take this. It's my lucky charm, so be sure to bring it back to me. "

"Don't worry, I will."

"I will."

"Promise?"

"Promise." Kairi smiled at Sora.

"Don't ever forget. Wherever you go, I'm always with you."

-----
I sighed, shaking my ponytail off my face. With his newer form, Riku was more difficult to attack. With bieng bigger came more wieght to avoid. His strikes were more difficult to parry, and I'd lost my daggers soon after our spar began. He chuckled as he leaned over me, offering a hand. I smiled, letting him pull me up. Once I stood, I dusted myself off and recalled my daggers. As we headed back into the mansion, a shrill scream made us both jump. I knew that voice.

"Naminé!"

I raced up the stairs, with Riku on my heels. DiZ was coming out of Naminé's room, looking quite pleased with himself. I ducked around him, pounding on Naminé's door as Riku chewed DiZ out.

"What did you do?!"

DiZ smirked.

"I only reminded her of her place."

The crimson clad man headed downstairs, and Riku snarled. All my pounded finally got Naminé to open her door, and she let both Riku and I inside. She was still sniffling as she sat against the wall, knees drawn up to her chest. Riku stayed close to the door as I kneeled down next to the scared blond.

"Did he touch you?"

She shook her head violently, and both Riku and I sighed in relief. I suppose I'd known it all along. No matter how violent he got, DiZ would never rape someone. Naminé looked up at us, voice hoarse.

"He, he threatened to kill Axel and Roxas if I hijack the data again."

Riku punched the wall next to him, and I snarled. Naminé buried her head in her knees, and I looked to Riku.

"Go find Axel. We need to get them out of here, now."

He nodded, portalling out as I began to pack Naminé's things into her bag. It only took a few minutes to pack, and I was replacing the colored pencils and paints back into thier boxes, the portal on the wall opened up, letting Riku and Axel out into the White Room. Naminé looked up as Axel kneeled next to her, before leaping at his neck, crying her eyes out. He looked at me as I handed her bags to him, the look in his green eyes telling me that Riku had explained to him what DiZ had done.

"I'll be back for Roxas in three hours. Be ready to move."

I nodded as he carried Nami away from here, leaving Riku and I in the now empty white room.

-----
Roxas winced as he pulled his jacket on. There had been small cuts all over his back, staining his clothes and skin. Even though they hadn't been deep, they had really stung when he cleaned them. One of his neighbors, Zidane Tribal, had helped him bandage them up. The 23 year old man was Vivi's older brother, and was attending the tournament today to root for his kid brother. As Roxas tugged on his shoes, he smelled something like chili peppers and paper. Naminé had smelled like paper just yesterday, but the chili peppers.... Roxas shook his head, he had a tournament to get to! Roxas ran from the Back Alleys to the Sandlot, making it in time to listen to the Struggle producer's speach as he set the fireworks off.

"Ladie's and gentlemen, Struggle-fiends of Twilight Town! It's time for summer's most sizzling clash! That's right! Today is the day for the Struggle and the Title Match! Who will be the one to break through the ranks and take on our champion, Setzer?!"

Rai yelled from across the platform.

"Seifer, y'know!?"

"And who will leave today as our new Struggle Champion!?"

Olette and Pence spoke up above the roar of the Setzer Fangirls.

"Hayner! Roxas!" The Producer smiled.

"Yes, the crowd is fired up, so you know what comes nect. Lets....STRUGGLE!!"

More fireworks were set off as as Producer got off the stage, and the Announcer took his place on the Podium.
"Hey now. It's time to introduce today's combatants! The four bad boys who struggled thier way through the Preliminaries! Regular finalist and head of the Twilight Disciplinary Committee: Seifer!"

Seifer waved to the crowd, while Rai and Fuu cheered him on.

"Completely out of nowhere, who knew he'd make it so far this year? Vivi!"

The young boy shrunk down a little more, as Zidane and Dagger, Zidane's girlfriend, cheered him on. Roxas smiled. He was a good kid, but it was a bit of a surprise that he'd made it this far.

"An underground favorite and local attitude problem: Hayner! It's his first trip to the finals!"

Roxas smiled again, sharing a look with his friends. Local attitude problem indeed.

"And Struggler number 4, who happen's to be my favorite customer, Roxas!"

Roxas looked over at Hayner, but the older boy wouldn't meet his gaze. Roxas turned away, looking towards the Struggle platform.

"So--who will win this sweltering summer Struggle!? Who will take home the grand prize? The summa *** laude of Struggle, The Four Crystal Trophy! And, a chance to take on our defending Champion, Setzer!"

The older man held up the Champion's belt, silver hair draped over his shoulders and cape.

He looks like Riku did....

"Sora?"

Yep.

"It won't be long now folks. I suggest our challengers go over the Official Struggle Rules before we begin." Roxas decided to sit out the refresher course of the rules, trying to calm a raging heart. He was scared, the white creatures, yesterdays "dream", Sora, everything was out of control. The Producer called Roxas up onto the platform, handing both him and Hayner the foam swords used in battle, patting them on the shoulders and walking away. Hayner still refused to meet Roxas' eyes, and it was only a minute until the match would begin that he spoke up.

"Sorry...about yesterday."

Roxas blinked. Now it made sense. Hayner was feeling guilty. Roxas shook his head, he should have been the one feeling guilt now, not his best friend.

"Why? You didn't make me trip and fall, did you?"

Hayner's jawdropping expression made Roxas smile, and Hayner sighed with a smirk. The mood had been lightened, and they were back to normal. Both Hayner and Roxas got into combat position, and the Announcer began the match.

"Our first match of today's Struggle Tournament will be between Roxas and his best friend Hayner!"

Hayner smirked, lunging at his friend. Roxas slipped away, twisting to the right to avoid Hayner's follow-up strike, smacking his friend on the back. Hayner snarled, swinging violently at Roxas. Roxas avoided every violent strike, stealing some of Hayner's orbs with a thrust of his club. After that, Hayner was never able to land a hit, and the match ended quickly.

"And the Winner is Roxas!"

The Announcer raised his arm into the air, and Roxas waved to the crowd. Hayner smiled, hands on his knees as he caught his breath. Roxas was really just the same as before, maybe they weren't losing him at all.

"Not even friendship will slow this kid down! And Hayner put up a great fight too."

After his arm was released, Roxas ran to Hayner's side.

"I lost! I can't believe this."

Hayner stood up straight, smirking. Roxas copied that grin.

"I had a lot of fun fighting you."

Hayner's smirk changed into a gentle smile, before he blinked, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, well I didn't, wise guy." Roxas laughed, wrapping an arm around Hayner's shoulder.

"Hey, let's find a way to cheer you up."

Hayner slipped out of Roxas' hold, friendly punching his hand.

"Nah, that's ok." As they headed off the platform, Seifer nearly crashed into Hayner. The older man snarled, he was in a right foul mood.

"Out of the way." Hayner grinned.

"You in a rush to lose?"

Roxas shook his head, only to jump near a foot in the air at the sudden appearance of Vivi right next to him. Vivi looked up at Roxas, amber eyes cold and distant. This wasn't the same boy that had blushed at the call of his name earlier... Roxas shook the thought from his mind, following Hayner to the bench were Olette and Pence were waiting. As they sat down, Vivi and Seifer were staring at eachother. The elder of the pair was literally foaming at the mouth.

"Don't mess with your elders."

Roxas winced. He really was mad....this might be a bad thing.

"Whew, just look at those sparks fly! I guess Seifer didn't expect to be fighting one of his own boys!"

The first half of the match was semi-regular. Blows were exchanged, with niether side backing down onto the defensive. After the thirty seconds bell had passed, Vivi literally flew at Seifer, causing the elder male to jump away with Vivi following like a wild cat after a mouse. Hayner blinked in surprise.

"When did Vivi get so tough?"

At Roxas' shrug, both boys returned thier attention to the match. Seifer was blocking Vivi's strikes, then in a single move, knocked the younger boy to the ground. With Vivi's flight, one of his orbs came loose. Seifer lunged for it, only to get sent across and out of the arena by a single move from Vivi. Rai and Fuu scrambled to Seifer's side, and even Setzer was there to help them get the boy back on his feet. Seifer was relatively unharmed, with only a massive bruise on his head to show for losing the fight. The Announcer, seeing that Seifer was unharmed, snapped back to attention.

"I'm not sure what just happened here, but the winner is Vivi! In a positively blistering comeback!"

Seifer's voice made Roxas look up, seeing the twenty-year old between Rai and Fuu.

"That's not Vivi. Thrash him."

Roxas stared after him as Seifer headed into the back alleys. The Struggle Producer came up to Hayner.

"It looks like Seifer's withdrawn from the Struggle for third place."

Hayner's jaw dropped.

"So I'm in third now? Aw baby!!"

Roxas smiled at his friends antics, then winced. Since Seifer had lost, he was going up against Vivi now. Hayner's jumping around snapped him back to from his thoughts. Vivi was already on stage, and the Producer was waving Roxas to get alongside him. Roxas nodded, hopping up onto the platform. The Producer handed them both Struggle clubs.

"Keep it clean fellas."

Roxas nodded as he stared down at Vivi, barely noticing the announcer speak up.

"And now, the match you've been waiting for: Roxas vs Vivi!"

And with that, the match started. Vivi's jumped made him a difficult target to keep track of, and Roxas was sent on the defenseive when Vivi jumped at him. Still, with all his jumping around, Vivi lost orbs. Roxas snatched them up, and when Vivi stopped to catch his breath, Roxas made his move to release the final orbs. But he never did, becuase the second he got close, time stopped again. Roxas stepped back as white and black thorns curled around Vivi, turning him into one of those white creatures. Roxas groaned, backing into a corner when more of the white creatures appeared.

"Again?!"

The Struggle club in his hands turned into the Keyblade once more.

"Again....."

Roxas shook his head, diving at the creatures. They feel to his balde easily, and once they were gone, Roxas fell over onto his rear end, breathing heavily. This was too much, his back was really hurting him now. Roxas looked up at the sound of clapping.

"Roxas. You ok?"

A man in a black cloak stood nearby. His hood was down, letting Roxas see flame colored hair and bright green eyes, said eyes worried and hesitant.

That voice....and the scent of chili peppers....

-----
"Name's Axel, got it memorized?" Blue eyes blinked in confusion.

"I'm.....Roxas. Nice to meet you." Axel smirked, throwing an arm around Roxas' shoulders.

"You and me, we're gonna be great friends."
----

"So, you're going with Naminé and Zexion?" Axel nodded, leaning back against the wall.

"Yeah. The Superior wants someone he can "trust" on the inside, incase Marluxia tries another coup."

"Just, be careful, ok? I don't want to lose either of my friends."

----
Midnight, World that Never Was. Roxas stood in the castle entrance with Demyx, waiting for Axel, Naminé and Zexion. A portal opened up, and when only a flame-colored head appeared, Demyx sighed.

"He's gone, isn't he?"

At Axel's tired nod, Demyx extended a hand. Axel placed a small, blue covered book into his hand. Number IX nodded his thanks, heading back into the castle. Roxas and Axel stood in the rain, watching him go. After a moment, Roxas turned back to his friend.

"Are..."

"Naminé's fine. I'm just exhausted."

Roxas nodded, then tackled his friend in a gigantic hug. He had never been more grateful for the rain then he had been then, as it hid his tears of relief.

They were still alive, they were ok.

-----
Axel extended a hand to Roxas, pulling him from the ground and dusting him off.

"Man, you're outta shape."

"Well, what do you expect? It's been more than a week since you saw me last!"

Axel laughed, ruffling his friends hair. The sound of a portal made both males turn, and Axel smiled at the sight of Christie.

"Squirt! You were right after all!" The girl screwed up her face in disbeleif, but her eyes were light with happiness.

"Of course I was! I told you that you'd get Roxas back, I told you!" Roxas laughed, that sounded like Axel alright. All three people jumped to attention as a second portal opened up, this time a second man in a black cloak stepped through, looking haggard and breathing heavily. He shook his head, and Christie cursed.

"Dammit!" She turned to Axel.

"Axel! DiZ found us, we've got to go, now!"

Axel cursed, taking Roxas' hand. They hadn't even made one step off the platform when numbers flashed all around them. A cylinder of zeroes and one appeared on the other end of the platform, and a very angry DiZ stepped through.

"Roxas! You won't be leaving here!" The blond snarled.

"Like hell I won't! I remember what Axel told me about you, you're trying to kill us all! I won't let you hurt either him or Naminé!"

----

We all looked at Roxas, shellshocked. Axel had told Roxas about that, but he shouldn't have known about that until all his memories returned once he left. I smiled in relief. Roxas had remembered it all, in the moment of truth. Axel hugged his friend tightly as DiZ, RIku and I watched on. After a moment, the red-head took Roxas' hand again. As he began to lead Roxas off the platform, Riku opened up a portal to the outside world. Roxas smiled, Naminé was waiting just inside the portal. The blonds took off running into eachothers arms, with Roxas twirling the girl around like a dancer. She laughed, extending her hand to Axel. The flame-haired man moved to take her hand, but a loud crack made us all wince and close our eyes. What happened next could have taken centuries or seconds, I couldn't tell the difference. Axel blinked, one hand where he his heart should have been. The black gloves came up soaked in blood, and he smirked.

"Damn."

Axel fell forward in slow motion, only to stop when Roxas quickly managed to catch him. The bleeding hole in his chest had come from behind, so as Naminé and I raced to Axel's side, Riku was furiously looking at DiZ.

Moreso, the smoking gun in his hand.

"Why did you do that?!"

"Simple. As nobodies, they have no right to exist. I was simply putting him out of his misery."

I snarled at the crimson-clad man, but stayed on my task. I could only slow the bleeding for a few minutes, he needed a Healer and now. I turned to Roxas, taking his hands in my own and placing them onto the hole in Axel's body.

"Keep pressure there." I turned to Riku.

"We need a Portal to Hollow Bastion, now!"

He nodded, changing the trajectory of the still open corridor. I stood, helping Axel to his feet. Thank Bahamut for this guys' pain tolerance. Naminé stayed close as possilble, leading the way as I followed close behind. We were almost out on the other side of the portal when Axel collapsed a second time.

The only difference was, this time...

He didn't get up.

---
Yes, I know I will catch grief about Axel, but it's well worth it. I needed a reason to get Roxas out of Twilight Town early, and I got it. As for if he'll survive, well, you'll have to wait a while longer. You'll know next chapter, when the action really gets started. Till then

Silver

 

Wow. That was... different. I thought everything would go along the story line of the game... Guess I was wrong.

Still noticed those spelling errors. No biggy though. No need to fix them. They were almost unnoticeable.

Good job, nonetheless. Can't wait to see what happens!! Hurry with that next chapter!

-Kairi

 

Well, I like different. Heehee, here's the next part. We're finally getting somewhere with this!

---
Disclaimer: Check Chapter 1
----
From the outside, Merlin's house was calmy soaking the mid-morning sun. On the inside however, it was a disaster. Aerith, Christie and Yuffie were running this way and that, too and from the kitchen and living room, trying to save Axel's life. Upstairs however, it was a different story. Roxas was pacing the length of the spare bedroom he, Naminé and Cloud were in, hands still covered in blood. Naminé was lying on the bed, eyes red from her sobs. Cloud was there for both security and comfort, as he'd gone through this before, when he was thier age. Leon, Vincent and Riku were waiting in the hall, as Merlin was downstairs helping the girls however he could. They'd found out, much to the old wizard's detestment, that Cure spells didn't work on people without hearts. As such, they were forced to this the old fashioned way, hot water, cloths, and stitches. Merlin heated the water, while Christie and Yuffie ran it to Aerith and refilled the pans with cold water from the kitchen faucet. It was a harrowing morning for three people there, and after she'd been chased from the makeshirt operating room, Christie headed up the stairs. One look was shared between her and Riku, before she pushed open the door to where the blonds waited with baited breath.

----

I winced at the looks of hope Roxas and Naminé gave me, and felt like crying myself as I had to shrug. I didn't know what would happen to Axel now, it was up to Aerith to save his life. And it was up to Axel to either stay or go. Roxas resumed pacing as Naminé just sat there on the end of the bed, white dress stained crimson with Axel's blood. For a person without a physical heart, he bled as much as the rest of us. I sat against the wall, head buried in my knees. Becuase of my so called plan, Axel could be dead. Becuase of my stupid plan, Roxas and Naminé could be left alone for the rest of thier lives. Becuase of me, Axel might die. I think I sat there for an hour, just with my thoughts running around like trapped mice before running footsteps sounded outside in the hallway, and the door swung open. Naminé stood up quickly, and Roxas spun to face the door. A very tired looking Aerith stood in the door, with this gigantic smile on her face.

"He's going to be ok!"

Naminé started to cry again, but we all knew her tears were of relief this time. She and Roxas raced down the stairs, and from thier joyful cries, I knew Axel was awake. Even after Cloud left the room, I still sat there. Another pair of footsteps made me look up into Riku's eyes, and I took his hand as he helped me up. I nodded my thanks, then left the little house. I needed some air, I needed some time.

I walked to the Bailey, hopped up onto one of the ledges and pulled my knees to my chest, barely noticing the dried blood on my hands flake off on my clothing. I looked out across the Great Maw, taking in the sea of Heartless near Villian's Vale and the brewing storm clouds on the horizon. We'd be getting rain soon, and that was a good sign. As I took a deep breath of the rain smelling air, I smiled at the second scent mixed with it. Despite his growth over the years, and the time we'd both spent in the Darkness, he still smelled like the Islands after the rain. It was comforting. I moved over slightly as Riku leaned against the ledge I sat on, and he draped both legs over the edge.

"Axel's ok. Sore as hell, but he'll make it."

I nodded, not trusting my voice anymore then I trusted my judgement at that moment. Riku gently captured my chin in his hands, making me meet his eyes.

"It wasn't your fault. You know that as well as I do. As well as Axel, Roxas and Naminé know it."

I nodded again, wiping my eyes with the heels of my palms. My voice cracked as I spoke up, and I looked away.

"I know that. It doesn't make it any easier though. Had I come up with a better plan, had I moved through with the plan earlier, had I not fallen into DiZ's plan, all of this would be different."

Riku nodded, slinging one arm around my shoulders.

"Maybe. A better plan wouldn't have done any different, moving earlier would have tipped DiZ off, and we didn't see it coming. Maybe it would be different, maybe it wouldn't be. No one can know that Chris, ok?"

I nodded into his shoulder, still not totally sure of myself. Riku hopped off the platform, taking my hand.

"Come on, there's something we need to do."

I blinked in surprise, letting him lead me back into town, and down into Merlin's place. The old wizard was drawing some kind of design on the floor in chalk, and he looked up when Riku and I entered the room.

"Ah, Riku, Christina. Punctual as always, right on time."

I tilted my head, what was he up too. Merlin stepped out of his design, moving to a small podium where this huge book layed open. He looked to Riku and I.

"Well now, are you sure of this? Soul Bond's aren't something to throw away like used papers." I blinked in shock, Soul Bonds?! Riku rubbed the back of his neck as I glared at him, and Merlin sighed.

"Christina, a Soul Bond is when two people, Lovers, Siblings, or a married Couple, wish to know where the other is at all times, in a compassion or affectionate state. They can feel what the other is feeling, and will know if thier bonded is injured or dying by any means. Riku says he's going away for a while, and I suggested a Soul Bond to keep you two safe."

I nodded, I knew what a Soul Bond was.

"I know that Merlin, but the bond needs to be formed on something substantial. Something of sentimental value must be used as a medium to connect the souls, or it'll never work."

Riku smirked, laughing gently as he fished around in his cloak, catching a thin silver chain with a yellow star shaped crystal hanging off of it. I nodded, now it made sense. I'd given that to him for his seventeenth birthday, when we were still moving around before stumbling back into Traverse Town. We'd stumbled onto an Artisan Craft fair, and I'd had that necklace made with Mythril and a Thunder Shard. It was supposed to be a Paupu fruit, but I think it meant more to Riku now than it did then. My hand flew to my own neck, feeling the shell pieces beneath my fingertips. Riku's knowing look told me the rest, and he led me by the hand into the circle of chalk drawings.

The moment we'd stepped through, I knew what to do. We laced our hands, and I laid my head on his chest, ear directly over his heart. I felt him rest his head on my hair, and vaguely heard Merlin chant in some unknown language. He shouted the final word, and the chalk around our feet began to glow. But I didn't notice it then, too wrapped up in the feelings I was getting. It was all kinds of things, love, protectiveness, care, and something I couldn't quite pick up on. Then I realized. I wasn't just picking up on Riku's emotions, I was picking up on his soul! It felt warm beneath my own, and if I had to describe it's color, it was this bueatiful pale blue that just didn't have a matching shade anywhere.

But as quickly as it came, the feelings were gone and I was back in Merlins study, wrapped in Riku's arms. He seemed to be shaking beneath my hands, and Griever spoke up from my subconcious.

Child, he knows about Earth. He knows about what he his in your old world. And he doesn't care. He loves you.

I had to blink, my vision was blurring beneath my tears of relief. I backed out of Riku's hold, looking him in the eyes. Even though the amber hid many things from me, I could tell he didn't care about all that I knew. I just smiled, standing on the tips of my toes to reach his lips.

For despite all the hardships we'd faced, despite what would happen, we were bonded now.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

----

"So, Roxas was supposed to spend six days in the Fake Town, not four."

"Yeah. And when the time was up, he'd fade into Sora."

"Ouch." I giggled slightly, burrowing deeping into Riku's hold. He'd taken the news that theses worlds were just a game on Earth quite well, and it had certianly cleared up some nagging question's he'd had. But of course, like most revalations, it just brought more. When he'd gotten that look in his eyes, I'd only shaken my head and led him back to the Bailey. It was here we sat now, with his back to the ledge wall and my back to his chest. Merlin had said we'd need to be in constant physical contact for the next couple of hours to avoid any reprecussions of the bonding. And as I'm sure you all can guess, neither of us really minded that.

"I know you won't say much else, but did the games end, well, happily?" I nodded, shrugging slightly.

"You, Sora and Kairi made it back to the Islands all safe and sound, but it ended on kind of a cliffhanger. I can't say if it'll happen here, but I do know we'll all make it back somehow." Riku nodded, happy with his answer. He suddenly shrunk back against the all, pulling me with him as he masked out precsense with Darkness. I smothered a yelp as I recognized the footsteps. It was Leon and Yuffie, but what were they doing here? Nii-san was looking more confused than I'd seen him in years, and Yuffie was looking hesitant and apprensive as Leon led her by the hand into the Bailey. There was a bulge in his side pocket, and I narrowed my eyes.

Was that....oh, by Bahamut!

Despite my want to scream in happiness for my brother, I settled for smiling ear to ear. I'd squeal later. Leon took a deep breath, getting on one knee in front of Yuffie.

"Yuffie, I've known you since we were kids. Ever since then, you've made me smile. Even after the invasion, you kept me going. Coming home, I've come to be grateful for that."

He licked his lower lip, and I bit my own as I felt Riku tense beneath me. For all his macho tactic's, Riku was really just a big softy when it came to romance. Leon shook his head, continuing his speach.

"What I'm asking you, Yuffie, is...Will you marry me?"

Yuffie's hands flew to her mouth, and she made an odd keening noise as she pounced onto my brother.

"Yes, Yes, YES! I'll marry you Squall!"

She stepped back, looking slightly apprehensive.

"But, how will Chrissy take it? She won't want to lose her brother, even to me."

Leon shook his head, and my jaw dropped. No matter what happened, Leon would always be my brother. He could marry a dozen girls and he'd still be my brother. I'd want to smack him one if he did that, but you get the picture.

"I'm sure she'll understand. Besides Yuff, she already sees you as a sister. She always has. And don't say anything about the age, you're legal."

Yuffie smiled, tilted her head with hands on her hips.

"So, that's what you waiting for? My legality?"

Leon nodded, and Yuffie extended one hand.

"Well, you've got it."

Slipping the ring from it's box, Leon put the golden band onto my new sister-in-law to be's finger. It really was a beautiful piece, and Yuffie was happy. I'd congratulate Nii-san later. Right now, I settled for cuddling up to Riku as the two we were watching kissed eachother full on the mouth, then left the Bailey hand in hand. Riku let the cover of Darkness slip, and I hopped off the ledge with this huge grin on my face. Riku was almost mirroring that look as he stepped down.

"Well, that was a pleasent surprise. Shame we've got to leave soon."

I nodded, understanding why. After the days event, Sora would need to be cared for. His memories were restored, it was DiZ I was worried about. He'd tried to kill Axel, and I wouldn't put it past him to try and kill Sora. As we walked back to Merlin's house, Vincent met us halfway there.

"Axel wishes to see you both."

I stopped midstep. I was not looking forward to that, no way in heck. Riku's hand on my back kept me walking towards the old wizards home, and once we were there, he laced his fingers with my own. Vincent nodded to the door of Axel's room, and I took a deep breath. As we stepped inside, I had to give my eyes a moment to adjust to the lack of proper lighting. The curtains were closed, and only a single lamp was turned on. After my eyes had adjusted, I sighed in relief. Axel was awake, leaning back against some pillows. Naminé and Roxas were both sound asleep, curled up on either side of him. Axel lifted a finger to his lips, then winced as the movement stretched his stitches. After a moment, he spoke up
.
"You two, can you promise me something?"

Riku nodded, and I knew that Axel knew I would say yes, so he continued.

"Squirt, I want you to promise me you'll be careful. Riku, take care of Squirt."

We both nodded, and Axel smiled tiredly.

"Good. Now shoo, I wanna sleep."

Waving goodbye, I shoved Riku out the door and gently shut it behind me. We waved goodbye to everyone who was inside the house, heading back towards the Bailey. Leon was standing there, arms crossed over his chest.

"So, you're leaving. Riku, can you give us a moment."

The man beside me nodded, opening a portal and stepping through it. It stayed open as Nii-san looked out over the Great Maw.

"Promise me you'll be careful."

I nodded, bouncing on the soles of my feet. Leon smiled, shoving me on one shoulder.

"Shoo." I smiled, hugging him around the middle before running through the portal. Just before it shut behind me, I looked over my shoulder.

"And about Yuffie, tell her you were right. She's been my sister since I was born. It's not changing now."

He blinked in shock, but I was already out of sight and bak in Twilight Town. Had I stayed behind a moment longer, I would have seen him smile.

"That's my girl."

----
Two Days Later
----

I sighed, leaning against the gates of the Mansion. Today was the day, Sora, Donald and Goofy would awaken. But it also meant Riku was leaving. Taking one last look at the sky, I headed back inside. DiZ had been long gone when we got back, leaving nothing but a table destroyed in a fit of rage. All the rooms had been packed, and the computer was still intact. DiZ had left no note, no explanation as to where he was going, but I knew we'd see him again. I headed down into the basement, hands loose at my sides. Riku was sitting at the computer, deleting the last of the files on Roxas. In case DiZ ever came back, he'd have to rely on some other means to get to Axel. Riku looked up at my entrance, and he smiled sadly.

"It's time."

I nodded, and Riku stood up from the chair. As much as I disliked the idea, he was still going to leave. He didn't want Sora to see him the way he looked now, but he would let me tell Sora that he was still alive and well. We'd been arguing about that for at least four hours before I finally backed down about it. We headed hand in hand down to Sora's pod room, and he stopped in the doorway, opening a portal behind him.

"I'll see you around." Not trusting my voice, I just nodded. As his fingers slipped from mine, I had to choke back a sob. Just before he was out of sight, he turned.

"I love you Christie. Don't ever forget that." I smiled, I would never forget that.

"I love you too Riku, be safe."

And with that, he was gone, leaving me alone with just the sleeping Sora to keep my company. At least, for a minute. Two pairs of footsteps made me look up, and a duck literally flying at my stomach made me yelp in shock. Who knew Donald had missed me so much! After a moment of nearly senseless wailing, Donald jumped off of my stomach as Goofy offered a hand to pull me off the ground. We all turned to Sora's pod as it came open, and I smiled.

"You finally awake, Sora?" Bright blue eyes cracked open, and he stretched. I snickered as Donald and Goofy laughed openly. It was one thing to see how short his clothes had gotten in the game, it was another thing to see them in the flesh. Sora blinked, then happily jumped from the pod. Goofy and Donald caught him around the shoulders as his legs gave out for a second.

"Donald! Goofy!" They all hopped around in a circle for a minute, before Sora tackled into me. LEt me put it this way. Despite bieng skinny, when Sora puts all his wieght into a tackle, nobody except for Vincent is going to be able to hold thier ground. As it was, I had to step back a little to stay standing. I patted Sora's back, gently ruffling his spikes. The color had lightened in the past year, like he'd spent most of it in the sun. He stepped back smiling, looking at his shoulder as Jiminy hopped out from the hood of his jacket, yawning as the cricket stretched.

"That was some nap." Sora looked at the cricket as he hoped down onto the ground.

"You mean, we were asleep." I nodded, but the cricket didn't notice.

"I guess we musta been, or I don't think we'd all be so drowsy. Christie, did you sleep?" I shook my head, and Goofy looked to me.

"Then, when did we go to sleep?" Sora tilted his head, and I let him speak up first.

"Let's see, we defeated Ansem..." I looked up, wait a second.... Goofy nodded as I lost myself in my thoughts.

"Restored peace to the worlds, found Kairi, oh yeah, than we went to look for Riku, the King and you, Christie. Is that right so far." I nodded, and before I could say anything else, Donald spoke up.

"Then what?" Goofy looked at Jiminy.

"What does your Journal say Jiminy?" The little cricket nodded, hopping up to Sora's short pocket, fishing out the small journal and opening it up.

"Let's see...Gee, there's only one sentence. "Thank Naminé". Hmm, I wonder who that could be." The boys exchanged a confused look, and Donald glared at Jiminy.

"Some Journal that is." The duck yelped as I twacked him over the head, and Jiminy just smiled as he hopped back onto Sora's shoulder.

"Well, what do you say we find out where we are." Sora nodded, and I led the way out of the mansion. Just before we left the basement, Sora stopped.

"Hey Christie, where's Riku?" I shrugged, waiting at the top of the stairs.

"I can't really say Sora. We lost track of eachother a couple of days ago. He left and hasn't comeback yet." Sora's eyes lit up, and I smothered a wince. I hated lying, but it had to be done.

"Then we should wait here for him!" I shook my head.

"No. He said not to wait, that he'd find us." Sora sagged, but he nodded. As we left the mansion, Sora stopped again.

"So, just how long were we asleep anyway?" I smiled, leading the way through the woods and into town.
"Just about a year." All three boys fell on top of each other, and I laughed at the looks on thier faces. Sora recovered first, and he yelled.

"A YEAR!?" Wincing as I helped them untangle from one another, I nodded. Sora shook his head, walking into town like a man possesed. His feet led us to the Usual Spot, and as Donald, Goofy and I headed to enter the area, Sora stopped. As he looked at the orange sky, his eyes seemed distant.

"You know, I think I've been to this town before." Donald blinked, loooking at the boy.

"What's it called." Sora looked at his friend, then shook his head.

"Guess I must have imagined it." I smiled sadly, it wasn't his imagination. Even though Roxas was safe and sound with Axel and Naminé back home, some of his memories were with Sora. The boy in question pushed aside the cloth that blocked the way into the Usual Spot, and we followed him through. It was the same as in the Data World, but in this one, there were only three people. Hayner, Pence and Olette were lounging around in various places, and as we entered, Hayner looked up at Sora in anger.

"What do you want?!" Sora raised his hands in a peaceful gesture, before scratching the back of his head.

"Uh, nothing. Just wondering what was back here." Hayner snarled.

"Well, now you know. This is our spot." I raised an eyebrow at his attitude, but said nothing as Pence stood up.

"Um..." Sora looked to the boy.

"What is it?"

"You're...new around here, right? I'm Pence." Hayner hopped off his seat.

"Hayner. Nice to meet you, but we've got stuff to do. So, catch ya later." I stepped aside as the blond boy stepped out of the area, still pissed off. Olette spoke up, making me turn.

"My name's Olette Hey, did you finish up the summer homework yet? Independent studies are the worsst huh?" Sora looked at her strangely, then turned to us.

"Homework?" We all shrugged, then turned back to the two standing in front of us as Pence asked a question.

"Hey, what're your names?" Goofy looked ready to smack himself.

"Oh, sorry. We're Sora, Christie, Donald and Goofy." Sora and I nodded.

"Hey there." Olette and Pence shared a look, then turned back to us.

"Sora, Christie, Donald, Goofy, we just met someone who was looking for you." Pence put his hands on his head, describing the King's ears.

"He sure seemed in a hurry. He had a black cloak on, so I couldn't see his face. But he did had be these big round ears." Donald gasped.

"The King!" Sora nodded.

"Where'd you see him?"

"At the Station. It's at the top of hill, just a little bit north of here." Sora nodded.

"The Station, thanks!" We all waved goodbye, before running from the Usual Spot. I led the way up the hill, and as we headed into the Plaza itself, Dusks appeared out of nowhere. I growled, summoning my daggers. Donald and Goofy grabbed thier weapons as well, and I did a quick head count of the number we were facing. Almost two dozen Dusks were swaying around us, that meant we'd each get three. Of course, I knew more were coming.

Sora tilted his head, looking at the symbol on the creatures' forehead, confused. He shook his head, summoning the Kingdom Key. We dove into combat, and I realized just how much I'd missed these guys. It was nice, being able to know you had more than one person watching your back. Donald's Thunder Spells were much more accurate than mine, and he cut down many an attacking Dusk that would have wounded us before it could strike. Goofy used his shield like a frisbee, knocking Creeper's out of the air before they could jump on us. And Sora, well, he still fought the same as he did before, only with a lot more grace. He had grown a lot over the last year, and his fighting style had grown with him.

But even with all our efforts, there were just too many Dusks appearing. Donald and Goofy fell over first, with Sora and I following soon after. The Dusk's seemed confused for a moment, but shook it off and lunged at Sora. He raised the Kingdom Key in defense, but didn't need it, as a small black blur suddenly appeared from above, cutting through the Dusk's with ease. Sora got onto his knees, blue eyes wide. He yelped as Donald and Goofy pushed him down, the Duck looking amazed.

"Your Majesty?!" The King jumped, shushing Donald.

"Shh! You gotta board the train and leave town! The Train know's the way." He held out Olette's Munny pouch, and I shook my head. Riku, you arse. How'd you get that to him anyway? Sora took the pouch from the King's hand, examining it. Donal looked to the Market Street arch, taking a few steps in it's direction as the King ran off. We all turned to face were the little King had run off too, and Sora tilted his head.

"The King...was that really him?" Goofy nodded.

"It coulda been....Yep! I know it was!" Donald smiled, bill turning upwards with his joy.

"Now we know he's ok." I crossed my arms over my chest, tapping my foot.

"That's all well and good, but we need to get out of town. Those things will be back, the King can't keep them distracted forever." Sora blinked, but nodded. As we walked into the Train Station, he stopped on the stairs, turning on his heel to face the sunset.

"Christie...Riku managed to escape from the Realm of Darkness, right?"

"Yeah. All three of us did. Why?" Sora turned to me, and I had to hold back a wince at the sheer amount of hope in his eyes.

"If you and the King are here, than Riku HAS to be here! Please, can't we stay a while and wait for him? I need to be sure he's ok..." I walked down to Sora's level, putting my hands on his shoulders. He looked up at me.

"Sora, we can't stay." The boy pouted.

"Why not?" I sighed, looking at Goofy for help. The older male took a step down to be level with Sora and I.
"Now Sora, if Christie says that Riku's ok, I'm sure he is. Besides, we all know how he fights. Riku can take care of himself, right?" Sora nodded, still unsure.

"Yeah.....but still. I'm going to look for him. Then he, Christie and I can go back to the Islands together, so Kairi doesn't have to wait anymore. What about you two?" I looked at Donald and Goofy, waiting for thier response. Goofy sighed.

"Gawrsh Sora, do you really have to ask?" Both Sora and I laughed, the looks on thier faces were just too much. Donald glared.

"Hey! What's so funny?!" Still laughed, Sora pointed at his friends.

"Your face!" Donald and Goofy looked at eachother, then began to laugh along with us. After a moment, Sora sobered up as he looked to all of us.

"What do you say guys? Let's stick together for one more journey." Donald and Goofy nodded, and Sora laced his hands behind his head.

"To, where again?" I sighed, but smiled. Goofy mirrored my look.

"We hafta board the Train!" Sora nodded.

"Oh yeah!" Donald sighed, and Sora ran up the stairs.

"C'mon!" We all followed after him into the station, and I turned at Hayner's voice.

"Wait up!" Sora turned, hands in his pockets as the Twilight Trio caught up to us. Hayner bit his lip.

"Hey, Sora..."

"What?"

"Nothing, but...." Pence spoke up.

"We came to see you off. It just seemed the right thing to do." I smiled, and Sora nodded.

"Oh, really? Thanks!" We all turned as the Station Bell rang, signifying the last train of the day would be leaving soon. Olette turned to us.

"You'd better hurry and get your tickets." As the boys got our tickets, I headed up onto the boarding plaza. Sure enough, there was Yen Sid's train. But the person standing in front of it, he surprised me.

"Seifer?"

"How's Squall doing?" I looked at him funny for a moment, before I realized he still remembered Hollow Bastion.

"He's getting married soon. He calls himself Leon now though, since he couldn't save home from the Heartless." Seifer rolled his eyes, crossing his arms.

"Sounds like good old Squall to me." He headed down the stairs as Sora and the others came up them. Good old Seifer, leaves without saying goodbye.

"Leonhart! Tell him Seifer's ok, got it?!"

I sighed, but nodded anyway as I turned to board the train, taking the ticket Sora offered. Donald and Goofy got on board first, and I waited for Sora in the door. Hayner crossed his arms.

"Hey, Sora. Are you sure we've never met before?" Sora put one hand on his head, thinking back..

"Positive. Why do you ask?" Hayner shook his head.

"I dunno." Sora smiled sadly, and I bit my lip as a single tear traced down his cheek. Three pairs of eyes widened, and Sora gasped.

"Huh?"

"You ok?" Sora nodded, brushing the tear off his skin.

"Y-yeah, don't know where it came from." Hayner chuckled.

"Pull it together." Sora nodded.

"Right...See ya!" Waving, Sora entered the train. I followed him, taking a seat as the train began to roll down the tracks. Outside, Pence ran down the ledge until he could no longer see the train itself, before he turned to face his friends.

"Do you think they'll be ok?" Hayner nodded.

"Yeah. I know they'll be ok, somehow."

Meanwhile, back on board the train, Sora stood in front of the door. He took the Munny Pouch from his pocket, looking at it as he looked out the door window.

"You know..." We all looked at him, and he sat beside me, leaning his head against the seat back.

"I'm sad." Donald hopped from the window onto his seat.

"We'll be back." Goofy and I nodded.

"Yeah! We can visit Hayner and those guys again." I gently ruffled Sora's spikes, smiling at him.

"Goofy's right. We'll come back soon." Sora looked at me, and smiled sadly.

"Yeah. You're right." Still smiling, Sora drifted off to sleep. Even as the train rolled down the tracks to Yen Sid's tower, he slept on. It was for the best, we'd need all the rest we could get for the days ahead.​

---

ANd, we're done for now. Hope you liked it, I had to cut it short because A) I was getting frustrated at writing Yen Sid, and B) It was getting too long. Regardless, see you all next time!

Silver

PS: Word of advice. NEVER try and write a crazy old wizard. You'll drive yourself up the wall just trying to keep him in character. It's even worse when you, the writer, dislike the wizard you're trying to write! (flails)

 

Terrific. Just terrific.

Once again, I enjoyed it. Riku and Christie are adorable. I just love 'em. :D

Keep up the good work, silverhikari. You're doing great.

-Kairi

 

really really really good!!!!!!!
but

why did Sora say... Ansem, instead of Xehanort?

 

Jap: Sora said Ansem becuase Namine restored his memories to before Christie explained the situation.

ANyway, here's the next chapter.
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Last time: Sora Awoke from his year long slumber, and has set off for Yen Sid's tower. What awaits him there?
---

Disclaimer: Check Chapter 1
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The train ride took at most half an hour, all of which Sora slept through. When the train rolled to a stop at Yen Sid's tower, I shook Sora awake.

"We're here."

The boy nodded, standing as Donald, Goofy and I left the train. He followed after us, but turned as the train vanished. He chuckled nervously.

"There goes our ride..."

Shaking his head, Sora ran to catch up to us. We all stood at the base of the tower, and I raised an eyebrow. Some one was blocking the door with their massive bulk. Donald crossed his feathered arms over his chest.

"What's goin' on?"

The male blocking the door didn't even turn around, just spoke.

"I sent some of my lackeys inside to see if the master of this here tower's as big and as tough as they say. Word id, he's a real powerful sorcerer. Which would make him the perfect bodyguard for me. See, it don't matter how how tough he is, once he's a Heartless, he'll do as I say!"

Donald stepped back, and I snapped my fingers. Now I knew what was going on. With Sora's memories bieng restored, some of my own memories had changed. Sora had said they'd defeated Ansem, when he fully knew it was Xehanort. And now, I was forgetting who the enemy was. Shaking my head, I nearly missed Pete's response to Donalds confused squawk.

"That's right. They're those things that come outta the Darkness in folk's hearts. Why, with all those Heartless at her side, my dear friend Maleficent is gonna conquer everything! And since I got me a debt to pay, I'm goin' around to a bunch of different worlds and building an army of Heartless, special for her."

He shook his head, and I had to bite back a laugh.

"Oh, why am I talking to you pipsqueaks anyway? Go on, Scram! I'm behind schedule as it is."

Goofy shook his head.

"You oughta find something nicer to do."

Pete tensed, finally moving out of the doorframe as he turned.

"Say's who?!" His eyes widened, surprised to see two member's of our group.

"Wha...AAHH! It's you!" Donald and Goofy stepped back, surprised to see Pete as he was to see them.

"Pete!"

"What're you two nimrods doing here?!" Donald glared.

"What're you doing here?!" Sora and I turned to Goofy, looking for an answer.

"You know him?" Goofy nodded.

"We sure do! Pete's been causing trouble for ages! His Majesty banished him to another dimension a long time ago. I wonder how he escaped..." Pete laughed, placing his hands on his hips.

"You wanna know how, eh? Well, Maleficent busted me out, that's how! And now your world, no, no, no, all the worlds, are gonna belong to yours truly! Cause Maleficent's gonna help me conquer 'em."

We all smiled, and Sora shot me a look that said enough.

"Maleficent, huh?" It was too much, and we all broke out laughing. Pete didn't take that well, and he almost started fuming at the ears.

"What are you all laughing at?! Why Maleficent's power is so great that she...."

"She's toast!" Sora was just recovering from his laughing fit, and the look on Pete's face sent him straight
back into it. I looked to Pete, still smiling.

"Sorry, but Maleficent can't help you anymore."

"Whaddaya mean?" The look on his face was too much, and we all started laughing again. Pete glared.

"You! So you're the ones who killed her!" Sora smiled, lacing his fingers behind his head.

"Well, we mighta had something to do with it." Pete snarled, bouncing up and down from one foot to the other in his anger.

"Heartless Squad! Round Up!" We all stepped back, and I glared at the Shadow's popping up from the ground. Sora summoned the Kingdom Key as I called my Daggers back from the void, and we leapt into combat. The biggest problem was one little Shadow that kept ducking underground, popping out only to trip us up. After at least a dozen falls from the creature, Donald had had enough. Sticking his staff into the ground, he unleashed a spell that knocked us off our feet.

"Break!" The Shadow was literally forced out of the ground and into the air, where it became an easy target for Sora to handle. As it faded away, Pete snarled at us.

"You just wait! Nobody, and I do mean nobody, messes with the mighty Pete!" Sora snickered.

"So, "mighty" Pete, who lives in this tower anyway?" Pete smirked, and I stepped closer to Sora in case the dogman was going to try anything else.

"Oh, ya don't know, eh? Well it's old Yen Sid. Course, he's probably a Heartless by now!" Donald gasped.

"Master Yen Sid lives here?!" He ran up the stairs, ducking under Pete's arm. Sora and I looked to Goofy.

"Yen Sid was the King's Teacher." Sora nodded, and we ran up the stairs after Goofy. Before the doors slammed shut behind us, I saw Pete staring at us with wide eyes as he tried to pick up his jaw. We fought through Shadow's and Soldiers, with little to no problems until we reached the Star Room. In there, we faced a dozen Shadows and a single Large Body. The Shadow's fell to magic easily enough, but the Large Body was having fun knocking us around. After Sora and I crashed into each other, I'd had enough. I turned to Sora.

"Give me a boost to get around that thing, I've got an idea."

Sora nodded, and we ran at the creature. Suddenly, the boy stopped. I jumped off his shoulders, bouncing off the creatures head and slashing at it from behind. Still blinking in shock at the smarts of its target, the crazy thing faded away into a puff of black smoke. Donald stood, tapping one webbed foot.

"Heartless, Heartless, Heartless! Things haven't changed one bit!" Goofy tilted his head, and I dusted myself off.

"Well, it's a good thing we're on the job then." Sora looked to me.

"So, the worlds aren't at peace after all...." We continued up the stairs and into the Sorcerer's Loft. Donald and Goofy bowed to the ancient wizard, while Sora and I simply stood. Still bowing, Donald spoke up.

"Master Yen Sid, it's an honor." I nodded curtly, but Sora was more casual.

"Hey there."

Donald and Goofy stared at the boy in shock, and the duck tugged the boy down by his shirt.

"Sora! Show some respect!"

Yen Sid raised a hand, calming Donald down. He looked to me and Sora, and I could swear he lingered a moment longer on me. I stayed close to Sora, not trusting this man as far as I could throw him.

"So, you are Sora and Christina. Now then, have you seen the King yet?" Goofy nodded.

"Yes, we did Master. But we didn't get a chance to talk to him." Yen Sid nodded pensively.

"Yes...The King has been quite busy as of late. Therefore, it would seem the task of instructing the four of you falls upon my shoulders. You've a perilous journey ahead of you. You must be well prepared."

Sora looked at the man behind the desk, and my heart cracked at his tone. Sora was just as tired of all this as Riku and I were. This wasn't fair.

"You mean...we have to go on another quest? I was looking forward to finding my friend Riku, so we could home together..."

Yen Sid nodded, but I noticed something, almost sinister in his eyes. Was he trying to....no, he wouldn't, would he?

"Yes, I know. However. Everything in your journey, Sora, Christina, is connected. Whether you will find your way home to the Islands, whether you will return alone or with your friends, and, whether or not the Islands will still be there."

I snarled. Now I knew. Yen Sid was trying to break Sora down. Clenching a fist, I glared at the Wizard but stayed my blade. Sora looked down at his hands, looking up as the Wizard continued in his speech.

"And the Key that connects them all is you, Sora." Sora blinked, jaw dropping slightly.

"I'm, the Key?" He held out one hand, and the Kingdom Key appeared. Yen Sid smiled, making me uneasy.

"Chosen Wielder of the Keyblade! You are the Key that will open the door to Light."

Sora nodded, and I took a deep breath. Why was I thinking of flying off the handle at this guy with a rant? Yen Sid looked to Donald and Goofy, and they stood up straight with a nod. The Ancient Wizard waved a hand over the table, conjuring a thick book. He made it float into the air, and it spun towards Sora and I. It opened, landing on the edge of the desk.

"This Book contains valuable knowledge you will need for your journey. Study it carefully. Once you have all finished, we will speak of the enemies you will surely confront."

I nodded, taking the book from the edge and returning to the staircase just outside the loft. We all plunked down in various places near the door, and I read out the passages Yen Sid had meant.

"The Beginning - Each Journey gives rise to chance encounters, and each encounter brings forth a farewell. When a farewell leads to a Journey, the Worlds open their Hearts. Those chosen by the Light, or ensnared by the Darkness. Friends that share the same bonds, though thier paths may differ. When you doubt the path trod thus far, when the hand you held is lost to you, gaze anew at the Heart that once was...for all the answers are within."

I looked up at Sora, for the boy had begun to pace up and down the stairs. When he waved a hand in a "continue" gesture, I nodded. Turning the page in the old book, I read the next passage.

"Interlude - A long Dream. A sad farewell, hanging in the air in that "world between". What is reality? What is Illusion? The path chosen by the young boy leads to his memories. When caught in the stream of the days and nights going past, gaze once more at your steps...for there all confusion will end."

Sora kept pacing, so I returned to my reading.

"The Future Story - Will the day come when this battle, born of confusion, will end? It is different things to different people. Can the reality be that which is hidden? The reason is mere existence. Still, memories can be believed. Be not afraid, entrust your body to the soothing waves of your memories. By and By, your fleeting rest will be over....and everything will begin."

I shut the book with a loud thunk, making Sora stop pacing. He looked over the edge of the staircase, then turned on his heel and pushed open the door to the loft again. Donald, Goofy and I followed him in, and I set the book down onto the desk. Sora looked at Yen Sid.

"How come the Heartless are still running around?"

"Your past endeavours did prevent an immense effusion of Heartless from the great Darkness; make no mistake about that. However, the Heartless are Darkness made real. And Darkness lingers yet in every Heart. The Heartless are fewer, yes, but while Darkness exists in a single Heart, it will be difficult to eliminate them."

The boys sighed, and even I couldn't supress the slight sag in my posture. Goofy started.

"Gawrsh, that must mean...if everybody's heart ws full of Light, them Heartless'd go away!" Yen Sid
nodded.

"Now it is time to speak of the enemies you will encounter."

He waved a hand to the far wall, and an Image of Donald appeared in the pillar of light. It then changed to a Shadow Heartless.

"If one such as you, Donald, yields to the Darkness in their Heart, they too will become a Heartless. But you know this already, for the Heartless are ever lurking and seeking to capture new Hearts. Never let your gaurd down!"

He waved his hand again, and the Shadow now stood alongside a Dusk.

"At times, if someone with a strong Heart and will, be they evil or good, becomes a Heartless, the empty shell that is left behind behind begins to act with a will of it's own."

The Shadow suddenly disappeared, leaving the Dusk swaying alone in the pillar of light.

"An empty vessel who's Heart has been stolen away...A spirit that goes on, evem as it's body fades from existance. For you see, Nobodies do not truly exist at all. Nobodies may seem to have feelings, but this is a ruse. They only pretend to have Hearts, you must not be decieved."

I clenched my fists, and despite both Griever's protests and my own better judgement, I snapped. Slamming a fist onto Yen Sid's desk, I glared at the old wizard with enough anger in my eyes to make him press back against his seat.

"That's not true. I don't care what rule book you go by, I don't care what sense of "good or evil" you use, Nobodies have feelings! I had to watch two people very important to me get thier Hearts broken because a person they LOVED was dying. The catch? They're supposedly HEARTLESS NOBODIES!"

I stood there, sides heaving as Yen Sid looked at me like a deer caught in the headlights of a semi-trailer. After a moment, he recovered enough to answer.

"Now Christina, that's all well and good, but Nobodies don't feel anything. They've no heart, and so, they've no emotion."

The Wizard winced, realizing he'd just dug himself into a deeper hole. Even Sora stepped back as I slammed my hand onto the desk once more, making the Wizard jump.

"The Heart doesn't give emotion. It's the SOUL that does. For you see Yen Sid, not everything is black and white, good or evil. There is a Grey Scale in the middle."

I stepped back, my point made. Shaking his head, Yen Sid continued his explanation.

"Yes, well, now then. The being you see before you is known as a Dusk. They are the most common form of Nobody. But there are others, some larger, some with frightening and unique powers. Be ever vigilant. On your journeys, you will meet an alarming number of Dusks. They will all attempt to do you harm."

The images of the Dusks vanished, but the pillars remained.

"Still, the Dusks are nothing but empty shells, destined to return to the Darkness. However..."

He waved his hands, and three men in black cloaks suddenly appeared. We all took a step back, and Sora was beginning to look a little scared.

"The beings you see before you now are very different. These powerful Nobodies have formed a Group called Organization XIII. It commands the lesser Nobodies."

Sora tilted his head.

"Organization XIII...."

He looked at me after Donald and Goofy had shaken thier heads, and I nodded. His eyes widened, but he said nothing. I knew he'd try to get an explanation out of me later, but I'd handle that when the time came. For now however, Yen Sid had the floor.

"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. The King sensed the danger, and journeyed forth to fight it. He found the Dark Realm's Keyblade, and with it, closed the door. Now he's traveling from world to world, fighting the Heartless as he seeks the answer to the riddle of the Nobodies and Organization XIII."

The Images of the Organization disappeared, and Sora turned to face Yen Sid again.

"Then I guess we'd better go find the King first."

Donald nodded, but tapped his foot against the ground.

"But where could he be?" Goofy shrugged.

"Well Donald, we won't know until we look!" Sora nodded, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yeah. And since you don't know where Riku is, Chris, maybe the King does."

I nodded, it was a possibiliy they'd run into each other after Riku had left my side, however slim it was. Yen Sid's voice jolted me out of my thoughts again, but his tone was much more amiable this time.

"So, before you go, you will need more suitable traveling clothes. Those look a tad too small for you. Christina, you'll need enchantments on the ones you wear now as well, so as to avoid any life threatening injuries."

As Sora and I nodded, Yen Sid motioned towards a door on the other side of the room.

"Through there, you'll find three good Fairies. If you ask, they'll create for you more, appropriate, garments." Donald and I snickered as Sora began to pull on his clothing. The only one not laughing was Goofy.

"Gawrsh Sora, you sure are growing fast." Still tugging on his clothes, Sora didn't notice me until I'd trapped him in a noogie hold.

"That's becuase he's almost 17!" Sora blinked, then laughed as I dragged him into the wardrobe where the Fairies hustled and bustled, preparing various things. Sora stopped laughing and wrestled his way from my hold.

"Me, you three, Riku and the King. I don't care who this Organization is, or what they're planning, but with the six of us, there's nothing to worry about, right?"

Donald nodded, voicing his agreement very loudly.

"Yeah!" Flora turned to us, smiling brightly.

"Well, looks who's here dears! Sora, Christie, Donald and Goofy!" Merryweather smiled.

"Ooh, if you're looking for clothes you've come to the right place!" Fauna and Merryweather pulled Sora away from our little group, as Flora summoned me over.

"Wait just a moment dear, we must deal with Sora first."

I nodded, and leaned back against the wall to watch the show. Fauna sent out the first spell, turning Sora's still too small clothes a shade of dark green. Merryweather shook her head as she sent out a spell.

"Oh, that will never do!" This spell turned Sora's clothes blue, and Flora looked to her sisters.

"Now, now dears." She sent out a spell of her own, turning Sora's clothes a dark pink. Donald snickered, these three just couldn't decide on anything!

"But don't you like this better?"

"Hold on!" Sora sent me a look, and I shrugged. He pouted at me, and I sighed. This kid.

"Are you certain?"

"Blue!" The Fairie's continued to exchange spells, before Sora had enough after another of Fauna's spells.

"Will you three just decide?!" The women gasped, then turned to eachother and nodded.

"All right then. Together now dears, and no more squabbling."

All three Fairie's turned to Sora, casting a spell in unison. After the light cleared, Sora was staning in black shorts, a dark blue tank top with a red pouch on the abdomen, and a black short sleeve jacket with silver shoulder pads. Red and golden bands criss-crossed over his shorts, and held up two bright red pouches. Sora nodded, letting the Kingdom Key appear in his hand. The Fairie's were smiling brightly, and I nodded.

"Oh my!"

"Ooh, it's lovely."

"Oh yes! He does look very dashing!"

Sora blushed slightly at this, and I had to supress a giggle. When Kairi got her hands on him, oh boy! Flora turned away from her sisters and back to Sora.

"Now, those aren't ordinary garments." Fauna nodded.

"They have very special powers."

Flora conjured up a glowing yellow orb, which hovered in front of Sora.

"Take the orb dear."

Sora extended a hand, and the orb was absorbed into him. Merryweather smiled.

"And watch what happens."

For a moment, nothing happened. Then all of a sudden, Sora curled into himself in midair, and with a flash of white, his clothes had turned red and there was a second keyblade in his hand. Sora jumped when he saw that.

"Whoa!" As the boys were examining the new clothes and keyblade, Flora turned to me.

"Now dearie, it's your turn. All you'll need is a few enchantments, since you're obviously quite comfortable in those clothes of yours."

At my nod, she waved her wand. A golden shield appeared in front of me, then disappeared. Flora smiled, then turned to frown at Merryweather.

"This Journey's gonna be twice as difficult as your last."

Sora sighed, head falling to his chest. Flora frowned at her sister, then turned to Sora.

"Your garments also have other powers, but you will have to discover what they are you continue on your journey."

Sora nodded, and the second Keyblade vanished as he returned to normal.

"Ok, I'll do my best. And thanks a lot!"

I echoed his sentiment, and as we left the room, Fauna spoke up.

"Oh, and there's something else for you, from Master Yen Sid."

Donald smiled, and we ran off into the Loft one more. Yen Sid was standing at the window, and he motioned us over. I had to smile as Infinity came into view. I turned to Yen Sid.

"How did you find her?" The old Wizard smiled.

"My dear, never underestimate a little magic." I nodded, and the four of us stood up straight. Yen Sid raised a hand.

"Now now, just a moment." We all slouched a little.

"Becuase of your previous endeavours, the worlds have returned to their original states. That means the pathways between them have disappeared." Donald sagged over.

"How do we get around?" Yen Sid turned to the duck.

"Do not fear. If what the King suspected proves true, the worlds have prepared new pathways along which you may travel. These pathways may be utilized by unlocking special gates. However, I'm afraid I do not know how these gates are opened, but I'm certain that the Keyblade will serve as your guide. When a beam of Light radiates from its tip, return to Infinity. Though the worlds may seem far apart and out of reach, the nonetheless remain connected by invisible ties. As do our Hearts."

Sora and I nodded, sharing a look.

"Our hearts are connected."

"That is correct Sora. But be warned. As you proceed, the Heartless and the Nobodies will be using their own paths, corridors of Darkness to travel from world to world. They may be attempting to link these Dark pathways to the gates between the worlds." Donald seethed, pounding his foot on the floor.

"Hey! That's not fair!" Yen Sid shook his head

"Perhaps, but it is the way things are. Now then, that is all the information I can give to you. Go forth, Sora, Christie, Donald and Goofy. Everyone is waiting for you."

Sora nodded, and we all stood up straight. We all saluted the Wizard.

"Master Yen Sid!"

"We sure do appreciate the help!" We ran from the loft, and onto a transport beacon. From there, we
boarded Infinity. She came alive as I settled into the Captains chair once more.

"Captain! Welcome home!"

I smiled, turning power back to the engines as Sora loaded the Shield Program onto it's terminal.

"Good to be back Infinity, up for a flight?"

"Ready and awaiting destination."

"Head home Infinity, it's time to get this show on the road."

----

Hollow Bastion. This place, it's my home. But in a way, it's not. Regardless of that, it hasn't changed all that much over the past few years. The Town, after Nii-san led the people back home, is still the same as ever. The Castle however, fell apart after Maleficent abandoned it, leaving it to be repaired. As I walked behhind them, the boys ran to the ledge that overlooked the Castle.

"It's Hollow Bastion!"

"Gawrsh, it looks kinda different now..." Donald hopped off the ledge.

"I hope Leon and others are doing ok..." I nodded, heading down the stairs and into the Market.
"They're fine. It's only been a couple of days since I saw them last, so I'm sure they're still safe."

I led the way into the Burrough, and jumped back with a yelp as the Town's defense mechanism popped out of the ground, scanned us, then faded away after flashing green. Donald looked this way and that.

"Hey! What's going on?"


"That's the towns defense mechanism. Cid set it up just last night, and it works like a dream."

We all looked up to the nearby ledge, and Sora smiled brightly.

"Yuffie!" She waved, then gasped at something appearing behind us.

"Look out!" She tossed one of her shuriken, cutting down a Dusk that would have taken off Sora's head in one swing. We fought away the remaining ones, with the TDM helping out quite a bit. Once tthey were gone, Yuffie hopped off the platform and down to our level.

"I see you're still in top form." Sora smiled.

"What'd you expect? Look's like you're doing okay too." Yuffie smiled brightly, hands on her hips.

"Well, what'd you expect?"

"How're the others?"

"They're great! Everything turning out ok so far." Sora nodded, then turned to Yuffie as she was still hopping around.

"Hey, Yuffie, have you seen the King or Riku?" Yuffie walked towards Merlin's house, still smiling.

"Nope. But I had a feeling that I'd be seeing you guys again." Sora nodded, putting on hand on his face. I laughed as he tried to imitate Leon.

"We may never meet again, but we'll never forget each other." Yuffie raised an eyebrow.

"Was that supposed to be Leon? Well anyway, everybody's working on stuff over at Merlin's place, C'mon!"

She led the way into Merlin's house, where Leon. Aerith and Cid were all hunched at a computer that hadn't been there the last time I was here.

"Meet the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee!"

Yuffie's fanfare caused the three near the computer to jump, and Aerith smiled.

"We missed you!" Cid smirked, looking happy for once.

"Well, if you ain't in top shape." Leon nodded, actually smiling.

"I knew it." Sora tilted his head as we walked closer.

"Knew what?"

"A while back, everyone started to remember you three, all at the same time." Sora crossed his arms.

"You...remembered? Wait! Does that mean you forgot about us?!" I bit back a laugh at Donald's rightly annoyed reaction.

"Thanks!" Yuffie walked over to Leon, then looked to Sora.

"So, where've you three been all this time?"

"We were sleeping." Cid scoffed.

"Where? In cold storage?"

I knew he was bieng sarcastic, but I don't think the boys did, becuase Sora began to dance from one foot to the other nervously. Aerith shook her head at Cid, then turned back to us.

"It doesn't matter. This is great! Everyone's together again!" Sora nodded, biting his lip.

"So, um...we're trying to find Riku and the King. Have you seen 'em?" Nii-san nodded, and Sora immediatly pounced.

"Where?!"

"In here, two days ago." Sora sagged.

"Two days ago?! Oh man..." Aerith winced.

"Sorry. But let us know if there's anything we can do to help, ok?" Sora nodded.

"Yeah. Thanks Aerith." Cid got up into Sora's face.

"Don't go thankin us just yet, mini-spike." I stuck my tongue out at Cid, the old coot had just nicknamed Sora after Cloud. Leon leaned back against the wall stiffly.

"Hollow Bastion's got a problem, a big problem." I tilted my head.

"Lemme guess, Heartless and Nobodies."

"Yeah." Sora smiled lacing his fingers behind his back.

"Sounds like you could use our help."

"Then let's cut to the chase. Sora, Christie, Donald, Goofy. We were hoping the four of you might give us a hand around here." Sora thumped his chest with a fist, smiling proudly.

"Like we're going to say no?" Yuffie giggled, and Leon nodded.

"I forgot who I'm dealing with." Donald glared at the man.

"Hey...what do you mean by that?" Aerith smiled gently.

"Just think of it as a sort of "Leon Compliment." The man in question was already halfway out the door, and he turned with the door wide open.

"Follow me to the Bailey. There's something you should see."

I ran after him, ducking around Merlin as the old Wizard appeared. I could vaguely hear him explain Magic to Sora again, and as Aerith gave the boys their membership cards. I was halfway up the stairs when Sora nearly bowled into me as he raced up the stairs. I shook my head, dusted myself off and led the way into the Bailey. Inside, Leon was leaning over the ledge that looked out across the Great Maw. He looked up when we entered the are, and pointed out across the fields.

"Look at that." Sora stepped back in shock at the sheer amount of Heartless just waiting at Villians Vale. Leon nodded.

"We want to restore Hollow Bastion to what it used to be. Who knows, maybe even something better. There's still a lot to do, but I'm sure we can handle everything. Except.... for that...."

He pointed to the castle, barely visible from our current location, and then into the Canyon, where two Dusks were headed towards the Castle.

"And that..." Sora nodded, looking up at Leon.

"We'll handle them." Leon smiled slightly at the boy.

"That's good to hear. Sora, Christie, do you two know what's going on then?" I nodded, hopping up onto the ledge.

"There's this guy, Pete, who's been going around plotting with the Heartless. But he's not smart enough to tie his own shoes, let alone stage an uprising. The one's we'll need to worry about are the Nobodies." Sora nodded.

"And the Organization XIII that commands the little ones too."

"You called?" I jumped from the ledge, calling my daggers to my hands. Sora bolted out into the open area, looking around.

"Who's that?!" He called the Keyblade, still looking around.

"This calls for a celebration..." Donald yelped, barely getting away as a Dusk swiped at his face. Goofy helped his friend up, then turned and knocked a Dusk out of the air with his shield. As the Dusks raced for the town gate, they met metal as Leon slammed the gate shut with a metallic "clang"

"Don't let them get past the gate! If they reach Town we're done for!"

Sora nodded, and we jumped into action. After the Dusk's were gone, the Samurai's appeared. Sora and Leon were forced onto the defensive when one Samurai tried to take both thier heads off, but suddenly, Sora was behind it and the creature was falling onto the ground, beaten. I blinked in surprise. I'd thought that Reaction Commands weren't going to be a part of things here, but I was wrong again. As the last Samurai vanished, Sora raced back into the open.

"The Keyblade...A turly marvelous weapon. Were it only in more capable hands..." Six laughs rang out, and Leon and I ran out to stand behind Sora in case of trouble The boy in question snarled.

"Show yourselves!" We all looked up as six black cloaked figures appeared on the ledge above us. Xemnas, Xigbar, Xaldin, Saïx, Demyx and Luxord. Axel and Roxas had turned traitor, and the rest were all dead. They were down to less than half, and that was a good thing. Xemnas raised his arms, and Goofy raised his shield.

"Organization XIII!" Sora nodded, smirking.

"Good! Now we can finish this!" Leon grabbed Sora's hood, keeping the boy from running headlong into danger.

"What a shame...And here I thought we could be friends." They all laughed, and Donald yelled.

"Stop!" He raced down the stairs with us on his heels, as Xigbar appeared to block his way. Donald raised his staff in anger.

"What's the big idea?!"

"Oopsy-daisy!" Sora glared.

"Move!" The man ignored him.

"Now, do you think that's polite, shutting me down like that?"

Sora snarled, and I glared at the man in front of us. Part of me was grateful fro Xigbar getting in our way, we'd have stood no chance against Xemnas at that moment, but the rest of me was very pissed off.

"He said to get out of the way!" Xigbar scoffed.

"As if! You can talk all you want, but that won't change a thing." Donald seethed.

"Then we're gonna MAKE you move!"

"See, that would work. If I were just any old dude. 'Cept I'm not. I'm with the Organization. Nothing "any old" about me." Sora scoffed.

"Ha! Tough talk for someone who stood on the sidelines while his Nobody flunkeys did all the fighting!"

"Oh dear. I think you've got the wrong impression." Xigbar wagged a finger at us. Sora laughed.

"You gonna cry?"

"As if! Why don't I remind you just how tough the crowd you're dealing with really is?" Sora frowned.

"Remind me?" He shook his head, and Xigbar laughed.

"That's RIGHT! he used to give that same exact look!" Sora glared, grip on the Keyblade tightening enough to turn his knuckles white beneath his gloves.

"I guess you think you can psych me out by saying really random stuff!" Xigbar shrugged.

"Gee...I just don't know." He spread his arms as if challenging us to strike him, but he soon lowered them.

"Be good kids now!" Donald jumped up, trying to pounce on Xigbar before the portal closed. He ended up face first on the ground.

"Nuts. He got away!" As Donald dusted himself off, Sora crossed his arms.

"That was wierd...WHO gave him the exact same look?" I shook my head, I knew that Roxas had given Xigbar that same look, but Sora didn't. It was probably best to leave it at that. Goofy shrugged.

"Y'know, I think he was just trying to confuse you." Sora nodded.

"Yeah, you're right. There's only one me." He reached into his pocket, pulling out his Membership card.
"The Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee Honorary Member---" Sora gasped, letting go of the card as it suddenly began to glow. The Keyblade glowed in turn, trying to reach the card. Sora looked from the Card to the Keyblade, confused. Leon walked up behind us.

"What's this?" I turned to Sora.

"Sora, I think that's a Gate."

The boy nodded, and we all yelped as a harsh wind began to blow through the Bailey. Donald and Goofy stepped away from Sora as a glowing crown symbol appeared below the boy. The card turned into a Keyhole, and beyond that Keyhole, I could see smoke and hear the cries of war.

The Land of Dragons....

I was jolted from my thoughts as Sora sealed the open Keyhole, and his card reappeared in his hand.

"Ohh...Now I get it. That was one of the Gates that Yen Sid talked about." He turned to Leon.

"Sorry to run Leon, but other worlds are calling." Leon nodded, then frowned.

"Organization XIII...They look tough. You four be careful out there, ok?"

We nodded, and Leon escorted us back to the Harbor where Infinity was docked. The boy's ran on ahead into the ship, but I lingered a moment longer. Leon smiled.

"See ya soon."

He saluted us, and I clambered aboard my ship as it began to take off. We entered open airspace, and I frowned at the readings I was getting. I turned over my shoulder, calling to Sora. He walked over to the cockpit, and rubbed his eyes.

"But, how is that possible?" I shook my head.

"I don't know. Most worlds just don't vanish into thin air like that, so it's pretty strange."

Still confused, Sora took his seat next to me. I turned Infinity around to face the Land of Dragons, and we were off.

----
A/N: Hope you all enjoyed this! I'm finally back in my element of writing KH Stories. The ending is a bit abrupt, but I like it. See ya soon!

Silver