Number IX's Last Melody-Chapter 6

"Guys! It's really you!" He said. He had found their bodies in a corner. Tidus was elated to see his friends again. But something was wrong. They didn't answer him, and their eyes were glazed over, not like they were dead, but like they had lost something inside of them.

Their hearts.

That was what was missing. The Heartless had stolen Selphie and Wakka's hearts! But that couldn't be! There had to be a way to get them back! Tidus heaved both of their bodies behind him as he slowly made his way off back to Demyx.
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As he came back, another mysterious man approached him. This one was wearing a brown cloak, and had a dark voice. "So these children have lost their hearts as well? As crying shame. But if one were to trust the darkness, perhaps their selves could be restored?"

Tidus jumped at that chance. "I'll do anything to get their hearts back! Please?" He said, dropping their lifeless shells and coming to the mysterious man's feet. "Please, can you help get their hearts back from the Heartless?" The man looked down at him. "Back from the Heartless... Very well, but first tell me, boy. Who saved you from the Darkness, when your home was destroyed?"

Tidus stood up. "Why, Demyx. He let me stay in an old building in Hollow Bastion." The cloaked man's head snapped up. "So he has set foot there, hasn't he? Thank you for your assistance. We might meet again, maybe soon, maybe later. In the Darkness..." As he pointed his open palm at Wakka and Selphie, who started to glow with a pink color.

As Tidus looked on, his friends came back to life! "That's amazing!" He said, turning to the mysterious figure. "How-" He was gone, the cloaked man.

"Tidus! What happened, bra?" Said Wakka, not knowing how they got there. "You're safe, that's all that matters!" Said Tidus. The three of them hugged and set off toward the portal again, after all the reunion greetings.

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Demyx went through the dark place. He shouldn't have ever brought Tidus to the Hollow Bastion. He had been a fool. But he had to stop Larxene, for his and Tidus's sake. Now he confronted her. "Sorry, sis, but you can't go to Xemnas. That would ruin me." Larxene looked at him defiantly. "And your secret friend?"

Demyx was indignant. But before he could further protest, the dark voice came, causing Demyx and Larxene to cringe. "So the both of you have chosen to defy me and set foot where I ordered you not to?" Said he, appearing. He threw off his cloak, revealing the full Ansem. His white hair fell down to his middle, his white and black Heartless clothing making him appear quite powerful. Lots of Heartless sprang up around them.

"Now you will make you final stand here, Betwixt and Between the Darkness!" The Heartless charged. In a flash, Demyx was holding his sitar, and Larxene her knives. Demyx slew the first three Heartless that came at him with a sweep of his sitar. He then played a chord, causing lots of bubbles to shoot forward and destroy several Heartless. Meanwhile, Larxene was killing Heartless left and right with her knives and lightning attacks.

Demyx summoned a column of water and rode it through a group of Heartless, destroying all of them. There weren't all that many left, but they were still looking bad. He didn't have enough energy left to summon water clones. Things weren't looking all that good now...