Kingdom Hearts 1. A Connection to Joshua

**A Connection to Joshua**

Images flashed behind Kairi's eyes, as she envisioned many of Sora and Riku's fights. In a room that seemed to be bathed in green—or, more accurately, the tower of Master Yen Sid's—Kairi moved to the beat of her own heart, as she trained and trained and trained.

As Donald cast a fire spell at her, the young Princess of Heart rolled under it, the way she had once imagined Sora doing so against Hades' arms of fire. Though Kairi knew Donald didn't mean to harm her at all, that didn't mean that the tips of her hair got singed any less. As the smell of something burning, and a bit of ash fell in front of her face, Kairi thought her most recent maneuver a failure, and aimed to succeed in the next one.

Like right now, she'd just barely missed Sora opening his arm wide, so his Keyblade could attempt to dice her stomach. As she reclaimed her footing, and looked at her old friend with a small smile growing on her face, she pushed her legs down as far as she could get them. Then, gaining momentum, she dived up into the air, and angled Destiny's Embrace at Sora's head in a move similar to what he'd done with Marluxia. As such a thought came to Kairi, she was aware of her Nobody, Naminé, smiling at her action. It seemed that in learning to fight, Kairi wasn't just conquering her demons, but Naminé's as well.

All was going completely well until Kairi once again felt her hair taking the brunt of something. It took the Keyblade wielder in training just a moment to realize that Riku had caught her hair in a beam of Darkness. Looking behind her cautiously, Kairi was half expecting to see him, unfortunately, look like Ansem again (through such strong usage of Darkness), but that wasn't the case. And as such, Kairi knew her best friend wasn't nearly as burly or inescapable as the man who had enslaved him. With quite a bit of effort on her part, Kairi was able to dodge Sora aiming his blade at her jugular, and was able to wriggle herself from Riku's hold via kicking him in the chin.

Doing a backhand spring to get back in control, Kairi breathed sharply, thinking her training was surely over for the day. She should have known, though, that Axel wouldn't leave it at that. As Axel engulfed the area in flames, Kairi could only laugh at herself for previously thinking singed _hair_ was a big deal. Trying to decide just what she was going to do about this, Kairi noted that the surface of the floor was becoming covered in flames inch by inch. Knowing immediately what she had to do, Kairi quickly understood that Axel was hiding in the pillar of one of his flames. Jumping on Yen Sids' table before it was gone for good, Kairi used it for leverage to jump up into the air. Pausing for just a moment to listen and search for Axel, Kairi quickly rocketed to where the pyromaniac was. Sheathing her hands in just a bit of ice magic, Kairi reached for Axel's form through the erupting fire, and upon throwing a surprised Axel to the ground beneath her, she was able to distract him long enough, so the magic he was using to create the flames… disappeared.

Then, more than ever, Kairi thought she had to be golden. But the moment Sora spun his Keyblade in front of her face like a pinwheel, the surprise (as well as exhaustion for what she'd just done) proved to be too much. Ducking so her head wouldn't get slashed from the blade in front of her, Kairi found she had just enough strength to lean back to save herself, but the necklace she'd always worn as cut from her neck.

Suddenly falling for even some reasons Kairi didn't even understand, she noted Sora's horrified face above her, as he reached down to give her a helping hand. As Kairi extended a hand to meet hers with his, she thought she'd have no problem reaching for him.

She hadn't accounted for suddenly falling through leagues of water to land on a glass platform. Then, making decisions and coming to terms with things faster than she could blink, Kairi found herself feeling much stronger. Her tie with the Keyblade strengthened, Kairi was able to push herself upward, and as she remembered her Master Aqua (she would make her proud yet!), she grabbed with her free hand for her necklace that had fallen. Never again would she forget that woman, or the role she and her pendant shared in her life.

Or maybe more accurately, Kairi thought she'd never let herself, or Sora, fall away from each other again. Getting to her feet, and at equal ground with Sora again, Kairi smiled equally radiant at his grinning face. Coming closer to him, she was about to-

Get knocked to the ground by King Mickey, apparently. Coming back from her recent epiphany, Kairi found she could much more thoroughly appreciate all of her physical and mental strain now. Coughing at the dust that was flying around in her windpipe, the Princess was realizing that despite her best efforts... she had failed at becoming a Light, when suddenly, she noticed Mickey's hand reaching for her. Reaching for it tentatively, Kairi found herself smiling again just for being able to interact with Sora and Riku's anthropomorphic friends herself, when she noticed just what exactly the King was offering her. An arm guard for her shoulder. Tearing up, Kairi found anything she wanted to say getting stuck in her throat, for the fear of it coming out cheap and shallow when she realized...

"Gosh, Kairi! I didn't really mean ta tackle ya like that, but I was just so excited about how far you've come. I just had to hug ya! And give you this!"

Getting to her feet, Kairi put the magenta colored steel plate onto her shoulder, and put her sweaty hair behind her ears. Warrior or not, Kairi thought it would probably be best to greet a monarch in the best state she could. Especially when he was giving her something—and making her dreams come true—all the while!

Looking to Yen Sid, Kairi felt that it was almost too good to be true! But when the aged wizard gave her small smile and nod, she thought her heart might have been becoming more full of Light than it ever had before! Seeming to pick up on her good mood, Kairi saw that Sora had somehow ended up in the back of the crowd, and was now trying desperately to get a good look at Kairi's pre-armor, without upstaging her.

Rolling her eyes, and biting her lip to keep from reprimanding Sora, Kairi kept her focus on King Mickey, and bowed slightly when she took the gift from him and said, "Thank you so much, Masters! I've wanted to be a Keyblade wielder much longer than you know, and now to be allowed the privilege, even with how little I've trained-"

"Aww, don't remind them how little we've trained, Kairi. I don't want my Keyblade to remember, and choose not to materialize anymore! Got it memorized?" Though Kairi was more than happy to be getting along so well with Axel after a certain incident… Well, where she'd stopped in rolling her eyes at Sora just a moment ago, she wasn't so successful in doing the same for Axel now. He could just be so silly sometimes. After all, according to Riku, when he'd been about to enter Sora's sleep to save him, Axel hadn't helped at all! Rather, he'd said a very cheesy line. Shaking her head at the thought, it all almost made Kairi want to begin calling _Axel_ a lazy bum, and as some of Kairi's (and Naminé's) memories stirred in her head, she thought such a thing was probably not a bad idea.

But then again, such a name she reserved only for Sora. And also, she wasn't sure just how truthful Riku had been in saying what he had, seeing as how Axel had done more than enough to keep Sora from becoming a Darkness (something Kairi would always be indebted to him for). Anyway, whatever the reason, Kairi thought she probably shouldn't cross words with Axel, after all. Though she never meant "the cruel things" she said, she didn't want her day to become somber on the off chance Axel would misconstrue what she said.

And, of course, if Riku had been joking, Kairi didn't want to embarrass the poor boy! Especially since he'd been so chipper lately, which made Kairi happier than passing any test ever could have. After everything he'd been through… he was starting to become more and more like the friend she'd remembered and searched for all along. And Riku… he so much more than deserved that. Winking at Riku, as she ate a piece of cake, Kairi meant to tell her friend to not get _too_ caught up in his Master role (he was currently discussing battle tactics against Xehanort alongside Yen Sid and, surprisingly, Goofy), he needed to have his cake and eat it, too!

"You know, Kai. You yell at me for eating too many sweets and getting hyper, but I think you need to worry about that, too! How much punch did you drink before this, and did-"

"Sora!" Kairi choked out, as she bonked her favorite person in the head (if she got crumbs in his hair, it would only serve him right). "You never change, you know that? You're such a lazy bum. You _should_ be asking me about my armor or something. Like, you should want to take me out to teach me how to turn it into a Glider, but instead you're being a hypocrite, and telling me to watch what I eat. I tell you, friend…From how fast and how much you're talking, it seems _you're _the one who's drunken too much dietsch's punch." And as Kairi stuck a properly-punch-stained-tongue out at Sora, she meant to tell him that she was just teasing him (after all, her red tongue proved her a hypocrite, too).

Still, she did think she probably deserved it when Sora put a coffee stirring stick in her mouth, and pulled it out stained red to spite her. Kairi remembered idly then, how one was supposed to put a toothpick in a cake to see if it was done enough before taking it out. Apparently her Sora thought you needed to test how much someone had stained their tongue in a similar way.

As Sora bonked Kairi in the head with the stirring stick in revenge (but put an arm around her, perhaps to show her he didn't mean it, either), he answered just one of Kairi's questions, and honestly, it was the one she'd known he'd answer, too. "But Kairi, your armor's magenta, and since this tea party is stripping a lot of my masculinity away, I don't need to make it worse by turning you into red-headed Barbie."

Though Kairi at first thought of punching Sora in the arm for such a remark, the happiness that was swelling inside her served stronger. And so, it was such that she ended up just shrugging nonchalantly, and grinning at Sora the slightest bit.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kairi saw Axel light a piece of cake on fire (like he'd misunderstood what flaminyon was or something), for which Donald and Goofy were instantly reprimanding him. Still, as chaos continued to grow steadily around her, Kairi found she could barely focus on it at all. Instead, almost with a mind of its own, her hand reached out towards Sora, and in that moment… Kairi was hit with so many things she wanted to do. So many things she wanted to say to him!

Sora, opting to remove his arms from behind his head, seemed to be feeling much the same. And in just that one moment, despite the things that hadn't been said or done between them yet, everything was perfect.

As Kairi put a hand to her heart in a vain attempt to hush it's constant pounding, she had to wonder how it had come to this. How was it she that had become tongue-tied around Sora? How was it she that had been more incompetent than him for a while? Maybe... maybe such a thing had been needed for her to fully understand his side of things. For them to fully grow in the love she was beginning to feel for him. "Hey, Sora. You should know that I-"

In the end, the last of her sentence was never spoken. Calling everyone to attention, via a hologram of the multiverse covering much of the floor, Yen Sid locked eyes on every member of the group. With a grave face, the once Keyblade Master began gesturing to different constellations. As Kairi could make out the pinks, sands, and other distinguishing traits of some of the worlds, she knew exactly what Yen Sid was pointing out.

In fact, when his lips began moving to form the words Kairi knew he would utter, she felt her own mouth beginning to feel like lead. As the word "seven" was whispered from her lips, Kairi knew exactly what she was meant to be done. And despite all her training, and her will to be a Light and a Princess of Heart both, the truth was she wasn't at all ready to-

"Defend the Seven Pure Lights against Xehanort. That is what we must do. Even as we celebrated Riku's rise to Master, and Lea and Kairi's training to be wielders, I was able to keep a still heart, and see what exactly needs to happen now." Looking at Yen Sid a bit fearfully, Kairi was about to step forward and ask the aged sorcerer why he'd stopped talking.

It would only be _after _Kairi cowered into Sora's arms—after a fake meteor had struck by (reminding her both of when her worlds were destroyed, and when she'd said goodbye to Sora at Kingdom Hearts)—that she would realize Yen Sid had been assessing her. And if the raised eyebrow he was giving her now was any indication, she had failed miserably. Falling behind Riku now too, Kairi meant to hide again, but this time not because she was frightened, but because she was so ashamed of herself. She really had no right to be a Keyblade wielder, did she?

Axel, seeming oblivious to the going-ons between Sora, Riku, Kairi, and Yen Sid was quick to—thankfully—shift the attention from Kairi.

For a moment, though everyone else listened to Axel intently, Kairi found she wasn't hearing his words at all. She supposed she was a bit jealous of Axel. He looked a bit like her, but _unlike_ her, he was as fiery and fierce as could be. Why couldn't she be like that? But then again, she really shouldn't have been comparing herself to Axel at all. He'd suffered so much, and had come so much more than the extra mile to help friends. Axel... To think, he was probably one of the "friendliest" people Kairi could meet in her lifetime.

"Excuse me, Master. But it seems to me that you're implying we should split up to look for the Princesses, but isn't that counterproductive? There are thirteen of them, and seven of us. Wouldn't it be best if-"

"Wak! I becha Master Yen Sid knows what he's talking about, Axel!" Donald interrupted their fiery friend, as he stepped around him, and deliberately jumped up on Axel's shoulder to stomp on it. Though Kairi knew he was mostly irked that Axel had interrupted Yen Sid, she also had to admire Donald for, not so discreetly, reminding Axel that he and Goofy would be fighting, too.

As Kairi giggled a bit at that, she supposed she could forgive Donald for holding onto a grudge against Axel, if he always broke the tension like that! Like right now, feeling a bit more secure, Kairi came out from behind Sora and Riku (though Sora did give her a searching look as she did so), and began looking from face to face eagerly, wondering just what would be decided, and what she could do to help. She also noted Yen Sid was still looking at her for some reason, but for the most part, Kairi opted to ignore such a thing.

Right now, she wanted to relish in the good times and laughs just a bit more. She wanted to believe that they _could _all travel together to get Kairi's fellow Princesses of Heart, and that they would get there before the Xehanorts did. Kairi very strongly wanted to believe that they would succeed in all their endeavors, and that everything would be fine, but as she'd always had a latent ability for sensing things…she knew that wasn't going to be the case at all.

So, to distract herself from all her warring emotions, and prickling foresight, the girl downed a piece of cake faster than she ever had in her life. As she accidentally made some of the crumbs fly at Sora's lips (to which he put his hands on his hips and regarded her with a look), Kairi opted to smile at him, instead of poke fun at him for once. She would cherish this moment forever, since real kiss or not... The crumbs that had touched her lips were now brushing Sora's, and thus they were indirectly kissing.

And as Sora licked up said yellow crumbs merrily like the "fatty" Kairi sometimes teased him of being, she wondered if he was thinking along the same lines, too. After all, his eyes looked gentle, kind, and since-

"Donald and Yen Sid are right, Axel," King Mickey ended up saying with such truth, and unintended authority, that it inevitably pulled Kairi from her thoughts. Watching as Mickey strode past Axel, and put a white gloved hand on his arm as he passed, Kairi had to marvel at just what a massive persona the King had, even when in reality, he was barely tall enough to brush his fingers against the _bottom_ of Axel's arm. Such a power he had over Axel—that he had over anybody—truly had to be what was destined of true monarchs (something Kairi had never been).

As Sora and Kairi dabbed some cake crumbs in a fretting Riku's mouth (who had been ripping at threads in his glove in worry), they meant to assure him that the King's decision couldn't be as drastic as Yen Sid's had appeared to be, but in truth, Kairi knew Sora was just acting for her. He wasn't any more confident than she was, and though they trusted the King's judgment completely... Sora and Riku had told Kairi that they didn't always agree with his decisions one hundred percent. But even if they wanted to contest it, Kairi knew that what Mickey said would be law, and so she bowed her head and waited for her fate to be administered.

"If we don't try ta secure the Princesses as fast as we can, I'm afraid it'll all be too late. Us all being stronger as a team is true, but for now… Welp, I'm afraid that help will just have to come from the friends' power that exists in our hearts. If we have one thing going for us, it's that Xehanort is a manipulator more than anything. He won't move all versions of him to get the Princesses, and-"

"And even if he does, my kind aren't as weak as you think. They'll act to repel the Darkness like they did before, and will act to keep themselves and their worlds safe. As I wasn't there to help them hold back the Darkness before, I want to be so now. I'm going on my own."

As Mickey looked at Kairi wide-eyed, the Princess of Heart was surprised to realize that she'd interrupted—and maybe even challenged—a King she respected significantly.

And as Sora, and some of the others, peered around to look at Kairi with equal bouts of shock written on their faces, she was almost surprised that she'd just done what she had (though it seemed like someone else had done it entirely now). Though Yen Said seemed to be nodding agreeably to some of Kairi's words (to which ones and why she couldn't understand), she found herself almost wanting to retract her words. Almost, but not entirely.

Standing up straight, and holding her head high, Kairi realized she'd meant every word she said. Her fellow Princesses (along with herself) were diamonds in the rough, as Jasmine put it. They were quite capable, but held themselves back. No more, though. She wouldn't be weak, or babied anymore.

Despite wanting nothing but to stay with Sora and Riku a moment ago, Kairi found that was the last thing she wanted now. If they were going to search for the Princesses by themselves, then so was she. She'd wear the armor she alone had been given to appease those who cared about her (and, though she hated to admit it, to give her a better chance), but that was all the leisure she was taking.

"Kairi, n-"

"I thought you might say that, Kairi. As both a Light, and one meant to protect the Lights, you have power and drive that even I have never seen amongst the stars. Well, except perhaps one time. And that is the different task I have in store for you, should you choose to accept it."

As the shock of Yen Sid's words settled in Kairi's heart, she could only smile in a silly manner at how foolish she'd been to try and halt its rapid pace before. As it only began to speed up more at Yen Sid's compliments, Kairi felt a grin begin to find its way on her face. And, of course, if she had to guess... she would have assumed that her cheeks were turning a tad bit pink, too.

Filled with more hope and self-confidence than she'd ever known, Kairi barely even noted all the varying looks people were giving her. Instead, in an over-exaggerated movement much like one Sora would do, Kairi found herself shooting forward towards Yen Sid's desk, and nearly tripping over it with her movement.

Smiling widely, Kairi figured that no one had ever made such an exuberant thumbs up as the one she was giving Yen Sid now. Knowing full well what Yen Sid was implying (perhaps it was the foresight prickling at the back of her mind again that was telling her), Kairi was more than eager to go look for Aqua. Though truthfully, she would have preferred meeting Aqua again when she felt she'd accomplished something... it only seemed right that Kairi saved the person who had saved her.

Putting a hand to her heart, Kairi no longer wanted to halt it in the slightest. Instead, she wanted its Light to lead her to the Light within the Darkness. Aqua...

Bowing to Master Yen Sid as low to the ground as she could manage, Kairi was about to tell him she would happily go on a search for the Keyblade Master, but as Goofy stepped around her to hand Yen Sid his shield, Kairi thought that despite her earlier show of strength, that she knew exactly what the knight was going to say. Of course, the fact that Riku and Mickey were now whispering to each other made Kairi a little more than uncertain. They were plotting behind her back, weren't they? They were planning to keep her from going on the adventure she'd always wanted to.

As her previously happy exterior melted off her face the way foundation sometimes did when it was hot out, Kairi surmised her posture must have been telling people to stay clear of her. That she wanted to grieve alone. Sora took her in his arms anyway.

Hiding against his shoulder, Kairi almost wished that she could fall asleep against his soft form. Maybe then, she could wake up to a better dream. Maybe then-

Idly, in the back of her mind, Kairi wondered just when Sora had begun wearing cologne that smelled like cherry blossoms. More than that, as she looked down at the almost dress she was wearing... She had to wonder when she'd begun needing to wear Sora's shirts just to smell his scent. It was a little disconcerting, honestly. But at the same time, it felt completely wonderful, and just… right.

"Gawrsh, I think Kairi goin' to find Aqua is a great idea! And she won't go alone. Why, she's in all of our hearts, too. But more than that, the gang from Twilight Town will be there to help her! With them, I'll she won't even need the shield I was gonna lend her!"

As everyone turned to the perceptive knight that had been in the back of the crowd just a moment ago, Kairi couldn't help but reflect that he should have been in the front all along. She remembered then, as she closed her eyes, that when Ansem's Kingdom Hearts encoder had been destroyed, Goofy had also tried to act to save him. Though Kairi had understood where Riku was coming from in letting Ansem the Wise choose his own path, she'd never been able to fully forget how he'd just watched as DiZ had disappeared. It might have been for the greater good, but... In that moment, if there had ever been any doubt in Kairi's heart about whom she was meant for… It would have become obvious then that it was Sora, as he had tried to convince Riku to save Ansem the Wise, the way Kairi had tried to convince the distraught King.

Goofy had tried to help, too, as he was always hated anyone being hurt. And Donald... Well, Donald had wanted to help, but with his loyalties to whatever the King decided, Kairi hadn't been surprised when he hadn't been able to get to a fading Ansem, either.

_Speaking of Ansem, and other things I know, Kairi... Goofy's right. We must go to the Old Mansion. While I know I can't make a Corridor of Darkness while I reside in you, we can use the one in the Haunted Mansion. Editing its properties, I think- No, I know we can find a way to Aqua in the Realm of Darkness. Plus, though I know Hayner, Pence, and Olette will be more than glad to see you, I think they'd also be more than willing to protect you, too. _

Blowing a strand of hair out of her face at Naminé's thought, Kairi tried to fight back her irritation for the most part. She really did like and respect her Other. In many ways, she was so much stronger and braver than Kairi thought she could ever be. Sometimes... Sometimes Kairi worried that all the strength she'd been finding lately really just belonged to her Nobody. Sometimes, when she'd been up late at night after Sora and Riku had come home (well, temporarily, anyway), Kairi had worried that if Naminé was ever stripped from her again (something Kairi was beginning to sense was going to happen), that she'd be nothing.

Her own slight jealousy aside, though, Kairi did have to admit that Naminé had the right of it, as always. If only she could have realized such an obvious thing, though! She should have been able to cycle through Naminé's memories, and have discovered it for hersel-

"Yes, Goofy. I think you're right. Kairi must go it alone, much like I was saying we all should before. As you were talking before, Master, I couldn't see it clearly. But now I can. Kairi's got a force that _none_ _of us _have observed before. I think if we follow _her_ this time, she'll lead us to the solution none of us can imagine right now."

Kairi found it completely disheartening that Mickey would say such a thing, and choose to put such faith in her, when... Suddenly, Kairi didn't have faith in herself at all. Suddenly finding she could barely breathe, Kairi tried desperately to hold back sobs at the thought that she was nothing like they were now saying. And even though she hated to admit it... she was still just as weak as before. After all, hadn't she just secretly rejoiced that the Twilight Town gang would be there to help fight with her? And they were untrained to boot! She had no right to think that! No right at all!

As everyone (except Sora oddly) smiled at Kairi encouragingly, and gave her the go ahead, Kairi suddenly wished that they didn't believe in her at all. It would hurt less then. It would hurt less when she inevitably failed them.

In the back of her mind, Kairi thought about asking Riku how he'd gotten over his own insecurities. In the front of her mind, she was screaming and no one heard.

"Kairi... If you're feeling insecure, just know how strong your personality is. People would do anything for you. And I- if it saved you, I would go as far as letting myself become lost to Davy Jone's locker. Don't forget your true strength, Kairi. Please." Smiling just the slightest bit despite herself, Kairi found that she no longer had the urge to run at all. Sora's words had cleansed that desire completely.

Curling her fingers around Sora's (like he had hers just a moment ago), Kairi had to admit that she'd forgotten... forgotten about the story Sora had told her about Port Royal and an Elizabeth Swann. In bringing such a thing up now, she had to wonder if he'd sensed her self-consciousness, and that was why he was drawing parallels to such a strong woman.

Though Kairi doubted she could ever be as strong and good as the would-be-pirate-woman, she did have to admit that she had no desire to choke the way Elizabeth had in that terrible dress she'd worn (or so Sora had told her). Taking a deep breath, Kairi let go of all the things that were weighing her down, and she reveled in the smell of Sora's cologne. She reveled in his nearness. Feeling all the better for it, Kairi had to reflect on how Sora always seemed to know the right thing to do and say.

Sora... He'd always believed that he'd be fine, as long as his heart was connected to others' hearts. And since Kairi had aspired to be like Sora for what felt like a lifetime, she had to wonder if such a notion was the best sort of thing to believe in. It certainly _seemed _like the best and only way. In fact, just the thought of all these people helping her, made Kairi feel instantly lighter. Yes, she could do this. Though she wasn't sure if Yen Sid and Mickey were right about her role in things, she thought she could at least try to protect the multiverse before having a mental breakdown. Yes, she could certainly do that.

Pulling her fingers away from Sora's (feeling much better now, and not needing his assurance at the moment), Kairi tried not to flinch when his fingers cracked at her movement. In her head she pictured Sora in the Keyblade Graveyard with many of his bones cracking. As the horrified vision in Kairi's head almost made her want to scream out in horror, and come undone, she found relief in the calm sea Sora's eyes still were. She had to believe that they would always stay that way. That nothing (not even her, despite what he'd said) could lead them to be gone. Because... As long as Kairi looked in those eyes, she had safety and sanctuary. She knew that everything would be alright, and that she should have faith, but without them... the world would become a mighty stranger.

As a hint of gold flickered in Sora's vision (real or not, Kairi didn't know!), Kairi thought she knew well what their fate was going to be. Deeming to fight it tooth and nail to the end, Kairi put a hand on Sora's arm and said, "Speaking of Port Royal, you said Elizabeth wanted to learn how to wield two swords, right? Before we leave, I think you should teach _me_ duel wielding."

As a smirk spread across Axel's face, Kairi thought it looked very much like one from a slasher movie. She wondered, maybe, if he was thinking of getting back at Xenanort for Isa.

Riku's smirk, however, was one of arrogance. Rolling her eyes, Kairi let Riku begin training her some more. Perhaps with Riku, she could believe in miracles, too. Sora was completely hopeless without him and Kairi, after all. Yes, as long as Riku and Sora were around, Kairi knew everything would work out fine. It had to!

Yet... She knew full well she was lying to herself. She knew full well what she'd seen.

**Author's Note: Yes, I know that you think the chapter title has nothing to do with the chapter, but it actually does. I think it's pretty obvious, but you'll see eventually.**

**So, in case you haven't figured it out yet, this is my own Kingdom Hearts III fic. Though I promised myself I'd never do this for reasons… Well, I obviously am now (mainly because it's a lot funner than I thought it'd be!). So, I should be updating this along with IHtLTG and TM. **

**Also, there should be multiple PoVs in this. **

**And sorry much didn't happen in this chapter. Originally more was going to, but this got way too long, so I thought we could have one light chapter (which is good, since things will go to hell soon enough). I'm going to keep this as true to canon, and what I think will happen, as I can. **

**Gah! I can't believe I'm doing this! Please review, and assure me I haven't completely lost my mind with this. Thank you!**

**Also, the two main references in this are, of course, Sora's time in Port Royal, and what DiZ said about Sora's heart in DDD.**

**What else do I want to say? Umm… My listening to a "KH3" Dearly Beloved mix inspired this whole thing? Basically? I thought a good opening for III would be flashbacks (as usual), but added in with Kairi's training. That way you kill two birds with one stone, and get to see Kairi fight in awesome CG (which, after everything, she deserves her time in the spotlight!) Basically, in my head, the video would show Sora and Roxas fighting Axel in different installments, and then jump to Kairi fighting him in a similar way while training, and whatnot, and so on and so forth.**

**Oh! Speaking of which, I called Lea "Axel" in this chappie, because I thought Kairi still would. Yen Sid, though, opts to call him Lea. So yeah.**

**Also, I'm going to try hard to get as many fan wants in this story as possible. What I mean by that, are scenes we've been wanting for forever (that have been hinted at), but haven't happened yet. Like Sora teaching Kairi to fly in Neverland… (I am so worried about writing the Disney worlds, by the way!), so yeah.**

**And as for pairings, this will be SoKai (obviously), but I'm going to try to keep it canon, and not too shippy (mainly the reason it was so shippy in this chappie, was to have some light moments before things get bad). And other than SoKai, I don't know if I'll do any other pairings. I might hint at them, but KH isn't about pairings, and SoKai's really the only canon one (and even that's not strictly canon), so…**

**Also, you can consider this fic my gift to people for A) Almost having written a hundred stories here. B) Almost having fifty watchers on dA. And C) Almost having a hundred-fifteen llama badges on dA.**

**I hope this is worth it to you all… And that I can pull it off, and won't lose my mind in the process. Welp, I'm going to stop ranting now.**

**-Shanna**


	2. Reaching the Understanding

**Author's Note: Warning. This chapter (and probably the rest of the story following this) will have spoilers for The World Ends With You. If you don't want to be spoiled for that game, you might want to turn back now. Thank you for reading.**

**-Shanna **

**Reaching the Understanding**

It was a gorgeous night outside of Yen Sid's tower. The green shrubbery seemed to reach up towards the heaven due to the lightest gust of wind; the stars peaked out beneath the blanket that was the sky to give the heroes one last moment of respite.

What was most beautiful to Sora, though, was how the Ghost Train was parked out right amidst the blue rails it had disappeared from before. Smiling at the old friend wryly, Sora had to wonder why it—and Twilight Town—hadn't reappeared just a _tad_ bit earlier last time, so he might have met with Kairi before Axel and Saïx succeeding in whisking her away.

That was all in the past, though, Sora thought to himself, as he crinkled his nose up either at the smell of rain in the air, or for someone coming (he wasn't entirely sure which). And really, he couldn't easily be mad at the thing, when it had the same eyes of a certain Princess of Heart. Even if- even if it was just where it was to take her away again.

Sighing to himself, as worries seemed to play at his heart, Sora found himself standing up from where he'd been sitting on Master Yen Sid's tan colored steps, and crossing over to where the Ghost Train resided. "I'm not gonna hate you and Twilight Town for disappearing when I needed you most last time, but- But to make it up to me, anyway, do you think you could keep a special eye on Kairi for me? Thanks, ghost driver."

Shaking his head a little at the ridiculousness of his actions (but still patting the ghost train for good measure), Sora had to wonder just what kind of sleep deprivation could make him seek out a magicked train as an ally. He hadn't acted this loopy during any of his other journeys, but- But much more was on the line this time, wasn't it?

Besides, with all he'd seen, and all the people he'd connected with… who was to say this train couldn't be an aid to him in the end? Who was to say-

"Tch. Sora, you're not exactly making me feel confident about leaving you in Shibuya tomorrow. Talking to a locomotive? Really, what have the worlds come to?!"

Ignoring Riku entirely for a moment, Sora strode back to the massive oak door he'd just come from, and tried not to show just how off his game he was. Though the King had decided (to everyone's agreement) to wait two days before starting their adventure, so they'd be prepared and properly rested when they began their most important journey… the truth was…

Sora didn't think he'd slept any less in his life. Though he was trying his best to believe in Kairi, and award her the confidence she more than deserved, he also knew that he was worried beyond belief about what could befall her. Her and Naminé both, if his plan succeeded, that was.

"Look, Sora," Riku muttered, as he forced the dead-to-the-world boy to sit down beside him, and stop worrying holes in the ground. "I'm as concerned for Kairi as you are. In my first journey, I probably worried for her—and your idiot self—way too much, and you remember what happened? That, among other things, beckoned the Darkness in me. You need to be careful now, Sora. Especially with what happened during the Mark of Mastery exam. Xehanort wouldn't waste an opportunity to make you his Vessel again, so-"

"Please stop, Riku. I'm not trying to bury this all anymore, I swear, but-" But the memory was still too fresh in Sora's mind for him to think about it without going mad: how following the pain of Roxas, Naminé, and those other two people had led his heart into the deepest recesses of Darkness.

Shuddering, as a chirping cricket nearby sounded too much like his shattering heart had, Sora tried not to think about how he'd thought Riku would fail to save him; how he'd believed he'd break his promise to Kairi to come back to her…

It was no good thing to dwell on these things, Sora knew. As Riku said, if he continued to let his fears eat away at him, he'd be an easy target for the Darkness. So, steeling his resolve and recalling on the mediation exercises Merlin had taught him for dealing with magic, Sora let all his worries and fears melt away, as he tried his own hand at centering his Darkness.

Riku, most likely sensing what Sora was doing, remained quiet but supportive, as Sora tried to think of all the things that had tripped him up, but not let them control him. After a few moments—in which Sora felt most likely like his old self again—he peaked an eye open at Riku, realizing his best friend hadn't just come outside to admire the weather.

Running a hand through his somewhat curling hair due to the moisture in the air, Sora found himself recalling someone else with wavy hair, and someone whom Riku had already mentioned once in their conversation. "Thank you, Riku," Sora muttered as he sat cross-legged, and looked at a stoic Riku with a small smile playing on his lips. "Thanks for reminding me that I have to be on my A-game when I deal with Joshua again. Can't have him insulting my intelligence, now can we?"

His words seeming to have the desired affect on his best friend, Sora could only watch happily as Riku chortled at his words (something he'd been getting better about lately), and elbowed Sora in the forehead. "That's more than true, Shorty. Really, it's too bad that you're the one housing so many hearts within you. I think I could deal with Josh much easier than you, seeing as how he seemed to be one for my strong intellect."

"'Strong intellect'?" Sora gasped out loud in mild disbelief, as he felt his Keyblade seem to want to flare to life in his hand, just to show Riku who the genius really was… when it came to battle tactics, anyway. "Since when do you talk like that? You've been hanging out with Kai, I see-"

"Sora!"

"Yeah!" Sora exclaimed loudly, as he began helping Riku up from the small alcove he'd been pushing his best friend into just a moment ago. All traces of humor gone, as the two boys trained their eyes on the orange sky before them, and summoned their Keyblade to their hands, Sora tried to figure out what had made that sound of a thousand souls dying, but-

"We need to go now, Sora!" Riku shouted in a way similar, yet also completely different, to the tone Sora had heard him use in the Realm of Sleep.

Trying to pull Sora to his feet but failing, Riku relented in having to carry Sora up the stairs himself, and when he finally made it back into Yen Sid's chamber, he learned… that Castle Oblivion had begun to be destroyed.

…

"Yo! Are we certain we aren't going to ice the kid when we tear this Castle down, Xem?"

Turning away from where he'd been using his powers over the Void to see if he could sense Ventus' presence in it, Xemnas turned to Braig with his black lips twisted into the smile he'd once given to the unsuspecting Organization members. "Indeed. There may be enchantments protecting this land of facades, but it, too, was once nothing more than wood and hard labor. When this castle is destroyed, and the secrets it tries to protect dies along with it, we will find the Thirteenth Vessel. The one who was meant to be a Vessel all along."

Lifting his arms slowly, to usher Saïx and Luxord to continue dismantling Castle Oblivion, Xemnas left Xigbar standing behind him. It was almost as if… as if he had no purpose or reason for Xigbar to be there. No reason for Xigbar to be part of them—part of him—at all.

Looking at the silver-haired man distastefully, Braig couldn't deny that something seemed… off about Xemnas. And maybe there always had been something wrong, but- He did not like the way Xemnas' arms kept getting lost in his sleeves. It reminded him Xigbar too much of the kid, who's legs seemed to disappear beneath his loose fitting pants.

Putting a hand over his eye-patch irritated, Xigbar thought he certainly could be doing more than helping with a mediocre task implemented by Xemnas. Grinding his teeth a little at the uncertainty of it all, Braig allowed himself to be fearsome for one moment that, perhaps, Terra was awakening within the Superior. There was no denying that Xemnas had seemed to lack meaning or reason in his Nobody form, but to be the same now, when he had regained his heart… was highly suspicious.

Perhaps it was time to find out just when and where Master Xehanort would reform. And if that old geezer couldn't tell Braig for sure if his heart was the dominant one in the Xemnas/Terra relationship, no one could.

"Pfft. As if! Like that idiot could ever reclaim his heart. These morons couldn't see as far ahead as their right hands!" Disappearing in a Corridor of Darkness, Xigbar tried to find relief in that his sleeves were tailored to him perfectly, but even so- the amber eyes Xemnas fixed him with still unnerved him.

_That brat's about to deep six his best friend the way he did his Master. I suppose this will be the ultimate test, because if anything can wake the kid up, it'd be the death of Ventus._ Putting his hands on his hips as he thought about it all, Braig found himself wondering if maybe he should take the head of the Castle Oblivion project, so as to keep Terra from coming into contact with his friend?

Then again… when Sora did inevitably show up at the damned place, Xigbar could have done without becoming blood coloring the walls. Plus, it was more fun to watch, anyway. Yes, it was much for fun.

Smirking to himself, Xigbar noted that the mouse had come to the cat, after all. But it was in the form of Leon and Yuffie.

…

"Yo, stupid. What just happened? I know you didn't face-plant just for the hell of it." Looking down at Joshua with a tad bit of concern, but mostly amusement—as he eyed the Composer eating a dirt sandwich on the ground of Molco—Neku thought that maybe life was starting to be on his side, after all.

Extending a hand towards his friend—a friend who he now knew had helped save them all—Neku wasn't really paying attention to Yoshiya Kiryu, or this strange look that had come over his face, as he relented, "Anyway. If you're done being a lazy ass, who can't even stand up on his own, Shiki and the others are waiting for us at Hachiko, so-"

"Neku…" Turning around from the Tin Pins on display uncertainly, Neku had to admit he didn't like the tone Joshua had just used at all. If he had had to explain it to someone, he probably would have related that it sounded like a ghost looking down at his own grave. In fact, that was a good way to describe Joshua's voice at the moment, Neku thought. It sounded grave, and for something to unnerve the smug-ass Joshua like this… it could not be good.

Swallowing down his unease with a bit of effort on his part (Neku prayed to the heavens Joshua's actions weren't about another Game), and stuffing his hands into his pockets, as he hid his expression beneath his bangs, Neku waited for whatever the big bad news was.

"Josh, hey- Not all of us have your freakin' foresight. Mind telling me what the fuck you're on about this time?" Covering his mouth a bit shocked as his wording (Shiki would beat him over the head with Mr. Mew for it later, he knew), Neku wondered if maybe the way the rain was making his hair stick to his face was a sign. Crap. He _was _meant to be hiding his emotions, wasn't he? So what the hell did that mea-

"It's over!" Joshua exclaimed with a terror in his eyes Neku had never seen before; not even when they'd had to go to Traverse Town for safe refuge had Joshua ever looked this pale or sickly. Darting to him faster than Neku even knew the kid was capable of, Neku watched on, shocked, as Joshua shook his arms agitatedly, trying to convey whatever the hell had spooked him so much. "Everything's over! Sora and Riku, the Light, the multiverse… we're all going to be _Erased_!"

His eyes widening despite himself at the news, Neku shoved Joshua away from him with a well-placed kick to the kid's hip, and then staggered backwards as he tried to make sense of it all. Granted, Neku wasn't entirely convinced Joshua just wasn't as high as Shiki had been for the pants incident, but there was something about the usual aloof Composer falling apart at the seams that made Neku very, very worried for his and his friends' place in Shibuya.

All around Neku, voices turned to whitewash in his mind, the colors of Molco took on an even more grayscale tone, and the world seemed to hang on the blade's edge precariously. Balancing his next words in his head carefully, Neku had to wonder just why the hell he was still playing the role of Proxy. "Drama queen, you're not making any sense. Wanna pull your head out of your ass for a sec? _What _is happening?"

"Neku!"

"Huh?!" Shifting towards the voice's direction despite himself, it took Neku a moment to realize what exactly was happening in front of him. Shiki, it seemed, had gotten fed up with waiting for them at Hachiko, so had come to retrieve them herself.

Waving at Shiki enthusiastically, thinking maybe she could get the basket-case to come around or something, it took Neku a minute to realize she was running towards him at a pace that was strange for her, too…And that the water on her face wasn't from rain.

"Shiki, what's-" Catching the girl in his arms, so she wouldn't go plummeting to the ground, it was all Neku could do to look from Shiki to Joshua, worrying that the zombie apocalypse had started early. They were wearing similar faces, it seemed, but what the hell did that mean? What was happenin-

"Neku! The Heartless are back again! I don't think there's enough of them to destroy Shibuya again, but that could change and soon. I'm sure people are losing their hearts already, and-"

Cursing under his breath for the thought of finally having everything right again, only to have it just crash beneath him, Neku quickly pulled Shiki up right against him, as he noticed she'd fallen to her knees. Then, putting her glasses more firmly over her eyes, and helping her catch the falling Mr. Mew, Neku looked to Joshua for any sort of life, but found none.

"If the Heartless are back, we have to fight, Shiki. I won't lose Shibuya again. 'Sides no one but us remembers the attack from last time. These people are going to have no freakin' clue how to handle themselves. If Mr. Prissy would wake up here, and give us our Psychs back-"

Blinking slowly, as if he was only just realizing his name had been mentioned in conversation (something Neku could have happily killed him for), Joshua looked between Neku and Shiki curiously, as he put a hand under his chin and began striding forward… to right where Beat, Rhyme, and even Eri were already fighting the Heartless.

As black ichor splashed over Beat's face, from his pummeling a Neoshadow with his skateboard, Neku remembered with dread what Joshua had said a minute ago during his trance. The Light was over, he'd said. So did that mean there'd be no end to these creatures? Did he mean that it was pointless to even fight them? Though Neku wanted to scoff at the mere idea of giving up the ghost again after everything, if the battalion was truly endless-

"No, don't bother with these Heartless. They're under the Seeker of Darkness' control, and they only come for me. It seems as though I won't be able to aid dear Sora in the resurrection of those connected to him, after all-"

"Joshua, what are you saying?!" Eri said, surprising everyone, as she tripped over the Tin Pin display case, in her attempt to get to her most estranged friend. As her red hair flew everywhere, Neku could only watch Eri sadly, as he realized even though she couldn't remember the Heartless attack from last time, she still understood the sacrificial lilt in Joshua's voice now. And though Joshua had faked such a plight for Neku before, Neku wasn't at all sure he would only fake death this time. _Joshua_…

"Joshua, whatever you're thinking- don't. There has to be another way, so-"

"I'm sorry, friends, but I've been on this plane of existence too long. It's time I ascend, and bring these bullies with me, I'm afraid. Then, I can get to work on Sora's little issu-"

"Joshua, no!" Rhyme screamed at the top of her lungs, as the rain around them began to cease with Joshua's movements.

Running towards his best friend in the same moment Rhyme was, Neku wasn't sure what happened first: the explosion of Light that sent him, Rhyme, and the others flying backwards, or Joshua's extended white wings appearing out of nowhere.

As Joshua looked behind him towards Neku, with a small frown on his face, Neku knew that everything was once again going to change, but even though Josh was trying to help- Neku didn't know if he could forgive him for hurting and leaving him again.

…

_Kairi, I'm worried about Sora, Roxas, and Ventus as much as you are, but crying now isn't going to get you anywhere_, the always-knowledgeable voice of Naminé whispered soothingly in Kairi's head. Bowing her head at the Nobody's too true words, Kairi took one last moment to be worried, before she steeled her resolve and began looking around Twilight Town cautiously.

As the tan—almost peach—colors of the walls and sand drifted over her, Kairi took pleasure in knowing that the area matched her skin, at least. Really, by being out in another world by herself, she knew she was making the job for her pursuers much too easy, but there was simply nothing for it. When Sora had gone in to a coma, for what they assumed the disruption of Ventus' body, it had set everyone into motion immediately.

Not liking at all what the legion of Darkness had started on Castle Oblivion—for a "possible" Vessel, even—the Lights gathered hadn't fancied the Princesses' chances much, either. So deploying all those gathered to look for the Seven Pure Lights (and calling in a favor for the Restoration Committee to go to Castle Oblivion), Kairi had begun her own journey: her journey to find Aqua.

**Naminé**, Kairi whispered to her Nobody, as she made it up the last of the Sandlot's steps, and up into the back alley. **I'm worried about Sora,** **but of course you already know that. But I was wondering… Do you think this situation will disturb Sora's connection with Roxas?**

Ignoring her Nobody in her head for the moment, as she spotted the red-ish violet color of the cover hiding the Usual Spot, Kairi hastened her steps to reach the area faster, and paused only for one moment, as she lifted the blanket up over the doorway.

As much as she hated to admit it, Kairi had realized too late she _did_ need the help of Hayner, Pence, and Olette, as she nor Naminé knew the password to Ansem's computer, but… but she had to wonder if it was really worth it. She'd be putting them in danger, she knew. If not by the Xehanorts, by the Heartless drawn in to her heart and Light, but-

I suppose it's a possibility, Kairi. The three of them are very heavily connected. And if Ventus' body has truly been destroyed- But then again, I don't know if they ever had a connection like ours, anyway. I'm not even a true Nobody, I'm afraid, and-

Crinkling her face in sympathy and confusion as Naminé's self-hating words played in her head, Kairi was about to consul her Nobody, or perhaps show her how much she valued her, but was brought up short when she was caught literally red-handed, in standing in the Usual Spot's doorway. "Kairi, is that you?!" Came the unmistakable, scratchy and vivacious voice of Olette.

"Olette, I-"

No other words on Kairi's part were needed, as sooner than Kairi could even get her thankful or apologetic lines out, she was already being enveloped by the brunette girl in a tight hug; a hug that reminded Kairi of another embrace she'd had with a brunette recently. Sora.

Pulling away from Olette reluctantly, but with propriety (as she knew there were important matters to attend to, and that she needed to warn the gang of the danger), Kairi still let Olette hold onto her arms, but she looked down sadly as she said, "I'm sorry. But it seems as though I bring you danger wherever I go in this town. It truly is great to see you Olette, but it's probably in your best interest, if-"

"KAIRI!"

"What? I-" Giving up, as she soon found herself being held in both Hayner and Pence's arms as well (to which Pence surprisingly lifted her up, and spun her around and around), Kairi decided she'd let her friends have their bit of fanfare and closure—something she was eating up too, of course—but then she would get to business, and push them away like she needed to.

So when Hayner, Pence (and an agitated Olette in the background) did stop fawning over her, Kairi offered them one more smile, with her hair all askew, prepared to send them away, but-

"Kairi, whatever you're about to say to dismiss us, it won't work. We've been waiting to see you again, and we swear we won't let any danger come to you this time." It was Olette who said this, as she gave her boys a stern glare and crossed her arms pointedly, whilst she walked in front of them.

Laughing at the similarities between her best girl friend other than Selphie, and herself, it was almost too easy for Kairi to take the Twilight Town trio up on their offer to help her; she wouldn't though, she promised herself. She wouldn't let any danger befall them anymore. She'd get the password from them, and that would be all. It had to be.

"Look," Kairi muttered, as she walked as far away from the three as she could, without her back slamming into the wall behind her. Though Kairi was purposefully distancing herself from them to perhaps make them hate her, and not want to bend over backwards to help her, it still broke the Princess' heart to see the sad and shocked looks they were giving her. But it was better her heart hurt than their persons, right?

So breathing in a shaky breath that was full of sand and human air, Kairi continued on hurriedly, so as not to lose her point. "I care about all three of you more than you know, but that's why I can't take you with me. It's far too dangerous this time. I'll be a target of everyone's, and the world itself is in jeopardy- I can defend myself now, so you don't have to worry. I appreciate it, but I-"

But Kairi, if you're going to be in danger, that's the exact reason I need to help you. I'm not going to worry about the world, but rather you.

Looking from the lanky form of Hayner, to the somewhat pudgy one of Pence, and then to her girl friend, Olette, Kairi tried to put together who had just spoken to her so… familiarly. But though the voice had definitely been as low as Hayner's, there was no denying it had a subtle kindness to it much like Pence's voice. Also, Kairi was more than certain the voice seemed to know her on a personal level, and of her and Sora's story. It was much like Olette that way, but then-

"Riku. It's Riku. How am I hearing him in my head?" Kairi asked, oblivious to the concerned looks the Twilight trio was giving each other, as they stood outside of their usual hangout.

Digging her nails into her skull, as the voice seemed to ring in her head again and again and again, Kairi soon realized that Naminé was thinking of Roxas. And then… Kairi was aware of something else, too.

"Kairi, I'm afraid leaving is not an option."

"…Saïx."

…

Aqua sighed, resignedly, as the waters of the Dark Margin continued to lap at her feet lecherously. As always, the water was cold and dark, but it was the scenery that was the same, too. Devoid of hope and devoid of Light, Aqua wondered when she'd feel Light and warmth again. Clutching her wayfinder in her hand tightly—it was the same place; always in the same location she grasped her wayfinder, and it was starting to show such wear—Aqua wondered when she'd ever find home again. "Terra, Ven…Wherever you both are, I pray you can value your wayfinder like I value mine. In holding this charm now, I pretend I'm with you, and I-"

Aqua wasn't oblivious to the silent tear that was streaming down her cheek. Yes, though she tried to deny it and forget such things now, she'd felt a massive pain in her heart just a moment ago, and when her wayfinder had glowed during the event… it had been in a shade of green. The green of Ventus' wayfinder. Was it… was it possible that Ventus was gone?

"I wouldn't say gone per se, but the enchantments that protected him in that Castle are undoubtedly gone."

Summoning Master Keeper to her hands at once, Aqua was surprised to note that Ansem had somehow snuck off without her having noticed, and further more, there was someone else in her path now. While part of her wanted to rejoice for the fact that she was having human contact for the first time in around twelve years (not counting Ansem), there was also no mistaking that when a guy was coming at you with six lances raised, he hadn't come for idle chitchat.

Dodging three spears going over her head, via a cartwheel, Aqua had thought she was out of harm's way, when she'd been able to kick the other ones out of the way and form a barrier with her Keyblade. However, watching in shock as some of the lances seemed to take on a life of their own, it was all Aqua could do to form a Blizzard spell to stop them in their tracks. All around her, weapons fell to the ground, and ice clattered and took pieces of her barrier off in odd shapes; then, with her focus finally gone, her shield disappeared altogether.

Quickly getting to her feet—and aiming a well placed Fission Firaga at the man's face, when he lost his footing and staggered into the water—Aqua noted, via the sparks making the night come alive, that she'd seen this man before. "You were- you were a guard at the castle in Radiant Garden!" Aqua muttered accusingly, just as the fire faded away into the night, and somehow darkened him to look younger. "Yes, I saw you around Kairi later that day. What is your purpose here?"

If she was going to get any response from the black haired man, it seemed as though it wasn't going to be anytime soon. Seeming to ignore her and her question completely—though it seemed more to Aqua that he was ignoring her existence, and things he couldn't understand—the wind warrior came at her with his lances flying again.

Grinding her teeth at the injustice of it all, and that when she'd finally come across another human it'd be this one, Aqua thought if he wasn't going to listen to her, he might heed his lances' consul. So, grabbing onto them in mid-air, and using an Aero spell to keep herself aloft, Aqua sent the weapons hurtling right back towards their master. She may have been out of the game for a while, but no way was Aqua going to let someone usurp her title as Keyblade Master.

"Do you feel particularly chatty now?" Aqua asked, as she cartwheeled over to the bewildered man, and placed her blade to his throat. "What is your purpose here? Why did you attack me? Are you one of the reasons the world's in danger? Tell me. Tell me now!" Though Aqua didn't say it aloud, perhaps her biggest question was if he'd been the one to go after Ventus. As rage and despair threatened to overwhelm her, Aqua drove her Keyblade against the man's throat much more thoroughly than she would have otherwise. If he had hurt of killed _her_ favorite wind warrior like he'd hinted at, she'd-

"Calm down now, kitty. It's not really fair, you taking the mickey out of this oaf just because he can't feel emotion, is it? Then again, you never once held back your opinions on my state, did you sweetheart?"

No… it couldn't be! That deep, Dark, and arrogant voice… there was no way it could've been- Aqua had sent him back to hell herself. So how then, despite all odds, was she met with the face of Vanitas, as she reluctantly looked up from the man who'd tried to kill her a moment ago?

Glaring at the face she'd once seen on a child, it was all Aqua could do to keep her calm, and not loose the lance-man from her grip, as her hands became clammy. This- this couldn't be. None of it could! If Vanitas was here, then they undoubtedly _had_ killed Ven, or made him into the X-Blade with Vanitas. And if Vanitas had Sora's face… well, Aqua didn't want to think about that, actually. What she did want to think about was her battle plan, and she did, and set to it right away.

Jumping out of the way of the dreadlocks-man's grasping hands that she'd had pinned down a moment ago, Aqua quickly put a Sleeping spell on the lout when he wasn't paying attention (kicking him in the head for good measure, and a bit of revenge as well), and then in as lithe a move as she had ever made, Aqua was in Vanitas' range, and was tagging him with Master Keeper's edge instantly.

Laughing like the deranged psychopath he was, Vanitas didn't seem to be fighting back at all, but instead was eating up Aqua's blows to his torso happily. As blood, and sparks ran over the Realm of Darkness, Aqua was very near convinced to just kill the bastard once and for all, but- Remembering her own Master's grave mistakes, and the end he'd met, Aqua thought better of it. She still had too much to do, and uphold, after all. But more than that, she had questions to ask.

"What's going on, Vanitas?!" Aqua snarled, as she nearly twisted her ankle, and fell when dodging Vanitas' swipe to her arm. Then, dodging backwards right before he lit her face afire, Aqua _did_ find herself falling backwards and onto the ground below her.

Spitting out the nuisance that was the sand, and beginning to get to her feet (all the while having her blade trained before her, so she could get Vanitas even though she couldn't see him behind her bangs), Aqua thought about casting a Time spell to get the better of the once-masked boy, but just as soon as the thought sprung into her head, she found her legs being pulled on, and herself being spilled onto the floor again.

Wasting no time in pinning Aqua to the ground, to which Aqua bit at, kicked, and tried to punch Vanitas mercilessly, it seemed as though she was finally realizing some of her long wanted answers. "You're trying to forge the X-Blade with me, or-"

"Pfft. Yeah, right. Be original, deary. You're supposed to be the creative and smart one, aren't cha? That way of achieving the X-Blade is so old. Though there might just be another way. And in fact, you and I might just be allies, so stop fighting your dear friend."

"You! I-" In an attempt to go against the blasphemy that was Vanitas' words entirely, Aqua had meant to dismantle and annihilate him to a degree she never had before, but the moment his words righted themselves in her head, Aqua could only look on in shock, as Vanitas seemed to be lifting his Keyblade towards himself for-

Of course! Her Master had told her of the Seven and Thirteen legend long ago, hadn't he? And Vanitas' words… he must have known the only way she'd become his ally was if he did to her what Xehanort had Terra. After all, Ven had withstood Vanitas enough to help her destroy him the last time, so-

It made sense. It all made a sick, perfect sort of sense now. The Thirteen Darknesses were Thirteen Xehanorts.

Feeling nauseous and more hopeless than she ever had in her life, Aqua was very near to succumbing to Vanitas' plan for her, as everything happened in slow motion around her, but in the end she was saved. And it was through a beam of Data she'd only ever heard about from Ansem the Wise.

As the faux Light caught Vanitas in its depths, and began burning him asunder, until he had the good sense to get away from it, Aqua realized gratefully that she was safe for one more day. She also realized she needed to run like hell, and maybe lour Vanitas towards Red Eyes. Because as she'd just understood: it was all so much worse than she'd feared. And Ven, Terra, and the multiverse might not get a chance to survive the day like she had.

**Author's Note: Holy crap, I can't believe I actually updated this! But as I've gotten a sudden burst of inspiration lately, expect more updates soon:) And be sure to review and tell me what you think so far. Thanks!**

**(And please ignore my failure in writing Xigbar and villains' PoV for the first time XD)**

**-Shan**

**P.S. Go on KHInsider and look up the editorial I wrote "Kairi: The True Forgotten Girl in Kingdom Hearts". I hope you'll like it ^_^**

**Oh, and the chapter title is inspired by the BbS crack fic "Reaching the Understanding" by Varanus. **


	3. The Race to Mend the Hurt

**The Race to Mend the Hurt**

Yuffie sat on her hands and knees, waiting for Leon to give the go ahead to start attacking the Organization miscreants. Though she wasn't entirely sure what was going on (Master Yen Sid hadn't been able to say much when he'd contacted Cid earlier), she did know that they needed to stop Organization XIII from destroying the strange castle in front of them.

Though the waiting game was very much a snooze fest to the great ninja (in fact, it very much reminded her of when she'd been helping Vincent in a similar situation), Yuffie did have to marvel at the strange architecture in front of her. That, at least, wasn't too boring, so if they didn't hurry up soon, she'd at least-

"Will you stop fidgeting, Yuffie?" Leon asked from the spot right beside Yuffie, as they continued to hide behind the shrubbery. Turning to her partner with a huff, and her hands in her pockets (making certain she'd brought enough materia for the upcoming mission), Yuffie couldn't understand why Leon had just cocked his gunblade (rather loudly, if she was being honest), if they were trying to be discreet. "If you're not careful, Rinoa might mistake that for the signal, and come bursting in. We can't have that."

No, they certainly couldn't have that, could they? Rolling her eyes at the ridiculousness of it all, Yuffie was half tempted to run into the battle system without a plan, just so Rinoa _would _swoop in and save her. Really, with her Sorceress powers, Yuffie didn't doubt the battle noob (well, she was to Yuffie, anyway) could actually turn the tide in their favor, if she so wanted to.

The main problem, however, was that Leon wouldn't let such a thing happen; he wouldn't risk his dear Rin. Though Yuffie _did_ have to admit the numbers of Sorceresses that turned evil was a scary one, indeed (and really, she did have to admit they didn't need Rinoa turning axe murderer on them at the moment), Yuffie had enough trust in her new friend—and said friend's love for Squall—that she seriously doubted such a thing could happen. Still, it wasn't a bad thing to be cautious, Yuffie supposed. Even if it wasn't her style at all…

"I can't help but feel we're being overly cautious," Yuffie muttered much louder than she'd meant to (which, of course, succeeded in Squall giving her a death glare). Ignoring him completely, as she was near done with waiting, anyway, Yuffie got up on her feet (though still a bit hunched over, mind you), and ended up dancing a diddy similar to the one she had when they'd been fighting Deepground in her old world. Continuing on unperturbed, as she got her shuriken ready (feeling an attack coming on), Yuffie lamented, "I mean, apparently versions of us in the Datascape were in Castle Oblivion before, so maybe this is our destiny."

"Destiny, indeed," said an unsettling voice behind Yuffie's ear, that sounded much too deep to be Leon's. Pivoting on her feet, as fast as she was able, Yuffie was forced to find that she, in fact, was right. It wasn't Leon at all who was currently threatening her, but it wasn't the skunk-haired man, or even the blond, she'd just seen disappear, either.

Ignoring completely what the man before her was saying (and Leon, too, for that matter), Yuffie dug out some of her Lightning materia, and being quick to deposit it into her arm, she took off like, well, a shot of lightning. It wasn't the silver haired man she charged at, though. It was the blue haired one, who she had the element of surprise on.

"Sorry to just drop in like this," Yuffie said only after jumping into the air, and landing just so she could shock the blunette's face with her materia. "But I'm choosing you as my dance partner: seeing as how I'm completely sick of the black in this world, and that guy's lips sometimes look black for whatever reason. Whoa. Hey!"

Well, suffice to say, the guy'd recovered much faster than Yuffie had intended. And the horror: had he- Yes, he'd almost snipped some of her hair off with his giant claymore thing. The humanity! Welp, Yuffie certainly couldn't have that, could she? After all, this freak wasn't even a SOLDIER or great ninja like she was. She would not lose to him!

"Would you focus, Yuffie?" Leon snapped, just as he seemed to reach Limit Break status, and was able to use the trigger on his gunblade much more efficiently than usual. As orange, yellow, and red danced in front of Yuffie's line of vision (and actually succeeded in catching her opponent in some of the fire), the black-haired-ninja thought she very well could have kissed Squall Leonhart for his action. Finally! Some light on the dreary subject.

With the happiness of the fact igniting itself in Yuffie's heart, and making her that much lighter on her feet, she was almost effortlessly able to dodge the yellow-eyed guy's attempt to club her over the head. In fact, she found she was able to spear him with one of her daggers much more easily for it all, too. Until… until it all seemed to go sour when, of all things, she tripped over one of the spare materia balls she'd dropped.

Cursing herself and her clumsiness to the deepest circle of hell as she fell to the ground in an undignified heap, Yuffie couldn't believe she was about to lose to such an ugly person. And to think: she and Leon had only been trying to keep the Organization from destroying the Castle. It would have been nice if they could have defeated one of them, but-

"Leon, you don't mind getting over here, do you?" Yuffie said breathlessly, as she raised a hand over her head, and tried desperately to get another one of her daggers out of her bag. Unfortunately, her shuriken was much too far away for her to reach that, and she was pretty sure she'd used much more of the materia's magic than she intended to. And if the sound of Leon's gunblade cluttering to the ground was any indication, he wasn't doing too well, either.

Just when Yuffie had been about to try and roll out of the way—to try and do something!—it all ended up being a moot point. In the form of an orange-ish and white blur overhead, Yuffie noted that _something_ had smacked into the blue haired man, and was currently attacking him. A bit disoriented, as she got to her feet and retrieved her weapons, Yuffie tried to make out what it was, but it was no easy thing, when her savior darted back away the moment it had knocked the man out. What in the- oh.

"That's a good dog, Angelo! Who's my doggy?" Rinoa asked, after the blue-clad0girl quickly helped Leon back up to his feet, and used some healing magic on him. Laughing and petting at Angelo as he jumped up into Rinoa's arms, Yuffie couldn't help but think the whole thing was rather heartwarming, and found herself almost wishing she'd trained a pet to fight alongside herself.

Why, then, Leon was looking at Rinoa so sternly was beyond Yuffie. Wait, were her- were her clothes wet? Looking down at herself curiously—and wondering how the heck she'd missed herself getting completely drenched—it suddenly dawned on Yuffie just what Leon was on about. Oh. Rinoa had used her Sorceress powers to save them, hadn't she?

"…and completely reckless and stupid. I told you to wait, Rinoa. You still are not a SeeD and you have no business in these affairs. I may be your knight, but you sure as hell could make a bit easier for me to protect you, and-"

"Actually," Rinoa muttered, as she stood on her tiptoes, and shook her head from side to side upon putting her hands on her hips. "It seems to me that I was the one who saved you. Hyne, Squall!" Rinoa exclaimed, as she threw her hands up in the air, and got even closer to Leon's face in her anger. "It's fine. Really. I didn't become an evil Sorceress, did I? And you were the one who originally told me I wouldn't become one, anyway-"

Completely ignoring the couple in front of her, as Rinoa pressed her index fingers together nervously, and Leon pulled her into his arms (no doubt explaining that he'd lost her due to the chaos of the Heartless invasion once, and he wouldn't lose her again, or some such thing), Yuffie began inspecting the state of Castle Oblivion. Oddly enough, it seemed as though Rinoa's water spell had done more damage than Organization XIII had to the place. Everything still seemed intact, though, so perhaps Rinoa could keep her Sorceress angel wings, after all.

"You know," Yuffie muttered to herself, as she ran up to the arguing couple in front of her, and debated if maybe they should've been trying to find "Ventus" themselves. "I can't help feeling we're forgetting something. Shouldn't we-" The moment the words left her mouth, two Corridors of Darkness erupted into the atmosphere, and the two targets the group had been fighting disappeared.

Furious at herself and just everything, really, Yuffie ended up stealing Leon's gunblade from him, and began hitting the ground with it so roughly, that her arms shook with her action. They'd had a chance to kill two of the Darknesses and ruin their plans, but had mucked it up! Apparently, they _all_ needed to go to mercenary school and relearn things.

Well, if nothing else… Yuffie promised herself that they'd make sure to protect Castle Oblivion. After all, Yuffie was almost positive the men would come back for Ven later, and she had a vendetta against them both, anyway. She wouldn't let them win! They _had _helped orchestrate the big attack on Radiant Garden months ago, hadn't they?

…

"Gawrsh, Snow White!" Goofy exclaimed worriedly, as he placed a hand over his heart, and steered the Princess of Heart towards Merlin's house (fighting Heartless and protecting Snow White with his shield all the while). "Your world was really swallowed by them Heartless again? Why, that's terrible. But Ahyuck. If nothin' else, it aided in bringing you here so I can save you, at least."

"Don't you worry, Goofy," Snow White whispered in the high, soprano voice that was so very her, as she weaved flowers behind her Knight's ear. "In the end, I know Light has to win out, and that I'll get my world back again. It's happened before, and so it will again. We all have Light in our hearts, and it's Light we all long for. In the end, that'll make all the difference. You'll see."

Goofy was about to comment on Snow White's words and sweet smile, but was brought up short in the form of a very familiar redhead chasing down… Aerith? Cocking his head to the side curiously, Goofy knew there was no mistaking the shock of spiky red hair in front of him, but why he was in Radiant Garden when he was supposed to be helping secure the Princesses, Goofy didn't have the faintest idea. And more than anything, Lea seemed to be succeeding in scaring Aerith away more and more. Jumping up in the air, and shouting whilst waving his hands in the air, Goofy meant to get Aerith's attention, and to tell her that Lea could be trusted, but…

"Why, hello there, miss," Snow White bravely took the initiative, as Lea continued to chase Aerith around the newly furnished flowerbed in front of Merlin's, and failed miserably at calming her. "It seems to me that my ally is trying to get your attention." Snow White said kindly, as she patted Goofy on the hand, and gave Lea the kind of smile Kairi might have offered him… if he hadn't kidnapped her, that is. "Do you mind hearing him out?"

With one last glare in Axel's direction, Aerith tied her hair up in a bun, against the hot rays of light that meant to burn them all alive, and regarded Snow White with a sugary-sweet smile of her own. Then, bowing her head somewhat, and clasping her hands in prayer (or so it seemed), Aerith muttered to herself, "The will of the world seems to circle around this girl…"

"What was that?" Lea shocked everyone by shouting right behind Aerith's ear. Glaring at his comrade albeit good-naturedly, Goofy couldn't help but feel the entire thing could've been handled much better than Lea had allowed it to. Really: what was Axel thinking in further startling Aerith and the rest of them with his exuberance? But then again, as the town's defense mechanism started up again (and sounded like huge, loud gears grinding in the process), Goofy wondered how he could've ever thought Lea was loud compared to _that_ thing.

"Gawrsh, Lea," Goofy cut in, as he noted Aerith still seemed to be a bit nervous around Axel, and had summoned a staff to seemingly defend herself. (Goofy also noted, out of the corner of his eye, that Snow White seemed to be focusing on one of the claymores, and preparing to use some Light magic?) "Why, it's nice you're makin' chummy with some of our other friends, Ahyuck! But don'cha remember we're supposed to be protectin' them Princesses?"

"Actually," Lea muttered, as he seemingly ignored Goofy, and walked over to the boulders Goofy remembered that he, Sora, and Donald had once maneuvered in order to get to the bailey. "I'm here on an errand _about _the Princesses, too. See? I got this theory that if the worst should happen, the Light from others can pick up the slack. The Light from this girl in particular seems rather strong. Sea-salt ice cream?" Lea asked the last, as he dangled one of the blue bars in the afore mentioned girl's face, perhaps trying to make amends with her? Goofy guessed.

With a small grin on her face, and with grace to her every action, Aerith accepted Lea's peace offering, it seemed, but was quick to spell out that she didn't think she'd be useful in the slightest. "I'm no Princess of Heart," she said at last, as she looked at Snow White with an admiring glint in her eyes. "And even if someone else could take up the mantle, should one of these kind women fail… I'm sure what you really feel coming from me, Re… _Lea_, is actually my connection to the planet."

As Goofy looked on at Aerith's solemn face, sadly, he wished for nothing more than the chance to cheer her up. But just when he extended a hand towards her, and was about to ask her what she meant exactly, the group found themselves met with the stoic form of Riku, and the exhausted Princess Aurora right behind him.

And though Goofy didn't know Riku nearly as well as he did Sora, he could easily make out in his jade eyes, that even now—with his success at the Mark of Mastery lightening his mood—that Riku's time with Maleficent hadn't been a pleasant one for him at all. It was common knowledge among the Lights that she was planning something with the Data Worlds, but-

"Why, Riku. I must admit. This old cricket here didn't think you'd procure Aurora that fast. And if we keep this pace up, we might just have them all, so you can go back to Sora in no time!" Jiminy said consolingly enough, before Goofy had the chance to. And as the Captain of the Royal Knights looked at the cricket perched on his shoulder (the cricket that usually stayed in Sora's hood), he couldn't help but hope Jiminy was right. They all needed to get back to Sora. And the sooner the better!

"C'mon!" Goofy exclaimed with a smile, as he pumped his fist into the air, in a way very similar to how Sora would (they needed to keep their spirits alive; they needed to believe Sora would be alright), "Let's go see Merlin, and check in on how Leon and the gang faired at Castle Oblivion!"

"I don't think that's likely to happen," Snow White said sadly, but still managing to keep her cheer and hope through it all.

Turning to his charge to see what exactly she was referring to, Goofy suddenly found he was very glad he hadn't gone to go sit on one of the boulders where Lea had. After all, he could've done without falling during another Heartless fight, and that was exactly the situation they were currently finding themselves in.

Looking at Snow White appreciatively, as she used a bit of her Light magic to suppress some of the Heartless' strength, Goofy found that fighting with the Seven Pure Lights was a highly beneficial thing, indeed. Even the tired Aurora seemed to be helping! Except… except they weren't fighting Heartless at all were they? The blue color and strange faces… Goofy was almost certain he'd seen them somewhere before... And what was with that emblem?

"Crap!" Lea bellowed, as he summoned both his chakrams and Keyblade to hand (most likely preparing himself for the worst). "I've seen these party-crashers before. Not that I still can't light 'em up well enough, but I'd still be careful if I were you guys. We don't need Xehanort to have even better odds then he already does, got it memorized?"

"Yes. That's right. We- Hey!" Surprisingly enough, it was not the sound of one of the Princesses being carted away that was filling Goofy's ears at the moment, but rather that of Aerith's. Some spiky haired guy with shining blue eyes had come and swept her away. And if the way he was holding her so snugly and gently was anything to go by, Goofy surmised Zack Fair (who he'd just recently met) wouldn't let Aerith be in danger ever again. Having a similar mindset about the Princesses, Goofy prepared to fight alongside Axel and Riku.

"Let's go, guys!" Axel shouted, as he got the jump on the giant creature before them. "I'm not letting this turn out like that Dustflier mission that nearly killed Roxas and _her _both."

…

Spitting at the ground in a way that was very similar to what Sora and Riku had taught her to do when playing baseball, Kairi regarded Saïx with a glare, as she unconsciously took to holding her Keyblade much the way Sora did. She wasn't about to make the first move, and leave herself vulnerable, but at the same time… if she didn't move towards Isa, she'd be leading him towards Hayner, Pence, and Olette, wouldn't she?

Deciding that if she was going to go out, she'd rather be a martyr than a coward, Kairi wasted no time in diving at Saïx with her Destiny's Embrace in hand. Charging at him with all the strength she could muster in her arms, Kairi prepared to end their encounter fast and quick, but in the end, such a thing was not in the cards for her.

Struggling in vain, as Saïx grabbed the junction of her arms like it was child's play, and hoisted her up into the air, she tried to get out of his grip, but she knew her chances of doing so were much too slim. She was so stupid! Hadn't Sora and Riku drilled into her again and again to use her legs for strength? Well, her arms and legs were both useless now, and if she didn't act soon, her friends would-

"Kairi!" Hayner piped up with so much anger in his tone, that Kairi was surprised his teeth didn't shatter with the force of which he was grinding his teeth. Looking at him from her peripheral vision, she meant to tell him that she was fine, and to _not_ come any further with Pence's device, that looked as though it was a camera and thing of Cid's both.

Deciding that if brute strength wasn't going to be on her side, she could at lest use magic, Kairi quickly used a bit of thunder magic on herself, so that Isa was none the wiser. And though it served in hurting her very, very much, it also focused her, and made her adrenaline kick in. Moving very much like how Sora had the time she'd seen him go into his Anti-Form, Kairi finally wriggled out of Saïx's arms, and was about to claw at his face, or bash it in with her Keyblade, but instead remembered exactly why she couldn't be reckless: the worlds needed her, and Kairi… she knew she wasn't strong enough to defeat Saïx yet. It was then that she decided she needed to escape with her friends as quickly as she could manage. They were already ganging up on Saïx, and…

"Hmph," Saïx muttered, as he suspiciously let Kairi go a lot easier than she'd expected to, and made a Corridor of Darkness over the tarp to the Usual Spot.

Watching him warily, as he looked her over looking for something, she knew, Kairi found herself wondering if maybe there _was_ a way she could end him without too much trouble. Though it killed her to think of hurting another human being—even one who had kidnapped her before—Kairi knew that if she really needed to protect the worlds, she needed to rise up; she knew tha-

"You seem to have learned how to fight better than last time at least," Saïx snorted, as he flipped his curtain of blue hair snootily, and eyed the hand Olette had put on Kairi to try and guide her away. Continuing on unperturbed (something Kairi was more than grateful for. If he'd hurt Olette…) "But at this rate, you'll fail to be the Blade, I'm afraid. And unfortunately, we need you for our plan to work. So improve your fighting skills, girl, and then come meet us in the fated place. But only after I do what I came here for, of course."

"What are you-" Her words effectively cutting off as Isa seemed to appear right in front of her and went _through_ her, Kairi could only move her hand to her forehead in slow motion as she felt a migraine coming on. No. It was much more than that, wasn't it?

Falling to the ground in more pain than she'd ever known before, Kairi was only vaguely aware of her friends calling her name, and that Pence was lifting her up into his arms again. In fact, Kairi was so vulnerable, she wasn't even sure Saïx had left them yet; she needed to- but she was lost in her own mind! And it felt as though her memories were killing her, if that was at all possible. Never in all her life could Kairi remember experiencing such excruciating pain. Not even- not even when she'd let her heart go into Sora's.

"**Naminé… what i-is this?!**" Kairi got out between spasms of pain rocking up her head, only to come down again and make her vomit. With a certain clarity Kairi couldn't begin to explain, she found herself realizing that it was _Naminé_ who was in pain. Not her. But connected as they were, Kairi was experiencing the pain firsthand, too. It reminded her of-

"_He s-s-sam-mpled my mem-ries fo-r _him," Naminé hissed out, as she seemed to try and make a mental block in her mind to hold back the thought of Rik- No, it wasn't Kairi's Riku at all, was it? But rather, it was a Repilca that had been made of him? And the Organization meant to-

Well, whatever their plan was, Kairi promised herself she would stop them. She wouldn't let them hurt Naminé, or anyone else (as she was suddenly understanding what the memory she'd glimpsed from Riku was all about), ever again. She just had to find a way to get through this pain, and-

"**Hang in there, Naminé**," Kairi told her Other, as she opted to be as strong as the people who had always protected her had ever been, and stood up despite all the pain wracking through her nervous system. And even more insane than that: though Kairi knew she could distance herself from the pain she was feeling, simply by staying out of Naminé's side of their shared mind, she instead decided to take on all the pain for herself. She knew that she deserved to bear some suffering, too. And Kairi knew well that if Xehanort got his way, there'd be more than suffering on her part in the future. Baring her teeth together so much she thought they'd break through her bottom lip, Kairi told Naminé, "**Rest easy… Your hurt can be mine now**."

And as her fairer self breathed a sigh of relief, Kairi found that she was thinking about Sora for some reason. Resting a hand over her heart, trying once again to feel him within it, Kairi prayed that he would be okay. But even if he was perfectly fine, Kairi knew she still needed to protect him, didn't she? After all, what she'd just gone through was nothing compared to the post-traumatic stress she'd helped Sora go through when he'd come home, was it?

"Kairi, I feel as though my memories are killing me," he'd said.

…

_Sora was almost one hundred percent certain he was dreaming. For one thing, he was in Castle Oblivion again, and that alone was sign enough he couldn't be conscious. Though Sora knew well that his current journey would more than likely lead him to the haunting land again, he'd also promised himself he'd never again venture there without the aid of Riku or Kairi. It wasn't that he was exactly distrustful of others after what Naminé had done to him, but rather Sora found he didn't trust himself not to mess things up again. _

_He'd been stupid, Sora realized now, to have ever taken the chance of losing memories of Riku, Kairi, and his family and friends. And in the end… he _had_ forgotten Kairi, but though the thought made Sora sicker then he could even begin to describe, at least he had become friends with Naminé through it all. For that reason he'd decided something much worse had transpired because of Castle Oblivion… Through Nami having tampered with his memories, Roxas had had to give up his existence to Sora. Otherwise, they would have been able to coexist, and_

"_Why am I here?" Sora asked whoever might have been listening, as he walked along the white walls that seemed to pull at his heart, and stood in front of a room he knew he couldn't access without a card. _

_Crossing his arms over his chest distastefully, Sora had to wonder why he was even entertaining going through the twisted castle in his dreams. Surely it had no significance, and weren't there other things he should have been doing? Remembering once again his rule about only going to Castle Oblivion when there was someone there to protect him from himself, Sora was just about to try and find someway to wake himself up, when something caught his eye. _

"_Who's there?! Show yourself!" the teen snarled, as he noted a shock of dark hair-seemingly cut in a bob—out of the corner of his eye. Not liking at all where this could be going (as the last time he'd seen a girl with short hair in this place, her image had ended up being replaced by Naminé's), Sora decided that even if this was a dream, he might as well have his Keyblade in hand. _

_So summoning Kingdom Key to his side (he wasn't about to have a rehash of what had happened in the Realm of Sleep), Sora began looking again for the girl who had disappeared, but when he turned around to go and leave the place (maybe the girl had gone outside?), Sora found he wasn't met with dark, red, or platinum hair at all. Rather, he was met with corn silk colored spikes, and a face he knew all too well. "Roxas, what are you-"_

"_I'm not Roxas," the stranger explained in a higher pitch than Sora had ever heard from his Other before. And in truth, the boy also seemed to have a more chipper demeanor about him, too. Remembering, then, that he'd met a similar person during his dream in the Mark of Mastery exam, Sora was half ready to grill the person before him for answers, and half ready to slice him up with his Keyblade (if this ended up being a trick by Xehanort again, of course). _

"_My name is Ventus, and I think ya should be beginning to remember me now. And also, I have to apologize to you it seems," the mysterious boy said with a small, embarrassed smile, as he scratched the back of his head. "It's actually my fault that you're unconscious right now, you se-"_

_"Hold on!" Sora exclaimed, as he threw his arms down, and stomped his foot in a way that was very much like Donald (it was also like how he'd reacted in realizing he needed to help a kidnapped Kairi, but Sora couldn't think about her right now). "Wait just a minute. I swear I saw a girl with black hair a moment ago. Where'd she go, or are you just able to shape shift?"_

_Laughing heartedly, but in a way that _didn't_ suggest malice, (which was good as Sora was just beginning to realize that it was the lack of blood on the walls that was creeping him out the most, and he didn't need anything else to. Seriously. Even in a dream he should have remembered all the Organization members that had mistreated Naminé had died in the place. Unless he was slowly realizing they might have been revived, too…), Ventus scratched his cheek again somewhat before saying, "If you knew about her, you'd see the humor in that question, too. But, no. I can't shape shift. The person you saw was a girl I know scarcely. I'm afraid my body being injured hurt her, even. And Roxas... it's hurt Roxas most of all."_

_Unconsciously digging his hands into his pockets, half-expecting there to be a card there (as any other time in Castle Oblivion, the perpetrator would have already left, to allow Sora to mull things over himself), Sora looked at Ventus with pure curiosity alighting his features. As Sora thought about it more, there _did_ seem to be some memories of this person coming back to him. Or worse yet—maybe it was as Young Master Xehanort had said, maybe it was someone else's memory he was remembering (as his heart was a prison), but… _

_Sora could distinctly remember talking to _someone _on a circular platform that had had pictures of pails, shovels, and fish on it. He also remembered a girl with blue hair and a bit about a tall brunette. What with these thoughts had to do with Ventus, though, Sora didn't- "Wait a minute! The thing I'm picturing- it has to be a Heart Platform, like the one I was on during my Awakening! But how could I have talked to you there when I was just a kid? That doesn't make any sense!" _

_Stepping back a bit worriedly, and raising Kingdom Key before him, just in case, Sora found it was suddenly very hard for him to focus on anything at all. What was- what was this pain he was suddenly experiencing? It was, thankfully, nothing like the pain of having his heart shattered, but as he put a hand over his chest in astonishment, Sora found Kairi's name was on his lips, just waiting to be said. _

_Yes, this feeling was very much akin to the nervousness he always felt around Kairi, but Sora sensed there was more to it, too. It was like when he and Kairi had used Roxas as a conduit so they could talk that one time._

_Seeming to prove Sora's theory right, Ventus looked at Sora sheepishly, and then he explained, "Sorry about that, but like I said. Roxas is really suffering. I mean, both you and me are going through a metamorphosis right now, but as his existence is tied to _both_ of us… it's hurting him the most. It's like he's being split up one side and down the other, and-"_

"_We're somehow being affected by Kairi, too." Sora hadn't missed it. Hadn't missed the way Ven had clutched a green, star shape in his own pocket, the way Sora himself often held Kairi's. Whether Ven's charm had anything to do with Kairi or not, Sora knew his explanation for the pain he'd just experienced was right, at least. Well, for him anyway (perhaps not for Roxas, Ven, and that other girl). But Sora knew Kairi was going through something at the moment, and that he was going through it right along with her. It was as it should have been (as it _always_ should have been), but… _

"_C'mon, Sora," Ven said good-naturedly, as he extended his hand towards Sora in a way very similar to how Riku and Xehanort once had, but with no foreboding to the gesture at all. Instead, it reminded Sora of when he and Kairi had been ripped away from each other at Kingdom Hearts. And if Sora really thought about it… he found that Ventus seemed to have a very similar Light signature to Kairi. _

_If only he could have gotten such a read on Roxas, though, Sora thought despairingly, as he wondered how his Other was doing. He couldn't seem to feel Roxas within him at all anymore, and after his Data self had promised Roxas he'd take the hurt on for himself... _

_"Let's go outside and find where Sh- No, Xi… Xi_on_, ran off to."_

_And despite the rule Sora had promised himself when it came to Castle Oblivion, he reached for Ventus' extended hand, anyway. As it was, Ven's hand was just so that Sora accidentally brushed Ven's wayfinder with his action._

_Smiling hugely, for there at least being _some _sort of remnant of Kairi even in his dream (as he didn't think he had his own charm on him for whatever reason), Sora was just about to ask the blond who had given him the paopu fruit shaped trinket (and maybe even why he looked like Roxas?), but he never got the chance. _

Much more roughly than what Sora had just experienced in his connection with Kairi—and even with the currently tortured Roxas—Sora was forced awake, and into chaos. They were all under attack.

**Author's Note: Oh, dear. SO many POVs this chapter again! I promise it isn't always going to be like this (and with so many weird character choice perspectives, either). But there are SO many things going on at the moment that this is the best way I can go about this, which is hilarious. I don't want this at all in KHIII (I want them all to finally journey together), but realistically…**

**Anyway, let me try and clear this up for you all. For the most part, I think Kairi's the furthest behind everyone in this timeline, which is why I have her PoV more than the others. She needs to catch up! Leon and them are just a bit behind her, because Isa goes after Kairi only after he escaped the fight with them. The most current timeline (in this chapter, anyway) is probably Goofy's, and Sora's is a close second. **

**Oh. And Sora woke up in Yen Sid's Tower, because Leon, Yuffie, and Rinoa had stopped the destruction of CO (and thus Ven's okay again). Any questions? And I think Aqua (though she doesn't appear in this chapter) has the furthest timeline in this story so far (even more than Goofy's timeline). Her PoV began right when she was about to get rescued.**

**So… this was a weird chapter for me. Did I really just write Goofy and Yuffie PoVs? Wow. But what can I say? It was needed, and the Disney trio (Donald and Goofy especially) haven't been getting enough love lately. So there. Hope I didn't butcher them too terribly :/**

**Also, despite all of the crazy and drastic things going on in this chappie, I tried to keep it light and funny. Could you tell? Hopefully I can keep it up in the early chapters, at least (if not all of them), but we all know how I like to write dark stories.**

**And there were a lot of Coded references in this chapter. I hate that game. Why did I even do that? Ohmigosh. LOL. But has everyone played Coded to mostly know what I meant (though it's probably not THAT important)?**

**By the way, you guys might want to look up info about Rinoa Heartily from FFVIII (I'm so glad to have included her!), and Aerith Gainsborough and Zack Fair from FFVII, if you're confused. Hopefully I won't go too FF-crazy and shippy with all this, but… Also, Aerith almost called Lea "Reno" in this. I wonder why. XD**

**So does anyone know what's going on with Naminé, "Riku", and Xion? I think it's pretty obvious, but that might just be me. And yay for people beginning to remember Xi-Xi! Makes me so happy:)**

**Anywho, if you guys have gotten this far, could you please think about reviewing? I'd really appreciate it, as I'm still nervous about writing this story. Thanks in advance.**

**-Shanna **


	4. Melancholy Memories

**Melancholy Memories**

Kairi had been unnerved by many things in her life: ending up on an island with no previous memories, watching Destiny Islands fall the day the Darkness came, knowing all that could have befallen her dear Sora and Riku when they were out adventuring… this, though, had to take the cake.

Kairi suspected it was probably her connection to Naminé's thoughts and memories that was doing it, but there was… a certain type of power radiating off of her, as she eyed down the Haunted Mansion that rested in front of her.

Going even further than that, Hayner, Pence, and Olette—perhaps taking a leaf out of Kairi's book—seemed to be eying the place with the kind of intensity that she herself was.

Moving towards the place almost in an almost trance like state, Kairi felt she was called to it not only because it housed her goals, and because of Nami's previous time at the place, but… Mostly, Kairi felt drawn to it, because she had the strangest inkling that it was going to make her into a stronger person. If not through her alone, then perhaps through Naminé. After all, Naminé had been held prison in this place with its white rooms, as well as Castle Oblivion and she… and she'd come out better for it.

"Kairi, where are you going?" Pulled out of her reverie—feeling as though a bucket of ice cold water had been poured on her—Kairi almost met Olette's gentle hand on her shoulder violently. In fact, she could feel the warmth of the Keyblade at her fingertips, just waiting for her to give it the go ahead to materialize. It didn't help matters that Olette (as well as Hayner and Pence) had taken to wearing a weapon.

Knowing full well that Olette's fishing rod would do her little to no harm, though (and that she didn't need to be afraid of Olette of all people!), Kairi told herself she was being ridiculous, and so turned around to meet Olette with a fake smile. "The computer room is actually to the right. You're going the wrong way." Olette was quick to whisper, before hurrying off in the other direction.

As she eyed the younger girl's retreating form curiously, Kairi knew there was no denying Olette had spoken her words kindly enough, but… she still couldn't shake the feeling that there was something off about the whole encounter. In fact, as she felt her entire body break out into gooseflesh… Kairi knew- knew she was being ridiculous, and yet… she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something very wrong going on. Why hadn't Olette smiled—or laughed, even—at Kairi's mistake, before skulking off like a robot?

Promising herself that she was being stupid, Kairi let her thought end there. Then, fallowing along behind her companions, she tried her best to forget thoughts of creepy things like the Virtual Twilight Town, and headed off towards the computer room.

Pushing through the tan, oak door that led into the library, Kairi was about to hurry on down the odd stairwell, but stopped upon noticing the small drawing that had been done on the wooden table.

In truth, Kairi couldn't help thinking that the design of Roxas' (and, yes, the way Naminé seemed to want to reach out towards the drawing definitely told Kairi it had been Sora's Nobody who had made the design) looked like a poorly drawn stick figure, with meaty legs.

Pausing to inspect the drawing, as she knew it would probably be a long time before she faced nice and fun things again, Kairi couldn't help smirking, upon remembering an early conversation she'd once had with Sora.

"_Wow, Sora. You're hopeless at drawing. Don'cha know we don't have tails, you goof?" Kairi had jokingly criticized the drawing Sora had made in the sand, as she buried her feet in the sand a bit self-consciously. _

_What was even more amusing than Kairi's callousness even back then, though, was that her and Sora's next exchange would paint the picture of all of their encounters for the future. _

"_But that line was already there! I couldn't make it go away. I think a stick made a permanent indent in the sand or something," Sora had hurriedly explained, as he'd scratched the back of his head sheepishly, in the way that Kairi had come to love so very much. _

_And… and even though she hadn't meant to, Kairi had found herself laughing at Sora's antics back then, the way she always would in the future. And even if- even if she was trying to chew him out, Kairi always found herself falling victim to Sora's charms. No matter what he did, she was always smitten by him. And perhaps always would be… _

"_But that area's too sloppy for one stick to have tossed all that sand up!" Kairi had protested, as she gotten close to Sora's face, and put her hands on her hips. "I bet you just slept there or something, and are just lying about the stick, so I don't think you're a bad artist _and_ lazy."_

Smiling to herself happily at the memory, Kairi recalled that in response to her words, then, that had been… that had been the first time Sora had ever kissed her on the cheek. Completely deplorable, of course, because back then they'd all been weary of cooties at, but now it was probably the most pleasant memory Kairi had to relive

And after that encounter… Sora had tried every trick in the book to poke fun at Kairi. He would nap on the beach in the exact spot she'd yelled at him at, and playing along herself, she would never give up an opportunity to call Sora a "lazy bum".

Mortified with herself, as a tear—not of happiness, but rather regret, sadness, and fear—trailed down her cheek, Kairi wondered if it was bad that she almost wished their routine had never started, because…because they'd played that same part before everything had fallen apart at the seams, hadn't they?

"Kairi! Come down here. I think you're going to want to see this!" As shock hit her immensely—so much, in fact, Kairi thought she was likely to have a heart attack—the redhead wasn't surprised at all when she bolted upright, and in her movement did exactly what she had wanted to all along: she let her hand cascade over Roxas'—Sora's—drawing, and tried to find a way to forever hold the moment within her.

Then, remembering the princess lessons _someone_ had given her long ago, Kairi put on a brave face, pushed her thoughts to the side, and quickly ran to where Pence had called her.

"Pence, what's-" Trailing off, when she got down the stairs and saw everything unfold before her eyes, it was all Kairi could do to keep from screaming her head off in shock and fear. She was spiraling down a dark, dark hole, and…Sora, was he- Clutching her heart in the strongest bout of pain she'd ever known, Kairi chose to ignore Aqua for the moment (who was somehow standing right in front of her!), and instead focused on what she needed to do for her best friend.

Moving faster than she even knew she was capable of, Kairi knew she probably should have been surprised that she was now placing Destiny's Embrace against the now-dark-Sora's cheek, but seeing as how she meant to save him before Xehanort showed up to whisk him away again…. She. Would. Save. Him. Or… "You- you said that I was your Light within the Darkness, Sora. Please tell me you didn't lie. And please try to hold onto me again." As Kairi said the words, she didn't know what was trembling more: her words, as she tripped over herself with the weight of them, or her shaking hands. Perhaps it was even her heart that was coming the most undone.

And so it was, "Sora" and Kairi began locking blades to the sound of Aqua's screams, and Pence's attempts to send "Sora" back to wherever he'd come from. All the while, "Sora" smirked. It was as if killing Kairi was the most amazing thing he could ever imagine, and as Kairi saw herself reflected in the malice of his eyes, it was almost too much for her.

"Sora. Why…"

…

To put it simply: Neku had no idea where he was. While he was exceedingly glad that all of his friends seemed to be fine (save for Joshua, who if Neku remembered correctly, had seemed to be Ascending before he'd sent his friends wherever the hell they were), he couldn't help feeling that this whole thing could have waited. They'd just gotten their home back for Christ's sake, and now… And now-

"Umm, Neku, I don't want to be the one to tell you this, but- oww!"

Whirling around to face Shiki, who had apparently had one of those star shaped fruits drop onto her head (Neku had _told_ her to stop trying to pick out one of the damn mammoths), Neku had the strangest feeling that Shiki was going to yell at him for his clothes again or something. She had a look on her face, much like when she'd told Neku his "clothes weren't, like, bad", but had only been dancing around the truth. Honestly, Neku wanted to believe that she just looked angry for the damned fruit falling on her head, but seeing as how he wasn't in a very optimistic mood at the moment…

"She's trying to tell you that you have wings, man."

"Beat, don't be a dick. I know you're lying. Plus, you know how I hate being compared to that prissy-" Turning away from where Shiki had undoubtedly just fallen from the broken tree (if the sound of rushing water was anything to go by, that was), Neku became aware of two things at once. First, he realized that he _might_ have come to expect Beat to say too stupid of things, seeing as how this idiot clearly wasn't Beat, and Neku had somehow thought he was, anyway.

Most of all: Neku realized his life was going to get fucked up even more than it already was. Besides the fact that the guy had a somewhat similar hairstyle to his own, and was wearing a snazzy black cloak that Neku himself would have worn (mainly to spite the "saintly" Joshua), Neku realized that the expression on this kid's face… well, it looked as though he'd seen as much crap as Neku himself had.

Seeming to take Neku's theory and run with it, the blond boy picked up what looked like a pink tinted seashell, and began trying to skip it in the water. Though he made a nice effort (similarly to how Neku had once tried to make an award winning pie, just because his grandma had a talent for it), it was clear this kid wasn't a native to the island. The kid was definitely better at "skipping stones" than a complete noob would be, Neku thought, but the hollowness to his voice, and empty way he threw the shell seemed to speak of loneliness and confusion that could only belong to an outsider.

"Heh. You mighta just insulted your friend, but I can tell you didn't really mean it. Maybe you learned to trust people again? Kind of like how I forgave Axel, even after everything? If that's true, I guess we have that in common, at least. That's more than I can say about the others here. Anyway, what are you doing here?"

"Others, what do you- Oh, right." Ignoring where Beat, Rhyme, and Eri—who was now helping Shiki up (oops. Neku probably should have been doing that himself, huh?)—were, Neku was surprised to realize there were, in fact, other people around them: some man in a red outfit that seemed to be fading, someone identical to the kid in front of him (but the look in his eyes seemed to hint that her was somewhere else entirely), and a black haired girl that, if he hadn't known better, Neku would have mistaken for Shiki. She seemed to be in a different place, too.

So, if there were other people around them, at least they weren't in a Sleeping World like Traverse Town, Neku supposed. Still: there was almost something even spookier about their new location, it seemed. The pink lighting—the entire tropical paradise, in fact—was truly beautiful, but it wasn't real. Neku would've staked his life on such a claim, and...

"I'm Roxas. And you really do have wings," the boy said with a small smile on his face, as he answered Neku's unasked questions as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Roxas… that sounds familiar." Noting out of the corner of his eyes how Shiki was now getting out of the water she'd fallen in, Neku found himself remembering something. Something similar had happened before, hadn't it? There'd been another time when Shiki had been acting out of sorts, and Neku had been forced to note something he should've all along.

Much like when Neku had learned the Reaper's Game literally housed Reapers and the dead, he now understood that Roxas was an anagram for Sora, and… And even more annoying: Neku knew that despite his own wants, he was still considered Joshua's Proxy, and since Josh had mentioned helping Sora the last time they'd met…well, Neku wasn't that surprised, he supposed, when he finally did look at his arms, and saw the small wings of a Composer located there. _God damnit, Joshua!_

"I think you're supposed to help us who are connected to Sora. Why else would you be in his heart?"

…

"Hehehe. So good to see you, princess. And here I'd thought you were going to leave me to my miserable fate."

"Vanitas, get out of there. Now!" Grabbing onto the formerly masked enigma in an attempt to strangle him or, at the very least, pull him away from the portal, Aqua wasn't using as much care as she probably could have been. She had hoped the green ray of Light would have been enough to kill the boy once and for all, but… well, she supposed she probably should have wagered on Vanitas lying about being ailed by the portal.

Falling to the black sand below her, not even realizing Vanitas had placed a well-placed kick to her face, Aqua reached out in an attempt to find purchase and pull herself up, but... What she hadn't counted on, though, was to have her hand go right through the Data column, and to see visions of something she couldn't even begin to understand.

Feeling as though her very spirit had been ripped from her body or something, Aqua looked on confusedly, as she hovered within some sort of dark castle…Was that- was that Maleficent?! And even weirder: was she meeting with Captain Justice?

Clenching her fists so tightly that she drew blood, it was all Aqua could do to watch the pair conversing in what looked like Radiant Garden. How were they- Why… and just where was Kairi, if they were there? Was she okay? Could something have happened to her?

"Ahh, little Kairi. Perhaps I should pay her a visit. I think Saïx has a vendetta against her, but like hell if I'm going to allow that to keep me from the 'love of my life'."

"Vanitas, wha-" Clutching her head painfully, as it almost felt as though it was being split in half, Aqua tried to make sense of all the voices she was hearing in her mind. For one thing, it seemed as though Pete and Maleficent were speaking of separating the worlds? Just what could that mean? The worlds were already separated. Maybe, then, she should have been ignoring the discussion completely? Pete had never been the brightest crayon in the box, Aqua admitted to herself, but this was Maleficent who seemed to be planning it, so…

And what the heck was up with the bastard, Vanitas, threatening Kairi? Aqua found herself wondering. Though it was true Aqua wasn't entirely sure of everything he'd said, the underlying threat was still there. Ignoring the fact that she was still trapped wherever the heck she was, and she didn't seem to be able to do anything, Aqua summoned Master Keeper to her hand anyway, and then began desperately trying to beat her way out of her confines. She _had_ to protect Kairi. She wouldn't fail again, so-

"Hahaha. You're quite good, Aqua. In fact, your aggression is such that it's making _me_ feel fledgling emotions again. And now that I'm stationed at this _wonderful_ portal, I can send the Unversed to wreak havoc on the worlds again. Thank you. If it weren't for these losers trying to save you, I never would have gotten the chance."

Blinking her eyes a few times, as she attempted to adjust to the world around her—adjust to reality again—Aqua found that even through the mind rape Vanitas had just put her through, she'd been fighting him all the while. As tears streamed down her face, in knowing that everything she'd once tried to stop was again coming into fruition, Aqua prayed that Vanitas was lying, as always. She prayed that the Unversed were still out of his reach, and that for once, everything would work out all right. In the end, Aqua had no such luck.

"Oh, looky there. It looks as though the portal's closing. Let's go, shall we, Aqua? It seems I can't leave you, as _he_ needs you. But I can't have you delaying my meeting with sweet Kairi, either." Breathing in sharply at the look of faux innocence on his face, Aqua remembered well how Vanitas had once met her with such a look. Did that mean- did that mean that Sora really loved Kairi, then? (Because really, who else could Vanitas be talking about, if he himself had been trapped here all this time?) And now… now he was going to kill her, and make her think it was Sora all the while? That was low, even for Vanitas!

Grasping at the portal, but only having it serve to fade like vapor under her fingertips, Aqua saw the truth of Vanitas' words, and… And he'd planned it all, hadn't he? To that end, it seemed as though she truly was incapable of leaving the Dark Realm without Vanitas…

Though Aqua would have willingly sacrificed herself again and again to keep Vanitas far away from the Realm of Light, she knew there were much larger things at stake now. Xehanort was supposedly back, Ven was possibly dead, and Vanitas was boasting that he'd sent the Unversed back…

Not liking what she was about to do at all, and even wondering if she really was herself anymore for her actions, Aqua consented to go back with Vanitas, but she promised herself she'd kill him the moment she saw the Light again. She had to. There were no other choices. Not for her… not anymore.

…

"That's it! If I have to see another of those mandrakes again, I'M GONNA-"

"Calm down would you, Riku? We don't want you to go Dark after making Master status, now do we?"

"Sora!" Turning to face his best friend abruptly, Riku spared the Unversed he was fighting (or so Goofy had called them, anyway) a little slack, as he pounded fists with his best friend. And though Riku's head was abuzz with questions about what had happened to Sora, how he'd woken up, and why he was no longer at the Mysterious Tower, the dawn wielder decided it would probably be best to save those questions for later.

Tossing Way to Dawn to Sora for a moment, so the spiky-haired-brunette could attempt to kill the sniping bastards via dual wielding, Riku took the moment to cast a much-needed potion on himself. And green eyes narrowing in aggravation, he had to wonder what idiot had opted to move Aerith from the fray. Didn't people know they needed a white mage when things went to hell? Sheesh. People these days…

"Riku, I'm confused about something," Sora muttered, after he'd successfully torn some flying members asunder, via an aerial attack. Whistling under his breath, in remembering how Sora had done a move like that in their fight against Xemnas, Riku promised himself that if Master Yen Sid didn't make Sora a Master, he'd see to it himself.

"What do you mean, Sora?" Riku asked, as he summoned Way to Dawn away from his friend, just as a somewhat bigger Unversed about got the jump on him. Really, what was Sora doing, putting his hands behind his head, and smiling all cheesy like now of all times? Maybe… maybe Sora needed some more training, after all, Riku pondered. If not that, he definitely needed to get better when it came to discipline.

Speaking of discipline… Riku had to wonder just why the monsters they were fighting weren't melting into ichor all around them. Heartless had always done that upon defeat, but apparently the Unversed did no such thing? Just what the heck did that mean? Was it possible they weren't really being defeated at all? Or-

"Kairi, duh!" Sora said _oh so_ elegantly, as he sped away from Riku for the moment, and jumped onto Goofy's shield, so that the knight could hoist him higher into the air.

Watching his friend a bit jealously, as he'd never had such a knack for aerial moves himself, Riku decided to take out some of his aggression on the mandrakes, who were floating in the air via an Aero spell." Wait, what about Kairi?!" Riku asked upon using a fire spell, and having the benefit of seeing Lea glare at him for usurping him.

Torn between laughing at Axel's misplaced rage, or just plain irritation, it took Riku a minute to catch up with where Sora undoubtedly had been for a while now. Wait. If most of them were here now, then who was near Kairi- "Fuck. You think it's a trap, don't you? They singled out the newbie, and we fell for it. What should we do, Sora? Sora-"

"There's something going on with her!" Sora shouted loudly, right next to Riku's ear as he slid right past his best friend (almost hurtling right into him, actually) upon using Wisdom Form. Glaring at Sora now, in a similar way to how Lea had him just a moment ago, Riku didn't know whether to tell his friend he wasn't the only one who was worried about Kairi, or instruct him to save Wisdom Form for the real Mages (since apparently Sora couldn't handle it without Donald's help).

Granted, it was very, very amusing for Riku to watch Sora "ski" all over the battlefield, seemingly unable to control himself, but seeing as how Sora seemed to be doing more damage to himself than their enemies… Riku thought to choose practicality over morale. Throwing Way to Dawn to Sora again, Riku watched on relieved, as Sora automatically switched to Master Form, and began fighting much more like the seasoned pro he truly was.

As Things momentarily calmed down—and Sora began acting like a normal warrior again—Riku was about to bring the Kairi topic up again. However, before Riku even got the chance to utter a word, it seemed as though Sora was already beating him to the punch. As Riku dodged a Bruiser here, and watched as Sora glanced down at Kairi's lucky charm there, it didn't take a genius to figure out what the brunette's decision would be. "I have to go after Kai now, Riku. I've been bad about it in the past, as other things took precedence, but you told me to take care of her. And… and that's exactly what I plan to do now."

Reaching out towards Sora's shoulder proudly, Riku was about to punch his friend and tell him it was about time, but… Well, the old Riku would have done that no problem, but the new Master knew where his duties lied. Making a decision right then and there (in the form of cartwheeling in front of Aurora and Snow White to save them), Riku decided to worry about the Princesses that were already with them, and to leave Kairi to Sora's care.

And as Sora's face lit up in a way it only ever did for Kairi, Riku knew what his best friend was lifting his Keyblade to do: he was unlocking the Lanes Between. Watching the changing sky forlornly, as a strange feeling came over him, Riku meant to tell Sora to never let Kairi go, but the words never came. It only took a moment for everything to change, after all. And so it did. So it did…

"Snow White, what are you-" Riku questioned the black-haired-beauty who had come up behind him, seemingly trying to direct his gaze someplace else. Craning his head to the side curiously, Riku tried to understand just what she was trying to get him to see. When he did, though, it was only to wish he'd never taken his blindfold off.

Really, Riku supposed he probably should have seen this coming. Hadn't he already seen _him_ during the Mark of Mastery exam? And though Riku knew very little about the Unversed, he supposed someone had to be controlling them, but…

"Riku, look out!" Watching in horror as time seemed to slow down, and Sora took a blow for him—not unlike the one Riku had sustained for Sora from Xemnas—Riku couldn't imagine a crueler irony. He'd thought that he and Sora had finally come to a good place about things, but apparently his Replica didn't feel the same way.

But then again, the Riku Replica couldn't even be called that anymore, could he? No. He was just another of the million Xehanorts now, and in that, his individuality was less than it ever had been: that right there hurt Riku more than anything else ever could. Closing his eyes, as if hoping it would protect him from the truth, Riku tried not to see when he'd struck down Sora in the guise of Xehanort once before.

"So, I shall release you now, Princess. Complete the Keyhole with your power. Open the door, lead me into everlasting Darkness!"

"_Forget it! There's no way you're taking Kairi's heart!"_

"Sora, get out of here _now_!" Riku growled, as he put Snow White and Aurora behind a barrier, and prepared to use an attack he hadn't attempted since Castle Oblivion: Dark Aura. He needed to end the Unversed _here and now_. Even more importantly, though… it seemed that Riku was going to have to put his Replica down again. And who knew? Maybe if they could just destroy one of the Darknesses, maybe they'd get lucky and… prevent the entire conflict! "Sora, I don't mean to doubt your abilities, but you've been bedridden too much lately. Cure that wound, will you? Then I need you to go and find Kai-"

Before Riku had even gotten the words out of his mouth, it was already too late. At first Riku was ecstatic to sense a bit of magic in the air (perhaps one of the Princesses were healing Sora?), but the notion was quickly replaced with dread, when a gaping pool of Darkness appeared below Sora, and pulled him into its depths.

Ignoring Xemnas completely, who seemed to have appeared out of Nothing and was now standing behind him, Riku meant to jump into the portal alongside Sora, but someone beat him to it. Shouting his very loud and trademark, "Yeehoohoohooey!", Riku saw Goofy fall on Sora one last time, and then they both disappeared completely.

Though Riku didn't know what Sora might find in the world he'd ended up in, he hoped that with Goofy's help he'd be fine, and maybe… just maybe Sora'd find his way to Kairi. Riku had sensed it for a long time, after all, and though he tried to fight the notion even now, he still couldn't deny the fear that…

Kairi's star was going to blink out.

**Author's Note:…I hate the name of this chapter so much. Seriously. Oh wells.**

**Umm. I think this chapter might be shorter than some of the others. Sorry about that, but this story's going to be long enough as it is. Plus, I wanted to post SOMETHING, since I hadn't updated in a while. Sorry about that, guys, but real life is real life.**

**And, yes. I know the saving of Aqua's rushed, but just go with it, 'kay? The rest of the story won't be like that, so take in quick events while you can. And honestly, I think she'll be the first saved in KHIII, anyway.**

**Also, Aqua be trippin' in this chapter. LOL. By the way, I wrote that part weirdly on purpose, okay? I know it's odd, but it'll be important later, so try to remember it, alrighty?:) Ya know… the whole thing actually reminds me a bit of White Knight, when Aqua's finding out stuff in that story. Anyway…**

**Dude. Was anyone else sad about Roxas' line about not being able to relate to Ven and Xion? Just kill me now! I mean, it was a cute Neku/Roxas moment, but remember the awesomeness that is you and Xion, Roxas. Just remember, and don't rip my heart out anymore, okie dokey? **

**Though truthfully, I'm happy with myself for ripping Roxas and Xion apart. Though I'd love nothing more than to have them makeout and be happy, this just goes to show I'm not one of the fanfiction writers who "only writes what I want to happen". People insult us with that ALL the time, and though I think it's a bit unfair, I'm glad I don't do that. It also works in that I'm trying to keep this canon and, you know, not ward off people who ship other things.**

**Anywho, speaking of all things RokuShi, I really need to be making stuff for RokuShi Day on June 20****th****, which is like the best day ever (besides SoKai Day, of course) XD Sadly, though, I seem to be out of inspiration for them. Give me some inspiration, you lovelies! I want to love you forever Rox and Xi-Xi, but… Anyway, if I end up disappearing in the near future, it's probably because I'm trying to make stuff for that day.**

…**So. To tell the truth, there was actually supposed to be Disney worlds this chapter (with Donald and Mickey), but I put it off because I really need to rewatch a certain movie first. Expect a ton of Disney movies next chapter, however. Does anyone want to hazard a guess as to what movie Sora ended up in?:)**

**Btw, does everyone get how Riku Replica came back? Last chapter, Isa sampled Nami's memories of him, and recreated him out of those memories (think of what happened to Sora in CoM). The scene before that, where Kairi was hearing Riku's voice in her head, was also foreshadowing that. I think the Org was testing to see if Kairi—Nami—still had memories of him, or something. And she did.**

**The reason people are remembering Xion is because they shuffled Naminé's memories around. It's slowly but surely making everyone remember her again. I mean, Nami has access to EVERYONE connected to Sora's memories, so all it took was her memories being jostled for the memory of Xion to come back. And remember how everyone forgot Sora because of Naminé tampering with his memories? Imagine the reverse of that now, but with Xion. Is everyone still with me?**

**Also, I think the timelines are starting to line up again. Thank god! I need a break from writing GoT like. I need one, coherent story. Not a million characters' stories in one, which DO make an overall picture, but whatev.**

**Speaking of GoT. I have to laugh at all the people freakin' out about The Red Wedding. Oh, you silly people. Honestly, I thought it was pretty obvious something like that was going to happen (even if I hadn't read the books, I think I would have predicted it), and to all the people who think they went too far: What freakin' show do you think you're watching? This is fucking GoT! Does no one remember what happened to Ned Stark? NO ONE IS SAFE ON THIS SHOW. In fact, I'm pretty sure everyone's going to die by the end of it, but that's part of the beauty of it, actually. If you can't handle all the vindictiveness…maybe you're watching the wrong show. **

**But c'mon! Someone like Walder Frey wasn't going to just let what Robb did slide. Seriously. And you know what? It was even worse in the books. I don't even want to think about how they treated Robb, Caetlyn, and even poor Grey Wind's bodies. But, yeah. As this is pretty much the climax of the series (so far), I think you should all take a breather and remember that fact. (And get ready for some Lannisters to finally suffer during/after The Purple Wedding :D :D :D)**

…**Also, Robb's a freakin' idiot in the show. Why. WHY, would you take your wife with you to the wedding?! Walder was mad at you for marrying someone other than his daughter to begin with! At least in the books Robb didn't take his wife with him. Sheesh. But I guess as he's married to someone COMPLETELY DIFFERENT in the show, it doesn't really matter. Oh well.**

**Wait. Who am I even talking to? I bet a lot of you don't even know GoT. Oops. Sorry. Just ignore that uber rant. I really should just be talking to Dani about all of this crap. Shutting up now.**

**-Shan**

**P.S. Thanks a lot for the review from last chapter, Princess-Xion. You're so talented yourself, and always know just how to encourage me. Thanks a bunch! Here's hoping this chapter had some darker moments for you, as well as calm ones? :)**

**P.P.S. Olette's weapon is pretty much Vanille's from FFXIII, if you're curious. And the scene with Kairi staring down the Old Mansion is supposed to be that one scene in the BbSFM secret ending;)**


	5. Plotting Double-Edged Swords

**Plotting Double-Edged Swords**

"Y'know, I'm getting really sick of being sent to random places of late," Sora growled at Goofy, as he crossed his arms. Then, frowning slightly at the look of sadness that appeared on his companion's face, Sora found that maybe instead of complaining about the situation, like he currently was, that… that he probably ought to have been thanking his dear friend for coming on another insane trip with him. Attempting to do just that, Sora did something Donald and Goofy had done many times to him on their journeys: he tackled his friend.

"Eh-he-he-he," Goofy laughed at Sora's action, as they both feel to the rough, dirt ground below them. "Gawrsh, Sora. What was that for?" the anthropomorphic dog asked, as he quickly returned the awkward hug Sora was giving him, and then set to put a hand beneath his chin, seemingly in thought.

Taking that as his cue to stand up, as the duo still had no clue where they actually were, Sora did a quick acrobatic move to get up onto his feet, and then extended a hand towards Goofy, too (something the giant dog was quick to take).

It was when Sora was dusting the dirt off of his clothes that he finally saw fit to answer his friend's question. "What'dya think, Goof? You fell through a giant Corridor of Darkness—that lead to who knows where—just so I wouldn't be left alone. Thanks." After having told himself he would spare only one more smile at Goofy, before they started gathering clues about what the Organization was up to, Sora was more than a little bit surprised when Goofy pulled on Sora's shoulder for another small hug, and said, "Ahyuck. Don't mention it! That's what friends are for, right Sora?"

"Yeah, of course!" Sora quickly agreed upon nodding, and quickly throwing a fist into the air. "But, say Goofy, where do you think we are? Did you ever come to a place like this during your old adventures with the King, by chance?"

In truth, the world was a very odd one to Sora. For one thing, there didn't seem to be any real settlements around, but there were some tent like things. Scratching his head a bit just for that, Sora vaguely remembered hearing about something called—teepees, was it?—back at school on the Islands, as they'd apparently been used by the Islands' firs settlers. Though the bushy haired brunette supposed the structures looked sturdy enough for the-now-sprinkling-weather the world was currently having, he knew for sure they wouldn't have survived a day during one of the Islands' hurricanes.

Although, Sora did have to admit it was pretty worrisome that a lot of the birds and other forest creatures were running for cover. They usually only seemed to act that way when they wanted to shield themselves fro- "A shield! That's it!"

"What, Sor- Ouch! I think I just stepped on one of them ther' pinecones!" Completely forgetting the question he'd just asked Goofy about the King's adventures, and that he hadn't yet explained his proclamation to Goofy of yet, Sora found himself wondering where Goofy might have been in the past to be so familiar with one of the prickly looking leaf things, that he'd just stepped on.

Granted, Sora thought he'd seen them in other worlds, like Halloween Town, as well, but he'd never had a clue what they were, and there'd never really been any reason to ask about them, but now… Sora found himself being very interested in the thing.

"Ahyuck. It sure is funny how this little thing's shell is for protecting it, but now I feel I'm the one who needs protectin' from it."

"Goofy, don't you see?!" Sora asked with a wide grin, as he lifted the pinecone from Goofy's hand, and inspected it in the sunlight himself. "This is the answer! This is how we can stop them from winning! I mean, if either the Seven Guardians of Light or the Princesses of Heart fights them, then the X-Blade will still be forged. But what if we use magic from Yen Sid, Merlin, and Donald—you name it! —to put a shield around the thirteen of us, so they can't attack! Eventually they'd have to give up on the whole endeavor, right? And I think this is Xehanort's last-ditch effort to get Kingdom Hearts, anyway. This must be the only way left to him, and- It's just too perfect!"

As he heaved the pinecone out of his hands, and against one of the trees where it looked as though it had come from, Sora watched on happily and amazed when the pinecone didn't seem to splinter or break upon impact at all. It hadn't been Sora's best throw in the world, but it still served to make his point. Goofy, too, seemed to be watching the unscathed pinecone with hope lighting up his eyes, but Sora sensed he was also doubting his plan somewhat.

Turning to his companion curiously, Sora was about to ask what he thought the holes in the idea were, but even so… he was almost positive they could make it work. And then, and then everyone would be safe! Kairi wouldn't have to be targeted for two reasons anymore, and-

"My brother, are you visiting from a neighboring tribe? I heard your talk of defending against an attack, and saw how you opted to try and return that pinecone to the tree from whence it came. You and this dog spirit are more than welcome here. Now come: we have a war counsel going on in the chance things do not end peacefully."

Shrugging his shoulders at Goofy, who was looking at Sora for an answer, the sixteen-year-old thought it probably couldn't hurt to hear out the people they'd just come upon. Sure there seemed to have been some sort of misunderstanding between them, but Sora thought if they were discussing peace and shielding strategies, too, there might've been something he and Goofy could learn from it. Especially since it seemed as though magic was going on in the tent that the man had just come from. It was like his plan was already coming into fruition!

Laughing to himself at the ridiculousness of it all, Sora had to wonder just what that goon from the Organization had been thinking sending him here. After all, Sora and Goofy were now at the perfect place to begin foiling their plans, weren't they?

…

"Wak! You' majesty! Why don'cha use some of your magic with mine, and we can get Cinderella back to normal right quick!" Pausing at where he'd been sweeping the palace floors, so that maybe they'd attract fewer mice and so 'the royal mouse catcher' would have more time to look for her Prince, Mickey found himself thinking on Donald's idea. In fact, he very strongly wanted to go along with his best pal's plan, but he knew undoing whatever Cinderella's step-mother had done couldn't be that simple. If only…

"Do we even need to have things back to normal right now, you' majesty? Can't we just protect her from Xehanort, and put things back to normal later?" Donald continued on, clearly vexed, as he put his hands on his hips, and teetered on his feet tiredly.

Looking at his best pal sympathetically, Mickey couldn't help but think there was nothing more that he wanted to do than to get Cinderella out of Master Xehanort's reach as soon as possible (he was not going to let all of this end the way it had eleven years prior), but sadly, there was much more to it what Donald was seeing.

Covering his heart in a bit of prayer, Mickey turned to Donald and met the Court Magician with saddened eyes. "I'm afraid that's not an option for us, Donald. You see, Cinderella's happy ending has been stolen away from her, and if we don't do something to recover it for her, then I'm afraid Darkness is going to be born in her heart. So by all means, we have to end things here properly, before we take her to the Master's."

Half expecting, then, for Donald's next question to be why they couldn't just use their own magic to change things back, Mickey opened his mouth half-ready to tell Donald that this spell was so tricky that only the Fairy godmother's wand could put it back to the way it was, but upon remembering that Donald had become more schooled in magic than even he himself was, Mickey held his tongue and waited for the question Donald truly meant to ask.

Stomping his foot angrily, Donald inquired that, "But if all the Princesses need to have happily-ever-afters to have their hearts be full of Light, how does that account for Kairi? Sora's left her quite a few times now, and-"

Nearly laughing at the enraged look on Donald's face, that seemed to hint that he was going to chew Sora out for Kairi's sake very, very soon (apparently forgetting all of the times he himself had stood Daisy up, or even more saddening to the King: how often he himself had left behind Minnie), Mickey thought that he probably ought to defend Sora, before Donald opted to kill the young boy.

As the King enchanted a bit of the mop soap he was using (so that the castle had a better chance to ward off the Heartless), he did just that. "Gosh, Donald. It's not like Sora chose to be a Keyblade wielder exactly. And he's been doing everythin' he can to save the worlds so he can get back to her, but I do have to admit you have a good point about Kairi there," Mickey explained partially to himself and partially to Donald, as he waved his tail back and forth and cupped his mouth in thought. "For all intents and purposes, Darkness should have been trying to worm its way into her heart, as well. But then again, Yen Sid's always thought there was something special about her, so maybe…"

Trailing off, upon realizing he didn't want to fall into despair himself, in realizing how fragile the Princesses' positions really were, Mickey instead found himself paying attention to other things. Like how Donald really seemed to be going to town in trying to be protecting against mice, when really they were just supposed to be looking for Jaq and Gus.

Well, if nothing else, having the floor sparkly clean—without a crumb in sight—probably would give the cleaning staff a break for a while. And Mickey also supposed it upped their chances of running into the mice they were looking for. Though the King knew those mice who weren't Jaq and Gus would be dismayed by the lack of food in the area, those two would happily crossover the expansive area for Cinderella's sake. He just knew it!

"So your majesty," Donald asked with a questioning tone, as he called forth his mage's staff to hand, undoubtedly to make sure he could still summon it, as he and the King hadn't really used their weapons upon arrival in the Castle of Dreams. "Do ya think Cinderella will catch the Prince on the boat and win back his heart? If so, maybe we won't need that wand, after all! Maybe the magic of love will handle it all!" Donald said so cheerily, that he pounded his fist to the side in a motion that reminded Mickey quite a bit of Sora. "And ya know," Donald continued on thoughtfully, "maybe we should have gone with her! That way as soon as she broke the spell, we coulda called in the gummi, and taken her away."

"I suppose, Donald, but romance usually requires for two to be alone, you know?" Upon answering Donald's query in such a way, with his eyes closed and a satisfied look on his face, Mickey couldn't help but feel he probably resembled a teacher instructing a student on something. Though, of course, Mickey promised himself he'd never say that aloud. The prospect of letting Donald know he was trying to school him in love… was something Mickey knew for sure wouldn't end well.

And now more than ever, Mickey knew there couldn't be any discord between the Lights for Xehanort to abuse. But still… Mickey had to admit he'd never thought he'd have to tell something so obvious to Donald! Sora, sure. And even Riku had had to receive words on what to do about Kairi from him, but for Donald of all people to need such things... "Gosh, Donald. Don't you already know this? Why, isn't that why you and Goofy always opt to not spy on Sora when he's talking to Kairi? It would have done Cinderella no good for us to-"

"Your majesty, look out!" His Keyblade appearing in his hand before he'd even been able to properly think of it, Mickey was more than glad that the ties between himself and the Kingdom Key D were such, that it appeared for him just in the knick of time. Otherwise, Mickey didn't want to think at all about what might have happened to himself and Donald.

Speaking of which… though Donald's wand had always had a peculiar shape to it, Mickey found himself wondering if the top of the staff had always had that much cut away from it. According to the look of rage on Donald's face, and the fact that there was some blue bauble on the floor beside them that hadn't been there before, the King surmised not. It looked as though…

"Ahh! A scythe? Why, you were the Superior at Castle Oblivion. The strong one that Riku smelt die! How are you back? From what I've heard, you're the last person Xehanort would have trusted for a mission like this."

"Which is exactly why this is a test run, so to speak. Now let's dance, little mouse King. Maybe then you'll come up with a way to bring Cinderella's much needed Light back."

On the inside, Mickey knew there was something altogether wrong about the situation. Xehanort seemed off somehow, and Mickey had doubts about the entire scenario surrounding them.

Sighing inwardly, in the hopes that he was wrong—or that maybe they could find a way to set Marluxia free of Xehanort's hold, so as to put the tides in their favor—Mickey prepared to fight, and Donald was right there beside him all the way.

…

"Sora, why- Are… you- attack- ATTACKING me?!"

"Because you're useless, Kairi. You only cause trouble for everyone!"

"Kairi, he's not-" Aqua watched on in shock, as, Vanitas and Kairi continued to fight each other so thoroughly that sparks danced in the dark room, and pieces of their blades chipped off every now and again.

As it was, the bluenette was desperately trying to work a bit of magic to stop the fight (as Kairi didn't seem to be listening at all). However, all didn't exactly go according to plan, when Aqua meant to thrust her arm outward and cast the spell, but instead got it tangled in her much too long hair.

Sighing with a very irritated air, Aqua promised herself that the next time she got close to a pair of scissors, she was going to sheer the aggravating locks off.

Thinking that maybe she should just summon her Keyblade to end things herself (though in truth, Aqua was worried that Vanitas might try to possess her and Kairi both if she did), Aqua almost missed when the brown haired girl fumbled one of the potions she was trying to get out for Kairi, and dropped it at her feet instead.

Cringing, at the sharp glass and green liquid that Vanitas was trying to force the girl into, Aqua found that she didn't exactly fancy the idea of Kairi's thin soles on those sharp pieces. Right now, her footwork looked pretty good, Aqua allowed, but seeing as how her moves were becoming sloppier and sloppier, if Vanitas could get the upper hand just for a moment, she knew it would spell the end for Kairi.

"Kairi, listen to me!"

"What? Hayner, what are you-"

"Focus, Kairi!" Aqua made sure to bellow out, as soon as the girl foolishly turned her attention onto her blond friend. Thankfully, Kairi was able to mostly dodge the slash to her abdomen that Vanitas had been about to make, with only a small nick at her collarbone to show for it, but Aqua knew well that if the girl had wasted just another moment in moving, she would've been dead.

Clutching her hand to her heart almost in pain herself for her failures, Aqua decided then and there that she had to get into the fray of things. And so, she summoned Master Keeper to her hand, looking for any way she might be able to jump into the fight without hurting the brown haired boy at the computer. It almost looked as though- it almost seemed that whatever he was doing at the computer was working. Already, a green beam was beginning to cascade over Vanitas, and-

"Kairi, listen to me, but don't let it stop you from fighting. That guy is not Sora. I can tell just by the build of him. He's much too muscular: think about it. Sora's been wielding the Keyblade for more than a year now, but when we first met, I honestly wouldn't have been able to tell it by looking at him. And even if he trained a lot more after that, he still wouldn't be this ripped in such a small timeframe."

Blinking at the blond with the slightly spiked hair, Aqua found herself staring him in awe for his words. Granted, she herself had tried to tell Kairi that it wasn't Sora before her, and just hadn't gotten the chance, but… she didn't think even she would have been able to calmly recite such a well thought out argument, so that the redhead would see the error of her ways.

Even more amazing than all of that, though, was that somehow the boy had actually succeeded in tripping the speed demon that was Vanitas, and Kairi was now catching her breath as the boy still lay facedown on the floor. Aqua wondered if- wondered if maybe the boy had been so successful against Vanitas, because the boy had underestimated he would do something like that while lecturing.

Aaaaaand it was for that reason that Aqua knew that Vanitas was going to want revenge on the other boy, and was prepared to combat such a thing. But in the end, she hadn't even needed to do that. The moment Vanitas jumped up from where he'd fallen, and aimed to slice open the boy in front of him, the blond pulled out the metal baseball bat he'd been hiding behind his back just as soon, and quickly whammed Vanitas in the head with it.

Never in all her years had Aqua been as relieved as she was to hear the loud, resounding CRACK that followed that hit. Somehow, it was just even more perfect that someone who didn't seem to have any combat training at all had served Vanitas on a silver plate. Aqua smiled slightly at the thought.

"Kairi, here. Get to your feet and rest some," the water maiden told her would-be-successor, as she helped the girl to her feet, and held onto her shoulders for a short moment. She was just… just so glad that the girl was safe, and that Vanitas hadn't hurt her like she'd feared she would! It was for that reason—the fear and doubts she'd been harboring for more than a decade—that Aqua promised herself she'd never allow the Darkness to touch Kairi again. Never. She had learned from her past mistakes, and this time she would not falter.

"The moment you're recovered enough, I'm going to take you to Master Yen Sid. This War is too dangerous for a Princesses of Heart, it seems," Aqua said regretfully, upon pushing some of Kairi's auburn haired girl's bangs back from her face.

Biting on her lip in sadness and guilt at the look of anger and betrayal that appeared on Kairi's face, Aqua couldn't help remember a time when Master Eraqus had pulled her aside, and told her that she'd probably be best off living a peaceful life at home, as the life of a Keyblade wielder would be an even tougher journey for a woman. In the end, Aqua knew she'd risen much higher than he or anyone could have guessed, and she more than wanted the same thing for young Kairi, but-

"You're just as bad as Sora was, when he told me I'd only get in his way!" Kairi spat, as she pulled away from Aqua with a vengeance, and glared at her in a way that reminded Aqua far too much of the look Terra had given her at Radiant Garden. "You're all the same! I've been training so hard and for so long- I've improved so much, just so I can protect myself and not be a burden to anyone anymore, but you guys still want to keep me locked in some tower. No. I can't- I won't sit there while all of my friends die, and do nothing. I-"

"Olette! What did you just do?!" Reluctantly turning away from Kairi, who looked as though she might bolt or burst into tears the first chance she could get, Aqua found her attention returning to the brown haired girl, and the brunette boy who now seemed to be chastising her for some reason.

Frowning, in realizing the tone the boy was using didn't speak well at all, Aqua followed their line of gaze to Vanitas' unconscious form, and back to the potions that Olette was holding in her hand guiltily. Fuck. Aqua thought she knew well where this was going.

"You didn't have to heal this monster, Olette. I don't think anyone planted on interrogating him. In fact, I was going to send him back to the Realm of Darkness with the computer program I discovered. The files on it say that he himself is pure Darkness, so I bet going back there would have healed him, even. And-"

"Wh- what's this now?" Kairi asked, as she walked past Aqua without a glance or word, and turned to her arguing friends with a small smile on her face. Not liking at all how close Kairi was getting to Vanitas' unconscious form, the Keyblade Master meant to reach out and pull Kairi back to her, but it seemed she didn't reach far enough, and the monarch continued on towards the arguing pair without seeming to even notice Aqua's attempt.

Quickly jogging over to Kairi's side, Aqua was very seriously thinking of kidnapping the girl, and taking her away on Master Eraqus' Glider, but that was before all hell broke loose.

"But tha- that's the thing, Pence!" Olette said in a shaky voice that somehow made her already rough voice sound rougher, and as though her throat hurt her terribly. "I _did _use the potion on Kairi. But somehow, it went to the boy instead. That doesn't make any sense, but Kairi told us her and Sora's hearts are connected, right? What if he really is Sora, then?"

No. He wasn't Sora, but there was no denying that Vanitas had a connection to the boy, Aqua knew. And if Kairi had a connection to Sora like those two were hinting, then it wasn't so hard to guess that Vanitas was using that to his advantage somehow. And if the spell was so strong that it sent something that had been meant for Kairi over to Vanitas' heart instead, Aqua couldn't even imagine how powerful of magic the two were sharing. It scared her even just to think about it, and… if he really was a parasite (and he had to be, as he'd stolen something that was meant to help Kairi for himself), that meant he really wasn't knocked out, didn't it? "Kairi! Move _now_. He's-"

Aqua's warning came much too late. Watching in horror, as Vanitas jumped up to his feet again—but this time in a much more successful maneuver than when he'd attempted it with the blond—Aqua could only stand there quietly and pray, as the Sora-look-alike pulled Kairi in front of his chest, and placed his blade to her throat. And was that- was that maniacal laughter that Aqua was hearing happening now, or was it the sound of memories past. She supposed she'd find out soon enough.

Placing her hands behind her back so that Vanitas wouldn't see, Aqua began casting a Stopza spell…

"Now no one do anything stupid, like the Ventus wannabe over here did. He's already marked for death by me for that one, and trust me: none of you want to be able to say that. Even you, dear Aqua. As it is, my Master's plans require you, but you know? I've been wanting to cut that pretty face of yours to ribbons for much too long now, and I might just choose to go that route, and let the old man's plans go to hell, so don't do anything to provoke my ire, girly."

_Bastard!_ Aqua snarled so loudly in her head, that she was almost surprised that she hadn't tapped into a bit of telepathy magic, and that no one had seemed to hear it. Halting in casting her magic for a slight moment, Aqua thought on her options.

Though Vanitas had used her name in the threat he'd just given, Aqua wasn't fooled in the slightest. What he'd _really_ been saying was that he wouldn't give two shits about his Master's plan, if someone provoked him enough to kill Kairi. And the way he was running his tongue along the girl's neck, with his teeth plainly shone, wasn't helping Aqua think objectively, either. And Kairi- poor poor Kairi. The girl was trying to look strong, but Aqua could easily see that the mask was slipping. Why on earth hadn't she just taken the girl to Master Yen Sid's immediately? Clearing her throat loudly, Aqua knew that she'd made her decision.

"Vanitas, you win. Release the girl and I'll be your prisoner. You know you need me to cooperate, so this is a fair trade. You can take the Master, who's more than willing to clash with you and forge the Blade now, or you can take the useless girl that needs more training before you can accomplish anything for your plans. It's your choice." Trying her best to keep a stoic reaction, but failing more and more, when she read upon the blond's lips how he was going to attempt to bargain too, or when she noticed that Vanitas wasn't being careful about how he handled Kairi in the slightest, Aqua knew this wasn't going to go down how she wanted it to at all.

Aqua had sensed it back when they were in the Realm of Darkness before she and Vanitas had even come to this place. Vanitas had a vendetta against this girl—or maybe more accurately, Sora—and he wasn't going to let Kairi go easily. And even worse, Aqua feared that she'd given more fuel to Vanitas' case more than anything. What had she been thinking in saying Kairi was still so inexperienced-

"Sorry, sweet Aqua," Vanitas said as he attempted to smile in what Aqua assumed an angelic way. Oh, how she'd never hated him more than she did in that moment. Narrowing her eyes at him, Aqua made sure he knew that she was going to be even more ruthless when she killed him now, and that whatever he did to Kairi she'd bestow tenfold on him. "But I'm afraid this one has to serve as a lesson to her stubborn boyfriend, so no can do. But if you still want me to take you, I'll be more than willing to- Hey!"

Looking at Vanitas confusedly, as his eyes grew wider than Aqua had ever seen them before, she at first wondered if maybe her magic had worked, after all, or if maybe one of the three kids had succeeded in saving Kairi. What she did see happening, however, Aqua could have never even begun to guess. And she had to wonder fearfully, if Kairi was running from the frying pan into the oven.

The portal of Darkness that had appeared- the woman clad in black, with horns atop her head… could it have been- "Hurry, child. I know you must mistrust Pete and myself, but when we get to the world they intended on you going to, know I will keep you away from these Organizers. Given what Xehanort and his lapdog here have nearly accomplished, I promise you it's not as bad of an option as you might think."

"Yes. They mean to do something that threatens people's hearts and identities, as well as something that might destroy the entire multiverse. Your intentions of ruling, rather than destruction, are much better than all of that. And I still haven't forgotten how you helped us at The Castle That Never Was. I can only hope you'll remember you can help still yourself."

Running towards Kairi's form, as fast as her feet could carry her, Aqua could only stare in shock, when Kairi grasped onto the green hand offered her, and disappeared with… Maleficent.

…

In truth, Riku was more than a little annoyed that he was being forced to accompany Lea on his mission to Agrabah. Wasn't it bad enough that he had to return to the place in which he'd kidnapped one of the Princesses before? To that end, Riku didn't think it very fair that he now had to baby-sit the pyromaniac, who ironically kept complaining about the sweltering heat, on top of everything else.

It also didn't help Riku's patience that Axel's eyes seemed to keep drifting to the bare midriff of some of the girls walking nearby. Praying to the Light for strength, Riku sought to get this mission done as swiftly and quietly as they could. "So… you remember how I explained Jasmine's looks, right? Long, braided and black hair, an affinity for wearing turquoise, jewels encrusted on her headdresses…"

Yeah… Axel wasn't listening at all, was he? And if Riku had thought differently before, then he would have been sorely disappointed when he noted how the redhead was bouncing from one awning to another, like a freakin' jack-in-the-box.

Running a hand over his face in aggravation, Riku thought very strongly about summoning Way to Dawn, and knocking the man unconscious until he needed him. Seriously. If Axel hadn't forgone getting Jasmine just so he could hang out with Aerith, Riku wouldn't have even been in his current predicament. And maybe if things were different, he could've been looking for Alice or Belle or something.

"Yo, Riku. Would ya stop giving me the stink eye? It just so happens what I'm doing has merit. I'm looking for a secret passage, that Roxas and I happened upon once, got it memorized?" As Riku followed Axel's gaze, and looked out towards the expansive desert and sand in front of them, he had to wonder just what the heck the redhead was looking at. After all, Riku had been to Agrabah enough himself, and he'd never happened upon any secret passage. Besides: weren't they supposed to be finding princess Jasmine?

Putting his hips on his hips, agitated, and choosing to glower at his fellow Light, Riku was just about to leave Lea to his own design, but then the answer Riku had been seeking from Axel all along finally came spilling out of his mouth. "C'mon, Riku. Didn't ya hear the commotion going on at the palace? Those weren't your typical 'I'm drunk and going to yell my head off' kind of screams. It sounds to me that the castle dwellers are under attack, and I think this secret passage might be our only chance of dropping in and securing the Princess before somethin' happens to her."

Shit. Riku hadn't thought about that at all. Looking back on it, it had seemed as though something was, in fact, off by the loud shouts coming from the castle grounds. And had he- had he heard some people being roughly knocked into the castle walls before? It certainly seemed as though the castle was under siege all right, but the question was… was this Xehanort's doing, or something more political?

Granted, Riku didn't think the sort of scene underway was much Xehanort's style, but that didn't mean he wasn't trying to knock the Lights off his trail, either. He must have known… must have known that Riku had much too munch insight into his thoughts, and thus was acting to spite that. And that meant that Riku was going to have to act out of character himself, didn't it?

"You win, Lea. If you can find this secret passage, we'll try and enter the castle that way, but if not… well, we'll storm the castle in the traditional sense, I guess." Huffing just at the thought of the latter, Riku wondered just how much more that poor castle could take, if their guesses about what was going on were, in fact, right. If only he or Axel could still use Corridors of Darkness…

Thankfully, it wasn't too much longer that Axel found the place he was looking for, between a wall and a shop. And as Axel had had to pack many barrels atop each other to reach the damn thing, Riku wondered if maybe Lea and Roxas had discovered the secret entrance, whilst the huge sand dunes had taken over Agrabah.

He didn't ask, though. He knew better than anyone how one always had to keep their head in the game when Xehanort was involved, and when they did stumble through the door to what looked like a very large, rose colored corridor, Riku found that it was a very good thing that he had.

Cursing under his breath, as he looked at the large blue entity in front of him, Riku knew that things in Agrabah must have truly been going to hell. Brilliant…

"Genie!" Riku bellowed, as he hastily ran to the other side of the rectangular room, and even slid on the sand so as to get there faster. Finally in front of the blue companion that he'd met once or twice, when Sora had summoned him at The Castle That Never Was, Riku willed himself to look for any sign of humor on the magical creature's face. The Genie apparently liked to joke, so maybe everything that was happening was one giant one? When Riku found no light in the Genie's eyes, however, he gave Axel a word-weary stare, and hoped he'd take that as initiative to go and find Jasmine.

Thankfully, Lea did just what Riku had hoped he would. Using his chakrams to force a pink beam to the other side of the space they were currently occupying, Axel quickly set to climbing up the thing and heading off on some ledge that Riku hadn't even noted. Well, if nothing else, Lea sure seemed to have an idea of where the passage he sought was. Whether it actually would go to the castle, though, or if Jasmine would be there when he got there… was yet to be seen. Given the Genie's solemn expression, Riku highly doubted it.

Man, where was Sora when he needed him?! Riku wasn't even sure how to approach the Genie without having him freak out on him. Riku remembered all too well what it had looked like when the magic user had attacked Sora and his friends, while Riku himself had waited in the wings to kidnap the princess Jasmine.

This was… this was his punishment for that, wasn't it? And this time, Riku he meant to take the girl, so as to save her, but he'd already cursed that endeavor by his previous actions, hadn't he? Fuck.

Swallowing the frog that had suddenly appeared in his throat with a look of determination alighting his eyes, Riku told himself he was being an idiot, and set out to touch the Genie on the shoulder and get his attention. "Hey, Genie. I'm Riku. A friend of Sora's, have you-"

"AHHHHHHH! SORA! Praise be to Allah! I mean, you aren't the spiky-haired sword wielder, to be sure, but I prayed for a miracle, and you are here! Thank you, thank you. THANK YOU!"

"What?! Hey! I thought you were depressed a moment ago- Ouch that hurts!" At first Riku had attempted to keep up with the Genie's movements, as he poofed around here and there, patting Riku on the shoulder roughly, or even going as far as to become a blue ribbon around Riku's neck for a moment.

However, knowing that he was just giving himself whiplash for his efforts, Riku instead opted to close his eyes and ignore the Genie, so that the attention lover might return to more…simpler and less excited means to explain things. It had certainly worked on Sora in the past, so Riku could only help it would serve to work here, as well.

"Depressed, you say?" the Genie asked with a confused lilt to his voice that reminded Riku much too strongly of how Jiminy had sounded in the Realm of Sleep, whenever Riku brought up things that had happened outside of the world's dream… And did that mea- Fuck. Riku thought he very well might have had a good idea of what was going on now. And oh, how he wished he were wrong!

Meanwhile, the Genie, went on a spiel about how even though he was blue, that didn't mean he was necessarily _feeling_ blue.

Praying to this "Alla" himself for the much needed help that he needed, Riku thought maybe he'd try a different approach with the Genie. Maybe normal things weren't enough to remind him of what had just happened, but if Riku tested the bonds he had to his friends… maybe that would be just what was needed for him to snap out of his trance, and fill Riku in. And hopefully, it would keep the world from becoming completely asleep, while they were at it.

Unfortunately, Riku had never learned how to keep a world that was already halfway asleep from falling even further, and so… "Where are Aladdin and Jasmine, Genie? Why did you say you wished you wanted Sora here a moment ago?" Riku asked as gently and caringly as he could, as he thought of those he himself would always choose reality for: Sora and Kairi. He only hoped the Genie would choose the same for Aladdin and Jasmine's sakes.

"Why would I want Sora here?" the Genie questioned, upon turning into what Riku assumed were supposed to be ellipses, as he tried to puzzle out just what was going on. "Y'know," the Genie allowed, as he poofed back to his normal form and rubbed his head in thought, whilst looking at Riku with clouded eyes. "I really can't say, if you can believe it! I think all of this wedding planning might have gotten to me, man. I can't remember for the life of me why I was 'down' a moment ago. Sorry about- Wait! Hold the phone! I think-"

"Wait, wait. Hold on a minute!" Riku exclaimed, as he attempted to cut the Genie off, before he could waste time turning into a phone or something. "Did you just say something about planning a wedding? Hmm… maybe that's what Lea and I were actually hearing earlier. But if you're forgetting something you yourself planned… that doesn't bode well. Is the dream resetting itself? If so, who knows where Jasmine might turn up again? It might be too late to pull her out now. Maybe I'll just have to wait the dream ou-"

"A dream, you say…. Wait! I remember now! I was at the wedding with Aladdin and Jasmine, and then these thugs showed up and tried to steal something from the treasury! They tried to take something big, I think. But we mostly beat them into submission… so why, then, didn't Aladdin or Jasmine have a peaceful moment with the oracle, like they were meant to? I can't remember, but somehow I know that's not what was supposed to have happened-"

His heart aching with concern for Sora's friend, as he seemed to be about to have a brain hemorrhage again, Riku was about to tell the Genie that he didn't have to remember all of the details, if he was unable to. Riku'd meant to explain that he'd done more than enough to help him put the story together, but just as the words were about to leave Riku's mouth, he suddenly saw the Genie growing larger—perhaps in showing his full memory had returned?—and grabbing onto Riku's arms, and looking into his face pleadingly, the big blue guy explained…

"That's it! There was some creepy bald guy at the wedding that reeked of other worlds, you know? He said he'd taken a girl from her dreams, whatever that means. But most importantly- he told those thugs that if they kidnapped Jasmine, they'd be sure to get what they wanted easier! That wasn't supposed to happen, I'm sure but it did, man! And they took her—and the blond girl, I'd wager—to a place that someone like Jasmine should never be in… they took her to the hideout of the Forty Thieves."

**Author's Note: Wow. This is a pretty long chapter (and I love it! I think it's my personal favorite thus far.). But would you believe I actually meant to write more PoVs here? Next chapter, my friends. Next chapter! This story's so much fun :D**

**So, since I last updated this fic, KHIII has been officially announced –everyone screams and cries tears of joy- Be sure to tell me what you all think and want in the game, so REVIEW. And hopefully I can finish this before the game comes out, but boy is it going to be a challenge;)**

**And give yourselves a round of applause if you guessed what any of these first movies were going to be. **

**Also… I'm do glad I'm managing to keep some humor in this. Mickey Mouse is looking for mice. XD**

**What do you thinks all happening in this story, btw? God, I feel like I'm really writing GoT. There are so many plots and characters that are tying together, and everyone's scheming in this chap, man! It's like that one GoT rap: "Everyone's plotting, everyone's scheming. Who's going to win the Iron Throne atop of King's Landing?" Seeing as how they had the "Iron Throne" on the I.5 cover, it's only right this ends up Game of Thrones-y:)**

**Also, how am I doing with the Disney stuff? Let me know. Thanks! See you next chappie.**

**P.S. What's you guys' favorite part so far? What's your favorite funny moment, or otherwise? Who's your fav character? Are you enjoying the SoKai I'm managing to put in this? How am I handling Kairi? Do you like my approach in writing this all? Etc. Oh, and tell me some movies you want to see in this, please!**


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Kingdom Hearts, Adventure