AN: Unlike with the first version this time around I decided to lengthen the chapters to a more suitable length. Something that makes the updates more interesting for you. Since till now, I'm only altering already existing chapters the updates (even if the chapters are longer) will come relatively frequently. Once a week if I can manage that is.

A very special thanks to Hayashinkage17 who was the first and until now sadly only one to review. It was a lovely review and I thank you for the vote of confidence. It makes me happy to make my readers happy. Since you are a RokuNami shipper you will hopefully love this chapter. Stay tuned and well. If you find something worth commenting I would love to hear from you again.

So have fun with the next installment in Way of Dusk and please start reviewing … it would warm my heart dear readers. Well for now on with the story I say.

Disclaimer: I still own nothing but the storyline and the new Keyblades. But even the ideas for those are only borrowed from the original. All rights belong to their true owners and they should be worshiped for their bright ideas.

Last time on WoD:

While I was still studying my new body and hadn't even begun to evaluate my surroundings, I suddenly felt a squeeze upon my right hand. Looking down upon said hand, I saw another hand as clasped in mine. Looking up the delicate and gentle hand, I found it was connected to a nice looking arm, thin but not without muscle. The arm was connected to the body of a nice looking young woman and finally upon the body sat the most beautiful head I have ever seen. Nice blond and straight hair framed an angelic and naturally breathtakingly elegant face. Naminé.

"You are right our hearts are connected." She said with tears in her freshly opened blue eyes.

I stood there, well more like floated there, trying to process all the information that were rushing to me and competed for my attention with everything that had already been forced into my poor brain.

The information that she stood right there before me obviously and easily won that contest, as it should be and thus forced me to concentrate solely on her. Naminé.

Suddenly my body moved, without much thinking, and the next thing I knew I embraced her. I pulled her in a very tight hug, just enjoying the feeling of her body against mine. We stood (floated) there for what felt like forever, just enjoying that we were finally able to touch each other in what felt like forever. There was this feeling inside me like I was flowing over with happiness. After some moments, when I had finally calmed my raging emotions and my overflowing mind and entered a state of tranquility and peace, I realized the beating between us. It were our hearts. We had hearts, we finally had gained hearts of our own. And they were beating in sync.

Naminé looked up to me with her head still tightly pressed against my chest and smiled dazzlingly, while tears trickled down her cheeks and there were still more slipping from her eyes when she said: "You´re back Roxas … and finally you have a heart of your own." The smile she gave me was reserved for me alone and thus all the more warming and welcoming for my tormented soul. It just drew me in.

"So are you and have you noticed you have a heart too. By the way, why are they beating synchronic?" I managed to say through the grin that split my face.

"Don´t know, but how could I not notice something like that?" Her grin matched mine, but then it softened till it nearly disappeared. "Have you been through the station of awakening too? Did you meet DiZ? And did he explain to you how this could happen? I mean us and …" I silenced her by placing my finger on her soft and delicate lips.

"Yeah, I´ve been through the same. And yes I managed to refrain from hurting him … too much" I laughed at my own joke, but at her disapproving look I sobered up quickly and then shook my head while stepping back. I held my hands up as a sign of peace and an unarming and sincere smile on my face. "Just kidding. I didn't touch a hair on his slowly graying head. I listened to his whole explanation, or at least as much as he could give in the short time he had. Thus I now have quite a good idea how this could happen, but right now I don´t really care. I´m just glad that I´m finally able to see you again."

When I looked in her eyes I could see an expression that must have matched mine – pure passion for life. Simply being alive, truly alive as our very own persons for the first time in ever, was worth so much for the two of us. It gave us the freedom to live out our own lives in every way we wanted. In that single moment, we were more wealthy than the richest king. How something so … simple as having a heart could make one so happy is something no one besides those who went through the same thing we did could ever understand.

A person who never had a single thing in their life truly had different values than someone who had the world laid down at their feet at birth. It was mesmerizing and enlightening to finally understand this.

I leaned to her again and hugged her once more. She smiled up at me and I smiled down at her "Thank you Naminé … for everything you have done for me. You were the light in my darkness when no one else stood beside me. You were my anchor … and the one truth I could always rely on. Thank you."

If possible her smile brightened even more, till it was quite literally lighting up the small space we were in. "It was nothing Roxas. I … from the first time I saw you I just felt … connected to you and when I saw you struggling with everything I just had to reach out to you. My heart was telling me to do so." Her smile softened and then she leaned back a bit but kept a tight hold on my arms.

I leaned back too but held on to her small frame. "Still, thank you, Nam."

Her smile turned teasing at that moment. "So if you call me 'Nam' then I should be allowed to call you 'Rox' right?"

I laughed out loud at that seemingly innocent question. It felt so good to finally laugh freely again. "Do as you want … Nam." The small giggle that escaped her made butterflies run wild in my stomach. If that was what having a heart was like then I sure could get used to it. "Now how about we figure out how to get out of here?"

She let go of my right hand and turned halfway away from me, but she still kept a strong grip on my left one. With her free hand, she touched a certain point on the petal-like steel plates that surrounded us. She looked at me from the corner of her eyes and a smile tugged at her lips. "Certainly."

With a flash, the petal blossomed and the steel plates broke open to show a white room to the both of us. Slowly we floated down till our feet finally touched the ground in front of the blooming flower that had held us until now. "Well, thank you, my lady, for clearing the way," I said this while stretching my stiff muscles. Finally, after stretching my arms and back, I took a few cautious steps forward. After three steps with each of my feet, I felt sure enough that my new body wouldn't suddenly give out on me and thus turned back to Nam.

She too had taken a few tentatively steps and was now walking around the far reaches of the room to try to get the hang of moving again. While walking she was also moving her arms around, alternating between swinging and stretching them. After a full round, she came to stand before me and smiled at me. "Well feels good to be back but what now?"

With a poised smile, I held out my hands in front of me. With a tiny exertion of my will and twin flashes of black and white Dusk's Guardian and Light's Burden appeared to be grasped be me. "Now we see how well we can handle things. Best to do before we step out into a most likely dangerous world."

Nam only shook her head but with a smile still playing on her pretty face. She held her right hand up the same way I had done seconds ago and in a flash of light blue a Keyblade appeared in her hand. For just a second it looked like a flowery-Keyblade and then the strangest thing happened and it switched through four or five different shapes till it was illuminated with a blue light again. When the blue light vanished again the Keyblade finally had a distinct form, though it still was hard to see since parts of it were still illuminated by the light blue light. When finally the light dimmed enough to recognize its full shape I realized that this Keyblade was truly a sight to behold.

The design of the Keyblade followed a water based theme by being reminiscent of cresting waves, both along the shaft and at the teeth. The teeth itself looked like breaking waves with a deep blue color fading into a white spray. At the top of the shaft within a white circle sat a sigil that looked like a dark blue, six-pointed star, surrounded by a cresting wave.

The hand guard was shaped like a teardrop and the color theme was a rich red on the right stalk and a deep purple on the left one. At the top and the bottom of the guard the color faded out into black and white respectively. The white top of the hand guard was decorated by three diamonds (red, purple and white respectively); one at the base of the blade, and two on either side of it. The handle was colored like a perfect rainbow and its shape was thin, straight, and thus perfectly molded to be held by one of Naminé's delicate hands.

The keychain links looked like black colored water droplets. The keychain itself looked like a white flower superimposed over a black four-pointed star … when I looked at it for long enough I could just barely see that it resembled the cross that adorned my zipper and appeared all over my Keyblades.

She smiled down at her new Keyblade for a second and then she looked at me with the smile still playing on her face. "Well since it finally settled on a form let me introduce you to Charm Breaker."

I smiled back at her with just as much enthusiasm. "It's a lovely Keyblade and quite strong from what I can tell … … … Now let's see how you handle yourself with it!" My smile turned teasing and confident when I let my white blade vanish and waved for her to come at me.

She looked at me a bit nervously but quickly she steeled her expression and her posture. "Fine … but don't go too overboard, please. After all, I'm new to this."

My smile turned to a more caring one. "Right, sorry for rushing you into this, but sadly once we step out of here the Heartless probably won't stop pestering us for a while so I need you to be prepared. But we will start it slowly. Now from what I can tell you probably won't be a heavy hitter and it doesn't seem like you will rely on outright blocking enemy attacks. I think you will more likely rely on quick slashes and stabs. For defense, I would recommend either averting attacks or to outright dodge them."

Nam nodded at me to go on to show me she had followed thus far. "Well for starters we will start with the right grip. For a fighting style like you will probably have it would be best to have a flexible grip that allows you to easily switch your hold and thus allow yourself a very flexible way of attacking. Now that doesn't mean you won't have to hold on tightly to your Keyblade because you NEED a strong grip otherwise your Keyblade will be forced out of your hand the moment you meet resistance. Now try to find a good grip."

Nam stood there and gazed intently at the Keyblade in her hand while she held the Keyblade tighter or looser in different ways. When she finally settled on a hold I could already tell that she had understood the whole concept easily. Her grip was perfect and I told her just that.

"Nicely done Nam. Now the next step would be to try out a few swings and steps. Get a feel what you are comfortable with. Now try." I gifted her with a proud and encouraging smile and she smiled right back at me. She quickly snapped back to attention and did her next exercise.

A few minutes and a lot of different slashes, stabs and some other attack patterns, including but not limited to a few aerial attacks and thrusts to mix things up. When I thought she had the basics down I held my free hand up to make her stop. She did just that and looked at me expectantly.

"That was good for a first try. Over time you will become more fluent with what you are comfortable with and you will learn new maneuvers too. Just by watching others and trying a few things out. The best advice I can give you for different attack styles is to sometimes try out new and unconventional things BUT only as long as you feel comfortable with them. Your Keyblade will grant you with an innate ability and sense for fighting. Trust that sense and don't fight it. Then you will have an easy time in the future."

Nam was a bit out of breath which just proved to me that fighting head on and the only physically wasn't her realm. When she had recovered her breath and smiled at me. "Well, I will have to take your word for it. Now do we move out or what?"

I smiled at her impatience to get out of here, though I could easily understand it since I was just as uncomfortable in that room. It held too many bad memories. "No, not yet Nam. Before we move out there are still a few more things to try. But we will move right on. Magic it is."

Nam looked surprised for a moment but then she shook her head and smiled at me. "Well, I will have an easier time with that. Back then I had already tried my hand at magic. From what Riku and Axel had said I wasn't bad either."

I was quite surprised but then I remembered that there are still quite a few things I didn't know about her. Well, just more things I intended to learn about her. I wanted to get to know her. "That's good then, now how about we start with a few offensive spells then? Start whenever you are ready."

She nodded then closed her eyes obviously to focus. After about one second she held up her free hand and calmly said "Aqua Eructo." The effect was immediate. A monstrous stream of water shot out of her hand. From the looks of it being hit with that would equal being hit by a brick wall.

The trumpet of water hit the wall at same time Nam stopped casting. The rest of the conjured water splashed harmlessly against the wall. I, however, was more focused on the point where the spell had connected with the wall. There was a noticeable crack in the wall. I stood with my mouth open for a few moments longer but then I quickly snapped back to attention and gave Nam a thumbs up and a blinding smile. "That was great Nam. Impressive."

She smiled and blushed a bit. "Really?"

If possible my smile stretched even wider. "Really! I mean you casted that spell without even using your Keyblade and still did a lot of damage. That's something most Keyblade wielders would never be able to pull off."

She scrunched up her face into a cute look of confusion. "What do you mean 'without my Keyblade'?"

My face morphed into one of understanding and hidden amusement. "Well did you ever notice that most Keyblade Wielders only ever cast through their Keyblades? That stems from the Keyblade's ability to help you cast magic. The same way it enhances your abilities in battle I also aid you to cast spells. For one, you can easier learn spells and for another, it helps in casting them faster and stronger."

Nam's face displayed wonder and eagerness. "Well now that you say it … Let me try." She whipped out her Keyblade in front of her, but I quickly stepped in front of it and held my hands up. She pouted at me but put her Keyblade down none the less. It vanished in a light blue light again. "Why don't you let me try?"

"Well, you nearly punched a whole through the wall by only using your bare hands. I might be the tiniest bit scared that you would bring down the whole wall and probably the whole mansion on our heads. Once we get outside and meet a few heartless you can try it out as much as you want."

Nam pouted for a second longer but then it morphed into acceptance. "Right. Be responsible and so on. Now, what else?"

I smiled at her eagerness. "Well, just a few more things to go over. You got a hang of magic quickly so we will get right into the more advanced stuff. What do you have for variety in casting?"

She scrunched up her face again this time while thinking about the spells she knew. It must have been quite a few since it took nearly a full minute for her to recall all of them. During the next ten minutes, I felt like I had just been returned to the school bench (even if I had never been there before but Sora had). Nam talked about her list of spells which numbered somewhere around forty or fifty. She then went on to talk about the principles of magic, casting and how to learn or create new spells.

I was floored and completely out of my depth. Even if she was completely new at wielding a Keyblade her knowledge of magic already and quite easily I might add dwarfed mine by a landslide. I held my hand up to beckon her to stop just as she was explaining about internal and external sources of magical energy. She looked up confused for a moment but upon seeing my face she chuckled. "Sorry did I loose you?"

I chuckled too for the situation truly was interesting now. "Yeah somewhere between Firaga and whatever came after that."

My try at making good humor of the situation was rewarded with a soft smile. "Well, in short, I have quite the variety of spells and know a lot about magical theory."

I had to laugh at her watered down version. My face settled into a small smile. "That will have to do for now. You will pick up more spells in time … and maybe we can find a few books for you too. Oh and just so you know it I can't use magic anymore. That's—"

Wait, what!? What do you mean by that?"

I smiled ruefully. "Well in exchange for being granted the ability to wield two Keyblades for an indefinite time I had to give up another power. Something about not gaining something without first giving up something of equal value. I think it was called the principle of equivalent exchange."

Her mouth made a perfect 'O'-shape. "Well, that explains it … I think. Okay, go on."

"Right. Well, the last thing we have to cover is called Skills. There are three kinds. At least I was told so. Active skills, passive skills, and sword skills. Active skills are abilities that allow you to perform things you normally wouldn't be able to do. A good example is Sora's Quick Run ability or the always convenient Dodge Roll. Following me so far?" Nam nodded and to see she understood she performed a perfectly executed Dodge Roll. "Nicely done Nam. Okay next would be passive skills. Those are the hardest ones to acquire and sometimes you won't even notice you have them because they are already very deeply ingrained into your being. For me, that would be the scan ability or the ability to access Limit Break. For you, I would guess that you already have some magic related abilities like Magic Bracer or Magic Finale. You will learn those through fighting as well."

Nam nodded along with my explanation to show me she understood and that she followed me so far. For the next part, I stepped back a bit and gripped my Keyblade tightly. "Lastly are sword skills, which I think you will use the least. Those are practically sword arts performed with your Keyblade combined with your inner energy. As an example, I can only show you this … everything else would be too destructive."

I held Dusk's Guardian tightly in my left hand pointed to the roof of the room. I closed my eyes for just a second and when I opened them again my Keyblade was suddenly surrounded by an aura of pure light. Its length at least tripled till it was nearly twice as big as I was. The light pulsated with power and a noticeable hum came from the compressed energy that made up the aura. With a quick slash, I moved the Keyblade to my left till it was pointing to the ground directly left of me. The aura had faded out, but not soon enough. From the roof to the wall and finally the ground a deep gash marked the path my Keyblade had taken.

Nam's eyes were wide open either in fright or amazement I could not tell. I looked at her with solemn eyes and a blank face. "That was part of my Limit Break back then now I managed to build it up as one of my sword skills. I call it Dawnbringer and right now it is probably my most powerful weapon."

Nam nodded at me and then something obviously occurred to her. "You mentioned it twice now but I don't know what you mean. What is a Limit Break?"

My facial expression turned to pain. "Nothing you will ever use!" My outburst must have frightened Nam for she stepped back half a step. I quickly got my inner turmoil under control and faced her again with a much calmer expression. "Sorry, it's just that Limit Breaks literally tear through the Limits put upon a human body to the point where you can literally perform inhuman feats. Magic and bodily powers alike I may ad. But it comes with a terrible prize. Those limitations are put upon us for a reason, breaking them is literally breaking your body apart to the point where you are left nearly crippled afterward. Overuse would probably lead to permanent damage. That's why I won't teach you how to use them and actually ask you not to use them if you ever figure out a way to do so. Please, Nam. I don't want to lose you."

My words were only the honest truth and my plea came directly from my heart. However, Nam's expression showed no acceptance rather it was the expression of someone willing to fight. That was why her words at first confused me. "I will promise you that … however only if you promise the very same to me. I don't want to lose you either Rox. You are all I ever really had. The only person that truly cared for me for … me. So please promise me that too."

I was undecided for just a second. The ability to use a Limit Break had always been a last resort but it was also a necessary evil. Without it I … no, WE would probably not be able to get out of a pinch … but then I realized why that would be no problem. I said it myself. It was no longer 'I'. No, rather it was now a 'WE'. We were together now and would hopefully remain that way for a long time to come. At least if I was asked. Fine in that case …

"On my honor, as a Keyblade Wielder and to the one person I will never lie to I solemnly promise to never use the ability called Limit Break ever again."

I held my Keyblade in front of me and with a smile, Nam summoned hers back. This time it came as fast as it should have. With an even brighter smile, Nam touched the tip of her Keyblade to the tip of mine. A faint sound of a ringing bell could be heard when the Keyblades touched. "And on my honor as a Keyblade Wielder and to the person I never have and never will lie to I promise to do the same." A small light could be seen where our Keyblades touched but not for long because a second later both of our Keyblades vanished.

With a smile on my face and my hands held out to my sides I asked Nam a question that I would be asking her for a long time to come. "Happy?"

With an even bigger smile that literally was about to tear her face apart, she stepped forward till she stood between my outstretched arms and put her arms around me. My arms responded in kind and for a few minutes, we just stood there embracing each other. After a while everything else became unimportant and I found all of my attention held by the girl that held me in her arms. I could feel her heart and my heart beating in synchronicity again. I felt even happier now.

After what was probably five minutes or so I reluctantly let go of her and stepped back. She did too but with reflexes, she probably didn't has until a short while ago she gripped my hand and stood sideways beside me. Both of us were now facing the exit of the room. "Ready? Once we pass this door there will probably no turning back and the Heartless will be on our heels for a long time. Are you truly ready for this Nam?" I asked this with as much solemnity as possible for the rest of her life would probably be shaped by her answer.

She pondered her answer for a second but then she smiled first at our clasped hands and then her look wandered up to my face. "I myself would not be ready … but with you by my side, there's nothing I can't do. I can't do it … but WE can. Right Rox? Now no more dillydallying! Let's go!"

Her smile and enthusiasm were infectious and with a smile of my own I tugged her forward to the door that immediately slipped open for us. A door to whole new adventure. A door to our future.

AN: Well another thrown in chapter to get a better standing at the beginning and some explanations of the basics that will stand true for the rest of the story, before we get into the storyline and the plot kicks in

Wouldn't want to confuse you later on with some spells or abilities that are based on the principles mentioned in this chapter.

Also a lot of fluff which is quite hard to write for a guy like me. Thankfully my beautiful co-author and wife lent me a hand here and there. Hope you enjoyed the fluff and the background information I presented to you.

This was the last chapter like that I swear. From the next chapter onwards we will focus mainly on the plot. Only here and there some explanatory stuff will come up. If I find something that I want to explain but don't find a place in the story I will explain it in the author notes. So keep your eyes open for them from now on.

Well as I said at the beginning, I hope you like the chapter and might deem it worthy enough to get a review. Stay tuned, have a nice week and till next time dear readers. See you.