Yes, chapter 4 is up! And I'm done playing cupid now, so you just have to wait and see what pairings appear. They're all FF characters, but not all KH ones. Stay tuned for more! And no, you cant find out Even's job just yet ^_^.

It was Aeleus who awoke early the next morning, and, not being a morning person, he went downstairs for a mug of coffee. Surprisingly, the smell of bacon was coming from the kitchen, so it seemed that Dilan was concious again.

"Awake early I see."

"With all the extra sleep I got yesterday, It's not really that surprising."

"You would goad him." Aeeus poured the coffee, proffering the pot to Dilan.

"I've already had two cups. Better not." He lightly flipped the bacon.

"Isn't that pancakes?" Aeleus noted with his usual economy of word.

"It works when you're frying bacon too. As long as you're wearing a shirt." The both silently pondered the perils of bacon fat, until they heard footsteps. They looked up as Saix walked in.

"Saix. You're up bright and early as well I see."

"I'd hoped to get coffee and breakfast before some of the others came down." Both of them nodded in appreciation.

"How do you like your bacon?"

"Crispy. It should be snappable." Saix responded promptly, before pouring himself a coffee.

"So, Saix... how are things holding up with you in the new regime?"

"Regime? Circus more like. And I think Xemnas went into shock over his lack of power." Saix snapped at them, partly out of annoyance, and partly due to need of coffee. "Judging by how long they take to get ready though, we have some time before the peace is shattered."

"Hmm... Ironic, really, that Elenar is one of the quickest to be ready."

"Of course. It gives her more time to inflict misery upon others." Aeleus sipped his ocffee.

"Do you ever consider, Saix, that she's a lot less of a monster than most imply?"

"It's quite possible Aeleus, though she does little to prove us otherwise." Dilan took that moment to provide edible relief.

"Dig in. I'll have to make more later at any rate."

"I don't see why. If the others can't drag themselves down soon enough to eat, it's their own faults."

Dilan couldn't help but laugh. "And have them all dying of food poisoning on my conscience? Can you imagine Lea cooking?" The others two joined in the laughter.

"I think the castle itself would be the first casualty there. I doubt Kale would be best pleased." Aeleus paused. "Odd. Speaking of Kale, he's usually up by now..." Dilan Shrugged.

"Probably working on his next half-baked scheme. He's as bad as Even."

"No-one can be as bad as Even."

"Saix is right. Even when we were apprentices, he was terrible for it." There was the usual ominous crash from upstairs.

"Oh, joy."

Kale actually joined everyone some time after breakfast, and Ienzo noticed how tired he looked.

"A... tricky situation has come up. Only a couple of you can actually safely deal with this..."

"Stop stalling and get to the point?" Saix was still irritable, despite the coffee.

"Well, there's been an outbreak in..."

"Yes?"

"...The destiny islands..." Comprehension slowly dawned on their faces.

"Sora."

"Correct. Which is why only those of you who died at castle Oblivion can go."

"I have one question."

"Lumaria?"

"Can't Sora and his friends handle it themselves?"

"...Possibly..." Lumaria looked at him.

"Just how bad is this outbreak?"

"Well..."

"Kale..."

"Remember the battle at Hollow Bastion?" Some of them nodded. "About that bad." Xemnas actually visibly paled.

"But... there were thousands of heartless there..."

"Exactly. So, shall we be heading off?"

"Wait, what about the rest of us?"

"I was hoping that you could maybe attack the hearltess as well, just quite away from Sora and his friends. Hopefully, it should at least draw some of the heartless away from the rest of us."

"And you?"

"I'll be joining you. Even you guys need a healer sometimes." He smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "And this should help increase our standing with Sora above 'attack on sight'. Anyway, let's get moving." Some of the members exchanged glances. Kale wasn't one known for being worried. Although Ienzo knew better.

The battle was already very much underway when they reached the Destiny Islands. Sora, Riku and Kairi were all already fighting, though it seemed to be a losing battle. "It's up to you guys then."

Kale ran over to Sora. "Cure!"

"Impetuous fool."

"Strange. You're the last person I expected to be critisizing him, Ienzo."

"He works himself far too hard. If I'm any judge, he's been working on reviving Roxas all night. See how haggard he looks Lumaria?"

"Now that you mention it..."

"Indeed. So let's get this over with and get back to the castle. And tonight, he's getting some sleep even if I have to knock him out first." Elenar had stopped listening, and was busy exterminating heartless, along with Aeleus.

"Shall we join them then? Blizzard!" Even's spell impacted and shattered, banishing three heartless. A swing of Lumaria's scythe felled four. "Still better than you." Even just ignored him.

"Emyd, I said we should have stayed with the others!" Emyd and Lea had become separated from the rest of the main group, but thankfully had encountered relatively few heartless.

"But, we didn't leave them. We got split up..." Lea sighed in exasperation.

"I never said it was your fault."

"Yeah, but you implied it."

"Do you even know what implied means?"

"Why are you always so mean to me?"

"Becasue, Emyd, you make it so easy." Lea turned around, and saw Braig in the distance. "Hey, look, it's the others!" He turned back. Emyd had vanished.

"What do you mean Emyd's missing? Of all the people!"

"Well Kale, one might think you're worried."

"Worried? Of course I'm bloody worried, Ienzo! This is Emyd! Possibly the most incompetent fighter ever!"

"Calm down. Destroying my eardrums won't solve anything."

"What's wrong?" Kairi had overheard, and had come over out of curiousity.

"Uh, one of our friends has gone missing."

"Kale, have you tried contacting him?"

"No, Ienzo, it completley slipped my mind. Of course I bloody have! There's no response."

"Do you know where he was last?"

"Roughly Kairi. Can you guys cope here? I'm going to go look for him."

"I think not." Ienzo dealt a swift blow to his head with his Lexicon. "Even, can you take him back to the castle? Good. I'll go look for Emyd." He strode off, leaving an unconcious Kale with Even.

"That was harsh."

"Says you Elenar?"

"Don't make me prove you right Even."

Emyd, on the other hand, was running. A singularly nasty heartless was chasing him, and didn't seem to have any intention of stopping. He'd ducked into one of the forests surrounding the isles, in the hope of evading pursuit, though it had proven fruitless. He ran, on and on, never daring to turn around, always knowing from its footsteps that it still followed. His path took him to a small clearing, devoid of an exit. He braced himself, expecting the end.

"Water Rondo!"

Ienzo found Lea at the edge of the forest.

"This is where I last saw him... I only turned around for a second, and he vanished!"

"The important thing now is finding him, not placing blame." He stopped. "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, it sounded kind of like a roar..." They yelled in unison.

"Emyd!" The two ran as fast as they could towards the sound, each praying they weren't too late.

"This... This is... all your... fault Lea!"

"I thought you weren't placing blame?"

"Not... for losing... him. For... making me... run!"

"Well, it's not my fault you're so unfit. Got it memorized?"

"So help... me Lea, this... is not... the... time." Another roar, but slightly higher in pitch this time. Ienzo was good at working things out.

"It seems... someone... is fighting.... back."

"Can we slow down then?"

"Emyd... won't exactly... last long. So... no." A third roar, this time in audible pain.

"Sounds like he's doing okay to me."

"Then... he probably... has... help..."

"So can we slow down now?"

"No. We... need it... to be... alive.... so we... can find... him." The creature let loose a fourth roar, falling to the ground as the two reached they clearing.

"Wow, Emyd has a friend. A hot friend!"

"Lea, that pun... was terrible."

"Uh, what hit me?"

"Ah, you're awake. The answer to that would be Ienzo."

"Ienzo...? What did – Ugh!" Kale clutched his head. Even gently pushed him back down.

"Easy there. Ienzo apparently thinks you're overworking yourself, and demanded, rather forcibly as you probably gathered, that you had a rest, and left the search to him." Kale shot up, and immediately regretted it.

"Did they find Emyd?"

"Indeed. And apparently he's found himself a new friend."

"Oh Gods. I'm slightly worried by this..."

"Why ever would that be?"

"Can you imagine what kind of person we must be dealing with? Another Emyd?" They both shuddered at the thought.

"Kingdom Hearts help us."

"I'll second that Even, I'll second that. Oh, and about that job I mentioned..."

"Ah. Yes..."

Woo! Obscure cliffhangers! Who could Emyd's mystery rescuer be? Why am I asking myself questions? Yes, I know this is short, but I wanted something up before christmas. Cutting it close I know, but I'm away until new year after tommorow, and I didn't want to leave you all unloved ^_^.

And then we're moving house... But I'll try and get the next chapter up by the end of January. Oh, and in other news, there's a chance I may be able to recover the files to Shake it up after all. I'll find out over christmas, but try not to get your hopes up too much... Cheerio!