Chapter 3

Those eyes; Sora would never forget those icy blue eyes as long as he would live. They were ocean blue, like his, but frozen solid with hatred – and something else Sora couldn't quite put his finger on. They kept staring at him, unblinking, waiting. The most astonishing thing was the they was in fact a girl. And this girl was the identical match of the boy whose throat was at the mercy of her staff.

"Well Sora? I've been waiting for this moment for a long time." Those eyes kept staring at Sora, still unblinking, still waiting, while their owner chuckled eerily. "I suppose you're wondering who I am? Well, at least you have one clue: it is like looking in a mirror, no?"

Sora, still in a paralyzing shock, could only stare with his mouth slightly gaping. Who is this girl? he thought. Why does she look like me? She couldn't be related to me - I was an only child. She must be some trick of Organization XIII to deceive me! While Sora was battling his own thoughts, he missed the looks of bewildered acknowledgement between Donald and Goofy.

"Well, what have you to say for yourself? Or have you forgotten already? No, wait. Are you going to deny even my existence? I will never forgive you for what you have already done to me." She narrowed her eyes at Sora.

Finally, Sora seemed to wake up from his trance. "Who ARE you? I've never seen you before in my entire life! You're probably just some Nobody whom the organization made to look like me – except for the gender malfunction, of course." All at once Sora's battle instincts woke up: he leaned back and knocked the staff away from him using his Keyblade. The girl didn't seem fazed at all as Sora leaped back to join his friends. The tension in the air was thick; Sora and the girl stared each other down, trying to predict their opponent's next move.

"Well, we would fancy staying and watching the rest of this reunion, but other matters are pressing. Do with him what you want, but keep him alive," instructed the leader of Organization XIII. The seven individuals in black disappeared into the darkness as if they had never existed. The stand off continued between the two, until the girl began to smile.

"What?" Sora demanded.

"I'd always imagined our first meeting being a little different. From the time that I learned of your existence, it was always my hope to see you in person. However, now I feel quite different; right now, I want to make sure you suffer for the pain I have had to endure."

"What pain?! What suffering?! I don't even know who you are, much less even what you are." Sora was still doing battle in his mind with irrational thoughts that kept popping out at him.

"Well then. Maybe you should ask Donald or Goofy to enlighten you?" the girl said with a glare. The girl's black robes billowed slightly in the wind, her staff still pointing with deadly accuracy at Sora's chest.

Sora turned slightly, not letting the girl out of his sight. Donald and Goofy had been staring along with him, but when he turned they would not meet his eyes. They stared at the ground, Goofy trying to hide behind his shield and Donald polishing his staff with his shirt. "Well guys, it seems that she—or it—knows you. So who is she?"

Donald shifted uneasily on his feet. "Well, we weren't supposed to say anything about it. The King has ordered that no one speak of it," he said more to the air than to Sora.

"But Donald, he's gonna know soon enough anyway, why not just tell him now?" Goofy said, looking beseechingly at Donald. "Even though the King said –"

"I know what the King said about it – don't lecture me," Donald snapped back at Goofy.

"Guys – what's going on? What aren't you allowed to tell me?" Sora couldn't believe how his friends were acting; what could be so important that both Goofy and Donald were actually being serious for once?

"Hmm, so that's the policy about it? I wondered what that absurd little mouse had done about it," the girl replied. "It seems I created more of an uproar than I had ever imagined. Maybe I should defect more often," the girl laughed maniacally. "Even so, it is time we continued with this match. Or are you too afraid to fight me?"

Sora slowly turned back towards the girl. "I may not know the whole story, or what is going on between you and my friends, but I do know one thing: you are evil, and so must be stopped along with the rest of Organization XIII!" Sora's Keyblade began to pulsate, a forewarning to his opponent of his intent.

"Don't make me laugh, little one."

"You're the same height as me!" Sora retorted.

"I suppose; but the similarities between us end with our physical attributes!" She lunged toward Sora again, with that same incredible speed. However, this time Sora was ready. He shifted his Keyblade into a defensive position and effectively blocked her first attack. They grappled for a moment, before Sora broke free and swung his Keyblade in a downwards thrust. The girl used her staff to roll the Keyblade to the side, and sprang into Sora's open spot. However, a round shield was forced towards her and her staff hit it and rang out like a tuning fork.

"Out of my way, dog," said the girl menacingly.

"No! I won't sit around and watch you two duke it out! I hate fighting you, but if you insist on threatening Sora, then I will!" Goofy, for once, stood up to his full height and looked like the knight he was supposed to be.

"Me too! I don't care what the King decreed; if you want a fight, you'll get one!" Donald also took a defensive stance next to Goofy, both in front of a bewildered Sora.

"Guys…." Suddenly a bright light illuminated the entire area. Every shadow disappeared and a low chanting could be heard.

"Ahh – what is this light! You'll pay for this, all of you! Especially you, Sora – I'll get you yet!" The girl, shielding her face with her hands, disappeared into the same darkness into which the Organization had previously utilized.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy were still shielding their faces when the light began to diminish. The bailey once again took on its dark and foreboding appearance. To their surprise, they saw Leon running towards them, with Merlin hot on his trail.

"Sora, Donald, Goofy! Are you all right?" Leon's normally stoic face was now creased in thought and his sharp tone of voice betrayed his uneasiness. Merlin huffed and puffed a quick "Hello," all the while checking the trio to make sure there was no serious damage. "I ran back for help as soon as the Organization appeared, but it seems like you dealt with them quite efficiently."

"Leon, Merlin, we're fine. But," Sora looked at them questioningly, "I believe I have missed something, something that Donald and Goofy will not tell me. What is the connection that I have with that girl?" Leon, Merlin, Goofy, and Donald all looked incredulously at Sora; he knew that they were keeping something from him, and with that look he knew that his inference about the relationship between him and the mysterious girl was valid.

"Hmm, I believe he is now ready to know, Leon," Merlin said quietly.

"Sora, are you sure? We don't want to burden you with this knowledge, and make you feel obligated towards it," Leon pointed out.

"Well, as Goofy said before I would probably have learned about it sooner or later. Why not make it sooner?" Sora smiled towards them.

He's going to make this hard, Leon thought. "Alright, but let's go back to Merlin's house where we can speak in private. Aerith, Yuffie, and Cid will want to be in on this conversation as well." Leon turned and began walking back down the stairs. Merlin, Donald, and Goofy followed him slowly. Sora paused, surveying the sight of his latest battle.

Who is she?, he thought to himself. He wanted to know, but a part of him was afraid of what the truth could possibly be.