Wow, this story seems to get longer each chapter... I thought the first chapter was short. Anyway, let's see if this chapter will measure up to your standards.

To my reviewers:
The Elven-Spear: I still haven't figured out whether or not your review was a compliment or an insult, or just an emotionless exclaimation. But hey, you reviewed. Thanks for it mate.
littlehomiieex3: Thanks for sticking to Chapter 2. Here's Chapter 4. As for whether it's Sephiroth... I guess you'll just have to see, won't you?
bailkatanas: Wow, thanks. That was one big compliment you paid me. Here's Chapter 4, as a way of saying thanks!
tenisdesi91: They do, don't they? Well, this solves your problems for now, don't they? Hope you enjoy it!

As the explosion of BlackWarGreymon and Sora's contact rocked the eardrums of the anxiously waiting spectators, Kairi watched the scene from far away, through a glass pane that opened back onto their world. In fact, from her perspective, she was looking onto the battle from the very top, almost from Merlin's own room. She kept half expecting to turn around and see the warm comfortable fire of her mentor's conjuring.

She heard a door close behind her, and whirled around. Crimson beams of light shone from her clenched fist and True Heart materialized as she settled into her stance, legs spread wide but bent together at the knees, her red keyblade pointed at the neck of the tall black-cloaked figure that was now facing her.

"Get the hell away from me." Her words were dangerous, her voice low and menacing, her eyes flashing.

To her surprise, the figure did just that. In fact, it sat down, and threw back the hood to reveal a male face lined with fatigue. Then, the man smiled, and the years went away.

"Strong language, ain't it? You're a bit young to be talkin' like that, Kairi."

Kairi nearly dropped True Heart in surprise. Her resolve wavered, and True Heart shimmered slightly. "Ho- How did you… Wha…?"

The man laughed. "Sorry if I scared you crazy. I didn't mean to carry you away like that. But it was the only way I could get you away from Sora and Riku."

Kairi still felt ill at ease. Coupled that with the furious yearning to know what had happened to Sora after his clash with BlackWarGreymon and she thought it was a wonder her head didn't explode. However, there was a strange feeling inside, one that said, no, insisted on her trusting this strange man who had spirited her away.

The man glanced at her face, then his eyes flitted to the window that overlooked the battlefield. A small smile flitted across his face. "Worried 'bout him, are ya?"

Kairi gave a nervous start, True Heart clanging on the floor as she released her grasp on the crimson keyblade. Her cerulean eyes were caught by his silver ones, which refused to let her go, forcing her to explore their shining depths. Stammering, she managed to say, "What are you talking about?"

The man chuckled. "You know what I'm talking 'bout, Kairi. You know more than you think you do, and more than maybe even me." He sat up straighter. "Sora. You're worried 'bout him, ain'tcha?"

Kairi's face turned the same shade as her hair, but she defiantly looked him in the eye. "So what if I am? How do you know the three of us anyway?!"

The man leant back on the chair he had slumped into with a sigh, gazing up at the ceiling of the room they were in. Kairi's eyes followed his, and together they gazed at the ceiling, memories flooding both of them.

The ceiling itself was odd, with a silvery sheen that Kairi couldn't place. It seemed to flicker, than darkened. Kairi drew in an involuntary breath, then her eyes widened as the contents of the ceiling started to swirl and distort. As they did, she found her mind being drawn inexorably towards Sora. How as he faring? The catastrophic explosion that had occurred when he and BlackWarGreymon had collided, had he survived? No… he had survived, she was sure of it. Something about him lingered always with her, as something of her had always stayed with him. That was how he had always managed to find her, and how she always knew he was safe. She had given her heart to him after all, it was only naturally this bond should exist. But she was still afraid…

As the thoughts whirled in her head, she suddenly noticed that the ceiling had changed. Thinking of Sora brought on a deep red tinge, and Riku brought a strange mix of black and white, something that wasn't quite grey, yet wasn't quite separate. She hesitated a bit, then thought of the man sitting opposite her, lost in thought as he gazed at the everchanging ceiling. Immediately, the color lightened into a brilliant white, so bright it almost hurt to look at it. She chanced a glance at the man, and was startled when he kept gazing at the ceiling, uncaring of the brilliance. It was then that something wild occurred to her: He couldn't see the colour changes! But on reflection, she thought it wasn't so strange after all, how could a ceiling mirror her thoughts anyway?

After what seemed like an eternity, the mysterious man stirred. His silver eyes flashed across the room, capturing Kairi in their depths again. She gulped, but he just smiled. "So, made up your mind yet?"

Kairi slumped down into the floor, True Heart vanishing with a slight reassuring whisp of air. "About?" she asked wearily.

"Whether or not you should trust me." He said it without anger, without haste, just a simple statement.

Kairi shook her head, vermillion strands flittering over her face. "I don't know… I don't know what to do…" She held her face in her hands, and a single tear rolled down across her cheek.

"My name is Kurai. Kurai Tenshi."

The proclamation startled her, but then everything about this man surprised her. She glanced up, rubbing determinedly at one eye that still threatened tears. "…What?"

He held his hands palm up to the sides, in a 'whatever' gesture. "Didn't you say you wanna know who I am? That's your answer."

Suddenly, a small detail flashed into Kairi's mind. Black wings… She chanced a quick glance at the man, but there was no hint of the black feathers. Strange… she thought.

But Kurai caught even that small gesture and shrugged. Standing up, immense black wings sprouted from his shoulder blades, stretching from one end of the room to the other. The dark hue was almost identical to Sephiroth's own single wing, but this was darker, if it even could be. It wasn't so much black as an absence of colour; if not for the slight highlights where one feather ended and the other began, she would've thought there was a black spot in her vision where the wings were.

Kairi backed up until her back was touching the wall, True Heart materializing in her hand again as she trembled, both out of fear and the strange certainty that this adventure was going to make her last one seem like a walk through Destiny Islands. "Kurai Tenshi…" she muttered. "Black Angel…, Dark Angel…" ­­

With a snap of Kurai's fingers, the wings disappeared, leaving behind only a few feathers that floated gently to the ground, which they seemed to melt into­. He sat back down, smirking. "So, did that make you revoke your vote of trust?"

Kairi got up shakily, her legs aching. True Heart was wobbling slightly in her grasp, her mind screaming for Sora. She could do nothing but stare numbly at the man who sat before her.

'Sora!'

"Kairi!"

Sora jerked up from the bed, his eyes wide and staring. Oathkeeper and Oblivion burst forth in his hands and he tried to jump out of bed, but fell back with a gasp of pain, the twin keyblades vanishing in the same instant he hit the bed. A curse could be heard, but the darkness inside the room made it impossible to make out the speaker.

"Sora, calm down!" Riku's clear voice rang through the air into his ears, and he winced at the volume. He heard footsteps, although he couldn't see his friend, and in seconds he felt a cool cloth on his forehead, slightly wet. Riku looked tired and worn to his eyes.

Then suddenly, his eyes opened wide. It was dark, yet he had seen Riku's face as easily and clearly as though it had been daylight. He could tell it was dark, yet everything was as clear to him as if it were light. He could tell by Riku's slight fumblings in his normal smooth movements that he couldn't see as clearly as him, and at times Sora nearly called out to him to tell him the exact location of something that Riku was searching for a small distance away. Yet he contained himself; it would be hard to explain his new vision, although he would use it to help him get Kairi back.

After a while, with Riku busying himself around the room, Sora struggled upright. In a flash, the Wielder of Dawn and Dusk was by his side, trying to stop him. "Sora, you shouldn't be up. Your injuries have barely healed. Get back in bed before I make a Dark Shield around it to force you."

Injuries? Sora pondered on it for a second, then remembered the reason he was lying here in the first place. "BlackWarGreymon?" he ventured.

"Oh, he's fine. He recovered quickly, then left for his home. Turns out he was just a mercenary, paid to fight in the invasion." Riku's tone was light, but his eyebrows were drawn together, and it seemed as though he was holding back. In the dark, Sora's new vision easily picked out the difference, and his tone was surprisingly cold.

"Don't lie to me, Riku. What happened to him?"

Riku looked taken aback, and his body stiffened. His steel grey eyes held something within other than his usual darkness and cool, and for a second, Sora detected what looked like fear. Fear? Riku?

"He…" Riku's voice faltered a bit. "After the explosion, we… found him. He was… he was in a massive crater, suffering from multiple internal injuries. His code, as he called it, kept leaking out from somewhere we couldn't locate. His last words were that he was proud to have fought you…" His voice carried away into the darkness, and he wasn't looking at Sora. "He just vanished, the code unravelling his body like he was just a piece of cloth, and someone was pulling a single thread, dissolving it." His voice bordered on a whisper, but the silence of the room allowed Sora to let the words sink in.

"We couldn't find you, and… and…" He clasped a hand to his forehead. "I was pretty scared, let me tell you. Don't you ever pull that trick on me again, y'hear?"

Riku had nearly gone off his head, Way to the Dawn shearing massive holes in the ground as he searched for the lost Dual Wielder. His voice had gone hoarse with shouting Sora's name, and his silver eyes had gone completely black. He couldn't let the chance that Sora might've died like BlackWarGreymon without him by his side prevail; his best friend wouldn't die so easily.

King Mickey had ordered a full-scaled search, joining in himself despite protests. The Wielder of the Gold Keyblade had made his wishes very clear: He was joining in the search, and woe betide anyone who tried to stop him. A single sword-wielding human from the invading horde had tried to surprise the small mouse from behind, only to suffer a death no one would wish for, Mickey slashing backwards without even looking and disembowelling him, before flipping onto him and thrusting the Gold Keyblade straight down to smash his brain. The mouse had then continued on his search, no expression on his face.

Donald and Goofy had also been searching, and despite Mickey and Riku's best efforts, Riku secretly doubted anyone could've searched as hard as the duo did. Goofy's Save the King shield parted massive boulders as easily as the Gold Keyblade did, and a Hastega by Donald followed by Aeroga enabled to duo to search at great speeds. Their calls had been tinted a bit by despair and a bit by pure hope, but they had searched as long as Riku did, and faster. Their journeys with Sora had given them a great respect for the brown-haired spikey-headed Wielder, but the immense forces at play in the final clash had them doubting that even Sora could survive. King Mickey himself could attest to the strength of the fierce Digital warrior; his shield could even stand up to multiple blows from the Gold Keyblade. And BlackWarGreymon had died. Where was Sora?

They found him upright, the powers from the clash and Final Form keeping him standing, although his eyes were closed. Ultima Weapon and Fenrir were stuck tip first into the ground on either side of him, and the silver tinge of Final Form still swirled around him.

Even going near him had their bodies tingling, the energies emanating from him still present. Yet even as they neared, the silver drained out of him, and he started to sway on his feet. Riku was the first to reach him, leaping in and catching him just before he fell onto the ground, suffering numerous bruises and cuts as he did so.

Merlin had cast a powerful recovery spell, but the power that Sora was unconsciously spilling out negated any effect it might've had. Then Leon had suggested they did it the old fashioned way: Pick him up and get him to the ward. The practical suggestion was taken up by Goofy, who tenderly cradled his friend in his arms, using his shield to provide a comfortable sling. Donald had cast another Hastega, followed by summoning a slight wind to help speed them along. Merlin had then shown another side of his power, teleporting them all to the ward to help prepare for their arrival.

Aerith had gone to work, preparing the ward for her patient. Yuffie took upon herself the task of messenger and supplier, the hyperactive ninja running everywhere bringing hot water, mushed up porridge and messages of hope and faith. Flying behind her, Rikku of the YRP helped, sometimes reminding her of stuff she forgot, sometimes helping carrying a bucket of water, the two hyper girls constantly chattering to each other.

The other two Gullwings flew through the battlefield, their mobility making them invaluable in squeezing through small holes left behind from the climatic clash. Of course, they demanded a fee, but the plight made them lower to cost to only a small fraction of what they would normally cost.

Leon, standing with Merlin on the upper battlements, took note of everything: The Gullwings' mobility, the King's power, speed and agility, Goofy's incredible endurance, Donald and Merlin's awesome magical powers, Aerith's calm presence and healing skills, Tifa's physical prowess, and the power of the two Wielders.

And so they were ready when Goofy finally arrived, his precious burden in his arms. Aerith immediately banned everyone except Riku from the ward, and told him to stay out of the way. Going to work on Sora, she had analysed the wounds, and judged them to be not so much external as internal. The finale of Sora and BlackWarGreymon's battle had not damaged any of them much externally; the immense energies and powers at work had been transferred forcibly from one body to the other, and thus damaged them more inside than it had outside. Sora had survived by pure force of will, a stubborn insistence to save Kairi again.

It was touch and go for a while, and Sora was hovering in front of Kingdom Hearts for the better part of the time. But finally, with a combination of will that was part Aerith's, part Sora's, part Riku's, and in a way part Kairi's, they had pulled Sora back from a death sleep to a light sleep. Aerith had then left, and Riku had stood guard until Sora had awoken, crying out Kairi's name.

Sora gulped, knowing how close to death he had come to. "I'll try, but no guarantees." He grinned his trademark lop-sided grin, which Riku, although he couldn't see in the dark, felt.

"Tough guy."

Then Riku frowned. "Why did you call out Kairi's name?" His voice seemed to break a little when he said Kairi's name, but he didn't react otherwise.

Sora's eyes dimmed a little at the mention of Kairi, his azure eyes clouding over. "I don't… know… I just had this feeling that she needed me…" He held his hand before himself, and a brilliant white light lit up the room for a brief second as Oathkeeper materialized.

"I promised her, Riku. I made an oath. If I can't keep it…" He threw the white keyblade across the room. "Then I'm not fit to use this…"

But to his surprise, the keyblade had vanished in a flash of light and reappeared in his hand. His face hardened with determination, and he clenched his fist. Next to him, Riku clasped his shoulder.

"We'll find Kairi, and bring her back. I promise."

Sora nodded. 'We'll get you back, Kairi…'

'I promise.'

Like I said, this one's longer. I get the feeling that the more battle scenes I stick here the longer it'll get. Ah well, s'long as you guys enjoy it, eh? Please review! Else I won't be able to cater for the crew!