A/N: Thanks to sexymonkey08 and fallenxxangel for adding this to their story alerts, singintoyourself, fallenxxangel, and sexymonkey08 for reviewing, and singintoyourself and sexymonkey08 for the favorite story add!!!

So I said this would be late because I was working on my other story. I'm not really enjoying that one, so I'll be devoting more time to this one!

I don't own anything but the plot and Ruxik.

Please review!

IV. The Facets of the Heart

Maleficent walked through her dark flame into The Castle That Never Was. She had never bothered to rename the place after claiming it for her own. It had taken her years to get the Nobodies fully under her control; they were a new challenge for her. However she knew that they could be a valuable addition to their army, so she strove to conquer them while the castle's silvery white paint faded and chipped away and the name remained the same.

None of this particularly mattered to Ruxik who was standing near the flame with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

"A poor choice of words, Maleficent. 'I'm in no hurry', you say? Maybe you aren't, but I am, and you shall gain nothing if my plan fails!"

Maleficent was annoyed at being berated by someone much younger than her (Ruxik didn't look to be more than twenty, and she was hundreds of years old). "She won't believe us if we rush her. Do you want the girl or not?"

Ruxik shook his fist in anger. "Want her? My whole plan depends on having her! And I must have her before a certain time, or she is of no use to me!"

"Well, what time is that?" Maleficent asked impatiently.

Ruxik looked at the gray stone floor for a second as if in thought before answering. "I cannot say exactly when…"

"Ha! So you have no reason to scold me, young whelp!"

"…Let me finish!" Ruxik's steely gray eyes flashed an angry spark. "I must have her before she is done grieving. She must not be allowed to forget Sora, or my plan will be scrapped."

This was news to Maleficent. "And why is that?"

Ruxik calmed down noticeably before speaking. "I had access to some extensive research on the human heart. Some of the most fundamental features of the heart are called its Facets." He pointed to the massive Heartless emblem Maleficent had on a wall. "That symbol…do you know why it is divided into four sections?"

Maleficent shook her head.

"It is because there are four Facets of a darkened heart: Rage, Vengeance, Greed (or Lust--the two are very similar) and Hatred." He pointed to a different section of the emblem as he said each Facet. "Likewise the heart of light has four Facets as well, and they are the opposite of those of darkness: Wrath, Justice, Purity and Compassion. When the Facets of darkness gain hold in a heart, the vessel (the person that the heart inhabits) can easily become a Heartless. If even one Facet grows strong, it can overwhelm the heart. The same is true for light. If a heart is strong in Rage, Vengeance and Greed but also in Compassion, the three Facets of dark may be conquered by the one Facet of light."

Maleficent nodded. "Very interesting. But how does this affect your plan?"

Ruxik smiled slightly. "I discovered that there was yet another Facet. It is Grief. Grief can turn into a Facet of either light or dark, depending on the actions of the person whose heart grieves. For example Grief can be conquered by moving on in life and simply letting the Grief pass. Or it may cause one to treasure loved ones more and strengthen Compassion."

His smile grew wider. "Of course it can also work in a different way. It may cause the person to wallow in Grief and never escape, or it can stir Vengeance or Rage in a heart. And remember, if one Facet of darkness grows strong, it can conquer the light in one's heart. Do you now understand my plan?"

Maleficent pondered this new information for a moment before grinning evilly. "I do. I must say it's quite impressive."

Ruxik nodded. "Now you see why we must hurry. Kairi must have Sora on her mind as much as possible, or my plan could be lost."

"But wait. Kairi is a Princess of Heart and a Keyblade wielder. Her heart is strong…"

"Not strong enough to resist Grief if my plan works. Soon her Grief will become Lust, and her heart will be mine. And then Riku and Mickey will fall as well, and the worlds will be under my rule."

Maleficent nodded. "But how did you learn so much about the heart?"

Ruxik smirked. "Remember who I am. I was rather close to someone who devoted his life to the study of the heart…and even closer to his apprentice." With his cloak flowing and silver chains clattering he strode to the crystal ball filled with black and green fire that flowed like water—everything Maleficent owned seemed to have that odd flame. His smirk grew wider as he saw the scene before him. "But now let's watch the plot unfold, shall we?"

Gray skies, cold raw rain and powerful winds kept Kairi inside. With Riku training in his basement she was completely alone with nothing but her thoughts of Sora. She could (should) have been training with Riku to get a better grasp of sword fighting or with Yen Sid to improve her magic, but her heart just wasn't in it. With the weather keeping her from distracting herself she kept thinking back to days she had spent with Sora. With this on her mind she went pulled out a photo album. The first picture she saw was one Riku had taken of her and Sora at a school dance with a few mutual friends. All of them were smiling brightly and clearly having a good time. The photo brought back all kinds of memories…

Kairi walked down the hall towards a glowing red exit sign. Destiny Island High wasn't far from her house, so she walked home. Sora lived further away, so he normally rode the bus which was why Kairi was surprised to see him walking alongside her. He looked a bit flustered; his spiky brown hair was even more randomly placed than usual, and his well-tanned skin couldn't hide an obvious blush.

"Hey, Kairi, you busy tonight?" he asked awkwardly. Kairi thought nothing of it for a moment. Probably some party at his house or something, she thought. He IS pretty popular after all. I guess that's part of being a hero….

"Well, I was going to go to the dance with a few friends…why?" she replied, not at all suspecting Sora's next sentence.

Sora cleared his throat and laughed nervously. Regaining composure, he looked Kairi in the eye and asked, "Will you go with me?"

Kairi's heart missed a few beats. No…way…it finally happened!!! Since returning to the Destiny Islands they had been great friends, but Sora didn't want to risk ruining that by going any further. It was obvious that he liked her, and Kairi liked him, but she didn't want to force anything. And now she didn't have to…

"Of course I'll go with you, Sora."

Sora looked visibly relieved. "I'll meet you there then?"

Kairi nodded. "See you at seven."

"See ya," Sora said as he walked away. Just before Kairi walked out, she heard at a triumphant shout. Kairi grinned at Sora's poor ability to contain his emotions. She didn't release her pent-up scream of joy until reaching home…

Instead of smiling at the happy memory, a tear fell down Kairi's cheek. Putting the album away, Kairi noticed a polished hardwood box with a golden lock. She was about to dismiss it because she didn't have the key… "Oh yeah, Keyblade, right." She tapped the box gently with the Kingdom Key and watched it open, revealing dozens of shiny metal objects with chains…

"Keychains!" Kairi exclaimed. She looked at the treasures with wonder, knowing that these were what gave Sora's weapons different powers. One chain in particular caught her eye. It was a simple golden star, but she knew from where it came. Another memory resurfaced in her mind…

In a damp sewer beneath Traverse Town Sora and Kairi stood quietly. After saving her Sora had returned to the safety of the town but now had to leave to conquer Riku--or more correctly Ansem--once and for all. Kairi begged to go with him, but, fearing for her safety, Sora refused. Kairi finally gave in and decided instead to give Sora her good-luck charm.

"It's my lucky charm. Be sure to bring it back to me," she said. Sora held the beautiful star in his hand and swore that he'd make sure Kairi got it back…

Kairi shut her eyes to stop another tear from falling. She looked at her Keyblade and removed the silver keychain that was a symbol of King Mickey. In its place she attached the star, and with that her Keyblade changed. Two white rods connected an ornate wing-shaped hilt with a blade that looked like an X with a blue rod through it. It was Oathkeeper.

Well, if it's called Oathkeeper, maybe I should make some kind of oath, Kairi mused. Pointing her Keyblade skyward, she made her vow. I swear that I will do whatever it takes to bring Sora back. She stood in this manner for a few seconds, letting the impact of her vow sink in.

A knock on her front door interrupted her thoughts. "Kairi? It's Riku." Kairi took a deep breath to calm down, dismissed Oathkeeper and then opened the door.

Riku stood on her doorstep under a Reflega spell to avoid getting wet. "Yen Sid wants to see us at his place in Twilight Town…I think he wants us to refine our magic and stuff like that."

"Sounds good, but when?"

"Whenever. I think ASAP would be best personally. Don't want to keep someone like him waiting."

"Alright, then let's go." Kairi walked out and quickly ducked under Riku's Reflega. "This so beats using an umbrella," she joked.

Riku laughed. "Yeah, once I figured out how to make it last, this spell came in handy." The two walked to the Gummi Ship in its cove where Cid, Donald and Goofy were waiting under another Reflega (presumably Donald's).

"You need to get to Twilight Town, I hear, but I think y'all are rookies at this Gummi Ship game," Cid said in his unique drawl. "So we're gonna have to show ya how it's done."

Riku nodded. "Whatever. Just make sure we get there."

Ruxik had to stop himself from bursting out laughing. "This is too perfect! Now Kairi will have Sora on her mind whenever she draws her blade. And that photo album could be useful to us as well. The more memories she has, the better. We may not have to do much more work, Maleficent."

Maleficent shook her head. "That Riku is not one to be underestimated. He knows our ways of manipulating hearts; he could catch on and stop this."

Ruxik didn't seem to care. "You've forgotten who I am again. I know Riku like the back of my hand. If he intervenes, I'll make sure he doesn't do it again."

Maleficent smiled slightly. "You certainly get around, Ruxik."

Ruxik looked up from the crystal ball. "Let's just say I have connections with the right people."