AN: I think the bugs have been worked out so here I am uploading the chapter again with the proper section/line breaks put in. Read on and please enjoy!

Chapter Seven: Talk to Me


Sora didn't notice that Riku had stopped until they were almost at the door. Kairi noticed as well and turned back to face their friend, "Riku? That fight with Neal wasn't your fault you know…I'm sure your parents will understand," she said reassuringly and the teenager's face tightened as he looked away, staring at the horses in the pasture off to their right. With a shrug Riku remained silent and hesitated before taking slow steps towards them.

He looks like a man about to attend his own hanging, Sora thought with a slight frown as he waited there with his hands stuffed in his pockets. Forcing a grin onto his face the Keyblade Master added, "Oh, come on! Kairi's right, and besides even if you do get in trouble with your parents it was totally worth it just to see Neal's father hauling him out of the school by his shirt collar," he added with a satisfied chuckle as he thought back to this morning.

News traveled with lightning speed through the halls of Destiny High. Within minutes most of the school had found out about the fight and the words that had been exchanged. Of course there were several 'versions' of the tale, the most popular being the one where Riku allegedly choked Neal into unconsciousness before stuffing him inside one of the incredibly small lockers. At lunch, though, Sora had found Kairi and managed to get the real story from her; the Princess of Heart had hesitated at first but eventually told him what had really happened.

There was a slight pause before Riku's sullen expression melted into one of restrained amusement, a smirk curled across his face as the teenager turned back to his friends, "Too bad you weren't there to see his pack of friends slink away like lost puppies with their tails between their legs," he added with obvious satisfaction as they headed inside the house; they dumped their backpacks in the living room and headed into the kitchen. Riku grabbed plate of brownies from off the counter and grabbed some water bottles out of the fridge and placed them on the table.

Sitting down at one of the chairs Sora grinned at that statement as he rubbed his hands together in wicked pleasure, "Oh yeah….I just wish I had been there myself. I bet a nice Fire attack would have melted off that stupid jock's icy demeanor real fast," he chuckled manically and Kairi frowned and crossed her arms, glaring fiercely at both of them before dropping her arms and tilting her head to the side.

Kairi leaned closer to Riku and whispered just loud enough for Sora to hear, "It's more likely that he would have ended up setting one of us on fire," Kairi teased and the Keyblade Master squawked with indignation as Riku gave a snort of laughter at that one.

Crossing his arms in a pout Sora defended himself, "HEY! My aim isn't that bad!" he objected as Riku raised an eyebrow and turned to Kairi. "Need I remind him that one time he actually DID set one of us on fire when we were sparring?" he asked calmly and the Princess of Heart made a show of thinking about that for a moment, after a moment she nodded sagely, "Hmm, I think so, Sora does have an exceptionally short memory now doesn't he?" she replied with a serious look on her face before grabbing a cherry-pecan brownie and taking a bite out of it.

Sora groaned at that, "Aww, come on you two! Don't team up on me like that!" he whined pitifully and Kairi giggled as Riku leaned back in his chair and stared out of the window. There was a long moment of silence and the Keyblade Master opened his mouth to say something else, but was cut off when Riku said:

"Do you think there are other worlds out there in the darkness?"

Sora's hand froze in the middle of its journey to grab a brownie and Kairi stopped chewing for a moment before swallowing her mouthful and taking a drink of water. Both teenagers turned and stared at Riku, but he was still gazing out of the kitchen windowpane.

With a tilt of his head Sora considered that for a moment, his face scrunched up in thought, "I…I don't know…I mean…I've never really thought about it before," he finally admitted carefully, unsure of where this was going. Riku frowned slightly and finally turned back to them, his face completely serious.

Crossing his arms the teenager added, "I've just been thinking lately; I mean if there are people and worlds like ours trying to live peacefully here in the light…then doesn't it make sense that there might be worlds out there in the darkness trying to do the same?" Riku asked slowly and Kairi frowned slightly at that.

Somehow she got the feeling that he was trying to ask them something, but at the same time being careful so that he didn't reveal too much. Did this have something to do with the way he had been acting lately?

Kairi was quiet as she considered that question. She wasn't entirely comfortable with the darkness after all; all of them had had one too many bad experiences with it. But at the same time Riku had used the darkness to help her along with Sora, Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey while they were in The World That Never Was fighting Organization XIII hadn't he? Then too there was Namine and Roxas, her and Sora's Nobodies. They may not technically exist, but they could still use the darkness couldn't they? So not all those who used the darkness or existed in the dark were bad…right?

Sora was quicker to catch on and decided to just jump in, "Riku…do you think that maybe someone from the dark is trying to contact you?" he asked hesitantly and Kairi couldn't help but gasp slightly at that. Both of them caught Riku's sudden flinch and his body tensed and his hands clenched, but his jaw remained tight, "It's nothing," he replied stiffly, clearly not wanting to discuss the matter.

Undaunted the Keyblade Master shot to his feet, his eyes blazing with sudden anger, "Come on Riku! Just cut it out already! How many times have we been through this?! We're your friends in case you haven't noticed! How do you expect us to be there for you if you're never willing to tell us what's bothering you?" Sora demanded and he was about to go on when Kairi placed her hand over his and shook her head slightly. Sora's lips tightened and he sat back down in a huff. The way Riku kept hiding information from them had been straining their friendship ever since they got back home, but now the stress was starting to wear them out and the cracks were starting to appear.

Turning to their friend Kairi said, "Look…I can understand not telling your parents because your worried that they won't believe you…" she stated rationally as Riku and Sora glared at each other, "But we know what you've been through…you know that all you have to do is ask and we'll be there to support you. If you think something is going on then just tell us what it is," she insisted and Riku's head snapped over to her, she could see several angry retorts waiting to burst forth but instead his jaw tightened further and he crossed his arms.

With a snort Riku grumbled, "You don't know half of the things I've done to people," he muttered mostly to himself but both of them caught his comment. Sora gave a heavy sigh at that and ran a hand through his spiky brown hair, "Okay so we DON'T know what exactly you've been through with Maleficent and the darkness and all…but that doesn't mean we can't help you," he fired back, hoping to get some type of positive response out of his friend. He and Riku were friends, closer then brothers; they shouldn't be arguing with each other like this.

The oppressive silence seemed to stretch on forever, tension hung in the air as Sora waited for his friend to speak up. After at least a full two minutes of nothing Riku finally spoke up, "Fine…so maybe I have been talking with someone from the dark. But even if I told you everything…" the teenager stopped and shook his head, but Kairi could see that his resolve was starting to weaken.

With a frustrated sigh he added, "Everything I've heard…everything that's going on with me…its just so confusing…I don't know if I believe it," Riku admitted weakly, finally breaking under the pressure from his friends.

Kairi leaned closer and placed her hand on his arm, "Is the problem that you don't believe it? Or that you don't want to believe it?" she asked gently and Riku opened his mouth and then closed it, his eyes narrowed slightly in thought.

Riku was quiet for a moment before speaking up again, "I think…" he stopped and continued staring at the table, "I think that I don't want to believe it…because I just want everything to go back to normal…I just want to be a normal teenager again. I want to forget about Maleficent, Xehanort, Ansem the Wise, and all of the other terrible things I've done, all the people that have been hurt because of me," he tentatively admitted as he looked up at them with obvious confusion in his aqua eyes.

The teenager let out a shaky breath as he added, "I just want it all to go away…I don't want to have to face the darkness again. And if what I've been told is true…then I may not have a choice," Riku explained as he unclenched his fist. His right hand still had Kairi's school tie wrapped around it, a clear reminder of how he had nearly lost control just this morning in public, another matter that was confusing and unsolved.

Sora noticed his gaze and shook his head slowly, "Before you had to face the darkness on your own…but this time you have Kairi and me to back you up. If this person, thing…" the Keyblade Master paused for a moment and spun his hand in the air for a moment, "…whoever it is from the dark is lying to you, then we'll take them down together; but if they are really telling the truth and can explain what's happening to you then we'll be there to support you all the way. There's still the risk that Xehanort could take over your body again; and I don't know about you but I don't want to take that risk. If someone can explain what's going on with him, along with your dreams and stuff…then whether they're from the dark or not…I think we should give them a chance," Sora punctuated his statement with an emphatic nod.

Surprised Riku looked over at Kairi who smiled in agreement with Sora's declaration, "And don't forget about Namine and Roxas too. I bet one of them will know something about this if we really talked it over together," she noted, reminding him of the two Nobodies. The lanky teen's face flashed with guilt for a moment before he nodded slowly in agreement.

The Keyblade Master was about to chime in again when they all heard a sudden click and the side door leading into the kitchen swung open. There was the rustle of plastic as Riku's parents, Vince and Simone stepped in carrying grocery bags, the two parents glanced over at Sora and Kairi before landing on Riku whose eyes had slid down to the table in front of him.

Kairi knew that he was going to be in trouble for what had happened at school today and she couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

Sora meanwhile scratched his head uneasily and gave a slightly sheepish smile, "Um, hello…I uh…guess you want us to be going now don't you?" he asked hesitantly as he inched back towards the living room where they had left their backpacks.

Vince lifted his jaw as he stepped in and placed the bags down on the counter, "Riku will see you at school tomorrow morning," he stated over his shoulder, not bothering to turn around. Simone looked towards them and gave a curt nod, "Thank you but I think you should be getting home you two," she reinforced as Vince straightened up and stared over at his Riku, who fidgeted uneasily under his father's penetrating gaze.

Sora nodded and glanced back over at his friend before hurrying out of the kitchen. Kairi, though, paused in the entrance way and turned back to them, "Please don't be too angry…it wasn't Riku's fault…he didn't do anything wrong," she appealed before following Sora into the living room and out of the house.


Outside both teenagers walked in silence, Sora had a frown on his face while Kairi stared at her shoes. She glanced over at her friend and opened her mouth to say something, but stopped when the Keyblade Master's frown increased. With a slight sigh she stopped and resumed staring at the ground. It was pretty late and both of their parents would want an explanation for this. They were halfway to Kairi's house when the silence was finally broken.

"Something about this just doesn't make sense," Sora finally mumbled earning a confused look from the Princess of Heart beside him. Noticing Kairi's puzzlement he stopped walking and turned towards her with serious eyes, "I mean everyone knows how incredibly stubborn Riku can be. He could…." Sora paused for a moment and waved his hand, "…break an arm or something and chances are the guy would just keep trudging on like there was nothing wrong at all!" he commented and Kairi frowned thoughtfully.

In fact she remembered one time when Riku had pulled a muscle during gym and walked around the rest of the school day limping without telling anybody. By the time someone finally found out they had had to take him the hospital to make sure there was not anymore serious damage done to his leg. When asked about it Riku had just shrugged it off and mumbled that it "wasn't that big of a deal really". Of course Vince and Simone nearly had a heart attack thinking that their son had seriously broken something.

With a slight shake of her head Kairi agreed with her friend, "I know that's right," she muttered with a sigh at the young man's renowned obstinance.

Catching on to where Sora was going with this she added, "So your wondering why Riku would suddenly decide to tell us even a tiny bit about what is bothering him?" she questioned and the Keyblade Master nodded as he crossed his arms.

Looking back the way they had come Sora ground his teeth together in thought for a moment, a habit that drove his mother crazy. Finally he dropped his arms and scratched his head, turning back to Kairi he said what was on his mind.

"Riku hasn't told us about half of the things that have happened to him and I really don't think that he ever will," Sora stated and the Princess of Heart hummed at that, it wasn't like she could refute that comment. Riku was not only supremely stubborn but he also didn't want to burden his friends in any way and if he felt that telling them about his experiences would do so…well then they would have better luck getting a rock to tap dance the n getting information out of Riku.

Clearly frustrated Sora continued, "So for him to answer my questions like that means…." he stopped and growled to himself as he scratched his spiky hair, "I don't know what it means and that's what is bothering me the most. What he said about not wanting to face the darkness again…I know there's some deeper meaning to that but it just won't click in my head," Sora concluded with a frown as he looked to Kairi for her input.

She was quiet for a moment, not because she was thinking the matter over, but because she was pretty sure she knew exactly what Riku was thinking. The Princess of Heart held a certain pride in her ability to dissect Riku's emotions and understand what was going on underneath that stoic façade of his.

Sora noticed her solemn expression and leaned closer, waving a hand in front of her face, "Hello? You home in there? Don't tell me I'm just standing around talking to the voice in my head," he said in a teasing tone and Kairi snapped out of her daze and tilted her head at that remark, "I don't think Roxas will appreciate that comment very much," she fired back her expression still serious as she thought back to Riku's behavior.

Slipping his hands in his pockets Sora waited for her to say something. Finally Kairi sighed and pointed her finger at him, "Okay, I'll tell you what I think but you have to promise not to say a word until I finish, because I'm just making this up as I go along okay?" she warned and the Keyblade Master opened his mouth but she shook her head.

"Promise or I'm turning around and leaving you here on the sidewalk," Kairi threatened sternly. With a roll of his eyes Sora motioned for her to continue.

Satisfied Kairi took a deep breath, "I think part of it…is that Riku is scared," she stated plainly, immediately Sora started to say something but quickly shut his mouth when his friend glared at him. Clearing his throat the Keyblade Master remained quiet as she went on.

Tapping her chin with an index finger Kairi continued, "I think he's scared of hurting one of us again," she clarified and Sora nodded slowly at that. Her eyes softened as she thought more about it, "I mean what if Xehanort gets out again? What if the Heartless start controlling Riku like they did before? What if someone tried to use one of us to get to him?" she questioned knowing that all of them were possibilities.

She turned around and watched as the sun set over the water, "Not only that, but Riku's parent's have really been pressuring him lately. But if he tells them the truth then the chances are that they won't believe him, and even if they want to…there's really no way for him to prove that it all happened," Kairi said with a frustrated shake of her head as Sora followed her gaze.

She shivered slightly and wrapped her arms around herself as a sudden breeze blew through, "All of his encounters with the darkness have only led to more trouble, more heartache, and more trouble for us. And now if someone or something from the dark is trying to contact him…then whether they mean Riku any harm or not…I think it scares him to think about all of the terrible things that might happen all over again," Kairi considered as the wind died down.

There was a pause before she nudged him with her elbow, "Okay your free to talk now," she relented and his mouth twitched up slightly but he didn't smile.

Sora stared down and scuffed his shoes on the cement as he considered that, "That may be part of it…but I think there's so much more to it then that.," he said softly, "Pressure from his parents, stress from school, nightmares from what he's gone through, fears about what may happen in the future, anxiety over what this…being from the dark wants of him, wondering whether or not he's strong enough to help and protect us from what may come next, knowing that Xehanort is still apart of his heart and could be let loose to hurt one of us…its too much for one person to handle and I think it's finally starting to break him," he speculated and Kairi nodded as they turned back and continued walking home, they had already spent more time lingering here then they should have.

Sora gritted his teeth, "His parents don't trust him, his grades are slipping farther and farther into the gutter, he doesn't want to burden us with his problems because we have enough to worry about ourselves…there's just so much going on when you take the time to look under the surface…" he said as they approached Kairi's house.

With a sigh he ran a hand through his brown hair, "I mean I'm glad that he finally told us something, but at the same time it worries me more because it shows just how stressed out Riku must be over all of this. He hates to show how worried and concerned he is over something, he always does his best to support his friends, if there's a problem he always wants to solve it on his own, if someone needs rescuing then he's the brave fool who charges in alone to rescue them," he stated with a scowl.

Kairi couldn't help but smile at the last part. It sounded just like Riku to pull such a stunt; in fact now that she thought if it he had done just that on several occasions.

Kairi shook her head and sighed dramatically as they went up the porch steps and stopped at the front door, "I think the enigma that is Riku will have to be solved tomorrow, I know my parents are going to want an explanation as to why I'm so late, and as for you…" she trailed off as Sora stared at her blankly before whipping his arm around to stare at his watch.

The Keyblade Master's eyes widened and as he saw what time it was, "Holy cow! I have to go! Geez, mom and dad are going to kill me!" Sora exclaimed as he backpedaled of the porch, of course that resulted in him tripping over a flower pot and catapulting, with a loud yelp, backwards down the steps. Kairi winced as he landed flat on his back, his backpack thankfully cushioning a very painful looking fall. Her concern melted into laughter as Sora climbed to his feet, rubbing his sore derriere all the while.

Getting to his feet, Sora flashed Kairi a slightly pained smile and gave her a thumbs up, "I'm fine, no need to worry. See you at school tomorrow!" he said before turning around and nearly crashing into another large potted plant that was right behind him. He stumbled around as the large plant swayed back and forth, finally Sora regained his balance and sat the large pot back were it belonged.

This time she did laugh and despite the fading light she could see his cheeks turn pink with embarrassment, "I'll um…make sure to watch my step on the way back," he said sheepishly as Kairi used a hand to smother her amusement.

Clearing her throat she used her key to unlock the door, "You do that Sora, see you later," Kairi replied watching for a moment as he rushed off down the walkway and then down the street as he headed home. With a slight shake of her head as she opened the door, the Princess of Heart wondered how she had ever come to have such weird friends.


She was supposed to be paying attention. She was supposed to be sitting there with her beautiful makeup and perfect hairstyle listening to the old men and women of the Royal Congress prattle on about whatever, mostly insignificant, matters they felt needed to be brought to her attention. She was supposed to be in charge of all affairs concerning the ruling family living in the Twilight Palace as part of her education on "what being a future Queen is all about". She was supposed to be delegating matters and working to make sure that this world and the many other dark worlds ruled by the Twili race were in perfect harmony, or at least ensure that no one was trying to go to war with someone else.

Nazairah was supposed to be the perfect Princess, wise, compassionate, with a will of steel, ready to make the tough decisions if necessary, and having a strong heart that would uphold justice and peace; a heart that would not be swayed by personal emotions or opinions. Of course she WAS all of those things, being of royal blood came with its responsibilities after all, but at the moment she was having trouble concentrating on the meeting going on before her.

Ever since that strange light dweller, Zanier, had appeared in her living quarters and suddenly attacked her, every guard in the palace had been put on high alert. All of the Dark Shades were also on patrol, carefully slipping in and out of the shadows as they investigated every nook and cranny of the massive castle and the surrounding grounds. Nazairah herself had managed to avoid her father's insistence of having two Drakan guards follow everywhere, literally everywhere at that.

Instead a Dark Shade had shown up saying that it had been sent by Xavath to watch over her until they received further orders. Even now the Phantom known as Selenius was floating quietly behind and to the right of Nazairah's chair watching the proceedings from under its dark hood.

Needless to say Princess Nazairah was shocked when she saw that such a powerful Dark Shade had been assigned to her; the Heartless known as Phantom was extraordinarily rare and despite its seeming lack of physical attacks, its true powers were shrouded in mystery. Even now it was unknown if Heartless such as Phantom, Kurt Zisa, or the Nobody known as Twilight Thorn were truly one of a kind, or were just exceptionally rare.

Either way, Selenius was performing its duties faithfully, always watching from a distance. Far enough away to avoid crowding her but close enough to immediately be ready to protect Nazairah if necessary. It didn't bother making small talk and in fact rarely spoke at all; other Dark Shades had shown up and spoken to Selenius, but the Phantom carefully screened such reports and so far the only thing Nazairah knew was that Zanier had escaped and Xavath was in pursuit.

Now that she thought about it Athane was gone too, after the initial attack he had stayed by her side until Selenius showed up, but now he had disappeared from Shadow's Luminance along with Xavath. Four days had passed and Nazairah didn't have information on either one of they're whereabouts. And if the Phantom guarding her knew anything, then it was keeping all such secrets to itself.

The Princess had gone from angry and frustrated, to being consumed with worry for her friends. She knew that her fears were most likely unfounded, after all Athane wasn't the Keyblade Master of Darkness for nothing, and Xavath was the Dragon of Darkness and wielded more power then she could possibly imagine. There was no reason to worry about them; they could both handle themselves…right?

Still…that doesn't make waiting for them any easier, Nazairah thought with a small sigh as she turned and stared out of the large windows. The black clouds and orange twilight sky were as beautiful as ever, one would almost think that nothing was wrong at all...

"Princess Nazairah!"

Snapping out of her thoughts she turned back to the table before her and realized that everyone was staring, most with displeased and irritated faces. Straightening in her chair Nazairah kept her face neutral, refusing to show even the slightest hint of surprise or shame at the fact that she had been caught day dreaming. Her beautiful reddish-gold eyes were calm as she lifted her chin and turned to the rotund gray skinned Twili who had addressed her.

Nazairah stared at him as she spoke, "Yes, Governor?" the Princess stated coolly her tone slightly reproving as she narrowed her eyes just a tiny bit. Her subtle body language made it clear that such yelling was uncalled for and she would not tolerate it again. If there was one thing she had learned from her years growing up in the royal family it was when, and when not, to let her infamous temper run wild; in a setting such as this getting angry rarely, if ever, solved problems.

The man who had stood up from his seat hefted his belt a little higher, it was a miracle that overly ornate material could fit around his swollen stomach in the first place, and his gray skin flushed red with irritation, "We are here discussing what to do about the current situation, i.e. the threat that was made on YOUR life. The least you could do, my Lady, is pay attention to what is being said!" he huffed indignantly and if not for the "my Lady" additive thrown in there then Nazairah might have explored her desire to let Selenius 'play' with him for a bit. Dark Shades were known for their slightly warped sense of humor after all, and between her worry over her own safety and that of her friends, Nazairah's short temper had just about reached its end.

Instead the Princess waved her hand dismissively at his concern, even though she was worried about her Athane and Xavath, it was her responsibility as one of the ruling family to maintain order, and that included making sure no one on the council panicked and had a hissy fit over the matter before they even had any real information to go on.

Focusing on the other members Nazairah replied, "Xavath has every Dark Shade in the country crawling through the palace and one as my personal escort," she stated nodding back towards Selenius; the Phantom was idly swinging an old fashioned pocket watch in its right hand, the very picture of calm complacence. A few council men and women nodded slowly at that while others frowned, not taken in by her composed facade.

Still maintaining her unruffled appearance Nazairah added, "And not only that, but Athane as the Keyblade Master is looking into the matter as well, surely you don't doubt him do you?" she questioned evenly, knowing full well that, despite her friends strange mannerisms and Gothic attire, Athane was well-liked by all and had an endearing charm to him.

Governor Pavel, however, was not satisfied with that answer and shook his head as if he were offended by her conduct, "I have no need for your empty reassurances. What I would like is an answer as to who would be brazen enough to come to the Twilight Palace and attack one of the royal family! Such an enemy is not to be underestimated! I've been getting reports from my townspeople that even the Heartless have been agitated since the night of your attack," he huffed crossly before pulling up his belt once again, he never could seem to keep that stupid thing in place.

Nazairah resisted the urge to frown at him. Sometimes it was hard to tell if Pavel really cared about her or if he was just worried about how potential instability would affect his personal money grabbing ventures. Pavel was a newcomer to the Royal Congress and tried as best he could to impress the older members by making overt shows of how loyal and dedicated he was to the King, Queen, and by extension, Princess Nazairah and her younger siblings. Despite being the 'loudest' voice on the council, Pavel more often then not just ended up making a fool of himself.

Leaning forward Nazairah kept her voice level as she addressed everyone, "All I know is that a few days ago someone from the realm of light came here and tried to attack me…" immediately there were angry voices and a few shouts for answers.

Having someone come from a world touched by the light of Kingdom Hearts was practically unheard of. Both elements viciously opposed each other and could be deadly if the proper precautions weren't made first. It wasn't surprising that the Royal Congress would be alarmed by this news.

Of course this information and the fact that she really had nothing else to go one was the main reason as to why Nazairah had been trying to keep silent. Now that the Royal Congress knew the attacker was a light dweller they would be prying her for information, which she didn't have, at every opportunity. All of the potential "what if's" were already gnawing away at Nazairah's conscious and having all of these uptight officials nosing around in her personal affairs was not an idea that she particularly relished.

Xavath had better get back soon and do some damage control, the Princess thought with a fizz of irritation as she held up her hand.

When everyone had settled down she continued, "Both Athane and Xavath are on the situation and doing everything they can to ensure that this world is not in danger. And if either of them does discover some cause for alarm then I'm sure that both will present you with any information that you need to know," Nazairah explained but Pavel pursed his lips; the man never was satisfied with anything was he?

Crossing his arms Pavel lifted his chin proudly, "No offense meant your highness but I think what the council fears most is that your…personal feelings for Xavath might be influencing your decision," he stated with a sad shake of his head as he turned to the other members.

Spreading an arm towards them the Twili continued, "It would be truly disheartening to learn that you might be…giving out vital information at his behest…information that not only affects the affairs of the proud Twili race but could also benefit one of the other…less deserving species," the Governor expressed and she couldn't help but notice that a few others nodded their head in agreement.

Out of the corner of her eye Nazairah saw the pocket watch in Selenius' hand suddenly stop in the middle of its swing, as if it had suddenly frozen. The Phantom stiffened slightly, evidently not liking the implication either.

Immediately her eyes narrowed and her blue face burned purple with resentment, her hands gripped the armrests tightly as anger welled up within her.

It was at times like this that Nazairah was wholeheartedly ashamed of her Twili heritage. Twili were proud all right, so proud and haughty that close to 75 percent of all the worlds that existed in the darkness were ruled over by the Twili race. For millennia the royal family here on Shadow's Luminance had used its power to enslave other species and rule over them with an iron fist, they had taken and subjugated entire worlds without mercy or remorse.

The one thing the Princess hated the most about the Royal Congress was that they only worried about themselves and the rest of the Twili race.

What about the Drakan? Or the dragons and fairies? What about the mermaids, harpies, and unicorns? Or the vampires, werewolves, and minotaur who were taken as children and experimented on? There are so many others here and on other worlds that are still suffering because of what the Twili have done to them…don't these people care about them at all? Nazairah thought heatedly, but of course the other members here did not care.

And what if other worlds had been attacked? What if there were other species was going through this as well? Most of the Royal Congress would just wave it off; many of them viewed those of other races as "expendable," as nothing more then slaves to be sold and bought like livestock. Even after all the changes her father had made in abolishing slavery and many of the old racist views, most Twili still considered and saw themselves as being better, or above everyone and everything else. If you weren't a Twili then you were condemned to a life of misery and harsh servitude and frankly Nazairah was sick and tired of it all.

What was so wrong with wanting to be friends with a Drakan? Or giving a werewolf the chance to speak freely? Even her friendship with Xavath was being looked down upon and he was the Dragon of Darkness!

Now there were many that respected him, but for every Twili that had come to accept the Drakan there were a dozen others who couldn't stand the sight of him.

Her lips twisted into a despising sneer, as she realized what they were really concerned about, These stuck up aristocrats and their phony concerns over my safety make me sick. The only thing they are truly worried about is making sure that the Twili race comes out looking like the hero's. That snake Pavel is actually making the idea that I would help another world look like a heinous crime! Nazairah thought bitterly as she gazed around at the other congressmen and women. Even worse was seeing the look of silent consent on most of the faces seated in front of her.

Taking a deep breath the Princess closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again and forcing herself to unclench her teeth before speaking. The Princess' gaze was burning hot at the implication Pavel was making. Long moments passed before she trusted herself to speak without screaming at someone.

Nazairah took a deep breath, every fiber of her being showing how outraged she was, but before she could say anything a deep rumbling male voice interrupted her.

"And what's so wrong with that?"

Everyone turned to find none other then Xavath standing there with his arms behind his back. Instead of the flowing robes that he often wore around the palace, he was now adorned in an ornate slate-gray sleeveless tunic, edged in crimson red and made from dragon scales, freely donated from their original owner of course. Along with black pants made from the same type of scales that revealed his bare feet; the Drakan race rarely wore shoes after all.

Such attire showed off Xavath's proud heritage as a Drakan; usually he was reserved and tried not to make waves. He rarely exerted all of the authority that he could, but as the Dragon of Darkness what he said was law, no matter what the local customs or rules of a particular world were. If he told them to change something then even the King here would have to change the laws in order to comply with Xavath's wishes.

Athane as the Keyblade Master was cautioned not to "meddle in the affairs of other worlds" but as the Dragon of Darkness, Xavath was charged with making sure that every world was safe and progressing as peacefully as it could, and that gave him the authority to make any and all adjustments he deemed necessary.

His voice bristled with irritation and warning as his orange eyes bored into Governor Pavel who swallowed hard and shrank back from the angry reptile standing in front of him. The spines on Xavath's head and back were raised and stiff, showing that he was not pleased.

Xavath walked over to Nazairah's chair and bowed deeply to her before taking her hand in his and lifting it up to his mouth; his tongue flicked out across her blue skin for a brief moment, a Drakan version of a kiss on the hand. It was so obviously an affectionate gesture that many of the council straightened in surprise and a few muttered to themselves about it.

Nazairah blinked in surprise and her cheeks flushed a little in embarrassment, not at the action itself for Xavath had done so several times before, but at the fact that he would do it so blatantly in front of the Royal Congress.

Xavath lifted his head and met her eyes and he gave her hand a small squeeze. That one gesture let her know that he was okay and had this situation under control. The Princess nodded slightly in understanding as Xavath let go of her and turned to the rest of the Twili seated at the marble table. Before speaking the Drakan stared over at Pavel with such intensity that the Governor fidgeted uncomfortably and sat down looking a bit ashamed.

With a contemptuous snort Xavath turned his attention back to the rest of the men and women, his midnight black scales gleamed with health and his aura radiated power…and anger. His quiet stance made it clear that he had heard and understood every world that had been spoken today and he was NOT pleased with it at all. For several long and tense minutes there was complete silence, now that Xavath was actually here not a single person would be brave enough to speak out against him.

Slowly Xavath turned and began walking around the table, "Since you all seem to be so interested in my relationship with Princess Nazairah I think I should clarify a few things," he stated with a low hiss as his talons clicked across the floor. Slowly he examined each Twili seated around the table and each one looked away from his harsh gaze when it fell upon them.

Muscles tense and fangs bared the tall reptilian continued, "Nazairah may be a Princess here on Shadow's Luminance, but she is also a close friend of mine and I care deeply for her as you all know. So if I choose to inform her, talk to her, or commission her to do something without first consulting the King, Queen, or you here on the Royal Congress…then that is MY business," Xavath emphasized firmly as a few Twili snuck glances over at said Princess who sat there with a slight frown on her face.

Nazairah could tell that something just wasn't right; she and Xavath had been friends for a long time and she could tell when he was worried about something. Slowly she narrowed her eyes as she watched her friend, His body is tense and his voice is strained. Xavath is not only worried about something, he's stressed out as well, and I'll bet that it has to do with a vision he had, maybe even one he had the night I was attacked. That night he came into my room looking almost scared of something. What are the light dwellers up to now? Was my attack just the beginning of something more? Would they actually fight against those of us here in the dark? the Princess wondered restlessly as she pursed her lips.

She was distracted when Xavath started talking again, "Now as you know Athane and myself have been searching for the light dweller who came here four days ago but so far he has eluded capture," he explained regretfully as he came around the end of the table and began walking back towards Nazairah. "The Keyblade Master will return back here to the palace later when he does the three of us shall first discuss the current situation," Xavath put clear emphasis on the word so there would be no doubt as to what he meant and who those three people were.

He paused and stopped in his tracks when he got to Governor Pavel's table, "After this has been done then and only then will I come and inform you of our findings and theories as to what is happening. So until then I would expect you to give Nazairah your full support and backing in all of her decisions," Xavath growled darkly to them as the Congress fidgeted uneasily at his words.

Turning Xavath put his clawed hand on the back of Pavel's chair and leaned forward until his scaly muzzle was near the Twili's ear, "The Princess she may be, but do realize that she is also my ambassador, my emissary, my personal representative and whatever I tell her to do completely overrules any government or laws made in this kingdom, this world, or on ANY world for that matter," the black Drakan hissed with forced calm.

His orange eyes glowed with warning as he raised his voice just high enough for everyone to hear, "What I'm saying ladies and gentlemen is that Nazairah has friends in some very high places, so you would do well not to offend her by your personal high minded thinking. Times have changed and if you don't watch your step then you might just as quickly find yourself…replaced by someone more suited to your position," Xavath let his threat hang in the air as he straightened up and walked back to the head of the table.

Stopping by Nazairah's chair he dipped his head to her in respect as he extended his hand to her; with a small nod she took it and stood up from her seat, more then a little pleased with the way he had put those stuffy bureaucrats in their place.

Before they left though Xavath looked over his shoulder to make one final comment, "So far I have been patient with you and your personal demoralizing ideals towards those of other worlds and species, but this time I have had enough. If this kingdom is to be prepared for what's to come then we are going to need all the help we can get. I will not allow your opinions to interfere with what I feel to be the best decision for everyone else," Xavath stated before turning back and walking out with Nazairah by his side.


Overall the "talk" Sora had with his parents had gone pretty well, after a carefully planned out explanation they hadn't been too angry about his tardiness. So long as he called next time to tell them what was going on.

Now the Keyblade Master was sitting on his bed thinking about the talk he and Kairi had had with Riku just this afternoon.

Riku…he must be really stressed over everything that's going on in his life…I just wish he would trust us more with what's going on. I want to help him but he's just so stubborn when it comes to getting help, Sora thought with a heavy sigh as scratched his head.

What Kairi said about him being scared of what might happen makes sense too, but…I don't know, there must be something else. I mean he obviously didn't tell us everything, he reflected as he closed his eyes for a moment.

"Roxas?" Sora asked and there was a brief flash of light before the semi-transparent figure of his Nobody appeared in front of him, leaning against the wall.

He had to keep his voice down otherwise his parents would come in and wonder why he was talking to thin air. Kairi, Riku, and himself were the only ones who knew about, and could see Roxas; the same was true of Namine as well.

With a curious look on his face Roxas tilted his head to one side, "About time you called me out here. You've been fidgeting for nearly twenty minutes," he chastised as he crossed his arms.

Sora glared at him in response, "I have not!" he objected before shifting his position again for the third time in less then a minute.

Roxas rolled his eyes at that rebuttal and waved his hand, "Did you need me here for a reason or not? I was actually busy you know," the Nobody inquired as he grumbled the last part.

Leaning forward with his hands on his knees the Keyblade Master ignored that last comment, "Is it possible that someone from the dark is really trying to contact Riku?" he asked and then frowned slightly, "I mean he never did officially confirm it or anything, but he said that if what 'they' were telling him was true…then he would have to face the darkness again…" Sora trailed off and waited for an answer. Roxas frowned slightly as he stared off into space, seconds turned into nearly a minute and finally Sora got impatient.

"Well?" he blurted and the Nobody shot back a glare of his own, "I'm thinking!" Roxas fired back and the Keyblade Master crossed his arms as well as he waited.

Having Roxas around and being aware of his presence had taken some getting used to, and as time went on it wasn't really getting any easier. The former Organization XIII member was a lot different from his other and there were times when it felt like Roxas actually missed the other Nobodies.

Roxas did leave the Organization…but that was because he wanted to find me and to get answers to his questions…not because he necessarily disagreed with what Xemnas and the others were doing, Sora considered apprehensively as Roxas' voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Are you going to listen to me or sit there wondering about where my loyalties lie?" the Nobody questioned in a snide tone of voice. Since they were now connected again Roxas knew exactly what his other was thinking. Sora lifted his head in surprise, a guilty look on his face as he looked down again.

Roxas though waved it off before Sora could say anything. "That's not important right now. You asked me about Riku, and I think that there's a definite possibility that someone from the dark is after him. Why is what we don't know," he said in response to the initial question.

There was silence for a moment as Sora digested that information before looking up at his Nobody, "Do you think they're trying to hurt him?" he asked seriously, thinking of all that Riku had been through already. He couldn't help but clench his fists as he thought about the possibility of his best friend falling prey to Xehanort or the Heartless again.

Roxas uncrossed his arms and shrugged at that, "No way to know without getting Riku to give up more info on the situation. I'm not really an expert on the matter; you would have had a better chance talking to Zexion or even Vexen about it," he said offhandedly and Sora couldn't help the slight frown that crossed his lips at the second half of that sentence.

Roxas, though, didn't seem to notice and continued talking, "What I do know is that that there are indeed other worlds that exist in the darkness, just like Destiny Islands exists in the light. So while there are both good and evil inhabitants on those worlds, it's anyone's guess as to which one is trying to talk with your friend," he concluded as he turned to stare out of the window on his right.

Sora groaned and flopped back on his bed, "Gee, thanks…you're a lot of help," he grumbled in frustration as Roxas smirked at that.

"Settle down oh mighty one. If this person or thing from the dark were a danger on even the slightest level to either himself or anyone else here on this world then Riku would have already sent them packing back to wherever they came from, instead of sitting at a table eating brownies and debating the matter with you and Kairi," the Nobody distinguished and Sora propped himself up on his elbows, not entirely sure if he liked the way Roxas was making light of the situation. This was his friend they were discussing after all.

Then again Riku had defeated Roxas, dragged him back to Ansem the Wise, put him in a "false" data version of Twilight Town where his life was mostly a lie, and then forcibly returned him and his power back to Sora; if you thought of it that way then it was a miracle Roxas didn't despise Riku completely.

After a brief moment Sora decided to let it slide, "So you're saying that there are dark worlds just as there are light worlds, you don't know if they mean to harm Riku or not, and unless we pry more information out of him then we really have nothing to do but sit around and twiddle our thumbs?" the Keyblade Master questioned as he ticked all of the various points off on his fingers.

"Yeah, basically," Roxas responded unhelpfully.

With a surly grumble Sora lay back down and stared up at the ceiling as he put his hands behind his head. He thought for a moment about what had been said earlier before adding, "Riku also mentioned that if what this…person was telling him were true then he might have to face the darkness again," he put in as he closed his eyes and Roxas grunted in acknowledgement.

There were footsteps as the Nobody walked across the room and leaned over the bed to stare down at his other with a slight frown, "Duh, Riku is from the dark. Even his heart is pure darkness, it's like he is like the opposite of what Kairi is. Of course he would have to face the darkness again," Roxas stated with a slightly deriding edge to his voice as if it were common knowledge.

Sora's eyes snapped open and he straight up, forcing Roxas to step away quickly. "What!" he squawked in surprise before wincing and looking towards the door to make sure his mother or father had not heard his outburst.

Roxas made a sound of disgust as he twisted a finger in his ear, "Scream a little louder why don't you? I don't think the polar bears heard you up at the Arctic Circle," he said sarcastically as he glowered at his other for being so loud.

Sora ignored his Nobody's irritation and stared at him in shock, "Riku's heart is pure darkness? How do you know?" he questioned when he finally managed to close his open jaw and get some words out.

With a slightly proud look Roxas flipped a hand through his bangs, "I was a part of Organization XIII genius. Collecting hearts was a part of the job description; besides all Nobodies can sense the amount of light and darkness that make up a person's heart. That's why when you encountered the Organization they were only going after certain people in certain worlds. Those who not only had strong hearts, but who had emotions that would make their hearts more susceptible to the Heartless," Roxas explained evenly.

"But…" Sora stopped as much of what he thought he knew about hearts was through out the window. Scratching his head he voiced his problem, "Wait, I thought it was the darkness in your heart drew the Heartless," he questioned in confusion.

Shaking his head Roxas explained, "Wrong, don't know where you heard that from but what I heard from Vexen was this: almost everyone has a mix of light, and dark in their hearts. That's the way it was and has been even before the Heartless started devouring worlds. It is not the darkness at all the draws the Heartless to you. Instead there are a lot of factors that determine how aggressively the Heartless pursue someone," he paused and Sora nodded to show that he was following along so far.

With a grunt Roxas continued, "One factor is your emotions: anger, jealousy, revenge, a lust for power and so forth will attract them. But a person with a strong will can also draw the Heartless and even control them, just as Maleficent does and as Saix did in Hollow Bastion, or Radiant Garden, whichever you prefer. Lastly they find the light irresistible. If a person's heart is filled with more light then darkness then they might as well have put a bull's-eye on themselves. And then the amount of shadow in their hearts is the biggest factor," he clarified and Sora's brow furrowed as he thought about that.

"Shadow? What's that?" he questioned not recognizing the usage of the word.

Roxas thought for a moment, "Shadow is the term Xemnas came up with for the…evil in a person's heart. You for instance have a heart of mostly light, but there's a small amount of darkness too. Then there's a third part, the 'shadow' that draws the Heartless. It was born in hearts when people first started fighting over the light and it's the main thing that draws the Heartless to you," Roxas explained and Sora thought back to his first journey, before he woke up in those chambers in Twilight Town.

When in Traverse Town he'd had a dream or hallucination involving Kairi and her grandmother. They had been in the library of Hollow Bastion, now Radiant Garden once again, and the old woman had been telling a young Kairi a story about how the Heartless had first come about. Roxas explanation sounded just like that story.

"Are you listening to me?"

Looking up Sora saw Roxas standing there with an irritated look in his face, ducking his head sheepishly Sora grinned apologetically.

With a frustrated sigh the Nobody repeated himself, "I said that at first there were worlds of light and worlds of darkness, each realm separate from the other like they are now. If you lived in the dark you had a heart with more darkness then light in it, and if you lived here then your heart had more light. Simple right? Well over here people get jealous and angry. They don't want to share the light but instead they want to keep it for themselves. That leads to a 'shadow' growing in people's hearts, a dark power that's the opposite of the light, but is different from the darkness. Soon this shadow pushes out the light and you turn into a Heartless," Roxas punctuated this statement with a firm nod.

Sora thought for a moment, "Man…it sounds kind of simple when you put it that way," he admitted and Roxas crossed his arms.

With a slight glare the Nobody rebuked him, "Of course its simple, now shut up and let me finish. As I was saying, it's this shadow, this dark energy that attracts the Heartless. They only crave the light and will seek it out at all costs. The only sources of the kind of power the Heartless seek are hearts. Whether they be in people, worlds, or Kingdom Hearts itself. For your average person a Heartless can just attack them and steal their heart. But the stronger you are the harder is for them. For example unless the shadow part of your heart started to grow and take over then it's unlikely that the Heartless would ever be able to capture you," Roxas explained watching Sora to make sure he was paying attention to all of this.

The Keyblade Master tilted his head as he considered that, "So…if I were really angry at someone hurting my friends…then my negative emotions would cause the evil…the shadow…in my heart to grow stronger and attract the Heartless. Once that happens it would be easier for them to consume my heart. Which is why Maleficent and all her other servants had to be careful not to let their emotions, desire for power, and revenge get the better of them!" Sora punched his fist for emphasis, "Hey I think I got it!" he said with a pleased grin.

Roxas gave a small snort and his blue eyes flashed with mild irritation, "About time. Also let me add that the Heartless aren't interested in the darkness for some reason. No one really knows why but if a person has a heart with more darkness in it then they are most times just left alone. I should know, Vexen made me help with his creepy experiments," he added with a slight shiver from the memories.

Sora nodded in distraction, "That's why Riku never actually lost his heart isn't it? Even though he was surrounded by Heartless and Xehanort's Heartless took over his body, he never actually lost his heart to them. Is the darkness more immune to the Heartless or something?" he questioned and Roxas shrugged.

"Beat's me. I can't confirm it for you but that's what all the evidence points to. I only know what I've heard from the others in the Organization and most of them agree that those who live in the worlds of darkness are all but immune to the Heartless. The small amount of light in their hearts isn't enough to attract attention. And if the shadow in them begins to grow then the darkness is usually strong enough to prevent the Heartless from taking their heart. A being of darkness can be controlled like Riku was…but the chance of them losing their heart is slim to none," Roxas finished as he turned to look out the window at the night sky.

With a slight smile Sora put his hands behind his head, "And here I thought you said you were no expert on the matter," he teased and Roxas flashed him a smug look.

He thought for a moment before making a snide comment in retaliation, "Said I was no expert, not that I was stupid like you," the Nobody fired back with a satisfied smirk on his face.

Sora rolled his eyes at that, "Yeah well I…HEY! Wait a minute!" he objected as he realized what Roxas had just said about him.

The Nobody was still grinning as his body flashed briefly and then disappeared from view. The scowl on Sora's face was quickly replaced as he stared at the spot where Roxas had just been 'standing.'

Sora glanced over at his cell phone that was recharging on his desk and then shook his head. Riku's parents probably wouldn't want him to call tonight so his news would just have to wait until they all got to school tomorrow. But either way…

With a sigh of relief the Keyblade Master laid down and stared up at the ceiling with a smile on his lips, I don't know how much Riku already knows about this, but I have to tell him and Kairi as soon as possible, he thought with a buzz of excitement. Maybe this news would give his friend one less thing to worry about.


AN: Sorry for taking so long everybody but I made sure to put plenty of information in to hopefully make up for my tardiness! Plus this came out to a total of 21 pages and my fingers hurt so be nice okay?

I hope you liked the interaction between Sora, Kairi, and Riku, I thought that with all of the stress our silver haired hero has been under, that there was a chance he would finally break and let at least a few of his secrets slip. Then when it came to Nazairah…well let's just say that I've been wanting to do a character like her for sooooooooo long now. Her fierce, snarky, temperamental attitude is so different from me its ridiculous, but underneath all that she's a strong woman who's not afraid of getting her hands dirty in order to help the people she cares about. Xavath got to flex his muscles a little too. Wonder how Riku will act when all of his power is finally at his fingertips?

As for the conversation between Roxas and Sora…that was definitely my favorite part of the chapter. Ahhh, for so long I've wanted to do Roxas. He's kind of like the opposite of Sora in some ways so the thought that he might not be entirely okay with everything that happened isn't that hard to imagine is it? I mean at first he seemed to be okay with things, but what about once they get back to Destiny Islands? Not a lot for a Nobody-back-inside-his-other to do but think now is there?

I've been wondering if perhaps as time went on whether Roxas might discover that he wasn't entirely satisfied with the way things went down. And now that I've finally started playing Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days and found spoilers on the Kingdom Hearts wikia I can do his personalityand situation properly.

Either way in my story Sora is trying his best to get along with Roxas, but our favorite Nobody is a bit conflicted at the moment and not as nice to the Keyblade Master as he could be.

Okay, maybe not your favorite Nobody but either way let's see how that area develops shall we?

Disclaimer: I own Xigbar and I know how to use him. Flame me and I will send him out to hunt you down. ;)

Constructive criticism and nice, helpful reviews though shall be rewarded with cookies. ^_^